PlayerOliver

When you were a kid, you lived with your grandmother in the small town of Silvertree, on the edge of a magical forest. Grandma is a witch, and she taught you how to use your magic to affect the natural world, too. “Magic is a part of you,” she always told you. “Learning how to use it means figuring out who you are.”

Now you’re 19 and on your own. After years of living in the forest while you perfected your witchcraft, you’ve returned to take care of your grandmother’s house and crow-familiar while she’s gone. Figuring out who you are feels more important than ever - not to mention, figuring out what Silvertree is. A lot is just as you remembered: the friendly generous next-door neighbors with a kid just your age, the proud town council, the quaint little shops with quirky punny names, the gentle shadowy forest full of magic.

Stone in the shoe

You set out into the room with good intentions, but unfortunately…it doesn't go well.


Almost at once, people start to avoid your eye as you bring up the topic of the forest. More often than not, people simply tell you it's not the right time or place to "get political" as much as you are. A few times, people walk away from your conversation seeming a little more in favor of the developments than they were before.


And, of course, you grow more and more frustrated. You find yourself wanting to shout, to ask people how they can be so shortsighted. You don't; after a while, you simply fall silent. You don't know how to tell people that you're not trying to win a debate—you're trying to save something precious from being lost. If you're upset, it's because it's worth getting upset about.


But in the end you decide to cut your losses, realizing that you can't exactly blame people for not wanting to talk about something like that at a birthday party. At the very least, you can chalk it up to a learning experience: know when to pick your battles.


66