Hello intrepid adventurers!
What an eventful day it has been! The Celestial Library where Glitter, the Galaxy Phoenix makes their home is everything I hoped it would be and more!
But I am getting ahead of myself! First, I must explain my encounter with the nightmare threat.
It happened while I was sleeping. This may seem obvious in retrospect given the nature of our foe, but at the time, gentle adventurer, I was very surprised!
The Moon Phoenix, Phoebe, and I had settled down to sleep at the edge of Glitter’s domain after feasting on the delightful rations you provided us.
I was dreaming of lunar sheep when I felt myself overwhelmed with a sense of dread.
The dream sheep began to change, their forms blurring and dripping like ink spilled from a well. Their bleating took on an unearthly tone. I got the sense they were trying to communicate, but could not decipher a message from their thoughts. Through all this, I felt a deep certainty that I mustn’t let their inky forms touch me.
I awoke buffeted by wings. It was Glitter!
They were at the top of their tower listening to the stories of the stars when they heard a cry from Phoebe. They went searching for the source and found our camp encircled by nightmares. Glitter drove off the nightmares with a hearty song, but Phoebe did not awaken. I, on the other hand, was shaken, but otherwise in good health.
Glitter seemed confident that they could help Phoebe, but we needed to get her to the tower. After packing up our camp, we began our trip.
The tower wasn’t far, but the trip was difficult carrying Phoebe. Her feathers were warm and soft, glowing faintly in the darkness. She’s not a baby phoenix but seems small compared to adults like Glitter. This was fortunate as I would not have been able to carry her otherwise.
Yet again, the supplies you provided for our journey were invaluable. I wrapped Phoebe in a blanket and used a rope to secure her to my chest. Both were items you provided from your realm. The blanket is a material called “fleece” that is soft on her feathers. The rope is incredibly lightweight but surprisingly strong “paracord” material. This makeshift sling made the journey easier as it left my hands free to use my walking stick as we crossed the hilly terrain.
Glitter was very concerned for Phoebe and checked on her frequently throughout our walk. They seemed to think we would all be in trouble if they couldn’t wake her.
My worry for Phoebe was so great that when we arrived I almost could not appreciate the Celestial Library where Glitter makes their home. It appears from afar as a ramshackle tower. (Some might call it a “Wizard’s Tower,” though I assure you that Wizards make their homes in all sorts of structures.) However, instead of a roof, there is a giant nest where Glitter listens to the stories of the stars.
The ground floor entrance was in disrepair for, as Glitter sheepishly explained, they rarely get visitors without wings. It was challenging for me to get around the tower as there was no staircase, merely a landing platform on each floor. However, Glitter was able to whip up a moving platform to transport me from floor to floor.
Galaxy magic is quite fascinating! Glitter is able to weave various story threads together like a tapestry to build a spell. The stories of the stars appear to be in an epic poem type formula and many of them are songs. The wide range of tones Glitter is able to produce surely helps with their spell making. My croaky singing voice is not much to write home about so I expect that Galaxy magic is not in the stars for this humble wizard.
But you are of course worried about Phoebe!
With the help of the platforms, we brought Phoebe to the top of the tower, just below Glitter’s nest. There is a complex device there made of concentric rings with a ball in the center. Glitter uses this to make records of the stories they learn from the stars. The records are stored not as books, but as globes that hang suspended by magic throughout the various floors of the tower.
After consulting with globes from several different floors, Glitter was able to construct a story that they hoped would wake Phoebe. It was built from a story about the nightmare realm, a story of a princess who had gotten lost far from home, a story of a hero defeating a great monster, and the story of a shepherd who vowed to win the heart of his true love by counting every lunar sheep.
Glitter wove threads from all these tales together to craft a waking spell for Phoebe. And it worked!
Phoebe opened her eyes. She was disoriented but unharmed.
We are giving her some time to rest before we press her about her experience.
While we wait, Glitter has let me loose in the library. I’m so excited I have barely managed to dash off this letter to you before I go wandering amongst the shelves! I have so many questions: What kind of sorting system is in place? What types of stories do the stars tell?
I expect to report back to you the answers to these questions along with an update on how Phoebe is recovering.
As always, I am incredibly grateful for your support as we continue this journey. I hope these letters help you understand the vital part you play in our quest as we would surely fail without you.
Your faithful emissary,
(I say countless, for when I tried to count them all I quickly found myself asleep under a mushroom! Phoebe warned me that I mustn’t do that unless we’re about to stop for the night.)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)