Oh holy Christ the player model (at least for females) is ugly as sin.
Significant tweaking makes it at least marginally palatable to look at, but nothing will fix the dead-eyed stare into my very soul. Maybe this game is a commentary on how the player is the zombie.
Nah.
So my friends got me hooked on the idea that survival horror would be a really fun genre to try out, and more specifically that 7 Days to Die is the best game of its ilk to try it with.
My experience went something like this:
Make a character.
Start a world.
Walk down a road, looting every pile of trash compulsively with no idea what I'm doing.
Chased by zombies.
And then a dog.
And then also a bee.
Kill the dog.
Die to the bee and the zombies.
Respawn. This time in a desert.
Loot everything compulsively - I think I had like a hundred aloe vera by the time I died - this time, to a bear.
So then I got wise and decided maybe it's time to research the game I just bought.
The guide got me a little farther - I made it through a whole day this time - but I can tell I've still got a lot to learn.
I can tell this game has the same seductive siren's song as minecraft - you hit things until they break, take them, and make them into something better - while being the challenge I craved.
That said, it's probably better with friends.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Monday, October 19, 2015
On Honor
Honor.
By definition, this is honesty, fairness, and integrity in one's beliefs and actions.
What does that mean?
One of the cornerstones of honor is esteem and respect for every living creature, If one does not respect someone, one has little reason other than one's own personal beliefs to treat a person with fairness or integrity.
One must also bear respect for oneself. If one does not respect oneself, then one has no reason to keep oneself to an honorable standard.
Breaking this down even further, then, one must explain what it is to act with integrity.
Integrity is a standard to which one holds all of their actions. This standard must be adhered to at all times, and as a result consistency is achieved, such that one's treatment of all creatures, within reasonable bounds, is equivalent.
Fairness is very much related to integrity; when one is consistent in the way which all creatures must be treated, one can say that they act fairly toward all creatures.
However, that is not the entirety of fairness. Fairness can also contradict with the goal of consistency, however, as fairness is not precisely the act of treating all creatures the same. Instead, fairness takes into consideration all aspects of the situation and applies appropriate judgement. To be fair to one person, one may need to take into consideration a number of factors which are not present for another, yielding an entirely different action and result.
There is also the matter of honesty. Acting with fairness and integrity, the honorable person should of course be honest to all. Honesty therefore, must be defined, as it is one of the key tenets of honor.
Honesty is more than simply electing not to lie. One can tell the complete truth in all things, and still lead a person to an inaccurate conclusion. Therefore, honesty is instead the intention to not mislead any being into wrong thinking. This can be conveyed through actions or words.
How does honor apply in combat?
To review, honor is a matter of treating all people, even enemies, with respect and esteem. In many ways, therefore, it can be said that to act less than honestly is still honorable; for example, a feint in combat would lead an opponent into wrongful thinking, but to abstain from using a specific technique because it is dishonest does not show respect to your opponent's abilities.
Therefore, honor in combat may not be entirely synonymous with honesty, as treating an enemy with appropriate respect includes the important point that you must never underestimate an opponent. To underestimate any person is to be disrespectful.
That is not to say that honor is simply the drive to win at all costs; however, and using techniques which do not fall in line with one's own morality would conflict with honor directly.
However, if one were to act in a way that was dishonest in combat, one may still be honorable, as this displays respect for the opponent's skill and strength.
Next we must address that honor is not only actions, but beliefs. To treat a person with respect, one must not only act in a respectful fashion, but to believe that they are worthy of respect. This comes back to the basis of honor, both in combat and out.
To elaborate, this means that one must not underestimate one's allies, and must instead respect what they are capable of. One should also respect others' beliefs and actions, whether or not those beliefs or actions conflict with those one may hold, themselves.
In closing, honor is based upon respect for all creatures. To be honorable is not only to act respectful, but also to hold others in approprie esteem. To act respectful, one should be honest in both actions and words, seeking not to mislead others into wrongful thought. To maintain one's own honor, one should act with integrity, which is to say that one's behaviour should be consistent as possible. Fairness dictates that one may not treat every creature in the exact same fashion, as circumstances may vary dramatically, but to treat each creature in equivalent fashion based upon the circumstances.
- Achaena Embershield
By definition, this is honesty, fairness, and integrity in one's beliefs and actions.
What does that mean?
One of the cornerstones of honor is esteem and respect for every living creature, If one does not respect someone, one has little reason other than one's own personal beliefs to treat a person with fairness or integrity.
One must also bear respect for oneself. If one does not respect oneself, then one has no reason to keep oneself to an honorable standard.
Breaking this down even further, then, one must explain what it is to act with integrity.
Integrity is a standard to which one holds all of their actions. This standard must be adhered to at all times, and as a result consistency is achieved, such that one's treatment of all creatures, within reasonable bounds, is equivalent.
Fairness is very much related to integrity; when one is consistent in the way which all creatures must be treated, one can say that they act fairly toward all creatures.
However, that is not the entirety of fairness. Fairness can also contradict with the goal of consistency, however, as fairness is not precisely the act of treating all creatures the same. Instead, fairness takes into consideration all aspects of the situation and applies appropriate judgement. To be fair to one person, one may need to take into consideration a number of factors which are not present for another, yielding an entirely different action and result.
There is also the matter of honesty. Acting with fairness and integrity, the honorable person should of course be honest to all. Honesty therefore, must be defined, as it is one of the key tenets of honor.
Honesty is more than simply electing not to lie. One can tell the complete truth in all things, and still lead a person to an inaccurate conclusion. Therefore, honesty is instead the intention to not mislead any being into wrong thinking. This can be conveyed through actions or words.
How does honor apply in combat?
To review, honor is a matter of treating all people, even enemies, with respect and esteem. In many ways, therefore, it can be said that to act less than honestly is still honorable; for example, a feint in combat would lead an opponent into wrongful thinking, but to abstain from using a specific technique because it is dishonest does not show respect to your opponent's abilities.
Therefore, honor in combat may not be entirely synonymous with honesty, as treating an enemy with appropriate respect includes the important point that you must never underestimate an opponent. To underestimate any person is to be disrespectful.
That is not to say that honor is simply the drive to win at all costs; however, and using techniques which do not fall in line with one's own morality would conflict with honor directly.
However, if one were to act in a way that was dishonest in combat, one may still be honorable, as this displays respect for the opponent's skill and strength.
Next we must address that honor is not only actions, but beliefs. To treat a person with respect, one must not only act in a respectful fashion, but to believe that they are worthy of respect. This comes back to the basis of honor, both in combat and out.
To elaborate, this means that one must not underestimate one's allies, and must instead respect what they are capable of. One should also respect others' beliefs and actions, whether or not those beliefs or actions conflict with those one may hold, themselves.
In closing, honor is based upon respect for all creatures. To be honorable is not only to act respectful, but also to hold others in approprie esteem. To act respectful, one should be honest in both actions and words, seeking not to mislead others into wrongful thought. To maintain one's own honor, one should act with integrity, which is to say that one's behaviour should be consistent as possible. Fairness dictates that one may not treat every creature in the exact same fashion, as circumstances may vary dramatically, but to treat each creature in equivalent fashion based upon the circumstances.
- Achaena Embershield
Sunday, October 4, 2015
Tranquil Air - 6
Having established firmer footing, I now turned my attention to the strange, thick roots that hung from the dirt platform.
Ripping a few free, I inspected them. These held power. Life itself seemed to pulse in my hands.
Experimenting with the roots, I fused a few together, just as I had the stones. I expected a block of roots - but what I got instead - well.
The emerald sapling that I held in my hands had a strong essence, as powerful in its way as the water spirit was.
I collected the rest of the roots. A strange feeling in my gut said I wouldn't get any more.
That done, I placed down a block of dirt several stone blocks away from my platform, and planted the tree there. It made me feel - better. I wasn't alone here. The water spirit, and now the tree, would be all the company I needed.
Ripping a few free, I inspected them. These held power. Life itself seemed to pulse in my hands.
Experimenting with the roots, I fused a few together, just as I had the stones. I expected a block of roots - but what I got instead - well.
The emerald sapling that I held in my hands had a strong essence, as powerful in its way as the water spirit was.
I collected the rest of the roots. A strange feeling in my gut said I wouldn't get any more.
That done, I placed down a block of dirt several stone blocks away from my platform, and planted the tree there. It made me feel - better. I wasn't alone here. The water spirit, and now the tree, would be all the company I needed.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Tranquil Air - 5
My plan slowly came to fruition. The rocks I collected were feather-light once broken from the ground, just as the dirt had been. It was no great task to collect what should have been a literal ton of rock - and it all fit neatly into my pocket.
Satisfied that I had enough stone, I embraced the waters once again, sliding off the edge. I kept myself at a level just under my platform through sheer effort, and stuck stone after stone to the underside of the dirt. Stone, once placed, seemed to be immune to gravity, just as the dirt was. I soon discovered that the stone was happy to stick to itself, as well.
I could do a lot with such tools. I used to consider myself an artist, back before my impossibly potent magical talent in magic took over my life - and here were the most responsive materials I'd ever worked. I would make this world a work of art, I decided. My masterpiece.
After all, I had nothing but time and empty space.
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Tranquil Air - 4
I was lucky. I managed to catch myself in the swift-moving waterfall several blocks below my platform.
The spirit of the water - welcomed me. I can't explain it any better than that - it sensed me, and I sensed it. I felt its movements, and it showed me how to move with it, even climbing against the current.
So, slowly, I climbed back up onto my platform, through the waterfall itself, soaked thoroughly, but alive.
The water spirit was disappointed, I think, that I had left it.
For my part, however, I knew that what I had just done was completely impossible without magic - in my world.
But, as I said before, gravity seems to be entirely arbitrary here. With nothing more than the screaming terror of the void below me - well.
All I knew then was that I did not want to fall into that gaping abyss. I knew, without knowing how, that it was death.
I sometimes wish for that early innocence.
The things I know now ....
The spirit of the water - welcomed me. I can't explain it any better than that - it sensed me, and I sensed it. I felt its movements, and it showed me how to move with it, even climbing against the current.
So, slowly, I climbed back up onto my platform, through the waterfall itself, soaked thoroughly, but alive.
The water spirit was disappointed, I think, that I had left it.
For my part, however, I knew that what I had just done was completely impossible without magic - in my world.
But, as I said before, gravity seems to be entirely arbitrary here. With nothing more than the screaming terror of the void below me - well.
All I knew then was that I did not want to fall into that gaping abyss. I knew, without knowing how, that it was death.
I sometimes wish for that early innocence.
The things I know now ....
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Golden Rose: Environmental Hazards and Perks System
Perk System!
Perks are advantages your character has over other characters. How's it work? You pick four, leave a response to this thread and write them into your MRP/TRP. Note that non-combat perks (except Pacifist Prodigy) do not "stack" on a single roll. Also note that a roll of 1 will invalidate any roll-based bonuses and you will suffer the full consequence.
Non-Combat Perks
Agile: Adds +3 to all rolls based on fast movement and balance.
Charismatic: Adds +3 to all rolls based on speech.
Charmer: Adds +3 to all rolls based on seduction.
Deft Hands; Adds +3 to all rolls based on lockpicking and engineering.
Nimble Fingers: Adds +3 to all rolls based on pickpocketing and other feats of sleight of hand.
One With the Shadow: Adds +3 to all rolls based on stealth.
Uncanny Strength: Adds +3 to all rolls based on using body strength.
Master of Cantrips Adds +3 to all rolls based on using magic out of combat.
Keen Senses: Adds +3 to all rolls based on vision and/or hearing.
Virtuoso: Adds +3 to all rolls based on playing or identifying music.
Pacifist Prodigy: Adds a stacking +2 to any roll, but you take -6 to any combat roll.
Combat Perks:
Precise: You gain a +4 on all combat rolls, but deal 0.5 less points of damage. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Berserker's Rage: For every 1 health you are missing, you deal 0.5 extra damage on a successful attack.
Ranged Specialist: Add +1 to all rolls, and add +3 to all failed rolls when attacked by a melee combatant.
Stalwart: Add +3 to any failed roll when blocking.
Evasive: Add +3 to any failed roll when dodging.
Sneak Attack: Add an additional 1-3 damage to a successful attack made from stealth.
Heightened Senses: You will not receive additional damage from a sneak attack.
Unstable Power: Permanently take -2 on all rolls, but deal 1 extra damage on any successful attack.
Heavily Armored: Take 0.5 less damage from any attack. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Lightly Armored: Add +2 to any failed roll.
Exploit Weakness: Deal 0.5 extra damage to unarmored or lightly armored opponents on a successful attack roll.
Blunt Force Trauma: Deal 1 extra damage to heavily armored opponents on a successful attack roll. (This is applied after the orginal reduction)
Brutality: Add an effective +1 to any sucessful roll when determining the effect of your success.
Rending Strikes: Your attacks cause your target to bleed for 0.5 damage every two rounds until they are healed or die.
Companion: You are allowed the use of a combat pet or companion. They deal half damage to enemies and have half health. Companions do not gain any perks or benefit from yours. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Cheat Death: Any attack that would bring your health to 0 would instead bring it to 0.5 (This effect can only occur once per event)
Clever: You never suffer penalties to your rolls from enemies' abilities.
Ability Perks:
When using an ability perk first roll d20 to see if you will be taking damage in addition to using your ability. You will not attack while using an ability, however.
Bless: Give an ally +5 on their next 2 rolls. (Can only be used once per event. Using more than one bless on the same person will extend the duration, but won't increase the modifier.)
Inspire: Grants all allies +2 on their next roll. (Can only be used once per event.)
Focus: Pass your turn to gain +6 on your next roll. (Can only be used once per combat encounter.)
Waves of Life: Heal all allies for 1. (Can only be used once per event.)
Ultimate Defense: For the next three rounds add +8 to any failed roll. (Can only be used once per event.)
Overwhelm: Pass your turn and deal 3 damage to an enemy as your next action. (Can only be used once per event.)
Grand Aegis: Grant all allies a protective shield that absorbs the next 0.5 damage dealt to them. Can last up to 3 rounds until it expires. (Can only be used once per event)
Find Weakness: Cause an enemy to take 1 extra point of damage from all sources. (Can only be used once per event)
Take Flight: Add +6 to any failed roll or +10 to any failed roll when being attacked by a melee combatant for 3 rounds. (Can only be used once per event. Only applicable when able to fly.)
Recharge: Refresh the cooldown of an ability. (Can only be used once per event.)
Selfless Defender: Use your successful roll to save any ally from a failed roll. (Can only be used twice per combat encounter. You will take damage based on your success relative to their failure if any.)
Note that all ability perks can be used by anyone and that you can redescribe them in combat as you want. I ask only that you keep the original name of the perk for OOC purposes.
Perks are advantages your character has over other characters. How's it work? You pick four, leave a response to this thread and write them into your MRP/TRP. Note that non-combat perks (except Pacifist Prodigy) do not "stack" on a single roll. Also note that a roll of 1 will invalidate any roll-based bonuses and you will suffer the full consequence.
Non-Combat Perks
Agile: Adds +3 to all rolls based on fast movement and balance.
Charismatic: Adds +3 to all rolls based on speech.
Charmer: Adds +3 to all rolls based on seduction.
Deft Hands; Adds +3 to all rolls based on lockpicking and engineering.
Nimble Fingers: Adds +3 to all rolls based on pickpocketing and other feats of sleight of hand.
One With the Shadow: Adds +3 to all rolls based on stealth.
Uncanny Strength: Adds +3 to all rolls based on using body strength.
Master of Cantrips Adds +3 to all rolls based on using magic out of combat.
Keen Senses: Adds +3 to all rolls based on vision and/or hearing.
Virtuoso: Adds +3 to all rolls based on playing or identifying music.
Pacifist Prodigy: Adds a stacking +2 to any roll, but you take -6 to any combat roll.
Combat Perks:
Precise: You gain a +4 on all combat rolls, but deal 0.5 less points of damage. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Berserker's Rage: For every 1 health you are missing, you deal 0.5 extra damage on a successful attack.
Ranged Specialist: Add +1 to all rolls, and add +3 to all failed rolls when attacked by a melee combatant.
Stalwart: Add +3 to any failed roll when blocking.
Evasive: Add +3 to any failed roll when dodging.
Sneak Attack: Add an additional 1-3 damage to a successful attack made from stealth.
Heightened Senses: You will not receive additional damage from a sneak attack.
Unstable Power: Permanently take -2 on all rolls, but deal 1 extra damage on any successful attack.
Heavily Armored: Take 0.5 less damage from any attack. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Lightly Armored: Add +2 to any failed roll.
Exploit Weakness: Deal 0.5 extra damage to unarmored or lightly armored opponents on a successful attack roll.
Blunt Force Trauma: Deal 1 extra damage to heavily armored opponents on a successful attack roll. (This is applied after the orginal reduction)
Brutality: Add an effective +1 to any sucessful roll when determining the effect of your success.
Rending Strikes: Your attacks cause your target to bleed for 0.5 damage every two rounds until they are healed or die.
Companion: You are allowed the use of a combat pet or companion. They deal half damage to enemies and have half health. Companions do not gain any perks or benefit from yours. (Minimum damage is always 0.5)
Cheat Death: Any attack that would bring your health to 0 would instead bring it to 0.5 (This effect can only occur once per event)
Clever: You never suffer penalties to your rolls from enemies' abilities.
Ability Perks:
When using an ability perk first roll d20 to see if you will be taking damage in addition to using your ability. You will not attack while using an ability, however.
Bless: Give an ally +5 on their next 2 rolls. (Can only be used once per event. Using more than one bless on the same person will extend the duration, but won't increase the modifier.)
Inspire: Grants all allies +2 on their next roll. (Can only be used once per event.)
Focus: Pass your turn to gain +6 on your next roll. (Can only be used once per combat encounter.)
Waves of Life: Heal all allies for 1. (Can only be used once per event.)
Ultimate Defense: For the next three rounds add +8 to any failed roll. (Can only be used once per event.)
Overwhelm: Pass your turn and deal 3 damage to an enemy as your next action. (Can only be used once per event.)
Grand Aegis: Grant all allies a protective shield that absorbs the next 0.5 damage dealt to them. Can last up to 3 rounds until it expires. (Can only be used once per event)
Find Weakness: Cause an enemy to take 1 extra point of damage from all sources. (Can only be used once per event)
Take Flight: Add +6 to any failed roll or +10 to any failed roll when being attacked by a melee combatant for 3 rounds. (Can only be used once per event. Only applicable when able to fly.)
Recharge: Refresh the cooldown of an ability. (Can only be used once per event.)
Selfless Defender: Use your successful roll to save any ally from a failed roll. (Can only be used twice per combat encounter. You will take damage based on your success relative to their failure if any.)
Note that all ability perks can be used by anyone and that you can redescribe them in combat as you want. I ask only that you keep the original name of the perk for OOC purposes.
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Tranquil Air - 3
I couldn't stay here, of course.
My thoughts turned to that first rock I'd discovered, and I decided to search for more.
It seemed like almost every time I searched through the dirt, I found another pebble, and before long I had enough rocks to make a block of stone as large as the dirt it had come from. Disconcertingly, the dirt cube was in no way diminished.
A plan came to mind, then. I held the stones together, and they fused into a block,just as I suspected they might. I ever-so-carefully held the block against the side of my dirt 'island' for a moment, two. I released my hold - and the stone stuck there.
Now I knew what I could do.
If I was stuck here, I could at least make it more comfortable for myself - I could expand the island by quite a bit in this fashion.
I looked once more off the side of my domain. There were thick roots jutting out of the bottom, and I was certain I could do something with those if I could only reach them.
Steeling myself, I reached for the magic that would make me lighter than air, out of reflex, and I jumped.
Only the magic wasn't there.
My thoughts turned to that first rock I'd discovered, and I decided to search for more.
It seemed like almost every time I searched through the dirt, I found another pebble, and before long I had enough rocks to make a block of stone as large as the dirt it had come from. Disconcertingly, the dirt cube was in no way diminished.
A plan came to mind, then. I held the stones together, and they fused into a block,just as I suspected they might. I ever-so-carefully held the block against the side of my dirt 'island' for a moment, two. I released my hold - and the stone stuck there.
Now I knew what I could do.
If I was stuck here, I could at least make it more comfortable for myself - I could expand the island by quite a bit in this fashion.
I looked once more off the side of my domain. There were thick roots jutting out of the bottom, and I was certain I could do something with those if I could only reach them.
Steeling myself, I reached for the magic that would make me lighter than air, out of reflex, and I jumped.
Only the magic wasn't there.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
Tranquil Air - 2
I despaired.
For a while, I didn't know what to do.
I sat on the edge of my little self-imposed limbo, my feet dangling off into the void, and contemplated how very peaceful things were. No one could reach me here.
I'm confident, to this day, that it was my own power that brought me to this place. Of course I had made enemies. But no one, in the entirety of my world, had the power to do - this.
Except me.
Gravity is an arbitrary force here. I was pinned to the ground, my normal means of flight lost to me. However - the ground itself was a few yards of dirt floating in a void.
Idly, I combed my fingers through the grass. To my surprise, I found a rock. I dug a bit deeper, ripping away the foliage, and an entire cube of dirt pulled loose from the ground.
A cube, not a pile.
That was my first discovery. Whatever this world was, it was not the same as my own.
It seemed that this world was - compressed, somehow. Things were condensed down to their basic essences, such that I held a chunk of dirt, now no larger than my hand. I focused, and the dirt became even smaller, enough that it could fit in a pocket, with room for more. Setting the dirt down, I focused again, and it grew back to its original size - but no larger.
I broke the dirt once more - and this time, a large creature appeared in its place. Startled, I shoved the thing away, and it fell off into the void.
So, now my island was one "block" smaller.
Thus ended my first day. I watched the sun set beyond some distant horizon, and without really meaning to, I slept.
For the first time in years, I fell into true sleep, instead of some meditative trance. Perhaps I should have worried more about falling off into the void, but I was tired, and the sound of running water soothed me.
When I woke, I realized that such a sound could only mean one thing: I had water.
I looked down to confirm this. Flowing out of the side of my island was a seemingly inexhaustible waterfall. I dug into the island, always wary that another -creature - would appear, and found the source.
Like everything else in this world, it felt somewhat - blocky. But although it was refreshing to drink from, I couldn't scoop more than a double handful out at a time, and at the core of this source block, I could sense some kind of raw life. I'd need something that could capture the essence of this 'creature' to really have any effect here.
Part of me wanted - for science alone - to put a block of dirt into the water, to see if the dirt could obliterate that core when it returned to full size.
The rational side of me reasoned that I'd need this water to survive, and so I didn't try that.
Instead, I drank my fill, and turned my attention to what I could do here.
For a while, I didn't know what to do.
I sat on the edge of my little self-imposed limbo, my feet dangling off into the void, and contemplated how very peaceful things were. No one could reach me here.
I'm confident, to this day, that it was my own power that brought me to this place. Of course I had made enemies. But no one, in the entirety of my world, had the power to do - this.
Except me.
Gravity is an arbitrary force here. I was pinned to the ground, my normal means of flight lost to me. However - the ground itself was a few yards of dirt floating in a void.
Idly, I combed my fingers through the grass. To my surprise, I found a rock. I dug a bit deeper, ripping away the foliage, and an entire cube of dirt pulled loose from the ground.
A cube, not a pile.
That was my first discovery. Whatever this world was, it was not the same as my own.
It seemed that this world was - compressed, somehow. Things were condensed down to their basic essences, such that I held a chunk of dirt, now no larger than my hand. I focused, and the dirt became even smaller, enough that it could fit in a pocket, with room for more. Setting the dirt down, I focused again, and it grew back to its original size - but no larger.
I broke the dirt once more - and this time, a large creature appeared in its place. Startled, I shoved the thing away, and it fell off into the void.
So, now my island was one "block" smaller.
Thus ended my first day. I watched the sun set beyond some distant horizon, and without really meaning to, I slept.
For the first time in years, I fell into true sleep, instead of some meditative trance. Perhaps I should have worried more about falling off into the void, but I was tired, and the sound of running water soothed me.
When I woke, I realized that such a sound could only mean one thing: I had water.
I looked down to confirm this. Flowing out of the side of my island was a seemingly inexhaustible waterfall. I dug into the island, always wary that another -creature - would appear, and found the source.
Like everything else in this world, it felt somewhat - blocky. But although it was refreshing to drink from, I couldn't scoop more than a double handful out at a time, and at the core of this source block, I could sense some kind of raw life. I'd need something that could capture the essence of this 'creature' to really have any effect here.
Part of me wanted - for science alone - to put a block of dirt into the water, to see if the dirt could obliterate that core when it returned to full size.
The rational side of me reasoned that I'd need this water to survive, and so I didn't try that.
Instead, I drank my fill, and turned my attention to what I could do here.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Tranquil Air - 1
I wished for peace ...
... and I got it.
What had I done?
--
Hello.
My name - you know, I can't remember anymore. It's been so long.
As I sit down to write this, I am reminded how much has changed.
And so I begin, naturally, at the beginning.
Once upon a time, I was the most powerful archmage my world had ever known. My power was without equal among mortals, perhaps even peerless among the gods. I didn't believe in deities. If they existed, they did nothing to influence our world, or such was my reasoning.
Perhaps it is my hubris that brought me so very low.
Regardless, my power was in high demand. I ended wars almost before they began, having no true loyalties outside myself. Any who could meet my price would earn my services for as long as they could pay. I used their enemies as fodder to hone my skills, demanding from myself nothing less than perfection.
The earth trembled, and the waters parted before me. Anything I could conceive of became reality.
Such power comes at a price, of course.
I wore myself thin. I had made no few enemies among men, though I rarely concerned myself with others. No, it was my pursuit of power that drove me. There was always another secret, always some new research, another technique. I began to sleep not at all, and I barely ate. What little I did consume was bland and tasteless. In my endless pursuit of perfection, ironically, I lost myself.
There is - or was - a saying. Be careful what you wish for.
On one fateful autumn day, I wished for peace. With all my heart - I wanted nothing more than a single moment of tranquility amidst all the chaos.
I remember I had been surrounded by sycophants, people who were supposed to serve me. They all had their own goals, their own desires, and none of them truly cared for me, except as a means to an end. Their chatter threatened to drive me mad.
"Silence!" I demanded.
The world went silent. Everyone stopped - all movement ceased. The world went gray - then black.
I found myself lying in the grass, staring up at a blue sky. I watched the clouds roll by, and I thought to myself how peaceful it was. Where had - everything - gone?
Standing up, I caught the first glimpse of my new reality.
I stood on the only land for as far as the eye could see. The patch of grass I stood on was perfectly square, and the edge dropped off into the void. Below was only darkness.
In a way, that was my first glimpse of the enemy.
I skittered back from the edge, curling in on myself.
What had I done?
... and I got it.
What had I done?
--
Hello.
My name - you know, I can't remember anymore. It's been so long.
As I sit down to write this, I am reminded how much has changed.
And so I begin, naturally, at the beginning.
Once upon a time, I was the most powerful archmage my world had ever known. My power was without equal among mortals, perhaps even peerless among the gods. I didn't believe in deities. If they existed, they did nothing to influence our world, or such was my reasoning.
Perhaps it is my hubris that brought me so very low.
Regardless, my power was in high demand. I ended wars almost before they began, having no true loyalties outside myself. Any who could meet my price would earn my services for as long as they could pay. I used their enemies as fodder to hone my skills, demanding from myself nothing less than perfection.
The earth trembled, and the waters parted before me. Anything I could conceive of became reality.
Such power comes at a price, of course.
I wore myself thin. I had made no few enemies among men, though I rarely concerned myself with others. No, it was my pursuit of power that drove me. There was always another secret, always some new research, another technique. I began to sleep not at all, and I barely ate. What little I did consume was bland and tasteless. In my endless pursuit of perfection, ironically, I lost myself.
There is - or was - a saying. Be careful what you wish for.
On one fateful autumn day, I wished for peace. With all my heart - I wanted nothing more than a single moment of tranquility amidst all the chaos.
I remember I had been surrounded by sycophants, people who were supposed to serve me. They all had their own goals, their own desires, and none of them truly cared for me, except as a means to an end. Their chatter threatened to drive me mad.
"Silence!" I demanded.
The world went silent. Everyone stopped - all movement ceased. The world went gray - then black.
I found myself lying in the grass, staring up at a blue sky. I watched the clouds roll by, and I thought to myself how peaceful it was. Where had - everything - gone?
Standing up, I caught the first glimpse of my new reality.
I stood on the only land for as far as the eye could see. The patch of grass I stood on was perfectly square, and the edge dropped off into the void. Below was only darkness.
In a way, that was my first glimpse of the enemy.
I skittered back from the edge, curling in on myself.
What had I done?
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