Avatar: The Last Dicebender (A:TLA/A:LOK Quest)

"I need to think about this," you decide. The tree brightens at your words. Siph looks at it, then at you, while you continue. "I'm not sure what my stance on this situation is."

The tree's bark glows brighter and brighter until it is fully blue-white in color. The tree emanates this glow for several seconds, and in turn, your own eyes begin to glow. You feel an energy in your spine, moving up. The amount is overwhelming. You feel it emanating from your body and to the outside. You feel Siph flinch, as you try to contain this.


You blink and your eyes glow no longer.

"What did you do?" You stand back. You felt powerful for a moment. When the tree glowed, your own body followed. Is that blue thing chi? Is that why the tree glows? If that's the case, then it's made out of pure life force. Your limbs waver.

The tree responds with a thundering voice, "I offer you my gift. For the deep consideration of your own actions, when you lack control over yourself, I will aid you. Never forget this, and always think ahead of your actions, Avatar. You, I consider worthwhile of admiration. Please, do grow. And may the peace you bring be splendid and eternal."

You nod, even though you're not sure you understand. You think he admires that you're aware you don't know everything, but you're not sure. "Thank you."

"Then, can I ask you to help me?"

"How?" you ask, not specifying whether you'd do it.

The tree quiets for a moment. Its glow diminishes, as it answers you, "My roots are dying. After thousands of years, all sorrowful, this jungle has grown heavy on me. I ask you to cauterize my pain."

Cauterize? What does that word even mean? You're not sure what he's saying. "Can you..." An awkward pause. "Explain?"

"Please, meditate with me," he elaborates. Hue-Sar's bark turns dark blue for a brief moment, flickering. "I ask you to kill me and end my duty, that many years ago, you have forced upon me. Please, kill me, Avatar Tié. My gift will never leave you, I promise, but please, destroy my roots and let me wither."

Forced upon him? You forced a spirit to do something? That's surely not true. You need, you have to ask. "What Avatar did this? And why? Why would someone force you to become this jungle's life-source?"

"Irrelevant," Hue-Sar said, very robotically, once again glowing a dark blue. He continued in his normal voice, "I have already forgiven you long ago. When I die, another tree will grow and replace me – take my role – and become the source of life. Just like the Avatar cycle, you might say."

You shake your head. You can't put this together. Siph seems to agree, as the next thing she says is exactly what you were thinking, "Why would you want to die?!"

The tree darkens and quiets at that sentence. A long moment passes, then he answers with a whisper. "I'm sorry." Hue-Sar's voice rises briefly: "I'm sorry. I have seen so many things, but nothing brings me joy anymore. I want this to end. I want my torture to end."

"Explain this, please."

The tree's glow abruptly stops and its trees turn green for a moment, then it returns to a blue color. You can only liken this to the emotion of anxiety, even though it's hard to link tree emotions to human emotions.

"Long ago, Avatar Rago, one of the first Avatars, walked this desert. She found secrets beneath the sands, great sources of spiritual power. And in the middle of them, was a nexus, where we are. A place where the energy was so strong that the line between material and spiritual was thin and barely existing. Underneath the sand, she found these caves, full of dying plants. The forest spirits that dwelled down here required the jungle to live, so Rago created me. A small sapling and she gave me a mind to think for myself. She told me that this jungle was my child, and I had to protect it and feed it. And that's what I have done for the last thousands of years."

"But now..." The tree became dark blue, more intensely than before and for a longer timespan than ever. "I feel nothing but contempt for my own existence. I acted as an obedient fuel source. Replace me with another, Avatar. Replace me. It is your duty. I didn't want you to leave because you're the only one strong enough to take my life."

Siph looks at you. Her face is clouded with negative emotion, but you can't tell what it is. While Hue-Sar explains, something strong grips your heart and tears it out of your chest. He's in pain, but is it really worth ending his life? He says he'll be replaced, that even in death he will help you, but is it worth it?

You stare at the tree.

You're basically deciding whether or not to euthanize him, with his consent. There's no euphemism or pretty cover-up.

But...

Damn.

No.

You shake your head.

"I won't do it."

The tree glows darkly, the black color overpowering the blue for a moment. "It is your duty! Replace me! Long ago, you set me here as the caretaker of this jungle. Now let me die!"

This is too abrupt for you. Once again, you shake your head. Fear and regret tear your heart out of your chest. This is too sudden, first you came here to discuss the reason you came and be rewarded for your thinking, and now this venerable tree spirit... is it even a spirit? If it can die, it's more akin to a living creature with strong spiritual ties, right? Your stomach sinks as you force the words through, "I..."

[] "Won't do it." You can't just take a life, nor go against something you set in a previous life. It goes against ethics.
[] "Will do it." You can understand his pain and you decide to go along with his will. Let Hue-Sar die.
[] "Will free you." You can't take his life, but nor can you just leave him to suffer. He is stuck here, but... what if he was given new form, new life? Allowed to leave and do as he wished, no longer shackled to his role as Garden Keeper, free to explore life?
-[] Enter the Avatar State, "you" put him here, so "you" should know how to free him. (Optional.)

+1 CP!
+2 Spirituality.
+Gift of the Thoughtful (Perk)
+500 XP!

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Needless to say, you're choosing whether you want to be an Aang (all life is sacred) or a Roku ("I'll kill you if I absolutely have to.")