The Birth of Vörlr

From the private journal of Noriq Dain, a mid-aged arcanist:

A cutting of an idea

Turn 291, season of rains:
While it was several moons ago, I can't help but dwell on the event that happened in Fanail Plaza last snows. What was it that caused that snowman to come to life? Was it the will of a spirit attempting to communicate with us? Despite causing such a panic, the creature had not made a move towards anyone before being cut down. What would cause a spirit to suddenly act this way? Was it an isolated event or a foreshadowing of something to come? Have we angered the forest? If we had not struck it down, would it have spoken to us? My mind overflows with questions that cannot be set down. More than anything I can't help but wonder: Can it be replicated?

Turn 291, season of fall:
The weather has started to turn cold; it is almost time. I had made a request to Arghen Hortharn that the arcanists be given resources to study the snowman anomaly. It took some convincing given the current dire shortage of food that we face but eventually the council has agreed that this idea shows enough promise worth seeing through. At the very least we hope to understand more about it in case it poses a threat. A couple of other arcanists have been chosen to assist with this task and we've constructed what we hope to be a safe area to test our theories. The other guilds often call arcanists mad and I suppose I have to agree with them now as I can't help but wish the snows come early this turn.

Turn 291, season of snows:
It's incredible! Not only were we successful in summoning the snow spirit, but we have learned so much about it! It is not hostile and will not attack unless provoked, and even then it's attacks are to simply hit you with whatever it's appendages are made of or to throw light objects such as clumps of snow as a defense. Even if we allow it to attack us, it will quickly forget what it was doing and resume wandering around. Removing the head has no effect and the body will keep moving as if nothing had happened unless it is placed on a new body, at which point it seems the soul leaves that body to inhabit the new one the head was placed on and resumes as if nothing had changed. No matter how many times we destroy the body and rebuild it, it reanimates every time we replace the pumpkin or any other pumpkin we have as they seem interchangeable with no effect. The snow spirit is fascinating and it is astounding that we can replicate it's summoning with such ease, but I can't help but feel a bit dismayed that it does not seem willing to speak with us. Maybe it's the vessel that is the problem. I shall need to think more on this and how we can help the spirit communicate.

Turn 193, season of suns:
To a mixed degree of success, we've been experimenting with assisting the spirits to inhabit other vessels. The first vessel we fashioned was of oak. We were successful in awakening the spirit through the same method as before.. however the spirit was weak and slow. All movements be it walking or a turn of the head took a good deal of waiting, as if time had slowed for the spirit.
The next body was fashioned of straw, and with very good results! The spirit was ever more lively, running and even climbing objects. But still it would not speak to us.
Our third vessel was crafted of fired clay. While we had flawless success in summoning the spirit with all the previous forms, we could not get anything to happen with the clay body. No matter how many pumpkins of different shapes and sizes or refinement we tried it stayed still as one would expect of a doll made of clay. We're unsure if this has to do with the properties of the clay or some other matter. We have tried different locations around Fanhorim-Dûr as well as covering the clay vessel with snow and enchanting runes to no avail. Perhaps there is something wrong with this clay itself. We shall try with clay made from a different source..

As an aside, we've also been encountering problems with the pumpkin vessel rotting. Will need to think of a solution to prolong it's lifespan..