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Willow Windstrum

Sarie
4-Level Arcanist (Occultist)

Formerly a student from South Africa, studying in California. Woke up in a strange land and soon turned into a ram girl. And she can cast magic now, which is just another area of study for her.


Sat 31st Jul 2021 07:04

On Traveling

by Willow Windstrum

Travel by foot on hard-packed roads between distant communities is certainly unpleasant. I knew this before, but having experienced it firsthand now, I have a better appreciation for how difficult it is. There are the obvious things like getting blisters on one's feet, having to walk on uneven dirt, and the way even the best clothes will chafe on you when you're walking literally all through the daylight. But there are also the less immediately obvious things like having to personally carry all of your things, dealing with annoying insects, and being a potential victim to whomever claims a portion of road. And then there are the things that one wouldn't generally even think about until doing it: having the sun in your face in one spot for a long length of time as you walk on a straight path, the uncertainty you feel for if you're even making any progress when all you see around you are trees, and the sheer mental agony of knowing that the only things you'll be doing for hours upon hours is taking steps.
 
And there are wolves. They stalked us all through the first day showing both caution and conviction, then attacked us at night. It was unpleasant. I've always been cautious around animals, as from a young age I've recognized how very dangerous they can be if they grow hostile. Having now been personally attacked by them, I feel that such an outlook is entirely justified. Perhaps what gets to me the most was how completely pointless the whole thing seemed. The wolves attacked a rather difficult target, a small lodge we were staying in. It seems unlikely they were after food, as we would hardly be a good target for them if that was the case. It didn't seem to be motivated by an interest in protecting their territory, as they followed us for hours. I can think of no instinctual motivation behind it. This leaves the probability that the wolves were being influenced by another party. It was mentioned that fey haunt these woods, and they could certainly be a possible cause. Some of the wolves showed evidence of magical enhancement, biting with the force of cold somehow. And when I brought up the possibility of hostile druids, the idea was brushed aside.
 
Regardless we are out of the woods now, literally if not figuratively. We've passed by an extremely wide river spanned by a rising bridge. There is no evidence of a community that the bridge serves, let alone any sort of river traffic that would necessitate the mechanical rising function. In order to build something so invested there would have to be something big upriver. A city of some sorts. But there was no evidence of anything like that. And the bridge certainly leads to a road on the forested side of the river, but there was no traffic on it and no communities other than the druids who seem to lack any population density. Either the bridge was built back when trade was much more common, or it's a prelude to expansion as the Romans used to do with their armies. No one builds a bridge like that for no reason.
 
More travel will happen in the morning. Sleeping is grand after a full day of walking, but knowing that I have to do more later makes sleep the only respite I get from it. It's been said that we will find a town soon which might at least be similar to what I'm used to, but I feel it may be a far stretch from what I'd like. I do look forward to having an intellectual discussion with someone at some point, and the Kuvael might be what I seek. I don't like to assume things due to racial stereotypes, but around here they seem to be very common. So not much has changed, even if the differences here are tails and horns instead of skin color and epicanthal eyes.

Willow's Journal Ordered oldest to newest

  1. Transforming from Human to Kytos Sarie
    20 Jun 2021 06:23:11
  2. On Traveling
    31 Jul 2021 07:04:01

The major events and journals in Willow's history, from the beginning to today.

If we could just go to the spirit realm every night for free beds, that'd be something.

05:13 am - 30.10.2021

Traveling with Kevos was quite enjoyable. And his friends Mel and Shima seem very friendly too. This may be a whole friendly-friend thing going on here. A network of nice people.

05:45 am - 05.09.2021

Now I need a mechanical monkey. I can teach it tricks and have it rob people. Perhaps study it to learn the secrets of magi-mechanics.

04:12 am - 05.09.2021

On Traveling

Travel by foot on hard-packed roads between distant communities is certainly unpleasant. I knew this before, but having experienced it firsthand now, I have a better appreciation for how difficult it is. There are the obvious things like getting blisters ...

07:04 am - 31.07.2021

Now I know why humans almost made wolves extinct back on Earth. Yes, I know. They're an important part of the ecosystem and all that, but my opinion is now Fuck Wolves.

06:24 am - 31.07.2021

I really need to figure out a better use for these ram horns than "things that a guy holds on to during intimacy". For attacking they seem terrible. It's ridiculously rare that something I'd want to hit and hurt is also something that I'd want my head closer to.

06:22 am - 31.07.2021

It turns out that Kuvael are extremely cute. Normally I'm not really a cutesy kind of girl, so it might just be a reaction to the novelty of them. I'm fairly certain that I'll get over it quickly.

06:20 am - 31.07.2021

Transforming from Human to Kytos Sarie

Being a Sarie of the Kytos variety, I'm finding my new coloration somewhat strange. I am paler than I once was, and I worry about the effects of direct sunlight even moreso now. My hair is also very pale almost pink where it was formerly a light brown. It...

06:23 am - 20.06.2021

I definitely need to find these Kuvael that everyone keeps talking about. Perhaps access one of these arcane universities as well. I'll need to perform basic chemistry experiments to ensure that all physical laws here are the same as back home. If so it means that my years of university were not wasted. Diomis has been extremely helpful, and his knowledge about most basic concepts as well as his more specialized skillset in naturopathy or the like have all been useful. However to have truly academic conversations about the nature of this world, I really need to find some other academics.

06:10 am - 20.06.2021

Current theories: Mana is both a particle and a wave like light. Kinzo might simply react with mana in a manner similar to iron being magnetic. Kinzo likely exists on the periodic table somewhere. It might be simply a metal that we already know that has altered physical properties due to the presence of mana, or it might be "taking the place" of another metal. Mana is measurable and quantifiable, therefore its properties can be understood. All we need is proper experimentation. Conservation of mass does not seem to be a hard and fast rule in some cases. Perhaps it's due to the presence of mana, but that's just a guess. There could be something else at play.

06:06 am - 20.06.2021

The list of amazing people following the adventures of Willow.