Stories and Lore

Taya’s Journal #1 – Uru’Mara

// this is an older piece //

Today morning is calm and warm. I think I can finally dry some of my clothes.

Yesterday’s evening rain got me in surprise and I couldn’t set up my tent fast enough. I got soaking wet and I still can’t stand wet clothes on myself, the feel is just horrible.

Managed to get some longer sticks from fallen tree branches so my clothes are now properly dried. Tent is all packed up and I think I’m ready to leave now.

The Sahkoli forest is still pretty, I love coming back here time to time. I’m heading to the north of it, I will try to set up a camp at the edge of the forest looking over the Ona’Toh mountains.

I have only seen Uru’Mara once before, but even then it was from a great distance, it was so far away, it looked like a mere shadow of another creature.

About a week ago during my stay at Sahverion I’ve met someone who met Uru’Mara from nearly firsthand experience when she was young. She said she was very afraid at first, but then told me that it is a very gentle creature and she began adoring it a lot. I won’t lie, I felt so envious of her. But she gave me a couple of tips to somehow find it or at least predict its path. Who would have thought that it is such a hassle to find a gigantic creature wandering around the world?

But I guess that’s the point. It’s huge, kind of slow, but most importantly nobody really knows where it wants to go at any given time. But the woman told me that it enjoys visiting the Bastion while walking past the whole mountain range.

So I plan to set up a small camp at the northern part of the forest, trying to look over Ona, while also having the mountains in sight. I don’t want to leave the forest, it seems to be windy often at the base of the ridge.

The Sun is going down and I’ve just arrived at the edge of the forest, the view is phenomenal. I will have to move more to the west though, so I can have Ona in my sight as well. From what I know so far, Uru’Mara enjoys staying near Ona for a day or two before moving on, so I have two chances… I think. It will either come from the mountain range and move to Ona, or it will appear at Ona somehow and I will be able to spot it and then it will move toward the mountains.

It is very dark now so I’ve settled down finally, took me about an hour to have the best possible angle of view from here. My luck with this forest is that it isn’t the habitat to many aggressive animals, wouldn’t like to be a prey. Even those that actively hunt are typical to the southern part of the forest. Made a campfire and placed two torches as well, should be enough to keep most things away. Especially mosquitoes. I hate them. Why do they even exist.

A few hours have passed and I’m pretty tired. I think I will sleep soon, but I’m somehow too excited to sleep. My body is tired, but by mind is impatient and too excited. Don’t want to be too excited, though, I might just disappoint myself even more if nothing happens. I can’t express myself how much I dream of seeing that creature up close with my two eyes. I think I’m just too afraid to fall asleep and miss the chance to see it pass by, but on the other hand I also believe it will or at least should stop somewhere nearby.

It is morning again, thankfully it’s not late, I see no traces of the Wanderer. To be fair, I might be expecting it too early. I’m getting a bit unsure about this, what if it takes days or weeks for it to come by? I don’t have enough food to stay here alone that long. I’ve got a couple of biscuits left, some fruits… and that’s it, I don’t think this piece of leftover meat is still good. Not risking any stomach aches and I’m low on water as well.

I have packed up my tent again, campfire extinguished properly as well. I know there is a small village at the base of the mountains in front of me, I think I can even see some of the rooftops from here. I will be heading toward them.

The village is apparently called Ahmol, all the people here are sweethearts, they gave me food and let me refill my flasks with water. One of them even gifted me a pair of pants and a shirt, in case I get soaking wet again and want to change clothes. My current food will last for about a week, water not so much sadly. It is surprisingly not that windy here, I always heard it is very windy around these areas. It’s either a bad rumor or just caught good weather now.

I left the village and I will head back to my previous camping spot, the two torches I left will help me finding it.

Camp spot search was success, I am back on my previous spot. Now I shall wait here until I run out of food or water.

I can’t believe this, the woman was right. I can see Uru’Mara in the distance at the mountain range, it looks so slow, but it is definitely it. It only took four days, kind of lucky as I’m really low on food and water again. I will pack up once again and head back to the village, refill my water flasks and head toward Ona through the night. Hopefully I can get ahead of it while it is on its way to the city. if I remember my father’s sister lives or should still live in Ona, worst case I just end up visiting her.

I’m so excited, I have refilled my flasks at the village and they kindly gave me more food for the trip. I feel so energized. I had the idea to stay at the village, but the villagers told me that Uru’mara tends to march on the northern side of the ridge and well…, it was indeed marching on that side. I cannot waste time now.

I am not sure how close I am to Ona, I can see the lights of the huge city, and some smaller villages nearby, but it’s too dark. I feel so stupid leaving my torches behind, I can barely see where I’m stepping, I’ve already hit my toes thrice. This place has so many rocks, it’s unbelievable.

The sun is finally rising, I can see the light blue sky on the horizon. I feel so strange! Ona is so close, and I can see and hear Uru’Mara approaching from the mountains! The same noises I remember hearing it many years ago. It should take a few hours till it arrives. I should march toward the very eastern side of the city and walk toward it, and I think that is what I will do!

I cannot express my enthusiasm! The excitement is overflowing in me! Uru’Mara is just walking in front of me! Toward me! I am a bit intimidated by its colossal size, but everyone so far told me that it does not step on living beings. That gives me the sudden idea, what about bugs and insects? Ah well.

It is such a majestic creature. What a magnificent, curious yet gentle being. It is so otherworldly. As if it walked right out of a book of fairy tales. A walking environment. I cannot express the beauty of this creature.

How can such thing even exist? How is it possible for such a gigantic creature to barely make any sound or quaking in its movement? Just so gentle, truly delicate as it is always described.

The noises and sounds it makes, they are however almost haunting sometimes. The loud echo, as if the whole world could hear it. But why is the tone of it sounds so sad, yet so curious? The mix of the highness and deepness in its voice. I understand now why some books theorize that it may seek something or someone. Like a dog with their sad little whining sound.

Step by step, it is approaching.

I’m… I’m standing right in front of it and it stopped. The wanderer, Uru’Mara, it is looking down at me. It is lowering its head toward me. I’m not sure if it’s the excitement or happiness that is urging me to cry, but my tears are slowly finding their ways down my cheeks. I’m in its full attention. I’m slowly raising my arm and wave at it, I’m really not too creative.

It… It is super loud from up close, but I think Uru’Mara just greeted me or something similar, it definitely gestured toward me.

It is curiously tilting its head. Why am I so nervous?

Well, it just… kind of exhaled onto me. I’ve never heard that it can or does anything similar to breathing. But it smells… so good, but I cannot exactly describe the smell, it smells like… tea? Flowers? Fruits? Why did it just simply blow some air onto me? I have so many questions. I cannot decide whether it is me or it who is more curious about the other. I cannot believe this is happening right now.

It is reaching down with its head! It is even bigger than I thought. Is it trying to bow? It stopped, its entire head is right in front of me. Can I pet it if I walk a bit closer? I walk slowly closer, reach out with my hand and… the answer is, yes. It allowed me to pet him. The lady was entirely right, it feels scary first, then you start to realize, that it almost acts like some intelligent and gentle dog. I cannot believe I’m literally petting a colossal sized creature.

My brother told me adventuring will be boring and I will just probably end up dying to some animal. Well, yes, my brother, it is really boring. You see, this is something everyone does twice a day.

I don’t even care, this experience is worth all of it.

It raised its head back up, I think it wants to continue. So it did. Those hoof-like feet, that massive body, and it is all just earth and energy, walking over my head. These elementals are beautiful. I wish more of them would exist, but so far we don’t know about any more of them. I would feel so lonely if I would be it.

I keep looking at it as it passes over my head. As if a mountain would pass by. I feel like a part of the void inside me has been filled. Why do I feel so happy, yet so sad? I can barely hold back my tears again. I have to sit down, I’m overwhelmed with emotions.

Goodbye for now, Uru’Mara. I hope we will meet again sometime, the same way we just did. And I hope you will remember me, as much as I will always remember this experience. A true wonder.

I guess it is time to move on. I shall continue my way to Ona, time to visit my father’s sister, I can’t wait to tell her what just happened.