Fable: The Tale of Nimbus
"The city was vast. It's white walls and winding canals stretched across the land like ivy on a trunk, and the pale, cobbled streets of the Old Quarter glinted and baked in the afternoon sun.
The Craft District was distinctly separate from the main markets and living hubs. A little maze of 9 or 10 streets with a small fountained square at the centre, it was hidden away behind the castle in the less well-kept area of the city. It was peaceful for the most part, but once a month, throngs of customers would pour along the uneven streets and through the only remaining Grand Archway to browse handmade wares and place orders for custom items at the Maker's Day Bazaar.
Beyond the square, at the edge of the district, loomed the King's forge. A great tower of grey bricks, laid so that the column appeared to twist like a rope as it stretched towards the sky. A long brass spire gleamed at its peak, and a plume of black smoke churned continuously out from it's upper level. All day workers would hurry to and from the small wooden door at its base, leaving with boxes of finished ironwork and returning laden with raw materials."
There once lived a smith named Caelus who envied the wind. He sought to capture it so that he might discover the secrets of true freedom, since he was assigned to his occupation for many long and tedious years. His forge was set on a tower, high above the city, where the wind swirled around him, taunting him that he was bound to his labour. One day, a whisper ran through the city; a rumor that the Wind’s steed, Nimbus, whose hooves were said to be so fleet they left no mark upon the earth, had escaped.
Caelus thought if he could tame the steed and ride it to beyond the clouds to where the wind lived, he could finally learn its secrets. He pursued Nimbus tirelessly, climbing to the highest point of his tower and setting all manner of clever snares, but Nimbus was too swift. He left offerings of food and wine, but the creature could not be bought. He even threw himself upon the ground in feigned distress, but it could not be fooled. The creature was too free to be caught.
Exhausted and defeated, Caleus returned to his tower and resigned to being forever burdened by his dull work. But Nimbus was impressed by the tenacity of the human who tried so hard to tame it. It visited the forge that night and left Caelus a talisman bearing its likeness. When Caleus awoke and put it on, he found that his heart was lighter and his work no longer dismayed him, but brought him fulfillment and purpose. When he listened closely, he could hear the wind whispering in a language he couldn't yet understand.
He never caught Nimbus, but through his amulet he carried a piece of its freedom with him always. It is said that those who wear the Amulet of Nimbus will find their path unbound by earthly burdens despite their duties, for it whispers to them the secrets of the uncatchable wind.
Initial sketch & writing
The Nimbus Amulet
Did you know that the Wind’s steed is a Unicorn, not a Pegasus?
“Caelus is flawed; he is imperfect & prideful. But he is also creative, innovative and resourceful. His work dismays him as he is trapped not by duty, but by his own attitude. By helping him change his outlook, Nimbus grants him the ability to discover his inner freedom - a gift which we all possess.”
