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 make a beeline towards Dina, thinking that if you can just explain what's going on, then she'll realize that people aren't rioting—they're simply panicking. When you reach her at last, she looks surprised to see you—but at the same time, there's a sense that's she's relieved to finally see a familiar face.


"Huknock—did you see what happened? How did things get so out of hand?"


You tell Dina everything you saw, explaining that the person who smashed the windows didn't come from the protest and that the chaos is simply a matter of people not knowing where to turn or what's going on. Seeing the conviction in your face, Dina listens intently—and once you've finished, she nods at once, seeming to have no difficulty believing you.


"Okay. Then we need to help clear the street to make sure nobody gets hurt."


With that, she turns back towards the road—and directs the full strength of her voice towards the onlookers blocking the way.


"People—everybody, please, move away from the street! Don't block any exits—we need to make sure everybody has enough room or people might get trampled!"


A few people standing off to the side take notice, and soon every onlooker has got the message to clear away so that the crowd can have some room to breathe. Little by little, the pressure eases, and you can see people managing to get their bearings and find a place to get some air.


Eventually, everything seems to have mostly quieted down, giving Dina a chance to assess the scene. From the look on her face as she takes in the crowd of scared, shaken people in front of her, there's no doubt in her mind that the protesters were totally innocent.


94