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Sep 1, 2022 06:44
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Sep 1, 2022 13:35
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Sep 1, 2022 14:07
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C Grown-rear end adults can take care of themselves, but taking care of our back-line support is all us.
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Sep 2, 2022 23:21
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Sep 3, 2022 21:44
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Nakulian Year 6240, Apex Stars Protection Vote: 1d31 17 - C, protecting Jute, wins with 22 votes Jute was not nearly as close to you as wished she was, so your body kicked into motion as soon as you got that terrible feeling that something was to come. She had come from the Eastern Halls, where the Gardeners and Warriors lived - she still lived with her family, and it would be another four years at least before she moved. Your training room was in one of the closest (empty) rooms in the Southern halls the Guardians lived in, so you were at the front of the people in the main hall and one of the first to respond - especially since you were wide awake. But it was still a distance to cross, and you needed to go now - higher thought on how to protect someone from the ceiling caving in went away as the impetus was placed solely on reaching her. It was like the world was playing in slow motion as you ran, you thought maybe you could hear your Mother shouting something, but it was covered by the large booming noise of your Father starting to move. He was faster than you'd ever seen him before, his body wreathed in lightning as he darted into the central section of the main hallway on his own. He paid no heed to you or other Guardians as he moved to do his job, his insane speed impossible to track even if you had focused on him - from the corner of your eyes as you ran, all you could see was shadows of people you knew were there disappearing as he gathered them. You were sure that they were going to be injured from your Father's rescue, but... As the third explosive booming echoed through the hall, you doubted rescue injuries were going to be the worst of anyone's concerns. There was a a creaking noise as the ceiling of the Embrace began to break apart, snapping into pieces. Small bits of gold flew down at first, you were already diving to push Jute out of the way of the destruction from where she was gawking, panic overriding her good sense as she watched it happen. It had been less than a quarter of a minute from the second impact as your hand impacts her body. There's no attempt to control your strength or pull back as you shove her out of the way literal miliseconds before the cracking becomes a loud rumbling and the ceiling begins to fall in earnest. You don't even have time to look up to see it falling before the first pieces hit you - a shattered bit of ceiling smashes into your leg, large, heavy, and bursting with madra that has nowhere to go now that it is disconnected. It was like taking a hammer directly to the back of your calf, and the pain of it knocked air from you. There was shouting all around you - you could see that other people got hit too. One of the people who was standing right next to Jute now had one less arm, where a falling sharpened bit had apparently cut straight through her shoulder. Another group at the front of the crowd had been crushed under a piece even larger than the one on your leg. It was chaos all around you, screaming, shouting, cries of pain, people calling for their loved ones, people stampeding back away from the hole in the roof, back to the safety of places far from these halls. But the three bangs were accompanied by more - the eastern hall that you lay in had its ceiling cave in just slightly as the booming noise sounded once more. But there were more - they were in every direction. There was nowhere safe from the explosions, and they were so much louder now that a window into the outside world had opened. "Get up Isha!" Rama's voice sparked you from your daze of panic as you looked at the chaos around you, "People need your help, get up!" His voice was insistent, and it gave you the push you needed to steel yourself - you were in a very awkward position to push the collapsed ceiling off of you. As you pressed your arms into the ground and pushed with all the strength in your body, you could feel your hardened bones groaning against the pressure. Only a tiny amount of help came for you as most people panicked and ran from the situation, or broke down in futile prayers - some of the Warriors were better able to respond to the calamity at hand without running with their families. A pair of those came to your side to help you lift the metal pinning you in - your long time friend Pav, and Eta's friend slash loyal Warrior Kaaj, whose life you saved on the hunt. "We've got you." Pav said it comfortingly as he grunted against the weight - he seemed without injury. "We need like ten of you, if you could." Kaaj was grunting as well - neither had their imbued gear on them, so they were working with only their regular strength. But with their help the little bit of movement became larger. You slid yourself out from under it as quickly as you could - and they dropped it in the moment after. Your leg was bleeding profusely - the debris had ripped through your unimbued robe and torn off your skin, but your bones held steady, enhanced as they were. No more explosions were happening, but there was wreckage everywhere from the one opening that had exploded out - and many of the walls and ceilings were misshapen from the secondary explosions that echoed around as you lay pinned. You turned back and saw the wreckage of the ceiling piled high - it had blocked off your section of the main room nearly completely - anyone trying to get to you would have to climb over. There was just so much debris everywhere... anyone who was in that central section was dead. Your stomach sank as you thought about your Father, darting through there with his lightning speed. Had he made it out? Had your Mother rushed after you and been crushed? Nothing was peaking through the hole in the ceiling - you had feared that a great mighty Farbeast beak or claw may have been reaching through - but it was just open blackness. You looked away to survey the damage on this side, first looking to your friend - Jute lay spread out on the ground further in, her parents over her as she lay crying in pain. There were people who had lost limbs, people who had been crushed utterly, people who had smaller debris embedded into their limbs, who had collapsed without obvious injury. You had no time to check on your family, as you realized you were one of the only medics on this side of the wreckage - technically the medics fell under the laborer caste, which lived in the Western hallway... and your Mother should have been at the Southern. You were all the help these people were going to get, until someone climbed in from the central portion. And you had no supplies with you. All you had was your knowledge - and some Warriors who needed direction in the panic. You were far from a leader, you were not some inspiring head of the military like your Father, you could not demand respect from those older than you. But as you opened your mouth and shouted, everyone looked at you, "Warriors, to me. Do exactly as I say." You needed assistants, and while most of them only had rudimentary first aid skills, it was better than nothing. "Those of you with useful equipment in your rooms, bring it to me. I need something with fire that can superheat, something that can produce water, and any medicines you might have left over from when you were last wounded. Anyone else, you're my extra hands." You moved towards the most critical people yourself as you barked orders to the Warriors - and to your surprise most of them listened. Dozens of them ran to their homes to grab what you called while others moved at your orders You had to triple explain yourself in shouts over the still sobbing messes of the uninjured who had panicked and the pained cries of those you were helping, but your relatively good skill at teaching at least meant you knew how to dumb it down enough for the Warriors to know a little of what to do - at least with the most basic of tasks. Kaaj appeared with a long blade that you could see glowing a bright red - and then physically turning that color as well, the heat wafting off it as he superheated the imbued blade, "Your job isn't going to be enjoyable. I don't have the bandages for half of these wounds. I need you to burn them shut." Cauterization was painful and scarring, it meant that people might have a painful burn scar for years to come... but it was better than them bleeding to death. You had no blood-hardening salves to stop bleeding, or blood-replacement potions to make up for people nearly bleeding out. So they'd just have to live with it. "Start with me." Your leg was still bleeding profusely - you couldn't afford to pass out from bloodloss. The hot blade came down and you gritted your teeth. It wasn't comfortable, it wasn't good. But the bleeding was done when he moved it away. The woman who had lost her arm was already too far gone - her body was shaking by the time you were freed, there was nothing you could do for her. The two pairs of legs you could see from under one of the larger pieces of debris were goners too - as was anyone else trapped in it. You remembered where some people you had gone past had been standing, where now there was only debris. Maybe some of them ran in time to avoid it. Maybe. The only reason you could move from the debris that hit you was because of your enhanced bones refusing to break. Without those, you'd be stuck on the ground with the others who were unlucky enough to be hit by the exploding debris. For every one you saved, another died. You thought you'd feel more surrounded by death like this, you'd only seen death a couple of times first hand. But the adrenaline in your veins kept you going. You wished you were better at directing a team to do this kind of work - your Mother had so much experience leading her medics, she could even bark orders at those who barely knew their basics and they'd get things right. You'd focused on your role as a healer instead - and without the Signet, you weren't one. But the Warriors were listening, and they were doing their best. Jute, unfortunately, just had to suffer - you'd broken at least one of her ribs when shoving her out of the way. But none of the debris hit her, and she wasn't bleeding to death. Her Father didn't seem to blame you for her pain - you know he must have seen you get hit just after you shoved her out of the way... and you're pretty certain she wouldn't have survived the debris that hit you falling on her. You didn't have time to feel bad. There were more important patients. ------- Nakulian Year 6240, Apex Stars When Eta came flying over the debris finally, her long whip-like Armament grabbing around as she joined you, she had something very important for you, "Here." She shoved your travel pack your Mom made sure you took with you when hunting - full of medicines of all types. Not enough for everyone, but maybe enough to save a few people. Eta had none of her usual laughter or jokes to make, she didn't smile - her face was cut up and you could see where blood clotting poultice had sealed the wounds above her eyes and along her arms. "My mom...?" You asked her it even as you got to work. You weren't sure how long it had been, but you'd already lost five people you should have been able to save, if you just had everything sooner. You thought your home was prepared for a disaster, but no one was. You were lucky that your Father grabbed his sword before he sprinted out the door. "I mean, what's it look like out there? Hold him down." "It's bad." Eta didn't sugar coat it as she held down a convulsing person as you tried to feed them a blood-replacer. You were cutting it close, but luckily she seemed to know what she was doing and maybe, just maybe you wouldn't lose another, "Your Mother saw you run off and tried to stop you. If your Mentor hadn't grabbed her, she would have gotten crushed completely. Multiple broken bones at the least. She's not sure if she'll ever walk again." The woman didn't sugarcoat it at all, it hit you like a brick as she said that last part before continuing, "She isn't healing herself, since it's not life threatening. We had to bring the wounded to her, but she got most of us stable. We haven't seen your Dad." She looked around, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "You did good over here." She didn't mention your leg, the massive burn that still hurt as bad as your Armament's attempts at remaking your body clearly visible on it. "I know it wasn't easy." "It wasn't." You said it a bit harsher than you meant to - no one had come to help this side. Not one person, for so long that people died. "What happened." You did your best to demand the answer from Eta... who bit a lip. "You'll see it once we're done. We're... not sure." She was vague, and it was annoying, but she was helping. ------------ With your medical supplies and Eta being literally smarter than any of the Warriors - and more experienced at commanding them - you didn't lose any more people on your side. Many of them wouldn't work for months - a couple perhaps would never recover fully, but they were alive. You were sure there were more dead in the central hall under the great pile of debris... but you counted seven dead from impacts, three who had injuries only the signet could heal someone from, and six who you could have saved if you'd only had more supplies available. Sixteen dead on only your side. It would have easily been twice or three times the number without you there. With those who would live stable and those who were dead being mourned, you followed Eta up the pile of debris. She had insisted you see it for yourself - and it took you a moment to realize what you were seeing as you looked up at the hole. It looked just like it did last time you were outside at night, on night watch - a blank blackness through the whole sky. It felt very normal for just a second, before you realized, "Where are the stars?" It was no longer the season of Void - the night sky should be dotted with glowing stars illuminating the night with dim light. It shouldn't look like it did last time you were outside. "That's where we're going." Eta said it softly as she climbed up - there was nowhere for her whip to attach to above her, the ceiling entirely open now, walls collapsed in. Many of the Guardians were at the top of the debris - especially all of those with ranged Armaments, keeping eyes out for any Farbeast trying to fly into the openings. Guarav's wife Ekiya was amongst them, but she had something at her feet that you could see the essense of her Armament flowing from - a wooden orb growing from the staff she held in her hand. "She wanted to know what happened, Mom." Eta told her it simply. There was no harshness when Ekiya looked at you - there was a tiredness, and perhaps even a worry. The glare you normally got from the woman who was even more intense than her husband was gone, "We all do." But as she said that, the wood opened up just a little - and you were blinded, literally blinded, by the bright glow that made the outside of the Embrace look dim. It was like holding a light-pearl directly to your eyeball, or having Jute and Guarav overlay their armaments on each other. A great ball of light lay there. She covered it just as quickly as she let you see it. "The stars fell?" You asked it incredulously, but you were met with a nod by both of the Koshy women. "How... why...?" But you knew the answer wasn't something they knew either. "Where are my parents?" You had to ask, though you knew what Eta did - but she had spent a long time with you. Perhaps there was news? "Your Mother is resting in your room with one of the medics my son brought over to help her. She's alive. Your Father..." She hesitated for a moment, "He was pulling people to the northern hall when it hit. But by the time we got our bearings, the northern hall had all collapsed in too. All the way to where the Great Hall is. We're trying to clear the way so we can get in, but... he, the High Priest, and everyone he tried to save by taking them north are probably dead." There was a long sigh, she put a hand on your shoulder, "We didn't tell your Mother about the northern hallway collapsing. She was so busy worrying about you and demanding someone go find you, and pushing herself too hard healing the people over here..." Your dad was assumed dead, your Mother potentially crippled, you'd not even had the time to hold peoples hands as they died, there was a giant hole in your home that any monster could easily fly into and cause further carnage, and the stars themselves had apparently fallen from the sky leaving only darkness behind. It was enough to make you want to break down and cry. "There will be time for crying later, Isha." Rama's voice filtered in to your head as the emotions started to overwhelm you, "I know this is hard. But there's too much to do now. No one will judge you for breaking down later - but they all want to as well, I'm sure. But see how they do their duties. Now we need to do ours." You gripped a fist as you did just as Rama told you, looking around at the other Guardians around you, and the Warriors who had started to gather. Most of them had some small signs of injury - many of them looked like they had been crying, and some of them you could hear asking the joining warriors about their families. Everyone was unsure, was scared and worried. But they were all doing their duties, they were protecting their home or clearing wreckage, tending the wounded or recovering the dead. You move towards the northern hall. You needed to be of help, and your great strength would be most of help in clearing that which had broken. Your Mother was resting and the wounded were tended to as best as people could. You didn't have any sort of ranged weapon to deal with flying Farbeasts, and you couldn't do anything to contain the stars like Ekiya was. And most importantly; you needed to find your Father. ----------- "Heave!" Rohan gave the instruction for everyone to work as one as you lifted another piece and moved it. Trying to clear the debris was nearly impossible - there was just no room to do it in the small northern hallway. The best you could do was piling it up behind you as you tried to make the doors accessible into the Great Hall. With each piece moved everyone expected the worst - and half of them looked to you to see if you had seen the worst before them. But there was still so much debris on the ground - anyone buried under it would be at the very bottom. You prayed silently to whatever god would listen once more, for your Father's safety. It seemed more and more unlikely. Nothing could be under all of this incredibly heavy metal that had once been the ceiling and walls of your home. When the first body was found you already had tears in your eyes. It wasn't your Father - but there was no chance that this body would be there and not your Father's... you looked at High Priest Tushar, or what once was him... and the only way you could recognize the body was through the unique coloration of the High Priest's robes, and the imbued symbols of Nakul that survived the crushing weight of the collapse. Two more bodies were found in the next hour, neither of them your Father. Two hours later something was found - not a body. But a blade. The Guardian who grabbed it on reflex flinched and threw it down quickly - but there was no feedback. The Blade did not respond how your Mother's Signet did so many years ago, scarring you as a child. It did not try to defend itself, it did not send pain and burning death through the man's arm when he dared try to snatch another Guardian's Armament. You collapsed to your knees sobbing. You couldn't keep being strong - you couldn't help move the last pieces. Rama didn't chide you, his voice was soft as he tried to comfort you, "Let it out. You're allowed to hurt." ------------ Seventeen people were within the Great Hall, when the doors were finally unsealed. Sixteen people who your Father had personally rescued from the place closest to where everything fell. They were burned, and bruised, injured from how he moved them -but they were alive. And to a man they asked about your Father when Rohan opened the door instead. They wanted to thank him, to kiss his feet, to cry and praise him. But all that was left was his body. You felt hollow inside, as they explained what happened to you and the others, in between thanking you in your Father's stead, as if it would help at all. You weren't even listening as they regaled you with how much of a hero your Father was - how he kept grabbing more people, how he and the High Priest kept insisting on saving one more. On how when the star hit the northern hall and the ceiling began to break, your Father had shut the door and ensured none of it could fly in to the Great Hall. He'd died a hero. But that didn't change anything. ------------ Nakulian Year 6240, Apex Stars(?) "Go." That was the only word your Mother said to Rohan and Jeevika as they delivered your Father's blade and the few imbued pieces of equipment that he wore to bed - his marriage bracelet, a ring, and a necklace. You were glad they didn't bring what was left of the body. She was covered in the signs of Armament overuse - it had spread all the way to her cheeks. She didn't shed a tear in that moment, he voice didn't waver even with the exhaustion in her body. "Of course." Jeevika didn't say anything as she left, though she gave you a quick hug as she turned away from your Mother's side. The moment the door shut, all of the strength your Mother had faded. She collapsed perhaps even more completely than you did. You sat on the side of the bed trying to be strong for her, as you wrapped an arm around her. But as she pulled you in close sobbing, the emotions welled up on your end as well. "Why...?" Your Mother didn't have much more to say, the word asked so many times - it wasn't directed at you. ---------- It wasn't until morning that you even had the chance to learn from your Mother how serious her injuries were - when she asked you to carry her out of bed. No one had told you what happened - not with your return being with such bad news. The medic had scampered away quickly, obviously not wanting to be in the way of your grieving process and with you to tend to her. "I can't even walk anymore, Isha." Your Mother said it in a raspy voice, her throat hoarse from sobbing through the night. Even now she looked like she was barely holding it together, "When I ran after you, it came down on me." You were careful as you lifted her into your arms - she was light at least, you could easily move her, "There's a reason we always stress protecting your back." You could see it where her robe slit opened, the large wound that was only hastily shut - right along her spine, "There's no way for me to heal it now. Maybe if I'd tried when it was fresh, but then everyone would have died." As soon as she said the last word, she started to cry again. "I should have been there for him. He might have survived it falling on him. He was so strong... he could have repelled it for a time... If I was there..." She broke down once more, and you couldn't get any words out of her that were coherent. You just held her in your arms as she cried into your shoulder, doing your best not to cry yourself. You didn't want to ask what you could have done differently. If you had helped with the civilians instead of prioritizing your friend, would your Dad be alive? Maybe. If you had stayed by your Mother's side, would she have avoided being paralyzed from the waist down? Perhaps. You could feel yourself on the verge of breaking out as the intrusive thoughts refused to let you have peace. "If you hadn't gone to that side, dozens of people would have died without anyone to treat their wounds. Don't focus on what you could maybe have done, but on what you did." Rama's advice was in the gentlest voice you'd ever heard him use, "You saved many people. People who had families they love and who loved them. So don't ask if it was the right decision - just accept that it was the one made, and that some good came of it." "It doesn't matter who I saved. Dad's dead." You didn't have the energy to argue, but the platitude of heroism did nothing to help you in the moment. You had lost another one of the pillars in your life. While sometimes you butted heads with your Father, he was always there to help and protect you. Now he would never be there again, just as your Uncle left you. ------------ In the wake of the disaster, things only got worse. No longer was your home protected by a great and powerful shell - there was no sign that the ceiling would close anytime soon, though you could always see madra pooling around the broken bits. But there was so much damage that it was unlikely to repair itself anytime soon - if it did. This meant a constant watch as Farbeasts made near daily trips into your home - the falling stars had apparently destroyed much of the nearby land as well, not just your home. And this meant nests and Farbeasts far into the forests, desert, marshes and hills around your home were destroyed and in the same moment as your home became harder to defend, the danger began to spread as well. Your Mother was despondent - her old cheer and sweetness was gone as she lived life confined to where others could take her. She cried every night as she lay in bed, your Father's Blade next to her in it. He had never trained anyone to wield his Armament, nor found anyone with compatibility... and in the state the Embrace was now, it was unlikely any compatibility checking ceremonies would be done in the next few months. And so you were allowed to keep the Armament in the moment, your Mother refusing to let it go - taking it with her even when you carried her to the Hospital. Between clean up, reorganization, and medical tasks there was so much to do and what felt like so little time. Over a hundred were wounded in the wake of the disaster - a third that number died. No one could decide on what needed to be done, or who should be doing it. Fear was the prevailing emotion just a month after the largest of parties had graced the halls. The futility of life shown on everyone's faces. Those few who hadn't given in to fear couldn't make a decision between each other on what course of action to follow - there was no official military leader with your Father dead, and no official spiritual leader with the High Priest dead. Guarav advised a retreat and re-homing of your people to the true central Embrace - towards where the new temple of Nakul was found. He claimed it would be safest to be securely within the center of the complex, with as many walls between the civilians and not. He also made an appeal to the religious of Nakul, that they would be safest in a place blessed with his presence. It would also provide a great place to find what else existed in your home - spreading even further north. With your Mother refusing to speak publicly, Seema spoke up her own idea of moving east - towards the second Garden. After all, they would need a food source for the people of the Embrace, and nothing had been found northward from where you currently lived. But most of that section had been explored quite cleanly, and it had little else of interest besides scores of rotted books that had long since stopped being readable by anyone. Others wanted to stay where they were - Rohan was convinced the Embrace was defendable even in its broken state, and that it would heal in time. Upending everyone's lives for places they weren't sure were safely livable was his concern. While Farbeast attacks were a danger, only flying beasts could reach the hole to begin with - and none of them had managed to actually hurt anyone, with the guards posted around it. He even seemed to think it was good - the food was coming to your home, instead of needing to head out and hunt for it, something neither of the other suggestions were particularly prepared for either. Both the central and eastern embrace would be days away from an entry way to the Embrace - days of walking the halls just to get outside and go hunt. You found you had a lot of good standing with the Gardeners and Warriors after what people now called the Starfall. They remembered that you were the only one present helping them, that you were the only one tending their wounded and helping their dying. Your voice had merit, but you were still young - did you join the conversation on where your society should live? A. No, I stay out of the political talks still. B. I agree with Guarav, the more central location will be safest. C. I agree with Seema, having a Garden is crucial for feeding everyone. D. I agree with Rohan, we can protect our home - and we need to be able to hunt. E. I suggest we move to the Eastern halls - there's plenty of workshops and bedrooms, as well as training rooms for the Guardians and Warriors to use. The ghosts can't hurt anyone who cannot perceive them according to Rama. Your people would not be in danger of being eaten by ghosts unless they developed an essence sense. F. I suggest we leave the Embrace entirely - it's a giant glowing target now that it has a huge hole in it. Rama thinks he could lead you to his ancestral home, though he has no idea what state it is in nowadays, and it'd be at least a month journey on foot even without civilians. While all this was going on, there were many things to do - jobs to be filled, duties to be held. What do you do in the wake of the disaster? G. I helped the wounded in the hospital, taking over my Mother's duties so she may grieve at home. H. I helped at the Hospital, but didn't take over the Signet, so Mother may distract herself from her grief. I. I joined the defensive fortifications outside the southern doors - while only fliers could reach the hole in the roof, many other Farbeasts were awake and attacking. J. I took my Father's Blade and tried to train in it - I didn't want to let it go to anyone else, even if I already knew how to fight with other styles far better. K. I seek out Darpan and Mala. If there was ever a time to need to empower the Embrace by helping make Cultivators, it's now. L. I leave the Embrace on my own. Something was wrong and everyone refused to talk about it. The Stars were gone from the sky, and I wanted to find answers - even if no one else did. M. I seek out the Ghosts in the Embrace - their deal was one I wouldn't make except when desperate. Now seemed to be desperate times.
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Sep 4, 2022 09:41
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EI
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Sep 4, 2022 11:45
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CG
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Sep 4, 2022 12:53
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AH I have no idea how to help people deal with loss. Distraction I guess? I'd probably vote for just running away alone if not for our mum.
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Sep 4, 2022 14:53
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EK
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Sep 4, 2022 18:24
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A Write in, Loot the special treasure doors that might have been forced open. Mom will straight up lose the will to live if we take the only thing she can distract her.
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Sep 4, 2022 18:52
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B Loot treasure doors Gotta complete the set before we gtfo Mr. Prokosch fucked around with this message at 05:44 on Sep 5, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 19:16
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Mr. Prokosch posted:B This Shinarato fucked around with this message at 17:50 on Sep 5, 2022 |
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Sep 4, 2022 19:20
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CG
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Sep 4, 2022 19:54
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EM
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Sep 4, 2022 20:36
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DI Food has always been a sore spot for our people. I doubt we have time to get a new garden up and running, and we really don't have the resources to send out hunting parties anymore. Stick with the already planted garden and the free supply of meat.
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Sep 4, 2022 21:58
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Both gardens were in use before the disaster
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Sep 4, 2022 22:15
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Mr. Prokosch posted:Both gardens were in use before the disaster IIRC the second garden was too distant to integrate so most of its food-generating crystals were instead relocated to improve the first garden.
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Sep 4, 2022 22:21
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Oh shoot, you're right. Maybe I'll change my vote.
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Sep 4, 2022 22:29
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DK
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Sep 5, 2022 02:00
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The second garden already had that monster in it and I don't think we ever found out exactly how it got in. Plus we have no idea what condition other parts of the embrace are in. I'll laugh if we get to the Nakul statue and it's head is missing from a ballistic "star"
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Sep 5, 2022 03:08
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Toughy posted:The second garden already had that monster in it and I don't think we ever found out exactly how it got in. This brings up another good point about security in particular, but all services in general. Food, security, services like the kitchens and the hospital, all of these will need to be reestablished in any option that involves moving. Right now our manpower is probably the lowest it's ever been, between the deaths and the wounded, injured, and crippled. Trying to recreate our home elsewhere really doesn't feel feasible right now, most especially due to the lack of leadership. Dad and the high priest are dead and mom, the embrace's healer, is both physically disabled as well as emotionally devastated. Honestly, the closest thing we have to leadership right now is Guarav, who lead the hunters. Trying to start anew would be a struggle without leadership to direct the flow of resources and labor, and could very easily lead to infighting. In our current location, everyone knows what they need to be doing. Things continue on as they did when the embrace had leadership, out of inertia if nothing else.
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Sep 5, 2022 04:52
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Yeah my memory is currently impairing my ability to vote (I keep blanking on what the options are when I go to post...) but we genuinely cannot move without a Lot of risk, during a time period where any risk could cause mass death.
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Sep 5, 2022 11:30
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F L Put forward the idea of leaving and volunteer to go seek answers and options yourself. These people are directionless and uprooted, so there will be volatility no matter what we support. If we can offer hope, and maybe a real solution then I think Isha would probably try to do that.
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Sep 6, 2022 05:40
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F L We can't stand still here. The sky literally fell on our heads. Retreating further is just a repeat of the tribe's history, diminishing and prolonging the inevitable.
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Sep 6, 2022 07:50
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Nakulian Year 6240, Apex Stars The day after the great Starfall occurred, a new threat hit your home - not farbeast or falling star, but choking smoke. It took no more than a look outside to see where the smoke stemmed from - the great forest you had gone hunting in so many times was now a massive burning pyre. Your home was a fortress and it barely withstood the threat of the falling stars, how could the natural environment have fared any better in comparison? And so the forest burned, smoke covering the light of the sun during the day and making the already blackened sky seem even more oppressive at night. The ecological damage shattered any peace your home had. The golden beacon to all Farbeasts far and wide now presented itself as more than just something full of food - it was a potential home, a nest now that what they had was destroyed. What came to your home was not the semi-organized legions of an Elder, but the desperate and homeless animals that had lost all semblance of sense. This was a boon and a bane both - they attacked without coordination, even turning on each other as often as they attacked your people in their attempts to get inside of your home. But they also fought with a madness that Farbeasts did not always have - many Farbeasts would turn and run, when the control of an Elder was broken, or when they were wounded so... but these did not. The total deaths came out to the High Priest, a Guardians, seven warriors, ten gardeners, and twelve laborers - including one of the medics who had made the mistake of rushing towards someone who got hit in the initial small shrapnel that fell, before the entire roof caved in. Kalvir had mostly been a gossip in your mind - she was one of the medics who preferred to work with people outside the Hospital, and also the one who was oh so excited to tell you about the rumors of your Father killing Darpan's sister way back when. But she had also always done her job despite that loose tongue. Three times that number of people were seriously injured to the point where they wouldn't be able to work anytime soon, and your Mother was unlikely to be able to patch them up quickly. ------------ Where do we move: 1d34 14 - D, agree with Rohan, wins with 15 votes With your Father dead and your Mother indisposed and despondent, only ever acting to direct her medics in the hospital as she threw herself into her role as healer... you had a lot of people looking at you. The Khatri family had been one of the pillars of the Embrace for so many years - your Father was its military commander since you were six years old, and even before then had been second in command. Your Mother played an even more important role, as soft manipulator of public opinions whispering words into the ears of those who needed to hear it to keep the peace. Between their skillsets and their relationship to the High Priest, they were some of the most important people to your home. And now you were all that was left of them. You probably could have avoided giving your opinion, people were giving you a wide berth to grieve... but you spoke up anyways, as Guarav, Seema, and Rohan argued, "This is our home." You were no eloquent speaker, you had no great inspiring speech to give, "The Garden is here, our workshops are here, our homes are here. How long will it take us to get established? Meanwhile we'd have to leave the entrances to our home undefended!" Your Father had worked so hard to keep the Embrace safe, and now out of panic everyone wanted to abandon the doors he had kept standing, "Then they'd spread and they'd come from every corner, instead of just from the two entry ways we know of and can defend." You were frustrated and upset, so your manners went out the door as you addressed the other's concerns. Even Rohan seemed to be caught off guard by how aggressively you voiced your opinion. Guarav turned red for just a moment before taking a deep breath and calming himself, "Your concern is noted, but it isn't your place to make any sort of decision." He said it without insulting you or showing any anger, his voice dismissive without a hint of aggressiveness. "Instead, perhaps, you should focus on your mother and her needs. I know it must be a difficult time for you both." By turning your outburst into the emotional moment of a grieving child he took the energy away from the anger you felt. Rohan was far from eloquent either, nor was he exactly renowned as the most intelligent of Guardians - but as you took his side, he did yours, "She's not wrong. Even if we did plan an exodus to further pastures, these halls would need to be guarded - they would just be further away. Otherwise we'd just have Farbeasts coming from the side halls, as we've always feared might one day happen." His hand on your shoulder was reassuring - he was now practically the only person in the Embrace taller than you, so the motion was easier than with most. "We can always just put more guards. I'd be happy to volunteer myself, in fact!" Seema wasn't as offended as Guarav with your attitude, but she didn't relent instantly, "Keeping ourselves fed is obviously a high priority, thus my suggestion. But safety is higher. If we stay we'll have to institute stricter curfews, and ensure no wandering in the halls. Escorts to and from workshops and jobs." Her eyes scanned you for a moment before she continued, "Or so many eyes to ensure nothing could accidentally sneak past, at any hour of any day." The discussion slowly shifted from if it's worth staying to how your people would manage to stay. And you had no place in that discussion. ------------- What do we do?: 1d35 13 - I, defend home, wins with 2 votes With your home still in danger and its greatest Guardian gone, you threw yourself into the work of protecting the doors to your home. Every moment that you were at home, you wanted to break down and cry - every time you saw your Mother's pitiful state you wanted to just crack open and become the same. Your mentor came to you and tried to comfort you but it meant nothing - your Father was dead, and nothing would change it. Nothing could lessen the screaming in your soul as you fought against the what-ifs that ran through your mind. Nothing except the act of fighting, of killing. You'd never learned a healthy way to deal with your overwhelming feelings. They had been building, day by day, minute by minute for weeks, months, years - and this was just too much. You didn't know a good way to release the tension in your heart. But you'd learned plenty about an unhealthy one. You'd even say you were quite good at it. In your head you knew that the Farbeasts attacking your home had nothing to do with your Father's demise - their homes had been destroyed even more utterly than yours had in the cataclysm that fell from the skies. But in the moment throwing yourself into the rage of battle as if you could seek vengeance for a death by (un)natural disaster felt good. Each time your hammer wrung in your hands as it crushed through the guard of a metal-beast made you feel alive. Each time your hands deftly cracked the limb of a beast who made the mistake of trying to close in to avoid your hammer you could imagine it as one of the causes of your Father's demise. Your imbued equipment was strong - even stronger after you took your Father's as your own. His robes and other clothes were too small for you to wear, and the forges far from a usable state with the wounded piled high and resources thin... but he had been a Guardian for nearly twenty years. His collection of imbued items should have gone to the Embrace as a whole, and should have been shared amongst your home to everyone - especially to the loyal Warriors under him. But no one argued as you donned the band that once marked the marriage between him and your Mother, created with her worry for his safety in mind, the earthen essence hardening your skin. They did not complain as you took the lightning-lizard amulet that once augmented his already enormous speed. Nor did they question it as you made use of the flame-blessing ring to wreath your hammer in fire, how your Father once would his Blade when conserving energy. You weren't sure if it was out of respect for your grieving, as thanks for the work you had long been putting towards the Embrace... or out of fear as they watched you releasing your emotions on the enemies of your home. ------- You were covered in knicks, bruises, and other small wounds - but none of them were serious. Your equipment made sure of that. You were thankful for the fact that your armor dulled your essence senses, as the great concentration of madra on your body was nearly blinding before it blocked out the leaking energy. Your hands were numb as you waited - you could already see the next pack of Farbeasts. They were unending - you had killed seven today already, and yet four more were rushing your home. Four Slithering Mantises dragged themselves across the ground using their great blades and long mighty tails to navigate the slight hill the Embrace sat on. The largest amongst them was your equal in height, with twice that dragging behind them - and large blades the length of its raised body. Rohan was far from a commander - he was a combatant at heart - and he had none of your parents undue worry about your wellbeing that had them constantly advise you away from danger. So you vaulted the barricade in a quick motion before the slithering mantises could even approach it. Their claw blades would tear through the wooden barricades like it wasn't even present after all - but they couldn't even touch you. Your hammer was longer and it was stronger - you ignored the smaller ones as arrows came from the position of the Warriors behind you. Most of them missed - the true archers were watching the breach after all - but they distracted the beasts enough. You weren't your Father - your Father could have rushed through all four of these beasts at once, and ended them in a single strike for the lot. He would have left them unable to respond to his movements at all, he would have been so fast that they wouldn't even know how to swing. But you weren't your Father, as much as some part of you wanted to be. He was so blindingly fast, even when he wasn't utilizing his Armament or his gear. Even with his ring, you felt sluggish - you imagined how he would move, as you moved to destroy what would have been his enemies. Starting with the strongest one first. As the large one swung its massive left blade at you, you just let it hit against your scaled armor. Your hammer crushed against its chest as it did. You could feel the blow of the adult Farbeast, but it couldn't pierce your armor in the least. The same was not true of its exoskeleton, which crunched under the swing from your massive heavy weapon. You dove in without even recovering your hammer, letting it go and dropping it feet from you with the momentum it had. Your fists made quick work of the flailing desperate beast, as your knuckles crushed through its head in just a few repeated blows. "How! Dare! You!" You shouted as you cracked open the Farbeast with only your hands, green blood covering your arms. The smaller blade that came for your head was too slow to catch you, not with your Father's ring. You thought of the days with your Father, playing the silly games in the obstacle courses he made for you. He had spent so much time preparing you - but more than that, he had made it fun for you. Working out with your Uncle was always boring, flavorless, bland - but your Father made his every lesson fun. They were jokes, they were games, and you hadn't even realized how much he wanted you to enjoy life. Those games helped you as your senses caught the Farbeasts attack, and your body jumped into motion - you flung yourself backwards into the beast. Its blade went wide as you smashed into it with the full weight of your body. You were already heavy, and now you were fully armored. The adolescent Farbeast was never going to be able to lift you - and so as you intentionally slammed yourself into it at full force, you sent it into the floor. Your elbow followed through in the movement, and you impaled the Farbeast on your strengthened bones, ignoring the slight cuts from where the exoskeleton scratched you, just as it had done to your hands. Your red blood mixed with the much higher quantity of green blood that had splattered everywhere in the wake of you ripping the Farbeasts apart. Rohan and the others had already cleaned up the other two before you could join the battle against them. Grabbing your hammer you dragged it back towards the barricade, staying on the outside. The praise you were offered was hollow, and the words bounced off you just like the Mantis' blades did. You slumped yourself down against the barricade as the others talked. Just as always, your mind raced in the moments of reprieve. You saw your Father 'secretly' kissing your Mother while you were looking away at something else. You saw his excitement when you said you wanted to learn from him. You saw his anger when you were in danger, and the worry in his eyes when you volunteered yourself for more. The words 'speed is life' echoed in your minds like a mantra that wouldn't let you escape. What if you were faster? Could you have saved your Father, if you had found him more quickly? His wedding bracelet - your bracelet - hardened his body. If you hadn't stopped to help others, would he still be alive? Speed was life, and you were too slow. You needed to be faster. Your thoughts tore through you like arrows through skin as guilt ate away at you. If you had spent more time with your Father, would you have known better how to help him? You should have known he'd prioritize the civilians over anything - he was always the model of what you should be. The day he lost his hand, he had told you simply that he lost it by not being fast enough. But the stories of how he dove in to save someone from the literal jaws of a Farbeast were something even you heard. He never bragged of it though, only seeing it as a failure. Was this your failure? Was it his? You were crying when you heard Rama alert you to another Farbeast approaching. The wolf-spider beast ran on all eight of its furry legs. Sadness turned to fury as you looked at it. Your heart was on fire in that moment, as you dove into another battle. "It's mine." You needed this. You needed the fight. ---------- "This isn't healthy." Rama voiced his concern as you dragged another Farbeast into the Embrace's doors, for others to take for processing. You'd killed at least a dozen today. "You're going to get yourself hurt." You didn't even worry about what the others would think as you spoke back to your ghostly companion, "My father was always the first one into a fight and the last one to leave it. Someone has to be like that." Your voice was a low rumble, your sadness and fury insatiable as you just wanted anything more to distract you. "You're not your Father." The exasperated ghost might have tried to wrest your body away from you if you hadn't eaten him, you could feel his palpable worry for you, "You can't solve everything on your own and neither could he. He commanded, he didn't just dive in to fight." "This is what I can do." You said it as you slumped back down. You kept your eyes open this time, as you sat on the outside of the barricade. You didn't want to think about anything besides where enemies were coming from. --------- Your Mother threw herself into her work as Healer in the same way you threw yourself into your work as Guardian. Indeed, she rarely even returned to your home - and when she did she spent the night solely sobbing as she used a bed sized for two alone. Instead she rested in the cots of the hospital, Lochan quickly becoming her assistant in all matters with her paralysis a sure thing. The man who had taught you of herbs was now the only real contact you had with your own Mother, as you each buried yourself in work to avoid having to feel - every so often bringing you medical poultices to keep you going at the Embrace's gate, and delivering messages from your Mother. Most of which consisted of her loving you and wanting you to be happy. ----------- Meals at home weren't a thing anymore - runners couldn't be wasting time running to every Guardian's home with their meals, when the Embrace was so short staffed. This meant you spent more time in the Great Hall than ever before, and the Great Hall was alight with people talking when they thought you couldn't hear them. "I heard she ripped the head off of one yesterday, and used it to beat another one to death." "I heard that she just... screams, the whole time she's fighting now." "Oh, poor Hansa, I couldn't imagine..." "She's lost so much and she's still working so hard to help us." "Someone needs to tell her daughter to stop being so reckless... if she died..." "Oh, don't even put that out there." "So is Guarav the commander now?" "The High Priest picks the commander." "Then who is gonna be High Priest?" "Usually the Guardian commander and the elders of the other jobs get together." "So it's just going to be the elders? I'm not going to listen to those idiots, they've never even held a weapon." "We'd be lucky if Guarav took command." You only ate because you knew you needed to - and even the depressive anger you found yourself in didn't override all you'd learned from Jo Kul about taking care of yourself. After all, if you were going to protect the Embrace, you needed to be strong enough to do so. You couldn't starve and do that - you needed to be full and ready to fight. But meals were at most a few minutes before you threw yourself back into your job of guarding your home. ---------- Nakulian Year 6240, Apex Stars A week and a half had passed. You rushed from Breakfast with your hammer over your shoulder. You never left your equipment behind anymore - your weapons were always with you. When you slept, you wore your armor, as uncomfortable as it may be. The medical supplies were always either on your back, at your feet, or behind the barricades. You would never be caught unready again. Your eyes burned as you came face to... top of the head with a very injured girl blocking your path. Jute looked up at you, her spear being used to support her. It'd only been a few days - she shouldn't have been up, "You shouldn't be up." You told her it softly... but your throat was raw, and your voice harsh without your meaning for it to be. "I mean, you're going to make it worse. You should stay in bed, or you'll hurt yourself." You barely remembered the moment of you pushing her out of the way, of her ribs cracking under your touch as you dived at her without pulling back. But you remembered everything around it. Seeing her made it feel fresh again. "You're hurting yourself." She seemed remarkably un-nervous for her usual attitude, as she confronted your recent behavior, "Why... why care about my... me hurting myself, if... if you're not gonna worry about you?" She clenched onto her spear hard as she leaned into it harder. You could hear the labored breathing clear as day with your enhanced senses. "I'm fine and you're not." You insisted - sure, you had a lot of cuts and bruises, but they'd heal a lot quicker than a punctured lung... and she was liable to find a way to give herself one with how unstable she was. "I'm fine." You repeated it for emphasis. "Please, Isha... Just... talk to me? My parents are working, we could... we could just talk?" She winced as she asked it. "I don't know what to say but I want to be here for you." You have entered into your first true emotional break of the game. All those votes to let off steam, to stop bottling things up, to open up to someone instead of pushing things down? They did matter! And in the wake of your Father's death, you have finally exploded. Isha has thus taken the most extreme version of the previous option, and thrown herself into self destructive Farbeast murder while telling herself it's for the Embrace. Jute has reached out her hand after hearing about it. You can; A. Open up to Jute - This means telling her everything stressing you out (except for Mala's forbidden info). You cannot benefit from this action while hiding anything else. Do you trust Jute enough to know all your secrets? B. Ignore Jute; Continue protecting the Embrace, day and night. - Every Farbeast killed bleeds off some stress (in a less than ideal manner). C. Go even further - actively hunt Farbeasts down even before they attack. - This will be quicker than waiting for them to come to you... Skill Gains Starfall: Medicine +44xp (reduced to 22) Danger Sense +12xp Embrace Defense: Sprinting +62xp Destructive Body Style +34xp Hammer +31xp Multiple Opponents +22xp
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Sep 6, 2022 10:55
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C go get em, tiger 
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Sep 6, 2022 12:25
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 13:51
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 16:13
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A fiiiiiine, i guess we can be emotionally healthy as a treat
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Sep 6, 2022 17:39
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A It's not like anyone will believe her about the ghost poo poo
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Sep 6, 2022 18:22
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A What's the point of saving anybody if we never let anybody save us?
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Sep 6, 2022 18:36
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 18:39
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 18:40
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 18:48
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A
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Sep 6, 2022 19:15
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A If not Jute then who? Murder, apparently.
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Sep 6, 2022 19:22
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A If can't trust Jute then what's the point?
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Sep 6, 2022 20:19
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haunted bear tale posted:What's the point of saving anybody if we never let anybody save us? A
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Sep 6, 2022 20:23
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LostEnder posted:A Yall act like murder and more murder aren't healthy for emotional and spiritual balance 
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Sep 6, 2022 20:24
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