"When I watch the windspeakers take to the wind and fly, I cannot help but be jealous. It must be an invigorating experience to be untethered from this island, even if only for a little while. Not that I think a kite could fly someone as well fed as I!"— Tasiir of the People of the Horse
Catching the Wind
Most of the
Orth travel by
horse and by foot, only the
windspeakers are allowed to construct and fly on their massive kites. This is for several reasons, primarily that it is a dangerous activity. A regular person cannot predict the winds and could easily find themselves thrown off course and flying out over the edge of
Breharan or they could lose control and take a fall that is almost always fatal. Secondly, flying in such a manner is seen as a highly spiritual act and to catch the wind without the understanding of a
windspeakers would anger the
Three Sisters.
These kites are used to travel quickly across large swaths of the
Orthlands. It allows
windspeakers to keep in touch with the different nomadic groups of the
Orth. It is easy to see a smoke trail and find a camp from far up above the ground. Kiteflight also enables them to send emergency messages faster than any other method of travel. The
Orthlands are a large place and even travel by kite can take a long time. Since the kite can only carry a limited weight, a flier can only bring a limited amount of food and water. This does not usually a problem since
windspeakers are welcomed by all of the people of the plains and will be fed and cared for wherever they may land.
Constructing a Kite
Kite building is a skill shared between
windspeakers and passed on to each new generation of them. While there are many different designs and each kite is the creation of the specific person who built it, a young
windspeaker is usually aided by their mentor in the creation of a kite and this results in similar kites between teacher and student.
Each kitebuilder faces the same challenge, designing something that can generate enough lift without being too heavy. Only the highest quality of cloth is used to build these kites - though it is said that the original kites were built of grass. Since
windspeakers are respected individuals in their communities, when the time comes to build their kite, their community gifts them the materials they need and in return the community gets to watch the first flight.
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