The Golden Owl

It flies quietly through the night, You know its' there only by its' light If you catch it you may ask Three questions before it will go back.

Summary

In the Southern forests of Senmir legend tells of a mythical golden owl. The entire creature is supposedly gold as well as the eyes which glow. Many adventurers have glimpsed this fabled animal. No one is quite sure where it came form or how it appeared. The earliest story mentioning the golden owl only tells that the farmer Elias was seeking answers to questions and was told in a dream to "seek out the golden owl". The story tells of the farmer Elias who had a bad bought of misfortune. His crops were repeatedly attacked by insects and ruined all so that he could not make a successful living. Then a nearby river flooded turning his farmland into a temporary swamp. Lastly his house caught on fire and burned to the ground. Dejected and wondering out-loud if he perhaps was the unluckiest person in the world, Elias tried to make a spot to lay down in and go to sleep for the night.
While Elias was sleeping under the stars underneath a threadbare blanket he heard a voice call to him. The voice said, "Travel to the South and in the forest round about. Search for the golden owl for only it can help you now." Elias sat up and looked around, but he saw nothing at the edge of the fire light. He thought he had imagined it so he went back to sleep. No sooner had he fallen back asleep than he heard the voice again saying the same thing. He stayed up a little longer pondering the message, but no one appeared to him and the voice didn't speak anymore. He convinced himself that he imagined it, but if he heard it a third time he would go and travel to the Southern forests as the voice said and seek this golden owl. With a little trepidation he laid back down and eventually found sleep again, but again the voice spoke to him again, but this time called his name. This time Elias jumped up and quickly started to pack his things. "I don't know what you want with me, but if some being talks to me three times I'll listen. I hope you can help me on my travels as I have nothing to my name." He received no response, but he had a warm feeling in his chest. Taking this as another sign Elias headed off into the darkness.
Indeed on Elias' journey he was always able to find a kind person who would spare a meal or two and at the very least give him a place to sleep for the night. He also seemed protected from bandits as he traveled the road alone, but this could have been because he had nothing worth taking. Eventually he made it to the Southern forest where he looked for signs of the golden owl. To his surprise he did find golden feathers within the forest after much searching. His hard work paid off and one night he spotted the golden owl in a tree. The voice spoke again to Elias and said, "Approach and ask three questions." Elias though carefully about the questions he should ask before approaching the owl, but when he had decided he walked forward slowly and with a bow said, "Golden owl whom I have been told to seek. I would ask you three questions. Firstly, I am the unluckiest person alive?" A different voice seemed to echo all around Elias as it whispered, "Yes". Elias than asked, "Secondly, why I am I the unluckiest person alive?" The echoing voice responded, "Because only the unluckiest can save the goddess Ventura from her prison, chosen of Ventura. You are shaped by your bad luck and if you free her she will make you instead the luckiest man alive. One who could even be a king." Elias had heard of the old tales of a forgotten goddess locked away somewhere, but he could not remember the whole story. However, it did not take much for Elias to guess that it was the goddess Ventura who spoke to him and led him to the owl. If this goddess wanted Elias to free her well he was going to do it. She had already proven that she would keep him safe on this journey alone. If there was a chance she could change Elias' luck than he would dot it. It also sounded pretty good to be a king. Elias asked his third question, "How do I free the goddess Ventura?" The golden owl began to glow and spread its' wings as it spoke, "You must travel deep into the Southern forest until you find the deadened part. In the middle of the deadened forest you will find a massive tree with branches forming a bar across a hollow near the base of the tree. You must cut the bars to free the goddess. The tree can only be cut down by and axe from the dwarven smiths of Dragon's Ridge. Seek them out first and then return here." The light grew brighter and Elias shielded his eyes. When the light faded the golden owl was gone. Elias had a hard path to follow in order to free the goddess Ventura, but that is another tale.
This earliest record is perhaps why some religious organizations claim that the owl is a divine being sent by the gods to answer humanities. Others still believe that the owl is a god or goddess in disguise observing humanity. There is one religious sect called the golden owl that worships the creature as a deity. Some believe that the golden owl belongs to the goddess Ventura since it was she who led Elias to it in the first place.