Paradise in the moonlight

*Recluse* · Updated 04/30/23:

Recluse Ithuriel-Klein

Recluse shrugged as the woman asked why she hadn't done much traveling. "Didn't have many chances too as a child, for reasons you'll forgive me for not sharing." Notably that she'd nearly died from neglect, been taken to the north by the lightning king when she'd been so near to death that it was that or lay down and die. "And once I was old enough to be independent I was old enough to have responsibilities, and then after that the responsibilities of motherhood." And that hadn't really stopped, nearly 3 years of children and raising them and Habari and she was staring down probably her 3rd litter, she was busy in short. So she shrugged again. "Maybe when I'm ready to retire I'll give it up to go exploring. But I'm in no rush."

The stranger asked about what had passed last winter and Recluse shuffled, grimacing. The woman was a proud warrior queen, she didn't usually let the mask slip but the memories of the pain in her skull as the crystal had rooted itself over her eye... The worry that any of her children might fall sick and she'd be unable to help them. She sighed. "You're lucky then, an unnatural darkness fell over the whole of Boreas, I can't speak to Auster but I have reason to believe it too was stuck in that long night. You may struggle to believe me but things were... bad. Ghosts, a sickness tearing through our continent that caused wolves to mutate in painful ways. I lost sight in one of my eyes when a crystal latched itself onto my face, I saw mushrooms also growing on some afflicted wolves... Some didn't make it. And then one day it just... Went away. The sun came back out and those that had made it through the night started to get better. Like nothing had happened, but anyone who lived through it could tell you it was the longest winter of our lives."

"Speech"

Art by Sirinsong

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