In another world, a lifeguard loses their life to a panicked swimmer. A leg cramp. Sad.
From there on, they ascended into a sort of limbo, from where they watched the world continue on without them, but also came in contact with a voice, which offered them a new life. In that new life, they find themselves shedding their human identity, to start a whole new existence in a world of magic that they will have to fight to see.
Eventually, though, the world will hear of the name Aldea. But how?
The way the Universe works is a mystery to all, and enlightenment is a scarce occurrence. You didn't achieve it of course, you're just a regular human. But either by virtue of a system of reincarnation, or by the boredom of gods, you find yourself a sleepy soul in a void. You're memory is fuzzy, but prodded none the less by some invisible series of questions.
Question 1: How did you get here?
[] I died in my sleep
[] I died in a hit and run
[] I died saving someone
[] I died because someone saved my target
[] I died by getting lost
[] I died via assassination
[] I didnt die, I got sucked into a portal
-[] Via videogame
-[] Via book
-[] Via daydreams
-[] Via other supernatural vortex
--[] Specify
Hello all, my name is Crawkid, and I'll be your Qm, should you stay. Ive been on and off of Sv for some time, and this will be my project as I work to put together a reboot for a previous quest of mine that id put to rest. I thank you for coming and checking me out if youre new, and returning if youve been a fan/reader of mine in the past. Rules here will be simple, I ask you to discuss freely, minus hate and bullying, and you respect each other, and my say-so as QM and writer of the actual story. And yes, voting will be simpler than it was in say... AdventureForth. Also, if you have a presence in Homuras Labyrinth or the SV discord, and I take a long time on the next installment, I hereby give you permission to poke me, unless Ive stated that I am on hiatus. I like to write for my quests, but I do tend to be distractable. That is all, thank you again, and let the voting begin!
The void below you opens up to show a birds eye view of a beach. There are some women huddled together and crying, as an ambulance hauls away a body with a sheet over it. Yea, that's probably you. Who'd have thought a leg cramp would have ended this way? Its true what they say, a panicking person can kill you. You remember trying to calm her down, as you moved her to the board you took with you. She made it, but you just barely missed your chance. They worked on you as long as they could, and you tried really hard to come back - you did, but you're body wasn't having it. Or maybe it was the hand of fate. In any case, the time to be revived is past. You just hope your parents can move on in some way.
And that's when the next question comes
Question 2. What Skill or Trait would you like to take to your next life, based on your previous one?
This, dear Reader, is where we get into Skills and Traits.
A Trait is some sort of Physical, mental, spiritual, or magical...well, trait. Like tusks. Ones that you dont summon, or really affect anyone else. They're just there.
A Passive Skill is a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical ability that works on its own, and requires no thought.
An Active Skill is a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical ability that requires focus and an effort of will to activate and make happen.
A Toggle, is a Skill or Trait of a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical nature that may be turned on or off. Its acts as a Passive Skill when on, and acts as if it simply does not exist when off. Tochange the on/off state of a Toggle requires thought and an effort of will.
"I'd like the ability you call Calm Heart, please."
Granted. It makes sense, given what happened. Here you go:
Calm Heart (Passive): It takes more to make you succumb to intense emotions such as fear and anger. You know that it is better to solve problems with a clear mind. Not always easier, of course, but better. Similarly, those around you benefit from your calming presence.
You'll also be receiving two more abilities before heading into your new life. You feel the change in yourself as it happens. Strange, and unnerving, but it also stirs some hope within you.
Adaptive Eats (Active): You may choose to gain a Skill or Trait whenever you consume something. Furthermore, when active, the user of this skill is able to consume most things, even the non-edible, so long as they are able to send it down their throat. (You can not eat lava)
Bestow (Active): You may gift someone access to a Skill that you possess. This copies it over to them as is, and will not level, upgrade, or evolve when yours does. It is entirely up to them to level, upgrade, or evolve it on their own. You must have formed a bond with the target person for Bestow to work.
You may view these abilities at anytime, in text that is visible only to you. Also, since you have the ability to gain an enormous amount of Skills and Traits, you also gain the ability to housekeep, so to speak, and advance.
Skills may become more powerful, or 'Level up' through common use. Fireballs will get bigger, and telekinesis will gain more force, for example. This process is natural, and much like building your muscles through reps.
However, some skills, such as passive ones may level up slower, or may not be trainable at all right? For this, you can give them a one time boost by sacrificing some other Skill or Trait.
And speaking of which, Traits may not level up. It's awefully hard to train a tusk or amphibious skin, isnt it? Luckily, you may also sacrifice a Skill or Trait to benefit your chosen Trait. In this case, said Trait will simply Upgrade. A tusk may become harder or fancier, and amphibious skin might grow thinner, or be able to filter out different things.
Finally, we come to Evolution. This, again, comes to pass through sacrificing a Skill or Trait. But instead of it merely disappearing, it will influence whatever Skill or Trait you decide to sacrifice it to.
In the case of natural progression, such as 'leveling up' into a stronger skill, the Qm will be in charge. But whenever a vote causes an Upgrade or Evolution, it will be up to the readers to come up with how they want it to be so- unless they further vote to give that decision back to the QM. I caution you against going for OP Skills and Traits too soon, it may leave you with too few Aces up your sleeve, or worse, your body and magical capability may not be able to handle it without consequences.
And don't worry, all of this will be compiled into a post later on. I just thought it'd be beneficial to run character creation, and tutorial, side by side.
Now then.
Question 3. How will you express yourself in your next life?
Sorry, it had to come up eventually
[] Male (cis)
[] Female (cis)
[] Male (bi-gendered)
[] Female (bi-gendered)
[] Male (genderless)
[] Female (genderless)
A Trait is some sort of Physical, mental, spiritual, or magical...well, trait. Like tusks. Ones that you don't summon, or really affect anyone else. They're just there.
A Passive Skill is a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical ability that works on its own, and requires no thought.
An Active Skill is a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical ability that requires focus and an effort of will to activate and make happen.
A Toggle, is a Skill or Trait of a physical, mental, spiritual, or magical nature that may be turned on or off. Its acts as a Passive Skill when on, and acts as if it simply does not exist when off. Tochange the on/off state of a Toggle requires thought and an effort of will.
Mechanics for Self-Improvement
Skills may become more powerful, or 'Level up' through common use. Fireballs will get bigger, and telekinesis will gain more force, for example. This process is natural, and much like building your muscles through reps.
However, some skills, such as passive ones may level up slower, or may not be trainable at all right? For this, you can give them a one time boost by sacrificing some other Skill or Trait.
And speaking of which, Traits may not level up. It's awfully hard to train a tusk or amphibious skin, isnt it? Luckily, you may also sacrifice a Skill or Trait to benefit your chosen Trait. In this case, said Trait will simply Upgrade. A tusk may become harder or fancier, and amphibious skin might grow thinner, or be able to filter out different things.
Finally, we come to Evolution. This, again, comes to pass through sacrificing a Skill or Trait. But instead of it merely disappearing, it will influence whatever Skill or Trait you decide to sacrifice it to.
In the case of natural progression, such as 'leveling up' into a stronger skill, the QM will be in charge. But whenever a vote causes an Upgrade or Evolution, it will be up to the readers to come up with how they want it to be so- unless they further vote to give that decision back to the QM. I caution you against going for OP Skills and Traits too soon, it may leave you with too few Aces up your sleeve, or worse, your body and magical capability may not be able to handle it without consequences.
Votes on what to do with Traits/skills is fairly simple and straight forward. Even so, here are some formats to use for said votes, which may be used at anytime. The only exception is when you only have a single Skill/Trait/Toggle, since that doesn't make much sense.
[*] Sacrifice Skill/Trait/Toggle
-[*] Sacrifice xyz
--[*] Use Sacrifice to boost N
[*] Sacrifice Skill/Trait/Toggle
-[*] Sacrifice xyz
--[*] Use Sacrifice to Evolve N
---[*] Desired Evolution
[*] Sacrifice Skill/Trait/Toggle
-[*] Sacrifice xyz
--[*] Use Sacrifice to Upgrade N
---[*] Desired Upgrade
Likewise, a vote to negate a vote to sacrifice skills and traits can be set up.
(this is a cheap example, and is not required as the format.)
After 3 boosts, a Skill automatically will Level Up
Extra Information
A Toggle may be treated as a Passive Skill, or a Trait, in terms of powering them up.
At anytime, the character (Aldea) will be able to pull up a list of her abilities (skills/traits/toggles) so that they, and the readers, may be refreshed on their progress and what they are currently capable of. Said list will be in readable text, and only viewable to them.
This 'stat screen' is not visible to Aldea, and is only here to provide current information the fly. We are not in an mmo isekai, unless you somehow find a way to make that possible.
Name: Aldea
Race: Dryad
Tree Species: Black Alder Age: 10
Weaknesses: Fire, Damage to tree, Limited Mobility
Strengths: Limited Immortality, Calming Presence, Highly Adaptive
Knowledges: Math/Science, CPR, Gardening
Racial Ability: Tree Bond
Skills Calm Aura (Passive) - Regardless of what you are doing, saying, or feeling yourself, other beings around you will find themselves remaining calm and soothed by your presence. Anyone sensitive enough to perceive auras would see a soft periwinkle aura, almost fuzzy at the edges. Evolved from Calm Heart. level 1.
Mutant Omnivoric Bond (Active): Unlike most dryads, who need no food, but instead rely on the health of their trees...Your humanoid body can take in food and materials as well, and convert them into nutrition, which can be shared between you and the tree, as you share a deep bond. And the original bond to the tree is maintained, therefore, your collective being has two methods of collecting nutrition. Activating this skill will both give your tree the temporary ability to consume anything it can break down, as well as provide the option to gain a skill based on a nutrition source from you, or the tree, but only one per activation. (You still cant eat lava) Level 2.
Bestow (Active): You may gift another person or creature access to a Skill that you possess. This copies it over to them as is, and will not level, upgrade, or evolve when yours does. It is entirely up to them to level, upgrade, or evolve it on their own. You must have formed a bond with the target for Bestow to work. Level 1.
Nimble Roots (Active): When activating this Skill, you can push your will into a part of the tree - its roots, and move them as you wish. With enough concentration, anything that is possible with human hands is possible with your roots, and beyond. This skill also allows you to feel anything that the roots do: things like cold, heat, pressure, solidity, etc.. Level 2.
Efficient Digestion: Earth (Passive): Whenever you (or your tree) consumes dirt, the minerals and nutrients are easier to break down and receive nourishment from than before. Level 1.
Independant Photosynthesis (Passive): You now possess green hair, but also the ability to turn sunlight into into extra energy for yourself and , through your bond, your tree. This also allows you to produce sap to heal yourself, should you ever be separate from your tree, which has previously been your only source of replenishing sap. Remember to keep drinking water to keep photosynthesis going, otherwise you may start to feel comparatively sluggish. Level 1.
Seismic Sense (Passive): So long as a part of your body is in contact with the ground, or a structure directly connected to the ground, you are able to 'see' how things move along these surfaces- as well as 'see' the structures themselves. Such as stone castles and caves. The clarity with which you 'see' is determined by how easily vibrations can be sensed. the looser the substance (such as sand), the harder it is to 'see'. Likewise, the harder the surface, the easier. You are also always able to know what is happening around your tree, as it also has this ability, and sends the knowledge to you through your bond. Level 1.
Soften Soil(Passive): When you, or your tree, comes into contact with new dirt, soil, clay, clay-soil, or silt, the substance in question will immediately become softer and looser. Level 1.
Still Double (Active): You may create a perfect replica of yourself, made entirely of stone. An abundant source of stone must be present to use this skill. At the level you are at, you may only create one replica per day. Level 1.
Geomancy(Active): Having taken in the essence of multiple forms of earth within yourself, you are now able to command it to a degree. Low levels can only move and form small amounts of earth at a time. Level 1.
Spore Cloud (Active): Produces a visible cloud of spores 2 feet in either direction of you, or a 4 foot diameter cloud away from you in a range of a maximum 5 feet away from your body in any direction. Choose between ferns, fungi, or trees. Any form chosen will have some sort of trait linking it back to you. Spores from the Spore Cloud experience accelerated growth. Level 1
Traits
Exoskeleton: Bone: Your body is now encased in segments of thick, pure, bone material. Level 1.
Crumbly Skin: No matter what your outer layer currently is, it will dry (if needed), crack, and crumble on its outside layer. This will, perhaps surprisingly, not cause you any damage. It is as natural as a human shedding flakes of their own skin as they go about their day. The crumbly texture that comes off of you is ever-producing, and in some cases, may help attacks glide off of you easier. Level 1.
Food Storage: You have gained an inner pouch which holds a thick, nutritious, honey-like substance as a form of food storage should you, or anyone else, require it at a later time. You also gain in inner gland that makes the stuff, fully controllable by you. You can not digest material to store later if Mutant Omnivoric Bond is also being used. Inorganic materials also may not be digested this way, unless a skill allows it. Level 1.
Heart of Stone: If you have a regular heart, it has now been turned into a stone, magically capable of continuing to be able to keep regulating your bloodflow. If you have not had a heart before, for any reason, you've managed to create one without the drawbacks of needing to regulate bloodflow. Damaging it will be harder than one made of flesh, however, it still will act as a heart in that damage it does take on will be exceptionally dangerous to your continued survival.
In another world, a lifeguard loses their life to a panicked swimmer. A leg cramp. Sad. From there on, they ascended into a sort of limbo, from where they watched the world continue on without them, but also came in contact with a voice, which offered them a new life. In that new life, they...
"I must have died...saving that woman.." Mm, yup. That'll do it alright. The void below you opens up to show a birds eye view of a beach. There are some women huddled together and crying, as an ambulance hauls away a body with a sheet over it. Yea, that's probably you. Who'd have thought a leg...
"I'd like the ability you call Calm Heart, please." Granted. It makes sense, given what happened. Here you go: Calm Heart (Passive): It takes more to make you succumb to intense emotions such as fear and anger. You know that it is better to solve problems with a clear mind. Not always easier...
"I've never understood the concept of gender roles, but I was a girl in my last life..." And so you shall be in your next. Excellant. Your body will be made ready, so while the process begins.. Question 4. Do you want to be human again? You're too nice to be turned into a demon, so if you say...
"Actually, I have an idea..." A dryad, huh? Into gardening or something? Its an...unusual request, but sure. It can be done. Hmmm... Oh, ouch. The wheel of Fate's been spun and...I guess you'll just have to endure a bit of difficulty in your next life. I hope that wont upset you too much...
"Well, actually...you were right about the gardening. And I think I'd like my tree to be relatively young..." Well very...let's see...ah. Here we go. The beach below you has returned to normal, the scene of your death all but wiped away as your replacement takes the seat to watch over the...
"Uh...Hmm...I guess I'll go by...Aldea?" You...guess? Are you choosing a new name or something? And no last name... Oh well...It'll work. Do let me know when you've chosen a surname. or family name, or whatever. You might be somne sort of...inhuman spirit creature....but making a family is...
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Summery: We were introduced to our character, a former lifeguard who died saving a panicked swimmer. After that soul watched their body get carried away, only for the world to move on without them, We found that they preferred to be the calm, helpful type, that they had no connection to notions of gender, and that they enjoyed gardening - to the point that they specifically requested to become a Dryad in theirnext life, given the chance. We also see that the wheel of fate (thewill of the voters) is to send them to a world with a high level of magic, and with very little mercy. Faced with this, our character chose to shed their human life entirely, and came up with a new name for themself.
You start to become aware of yourself again. You feel like youve regained a connection to flesh again, and start to remember your time in that strange limbo. That's when you remember- you've died. For realsies, right? You will yourself to crack open your eyes and look around. The light that eeks...
Well...the skeleton is interesting for what it is, despite not giving much information. You briefly consider eating it, or even a apart of it, but recoil back. Even though you've died and become inhuman, there was just no way you were going to munch on even the smallest bone here. So, you set...
The next thing you do is...relax. Or continue relaxing. You're not going to slip into a nap just yet, however, as your mind lingers on that snake. You don't think its left the room anyways, and as you consider trying to bond with it as the only other possibly intelligent creature around that you...
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Under their new name, Aldea, our character explores their room, tidies up a bit, and gain their first new abilities from their Mutant Omnivoric Bond. They also feed and name their new snake friend, Adders, as well as experience their first night within the dungeon.
"I've never understood the concept of gender roles, but I was a girl in my last life..."
And so you shall be in your next. Excellant. Your body will be made ready, so while the process begins..
Question 4. Do you want to be human again?
You're too nice to be turned into a demon, so if you say no, the best Monster race for your new journey would be the Slimes, since they are the most mutable of monster races. Of course, choosing to change race may change your Skill, Adaptive Eats, for a Monster equivalent, and may also make your next life that much harder.
[] Yes, remain human
[] No, go slime
And for you readers out there, feel free to make this a Plan vote, for I have some questions about where it is you'd like the MC to head on next.
OOC Question 1
What type of world are we headed to?
[] Low Tier Magic (Humans, Mages)
[] Mid-Tier Magic (Humans, Mages, Monsters)
[] High-Tier Magic (Humans, Mages, Monsters, Elves - the whole shebang)
[] Super-Tier Magic (High-Tier + Other World and Dimension travel)
OOC Question 2
How do we start? (start locations may differ between human and slime)
[] Easy start (Church/Healing Pool)
[] Challenging start (outskirts of town)
[] Difficult start (forest/dungeon)
[] Hardcore start (desolate field/ middle of town)
Edit: you may write in another monster type other than slimes. Ive decided it felt too limiting and weird
A dryad, huh? Into gardening or something? Its an...unusual request, but sure. It can be done.
Hmmm...
Oh, ouch. The wheel of Fate's been spun and...I guess you'll just have to endure a bit of difficulty in your next life. I hope that wont upset you too much, having your life attached to a tree adds the possibility of a long one. But as promised, I'll switch out your skill first.
Mutant Omnivorous Bond (Active) Unlike most dryads, who need no food, but instead rely on the health of their trees...Your humanoid body can take in food and materials as well, and convert them into nutrition, which can be shared between you and the tree, as you share a deep bond. And the original bond to the tree is maintained, therefore, your collective being has two methods of collecting nutrition. Activating this skill will both give your tree the temporary ability to consume anything it can break down, as well as provide the option to gain a skill based on a nutrition source from you, or the tree, but only one per activation. (You still cant eat lava)
...You know, I think I'm going to have to give you a boost going forward. Or a couple, in fact. Lets start with this:
Question 5. How old do you want your tree to be? (This may require a second vote)
Question 6. I'd like to give you a gift too. What sort of hobby did you have in your last life anyways, other than swimming? I'll use it to figure out what to give you to help you out.
"Well, actually...you were right about the gardening. And I think I'd like my tree to be relatively young..."
Well very...let's see...ah. Here we go.
The beach below you has returned to normal, the scene of your death all but wiped away as your replacement takes the seat to watch over the beach goers. The woman and her friends have moved on, supposedly gone home. It was like nothing happened.
But soon, the scene fades to another location. A much darker area. Some sort of stone, underground room. The only way to see in it is some light let in by a hole in the back corner, worn away by the elements. At the edge of the light, you can barely see a young tree, roots desperately zigzagging between the bricks that make up the floor, lucky enough that rain and water often finds its way down here, enough to have lived on until it could find the crack that allowed it to dig down. As you can tell days and nights pass, you can see the roots grow stronger, practically ripping up the floor around it in a desperate search for a foot hold. There it gathers nutrition, aided by occasionally finding the bones of whoever used to be kept prisoner there. The bed they had laid on was also an excellent find, for it absorbed and held water wonderfully. And as it gathered its nutrition over time, so too did it use it to desperately grow towards the light. When the passing of days and nights slowed down to what you assumed was present day, you saw a tree that had grown sideways and up, in a somewhat S-like shape, but its leaves were beautifully spread out. No doubt, still desperately trying to seep in as much sun as possible. Its fought wonderfully hard to survive, but you can tell it still needs more.
A moment longer, and you can feel an energy jolt through you, and get pulled down towards the tree.
You've been connected; that is your tree now. Your home, and your other half. Our time together has almost come to an end, little one. All that's left is to choose your one skill, and give me a name to find you by later.
Question 7. You've chosen to be a younger dryad, so I can only fairly give you one more skill. Let's see...these are probably some good choices..
[] Photosynthesis (Passive)
[] Protective Thorns (Toggle)
[] Nimble Roots (Active)
[] Nature Walk (Active)
Question 8. Finally...what's your name?
[] Write in
