Of squirrels

In the thick of winter of 645 CE, the Kiakodan Nature Reserve was burglarised by unknown forces. Reported publicly by Gatekeeper Quillion Jones, the break-in resulted in the squirrel nursery, which was watched over by Tommut Whitlock, being utterly destroyed and the baby squirrels kidnapped. First on the scene was Exeryte Stormcrow of Glomdoring, who interrogated the custodians and investigated the nursery. Promising to get to the bottom of this crime, he spread the word far and wide while wanted posters were being put up across thoroughfares.

Not all took the matter as seriously as Exeryte, however. It was not long before Quillion’s public appeal to post news about the break-in resulted in newsboard postings from numerous citizens of Gaudiguch, all claiming to have orchestrated the theft. Various outlandish claims, threats, and proclamations were made, leading to Tommut’s subsequent breakdown. Those who visited him learnt little more between his sobs, but Xenthos An’Ryshe did make a discovery through his tracking prowess. There were but two assailants and any trace of them vanished mysteriously into thin air right outside the entrance into the caves.

A year passed since the Reserve was broken into, when a pair of airships appeared on the northern horizon. Soon peals of gleeful laughter filled the air as the pair of siblings piloting the airships, identities still unknown, announced their presence to the Basin and conducted a verbal duet spelling out their intentions. In short, they admitted to stealing the squirrels from the Kiakodan Nature Reserve and claimed to have trained them to exact some manner of retribution upon the Basin.

Having finished both alerting the Basin to their presence and losing any advantage that may have been gleaned through subtlety, the pair begin tossing cages overboard. Each cage contained a squirrel, but also came equipped with a patchwork parachute that caused the cages to be buffeted about by the winds, only a few raining down upon the Basin at any given time. Tommut, glad but terrified for their well-being, quickly called upon those present to collect the squirrels and re-home them.

Many set out to find the cages, some bringing them to Tommut for further guidance. Despite the claims of the siblings in the airships, the squirrels did not seem inclined to attack anyone or cause mischief. They were, however, extremely picky, for it was soon discovered that if anyone tried to open the cages in an area they did not like, the squirrels would slam the cage door shut, preferring their solitude instead. It took some time, but soon those aiding Tommut and the squirrels were able to find homes that the squirrels preferred.

While the squirrels were being re-homed, the siblings piloting the airships seemed to think that those upon the ground were running around in some sort of chaos caused by their squirrels, oblivious to what was actually going on. Indeed, the brother of the pair even admitted that he thought they may have forgotten to train the squirrels to actually do anything, but before this could be discussed further the pair of airships became entangled and soon descended far beyond the Northern Mountains.

In the end, however, the squirrels were successfully re-homed… for the most part. Some cages were dropped or otherwise broken, and the squirrels within ran for freedom, never to be seen again. Other cages, particularly those containing the luxurious-haired squirrels, were purposefully kept from their destination, by those who believed they could provide a better fate for the squirrels than delivering them to the Wyrden Forest… Among those who helped to find homes for the caged squirrels, the tireless work of Qistrel Strongleaf of Serenwilde, Anavander of Magnagora, and Tikki of Hallifax stood out the most.

In the end, the tassel-eared squirrels settled within a forest nestled in the Northern Mountains.
The miniature squirrels settled within the Valley of Tolborolla.
The striped squirrels settled within the Arysian Isle of Vesucia, in Bondero Bay.
The albino squirrels settled within the Caoimhe Dell, near the Little Shallach River.
The flying squirrels settled within Mornhai Sanctuary, within the Razine Mountains.
The squirrels with luxurious fur settled within the Wyrden forest of Glomdoring, although whether they will be able to survive there is still unknown.