No, SV, You Are the Forest
A Riot Quest
Turn One
The forest shimmered and swayed in the dim light of the local star, particles from the stellar winds carefully guided to traps that snatched the material right up. A network of roots so thickly intertwined it served as a sort of ground had formed, and upon it were other crystalline entities, from short sprigs of grass to clutters of bushes in open areas.
Scintillating vines glittered as they wound between roots and bushes, trunks and branches, only to be eaten by the few beings in the forest that could. A reddish figure, floating on wings made of condensed magnetic fields, pressing against the magnetic fields generated by the Forest itself to remain flying it darted around, grasping vines in its beak and tearing them away from the tree roots to eat.
The Forest took note of the path the creature wandered, and realized that it never approached a spot hidden in a nook of the Forest, shielded from prying eyes and sensors by several great boughs with sweeping branches, carefully arranged just so by the denizens. Inside lay three great eggs, guarded by looming red eyes, razor sharp talons, and a sizzling acid that dripped from sacs alongside its cheeks.
Three long, sinuous shapes slipped in through shadows, depositing carcasses of flesh and bone rather than crystal and rock, gathered light-years away in other systems.
A minor change in the solar wind, caught by its feelers, saw the Forest redirecting its attention outward. There was something watching over the star system, the extension of something greater, ever vigilant against intrusion.
A vast cocoon hung suspended over the star, halfway in, halfway out. The bare fragments of smaller things could be discerned fluttering around it.
This would bear watching. It would all bear watching.
Time passed.
Something new arrived on the edges of the system, well away from the Star and the Forest. It moved faster than the forest had seen the hunters move.
It moved in the direction of the Forest. This, too, would bear watching.
The heart of the Forest stirred. Something had changed. An imprint was left on the roots nearby. It represented cycles.
The Forest would see how it would grow.
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The Ingaba Science Ship
Fortlamore propelled itself through space on impeller engines, tapping into the manifold fields of hyperspace to move rapidly at within the confines of a star system.
Senior Scientist Oragles stood upon the observation deck and observed as the strange objects in the distance approached ever nearer, glad to
finally be allowed to examine it.
The strange forest had been detected decades before, when he was but a neophyte studying the tools used to study the universe, but the ongoing feud with the brutish Matlownee had rendered the system, and the strange treasures located within it, too risky to examine in greater detail.
And now, he was
finally here. Just a little bit further, and the mysteries of this strange place would be unveiled before him. They were so similar yet so different from the forests of his homeworld, or the sweeping city-scape that the Ingaba had turned their birth world into.
The fact that they seemed to be rooted
in space itself, precisely holding their distance and orientation from the star, was incredibly fascinating. Even if his science teams stayed at a distance, there would be much to learn from this.
He could hardly wait to get started.
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Communication Actions
[ ][Action] Try to reach out to something.
-Triggers a mini-turn.
-[ ][Action] The Predators. Requires 5 successes.
--They might be useful.
-[ ][Action] The Ship. Requires 10 successes.
--What is this?
Defense Actions
[ ][Action] That Ship is scary. Erect the Shield!
-Opposed Action. Unknown dice available to the Ship.
Growth Actions
[ ][Action] Grow the Forest.
-0/200 successes to Mag 04.
[ ][Action] Grow the Worm
-0/50 successes to Stage 02
-This is the Bonus Project reward from reaching 100 voters.
[ ][Action] Grow <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost.
Offense Actions
~Glare angrily into the sun~ The Forest has no means of striking at others at this time.
Research Actions
[ ][Action] Research the
Empty Veil power (Void)
-Study how the Empty Tree works, and discern a means of applying that to the whole forest at once. Unlocks a Survival Action that protects the Forest from detection if successful.
-Requires 20 Research successes
[ ][Action] Research the
Shard Volley power (Crystal)
-Study how the Sharding Tree accomplishes it's explosive effect, and seek a less onerous means of replicating it on a smaller scale. Unlocks a Defense Action that can damage or kill enemies within the boundaries of the Forest.
-Requires 20 Research successes
[ ][Action] Research the incoming Ship (???)
-How does it move? How? Inquiring Minds want to know! Unlocks a new field of research.
-Requires 10 Research successes.
[ ][Action] Research the
Scoop Tree (Magnetic)
-An alternative application of magnetic fields, the Scoop Tree improves the efficacy of growth actions, by proactively adjusting magnetic fields to reach out and obtain charged particles.
-Requires 10 Research successes.
[ ][Action] Research the
Hoop Tree (Magnetic)
-Yet another application of magnetic fields, the Hoop Tree unlocks a Survival action, allowing for resources to be stored against future need. Automatically applies one die to that action each turn.
-Requires 10 Research successes.
[ ][Action] Research the
Shaping Tree (Crystal)
-Crystals aren't particularly fluid, but their interiors can be adjusted to mimic that of other trees as the need arises. This tree allows for other trees to take up arms in defense of the Forest. Up to one Defense Action per Forest Magnitude per turn gains one extra die per Shaping Tree.
-Requires 20 Research successes
[ ][Action] Research the
Reflecting Tree (Crystal)
-Energy taken from successful strikes is returned back to the attacker, diminishing the amount suffered by the Forest. One point of damage per Tree is 'returned to sender' in some way, shape, or form, reducing the damage taken by that amount.
-Requires 10 Research successes
[ ][Action] Research the
Soothing Tree (Psionic)
-The Mind of the Forest is a potent thing indeed, capable of reaching out beyond itself. This tree serves as a focus, allowing for a new Offensive Action that can calm aggression and hostility, allowing for peaceful discourse. In the event that this specific Offensive Action is not chosen, one Communication Action per turn gains an extra die per tree.
-Requires 10 Research successes.
[ ][Action] Research
Elder Trees (General)
-Some Trees have grown old indeed, and were old when the Forest was young... old when the Forest was last whole. Some measure of this experience can be distilled and incorporated into new and extant Trees, improving their skill at wielding their power. Unlocks upgrades to existing and future Special Trees, required for Tier Two trees.
-Requires 50 Research successes.
Survival Actions
[ ][Action] Attempt to store resources against future need.
-All successes stored.
Other
[ ][Action] Write-in
-For if you believe I'm missing something. I reserve the right to
disapprove of any write-ins, or appropriate them for other purposes and places.
Focus Actions
Choose
any three actions from the above for the Forest to focus on. These are voted upon by the entire group, and are in addition to the individual actions taken by each member. Multiples should be indicated with a x#, so the second identical action would be x2, etc.
[ ][Focus] Action Name
These Actions will receive a number of automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest and any bonuses from other sources.
At the moment, the top three focus actions will win, each receiving the focus of the Forest.
*-*-*-*
Your Votes should look like the following:
[ ][Action] Action
[ ][Focus] Action 1
[ ][Focus] Action 2
[ ][Focus] Action 3
Newcomers should add one of the following:
[ ][Tree] Heart Tree
[ ][Tree] Mind Tree
[ ][Tree] Root Tree
This vote will always be open.
*-*-*-*
A/N: Here we go!
Vote remains open for between 24 and 48 hours.
