Vellus Venti

Written by StillnessandSilence

 
"The scent of him was all I had left in grief, yet somehow, he was still there. He lingered in the folds of my clothes, in the air I breathed, in the silence after my tears. He remained even after he was gone. And my heart—oh, it aches to touch him, to hold what can no longer be held." — Caelina
  Vellus Venti, the scent of desire, is a rare and elusive phenomenon known to manifest as both memory and material.   The memory of him — some would say — is always marked by the scent he leaves behind.
  Is he even real, or just the afterthought of desire?
  The scent of what ache smells like.
  A strange drift on the breeze.
  Eyes that burn like molten gold, and a scent that wraps around you like velvet. It lingers—deep, rich, woven into your clothes, left behind on sheets like a secret. Those who’ve breathed it say it changes them. It smells like protection, like safety, like ache. Velvet and metal. Fire and shadow.   How can a man be a scent?   He isn’t a man at all. He was born of longing and grief.   When his beloved lost him, she wept so deeply that even the stars wept alongside her. From that profound grief, Tamhana crafted a gift—not of flesh, but of soul. A memory. An echo. The Goddess of Stars and Guidance could not bear to hear her descendant Caelina’s sorrow and thus bestowed this blessing.   Not fully there. Not fully gone. A presence stitched from ache, woven with love, carried in scent.   He came to her not in the flesh, but in the drifting trace of what she missed most: the way he smelled when she leaned into him. The warmth that clung to her skin. The memory that breathed back.
 

Effect on Others

Those visited by Vellus, the Wind of Desire, often find themselves overcome by memories of what they’ve lost. His presence grants a moment—fleeting, yet profound—where the past returns in vivid sensation. His scent seeps into something precious: a letter, a scarf, the corner of a pillow, and suddenly, memory blooms.   But those who linger too long are often lost to his magic, forever chasing that ephemeral feeling—the breeze that brushes the mind in pieces. They crave what is gone on a soul-deep level, and some are never quite the same.

Taboo

It is widely whispered that to try and capture the Wind of Desire is forbidden. To do so is to risk losing oneself entirely to his whims, becoming something hollow and haunted.   Though many have tried—alchemists, perfumers, mourners desperate to hold on—all have failed. He is an echo. A memory. No vessel can truly contain him.   Priests of Tamhana speak plainly: to pursue him is to court folly. For what is grief, if not love with nowhere left to go?

The Scent of Her

She, Caelina, his beloved, long since passed, moves through the world like a warm tropical breeze. It is said he chases her still, drifting across the scattered islands of the Veil.   When the winds catch one another, you may hear laughter in the leaves, or feel the hush before a storm that never comes.   Her scent is moonlit jasmine, wild citrus, and spice—a fragrance like memory and midsummer, gentle and untamed.
 
Collectors are warned to use what little trace they can gather sparingly; to possess even a wisp of memory made scent is a rare and delicate gift.
 

Properties

 

Material Characteristics

Vellus Venti often coalesces as a man, a breezy shadow carried on the wind—seen only at the edge of your vision, like a haunting memory returning unbidden. His form is vaporous, more presence than flesh, but no less striking for it. The air around him stirs with rich, lingering scents—velvet and smoke, salt and shadow—that cling to the senses long after he’s gone. His eyes glow gold, like the last light of sunset breaking through stormclouds, and his silhouette is shaped from the echo of desire itself: tall, broad-shouldered, with a strong-cut jaw and hands you feel before you see. He is beauty remembered, not born—something stitched together from grief, longing, and the ache of what was once held close.  

Physical & Chemical Properties

He is vapor and breeze, slipping into the fabric of things like an eau de parfum with impossible staying power. Some who’ve managed to gather even the smallest trace of him say he looks like starlight caught in a glass bottle. His scent profile begins with a sharp, unmistakable note of black pepper—an announcement, a tingling presence that lingers at the edges. This is followed by smoked bergamot, offering the ghost of heat without tipping into sweetness—just the suggestion of fire held tightly in check.   As you breathe him in deeper, other notes emerge: cedarwood, black amber, and the dry curl of tobacco leaf. These tease the senses like the scent of a home long since burned away, or a gaze held just a little too long—slow, dangerous, and rich with memory. And when he finally leaves you, what remains is a trace: soft, worn leather, the hush of incense resin, and a wisp of charred oak drifting by. The scent of devotion. Of loss. Of something sacred undone.  

A Crystal Bottle of Vellus

 
A single bottle of Vellus Venti, preserved in moon-blown glass, sold once at an auction of the Veiled Court for 12,000 gold pieces and a memory the bidder would not speak of. No one has seen them since.
  Rarity
  Wonderous   Value
  10,000–15,000 GP   Uses
  A crystal bottle of Vellus is a rare and precious thing—so treasured that it is often locked away in heavily guarded vaults. Its use is reserved for the most intimate of moments: to relive memories of long-lost loved ones, to recall the scent of a fleeting passion, or—on rare and dangerous occasions—to become entirely lost in one’s own reverie.   In larger quantities, it is sometimes dabbed onto a scarf or piece of cloth, hidden away and used sparingly, as even the smallest trace can summon feelings too powerful to bear.   Vellus Thoughts
  He was once asked by a woman deep in grief, “Do you hate it—when people take pieces of you?”   Vellus’s reply was as soft as the wind itself. “I am made of pieces,” he said, “fragments of long-lost memories—something everyone longs to hold close. I do not hate it. I only long to be near her again.”   His voice, though quiet, echoed with sorrow. With memory. With Caelina—his beloved star.  

 

Comments

Author's Notes

© Sorianna Choate. All rights reserved. All written content, including character, setting, and lore, is the original creation of Sorianna Choate. Artwork and imagery are original works by the author. No part of this piece may be copied, reproduced, or used without explicit permission.


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Jul 1, 2025 10:41

I love this article, and I’m saving it for the reading challenge in August.

Come see my worlds: The Million Islands and High Albion
Jul 1, 2025 18:13 by Sorianna Choate

Thank you for reading!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it! It was a delight to create!

Jul 1, 2025 14:26 by Keon Croucher

Memories are such powerful things and this....This is beautiful, this poetry in worldbuilding. You truly came up with some magic here, an amazing piece.

Keon Croucher, Chronicler of the Age of Revitalization
Jul 1, 2025 18:16 by Sorianna Choate

Oh my goodness, this is a high compliment. Thank you truly. I am happy you enjoyed it. Memory and scent are sharply tied together. I wanted something that captured that.

Jul 2, 2025 16:25 by Dr Emily Vair-Turnbull

"I am made of pieces."   Oof, you are killing it with the hard hitting articles this month. This is beautiful.

Emy x
Explore Etrea | Reading Challenge 2025
Jul 2, 2025 18:35 by Sorianna Choate

The idea kind of hit me, and I am glad you enjoyed it. I really liked how this idea blossomed.