SoothingCoffee
Umumumu
- Location
- The Library
[X] Investigate the migrating earth spirits. Together you can try to tease out the source of their agitation, and save the cartographers some work.
Threads Of Destiny(Eastern Fantasy, Sequel to Forge of Destiny)
- Thread starter yrsillar
- Start date
- Original Users' Choice!
Voted best in category in the Users' Choice awards.
- Location
- The Maple Syrup Mountains
[X] Investigate the migrating earth spirits. Together you can try to tease out the source of their agitation, and save the cartographers some work.
- Location
- ?
[X] Investigate the migrating earth spirits. Together you can try to tease out the source of their agitation, and save the cartographers some work.
[] Exterminate the worms. Though there were some third realm specimens, it is something that you are sure can be handled easily.
[] Seek to quell and disperse the malicious spirits gathering at the Old Watch, and find what is causing the quelled spirits to rise again.
[] Exterminate the worms. Though there were some third realm specimens, it is something that you are sure can be handled easily.
[] Seek to quell and disperse the malicious spirits gathering at the Old Watch, and find what is causing the quelled spirits to rise again.
- Location
- Staring into the void
Inserted tally
DeusExBritannia
Red-White-Black-White
- Location
- Texas
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
You know Yrs, always railroading us into our hearts desire.
- Location
- The United States
- Pronouns
- He/They
There's a chance that there's a certain "weight" of thematic needed before the bonus becomes enumerated mechanically.
Hell, we could be seeing some benefit from FVM right there, it's a Perseverance Art, and we just picked an Insight that's more or less exactly "I Shall Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night".including writing quality imbo
- Location
- United States
[X] Investigate the migrating earth spirits. Together you can try to tease out the source of their agitation, and save the cartographers some work.
I'm pretty sure the perception bonuses come from AM and the spiritual avoid and armor bonuses and the resistance to immobility and helplessness are from FSS and FVM.
We definitely didn't get all that stuff from AM
The Day a Life was Changed
- Location
- The Star Kingdom of Manticore
The day a Life was Changed
***
Ling Lian shifted uncomfortably as the heat of the summer sun beat down on him. He had already waited for an hour in this suffocating heat and he didn't want to wait for another hour. He had thought about playing the flute that hung around his neck to pass the time but he wanted to be ready. As he started to ponder how great an iced drink would taste the ancient doors in front of him opened. Before the groaning and creaking had subsided Ling Lian had dashed into the shadowed hall. All that remained in the small entrance way to the Maze of Dreams was the wind. Slowly the ancient doors closed, the formations etched on the ancient wood flashing a deep emerald color as they sealed themselves for another year.
As Ling Lian dashed through the dusty and empty hallway he could still feel his wizened instructor's breath as he informed Ling Lian of the Trial of Dreams.
"You will only be permitted to explore the first level. You are only… only mid red after all. There will be prizes seeded by your elders. Various arts, pills, books, and even talismans will be hidden in the maze. There will be various artificial challenges to guard the prizes. However… however the rich qi attracts various spirits and beasts. While the first level of the maze is regularly culled of the more dangerous inhabitants there will still be… still be dangers not controlled by the elders. Death is possible. Be prepared. Other members of the Ling family will also be participating. The maze though is enormous and… and evershifting. It is unlikely you will meet your cousins. If you do however, know that fighting of any kind will be harshly punished. Greet them and then move on."
A shimmer in the corner of his eye brought Ling Lian out of his thoughts. Slowly Ling Lian turned to face what he had briefly saw. He stood in front of a blank wall. It was hard to see in the shadows but he was confident that a dream bubble had drifted by him. Ling Lian hesitated before snapping his arms to either side of where he had seen the shimmer. His right arm barely touched something when a rainbow erupted from the empty space near his hand and swirled in a whirlpool around him. Ling Lian could feel his stomach trying to revolt as colors danced before him. As soon as the colors had appeared they flowed away from him, and Ling Lian could see he was no longer in a dusty and dimly lit hallway. Now he stood upon a great cliff that overlooked a river valley.
To the south he could see the famous Wall. To the north he could see the river join with an even greater river after it thundered down a waterfall. On the other side of the canyon there was a hut that seemed to glint in the sun. Ling Lian though did not move. He looked down and stared intently at the piece of paper that had found its way into his hand.
"Congratulations on finding this dream young seeker. There will be no enemies to fight here and the only goal is to reach the hut on the other side. Take care though, the river is quick and the rocks unstable. It will take all of your strength to reach the other side unharmed. There are two waterfalls in this dream. They are the boundary, going past either will be a failure. Good luck."
Once he had finished reading the letter it dissolved into motes of multicolored light. With a grin Ling Lian walked up to the edge of the cliff. As he peered down his grin was quickly replaced with a frown. The river was much, much quicker than he would have liked. It appeared that this location was a rapids. The water hammered against rocks constantly, the sound it made was that of a great beast roaring. Great pillars of water sprayed upwards as the water fought itself to get down stream. Ling Lian could even see… what looked like bones littering the shoreline. He pulled back from the edge. He needed a plan if there was any shot of getting past the death trap below him.
The sun had drifted a fair ways into the heavens before Ling Lian had crafted a plan he thought would work. It had been a breeze scaling down the cliff and he had scouted a fair amount around what looked like the least dangerous part. That was not saying much however as this close to the river the roar of water was working to deafen him. It was the narrowest part though and he had managed to push boulders of varying sizes to the edge of the river. The makeshift ramp he had created would help him in his attempt to jump over the raging river. Ling Lian took a deep breath and pushed his Supplicant of the Wind King art further than he ever had. He felt the wind as it built up behind his running form. He felt the wind as it pulsed behind him when he reached the end of the ramp. He felt the wind as it slammed into his back as he jumped and he felt the wind as it propelled him into the misty air above the whitecaps.
The mist from the whitecaps spun and twisted around Ling Lian's form as he hurtled through the air. Control had been abandoned for power and it showed. The form that tumbled through the air was not graceful or elegant. It looked hideous, like a bird who had tried to learn how to fly and failed. Supplicant of the Wind King was never meant to be used in this way. It was meant to give a speed boost and push people away from the caster for defense. Never the less Ling Lian's plan worked and he soared as a malformed duck might through the air. As the ground on the other side of the river rushed up to meet him Ling Lian had an epiphany. He really should have planned on how he was going to land. The blow rattled his teeth and his qi flared wildly before it faded as he skidded across the rough stones. His breath shuddered past his teeth as pain ripped through his hands and knees. Ling Lian's hands looked almost alright. They were red to a degree that worried him but the skin had not been broken. His knees though were a very different story. Blood seeped down his now shredded pants. The climb up the cliff to his destination was going to be much, much more difficult with his ruined knees.
Ling Lian's knees begged for mercy as he limped away from his landing spot. He gritted his teeth when he leaned against the rocks of the cliff. After a brief pause so he could catch his breath Ling Lian checked his knees. It seemed that he had been lucky. It didn't look like any rocks had gotten stuck in the wounds. He tore off some strips of his shirt to bind the wounds before he leaned back against the rocks. Ling Lian felt his qi slowly as it slowly returned to him. When he had landed the impact had emptied out almost all of his qi. There was nothing he could really do at this point though, but wait. It would be foolhardy to continue until most of his qi had returned to him. Any sort of test beyond the cliff would be a failure if he had no qi.
Ling Lian nodded to himself at his thoughts. He wanted to complete this dream in a timely manner and so he started to play his flute. If ever there was a time to be thankful for a cultivation art that helped to replenish his qi it was now. Ling Lian felt his qi slowly being refilled from the surrounding wind and water qi. At least that was what his parents said as they helped him pick out his cultivation art. He was not quite at the level where he could feel the qi that flowed through nature.
When the rocks to his left rearranged themselves into door Ling Lian barely managed to keep himself from tripping as he leapt away. The pain in his legs redoubled from his movement as he turned back around to the door that looked entirely innocent. With careful motions he moved towards the door. On the face of the door was drawn what looked like a great gathering of beasts signing and dancing together. Over the top of the drawn event was script that talked about how the door would appear for anyone that played music along this river. Ling Lian grinned, this was his lucky moment. He pushed the door opened and limped inside the softly lit passageway.
The soft white lights that hovered at the top of the small passageway gave the place a very calming atmosphere. The passageway gently sloped and curved inwards until Ling Lian was in a small room. The back of the room was one single pane of crystal allowing one to gaze into an almost ethereal sight. The view from the room was one that was completely underwater. Fish swam past the crystal window and small water spirits played with each other in front of it. The view looked… peaceful without the sound of the river or the whitecaps seeking to drown all who come. There was even a meditation mat in front of the window. Ling Lian might have spent a long time simply staring into that world beyond the crystal were it not for the two pedestals in front of the window. Already the pain in his knees had faded from Ling Lian's thoughts as he hurried to look at the two small boxes gently hovering before him.
When Ling Lian opened the first box he gave a delighted cry. It was a jade slip! With great care Ling Lian pushed his meagre amount of qi into the slip and allowed his mind to fill with the information within.
Observations of the River King's Court: A somewhat dry but technically challenging musical piece. It gives insight into the water spirits ability to flow past each other greatly boosting one's ability to avoid attacks. This piece will also allow the musician to chastise those that attempt to strike him with whips of water. While this piece is fundamentally weak it grants a solid foundation early to those that wish to pursue a greater understanding of both music and water arts.
This… this was something that Ling Lian had wanted for a long time. This would help him get started on the path of a musician. His cultivation art even had a water aspect to it. A musical art like this would make sure he was ready for any other musical arts he could get. With great care he placed the jade slip into his pocket. Then he turned towards the next box. He felt his excitement well up inside of him as he slowly opened the box. Inside was a small book with a note stuck to the cover.
A Musician's Manual: Even though this is a copy of a copy it still holds a faint shadow of the original's power. Based on a manual that the first matriarch received as she started her climb this manual holds the advice of many elders who have walked the path of music. Filled with chords, qi exercises and advice this manual is a perfect place to begin one's own journey with music.
Ling Lian felt the tears that had started to form in his eyes run down his face. This was a connection to the first Ling matriarch. He couldn't believe his luck. Even without the jade slip he had received as well this entire trial would have been worth it for this. With a breath that shuddered in his throat he wiped away his tears and sat down on the mediation mat to begin the long process of regaining his qi and coming to grips with what he had found.
Time flowed strangely down in the cave. The light was constant and the scenery behind the crystal changed at random. Still Ling Lian thought that the cave had helped him regain his qi faster than normal as when he finally tore his eyes away from the crystal and walked back to the rivers bank he felt qi surge in his dantian. It almost felt as if he had left the room with more qi than when he had dashed into the Maze of Dreams.
Climbing up the cliff was a fairly simple affair. There were a few false starts with the hand holds he had gripped giving way under his weight. But Ling Lian had been close to the ground and his newly refilled qi easily absorbed the impacts. It seemed as though crossing the river was the challenge as nothing else impeded him as he crossed the small field to the hut. Inside the hut he gained a talisman that wove wind around him to redirect blows. All things considered it was a powerful talisman but his joy at having gained it seemed to be muted by the prizes he had already won. After he touched the formations at the center of the hut he found himself in the same dim and dusty hallway that he had started in. With frantic motions Ling Lian checked to make sure the book he had tied to his chest with strips of his shirt and the jade slip in his pocket were still there. Thankfully they were.
The rest of the trial happened in a dream like haze. He knew he managed to snag two tokens to an advanced training ground by lulling a guardian toad to sleep with a lullaby. The rest of the trial was a blur though as the desire to read the manual was overwhelming. It was the only thing he found himself thinking about. Eventually Ling Lian found himself gathered with his cousins outside of the exit of the trial. The moon had begun it's rise before the ceremony was finished but Ling Lian noticed that he did not care. He would remember this day for as long has he lived. He knew with a burning heart that this was the day that changed his life.
***
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne!
So my muse has been asleep for awhile and nothing I ever made felt right. It seems like the last couple of chapters have been a wake up call for it though. I am pretty happy with this one except the last two paragraphs as I didn't know how it end the thing without it dragging on and on. Any advice or critiques you have are welcome! It helps me become a better writer.
***
Ling Lian shifted uncomfortably as the heat of the summer sun beat down on him. He had already waited for an hour in this suffocating heat and he didn't want to wait for another hour. He had thought about playing the flute that hung around his neck to pass the time but he wanted to be ready. As he started to ponder how great an iced drink would taste the ancient doors in front of him opened. Before the groaning and creaking had subsided Ling Lian had dashed into the shadowed hall. All that remained in the small entrance way to the Maze of Dreams was the wind. Slowly the ancient doors closed, the formations etched on the ancient wood flashing a deep emerald color as they sealed themselves for another year.
As Ling Lian dashed through the dusty and empty hallway he could still feel his wizened instructor's breath as he informed Ling Lian of the Trial of Dreams.
"You will only be permitted to explore the first level. You are only… only mid red after all. There will be prizes seeded by your elders. Various arts, pills, books, and even talismans will be hidden in the maze. There will be various artificial challenges to guard the prizes. However… however the rich qi attracts various spirits and beasts. While the first level of the maze is regularly culled of the more dangerous inhabitants there will still be… still be dangers not controlled by the elders. Death is possible. Be prepared. Other members of the Ling family will also be participating. The maze though is enormous and… and evershifting. It is unlikely you will meet your cousins. If you do however, know that fighting of any kind will be harshly punished. Greet them and then move on."
A shimmer in the corner of his eye brought Ling Lian out of his thoughts. Slowly Ling Lian turned to face what he had briefly saw. He stood in front of a blank wall. It was hard to see in the shadows but he was confident that a dream bubble had drifted by him. Ling Lian hesitated before snapping his arms to either side of where he had seen the shimmer. His right arm barely touched something when a rainbow erupted from the empty space near his hand and swirled in a whirlpool around him. Ling Lian could feel his stomach trying to revolt as colors danced before him. As soon as the colors had appeared they flowed away from him, and Ling Lian could see he was no longer in a dusty and dimly lit hallway. Now he stood upon a great cliff that overlooked a river valley.
To the south he could see the famous Wall. To the north he could see the river join with an even greater river after it thundered down a waterfall. On the other side of the canyon there was a hut that seemed to glint in the sun. Ling Lian though did not move. He looked down and stared intently at the piece of paper that had found its way into his hand.
"Congratulations on finding this dream young seeker. There will be no enemies to fight here and the only goal is to reach the hut on the other side. Take care though, the river is quick and the rocks unstable. It will take all of your strength to reach the other side unharmed. There are two waterfalls in this dream. They are the boundary, going past either will be a failure. Good luck."
Once he had finished reading the letter it dissolved into motes of multicolored light. With a grin Ling Lian walked up to the edge of the cliff. As he peered down his grin was quickly replaced with a frown. The river was much, much quicker than he would have liked. It appeared that this location was a rapids. The water hammered against rocks constantly, the sound it made was that of a great beast roaring. Great pillars of water sprayed upwards as the water fought itself to get down stream. Ling Lian could even see… what looked like bones littering the shoreline. He pulled back from the edge. He needed a plan if there was any shot of getting past the death trap below him.
The sun had drifted a fair ways into the heavens before Ling Lian had crafted a plan he thought would work. It had been a breeze scaling down the cliff and he had scouted a fair amount around what looked like the least dangerous part. That was not saying much however as this close to the river the roar of water was working to deafen him. It was the narrowest part though and he had managed to push boulders of varying sizes to the edge of the river. The makeshift ramp he had created would help him in his attempt to jump over the raging river. Ling Lian took a deep breath and pushed his Supplicant of the Wind King art further than he ever had. He felt the wind as it built up behind his running form. He felt the wind as it pulsed behind him when he reached the end of the ramp. He felt the wind as it slammed into his back as he jumped and he felt the wind as it propelled him into the misty air above the whitecaps.
The mist from the whitecaps spun and twisted around Ling Lian's form as he hurtled through the air. Control had been abandoned for power and it showed. The form that tumbled through the air was not graceful or elegant. It looked hideous, like a bird who had tried to learn how to fly and failed. Supplicant of the Wind King was never meant to be used in this way. It was meant to give a speed boost and push people away from the caster for defense. Never the less Ling Lian's plan worked and he soared as a malformed duck might through the air. As the ground on the other side of the river rushed up to meet him Ling Lian had an epiphany. He really should have planned on how he was going to land. The blow rattled his teeth and his qi flared wildly before it faded as he skidded across the rough stones. His breath shuddered past his teeth as pain ripped through his hands and knees. Ling Lian's hands looked almost alright. They were red to a degree that worried him but the skin had not been broken. His knees though were a very different story. Blood seeped down his now shredded pants. The climb up the cliff to his destination was going to be much, much more difficult with his ruined knees.
Ling Lian's knees begged for mercy as he limped away from his landing spot. He gritted his teeth when he leaned against the rocks of the cliff. After a brief pause so he could catch his breath Ling Lian checked his knees. It seemed that he had been lucky. It didn't look like any rocks had gotten stuck in the wounds. He tore off some strips of his shirt to bind the wounds before he leaned back against the rocks. Ling Lian felt his qi slowly as it slowly returned to him. When he had landed the impact had emptied out almost all of his qi. There was nothing he could really do at this point though, but wait. It would be foolhardy to continue until most of his qi had returned to him. Any sort of test beyond the cliff would be a failure if he had no qi.
Ling Lian nodded to himself at his thoughts. He wanted to complete this dream in a timely manner and so he started to play his flute. If ever there was a time to be thankful for a cultivation art that helped to replenish his qi it was now. Ling Lian felt his qi slowly being refilled from the surrounding wind and water qi. At least that was what his parents said as they helped him pick out his cultivation art. He was not quite at the level where he could feel the qi that flowed through nature.
When the rocks to his left rearranged themselves into door Ling Lian barely managed to keep himself from tripping as he leapt away. The pain in his legs redoubled from his movement as he turned back around to the door that looked entirely innocent. With careful motions he moved towards the door. On the face of the door was drawn what looked like a great gathering of beasts signing and dancing together. Over the top of the drawn event was script that talked about how the door would appear for anyone that played music along this river. Ling Lian grinned, this was his lucky moment. He pushed the door opened and limped inside the softly lit passageway.
The soft white lights that hovered at the top of the small passageway gave the place a very calming atmosphere. The passageway gently sloped and curved inwards until Ling Lian was in a small room. The back of the room was one single pane of crystal allowing one to gaze into an almost ethereal sight. The view from the room was one that was completely underwater. Fish swam past the crystal window and small water spirits played with each other in front of it. The view looked… peaceful without the sound of the river or the whitecaps seeking to drown all who come. There was even a meditation mat in front of the window. Ling Lian might have spent a long time simply staring into that world beyond the crystal were it not for the two pedestals in front of the window. Already the pain in his knees had faded from Ling Lian's thoughts as he hurried to look at the two small boxes gently hovering before him.
When Ling Lian opened the first box he gave a delighted cry. It was a jade slip! With great care Ling Lian pushed his meagre amount of qi into the slip and allowed his mind to fill with the information within.
Observations of the River King's Court: A somewhat dry but technically challenging musical piece. It gives insight into the water spirits ability to flow past each other greatly boosting one's ability to avoid attacks. This piece will also allow the musician to chastise those that attempt to strike him with whips of water. While this piece is fundamentally weak it grants a solid foundation early to those that wish to pursue a greater understanding of both music and water arts.
This… this was something that Ling Lian had wanted for a long time. This would help him get started on the path of a musician. His cultivation art even had a water aspect to it. A musical art like this would make sure he was ready for any other musical arts he could get. With great care he placed the jade slip into his pocket. Then he turned towards the next box. He felt his excitement well up inside of him as he slowly opened the box. Inside was a small book with a note stuck to the cover.
A Musician's Manual: Even though this is a copy of a copy it still holds a faint shadow of the original's power. Based on a manual that the first matriarch received as she started her climb this manual holds the advice of many elders who have walked the path of music. Filled with chords, qi exercises and advice this manual is a perfect place to begin one's own journey with music.
Ling Lian felt the tears that had started to form in his eyes run down his face. This was a connection to the first Ling matriarch. He couldn't believe his luck. Even without the jade slip he had received as well this entire trial would have been worth it for this. With a breath that shuddered in his throat he wiped away his tears and sat down on the mediation mat to begin the long process of regaining his qi and coming to grips with what he had found.
Time flowed strangely down in the cave. The light was constant and the scenery behind the crystal changed at random. Still Ling Lian thought that the cave had helped him regain his qi faster than normal as when he finally tore his eyes away from the crystal and walked back to the rivers bank he felt qi surge in his dantian. It almost felt as if he had left the room with more qi than when he had dashed into the Maze of Dreams.
Climbing up the cliff was a fairly simple affair. There were a few false starts with the hand holds he had gripped giving way under his weight. But Ling Lian had been close to the ground and his newly refilled qi easily absorbed the impacts. It seemed as though crossing the river was the challenge as nothing else impeded him as he crossed the small field to the hut. Inside the hut he gained a talisman that wove wind around him to redirect blows. All things considered it was a powerful talisman but his joy at having gained it seemed to be muted by the prizes he had already won. After he touched the formations at the center of the hut he found himself in the same dim and dusty hallway that he had started in. With frantic motions Ling Lian checked to make sure the book he had tied to his chest with strips of his shirt and the jade slip in his pocket were still there. Thankfully they were.
The rest of the trial happened in a dream like haze. He knew he managed to snag two tokens to an advanced training ground by lulling a guardian toad to sleep with a lullaby. The rest of the trial was a blur though as the desire to read the manual was overwhelming. It was the only thing he found himself thinking about. Eventually Ling Lian found himself gathered with his cousins outside of the exit of the trial. The moon had begun it's rise before the ceremony was finished but Ling Lian noticed that he did not care. He would remember this day for as long has he lived. He knew with a burning heart that this was the day that changed his life.
***
@yrsillar Omake for the Omake throne!
So my muse has been asleep for awhile and nothing I ever made felt right. It seems like the last couple of chapters have been a wake up call for it though. I am pretty happy with this one except the last two paragraphs as I didn't know how it end the thing without it dragging on and on. Any advice or critiques you have are welcome! It helps me become a better writer.
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EternalObserver
eYe Gaze baCk
- Location
- The Void
you mean "neck"?
- Location
- United States of America
So, any bets on what's riling up the Earth spirits?
- Location
- Third planet from the star named Sol
- Pronouns
- He/They
The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. We know what they awoke in the darkness; Fire and Shadow. A demon of the ancient world who is beyond any of us.
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My bet is whatever numskull went by this route last time tried to beat them up for more loot and failed miserably. Then their watchdog had to step in and the spirits' jimmies are still rustled about being denied the ability to give the moron his just desserts.
Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
I'm going to guess something social/political amongst the earth spirits that we might mediate.
Say, for example, two spirits were supposed to form a union but the deal fell apart, and now all the region's spirits are literally, physically taking sides.
Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
It's unfortunate. The whole affair is pretty schisty. Chalk it up to a conglomerate of issues, I suppose. Whatever the case, Ling Qi is going in there to fix it. The die is karst.
- Location
- Finland
Ah, a new music teacher.
Gnawing Ones
Yeah, we got a evil naked mole rat infestation