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B Anjali D X
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Jun 1, 2021 04:52
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B Ahria F Z
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Jun 1, 2021 05:31
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B Sinta (sin-tah) F W
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Jun 1, 2021 06:14
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A Chorg E W
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Jun 1, 2021 06:44
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A Ram E X
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Jun 1, 2021 09:42
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A. Boy Riku F. crawl towards them to reach up and touch them as best you can W. A long piece of wood with a gleaming golden point.
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Jun 1, 2021 10:38
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B Liqiu - Beautiful Autumn, a recognition that Nakul may be in it's final days, but life can still be beautiful. Pronounced "Lee-Cue" F Z
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Jun 1, 2021 15:45
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The Lord of Hats posted:A I'm down with these.
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Jun 1, 2021 15:51
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Mr. Prokosch posted:A sure, this
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Jun 1, 2021 15:59
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Toughy posted:A. Boy This gets my vote. haunted bear tale fucked around with this message at 07:21 on Jun 2, 2021 |
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Jun 1, 2021 17:02
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The Lord of Hats posted:A +1
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Jun 1, 2021 19:56
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Vote results edited within.Year 0 posted:Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Moon Year 0 posted:Nakulian Year 6227, Ascending Void --------------- 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, " ------- 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. ------------------------------ 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. ------------------------------ 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. ------------------------ 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. -------------- You are a toddler. You do not have much in the way of choices here. Big exposition dump here tho, on how Armaments work. No update tomorrow, I'll be writing up the character sheet and NPC list.
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Jun 2, 2021 19:03
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A - Let's be friends! G - We dreamed of this!
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Jun 2, 2021 19:27
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DH
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Jun 2, 2021 20:10
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E H
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Jun 2, 2021 20:12
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C H
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Jun 2, 2021 20:13
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jng2058 posted:A - Let's be friends! This sounds good to me!
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Jun 2, 2021 20:21
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D G
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Jun 2, 2021 20:39
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AG
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Jun 2, 2021 20:43
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A H Everything needs hugs. This girl. This sword. Papa and Mama! Hugs make people happy!
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Jun 2, 2021 21:39
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CG
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Jun 2, 2021 21:44
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EG
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Jun 2, 2021 23:44
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AG Let's see where this leads.
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Jun 3, 2021 04:47
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Nakulian Year 6228, Apex SunKittyEmpress posted: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. 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...?" ------------------- 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. 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. -------------------------- 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. ------------------------ 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.
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Jun 4, 2021 05:51
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Healing for Mom and Dad
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Jun 4, 2021 05:59
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vorebane posted:Healing for Mom and Dad This
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Jun 4, 2021 06:09
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B
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Jun 4, 2021 06:09
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A, since we need to not repeat the bad plan we just pulled off. Plus I want more time with serious uncleman
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Jun 4, 2021 07:17
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B
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Jun 4, 2021 09:09
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Whoops. A
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Jun 4, 2021 09:16
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vorebane posted:Healing for Mom and Dad This is my vote
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Jun 4, 2021 09:51
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B. Strength, like Papa
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Jun 4, 2021 10:03
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D We needs it!
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Jun 4, 2021 10:11
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vorebane posted:Healing for Mom and Dad
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Jun 4, 2021 10:53
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B, so we can help our parents
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Jun 4, 2021 11:08
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Throw another A Into the ring.
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Jun 5, 2021 05:02
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B
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Jun 5, 2021 10:46
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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. 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.
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Jun 5, 2021 20:27
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Jun 5, 2021 20:44
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 11:57 |
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C, I will continue to vote for Uncletime... also he does seem to be the appropriate choice for this, as he knows a bunch.
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Jun 5, 2021 20:56
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