[X] "You've given me a lot to think about."
[X] "Does Teryn know what you've told me about his history with you and how you feel about him?"
-[X] "Also, did you know that Teryn's got a girlfriend living with him now?"
(Jana is lying, but after this arc, I can't believe Jana and Bellona don't harass and tease each other, and this seems like exactly the sort of thing Jana would try to pull.)
[X] "Is there any way to become a 'super-strong demigod' or something like it without becoming a Chosen? And also not going crazy nor evil too."
I guess it all depends on what Jana's stress reaction is, what her coping mechanisms are. Some people, when made unsure and uneasy, as FG's talk did, would lash out with mildly transgressive humor, but I'm not certain whether this is Jana. That's what she's like when she's feeling confident, certainly, but I'm not sure about her stress reaction. If you know more for certain, I could update my vote to be more consistent with established characterization.
I'm not certain whether this is Jana. That's what she's like when she's feeling confident, certainly, but I'm not sure about her stress reaction. If you know more for certain, I could update my vote to be more consistent with established characterization.
Earlier, I mentioned that Jana had a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Bellona. And you may be wondering about that, since Elys thinks of Belle as her big sister and I've been keen to emphasize that Elys' and Jana's sisterly relationship means that they'll never be romantically involved with each other. (Sorry, shippers, if you exist!) Well, Elys has kind of a sisterly relationship with Belle, but Jana doesn't. From Jana's POV, Bellona is a mysterious and exotically beautiful woman who just happened to live in the same castle where she was brought up and very occasionally came down for mealtimes.
Kinda like Sigmund Freud and his weird relationship with his mother. Sigmund Freud was born into a rich family and was basically raised by his wetnurse. He didn't see his birth mother very often and therefore didn't have a normal son-mother relationship with her. From his perspective, she was an attractive older woman who he saw occasionally and who treated him very nicely. Because he started to have confused romantic feelings for her (which, as far as I know, he never acted on) and because he was the father of psychoanalysis, he assumed that everybody else was the same as him: he assumed that all little boys grew up wanting to marry their mothers. That's where his idea of the 'Oedipus complex' came from. (Of course, I could be wrong about some or all of that. I'm only going by what I've read. I didn't know Freud personally.)
Jana and Bellona aren't blood relatives, so it's not as weird, but still...
I guess it all depends on what Jana's stress reaction is, what her coping mechanisms are. Some people, when made unsure and uneasy, as FG's talk did, would lash out with mildly transgressive humor, but I'm not certain whether this is Jana. That's what she's like when she's feeling confident, certainly, but I'm not sure about her stress reaction. If you know more for certain, I could update my vote to be more consistent with established characterization.
Is it in-character for Jana to troll Bellona like that? Hey, I don't know. You decide!
Hmm. Would anyone else like to vote? I'm going to try to update sometime over the next few days.
Here's the vote tally so far:
(EDIT: If the people voting for Jana to visit one of the other temples were united in which god they wanted her to petition, they'd have won this vote.)
Adhoc vote count started by Chandagnac on Jun 1, 2018 at 5:22 AM, finished with 24 posts and 11 votes.
[X] "Is there any way to become a 'super-strong demigod' or something like it without becoming a Chosen? And also not going crazy nor evil too."
[X] "Does Teryn know what you've told me about his history with you and how you feel about him?"
-[X] "Also, did you know that Teryn's got a girlfriend living with him now?"
From my understanding a lot of Freud's theories were just BS he made up to help abusive husbands, fathers and brothers get away with raping their wives, sisters and daughter, by claiming the trauma the women and girls suffered and PTSD was just "Hysteria" and that women were actually attracted to their fathers and obsessed with male genitals ETC. He's a quack and a crook as far as I am aware.
Very informative on Jana though, that makes sense.
From my understanding a lot of Freud's theories were just BS he made up to help abusive husbands, fathers and brothers get away with raping their wives, sisters and daughter, by claiming the trauma the women and girls suffered and PTSD was just "Hysteria" and that women were actually attracted to their fathers and obsessed with male genitals ETC. He's a quake and a crook as far as I am aware.
Changing the subject, the Forgotten God said, 'Do you still want to be Chosen? When you leave here, will you go to another god and ask them to be your patron? If so, tell them that I'll owe them a favour. That might help to persuade them. If not… ah, just because you're not divinely empowered doesn't mean you have to be useless. Play to your strengths, hone your skills while you can, learn some useful spells, maybe get Gareth or Yslena or one of their friends to train you in their specializations… I'm sure you'll find ways to protect your sister from harm even if you're not as powerful as she is. Often, being in the right place at the right time is more important than being a super-strong demigod.'
'All right, thanks for the help,' I said. 'You've given me a lot to think about.'
The Forgotten God inclined his head. Or, at least, the vague shadowy outline of his hood. 'I hope that this discussion has indeed been beneficial to you.'
It was time for me to go. But first, I had some questions. 'Does Teryn know?'
'Does he know what?'
I took a deep breath. 'Does he know what you've told me about your history with him, what you did to his tribe, and how you feel about him now?'
'He is aware. Of many things.' His faint silhouette seemed to flicker and shake. 'I suppose I was fortunate that, in the early days, Teryn saw himself as a god of mercy and forgiveness. That is the ideal he strived to live up to.'
'Didn't he succeed?'
'He changed his mind. Found himself other goals to strive towards.'
Mischievously, I grinned and said, 'Also, did you know that Teryn's got a girlfriend living with him now?'
'You mean that new Chosen of his? I don't think she's his girlfriend. As far as I know, their relationship is entirely platonic.' He gave an almost imperceptible shrug. 'But even if I'm wrong about that, it's none of my business. They're both adults, even if Teryn occasionally acts like a sulky teenager. What they choose to do in private is of no concern of mine if they're not hurting anyone.'
'What if they are hurting each other? I mean, whips and chains and so on. What if that's what gets them hot and bothered?'
The Forgotten God gave an exasperated sigh. 'Ugh. How old are you?'
I didn't reply, except that I let my grin spread across my face.
'I think it's time I sent you back,' he said.
'Wait! Just one more question,' I pleaded. 'A serious question, I promise. 'Is there any way to become "a super-strong demigod" – or something like that – without being Chosen? And that don't involve going crazy or evil either?'
'Well… the most powerful wizards are almost like gods. With their mastery of magic, they gain tremendous power over their own bodies and the world around them. Alternatively, you could become a witch; as witches accumulate power, they eventually reach a level equivalent to that of the Chosen. I remember Teryn's sister, Morlanna, became a very powerful witch.' He paused. 'I can think of a few other methods, but none that fit your specifications. They all involve a substantial risk of being tainted with madness or evil. I don't think you'd want to become the wielder of the Blood Sword, for example.'
'I've heard stories about that. As I recall, even when Gwygaun was wielding the Blood Sword, he and his brother Gwydur were evenly matched,' I pointed out. 'That doesn't sound like it was much of a power-up.'
'Because of Vistander's meddling, I'm sure,' the Forgotten God said sourly. 'If not for that, Gwygaun would have been unbeatable.'
'Under the circumstances, it was probably a good thing that Vistander meddled, then. Otherwise, while he was possessed by the evil of the Blood Sword, Gwygaun might have killed a lot more people.'
'I suspect that Vistander set up the entire situation just to punish Gwydur for his misdeeds. Before that, the Blood Sword was safely locked away and not in a position to harm anyone.'
'Gah! Vistander really is a complete and utter knob, isn't he?' I spluttered. 'How'd he ever become the greater god of justice and wisdom? And, more importantly, how's he managed to keep hold of his position?'
'I couldn't possibly comment,' the Forgotten God said drily. 'Do you have any more questions?'
'No, I'm ready to go,' I said. 'Thanks again.'
'I wish you good luck in your future endeavours. Farewell.'
Darkness closed around me. For a few moments, I felt as if I were floating. Then, I found myself sitting on hard, solid wood, with my head resting against something soft. Amber was sitting next to me. She had her arm around me, making sure my body didn't fall on the floor while my consciousness was elsewhere. And… well, even though my bum was starting to ache, I was quite comfortable in this position, so I decided to stay there and not open my eyes for a while.
'I know you're awake,' Amber said crossly. 'I can tell by the way you've stopped snoring and drooling.' She let go of me. 'Did you get what we came here for?'
I sat up with a start. 'No,' I admitted. 'The Forgotten God doesn't need a Chosen One.'
She stood up. I noticed a dark blotch where my drool had soaked into her robes. 'Shall we move on?' she asked. 'Would you like to try one of the other temples?'
I thought about it. Maybe one of the other gods had need of a Chosen One? Mawroth, Lissa, and Ekku the Signifying Monkey seemed likely candidates. Mawroth the crow god had a reputation for being jovial and good-humoured, if bloodthirsty, and I'd heard that he already had two Chosen who'd reached legendary status and it didn't seem like he asked them to do very much, so maybe he'd agree to make me his Chosen just because he thought it'd be entertaining? Lissa was supposed to be a truly benevolent goddess and a protector of children, even if according to some of the legends she had a darker side. Nerya Fair-hair was once her Chosen. If I had to serve a god or goddess to gain the power I wanted, she was one I wouldn't mind serving. And Ekku the Signifying Monkey seemed like the kind of god who'd Choose someone just because he thought it'd be funny. But… my conversation with the Forgotten God had put me off entirely. I didn't want to be Chosen anymore. I didn't like the idea of being a tool of anyone or anything.
Yeah, I'm Elys's handmaid, which is kinda like being her servant, so maybe you think I'd be used to that sort of treatment? But it's not like that! Elys certainly doesn't treat me like I'm her servant.
'Nah, I think I'll go home,' I said. 'Thank you for bringing me here. Couldn't have asked for a better guide.'
'Given up, have you?' she asked, smiling amusedly.
'I guess so. The Forgotten God persuaded me out of it.'
'Let's go, then.'
We set off. Along the way, we visited the local soup kitchen and I dropped a few shards into their collection box. After that, I was glad to get out of the Sprawl. I felt sorry for the people who had to live there, and maybe I understood them a bit better because of what Sir Moridan had said, but it was still a scary, unpleasant place. I breathed a little easier when I'd gone past the gate. And not just because of the foul stench I'd left behind.
From there, it wasn't long before we got back to the House of Cunning Women. Outside the main door, Amber stopped and turned to me with a lopsided smile. 'I guess this is goodbye,' she said, wrapping her arms around me, hugging me.
I hugged her back, whispering in her ear, 'Hey, Amber, how about in a few years when I'm rolling in loot and fame, I drop by and take you out to dinner?'
'Oh, so you're asking me out after all?' she said, letting go of me. As she stepped away, I had to let go as well or else I'd be dragged along with her. 'Hmm. I won't say no. When we're both adults, a four-year age gap won't mean hardly anything. But don't expect me to wait for you. I'm not going to put my life on hold for you or anyone else. If I meet and fall in love with someone, I'm gonna be with that person and probably forget all about you. And I expect you to do the same. If you find someone you want to be with – someone your own age, someone cute and funny – I expect you to go for it wholeheartedly. Don't hold back because of some silly idea about being faithful to me. Enjoy life while you can. And then… in years to come, when we're both adults, if we meet up and we're both single, I'm sure I'd love to go out with you, Jana. Especially if you'll be paying for the meal.' She smirked. 'I rarely turn down free food.'
'I'll hold you to that,' I said.
She shook her head. 'No, that's what I just told you not to do. Don't spend your life waiting for me.'
I heaved a sigh. 'Four years is a long time.'
'Let's make it six, just to be on the safe side,' she said teasingly. 'Seriously, though, I bet you'll have forgotten about me by the end of next week. When I was your age, I was falling in or out of love pretty much all the time. You'll get over it.'
'I won't forget you, Amber,' I promised.
'We'll see,' she said. 'Goodbye, Jana.'
'Goodbye, Amber.'
After that, it didn't seem like there was much else I could do but go home. I walked back to Mishrak's temple by the waterfront and through the portal which took me back to the palace under the sea. I looked around for Elys and Catharne, but either they still had flying lessons or they'd moved on to something else. They weren't anywhere around.
I went to see Gareth instead. He was sitting in a big armchair in his room, reading a book. He was still pale and emaciated, but other than that he looked livelier than he had since that Aspiti mercenary nearly killed him. Also, probably because of Mishrak's forceful healing magic, I thought he looked a little younger than he had before. His wrinkles had softened and his hair was darker. Hey, maybe Mishrak's temples should offer rejuvenating beauty treatment to rich nobles? I'm sure some of them would pay a lot of money to look a few years younger. Maybe I'll suggest it to him.
'Hi, Dad,' I said.
He blinked. 'It always surprises me when you call me that, Jana,' he said. 'I'm fairly sure I killed your biological father.'
'I don't care about some lunatic cult leader who'd probably have sacrificed me to the Sea Ghouls,' I said dismissively. 'You're my daddy. What are you reading?'
He raised the book so that I could see the title etched into its spine: Stories of King Entar and His Knights. 'I'll lend it to you when I've finished.'
'Or you could just read it to me. We could gather around the fire like we used to – me, Elys, and Catharne – and you could tell us stories like you used to. Why don't we do that anymore?'
'I believe we stopped when Catharne could no longer fit through an average-sized doorway,' said Gareth. 'Besides, you and Elys are getting bigger and older all the time. And you're both good readers. I didn't think you'd want to be treated like little girls anymore.'
'I know, I could pick up a book and read to myself if I wanted, but sometimes it's nice to do it together as a family. You know?'
'Maybe when I get my strength back,' he said. 'Right now, I don't think I'd get very far. I'd probably nod off halfway through.'
'Also, I want you to train me,' I said. 'I want to learn to be a warrior like you, so I can support Elys like you do Yslena.'
His eyes widened slightly. 'All right… what exactly do you think I can teach you?' He paused, looking thoughtful. 'I'll spar with you when I'm back on my feet, but there are others who could teach you how to fight better than I could. Stealth and wilderness survival, maybe? Or… well, I don't intend to let the Aspitis keep hold of Ismar for very long. One day, I hope to pass it on to Elys. When she's queen, she'll need someone to help her with the day-to-day running of her kingdom. I know you want to help her, so… I'll teach you to be a leader, manager, and administrator. As much as I can.' He gave a faint smile. 'You'll be sick of paperwork by the time we're finished.'
'Sounds great,' I said, trying to put on a brave face, though I felt slightly sickened. 'When do we start?'
That's the end of Jana's first-person viewpoint, for the time being. I really enjoy writing her cheeky, breezy, happy-go-lucky style of narration, so I'm sure we'll get back to her sooner or later.
Because she's getting old, Yslena is going to start taking Ageing Penalties (-1 to Agility and Durability, for now). However, even though he's about the same age as her, Gareth won't start taking penalties for it yet. That's a side-effect of Mishrak's high-powered healing magic.
I want to have an interlude before I start the next story arc, so I'm not going to open the next round of voting just yet. However, please take a look at these options and think about what you'd like to do next (and if there's anything you'd like to do that isn't on the list, please tell me):
What happened next? (Choose one)
[] Elys had a bad dream. (Note: this event will involve the return of an old enemy.)
[] Jana asked Mishrak to give her magical enhancements on par with those he gave Elys.
[] Jana went through the portal to Truinon and walked around the city, visiting all the temples, searching for a god who would grant her the strength, speed, and toughness she would need to be an effective bodyguard for Elys. (Note: this is a Jana-centric storyline.)
[] Elys tried to find out more about Samaya.
-[] She asked Samaya some questions. (Write in: what questions?)
[] Elys started to explore the island of Embalaine.
-[] She went looking for that 'village of demons' which Samaya mentioned.
[] Yslena started recruiting allies to fight against Aspitolm.
-[] She visited Norrange to tell them what had happened.
-[] She went to Truinon and told King Marc that the Aspitis had conquered Ismar and would probably use it as a stepping stone in their planned invasion of Rivayne.
-[] She visited the elected rulers of Besigny.
-[] She visited the Count of Borthea.
-[] She visited the elected rulers of Epiny.
-[] She went to Veraciens and asked to speak to the King of Taronia.
-[] She visited Aspiny, a province of the Sambian Empire.
-[] She searched for her old friend, Hrolmar the Wolf, among the tribes of the Wranni.
-[] She summoned Teryn the god of necromancy (and Bellona with him).
-[] She tried to track down her old adventuring companion, the fire mage Artaxas Quin.
-[] She asked Flawse to speak to some of his old pirate buddies.
--[] In particular, he should speak to his former first mate, Tomasz Begg (AKA "Strong Tom"), now Captain of The Hippocampus.
Because she's getting old, Yslena is going to start taking Ageing Penalties (-1 to Agility and Durability, for now). However, even though he's about the same age as her, Gareth won't start taking penalties for it yet. That's a side-effect of Mishrak's high-powered healing magic
[x] Yslena started recruiting allies to fight against Aspitolm.
-[x] She went to Truinon and told King Marc that the Aspitis had conquered Ismar and would probably use it as a stepping stone in their planned invasion of Rivayne.
[x] Yslena started recruiting allies to fight against Aspitolm.
-[x] She went to Truinon and told King Marc that the Aspitis had conquered Ismar and would probably use it as a stepping stone in their planned invasion of Rivayne.
maybe Mishrak's temples should offer rejuvenating beauty treatment to rich nobles? I'm sure some of them would pay a lot of money to look a few years longer? Maybe I'll suggest it to him.
That seems incredibly clever. Mishrak wants gold, right? There's some rate of magic usage over time that doesn't permanently weaken him, so, if he has spare magic he can make more gold by offering cosmetic healing for sale. That would also improve his standing among humans that only see him as the god of sea monsters.
Even aside from the money, which might not be all that much given the amount he gets from ships sinking, the political benefit might make it worthwhile.
[X] Yslena started recruiting allies to fight against Aspitolm.
-[X] She went to Truinon and told King Marc that the Aspitis had conquered Ismar and would probably use it as a stepping stone in their planned invasion of Rivayne.
That seems incredibly clever. Mishrak wants gold, right? There's some rate of magic usage over time that doesn't permanently weaken him, so, if he has spare magic he can make more gold by offering cosmetic healing for sale. That would also improve his standing among humans that only see him as the god of sea monsters.
Even aside from the money, which might not be all that much given the amount he gets from ships sinking, the political benefit might make it worthwhile.
I think Mishrak would benefit a lot from expanding his domain and becoming a god of biology in general. Not necessarily of life itself, so much as the study and understanding of organic creatures. He's clearly skilled with medicine and this domain is significantly more friendly and relevant to humanity.
..Gah, have been kinda off SV for a while so I forgot to vote three times in a row.
[X] Yslena started recruiting allies to fight against Aspitolm.
-[X] She went to Truinon and told King Marc that the Aspitis had conquered Ismar and would probably use it as a stepping stone in their planned invasion of Rivayne.
I think you're joking, but... there are some major downsides to this kind of magical healing. It burned through Gareth's body fat reserves and weakened him to the extent that it's taking him several months to recover.
Gareth wasn't being entirely serious. He was making the point that the training he can give Jana (especially while he's recovering from a serious injury/forceful healing that was nearly as bad as the injury) won't be especially glamorous. On the other hand, as Elys's closest companion, Jana will need to know at least a little bit about paperwork. Even if they abandon the idea of Elys being the next queen of Ismar and instead become globetrotting adventurers, sooner or later they'll have to look at a contract and decide whether they should sign or not.)
To an extent. Mishrak likes to surround himself with pretty, shiny things (in that respect, he's like most dragons in this setting). Other than that, he doesn't really care about gold. He's already got more gold and treasure than he could ever realistically spend.
I think Mishrak would benefit a lot from expanding his domain and becoming a god of biology in general. Not necessarily of life itself, so much as the study and understanding of organic creatures. He's clearly skilled with medicine and this domain is significantly more friendly and relevant to humanity.
Hmm. It's a possibility. I suspect that one of the things that will happen as a result of the current war with Aspitolm is that Mishrak will reposition himself in the pantheon of greater gods.
You don't need to vote at this point. I haven't opened the vote yet: I just asked you to think about what you want to do next.
On a related note, it's going to be a while before I get around to finishing writing the interlude I want to post before I start off the next story arc. But I want to post something to fill the gap. How about I post Jana's character sheet and ask you to level her up (with some bonuses from her training with Gareth)?
I think you're joking, but... there are some major downsides to this kind of magical healing. It burned through Gareth's body fat reserves and weakened him to the extent that it's taking him several months to recover.
Yeah, this looks like it'd be real popular with the middle aged population. Enough money to burn, just starting to really lose that youthful vigor, and enough of a belt to provide some extra mass.
This wouldn't be a total body makeover, but some fast to muscle, strengthening some tendons, and cleaning up faces would be plenty.
On a related note, it's going to be a while before I get around to finishing writing the interlude I want to post before I start off the next story arc. But I want to post something to fill the gap. How about I post Jana's character sheet and ask you to level her up (with some bonuses from her training with Gareth)?
Total Hit Points (HP): Durability x4 + Rank = 10
Current Hit Points (HP): 10/10
Defence: Agility + Durability + Rank + Dodge = 8
Initiative: 2d6+Agility = 2d6+3
SKILLS
(Based on Agility)
Acrobatics 1
Close Combat 3
Ride 1
- Dragonling
Stealth 3
Thieving 3
(Based on Charisma)
Social Skills 2
(Based on Insight)
Awareness 2
Literacy 1
(Based on Magic)
Ritual Magic 3
(Based on Strength)
Climbing 1
SPELLS:
1. Summon Weapon: Jana can summon a weapon she has previously marked with a special rune. The difficulty of casting this spell depends on the size and weight of the weapon (i.e. to summon a small dagger, she'd need to roll 11 or more on a Ritual Magic check, to summon a longsword she'd need to roll 13 or more, and so on.)
TRAITS
Dodge 1 – increase Defence by 1.
Mild Thalassophobia – since she was nearly drowned by an evil sea spirit, Jana has a mild phobia of the ocean and other large bodies of water. She suffers a -1 penalty to all checks while she's in or sailing on the sea.
Resilience I
*Gain bonus HP equal to your Rank.
EQUIPMENT
Cold Iron Dagger +3
- Weapon Familiarity: Jana gets +1 to attempts to summon this Cold Iron Dagger to her.
(She's fairly average, to begin with.)
In my next post, I'm going to reply to reader comments and try out a new, simplified system for levelling up. I'm posting this separately so it'll be easier to refer to later on. Apologies in advance for the double post.
However, the side-effects of the healing spell were rather more dangerous and damaging than you'd want with a diet. Gareth would almost certainly have died if he'd fallen ill during the months while he was recovering from being healed. His friends and family had to keep a very close eye on him.
Yeah, this looks like it'd be real popular with the middle aged population. Enough money to burn, just starting to really lose that youthful vigor, and enough of a belt to provide some extra mass.
This wouldn't be a total body makeover, but some fast to muscle, strengthening some tendons, and cleaning up faces would be plenty.
Hmm. Mishrak's healing spells probably won't do as much damage if he's not trying to heal a mortal wound; if he's only trying to alleviate the effects of old age, the side-effects will be much gentler. Also, as he gets more experience of using his spells on humans, he'll get better at it. He'll have a better idea of what he needs to do and how much the human body can take, so he'll be able to increase the amount of benefit they get from it while reducing the amount of damage.
Still, if he's going to be healing wealthy nobles, Mishrak might want to have a team of lawyers on standby for when someone complains about the side-effects. Litigation is a thing even in this pseudo-medieval world.
I'm going to try to simplify things. Instead of giving you all the vote options and making you do all the maths, I'm going to ask you to choose several things you want Jana to improve. Let's say five options, yeah? Use a point system to show which of these options you think are most important. Assign five points to the one you think is most important, four points to the next most important, three points to the next most important, and so on, down to zero.
For example, let's say you want to improve Jana's Agility, Stealth, Thieving, Dodge, and Close Combat skill. You'd vote for them and assign points to them like this:
[5] Agility
[4] Stealth
[3] Thieving
[2] Dodge
[1] Close Combat
Of course, this means that the vote counter is gonna be useless for this, so I'm going to have to count up the points by hand. Yay.
These are lists of Jana's skills and abilities (etc) she can improve: 1. Abilities:
Agility 2, Charisma 2, Durability 2, Insight 2, Magic 2, Strength 2, Willpower 2
2. Skills:
Acrobatics 1, Close Combat 2, Ride 1, Stealth 2, Thieving 2, Social Skills 2, Awareness 2, Literacy 1, Ritual Magic 2, Climbing 1
3. Traits:
Dodge 1, Resilience 1
4. And these are some new skills and traits she can learn from Gareth:
Leadership, Hunting, Knowledge, Ranged Combat, Tracking, Swimming, Backstab, Chutzpah, Improved Initiative, Silver Tongue, Weapon Mastery
What do you want Jana to improve? What new skills/traits do you think she should gain? How do you want her to progress in future? Choose five options from the above lists and rank them in order of priority like I've shown you in the example.
Ritual Magic is a natural pick, considering how flexible it is. It's going to have utility in any given field, so long as we have time to prepare it. Stealth is useful both on the battlefield and off, so it's also a high priority. Thieving is a natural component of a rogue's build, as is Backstab. And Dodge to not die in a fight.
At this point, I think getting Agility might be just as good as getting Agility skills, since Agility seems to be one of the stats with most skills, and since Jana sucks at combat, Close Combat is probably better than Backstab at this point.
Since she doesn't have any points in Thievery, I also think that should be a fairly high priority. Also, while Ritual Magic is nice, pretty much everyone than Elys knows (Gareth, Yslena, herself, Bellona, Mishrak) have high ranks in it, so since Jana is supposed to be a bodyguard I think Awareness would be more useful since Jana's likely not going to surpass any of the mages that Elys knows.
..Actually, maybe Jana should try to study magic instead? According to Mishraak, the non-Chosen way of becoming a super-strongdemi-god is either being a wizard or being a witch, both of which probably require magic (ritual magic is probably useful for a witch, at least). So, assuming becoming as powerful as Elys is Jana's goal, magic might be a better way to go, especially since Elys' demi-god boost doesn't apply to Magic.
In this case, both Magic and Ritual magic are the most important attributes for Magic, while Illusions, Telepathy and Telekinesis all fit Jana (Illusions for tricking people and sneaking around, Telepathy for stealthily communicating with people and Telekinesis for snatching keys while imprisoned and stuff like that).
