"So, there are a few, should I start from the top of things?" Kori begins pondering the ordering of questions, if she asked the big ones first then maybe they'd forget about the little ones or run out of time, but she really wanted to ask the big glaring question, what in the Scale was that title...
"Well, why don't we do the easy part first, open your status and then think hard about showing it to me." Kori does as he asks, and it quite naturally happens, both of them viewing her status, with to Kori's eyes a single glaring omission, like the title claimed, hidden. Thankfully it let her share the rest at least.
"Well, well, I knew you'd be smart, but 19, even with the little boost from [Pick of the Litter] that is quite impressive" Korse continues to peruse the status, genuinely impressed by her Ability Scores. "High Magic and Attunement too, Bolst's gonna be disappointed but Ylst will be ecstatic. I honestly can't say I'm surprised by your Might, Endurance and Vitality; you will have to work on those."
"That was one of my first questions! What is 'Natural Ability Score Growth?' No one’s ever mentioned that, and why is it the only thing the title you gave me that doesn't say until class unlock on?" Kori sounding slightly indignant that knowledge was not shared with her.
"Ah, that. We don't tell the hatchlings about that; you'll get talked to about it when you start your apprenticeship. Some years back a few of the minders got it in their heads that since some younglings had higher Abilities then they must be able to train them before their status unveils, which is entirely true, it's why you get a varying education, but they wanted to see if they could get the hatchlings Abilities higher by pushing them to train. It ended terribly for most of the clutch with injuries and deaths that should not have happened, but a few came out with Abilities not quite as high as yours."
"As for the Title not having that part listed, well that's one of the 'additional rewards' it mentions, make it to your class and it's yours to keep. unless you sit in your alcove for the next 3 years and don't earn any Skills or grow any Abilities. But somehow, I don't see that being a problem with you. If there was a skill for asking questions, then you'd probably get that maxed without even trying." Korse gives her a big grin, showing enough teeth that a non-Kobold might find it intimidating.
"What are the other rewards, and what are the tiers it mentions? It says rewards are based on tiers, but nothing about what those are or how to tell which one I'm in." the questions just keep flowing, Korse weathering the storm of them to answer best he can.
"The tiers aren't really clear, I can say that I've seen 5 different ones, from below 0 gains with Korf, to quite high with Kore, they all reward me with varying amounts of experience, I got nearly 2 levels with Kore got his class last year, and usually anywhere from part of one to a full level with the rest. Even Korb had done well in his training, so I received basically nothing, but also no penalty, when he passed."
Thinking back to his other chosen children, "most of the others have either gotten to keep the plus three to all Ability Scores that they began with, or got slight bumps to it, as high as plus seven, and kept the increase to growth. It should be helpful throughout your entire life. Though individual Ability points will become less meaningful overtime."
"Huh... OK. that makes sense, I can see why you wouldn't want to tell us about the Ability growth, my siblings did dumb enough things without knowing they might get rewarded for it, can't imagine what they'd do if they knew." As Kori muses about the topic, Korse's grin grows wider and wider.
"Oh, they weren't the one I was worried about. If you knew that all you escape attempts and questions and sneaking around would help you grow, I'd have never gotten a single moments peace." He begins giggling and laughing as he sees the look of consternation grow and grow on Kori's face.
"I... I... No... You're right... I'd have been a little monster."
Forcing it out between his laughter, "Would? That implies you weren't."
"Hey, I wasn't that bad!" Kori thinks of all her days of trying to figure out the lock for the brood chamber, the sneaking up on the minders for tail hugs, even way back to talking her brother into boosting her up to undo the latch in the nursery. "Ok, maybe I was a bit much..."
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"On an unrelated note, what happened to that really complicated lock from the door, bet I could get a skill opening that!" Her grin back in full force.
"Kora saved it for you, was gonna be your welcome gift when you apprenticed with Bolst, I'll ask her what she's gonna do with it now that you'll be going to Ylst." He can't help but break into laughter again at her antics.
"K!" quickly directing her attention back to her many questions, that she got to out of order and now needs to find her place again, "I have another question, ok, I have 4 more questions, but I have this one next." She continues, this time with a bit of a sheepish grin, having reflected, if only a little, on her past behaviours.
"Only 4? I expected at least twice that. Go ahead. We can still make the feast at this rate." Korse does not believe this in the least.
"Is Rapid Growth responsible for the culling? It reads like it is, like we grow faster than we can handle it, and our health can't keep up?"
"Oh... I was hoping you wouldn't ask that one... "Korse's face turns serious, "yes. Rapid growth is a blessing when we have much work to do, we can rebuild the clan after a disaster or to expand it quickly, but now, as a people who have settled into a routine life, it robs us of our young and it robs us of our wise." His voice lowering in tone and showing how deeply upsetting this topic is to him. "We can never know if it was intentional, but for as prevalent and populous race as we are across this world, Rapid Growth sits upon our shoulders like a boulder weighing us down. Reach a high enough racial level and you can cancel it out somewhat, but you will still live a shorter life than a peer amongst the surface races."
"That's... that's... Not fair!"
"No little one, it very much is not. But that is the nature of life, we live the one we are given and do with it the best we can." He scrubs the back of his hand across his muzzle and tries to put a cheerier look on, "Now, let’s change things up a little bit, I think it’s time you answer one of my questions for once."
Kori gives him a tilt of his head, seeing the next item in her status sitting there, she is fairly certain she knows where this is going.
"Exactly what my dear, is Draconic Ingenuity?!" Korse, having spotted the Trait some time earlier is completely baffled by the nature of it, in all his years and all the stories passed on by the Matrons, this is most definitely not one of the Racial Traits that is supposed to be available to a Kobold.
"Ummm... I'm really not sure... it's just kinda, well there... I'm not sure why I got it." Kori looking around somewhat bashfully, not sure if it's something wrong or that she shouldn't have.
"I'm not mad dear, just confused, I've never heard of that trait, it is not in any of the stories told by the Matrons. What exactly does the Trait say?" He tries to calm her nerves, realizing the way he asked may have given her the wrong impression.
"You can't inspect it?"
"No, I can only see the things you share specifically."
"Can I hide it if I show someone else my Status?"
"Well, yes, but it takes practice, is it something you think you should hide? Is there something bad about the trait?"
"No! Definitely no, but won't people be jealous that I got an Epic trait?" Kori still a bit worried about the whole thing.
Korse's eyes nearly bulge from his skull, and he sputters briefly, "E... pic!? The trait is Epic? You are certain."
"Uh-huh. Says it right next to the name, Draconic Ingenuity, Epic" she knows that this is a high rarity, but is lacking in perspective, as a common race without any evolutions, this is nearly unheard of, to receive a rare trait would place her in a lucky few throughout the entire Emberscale clan, epic brings that number down to 1.
"Ok, let’s ignore that part for a moment, what exactly does the Trait say, the rarer an Ability, Trait, or Skill, generally the less clear it becomes." He has unfortunately realized that he most definitely will not be attending the feast again this year.
As she reads out the text of her trait, Korse's jaw parts slightly and begins to droop, going slack. "That is, and I say this with kindness, ridiculous. Kobolds can do magic, but until we evolve and become Emberscale Kobolds it is difficult at best to excel at it. It also explains why you've always had so many questions..."
"What do you mean? What does a trait I just got have to do with my asking questions?" Somewhat confused by his statement, her anxiety over his reaction fades a bit to the background.
"No, dear Kori, you have had your racial traits all your life, otherwise you wouldn't have grown up so fast without Rapid Growth. Everything a trait says, especially at higher rarities matter. 'The mind of a dragon never rests' that is not meaningless exposition, it's who you've always been, a restless mind, always looking for more.
This may explain a great deal of things about your time as a hatchling, little one." Korse is still trying to wrap his head around the implications. If trained properly, Kori could pass Kore and even Ylst in time, she could be the greatest practitioner of magic to come out of any of the clans.