Acalendra

Ambassador of the Pegasus Clan

When a stranger entered the Cumulus Sphere from below, Acalendra was the one to sense that fate had brought them here. The stranger said they were a mystic, and shared their story and told of the place they were from. Acalendra invited the mystic to stay, and decided she would visit the mystic’s home to tell their clan that the mystic had made it safely to the place in their vision.

Acalendra insisted on going alone, and descended through the clouds below. Following the words of the mystic in place of a map, she sought the Everbloom Gardens. She found this quite easily, and began her search for the rabbit hole in the hollow of a tree that the mystic told of. This was the entrance to the place of the mystic’s origin.

After an afternoon of searching, Acalendra found the rabbit hole, but realized she was too large to fit. She decided she would wait for a resident to come through the hole. But it grew dark, darker than the Cumulus Sphere ever is, and Acalendra grew anxious.

The wind calmed her. It held a presence of its own, one that kept her company, that made her feel safe, that whispered to her. In fact, hours into the night, it did whisper to her. It asked who she was. She stated her role as ambassador and her mission to deliver a message about the mystic to the residents of the hole, and that she could not deliver the message because she could not enter due to her size.

The whispering night wind revealed itself to be a Fae. The Fae claimed it was a resident, and offered to guide Acalendra to another entrance. She followed the Fae for a while, and then the Fae dove straight into the ground. Strangely, the Fae went straight through the ground as if there was nothing there. Acalendra put her faith in the Fae and followed suit. She found herself descending into a verdant grotto.

A single enormous tree stood at the center of the grotto, surrounded by abundant foliage where dragons and game frolicked about. The moon shone its light down into the navel in addition to glowing fungi that lit the cavern. Bugs hovered in the air. Around the rim of the grotto was a ring of water where fish swam near the surface. Fae nests and overgrowth lined the steep vertical walls of the chamber. An entire unique ecosystem sustained itself beneath the veil above.

The dragons and wildlife here seemed to pay no mind to their visitor. The Fae guided Acalendra to the hollow of the great central tree. More Fae nests lined the inside of the hollow. Acalendra asked the Fae to take her to their leader. The Fae replied that they did not have a leader.

Acalendra considered calling for the attention of the residents and giving a speech, but it seemed the residents seemed focused on their own business. She decides she will ask the Fae to do her one final favor by spreading the word that the mystic had made it to the place she envisioned. The Fae agreed, but brought to Acalendra’s attention that the dragons here sought the mystic for fortune telling and advice.

Acalendra contemplated further. She was beginning to realize the similarities between this place and the Cumulus Sphere. Both are veiled to outsiders. Both clans live within the means of their domain. Both clans are peaceful. She decided that the residents here do not threaten the peace of the Pegasus clan.

She proposes to the Fae that she will return regularly to visit this place, perhaps bringing her friends, and the residents here who wish to see the mystic may accompany her on the return flight to the sky. This way, safe passage can be assured. The Fae finds this most agreeable, and resolves to spread the information around the grotto.

Acalendra sleeps safely until the sun shines down into the grotto. When she wakes, she wishes to thank the Fae who guided her, but they cannot be found. She takes to the sky to return to the Cumulus Sphere and recount the tale of first contact to the rest of the Pegasus clan.