We should try to focus on that cave. I expect it to be the final restng place of the villager. Maybe we could gain some power in death. Also bless the child-bearing woman. Her son/daugther will be our son/daughter. + +
Hurry here! First help the birthing woman before she dies in labour! Increasing your strength of Life to do so, and increasing your knowledge as you do so. Give the child your blessing.
Time seems to stand still, and you fall in upon yourself, into your own mind, your own past.
A dive into a memory, an explosion of words and thoughts and ideas, lives lived and passed, until you reach those who live now.
Everything comes to life again in a rush. The mass of People in the village bending into a slurry of thoughts and emotions, their shepherds dotting the cliffs, the farmers in their fields, but more than that - the squirrels in the trees along your base, the snakes that coil through the grass, the group of rock doves that rest huddled against a cliff face, the strange thoughts that drift in seemingly pointless patterns in the woods by your flank. A whole world has opened up to you. And the cave...
Ah, the cave. Against the constant hum of the thoughts of the activity of the mind, there is the relentless drumbeat, the history of the continent and of your own stones. From the fiery depth of your roots and spreading beneath the land, to your neighbours, still sleeping, and the children of the dirt formed long ago when the valleys were water and ice. And the cave...
Each body lays, hands clasped over it's chest, lying on the cold stone. In each of them, a seed was planted, and from that seed has sprung bright crystals in a multitude of colours, seeming to swirl with energy, humming with the life-force of a captured soul. Here, the people come to die, and dying, wait - waiting for the day when you would awaken. The caves are deep, and full - countless generations of elder tribespeople have worked their way here to die, or made the pilgrimage with a loved one's body over their shoulders. It is a trip that is always made alone.
The people do not know what will become of them when they lie here. Some believe that they will simply remain here, forever, preserved by the cold, their souls locked forever in this place in the company of their clan. Others climb to this cave, believing that when they die their souls will be passed on to the sky mother, where they will forever dance among the spirits of the air. Others believe that they will wait here for the mountain to awaken them once more, filling them with life so they may serve it a second time. And a few believe that the mountain will awaken and claim them, pulling it's souls into it's bosom, and hope to become one with a sleeping god... but most of them fear this, fear that their souls will be burned away and lost in the heart of the mountain's flame.
Their spirits have waited here for you, for countless years. They can wait a while longer. The dead are as patient as those who slumber.
But the living and those on the cusp of new life will not wait.
As your thoughts race down the mountain, back to the village, it seems as if the green touch of life almost follows in your wake. Lichens flourish, flowers bloom, and the shepherds you pass feel young again. Finally, your mind is dwelling on the mind you sought, the one with the smaller mind nestled against it, surrounded by concerned minds. Prayers stream to you from this room. The birthing is in progress, and it has not been easy. The people are afraid, for the mother is well loved and yet it seems that her time is nearing its end.
The woman is not afraid to die. But she prays that she will live long enough to see her child.
As you arrive, the people are filled with hope. A new life enters the world, slipping into its welcoming embrace.
The woman dies.
But you are mountain. You are strong. You are sturdy.
You are not finished with this woman.
You bend over her, and the people sense your presence. As the baby let's out its first cry, you breath deeply into it's mothers lungs, sharing with her a part of yourself. A woman's eyes open. Her arm raises, weak, and she smiles. Supporters rush to her, taking her shoulders and holding her steady, as the child, mewling at the outrage of a new world, is placed into her arms, and the blessing you granted to her passes to it as well.
A woman smiles. A baby cries. And a group of strange minds begins their ascent.
Name: Kirunume
Statistics:
Groggy: 22% - (Vigor) You are coming into your self again...
Unthreatened: 97% - (Peace) The strangers grow closer - what do they seek?
Sturdy: 88% - (Stability) How strong and sturdy you are
Ice Reserves: 56% - (Remaining Ice) The amount of snow and ice you have.
Awakened Skills: As you gain knowledge of these skills, more may become open to you. Whenever you level up a skill, you may also choose to put into one of the abilities in that section.
Life ☑☑☑.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
*Bloom ☑☑☑ - You can encourage things to grow faster and healthier, flower and fruit, and give things that are dying a second chance at life, if only for a short while. You can help new life grow strong and powerful, cause plants to grow and flower before people's eyes, and life itself follows in the footsteps of your gaze.
*Wither ☑☐☐ - You can weaken things, slow their growth, encourage disease and rot to take hold.
*Blood ☐☐☐ - The power of blood is the power over animals. The birds shall flock and the beasts of men shall tale note of your passing - they shall become more docile with the people you favour, and more aggressive to those you do not...
*Sap ☐☐☐ - The power of sap is the power over plants. Control where they grow and how, into wondrous omens to inspire your people or grabbing snares to entangle those who earn your wrath...
*Spirit (Locked: Awareness of the Spirit(1) ) Whether plant or animal, fox or human, mountain, forest, or river, every lifeforce has within it a spirit, and this will allow your life abilities to effect not just the body but the entirety of a living thing - and even those things with spirits that are not alive.
Fire ☑☑☐.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
*Inner Flame ☑☑☐ - Your heart and soul is the flame that flickers deep within you, your connection with the great mother. Strengthening the flame will help you wake more quickly, act faster, and fuel your other fire skills.
*Vent ☐☐☐ - You can open small vents in your surface, releasing blasts of hot air and sulfur into the sky.
* Hot Springs ☐☐☐ - Your inner flame can be localized to warm sections of the surface, melting snow and pooling streams to create heated pools on your surface.
* Geyser ☐☐☐ - Blasts of searing water release pressure and provide quite the spectacle.
Ice ☑☐☐.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
* Chill ☑☐☐ - A chill descends in an area, causing men to shiver and pull tighter on their furs.
* Sculpt ☐☐☐ - The ability to shape ice and maybe even stone into increasingly intricate forms, over time.
* Snowfall (Locked: Rain(2))
Water ☑☐☐.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
* Melt ☑☐☐ - Turn ice reserves into streams, pools, and even lakes and rivers.
* Spring ☐☐☐ - Tap into underground water sources to create small springs instead of using snowmelt.
* Invigorating Waters ☐☐☐
Weather ☐☐☐.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
Awareness ☑☑☑.☐☐☐.☐☐☐
* Of the Earth ☑☑☑ - You can feel things moving across your surface, the touch of plants and the thudding of feet, of the animals and the people. The cold of snow, the warmth of the sun, the tickle of the rain. And not just along the surface, but the veins of ore, the slabs of granite, the gaps and seams that run through you as well. Not a grain of dirt is moved that you do not notice. The mountain and the earth are your body, and you are awake.
* Of the Mind ☑☐☐ - (Unlocked Through Synergy: Thought)You can turn the power of your thoughts to tracking the minds of living creatures that roam your surface.
* Of the Water ☑☐☐ - Follow your streams out into the world, fingers across the valleys and into distant oceans, feel that which swims in them and moves over them.
* Of the Air (Locked: Weather(2))
* Of the Forest ☑☐☐ - The forest that surrounds you is not, quite, part of you, but it is connected, and your experience with the forces of life allows you to, with some effort, settle your thoughts into its own.
* Of the Spirit ☐☐☐ - The ability to sense and interact with the spirits, both large and small, that fill the land.
* Of the World ☐☐☐ - The ability to sense, in the vaguest terms, what is happening far from you
Thought ☑☑☑.☐☐☐.☐☐☐☐☐.☐☐☐[/b]
* Dreams ☑☑☐ - (Passive) The people of the mountain occasionally have their dreams influenced by you, and you will often catches glimpses of their dreams in return. - (Passive) The people of the mountain occasionally have their dreams influenced by you, and you will often catches glimpses of their dreams in return.
* Prayers ☑☐☐ - (Passive) The ability to listen to and respond to the wishes and hopes of the mountain people, and perhaps even draw power from them.
* Visions ☐☐☐ - You can craft and send visions to villagers and maybe, eventually, strangers.
* Influence ☐☐☐ - You can influence the desires and actions of those within your domain, ever so slightly urging them to do what you wish.
* Passenger ☐☐☐ - You can ride along the mind of animals and villagers, seeing what they see, hearing what they hear, smelling and feeling what they do.
Villagers: Onoltilat
Size: 42
Happiness: 99% - +5% A joyous birth
Awareness: 13% - We have felt some great spirit walk among us, and we believe a miracle happened when the new child was born. We shall name him Kiruni, after the mountain. Perhaps there are great things in his future.