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Session Stories - Moments in Roleplaying (updated 6/15/2023)
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<blockquote data-quote="Nthal" data-source="post: 9045782" data-attributes="member: 6971069"><p><strong>Journal of The Folk, Eonic Cycle 21, Lesser Cycle 201, Generation 8, Feasting quarter, 24th Lunar.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong><em><Translated from Draconic></em></strong></p><p></p><p>Ss’thak sat outside the ruins of the tower, watching as <em>Corpse-that-Bosses</em> walked away. Great truths have been found. Great magics have been found to conceal the truth. Nature has been altered. This was unlike the Feywild. The Feywild was confusing to him. That place had a heightened reality; everything was exaggerated. Prey’s colors matched the surreal palette of the nearby vegetation. Prey was larger as well. When prepared, the flavors were heightened as well. The apex predators weren’t simple beasts but were-wolves. Their leader was a cacophony of spearmint and teeth.</p><p></p><p>Well…they <em>were</em> the apex predators. Like in most cases, the group enters a place, they alter the balance and chaos takes control before settling into its new order. And the band became the apex predators. That suited Ss’thak fine. But they were visitors, so all was temporary. They would leave, the balance would return.</p><p></p><p>But the effects of that realm weren’t just on the natives, as it had affected the others as well. Maia had been dropping her carefully projected persona more often. Baracus, was now averse to taking risks in the name of changing himself for Sariel. And Sariel…was becoming assertive. Perhaps it was the consequence of the secret task she had borne into the realm. But the realm “knew.”</p><p></p><p>This was almost natural to Ss’thak; you couldn’t lie to nature. But you certainly could fool yourself. But again, the Feywild made this literal. Nature didn’t just know; it acted. Violently. Another exaggeration of what some of the others called the “Prime-materium.”</p><p></p><p>Home.</p><p></p><p>The swamp they had traversed there was the most natural place he had seen in many weeks and yet it was not <em>right.</em> It was not dangerous in the manner a swamp should be, and it was more dangerous in ways than it should have been. Again, exaggerated. Almost as if the Feywild was someone else’s idea of a perfect swamp, a perfect elven court, and so on. Yet it wasn’t perfect to his mind. Or to the others…with perhaps the exception of Sariel.</p><p></p><p>But it certainly wasn’t home. The lack of this touchstone bothered Ss’thak. He and Ss’tok had found themselves after a battle with the were-wolves, flensing them, and carving letters into bone. They did this without a second thought.</p><p></p><p>This was not the way. The dead were dead. The best use of the bones afterwards were tools or weapons. The meat food. Hide for warmth. Instead, they wasted most of it, all to assuage the egos of the other weres. Later when they returned, they found out that the new pack leader would be the one who kills them all. This at least made sense. Ss’Thak would have accused the other weres that they had gone soft, lost their edge. Lost their way.</p><p></p><p>Now he was no longer sure. He was concerned about a different kind of corruption. The kind that leads you away from the true self. He was concerned about being unable to follow the task of the first Shaman and the first Chief. To render <em>wapner</em> with clear thought.</p><p></p><p>Now that they had returned, the sense of wrongness in place had disappeared. Granted, it took slaying the monstrosity that dwelled here first. That removed the glamour, returning it all to nature. But despite this, that sense of wrongness remained.</p><p></p><p>Ss’thok exited the tower and saw his eggbrother meditating on the ground. He moved to a spot next to him and sat and waited. After a moment, Ss’thak spoke in draconic, “The other not-Folk are resting now?” Ss’thak said without moving.</p><p></p><p>“They have been cared for. <em>Makes-bad-choices</em> is still a picky eater.” Ss’tok replied. “Still better than before. The others are more adaptable.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak opened his eyes and nodded, “Yes. The first question is and was, are we still adaptable?”</p><p></p><p>Ss’tok considered and gave the formal refrain, “The second question is and was, is there a need to adapt?”</p><p></p><p>Both then spoke, “Adaptation is response to need, Adaptation without cause is waste, Adaptation is Survival.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak nodded, “Old lesson. A truth for many eonic cycles. Truth has become complex with recent travel. <em>Dead-goat-corruptor</em> has altered much. Truth concealed by it. We glimpse only at edges. Rare has such need arose; not since the First Eonic cycle.</p><p></p><p>Ss’tok looked at Ss’thak in silence.</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak continued, “Old lesson shared by shaman. Few shaman have need of it. Fewer chiefs need it. Was taught it before we started <em>wapner.</em>”</p><p></p><p>“What is the lesson?”</p><p></p><p>“The lesson is longer than most. It tells of the fall of the <em>Saurid</em> and the rise of the <em>Mamalia</em>. How the <em>Saurid </em>did not adapt and declined. Some did survive, but little of that time is left.” Ss’thak gestured at the tower. “The works of nineteen eonic cycles surround us in decay and growth show what happens when you do not adapt. But that is not the lesson. The truth of the lesson is the success of <em>Mamalia</em>.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thok blinked. “What did we learn from them? No lesson that self recalls <em>Mamalia</em> rendering <em>wapner.</em>”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak turned to look at his eggbrother, “No <em>Mamalia </em>rendered <em>wapner, </em>it is the most truthful of <em>wapner; </em>a <em>wapner</em> of fact so obvious that it cannot be argued. The lesson is about change. At the time of the First Eonic cycle the <em>Mamalia</em> were small and few. They underwent great changes. They became large and fast. They became the apex in very short time. Why did they do this? Perhaps weather, perhaps great events. The First Cycle has few egg-lessons, but this one is discomforting.</p><p></p><p>Ss’thok thought a moment, “It is not <em>Mamalia </em>that must change. It is that great changes requires changes to self. And we do not like change.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak nodded, “We undertook ‘great changes’ only twice. In the First Eonic with the fall of the <em>Saurid</em> we organized and used our thoughts to survive, not just our skills. We survived, but we no longer remember what we <strong><em>were</em></strong>. The second change was in the fifth Eonic when the softskins arose and met with conflict. They created stresses and war. They sought ways to survive. We watched and realized the fate of the Folk would be decided in their wars. We chose to retreat; the lost lands and cities now hide deep beneath swamp, forest, and desert. The Folk split, hiding knowledge and power. We created a lie…that we chose to believe.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thok considered this a moment, “But we remember we did this; how is that a ‘great change?’”</p><p></p><p>“Because we do not remember how we lived before. We hid the memory of our cities, of our learning, of our true past. We survived. We changed. We do not remember what we <strong><em>were</em></strong>. We became…Folk. What was left behind has faded.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’Thak stood and stretched his limbs and spoke again, “Now we are seeing great forces. The <em>walking-dead</em> such as <em>Corpse-that-Bossess</em>,’ the return of a <em>Great saurid,</em> the Feywild problems extending here, the softskins pretending to themselves that war has not started. Much caused by the <em>Dead-goat-corruptor</em>. The Softskins are changing again; reacting to new or constructed truth.</p><p></p><p>Ss’tok silently thought and then looking at his eggbrother again spoke, “The <em>wapner</em> has changed. We were to see what we could learn from the softskins, and use what is best. This is no longer true.”</p><p></p><p>Ss’thak nodded and replied, “An old egg-lesson once taught, ‘that you must question the question to understand the answer’. And so, we understand now what the right question is. Should the Folk undergo a great change? And what should that change be?”</p><p></p><p>And Ss’tok replied, “And perhaps that is not the right question.” And he turned away to look to the distant horizon.</p><p></p><p>“Are we too late?”</p><p></p><p><strong>Session Notes:</strong></p><p>The adventure the pair were involved in from levels 5 to 20 was one of saving the world from Orcus, the <em>Dead-Goat-Corruptor </em>But nothing was ever simple, and the lizardfolk were always seeing more of the problem than was apparent to the players, which the dm fed off of. So as we wrote our Journal's detailing the hidden sophistication of the folk...while we were the epicenter of violence because that solved most problems. </p><p></p><p>But we loved our introspections.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Nthal, post: 9045782, member: 6971069"] [B]Journal of The Folk, Eonic Cycle 21, Lesser Cycle 201, Generation 8, Feasting quarter, 24th Lunar. [I]<Translated from Draconic>[/I][/B] Ss’thak sat outside the ruins of the tower, watching as [I]Corpse-that-Bosses[/I] walked away. Great truths have been found. Great magics have been found to conceal the truth. Nature has been altered. This was unlike the Feywild. The Feywild was confusing to him. That place had a heightened reality; everything was exaggerated. Prey’s colors matched the surreal palette of the nearby vegetation. Prey was larger as well. When prepared, the flavors were heightened as well. The apex predators weren’t simple beasts but were-wolves. Their leader was a cacophony of spearmint and teeth. Well…they [I]were[/I] the apex predators. Like in most cases, the group enters a place, they alter the balance and chaos takes control before settling into its new order. And the band became the apex predators. That suited Ss’thak fine. But they were visitors, so all was temporary. They would leave, the balance would return. But the effects of that realm weren’t just on the natives, as it had affected the others as well. Maia had been dropping her carefully projected persona more often. Baracus, was now averse to taking risks in the name of changing himself for Sariel. And Sariel…was becoming assertive. Perhaps it was the consequence of the secret task she had borne into the realm. But the realm “knew.” This was almost natural to Ss’thak; you couldn’t lie to nature. But you certainly could fool yourself. But again, the Feywild made this literal. Nature didn’t just know; it acted. Violently. Another exaggeration of what some of the others called the “Prime-materium.” Home. The swamp they had traversed there was the most natural place he had seen in many weeks and yet it was not [I]right.[/I] It was not dangerous in the manner a swamp should be, and it was more dangerous in ways than it should have been. Again, exaggerated. Almost as if the Feywild was someone else’s idea of a perfect swamp, a perfect elven court, and so on. Yet it wasn’t perfect to his mind. Or to the others…with perhaps the exception of Sariel. But it certainly wasn’t home. The lack of this touchstone bothered Ss’thak. He and Ss’tok had found themselves after a battle with the were-wolves, flensing them, and carving letters into bone. They did this without a second thought. This was not the way. The dead were dead. The best use of the bones afterwards were tools or weapons. The meat food. Hide for warmth. Instead, they wasted most of it, all to assuage the egos of the other weres. Later when they returned, they found out that the new pack leader would be the one who kills them all. This at least made sense. Ss’Thak would have accused the other weres that they had gone soft, lost their edge. Lost their way. Now he was no longer sure. He was concerned about a different kind of corruption. The kind that leads you away from the true self. He was concerned about being unable to follow the task of the first Shaman and the first Chief. To render [I]wapner[/I] with clear thought. Now that they had returned, the sense of wrongness in place had disappeared. Granted, it took slaying the monstrosity that dwelled here first. That removed the glamour, returning it all to nature. But despite this, that sense of wrongness remained. Ss’thok exited the tower and saw his eggbrother meditating on the ground. He moved to a spot next to him and sat and waited. After a moment, Ss’thak spoke in draconic, “The other not-Folk are resting now?” Ss’thak said without moving. “They have been cared for. [I]Makes-bad-choices[/I] is still a picky eater.” Ss’tok replied. “Still better than before. The others are more adaptable.” Ss’thak opened his eyes and nodded, “Yes. The first question is and was, are we still adaptable?” Ss’tok considered and gave the formal refrain, “The second question is and was, is there a need to adapt?” Both then spoke, “Adaptation is response to need, Adaptation without cause is waste, Adaptation is Survival.” Ss’thak nodded, “Old lesson. A truth for many eonic cycles. Truth has become complex with recent travel. [I]Dead-goat-corruptor[/I] has altered much. Truth concealed by it. We glimpse only at edges. Rare has such need arose; not since the First Eonic cycle. Ss’tok looked at Ss’thak in silence. Ss’thak continued, “Old lesson shared by shaman. Few shaman have need of it. Fewer chiefs need it. Was taught it before we started [I]wapner.[/I]” “What is the lesson?” “The lesson is longer than most. It tells of the fall of the [I]Saurid[/I] and the rise of the [I]Mamalia[/I]. How the [I]Saurid [/I]did not adapt and declined. Some did survive, but little of that time is left.” Ss’thak gestured at the tower. “The works of nineteen eonic cycles surround us in decay and growth show what happens when you do not adapt. But that is not the lesson. The truth of the lesson is the success of [I]Mamalia[/I].” Ss’thok blinked. “What did we learn from them? No lesson that self recalls [I]Mamalia[/I] rendering [I]wapner.[/I]” Ss’thak turned to look at his eggbrother, “No [I]Mamalia [/I]rendered [I]wapner, [/I]it is the most truthful of [I]wapner; [/I]a [I]wapner[/I] of fact so obvious that it cannot be argued. The lesson is about change. At the time of the First Eonic cycle the [I]Mamalia[/I] were small and few. They underwent great changes. They became large and fast. They became the apex in very short time. Why did they do this? Perhaps weather, perhaps great events. The First Cycle has few egg-lessons, but this one is discomforting. Ss’thok thought a moment, “It is not [I]Mamalia [/I]that must change. It is that great changes requires changes to self. And we do not like change.” Ss’thak nodded, “We undertook ‘great changes’ only twice. In the First Eonic with the fall of the [I]Saurid[/I] we organized and used our thoughts to survive, not just our skills. We survived, but we no longer remember what we [B][I]were[/I][/B]. The second change was in the fifth Eonic when the softskins arose and met with conflict. They created stresses and war. They sought ways to survive. We watched and realized the fate of the Folk would be decided in their wars. We chose to retreat; the lost lands and cities now hide deep beneath swamp, forest, and desert. The Folk split, hiding knowledge and power. We created a lie…that we chose to believe.” Ss’thok considered this a moment, “But we remember we did this; how is that a ‘great change?’” “Because we do not remember how we lived before. We hid the memory of our cities, of our learning, of our true past. We survived. We changed. We do not remember what we [B][I]were[/I][/B]. We became…Folk. What was left behind has faded.” Ss’Thak stood and stretched his limbs and spoke again, “Now we are seeing great forces. The [I]walking-dead[/I] such as [I]Corpse-that-Bossess[/I],’ the return of a [I]Great saurid,[/I] the Feywild problems extending here, the softskins pretending to themselves that war has not started. Much caused by the [I]Dead-goat-corruptor[/I]. The Softskins are changing again; reacting to new or constructed truth. Ss’tok silently thought and then looking at his eggbrother again spoke, “The [I]wapner[/I] has changed. We were to see what we could learn from the softskins, and use what is best. This is no longer true.” Ss’thak nodded and replied, “An old egg-lesson once taught, ‘that you must question the question to understand the answer’. And so, we understand now what the right question is. Should the Folk undergo a great change? And what should that change be?” And Ss’tok replied, “And perhaps that is not the right question.” And he turned away to look to the distant horizon. “Are we too late?” [B]Session Notes:[/B] The adventure the pair were involved in from levels 5 to 20 was one of saving the world from Orcus, the [I]Dead-Goat-Corruptor [/I]But nothing was ever simple, and the lizardfolk were always seeing more of the problem than was apparent to the players, which the dm fed off of. So as we wrote our Journal's detailing the hidden sophistication of the folk...while we were the epicenter of violence because that solved most problems. But we loved our introspections. [/QUOTE]
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