R* [G] Me First (Freydis)

[MoonRazor]

Freydis and Torsten walked in step together as they approached the Grandfather Tree. The warband had been quiet of late, and Ragnar had been patient, letting their youngsters grow into fine young adults, training them, nurturing the number of strong and capable warriors with which they could raid. That patience had paid off, and everyone was eager to get going. The new area he'd explored - Mistfruit Forest - called to them, promising an avenue for all their young warriors to prove themselves both as healers and fighters.

There was just one step missing.

Ominous rumors of massive predators resurrected by the Homewood Council had drifted their way. Ragnar had reacted with characteristic disdain at what he clearly thought to be a decision of epic stupidity. But he was a careful creature, and he had approached Freydis and Torsten with a simple request: It was time for them to approach the Grandfather and get their Gifts.

The two had happily complied, and Freydis now danced happily along, moving herself a step or two ahead of Torsten before flipping her mane to look back at him.

"Are you excited, Torsten?" she asked, eyes wide as she went with a spring in her step. She didn't wait for an answer, breaking into a trot as the Grandfather loomed.

"Here I am, Grandfather!" she sang aloud, prancing to the base of the tree and pressing her cheek reverently against its cool bark. She hadn't visited the Grandfather in years, not since her youth, and a love for this towering figure and all it represented blossomed within her. "Me first, please, I wish to be Gifted for just a moment before Torsten, so that I might remind him of it for the rest of his days."  

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

A still quiet passes over the plateau. Hushed silence that is almost deafening. Grandfather tree's roots seem to shift and reach out as Freydis approaches.

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

Quote:

You are in blackbriar bog. Through the murk you spot a large, dark shape - completely still, but impossible to identify from this distance. It might be a tree or the bones of some massive beast that once walked the land. You can't be certain if it's helpful or harmful.
What do you do?

Quote:

You awaken inside the hydroelectric dam of Mistfruit. Behind a heavy door a machine snarls and rattles with life. Signs on the door state this room is hazardous, but that machine could be hurting Vykeli.
What do you do?

Quote:

You find yourself in the ruins, standing over a deep well built into the Other’s sewage system. A cry for help echoes out of the darkness, but there’s no means to get down into the hole to help.
What do you do?

 

[MoonRazor]

Freydis found herself transported to the Blackbriar Bog. Or at least, she knew that it was the bog, it was no part that she recognized. Vaguely, she understood that she was leading a group of their young warriors on a raid. They walked, mostly quiet, save for some gentle quips as Freydis poked her head into various interesting-looking holes in trees. "Sometimes there are little critters in there," she said with a little laugh. "And they come skittering out." Entertaining. Amusing.

The answers behind her stopped. Freydis turned to the young ones, ready to admonish them for not laughing at her silly statements (why else would she have made them?), only to realize that several of them had frozen as they surveyed an ominous-looking shape in the distance. Whatever it was, it was still, threatening. Freydis remembered the warnings of giant beasts that had been resurrected by the Homewood Council, and thoughts of traps and danger plagued her. This wasn't good.

She sprang into action, unable to stay still any longer. "We need to find out what that is," she said, all business now. She took charge without asking, falling into the role with natural ease.

"Shouldn't we... stay here? Watch it to make sure it won't attack us?" One of the youngsters spoke up.

Freydis' expression turned stormy as she rounded on him furiously. "You want to stay here and let them trap us in the middle of this bog, with nowhere to run?" she asked, more forcefully than perhaps she had meant. It wasn't intended to make him feel stupid, but... the stupidity of his question drove her to anger. These youngsters needed to learn. The target of her ire drew back, cowed, and the doe shook her head, the frustration melting off as quickly as it had come. "I didn't mean to be harsh. But we can't stay here."

She didn't wait for a consensus before setting off. Light on her feet, she seemed to dance across the bog, weaving her way closer, bouncing this way and that. They'd gotten closer, but the shape was still unclear and unmoving. It probably meant that it was just some old tree, or an ancient skeleton long since stripped to the bone. But Freydis didn't want to chance it. Not with a group of inexperienced warriors behind her. She'd only have to worry about saving them in a fight, and though she'd happily give her life in service of her brethren, today didn't seem like the day for it. There were good days to die, and this was not one.

She turned back to the young ones, milling about behind her looking lost and confused. "We'll call it for today," she said them, shaking her head when they began to protest. "We can't stay here, there aren't enough of you to put up a good fight, and there's only one of me." She grinned, watching as the veiled insult started to register. "Don't fret, children, you'll get your fight soon enough. For now... I'll race you all back to camp!" Freydis giggled, and before she'd even finished the sentence, she had taken off.  

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

Grandfather tree's roots settle and a soft blue-grey light swirls around Freydis, cold to the touch and smelling of rain and ozone.

Freydis has been bestowed with the Atmos gift.

Her initial ability is Overcast.

show spoilerhide spoiler

The user summons clouds, blocking out the sun and offering shade
+1 atmos healing to an area

 

[ll Grandfather Tree ll]

REDEEMED


you found some seeds!