History: Part of a very small 'tribe' of perhaps two couples and their children that left Blue Mountain about 260 or 270 years before it fell. They had spent quite a bit of time outside already, dealing with the local human tribes, scouting places for the bird riders to hunt or find goods... or humans to hunt or steal. It may have been a combination of aspects of this life that soured them from returning. Winnowill used them as much as she did the humans, and though she clearly had her favorite human slaves in her quarters, those she didn't want around were put to death - something that was quite disagreeable to this group. Though they didn't go very far, remaining near enough to Blue Mountain to actually see it on the horizon at all times, they never got closer than that unless it was dire. They would listen in to the humans songs, drums, chants, all of them meaningful, and sometimes it meant one of them was being taken up to the mountain. An 'honor' ... until it wasn't.

Bauble knew she had the talent to work on the mountain, but when she attempted to return to the place, Winnowill herself invaded her mind and attempted to wrest control over her powers. To make her into yet another 'door' or 'brace', and that was hardly what she had in mind! She was artistic! Clever with gems and different colors of stone! Moving a slab for a single person to walk through once in a while? Oh that was absolutely not her way. On her way out, however, she did spot something of interest.

As a youth, she and the others had set about a plan to... liberate one of the big bird eggs in their nests outside the mountain. This did not go well, leaving one of them maimed from the bird's talon, and another traumatized from falling from its nest. They did not return close to the place after that. But they did habit the human camps, doing a short trade circuit, and keeping up with their varied and evolving customs. This, they did for many hands of years.

They'd lost one to a boar's tusks, and while the rest remained with the local humans a few days travel away from Blue Mountain, Bauble continued east and a bit north, following the wind. Where would she go? Where the wind called her. A place bare of trees and having a good cap of snow by this time in the year: Bald Mountain it was called, and it was already far more interesting than Blue Mountain had ever been! They welcomed her, eagerly citing her as 'a good addition to the rock shapers', and she was put to good use right away. This work they did, it was amazing, and it was for a much better 'cause' than Winnowill's.

She knew that her family and friends were not close to the disaster when Blue Mountain was shaken free of the ground, when it lifted up as Winnowill commanded the fliers (she was also a glider, she could just feel Winnowill aching to use her powers for her own gain) and break away - until it was crashed down and obliterated. What would she have done with it? It wasn't the Palace of the High Ones, no - that she would find later, to everyone's dismay. But she saw that event from the air, the massive plume of dust obscuring the sun for days. She was too far away to just go back, and she new that her own little tribe would remain with the humans safely.

Perhaps, as she eyed the dragons that this tribe of disparate elves rode, she might find them, and their human group, when she rode!

***

It wasn't 'if', it was when! And though it wouldn't be 'soon', soon enough there was talk of something quite strange. Not even four hands of years later, as one elf, who had apparently brought quite a few of these together, was visiting a place so far distant you couldn't even see its star in the clearest night sky. It was another world, with people and villages with tall structures, carts without burden beasts to drag them, and a school filled with students of all manner of breeds.

One of her fellow teachers nudged Ainea to find a couple elves worthy of coming to an event, and she learned she would be among them! This place they went was very strange, and it was probably best that she didn't ask too many questions: even though that tall human-looking spirit in a suit seemed to be able to speak their language, she wouldn't have understood it all. A city under the sea? A city? Something so foreign to her, not just as an elf but as an elf that had wandered the wilderness and hunted game with her bare hands... so completely different than home. But not unwelcome, it had music and dancing that she joined in on the dance floor, magic and stage acts that she decided she wanted to emulate when they got back home either way! What clever things, humans! To tell stories not just with words around a camp fire, but by dressing up and pretending, with music to aid the mood, and lights that made it look like day and night might pass right there in front of them.

It did feel like day and night were going by, actually, by the time she finished watching the many routines, the show and the music, and then - then, a pair of dragons brought their brood out that just captivated her. Sure, there had been quite a few of them over the course of the evening, and though she didn't understand it at first, she realized that the big round stone above the room's main wall was telling time, moving toward a 'midnight' hour that would signal - something. She didn't know what.

But these dragons were what she wanted to watch now, both the bigger ones, and their smaller checkerboard-winged ones! (She didn't know what a 'checker board' was either, but she'd learn later!) One of them had stuck around the edge of their entry point, almost looking like he was hemming and hawing about going back to that side. Where all the big dragons were? Well that was an option. But this side was also an option, and he nosed first behind the bar, up along the balconies, and over by the weird windows looking out into fantastic worlds and even deep space alike.

Finally though, with his big wings stretched as far out as they could go, he tried flapping up to the balcony again, and almost would have made it, but for the other people in the way. So Bauble caught him, with her magic. A fine sight he would be, even as a little one he was able to lift off, he sure was built for the sky! Just like her! Well, she also loved the soft stone and interesting gems underground. And he knew that, his mind sought hers, and they made a pair bond.

She knew that's what it was, she was after all part of a tribe that would gently and magically attach their minds to their birds. This was something so much better, though. Because Qahrasa was smart, not like a simple animal at all! Not like the Gobacks and their elk, or even, really, the wolf-riders with their wolves having just a drop of elf blood in them.

Your world has two moons! That's twice the moonlight to dance under!