As the seven others around the table began to share slices of cake and tea, Tecka began to weave a tale of human myth:
"It was thousands upon thousands of years ago—no human remembers, though some of the oldest aware trees claim to—that our story begins. It was a time before the gods placed dungeons in the world. A time even before the great ocean to the south had been born. A time when leaf-eaters plagued the Great Forests on the far side of the world without opposition, and the trees that were aware trembled in fear.
"Before you ask, Lissa, no one remembers, not even the trees, how they themselves came to be aware.
"The eldest trees, the firstborn of all [aware beings], conferred together through the mycelium. This council of trees became known as the Elder Copse. The Elder Copse decided after much discussion and deliberation decided that they must find a way to protect themselves from the plague of leaf-eaters. So they watched and examined and learned. They soon noticed that some of the younger trees who had been discovered by the leaf-eaters were still alive after the plague had passed. Living in the branches of these young survivors, they found a species of ape, young and hungry. They had protected the trees where they had made their homes, trees which provided shelter and fruit. In turn, the apes had protected them when the leaf-eaters came.
"The Elder Copse made plans to deliberately domesticate this ape, cultivating the species to serve their needs. For many generations, the aware trees and these apes, the ancestors of the first human-like people, lived together. The apes grew increasingly dependent on the trees, and some of the trees became increasingly dependent on the apes."
Tecka paused to make eye contact with each of the children, and furtively glanced to see if either of the guards were paying close attention to her story.
"Almost none of what I've said until now is disputed. Everyone who has an opinion will generally agree that what I've described is true as far as we know. This next part though... wars have been fought to validate the victor's claims about what happened next. So-called holy wars fought over what some would consider forbidden fundaments. I won't tell you that I know for certain what happened. I will simply told you what my mother told me and what her mother before her told her.
"My mother told me that a great danger rose up in the Great Forest, woven from fundaments the aware Trees didn't recognize and we humans still don't know. Some claim it was [lightning], while others [ether], and still more claim the fundament so twisted and vile and foreign that we have no name for it.
"My mother..." Tecka dropped her voice in a very quiet whisper and leaned forward, speaking so quietly her voice could not hope to carry past the edges of the lamplight. The children and other adults alike leaned in, straining to hear her next words. "My mother said the fundament was called [gwixios]."
She let the quiet chirping of the night insects fill the silence for a few moments as she leaned back and took a deep draught of tea. Her audience's eyes were fixed on her, and she continued her tale after a bite of cake and another sip of her tea.
"Regardless of what it was, the Elder Copse reasoned that they would not be able to save themselves alone. They made a decision then that opened the doorway for humanity to grow. They shared the source of their magic with the treefaring apes that lived in their branches. Only those who were old enough to absorb the power, but young enough to grow up with it were elevated. As the ape children came of a certain age—roughly the age when they lose the last of their ageteeth—the trees would give them the blessing of [awareness]. The newly made [aware beings] grew into new creatures, walking upright with less hair on their bodies. The children of these new creatures inherited their parents' magic at the appropriate age. They had but a few generations to grow in number and strength before the great danger descended upon the forest.
"The war that followed is known as the Withering. The Great Forest and all of its many inhabitants fought the great danger. Many, if not most, did not survive, though no record remains of how large the Great Forest was before the Withering. While the Elder Copse succeeded in defending the Great Forest, they had expended too much of their own resources to do so, and none of them survived much longer than the conclusion of the war. Knowing they would soon pass, they shared their remaining life, wisdom, and magic with the strongest trees that remained in the [Elders' Boon]. It is claimed by some that the oldest aware trees alive today were barely even seedlings when the first people and the Elder Copse defeated the great danger, and received the [Elders' Boon], but I don't know if this is true.
"With the great evil defeated, the Great Forest set about rebuilding, tree and people alike. And so, from one population, humans, elves, dwarves, gnomes, and all the other upright walkers of this world were born, yes, even the orcs, ogres, goblins, and firbolg. As anyone who has ever raised an ordinary creature and given it awareness knows, sometimes the fundamental nature of the creature can change in the process. Before being raised, the apes had never expressed much desire to roam, only to subsist and make more of their kind. But after being raised, growing in magic enough to survive in a war against a great evil, portions of the population of ape descendants began to leave the forest periodically, driven partially by desires to explore and discover, but primarily by the call of the fundaments each possessed.
"Nearly all were given some mix of the fundaments [earth], [sky], [water], and [fire], which are widely considered the most basic of humanoid magics. Those who most deeply felt the call of the [earth] are thought to be the ancestors of [dwarves] and [orcs] who live on the mountains, while those who most deeply felt the call of the [water] are said to have become the [mer] and the [sirens]. There are reports of some who felt the call of the [sky] living in crystalline cities in the clouds, but I've never met anyone who's seen such a thing. Some claim that those who felt the call from [fire] became the races more known for destruction, the [firbolg] and [ogres] and the like, but I personally believe that the [gnomes] who tinker and smelt must also be closely tired to fire.
"But what about [humans] you ask..."
Tecka took another sip of soothing tea, her eyes beginning to glitter as she looked around at her captive audience.
She continued, "Well, there were other populations still that didn't have any particular call. The elves, for instance, are descended from those who remained in the Great Forest tending the trees. They continued to gain wisdom, strength, and magic from the trees they tended, extending their lives.
"But we [humans]," she paused to take a sip of tea for dramatic effect, drawing a frustrated sound from Lissa in Drust's lap beside her. "We [humans] were unique too, in that we began with different fundaments from the rest of the population. Whereas large groups with similar fundaments traveled off together to meditate on [sky] or [water], the groups who would become eventually become [human] were those with eclectic fundaments. They valued the strength of diversity at that time, and made an effort to seek out fundaments that weren't already in their population. To do that, they developed a special spell called [Ancestor's Blessing] that you have each just experienced. When the eldest child of each household came of the age for their magic to develop, they performed a special ritual, allowing their children to glean the local fundaments that each child felt drawn to without instruction or pressure. They all hoped, as your parents and I hope, that what each generation discovered would strengthen humanity as a whole, and give each person something unique and special to learn and grow into.
"At this time, we'll all finish our cake, and afterward, we'll see what we can learn about what you've each just taken upon yourselves."
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It was decided after brief discussion that both Drust and Igmi would attempt to cast [discern boon] on the children. The reason for this was that their spells manifested so differently that both together would reveal more than either of them alone. Of course, the spells would only succeed if the child in question willingly cooperated; like asking for secrets, even the strongest of revelatory spells about another [aware being] would fail if the target's will refused.
Igmi turned to her first born, "Falton, as the oldest child, you have the honor of going first if you want."
The private boy he shook his head emphatically, pointing to Cammind instead. The adults exchanged another concerned look, and Igmi respectfully turned to Cammind.
"Cammind, would you like to see what your stones gave you?" Igmi asked, hopefully.
Despite being the middle child, Cammind was a shy boy and nodded slowly. His voice could barely be heard over the singing of insects, "Yes, please."
Igmi smiled, relieved that at least one of her children's blessings would soon be known. "Why don't you go first, Drust," Igmi suggested.
"Very well, ma'am," Drust replied.
As with the identify spell he'd used weeks back on Lissa's bracelet, Drust reached for the magic inside him and wound it tightly to his genuine curiosity about the boy's blessing. He'd been sitting at the table while Hayzen had finished the ritual, and he hadn't even seen the stones that the boy had brought back with him. As he reached out with his spell to Cammind, the boy's eyes widened in surprise. The spell felt to him like a light breeze that he could enjoy or bundle himself up against. He acquiesced, and Drust's spell took hold of the information inside him. Drust directed the spell to manifest, and it burned scrolling words upon the wooden table.
Drust read aloud,
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Cammind Telforth Albehson. (That's you).
Species: Human
Attributes... not visible yet.
Intrinsic spells, which are still greyed out since you can't cast yet... [Crystal Body], [Living armor], [Earthwalk], and [Locate Rare Earth]
Special attributes: [Ancient's Blessing]
Fundaments: [Earth, Crystal] (ancient's blessing), [Earth, Metal] (ancient's blessing), [Sky, breeze] (inherited).
"Crystal and metal!" Drust declared confidently, smiling at the attentive Cammind.
Igmi quickly cast her own version of [discern boon], and instead of a flourish-filled script burning itself into the table, a phantom figure of Cammind appeared in miniature atop the table. The figure rippled, its entire body covered in crystals. A moment later, it rippled again, metal replacing the crystals. A moment later, and it seemed to sink into the surface of the table, emerging a moment later with hands full of ore and sparkling gems. After this last image, the spell reached its conclusion and dissipated.
Cammind's eyes looked like they would pop out of his head as he quietly asked, "Will I be able to do all that?"
"All that and more, my son—" his father's voice answered, "—when you come of age anyways. Your mother's spell shows only the basics of what the blessing allows. Ha ha! We might need to find you jeweler to apprentice under."
Drust looked at Falton with a raised eyebrow, but the stubborn eldest shook his head again. He then looked down at his daughter, still in his lap and asked against the top of her head, "Your turn, Liss?"
"YES!" She shouted, squirming, throwing up her hands, and nearly hitting both Drust and Tecka's faces in the process.
"Careful now," Drust admonished. "Alright, let's see."
He repeated the process of casting [discern boon]. Lissa's overflowing eagerness made the second part seamless, and new words began to form in the surface of the table. He read them aloud as they formed.
"Mellissa May Brightglenn
Species: Gremlin, erm, I mean, Human.
Attributes are also not visible for you, yet, sweetling.
Ah, here we go, Intrinsic spells, [night's friend], [hide], [incorporeal body], [eyes of the forest], and [benevolent harvest].
Special attributes: [Ancient's Blessing]—," he cut off suddenly as a second special attribute appeared.
He attempted to continue reading smoothly, but the unexpected attribute had caught him off guard, "—and [Favor of Anella], and finally,
Fundaments: [Shadow, haze] (ancient's blessing), [Life, flora] (ancient's blessing), and [Water, purity] (inheritance)... and [Spheres, moon] (favor of Anella)."
He laughed lightly, a bit uncertain what to make of the unexpected additions. He had never heard of a [spheres] fundament before either, and he reached up a hand to stroke Lissa's hair protectively.
"Show us, Aunt Igmi!" Lissa insisted impatiently, not experienced enough to know that anything in her status was out of the ordinary.
Igmi proceeded to cast her own flavor of [discern boon], while the letters of Drust's spell faded from the tabletop. Again, a miniature figure appeared atop the table, in Lissa's likeness this time. It showed her in a night scene, with dangerous creatures all around. They didn't notice her when she hid in the deep shadows of a tree. Next her body dissolved into the same inky shadows that the [umbral wolves]' bodies had all been made of. Then her body returned to normal, but the scene zoomed in on her eyes, which were surrounded by hundreds of tiny, rainbow flower petals like scales on her eyelids. The scene highlighted portions of plants, mushrooms, and small creatures. It showed her walking to one of the plants and harvesting more than what the plant should have been able to offer, but the plant looked healthy as ever as she walked away.
As Lissa watched the spell play out, she began to squeal and squirm in excitement. Drust shushed her a small bit, if only to keep her from getting up and running about the camp. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Let's try to be attentive for Bup and Falton's turns, okay?"
She nodded and continued to squirm and bounce excitedly, but she stopped squealing.
Falton, who had seen how well it had gone for Cammind and Lissa, decided it was his turn. He was still frowning, but nodded when Drust turned his way again.
"Why don't we let your mother cast first this time?" Drust asked, turning to look at Igmi.
"That's fine with me." She said. Falton sort of shrugged, but didn't refuse, and Igmi took that as acceptance enough.
Igmi's [discern boon] spell reached out to her son. Despite his jealousy, Falton was still reluctant to let the spell take hold, and it took more effort and time than with the first two children. Soon enough though, he acquiesced and a small figure of him appeared on the table. He soon grew long, razor sharp feathers in various places as if on command, and his fingernails grew into long sharp talons. Next, the figure of Falton appeared to step off the ground and onto the air as if it were solid, beginning to run in the open sky. He sped up until the simulated earth far below was merely a blur. Finally, the miniature Falton encountered a still body that appeared gravely wounded. He knelt down, and placed a hand over the body's mouth. Suddenly the downed figure began to breathe and opened its eyes. With that, the spell faded, having revealed all it could.
Falton stared at the dissipating image, had it shown him bringing someone back from the brink of death? He looked at Drust expectantly, waiting for a more quantified answer.
Drust nodded and cast again. After a few moments of Lissa's quiet squirming and everyone else's patient watching, the sweet-smelling, fanciful scrawl of Drust's [discern boon] spell began scratching itself into the surface of the table.
Drust read the revealed information seriously, to not exasperate the youth:
"Falton Zag Albehson
Species: Human
Attributes... notable strength, speed, and will. The rest of it should be visible very soon, lad.
Intrinsic Spells: [Metal Form], [Airwalk], [Winged Heals], and [Breath].
Special Attributes: [Ancient's Blessing], [Firstborn]
Fundaments: [Earth, metal] (ancient's blessing), [Sky, swiftness] (ancient's blessing), and [Sky, breeze] (inheritance).
"Well, whatever that last image was, seems to be from your spell called [breath]. I suppose we'll have to wait a bit longer to really know what it does, lad, but that seems like a mighty fine spell." Drust concluded.
Falton seemed to be momentarily satisfied, and was the only one of the children so far to remember his manners, "Thanks, uncle Drust."
"My pleasure, Falton," Drust said. "And last, but certainly not least, Mr. Bup, if you please."
The boy grinned and nodded, looking up at his mother.
"Alright, pup," Igmi said, the affectionate pet name for her youngest slipping out unhindered.
Igmi reached once again for her magic, winding it with all the love and hopes she had for her sweet son. She pressed it out toward him, and he immediately surrendered. The spell took shape atop the table, the small form of Bup simply standing there. He was also in a forest scene, and the figure quickly faded until it matched the surrounding forest perfectly. Next, his eyes glowed a reflective yellow and he spotted a small dragon-like creature further in the forest. Bup's figure approached the hissing beast, and when he held out his hand, it noticeably calmed. A few moments more and the creature approached, affectionately rubbing its scaled face against Bup's outstretched hand.
The scene changed suddenly, and a bird of prey's piercing cry sounded as if from all around them. In the scene, a bird almost as large as Bup landed next to him, just as an actual eagle nearly as large as Bup landed on the table atop the spell's image. The huge eagle cocked its head to the side to look at Bup, who was sitting incredibly still, startled as the rest of them were by sudden arrival of the enormous creature. Bup studied the creature with as much scrutiny as a five-year-old could. It's head appeared to have ears made of tufts of upright feathers. Reflective golden eyes peered at him with sharp intelligence. It had a beautiful white neck, belly, and underwings, but the top and back of the bird was mottled with browns, golds, bright greens, and silvery blues. It must have been this particular bird's feather that Bup had found earlier in the day and offered during the blessing.
For a few moments, no one moved, bird and human alike. It was too close to their children for the adults to be able to act safely. The [guard]s had likely noticed, but interrupting this particular evening's festivities with bloodshed would have been a damnable offense, and they knew it.
Slowly, so slowly even that at first no one noticed, Bup raised his small hand toward the eagle's soft belly. When the eagle noticed, it bobbed its head and grasped the boy's outstretched fingers with its beak, but though the motion was sudden, the eagle barely touched Bup, simply halting his movement to check him out. It released Bup's hand, and small huffs of released breaths were heard all around. With the foolhardiness of a child, Bup tried again, reaching toward the downy soft white belly. To everyone's surprise, perhaps even the eagle's, it allowed Bup to stroke it, letting out a series of high-pitched warbles that resembled purring. It pulled away, nuzzled Bup's hand affectionately, and, without warning, launched itself into the moonlit night. A piercing shriek called out once, and then the night was filled with only the sounds of crickets and their ilk in the lush prairie.
The eight family members stared at each other unspeaking, and then nervous chuckles began, first from Igmi and Hayzen, and traveling through the others until they all burst out into sudden, relieved, manic laughter. Of all the things that they were expecting might have happened this evening, a giant eagle interrupting their ritual to check out the youngest child was not among them.
As tears rolled down cheeks, one of the [guards] did come to ask if everyone was alright. Tecka was able to answer over the din, "Yes. Close call there though. If you see that bird again though, please don't harm it. I think it may be special to Bup here."
When everyone had finally quieted and the light-headed euphoria of deep laughter in the aftermath of panic had taken a firm hold, Drust turned to Bup once again.
"Well, Mr. Bup, quite the find, quite the find. Shall we see what my spell has to say, eh?" Drust asked.
The blonde boy replied, "Yes, please."
It took only a moment for Drust's spell to begin carving its final caramel-scented casting of the evening into the surface of the table.
"Let's see here," Drust began,
"Buppero Nilsic Albehson. Nilsic, eh?
Species: Human
Attributes... still hidden, no surprise there, boyo.
Intrinsic Spells: [Camouflage], [Keen Eyes], [Soothe], [Tame], and [Call Familiar]. That must be the one.
Special attributes: [Ancient's Blessing], and.... [Familiar] Looks like that you and that Eagle might be spending a good deal of time together, Bup.
Fundaments: [Light, spectra] (ancient's blessing), [Life] (ancient's blessing), [Sky, Breeze] (ancient's blessing), and..." Drust waited as the last swirling characters burned their way into the table's surface.
"[Sky, vibration] (inheritance)," he finished tiredly.
Hayzen looking over his boys with glistening eyes, said, "I am so proud of you all. You chose well today. Falton, you'll begin to experience nudges from the magic of the world, and we'll be here to walk you through it. The rest of you must wait until you're old enough, but at least you have a taste of what you have to look forward to. I love you all so, so much." His deep voice choked a little at the end there as tears fell down the sides of his face.
As he watched the tearful Hayzen speak across the table, Drust thought back to his own [ancient's blessing] ritual, how proud his mother and father and siblings had been to see what had been revealed late in the evening. He knew, mournfully and bitterly, how such potential didn't mean that everything would work out. Intrinsic spells still needed to be unlocked, learned, and mastered. Many never gained mastery of more than one or two, which was why the [umbral wolves]'s attack had been so poorly rebuffed. None of the humans in their caravan had appropriate spells to combat [shadow] fundament creatures.
Still, there was great cause for rejoicing, wasn't there? His family was here now, his little girl safe in his arms, his wife—Drust looked up to see Tecka studying his face in knowing concern. She leaned toward him, pressing a gentle kiss against his heavily bearded cheek.
"Everything is good, my love," she said against his ear.
Lissa, who moments before had been rolling with laughter like the rest of them, was slumped dead asleep in Drust's lap. He looked down at her, nodded in agreement to Tecka, and unilaterally decided it was time for bed.