Petra focused on the rapid beating of her heart. Her hands slick with sweat she held tight to her younger brother's hand as she pulled him through the forest undergrowth. The cries of their mother had long stopped echoing through the forest foothills. She cared only to survive, to save herself. No, to save her brother from those terrors in the night. The only glimpse was of a single slender shadowy figure as it swung from tree to tree keeping pace with its prey.
Through the forest they ran. They had to get beyond the forest and into farmlands or into Arzick city proper. At the barest minimum they needed to find a fire or light of some kind. Something to keep the shadows at bay.
Petra stumbled, the ground muddy from the storm and its high winds that hit earlier that day. The storm that left half her family home in complete ruin. And now her mother was likely dead. Petra pushed further through the forest keeping her grip tight to guide her brother as she recalled their mothers last words to her “Run! You fools!”
A momentary lapse and she stumbled, staying upright only thanks to the sheer strength of her younger brother as he pulled her back. Just then a swipe from a shadowy claw grazed her left eye. She panicked and pushed towards her brother only to stumble again. This time she and her brother grasped each other as they fell to the ground rolling down the forest hill. Her brother was up first and pulled her to her feet. Tears and blood made her face wet as she glanced in every direction.
A panicked pause before she could gauge the direction of her panting pursuer. She pushed towards the opposite direction a steep hill, one that would lose them time but they had no choice. Each step was wrought with loose debris. She stumbled yet again, losing her brother’s hand. She flailed about as she twisted in towards the panting creature now below her. Her hand found purchase and grasped a large rock. Two fingers pushed into holes within the rock as she used the grip to right herself. Her brother had pushed past her further and was now above her as he reached down and grasped her other hand. The rock came loose just as the shadowy terror grabbed her leg.
She was being pulled both towards the terror and away. Her brother pulled and the terror pulled harder. She locked eyes with her brother as he shouted “NO” his first word since their father passed away last year. She felt a pulse of something tingle in her mind before it vanished. She knew her brother had felt it as well; his eyes grew large and then determined.
[Human] Zeek Camion
Item Granted within 48 hours
Source: [Augment Class] Psionic Mutist
She felt the claws press into her right calf and life began to drain from her. She knew that if she held tight to her brother then she risked not only her own but his life as well. She had to let go. She would let go, what kind of older sister would let something bad happen if she could prevent it? She began to let her grip slip. Her heart began to beat slower, as if time was slowing. A cacophony of voices spoke, but one spoke above the others.
“Petra, it’s time to choose” an inner voice slightly different than that of her own reverberated through her mind as a symphony of choices called out. The voices washed through her until a single voice fell into perfect harmony with her own. This was her choice and the choice was simple.
In harmony Petra’s conscious mind and her Inner Voice chanted “I choose the path that saves my brother. That saves us both from this nightmare. A path that allows me to support those I trust. To push beyond our limits and slay the terrors who seek our end.” The voices in her head burst into sight with a dazzling display of color, ancient characters formed words she could read. Time had stopped, but her gut told her she had very little time to grasp the writing hovering in front of her.
[Human] Petra Camion
Lineage: [Locked]
Age: 14
Attribute Points: 56 [Simplified]
Mind: 16 Body: 8 Spirit: 32
[Core Class] Siphon of Morrow [Pioneer]
Trusted allies of the Siphon of Morrow find themselves bolstered in mind, body, and spirit. Those that oppose and obstruct your path find their strength wavering, their thoughts straying, and their spirit draining. The integrity and strength of bonds forged between the Siphon of Morrow and allies fosters an uncanny intuition. The intuition subtly pulls the Siphon of Morrow towards instinctual choices that bend actions and events towards a mutually beneficial outcome. The Siphon of Morrow is gifted with abilities of Transference and Claircognition.
Boon of the Pioneer [Siphon of Morrow]
A Pioneer explores the paths yet untraveled. Your strengths and weaknesses are unknown to both yourself and others. None shall know the ways to ease your journey. A boon upon you is granted. A Pioneer may share their path and mastered abilities more easily with those that wish to learn.
Unlocked Abilities 3 of 10
[Channeled] Taxing Gaze - Step 1 of 10 [Novice]
Ability: While your gaze is locked on a single target you may mentally focus your thoughts on one ally. Any actions taken by the locked target will be taxed 10%, reducing effectiveness of the action by 10%. Tax will be transferred to the ally of your mental focus. Effects may linger for up to 4 seconds after gaze is obstructed.
[Action] Marked Bonded Protection - Step 1 of 10 [Novice]
Ability: Each day you may mark up to one willing ally. During the day any non-grievous injury sustained by the selected ally may be transferred to yourself and delayed by up to one day.
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Active Marks: 0 of 1
[Passive] Instincts of Morrow - Step 1 of 10 [Novice]
Ability: The mutual strength and integrity of a bond shared with a marked ally grants insight into their future. Let your instincts guide those true to you. Your path is the one that seeks to bend the future to your will.
“As a Pioneer you may select one unlocked ability to immediately advance its rank from novice to adept. Please make your selection immediately or lose this boon” The inner voice echoed. “Oh, I can’t think. I’m dying, I think. This is too much. The first one. Please! Please, advance the first one!” Petra spoke in her mind.
[Core Class] Siphon of Morrow [Pioneer]
Boon of the Pioneer
has advanced
[Channeled] Taxing Gaze - Step 1 of 10 [Novice]
to
[Channeled] Taxing Gaze - Step 4 of 10 [Adept]
[Channeled] Taxing Gaze - Step 4 of 10 [Adept]
Ability: While your gaze is locked on a single target you may mentally focus your thoughts on yourself or one ally. Any actions taken by the locked target will be taxed 40%, reducing effectiveness of the action by 40%. Tax will be transferred to yourself or the ally of your mental focus. Effects may linger for up to 16 seconds after gaze is obstructed.
-Adept at the use of this ability you now notice a slight red outline to targets of your taxing gaze. Non-magical attacks on the target made by those that can see the red outline are now slightly more likely to hit this target. Marked allies with a high integrity and high strength bond will now see this red outline.
Petra came back into focus as she felt her life still draining, looking down she could see the shadowy terror ripping into her right calf. Petra gulped air and blood as she swung with her right arm down. Within her hand she still held the rock, it arced towards the slender creature's canine-like head. A loud thud signaled a hit as the beast stumbled back falling a meter down yet still upright. The rock seemed to have fractured, cutting into her hand. She realized the rock was more akin to a skull. She kept a tight grip on what remained of the skull in case the shadowy beast reached her yet again. She and her brother climbed higher up the steep hill.
Petra had her fathers sharp mind and her mothers auburn hair and pale blue eyes. At the age of fourteen she was short and slender but even her simplified stats indicated that she had above average mind and spirit attributes. Petra had never spent much of her effort on her body attribute pool. This fact was showing now as her brother with sixteen fewer attribute points was doing much of the work. His sturdy frame helped her to climb the steep hill keeping them ahead of the shadowy beast.
It wasn’t really Petra’s fault her body attribute pool was below average. She had spent most of her early years sick and kept indoors. For each season a human could expect a single point to be automatically placed on their simplified attribute pool. The placement was usually linked to the attribute pool you spent the majority of time on. Petra enjoyed reading and loved simple acts of cheering her family up. She would cook or tell stories she had memorized from her many books, getting laughs from her brother and father, until her Mother would brew night time tea to lull them all to sleep.
Her brother Zeek was tall for his age. His quiet yet determined nature made many compare him to an old oak tree as he often stood three heads taller than any his age. His skin a shade darker than her own and his dark amber hair reminded her of her mothers fresh apple cider. From the age of five he spent most of his day following father around the farm helping where he could. His stats stood in complete contrast to that of his sister.
[Human] Zeek Camion
Lineage: Psionic Break [Mind Attribute Pool Doubled]
Age: 10
Attribute Points: 40 [Simplified]
Mind: 15 [30] Body: 16 Spirit: 9
[Augment Class] Psionic Mutist
Witness to a horrific act of violence. The death of your father and your psionic cries for help have spurred a being of higher power to offer you an augmentation. You have accepted this offer. Augmentation of the Psionic Mutist. For each day you remain mute both in tongue and psionic communication a single point of luck is added to your hidden luck pool. Upon speaking a single word you release all pooled luck gained through this augmentation. The released luck is transferred as compensation for waking a higher power. In a gesture of good will this being may grant you a single act, item, or boon within 48 hours.
Luck Attribute Pool: [Hidden]
Unlocked Abilities 2 of 5
[Passive] Mind Shield - Step 4 of 10 [Adept]
Ability: Your mind is shielded from psionic intrusions and manipulations.
-Adept at the use of this ability you now can identify those within sight that attempt to intrude or manipulate your mind.
[Passive] Enhanced Apathy - Step 1 of 10 [Novice]
Ability: You may remain detached and emotionally stable during short but extremely traumatic events.
Petra climbed further up as she felt something pulling her to turn and focus downward. She did so, narrowing her eyes and plastering her gaze on the shadowy beast. She could feel the power thrumming to life within herself. Her eyes bore into the creature as she mentally focused and thought of herself. The creature lunged upwards towards her once again but came far short of its previous lunges. Petra found her footing looking back towards her brother and then pushed upwards finding that she was hurling herself far higher than she thought possible.
She leaped past her brother landing an arms reach higher up the hill. She landed with a searing pain on her right leg. Reaching down she helped her brother as she locked her eyes on the shadowy figure watching it struggle to keep up. Once they reached the crest of the hill they were met with an amazing sight. One they could not gawk idly at but one they ran too with open arms. Blue light glowed across the five meter tall stone walls and a gate half open beckoned them in.