Notlimah

Isle of Wester

Zooming out a little further the whole island

Town and Lake Map

Back from Chapter 30 ish when he still thought he lived in a valley on the edge of a lake

Chapter 117: Silversea games part two

“Competitions is pretty much the essence of everything, it gives humans drive.”

Ashton Eaton

As we watched the diving competition I looked at my skill progress. Horse riding had levelled higher reaching Lv 10. A large gain for a single loop around the island. I wondered how many of the competitors would also see their levels and stats rise due to the experience gained by the public competition for prizes of wealth. Grandfather had often said no kill no skill ...

Chapter 116: The Silversea Games

“Equality may be a fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing principle.”

BR Ambedkar

A few days before the competition at dinner, “Don’t you think I could compete against half of the men out there.” Mother asked Lady Acacia affronted. Mother could probably break most men over her knee if so inclined. She must have been mulling over the sticking point for a while.

“Of course not but it is a matter of dignity, we can hardly have me...

To class or not to class

So every once in a while I hit a wall with my writing.

Sometimes the walls are I can't think what happens next. Sometimes the walls are actually holes I have written myself into and now have to write myself out of. Finally, sometimes the walls aren't actually a block rather a decision I have to make. Two paths that the story could go down and I can't make my mind up which way is the best way forward. (Eg: see deleted chapter decimal time)

This is the one I have arrived at today....

Chapter 115: Panem et circenses

“The evil was not in bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease.”

Marcus Tullius Cicero

We were not planning on becoming evil but there was a certain Machiavellian thinking behind Lady Acacia’s suggestion. There would possibly be a little bit of unce...

Chapter 114: Too much to do and not enough time.

“Well,’ said Tiffany, ‘there’s too much to be done and not enough people to do it. ’The smile that Kelda gave her was a strange one. The little woman said, ‘Do ye let them try? Ye mustn’t be afraid to ask for help. Pride is a good thing, my girl but it will kill you in time.”

Terry Pratchett

I had a problem. There was simply not enough time in the day to do all that I wanted and had to do. The four areas Lady Acacia wanted us to focus on alone too...

Chapter 113: Magical Martial Arts + Governance (MMA + G)

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

Albert Einstein

After visiting the oldest four uncles, Aaron, Karl, Cephas and Romeo, the next uncle we were due to visit was Uncle Barric the father of six. However, we were not allowed to do so for the week. Lady Acacia insisted that we excel in our magical studies, martial training, arts and governance before we entertained the idea of picking up any more of our cous...

Chapter 112: Mud men

"I made all my generals out of mud."

Napoleon Bonaparte 

‘What did I want to do? Who did I want to be?’ Uncle Cephas question and my answer reverberated around in my head. Taking up my time as I thought about it. I had been quite addicted to making the numbers go up when I first appeared in this world which had all sorts of unexpected consequences, from Grandpa putting me forward for nobility to accidentally crippling myself.

Yes I wanted to have a...

Chapter 111: Rock hunting

“There will always be rocks in the road ahead of us. They will be stumbling blocks or stepping stone; it all depends on how you use them.”

Frederich Nietsche

“We started mining here through the side of the quarry because of the discolouration that came through the rock in this area. We weren’t looking for metal at the time. But once we found some your uncle Aaron back by your Grandpa Smit insisted we continue.” Uncle Cephas explained as he led us into t...

Chapter 110: Measure twice cut once.

"When you’re a carpenter making a beautiful chest of drawers, you’re not going to use a piece of plywood on the back, even though it faces the wall and nobody will ever see it. You’ll know it’s there so you’re going to use a beautiful piece of wood on the back.”

Steve Jobs

Uncle Karl was a little bit of a perfectionist. When we went to visit his store, workshop and home to try our hands at carpentry he did not leave it up to his children to take us th...

August posting

Good morning, afternoon or evening,

Posting for August is going to be a little all over the place this month.

Normally I manage to post once or twice a week while working full time. This month I am on holiday which gives me a little bit more time to write but there are a lot of other jobs to do like looking after my two children one of whom is on her summer holiday and the other of which is still really small. There have also been a few legal and housing issues I have had to ad...

Chapter 109: Jack of All Trades . . .

“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.”

Anon

I stepped down into the boat tied up to the pier at the edge of my island. It might technically be my island but it was home to far more than simply me and trying to evict my Grandfather Arawn Silversword was an exercise in futility. Kaius my father was already in the boat waiting for us and we were soon joined by Aleera my older and sometimes wiser sister.

"Rea...

Chapter 108: New beginnings

Chapter 108: New beginnings

"The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of them all."

Josiyah Martin

Sailing was going swimmingly I stayed in the boat and no more monsters had appeared. I did not go daily anymore but Father continued to go out on his own every day even if I did not. Although without his sensory son he sometimes failed to bring as much as we had together. He did not seem to mind too much still enjoying the sailing as much as anyt...

Chapter 107: The myriad mercenary talents of the young master

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Nelson Mandela

Education may be a powerful weapon and many a man has said that your mind is your best weapon, after all, knowledge is power. But sometimes a weapon is just a weapon the important point was whether you knew how to wield it. A point Lady Acacia was determined to teach us.

Another day another demonstration and I was sweating. Thrust, step, block, retreat. Any too...

Chapter 106: A different language or two

Chapter 106: A different language or two

"The structure of language determines not only thought, but reality itself."

Noam Chomsky

Languages! Lady Acacia was finally teaching me some. A different language is a different vision of reality. Each one holds not just words, but thoughts, culture, and traditions. I was excited to learn the magic of the world hidden in their languages. What new ways in which to view the world would I find?

. . .

“Kai...

Chapter 105: Soul sight

“I unpetalled you, like a rose, to see your soul, and I didn’t see it. But everything around – horizons of land and seas-, everything, out to the infinite, was filled with a fragrance, enormous and alive.”

Juan Ramon Jimenez

I freaked out!

She can see my soul? Do I look like a child or an old man? What do souls even look like in the first place anyway? What a horrible hook to leave us hung up on. Hurry up, woman elaborate!

“You can see our s...

Chapter 104: New curriculum

"Instead of a national curriculum for education, what is really needed is an individual curriculum for every child.”

Charles Handy

Life continued onwards, each day a new lesson to be learned. We had yet to receive any more oaths from our cousins. But there was a reason for that. I sailed less with Father and was not allowed out of the boat after our brush with the sea monster. I can’t say that I minded too much enjoying the illusion of safety from inside the ...

Chapter 103: Resonance

“Our hearts resonate at the same frequency as the earth and the universe. Therefore, we are all valuable instruments in the orchestration of the world and its harmony.”

Suzy Kassem

“You know your skills, how to use them, and how they feel. Similar skills will feel the same. So, for example, Flute and Panpipe are compatible skills that could be combined to become Tier 2 Pipes or wind instrument skills. There is a certain resonance between them.” She answer...

Chapter 102: Core Consolidation

“I waited for the idea to consolidate, for the grouping of themes to settle themselves in my brain.”

Claude Monet

“I still don’t understand. What is a core? No one has ever mentioned one to me before.” I asked confused as I quickly thought through the conversations that we had. No one had ever mentioned having a core.

“Try the light spell again.” She avoided answering my question while giving me my next task.

“Phos.” I quiet...

Chapter 101: Magic 101

“Magic is believing in yourself, if you can do that, you can make anything happen.”

Wolfgang Von Goethe

Magic, finally magic! Grandfather might have had some seemingly magical skills, but they were all physical impossibilities. He didn’t have true magic, not like Lady Acacia had offered us. Sure, he could probably kill mages, but I didn’t want to become a mage assassin I wanted to wield the power of the elements, forge the forces of nature, and weave the ...

Chapter 100: Building a baseline

“Nothing works without details. They are everything, the baseline of quality.”

Dieter Rams

“Welcome, Kai. I am so excited to have you here with us today.” She smiled delightedly, happy to have finally gotten hold of me once she knew what I was and what I was capable of. Grandfather was carefully watching from a distance to ensure there wasn’t a repeat of going overboard when it came to the tuition of children.

“First things first, I would like t...

Chapter 99: Compromise and revelations (+Status update)

"Compromising doesn’t mean that you are wrong and someone is right. It only means that you value your relationship much more than your ego.”

Anon

“Wait for me!” I sprinted for the dock. Father was just pulling out of the dock the wind catching in his shells. I continued to sprint down the dock launching myself of the end towards the end of the leaving boat.

Ding! Sprint (Lv 1)

That was a surprise, but I wasn’t going to make ...

Chapter 98: Growing Pains

“Growth hurts because change isn’t easy, that’s why they call it growing pains.”

Tony Gaskins

.

. . .

.

I sidled onto the dock where Father was working on his boat, “Can I have a drop?” I asked Father first, thinking that he was probably the best bet at getting a favourable decision.

“No, go ask your mother.” He avoided taking sole responsibility for the decision. I left him and went to find my mother.

.

. . . 2022-07-13 20:47:16 +0000 UTC View Post

Chapter 97: Time to grow up

“One curious thing about growing up is that you don’t only move forward in time; you move backwards as well, as pieces of your parents’ and grandparents’ lives come to you.”

Philip Pullman

“I’m doing it.” I said as soon as she had left.

“There’s no rush to grow up.” Mother replied calmly.

“If I don’t rush it sounds like you will never see me grow up,” I answered

“I’m just saying this isn’t something you have to ...

Chapter 96: Spellcraft and Spellsong

“Words and Magic were in the beginning one and the same thing and even today words retain much of their magical power.”

Sigmund Freud

“Magic?” I asked intrigued.

Magic! Yes, please! Yes, I had some and yes it was fun, intriguing and exciting to explore the possibilities. But at the same time, it did feel like most of my applications of mana were brute-forcing the matter rather than intelligently wielding the powers of wizardry. I had a variety of sy...

Post COVID again

Hi guys and gals,

Second time catching covid in 6 months no less. Been a pain both times but the difference is last time I got 10 days of isolation ergo lots of sleep and time for writing. This time around I got 5 days of isolation 2 of which were the weekend then it was back to work which was frankly speaking absolutely exhausting. I had hoped to get another chapter out this week but simply fell asleep as soon as the kids were put to bed and dragged myself through the day trying to ca...

Chapter 95: Out of the mouths of infants

“Even as wisdom often comes from the mouths of babes, so does it often come from the mouths of old people. The golden rule is to test everything in the light of reason and experience, no matter from where it comes.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“That would be me?” she repeated, seemingly fascinated by the fact that I could talk.

“Yes,” I replied simply. I was tempted to repeat, ‘That would be me, not you.’ But I was unsure how she would take my attempt at...

Chapter 94 continued: A level of honesty

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”

Thomas Jefferson.

Well, that was an awkward departure. She was not right but she was not entirely wrong either. The atmosphere for dinner was left broken as we looked at one another in the silence she had left behind her.

“I’m assuming you received the missing stats,” stated Grandfather.

“Yes, I have the attribute Durability now,” I answered them verbally. We were past the point of me...

Chapter 94: Occam's Razor

"No more things should be presumed to exist than are absolutely necessary, ie, the fewer assumptions an explanation of a phenomenon depends on, the better the explanation."

William of Occam

Operation Silversea had been a huge success we now had the branches of the Silversea clan to support our endeavours. It was not large change in how Grandpa Smit had always run his family, but it had made the private unwritten rules public. It had also changed the head of the f...