On The Disappearance Of Water
Field Notes — Day 19 of Yearwake, 507 D.A.
Believe it or not, water used to be plentiful in the Kindlewastes. Most of the residents are gone; they turned their backs on these lands when they became harsh and unyielding. Only a few remain. I sought them out, hoping for records of what had happened, but all I was given were parables.
One woman told me that the sun god had grown jealous and had drawn all the water skyward. An old man insisted that the lakebed had cracked open overnight and drained dry. Another one spoke of destiny — a long-promised reckoning finally come due. Not one account aligned with another, except in this aspect: they all believed it was an act of divine will. A punishment. A trial they are meant to endure.
What surprises me is their refusal to see what stands plainly before them. The Shroud has been spreading for years, bringing a host of abnormalities with it. They call it destiny, I call it correlation.
— Loraine Crim
