Mountain Nymph

393 AC - I'm late, and I'm going to catch a scolding if I don't hurry. Not only from Zaza, but from Mom and Dad as well. I know it was hard to accept the Matriarch's decision and to let me go off alone onto dry land. But Bubbles and I are an Exalt now. I still can't believe it, actually. From afar, we had all watched the exploration forces depart. We'd watched the Solstice Gate open, Kojo and the Kraken, the liberation of Kuraokami… So when the Clan had received the call, it had come as a complete shock. And when the Matriarch summoned me to her office when we arrived, it had been even more of a shock.

But thinking about that now won't get me where I'm going any quicker. If I'm not at the meeting point soon, there'll be hell to pay. I need to charge down the mountain at full throttle, as Kojo puts it, and the best way to get to the bottom is obviously a landslide. I call on an Oread, because those nymphs are the perfect choice in this situation. Besides, the rule was clear: As long as I didn't have complete control over my Alteration, I needed to at least be supervised by an Eidolon. With my paintbrush, I paint rocks in a style inspired by August Macke. With help from the nymph, I can control the landslip and surf the rocks. But maybe I should also paint myself a helmet, because you never know what might happen…

The Oreads are mountain and cave nymphs. The most famous are Echo, who fell in love with Narcissus; Sinoe, a wet nurse of Pan; Oenone, the first wife of Paris; and Chelone, who was transformed into a tortoise by Hermes. They are sisters of the Curetes and the Satyrs, and are part of Artemis' entourage. As such, they are huntresses in addition to their role as the guardian divinities of mountains.

NADIR