It's a Girl's World -- And Lilly wants Adventure

Reader mode
Probably going to be another day. First draft is done but I'm too zonked to properly edit things right now.

I am interested to hear how people felt about the previous longform update compared to the earlier shorter chapters.
Did you prefer one significantly over the other?
 
Slyvena said:
Did you prefer one significantly over the other?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It's hard for me to find a big enough chunk of free time to read an entire 8k words update in one go. So I'd rather have them shorter.

Longer updates may also cause a snowball effect as they have more things to react to, and depending on our choices you may have ended up writing up meaningful interactions for four different people.
 
Last edited:
Slyvena said:
Probably going to be another day. First draft is done but I'm too zonked to properly edit things right now.

I am interested to hear how people felt about the previous longform update compared to the earlier shorter chapters.
Did you prefer one significantly over the other?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I tend to prefer longer updates, though much longer than that would start to be a bit much. The previous ones have all been well written and long enough to be engaging however, so if it's easier to do shorter ones either one is fine with me. Nevill also has a point about the snowball effect(BAHHSCQ anyone?).
 
imo 1k to 2k word long updates are ideal... but i might just think that because that's how long my quest updates are :V
 
Around 2k is the ideal for posters on the go. Enough meat to chew on, but small enough to finish within 5 - 10 minutes.

Past 4k and you start seeing people putting off reading the update because they can't find the time.
Past 10k and it might be the weekend.
 
[X] Press your father on what he discussed with the Lore Warden, why did things end so quickly and heated?

[X] Catch up to Myah. You're kind of short on friends and don't want to lose another, try to reconnect and figure out what's up with her natural energy.

[X] Zach has been oddly silent in almost any interaction since your return. Get him alone and ply his thoughts.

[X] (Family) "Mum, I am a woman now. Its time. There is power in the name you gave me. What is my namesake?"

[X] In failure, hides success.
 
1.6 Consequences
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] {Press your Father} and {Let it be} tied. Compromise Result
    [X] Catch up to Myah. You're kind of short on friends and don't want to lose another, try to reconnect and figure out what's up with her natural energy.
    [X] Zach has been oddly silent in almost any interaction since your return. Get him alone and ply his thoughts.
    [X] (Family) A new chapter has opened between you and your father. Emotions are raw and hearts open. Yet what did you father mean when he asked to guide you? It felt more significant than an allusion to his typical paternal role.
    [X] Each rung is the foundation for the next.

    - - - - Consequences
    4th​ Day, 3rd​ Moon, LE 2302

    As you stand considering what to do. A different kind pressure you did not realise was building inside you, [Cleaver of Fortune], breaks past some important threshold.

    You are no longer standing in Harmuph's streets. Rather, you are again before the strand of Fate that is your life. That half-remembered dream from this night just past. Behind you all possibilities have once again collapsed to a single immutable line. In front of you, the strand continues to widen, stretching onto an ocean that crosses the horizon. Yet something is different. The first time you saw this vision, the future was opaque, unknowable. Now however, thin tendrils extend from your present, piercing the veil to a shallow depth in some parts of the waters. Before the enormity of the ocean they are tiny things. But they are as ropes to grasp, if you walk the line they lay down then the future they breach is rendered certain.

    Before you can examine the strand of Fate any further, the vision fades as steam in the wind. You are once more surrounded by sound and light, Harmuph's citizens moving around you unaware of anything amiss.

    'This is how my life works now,' you chuckle to yourself, blinking a few times to adjust to people's glow again. A quick glance at your Father shows him still silently fuming to himself, though a bit more composed. Myah is further off now; you'll lose her any second if you don't go after her. But you do really want to ask your father what just happened in there. The Lore Warden is an ass, that's an indisputable fact. But what set dad off?

    He'll tell you everything if you ask later as you exit under Harmuph's gates.

    You are incredibly proud of yourself for not screaming in the middle of the street as knowledge just appears in your head. You can feel something now, there is some kind of 'reach' inside you that wasn't there before. 'The tendrils into the future', you realise. Calming down, you try to get a handle on them. But they are slick like slime, flowing out of your hands in your mind when you try to seize them. The part of you that controls them is a deeper more instinctive place, ungrasped for now. This really is what your life is going to be like now.

    Fine. A problem for later. So you can see the future… kind of… file that away under the ever growing list of 'huh, I guess that's a thing now'. You know your father will tell you what happened if you ask later under Harmuph's gates. It is a certainty so true that it feels more like a memory than a prediction. Since that's settled, Myah.

    "Father, there's Myah," you tug on his sleeve while pointing.

    You're happy to your see his expression lighten slightly as he turns his face to you, saying "Go on then, be at the East Gate by fourth bell."

    You quickly step off into the street proper to catch the girl now disappearing around a corner. The Office of Lore is in a busy thoroughfare of Harmuph, meaning the streets are fairly packed here. Most people don't pay much mind to a girl going against the main flow of traffic, meaning you need to artfully manoeuvre around a few close calls of people oblivious to you being in their way. You wonder if there is an Ethos to make you taller and more noticeable, probably. Rounding the corner, the street now breaks off from the main way and pedestrians are fewer in number. Myah is just a ways up ahead, a woven basket laden with some kind of produce carried in her arms.

    You make your way closer, hoping things go better than the last few times you spoke. Myah was inconsolable after Jeremy passed. You both cried together, rallying against the injustice that is the Black Lung. When the disease took her mother too, only Myah and her father were left. You expected more tears, you certainly cried and shed plenty for her. But Myah didn't. A coolness and distance began to grow that soon tainted your time together. You hope time can heal those wounds; it has been months even before your disappearance.

    She paints quite the distinctive picture, tittering the balance between herself and her heavy load, careful not to step on the wrong parts of the rough road that would break her tenuous balance and send her sprawling. Myah's hair is a deep maroon that flows in rivulets down and off her shoulders nearly to her waist. That detail is less than a year old. Her hair brown before her awakening, some consequence of her Ethos. All this aside you couldn't really fail to spot her anyway, what with the sparser throng of people and the still strikingly odd quiver of her Natural Energy as it lifts off her lithe frame.

    That oddity only becomes more apparent the closer you draw, calling "Myah!" a suitable distance behind.

    Myah for her part, spins in place so quickly she starts to fall. Surprise and fear playing across her freckled face in equal measure as a loose stone slips out from under her. Making it just in time, you catch both her arm and her basket (of veggies you now see) in hand. You note in small surprise how easy it is to pull her up and steady her despite your lesser weight. Myah may be a lithe girl, but your diminutive physique still makes you obviously the smaller of the pair.

    It is at this point where you take in the wide-open eyes and 'O' shaped mouth of Myah, her features agape and locked onto you.

    Ah yes, the whole 'being dead' thing.

    "Lilly?" Myah whispers, like she barely believes the sight. "You're… not…"

    You both just sort of stand there, neither really knowing what to do. What is the social protocol for 'Hi, you thought I was partially decomposed but turns out I'm not'?

    "Hey… Myah," you start, to break the silence at least. "You've probably heard, I mean, that is of course you heard, but… well, turns out-"

    "-You ran." Myah states, cutting you off. There is a strange sort of confidence passing over her now, an excitement that you can't place. "But how did you trick the Diviner? How did you make sure they couldn't find you," her expression changes to one of confusion as she continues, which incidentally is exactly how you're feeling. "But… then why did you come back? Did it stop working?" she questions.

    Okay. This doesn't make much sense. "What, no Myah I didn't run awa- or rather, I… I just got lost for a while is all," which is not technically a lie, you're not exactly prepared to filter the myriad of questions even beginning to explain what happened to you would prompt. You watch Myah as she takes in your posture sceptically, clearly not buying it. She always could see right through you like that.

    "Yeah, okay Lilly. Sure." You can practically feel the sarcasm dripping off her. Which makes Myah's next shift all the more jarring when she steps close to you to whisper conspiratorially "But could you do it again? Make it stick this time? I know we haven't hung out for a while-" that last part is said with something you think is sadness "-but this is important Lilly. Is it your Ethos? What would it take? Please?" Her voice grows more tight and strained the longer she speaks.

    Myah's asking for something you don't have and can't give. You reach out and touch her shoulder to say "I'm sorry Myah, but I can't- oh" you pause as you watch your own natural energy begin to billow and slough off yourself in thick currents, a stream flows out and onto Myah. As this happens the odd pallor around her is saturated and scoured, coming to resemble what you would consider an ordinary appearance.

    Myah for her part is equally distracted, breathing a sign of deep relief as your natural energy blankets her. You pull back your hand and the flow quickly peters out. You muse that you are in fact doing a terrible job at 'not make people ask questions' as you notice Myah's energy slowly start to pale once more. Whatever the strange effect, it was temporary. Myah's relief turns to some sort of hard expression that you can't read.

    "Myah, it's to do with my Ethos. Couldn't work on you," you honestly explain, "why would you even want to? You love Harmuph." You very much hope she does not draw attention to what happened.

    All kinds of emotions play across your estranged friend's face. A sadness as you say you can't do anything, then that same unreadable expression again.

    Myah is afraid you'll find out the truth that no one is allowed to know. Will become angry as an attempt to deflect your suspicion unless you punch her in the face right now.

    What? No!     You're not punching her. What the hell is going on?

    Myah unceremoniously yanks up her basket that had been set to rest on the ground and aggressively resumes her trek home, hissing over her shoulder at you "Well whatever then freak. I… I was joking anyway. Just, leave me alone!" She fails to hide a flash of worry before the back of her head blocks your view and she makes a hurried retreat as fast as she is able. Just as her scarlet framed figure disappears around another corner and out of sight, you note that her natural energy has finished its return to the same off-putting state as before. You are left confused and concerned and just all around not happy with how that went.

    Well Myah. Suspicion officially not deflected. What have you gotten yourself into?

    You realise just how effective her attempt might have been if not for recent events emboldening you. You've been self-conscious about being abnormal for a long time and 'freak' would have been just the ticket for you to declare the whole friendship a lost cause.

    You ball your hands into fists in frustration as the patrons of a local business step out past you. You know just enough of what's going on to know nothing at all. For all its supernatural wonder, your new power seems content to drip feed you scraps when what you need is the full picture.

    Yeah that's right mystical future-sight tendrils, you are not nearly mystical or future-y enough!

    Your quip to yourself does help you calm down and think a little. You don't need foresight to know that going after Myah again right now would be a terrible idea, but you decide to yourself that this is not over.



    - - - - - -



    You don't accomplish much of anything before 4th​ bell nears. Sally and Tunia are out of town along with their parents. Tarry is likely in town, but you don't really like hanging out with him much anymore. He's a big show-off and brash and loud and… he's just been acting like such a boy around you lately. (You're not even going to get started on that stupid cocky smile of his).

    Even your random wandering through Harmuph (less fun but not uninteresting when alone) turns sour near the end. A sickly beggar camped at an intersection of roads, not really that noteworthy. That is if his natural energy wasn't a morbid reminder and grimmer reflection of Myah's. You recognise the likeness in how the languid flows churn like sludge, straining to circulate as if they may seize up and go still at any time. After that you quickly make your way to the East Gate, what was left of your earlier good cheer thoroughly ruined.

    Not thinking about or really paying attention to much as you sit out of the way near the eastern wall, you are quite happy when a familiar shadow blocks the sun over your head, whinnying as he carries another friendly face. "Have you been waiting long," your father asks, extending out a hand to haul you up onto Chariot in one motion.

    "Not at all," you reply, settling into place behind him. As the gates approach to take you back out toward home, you swallow a lump in your throat as the moment nears. The timing likely does not need to be this precise, but you don't take any chances, beginning exactly as your head goes beneath the covering arch, "So…" you start.

    You examine your father saddled in front of you as the two of you trot out past the walls. "So," he replies. Both of you know exactly what you are talking about.

    "I suspect it did concern my future, father," you intone, making the topic abundantly clear.

    Your father lets out a long sigh as the two of you clear the small huddle surrounding the exterior of the gates, the countryside opening up into the rolling plains that dominate the region, beginning the journey to home proper.

    "I was honestly dreading that you'd bring it up immediately, Myah was a welcome distraction in that regard," he continues to stall. Then after another sigh seems to settle the matter in his head. "More than anything, this conversation right now makes it all real. Not just fantastic stories. Not just promises or inconsequential musings, but actual plans."

    Go on. Hit me with it dad, I'm ready.

    "You remember Jeremy of course," he states, a seeming nonsequiter.

    'Of course I remember Jeremy.' You think as your father goes on.

    "You might think the tragedy that has befallen the Uyle family before the Temple of Virtue intervened is the worst the Black Lung and other misfortune's ilk can do." At this he stops Chariot for a moment, patting and calming the horse which was beginning to pick up on its rider's raising worry. "But you haven't seen what the larger cities can be like. Giant towers of gleaming white stone and shinning towers, rising above and out of sight of the ocean of filth and death."

    'I don't think its that bad, and what does this have to do with the Lore Warden anyway' you wisely choose not to interject.

    As you make your way down the road that lasts at least some of the way to home, your father continues his tale. "A child is perfectly safe when protected in such a place, until of course one day suddenly they are not," there is a deeper pain beneath his words as he speaks, "My father was a great man. Skilled, generous, trusting to a fault… What I would give to know those bastards' names, sometimes I wonder if I'd chosen that other Ethos when it came…" Your father seems to remember who he is telling this story too, skipping forward, "But family comes first, three daughters and one son with no husband left to provide for us. We all did what was necessary to survive." The way your father says 'survive'; you doubt the City Guard approved of such necessary measures. "But there was never enough food…" Your father's natural energy seems to dim somewhat, vibrating in a long groaning echo. He steels himself, then goes on, a strange hollowness rings through his voice, "Clarrisa, Penelope and little Cherish. These were my sisters three. Oh my, its been so long since I've said their names." You've never seen your father cry, it's poetically fitting that you don't see his face as a wipes something from his eye. After a long pregnant pause, he recites to you a list of the most morbid sort. A list that carries the weight of decades old grief, "Clarissa was the first, ran through by a noble in the street for speaking back. Cherish second. The infection took her after she lost her hands. Penelope was last, I don't even know where, she simply didn't come home one night. Then finally Mother, she drank a full cup of crushed Night's Lily. I knew then that if I didn't leave Erisdale, it would be my grave too."

    Do you comfort him? You don't even know how. Your heart feels like it might break in half imagining the strong stoic man you look up to as a broken boy surrounded only by the memories of family.

    "Father, I don't understand."

    "I'm telling you that you can't always trust honeyed words or promises girl! You've been sheltered here in Harmuph, away from the all that. People here are good, but the rest of the world is a far crueller place." There is nearly venom in your fathers voice as he continues, "Plenty of people claimed to consider my father a brother, us children their own blood. But when he was gone, the only company left were the vultures looking for scraps. Strangers are going to appear and offer you opportunities Lilly, but always remember that they are not looking out for you, they are looking out for themselves. Tsk, I think Chariot has a rock caught." Your father slides off Chariot leaving you with your thoughts.

    If dad is trying to convince you that the world is a big scary place and you should be afraid of ever going anywhere then he is sorely mistaken… Although if you're honest with yourself he has actually given you a bit of wariness at least of the big cities.

    Also. It's not like I'm going anywhere soon. This is all years away.

    There is almost no one around now that you have made some distance from Harmuph, a few occasional travellers, mostly fellow homesteaders. You watch your father is silence as he works. After fixing Chariots gait, your father does not immediately remount him. Instead he stands beside you, slightly below your height thanks to Chariots boost. Placing his hand in your lap to squeeze your hand, he says, "It was the healing Lilly. That's what did it. Very rare sort. If you dedicate your Ethos to it, if you're trained by those with great affinity in the field, there's all sorts of uses for it."

    You're not sure why having a rare sort of healing is so big of an issue. The Lore Warden didn't exactly jump over himself to congratulate you. 'Pathetic Shaping' was his remark if you recall, which you do because it sort of stings a little. "But Father, what's the problem with that? If I can learn to do it better, then we'd never have to worry about any sickness in the family again."

    Your father shakes his head sadly. "You misunderstand. When I say focus, I mean focus. You'd be taught ways to narrow your Ethos, concentrate it to coax your subtle talent into something larger. A healer is all you'd ever be. Locked away somewhere safe."

    Oh. You're not sure you like the sound of that. Either stripping away [Dream within the Forest] of its other qualities or being kept under tight lock and key by minders. Of course, you have more than one Ethos, but you're not sure you could put that to much use or even if you could keep that hidden.

    You couldn't.

    Thanks.

    "And if I don't want to be locked away in a tower like a princess, what will we do father? What can you do?" You ask. Harmuph doesn't exactly have a suitable tower, but you need to know where your father stands. They'll probably want you to spend all day at the Temple of Virtue taking care of people. Blerk. You've gained the wrong sort of attention sooner than you thought would happen, too soon to do anything without help.

    Your father looks at you carefully, he asks his question slowly. "So, if the Lore Warden did in fact want you to travel to Arrone to commence training as a healer, you would be against this notion?" His look is searching, as if trying to discern your very thoughts.

    Arrone! But that's ages from here.

    Understanding starts to dawn. Not training in Harumph, but abroad, away from literally everyone you know.

    Chariot grows restless from standing still. "I do want to travel some day Father, but not yet, not so soon." You can't help but look down as you finish, feeling quite small despite currently being the taller of the pair. There is a large tight lump forming in the back of your throat that you cannot swallow. If the Lore Warden has convinced your father to send you away and that is what this conversation has been leading up to, there is not a lot you could do about that.

    Your hesitance seems to be the answer your father was looking for. You don't know why, but you instinctively know what he is about to say will be incredibly important. "Then listen closely. In 7 months time when you turn thirteen, you will reach the age of majority. At that time, the residing Lore Warden in Harmuph will surely command you to render yourself as a citizen to Arrone and begin your training. I can shield you until then, help you prepare. But come that day, you need to have decided what you will do." Having said his piece, your father remounts Chariot without another word and your journey resumes.

    You swallow away some of your nerves. Your life is not upended yet, but a definite end to the certain and the known has come to unfurl around you.

    Your father knows you understand some of the implications of what he has just shared. Your childhood is over, or at least it will be before the year is out. You find yourself lost in thought as scenery passes you by. The future where you would venture out and do great and noble deeds has always seemed so distant. Most of all an unachievable dream, then atop that, uncertain years away wherein some mystical transformation would occur as another degree of separation.

    '7 months,' You think of your brothers, your family, your friends… 'It doesn't seem like much time.'

    It makes you feel smaller still. The wider world has always been this ethereal thing, not entirely real until you decided to set out, discover and make it so. But now it seems the wider world has decided time is up, its coming to you. So concerned with proving yourself in any tests, you didn't even consider that perhaps you should hold back in the Lore Warden's interview. You rest your head against your father's back as Chariot trots along, somehow missing them both already even though they are still with you now.

    Is there a way you could stay in Harmuph past that time? You don't think that likely. The kingdom might be a nebulous far off thing, but there is real power behind the fancy names and titles that float about. And obedience can be compelled through force of arms.

    Your father likely knows the content of your thoughts, thinking it right to leave you to your own ministrations.

    The sun slowly sinks toward the horizon as Chariot plods on.



    - - - - - -



    "Sullivan Lye has a son, Mathew," your father breaks you out of a half-remembered day dream, yellow and red has began streaking along the sky and you are not far from home. "Mathew has an Ethos of rare quality which he calls '[Blessed Armsman]'. He just had his 19th​ birthday and has spent the years since his awakening focusing [Blessed Armsman] on aspects of mentorship and training, in service to his fellow citizens," there is a good deal of respect in your fathers voice as he speaks. You can guess why, not many boys would choose to develop an Ethos to make others stronger when instead they could be that much more potent themselves.

    "I'm sure those he teaches are grateful," you respond, wondering if you've seen him running drills with the Watch in the past few years since his awakening.

    "Aye, you will be. He'll be here at first light tomorrow," your father adds with wry amusement.

    "What!" you squeak in surprise. Chariot whinnying with a similar jolt.

    You father chuckles at your break in tone. "You are hereby excused from all your chores tomorrow. Though I'm not sure you'll be thankful for that by the time Mathew is through with you," he intones humorously as you both enter the barn to store Chariot for the night. You idly note Zach outside chopping wood by the house despite the late hour, but your conversation is front and centre in your mind.

    Did I die and go to the heavens? Dad arranged a trainer for me… a trainer.

    "This can't be happening," you say as much to yourself as in reply, slipping off Chariot as father does likewise to lead him into his pen.

    "If my daughter is going out into the wider world alone, then I will see to it that she is prevailed in the proper use of a weapon," your father responds, like this is the most normal thing in the world.

    But how? "How did you even convince them to do this."

    "Something I learned as a child when the greater portion of ours was stolen, money left unspent has limits to the security it can provide. Instead, I have supported those that needed a helping hand, currying debts of gratitude and influence in addition to the gold under the floorboards-"

    !!!

    "-No, there is not actually any gold under the floorboards," your father laughs, "Our money is with the Ministry of Finance. The Lye family fell on hard times a number of years back and I gave them a loan where the Ministry would not, I have called in that favour today."

    "Thank you Father," you say simply, unable to communicate the breadth and depth of your gratitude and you wrap him in a hug.

    Your father pats you on the head as you hold him. "Yes, well, see to it that you do not waste his time. I imagine Sullivan will have had to do quite a bit of convincing to get his son to come."

    The two of you speak about inconsequential things following this awesome revelation. As you exit the barn, your father asks that you drop by the workshop before turning in for the night.

    You acknowledge him, already making your way over to Zach. You've been a little worried about how he's been acting around you. All weird and stilted and giving you complicated looks after the euphoric rush of your return had faded.

    It's odd that Zach would even be outside chopping this late. The night air can easily turn sweaty skin into a nasty chill. He notices but does not acknowledge you as you approach. Now that you don't tire so easy, you could probably do the job much faster for him?

    Do not offer to help cut the wood.

    Or not. You stand watching him for a time as neither of you speaks, the occasional sound from inside your home making its way to your ear. It sounds like the cleanup after dinner, rhythmically timed against the slow steady chop, chop, chop of Zach's swings.

    "Hey," you say.

    Zach pauses to you look at you between swings before returning to the task at hand, replying "Hey," shortly.

    You really wish there was a power to make this easier. "You've been weird since yesterday, what's up?"

    Zach for his part still refuses to look at you, answering between swings, "Why would I… be feeling… weird… everything's… fine."

    You can't help but let your temper flare a little. You know he's lying. He knows you know, but won't say it. "Look. I know something is going on with you Zach. Can you just say it?"

    Zach, suddenly rather angry, bites back at you, "I know everything's going so fantastic for you right now. But how about you just leave me the hell alone, can you do that sis?" He is actually looking at you now, the axe in his hand forgotten for the moment.

    Zachariah will become angrier and obstinate if you push harder. He will feel hurt and alone if you don't.

    I don't want either of those things to happen.

    You'd rather Zach be angry than hurt, closing the distance to him you say "I just want to know why you're upset. I haven't even done anything-"

    "-oh you haven't have you!" Zach now shouts in your face. "Learn to take no for an answer Lilly. Oh I know, I'm sure dad will be happy to spend all of tomorrow hanging out and teaching you, not that you were ever grateful!" At tense moment as you both stand staring, before Zach breaks the deadlock, "I'm going inside." At that he drops the axe and pushes past you. Or at least he tries, trying to shoulder check you on his way past surprises both of you when you barely move, nearly knocking Zach on his ass. For his part, Zach powers forward pretending that didn't just happen, you hear him slamming the front door as he goes inside.

    You stand there dumbly, thinking about how that just happened and wondering if you made the right choice pushing Zach like that. There's a few pieces of loose wood left, you decide to finish the abandoned job to the background of mother scolding Zach for mistreating the door. The axe handle wants to share its memories with you, but you're not exactly in the mood.

    So Zach thinks I'm spending too much time with father? No that doesn't make any sense, I've been back home a day and Zach was acting strange even before that could have become the issue.

    You firmly plant the axe's blade into the grain of a piece with your swing, splitting it in two.

    Something else is going on here. Any answers for me future-tendrils… …? Figures.

    Another few swings, some more split wood. You finish the task easily, noting that not only was it not tiring, but your swings themselves seemed much more substantial than the last time you attempted this chore. All that remains is for you to stack the loose cuts along with the main pile against the house, a similarly simple effort.

    Job done; you don't exactly wish to follow Zach inside yet. You remember your dad wanted to see you in the workshop. Memories of being forced to spend hours practicing the same repetitive tasks over and over haven't exactly made you fond of the place, but you doubt that's what you'll be doing.

    The sun is mostly set as you make your way over to the old home turned workshop. The reds and yellows in the sky slowly creeping back at the advance of the deep blue behind it. Some of dad's workmanship is propped against the outer wall, you note at this distance that a couple of them subtly divert the flow of natural energy through them just like in the Lore Warden's office. It does occur to you that your father's more high-quality pieces are in fact technically magic items, you just never really liked to use the term to describe things you felt so negatively predisposed towards.

    Inside you find your father working on a small lumpy piece of stonebark about the size of a heart. Carefully etching subtle lines along part of its flank. It's somewhat rare for him to be at work on something not related to typical craft or construction, his natural talent, but he does have a few side specialties the occasional patron desires.

    The room is quite spacious, the equal of the main room in your house now that the dividing wall that used to split it has long since been removed. The rectangular table your father is leaning over right now dominates the aesthetic of the room, thrumming with subtle power. You'd like to see anyone try to move or damage the seemingly simple but far from mundane item of furniture. The walls surrounding the workshop are a chaotically hung mishmash of self-crafted and bought tools of varying make and purpose. There is ample space in the back of the room where the walls and floor have been left unoccupied, where finished projects rest before collection or transport.

    "Ah, Lilly," your father says as he raises his eyes to meet you. "Come stand over here, I need to measure you," he says, indicating an empty space next to the table.

    Measure me?

    You know your father is capable of making personal items for some for a quite exorbitant price, which requires certain measurements, but it is hardly his usual tack. You'd be a fool to refuse though, so you quickly scurry into place.

    "I'd began part of this work before your awakening, but adjustments will need to be made to the original plan. I think you'll be quite pleased with the result." Your father says this as he selects a number of small tools from a nearby wall. A small carving bone, a perfectly spherical piece of grainless wood and a wad of limesap.

    You rein in your excitement as he begins to work. Starting with the carving bone, he begins to run it up and down the flanks of your shoulders, almost hard enough to be painful. You see nothing in your natural sight, natural energy occasionally follows the length of his strokes as he makes them and sometimes does not. You know that your father can see and feel entirely different facets as he sets rune aspects into place.

    As he continues, your father revisits a previous topic you were not expecting, "I know I said your secrets are yours to keep Lilly. And I still mean that after a fact." He hesitates for a beat, considering how to go on. "But this whole business with the Office of Lore troubles me. I want to protect you Lilly, but I can't do that if you hold your secrets so close to your chest." He continues to run the bone along your shoulders, now occasionally moving into long wide arcs that cross the length of your arms and upper back. "I would ask that even if you have your doubts, that you choose to trust me. So, daughter, is there something you wish to say?"

    It would appear you are not quite as convincing a liar as you thought.



    What are you going to do now?









    Choice Time:

    Family and Trust: Your father is convinced you are still hiding something important, likely assuming that you don't trust him with the truth.
    [ ] Deny it. The truth is dangerous to know even if unspoken. Your father can never be accused of hiding something he did not know.
    [ ] Acknowledge there is more. Try to persuade Father that you have very good reasons for not sharing them.
    [ ] Vague explanation. Hint at powerful and mysterious forces being at work. That your Ethos is unique from others in ways that would be trouble if it was revealed.
    [ ] The whole truth. Both of your Ethos and of what reached out to you in the Forest that night. Swear your father to silence.

    The Early Morn:     Tomorrow you'll be training from first light (Yay!). But knowing yourself, you'll probably still be up and about long before the sun crests the horizon. What to do with your extra time?
    [ ] (Family) You'll get an earful from mother, but Marcus will definitely rise early to play with you if you wake him.
    [ ] (Family) Chariot can be put out to graze, feedstock for the pigs can be replaced and bails can be moved. Unlike anyone else, you'll still be fresh and ready when you're done.
    [ ] (Power) [Cleaver of Fortune] has gained a new feature. But you still don't really understand what it could do before that. Experiment and try to suss out how to actively put it use.
    [ ] (Power) The words of wisdom are fickle and seemingly random. Try to get a handle on how to control or at least steer them.
    [ ] (Power) Seeing the 'memory' in wood is actually a lot of fun. How else could such an ability be put to use?
    [ ] (Power) The idea of healing does somewhat appeal to you. (Despite how its come to bite you). Try to improve your 'Pathetic Shaping'.
    [ ] (Power) You're physically stronger now. What are you limits? How far can you push things?

    The [Blessed Armsman]:     Because apparently the universe has read your mind, you have a full day of being mentored in real life actual not-playing around fighting. What's your attitude going in?
    [ ] Gushing. You are incredibly grateful and will make sure both your father and Mathew know it.
    [ ] Reserved. You don't know this man, but you'll see how things go.
    [ ] Confident. You're going to do great, now that someone is finally willing to give you a chance.
    [ ] Hesitant. This is just making the fact you'll have to leave one day feel all the more real.

    Risks and Gambles:     There has already been unintended consequences from being unwary with strangers and pushing your powers to their limits around others. Will you try to expand and feel out new uses for your power while being trained?
    [ ] The best possible time to expand the scope of your abilities is during training. Once in a life-time opportunity. You can trust Mathew, he can probably even give you novel advice you wouldn't think of yourself.
    [ ] Keep things in reserve. Use what you have but don't push the limits. You just don't know what could go wrong otherwise.

    It's nearly bed time, so this will happen early next chapter.
    Level Up [Dream Within the Forest] from 1 to 2:
    [ ] They came to hang from her branches, to rest beneath her canopy.
    [ ] The roots sank deep, searching, yearning, until finally, water.
    [ ] He grew taller each day, until the sun came to rest in his embrace.
    [ ] Claw scratched and tail lashed, but the bark remained unmarred.

    New Ethos:
    [Service to Man] (Lesser):
    You sense that your connection to this Ethos is growing tenuous. You have been acting less and less maidenly of late. It is likely you will never see it again after this.
    [Keeper] (Lesser):
    The Keepers record and document the knowledge of civilisation. They study the applications of various magics and how they might be best synergized with others. Made heavy use of by the Office of Lore, they form the backbone of the bureaucratic apparatus of the kingdom. Assistants and apprentices to the Lore Wardens and you're sure numerous other organisations all around.
    [Lamenter] (Lesser):
    The Lamenters comfort and council those around them. Able to take on grief or pain from another and diminish it within themselves, granting closure and acceptance to those unable to move on. The Lamenters are caretakers of graveyards and conductors of minor funeral rites. When the restless dead refuse to pass on, the Lamenters can help weaken their attachment to the mortal plane. It is considered incredibly poor form to interfere with a Lamenters work.
    [Heartsworn] (Common):
    "    The promises we make ourselves, they bind us to our own future. Give us the push to reach higher than our own span." It is not only the fortunate intervention of an outside influence that has made your future possible, it has also been the grit and passion of your own heart committed to that end.
    Draw upon the force of your ambition and dreams and render the conceptual into something manifestly physical. You word shall be your bond, and others their bindings. Weave armour from hope, and a weapon from courage.
    [Brave Blood] (Common):
    Be the vaunted knight standing in the gap against the endless waves of unspeakable horror seeking to destroy the lands of men. Awaken the call of adventure that sings forth from your own blood and propel your body to impossible heights. This Ethos feels different to the first time it was offered, your tenuous connection has strengthened and solidified. There is also the consideration that this is exactly the kind of thing the [Blessed Armsman] could work well with.
    [Engraver] (Common)
    The basic runecraft your father has drilled into you can already make lumber that is twice its usual strength. Dive headfirst into the realm of runic inscriptions and the symbols that draw upon the primal energies of reality to remake the mundane into the exceptional. This feels different to what your father can do however, somehow looser and more malleable.
    [Intuitor] (Common)
    A thousand years and every tutor under the sun, still you could not begin to scratch the surface of the sum total of possible knowledge. You accept this fact, but nevertheless will never stop your upward climb. A knack for learning and mastery of diverse or tricky talents. The Jack of All trades empowered by a dedicated Ethos. "I may not be the best juggler, dancer or singer, but I can do all three at the same time better than most." Your already sharp mind shall be honed and polished to a truly deadly point. From this starting point, your Ethos could develop into a truly strange and unique thing.

    New Ethos Selection:
    [ ] Service to Man (Lesser)
    [ ] Keeper (Lesser)
    [ ] Lamenter (Lesser)
    [ ] Heartsworn (Common)
    [ ] Brave Blood (Common)
    [ ] Engraver (Common)
    [ ] Intuitor (Common)

    Current exp:
    [Dream within the Forest] = Lvl 2: 311/600
    [Cleaver of Fortune] = Lvl 1: 132/300

    Character Sheet: Public - It's a Girl's World
    It is not necessary to view this sheet to follow the story, but I know some people love this stuff. I've scrubbed any obvious spoilers, but a general warning applies.

    - How funny would it have been if you collapsed lost in the vision from [Cleaver of Fortune] right in the centre of Harmuph? You came uncomfortably close.
    - Congrats on passing the check to grasp the basics of how the power works though. That means you actually have a better understanding of your Lvl 1 [Cleaver of Fortune] power than you do of your Lvl 0.
    - Your power nearly made its roll to tell you what was happening with Myah, not quite though.
    - So managing to win over your father to the point he would start actively assisting your preparations for later arcs was always on the cards. It's come up much sooner than expected. There were multiple situations where you would need to leave Harmuph having not received any martial education at all. (I mean, there are paths to securing support through personal influence too, but those are far less likely.) You can actually thank the Lore Warden's poor rolls failing to reassure dad that Arrone is what's best for finally tipping him over the edge into outright support.
    - You actually rolled quite well in your conversation with Zach. Don't let the tempers fool you, the idea that you love and care for him got across. Siblings gonna Sibling, despite whatever else is going on.
    - Yeah, you totally botched your bluff roll a few chapters back when choosing not to share the more crazy details from the forest. Mum and dad both know something bigs up.
    - Was happy to see a bunch of as-yet unseen Ethos make the selection cut this time.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • [X] The whole truth. Both of your Ethos and of what reached out to you in the Forest that night. Swear your father to silence.
    [X] (Family) Chariot can be put out to graze, feedstock for the pigs can be replaced and bails can be moved. Unlike anyone else, you'll still be fresh and ready when you're done.
    [X] Gushing. You are incredibly grateful and will make sure both your father and Mathew know it.
    [X] The best possible time to expand the scope of your abilities is during training. Once in a life-time opportunity. You can trust Mathew, he can probably even give you novel advice you wouldn't think of yourself.
    [X] Claw scratched and tail lashed, but the bark remained unmarred.
    [X] Brave Blood (Common)

    I see chance to become magical girl knight-chan, I take chance to become magical girl knight-chan
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Intuitor (Common)

    Not so sure about anything else, but this seems best to get early, and we'll likely get a better martial ethos from training
     
    Weirdo said:
    -we'll likely get a better martial ethos from training
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Ethos unlock chances (and quality) are indeed dramatically affected by a person's current goals, cognitive state and recent experiences. (And in Lilly's case to some degree, pre-existing Ethos).
    But a Rare Ethos is not necessarily automatically better than a Common, just often more unique and unusual.
     
    Last edited:
    Look, Intuitor is nice, but we've got an Ethos thing here that straight up calls itself out as 'This is amazing to take under your current circumstances', and Super Athleticism is amazing no matter who you are. Even if you're going to be a wizard or a druid or some fey oracle having the ability to yell "Parkour!" And jump into higher ground will rarely take you in the wrong direction, and the general behavioral stuff doesn't seem to be in conflict with the rest of what's going on here either.

    And yes, as I said, cute girl knights always get my thumbs up. Leaning into maximum impact for the rare opportunity can't hurt--doubly so when you consider that apparently world events are leading up to 'It's going to be really hard for you to make it to adulthood'.

    So we take an upgrade that seems to imply it's good at shrugging off things that try to hurt you, and an Ethos that's a general athleticism boost apparently and takes good advantage of the training Lilly's about to get.
     
    Last edited:
    [X] The whole truth. Both of your Ethos and of what reached out to you in the Forest that night. Swear your father to silence.
    [X] (Family) Chariot can be put out to graze, feedstock for the pigs can be replaced and bails can be moved. Unlike anyone else, you'll still be fresh and ready when you're done.
    [X] Gushing. You are incredibly grateful and will make sure both your father and Mathew know it.
    [X] The best possible time to expand the scope of your abilities is during training. Once in a life-time opportunity. You can trust Mathew, he can probably even give you novel advice you wouldn't think of yourself.
    [X] Claw scratched and tail lashed, but the bark remained unmarred.
    [X] Brave Blood (Common)

    Some nice synergy, though Im still ambivalent on gushing. I guess genki Lilly will be quite a sight at least :p
    Slyvena said:
    "The promises we make ourselves, they bind us to our own future. Give us the push to reach higher than our own span." It is not only the fortunate intervention of an outside influence that has made your future possible, it has also been the grit and passion of your own heart committed to that end.
    Draw upon the force of your ambition and dreams and render the conceptual into something manifestly physical. You word shall be your bond, and others their bindings. Weave armour from hope, and a weapon from courage.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I can definitely see the utility of Intuitor in getting our various ethos to work together... though for some reason, Heartsworn (& Brave blood) just feels more narratively compelling to me. Im personally quite interested in what Brave blood and Heartsworn could achieve together as well.

    It feels like something that could really grow together with Lilly as she develops, sharpening her will and grasping her dreams.
     
    Last edited:
    [X] Vague explanation. Hint at powerful and mysterious forces being at work. That your Ethos is unique from others in ways that would be trouble if it was revealed.
    [X] (Power) Seeing the 'memory' in wood is actually a lot of fun. How else could such an ability be put to use?
    [X] Gushing. You are incredibly grateful and will make sure both your father and Mathew know it.
    [X] The best possible time to expand the scope of your abilities is during training. Once in a life-time opportunity. You can trust Mathew, he can probably even give you novel advice you wouldn't think of yourself.
    [X] They came to hang from her branches, to rest beneath her canopy.
    [X] Heartsworn (Common)
     
    Slyvena said:
    But a Rare Ethos is not necessarily automatically better than a Common, just often more unique and unusual.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    Could we simultaneously have the common form of an ethos and the rarer more unique ethos which is in the same line as it? Or of we take Brave Blood will we not be able to get the option for Blessed Armsman?
     
    Weirdo said:
    Could we simultaneously have the common form of an ethos and the rarer more unique ethos which is in the same line as it? Or of we take Brave Blood will we not be able to get the option for Blessed Armsman?
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Having [Brave Blood] will not prevent you from choosing [Blessed Armsman].

    [Brave Blood] and [Blessed Armsman] are not related to each other. Very few Ethos have rarity progressions like [Namesake] and [Truth in Name] do. It is entirely possible to pick up a broad Ethos based around a general concept, then pick up a more unique Ethos that focuses on a particular subset down the line.
    There is a slight negative pressure to the unlock chance of Ethos of which you already possess a similar expression. But there is a lot of room for doubling up, a set of three Mana based, Pithe based and Essence based Ethos could all be selected and only moderately reduce the chance of each others availability. But if you picked up an Ethos something along the lines of 'master swordsman', expect to probably never have a sword based Ethos come up again, the concept is too narrow.
     
    Last edited:
    Slyvena said:
    Having [Brave Blood] will not prevent you from choosing [Blessed Armsman].

    [Brave Blood] and [Blessed Armsman] are not related to each other. Very few Ethos have rarity progressions like [Namesake] and [Truth in Name] do. It is entirely possible to pick up a broad Ethos based around a general concept, then pick up a more unique Ethos that focuses on a particular subset down the line.
    There is a slight negative pressure to the unlock chance of Ethos of which you already possess a similar expression. But there is a lot of room for doubling up, a set of three Mana based, Pithe based and Essence based Ethos could all be selected and only moderately reduce the chance of each others availability. But if you picked up an Ethos something along the lines of 'master swordsman', expect to probably never have a sword based Ethos come up again, the concept is too narrow.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Huh, so...

    [Brave Blood] then, as it's a very general athleticism and nod towards fighting evil has very limited negative pressure then?
     
    [X] The whole truth. Both of your Ethos and of what reached out to you in the Forest that night. Swear your father to silence.
    [X] (Power) [Cleaver of Fortune] has gained a new feature. But you still don't really understand what it could do before that. Experiment and try to suss out how to actively put it use.
    [X] Confident. You're going to do great, now that someone is finally willing to give you a chance.
    [X] Gushing. You are incredibly grateful and will make sure both your father and Mathew know it.
    [X] The best possible time to expand the scope of your abilities is during training. Once in a life-time opportunity. You can trust Mathew, he can probably even give you novel advice you wouldn't think of yourself.
    [X] Claw scratched and tail lashed, but the bark remained unmarred.
    [X] Brave Blood (Common)

    Uh, I don't think the plan is actually ADDING anything other than mangling the vote up.
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Back
    Top