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✧WILLOWROTARCHIVES · SOMEWHERE BENEATH THE TREES

FIELD JOURNAL / UNOFFICIAL OBSERVATIONS
NOT FOR PUBLIC CIRCULATION

✦ From the forgotten shelves ✦

The Unlikely Bestiary

An incomplete and unreliable account of Willowrot's stranger inhabitants, recorded by those fortunate enough to return.

Index of specimensXIV folios

Gore & OdieA Bloom & Its BrambleI

WILLOWROT · FOLIO ITHE FIRST ACCOUNT✣

CARNIVOROUS ROOTWROUGHT

The Butcherbloom

Gore · Storykeeper

Plate I · the blossom

Silver-starred foliage, pink and black tendrils, and fleshy blossoms with teeth. A lovely imitation of a harmless garden flower. The Butcherbloom has also been observed tending a lively gathering of Willowrot’s stranger inhabitants alongside the Velvet Vesper; their companionship appears unusually close.

“Where the Butcherbloom takes root, the Briarheart is seldom far behind.”

Its companion is described upon the facing leaf.

WILLOWROT · FOLIO ITHE SECOND ACCOUNT✣

BRAMBLE-BORN ROOTWROUGHT

The Briarheart

Odie · Storykeeper

Plate I · the bramble

Dark bramble, glossy bark, sleepy eyes, and a long thorned tail. Small blush flowers grow quietly where the thorns part.

A note in the margin

The plants appear to respond to one another. An attempt to study them separately was abandoned after the third incident.

Neither sighting has yet occurred without the other.

BittyThe Velvet VesperII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

NOCTURNAL FAIRFORMED

The Velvet Vesper

Bitty · Storykeeper

Plate II · the velvet wings

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Velvet Vesper

Bitty

At rest, the Vesper folds its garnet wings so closely that they resemble a sumptuous gown. The resemblance ceases the moment it takes flight.

Condition of the record

A fine, dark velvet down remains on the paper.

Unfold the marginal note

The Velvet Vesper has been observed in frequent company with the Butcherbloom. The two appear to preside over a sizeable gathering of Willowrot’s stranger inhabitants, maintaining an unusually close companionship. Attempts to determine which creature first established this arrangement have been unsuccessful.

“Where the Butcherbloom gathers them, the Vesper makes certain they remain.”

Petit-moineauThe MourningwingIII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IIIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

FEATHERED FAIRFORMED

The Mourningwing

Petit-Moineau · Storykeeper

Plate III · the last feather

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IIINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Mourningwing

Petit-moineau

A black-winged figure carrying a ceremonial blade has been observed among ruined chapels. In certain lights its feathers show a wine-red sheen.

Condition of the record

A black feather has been pressed into the binding.

Unfold the marginal note

Its fallen feathers are considered ill omens. The creature appears indifferent to the custom.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

VelatusmothThe InkveiledIV

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IVILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

VEILBOUND / UNLIKENED

The Inkveiled

Velatusmoth · Storykeeper

Plate IV · the unfinished thread

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IVNOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Inkveiled

Velatusmoth

No reliable account has distinguished where its body ends and its silk begins. The figure seems perpetually in the act of being woven.

Condition of the record

Ink bleeds through this page, though it was never spilled.

Unfold the marginal note

Do not offer to mend a loose thread. Several observers report that the thread was attached to something they had not intended to surrender.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

PinkcatThe BellwhiskV

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

PELT-FOLK / ODDLINGS

The Bellwhisk

Pinkcat · The Heartstringer

Plate V · the little bells

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VNOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Bellwhisk

Pinkcat

A pale feline fae with twin tails, pink-hearted markings, and an unexplained fondness for little bells. Affection appears to alter the glow beneath its fur.

Condition of the record

Three tiny pawprints interrupt the field notes.

Unfold the marginal note

A previous naturalist insists it may be bribed with ribbons. The naturalist has visited seven times and has yet to test another hypothesis.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

GreymilkhotelThe Gilded HollowVI

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

ARCHITECTURAL UNLIKENED

The Gilded Hollow

Greymilkhotel · Storykeeper

Plate VI · the rooms within

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Gilded Hollow

Greymilkhotel

An ambulatory sanctuary of alabaster, tarnished gold, and impossible architecture. Candlelit rooms, staircases, and narrow windows occupy the hollows of its person.

Condition of the record

Several floor plans have been drawn, none of them agreeing.

Unfold the marginal note

A second observer recalls burnt-orange flowers growing from the masonry. The present plate does not show them; the archivist has marked the discrepancy in gold ink.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

HanabeiThe ThornshepherdVII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VIIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

CERVINE FAIRFORMED

The Thornshepherd

Hanabei · The Thornshepherd

Plate VII · the bell-strewn antlers

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VIINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Thornshepherd

Hanabei

The Thornshepherd tends brambles others would sooner cut down. Its antlers bear tiny bells, blossoms, berries, and the detritus of passing seasons.

Condition of the record

A dried sprig of hawthorn has been sewn beside the plate.

Unfold the marginal note

The safest path through a thorn hedge is sometimes the one that opens only when the Shepherd is looking away.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

SaintmjThe HushhymnVIII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VIIIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

RESONANT FAIRFORMED

The Hushhymn

Saintmj · The Refrain

Plate VIII · the song without a singer

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO VIIINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Hushhymn

Saintmj

Fine golden filaments resonate within its translucent wrists and chest. Its song is not always produced by its mouth, nor is the melody always its own.

Condition of the record

The paper seems to hum when held near a candle.

Unfold the marginal note

A lullaby heard in the woods may be remembered rather than sung. The distinction is difficult to prove.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

ArriettyxoThe CloudstrayIX

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IXILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

ELEMENTAL / VEILBOUND

The Cloudstray

Arriettyxo · Storykeeper

Plate IX · the rain that follows

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO IXNOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Cloudstray

Arriettyxo

A wandering accumulation of charcoal mist and green lightning, sometimes assuming a small feline likeness. Its lower form has never been observed to touch the earth.

Condition of the record

The edges of this folio are persistently damp.

Unfold the marginal note

It can rain upon one person without disturbing those standing beside them. This may be a warning or an expression of affection.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

NambewbsThe CinderlingX

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

EMBER-BORN / UNLIKELING

The Cinderling

Nambewbs · The Blushmonger

Plate X · the heart of cinders

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XNOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Cinderling

Nambewbs

An impish being of charcoal, smoke, and rose-coloured fire. Its expressive tail carries a heart-shaped ember, which is said to burn more brightly around unspoken secrets.

Condition of the record

A scattering of rose-coloured ash has gathered along the spine.

Unfold the marginal note

The heart-shaped ember at the end of its tail grows brightest when a secret is nearly spoken. Several observers have asked whether this behaviour is intentional. None has received a useful answer.

The archivist has left the remainder of this leaf unfilled.

Fetid / FortunaThe RootwokenXI

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

ROOTTOUCHED / FAIRFORMED

The Rootwoken

Fortuna (fetid) · The Hollowcantor

Plate XI · the roots beneath the path

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Rootwoken

Fetid / Fortuna

Beneath old trees, a long-eared figure with dark braids sits among the roots, their hands marked by bark and flowering vines. Witnesses disagree whether the woodland has begun to grow over them, or whether they are the woodland reaching outward.

Condition of the record

A tiny white blossom has taken root along the edge of this leaf.

Unfold the marginal note

An observer followed the same trail three times and found the Rootwoken waiting at its end each time. They made no effort to explain how the path had moved.

The archivist has circled the word harmless, then crossed it out.

Annabel LeeThe BloodsealedXII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

EPISTOLARY / VEILBOUND

The Bloodsealed

Annabel Lee · The Woundscribe

Plate XII · the sealed correspondence

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Bloodsealed

Annabel Lee

A long-eared figure with wine-red and ivory hair, its eyes hidden beneath a strip of handwritten cloth. It sorts sealed correspondence with ink-dark claws, though no witness has ever seen a messenger arrive.

Condition of the record

A thumbprint of burgundy sealing wax marks the margin. No envelope was enclosed.

Unfold the marginal note

Several unopened letters were addressed in the recipients’ own handwriting. Those who broke the seals could not agree whether the contents were confessions, warnings, or invitations.

An incomplete address has been scratched out beneath the illustration.

puppyboygirl1The KeystrayXIII

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIIIILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

KEYBEARING / PELT-FOLK

The Keystray

puppyboygirl1 · The Latchheart

Plate XIII · the keys to nowhere

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIIINOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Keystray

puppyboygirl1

A bright-eyed, tuft-eared wanderer with cream-and-rose fur and a tremendous tail. Small antique keys collect about its person; it is often found beside doors that had not existed on the previous visit.

Condition of the record

The impression of a small key remains pressed into the paper, though none was filed.

Unfold the marginal note

No two keys have been observed to fit the same lock. The Keystray appears untroubled by this, and has been seen entering a doorway before its hinges were built.

A pencilled arrow at the foot of the page points toward an absent door.

MarrowmothThe Living RemnantXIV

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIVILLUSTRATED PLATE✣

REPAIRED FAIRFORMED

The Living Remnant

Marrowmoth · The Fraytender

Plate XIV · the final observation

ILLUSTRATION RETAINED✣ WILLOWROT

WILLOWROT · FOLIO XIVNOTES FROM THE FIELD✣

Field observation · The Living Remnant

Marrowmoth

A wandering collector of forgotten things. The many delicate repairs to its body are of differing ages and materials; whether they were all made by the same hand is unknown.

Condition of the record

An inscription in a different hand reads: Nothing is ever entirely lost.

Unfold the marginal note

No two witnesses agree upon its first shape. One account suggests it would rather preserve an old fracture than pretend the damage never happened.

This is the final entry in the archivist’s hand. The writing grows hurried toward the bottom; the leaves beyond were left untouched.

Fifteen figures observed.
Fourteen leaves preserved.
Nothing herein should be considered definitive.

This volume was left by a wanderer whose name has long since slipped from its binding. Its accounts are often affectionate, occasionally unreliable, and rarely agreed upon by the subjects themselves.

✣ ✧ ✣

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The Butcherbloom

Gore · Storykeeper

Plate I · the blossom

“Where the Butcherbloom takes root, the Briarheart is seldom far behind.”

Its companion is described upon the facing leaf.

The Briarheart

Odie · Storykeeper

Plate I · the bramble

Dark bramble, glossy bark, sleepy eyes, and a long thorned tail. Small blush flowers grow quietly where the thorns part.

A note in the margin

The plants appear to respond to one another. An attempt to study them separately was abandoned after the third incident.

Neither sighting has yet occurred without the other.