[X] Yes, become his apprentice right now.
Step one to finding a fluffy / floofy spirit friend.
Step one to finding a fluffy / floofy spirit friend.
Shadows of the Past
- Thread starter Azel
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Silently Watches
Professional Stalker
- Location
- Right behind you
[X] Yes, become his apprentice right now.
[X] Yes, become his apprentice right now.
Sounds like an excellent notion.
Sounds like an excellent notion.
- Location
- United States
Getting an ancient weapon has really jumped in priority, then. I'm also excited with learning more about "spirits" in general. I'm willing to bet anything that these things shouldn't be worshipped at all.
- Location
- Germany
Worship is a bit overstated. Your tribe appeases them with offerings, is wary of them and tends to blame a lot of bad or strange things on them, but nobody is praying to them for a good hunt, healthy children or the like.
Mostly because the spirits are at best capricious and at worst actively malicious in peoples minds. Drawing their attention any more then necessary is considered ill advised.
- Location
- United States
So basically we're dealing with things as whimsical as fey?
- Location
- Germany
You will get another shot at poking them soon enough. Just find it out.
Prologue 4: The Path to Wisdom
- Location
- Germany
It is with surprisingly little fanfare that you are officially made Mahuizohs apprentice two days later. Your parents consent is easily given, and your father is needling your mother quite a bit about how worried she was about you. She wasn't quite happy with the news that you would be traipsing around the jungle or might embarrass yourself in front of the tribe's shaman. The chieftain seems less happy with this arrangement, claiming that Atls accident is proof that Mahuizoh should better focus on a single apprentice and instruct him well instead of spreading his time on two. However, he seems to have complained quite a while about the lack of candidates to replace the old shaman and his arguments that teaching a spare one in case of other accidents would be wise quickly won the other elders over.
Now you wear a necklace made of leather string and three wooden beads. It looks the same as the one Atl wore when you've got to know him, but the significance of the carefully polished spheres of pleasant smelling wood was lost on you back then. You are now a shaman's apprentice for all to see, and as your knowledge about the world and the spirits grows, so too will new baubles be added to your necklace.
You would have nearly started to run around and brag to the other children with the sign of your success, but Mahuizoh was quite adamant that you shouldn't act like a hunter managing the grand dead of picking up his first sloth from the ground. Dignity and wisdom is what people will expect of you. Not to chatter on and on, but to be quiet and composed so that people will know the importance of what you have to say when you deign to do so now and then. You are somewhat dubious of that, given that your master isn't exactly known for his quietness, but you vow to at least try to adhere to these values. Sometimes. You will definitely brag to the villager children who always thought you boring for not having any adventures to tell them about.
The tribe breaks camp the next day and for the first time in your life, your are slightly sad to leave. Next year, you will come to this exact same spot again as you do every year, but you still can't help to look in the direction of the ruins. The thick jungle makes it impossible to see them from here, not even the tallest mansions, but in your mind's eye, you can still see them clearly. And all the wondrous things that they might hide. It worked out quite well for you to not give into your impulse to run off and explore, but that doesn't mean that you have abandoned the notion. In a year, you will make up for the lost time.
For now though, you march. Not hauling spare pig skins and and tents, but instead... clay jars and parts of a tent. You guess a marching tribe pays little mind to who you are, as long as you are loaded down with something. At least you have something to look forward to in the breaks, since Mahuizoh thinks that unless you are sleeping, you are better doing something useful with your time and complaining about sore feet isn't useful. It's far less rushed than on your first trip together, but the way is much longer too and you doubt that the lessons will get any less intense when you settle down again.
What does Mahuizoh teach you over the next two years?
Pick 2 main topics:
[] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[] [Main] Spirit Lore
[] [Main] Social Skills
While he is a harsh task master, you still have some time for other things. You can help other members of the tribe for a while in exchange for them teaching you some of their skills or you could devote some time to "frivolous" activities as Mahuizoh calls them.
Pick 3 secondary activities:
[] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[] [Secondary] Learn archery.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to evade an attack.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to track animals.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
[] [Secondary] Learn something else: Write-In
[] [Secondary] Explore the ruins when you tribe is in the area again.
[] [Secondary] Explore the jungle.
[] [Secondary] Attend the offerings to the spirits.
[] [Secondary] Do something different: Write-In
AN: Your apprenticeship is divided into 2 year chunks for which you can choose what to focus on. Since you started early, you get 4 turns instead of only 3.
Main actions teach multiple skills, while all the secondaries train only a single one, but they are locked into what Mahuizoh can teach you. He would greatly prefer if you take every branch of study he offers at least twice over the course of your apprenticeship, but he won't push the issue.
Next up is a small time-skip and then the yearly visit of your tribe to the nearby farmer villager, which will be your opportunity to see how other people live or try to learn a bit more about the world around you from the traders.
Statsheet and a short introduction into the mechanics coming in a bit.
Now you wear a necklace made of leather string and three wooden beads. It looks the same as the one Atl wore when you've got to know him, but the significance of the carefully polished spheres of pleasant smelling wood was lost on you back then. You are now a shaman's apprentice for all to see, and as your knowledge about the world and the spirits grows, so too will new baubles be added to your necklace.
You would have nearly started to run around and brag to the other children with the sign of your success, but Mahuizoh was quite adamant that you shouldn't act like a hunter managing the grand dead of picking up his first sloth from the ground. Dignity and wisdom is what people will expect of you. Not to chatter on and on, but to be quiet and composed so that people will know the importance of what you have to say when you deign to do so now and then. You are somewhat dubious of that, given that your master isn't exactly known for his quietness, but you vow to at least try to adhere to these values. Sometimes. You will definitely brag to the villager children who always thought you boring for not having any adventures to tell them about.
The tribe breaks camp the next day and for the first time in your life, your are slightly sad to leave. Next year, you will come to this exact same spot again as you do every year, but you still can't help to look in the direction of the ruins. The thick jungle makes it impossible to see them from here, not even the tallest mansions, but in your mind's eye, you can still see them clearly. And all the wondrous things that they might hide. It worked out quite well for you to not give into your impulse to run off and explore, but that doesn't mean that you have abandoned the notion. In a year, you will make up for the lost time.
For now though, you march. Not hauling spare pig skins and and tents, but instead... clay jars and parts of a tent. You guess a marching tribe pays little mind to who you are, as long as you are loaded down with something. At least you have something to look forward to in the breaks, since Mahuizoh thinks that unless you are sleeping, you are better doing something useful with your time and complaining about sore feet isn't useful. It's far less rushed than on your first trip together, but the way is much longer too and you doubt that the lessons will get any less intense when you settle down again.
What does Mahuizoh teach you over the next two years?
Pick 2 main topics:
[] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[] [Main] Spirit Lore
[] [Main] Social Skills
While he is a harsh task master, you still have some time for other things. You can help other members of the tribe for a while in exchange for them teaching you some of their skills or you could devote some time to "frivolous" activities as Mahuizoh calls them.
Pick 3 secondary activities:
[] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[] [Secondary] Learn archery.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to evade an attack.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to track animals.
[] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
[] [Secondary] Learn something else: Write-In
[] [Secondary] Explore the ruins when you tribe is in the area again.
[] [Secondary] Explore the jungle.
[] [Secondary] Attend the offerings to the spirits.
[] [Secondary] Do something different: Write-In
AN: Your apprenticeship is divided into 2 year chunks for which you can choose what to focus on. Since you started early, you get 4 turns instead of only 3.
Main actions teach multiple skills, while all the secondaries train only a single one, but they are locked into what Mahuizoh can teach you. He would greatly prefer if you take every branch of study he offers at least twice over the course of your apprenticeship, but he won't push the issue.
Next up is a small time-skip and then the yearly visit of your tribe to the nearby farmer villager, which will be your opportunity to see how other people live or try to learn a bit more about the world around you from the traders.
Statsheet and a short introduction into the mechanics coming in a bit.
- Location
- United States
[X] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
@Azel, just double-checking, but we can only pick three options from all of these? Learning actions and exploring actions are lumped together?
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
@Azel, just double-checking, but we can only pick three options from all of these? Learning actions and exploring actions are lumped together?
But yeah, as much as I want to explore, jungle survival, fighting, and stealth training are vital to have before we ever go on adventures.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[X] [Main] Social Skills
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to evade an attack.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Main] Social Skills
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to evade an attack.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
- Location
- Germany
Yep. The exploration options don't mean a single trip on a single day, but regular excursions.
You can assume that you will spend roughly 10 months of work for every Main action and a bit over 1 month for every secondary. Trips are not "wasted" time though, since you will gain benefits from those too, but they are a bit more diffuse and undirected then what dedicated study gives you.
Mechanics and Charsheet are up. Keep in mind that you are still a child. The physical - mental gap comes from the rather harsh lifestyle of a hunter tribe.
Your attributes will rise too, depending on the actions taken.
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
[X] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
I want to do exploration... but later, once it's 'relatively' safe. So... Yeah, this. The two most essential parts of being a Shaman, and then learning basic self-defence, as well as learning how to explore the jungle as safely as we can.
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
I want to do exploration... but later, once it's 'relatively' safe. So... Yeah, this. The two most essential parts of being a Shaman, and then learning basic self-defence, as well as learning how to explore the jungle as safely as we can.
- Location
- United States
Right now it's also a trap to go wandering through the jungles and ruins before we've even begun the necessary survival training.
I can see it now.
"Bad roll, you get lost and starve. You never learned any jungle survival skills."
"You were too loud and got noticed by an angry spirit. A shame you never learned to move silently."
etc. Also, as a ten-year-old two years from now presumably we'll enjoy the benefits of better stats when we go exploring.
- Location
- Germany
Nobody would be stupid enough to let you go entirely on your own into the jungle, let alone ruins. Even seasoned hunters never go out without at least one more person if they can avoid it.
ConfusedPotato
Unverified Verifier
- Location
- Australia
[X] [Main] Healing and Plant Lore
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
[X] [Main] Spirit Lore
[X] [Secondary] Learn to fight with a knife.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to survive in the jungle.
[X] [Secondary] Learn how to move silently.
- Location
- United States
Sure, we wouldn't be going alone, but we've already had it demonstrated—a bad roll can lead to bad luck or utterly moronic decisions ("that smells tasty!").
We roll poorly and get lost or go on our own somewhere and we are screwed unless we have at least a basic knowledge on what to do. Loot from dungeon delving would be nice, but I'll be damned if we don't even make it out of childhood.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So honestly with main there is no wrong choice, I mostly voted for social because the earlier we're social the more friends we'll likely develop, though Spirit Lore is great as well. I do think focusing on Healing and Plant lore is one of the best ideas through our entire apprenticeship.
Though why are we so focused on learning how to fight already? Its better to avoid combat for now and thus dodge is a better option. As a Shaman beating things up should be our last solution, hiding and evading things should be our go to, followed by talking our way out, and only resorting to violence when all else fails.
Though why are we so focused on learning how to fight already? Its better to avoid combat for now and thus dodge is a better option. As a Shaman beating things up should be our last solution, hiding and evading things should be our go to, followed by talking our way out, and only resorting to violence when all else fails.
- Location
- Queensland, Australia
For me, it's because it's the knife we're learning. Gives us a chance at surviving those things that can't be avoided, and we're almost always going to have a knife on us. If only because it'll be one of our tools for harvesting herbs.
That said, I'm definitely going to be voting for evasion next time.
That said, I'm definitely going to be voting for evasion next time.