RumikoOhara

Goodbye Earth

I'll have one up in a few

Ascension 3: A return to Chaos

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It had taken some time to move to her newest location but Metis was satisfied with the water though it lacked her accustomed salinity. It was what the surface dwellers called a bath, the water was almost as hot as the edges of a Smoker she used as a nymph for hunting and defense. It was strange water more for its purity than lack of salt and like much of the Vrondi Place a place of excess, proof of how they pampered themselves.

She’d settled down into the crevices of three large stones that were placed where they were like the art on the wall of the glittering structure for appearance and like a screen to separate one side of it from the other. Beautiful and dark the huge rocks made an excellent hunting blind for the little curled up Octo who blended in with the color and texture on the bottom of the bath; few could with any ease visually tell she was not just another large stone laying there.

Her hearing better than even the beautiful Tearian was the product of brutal evolution and normally used to enhance the range of her passive echolocation but here in these shallow waters as long as no one made excessive splashes allowed her to listen to near and far conversations of others in the same waters. (Sound travels faster and farther in water)

The Defiance Project

@PKRaptor

I've always enjoyed running, My GFs and BFs have said that I do it so I'll be too tired to take over the world

I do it because I have a hyper amout of energy, I never sleep longer than 3 or 4 hours at a stretch.

The Defiance Project

@PKRaptor

I run Marathons at least twice a year and always Pikes Peak is one of them so I have to put at least 6 miles a say just to assure I will finish

The Defiance Project

@PKRaptor

The gym I understand, I do 6 to 10 miles a day

The Defiance Project

Yay a new post

Ascension 3: A return to Chaos

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Metis drifted in the periphery of the crowds gathered her features concealed beneath a hooded cloak only recognizable as a hominid by her general shape and how she moved. Under the covering cloak she wore a garment that kept most of her body moisture contained and circulating blending it with 2 liters of filtered and oxygenated water in the suits structure so that even out of water her gills and skin received that which made her feel comfortable.

She stood in those places that had the worst view of events for the blind surface dwellers her far sight granting her a greater perspective than any they held as she drifted psionically above them like a ghost.

It was from this vantage point she discovered something marvelous, a minstrel performing for those commoners who milled around the garden at the junction of 6 streets snacking on treats bought from the street vendors that were having a wonderful day of brisk business. Metis had heard other surface dwellers singing since surfacing but they were the garbled mumbling of nymphs compared to this female of what she was sure the Vrondi. The song she sang spoke of love and the sun in the sky reminding Metis of her song, the song that made her a singer.

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Metis was transported back in time when she and those like her made it through the culling and they as sisters expressed their joy in song and as Fres (Alpha) she lead the celebration.

Dancing a spiral, we sing unaware
On currents so far they have come
Making a circle of magic and light
Watched silently by those hidden from sight

We those who survived through all danger swim at your side
We hold the mysteries now hidden from light
Our hearts now lifted by charms and knowledge old
Accept these words of wisdom for those yet chosen your’s now to hold

We dance with our sisters in waters of eternal night
Make now the circle, the cold blue flame
The songs of our struggle I present to those my name
Impart to the old ones hearts truest sight

The sounds do travel near and far can you hear them call
We give the gift of our song our lives, our all
Dancing in spiral we sing unaware
Look to the shadows you will find us there…

She and her sister Singers performed a rituals their legends claimed were as old as the waters of the world she as Fres with more joy than all the rest knowing as she did and they as well she was elevated above them and would should she survive the Cull of service become the rare Dream Singer. A leader among her kind, the mother of generations she who would live longer than any of her sisters her treasure all the knowledge of the Dream Singers of old.

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The Vrondi singer’s song ended and those in the crowd did a remarkable thing and cast coins at her feet in tribute an observation Metis did not fail to notice a store as a way to finance her stay on the surface. To ensure she held the knowledge and understanding of the Surface Singer’s art Metis spent the rest of the day following her from performance to performance. She memorized every note, every word and even her dance as she followed the minstrel till she could perform it as well and perhaps even better than her teacher unknowing.

It was how she a small female had survived the culling, by observing those who had discovered the better currents of knowledge and reproducing them.

Ascension 3: A return to Chaos

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Name: Metis “The Singer”

Age: 26

Bloodline: Lassa/ Octo Bloodline (a minor house)

Group: Magoi

Physique:

• Slender
• 67 pounds
• 4'7"

Abilities:

• Clairvoyance

  / Range 2 K A Psionic talent that allows her to see and hear anything in a narrow focus about 10 feet from center of her focus, it does have an odd limitation. It cannot hear or see outside of the sphere of its effect even a person screaming loud enough to be heard by people 100 feet away wouldn’t be heard
• Telepathy

  (Communication only, cannot be used as mindscan or control)
• Voice Manipulation

  / She is able to manipulate her voice allowing her to mimic the sounds of creatures, people, explosions, and musical instruments; along with precision volume control up and down.
• Sonar enhanced senses

  / Short ranged out of water 20 meters - 200 meters in water.
• Durable

  vs Blunt force / Metis has no bones so blows that do no penetration do only ¼ damage.
• Chameleon

  / Metis can change both texture and color pattern of her skin allowing her to blend in with her environment making her only detectable at close ranges.
• Multiple Appendages

  / Metis has 6 octopus tentacles surrounding the back of her head that can stretch 3x their resting length 2’ to 6’ each tentacle and be used as simple hands or trapping snares for small to medium fish.
• Bio-Electric

  / Metis can emit enormous potential electric charges like others of her clan (A primitive ability of her people that was once used to bring down prey) In the water her blast can bring down even the large predators within 50’ of her and out of water make a single target believe they’ve survived a lighting strike.
  
  If she gives off an all out charge to drop a large dangerous target she needs 15 minutes to recharge which in combat is not a wonderful recharge time

Skills:

• Steel whip
• Stealth
• Observation
• Land Survival
• Singing (This skill is used by Metis in Shaman like rituals)

Spells:

• Scrying

  / Metis can see and hear a particular creature of her choice that is on the same plane of existence. (Target can focus on not wanting to be seen if they remain still and focus when she's looking or use counter magic to prevent scrying)The target is modified by how well she knows the target and the sort of physical connection she has to them. If a target knows Metis is casting this spell, they can fail the saving throw voluntarily if they want to be observed.
  
  Out of Water she can scrye 10 k if she knows the target 5, 100 k if she holds something personal of the target, and unlimited if she hold flesh, blood or bone of the target.
  In Water these limits are multiplied by 10
  Knowledge Save Modifier
  Secondhand (she has heard of the target)
  Firsthand (she has met the target)
  Familiar (she knows the target well)
  Connection Save Modifier
  Likeness or picture
  Possession or garment
  Body part, lock of hair, bit of nail, or the like; with this she garunted to scrye her target unless they are magiclly hidden
  On a failed casting, the spell creates an invisible sensor within 10 feet of the target allowing her to see and hear through the sensor as if she were there. The sensor moves with the target, remaining within 10 feet of it for the duration. A creature that can see invisible objects sees the sensor as a luminous orb about the size of your fist.
  Instead of targeting a creature, she can choose a location she has seen before as the target of this spell. When she does, the sensor appears at that location and doesn’t move allowing her sight and sound.
• Glyph of Warding

  With this spell, Metis inscribes a glyph that harms other creatures, either upon a surface (such as a table or a section of floor or wall) or within an object that can be closed (such as a book, a scroll, or a treasure chest) to conceal the glyph. If she choose a surface, the glyph can cover an area of the surface no larger than 10 feet in diameter. If she choose an object, that object must remain in its place; if the object is moved more than 10 feet from where you cast this spell, the glyph is broken, and the spell ends without being triggered.
  The glyph is nearly invisible and requires a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against the spell to deactivate.
  She can decide what triggers the glyph when she cast the spell. For glyphs inscribed on a surface, the most typical triggers include touching or standing on the glyph, removing another object covering the glyph, approaching within a certain distance of the glyph, or manipulating the object on which the glyph is inscribed. For glyphs inscribed within an object, the most common triggers include opening that object, approaching within a certain distance of the object, or seeing or reading the glyph. Once a glyph is triggered, this spell ends.
  She can further refine the trigger so the spell activates only under certain circumstances or according to physical characteristics (such as height or weight), creature kind (for example, the ward could be set to affect aberrations or drow), or alignment. She can also set conditions for creatures that don’t trigger the glyph, such as those who say a certain password.
  When she inscribes the glyph, choose explosive runes or a spell glyph.
  Explosive Runes. When triggered, the glyph erupts with magical energy in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the glyph. The sphere spreads around corners hitting targets with lightning, or thunder damage on a failed dodge.
• Continual Light

  This spell creates a point of light in an object, creature or area that can light a 20’ sphere equivalent to full daylight and lasts till negated by a dispel magic or Metis makes the intention of breaking the effect. It can also be used against creatures and persons effectively blinding them if she can target their eyes; it can also harm creatures sensitive to light or direct sunlight.
• Charm

  Metis can charm weak willed people and creatures making them her slaves for about an hour
  
  To cause this spell Metis sings a siren song and has to sing the duration of control, if she stops they can escape with only a little effort

Weakness: Metis is more a creature of water than land and needs constant moisturizing in the form of water or special lotion or she gets horrible sunburns if directly exposed or suffers heat stroke if shaded.
Raised since hatching Metis has been made a devoted servant of the Rulers of Tearia who will lay down her life, even commiting suicide on their orders.

Experience: Metis’s experiences are a mystery due to her people’s living in the darker lands the sea.

Motivation: Loyalty to the Royal House of her Land that borders on the fanatical.

Birthplace: Shipwreck reef abyss

Backstory: Metis was hatched in a hidden nest of 23 siblings of which she is 1 of 5 to have survived to adulthood. Like all others of her race her time between hatching and final growth was called the Culling and a time when the forces of nature destroyed the weak, reckless, and unintelligent.

It was as a child she first displayed a higher understanding of farsight allowing her to hunt and avoid dangers though smaller than any of her other siblings (Metis was and is still thought of as a runt among her bloodline) but her talents great enough that she survived childhood.

Once she had reached maturity Metis was assessed and found a desirable aprintess to the local Magoi teacher where once more her intelligence shown through. Flourishing under a strict regime of training and testing she surprised her teacher by her quick grasp of the Farsight spell (Scrying) and Charms both talents that made her a surprising foe in the final culling.

Once Metis had reached the level of Journier she was sent to the ancients and made a Singer by them by use of forced memory implantation making her a living history book for her bloodline.

Once she had received all her training Metis was offered to the Service of the Tearians and it decided she needed a final culling and be sent to the surface where the betters thought she might prove her usefullness.

Extra Info:

• Writing being a difficult task in the darkness of the Abyss most information is kept by the Singers of the Shoom (Shoom: the name of her clan bloodline though they are called Octo by their betters) and many are also members of the Magoi
• Clairvoyance what does that mean? Can she find anything within that radius? It’s a Psionic talent that allows her to see and hear anything in a narrow focus about 10 feet from center of her focus, it does have an odd limitation. It cannot hear or see outside of the sphere of its effect even a person screaming loud enough to be heard by people 100 feet away wouldn’t be heard.
• Limit Scrying to a certain radius for new targets. I was going off the spell limits but have no problem adapting. How about Out of Water she can scrye 10 k if she knows the target 5, 100 k if she holds something personal of the target, and unlimited if she hold flesh, blood or bone of the target.
  In Water these limits are multiplied by 10
• Make her electrical charge able to be done in variables because of a limit. So if she shocks someone all out she won't be able to for a while.I thought I’d added that, If she gives off an all out charge to drop a large dangerous target she needs 15 minutes to recharge which in combat is not a wonderful recharge time
• Charm spells need to be cast. Please detail how she casts this spell. I was thinking her’s might be like a siren song and just for fun since you brought it up means she has to sing the duration of control, if she stops they can escape with only a little effort
• In her backstory you wrote "Service of the Lassa" please change it to "Service of the Tearians" Altered

Her Experience write how she went about learning some of the more usable skills she has developed. Also tell about some of her levels of knowledge of living in the seas.

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confused OOC details

Think Sparta without the sexist generalities or short childhood they enjoyed, the Octo are forced to survive after their mother abandons them in a wild reef at barely 28 days old. This is the culling and it is the brutal edge of evolution completely devoid of sympathy for the dwellers of the abyss. For the next 6 to 8 years the nymphs who are all female survive on will, strength, stealth, agile minds, and brutal efficiency; there are rumors that in this stage the Octo can be cannibalistic but none have even adimted it.

They master the chameleon talent first along with the generation of electricity as defense / offensive strategies becoming hunters weeks after arriving at their culling reef and successful hunters before the first year after which their hunting talent is boosted by the development of Clairvoyance. During this critical stage 70% of nest siblings have become meals for the powerful fined hunters of the Reef destroying the weak without pause or mercy. Some of those culled are found too close to the Adult Octo and their fief raiding stores or schools of the elder’s fish and treated like pest driven off or killed.

In the second stage of culling the young are Captured by their elders and taken in to help with the tending of territory and be trained for service to the Tearians; the latter is beneficial to the elder Octo who can patron a young Octo trained in arts useful to them. Only perhaps 11% of a generation’s survivors ever meet such exacting standards. Those Octo not worthy become members of the Abyss community of Octo serving the group as a whole in some fashion decided on by the elders.

(The most unusual use of those not worth use of the Tearians is to be forced to become male by methods that are only whispered and usually false. They become the fathers and guardians of the Abyss reach huge proportions but unfortunately of a more animalistic nature.

“Careful if you seek the Abyss, there are hungry things in the darkness”)

In her 3rd stage Metis was made a Singer of the Octo after her Magoi training making her a living library of her people’s history, a choice she was not given when her clairvoyance talent was graded. A powerful talent her farsight was also and easy door which the elders pried open then deposited all those memories they held as if laying the eggs of thought in her like a nest. This Talent is detailed experiences so complete she knows whose mother and father as well as generation of fish her people regularly encounter she is observing. This also means she knows the name of every Octo in her generation and far into the past.

The singer talent is useful in many ways and strangest of all is knowing which Octo breed best with other Octo and if she as an Elder sees a bad combination they will prevent it or destroy its nest if necessary calling other singers to aid her. Because she contains racial memories Metis knows every crevice, every current, every school, all those things that ensure the Octo survive.

As a Singer Metis is also an Enforcer / Warrior female and once she’s reached her 4th Metis will be allowed to hunt a powerful male who she’ll either seduce or be killed by beginning the next generation.

---

Not sure how to not write a novel about her skills and abilities so I’ll briefly describe them in her timeline.

30-45 days Chameleon is an early stage ability as is Bioelectricity both used to stalk and stun larger prey

320-400 days Clairvoyance and her other Psionic skills begin rapidly developing as the nymphs begin learning cooperative benefits and form protopods; it is now when some begin exhibiting a dominance of their sisters as well.

3-4 years the nymphs are becoming masters at stealth hunting their prey and their bodies becoming 75% larger and imparting on them their known durability against blunt weapons. It is also during this period that some begin learning how to manipulate their voices in ways that can attract or lull prey an easy feast; these usually become singers.

---

Singer are like the Alpha of the Octo and Metis’s small stature makes her a sport of surprising power for her generation

She discovered a need for more information on the prey available because of her size and information on her sisters as well because they would steal her kills if she was caught unawares so she developed the skill of observation to give her the edge she needed and stealth better than most of her generation to allow her to practice it unmolested.

Captured by the Magoi teacher and Singer Thetis Metis was taught those skills all before her had learned.

She learned the use of whip out of water to enable her to electrocute targets at range so she’d not risk injuring in close quarters. Some learn net and trident using the leash of the net as a conductor and the trident as a killing weapon on the writhing foe; these type are usually chosen as bodyguard.

Scrying is a prerequisite of a singer so it was her first lesson which she was given only 3 moon cycles to learn or be cast aside

Next Metis was taught the secret rune wards to guard those places she needed to or was required to.

Pushed harder than the apprentice of land bound Magoi Metis next learned the useful hunting spell Continual light so she could stun the giants of the abyss then drive them off or bring them to her Mistresses table.

Charm is a spell common to singers because its a spell in which their voices are the only components

@Rai

I will be editing the shattered thoughts soon but will send the alterd CS to Rai before final draft.

Ascension 3: A return to Chaos

Clairvoyance what does that mean? Can she find anything within that radius? It’s a Psionic talent that allows her to see and hear anything in a narrow focus about 10 feet from center of her focus, it does have an odd limitation. It cannot hear or see outside of the sphere of its effect even a person screaming loud enough to be heard by people 100 feet away wouldn’t be heard.

Limit Scrying to a certain radius for new targets. I was going off the spell limits but have no problem adapting. How about Out of Water she can scrye 10 k if she knows the target 5, 100 k if she holds something personal of the target, and unlimited if she hold flesh, blood or bone of the target.
In Water these limits are multiplied by 10

Make her electrical charge able to be done in variables because of a limit. So if she shocks someone all out she won't be able to for a while.I thought I’d added that, If she gives off an all out charge to drop a large dangerous target she needs 15 minutes to recharge which in combat is not a wonderful recharge time

Charm spells need to be cast. Please detail how she casts this spell. I was thinking her’s might be like a siren song and just for fun since you brought it up means she has to sing the duration of control, if she stops they can escape with only a little effort

In her backstory you wrote "Service of the Lassa" please change it to "Service of the Tearians" Altered

Her Experience write how she went about learning some of the more usable skills she has developed. Also tell about some of her levels of knowledge of living in the seas.

---

confused OOC details

Think Sparta without the sexist generalities or short childhood they enjoyed, the Octo are forced to survive after their mother abandons them in a wild reef at barely 28 days old. This is the culling and it is the brutal edge of evolution completely devoid of sympathy for the dwellers of the abyss. For the next 6 to 8 years the nymphs who are all female survive on will, strength, stealth, agile minds, and brutal efficiency; there are rumors that in this stage the Octo can be cannibalistic but none have even adimted it.

They master the chameleon talent first along with the generation of electricity as defense / offensive strategies becoming hunters weeks after arriving at their culling reef and successful hunters before the first year after which their hunting talent is boosted by the development of Clairvoyance. During this critical stage 70% of nest siblings have become meals for the powerful fined hunters of the Reef destroying the weak without pause or mercy. Some of those culled are found too close to the Adult Octo and their fief raiding stores or schools of the elder’s fish and treated like pest driven off or killed.

In the second stage of culling the young are Captured by their elders and taken in to help with the tending of territory and be trained for service to the Tearians; the latter is beneficial to the elder Octo who can patron a young Octo trained in arts useful to them. Only perhaps 11% of a generation’s survivors ever meet such exacting standards. Those Octo not worthy become members of the Abyss community of Octo serving the group as a whole in some fashion decided on by the elders.

(The most unusual use of those not worth use of the Tearians is to be forced to become male by methods that are only whispered and usually false. They become the fathers and guardians of the Abyss reach huge proportions but unfortunately of a more animalistic nature.

“Careful if you seek the Abyss, there are hungry things in the darkness”)

In her 3rd stage Metis was made a Singer of the Octo after her Magoi training making her a living library of her people’s history, a choice she was not given when her clairvoyance talent was graded. A powerful talent her farsight was also and easy door which the elders pried open then deposited all those memories they held as if laying the eggs of thought in her like a nest. This Talent is detailed experiences so complete she knows whose mother and father as well as generation of fish her people regularly encounter she is observing. This also means she knows the name of every Octo in her generation and far into the past.

The singer talent is useful in many ways and strangest of all is knowing which Octo breed best with other Octo and if she as an Elder sees a bad combination they will prevent it or destroy its nest if necessary calling other singers to aid her. Because she contains racial memories Metis knows every crevice, every current, every school, all those things that ensure the Octo survive.

As a Singer Metis is also an Enforcer / Warrior female and once she’s reached her 4th Metis will be allowed to hunt a powerful male who she’ll either seduce or be killed by beginning the next generation.

---

Not sure how to not write a novel about her skills and abilities so I’ll briefly describe them in her timeline.

30-45 days Chameleon is an early stage ability as is Bioelectricity both used to stalk and stun larger prey

320-400 days Clairvoyance and her other Psionic skills begin rapidly developing as the nymphs begin learning cooperative benefits and form protopods; it is now when some begin exhibiting a dominance of their sisters as well.

3-4 years the nymphs are becoming masters at stealth hunting their prey and their bodies becoming 75% larger and imparting on them their known durability against blunt weapons. It is also during this period that some begin learning how to manipulate their voices in ways that can attract or lull prey an easy feast; these usually become singers.

---

Singer are like the Alpha of the Octo and Metis’s small stature makes her a sport of surprising power for her generation

She discovered a need for more information on the prey available because of her size and information on her sisters as well because they would steal her kills if she was caught unawares so she developed the skill of observation to give her the edge she needed and stealth better than most of her generation to allow her to practice it unmolested.

Captured by the Magoi teacher and Singer Thetis Metis was taught those skills all before her had learned.

She learned the use of whip out of water to enable her to electrocute targets at range so she’d not risk injuring in close quarters. Some learn net and trident using the leash of the net as a conductor and the trident as a killing weapon on the writhing foe; these type are usually chosen as bodyguard.

Scrying is a prerequisite of a singer so it was her first lesson which she was given only 3 moon cycles to learn or be cast aside

Next Metis was taught the secret rune wards to guard those places she needed to or was required to.

Pushed harder than the apprentice of land bound Magoi Metis next learned the useful hunting spell Continual light so she could stun the giants of the abyss then drive them off or bring them to her Mistresses table.

Charm is a spell common to singers because its a spell in which their voices are the only components

@Rai

Ascension 3: A return to Chaos

@Rai

Okay/ Altered them to not be roll mods but definitions and levels of chance to find her target