Event

The river runs shallow, though the reason is not that hard to come by for once.  Overhead, the sky is bright and blue, not a trace of white skirting through, as it has been for weeks.  Below, the river babbles and runs south towards the sea, wondering if it will ever rain again, or if it will dry up into clay embankments, lost until another deluge brings it to life again.

Alongside this river, the world is still green, but beyond, the grass is golden, the leaves of the trees weary, and the thistle blooms dry and crispy with heat.  In some patches, the earth is charcoal black, maimed by the gnashing of flame born from the dryness of this particularly stern Tallsun, pulled across the earth by wind that was almost hotter than the air when it was still.  

This far south, even the riverside was unpleasant, and even the fine mist rising up from the banks of the water is almost immediately devoured by the thirsty air.  Occasionally, that overly hot wind buffets through, drawing patterns in the surface of the water, and, on this wind, lilts the sound of laughter.

The heat does not affect these cheerful fellows, their shining wings blurred with the speed of their movement as they flit back and forth across the water, their bodies spilling silver, emerald, and gold dust across the surface of the water.  What they are is relatively undeterminable from shining balls of radiance, each the same shining, earthy hue as the dust cascading from them, but they are laughing none the less, in a chorus of sound that seems to be in perfect time with the others.  All about their dancing flight, the smell of earth, flowers, and bark fill the air.

The whole scene is ethereal, and peaceful.  Nearby, some of the wildlife have gathered to watch whatever they are play.

“Oh, it looks like a lion!” rises the melody of one, the others singing in time agreement and new ideas as the dust swirls and ripples, “or a manticore maybe!” Laughter occasionally seizes them when the image is thought to be something absurd, such as what they see next.

“That is griffon with a flower for a beak!” they lilt with high pitched, excited delight, whirling over the surface of the water in wild circles and pirouettes, the water coated in a thick dusting that glimmers in the sun, southward to the sea.

What pretty, laughing shinies you’ve found!  How will you progress?  This is an Earth Magic drop!  Participants have 72 hours to respond to each round.  Please include any previous refusals for Earth Magic or any extra rolls you would like to use.  Good luck to everyone!

pure randomness