Pandora focused on her Adapting. It seemed simple enough, she just needed to identify who she was. That was simple: she was Pandora! What more was there to it. She knew who she was, and that wasn't going to change.
Now that she better understood who she was, she just had to change. "Adapt!" She shouted. She opened her eyes. Nothing had happened. Though Mama was looking at her strangely.
"Pandora, I know that you want to learn to Adapt quickly, but this isn't the sort of thing you should force. Most children take weeks to months to learn their first form. That's why we started training now. So you could learn your first form before we leave for Delos in four months. There is no rush."
Pandora pouted. "But I want to Adapt now! I'm going to get it right! I'll finish it before the week it out!"
Juno frowned, "Ok Pandora, but make sure you don't overdo it. And I will, of course, be happy to help you." She paused, "Now, just as finding your center is an internal activity, so too is finding your form. You don't need any external action to trigger it, simply imagine your self as adapting that form. Closing your eyes can help, as does silence."
Pandora closed her eyes. She focused on finding her idea of self, then imagined that self being as discerning as Mama. Able to understand the emotions of other people so precisely. She continued concentrating in silence on that thought for a long time. Eventually, she decided she could use some help, she opened her eye and turned to Mama to ask her.
But Mama looked different, and Pandora was confused. Mama was in her empath form, with brown skin and black hair, but she seemed a little taller. No, Pandora seemed shorter. And most concerning, there were a strange mix of colors colors coming off Mama. A swirl of colors Pandora had never imagined mixed around Mama. One of the vibrant colors, a redish blue, persisted in emanating from her. Another color, like a mix between the sky and the grass seemed to swirl around within her. Countless other colors overlapped with the colors of Mama's skin and the house around her. Pandora started to get a headache.
"Well done Pandora!" Mama said as a particularly large swath of purple flew off her into the surrounding air. "I'm so proud of you."
"Mama I'm scared! Why are you glowing!" Pandora frantically asked. The purple swirl around Mama retracted inwards as yellow bubbled up from Mama's skin to replace the purple.
"You've taken the empath form. You can now sense the emotions of people you can see. The glow you see is most likely my joy at your accomplishment and my love and concern for your wellbeing. The Empath form is one of the hardest forms to master as you must train to understand the extra senses it grants. Each user experiences the form differently. I experience it through hearing music. Others see images above people. Some claim they get different smells when they smell someone."
As Mama was talking, a mild green began to seep into her aura. It began to look like vomit. "Ok." Pandora asked, "And I just need to learn to adapt to it?" Pandora felt her headache persist, but was determined to persevere.
The swirling colors around mother converged on her as a deep red bubbled out from her body. "If you experience things visually, closing your eyes should do it. Or shifting back. You can also try to understand it, which will help you use it in the future."
Stirring up her courage, Pandora kept her eyes open to the terrifying world of swirling colors, "I'm going to learn."
Pandora gains trait:
Determined
Pandora learns skill:
Meditation
Meditation is the art of understanding who you are and your place in the world. It's has unknown effects.
Pandora learns skill:
Empath Form
In this form, Pandora experiences other people's emotions as color swirls. Higher levels in the skill lead to more accurate and reliable observations. In most story interactions where Pandora takes this form, the colors will be translated into her understanding of them, rather than the raw colors she sees. The colors are unintelligible at Pandora's current level.
-o-
3rd day of the 3rd moon of 484
Pandora had learned the Empath form, but kept running into difficulty learning exactly what the colors meant. Mama had also stopped changing into her Empath form to help her, which made progress harder. She would still wear it when around Mama and Dada, but had yet to figure out what it meant. Just when she thought she might be understanding what the colors meant, she'd see a new color appear. It also took a long time to Adapt, normally requiring a couple minutes to calm her mind, and then a minute of concentration on the new form she wanted to take. Determined to still be able to learn something, she had announced she was going to learn the scout form.
It was a direct result of this declaration that Pandora stood outside with Dada. He wore the Scout form, with red skin and blond hair.
"Ok, so the Scout form lets you project your sight." Pluto said. "In return, you give up your normal vision and hearing. It also creates a vague avatar of your Scout form at the point you observe from. Watch." Pluto gazed upwards, then a thick, cloudy line left his face and went into the air. It ended in a vague image that Pandora could just make out as her Papa's Scout form in grey scale, gazing down on them.
"Once the projection is in place, you can no longer see or hear in your native form. Your sight is shifted to the avatar you have in place." Pluto walked around, "All your other senses remain the same." As Pluto walked, the hazy line connecting him to his avatar shifted, one end at the hovering avatar's head, the other at Pluto's blond hair. "The key to finding your Scout form is to focus on the difference between your self and your senses. Your sight is not you, but it informs you. It is a malleable thing which changes."
Pandora focused and tried to separate her self from her sight.
-o-
18th day of the 3rd moon of 484
Pandora had done it! She'd successfully learned the Scout form. This one was lots of fun to play with, and didn't give any headaches. Much of the time she spent walking around now she would be observing from a bird's eye view, a grey leash connecting her body to her vision. She learned how to move the avatar around. She could recall it to her position whenever she wanted, reverting to normal eyesight and hearing. She could also teleport it to a place that it could see, so long as it wasn't too far from her. Sometimes, she would have her avatar look out into the distance, but then she couldn't see or hear anything around herself, which was hard. More than once, her parents had to come outside after calling for her did not result in her return.
Pandora learns skill:
Scout Form
In this form, Pandora can project her sight a distance away from her equal to her level times 10 meters. The projection creates a semi-translucent stationary avatar at the point she is looking at, from which she can see. When the projection is in use, she can concentrate to move it to another point that it is looking at, or recall it to herself, but cannot exceed a distance of 10 meters times level from her body. At present level she is unable to hear while projecting the avatar.
-o-
2nd evening of the 5th moon of 484
As the sun set, the group of farmers and their children settled in for the night. Pluto and the other farming form users stopped pulling their carts, and settled in to rest. The caravan had found a clearing on the side of the road where their carriages were circled with a well-worn firepit in the middle. Pandora left the adults with their speculations and advice about crop bartering by the fire to go play with the other children.
"Hey Pandora, check this out!" Leo said. Pandora looked, and before her eyes, Leo turned transparent! Or, mostly transparent.
"Missed a spot." Pandora said, pointing to where a small line of grey hair was barely visible in the light of the setting sun.
"Aw." Leo reappeared, his form now a dull grey furball. "Anyways, I learned the Survivalist form and my parents let me and Perseus go to Delos now and it's pretty cool." He paused for a breath, "What about you? Considering the Survivalist form? I know I saw you in the Scout form while we were walking but you aren't going to actually stick to that form are you? I mean, it's really obvious where you are and makes hiding really hard. I hear you can't even hear while using it."
"It's not worthless." Pandora insisted, "It lets me see the world. See, I can watch us and the adults." Pandora looked up, and a barely visible grey strand reached out into the sky. "I'll bet I see you when you change too."
"That's cool, but isn't it really disorienting to see yourself from high up? And what's out there that's so exciting anyways. We should only worry about the things close to us, no reason to worry about far away things." Leo continued to talk at Pandora.
Pandora didn't respond.
"Um… Pandora?" Leo asked.
"Dufus." Came a voice from nowhere. Leo jumped "She can't hear you when she's scouting. You gotta poke her if you want to talk."
"Perseus, don't scare me like that. I know you're better at it and all but you don't need to show it off so much." Leo said, while trying to figure out what direction the voice had come from.
"Whatever. You'll learn soon enough." the voice paused, "or, you'll have to anyways." A lengthier pause, "This is boring. Let's go find Ursa. He always tells the best stories. Pandora, you coming?"
Predictably, there was still no reply.
"Enjoy your sightseeing." The voice started drifting away.
"Hey Perseus! Wait up for me! I'm coming!" Leo started running towards the voice in the dark, turning back into a small line of grey as he did so.
The grey line above Pandora vanished, "Ok, so your disguise works better from above." Nothing responded, "Wait, where'd you go?" Pandora glanced around for a telltale sign of grey fur. She saw nothing. She decided to go look for Delphia.
-o-
Pandora passed through the main camp, where Pandora saw Leo and Perseus seated, now in their native forms, listening to Ursa talk. Ursa was an intimidating man. The grizzled man stood almost 8 feet tall in his native form, and the lanky body was covered in more muscles and scars than the other men. His voice had a rolling, rambling, quality to it, always hinting at a deeper story or insight. Pandora walked up to him.
"...and then just when we had escaped the raptors, the - well hello Pandora. Care to hear a story?"
Pandora was excited, "Yes!" and then she remembered why she had approached in the first place, "but first, have you seen Delphia?"
The man shook his head, "No, I ain't seen the little Martial girl. But you should find her. I'll bet she'd like this story. Why don't you go search for her with your Scout?"
Pandora vigorously nodded, "m'kay."
She cast her vision up into the air, recasting it so she could see in circles. Eventually, she saw a clearing off in the distance, where there was small movement. "I see her!" she shouted.
Confused why nobody responded, she repeated, "She's in a clearing nearby." She felt someone shake her. "Oh, right. Can't hear." She brought her scout form back to her.
"-et her." Leo said.
"What?" Pandora asked.
"Why don't you go get her and then you and she can hear the next Ursa story." Leo repeated.
"Okay!" Pandora ran off into the forest.
-o-
Delphia was moving in an intricate dance when Pandora found her. She was quickly shifting her stance around, trying to make sure she was looking as many places as she could. The instant she turned and saw Pandora, she stopped.
"Whatcha doing?" Pandora asked.
"Practicing." Delphia answered.
"Why?"
"Need be stronger." Delphia responded practically. She resumed her dance.
Pandora thought about that as she watched Delphia for a moment. "But why? You're strong already."
Delphia stopped her lunge and looked at Pandora.
"Only fight good. So be best fighter."
Pandora nodded. Delphia' determination made sense. She had her own way of adapting to the circumstances. Pandora thought she could stand to learn from that example with her own Adapting practice.
"M'kay. But Ursa's going to tell a story. He says you'll like it."
Delphia considered it for a moment, then started walking towards Pandora. "Okay."
The girls returned to the fire.
-o-
When Pandora and Delphia arrived, the group was waiting for them.
"Oh good! You're here. Now Ursa can get back to telling stories. Right Ursa."
Ursa gave Leo a discerning gaze. "I suppose I could tell a couple more. If you're sure you're interested in what this old bag of bones has to say."
"Absolutely!" Leo responded.
"What about the rest of you kids?" Ursa turned to the others.
Perseus, Delphia, and Pandora all nodded silently and respectfully.
"Very well then. This was long ago. 'Afor most of your parents had been born. I'd just been sent to the Pylos outpost. We were all proud of it. We was finally livin' outside the barrier, standing under the open sky, the 'hole world stretching out in front of us. Anyways, we was on sentry duty. It was a trio of us. A Scout, me, and a Martial. I gave the light, the Scout kept an eye out, and the Martial gave us backup." Ursa paused, as if remembering the scene.
"Good comrades all. Some of the best graduates, and excited to extend our reach. Anyways, I was in my Farming form, seeing as I'd specialized in it, and my jo-"
"But Ursa, your Farming form is crippled, why were you using it?" Leo interrupted quickly.
Ursa gave Leo a harsh glance. "Well it weren't crippled then! Hush boy. Who's tellin' the story?"
"Sorry." Leo said.
After a brief pause to see if there were any other interruptions, Ursa continued his story
"Anyways, there we were scouting out for the new outpost we were building." Pandora raised her hand. Ursa sighed. "Yes Pandora?"
"Were you scouting or on sentry duty? Were you expanding to a new area or patrolling?" Pandora asked, unsure.
Ursa look confused for a moment, then clarified. "Scouting. We were scouting out the new construction area for Pylos' latest expansion. Now, you've gotta understand. Pylos isn't like Delos. Delos is a safe, quaint little farming city. 'tis fully within the barrier and mostly just a hub for artisans and trade. Pylos is the future. Half in the barrier and half out, it's where we're making our first explorations beyond what ol' Xerax setup for us. It's the true future."
The children all ooh'd and aww'd at his statement.
"So there we was, scouting out the new construction area." Ursa glanced at the children, as if expecting another interruption. None came. "I was giv'n us light, and couldn't see a thing in the shadows, was counting on our scout giving us warning. Anyways, apparently she couldn't see anything either, because next th'ng I know we're in darkness and my spark's in the jaws of a Raptor. So, remembering my training, I immediately flare my spark. And before the Raptor knows what's what, it's on the ground smoking from its maw, and my arm is free." Ursa paused and looked around. He had all the children's rapt attention now.
"So there I am, shocked Raptor on the ground, a few missing scales on my spark-arm to show for it, but I can't see a thing until I reignite my spark. And when I did, that's when I saw: it weren't just one raptor that hit us, it was a pod of four raptors. I see our scout, missing an arm, backpedaling away while our Martialist fought off two of 'em at a time. So figuring he can last a while, I goes and charges the last Raptor who's busy eatin' my buddy's arm. By now, she's started shifting into Martial to fight 'em off, but I know she's not gonna finish by the time the Raptor's done. So I charge 'em. Thinkin' on my spark's success, I charge spark arm leading, as if I'm the bloody reincarnation of Xerax. That raptor though, it just takes one glance at me, gulps down its snack, and takes a swipe at me with its claw. So, I aim to parry. But I ain't thinkin', and I'm parryin' with my spark arm.
"So, I block it, of course, but it hits my spark arm, and next thing I know, I can't control my spark. It just winks out, leaves us all in total darkness. The next, next thing I know, I feel its jaws around my spark arm, grindin' and chewin', but ol' Ursa's tough meat, and it can't get through. Can't reignite my spark though. I'm in it's jaws for what feels like an eternity when finally, my buddy finished her transformation to Martial form and gives that Raptor what for. By the time the dust has settled, we've slain the four Raptors, switched positions into functioning forms, and headed back to the barrier." Ursa paused.
"I never been able ta use my spark after that." He nodded toward Leo, "And I never saw my buddy in scout form again." His gaze shifted over the children, "But I never forgot what I learned that day. And do you know what that is?"
"That Xeraxians are awesome and monsters aren't really scary and Adaptation is great and lets you overcome injuries!" Leo shouted.
"That our lives are always on the line outside the barrier." Perseus stated confidently.
"Forms have strange uses?" Pandora asked.
Ursa nodded at each statement in turn, "Those are all valuable lessons. But those aren't what I learned that day. What I learned that day," he paused and looked directly at Delphia, "was that there's not a thing as valuable as a well trained Martial form beyond the barrier."
-o-
4th day of the 5th moon of 484
Delos was a huge city. Pandora had no doubt about that. She looked at the city from her scout form and could see rows upon rows of buildings. There were open squares with people selling all sorts of goods. They had monster parts for construction and clothing. There were normal clothing linens, and a bunch of metal tools being sold in the market place. There were even some strange foods Pandora had never seen before. All told, there must have been thousands of people living there! It was crazy. Way more people than Pandora had seen before anyways.
Pandora saw other hanging scout forms above the city looking down, each with a different grey leash attaching it to someone down below. In the city proper there were Xeraxians of all forms going around. Tall gangly blue native forms walked around. Empath forms stood in stalls making sales. Some red haired martial forms walked around all wearing matching clothing. Farming forms did tricks with their sparks at street corners, or carried heavy loads through the streets. Occasionally, Pandora thought she spotted a sliver of grey fur dart into a covered alley. It was a lively city.
The party of farmers made their way with their carts to an inn, where they secured rooms in exchange for some grain and words. The children were given free reign to pursue their own pursuits. Perseus went to go help his parents unload their goods. Leo ran out to the market to go see if he could meet some new friends. Delphia retreated to the confines of her room to practice her martial form. Pandora decided she could learn from that example and meditated on her Adapting, focusing on her self and trying to Adapt faster and more often.
-o-
7th day of the 5th moon of 484
"Pandora, why don't you come with us to the market?" Juno asked her daughter, "You've wanted to see Delos for a year now. Are you just going to practice Adapting? You can do that at home."
"No! I need to be better. I can't give up!" Pandora shouted, "Don't want Delos, want Adapt. I need to get stronger!" She returned to her Adapting training.
"Ok if that's what you want. Just don't be upset when you've missed out on seeing the city later. We'll be back in a few hours."
-o-
9th day of the 5th moon of 484
The group of farmers left Delos with very different burdens than they had come in with. No longer carrying grains, they now had a wagon full of tools, clothing, pots, pans, and other miscellaneous supplies difficult to make on a farm. Leo ran around playing with the carved doll he'd gotten in Delos, naming it "Ursa," much to the old man's amusement, constantly enacting play battles with twigs and leaves. Perseus spent most of his time in the Survival form, until the adults forbade him from staying in it due to his habit of sneaking up on people and spooking them. Delphia and Pandora spent most of their time working on their respective disciplines: Delphia on her Martial form, and Pandora on her Adapting.
-o-
11th day of the 5th moon of 484
Pandora was roused from her self-study by her mother's voice.
"Pandora, we have something to tell you." Juno said. After seeing she had Pandora's attention, Juno continued, "In a few months, you're going to be a big sister! Isn't that great!"
Pandora instinctively responded to her mother's joy and smiled. Then Pandora considered it, "How will this change things?"
"You know our love for you won't change," Juno started, "But I won't be able to help you with Adaption or Empathy training anymore. You'll have some duties as the elder sister." Juno paused, "And I'm sure you'll get along well with your new brother or sister."
-o-
Voting
With Pandora back at home, her life will settle down into a routine. The next update will cover the next year and a half (until Pandora is 4 and a half). Vote for Pandora's major actions below. Pandora will perform the four most voted for actions, and gain the trait associated with the most voted for action. Actions which pass that she doesn't gain the trait for will have large narrative effect (determine which scenes are written, what friendships Pandora makes, scene based XP Pandora earns, how people view Pandora, etc.) As normal, feel free to make write-in actions. Also, if you wish for Pandora to follow a specific set of actions, feel free to make a plan which indicates exactly which of the actions Pandora follows. Default potential actions are:
[] Help father farm
This deepens Pandora's bond with her father, granting her access to his training this update (x2 bonus to Farming, Farming form, or Scout form hours spent). If it is the most voted for action, this grants Pandora the
Reliable trait.
Reliable: Pandora is a dutiful child, doing as she is told and generally trustworthy. She wants to stick to her word and fulfil what she says she will do (Mechanics effect: 1-3 bonus dice to actions Pandora has promised to perform)
[] Spend time with new sibling
This deepens Pandora's bond with her family. If it is the most voted for action, this grants Delphia the
Elder sister trait.
Elder sister: Pandora cares deeply for her family, and is quite protective of them. Especially her younger sibling. (Mechanics effect: 2 bonus dice to interactions concerning Pandora' family)
[] Spend time with Delphia
Pandora spends more time with Delphia, learning more about her and her plans. She also has access to Delphia as a training, gaining a x2 bonus to Martial, Martial form, and unarmed combat training. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Delphia's friend.
Delphia's friend: Pandora has befriended the dedicated single-form Delphia, learning something of her discipline and training regiment. (Mechanics effect: 2x bonus to training spend on her own)
[] Spend time with Leo
Pandora spends more time with Leo, learning more about his amiable nature. She gains access to Leo as a trainer, gaining a x2 bonus to Communication and Negotiation. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Leo's Friend.
Leo's friend: Pandora has befriended the talkative Leo, learning something of how to communicate, and how not to communicate with others. (Mechanics effect: 2-4 bonus dice on social interactions, depending on the person's relationship with Pandora)
[] Spend time with Perseus
Pandora spends more time with Perseus, learning more about his serious approach towards an inhospitable world. She gains access to Perseus as a trainer, gaining a x2 bonus to Stealth, Awareness, and Survivalist form. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Perseus's friend.
Perseus's friend: Pandora has befriended the serious Perseus, learning something of his serious demeanor and analysis of the world. (Mechanics effect: gain a reroll on failed rolls once per scene)
[] Practice Adapting
Pandora spends a majority of her time training her Adaption. Provides an extra 2000 hours towards Adaption. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Meditation.
Meditation: Pandora regularly looks in on herself and studies her mind. She is acutely aware of who she is and her place in the world. This grants her the clarity of mind to investigate more cerebral pursuits. (Mechanics effect: x2 effectiveness on training spent on mental or mystical skills).
[] Visit Delos and explore the town
Pandora goes to Delos and explores the town. Learn more about what's going on in the world at large. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Explorer.
Explorer: Pandora is fascinated by new things, and wants to see it all. She wants to explore the world and see new things. (Mechanics effect: up to 3 bonus dice to awareness when exploring somewhere new)
[] Visit Delos and spend time with the people
Pandora goes to Delos and learns about the people there. Learn more about what's going on in the world at large. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
People watcher.
People watcher: Pandora is fascinated by how people work, and wants to understand them. She wants to discover how people work and potentially how to influence them. (Mechanics effect: 1-2 bonus dice to social skills)
[] Practice Empathy form
Pandora focuses on learning her Empathy form. Gain 2000 hours towards Empathy training. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Empath natural.
Emapth natural: Focusing on the Empath form from an early age, Pandora has a stronger insight into the form than most. She is able to advance the form much faster than most. (Mechanics effect: x6 training hours spent on Empath form)
[] Practice Scout form
Pandora focuses on learning her Scout form. Gain 2000 hours towards Scout training. If it is the most voted for option, Pandora gains the trait
Scout natural.
Scout natural: Focusing on the scout form from an early age, Pandora has a stronger insight into the form than most. She is able to advance the form much faster than most. (Mechanics effect: x6 training hours spent on Scout form)
[] Write-in
Training
Additionally, Pandora spends a fair amount of time training her skills on her own. Note that she will not gain the bonuses (if any) from traits gained in this vote. Due to Determined, Pandora can spend up to 4000 hours. Additionally, with this update, Pandora now has access to specialist instructors. The only trainer Pandora has access to by default is Pluto, who can spend 180 hours giving her a x2 bonus to the Scout form. If a plan passes which puts her into contact with a trainer, it will multiply her hours spent accordingly. Pandora has a cumulative 4000 hours to spend on training (which will be subject to the multipliers from the actions Pandora takes).
Pandora's current skills are:
|
Skill
|
Level
|
Next Level
|
|
Mobility
|
3
|
[200/320]
|
|
Awareness
|
6
|
[400/2560]
|
|
Communication
|
5
|
[100/1280]
|
|
Negotiation
|
4
|
[0/640]
|
|
Intrigue
|
4
|
[0/640]
|
|
Martial Ability
|
3
|
[80/320]
|
|
Farming
|
2
|
[20/160]
|
|
Weaving
|
2
|
[20/160]
|
|
Stealth
|
3
|
[5/320]
|
|
Unarmed Combat
|
3
|
[0/320]
|
|
Adapt
|
5
|
[360/1280]
|
|
Meditation
|
1
|
[0/80]
|
|
Empath form
|
3
|
[120/320]
|
|
Scout form
|
3
|
[120/320]
|
Voting will end at 1 PM PST on January 29
CLEARLY A GREAT USE OF TIME. (Look how many Excel shenanigans I learned!)
