It's another three hours before you reach the site, as the tree's grow thicker and thicker together, your finally forced to make your avatar stop. The tribesmen dismounting and unloading their valuables and belongings. The last leg of the trip is made on foot, the lizardfolk managing to rather easily traverse the difficult terrain. Your forced to split your avatar, shifting it's mass around as to pass through the trees. You finally reach the clearing, discovering that your tribesmen have already begun to set up a camp. One massive tent is set up in the middle of the camp, looking like it was meant to be a communal tent of sorts. To the left and right, two smaller tents are being set up as well. The camp is a blur of movement and noise as belongings are unpacked, tents and small campfires are set up.
-1 energy for movement. Avatar unburdened. Energy upkeep-0You can see Selind'a and Sjamn'd a dozen feet off the ground, settled up in the branches of the massive tree that sits in the center of the camp.The two are looking over the new campsite for the tribe. They appear to be talking animatedly, gesturing wildly as they speak. Must be yet another argument from the look of it. Approaching the two, you listen in.
With a soft hiss Selind'a screeches at Sjamn'd, "
No no no! The collectors can be placed anywhere, The high ground and view the tree's provide is best suited for a lookout post! It provides a perfect field of view over the camp and a good bit over the surrounding area!"Sjamn'd sighs annoyingly and looks tiredly at Selind'a, snapping at the young female. "
Calm yourself! I've graciously allowed you to remain in charge of our forces due to your performance in the past, but it is not your place to put military matters over that of the needs of the village! The fact is, while yes, your lookout would be worthwhile here, the nearest river lays almost a dozen miles to the south! Rainfall is common here, it would be more beneficial to have this tree serve as a rain collector."
Selind'a retorts angrily, "
Watch your words Shaman, You'll find that my warriors were more useful then your brethren, you lost touch with your magicks and we were forced to make up for the your absence! I am telling you, the river is still within walking distance. The tribesmen can carry water from there, however, there is no other area within miles that could work half as well as this point does!"
Considering the rapidly escalating state of the argument, you decide to step into it. It looks as if the two might come to blows if this continues for any longer. It would do the people of Sud'kar to no good to see the two main 'leaders' of the tribe coming to blows. You ponder, not sure how you should handle this situation, both of them made valid points.
Who do you side with? You've noticed that as of late, the two seem to bicker more and more often.As you debate what to do with those two, you shift your gaze upon the warrior who you had made the contract with. After a moment, his name comes to your mind. Sek'larsa he was called, at your thought. Your avatar shifts over to him, your voice echoing through it. "
...I have need of you warrior...North of here, deep within the swamp you will find a patch of mushrooms. They will not be like any you have seen before..." You recall the feeling and image of the mushrooms, pressing the image into the mind of Sek'larsa, speaking a moment later. "
Take a small number of our tribesmen and gather several dozen of them. I want you to scatter them throughout the swamp as you return to our new home. Make sure to save a few for around the campsite as well." You watch him set off after he gathers four tribesmen to go with him.
Sek'larsa + 4 tribesmen gone for one turn.Deciding that it was high time you examined the spot of land in the chaos tainted area's, you move towards it. The ground disappearing in a blur as you travel. Ancient, oaks passing beneath your gaze, the ground nothing more than a dark, earthy green blur. Finally, you find yourself arriving at the origin of the slowly spreading chaos taint. It appears to be nothing more than a simple boulder laying in a grassy area. Vines and moss growing on it. You extend your senses towards the rock and recoil in surprise, You can feel the massive chaos taint inside of it. It was a swirling, mass of concentrated chaotic energies, you begin to wonder why you couldn't sense that spiral orb of energy when you notice it. Hundreds of threads spread out from the bottom of the orb, sinking into the ground and traveling beneath it. The reason you hadn't sense this energy, was because it was spreading out for literal miles beneath the ground. Slowly and steadily tainting and subtly affecting the environment around it. Such a process would be slow, it would take several weeks to begin causing serious effects but you wouldn't have noticed anything at all until it was to late if you hadn't been lucky and caught it. You study the 'node' of chaotic energies, your not sure you would know how to even begin unraveling such a thing without releasing all of that energy at once. However, your pretty sure that with a little work you could create a 'node' of energy like this yourself, though you have no idea how much energy it would cost you or what effect it would have upon the environment.
You know you'll have to put forth some serious thought onto this node, perhaps you should experiment with it a bit to see if you could safely unravel it. Although, since you know so little about how this node works, you have no idea what experimentation would even do to it. Dissmissing it from your mind for now as you return to your camp. Focusing your energies and expending it outwards, trying to cancel out all of the background lifeforms as you try to focus solely upon how the life-force of a lizardmen feels. You expend a small bit of energy but you discover you a group of life signs to the east. You estimate that there are around a hundred lifeforms that match that of the lizardfolk. You estimate it to be about a two day's worth of travel on foot if you intended to send anyone there. You debate traveling there yourself to examine it, but you put if off for now. Figuring that you have other more important things to focus on at the moment.
-2 energyYou know that you'll need more energy if you ever hope to combat and win against the chaotic god you had encountered earlier, you toy around with a few ideas of having your people perform rituals or sacrifices to try and increase your energy gain. Your not sure if it would have any effect what so ever though. The idea of a idol strikes you though and you speak through your avatar, searching through the tribe till you find a crafter. After a bit of talk with him, he agree's to make a idol in the likeness of your avatar. The only question remaining is, what should he make it out of?
How do you react to the Chaos node? Do you try to unravel it? Perform some other experiment? Who do you side with in the argument between Selind'a and Sjamn'd? Do you choose to investigate the group of life-signs you discovered? What would you like to have your idol made out of? Bone? Wood? Leather? Some combination of the three?Nodes are spirals of energy forced into a small area and bound there. Over time the energy will leak out into the surrounding environment, often have effects that can be seen and noticed for miles away from the origin point. They slowly, over time shift the environment to reflect whatever energy the node is made out of. As an example, a life node, would say, over time make the animals and plantlife in an area more bountiful. Filling them energy and life, however it would also improve any predators in a area, making them more dangerous. A earth node, would increase the density of stone, made the ground tougher, harder to dig into. Rare metals and the like would be strengthened. Multiple types of node can be present in the same area, but it can cause some interesting/horrific combinations.
Idols are object that are significant to one god or another. They have a slight effect in strengthening the god that owns the idol in a certain radius. Allowing him to spend energy more efficiently in a radius around it. IE, It takes slightly less energy for to use for godly powers/acts.
Followers:30
Tribesmen:24
Warriors:6
Current energy:22
Energy income:8
Energy upkeep:0
Contracts
Sek'larsa- "I will not abandon your people. Even if all fails and what few of you there are fall, I will take those that remain and I will shelter them. I cannot promise victory. But I can promise that there will be no surrender, no abandonment. I offer this tribe my word, if only you would accept it." [Protect the tribe.]
The name for the unnamed warrior has been chosen as Sek'larsa. Sorry for the long wait peeps.