R* [G] Driving Off the Spleen [Ysmaiu]

[thyPOPE]

Like any other noulicorn, Ysmaiu had always been drawn toward the tree. When he felt restless, agitated, incomplete, he went for a walk, and sometimes, it was a very long walk.

He'd never received a response before, though he'd seen the slow trickle of magic from its roots into the hearts of the other noulicorns who might stop by every so often. It didn't matter too much to him. He knew he was no particular talent, when it came to noulicorn society. He knew a lot about fauna and not very much about anything else, and he was clumsy of hoof and unskilled at driving off the beasts that occasionally plagued Homewood's fringes.

Some weeks ago - never mind how long precisely - he'd been embroiled in a romance. The other buck had been reckless, funny, muscular. But he'd moved on, and that plague of despair had overtaken Ishmael's frail soul again. He'd laid in his den and eaten until he could eat no more, and then he'd gone out for frenzied runs through the unfamiliar ruins until his legs gave out beneath him. And sure, he'd seen new things - sprawling maps, diagrams, charts - but he understood so few of them, and could not bear to spend the time to decipher them with so much gone awry in his life.

And in the end, of course, he remembered that he was not enough, not to face that great heap of mystery, and not to face the catbeasts that prowled the ruins' nights, either, and he meandered as always to the grandfather tree, and laid his head down at its looming roots.  

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

Though no breeze passes through, Grandfather Tree's leaves rustle as Ysmaiu approaches.

Choose one of the following prompts for Ysmaiu's dream vision.

Quote:

A group of noulicorns is trying to spread Homewood's greenery further into the barrens, but any seeds they plant quickly wither from heat and lack of water. They come to you for help.
What do you do?

Quote:

While travelling through Homewood you meet an unfamiliar foal. The foal acts strangely and doesn’t communicate well. It appears to be orphaned. On closer inspection you realize the foal is sick with some disease you don’t recognize. The disease might endanger the rest of Homewood, but this poor foal…
What do you do?

Quote:

A pack of dire rats approaches you, pleading for help. Their colony collapsed and their young are trapped inside.
What do you do?

 

[thyPOPE]

Usually when Ysmaiu laid his head down here, his thoughts passed through his mind like waves: generating tension and fear and then splashing down into nothingness, receding into the void they'd come from. It happened over and over until he fell asleep, and then he woke again the next morning and stretched and ambled his way home.

Today instead of Ysmaiu's own thoughts there was uncharacteristic light, and the susurrus of wind through the barrens' uppermost layer of sand. He opened his eyes blearily into an unyielding sun, and then blinked, owl-like, until he realized that none of it wanted to leave.

Ysmaiu picked himself up, shaking off his mane as was his habit, and looked around. Had he not made it to the tree? It looked like he was still in the Barrens somewhere. Perhaps...perhaps the tree he'd seen had been a mirage. He turned in a circle to orient himself, and then began walking again.

The truth was, his body was so accustomed to heading toward the Grandfather Tree that he nearly missed the squeaky little voices at his back. "Please, noulicorn - noulja?"

Ysmaiu turned around in the end, confused, and recognized a pair of dire rat bucks sitting a polite distance away from his tail. "Call me Ysmaiu," he said in a sleepy voice, and then he yawned. "Pardon me, but...?" He knew that dire rats had begun to talk recently. Something to do with strange blue crystals some nouls had brought back from the far reaches of the barrens...well, regardless, the fact that dire rats were sapient had nothing to do with the fact that they were predators who preyed upon the Homewood's bounty.

They looked nervous, though, and not aggressive. One of them was panting, and the other had ears that twitched, glancing from side to side like he was expecting some stranger to accost him at any moment. "We wouldn't ask, normally," said one of them. The twitchy one, though after a bit of observation "Only - only neither of us is quite...big enough. Our pack's colony has collapsed, noulja - er - Ysmaiu. You can call me...Stub." He had a tail that was a little shorter than his packmate's, Ysmaiu noticed.

"Well," said Ysmaiu, feeling quite cross at the interruption, but not entirely unsympathetic. He'd always known that dire rats weren't native to Vykeli. They'd come from Other-ships, and they partook of Homewood crops and then retreated back wherever they'd come without lifting a little scaly paw to help the poor gardener who'd grown those crops. Still...they had no way to go home, and it wasn't in Ysmaiu to advocate extinction. Perhaps it was only right to let them carve out their own spot in society...so long as they contributed, too.

"Please," said the panting one, though he did not introduce himself. "Only - our young are trapped in there. My - my mate and I were the only two to escape."

Ysmaiu looked from one member of the pair to the other with alarm. "I don't know who might have the heart to refuse that" Ysmaiu said. But, selfish as it was, he couldn't help but peer down and ask for more. Rats had some sense of fair trade, too, right? "But you know...I think you could ask for more, if you put in time, too. You've all got paws and everything - I, for one, could do with a more delicate touch in my work."

They squeaked acquiescence and shame and thanks, but before they could show him to their nest, Ysmaiu woke up.  

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

Grandfather tree's leaves settle and a deep purple light swirls around Ysmaiu, warm and smelling of deep earth and sweet decay.

Ysmaiu has been bestowed with the Fungal gift.

His initial ability is Mold.

show spoilerhide spoiler

The user causes mold to bloom on top of organic tissue (plant or animal)
+1 fungal healing to an area

 

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

REDEEMED

rolling for exploration