Lumirels

  This is the fortieth creature codex I’ve submitted to the Explorer’s guild in my life, and since the first one, I’ve been asked the same question upon each release. What about Lumirels?

  For the first ten codices, I was confident that finding them was just a matter of time. By the thirty-fifth, it had become my life’s mission to discover the truth of their existence. Now that my last codex has been released, I am forced to admit defeat.

  While I wish I could continue, my bones now ache when exposed to the frigid air of the Stone Hold’s grand mountains. My mind grows too muddled to navigate the strange mana in the depths of the Feywilds. My reactions have slowed so that I may no longer brave the dangers deep in The Continent. I’m afraid the truth of the Lumirels will not be discovered by me. So instead, I shall lay down all I have learned about the world’s most elusive creature in the hope that someone may find them before I expire.

  The very thought of having someone else discover the secret while I’ve spent my life searching galls me. Though the thought of not knowing the truth before my death is unbearable. So I ask you, great explorers, those truly worthy of the name. Take up my mantle, find the truth, and when your name is etched in history, spare a thought for this old man and the life he spent searching for the answer.

  I will no longer bore you with the preamble. Allow this old man to tell you all that I have learned.

  For all the time I have spent looking for them, I am still unable to confirm their existence, let alone what they are. In all my travels, I have never found a single trace of their existence. Not a footprint nor feather, not the faintest echo in the mana. If you are familiar with Lumirels, this will come as no surprise. If you are not, then you will wonder why I spent my life looking for a creature that so obviously doesn’t exist.

  The answer is this. Every culture, from the untouched forests of The Continent to the chaotic depths of the Feywilds. Wherever a group capable of communication has gathered, their language will have sayings related to Lumirels.

  Even if their language is too strange to pronounce the name, they will use the closest approximation. That is why I believe these creatures exist. That is why I have sought their traces all these years.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Now, if knowledge of a creature is this widespread, then you must think to yourself that surely knowing what a Lumirel is would be easy? After all, surely there are clues about its appearance in the various metaphors and sayings these cultures have developed.

  You would be wrong.

  From collating all the clues, I have come up with this description of what these creatures may look like.

  Lumirels are a type of bird that can vary in size from 2 words to a caravan. They weigh anywhere from 1.5 pins to 14 smithies. Notably, they may also be monkeys or lizards.

  They are probably black but may also be a deep midnight blue, dark purple, a combination of the aforementioned colours or a brilliant yellow.

  They are either completely silent, loud enough to burst an eardrum, or anywhere in between. They have a distinct roar, caw or howl depending on who you ask.

  Even asking the Sphinx, I was able to gain no further clarification on the nature of Lumirels and the nature of their existence. From analysing tens of thousands of sayings about these creatures, this is the best description I could come up with.

  The only other notable thread I could find among the sayings was that most of them seemed to be used to explain strange, odd or unlikely occurrences or behaviours. Below, I shall list the complete set of sayings I have managed to catalogue. Perhaps you will find a clue that I have missed. I only ask that if you find a clue, you write to this retired adventurer and share what you have found.

  “He must have been pecked in the head.” - Displaying unusual behaviour.

  “A Lumirel fancied my penny.” - When missing money.

  “You’d sooner catch a Lumirel than get a date.” - When hopelessly single.

  “A Lumirel is perched on my scale” - When unable to get a consistent measurement.

  “She’s stepped on a Lumirel's tail.” - When experiencing bad luck.

  “You’ve sold your Grandpa’s Torbechal to a Lumirel.” - When having great luck in gambling.

  “Lumirels fart.” - A curse used when suffering an accidental injury.

  “A Lumirel pecked me.” - When an eye twitches.

  - 40 986 Sayings redacted for brevity. Find the complete list in ‘Torbrin’s Lumirel Codex’

  Excerpt from ‘Torbrin’s Creature Codex No. 40 - Redacted Edition.’

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