Acorn Ascendant [Squirrels] [Cultivation] [Cards]

You laid upon a patch of sunlit grass, warmth trickling down through the leaves of the trees. You could hear the hustling of the small village around you, and could barely make out the sound of pawsteps as a squirrel approached you, their weight crackling the grass.

Turning to sit upright, you faced the other squirrel, their fur an aged and scarred gray. Missing an eye, and half of his tail, approached Gramps.

"Ho there, child." His voice had a weight to it that drew attention. With a baritone speckled with the slight resonance of experience, his was the right to command the village, by near-unanimous decision. His eyes squinted slightly in the bright patch of sunlight, but never lost their focus. Even now, he was alert, his muscles primed and ears twitching.

He was old, much older than any squirrel had the right to be, but being able to survive this long was proof enough of his might. The forest was dangerous for squirrels, and he had been the one to create even this small safe haven.

"Hey, Gramps." Gently lying back down on your back, your own eyes much more alert, you stared up into the skies, thinking about the shapes of the clouds. You raise a forepaw, pointing at a strangely-shaped puff of vapor. "That one looks a bit like an eye, doesn't it?"

Long ago, before the fall of the Squirrel Sect, they had created their own divinities from thought and observation. The first to touch upon themselves and become more than a squirrel had facilitated this, but what little scholars and records left indicated that it would likely have happened regardless of the Devourer's ascension.

He glances up, letting out a slight hum in consideration before responding. "I do believe it does." He lets out a small huff of amusement, before lowering himself to sit beside you. Gramps didn't go out of the village much anymore, age finally catching up to him. That wasn't to say he was any less dangerous, just that it would be an actual risk for him to get hurt on the offense, rather than a miraculous occurrence. Nowadays, he helped raise the children, and assisted with the administration.

Not that there were enough of you to really need that much organization. Barely thirty adults, and only a handful of children, such as yourself. Constructed off of the trunks of the taller trees, the little huts were really all that qualified your village as such, rather than a loosely-defined proto-community. That, and the small bits of territory that you'd managed to eke out.

Back then, even after you grew up, you'd listen to the stories he'd tell to the children. Of the time before, and the divinities and stories they had told. Of the Dreamer and the Green, the Devourer and the Stone, of Guards-Squirrels and the Owls. The many different creations of the many different worlds, and the war between Naught and Hunger.

"You're getting old, Gramps." It was a simple observation, but a powerful one. Many of the squirrels were a bit on edge, even the few cultivators you had. Death would inevitably come for all creations of the Green, or so he had said at the time.

Something glimmered behind his eye for a moment, before fading. He smiles sadly a bit at your comment, before shaking his head. "Aye. You'd better shape up, else you'd never get anything done after Death finally manages to burn me out." It's a bit of a grim joke, but it lightens the atmosphere all the same. "It won't be gettin' much out of me for a while yet."

You feel something grasp at your heart before you force yourself past it, returning to staring aimlessly at the sky. "Still, take care of yourself old man. I don't think the others could take it." About yourself went unsaid. This was the squirrel who raised you as his own.

"Just who do you think I am?" He bellows out a laugh from deep inside, and something seems to lighten in his shoulders. "I didna' raise this village to be gone after I left, so you'd better not be talkin' like that with the others." He motions for you to follow, chuckling. "Enough of this pessimism. I'll be telling a story to the youngins, and I'll be needin' you to make sure my memory ain't gone yet."

Both of you knew that he'd die before his memory faded, but both of you also knew that the little ones liked it better when the two of you could riff off of each other. At this point, you could probably recite them by heart, even without Gramps.

Quickly, you gather yourself and stand up as he starts walking off without you.

This was the village that you were raised in. This is where you learned of the divinities of squirrelkind. Where you found your wanderlust, the need to see all the old stories and tell new ones. Where you learned everything you knew. This was your home, forever and always.

But still you left. Why?

(Choose Multiple)
[] The village burned. Gramps was weak, and someone finally noticed.
[] Gramps died, and you gave into your wanderlust, promising to return after growing strong.
[] You left before Gramps had the chance to die. Maybe you could still save him?
[] Write-in.

---

At the core of yourself you could feel something shift, as to align more with what you were, and what you could be. You exhaled, and a spew of black smoke and tar expelled itself from your body.

The Mantis finally broke through the small blockage, not intelligent enough to recognize the disadvantage it would be in the enclosed tunnel. It moved slower than it seemed like it had before. You took the surrounding Qi into yourself, and...

[DREAM][INCOPORATE]

You were shocked awake, and found the Mantis in shreds.

Wat do?
It is currently Afternoon. You can spend the Afternoon and Evening timeslot, or spend the Afternoon and await results before committing the Evening. You cannot currently do anything during the Night timeslot.

(Choose One)
[] Spend Both
[] Spend Afternoon

(Choose Multiple)
[] Explore the surroundings. (Random Event. Find herbs to help in cultivation, harvest something off the Mantis, etc.)
[] Rest. (Accelerates time to Morning. Chance to initiate Dream Turn. You are currently in a very secure safe spot. Doing so early increases chance to Dream.)
[] Explore in a direction. (Indicate Direction.)
[] Cultivate. (Attempt to break through.)
You have already broken through today. You do not have a Qi source to spend.
[] Train something (Indicate What) (Increase progress towards upgrading {1} Card.)
[] Write-in

Resources
Nuts: 100
QiCorns/Qi Sources: 0

Other Stuff:
Nothing yet.

---

AN: Sorry it's a bit late. Extending planned voting period to compensate. This should be the last bit of character creation, but there'll be another flashback in the next update.

Next update will hopefully be up Monday evening, but might end up being moved to Tuesday due to the extended voting period this time.

Will update informational stuff, as well as go include the turn-by-turn of the fight when I have the energy. Your appearance and stuff will be determined with your Name, when you manage to gain one.

Planned to close around midday on Sunday.