Author: @Standish

I am a freelance writer based in Wyoming.

Something Once Was

Dear Diary,

Have you ever desired something so much that you conjured that thing into being? I think I may have done so…I know that Eurth is uninhabitable, but…sometimes I think I see something down there. On the surface.

When I look through my telescope, I see skyscrapers, factories, acid-eaten buildings and rotted stumps. But every once in a while, there is a flash of movement. It could be the wind, but there is nothing left for the wind to carry. It almost seems to move on its own, but whatever it is is too fast to catch on such a delicate instrument. By the time I recalibrate the telescope, it is gone.

I know that they say everything is gone and nothing could live down there, but I can’t help but wish that those glimpses were something more than a puff of smog or a dust devil.

I Wonder About the Stars

Dear Diary,

When I was a child, I used to look up at the stars and wonder. Were all those beautiful things they said about them true? Had they really discovered new, habitable planets? Barring that, could we live in spaceships with artificial gravity and never need to touch ground again?

I was thrilled when they discovered the first of the gold deposits, though I admit at the time I thought of gold as money with no care for its heat resistance. I learned as I grew older, of course. Now, with spaces travel grown so typical, and me so far from home in both time and space…

Now I look down at the planet and wonder. Did we really used to live there? Were there lush fields and deep, dark forests, or was that something I only conjured in my imagination?

Dome Spell

It is believed that some spellcasters have the ability to capture any person, place, or even time period in a bubble-like dome of magic. This preserves anything until the spellcaster releases it; however, some believe that the bubble degrades over time and the contents fade or even become corrupted.

Reports indicate that domes have become damaged and spewed their contents out, while some witness accounts suggest that people may be freed from the bubble with a proper counterspell. Accounts are unconfirmed because all witnesses seem to have some mental impairment that may affect memory, possibly as a result of severe trauma. Many claiming to be survivors were neurodivergent, suggesting either an increased suggestibility or an increased resistance to the effects of this spell.

Box Photograph

This picture was found in an old archive, improperly labeled. It was originally part of a collection before most of the pictures were mysteriously redacted. This image survived only because an intern misplaced it. It appears to depict several boxy shapes that almost seem like buildings, but there are no entrances big enough for a person to enter. The flags atop some shapes would suggest that the boxes are much larger than they appear, but it would be impossible for a building of that height to be constructed successfully.

Musings on the Pevyse People

The Pevyse people are secretive and dangerous, making it difficult to learn much about their culture. We have determined that they are capable hunters, as all bandeargen are, and that they hunt with the traditional knife and stealthy maneuvers. Their prey rarely survives.

There are predators that can scare off a bandearg, but the Pevysi bandeargen are far smarter than average. They can disappear in a heartbeat, and will not be fooled by simple tricks such as imitating dangerous animals. If they are tricked in such a manner, they will organize a coordinated hunting party, and the trickster best not wait around until they return.

They seem to have some way of traveling through treetops that allows them to move faster and with more stealth than a typical, dexterous bandearg hunter. Perhaps a series of platforms? Though even a Pevyse bandearg is likely not smart enough to create such a delicate construction…

Image by Leonhard Niederwimmer from Pixabay

School for Moontouched

The school for moontouched is the only one of its kind I have found. Research indicates that the students are only the most powerful of magic users, wielding a power called komorebi. The history teacher at the time this file was compiled claimed that komorebi was the “magic of the ancients.” The meaning of this phrase is unknown.

Image by Paul from Pixabay

Komorebi appears to be a dangerous power, as medics are made to stand by during practices and students make offhand remarks about being brought back to life there. There are no indications that the students are zombies or any other known form of undead. This may be a slang term for a type of lesson or performance given during komorebi practice, but it is unknown since nobody is allowed inside their enclosed arena except those who are practicing there.

Ice Cream Tree

There are rumors of a tree in the far North, near the town of Towerkuns, that grows ice with the consistency of ice cream. A local druid has grafted several saplings onto it, using powerful magic to allow tropical fruits to grow in subarctic temperatures. The tree now grows ice cream in the flavors of each fruit, including orange, chocolate, and mulberry. The chocolate nuts were rather simple since they typically grow in mountainous regions, but the success of the orange ice cream branches was nothing short of miraculous.

Image by Hans from Pixabay

Antlers of the Gods

While few if any Ferellans believe that there is such thing as a god, some in the remote human village of Askile have come to believe in them after witnessing miracles and inexplicable phenomena. One such phenomenon is he appearance of a lightning formation they dubbed the “antlers of the gods.” The lighning appears in the shape of one of two antlers, arcing up towards the sky.

Photo by Rodrigo Souza: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-thunderstorm-2531709/

Every time the lightning appears in this formation, one item from the town will go missing. Sometimes, a intricately carved pot disappears from a craftsman’s basement. Other times, a statue or monument will disappear from a prominent location. Many believe a god is coming and taking the most precious items humanity can make. This is consistent with the town of Askile’s reputation as some of the most skilled craftspeople in the world, regardless of the medium.