Excerpt from
The Saluki- Ames the 3rd, 3E8
The "New Windlords" as Skye described their group got off to a slow start, partly because of the cultural stigma associated with the curse marks they bore. As important as their ancestors' work historically proved to be to all of Galeon, many of these legacy windlords balked at the notion of owning their heritage. In those days, those who were cursed by Crane for their ancestors' hubris bore a heavy toll. Orthodox Intalans encouraged their complete ostracization in voices that were difficult to ignore. But Hawke and Skye were undaunted by these challenges.
The very first major project for this organization outside of recruitment was the discovery of a new Windtalker Party that had worked its way back into the realm of public discourse, taking advantage of the Windlords' descent. They began to notice the Windtalkers allegedly exerting an influence on public councilors nationwide as well as community leaders to engage in a war against the media.
"They weren't just trying to silence journalists, they were spying on them," Skye says with a deadpan expression. "They were looking for anything they could find to intimidate people into telling stories that benefited them instead of the truth."
When asked what evidence they could produce of these accusations, Skye declined to comment.
But stopping the Windtalkers from subverting the free press proved to be a daunting task to untrained spies without the Windlords' legendary magical skills. When word got out of their opposition, the Windtalkers began to target the New Windlords individually. This contributed to a sharp decline in the group's membership. By the time The Betrayer came to break the curse, the organization had been whittled down to just five members, including Skye and Hawke.
"Of course we were in over our heads at the time," Skye says with a deep sigh. "But after what happened with the Saintal, we knew we had a destiny that we couldn't run from. That's why we were thrilled to meet Mister Broger at the time. He brought that destiny to us."
Both the former and current Avatar of Crane traveled to Galeon together for the first time last year seeking to break the curse in a worldwide event now known as the Miracle of the Lost Creeds, in which the Avatars resurrected not only the ways of the Windlords, but also the legendary Pyromancers, Mariknights, and Stoneguard. Skye was Broger's first volunteer. Hawke was their second. For her part, Skye accepted the Avatar's gift reluctantly, having had her conviction worn down by public ingratitude and Windtalker obstruction. But when she and Hawke came out as the first of the new generation of Windlords, many more followed.
"It was everything we could have ever wanted. Not only were the Windlords back, we were back with the blessing of Crane himself," Ellie says with what appears to be a twinkle in her eye. "The stigma practically disappeared overnight and people began to speak with hope about us again."
For Hawke, however, this jubilation was short-lived. While Skye focused on rebuilding the order, Hawke followed the Avatars into battle against the infamous collective of dangerous creatures known as the Knightmares, Standing among a historically unique coalition of both windlords and mariknights, Hawke went into battle against Aldin, a wizard who is said to have been of the same species as the gods themselves. This battle, which had over 30 confirmed casualties, ended with a well thrown dart tipped in a mysterious poison he had received from the Avatars.
This conflict would lead Hawke, the Avatars, and members of each of the formerly Lost Creeds to a fateful mission to rescue the Avatars of Life, Death, and Time from the Master Knightmare, Erdas. This mission would end in failure for the Avatars as The Betrayer fled the planet with Lords Moonstep and Marle as well as Hawke, a Mariknight named Harley Rumgourd, and the Eione Astersong, the woman who would go on to become Crane's Adjutant. All five of these people remain missing to this day.
But Skye refuses to give up hope. "Broger wouldn't have taken them from this world just to kill him. We're going to Mennon soon and when we do, we're going to rescue James, the Avatars, and the other people they've taken from us. You can count on that."
Skye's optimism and cheerful attitude was disarming at first, but did nothing to detract from her glowing reputation. When asked why she would be so open about her past, given her high-profile status in a traditionally low-profile organization, she concluded with these words.
"The problem with our ancestors was that they tried to take everything onto themselves. They grew arrogant, believing that safeguarding information was their sole responsibility. We are a new generation that recognizes that information belongs to everyone. We can't take people's secrets while keeping our own in modern Galeon, so we won't."
Ellie Skye will be leading the Windlords as they join the Starlight Crusade in ending the threat of Erdas, avenging Chaos' injury at the hands of The Betrayer, and rescuing the five brave souls lost on the water planet Mennon. With such a daunting war ahead of us all, this windlord remains a source of confidence for an uncertain army.
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