Today, visitors to the Elrichian bay might find themselves lucky enough to spy a Sea Pigeon. The Elrichian Sea Pigeon is a notable species, one that has become a sort of mascot for the capitol city of Elra. These elegant fliers, swiftly darting over the Elra bay waves, are one of the most unique species found outside of Bluen or even Revelo. For these creatures did not come from the selection of royal animal husbands, they originated from the artificial practices of the fishers in the bay. Indeed, these beasts have given rise to the Elra bay as the "Bay of the Blind Fish."
Some time ago, when the fisheries began to harvest the Elrichian sea, a simple herd of pigeons took up roost in the various buildings used to refine the fishers' wares. They weren't the Sea Pigeons we know today, but those belonging to the ordinary and unremarkable breed. When the fishers would cut up their wares, the pigeons would be there, watching with great fascination through their beady little eyes. When the fishers noticed this, they began to feed the pigeons small parts of the fish they cut off. Such was the life of this flock, growing fat from the generosity of fishy butchers.
In time, the business of the fisheries grew as the land of Elrich prospered. Fewer and fewer parts of the fish could be spared for the pigeons, however, and many of the fishers simply stopped giving them the scraps. Flock members grew thinner as the food supplies became lean, and many fled or perished to starvation. One salty sailor, sitting on a dock, was witness to what is now known as the most unique migration ever seen by a man. The birds, no longer able to rely on the handouts as had been in the past, soared over his head, to the bay.
Many fishers said this is the last they would see of the pigeons. Some lamented this loss, while others said it was a good riddance to a parasite that had been feeding on them for generations. But then, unusual fish began to be caught. Blind fish, with eyes expertly cut out by parties unknown. At first the incidents were few and far between, but as traffic in the bay continued to swell, more and more aquatic creatures turned up blinded.
It was then that Maver Chatsik, a man who history has remembered as a discoverer and adventurer, sought to discover the cause for this fishy plight. He set out on a rowboat, and was out in open water for eleven days and twelve nights. Upon this boat, he made a discovery that would become as celebrated as his exploits in the Martanda. The birds had taken up roost in the Great Elra Sandbar, and were living on the eyes of the various bay inhabitants. And so, on the twelfth morning, he rowed back to the harbor and declared his discovery to the crowd of onlookers.
And so, a new relationship with the fishers and the Sea Pigeons was made. The Sea Pigeons were able to make the fishers' lives easier by far, for the blinded fish were much easier to obtain than sighted ones. In exchange, the fishers were always sure to toss any sighted fish they captured back into the bay, for the consumption of the pigeons. This is a relationship that has lasted the test of time, even the many transitions Elra has gone through. The Sea Pigeons are an icon of the crown, and so they shall remain for many days to come.
