Right, all the dice are just waiting for me to roll them, so I can start this.
Yes, it's upgrade time again!
I will not be pinging people unless absolutely necessary. These will remain in Informational so they don't clutter up the main Threadmarks.
More voters have reached the first milestone, and are eligible to upgrade to an Elder Tree.
At base, all Elder Trees gain an additional 'base' die. That is, every action you vote for gets two dice applied instead of one. In addition, most Elder Trees apply an additional bonus to their field of expertise, much like standard Trees.
The specific type of Elder Tree is determined first by your current type of tree, and second by your voting record.
This does not 'count' as a vote for the purposes of future Tree upgrades, but please put an [x] in the brackets if you are one of the people called upon. If you are not, study it anyway - keep voting and you'll be faced with this choice, too.
[ ] Elder Heart Tree
-The Elder Heart Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Defense and Survival based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Defense and Survival, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Protective Tree
-The Protective Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Defensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Survival actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Defense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Scavenging Tree
-The Scavenging Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Survival actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Defensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Survival, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Elder Mind Tree
-The Elder Mind Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Communication and Research based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Communication and Research, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Communication Tree
-The Communication Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Communication actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Research actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Communication, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Research Tree
-The Research Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Research actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Communication actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Research, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Elder Root Tree
-The Elder Root Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Growth and Offense actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Growth and Offense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Growth Tree
-The Growth Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Growth actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Offensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Growth, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Assault Tree
-The Assault Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Offensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Growth actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Offense, +2d6 to all others
*-*-*-*
Please please please get your choices to me prior to Sunday evening PST, so that I can keep plugging away at this and update my spreadsheets prior to the next turn starting.
No SV You Are the Forest
A Riot Quest
Turn 06 Results
The Forest grew new trees once more. Two Tranquil Trees rose above the more ordinary trees of the Forest, their branches delicately woven spans of crystal held together in configurations impossible without psionic assistance, a lattice that served to delicately nudge the Forest along successful thought-patterns, rewarding success with further success. But, alas, such could not go on forever, for the Tranquil Tree took resources beyond what other trees did. At it's current size, the Forest could only sustain a single additional Tranquil Tree.
A single grove of trees worked to expand the web that the Forest cast, cycling energy through a Hoop Tree to allow more resources to be gathered. More strength than was necessary was gathered, and it was stored for future use.
Once more, the Forest changed it's mind about the assistance it was receiving from the Ingaba. This time the Forest analyzed the old hyperdrive the Ingaba had provided for them, working to uncover its secrets. A great deal of progress was made in decyphering how it worked – a Hyperdrive teased open weakpoints in space-time that connected 'star systems' together. These connected weakpoints were called 'Hyperlanes' by the Ingaba and most other groups.
A different stand of trees worked to gather particles for future use, storing them in the Roots of the Forest. A large amount was gathered during this time period, so only a small fraction needed to be released to the Ingaba, as per their agreement.
The reach of the roots and the lesser trees, bushes, and beings of the Forest continued. Compared to the relatively glacial progress of previous years this was positively hurried. Ingaba researchers took notes, as they always did.
The growth of old trees into new ones, greatly energized compared to their old forms, served to stimulate the Forest into researching how to accomplish the same for other Trees. A great deal of progress was made in this research, but it remained incomplete. Success here would likely lead to success elsewhere.
The Worm gratefully consumed the resources provided to it, stringing them into threads that would span star systems if they were unwound.
Two new Feeling Trees were grown, delicate sensory branches twitching as they come online, feeling out the system around them. Everything was clearer, better delineated and marked... what existed, at least. The things scurrying around the cocoon were now identifiable as tiny versions of the Ingaba ships, as they set to cutting it up.
They also detected the particles coming in from out of the system well before they made it; great masses in dense waves. The ships of the Ingaba could be spotted more clearly, as well. As far as the Forest could tell, all was as it should be.
The Scoop Tree was developed, a tool that would consistently improve growth efforts. Where the Hoop Tree required active effort to induce the effect, the Scoop Tree was passive, consistently on.
Other Trees grew, as well. Two more Collector Trees loomed darkly against the glittering Forest. A Sharding Tree rose, ready to protect the Forest. An Empty Tree sprouted, fully formed, in the midst of the Forest, only detectable through the flow of resources that kept it fed.
The Magnetize power was derived from the manipulations of magnetic trees. If the strength of the deployed Magnetic Field was stronger than opposing defenses, shield generators will be overloaded and engines destroyed as the target struggles to keep moving. If it was not stronger than said defenses, the target would, in most cases, be slowed down. At least, so the Forest hoped.
Progress was made in other projects. Energy was stored up to speak with the Ingaba on multiple subjects. A small amount of work was done on preparing a Shard Volley.
The Predators had grown their numbers. Three tiny things bounced around within the boundaries of the Forest; it would not do to have them accidently bounce out while the Forest moved, and so the Forest would Soothe the Predators. This time, the Forest brought enough strength to bear to overwhelm the minds of the Predators, even bolstered as they were by the newest among their number. The Predators fell asleep, curled in their den.
Then the Forest began to move.
*-*-*-*
"Sir?" his primary assistant asked, knocking upon the door.
"What is it this time?" Senior Scientist Oragles snarled, swirling his desk chair around. It was always something that interrupted his personal research – even beyond what the station as a whole was doing, he had his own projects. No assassin was going to find him unprepared, oh no.
"It, uh, appears as though we are moving."
"What." Oragles stated flatly. In all the time the Research Station had been present, the Forest had not moved relative to the local star. Fixed in place, its position was even more constant than hyperlane emergence points.
"There are no measured methods of propulsion present; no particles or energy – beyond what is normally lost – is being given off. It's, ah, we don't know what to make of some of these readings; please come and take a look, sir."
"Oh, very well," Oragles grumbled, his ears flicking. He might as well look at what had his junior so jumpy.
He went and took a look. Blinked, and looked again. The only vessels that had ever given readings quite like these were those of the distant Varthingu, who occasionally had 'trade ships' pass through.
Very occasionally; they were spy ships and everybody knew it, but nobody wanted to rouse the Varthingu to action, and the Varthingu didn't want to provoke anybody too much.
"Gravity drives," he muttered. "Well, now we know how they remain in place. The Forest is so simple in some ways, so very ignorant; yet in other ways, they're the most advanced polity in a hundred jumps. Gravity drives," he shook his head. "Save all of this data. In triplicate. We're sending it home so the more advanced computers there can crunch away at it. I don't expect results anytime soon, however." We'll also, he carefully doesn't say, need to improve the security measures around our high-end research labs. Nobody, at least, none of the Ingaba that I know, want us to get jumped. Not with the Matlownee eagerly eying their prizes.
"Now, why might they do this...??? To get away from the particle stream doesn't make any sense. Ah, but the closer to the star they get, the more dense the stellar wind is, and the more resources they can gather! That makes a lot of sense. I wonder, when did they develop this ability?" He turned to check their records of the Forest's growth. It could be crucial.
The closer to a star the Forest is, the more particles it receives. At the Forest's current distance, all Growth and Survival successes are increased by 10%. This stacks additively with other sources.
Larger stars have a higher output, and are consequently more valuable to stay nearby. However, it takes longer to approach them, and is harder to flee, as the hyperlanes of larger stars are farther away from the star itself.
*-*-*-*
The Forest reached out to make contact with the Ingaba Research Station, inquiring about the 'strange ships' that had been present previously.
The head psychic there scratched his head over how to answer the request. The Matlownee were not well liked by the Ingaba, and it wouldn't do to give an unbiased – oh, who was he kidding. Nobody nearby could give an unbiased opinion of the Matlownee, except, maybe, a Clairvoyant. But who would ask them to do that? You didn't ask a Clairvoyant to do anything; they did as they pleased.
He'd try to give the bare facts of 'who the Matlownee are' and 'what do the Matlownee want', and that was that.
He opened up his mind, reached out to the Forest, and began explaining.
"The Matlownee are a species of flying predators, who developed tool use at some point when their prey began to evolve defenses greater than they could penetrate with their beaks and talons. The Matlownee believe their Gods granted them the ability to use and manipulate tools in order to fight back against the 'Endless Darkness'; generally accepted Ingaba thought is that no such thing happened. Instead, it's almost certain that an older, now extinct, civilization saved them from some calamity or another.
"The Gods of the Matlownee do appear to be a lost civilization; ruins have been found on Matlownee worlds that match Matlownee claims of the appearances of their Gods and the cities left behind. The ships, too, match those of ancient Matlownee artwork and sculpture.
"Unfortunately, the so-called 'Children of the Gods' usually appears as anything that can grant the Matlownee an advantage in their next conflicts; a political tool to obtain powerful weapons and technologies. It worked... until the 'Children' they were claiming were discovered to be wildly disparate in terms of origin and history.
"Those ships were here to claim the wreckage of an ancient vessel; it appears to be a massive mobile shipyard, half-buried in the sun. I don't know how it got the resources to actually build the ships in all of the slipways we've encountered. Of course we wouldn't give it up without a fight – there's a lot of advanced technology there that we want to examine. What? No, I don't know how it works, nor do I have the authorization to allow you to examine any of it. You'll need to negotiate for that access, and I don't know what it might cost you."
"If they ever do come in force, I recommend fleeing instead of negotiating. They'll strip mine you if you so much as ask the wrong question. I'm not joking, they've done it before. Not to a forest in deep space, no, but to other oddities and peculiarities – things they believe their Gods would disapprove of. They believe their Gods endowed them with the right to the galaxy, it's inheritors in their absense.
"Well, they don't exist anymore, so we don't actually know. It doesn't seem like there was a galactic hegemony that far back, however. The Clairvoyants likely know more."
The Forest thanked the Ingaba psychic for his time and the knowledge. It would likely prove most useful.
Focus:
Grow Tranquil Tree x3. 3/20. 3 * 15 = 45, 48/20 = +2 Tranquil Trees, 8/20 X
Actions:
Expand the Reach of the Forest, 6/10. 4 Voters, 3 Heart Trees, 1 Elder Heart Tree, 10 dice. 4 successes, *2 = 8, 14/10, +10% success multiplier to growth actions.
Assist the Ingaba Research Base, 10 dice required, all dice converted to automatic successes to the * research with the most votes. 11 voters. 1 Heart Tree, 1 Root Tree, 5 Mind Trees, 3 Research Trees, 1 Elder Mind Tree. 1 + 1 + 10 + 15 + 4 = 31 dice.
->Research the Hyper Tree*. 5/100. 6 Voters. 5 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree. 15 dice, +31 successes. 11 * 2 = 22, + 5 = 27, + 31 = 58/100.
Move closer to the local star, see what happens. 4 Voters. 3 Heart Trees, 1 Scavenging Tree, 11 dice. 8 * 2 = 16 successes; consequences to be explored.
Ask the Research Base about the Beast, 0/5. 2 Voters, 2 Elder Mind Trees, 8 dice. 1 * 2 = 2, 2/5. X
Research the Magnetize power. 0/10, 3 Voters. 2 Elder Mind Trees, 1 Elder Heart Tree, 10 dice. 5 * 2 = 10, 10/10, Magnetize power researched, Plasma Tree price reduced. X
Ask the Research Base about the strange ships, 0/5, 2 Voters. 1 Mind Tree, 1 Communication Tree, 7 dice. 2 * 2 = 4, 4/5. Soothing Tree bonus die; 1 success, 6/5. Scene unlocked.
Research Crystal Formation, 0/50, 3 Voters. 2 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree, 9 dice. 5 * 2 = 10, 10/50.
Soothe the Predators to see what happens, opposed roll, 2 Voters. 1 Root Tree, 1 Assault Tree, 7 dice.
VS
9 dice + 3
A/N: Later than I wanted, alas. I had a new quest idea strike me over the weekend, and I've got 5k words of notes already, so. Uh. It'll show up somewhere no earlier than April, probably.
The Forest rested serenely in its new position, somewhat closer to the local source of particles than it had been previously. The amount of particles that it received had increased, if not too significantly, while the particles coming from elsewhere had not diminished.
All was quiet, as far as the Forest was concerned. The strange ships hadn't shown up again, the Predators were asleep, the Prey had left, the Beast had not returned, and the Ingaba were steadily taking apart the giant ship by the sun.
All was well. The Forest would be capable of advancing its various projects in relative peace, with little need for defensive measures.
…
Then the Feeling Trees detected something most peculiar. A warping of the magnetic fields. No ship was the source of this, the Forest knew, as the fields bent and twisted in a strange new way.
Without further warning, the fields rippled intensely in a tightly spaced area. Even if it had less resolution, the Forest would have noticed this – and, further, noticed the sheer number of things that flooded from what seemed to be a singular point. Fast moving projectiles, like some of the weapons that the Forest had defended against in the past, erupted from it in all directions.
Resources that had been laying in wait for a need, almost wasted, were suddenly remarkably useful. Magnetic Trees spun up to full power, fields compressing particles tightly between them just before a spread of energy hammered into the Shield erected by the Forest, followed shortly afterwards by high-energy kinetics.
The Shield strained, but did not break.
The Forest, were it capable of doing so, would likely have wiped its brow of sweat. As it is a Forest, it does nothing of the sort. Some of its leaves ruslted in the passing of particles it deigned not to catch for a brief moment, that was all.
*-*-*-*
The Ingaba, on the other hand, are a mess. Some damage was dealt to their operations in the system. Not enough to meaningfully delay them, but enough to make them look weak.
"Admiral, I'm sorry to say that no, we didn't have a clue that this was going to happen," Senior Scientist Oragles said, chagrined, to Fleet Admiral Monagles, who was in the system overseeing the dismantling of the precursor vessel. "All of our sensors are keyed to the Forest; the first we knew something was happening was when it erected its shields and they were hammered by the initial mass-energy release of the Wormhole a few moments later."
The opening of the Wormhole was a most useful thing, provided it remained stable long enough to get another research team out here. If it was a stable wormhole – if it lasted long enough – then the Ingaba would get a great deal of use out of it, and would likely heavily fortify the system against assault, no matter where the wormhole led.
"Scientist Oragles, are you telling me that we need another research base out here?"
"Yes, Admiral, that's exactly what I'm saying. Knowledge pulled from studying the Wormhole – combined with what we can observe from the Forest – could result in gravitic STL drives, and micro-wormhole generation."
"Jump drives?" There was an eager, hungry glint in the Admiral's eye.
"Of a sort," Oragles temporizes. "It won't work the same, I don't think, but the effect will likely be close enough."
"Good enough for me," he grunted. "I don't want to have to coordinate fights across our territory without a fast reaction force. I'll see what I can do to shake the funding – and the teams – loose, so that you aren't overwhelmed."
"Thank you, Admiral."
"Don't thank me, Oragles," Monagles' grin was full of teeth. "After all, you will be the highest ranking Scientist in the system after the group studying the mobile shipyard leaves, which means you will be at least looking at their reports."
Oragles' eyes widened. "More paperwork?" he whispered. "As if there's not enough of that floating around already!"
"Good luck, Oragles."
"Thank you, Admiral. I think."
And with that, the channel closed, and Oragles got back to work. He would likely need to promote a few of his own subordinates, just to help oversee the mess that was heading his way.
Turn 07 Vote
The Worm remains in effect, doubling all non-automatic successes.
Communication Actions
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about other Stars.
-Requires 5 successes, 2/5
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about the Prey.
-Requires 5 successes, 4/5
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about the Beast.
-Requires 5 successes, 2/5
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about establishing a deeper psychic link
-Requires 5 successes, 4/5.
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about food for the pups.
-Requires 5 successes
[ ][Action] Reach out to the Research Base.
-[ ][Action] Write-in what to speak about.
-Requires 5 successes
Defense Actions
[ ][Action] Erect the Shield! (Magnetic)
-There's nothing there. Probably. However, the Beast's uncaring movement through the system was informative – it was very possible for other beings to arrive without warning, and leave just as quickly.
[ ][Action] Prepare a Shard Volley (Crystal)
-This action primes resources to hurl a volley of razor sharp shards of crystal, splintered from the trunks and branches of the Forest itself. Successes are banked against future need, but only to a point – 10 successes per Magnitude of the Forest can be stored. 19/30 stored.
[ ][Action] Move towards where the Ingaba ships always appear from. (Gravity)
-Multiple side effects. The more successes this action has, the faster it occurs.
Growth Actions
-High-density particles remains in effect. All non-automatic successes are multiplied by 1.4.
-Sun Proximity 1 is in effect. All non-automatic successes have their multiplier increase by 0.1.
-The Forest is at 36/40 Special Trees.
[ ][Action] Grow the Forest
-62.75/200 successes to Mag 4
[ ][Action] Grow <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost.
Growth progress is visible on the front page.
Offense Actions
[ ][Action] Soothe the Predators.
-Opposed Action. This will put the Predators to sleep for the next turn if it succeeds.
[ ][Action] Soothe the Research Base to see what happens. (Psychic)
-Opposed Action.
-The Ingaba have agreed to allow this to happen, as a test of their psychic defenses. Attempt when ready, but be warned – they are almost certainly stronger on an individual basis than the Predators, and more numerous.
Magnetize – no valid targets detected.
Research Actions
-Most of these are placed on the FP. Simply copy-paste one of the options there into your vote.
Note: All Psychic Research actions gain +1 success per Forest Magnitude while the Ingaba Research Agreement is in effect, provided at least one action is taken on them.
[ ][Action] Assist the Ingaba Research Base (General)
-This action works to pay off the Forest's side of the deal with the Ingaba Directorate. In order to not default on the Treaty, at least ten dice must be paid into this action every turn for ten turns.
-Effect: For each die paid into this Action, the Forest will obtain one success to the most voted for Research Action with an asterisk.
[ ][Action] Study the Wormhole (Gravity, Void)
-Attempt to discover what this is. Success allows for further study.
-Effect: Wormhole Theory obtained. New technologies unlocked.
-Requires 50 successes.
Survival Actions
[ ][Action] Attempt to store resources against future need. (General)
-All successes stored. 86 successes banked against recovering future damage or to pay off the debt owed to the Ingaba Directorate.
Note: 5 Survival successes per turn are lost to the Ingaba Directorate as a result of paying for samples of new technologies.
[ ][Action] Sacrifice to the Worm (???)
-The Worm is always hungry. Feed the Worm that it might grow.
-Requires 100 successes before the Worm is satisfied. 13/100.
[ ][Action] Expand the reach of the Forest, allowing it to gather resources from a larger area. (Magnetic)
-The Hoop Tree extends a powerful magnetic field, capturing stray particles that are greatly distant from the Forest and channeling them to the roots. Sufficient successes empower all Growth actions.
-With 10 successes, the successes of all Growth actions are increased by 10%. 4/10.
[ ][Action] Move closer to the local star, see what happens. (Gravity)
-The more successes this has, the faster the movement occurs. The star provides much of the matter and energy used by the Forest; perhaps getting closer will increase the amount received.
[ ][Action] Erect the Empty Veil (Void)
-Cloak the Forest from opposing sensors, deliberately hiding it from all forms of detection.
-Opposed Action. Unlike with Shields, the Veil rolls against each other faction individually.
Other
[ ][Action] Write-in
-For if you believe I'm missing something. I reserve the right to disapprove of any write-ins, or appropriate them for other purposes and places.
Focus Actions
Choose any three actions from the above for the Forest to focus on. These are voted upon by the entire group, and are in addition to the individual actions taken by each member. Multiples should be indicated with a x#, so the second identical action would be x2, etc.
[ ][Focus] Action Name
These Actions will receive a number of automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest and any bonuses from other sources.
At the moment, the top three focus actions will win, each receiving the focus of the Forest.
And apparently my copy-pasting from the vote is a ping? Oops? Oh well, I'm going to keep doing that. These will remain in Informational so they don't clutter up the main Threadmarks.
More voters have reached the first milestone, and are eligible to upgrade to an Elder Tree.
At base, all Elder Trees gain an additional 'base' die. That is, every action you vote for gets two dice applied instead of one. In addition, most Elder Trees apply an additional bonus to their field of expertise, much like standard Trees.
The specific type of Elder Tree is determined first by your current type of tree, and second by your voting record.
This does not 'count' as a vote for the purposes of future Tree upgrades, but please put an [x] in the brackets if you are one of the people called upon. If you are not, study it anyway - keep voting and you'll be faced with this choice, too.
[ ] Elder Heart Tree
-The Elder Heart Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Defense and Survival based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Defense and Survival, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Protective Tree
-The Protective Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Defensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Survival actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Defense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Scavenging Tree
-The Scavenging Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Survival actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Defensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Survival, +2d6 to all others
For choosing to act as he saw fit rather than within the bounds of his tree type, Thors_Alumni has the additional choice of the following:
[ ] Eldest Tree
-The Eldest Tree gains one additional die to all actions.
+3d6 dice to all actions
Mind Trees
The following Mind Trees are eligible for one of the following Elder Tree types: The Bird, Nando
[ ] Elder Mind Tree
-The Elder Mind Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Communication and Research based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Communication and Research, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Communication Tree
-The Communication Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Communication actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Research actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Communication, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Research Tree
-The Research Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Research actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Communication actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Research, +2d6 to all others
Root Trees
The following Root Trees are eligible for one of the following Elder Tree types: Spring King, uri
[ ] Elder Root Tree
-The Elder Root Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Growth and Offense actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Growth and Offense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Growth Tree
-The Growth Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Growth actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Offensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Growth, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Assault Tree
-The Assault Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Offensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Growth actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Offense, +2d6 to all others
*-*-*-*
A number of you are at 9, 8, 7, etc, votes; I expect to be doing this as part of the vote clean-up for quite some time... and then someone will reach the next tier, 'Venerable', which is at 25 votes.
Please please please get your choices to me prior to Sunday evening PST, so that I can keep plugging away at this and update my spreadsheets prior to the next turn starting.
No SV You Are the Forest
A Riot Quest
Turn 07 Results
The Crystal Forest once again turned its attentions to growth. Perhaps it was an aspect of it being a Forest, and that's what Forests do, or perhaps it was some quirk of its origins. This cycle, the Forest grew new Scoop Trees, whose grasping, clutching branches glistened as metallic sap oozed through them. These trees lent their aid to every Tree seeking to grow the Forest, their increased reach bringing more particles in.
The Forest also grew in other, more mundane ways. Roots spread steadily, sprouting new saplings in a haphazard fashion. Vines, not of the Forest but like it, spread as they did, and so too did bushes, followed by another generation of darters, who ate at the vines and bushes, preventing them from growing up the trunks of the Forest. A stand of trees acted for this purpose as well, and the Forest slowly swelled. The newly grown region was most of the way to being large enough, and sturdy enough, to support more Special Trees.
The Hoop Tree and the Scoop Tree did similar things. The latter was a passive effect; Scoop Trees always exerted their presence. The Hoop Tree was much slower in acting passively, taking many cycles. However, when a group of Trees acted through it, it was much faster. Such was the case this cycle. An expanding net of magnetic fields was erected around the Forest, trapping more particles for the Forest to feast upon.
The Wormhole was a cause for alarm and concern. It had appeared with little warning, and spewed fire and death in all directions. But it was small, tiny. Almost a point. And yet, had some Trees in the Forest not sought to prepare against all things, the Forest would have been injured. A grove of the Forest sought to understand what it was, and where it came from, to ensure they would have such warnings again.
They succeeded, at least in part. It was named a 'wormhole' for how it wound through space, much like the Worm wound through all of the Forest. The other 'end' of the wormhole must have led to somewhere violent, or violence was the cause of it forming, or an unexpected side effect of it forming. None of the Forest knew, for they had not been to the other side.
Unfortunately, detecting Wormholes in advance was a difficult proposition. The magnetic fields that the Forest was relying upon were simply not enough to notice the perturbations in the underlying fabric of space-time. It would require dedicated gravity technologies to detect them in advance, something that was not yet within the Forest's grasp.
Wormholes could form naturally, as far as the Forest could tell. Those could be stable, or unstable. Wormholes opened in other ways... the Forest did not know how, but it suspected that this could be done – one avenue for future research. Stabilizing an unstable Wormhole was another possibility, and one that was almost within the Forest's reach... but it wasn't quite there yet.
[Further Wormhole Technologies unlocked]
Many resources were sacrificed to the Worm. Whether in honor of this discovery, recognition of its power, or just plain curiosity, it didn't matter – the resources sank into the Worm all the same.
More resources were stored away against future need, and the Forest's end of their agreement with the Ingaba was upheld as a bubble of condensed particles drifted free of the roots, rising to meet the scheduled transport ship.
With the near-disaster of the Wormhole opening the previous cycle, one grove of the Forest prepared resources to erect the Shield once more, should it prove necessary. It was hoped that it would not be necessary, but if it was, they would be ready.
Work progressed on understanding how to advance the Special Trees of the Forest, to obtain greater benefits without an increase in resource load. It was more important now than it had been in the past, as the Forest could only sustain one additional Special Tree, and there was much to worry about.
The Forest managed to succeed in this endeavor. Special Trees could now be upgraded to make use of the new knowledge, streamlining their usage of resources and enhancing their ability to act - these new Elder Trees would be everything they already were, except more; better in all ways.
[New Researches Unlocked. Elder Upgrades for Special Trees unlocked. Front page to be updated]
The Forest provided its assistance to the Ingaba. In return, they made substantial progress at developing a new, more efficient method of growth – a way to shape the Forest's own crystals more efficiently. This wouldn't apply to more specialized Trees, which required extra effort that made the new method no more or less efficient, but it would allow the Forest to spread more rapidly.
The Twist power was a substantial alteration from the Skimmer Tree's method of propulsion, but it was somehow easy to understand, all the same. This power allowed the Forest to expand or contract it's outer area for very brief moments, allowing it to present a larger or smaller profile, as desired. The precise uses weren't quite understood, but if nothing else it would likely lead to greater things.
One final Tranquil Tree grew over the lesser trees of the Forest. It stood in the outermost ring of roots and trees before the new growth, the last Tree the Forest could grow before it consolidated its new territory.
With this tree grown the growth of other Special Trees was halted. No more could be sustained without causing the Forest's thoughts and actions to stutter and skip, as more resources were allocated than were available. There may be a way for the Forest to overcome this problem with stockpiled resources, but it had not yet figured that out.
The Forest could prepare no more of itself to launch a lethal volley of crystals. All of the trees prepared in this manner could not contribute to the continued maintenance of the Forest.
A request was asked of the Ingaba Psychics present – the desire to establish a deeper psychic link, to enable more rapid and complete communication. The communicator indicated their willingness to pass the request up their 'chain of command'. The Forest understood that it needed to wait for a response, though it did not understand why.
*-*-*-*
Senior Ingaba Telepath Baglana, assigned to the Crystal Forest Research Station, was nervous. The Forest had requested a test of their ability with a new technique, a way to put minds to rest in large numbers.
Baglana had been here for years, and was one of the first Ingaba to be assigned. It was his communications that enabled the exchange of research between the Crystal Forest and the Ingaba. He was used to high pressure, high throughput activities.
This, though, was something new. Not just because the Crystal Forest was showcasing a new telepathic ability it hadn't had before, however, no.
That would be the presence of Yaranae Yllarat, sitting coolly in the telepathic conference room, where Baglana had decided to host the other telepaths – all five of them, himself included; the greatest concentration of Ingaba telepaths outside of an academy, they were a force to be reckoned with in any combat situation – and the Clairvoyant could wipe them out with ease if she so desired. She had never shown up on the station before, why now?
"I am here to observe, nothing more," the Clairvoyant said serenely, stance calm and patient. Of course she knows what's going on. Clairvoyants' always do.
Baglana shook his head, fur ruffling along his neck. "Very well, Clairvoyant," he said, failing to keep his fear out of his voice.
"Do you feel it?" One of the other Telepaths mutters, not quite aware that she is speaking. "Something is rising. But it feels... weak? As if but a tiny fraction is presenting itself."
Baglana's eyes widened. "Mind-link, now. We need to brace ourselves!" And with that, he merged his thoughts with the rest of his Choir, and as they pressed their minds outward their eyes lost focus, twitching erratically.
The Mind approaching them did not do so cautiously. It swept forward, assured of itself and of what it was doing.
Calm battered at their minds before the mind itself arrived. They struggled, the Choir reinforcing each other's thoughts and will against the oncoming deluge, but eventually it battered their minds into submission and swept on, washing over the rest of the Research Base's personnel like a single wave crashing onto shore – noisy and ineffectual.
The power of waves is not the strength of a single one, but of repetition.
The Choir breaks. Glassy eyes come into focus, and they relax into their seats, their eyes fluttering shut.
They are completely, utterly calm, and so relaxed despite their stiff defense they fall asleep soon after.
Yllarat nodded to herself. They would be asleep for a little while before waking up; this event had not actually harmed their minds. Other species, ones with different sleeping cycles, likely would be, and it could be an effective weapon offensively if enough power was put behind it, potentially crippling fleet coordination and decision making.
The Forest absolutely had enough power behind it. Perhaps... perhaps. Some thoughts were better kept private, lest unwelcome listeners hear.
*-*-*-*
"They asked for what?" Senior Scientist Oragles asked, unsurprised at some new, strange request.
"Food," the junior telepath – not part of the 'main' Choir assisting in communications, answered. "For some 'predators' that have made a den in the Forest. Apparently they've had some pups? Do we have records of them?"
"We do," Oragles answered, flicking through an observational database. "We've encountered similar beings in other systems, as well. No official name has been decided for them."
"But, food? Why?" The telepath asked, proving that he was no researcher. Probably a good thing, with the way the Forest had slammed into the Choir stationed on the base.
"They're probably studying these 'predators', too, just like we study them, and they study our stuff," Oragles answered. "They have a very high move speed through real-space, and some organic method of entering hyperlanes. Providing food would allow for the pups to grow more readily, and provide more examples, and time, for the Forest to study their methods of movement."
"So what should my reply be?"
"It won't be right away, but we will, yes," Oragles answered. "I'll make a request for the food shipment after the next one. Make sure you ask for permission for a drone to deliver the food to the 'pups' of these Predators."
"Of course, Senior Scientist."
*-*-*-*
"Other stars?" Junior Telepath Lonogos asked aloud, curious about the latest request by the Crystal Forest. "What could the Crystal Forest need to know of other stars for?"
"One of the provisions in the agreement we made with them was that we would supply examples of technologies that we had uncovered," one of the diplomats answered, face scrunched into a furrow.
"We gave them a hyperdrive, now didn't we?" the psychic asked, his face cradled in his arms, claws sheathed.
"Why don't you already know this? Didn't you read the material you were given?"
"Read? Why read? I lifted everything that seemed pertinent from the mind of the guy giving me the offer to come here. A chance to work with a powerful xeno telepath? As part of a Choir? How could I give that up?"
"Yes, well, that material covered everything that the guy making the pitch didn't know. That's what they're for, kid."
"I am not a kid."
"I'll stop calling you kid when you stop acting like one."
"Hmph." He couldn't read the diplomat at all; an irritation, but an expected one. No Ingaba diplomat was allowed out without develping their own mental defenses.
"Anyway, yes, we did give them a hyperdrive to study. It wasn't of much use to them if they couldn't move... which they can now do, so it's only natural for the Forest to want to know what the systems around us are like before going there."
"And bring us with them? Right into Matlownee space? Or a Blathubu raiding party?"
"And that's why we tell them about those systems. Type of star, number of threats, etc, so that the Forest can make informed decisions."
*-*-*-*
The tiny star the Forest has anchored itself around, it learns, is host to no fewer than seven hyperlanes, access points that link it to other star systems – these star systems are not always the ones closest in real-space, leading to a tangled network of connected systems. A hyperdrive, or some equivalent, is required to breach them.
Such a system would be a boon to trade and commerce, if not for the three opposing factions that each claimed a hyperlane, and the 'dark zone' that extended beyond the other four – knowledge of those star systems was available, but the systems beyond those the Ingaba had not eplored fully, distracted first by a war, then the mobile shipyard, and then by the Forest itself, the Ingaba's research teams were all busy.
These points could be discovered through a number of means; the analysis of particle readings in conjunction with tiny optical fluctuations was the most common method of discerning them for up and coming civilizations. A later, more advanced – and more difficult – method involved scanning for the gravitational fluctuations caused by existing hyperlanes.
At this time, the Forest could not use either of those methods, and would need to either develop one of its own or trade for further information, on where, exactly, those points were. Alternatively, the Forest could develop a Hyper Tree and hope to stumble across one such point.
These seven Hyperlanes formed seven of eight points of varying distance from the local star, with the eighth location – and the one closest to said star – formerly occupied by the location of the Forest, which had since simply moved closer to said star and was presently moving slightly closer.
With 'zero' degrees pointing to the galactic center, the eight points were as follows.
The first point, at 'zero', held another red dwarf star. Small and dim, it was orbited by a single barren planet and an asteroid belt. The Matlownee owned the system; a starbase and patrol fleet could be expected to be there at all times, at the very least.
The second point, at forty-five degrees, held a yellow main sequence star, with four rocky bodies and two gas giants. Several 'clouds' of debris were present, believed to be the remnants of destroyed planets... automatic defense systems covered the system, and had forced back deeper examinations, preventing firm identification of the nature of the planets.
The third point, at ninety degrees, held a yellow dwarf. Three rocky bodies, one gas giant. The Ingaba had claimed this system, and many of the systems beyond it. The planet closest to the star was molten, and the Ingaba had set up mining facilities there. The next planet out was a jungle world, hot, wet, and dominated by forests, but nothing as unique as the Crystal Forest, the Telepath explained. The Ingaba didn't like it there, preferring cooler climates, but they had a growing colony there anyway, used to support the fleet base in system. The planet after that was a hot gas giant, putting out a great deal of heat and energy, but not nearly so much as to mistaken for a star. The final planet was cold and distant, a frozen rock.
The fourth point, at one hundred thirty-five degrees, held a red giant. Orbiting it were two rocky bodies, both barren; one with an atmosphere, one without, four gas giants, and a single asteroid belt. The Gas Giants were a mix of hot and cold. It was in unclaimed space; nothing had been sighted there, and additional hyperlanes had been detected, but not yet explored.
The fifth point, at one hundred and eighty degrees, held the Crystal Forest.
The sixth point, at two hundred and twenty-five degrees, was a binary system. A yellow star and a white star orbited each other distantly, their center of gravity such that each star had its own collection of planets – three gas giants and four rocky planets for the former, and six rocky planets and two gas giants for the latter. This was the system the Prey had arrived from. Most of the planets were barren and without an atmosphere, but one had evidence of being a bombed out wreck – a tombworld, the grave of a dead civilization, in this case so long ago the proof was largely wiped away – and a second was the ruins of an incomplete Ecumenopolis, a world covered by a city.
Unfortunately for Ingaba researchers, the system was also frequented by patrols of hungry Illadyi – predators much like those who nested within the Forest, but with different predilections, mannerisms, and appearances – who preyed upon the Prey that also frequented it... and tore through Ingaba ships with ease. Without stationing a fleet that they didn't have there, the Ingaba could not colonize it easily.
The seventh point, at two hundred and seventy degrees, was claimed by the Blathubu. A trinary system of dim red dwarf stars, it held many planets captured by their shared center of gravity – over a dozen rocky bodies and four gas giants in irregular orbits. The Blathubu had prevented deeper scans, and blocked attempts to obtain further information, but it was known that they had a fleet-base in system; a muster point and staging ground for future offensives. Speculation placed the presence of several new colonies in system, as well, but proof had not yet been found.
The eighth point, at three hundred at fifteen degrees, led to yet another red dwarf, with a pair of rocky planets orbiting it. One hovered very close to the star, and was molten; the other was more distant and barren.
[Further Planetary and Star details available when they are visited]
*-*-*-*
The Forest listened as the Ingaba explained what the Beast was. Mighty creatures, named after beings in the histories and mythologies of dozens of currently living species and hundreds of deceased ones, Void Dragons were persistent threats for even the oldest and most powerful of polities.
The one that had passed through the system the previous Cycle was young. Little more than a whelp, they were told, it was in the phase of its life cycle where it sought food, wandering far and wide as it grew. Getting in the way of the hunt of a Whelp had previously resulted in the death of the Ingaba's First Fleet, as it ate the fleet at its leisure.
Whelps continued their hunts for dozens to hundreds of cycles before they retreated to hidden systems, inaccessible by hyperlanes, to grow into Drakes. When complete, the Drakes return, on the hunt once more. This time, however, the Drake is searching for a place to call home – a place to keep the treasures they find on future hunts. Once a Drake has found an appropriate star system – the exact nature of which appears to vary from Drake to Drake – they gather their treasures there.
The Treasures of a Drake vary wildly. Sometimes a Drake favors people, they rule over a civilization. Other times a Drake prefers knowledge, or wealth, or the exotic. One Drake that is known of prefers peculiar planets, and has carefully arranged them in synchronous orbits.
Drakes are sufficiently powerful that a single one could sweep all the fleets of the Ingaba, Blathubu, and Matlownee at once, and would likely stall against the fleets of the Aarallaia.
Once a Drake has accumulated enough treasure, a psycho-reactive event occurs, transforming it from a Drake into an Adult and announcing their ascension to the entire galaxy. This announcement generally triggers a mating season, in which older Adult Drakes seek each other out to lay more eggs, bringing the new Adult into the fold.
During this mating season, the Galactic Community shuts down. Adult Dragons can tangle with the oldest civilizations, who hunker within their borders; large numbers of them congregating is an active threat to the entire galaxy. Ongoing wars are brought to a temporary truce, fleets and armies are allowed to retreat.
If there is anything beyond an Adult Void Dragon, it is not present within Ingaba databases.
The Forest is perturbed by this information. While the single light ship of the Ingaba that probed the Forest's defenses had not broken them, or truly come close to doing so, it had been just the one ship, and there had been dozens in that single fleet.
Some of the missed weapons fire from the battle between the Ingaba and the Matlownee just a few cycles before had not displayed sufficient firepower to overwhelm their shields then, either, but that was only the shots that had missed in the direction of the Forest.
That a singular entity could exceed the damage both such fleets could do combined...
Expand the reach of the Forest, 4/10. 7 voters. 5 Heart Trees, 2 Scavenging Trees, 20 dice, +1 automatic success. 11 * 2 = 22/10 + 4 + 1 = 27/10; +10% successes this turn, +10% successes next turn, 7/10; option will not be available next turn.
Study the Wormhole. 0/50. 19 voters. 12 Mind Trees, 3 Elder Mind Trees, 3 Research Trees, 1 Root Tree. 52 dice. 26 successes, *2.4, 62.4/50, project complete, new researches unlocked.
Research Elder Trees, 31/50. 7 voters. 4 Mind Trees, 1 Elder Mind tree, 1 Research Tree, 17 dice. 7 successes, * 2.4 = 16.8, 47.8/50
CORRECTION: 47.8/50. 1 missed voter, 1 Research Tree. 5 dice. 4 successes * 2.4 = 9.6. 57.4/50. Elder Trees unlocked. 7.4/100 to unlocking Venerable Trees. New researches unlocked. Elder upgrades for Special Trees unlocked. Front Page to be updated.
Soothe the Research Base to see what happens, 5 voters, opposed roll. 4 Root Trees, 1 Assault Tree, 13 dice, +1 automatic success. 6 * 2 = 12 + 1 = 13
Ingaba Research Base: 50d6s4. 27 successes, Minds shrug it off.
Assist the Ingaba Research Base, 10 dice required, 5 voters, all successes added to * research with the most votes. 3 Mind Trees, 1 Elder Mind Tree, 1 Research Tree. 15 dice.
→Research Crystal Formation*, 10/50. 4 voters, 3 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree, 11 dice, +15 automatic successes. 7 successes, * 2.4 = 16.8 + 15 + 10 = 41.8/50
Research the Twist power, 0/10. 4 voters, 3 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree, 11 dice. 5 * 2.4 = 12/10, Twist power researched, excess lost.
Ask the Research Base about food for the pups, 0/5. 3 voters, 1 Mind Tree, 1 Comms Tree, 1 Root Tree, 8 dice. 4 successes * 2 = 8/5, success, scene unlocked
Ask the Research Base about establishing a deeper psychic link. 4/5, 2 voters, 1 Mind Tree 1 Root Tree, 3 dice. 2 * 2 + 1 = 5, 9/5, success, consequences TBD.
Ask the Research Base about other stars, 2/5, 1 voter, 1 Communication Tree, 5 dice. 3 * 2 = 6, 8/5, success, scene unlocked, data found, FP to be updated.
Research the Laser Power, 26/100, 1 voter, 1 Root tree, 1 die. 1 * 2 = 2, 28/100
*-*-*-*
Rules Update:
Landing on a planet, entering the atmosphere of a Gas Giant, or using a Hyperlane will all require a group vote, rather than a riot vote or a Focus vote. Moving too those locations will not change.
*-*-*-*
A/N: Yeah, the roll for Elder Trees was just... my mistake for not double-checking my numbers. It's been fixed. And I'm sorry for the delay – half of it was Dyson Sphere Program, and half of it was the sheer length of the update – it's the longest single update to date.
I don't think I've forgotten anything, but if I have, please let me know.
Another cycle had come and gone. The Forest had reached a new stage of understanding in the previous cycle, allowing it to grow more capable versions of its already extant Special Trees. It would have to do so in order to discover new Trees that it could grow, and methods it could use to further gird itself against the terrors in the universe.
The resources that had been dedicated to erecting a shield were lost when no threat came up. A shield was erected anyway, flickering briefly before it faded. A single Predator bumped into it, and came away with its eyes crossed, before trying to pass through it again – successfully.
The particles coming from out system had not decreased as the Forest approached the local star. It had, instead, increased. This was very peculiar – something was happening, but the Forest could not easily find out. It would just have to wait.
The Wormhole twitched a few times, an odd sensation in the magnetic fields around it, and rocks tumbled out of it. Great masses of resources, all clumped up, they shone in the magnetic detection of the Feeling Trees, bright masses of stuff. Perhaps the Forest could claim them?
If the Forest did not, then they would fall into the sun, or somehow stabilize into orbit around the star. Or perhaps the Ingaba would claim them for their own purposes.
[A cloud of asteroids has exited the Wormhole]
The Star was acting oddly. The magnetic fields it gave off roiled higher, and stronger than usual... and the Collector Trees were outright gathering more energy than usual. It hadn't happened when the Forest got closer to the star, so why was it happening now?
No matter, it was happening, and the Forest would take advantage of it.
[The local star has entered a high-activity phase. Collector Trees grant one additional success per age category of the Collector Tree to Focus actions centered on Growth]
At the very edges of the Forest's senses, a mass of dust and rock curled in, a distant thing. It was large. Not so large as the Forest, or the mobile shipyard the Ingaba were taking apart, but it was the largest other thing moving that the Forest had ever detected.
If the Tree could dig its Roots into it, they might get a wealth of resources from it!
Now, how was the Forest going to accomplish that?
[An exceptionally large comet has entered detection range]
*-*-*-*
Senior Scientist Oragles was looking over the reports from the other teams he was now responsible for, studying and examining them.
Fluctuations in the wormhole were concerning, but the fact that it resulted in a bunch of slow-moving rocks exiting it was a relief. It would take quite a lot more time and effort to discern just what fluctuations meant when it came to discerning what was coming through, and even longer to figure out how to actually transit the thing, but it was the first step.
The comet was of mild interest, but nothing more – and perhaps the Forest would take advantage of it. That would be interesting to see.
But. Then he came across the report of the group watching the 'Predators' that lurked within the Forest. They had woken up, with pups, and now... what was that they were chasing? The team hadn't identified it; just a hunk of metal, they claimed; probably one of their own probes that had lost power some years ago.
If it was one of their own probes, it would be providing them with data. Oragles had ensured that, and the probe that had been toyed with by them several years ago had done exactly that.
Whatever this was, it wasn't responding to them in any way. Oragles ordered a probe sent out to examine it, and turned his attention to other things.
When he got the data back, he didn't understand what he was seeing. It took him quite some time before he did...
-*-*-*-
"Admiral, you don't understand. The principles used in the construction of this probe are like nothing we have ever seen before. The materials science alone is beyond what we have accomplished."
"Senior Scientist, you are worrying for no reason," the Admiral on the other end commented offhand. "It is nothing to worry about, I am sure."
Oragles fumed. Fleet Admiral Monagles had been much easier to work with than this hack. Why, oh why, had Monagles been called to the other end of the Directorate?
Probably another flare-up along the border with somebody. It happened. Hopefully, hopefully, the peace would hold long enough for the next generation of the Fleet to be deployed. It had so far, a strained, tenuous thing, with each side glaring at each other. Monagles was quite good at glaring.
"Admiral, you don't understand. This drone could survive the transit of the Wormhole – something it would take an Escort of our own to accomplish. It isn't from around here."
"I understand perfectly, Senior Scientist; I understand that you want more funding. Get results from what you are already studying, and maybe then I can pitch for you to get that funding," the other Ingaba shook his mane. "I don't really know what is so special about that Forest, anyway, but you do your job, and I'll do mine."
Oragles' ears twitched in restrained annoyance. How had this moron been promoted to admiral? He would have to look it up. His exile to this Forest had not destroyed his connections; the results he had already achieved had only strengthened them.
Besides, he had already gotten the extra funding for Wormhole research.
"Admiral, for your own sake, I hope that it is just paranoia. I'm not asking for funding. I'm asking you to try to reinforce the garrison here, because these probes could be the prelude to an assault – if they can send probes this small through without us noticing, what else might be sent through?"
The Admiral furrowed his brow. "With all the ships sent back for refits, we just don't have the numbers, Senior Scientist. I'll see what I can do, but I'm unwilling to make promises."
"I can't ask for more than you trying, Admiral. Thank you."
"You are most welcome, Senior Scientist."
Turn 08 Vote
The Worm remains in effect, doubling all non-automatic successes.
Communication Actions
[ ][Action] Ask the Research Base about the Prey.
-Requires 5 successes, 4/5
[ ][Action] Reach out to the Research Base.
-[ ][Action] Write-in what to speak about.
-Requires 5 successes
Defense Actions
[ ][Action] Erect the Shield! (Magnetic)
-There's nothing there. Probably. However, the Beast's uncaring movement through the system was informative – it was very possible for other beings to arrive without warning, and leave just as quickly.
[-][Action] Prepare a Shard Volley (Crystal)
-This action primes resources to hurl a volley of razor sharp shards of crystal, splintered from the trunks and branches of the Forest itself. Successes are banked against future need, but only to a point – 10 successes per Magnitude of the Forest can be stored. 30/30 stored.
-Action Unavailable, All possible Shards stored.
[ ][Action] Move towards where the Ingaba ships always appear from. (Gravity)
-Multiple side effects. The more successes this action has, the faster it occurs.
Growth Actions
-High-density particles remains in effect. All non-automatic successes are multiplied by 1.6.
-Sun Proximity 1 is in effect. All non-automatic successes have their multiplier increase by 0.1.
-The Sun has entered a high-activity phase; the bonus provided by Collector Trees to Focus Actions centered on Growth has increased by 1 per age category of the Collector Tree.
-The Reach of the Forest has been expanded. All non-automatic successes have their multiplier increased by 0.1.
-The Forest is at 40/40 Special Trees. No new Special Trees may be grown.
[ ][Action] Grow the Forest
-133.75/200 successes to Mag 4
[-][Action] Grow <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree from the Front Page. Variable cost.
-Action Unavailable. Special Tree Cap reached. Grow the Forest or research new Upgrades to increase the Special Tree cap.
[ ][Action] Upgrade <Treename>
-Replace <Treename> with the name of a Special Tree with an unlocked older form. Variable cost. This does not take up any additional Special Tree slots.
Growth progress is visible on the front page.
Offense Actions
[ ][Action] Soothe the Predators to keep them from messing around (Psychic)
-Opposed Action.
[ ][Action] Soothe the Research Base to mess with their psychics (Psychic)
-Opposed Action. The Ingaba have a solid group of Psychics, and may have brought more in since the last time this was tried.
No targets available for the Magnetize power.
Research Actions
-The FP has been updated with new researches as a result of researching Elder Trees.
-Further Researches require various Elder Trees to be unlocked before they become available.
-All Psychic Research actions gain +1 success per Forest Magnitude while the Ingaba Research Agreement is in effect, provided at least one action is taken on them.
[ ][Action] Assist the Ingaba Research Base (General)
-This action works to pay off the Forest's side of the deal with the Ingaba Directorate. In order to not default on the Treaty, at least ten dice must be paid into this action every turn for ten turns.
-Effect: For each die paid into this Action, the Forest will obtain one success to the most voted for Research Action with an asterisk.
[ ][Action] Research Wormhole Stabilization (Gravity, Void)
-Unlocks a Survival Action to stabilize an unstable Wormhole. The difficulty of this action has many variables.
-Requires 50 Successes to Research
[ ][Action] Research Wormhole Drawing (Gravity, Void)
-Unlocks an action to draw resources from a Wormhole, deliberately pulling matter and energy where once nothing was except memory. This is more effective than simply gathering resources from available particles and light.
-Requires 50 Successes to Research
Survival Actions
-Sun Proximity is in effect. The multiplier for all non-automatic Survival successes is increased by 0.1.
[ ][Action] Attempt to store resources against future need. (General)
-All successes stored. 105.2 successes banked against recovering future damage or to pay off the debt owed to the Ingaba Directorate.
-Effected by High Density Particles, increasing the success multiplier by 0.6
Note: 5 Survival successes per turn are lost to the Ingaba Directorate as a result of paying for samples of new technologies.
[ ][Action] Sacrifice to the Worm (???)
-The Worm is always hungry. Feed the Worm that it might grow.
-Requires 100 successes before the Worm is satisfied. 32.8/100
-Effected by High Density Particles, increasing the success multiplier by 0.6
[-][Action] Expand the reach of the Forest, allowing it to gather resources from a larger area. (Magnetic)
-The Hoop Tree extends a powerful magnetic field, capturing stray particles that are greatly distant from the Forest and channeling them to the roots. Sufficient successes empower all Growth actions.
-With 10 successes, the successes of all Growth actions are increased by 10%. 7/10. -Action Automatically implemented for this turn and unavailable to take this turn.
[ ][Action] Move closer to the local star to improve the Sun Proximity bonus. (Gravity)
-The more successes this has, the faster the movement occurs. The star provides much of the matter and energy used by the Forest; perhaps getting closer will increase the amount received.
[ ][Action] Utilize the Twist power to grow or shrink the Forest (Gravity)
-This action increases or decreases the effective Magnitude of the Forest, for the purpose of opposing hostile effects where it is beneficial to be larger or smaller. This does not alter the number of available Focus actions, or otherwise influence non-hostile effects that depend upon the magnitude of the Forest.
-This action does not bank successes. 0/10.
[ ][Action] Erect the Empty Veil (Void)
-Cloak the Forest from opposing sensors, deliberately hiding it from all forms of detection.
-Opposed Action. Unlike with Shields, the Veil rolls against each other faction individually.
Other
[ ][Action] Write-in
-For if you believe I'm missing something. I reserve the right to disapprove of any write-ins, or appropriate them for other purposes and places.
Focus
Choose any three actions from the above for the Forest to focus on. These are voted upon by the entire group, and are in addition to the individual actions taken by each member. Multiples should be indicated with a x#, so the second identical action would be x2, etc.
[ ][Focus] Action Name
These Actions will receive a number of automatic successes equal to the Magnitude of the Forest and any bonuses from other sources.
At the moment, the top three focus actions will win, each receiving the focus of the Forest.
[ ][Tree] Heart Tree
[ ][Tree] Mind Tree
[ ][Tree] Root Tree
This vote will always be open.
*-*-*-*
Welp, I'm sorry for the delay here.... but it's done! Barring me running into something absurdly addicting again, the next updates should come more smoothly. I hope.
Please let me know if I've missed or forgotten anything.
I'd hope that ya'll know how this works by now, but I'm not going to assume it.
More voters have reached the first milestone, and are eligible to upgrade to an Elder Tree.
At base, all Elder Trees gain an additional 'base' die. That is, every action you vote for gets two dice applied instead of one. In addition, most Elder Trees apply an additional bonus to their field of expertise, much like standard Trees.
The specific type of Elder Tree is determined first by your current type of tree, and second by your voting record.
This does not 'count' as a vote for the purposes of future Tree upgrades, but please put an [x] in the brackets if you are one of the people called upon. If you are not, study it anyway - keep voting and you'll be faced with this choice, too.
Heart Trees
The following Heart Tree is eligible for one of the following Elder Tree Types: Easter
[ ] Elder Heart Tree
-The Elder Heart Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Defense and Survival based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Defense and Survival, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Protective Tree
-The Protective Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Defensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Survival actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Defense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Scavenging Tree
-The Scavenging Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Survival actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Defensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Survival, +2d6 to all others
Mind Trees
The following Mind Trees are eligible for one of the following Elder Tree types: Doccer, Kirbstomp
[ ] Elder Mind Tree
-The Elder Mind Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Communication and Research based actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Communication and Research, +2d6 to all others.
[ ] Communication Tree
-The Communication Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Communication actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Research actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Communication, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Research Tree
-The Research Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Research actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Communication actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Research, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Elder Root Tree
-The Elder Root Tree gains an additional bonus die to all Growth and Offense actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Growth and Offense, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Growth Tree
-The Growth Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Growth actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Offensive actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Growth, +2d6 to all others
[ ] Assault Tree
-The Assault Tree gains two additional bonus dice to all Offensive actions at the cost of the bonus dice to Growth actions, for a total of three bonus dice.
+5d6 to Offense, +2d6 to all others
Due to voting for an even split of Survival and Growth actions, Froggo Fantastic has the additional choice of the following:
[ ] Hungry Tree
-The Hungry Tree has two bonus dice to all Survival and Growth actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Survival and Growth, +2d6 to others
Due to voting for an even split of Defense and Growth actions, BunnyLord has the additional choice of the following:
[ ] Rampart Tree
-The Rampart Tree has two bonus dice to all Defense and Growth actions, for a total of two bonus dice.
+4d6 to Defense and Growth, +2d6 to others
*-*-*-*
A number of you are at 9, 8, 7, etc, votes; I expect to be doing this as part of the vote clean-up for quite some time... and then someone will reach the next tier, 'Venerable', which is at 25 votes.
Please get your choices to me prior to Sunday Evening, PST, so I can update my spreadsheets.
No SV You Are the Forest
A Riot Quest
Turn 008 Results
A portion of the Forest turned its focus to continued growth, and a large stand of trees did as well. Roots rapidly spread, a thick layer upon which the Forest could grow. This was followed by a heaping helping of trees, haphazardly rising from the roots. Their crystalline leaves and trunks glittered in the brightened light of the nearby star. Then, the Forest integrated the new growth into a coherent whole, enabling more Special Trees to be supported, and for the Forest as a whole to use the greater amount of resources that could be obtained.
[Magnitude 4 Achieved]
[Special Tree cap increased by 10]
With the new growth stabilized and a full part of the Forest, something changed. Perhaps the Predators realized that the Forest could now house more of them easily, perhaps they needed more assistance to wrangle their still young pups or maybe it was done just because.
Whatever the reason, the Predators sent out a call. It reverberated in a manner that the Forest could not track or identify, but whatever it did was answered some fractions of a cycle later. A half-dozen Predators, betraying injury and hunger, limped into the system. Their forms were scarred from battles fought without rest, and their minds were wary, even as they made their new home, and the Den was expanded so as to house the newcomers.
The new increase in room prompted the completion of the singular Special Tree that had been put on hold for lack of a means to consistenly supply it. A new Empty Tree sprouted from where it had lain dormant in the new territory, all but undetectible as the rest of its kind were.
The new understanding the Forest had achieved prompted it to improve and enhance its Collector Trees. The rest of the Forests' focus turned to this end, along with another grove of Root Trees. A Collector Tree, that had stood unchanged for as long as the Forest could remember, changed. It grew taller and broader, and its leaves grew darker even as the trunk and branches lightened from an impossible black to a very deep grey. This Elder Collector Tree was substantially more capable than an ordinary Collector Tree, converting more of the light that hit them into something the Forest could use.
Properly propitiating the Worm yielded a new Hoop Tree, which popped up out of the void and into the Forest, settling its roots down. Like the Synapse Tree the Worm had provided previously, the Hoop Tree did not draw any nutrients from the Forest. It only ever gave, never taking.
Other Trees began to sprout, and some already extant Trees had some progress made towards improving them following the development of Elder Tree.
Progress was made on the Laser Power, the tools of the Ingaba allowing for the Forest to refine its approach to hurling coherent beams of energy like the ones that had been used to test the Shield many cycles ago. It required precisely aligning the crystals of the Forest, but the exact arrangement had yet to be discerned, even with the Ingaba's computing power backing up the motley collection of Trees that dedicated their efforts to this end.
A stand of Trees continued in their efforts to bring in extra resources for the Forest, and were highly successful in doing so. The Forest's reserve increased by more than sixty percent, even with the payment to the Ingaba released to reach their transport.
Research proceeded on a great many things. Incorporating metals, held at a specific temperature and physical structure, into the root structure of the Forest, to allow for a more effective means of manipulating and adjusting magnetic fields. The mere existence of a Wormhole could allow for resources to be drawn from it, without requiring input from the other side. The proper use of magnetic fields could allow for high-energy matter to be prepared for use against hostiles.
The Magnetic Trees were primed and made ready; the resources required to spin them up to full strength kept available. It might not be necessary; it might be a complete waste of resources. Or it might save the forest from a considerable amount of damage.
Both of these had happened in the past. The loss of resources on a 'maybe' seemed to be worthwhile... so far.
Whatever the case, the Forest was as ready as it could be.
*-*-*-*
A fairly detailed primer about the Ingaba's overall research into Wormholes was made available to the Forest.
Most of it comfirmed the information the Forest had already uncovered, and it provided key details that would further their own investigations. First and foremost of these was a way to stabilize an unstable wormhole, a theory that the Ingaba simply lacked the tools to construct, but records indicated that other civilizations had accomplished the same task. Second was a method to draw resources out of a Wormhole in a manner similar to but far easier than a black hole. While both of these methods were out of range of the Ingaba's ability to actually construct, the Forest had already started on discerning such things, and could easily replace physical infrastructure with psionic strength.
But perhaps the most important information was the theorized 'wormhole network'. A collection of wormholes that linked systems off of the hyperlane network, but one that had yet to be found. All known wormholes merely connected to other systems with Hyperlanes. It was expected – not simply by the Ingaba – that there was a wealth of resources available on the other side of such places.
No civilization with representatives in the Galactic Community had reported discovering a Wormhole in response to the Ingaba's announcement; one tool frequently used to defuse possible conflicts. As far as the Galactic Community was concerned, whatever was on the other side was 'free territory' that the Ingaba could exploit.
Provided control over the system isn't lost to the Blathubu or the Matlownee in the coming war, it may be a spectacular boon, if the Ingaba can ever figure out how to traverse wormholes.
*-*-*-*
With Ingaba assistance, progress on a new, more efficient method of growing the crystalline material the Forest was made out of finally reached a point at which it could be used and propagated across the Forest. There is an inherent pattern to the Forest's growth, as wild and random as it is, and this pattern has been adjusted to work more efficiently with less wastage.
One of the Ingaba Researchers working with the Forest on this project made noises about 'self-directed evolution', but they shut themselves up rather quickly when it was pointed out that the Forest had, in fact, been doing that this whole time.
The Forest did proceed in several other fields of note. With a basic understanding of hyperspatial drives completed, the Forest moved onto properly designing the growth patterns for a Tree that could mimic the effects. Progress was made, though it was slowed by the paucity of attention dedicated to the project.
*-*-*-*
"Heeey, boss! Boss!" A young, fresh-eared assistant called, knocking on a door. Her ears twitched. Working here was so very exciting! Something new happened all the time! Just look at those cute shadow beast things! The puppies were so cute! Adorable! It was great! Now if only her boss wasn't so damn tired all the time!
"What is it now?" the tired and harried voice of Senior Scientist Oragles asked. Since he had been promoted, he got the repoprts from every research team in the very anomalous system, and had to do multiple times the paperwork he had done previously.
At least his current location was substantially more secure than most other locations. The shield erected by the Forest proved that, even as it let in the next monthly shipment of supplies.
"The Forest's askin' about the Comet. I think they want to try to catch it? Could be good for them if they do, I mean they can move now, and ready access to materials would be a good way for them to grow. It'd mean they wouldn't need to catch resources from the star or the whatever that's generating all those particles from outsystem. Hey, have we sent anything to scout that? Should I put that request in?"
"Don't put that request in, Namone," Oragles sighed. "We've vectored probes in that direction, but without access to a Hyperlane the going is slow, especially because of how wide-spread the incoming particles are."
"Oooh, and with the need to secure the system against the Blathubu and the Matlownee and prepare for the expedition through the wormhole just as soon as we get those shipboard stabilizers worked out and protect our other border systems against other threats we're just plain out of ships, now aren't we? Well that sucks."
"Yes, Namone, it does, as you say, 'suck'," Oragles smirked. "So the Forest wants the cometary path, huh? I think we can provide that for them. The Forest has been a little aimless lately in its motions; perhaps this will settle it down a bit."
*-*-*-*
The request was filed like any other. It made its way from the telepaths to Senior Scientist Oragles desk, buried under several other reports requiring his signature.
Best you know what, exactly, you are signing off on when you are in charge, no matter who or what is presenting the paperwork. Oragles is in the position of generally understanding everything that crosses his desk, even if its only the basics.
But when he got to this request, sometime between his breakfast and his midday nap in an observation booth with a clear line to the local star, he frowned.
The data they wanted, well, there were two ways to go about it. Three or four, really. Treat them as an enemy, and hand over intelligence that was just wrong enough that it would trip up infiltrators, spies, saboteurs and enemy generals and admirals in times of war.
Second was to treat them as compromised – that is, that whatever data they might obtain would almost certainly be obtained by an enemy who could use it against them. It wasn't so different from treating them as an enemy, except by apologising in case the data wasn't handed out.
Third was to, ehh. Not-an-enemy-yet wasn't a description Oragles liked, but it was one that the Director insisted most of the galaxy fell into, and judging by the relative apathy of the greater galaxy to local actions and events it might not be wrong, either. Oragles didn't know what they got.
Fourth was full-on allies. Oragles didn't know what they got, either. He wasn't fully up-to-date on the Directorate's position, but he was quite certain they were alone.
Oh, well. He would append his suggestion and pass it on up the chain. It didn't seem like an emergency, not like first contact, so there was time.
The Forest was a Forest, how impatient could it be? Well. Oragles didn't know, and didn't want to find out, but this still wasn't urgent.
So onto the pile of outgoing mail it would go. None of the data would be transmitted, of course. For the sake of safety and to counter spies.
*-*-*-*
The Forest's progress towards the local star is quite rapid, especially by the standards of the Forest, who had previously not moved at all.
The researchers aboard the Ingaba's base are quite concerned at how variable the Forest's speed is, wondering how well it will do in a proper fight, or if it would be better to treat it as a not-quite-stationary orbital fortress with so-far limited armaments? Ah well, it isn't their job to figure that out.
The only other interested party are the Clairvoyants, and they are not sharing their opinion on the matter.
The Forest did not just move in that direction. It also went a little bit in a different direction, aiming towards the Hyperlane the Ingaba ships arrive from, pushing it just a little bit further from the Star.
*-*-*-*
Focus:
Magnitude + bonuses. +2 per Collector Tree
3 + 28 = 31
Upgrade Collector Tree; 0/40. +31; 31/40.
Grow the Forest x2; 133.75/200 31 * 2 = 62, 195.75/200 X
Actions:
Expand the Reach of the Forest: Auto-success from the previous turn, +10% Growth
HDP modifier: +60% Growth, Survival (store resources + sacrifice to the worm only)
Sun Proximity: +10% Growth, Survival
Scoop Trees: +10% Growth x3, +30% Growth
Tranquil Trees: +10% Research x3, +30% Research
Worm: *2 to all
Assist the Ingaba Research Base: 7 voters, 4 Mind Trees, 1 Elder Mind Tree, 1 Research Tree, 1 Eldest Tree, 20 dice, 20 auto-successes added to Research the Laser Power
Research the Laser Power*: 28/100 8 voters, 1 Mind Tree, 1 Heart Tree, 1 Root Tree, 1 Elder Heart Tree, 1 Protective Tree, 1 Assault Tree, 1 Elder Mind Tree, 1 Research Tree, 19 dice. 10 successes, *1.3 * 2 + 20 auto-successes = 26 + 20 = 46, 74/100
Attempt to store resources against future need: 105.2. 9 voters, 5 Heart Trees, 4 Scavenging Trees, 30 dice. 19 successes, *1.7 *2, 64.6, 169.8.
Research Wormhole Drawing: 0/50. 5 voters, 4 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree, 13 dice. 6 successes, *1.3 *2, 15.6/50
Research Crystal Formation: 41.8/50. 5 voters, 4 Mind Trees, 1 Elder Mind Tree, 12 dice. 7 successes, *1.3 *2, 18.2, 60/50, 10 banked into ???, Crystal Formation unlocked
Research the Plasma Tree: 0/360. 3 voters, 2 Mind Trees, 1 Research Tree, 9 dice. 4 successes, *1.3 *2, = 10.4/360
Reach Out to the Research Base: Ask about Ingaba history, culture, politics. 0/5, 3 voters, 1 Mind Tree, 1 Elder Mind Tree, 1 Research Tree, 11 dice. 6 successes, *2, +1 auto-success from Soothing Tree. 13/5, success. Scene unlocked? Actual answers may never come.
Research the Stalwart Tree: 0/60, 2 voters, 1 Mind Tree, 1 Research Tree, 7 dice. 5 successes, *1.3 *2, +3 auto-successes. 16/60
Ask the Research base about the Wormhole: 0/5, 2 voters, 1 Communications Tree, 1 Research Tree, 7 dice. 7 successes, *2 = 14/5, scene unlocked
Move closer to the local star to improve the proximity bonus: distance, 11 LM. 2 voters 1 Heart Tree, 1 Elder Heart Tree, 6 dice, 5 successes, *1.1 *2, 10.4, Sun Proximity 2 reached, ~9.25 LM away from star.
Reach Out to the Research Base: Ask for the Comet's Path to be calculated: 0/5, 1 voter, 1 Communications Tree, 5 dice. 3 successes, *2, 6/5, success, action updated. X
Research the Hyper Tree: 58/100, 1 voter, 1 Mind Tree, 2 dice. 2 successes, *1.3 *2, 5.2, 63.2/100
Research Efficient Root Systems: 0/75, 1 voter, 1 Mind Tree, 2 dice. 1 success, *1.3 *2, 2.6/100
*-*-*-*
Patch Notes: Elder Hoop Tree has been nerfed. Instead of requiring 20 and 30 successes to unlock the +20% and +30% bonuses, it will now require 30 and 50 successes respectively.
*-*-*-*
*-*-*-*
A/N: *cracks knuckles* Welp, that took longer than I wanted. Sorry 'bout that - and sorry about not responding to the 'Is this dead?' question. The answer is 'no', by the by. Next update will be the start of Turn 09 - I'm excited. Are you excited?
I'll be pushing that update out before I get around to updating something else. Should be a few days.
