Changer's Granddaughter (Summer 1243)

Play by Post Campaigns Ars Magica 5th Edition: Light of Andorra
41

[b]Yes, you would be. The breath of Suggarr, they are, so that's what they do.

I'm surprised that you know of this. I thought this lore extinct with my people.
But yes, this is a foolish endeavor. The more you change, the less human you become. You may think that's what you want, but we learned that cost a long time ago.[/b]

The light dim from his eyes, and he bows, suddenly looking very tired. When he raises his head again, you see an old man, who has forgotten more wisdom than many have know.
Hello, young one.
I am Adulruna, but you know that already.
I see you are on your third step? That's great. This will be different from last time, but don't worry, you have nothing to fear.
What you feel is just Suggarr's power suffusing you. It will change you, bring you closer to its power, but it will not be enough: you will need to unlock the change. Do you know the path?

Again, strength and energy come to his face, mingled with anger.
[b]Of course she doesn't! Does she looks like she knows what she's doing?
So, Vibria, that's it? I will tell you a little secret.

Things and beings have 2 natures. They can be of this world, or off this world.
Being from this world have one nature, human or beast. Beings from the otherworld have one nature also, and that is magic, although they may seem so have more.
But some cross the lines. Sorcerers are human and magic. Dragons are beasts and magic.

You... The mists made you human, beast and magic, but the beast is dormant, crushed under your humanity. That's why you can't become what you want, despite their poison. And it's a good thing, trust me.
Go away now. I am tired of you.[/b]

He closes his eyes, ignoring you. And maybe he's gratting on your nerves, but it's feeling really warm in there.
[b]Were was I? The mists... they're the breath of Suggarr, you know that? The great dragon. He gives us power, we give us ourselves. A fair trade, that is. The breath of sugar. It's everywhere, but mostly here, you know? It has helped us. Grow strong, things like that. Defy both time and enemies.

But, well, that's for later.
Now, you know how we can be of 3 kind? There is the human, the beast, and the other kind. The first one, I mean.
Well, this is difficult, so one side is usually dormant, sometimes even two. So some people are mostly humans and beasts, and can change from one to another. Some people are beast and beast, and they are great beasts indeed, like the bear, more if great beasts of magic. Others are mostly something and magic, and... I was telling something? Power. They have power. The beasts. But you can have more power. If humans can change into beast, or beasts work magic, one can be a beast and a human and a magic. Or a magic magic. Or a magic beast, like a dragon.

You've basked into the mists, have you? Of course you have, silly me. So, yes, I see, you've brought the beast to the surface. It is shiny, isn't it? Yes. The beast.
But the thing is, the mists, they are just a breath, a tiny bit of primal power, they aren't enough to awaken it. You will never become a dragon.

But there's a trick to play to the beast.
A trick. A trick. Ah, yes, you want the trick? Yes, that is, it's simple. If you forego your other natures, you can bring the beast to the surface, force it to awaken. It's quite simple, actually. The trick. You must forego all magic, all sense of self, everything that isn't animal. Go in the wild, follow the dragon's path without the trappings of civilization or magic. That's it.
Oh, yes, I forgot. DO not do this! I mean, do this, but not for long. But enough. I can't remember, but I think... Yes. 4 moons. If you survive until 4 moons are gone, you should be human, beast and magic. I think.
[/b]

Does he slips into sleep?

Who are you? How did you find this place? why are you here?

(Sorry, time flew without me noticing)

42

[color=red]"I am?" Vibria says, almost to herself.

[color=red]"Um," Vibria starts to answer before she's interrupted by the Face of Boe's latest transformation.

Vibria listens to every word intently, paying full attention.

So, if I understand correctly, she has to be the dragon, forgoing human and magic nature, for four months? In theory, at least.

43

Do you really want me to be clear on this? Or do you want her to have the chance to screw up? She may try to ask him for clarification, if he wants, but really, he's so brain-addled that even I had trouble understanding myself :laughing:

As he said it, Dragons have 2 natures*: they're animals (note that RoP: M has them in that chapter), but they're also magical. Magi have the dual nature of being human and magical creatures.
To become a dragon, you have the "magic" part covered. Due to your Mythic Blood, you have enough "dragon animal nature" to have the potential of change. The mists can help raise it to the surface, but it'll still be dormant, buried under your nature as a maga. So, to fully gain the "beast" nature, Vibria needs to awaken it by forcing herself to live as an animal for a season, which means not relying on her magical nature (not using spells or magic powers), nor on her human nature (not using human Tools, such as clothing or fire).
In short, ready yourself for some Area and survival rolls!
The question being, of course, if you must pass or fail them :wink:

  • spoiler if you've read the first spoiler, this offers Vibria a potential bargaining tool with one of her sodales.

[spoiler]Note that his crude MT explains, at least to him, shapeshifters (They have human and animal natures), but also chimeras (2 different beast natures), beasts of virtue (twice the same beast nature), etc.
Vibria would of coure notice that, if there are several basic natures (he lumps all supernatural under "magic"), the idea that one has 2, or even 3 natures only is false.
Obviously, one can have several natures in these categories, so, for exemple, Great Beasts could be Beast + Beast (the same or another, depending if it's a parangon or a chimera) + Magic, or Beasts + Magic + Magic for the elemental ones.

Now, this may be an interesting avenue of research for Acutus: His "perfect human form" might have 2 times the "human" trait, in this worldview. Vibria might want to trade this bit of lore with him.

Now, I realise I've invented a new magic theory! Yeah![/spoiler]

If you're interested in the spoilers, hope I was clear.

44

No, that was just me thinking aloud.

[color=red]"I want to try this path," Vibria says. [color=red]"When would I start?"

45

(Sorry, lack of time screwing up NPC interaction)

Your question stops him right in his tracks, and he looks confused.
Lack of time? What are you babbling about? One does not lack time, there's always more available! Time does not run out, ever. If you want more, you just have to wait until it is the right time again.

His gaze focuses on you again
But who are you? You're not of the people, are you? Yet you bear the mark of Suggar, so you must be. How can that be? You know you need to follow the dragon's path, don't you?

46

[color=red]"Yes, I know that. I just need a little guidance to find the path."

Vibria is starting to lose her patience, and wishes she could talk to all the faces at once.

47

He looks at you sadly
The path is in your blood now. You're on the path. Follow through the mists behind you, if you really want this. Shed your humanity and let the beast guide you towards your fate.

48

Vibria nods. She turns and looks into the mists, as a ghost of a smile lifts her lips.

[color=red]Shed my humanity, eh? she thinks. She then carefully removes her armour and her clothes, folding and placing them carefully by the face, setting her weapons next to them.

[color=red]"Be the dragon, become the dragon", she whispers to herself as she sets forth into the mists.

49

All the while, the heat is (again) increasing, or is it her skin itching? Discarding her clothes bring her a very welcome relief, but it only does so much*.

As she walks, and not unlike the climb down, Vibria finds herself surrounded by the mists again, so much that she only perceives the stone her bare feet thread upon, the dream-like stupor of the mists engulfing her for the second time.

Her thoughts fumble as she walks still, unable to escape the growing heat**. She realizes she's clawing at her own skin, her nails leaving long, red marks, to no avail.

But then, she sees something before her, feels something too. A darker patch in the sky, a gulp of fresh air. That's when she realizes the ground is changing under her feet too, from stone to earth, then grass.

What does she do?

  • She loses 1 fatigue level.
    ** She loses another one.

Whatever she does next, roll me some Stamina + Athletics + Ignem/5, EF 9

50

So that drops her, I think, to Winded.

Vibria examines her nails, to see if they look any different than they did earlier.

When she reaches the grass (and the fact that the ground is changing under her feels perfectly normal, to her), she looks up longingly into the sky and wonders how hard it would be to fly right now. So, she takes a running jump into the air.

Her roll is Stamina 2 + Athletics 0 + (Ignem/5) 3 + die roll of 4 -= 9. Spot on. (And if I'm off on the Fatigue, I'll use a Fortune point to compensate.)

51

Nails look... No, they look totally normal. She thought, but it was probably hope more than anything.

Still surrounded by the mists, Vibria jumps, for what feels like ages, towards the dark patch of sky ahead. For a moment, she feels like she'll never touch the ground again, until she does. Of course she does.

And when she lands, the mists are gone, as is the cavern. It is night outside, and unknown stars shine in the sky above, shedding just enough light for her to barely see her surroundings. A slope, grassy, with a dark mass ahead which is probably trees. A flock of birds, high in that sky she longs to reach. Nothing else, no one else.

Her skin still burns and itches, but that feeling no longer increases, which is a (small) relief.

Tired and alone, what does she do?

52

Vibria grumbles a bit (she was so close!), but after looking around to be sure she's alone, she will sit down on the grass to rest for a few minutes. Once she's recovered, she jealously looks up at the birds before she sets out for the trees.

53

Resting seems impossible to vibria, due to all the burning and itching going on with her skin. It recedes somewhat, though, and she manages to take a break, although it's far from ideal, especially as she's really starting to feel the effects of her previous exertion and the late hour.

The trees... Even from the outskirts, the trees are dark and mysterious, full of strange noises, so different from those of Andorra's castle. Being all alone, naked in the woods? It's a strange experience for Vibria, and she feels very watched and vulnerable, far from the feeling of strength her powers have accustomed her to. On that point at least, the forest is nonetheless a great improvement from the slope, even it it means that the ground under her feet is far less comfortable than the grass.

54

Vibria examines where she itches, looking for any sign of scratches, a rash...scales. Afterward, she sets out for the forest, repeating her mantra to herself the whole time. "Be the dragon, become the dragon." She also keeps a sharp eye (and ear) out to see if she can tell if she is truly being watched, or if it's her imagination.

55

Since it's night, it's near to impossible to tell if there's anything wrong with her skin.
At least, she doesn't feel like she's peeling, nor do her fingers touch scales.

And is she truly watched? Well, she probably is, being in a forest at night. Is there something more or is she just paranoid? Once again, this is very difficult to say*. What few light the stars gave is blocked by the trees.

Pushing this forward:

  • Tell me whatever it is she does before going to sleep
  • Tell me how she does sleep
  • Tell me what she intends to do the following day, and in the days thereafter.
  • Roll a Per + Awareness

(Btw, good news, I've finally roughly settled on what this is gonna give you, and how it works! I hope you'll like it, knowing that it is but a first step)

56

Vibria knew that the path to dragonhood would be much longer than it has been so far, but she's still disappointed when she doesn't feel scales on her arms.

Her roll is Per 1 + Awareness 3 + die roll of 2 = 6 (+1 if it's vision or hearing.)

Before going to sleep, she will find a good, secluded place with a comfortable (or at least not too rocky) sleeping place with some shelter.

In the mornings, when she gets up, she will do some centering and meditation, reaching for the dragon within. She then sets out for...somewhere. She doesn't know where, but she will go where her instincts tell her, trusting in the dragon to lead her where she needs to be.

57

It's dark out there. Like, really dark. Vibria sees little, and, if she hears a lot of noises, she's unable to tell if these are from animals prowling, trees creaking, or some stalker walking. The only thing she's sure of, is that nothing is rushing on her, or closing without steatlth. This ain't much of a relief.
In short, it appears she will have 2 choices: the grassy slope, where she can see from afar but seldom escape a faster predator, and the forest, where anything could hide but she can hope to use the trees.

Hum... Okay, in the state she's in, she finds out that if he wants to get some sleep, her best bet is to camp on the forest outskirts, on the grass. She manages to find a depression to hide herself in, and also block some of the wind.

To say she doesn't sleep well would be an understatement.
To her dismay, Vibria is forced to realize that she has become quite dependent, not only on her magic, but also on life's modern luxuries. The ground is too hard, the night is too cold, and on top of that, she still feels like she burns.
Still, she must have managed to get some sleep, since the sun wakes her up. Covered in dew, she's shivering a little, but the burning feeling in her body seems to have protected her from the worst of the cold, and leaving her with an intense energy*. On the other hand, it seems to be gone (along with the itches, yeah!), so she's not sure if she'll be able to count on it another night.

She is, however, delighted by the sight. The sun's light is rich and magnificent, painting the mountain in its warm, golden light. The grass is a deep green, the rocks are beautiful works of art, and the forest... Oh, the forest looks as majestic and ancient now as it seemed strange and frightening last night.

  • She regains her lost fatigue levels

Okay. Good ones.
Give me an Per - 3 stress roll for the meditation. Single botch die, a botch means 1 warping point.
Then, a Per + Survival (Mountains) stress roll too. Since you're in an exceptional context (initiation and all), you may add the highest of your Warping score or your (Animal score/5)

Something vibria will quickly realize, though: She is hungry, and will need to eat something.

58

Vibria sits in her hollow, arms around her knees, and just admires the scenery for a few minutes. She intentionally doesn't perform her Parma Magica ritual. She is tempted to case a spontaneous Perdo Aquam spell to dry herself off, but stays committed to her goal to not use magic for the duration.

Roll for the Meditation: Per 0 – 3 + die roll of 9 = 6.

The Survival roll: Per 0 + Survival (Mountains) 2 + (Animal/5) 2 + (die roll of 1, followed by a die roll of 8) 16 = 20.

Will she need to make a separate roll to find something to eat?

59

Meditating, Vibria feels a little more at peace, her previous fears easing. She belongs here, and she can do it. She just needs to find a way to awaken the beast within.

Is it the meditation? The place? Some natural sense borne of the dragon inside her? In her wanderings, Vibria stumble upon a stream, just as she is beginning to get thirsty. At least, she'll have water! Fishes too, if she can catch them.
But she doesn't need this, not yet, since her wanderings show her a big patch of berries, that she remembers to be edible. She gulps them, and they taste great.

Her afternoon leads further discoveries, in the form of a very small cavern, a barely worthy of the name, but that she can use to protect herself from the elements. All in all, a good day!

When the night comes, Vibria dreams. Flying high above the country, a predatory hunger in her belly, knowing that no man nor beast can stop her, her shadow bearing on all she surveys.

My Firefox keeps putting caps in the beginning of wome words, dunno why

Plan is: You've got 3-4 months.
This means that, at least, vibria will have to use survival. EF will vary depending on descriptions and the stage of the moon. So I'd like to do a few snippets like this.

60

Vibria grabs a firm hold of this dream and tries to make it a part of her (once she recovers from the heartbreaking realization that it's not real...yet), using it as a motivation for her meditation and explorations and everything else she does.

She uses the cubbyhole as a base of operations, but spends little time in it, outside of sleep. She spends most of her waking hours exploring, tinkering with trying new ways to do things ("I want to get to the top of the next hill...what if I try a running start and jump as high and far as I can while visualizing myself as a dragon?" or "Normally when I punch someone, I do it thusly, with a closed fist. What happens if I claw at them instead?"), and meditating to call out her dragon.

She also continues to abstain from magic or anything human-related, with the one exception being her flame-breath (because, after all, she is the dragon). She occasionally tries to track and hunt game, and will use her breath to cook the meat if she catches anything.

If needed, and if it's the same as above, her roll is die roll of 0 (her botch check is an 8) 0 – 3 = -3.

Her Survival roll is 4 + die roll of 3 = 7.