Wind & Wing

Wind & Wing is a bipartite system of communication used across the continent of Lyfeldea, emploring the use of Yirén fae folk and dragonlings.

Utility

Dragonlings, or xìnlóng as they are known in their native area of Wu Yanrong (formerly Yongqin), are the smallest known dragons in existence within the fae realm of Lyfeldea. Although petite in stature and size, these eagle-sized dragons make up for their lack of bulk with their intelligence and speed. Dragonlings are capable of memorising missives as long as ten pages word-for-word and can also translate any message into any of the spoken languages across Lyfeldea. Dragonlings are faster than any raven or pigeon and are able to deliver a message from anywhere in Lyfeldea to another destination within the continent in under twenty-four hours. Despite their efficiency, dragonlings are rare and known for their use in Wind & Wing, making them an obvious target for anyone wishing to intercept messages. Dragonlings are snake-like in appearance, with long and thin bodies that appear to glide and swim through the air rather than fly through it. The long whiskers protruding from beneath their nostrils are used to detect wind currents so that a dragonling can utilise any gusts or gales to its advantage during travel.
For this reason, the Wind & Wing network also employs the use of Yirén fae folk. Yirén are present in all eight Lyfeldean kingdoms with every individual Yirén possessing air elemental magic. These fae are also capable of shifting into a plethora of different winged animal species, most notably birds, and can also siphon their shifting abilities into simply having the wings of their chosen flight form appear on their back, if they would rather not completely shift forms at any given time. Due to their flight abilities, Yirén fae are able to travel across difficult terrain, such as rugged mountainous landscapes and dense forests, quicker than majority of other fae. For this reason, many Yirén fae follow their ancestors into careers within the Wind & Wing network and serve as Lyfeldea's messages. Many trust the delivery of a more discret missive to a Yirén messenger as opposed to a dragonling, as the former can blend in more with the general populous and avoid detection from unwanted, intrusive parties. Dragonlings are notoriously skittish creatures, though they seem to bond particularly well to Yirén fae for some unknown reason. All of the dragonlings in service with Wind & Wing have bonded with a Yirén fae and the two typically work in tandem. Both parties typically do not stray far from one another, with Yirén fae often flying a safe distance behind their dragonling if the small creature's speedy delivery services have been asked for rather than their own.

Discovery

The origin of Wind & Wing dates back to before the existence of the Sororibus Egis, prior to the destruction of the ancient kingdom of Yongqin where the system was founded. The goddess residing over the kingdom, the goddess of candour and collaboration Xinoyi, is believed to have fostered the relationship between the shy dragonlings and the winged fae folk, the Yirén, which resulted in the formation of the Wind & Wing network. In its peak, Yongqin was the hub of trade and communication within Lyfeldea, both of which have since failed to recover to effective levels in the absence of the ancient city and its goddess Xinoyi.
Now, there are very few folk who remember how the messenger service started, and even fewer willing to believe the truth from those who swear by the knowledge.