Faun with the Wind

"Of all the festivals I've been to over the years, none compares to the Faun Rite of Wind, which celebrates the return of spring. I am a wandering ranger and a lover of the forest, but I am only human. Being human, no matter how close to nature, I did not expect the honor of being invited to witness one of the finest festivals known to mortal man. Perhaps my years of service to the good of the forest earned me the goodwill of the spirits.

     As I traveled to the designated meeting place, I heard the sounds of laughter shimmering through the woods. The light of a huge bonfire shone through the night, guiding revelers to their destination. When I arrived at the feasting site, many of the faun were already well into the celebrations. My host, one Alarrain Mistraveler, guided me to my place and bade me enjoy the festivities. The mead and wine flowed freely even before the meal properly began.

     I cannot do justice to the food by describing it. Suffice to say that normal human food is forever ruined for me, for I shall never again taste anything as heavenly as that which was served to me those many years ago. Although some faun tried to make conversation with me, I could not return the compliment. I was as dumbstruck as a miser in a gold mine. I had never known that such perfection as was around me could exist.

     After the meal came the dancing and the singing. Although I admit I was giddy from the wine, I can reliably swear that no human will ever be able to duplicate the beauty I saw and heard that night. The graceful forms of the faun twisted in a huge celebratory dance around the bonfire to the tune of musicians harmonizing with the wind, the sky, and the stars. The last thing I remember is being dragged into the dancing circle and losing myself in the wilderness.

     I awoke in the morning covered with dew. Although I would swear I was in the same place as the celebrations held the night previous, I found no sign that there was anyone in that clearing that night save me."

- From the Journal of Tristan Chisato

This journal entry belonged to one of the inhabitants of Inix, recovered from the wreckage after the island fell. It is joyful to know there was such wonder on the island, but it fills me with regret to know that wonder might never be experienced again.