Misadventures: Letter 2

Dear Thaire,

Since I last wrote, I have explored yet another world. Though, I did not create this world. I have found that it is possible to summon a world that is not your creation. At least, it worked this time.

I must admit that I don’t know much about this world. I was browsing my library not long after I wrote the first letter, when I found a book with no title, only a by-line- Nerd Smith. I do not know who Nerd Smith is, so if you have any idea who this could be, I would appreciate it.

But, besides the point. In my library, I found a book that I don’t remember buying. Though, as I read, I quickly realized that this would be the perfect world to travel to for my second expedition. It is called Aruna, though the main city of importance is Eir. I tried to find the city, of course, but it was hard to find.

As I entered, it seemed as though there were a million people watching me. It was a rather diverse place, I must say. Any type of creature, human, or anything else you could imagine was there. From orcs to lizard-men to friendly rogues, there was no shortage of people there. And they all seemed to have these strange badges somewhere on their person. Triangular badges with landscapes on them. It was peculiar.

Though it became clear that they were not native to this land. I still wonder where they come from. A realm outside our own? They mostly ignored my presence, though I did get many compliments about my hat.

And how, you may ask, did I know that they were not native? Because I met a girl who was. Or a woman? I still have no idea whether she is a girl or a woman, for her age and appearance is misleading.

Her name is Cyl. She told me she is a “Goa”, a race of people made from a stone called eirshale. Her face reminds me of sculpted clay- minimal, with a small boxed nose, and circular holes for eyes. One thing’s for sure, she was certainly an interesting figure! Her arms and legs were covered in paint. When I was there, she changed the paint several times, though it was mostly greens, cool hues of blue, and deep reds, to suit the luscious land and its bright blue sky.

What I may have described to you may sound like a golem. And yes, I admit that Goa and golems look strikingly similar. Though, golems are tall, and carved, with hardly a mind to speak of. Cyl, at least, was far different than that. We got along well, in fact. She is somewhat childish, but who of us hasn’t acted childish at least once outside of childhood? And while I was there, she was constantly helping those in need and showing me all that was good about the land- admirable qualities.

Even our first meeting was a good one. I met her perhaps a day after I arrived in Aruna. I was resting under a small tree, looking around at the people walking by me, hands over my stomach. I was hoping to take a small rest before setting out on a search for the city that no one would stop talking about- Eir. That’s when she came up to me.

“Hey there!” she said, joining my side, although remaining standing. “Are you alright? I noticed you were sitting alone.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I’m alone, I didn’t bring anyone with me.”

“That’s sad. These worlds are meant to be explored with friends!”

I nodded in response, thinking immediately of bringing you along- though I’d like to practice more before I bring you.

“Your hat’s really pretty.” she added after a small silence.

“Thank you, I’ve had it for a long time.”

“Where do you come from?” She bent down slightly, hands behind her back, doing her best to show curiosity despite her minimalistic features.

“I come from a world called Skriva.”
“Nice. Say, do you have a talisman?”

“A what?” I asked, the concept confusing me greatly. What was a talisman, I wondered, and what was its purpose? I had noticed that a few people walked around with random items in their hands, though I had brushed it off. Maybe those items were talismans?

“A talisman. You have to have one, you couldn’t have gotten here without one!”

“Well, if I have a talisman, I’m certainly not aware of it.”

She thought about that for a long time, finally sitting down beside me.

“By the way, I like your paints.” I said. “Especially those reds. They’re super nice and dark. The perfect shade of red, in my opinion. Almost like blood red.” And that concluded my small tangent.

“Thanks, it’s an organic paint.”

“I’ve never seen someone paint their body before, no one from my world does that.”

“Well, now you have!” Despite her inexpressive face, I could tell that she was both happy and excited at my coming.

“Do you come from here?” I asked, looking ahead at the lush forest around us.

“Yes, I do. I’m Cyl, nice to meet you!”

“Jordini, nice to meet you too.”

After that interaction, we were essentially joined at the hip for the time I was there. There was no shortage of things she would teach me about that world. If you would like to hear them, then I will share them with you the next time we see each other. But know that it was a truly fascinating world.

But as all good things must come to an end, so my time in Aruna had to end as well. I had you to return to, and I wanted to document my findings about this world. Cyl was sad about this, of course. So, before I left, she gave me something to remember her by- eirshale. As I write this letter, it sits beside me. A rough, unpolished slab of shale, slightly hued with gold, a magical energy flowing from it.

And now, I am back. Back here, writing my second letter about the Paper Demon Phenomenon. If you have any questions for me, or suggestions on where to go next, I would be happy to explore any world for you. After all, how fun is it to explore a world entirely unlike your own? I believe I will be testing this phenomenon much more often.

 

With Great Love,

Jordini