Dear Sythyry,
I fear that the most promising avenues for the treatment of Feralan have been explored, and most of the medium-promising roads as well. What remains are either in the form of wandery and root-ridden deer trails with ominous beasts howling in the distance, or a few very grubby back alleys which may or may not be free of muggers. We could, of course, spend more time doing research and investigation, inspection and analysis, measurement and meditation. We could spend a full Rassimel lifetime on that, in fact, and perhaps a full Zi Ri one. However, the longer we delay, the more deeply intermingled Feralan and hCevian become. Therefore, I recommend that we declare an end to the research, and prepare for the spirisection.
With considerable affection mixed with considerable trepidation,
Saza

And Strayway is more or less repaired, and as well-defended as it’s likely to be any time soon. And my crew is all sick of Eigrach and Srineia.

So we’re going back to Ketheria. We’ll collect Feralan and Saza in Oorah Thrassen, and head over to Lenkasia, to use some equipment that one Professor Czirsnatch has generously agreed to let us use but not to move outside of Lenkasia.

A Farewell to Thenel

Me: “Tomorrow we are taking off for Ketheria, never to return.”

Thenel: “Never — truly, never?”

Me: “I have no plans to return, anyhow. Though I cannot say what future years may bring.” (Note to self: Be More Cryptic! This is barely adequate.)

Thenel: “Will I see Bluelark before she departs, do you think? I know the reason she has been scarce of late, but she stirs in me an intensity rarely matched.”

Me: “I suppose you might…”

Bluelark: “…But not for anything that we should not do.”

(We proceed to do some things that we should not do.)

((Though, at least, things that would simply get us a stern scowl from Rehit should he chance to walk in — which he could not do, since it was in a pocket universe with its own time-flow — rather than ones that would actually disrupt their ever-so-slowly-upcoming marriage.))

(((Still, I am better off being far from Thenel.)))

Bluelark: “Farewell, Thenel! Farewell forever!”

Thenel: “Alas! Bluelark, I shall remember you in moments of private erotic intensity!”

Bluelark: “One of which may well be coming as soon as I leave the room, if the topography of your unremoved and uninvaded trousers is any indication.” Sleethy? Oh, no, not me!

Thenel: “Do thou likewise! Promise me that thou wilst!”

Bluelark: “An easy enough promise!” Which he took as me making it — perhaps because of another kiss — but I didn’t actually do so. Nor do I promise to describe my own erotic moments in this journal: neither what I am doing in them, nor what I am thinking.

Both: “Eventually, final farewells!”

And that, alas, is the final end of that affair. I enjoyed his passion and his company. If there hadn’t been that regrettable same-species fiancé around, the matter would have gone quite differently…

Farewell to Rehit

And, of that regrettable same-species fiancé: several of us took luncheon with him today.

Rehit: “Well, I must say, it has been both an interesting and an educational time for me.”

Me: “How so?”

Rehit: “If I may speak frankly, I have never been quite so socially involved with the transaffectionate before. They are scarce in Eigrach, and, I believe, quite furtive. I doubt I know any.” I hope it is a long, long time before he loses this particular illusion. “But I have, I think, learned to respect you. You two, Jyondre and Yerenthax, are as mighty and capable a pair of heroes as any in Eigrach, and I am sorry that our stipend is not sufficient to keep you here.”

Yerenthax: “Ah! But we seek adventure — excitement — drama!”

Jyondre: “Blood and glory!”

Yerenthax: “New branches!”

Jyondre: “Nay, whole new worlds!”

Yerenthax: “Nor do we expect to live long enough to get much good from the stipend.”

Jyondre: “We don’t?”

Yerenthax: “We don’t!”

Jyondre: “I think we are going to need to have Another Little Discussion about this topic!”

Me: “In any case: you have been quite generous with time and effort and official intervention on our behalf, especially considering that we are foreigners and deviants. I quite intensely hope that we have been tolerably generous with you in exchange, and that whatever accidental trespasses we have made against you have small doom and are easily mended.” I hope he doesn’t find out why I worded it that way, too.

Rehit: “I’m sure there is nothing worth noting! In any case, I am quite happy indeed with Festina Lente; she is a wonderful and mighty sword, and I have found her of great use already.”

Me: “May she serve you well forever!”

Everyone: “Assorted additional farewells.”

A Farewell to Bwipin and Mmixamk

Bwipin: “Goodbye, blast it!”

Us: “Goodbye!”

Which is to say, our relationship with the administration of Eigrach has never quite recovered from the thumbscrews.

On the first week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• A Nendrai on the World Tree

On the second week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the third week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the fourth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the fifth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the sixth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the seventh week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the eighth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Eight Rassimel Racing
• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the nineth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Nine Khytsoyis Kissing
• Eight Rassimel Racing
• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the tenth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Ten types of Trouble
• Nine Khytsoyis Kissing
• Eight Rassimel Racing
• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the eleventh week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Eleven Drams of DOOM
• Ten types of Trouble
• Nine Khytsoyis Kissing
• Eight Rassimel Racing
• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

On the twelfth week of Vacation a Creator God sent to me:

• Twelve Feet of Cley
• Eleven Drams of DOOM
• Ten types of Trouble
• Nine Khytsoyis Kissing
• Eight Rassimel Racing
• Seven Cani Caroling
• Six Orren Offering
• Five Herethroy
• Four Gormoror
• Three Zi-ri
• Two Slinky Sleeth
• And a Nendrai on the World Tree

I write and post Sythyry’s Vacation because I know that people read it and enjoy it. The more fuel I get for it, the more I’ll write. So here’s what I want for fuel, with the most important things up top. If you do any of these things, you are encouraging me to write more.

1. Feedback! Comments to me, on LJ or personal email or chat or whatever. Notes to Sythyry, which zie sometimes answers and occasionally (rarely!) even understands properly. Notes to other characters if you like. Suggestions to me of things you’d like to see. Cheers for things you’re glad you saw, or even complaints about things you weren’t glad you saw. Feedback is what keeps me writing day by day, so it’s definitely at the top of the list.
2. More readers! If you think that Yorgo the Approximately Glorious would like Sythyry’s Vacation, tell zir about it. Sythyry’s Vacation will be relatively self-contained, so Yorgo can start reading about now and have relatively little to catch up on.
3. Buy our other stuff! There’s the World Tree RPG gamebook (which explains the physics and general world that Sythyry lives in) if you like gaming. My novel A Marriage of Insects is set in the same universe and has a similar style. Sythyry’s Journal is a collection of the first run of Sythyry, self-published. These are all available on Amazon (possibly free shipping), or you can order through us and get signatures and maybe other goodies (but not free shipping).
4. Reviews on SF and RPG sites! Honest ones, and I do hope that means they’re pretty good, but definitely honest.
5. Link me on your blog or website!
6. Artwork! I keep the art page up to date, even, and people will view and admire your artwork.
7. Donate! This is cyber-funded creativity, I suppose. I’m not particularly trying to make money off of it, but I do accept tips and will probably do something nice for you (like a cameo) if you give me one.
   
   
8. Answer the polls and such! I enjoy watching answers show up, and getting surprised at the collective opinion.
9. Send us other creative or fun stuff!

And if you don’t do any of that … please keep reading Sythyry anyways. That’s what it’s for. And as long as enough people are reading, and I know it, I’ll keep writing.

And if you’re already doing that or have done it, thank you very much!

Enjoy!

, my translator, will be doing some Crowdsource Tarot readings from the deck that  and it constructed, tonight, over at its journal.