Skillilinilia

the bizarre and inquisitive Skillilinilia

Skillilinilia is the name given to the deity of the Great Land Sea by the red elves, almost 1500 years prior to the First Displacement. The literal translation of the ancient elvish has been lost, but scholars suggest that it is derived from the words for waves (illianin) and guardian (a'skilil).

In contrast to many other deities, Skillilinilia has not been renamed many times. This may be due to her unusually open and social temperament, which leads her to take a more active role in the affairs of corporeal beings than most of her kind. For example, historians suggest that it was she that first contacted King Otellian I after his successful removal of the red elves. As the story goes, Otellian was sitting on a freshly conquered elvish dock pondering how best to organize his mass of cleverly brutish humans, when a strange fish-like woman emerged from the murky depths. As she wound her self around the dock and leaned in to speak with him, Otellian sensed an otherworldliness about her that suggested her nature, and this suspicion was confirmed when she introduced herself (by name, it should be noted) what he was, what he had done with the red elves, and why he was hanging about the sea. Otellian, crafty as ever, agreed to tell her under the condition that she allow his people to fish the seas. After setting limits on when and when he could fish what and how much of it, Skillilinilia succumbed to her burning curiosity and agreed.

Since then, she has been a prominent figure in Elothninian history. Fisherman are wary of her fickle and easily offendable nature, and interpret squalls and terrible whirlpools as her retaliations for perceived slights. Nobles and other high-born Elothninians, on the other hand, have often seen Skillilinilia as a strange and exotic form of entertainment. Many young men and women at court often venture to the coastal caves where she is set to reside to converse with her.

Strangely, the weather on the Land Sea has been suspiciously good and the caves markedly silent for the last century or so, leading some to wonder if Skillilinilia has retreated to the depths of the sea for good. Some have even speculated that Skillilinilia may no longer exist - perhaps another rare instance of a dead deity.