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Sylvi, the Mighty Ratatosk! Have you read the Grímnismál? Heh, well, it’s best if you haven’t! I mean, the Æsir called us íkorni, likened us to rodents, slandered us in Midgard. Squirrels, even! We’re as divine as any Æsir or Vanir, make no mistake. We just didn’t go around bragging and swaggering on Midgard. We had a duty to Yggdrasil, after all. The Ratatosk Tribe lived on the tree for millennia, being the foremost tribe upon it. We lived here since the beginning, and though the Vanir and Æsir will tell you we’re just a melting pot of refugees… it’s true we’ve taken a lot of people in who needed us. But we’ve been here a long time. Of course, that hasn’t stopped others, from giants to “gods” to kick us out. The Æsir don’t talk about us too much in their legends because, well, they lost. They blame us for encouraging the Vedrfolnir and Nidhögg to take up arms against them, but the three-tribe alliance isn’t just a matter of slander! We protected the tree from all comers, until... Until now. Was it the will of the tree that dragged it to Midgard? Well, it doesn’t matter now. First we fought the humans, with tragedy on both sides. Then when the Æsir sought to take it, and so we allied with the humans, but… the tribe... was greatly diminished after that. Of course, the Æsir would finally take the opportunity to try and wipe us out, wouldn’t they? Then afterward the Vedrfolnir sold the higher branches, while the Nidhögg hid in the roots. There aren’t enough of us to keep humans from carving elevators and other ugliness… not that stops some of my more traditional brothers and sisters from trying. I don’t think it’s our way, though, to bring conflict to the tree. We have to find a new harmony upon it, even if it changes everything we know. Hel, it’s still our job to protect the tree, not from Midgard, but from RAGNAROK and others like them. We’ve lost a lot. I lost my parents to the “bullets” of humans, but vengeance will just destroy what few of us in the tribe remain. And I’ll slug anybody who says otherwise. Folkvangr? Just stay out of their way, okay? I wouldn’t have to… um. No, I’m not a member, stop asking stupid questions like that! Huh? Well, they'd have to have one of us around if they wanted to sneak around the tree easily, but... seriously, if you keep asking, I'm gonna slug you, too. pre:Sylvi Quist
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May 31, 2015 08:17
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Resistances (9D): Composure 3D, Fortitude 4D, Reaction 2D, Will 4D
Aptitudes (6D): Athleticism 2D, Fighting 3D, Presence 3D, Survival 2D
Powers (9D): Mental Paralysis 4D (Area Effect +2D, Charges: 3 uses per session -4D), Super Strength 5D (Reflection 1D),
Teleport 3D (Gate 1D, Conditional: On Yggdrasil only -1D, Only To Yggdrasil Locations -1D, Limited Use: No Attack -1D)
Advantages (1D): Is That Your Best Shot? 1D
Disadvantage (-5D): Major Mental Hindrance -2D (Duty: Ratatosk), Minor Mental Hindrances -2D (Reckless, Pride), Poor -1D
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| # ¿ Apr 28, 2024 08:33 |
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TurninTrix posted:Sylvi Quist (Alien Rope Burn) I'm sure most of my people'd never admit it, but it is something to see all those lights up in the trees. What's funny is that most of the people really, really don't seem suited for it; the only way they survive is having humans supply them from the surface. They don't even know how to climb or harvest the far branches! I don't really understand what they think they're doing, but they seem so serious about it. They seem to think that being higher literally puts them over other people. I mean, isn't that a pretty childish notion? It'd be funny, if it wasn't for all the guns... They're also really, really serious about their stuff. It feels a bit silly that the Æsir called us squirrels, when it's humans that are packing all sorts of things away in the tree. TurninTrix posted:Do you think your tribe could ever get along with the humans as they once did with the Vedrfolnir and Nidhögg? Of course I do! How could I not? I mean... it's hard right now, but I'm sure in time others in my tribe will come to understand. I mean, if we're going to build, we're going to have to accept others... the humans included. It's hard to convince some of the others, with humans being so... frail, to be rude about it? But they know a lot we're going to need to know. Maybe we won't be a tribe forever. Maybe we'll be a company or some other strange thing. But we're going to need to change a lot. It's not that I think we should. We don't have a choice, we're going to change, and we may as well seek humanity's help in forging the right path. TurninTrix posted:If you had the power to alter the Nine Realms in a cosmic level, what's the first thing you would do? I'd make sure everybody has a real chance to follow their dreams. It's tough seeing so many struggle here on Earth, trying to find their way, but I think everybody should be able to achieve their hopes as long as it doesn't disrupt the harmony of others. I guess that's a silly thing to say, you can wish for people to peaceful or happy, but I think if everybody found what they were looking for, we'd have both of those things and an even more wondrous world.
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Jun 5, 2015 05:04
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It's probably not too healthy to criticize how other people live. Or, um, die.
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Jun 8, 2015 00:26
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TurninTrix posted:Sylvi The Folkvangr has been given more than just a tour of the tree - Sylvi has provided a fairly in-depth knowledge of things like hidden routes cut into the bark, advanced survival (i.e. what food is safe to eat, how to identify dead bark to make a shelter, understanding safe branch-holds from unsafe ones, etc.), and guide-runes left by tribes to indicate hazards or resources. While Sylvi's far from a master of survival, she has been perfectly open regarding her knowledge of the tree’s exterior. Though in theory she could teach their method of “spiralling” through the tree, tradition dictates that another member of the Folkvangr would have to be inducted into the Ratatosk tribe to learn this. It’s also hard to learn this, and requires some degree of being willing to submit to the tree’s will (the Ratatosk see the tree as intelligent, but there’s no scientific evidence of that, yet.). It’s not out of the question, but there are hurdles that have put it out of reach so far. What she hasn’t brought up is the interior of the tree. There are various deeper passageways, some of which are home to dangerous parasites. While Jötunbúkr (dire weevils) may not attack humans per se, a half-ton of bulletproof, panicked insect in an enclosed space is still pretty hazardous. And the smell of Jötunlūs (giant wood lice) itself can actually be dangerous, and in small spaces their exhalations can be flammable or explosive. However, there are chambers that the Ratatosk call “Yggdrasil’s Hearts” that glow with seeming bioluminescence in yellows and whites. These chambers are sacred to the Ratatosk, and generally aren’t accessible without teleportation or similar magics. More of a problem that the hearts have been used as hiding-holes by Ratatosk malcontents from time to time, and Sylvi has the dilemma of not really being able to discuss such with outsiders. More directly, her tribe recently located a number of preserved humans in some of the hearts lower down in the trunk. Generally the elders have decided not to disturb them for the time being, not wishing to gainsay the will of the tree, and have banned revealing them to the humans yet. But Sylvi recognizes one face amongst them. She recognizes Decima’s body.
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Jun 10, 2015 03:16
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