The Esseala

## Mystery

Who are the Esseala? That is a perennial mystery within the Tripatriquon. They are known to walk among the people in Rialtus, appearing simply as extremely beautiful women. They might even be found in the brothels, draped in silk that flows like water, shining with radiant sensuality. They will drive a very steep price, but patrons will happily pay it. And they will likely go through the whole encounter not realizing that anything is strange about this comely female. But she will neglect to give either name or place of origin, and she will be gone as suddenly as she had come.

There are different beliefs about the Esseala. The prevailing belief is that they are mermaids who learned to walk on land. They come and go as they please, enjoying human life, but never staying for long. The Ellikan refer to the Esseala as Hyppawaneskiwi, or "Water-dancers". They say that the Esseala bore them across the sea to their old island home where they lived before sailing to the peninsula. They celebrate these Water-dancers with stunning woodcarvings, which are always placed on shorelines, and always posed looking out toward the water.

Although Esseala are known to have sexual encounters with human men, they cannot interbreed. All Esseala are female and their means of reproduction are mysterious. When her time has come to be a mother, an Esseala will venture out into the water at the beginning of the rainy season. At season's end, she will return with an infant daughter.

Esseala love music. They are frequently drawn into Rialtus from the coast by the songs of the bards, though it is unclear how they can hear it over such great a distance. But the greater story is at Epherna, the Artist Abbey. That is where the greatest musicians practice their craft in an isolated keep on the rocky shores at the tip of the peninsula. Esseala have been spotted wading in from the sea and ascending the walls by some magical means. The inside of the abbey is shrouded in secret, as entrance is only allowed by permission of the Master of Artists. This has led to many rumours of wild, orgiastic parties between the devoted artists and their Esseala admirers.

## Sea-Queen Island

Far southeast of the Tripatriquon is an island called Creach Faochadh by the Easgannduine explorers, but known to the Ellikan as Tets'entawa'naha, or Sea Queen Island. It is supposedly the place they sailed from a thousand years ago.

But the stories of Sea Queen Island go back about 70 years. A merchant vessel took a poet onto their crew (as many vessels do) to entertain the sailors while they complete their 8-month voyage along the southern coasts. But their trip took a detour when they were blown south and landed on the norther tip of Sea Queen Island, which at that point had not been mapped. The northern section was isolated from the bulk of the island by dense trees and high ridges, but it was found to have plentiful food and fresh water, and the sailors made camp there for several days.

The poet who had gone with the crew, Honourable Alteus, returned to the Tripatriquon with tales of his travel. But no tale was so dazzling as what happened on Sea Queen Island. He said that while they stayed on the island, they were visited by a group of the most beautiful women he had ever seen. They were the Esseala, he claimed, and they loved nothing more than to offer delights to travellers.

Alteus the poet told his story and gathered a group of men together to sail back to the norther tip of Sea Queen Island. He gave promises of paradise, and of the sensual devotion of the Esseala. They hired a boat and sailed off, leaving their troubles behind and heading for a dreamland across the sea.

It was many years before another merchant vessel found its way to the northern tip of Creach Faochadh. Sailors did indeed find a lush jungle paradise. They also found the remains of a camp. The camp was settled enough that it had clearly been lived in for a number of years, but construction was lacking strength and finesse, like the inhabitants didn't care much for sturdy shelters. There were no signs of any people, living or dead, human or Esseala.

There are hypotheses about what became of Alteus' voyage. Some say Alteus' stories were delusions, and when his men discovered the Esseala were not to be found, they killed him and sailed elsewhere. Some say the men fell to squabbling and killed each other, their bodies eventually devoured by jungle creatures and carrion birds. Some say they drowned trying to follow the Esseala back to the sea. And some say they lived their lives out in pleasure, grew to advanced age, and were gently laid to rest by their Esseala companions.

Sailors still visit Sea Queen Island hoping to get a glimpse of the fabled Esseala home. Some bring back stories that tell of magical sights, but no one has ever confirmed for certain. So the Esseala remain largely a mystery. But if you're ever in a brothel and you see one woman who shines more radiantly than the rest, ask her for her name. If she neglects to tell you, then you might just be in the presence of something magical.