Xin Wu, yet another Cultivation Quest

[KittyEmpress]

Five Elements. These are the building blocks of our world. Wood. Fire. Earth. Metal. Water. They make up everything you hold in your arms, and much more. But once, there was nothing besides an endless void, and a pond of pure energy. This energy swelled and spilled into the void, for eons. An infinite void, with no floor to be found.

But in an infinite scale of time, anything can happen. One drop of energy met another, each changed by their journey. And then in the endless marches of time, this drop merged into a third. A fourth. A fifth. Each one now different than how it had been, each one becoming something new as it drifted through infinity.

And from these five, the Nameless was born. The first God of our world, made up of the five elements. Where only they, the droplets they were born from, and the pool of power existed. For a time it made its existence alone, experimenting in the void with the other droplets of power, learning. Growing.

No one can say for how long the Nameless lived, but everyone knows how their life came to an end. How they grew bored of solitude, of failures to create, and they stepped into the Pool, warping its powers at the cost of their own life.

And from that, the void was filled, not with droplets of pure power, but with the five elements of existence. With the flaming stars, the earthy moons, the frozen water of comets, and metallic meteors. And where all of them met, by the life giving Woods. This was how our planet was formed, and through Their sacrifice, it is how the universe was made.

And that energy is within you.

• Excerpt from 'Creation', approved Immortal Empire text, Author Yanbi Zi

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The world is a vast and confusing place, and many factions vie for power, influence, and land within it. Some more successfully than others. Which were you born under? You will get further votes and more info once one has been chosen. These do not lock you in to being in a faction for life, it's just where you are born.

[ ] A. The Immortal Empire


The Empire of Mankind is the largest human civilization in the world, protected by Cultivators and their Dantians. Boasting populations far exceeding any of their rivals, their cultivators grow rich and powerful with access to resources that others only could dream of. The reclusive Immortal Emperor rules over this vast territory, the only cultivator to ever escape the grasp of Heaven, refusing to leave until all of the world is safely protected by his empire.

The Eight Great Houses rule under him, managing vast swathes of territory, kingdoms unto themselves. Split between the Inner Houses, Outer Houses, and Coastal Houses, the Inner Houses seek power through politics and skill, while the Outer Houses seek power through expansion into other regions, while the Coastal Houses are far from a faction, but seek alliances with both.

The three Inner Great Houses are kept safe in the center of the Empire from the dangers outside.. The Ingenious Dan, who have revolutionized the alchemical processes of cultivation, creating higher quality materials for any house willing and able to pay… or serve. The Beautiful Wu, the House closest to the Emperor, whose manipulations have gathered them the greatest lands in the inner empire. The Watchful Ge, hands of the Emperor, descended from his brother long since passed, who guards the empire from its internal threats.

The three Outer Great Houses fight near constant battles with forces around the Empire, be it defending from incursions, or through spreading their territory by way of conquest. The Unyielding Yanbi with their endless fortresses protecting the most dangerous edge of the Empire. The Destructive Zha, quick to anger, and quicker to end lives with their lightning fast techniques, their armies are strongest amongst the Great Houses. The Industrious Lu Yu, who have turned the northern deserts of the empire into verdant farmland without comparison anywhere in the world, and seek continued expansion into these burning wastes..

The Coastal Great House(s) for the longest time referred to the Illustrious Heiqi, unmatched merchants and explorers who traded both within and without the empire using their complete control over its waters to grow richer than the Emperor himself. The recent formation of the Ascendant Shan headed by Princess Shan, the Immortal Empire's three hundredth child came with the stripping of much of the Heiqi's island holdings outside of the Empire proper, as this territory was transferred to the Shan, house of outcasts and foreigners.

Choose this option if you want: A traditional cultivation experience, lots of stripmining for resources, political drama, a focus on the power of your House and family, back stabbings, rivalries, and alliances galor! Alternatively, choose this one if you want to be a peasant who rises through society by learning to cultivate, and the drama that comes with this.

[ ] B. The Seven Sects


Servants of the Heavens and the gods within it, the Seven Sects are not a unified force, but instead a collective term for those who look to the Heavens for power. These servants utilize Heavenly Energy and Martial Arts to rival the power of cultivators, each following different philosophies with different powers.

These sects are popularly split into the categories of Spiritual and Worldly sects. The Spiritual Sects do not seek to rule over man, but to further their god's goals as they study their words. They integrate into societies, and seek to promote their philosophies within them. The Worldly Sects are theocracies of their own, kingdoms ruled by the strongest elders of their sects.

The three Spiritual Sects include the Shielding Light Sect, their chief goddess a tearful guardian, whose servants train even the lowest of peasants in how to protect themselves, and who interfere in all forms of conflict they view as unjust. The Huntsworn Sect follow a god who believes that the pressures of conflict is how diamonds are formed, and they endlessly seek the next strong battle to perfect themselves on - their elders chosen purely through strength. The Eightfold Path of Enlightenment Sect seek to educate on the spiritual, to build a peaceful society without conflict by educating one and all.

The Three Worldly Sects include the Orderly Father Sect, a patriarchal sect who rule with an iron fist over a territory they declare 'orderly and free of corruption', their numbers swelled by recruiting the sons of criminals and the poor into their temples. The Bloodied Heart Sect was founded by a Goddess who gave up everything to defend her home without a single loss allowed, and its followers follow her example, all beings viewed as equal and to be protected - a mantra that has led to harsh turnover in ranks. The Thousand Drunken Devils Sect follows a god of revelry and excess, and their land shows this, their country known as the land of a Hundred Festivals. Their power should not be underestimated, and all who have tried to take their land have failed, including the Zha, a blackmark on their honor.

Choose this if: you want to have a more wuxia feel to the game, if you want to explore the mysteries of the heavens more, if you want to make a religious character, if you want a very regimented childhood.

[ ] C. The Demon Spirits


Spirits and Spirit Beasts are countless in the world, more in touch and natural with their spiritual power than most Cultivators could dream of, just by dint of birth. But few ever become known as Demon Spirits - Seven in number, the Demon Spirits are those who have risen to the peak of their existence, and now walk amongst Man when they wish. These beings are hated by mens of the Empire, and many of them return this ire. Cultivators under them come in two forms -demi humans, born of the Demon Spirits bloodline, and gifted mortals, granted their powers. By nature of their madra being their form, these demon spirits often live lives dictated by their madra.

The Demon Spirits include three who build societies, Gurusne, the Endless Thirst, salamander most hated amongst cultivators, whose unique Spirit Madra is cultivated from the Madra of others - marking cultivators and other spirits as sources of her madra. She and her children predate upon criminal cultivators within their desert kingdom, and war with all outside powers to sustain themselves. Cai Fu, Feathered in Desire, an endlessly greedy raven whose power over Desire controls him as much as he controls others. His children run his glorious city-state of free trade, lawless but for the law that Cai Fu must always be given a cut of any transaction. Or else. Lei Ji, the Crackling Sky, a literal storm given life, who once sated himself on the blood and death of all humans beneath his storm, until the loss of his life mate Feng the Tornado left the destruction hollow to him. Now his Storm Warriors protect Feng's birthplace, and their native home, from the encroachment of the Empire.

Others choose to live a life without building a society or leading, but instead by their passions, Sha, the Horns of Conflict Ram-King of the Western Bellowing Mountains lives by the mantra of blood and battle, his many children raised by the humans of the mountains, the chosen amongst them becoming his Warrior-Initiates, and receiving his power to join him in his endless battles. Duzi, Soaked in Blood was purchased as a pet by a noble child of the Empire hundreds of years ago. Abused and broken, she rose up when she consumed the boy who had become Patrirarch in a moment of his weakness. Direct war has left her cripplied, but now her Blood-Spies dot the lands of the empire and its tributaries, as she seeks its utter destruction. Ying, The Mirror of Creation is an enigmatic being predating even the Immortal Emperor, predating even the first Sect. And yet few dozens can say they have seen it with certainty, over these centuries. They are said to be a skin stealer, who can be anyone they have seen, who can do anything they have witnessed, but cursed to never be able to Create. More myth than anything else, their existence is considered by most to be fake. But sometimes children disappear, and when they return their eyes look like pools of silver.

Choose this if: You want to be a furry, you like the idea of following a monster, you support ecoterrorism, or you just want to run free without anyone telling you what to do.

[ ] D. Of Powers Less Major

The world is wide, and more than just these factions exist. Stranger beings and cultures exist within the world, some whom transcend the bounds of factions with their unity, and some by being something Different to their core.

The Library of Dumai is a massive city state devoted solely to the acquisition of knowledge in all forms. Originally created by the Scholars of the Void Sect and the seventh Demon Spirit, Diru, Who Hoards Knowledge, this massive complex houses cultivators, religious servants of the gods, and children of the dragon - as well as outsiders of all stripes, who wish to learn and grow. Tensions are often high, but the rules strictly applied.

The Nomads of Rouran reside in the northeastern steppes, and have existed free from the control of others for dozens of generations. They do not cultivate, nor do they gain power from the worship of gods, but instead follow reincarnated heroes of their people, who threw off the shackles of their original oppressors. When one dies, a child born soon after shall hold their spirit, one of 108 in total.

The Tattooed Men of Batan were only discovered by the trading ships of the Heiqi in the last hundred years, and cultivators are a true rarity amongst these island people, even compared to other regions. Instead these people use a deeply spiritually valued method of refining the dantians of spirit beasts into an ink that they lay into their skin, granting them superhuman power not unlike a cultivator.

The Treasured Land of Nakul is a pocket dimension, hidden from the view of all within the overworld. This small world is home to the survivors of an ancient Cultivator's servants. Thousands of years ago this dimension was made, but the creator died while traversing outside of his private land. It remains to this day, filled with his great treasures.

Pick this if: You want to be a weirdo, if you want to stand out from other cultivation games. If rad tattoos or having the SPIRITS OF YOUR ANCESTORS calls to you.

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Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to Xin Wu, a new cultivation game. Most of you probably don't know me, I have read quests here but do not post. However, this is not my first Quest-like - I have written 420 pages of stuff for RE:Birth, an MMO Anime CYOA I wrote for SA, as well as a few other more minor stories over the years. I'm currently taking a small break from that story, because writing the same thing for a year straight is hard. But I've been consuming xianxia media and well… wanted to try it.

I'm going to be doing voting via RANDOM NUMBER GENERATORS. Yep, you heard that right. Every vote? I'll count up the results. If theres 17 As, 14 Bs, 3 Cs, and 9 Ds, I will roll a 1d45. I do this for a reason: I found with my first stories that if I made things majority vote, no one ever even tried to go for 'niche' options, they would be outvoted. I could almost always pre-write entire updates knowing what my audience would vote. This ensures that if you really want to do C, you're not voting B just because 'well I like B slightly more than A'. Please, vote for what you want to read.

I'll be trying to update 4 days a week, but sometimes it'll be faster, and some wont be as long as others.

Know ahead of time that I will be cross posting this on both Something Awful and Sufficient Velocity. This is being done because I had someone comment about wanting to vote, but being unwilling to buy an account. This does mean that sometimes votes will win that were not from here, but I 100% swear to be above board on that, I have no interest in making anyone happy by picking their votes more often. Something Awful

 

[KittyEmpress]

Total vote tally between both threads: A 10 B 7 C 13 D 12. Birth places: 1d42 39. D wins. (I forgot to close the vote before I started working on it, but only noticed I had 7 more votes AFTER I had finished writing the update. I'm sorry!)

Of Factions Less Major

The Library of Dumai
The history of the Library is long, and yet simple. This massive library complex was originally formed from the founding Temple of the Scholars of the Void Sect, dedicated to their chief god the Curator. Under his guidance, they sought power through the secrets of the world - they sought out all forms of learning, heretical or not, heedless of the dangers that knowledge may bring, or that they may find in their search. In these days, these faithful Scholars held little true power, and what little of use they did have was often taken by followers of other gods, cultivators, or spirits. For hundreds of years this Sect lived in utter obscurity, known only as the punching bags who might teach you something useful.

This changed when a young Scholar now known as Sanoh the Kind, in her search for knowledge, found the hidden home of Diru, the Dragon who would become a Demon, hidden away far beneath the barren wastelands of the Burning Wastes, far from humans who could hurt her. Their meeting was one that would go on to change the destiny of the entire Sect. But it was not a peaceful meeting, to hear the story told now. Diru's children were threatened by this invader, and a battle ensued, one Sanoh was certain to lose. And yet, throughout this life and death battle, the kindly Scholar refused to harm a mother in front of her children, or to even try. For hours she simply attempted to avoid this Demon, and to avoid harming her young. When Diru finally caught her, Sanoh is said to have asked a single question - "Wouldn't your children be happier flying under a blue sky?"

Sanoh did not survive this meeting, but was able to convey an invitation to the temple of the Scholars, for the ancient Dragon and her children. And thus Dumai was reborn, with a new Demon protector. Diru and her children grew strong with the knowledge of the Scholars, protecting them from the threats of others, while the Scholars provided them with support and knowledge. Their influence grew, and their journeys could go much further atop their draconic partners. Their ranks swelled in all forms. And soon, a temple became a city.

Nowadays the city is a hub of cultivators, godly servants, and intelligent spirits - the sect's control over the library is still complete, and its contents vast enough that even the Great Houses of the Empire vie for the chance to visit and study the knowledge within. These chances are rare and expensive - the Library is unique in that it possesses no mortal citizens. There is no agriculture, no mundane production, no mining, or other forms of resource gathering. Instead the trade of knowledge funds their very existence, all of their material needs provided by the guests seeking their aid.

Three pillars exist within the Library of Dumai, each controlling a different aspect of the city's operation -

The Scholars of the Void Sect are a religious Sect that primarily follow a deity known only to them as the Curator, a knowledgeable deity whose gifts provide great insight into the natural world. Above all else in the world, he seeks the sacrifice of the original copies of all forms of knowledge across the world. He prefers these gifts to have been copied by the Scholar's skilled hands first, but the gift of a one of a kind work, written by the original author is his ambrosia. Two lesser deities of the Scholars of the Void Sect exist, Ti Feng Knowledge's Savior, a cultivator who died protecting the Library from his own House's invasion, and acended to the heights of Heaven in his last moments, and Little Li, one of Diru's first children, weakened by their long time underground, who was raised to heaven by the Curator himself. While Ti Feng is often worshipped by the more martially accomplished Scholars, Little Li is worshipped primarily by the Children of Diru.

The Scholars of the Void are charged with the recording, rating, restricting, and at times removing of knowledge. Any knowledge submitted to the library undergoes a deep approval process going past dozens of Scholars, each able to escalate if they believe their own knowledge lacking in judgement of the information, all the way to the council of Elders. This sect recruits in two ways: births within the Library, or from gifted mortal children met upon journeys for knowledge. None above the age of seven are permitted into the Temple of the Curator, and even Diru herself has only ventured within once, when she first arrived. Lesser temples do accept worshippers from outside, but the inner reaches of the Curator's true home is out of reach for all - unless they are willing to risk death.

This does not mean the Scholars do nothing but study, however. The Breath of Void style is an open palmed martial art that redirects or absorbs opposing forces and energies. At its core, it is used to protect - the Scholars defend their knowledge with perfection, and even the great Firebird found their storm of flames absorbed and directed away from the library in their attempted destruction of it. Some speak of darker techniques in the Breath, forbidden by the council of Elder, that redirect and absorb the energy of others bodies. Of Scholars who can absorb the very life force of their foe. But speaking of such within the city of Dumai is punishable with banishment.

The Children of Diru are less literal than they once were, but they continue to serve as the military arm of the Library, all matters relating to the defense of the Library going through them. Some members of this group include Diru's literal children to this day, but many are instead Cultivators or Spirits who once sought the knowledge of the Library, and fell in love with it. Through a symbolic severing of their bonds elsewhere, and a spiritual adoption by the She Who Hoards Knowledge, these beings becomes her Children. Not all members of this group have joined in such a way, however - many members of the Children at its lowest ranks have not been formally adopted. Instead, those who stay in the city may take on the duty of defending it, in exchange for access to the knowledge they seek. They serve set periods of times, ranging from months to hundreds of years, before finally having knowledge laid bare.

The literal descendants of Diru make up much of the upper echelons of this organization, her demi-human and dragon spirit children and grandchildren (and etc) making up ninety percent of all officers within its ranks. These officers mostly train those under them in the ways of the Library, and handle the bureaucratic tasks of running the military, including handling all requests for knowledge between the Scholars and other Children. There is no singular unifying combat style within the Children, instead many different styles clash with one another to perfect their knowledge of fighting. Even amongst Diru's true children there exist a variety of abilities unlike each other, her draconic madra altering with the seasons of their birth.

But the Children do not solely fight. They also exist as guides and explorers, seeking out knowledge in places too dangerous to send Scholars alone. These exploratory units train their senses to their peak, and most Children dream to join one for a singular reason: so long as knowledge found on a journey is not declared heretical to the point of harmful, these explorers are allowed to read and study any knowledge they discover with the Scholars. A single delve into an ancient Cultivator's catacomb may present a dozen new techniques to someone well suited for it, and enlighten them of entirely new paths of thought. It is exceedingly rare, yet spoken of commonly in stories within the city's recreation facilities, to hear of a single journey advancing a neonate into the realm of an expert.

The third and least worshiped pillar of the Library are the Caretakers of Dumai, who have given up all paths of power to become the bureaucratic engine ensuring the city survives. Despite the disrespect often given to Caretakers in private, none would insult them in person - for Dumai would fall without them, just as surely as it would without Diru. A city of thousands of cultivators and spirits requires resources beyond what it could possibly extract, without hundreds of thousands of mortals. And yet it survives without a one. This is the work of the Caretakers, who treat with other powers, who seek trades, and balance the secular with the worldly. These masters of trade, logistics, and diplomacy keep the heart of the city pumping.

Caretakers come in three forms - Children of Diru crippled beyond combat capability, Scholars who have chosen to give up their vows to serve another way, and mortal orphans or slaves, uplifted into another realm when the Caretakers require more numbers. All of these sources lead to the training facility known as The Spiral University. Within the Spiral University, an intense program turns soldiers into mathematicians, turns monks into traders, and turns those unable to read into polyglots conversing with nobles the world over. No one fails in the Spiral University. But everyone comes out changed.

[ ] A. Scholar of the Void Sect
You were born to a long line of Scholars, and your parents are well regarded.

[ ] B. Child of Diru
You are the demihuman child of Diru, the Dragon Who Hoards knowledge.

[ ] C. Cultivator of Dumai
Your parents are cultivators who came to Dumai and are considered residents, but have not taken Diru's Oath.

The Nomads of Rouran

Two thousand years ago, the Rourani were slaves to a powerful Cultivator and his empire, before the days of the Immortal Emperor. They were worked to death for his gains, and for that of his nation, and had their culture outlawed, their religion banned, their language made illegal to speak in public. But they were not broken. As has happened a hundred times before, a crack was sowed in this mighty empire. And the 108 Heroes rose up in that time. They took to their arms, their armor, their words, their poisons, their many individual talents, and they created a rebellion.

And to a man they died. But by the day the last Hero had died, the Emperor was dead. His descendants were dead. His loyalists were at each others throats. And the Rourani were free to return to their ancestral homes. To live freely, and to be themselves. And these Heroes had not left them. Their spirits had remained behind to guide their loved ones. No one can say when the first true Revered Ancestor was born into their ranks, but in time they became known. These people, still their own people, but at the same time sharing the spirit of one of these Heroes. Guided by their thoughts, their wisdom, their skills.

Today the Rourani exist as three separate clans, though diplomatic and marriage ties exist to keep them all one 'people'. Revered Ancestors alone exist without a clan name, instead each taking a surname of their Ancestor once it is found, for they exist for all of Rouran, not one clan.

The Ganbat clan are the most warlike of clans, and their tents lay closest to the Immortal Empire purposefully. They view their homeland as a sacred gift to their people, and are violently opposed to any outsiders entering their territories - even wounded, weaponless travelers are at best turned away with maiming wounds. But they are also seen as heroes to many, their consistent off-and-on wars with the Great House of Zha in the Immortal Empire have lead to the swelling of Heroes in their clan's lands, benefitting them even outside of war time as these great leaders contribute to their clan's welfare.

The Dorj clan keep the memories of the past alive, and most often make camp in the furthest reaches of the Rouran steppes. It is here that they host the Gathering of Ancestors, to seek out the rebirth of Heroes who had fallen in the past. Here young Revered Ancestors are taught to harness the powers of their past lives, and the stories of what made them great. Dorj who marry into other clans often become religious leaders for their family, leading them in spiritual worship of their ancestors. Outside of this, the Dorj understand more of the Steppes than any other clan, and are said to be able to identify any animal, spirit, or plant from a five hundred meters - an exaggeration to be certain, but their wisdom is not to be questioned.

The Purev clan are a clan of nomads in a culture of nomads. They never stay to one place long, and are the most curious and exploratory of the three clans - they are the only clan willing to leave the boundaries of the sacred land of Rouran. They are also the only clan with allies outside of their home, having made alliances with the Huntsworn Sect - even inviting these outsiders into their homes upon the Steppes, to the Ganbat's (and lesser extent Dorj's) disdain. Fortunately for them, their ability to make friends extend to home as well, and few can stay angry at a Purev for long, their mastery of words too powerful to resist.

Revered Ancestors amongst the Rourani tend to be found around seven years of age, as they start to show talents far exceeding any natural child - it is said that Gan Khulan was found when she picked up a spear her father had dropped when cornered by a vicious sword-fanged lion, only to throw the grown man's spear with accuracy enough to pierce the beast through its eyes, the one spot her feeble strength could harm. Such it is with most Revered Ancestors, who grow stronger, faster, smarter, using the blessings of their ancestor's spirit. Once suspected, the yearly Gathering of Ancestors proves their existence - and then begins their rebirth, not as child of two parents, but as child of the Rourani people, and hero of their culture.

Cultivators are viewed with some suspicion amongst the Rourani - though not any more uncommon than within the Empire, the one in a hundred thousand chance of a child awakening to this power without assistance is viewed with some suspicion. Some see it as evidence of tainted blood, mingling with outsiders or betraying the faith of their partnership. Others see it as a curse - for no Cultivator has ever been a Revered Ancestor, nor can the powers of the Revered Ancestors empower the soul of a Cultivator.

[ ] D. Ganbat Warrior
Your family has fought against the Zha alongside the Revered Ancestors in the last war.

[ ] E. Dorj Shaman
Your mother is the spiritual leader of a large camp, and has had the honor of hosting the Gathering of Ancestors many times.

[ ] F. Purev Explorers
Your parents have roamed far outside of Rouran, and have seen sights others would call impossible. You were conceived on one such journey.

[ ] G. Purev Half-Blood
You were born to the union of a Purev and their Huntsworn allies, and are viewed with distrust by those of other clans.

The Tattooed Men of Batan

The Islands of Batan are a collection of islands, small and large, many hundreds of miles from the Empire of Man and their resources. Hundreds of miles from the cultivators of ages past, of the glorious empires of old, of the secret realms and the lost power. Their history notes not a single instance of cultivation amongst them, nor contact with any such beings from outside. These islands, once far away from any contact with the outside world, have now been found. And upon them rests a power all their own.

These bountiful islands are full of natural splendor - and natural danger. Spirits of Air and Water constantly travel to this natural point of ecological beauty and bounty, creating a beautiful ecosystem that is more deadly than most places could even dream of. No mortal could survive upon the Islands of Batan, even with the help of a dozen Cultivators a struggle would ensue for pure survival. And yet a flourishing culture of fishermen, artisans, and interconnected families have thrived upon these dangerous lands, thinking they were all that existed.

The Tattooed Men are not literally men - everyone, women and children alike are tattooed upon the islands of Batan. These sacred tattoos are created via an ancient and hidden ritual, ink formed from the dantian and lifeblood of the spirits they slay, and then inlaid upon the skins of the Batanese people. These tattoos grant them great physical power in many ways, depending upon a multitude of factors - but they also make these islands terrifying to the Empire that discovered them. Thousands of people each with power above that of a mortal man. Children capable of fighting on par with Bronze class spirits using only their fists. Every man, woman, and child with power. A potential threat... and a potential resource.

The Tattooed Men are strong, and their world is harsh. In ages past, their numbers have fluctuated massively over time - time is kept in the form of ages of luck. The Age of Dark Tides ended two hundred years ago, and saw the reduction of the Tattooed Men to a scattered thousand. Now they grow in this Age of New Lands, named for the meeting of the first Heiqi ship fifty years ago, telling them of other humans within the world, and that they were not alone in an ocean of terrifying spirits. Now some amongst them grow rich on trade with this foreign empire. Where once the royal family of Ensano kept the islands ever vigilant, now they rely on foreign runes and weapons to guard the islands from the threats of the most dangerous spirits, and the strongest dantians are sold away rather than empowering their warriors.

Amongst the trades of the Tattooed Men, none is more valued than that of the Tattooist. Those families with the resources and knowledge to train new ink makers and tattoo artists are rare, and the largest amongst them count even the Ensano as their clients, try as the royals may have in the past to absorb them. The Tibayan family is first amongst these, and their understanding of how to circulate the spiritual energy, and the forms they should give to their works of art exceeds all other families - but the process far more time consuming and in depth than the work of any other artist family.

Hunters are the second most valued of duties, and a true Hunter is a force to be reckoned with. All Tattooed Children dream of growing up to be a great Hunter, to fell an Elder Beast on their own like a grand hero, but most die before they even can scratch a Scarred Beast. Those who survive train endlessly to protect their homes against the most dangerous spirits imaginable, integrating each kill they make into their own body.

[ ] H. Ensano Prince(ss)
You are the youngest child of the Ensano royal family, richest amongst the families on the Islands, allies of the Heiqi

[ ] I. Tibayan Tattooist
Your family line has always birthed great tattoo artists, able to bring out the true spiritual power in their tattoos.

[ ] J. Storied Hunters
Your family has always hunted the largest beasts, protecting the islands for those not powerful or confident enough to do so themselves.

The Treasured Land of Nakul

Nakul was an ancient Cultivator in ages past, amongst the first to ever be born. His history is long forgotten even to those who still remain within his ancient home. But somehow he came to create this Treasured Land - a Small World hidden within the world. Here he hid the mortals loyal to him, within his personal realm. And here their descendants remain. Trapped, after the creator died without opening the realm to the outside world. No one has ever left the Land of Nakul. Within it, the mortals live a life without knowledge of what they do not have.

Only a single settlement exists within this land, every other piece of land slowly lost to the encroachment of Nakul's ancient experiments, and the children of those. This settlement of Nakul is based out of the golden palace of old. Here the mortal survivors have plundered his ancient palace and make do with treasures of old, ancient and legendary equipment that grant the guardians capable of wielding them the power to wipe out beings far stronger than any mortal could ever dream.

Every survivor is forced to learn to fight, competing for the right to use this legendary equipment - resources have become more scarce, the palace is breaking down, and even its great magic gardens fail to provide for as many as before. Only those with the power to provide for themselves are allowed the precious gift of family, feasting upon the spirits that seek to eat them in turn. Some seek to repair their homes, and even more to push back the spirits, and take back the outlying villages that once belonged to the people of Nakul.

And somewhere, near the edges of this reality, cracks are beginning to form.

[ ] K. Child of Nakul
You were born in the Treasured Land of Nakul, and it is all you have ever known. Your family is threatened. Your home is breaking.



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Not all of these are created equal. Nakul will be the most straight forward 'there is one path' story, and I hope anyone who votes for it understands that. Some of these have more set story paths than others, overall.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Backstory Votes: 1d59 57 - The Child of Nakul Rises.

Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Moon

Your first glimpse of the world is glittering gold, and a bearded man with a tired look to his eyes. The arm of the man is hard and uncomfortable. You cannot help it as you cry out. The man presses silver finger to your lips, and you no longer are making a single sound, even as you thrash in his arms. "A healthy baby...

[ ] A. Boy
[ ] B. Girl

That's for certain." You can hear his voice, though you understand nothing that is happening. Except that you are moving. Maybe?

The hard and cold arms of the scary looking man give way to something soft and warm. You look up to the new warmth, and black hair gives way to a kind smile as she looks at you. Scars dot her face, small and large. The eyes though are warm and soft, they look at you as if you are the most precious thing in the world. "Your father will be so proud of you, my little

[ ] Write in name"

And that look is the last thing you see before you fall asleep for the first time in a warm embrace, under the honeyed words of your mother.


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Nakulian Year 6227, Apex Sun

You are five months old now, and you've grown greatly more aware - at least compared to before. You've come to know the sight of your family, though you do not comprehend what they are yet, you only know that your mother, Hansa is the giver of warmth and nourishment, and that your father, Jai is the giver of flight and freedom. He often returns home covered in a red milk that you watch your mother wipe off, a small ring on her hand brightly shining as she does so. Afterwards you are always taken from your mother's arms and thrown high into the air of the golden palace.

You have come to recognize others as well - so many faces come to see you. Somedays they are happy. Some days they are sad. Some days they seem angry. You do not understand what it means when they ask you if you are someone besides you. Your parents always appear uncomfortable at the question, and your father soon escorts them away. But you do not mind the attention. You babble at them when they ask you questions, regardless of what they are. You have learned to enjoy that, you try to answer their every noise to your utmost! And often it leaves them smiling, so you must be doing something right, yes?

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Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Void

You have not seen your father in this month. You have forgotten his face, and all about the gift of flight. Your mother is away often, leaving you with a bearded man you are certain you recognize. You do not like his embrace. It is not warm and soft like your mother - Uncle Aan is covered in something that is not skin, and it is uncomfortable to the touch. It is cold, and hard, and though he wraps his arms in blankets when you cry, it is never a comfortable endeavor. "Come little _____, you must be strong. Your mother will return soon, I promise you this." He quietly whispers in a rumbling voice, that makes your hairs tickle.

The days pass much like this, Uncle Aan telling you stories of his youth in between you screaming and crying, and his desperately trying to quiet you back down. You both always await for when your mother will return home, and hold you once more, though she often falls asleep as soon as you are in her arms.

Less people have come to see you, but those who have are often sad. You are starting to understand that more, being sad. They come to you and make your mother and uncle feel miserable. They then talk to you as if you can solve their problems. You can see their eyes and you

[ ] C. feel sad, often crying when they come
[ ] D. babble at them happily, trying to receive smiles
[ ] E. get mad and throw your golden toys at them
[ ] F. crawl towards them to reach up and touch them as best you can

Yes, this will matter.

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Nakulian Year 6227, Descending Void

Your father has returned, though you believe he looks different. You are not sure. He has not returned soaked in red water in some time, and spends more time with you while your Mother is away. You are often able to experience flight again. It is much faster than crawling. You have become quite good at crawling. You can make it from one end of your family's large golden room to the other without pausing for breath. Your father is very encouraging of this, when he is not insisting on throwing and catching you. You often end up with bruises and bumps from your days with him, that your Mother lovingly tends to while scolding your father. This repeats itself again. Each day is the same.

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Nakulian Year 6228, Ascending Stars

Except one day is not like the others. You are being held hostage, that is clearly the answer. You have been kidnapped. You wake up somewhere different. You had never left your room, it was your world, but now the golden walls are different. There are dozens of pictures upon the walls, and hundreds of faces around you as you wake up. You are surrounded by strangers and somewhere terrifyingly strange! But as you cry out you hear your Mom's voice, "Shh, little one, it is alright. Good morning my little sweet." Her soft voice lulls you into a small laughter.

No one looks sad today, everyone looks reverent. Your mother points you towards a massive statue, a hundred, thousand, BILLION times larger than anyone else. It shines more than any other gold in the statue. The gems glitter like your mother's special ring that makes your booboos stop hurting. It is entrancing, and everyone seems equally entranced as they look upon it. You see your Uncle Aan beneath the statue only because he begins to speak, his normal gentle quietness gone as he booms, "One more year has passed, as Nakul guides us in our lives. One more year we have fought our god's ancient foes, and one more year we have survived. We have been blessed with two new births this year, though I am certain that none of you need be told that. We look at this as a sign of what is to come next year, a sure sign of Nakul smiling upon us."

You understand none of the words, but everyone listens with rapt attention. You finally are witness to another child, a little larger than you, as you are both lifted to the air at the end of his speech on the new children. But soon enough the speech changes tacks, "We have sadly lost three Guardians this year, though only one lost their life completely. We all offer our thanks to Jiva Khatri for making the ultimate sacrifice, and look to Nakul to guide her soul to his side, where she shall live as one of his chosen heroes. We also thank Jiang Ze and Jo Kol for their own sacrifices - though their lives as Guardians has ended with their grave wounds, they will continue to be valued for their work in Lord Nakul's gardens, and their privileges shall live on with them. In the coming days, compatibility shall be tested with their Blessed Armaments." His speech ends with that, and the formal atmosphere becomes more casual, as families chat with one another. You are briefly introduced to the young girl Jute, two months your senior.

This journey lasts for a long time for a young child like you, as everyone eats together for once, hundreds of faces all enjoying themselves at once. And then you return home with your family. Once you are behind closed doors you are quickly laid upon your bed, and you hear your father comforting your mother, "Stop that, you cannot blame yourself for this. Not anymore. She is happy now, freed and near our Lord's side."

You can hear your mother's sobbing, "If only I were more compatible, I could have saved her. All of them." You want to hear more, but as you start to cry yourself, the exhaustion for the day catches up with you. You fall asleep as your parents rush to check on you, abandoning their own worries once more.

Within your dreams you see

[ ] W. A long piece of wood with a gleaming golden point.
[ ] X. A plate of platinum inlaid with thirteen small glowing circles
[ ] Y. A necklace that shines brighter than the fires in your room.
[ ] Z. Your mother's ring.

This matters, but is not a permanent decision.

---------------

This story will be fairly slow for the beginning. I intend to pass about one year per post for the next few at least. You will be making decisions that are not entirely straight forward, that will have effects on your future, but will not make you incapable of changing your path as you get older.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Vote results edited within.

Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Moon

Gender Vote: 1d39 29 - A girl is born

Your first glimpse of the world is glittering gold, and a bearded man with a tired look to his eyes. The arm of the man is hard and uncomfortable. You cannot help it as you cry out. The man presses silver finger to your lips, and you no longer are making a single sound, even as you thrash in his arms. "A healthy baby girl, that's for certain." You can hear his voice, though you understand nothing that is happening. A cloth is wiped over you? And then it is not? You can see the world again? Except that you are moving. Maybe?

The hard and cold arms of the scary looking man give way to something soft and warm. You look up to the new warmth, and black hair gives way to a kind smile as she looks at you. Scars dot her face, small and large. The eyes though are warm and soft, they look at you as if you are the most precious thing in the world. "Your father will be so proud of you, my little Isha. You shall surely grow as strong as your name, and protect us all." She has such warmth, as she kisses your forehead.

And that look is the last thing you see before you fall asleep for the first time in a warm embrace, under the honeyed words of your mother.

Click to shrink...

Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Void

Temperment: 1d38 3 - D, The Flinging Commences.
.... - -- -

Less people have come to see you, but those who have are often sad. You are starting to understand that more, being sad. They come to you and make your mother and uncle feel miserable. They then talk to you as if you can solve their problems. You can see their eyes and it makes you mad. You can see the sadness they bring to your family, and eventually you well up all of your tiny baby strength, and toss a small golden cube with numbers on it at them. It's incredibly heavy, but you manage to lift it and toss it. It misses. But this scene repeats itself, any time your Uncle does not prevent you from tossing your toys at these people.

"She's just like her father." You hear Uncle Aan remark, after you mange to hit someone with one of your heavy toys.

"For good and bad..." Your mother sighs as she bounces you in her arms, "Isha my sweet..." She kisses your head and speaks to you in that voice that makes you fall asleep.

Soon enough, you stop getting these visitors, and get to spend more time hearing your Uncle's stories, or resting in your mama's arms when she has returned for the day. Even Uncle's arms are better than those sad people ruining your day.

You have obtained a Physical Temperament, by problem solving through physical means. All physical based stat gains will be improved by 20% moving forward.

Click to shrink...

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Nakulian Year 6228, Ascending Stars
Armament Dream Vote: 1d38 26 - Your Mother's Ring

You fall asleep and dream about something near and dear to you, something you have seen every day through your entire life. You see your mother's shining, glowing ring, it's beautiful form entrances you as easily in your dreams as it does in reality. You reach out for it, and unlike when your mother usually makes certain you do not grab it from her, you manage to take it, your mother nowhere to be found in your dream.

You leave your room as you grab it, and see a verdant forest, though you do not know what these long wooden sticks with green tops are called. They are interesting, and you walk towards them, your steps assured and your stability much better than when you try to walk with your mama, though you still banging your head on the odd wooden pillars. Each time you do, the ring glows brighter than it does in reality, and you do not hurt. So you do it again. This dream goes on for a time, as you explore this weird place, before a voice calls out, "Awaken."

-------

When you wake up, you are in your Mother's arms, and her ring is on her finger. "Hush my little Isha, your mother has you. You needn't cry." You feel the tears on your cheeks that must have formed while you were asleep. Before long you fall back asleep, and have your normal dreams, your mother's ring nowhere in sight. But every now and then, it calls to you in your dreams, and you explore far off places full of weird wooden pillars, sometimes you eat strange colored orbs that are incredibly sweet. Every time you wake up from the same voice.

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Nakulian Year 6228, Ascending Moon

You are taken out of your room again, in this month. It has apparently been a year since your birth? And you are taken to the grand room you entered a few months before, though less people are in attendance. There are a couple dozen faces, most of them ones you recognize vaguely, as well as your mama, papa, and uncu. You are happy to call to them as you are seated in a special chair and they speak. You just barely can understand some of it now, especially that they keep saying the word 'lord nakul' and 'bless' and then your name.

Eventually they do start to respond to you, as you call for them. Your papa is the first to pick you up, and he flings you far into the air. The ceiling of this room is massive, and you fly for so long it gets scary. But you are not scared! You have a strong temperament, and take after your father, so you demand, "Up! Up!" As he catches you. You fly around the room and get to see everyone looking at you. Many of them look scared, including your mama! So you call to her "Mama!" And her face lights up, just like it does every time you call to her. Words are very useful!

Your birthday goes mostly unremarkably, though the food your mama feeds you is tastier than usual. You are happy, and everyone else who attends seems happy too.

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Nakulian Year 6228, Apex Sun

You have left your room once more, but this time you have gone to another room. It is smaller than the room you normally go to when you leave your room, but it is still larger than where your family lives their lives. You see people who are not people lining the walls, perfectly still with no eyes or faces. One of them holds a skinny wooden stick, with a golden toy pointed at the end. Another has a strange silver plate blocking one hand, with pretty colorful balls pressed into it. A third is your uncle Aan, and you call out, "Uncy!" Uncle is too hard to say.

He smiles to you, but does not respond directly to you, "We shall first allow the two to become acquainted, before we begin the ceremony."

You are not alone here. Your mother and father, each holding one of your hands, are joined by another man, another woman, and a girl slightly taller than you. "Go on, Jute. Introduce yourself." Her mother is smaller than your mother, and her father is smaller than your father. But they both look kind enough. Neither of them have the scars your parents do, and their skin looks quite soft.

Jute herself is hesitant as hands are let go of, especially as your parents let go of yours too. But she eventually says, "H-hi." In a little voice, despite being bigger than you. She barely takes a single step towards you.

You choose to -

[ ] A. Run over and hug her while saying hi.
[ ] B. Hide behind your papa's legs and just peek at her.
[ ] C. Reply with an equal hesitance.
[ ] D. Ignore her and try to get your Uncle's attention.
[ ] E. Introduce yourself how your mother taught you.

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Eventually, your Uncle clears his throat, and says, "Now then, as the sun reaches its zenith upon this, the day of true Apex, we shall begin the ceremony of the Blessed Armament." Your parents direct you back to their side, and soon after Jute is grabbed by her own parents, "Hansa, Jai, while I know you both have knowledge of what this entails, Nira and Riku are not equally blessed." Your own parents just provide a nod - it is weird. Your dad and Uncle Aan often joke around, you often see them smiling, laughing, smacking each other's backs. The way they are acting now is... weird.

With the acknowledgement, your Uncle Aan continues, "Nira, Riku, the Ceremony is something you went through as children, though you likely do not remember it. As you know the Blessed Armaments of our Lord Nakul, blessed be his stature and may he view us kindly, are our weapons from Him to protect ourselves and our families from others. They are closely related to the Garden of Splendor, that you both work within, but much more... temperamental. Each Armament may only be utilized by those considered compatible by the Armament themselves." His explanation is boring. So many big words. You barely understand it. But everyone keeps a very quiet and serious expression, so you do so as well.

"Compatibility, as you all know, changes as you grow. But as it is taught, every soul is born with a certain compatibility, and incompatibility. Once a child has reached a year of age, their soul is now formed well enough for us to examine that compatibility, and to see where their soul's innate talent lies. Normally we would utilize volunteer's Armaments, to test a variety of differing talents - this year we have yet to fill the ranks of those Guardians lost in the last. So their relics will do. Now, we shall begin the test." With that explained, he moves down towards... Jute!? and picks her up in his arms. She is soon brought closer to the odd faceless not-people, and set into a small seat.

"As the older of two, we shall begin with you. When I hand you an Armament, simply stare at it, young Jute. It shall tell us how it feels." His first gift to the slightly older girl is the long stick of gold, "The Spear of Nakul's Everliving Glory." He says its name as he hands it to her. She holds it and.... nothing happens. For five minutes she holds it and there is nothing. He takes it away, "Incompatible." is all he says. He moves back, placing it back in the not-person's hands to hold, grabbing the metal plate instead. It is brought over and placed into her lap, and she brushes her fingers over it. "The Thirteen Element Formation Shield, perhaps." Again though, nothing happens. She slams her fists into it, but they rebound violently. She begins to cry loudly.

Uncle Aan just shakes his head as he continues, "You will harm yourself if you try that. Hansa." Your mother lets go of your hands to move up, her ring glowing slightly as she heals hands that are much more reddened than you'd expect from hitting the shield yourself. They're even dripping what you now know is blood. That soon stops. Jute's parents look terrified by that turn of events. Aan takes the plate and wipes it down, the blood sliding right off onto his slightly reddened clothing. Once it is returned, he takes a small necklace off of the mannequin, and moves back towards the young girl, who freezes up as it's placed in her healed hands, evidently scared of the pain from the last one. This time though, there is a glow to her hands, similar to that of your Mother's ring, if a little weaker, "Aha. The Amulet of Nakul's Eternal Light. A moderate compatibility for this stage. Quite good. Nira, Riku, I will prepare the information we have on what improves compatibility with this Armament in the days to come. Your daughter shall become a Guardian in time."

Both of the parents beam with apparent pride, and rush up to gather their daughter, who calls out, "I di good!" Happily. She seems excited to know she's done well, giving up the amulet without a second thought as Aan reaches in to take it from the excited family.

"Next we call Isha to the test." You are ready to go, and walk yourself to the stairs up.... and as you tumble over trying to get up the step, are caught by Aan, and placed. He seems amused, "So much like your father. Let us begin with a weapon then." You are given the Spear first, despite the amulet still being in his hand. The second it touches down it gives a very, very low glow. Smaller than Jute's with the amulet. "Hm. A low compatibility. Perhaps from your father. Interesting, at least." He takes the spear, and returns with the shield. It gives the same tiny, low level glow. "Again... hm. Perhaps you instead take after your Mother in this regard. Hansa, remind me, how many armaments did you display low level compatibility with?"

Your mother fidgets with her ring awkwardly, "I was of low compatibility to twenty two, and low-moderate with the Signet of Nakul's Blessed Life. None of these progressed further. You know this." She looks supremely uncomfortable.

Aan nods, "I do, but Nira and Riku do not. It is better for them to hear it, as they were losing heart at their child's success. I wanted to assure them that young Jute's display is quite commendable." He takes the shield from you, and next you are given the Amulet. It glows slightly more than the last two, but not as bright as when Jute held it, "Hm. Still low, perhaps nearly low-moderate. It is hard to tell. Do not feel discouraged, Little Isha. To have a broad compatibility is not bad, and you may still yet become a Guardian. You simply will need to work hard, to grow into a person desired by these Armaments. We will continue to test you when chances come, perhaps something will resonate more strongly with you."

You're being comforted. You might only be 15 months old, but you know when you're being comforted! How do you respond to this turn of events?

[ ] G. Try to take your Mother's Ring, to see how it responds.
[ ] H. Try to grab your Father's Sword, to see how it responds.
[ ] I. Quietly accept the outcome and go back to your parents.
[ ] J. Cry.

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You are a toddler. You do not have much in the way of choices here. Big exposition dump here tho. No update tomorrow, I'll be writing up the character sheet and NPC list.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Nakulian Year 6228, Apex Sun

You are not alone here. Your mother and father, each holding one of your hands, are joined by another man, another woman, and a girl slightly taller than you. "Go on, Jute. Introduce yourself." Her mother is smaller than your mother, and her father is smaller than your father. But they both look kind enough. Neither of them have the scars your parents do, and their skin looks quite soft.

Jute herself is hesitant as hands are let go of, especially as your parents let go of yours too. But she eventually says, "H-hi." In a little voice, despite being bigger than you. She barely takes a single step towards you.

Click to shrink...

You choose to - Jute Reaction Vote: 1d20 11 - A, Run over and hug her while saying hi. (which had 13 votes of 20!)

You don't hesitate to rush over to her! You've never really gotten to see another kid, you don't even remember when you were introduced to her when you were younger. She is small! Like you! And it's amazing! So you rush her, and she isn't close enough to her parents to get back before you reach her, your arms wrapping around her, "Hi!!!!!" You are not at all shy, and you hear your father chuckling at your introduction.

Your mother's quiet, "Not exactly a proper introduction...." barely registers on your mind, because you're way too busy babbling at your new friend, telling her all about your toys and your uncle and everything else you can think of. Almost none of it is actual words. You manage to get your name out to her, eventually, when your father coughs and reminds you. But you mostly leave poor Jute shocked and confused for much of it.

Only once you let her go does she respond with a hesitant, "T-thank you...?"

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Reaction Vote: 1d22 12 - G, try and take your mother's ring. (13 out of 22 votes)

You step up from the small seat you were put in, and your Uncle quickly grabs you before you fall off the edge. You wiggle out of his arms as soon as possible though, and he puts you down to go on your own. You have only one focus. You've seen it in your dreams at least once per week for months now. You saw it in use all the time. You weren't sure why you were worse than Jute at this stuff, but you knew your Father looked disappointed. You'd prove them wrong!

So you run, clearing the stairs without falling down in a miraculous feat of toddling. Your mother has already gotten down onto her knees, her arms wide open as you run down. "Oh, it's alright my darling..." You don't pay attention to it though. You run into her arms.

And you hear your Uncle call out, "Jai!" But you already have your hands on the ring, as your mom puts it right into reach of your little grabby hands. You have all the strength and swiftness of a toddler doing something they definitely shouldn't do, as you yank it off her finger.

"Commencing compatibility check, activating defenses." You hear the voice from your dreams as you grab the ring. And then you are filled with an unimaginable pain, as the ring lights up twice as brightly as it does in your mother's hands, the moment it slips down her finger. You are in this thrashing, destructive, horrific pain for only an instant before your father has pulled your arm away from your mother's, the ring falling to the floor with a small sound. You begin to cry, and cry. Your arm hurts horrifically.

You don't even notice that your mother has fallen to the ground, as you wail in pain. Your father has moved to her side, as your Uncle scoops you up, "Nira, Riku, fetch Darpan. Now. Tell him it is an emergency with Hansa." Jute is crying, and Riku is holding the young girl close in his arms, as the three scurry off. Everyone in the group had frozen up throughout the short ordeal, unaware of what they should do.

"Isha, you have done something very, very dangerous." Your uncle has a deathly serious voice, and your own voice stops coming out as he speaks to you. You are still crying, still wailing, but not a single sound comes out of your mouth. It is impossible to speak over him. "It's a miracle you are alive, child. Attempting to steal a Blessed Armament from it's wielder always ignites a horrifying power through the soul pathways of both parties." You aren't sure why, but his words stick in your head, and somehow you can understand him, despite the hard words and the pain you are in. His armor glows brightly under the thick robes he usually wears, shining like the sun itself and illuminating the yellow into pure gold, "The only reason she is alive," Your uncle seems to be regarding your father now, not you, "is that the Signet found little Isha here more compatible, leading to a vast majority of the backlash to be sent into Hansa, as it rejected her." The attention back to you, "Had your Father not been present, or not worn his Blade today, you would have killed your mother."

You get the feeling that you are in a lot of trouble, but you're in too much pain to think about it. Your father continues to hold your mother upward - she seems to be awake now, but her arm has massive bleeding scratches from the tip of the finger she wore her ring on, to her now exposed shoulder, the energy having ripped away her long sleeved robe. They trace a pattern up her arm, but the blood doesn't seem to be your father's concern, as he continually mutters prayers towards Nakul, asking for him to grant his wife strength.

In time, a stranger appears, and you are still silenced. "You demanded me old ma- Nakul's taint." His reply shifts as soon as he sees the situation, and he rushes to your mother and father's side, only for your mother to direct him to you first, "Hansa, you stu- no, you wont listen." He curses a few more times you think, but you can feel the warmth of your Uncle's armor as the words become silenced for you. He moves towards you and thrusts out a hand, a gleaming bracer covered in runes glowing as he does so, "The foolish girl attempted to steal her mother's Armament, did she? I can't imagine where she got that kind of recklessness, Jai. How is she even al-" He meets eyes with your uncle for a moment, and you can feel him nod as his long beard hits your head. "By the unholy beasts of the farlands, she's barely over a year." He seems to understand everything from that. "Her spirit pathways are fine - they'll be extremely sore for a week or so, but she lacks any longterm damage. Now then -" He doesn't even regard you with another glance.

It takes much longer for him to diagnose your mother, and you have cried yourself into a sleep, then woken up from the pain, then cried yourself asleep, then woken up when he finally replied, "You aren't going to like this, old man." He has none of the respect your mother or father give Aan, as he speaks, "Her spirit pathways are barely intact. A second, no, a half a second longer and they would have been shattered beyond repair."

"How long will it take you to treat her?" Your father is the one who asks the question, biting back something as he finally speaks a word to the man. You do not understand the hatred in his voice, you are too young to hate someone.

"Tch. Alone she would heal in approximately two... maybe three... years. With daily treatments, I can reduce that to a month. Injuries to the soul are much harder to tend than the injuries of the body your wife works with, Bladelord." There are glares between the two men...

And then your mother interrupts, "I can't... a month is too long, the Apex ends in two weeks. The beasts will return... you'll need me to help. It is my duty."

Both your father and Darpan look at her quickly and speak at the same time, "You need to rest." They then glare at each other, and only Darpan continues, "If you try to heal someone in this condition, you will shatter your Pathways and never be able to use an Armament again. And that's in the best result. If you want to do something that foolish, that's your choice." You're not sure when he grabbed it, but Darpan puts the Signet into your mother's uninjured hand as he says this. "But I did warn you."

He looks between Jai and Aan, and says, "I'll be by daily for her treatments. I expect a fourth of your provisions for the duration of the treatment."

Your uncle has the second angriest look you've ever seen to his eyes - the first being his eyes when he had grabbed you - at this, "You cannot expect to hold hostage your Armament and it's capabilities, and deprive our people of their only healer, Darpan. Not even you."

A roll of the eyes, and the young man shrugs, "I can, and I will. They possess the provisions of two Guardians and a child. They shall surely be able to spare some for a month."

Your father doesn't even hesitate to agree, "Treat her, but I'll be watching you." His hatred for the man is not hidden at all.

"You'll be too busy to watch soon." Darpan bites back.

The excitement for the day ends with your father carrying you and your mother home, as if you both weighed the same amount.

----------------------

Nakulian Year 6228, Descending Sun

You have gotten to know Darpan a little more in the month of treatments your mother received - especially in the first few weeks when he treated you as well, at her request. He could make the pain in your arm that echoed deeper than the skin not hurt, and it felt lovely. He often asked you questions too advanced for you to understand, before sighing and complaining that he doesn't understand why people want children. You are never alone with him or your mother, however. When your father is busy, your Uncle attends the healing sessions. And your Father is often busy now. He never seems to spend time with you, and when he is home, he is covered in red and white cloths.

Your mother's recovery is slow, but steady. After a week, she is able to use her arm again, when forced. After two, she no longer winces whenever she moves it. By three weeks, it no longer randomly breaks into blood. You often see her clenching the ring you had stolen from her, as your father reports the injuries of the day. But by the time her spirit pathways are fully healed, no one has died - but your father sports a few more scars across his body.

"I told you, if you cannot keep them alive, I will." You hear your father 'whisper' it to your mother one night, when you should have been asleep. You can hear your mother reply, but not the words, her whispering much better than your father's. "I'll make sure our daughter isn't blamed for anything. Don't worry." You drift to sleep knowing that despite everything, your father does love you still.

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Nakulian Year 6228, ------ Void

Your life is back to normal, with your mother healed. Except that your Uncle is much more serious with you, whenever you are left alone with him. He imparts strict rules on you, warning you of potential dangers. Gone are the stories of his past, gone are the words on your father's many mistakes, or the journey your mother made to meet him. You are instead taught like the little rebel child you are. He is extremely strict about it.

The one highlight is once a week - when Jute and one of her parents come to visit. Ever since your mother had healed, the young girl was brought by either her mother or father on the last day of each week. You grow quite close to the girl, as your uncle tutors you both in the rules and norms of your society for half of the day, before letting you spend the other half as children do. Jute always seems amazed with all of your toys - especially the soft, squishy ones your parents always kept on your bed. You didn't know why, but by the end of the fourth week, you choose to let her take one, insisting multiple times when she and her father refused the gift. You often find yourself the more sociable one, but Jute slowly learns to deal with your friendliness.

You still dream of the ring, but when you do the dreams tend to turn to nightmares. The beautiful jungles- the dreams have taught you that word - are now filled with predators. They chase you through your dreams those nights. Every so often you hear the ring demand you fight, but instead you run. You are too young to fight.

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Nakulian Year 6229, Ascending Stars

Your second new year celebration is much different from the first, because you understand some of what is happening. You even manage to say a small prayer to Nakul when everyone gives their prayer, asking him for -

[ ] A. Wisdom, like Uncle Aan
[ ] B. Strength, like Papa
[ ] C. Peace, like Mama
[ ] D. The Ring.
[ ] E. Write in, short answer only.

You are introduced to the one child born in the last year, and are surprised to find Darpan together with the parents who were presenting their new baby boy. You hear your Uncle Aan asking if the young boy is getting along well with his older brother, but your parents do not linger long with that family. "He's too small to be my friend." You comment to your father as you're carried away. He stifles a laugh. It's true though - you were hoping for another new friend, but that baby was far too small.

---------------------------

This event could have gone much worse here. Your mother and father both made series of rolls to determine the outcome here - had your father not rolled well enough while your mother was out of commission, he could have either died, or caused your mother to force herself into healing and crippling herself. He has taken some serious and painful wounds that will affect him for the rest of his life, but both of your parents survived the event, as did everyone else.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Nakullian Year 6229, Ascending Stars

Prayer Vote: 1d23 18 - C, Peace, like Mama has won, with only 2 votes!

You try to mimic your Mother's prayer as she makes it, following behind her in your own broken prayer, "Load Naku, pease gant us peace and quweit for our year, an bless ouw heroes wit less injuwies." You say it with your head pressed to the floor, just as your mom was doing, though you are splayed out rather than holding yourself up using your arms as she is.

When you finish, she scoops you up and tells you, "We have to work to make it come true too, so you can help me with that. Can't you, my little blessing?"

The rest of the event proceeds much the same as last year - only a single Guardian had lost their ability to fight, shattering the Spirit Pathways in the course of a grand battle, protecting many others with their life. Unlike before, their successor is announced - their own son taking up their large hammer in front of the crowd, the weapon glowing a bright white. This brings rancorous cheers, but you can hear your mother mutter, "Another child into the front lines..."

------------

Nakullian Year 6229, Stars, Moon, and Sun

From then on, whenever your mother left to heal someone within the building, you joined her. This meant you spent less time with your father or uncle than in years past, but you get to meet a lot more people as you work with your mother. She's welcomed by every family without hesitation, and heaped with offers for rewards at every turn. Even as she works to heal people's physical wounds, she helps guide them through the problems in their life, and you get plenty of time to learn from her.

You get little access to real work to do, but your mother teaches you a few folk songs between the sessions of healing, and you often perform them for patients as your mother tends them - she says it's easier to heal people who have a stronger desire to live, and while you don't really get it, seeing a cute kid showing off their talents helps that. Your duties at other times include distracting scared or worrying wives or husbands, so that your mother can work without anyone getting up in her face. You learn little about wounds or their treatment, but quite a lot about the other families of Nakul, and how to interact with them.

The extra time with your mother also means extra time near her magical ring. On days when there is no one for you to distract from their or their family's pain, your mother tells you what she knows of the Signet, mostly stories that have been passed down from wielder to wielder. You hear of its creation from the heart of dragon, its band created from the metal veins of a golden monster, you hear of how Nakul used it to make the world you live in livable, and how in his day he could restore the dead to life with it. You also hear of its limitations in the hands of others, and how it is considered as one half of the two most important Blessed Armaments in the world, for its nature of tending to wounds.

------------

You do still continue your last-day sessions with Uncle Aan teaching you and Jute about things, but he has mostly moved onto teaching you about religious matters, telling you the old stories of Nakul. More than once you surprise him by knowing a song about the Lord before he has taught you it, earning you much praise. More so than ever though, you realize how much less bright Jute is. When you run around playing together, you greet half the people you run past by their names, and happily introduce yourself to the others. Your friend, meanwhile, is left stammering awkward greetings that you often have to fill in. Despite her family working within the Gardens, you find yourself more familiar with the people within them by far - it's not uncommon for the Gardeners to sustain injury in their duties, so you often end up with your mother healing them, when the Farbeasts are quiet.

------------

You do spend some amount of time with your Papa, during the month of the Sun - you've come to know the cycle of seasons in Nakul, and how the season of Sun is when the majority of Farbeasts lie dormant, freeing up Guardian's time. On days when your mother has nothing to do and your father is home, you join her in watching his training. For hours you watch your father dance either alone or with others, his movements smooth and quick. Your mother often sighs wistfully as she watches him. Every so often on those nights, your Uncle Aan watches you as you sleep within his room, rather than within your own. Your parents both very energetic when they see you the next day.

By the end of the Months of Sun, you have become more aware of the hierarchy of your society. At the top lies your Uncle Aan, the high priest of Nakul. The twenty nine Guardians make up the next group, including your two parents. Guardian candidates, like Jute and yourself, are technically of the third highest category, as are the family of Guardians who are not themselves Guardians. Below that are the Warriors, incompatible or of such low compatibility that they cannot become Guardians, they still join Guardians in the defense of Nakul. Gardeners like Jute's family make up the fifth group. Below them are the craftsmen and laborers who prepare the meats, weapons, and everyday objects of others.

--------------------

Nakul's resources, you've come to learn, are very limited. The Garden does not produce enough for everyone. Much of this is supplemented by Guardians bringing home their kills. You are shocked when you realize Jute has never tasted meat, during one of your days playing with her. You wonder if that's why she's shorter than you despite being older, but your mother says that's just because she is tall, and Jute's parents are both short. Your father says it could be part of it, though. You start to share a portion of your meat with her on the days you spend time together. After all, she's your best friend. In return, she brings you pretty flowers from the Garden every so often - they smell nice, but are otherwise considered useless, so only a few tend to sprout up and they're quickly picked for decoration by the Gardeners. Your mother seems to appreciate them.

They remind you of your dreams of the Ring. Now you're no longer always in a jungle. Sometimes you are in a forest. Which is like a jungle, but different. In the Jungle, you are chased by monsters and forced to run away. In the forest, everything is peaceful. Small beings with large bright orange wings sometimes land on your hand. Fuzzy yellow and black ones land on flowers unlike the ones Jute brings you. You like the dreams about the forest.

Nakullian Year 6229, Void

The months of Void are busy, and you're more often left with your Uncle again. Your uncle does not lie to you about why - the injuries your mother has gone to tend are considered too much for one of your age to see. This means spending more time learning about Nakul and his glory, how he gave life to everyone in his realm, and how he watches from the heavens to take his faithful children with him. How the Farbeasts are the creation of his enemies, to kill his chosen people, and seal him from them. How one day Nakul will surely return and save them all, when he has defeated all of his enemies for good.

You learn of the thirty two Blessed Armaments, their creation by Nakul from the blood of vast and powerful foes. Of how he once utilized them all at once, filled with a holy power far beyond what his faithful can manifest. You learn of the Spirit Pathways in more depth, which connect the body to the soul, and are where the Blessed Armaments manifest their power, by drawing from soul to body.

Sometimes these lessons are alone, sometimes you are joined by Jute, and at other times even Darpan's younger brother Hitish is present, though those lessons mostly end up with you and Jute playing while Uncle Aan teaches Hitish stuff you learned a year ago, though you sometimes join the young boy by helping him through his songs. Darpan usually comes to pick up his younger brother before Jute's parents come for her. He treats Aan as rudely as ever - your time with your mother has made you much more keen to understand exactly how rude Darpan was being, and how different that was from how everyone else seemed to act.

----------------------

Nakullian Year 6230, Ascending Stars

The new year has begun in earnest, and the celebration is even louder than the year before. No guardians had lost their life or limb in the previous year, a blessing from Nakul himself. The fervor of the celebration is intense, and you find yourself separated from your family in the rush of the crowds, a brief slip of your hand from your Mother's all it took for you to lose sight of her from your position so low to the ground. Luckily, you do not panic in the situation. You look up at people until you find you recognize, conversing with a few others, and reach up to tug on their pant leg, "Mister Garg. Mister Garg!"

The older man is a laborer, you know, who makes weapons and armor for Guardians and Warriors, and he is very large, so you're certain he could see your mother or father through the crowd. He looks down to you with a slightly bleery eyes for a moment before kneeling down and then says, "Little Isha, what are you doing here alone?"

"I lost my mom! Can you see her?" You say it loudly, but you do not cry! You are very strong. He pats your head before standing back up, and looking over the crowd like you expected him to.

"Aha. There's Hansa. Looks like you've left her quite worried. Come now." He offers his hand, and guides you through the crowd. He may be amongst the lowest class, but people move out of the way of his bulk, even those who don't step out of the way when they see you. "Hansa!" You hear him call, "I've found your lost dove."

Soon enough you are scooped back into the arms of your mother, who is stronger than you'd expect. "Oh, thank you Manas!" She holds you close, "I'm so glad you found her!"

The large man looks a little sheepish as he shakes his head, "No, no, little Isha found me all on her own, to ask for you. She's quite the child. Enjoy the celebration." He doesn't stay to talk longer, and you notice most of the group he had been chatting with had followed along with you.

You don't hear the end of it for the rest of the celebration.

---------------------

Nakullian Year 6230, Ascending Moon

You are asleep, sitting within the forest, insects all around you teeming with life energy, when you hear the scratchy, unreal voice once more. "Take me up. Wield me, child. Listen to my voice and speak of me." You look down to your hands and see your mother's ring on your right index finger, the same spot your mother wears it. It glows brightly, and as it does, your surroundings melt away. You are left in a warm void, drifting along. You see people you have never seen before, wielding your Mother's ring. You see a man tending to the wounded, growing a new limb from nothing for a woman who lost an arm. You see another who touches a horrifying monster, and the creature withering to dust in her hands. You witness a person crackling with energy, punching a hole straight through a monster's head.

When you wake up, the visions are still vivid in your mind. The dream felt real. The voice felt real. You feel like you should tell someone about it. But you're also worried about what your parents might think if you tell them about it. You still think about that time you hurt your mama so badly, and how scary it was. Would they think you didn't learn your lesson? Or that you would risk hurting your mom again?

[ ] A. My mama.
[ ] B. My papa.
[ ] C. Uncle Aan
[ ] D. No one.

---------------------------------------

Next update will be a small timeskip to where you have more things to do. This is an important vote for that, however.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Nakullian Year 6230, Ascending Moon, cont.

Who to tell: 1d17 11 - Uncle Aan

You consider telling your Mama, she's the first person to come to see you every day, and the experience would be most fresh with her. But you think about all the pain that happened last time you tried to take the ring, and you don't want to make her relive that. You don't consider Papa at all. He's great and all, but.... well, Uncle Aan seems smarter. And so you finally decide on talking to your Uncle Aan, when you see him. Luckily for you, the dream found you on the night before your third birthday, and you were certain he would be visiting you soon. So you lie awake in your bed, across the room from your parents. You desperately hold onto the memories of your dream, replaying them in your head as you refuse to go to sleep.

You start to sing a little song, trying to put the details of your dreams into words in one. Your mama often told you the easiest way to remember things was by singing them, and you were really good at singing (for your age, at least). So you utilize her advice and sing the details to yourself. You end up losing some, over the course of your time alone. But by the time everyone has woken up, you have your little song well and memorized.

You're still humming as you're pulled out of your crib by your mama, whos eyes are delighted, "Woke up with a tune in your head, my little star?" Kisses come, and then breakfast. You do not talk to your parents about your dream, but you keep humming it throughout. Your mother must be concerned with how oddly quiet you are, because after breakfast she asks you, "Are you feeling alright, darling? Did you have bad dreams?" You almost tell her about your dreams at that. But you decided!

You shake your head, "I otay!" You're about to continue with a question of when your Uncle will arrive, when a knock at the door follows by a turning of the handle.

"I've come for the birthday girl!" Your uncle laughs in the way he only laughs while not teaching you. Those moments where he's Uncle Aan, and not High Priest Aan. He scoops you up off the floor you were sat on, and holds you up over his head, "You're getting too big! Soon you shall be as big as you father, I'm certain. And then your mother! But perhaps not I!" He laughs uproariously.

"Uncu! Uncu!" Your head was spinning a little, but you hum your little song as you try to get his attention, "Quesion! Quesion!" You take on the expression of an adept student trying to study, not a birthday girl enjoying her uncle.

And he matches it, an eyebrow going high as he instantly shifts back to teacher mode, and sets you down on the floor, kneeling down far to look at you on your level, "If I know the answer, I shall provide." He still has a hint of mirth to his eyes, despite the more reserved tone.

You look at your parents, and then at him, and say, "Quesion for you, Uncu." You make that very explicit, and your parents look shocked as you ask them to leave you alone. On your birthday!

But your dad soon enough has an arm wrapped around your mom, "Oh dear, already keeping secrets from us. She must get that from you dear." He has already started pulling her along. Your uncle and him share a glance for a second, and a nod, but you miss it.

As soon as you are alone, you start to tell him about your most recent dream. You tell him about seeing the ring in many peoples hands, and what it was doing. You tell him about it talking to you. You tell him about how you've been having these dreams for years. He listens with rapt attention. A few times you have to repeat your little song out loud, to remember something. Every detail you add makes his bushy grey eyebrow raise further.

When you finally stop he is muttering to himself, "Compatibility with soul... no, that wouldn't... the distance... dreams without... hmm." He normally answers your questions instantly, so you're confused when he doesn't know exactly what is going on. "You needn't worry about your parents, though I understand the confusion. This... is likely... hm. Give me a second, Little Isha." He moves out of his kneeling position, his body popping in multiple places as he does.

You are left alone in the room, on your birthday. You can't help but wonder if you're in trouble. If you made a mistake.

But all three of the adults walk back in soon enough, talking to each other, "What do you mean dreaming of-" "I mean that she seems to be meeting the Signet." "But she's not eve-" "Yes, I know." They talk to each other instead of you, but then your dad wraps you in a hug.

"You're very strong for living with these dreams. You haven't done anything wrong. I promise." Did you look scared? You must have looked scared, because he is being very warm and comforting, instead of his usual happy self. "These are..." He pauses, but continues after a moment's hesitation, "Perfectly normal. Sort of." He moves his hand to his blade, and touches the hilt with his hand, breaking the hug, "I sometimes dream of the Lightning Severing Blade as well. All Guardians do, at least sometimes. It is how we hear the voice of our Armament, and learn from them."

Your mom is playing with the Signet, and you can't help but glance at that as he talks about hearing the voice of an Armament. When she sees your gaze, she nods a small nod, "I've dreamed of the jungle before too, though...." Another trail off, from your usually so good at explaining herself mother.

Your Uncle is the one who picks it up, "Dreaming of an Armament is only supposed to happen for its Guardian. Even prospective Guardians training with an Armament tend to only get them after months of wielding them. Long ago it was more common to hear the voice of an Armament - some could even hear them in the waking world, it was how our ancestors found Nakul's Armaments in our time of need." You're barely understanding half of what is being said. But no one is mad. They seem confused, and maybe a little worried, but none of them are mad at you. Your lack of understanding must show on your face, but he eventually kneels down and gets on your level, his voice soft, "This is something rare. And we're going to start training you. Normally I'd say something like this is worth removing a Guardian from duty. But your Mother is needed. So you will only train for a month out of the year. During that month, you will stay with me, just in case. Is that okay?"

You look between your parents and your uncle, and you don't really feel like you have a choice. You nod your head.

---------------------

Nakullian Year 6230, Apex Sun

Apex Sun, when Nakul's light is at its strongest, banishing all but the weakest Farbeasts to their underground homes. This is when your parents pack you up, and help you move into your uncle's room. It is lined with bookshelf after bookshelf, each one filled with knowledge. You can't help but be nervous as you hold onto your soft stuffed animal, shaped like a particularly benign farbeast, with only one small fang in its mouth. Your uncle is in his high priest voice, "Hansa, I trust you have broken the connection as requested?" He regards your mother first.

And she holds out a blackened leather bag, towards him, "I removed it before sleeping the night before last, and placed it within the sequestering storage, as you instructed. I can no longer feel the Signet's presence in my Spirit Pathways."

He takes the black bag, and holds it with a serious look in his eyes, "Good. The People have been told that their only healer will be out of commission for the month. We shall hope none of them accidentally become too injured in that time. You may go." Your mother leans down to give you a final hug and kiss, before leaving.

Your uncle reaches into the black bag, and pulls out the Signet of Nakul's Blessed Life. "Your hand, Little Isha." You gulp, and offer your right hand to him. As he puts the ring around one of your tiny baby fingers, it shrinks to fit, just tight enough that it wouldn't fall off accidentally, but loose enough to be removed when you try it. "Over the next day, the Signet should build a connection through your Spirit Pathways. I will be here with you throughout that, in case something goes wrong." He motions you over to a small corner with a you-sized table, "Until then, you study."

---------------

And study you do, you study the history of the Signet, its recorded wielders, the traits associated with them, everything Aan knows about it. He fills the entire day with talking about it, and so you are not surprised when you fall asleep and dream of it. But this time, the ring is worn by a woman who looks like your mother - only with green skin and piercing blue eyes, "Another mortal." Her voice reminds you of the voice in your dreams, but clearer, as if she had once been speaking from far away, and now she was right next to you, "Surprisingly good wavelength, however... hm. Ah, I recognize you. Yes, the young one my last wielder had. I remember her healing you." The entity laughs, it is a beautiful but terrifying sound, and you're soon surrounded by an image of your mother, very pregnant, the ring on her hand glowing strongly as she sobs alone in a dark room, "Could my restoring your heartbeat have... no, too many children have been saved like that, who did not have this promise... hmm." You are being ignored, and you're unable to speak. It's like you're just allowed to watch this beautiful green-and-blue being figure you out. "Socially compatible, saved by my grace, with just the right soul at birth? Coincidences? Or fate?"

Finally she looms over you and says, "You are an interesting one. Is your mother dead? Have you been sacrificed in her stead, to use my power?" You start to think of the answers, but instead of your voice coming out, your memories fill the room, just as you had watched your mother before. The entity watches the goings on, laughing briefly when you almost killed your mother, before pointing a finger, the room around you turning to the forest you dreamed of before, "Interesting. One month. Not nearly enough time. You should kill your mother and steal me away. Wait, no. That would get you executed, if I remember your people's laws correctly. Don't do that. A month shall have to do, for now. Perhaps when you are stronger." You are horrified by what was just suggested to you, but it doesn't even seem to notice.

She pokes at your arm in your dream, and then pinches your baby-fat having cheek, and shakes her head. "Young, flabby, and shamefully weak. You would burn yourself out with a single iota of my power. You're perfect. None of my siblings could help you at this stage. I alone can turn you into the perfect vessel for my power. Aren't I the greatest? You needn't answer. I already know your response." She touches your forehead, and you start to burn, from where her finger touches to the tips of your fingers and the bottom of your toes. "Tell your mentor you spoke to me. You are to work your body until exhaustion each day for this month. At night, I shall rebuild you to be stronger. And then you will repeat. If you do not follow my instructions, I will rebuild you without your aid. This will be incredibly painful for you, as I break you down in order to make my repairs. You will wish you were dead. Now go, awaken, for the the daylight hours have arrived."

------------------

You get no choice in the matter as you are shunted out of your dreams and start awake in your bed. Your Uncle has both his hands on you, and you belatedly hear him calling your name, "Isha! Isha! Isha! Can you hear me!?" Your eyes start to clear up as you take in around you, and you notice that you have clawed at your own arms in your sleep. Blood runs from them. It takes some time for your uncle to clean you up, but as he does you tell him about your dream. Except for the part about killing your mother. When you start to talk about that, a pain shoots up your arm from the now very mini blessed armament.

"Incredibly detailed first visit... to have had it on the first night as well..." He rubs at his beard, "Heartbeats... I remember your mother taking a week during her pregnancy... could she have..." He seems to be taking in this information without any trouble, despite your obvious issues relaying the more complicated information. "Congratulations, Isha. You're unofficially a Guardian now. Once you receive your first visitation, you progress from candidate onwards. Unfortunately for you, you cannot be officially added to the records until you are the sole wielder of a Blessed Armament." He pets your head tenderly, "I would offer you a reward, but the instructions of Nakul's Blessed Stewards must always be followed, for without their grace our people would die. We will begin."

--------------------

For the remainder of the month, your schooling continues - but with a twist, as you work your body throughout, your Uncle forcing you to exercise as you study, only offering platitudes of Nakul being wise, of his Stewards knowing best, of how much you will gain. In these exhausting lessons, you learn of the Blessed Stewards, the intelligences within the Blessed Armaments, whom rarely contact those who use the armaments. You are confused by that point. Your uncle notes that he speaks with his Plates of Meditative Silence once a week. This is considered extremely often, and he notes that his bond with his armament transcends soul and body, by nature of his life literally existing in the Plates hands. You, meanwhile, see the Signet every night.

Your first few nights are horribly painful, as she judges your exhaustion as not thorough enough but proceeds with her rebuilding anyways. All three nights you thrash like a wild woman, your uncle having to hold you down to keep you from clawing your own skin off as you sleep, unable to wake you. You want to give up. He does not let you. On your fifth night, she judges it as passible. It still burns as she destroys just as much as she builds, but not as bad as before. You still want to give up. She does not let you. By the fifteen night you have perfected a routine to exhaust yourself, though your uncle insists on adding more each day to ensure it still works. These nights you have the opposite of pain, as your painful aching body is healed to better than new.

By the end of the month, you are happy to take off the Signet, and place it into the sequestering bag to break its connection to your soul. But it still visits you that night, to tell you that you better keep working hard for the next year, until it sees you again.

---------------------
Nakullian Year 6230, Descending Sun

You never thought you'd miss your family as much as you did. You had spent an entire month hidden away from everyone you knew and love, with only your Uncle and the Steward of the Signet to keep you company. When you reach your family's arms, you are sobbing. You tell them all of what you went through, before your mother receives the Signet back. The both of them look horrified as you detail the early nights.

"She can't go back." Your mother declares, as she looks at the bag she knows contains the Signet. "She cannot." She says it very firmly.

"Aan, I thought of you as my brother how could you watch that?" Your father is angry. Your mother is scared, but your father is angry. His hand is on his blade.

Your uncle does not seem afraid, "I have acted as I must. Isha was given instructions by a Steward, and as High Priest, I must aid any Guardian - or other compatible person - in fulfilling their Steward's request. Just as I have aided you in following the Lightning Severing Blade's orders, and every other Guardian in following their own orders." He is speaking in his High Priest voice, and it makes even your father falter. "Your daughter has learned what is required of her, and is not likely to suffer again as she has."

Your father's hand is off his blade, but they are both balled into fists, "Don't you dare try to force her into this training. The least you can do is wait for her to be of typical training age! I'll make certain she is prepared by then."

Your mother looks horrified that your father would let you be taken ever, even if it wasn't now. "Isha doesn't need to become a Guardian at all!" She holds you close to her, protectively, as if the two men were going to steal you away.

The High Priest opens his mouth, and exudes confidence as he says, "A Guardian is in charge of their own fate. Aside from betrayal of our people, they may make their own decisions on how to proceed. Even a child against their parent." He silences your parents as your mouth opens, and asks you, "So what is your choice, Guardian Isha. Shall you work hard to become the greatest Guardian you can, knowing there is pain and suffering ahead? Will you seek to become a hero, regardless of personal cost, when our people need them most? Or shall you remain a child for now, to enjoy your days as others fight, and stru-?"

His question is interrupted by a fist flying at his face and sending him skidding along the floor of the room you call your home, until he hit the wall. You look to see your father, who had been behind you, had somehow moved in an instant to being where your Uncle was. Your father is screaming, but his voice isn't coming out, "Allow your daughter to answer, Jai, and I will ignore this crime." Your uncle says it with a low threat to his voice. You don't like watching your family fight.

[ ] A. I'll join Uncle Aan, and train for the Signet.
[ ] B. I'll follow my Father, and train with him until I'm older and stronger.
[ ] C. I'll listen to my mother and just give up on being a Guardian.

----------------

Whoops, I guess I lied about large timeskip. Once I got the winner of the vote, I realized this would be a better way to present this, and give a choice to the readers in the process. C is not an option because... well, it would mean the end of the story if you gave up!

 

[KittyEmpress]

Timeskip Decision: 1d28 19 - A wins, barely, with 19 of 28 votes.

Nakullian Year 6230, Descending Sun

It takes longer for you to answer than any of the parties want you to do. You're a little overwhelmed here, but it ends up being you looking at your father that makes your decision for you. He has had scars as long as you could remember, but it's gotten worse over the last few years. His exposed arms are covered in them, his face and neck look like he's taken dozens of near fatal wounds. You've seen your mother heal enough people to know the seriousness of those. She often spoke of his injuries with you in ear shot, and her wishes to be able to heal them more fully.

"I wanna be a hero." Your little voice breaks through the enforced silence of the room, as everyone looks at you. The High Priest soon has a large smile on his face. Your parents look devastated. You're not sure if you've made the right choice.

But your Uncle speaks clearly, "I shall create a routine for her to follow, to prepare her until next year. We cannot survive without Hansa's blessings, but we can hopefully have Little Isha up to the Signet's Steward's standards. I expect it to be followed." The enforced silence of the room disappears as he turns and steps out.

Your parents keep trying to convince you to change your mind, but you do not.

------------

Timeskip Year 1

Your regimen is intense. You spend four days a week working your body to the utter limits that it has, put through training that makes you struggle to walk - you often need to be carried home by either your father or Uncle, depending on who is training you. On days where your Father is available, he pushes you through endless laps to build your endurance, you both running through the golden palace halls and the inner Garden, for hours. You only are allowed to pause when you physically cannot keep going without resting. Your uncle somehow always knows when your Father is taking it easy on you. Meanwhile, days when your Father is busy, your uncle puts you through a strict strength training regimen, that leaves the rest of your body sore, as your Uncle tells you to memorize stories of the past whilst you work. As part of the training, you have been given an increased portion of meat, that your Uncle insists will help you grow stronger faster - gone are most of the rice and other 'unnecessary fillers' as he called them. This, unfortunately, includes most flavor.

On the remaining three days a week, you accompany your Mother. Gone are the days of entertaining guests though, she speaks to you of how to identify wounds, she talks to you about different severities to different places, she explains the weakness of the human body to you. When there's no one to tend to, or time left over, she heals the aches and pains of your body, but it never is as complete as when the Signet had done so. You do not get time to socialize anymore, and your Uncle's schedule provides no time for you to play with Jute. Or anyone. Even if you had a day, you were exhausted.

The week to week scheduling does change, as things always do - more than once your Father is too injured to train with you, and you are forced to run through the halls on your own, trying to keep yourself motivated. Whenever you falter, you try to think of keeping him from getting hurt. You still never train as hard without his presence. Sometimes your Mother is needed outside of the Embrace, because of an emergency, and you are not allowed to follow her. On those days your Uncle fills your head with the past glories of Nakul and his Armaments, but more specifically with heroes of the past generations, who defied the odds and norms even for Guardians.

Even when all three adults in your life are busy, you find yourself forced to work. You do not get to enjoy the life of a child. It is miserable, and hollow. You are given as much love as your parents can muster, but you still hurt all the time. You use these few days alone to cry through your feelings. It doesn't really help, but at least it doesn't worry your parents like when you cry with them.

---------------

Nakullian Year 6231, Apex Sun

You make it through eleven months of that routine, and on the first night of the Apex Sun you are not allowed to even sleep, by your Uncle. He keeps you awake until you once more receive the Signet from within the Sequestering Bag, your Mother's connection with it now broken. Only then are you allowed to sleep, under your Uncle's supervision once more.

Your eyes open to a bright white space, and the same mom-but-green is in it with you as last year. It charges you from very far away, but the second you blink in surprise it is already holding you in its arms, "A year has passed already! And you yet live. Good, not worthy of reward, but good. And you managed to keep working hard it seems! Not as hard as I would have liked, but you mortals are notoriously squishy. If only you..." She pauses for a second, wincing in a show of pain, "Well, nevermind it. We make do with what we have, and you still have done more than I expected. Hmm. Let me see... let me see... I can see a few improvements I can make, at your current stage... how about fortif-... no, no... too weak for that. Or maybe...? Hmm. Unnecessary at current stage either way... Could make your bloo- no, no... hrm. So bothersome.." As she speaks, she replays your memories of the past year at what seems - to you - to be at super sped up blurs. You can't even make out details.

"It's so difficult to make a decision, most of my wielders come to me with their canvas already painted upon. I suppose I could work to make you need less rest... really, you are the laziest being I have ever met. Who sleeps for nine whole hours of the day? That is a third of the time you could be working. Of course, your body is too weak to allow me to rebuild you while you're awake, so this would be a waste of my time with you... Still, your time being as limited as it is..." You don't know how, but somehow you seem to have annoyed the Steward of the Signet. "How long do you have until you'll be put into battle? I would hope at least two or three years... your Channels are... well, I would surely overwhelm them in your waking state."

You try to open your mouth, but instead a memory of your Uncle talking to you begins to play, "It's forbidden to learn the arts of violence until your tenth year. This is mostly to prevent squabbles between those too young to understand the issue. Even for you that rule shall not be bent. This is when true training is meant to begin, and until then we shall simply build a foundation for you, that will hopefully allow you " His voice is just how you remembered it. Or rather, it was more clear than you remembered it. You certainly remembered the conversation, but not word for word.

"You can learn to fight at ten... and you're what, eight? Then we- wait, four? Ah well, I suppose if I have waited this long for such a promising vessel, I should look positively at the chance to prepare you. If it gets too boring I'll simply return to my rest." You do not get invited to be part of this conversation, the entity makes its own decisions, and you soon feel yourself twisting, a painful sensation in your head. "Work yourself until you cannot go on anymore, every day. You can only sleep if you pass out from exhaustion."

----------

Day by day you work yourself harder and harder. You only sleep when you have literally no ability to move on, and even your Uncle cannot wake you. But then you awake the next day fully energized with all of the pain gone. The changes are clearly not quick enough for the Signet. By the end of the month, you are still sleeping five hours a night, to wake up restful. She seems incredibly displeased with this result, blaming you for not working hard enough in preparing your vessel for her power.

Meanwhile, your Uncle is amazed by the quickness of the physical changes. You are now awake four hours a night without your Uncle's presence, and you spend it working hard even without it. He often praises your compatibility, and notes that there are many emergencies that take place even outside of the time you would normally be awake. You do have vague memories of your Father not being in bed when you woke up, when he surely was there when you fell asleep.

Your physical training still continues unabated by the changes to your body's need for rest, in fact there were just more hours in the day for you to work at it. This wasn't much of a gain, in your opinion. You found exercising fun... until it got to the point where your legs were collapsing under you, and your chest felt like it might explode from your body with how hot your lungs were. This is how it always got.

-----------------

Timeskip Years 2-6

The following years were much the same for you - as you grew larger, your body grew stronger, faster than any of your peers. For eleven months out of the year you study and work your body as hard as you can, to create a canvas for the Steward to paint upon. Day in and day out you run, or lift, or run and lift, or you are tasked to navigate from one end of Nakul's Embrace to the other, without touching the floor, forcing you to work your mind and body to its limits as you climb around and utilize the environment to its limit. Your father explains that knowing how to adapt to any environment is key to fighting, and once you get used to a single route, you soon find large swathes of furniture you had used moved, making you adapt. By the end of your fourth year of training, your Father begins moving them on the fly, as you make your way on the route, his speed still too much for you to even track with your eyes.

You rarely see your old friend Jute in these days, and when you do she always seems scared of you. You look at yourself in the mirror after scaring the older girl off one day, and you see a cold glare staring back at you. Gone is the huggy, ever smiling girl of the past, you have gained more than physical strength and motor skills in your time of training - you have also gained an intimidating presence. You force a smile into the mirror, and it just doesn't feel natural anymore. Your head is filled with the terrors of battle and death, with the tales of heroic last stands saving many, with the weight of the society on you. You have taken much upon your shoulders, and been taught of your burden in depth by your Uncle. But you weren't taught how to be happy about it.

These burdens got worse over the years. More and more injuries amounted, as the threat of the Farbeasts seemed to grow worse every year. Where before it felt as if a single Guardian lost their capability or life per year, an already horrifying rate for what it meant, now it felt as if it doubled or tripled over these years. The greatest loss occurring when you were eight years old, going into your ninth new year celebration - Eshana Charr, mother of Darpan and famed 'Greatest Guardian' had her leg removed at the hip, during the Apex Void. She would have died were it not for your Father's speed carrying her away. She was the only loss that year, but the tone of the celebration was more subdued than any other year.

Your Father once told you that the average length of service as a Guardian was fifteen years, before something happened. Eshana had survived for forty six years in active duty. She alone had brought up the statistic by multiple years, by existing. You were becoming all too aware that your Father was next, he was now the 'strongest', but you felt no pride in knowing that was so. It meant that he had less time for you, and that he would be the first to fight against any raids, at the head of any hunting parties. The knowledge that your Father may not make it home ate away at you, and pushed you to work harder every day.



Your training had advanced greatly, however. By the end of year three with the Signet, you were only sleeping once per week, and only for a few hours at that. This was, apparently, the best she could manage with a mortal body, and from there on she chose to make a variety of changes to your system. One year she focused on your physical endurance, and you soon found it trivial to sprint at your top speed for two hours, before stopping to catch your breath. Then, after you spent a portion of a year suffering from a disease outbreak within the Embrace that your mother could not fully cure, she finally spent a year teaching you how to utilize her Healing power, though she noted that you were still far inferior to your mother by month's end.

The next she focused on the strength of your muscles, and you found yourself nearly doubling in strength over the course of a month - and you were already quite strong your age, easily as strong as kids three or four years older - now nearly as strong as most teenagers, despite being eight at the time. It was this year that she declared you able to withstand 'an iota' of her power during the waking day, and you felt your muscles burn and shift and rebuild with every movement of your workout. Despite this, she refused to teach you to heal, noting that your time together was too short, and she preferred to ensure you lived long enough to inherit her fully. She then focused on your senses, and you found yourself able to see details further than ever before. Each and every change to your physical body made you Better, but also different. These changes persisted even when you released her back into your Mother's care.

Each time she improved you, she noted that these improvements could go further, but that your natural talents had yet to be manifested. She wanted to enhance each aspect of you at least a little, to ensure that she could perfect your use as a vessel, by finding what aspect you were best suited for. You wondered what she meant by that, but she refused to answer. In your last year with her, as she changed your senses and improved your awareness, she seemed almost giddy with excitement over your approaching tenth birthday. "Yes! Finally, we will be ready to kill things. Oh, I have made you into such a good canvas. I am certain you will astound each and every one of them. Have you thought about it? Shall you crush your enemies with your fists? Or perhaps a sword to sever their heads from their necks? A spear is never a bad choice, and you have the reaction speed to make use of it, but perhaps a mace would be more your style - your strength could crush guards, and bones. Oh, so many choices! Oh no, don't ask me which I'd like! I like all of them. Though I suppose if you want to know which I'm best at.... well, I am worn upon the finger. Ohoho." She leaves you with that as your last meeting with her, before you return the ring to your mother in Nakulian Year 6236.

---------------------

Nakulian Year 6237, Ascending Moon

It's your birthday. You chose to sleep the night before your birthday, so that you were energized for what was to come. Gone were the celebrations of your birth, and the joyous occassions. Your Father and Mother joined you as you walked through the halls early in the morning, to the Training Grounds, where you had often gone to watch your Father spar. You were ten years old now, and it was finally time for you to learn to fight. You were strong, you knew that much, you could grip into the walls of gold now, with your bare hands. But your Uncle and Father were strict on refusing to let you learn to fight - they allowed you to learn things related to fighting, but no combat tactics or even how to throw a punch.

"It's not uncommon for a Guardian to wield a regular weapon. Not all Armaments are weapons, there are many others -such as rings, as you know." Your uncle is waiting for you, and he starts to explain as you walk in. There are weapons lining the walls. "For those chosen by an Armament that does not take the form of a weapon, our smiths create them weaponry able to withstand the Farbeast's blows, at least for a time. These are the same weapons the Warriors wield, when following our Guardians into battle. And today, Isha the Little-No-More, you shall choose your weapon. Our Lord Nakul collected weapons from all over the world before he ascended, and we have remembered them to this day."

You look around and you see weapons of types you've never imagined before, let alone seen in use. There are all variety of ones you have seen too - swords with singular edges, with two edges, with curved blades, with straight blades, with pointed tips for thrusting... you are a little overwhelmed by it. Your father suggests, "Why not a sword like my Lightning Severing Blade? I could teach you to use it properly." His sword possessed only a single thinner blade - a kerela, according to your uncle.

Your mother, meanwhile, points you towards a corner with the less up close weaponry - bows, axes balanced for throwing, large wooden boomerangs, needles the length of your forearm. "A healer shouldn't rush into the thick of battle, you'd be safer keeping a distance, so you could keep track of the whole battlefield, and note injuries as they come in." For the first time ever, you see your mother's own weapon, as she reaches into her large sleeve, and pulls out a small case, which she opens to reveal five steel chakram, "I would be happy to show you the basics of a throwing weapon, though I never was much of a fighter."

Your Uncle is the last to suggest something, and much to both parents dismay his suggestion is, "Why not nothing?" His eyebrows raise a little as he asks that question, "Your connection to the Signet has given you great strength, you could learn to use it with your bare hands, if you'd like."

"Aan!" Your dad is isn't angry angry, but he doesn't seem to like that suggestion, "She should at least keep them at blade length. Rushing into hand to hand with a Farbeast is... you know what touching them does to a person."

"Incredibly dangerous, yes. We would have to be sure to keep her well armored. Gloves can be prepared, to ward off their touch." Your Uncle shrugs it off.


The decision is on you. All three of your authority figures have made their suggestions. But there were plenty more weapons that were not suggested by them. You look around the room and choose to work with...

[ ] A. A kerala, like papa. (Single edged curved sword)
[ ] B. A two bladed one-handed sword.
[ ] C. A two handed sword.
[ ] D. A large warhammer.
[ ] E. A sturdy staff.
[ ] F. A flexible sectioned staff.
[ ] G. A razor-edged whip.
[ ] H. A pair of katars (punch daggers).
[ ] I. A pair of regular daggers.
[ ] J. A crushing mace.
[ ] K. Chakrams, like mama.
[ ] L. Boomerangs.
[ ] M. Throwing axes.
[ ] N. A large bow and arrows.
[ ] O. Huge needles.
[ ] P. Gloves to support my martial arts.
[ ] Q. A trident (trishula).
[ ] R. A pata (sword-gauntlet)
[ ] S. A spear.
[ ] T. A chopping polearm.
[ ] U. Write in.

----------

Character sheet has been updated and can be viewed now.

 

[KittyEmpress]

Nakulian Year 6237, Ascending Moon

Weapon Vote: 1d33 16 - Unarmed Wins, with 12 votes (filling 12-23)

There are a lot of tempting choices, and a lot of cool potential ways to fight around you. But your mind dwells on the only thing the Ring would tell you - that it's worn on a finger. You once, years ago, dreamt of someone touching what you assume was a Farbeast, and withering it away in the moment of contact. You hadn't learned anything of that sort ever, nor had the Steward coached you in its eventual teaching of it. But you knew she could destroy your body as readily as repair it, you had felt it enough times. So your answer is easy enough, even if it's not as flashy as some of the huge weapons, "I'd like to learn to fight with my hands, Uncle." You give a little dip of your head as you say it, "It will be easier to use the Signet's powers in that case."

He raises a bushy eyebrow and you see an eye swivel from you to your Mother, "It will likely be some time before you have inherited your Mother's Armament, but it is good to start young. Jai, if you could have Jeevika join us? I would like to introduce your daughter to her new mentor immediately." He seemed to have already planned for this choice, looking amused as your Father runs off to do so. "Jeevika is a Guardian, so she will not be able to be with you every day. On days when she is not available, you will have to practice your other skills. You're old enough now that I think you can choose your own regimen, so think on that while training with her today."

--------------

The woman who comes to join you looks to be in her early twenties, at least ten years younger than your parents - though you really shouldn't be judging ages. She's shorter than anyone besides you in the room, and wears a pair of solidly black - as in, so solid that you almost miss her hands shape - gloves. Your uncle looks at you, and you move to greet her, giving a deep formal bow, "It is a pleasure to meet you, I am Isha Khatri." You are not particularly sociable, but you have had the rigorous rules pounded into you by your Uncle over the years. You know how to give a greeting.

The other woman seems incredibly excited, and ignores that propriety entirely, as she walks up and pats your head a few times, "Imagine my surprise, when Commander Jai himself showed up to request my presence at the training grounds. For a second I thought your father was going to beat me into the ground for training, Isha." Her eyes sparkle, "But instead I, Jeevika Basu, have come to train you in the art of hand to hand combat." She eyes you up and down, then looks at her gloves and says, "Though I hope you're not aiming to steal my Armament from me, as you are your Mother's."

"Vika." Your father says half of her name with a glare to his eyes, and she titters a laugh in response.

"Oops. No, no. No stealing involved. Definitely not. Now then, lets get started!" She puts a palm up, squatting down just a little - you don't need much compared to her. "Throw your hardest punch you can. Everything you got! I need to know what I'm working with." She seems super excited about it.

You barely know how to make a fist. You know to put your thumb outside, not inside, so you're not gonna break anything. But beyond that, the specifics of how to throw a punch is beyond you. Still, your body is strong, and has been enhanced on top of that, so you're not too worried about not impressing. Your right, dominant, fist moves towards the palm, and you make contact.

And absolutely nothing happens. You feel contact, but she doesn't flinch, her arm doesn't move, there's barely even a sound of your hand touching her gloves. But she seems happy enough, "Oh, wow! You're pretty strong." Despite it, she's complimenting you, "Your form was a mess, like, that was a really bad punch, but I bet you could go toe to toe with an juvenile farbeast even with that! That's pretty good." She touches the ground with the glove you had hit, and you hear a loud smack even though her palm just gently touched it.

"The Endless Void Palms are Jeevika's Blessed Armament." Your father explains, now that she had demonstrated it a little, "They allow her to absorb and then redirect energy from anything that hits them." She pouts as your father explains to you what her Armament does.

"Yes, yes, now she knows that, how boring. Okay, you wanted me to teach her while there's nothing to do? Then the rest of you get out." She waves them away impatiently, "I'm going to teach her how to fight, and you're going to do what you're planning today."

Your mother leans down and kisses your head, and tells you good luck before she goes. Your father gives you a thumbs up. Your Uncle tells you he will have gloves prepared for you by the beginning of next week. And then you're left alone with the strange short woman. "Right. We'll start with the basics. Luckily for you, my Steward's a stickler for knowing how to fight even without him."

She starts to walk you through the basics of throwing a punch, positioning your legs, etc. She's a much kinder teacher than your Uncle, who pushed you to your limits, or the Signet's Steward, which pushed you far beyond your limits. She continually encourages you when you do things - right or wrong. "Good job" for when you did it right, "Almost" for when you did it wrong. She's not patient, but she's not mean - and she is very quick to spot any errors in your form. "Bad habits start with a single moment. Lets avoid any of those."

---------

By the time you break for lunch, her compliment has reached, "Well, you're not going to hurt yourself accidentally." level. But you both know you have a long way to go before you're going to be any kind of major fighting master. Still, after eating lunch together, you learn a bit more about your teacher - her father was the former Master of her Armament, and taught her how to fight before she was of age, secretly. He was one of the deaths four years ago, though when she mentions his name you barely remember his face. You do not tell her that. You ask her if she has a family you're taking her time away from, and she laughs in a way that makes you feel like she isn't really laughing, before telling you no.

But lunch is short and sweet, and you're back to training soon enough. Once you have learned how to stand properly, she teaches you to throw a punch properly. This is all you do, for the entire day. You throw punch. After punch. After punch. After punch. You had kind of dreamed, on the nights you thought about when you'd fight, of how you'd pick up a sword like your father and instantly be the greatest ever. That did not happen here. You are very much a beginner, and you have to be taught as one. Jeevika at least seems impressed with your endurance - even more so than she was with your strength. You never have to rest, nor do you ever ask to rest.

In fact, by the time she is getting sleepy, you are still wide awake. You try to keep training, but she eventually says, "Okay, okay, I get it. You've got plenty of drive. But I need to sleep." She pats you on your sweaty head, "We'll get started again tomorrow, provided there's no emergencies. For now, go home and rest." You exit the training room with her, and realize that... you don't really know what else to do with your time. In the past, you would just work yourself through the night, until your Uncle woke up, because that's what he wanted. But now you were free to select your own schedule. Sort of. You were being forced to go to combat training whenever Jeevika was available.

What things do you choose to do with your time when you're not with Jeevika?

During your free days days you plan to:
[ ] A. Work out.
[ ] B. Run the obstacle course.
[ ] C. Study Medicine/Accompany your Mother.
[ ] D. Try to reconnect with your childhood friend.
[ ] E. Try to connect with other Guardians and Candidates.
[ ] F. Study tactics with your uncle.
[ ] G. Spar with Warriors/Guardian Candidates - Combat skills too low to safely do.
[ ] H. Just relax, socialize with people, try to be a normal member of society.
[ ] X. Write in skill to study with assistance (if available)

I will be picking two of these, to allow a higher diversity of activities.

During the six nights a week you do not sleep you plan to:
[ ] I. Work out alone.
[ ] J. Explore the Embrace.
[ ] K. Explore outside of the Embrace.
[ ] L. Self study your unarmed skill.
[ ] M. Self study your Medicine skill.
[ ] N. Relax.
[ ] Z. Write in solo activity.

I will be picking one from this list. If it matches the winner from the above, I will reroll it.

Note that you do not currently have access to the Signet. Any madra/magic/etc skills, such as Healing or your Enhanced Body skills, cannot be trained without access to it.


Skill Gains

Spoiler

Unarmed skill gained.
Footwork skill gained.

Current Schedule

Spoiler

Jeevika Combat Training x 3
Unchosen Day x 2.
Unchosen Day x 2.
Unchosen Night x 6

 

[KittyEmpress]

Nakulian Year 6237, Ascending Moon

Day Actions: 2#1d26 9 2 - B and D win, with 3 Bs and 7 Ds.

Day Actions: 1d26 15 - J wins, with 13 of 26 votes, unsurprising result.

That night you feel restless - it's not unusual for you to leave your room long past when your parents are asleep, now that you haven't slept properly in years. But this time you don't intend to go to the room your uncle had prepared for your nightly workouts. The Embrace is huge - you remember your Uncle talking to you about it in the past, though your burning muscles made the lessons hard to soak in. From what you remember, it was once meant to hold Nakul's five thousand chosen servants. Five thousand. It's a number you understand in your head, but trying to imagine that many people, all living in one place? It was crazy.

The simple fact of the matter was that there was a lot of space in the Embrace that no one used. The parts that people lived in, their workshops, the worship hall, the Gardens, the kitchens - it made up less than a fourth of what the building was. You were often told that going into them was inadvisable, due to disrepair and neglect... but you were never forbidden from it. So tonight is the first night of many that you decide you will explore. A few Warriors walk the hallways this late at night, keeping watch over everyone as they sleep, ready to run to alert the Guardians if a Farbeast somehow sneaks into the Embrace - a rare event, but not entirely unheard of. But they all know you by now, and they happily greet you with a variety of "Another late night, Ish?" or a "Work hard!" of encouragement, or just a simple, "Good luck."

They slowly stop appearing in the hallways you're taking, as you move more away from the core of the building. You don't have any real plans in mind as you set off, because you don't know what lies beyond. The hallways mostly look the same as anywhere else to you, except that the gold is covered in thick coats of dust, without the laborers tending to them. You open a few doorways as you walk, and find them similarly full of dust and dirt. Your enhanced senses mean that you're able to see in the dark relatively well, despite the lack of light sources. Anyone looking at you would see something akin to a cats eyes in the dark, reflecting every little bit of light it could.

Once, you find what you think might have been used as a workshop - because it's full of rusted over swords and spears and other forms of weaponry. You're pretty sure metal, even stuff as damaged as this, is fairly valuable - the only time your people tend to recover metals, they are from metallic farbeast pieces, and those don't tend to leave too much. Your uncles lessons seep into you. It's certainly a find... but is it enough to stop for the night? And even if you did bring back the rusted metal, wouldn't that reveal your new plans to explore? You didn't want that, yet. You just started.

But the further you get, the worse the disrepair becomes. One section, hours into the night, is completely covered in a water that smells unsafe and is impossible to see into, up to your waist - you don't risk touching it in the moment, sure that something interesting must lay beyond it. It covers you in dust, but you make use of your training with your father to navigate the hallway without touching into the pooled water. A missed handhold almost sends you tumbling down to the pond below you, but you recover using the strength of your legs - literally kicking off the wall with all the strength you have, and rocketing yourself to the other side of the easily ten foot wide gap. You manage to cling onto the separated wall, a little bruised from the impact.

The next doorway, down a set of stairs, is fully submerged under the water, but a large once stained glass window stands now shattered by the time that had passed - or some other entity. You climb to it with the deftness of one of the 'monkeys' the Ring showed you running through the Jungles, when you were young. You heft yourself through and come face to face with a massive room, larger even than the prayer hall - more interestingly, the room is dimly lit, by a series of gems inset in the walls, much like in the more well maintained portions of the Embrace, but larger. They appear to be dying out, but they let you see clearly using your Special Eyes. Five massive altars exist placed around the room, rising higher than even the water has reached, each one inscribed with a different symbol - you see a fire on one, what looks to be a bar of gold on another, and a leaf on a third, but the symbolism of the others is lost on you. You do not know what the weird crescent moon-with-stick-through-the-middle is, nor do you understand the squiggly lines on another. The squiggly line one appears to be the one leaking the fetid liquid that has flooded the next hall.

You move along the upper walls as best you can, handhold to handhold. A few times you have to double back and take a slightly different route, but you end up close enough to get better views of them. Each appears to have a small gap in the middle of them, with room for a roughly fist sized circle. Except for the squiggly lined one, which has a cracked orb in the middle of it. This orb appears to be dripping a single drop of liquid every couple of minutes. You can't imagine how long it has been sitting there, to produce this much of the disgusting tainted water. You look around, but can't see any safe way to approach it. You wonder if you could throw yourself from the wall and reach it, without touching the liquid... or even if you did, it probably shouldn't hurt. Probably.

But you have plenty of time to think on it. You've already been down here for hours, and you're not quite certain of the pathway back home. You should hopefully be able to find the room again, if you wish, but you'd probably want to think up a good plan if you wanted to try and get to that cracked orb. Your way out of the room is quick and you crawl through the window once more, before making your way back above the hallway filled with tainted liquid. Your progress speeds up a lot when you get back to solid ground, as you start being able to run again. Without stopping to check all the rooms, you still make it back to the 'proper' parts of the Embrace before most people wake up in the morning.

Your mind is racing as you think of the night. In a single handful of hours, you had stumbled upon one very minor treasure, and one very interesting room that you think may be a much greater treasure. Of course, the former was likely to get you reprimanded as much as it would get you praised for the recovery, and the latter... your Uncle often told you that anything that looks like it doesn't fit to 'logic' is potentially dangerous. Your sense of logic told you that it was not normal for a stone to drip water at such a slow rate, and yet flood multiple rooms. And that told you it was potentially very dangerous. Still, these were potentially useful things to pursue, and you could easily use your exploration time to recover supplies for your peoples use, or to recover something potentially... useful.

[ ] A. I will pursue the cracked orb immediately.
[ ] B. I will start with recovering supplies on my explorations.
[ ] C. I'll focus on exploring more of the Embrace before potentially exposing my plans.

You will be able to come back to this decision at a later date, but this will be the path forward for a good amount of time. If A or B win, there will be further votes on how to approach this.

You have plenty of time to clean up before most people wake up this morning. You do your best to hide the dusty remnants of your night exploring from anyone who might see you on your way to do so - though none of them spare a second thought to your sweat covered appearance. Luckily no one notices you before you've finished a quick early morning bath - also a norm for you, as your Mother was a stickler for you not to smell like sweat all day. Even though you would eventually be sweating again soon enough.

Along with your great stamina, you've found yourself needing to eat less and less as time goes on. You often skip whole meals, and rarely ever eat in the night, with the cooks all off duty. But you choose to eat breakfast in the Grand Hall today - your family usually ate in its own room, because they could, Guardians were afforded the right to have their meals delivered to them, to make use of their limited time for privacy. But most members of your people had to enter the same Hall you knew from the new years celebrations to have their meals. It was here that their days began, talking to each other in great excitement or worry for the days to come.

But you came for a reason, and as you look around you see that exact reason sitting right at one of the large tables, surrounded by her parents. Jute Anand. You barely recognized her, but her parents still looked the same - though her mom's hair was now greying. You stand stupidly at the entryway to the Grand Hall, and try to think of what you are going to say. You want to reconnect with her. You want to be friends again. You remember enjoying those days with her. But you don't know how to approach her. All you really know is how to get stronger, how to move faster, how to conduct yourself properly according to your Uncle. But is a proper greeting the right way to go? Maybe you should greet her how you used to, and give her a hug? That would probably be weird, since you're no longer four years old.

On the other hand, she is a Guardian Candidate. She turned ten two months before you, so she must be starting her physical and combat training now. You did know a lot about how to work out... you wonder if that could be your in. To offer to help her train, and spend time with her doing that, to try and rekindle your friendship. On the other hand, she seemed scared of you last you saw her, approaching her from a position of power might do the opposite of making her less scared of you. Still, it was one thing you had in common. You could approach her as a fellow Guardian Candidate, rather than as an old friend, and talk to her about her training and what she has chosen in it.

There was also the most forced of answers - there was no family sitting opposite of hers. And much of the Hall was full of people eating. You could get food, and 'just happen' to end up sitting across from her. That would certainly get you close, and might be less off-putting to her... if you could sell it as actual coincidence.

You end up approaching her by:

[ ] D. Formal conversations and greeting.
[ ] E. Like when you were kids - hugs and all that.
[ ] F. Forced smiles and attempts at small talk.
[ ] G. Offer to help her train.
[ ] H. Talk to her about being a guardian candidate.
[ ] I. 'Just happen' to be eating across from her.

XP Gains

Spoiler

Awareness +10xp
Sprinting +10xp