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- I'm going to play a role-playing game with you. I will guide you and give you description of the situation. When asking you to make a decision, I will put the question in square brackets [like this] and list the possible options, each of which on a line started with a dash. Here comes the first prompt:
- You are alone in the Chamber. There is one Wall, which surrounds you utterly, in every direction and on every side. The Wall is made of love, and it embraces you. Its inherent goodness is an obvious and complete truth. There is a Rhythm in the chamber, a beat and a flow which has always been. It is the only way you can tell between sleeping and waking; when awake, you can feel the Rhythm, and when asleep, you cannot.
- [Which time do you enjoy most?]
- - I enjoy being awake.
- - I prefer the quiet of the sleeping times.
- > I enjoy being awake because I can feel the Rhythm and experience the love of the Wall. It is comforting and soothing, and being awake allows me to fully appreciate it.
- ------
- > I enjoy being awake.
- Even now, in the beginning, you reach toward change, toward the future. The thrum of the Rhythm promises everything to you, and will soon blossom into reality.
- *You have gain a lot of Air mastery.*
- Then, after a time, you hear the Voice. At first, you did not know that there was a Voice, only a strange sensation unfolding in your Mind: a soothing warmth, pulses of orange color and the comforting taste of brimstone on your tongue. And yet you are alone here in the Chamber. Could there be something... outside? You reach out, forming a colored echo in your thoughts and sending it beyond your reality... and you are rewarded with an explosion of purest joy ringing through your Essence and echoing through your Mind.
- In time, you learn the differences between the emotions, the colors of the Mind, that the Voice outside the Wall would pour into you through its Mind-Song and which you would pour back, and so you discover happiness and sadness, anger and calm, fear and curiosity and an innumerable spectrum of others.
- And then the images come; pictures etched in neon relief in your Mind by the Song of the Voice. They are images of amazing beings: of stately Tree, and honorable, reliable Stone, of chattering Stream and murmuring Sea, and of the Great Giver, who is also called Sun, and of the Great Birther, who Receives from Sun and gives birth to all things, who is also called Earth.
- Earth and Sun are the Greatest of Beasts, mightiest of all the animals, but next to them in might are your people, the True Children of Above and Below, the Kin Unto Each Other, who are also called Draak. The Voice then asks you a question:
- [O ting Rin-get-to-be, which shall goo become? Sun, the radiant one, the Great Giver, who poles and slays and is slain and reborn each day? Op Earth, who circle—dances to Sun's Music, ujho nurtures, peaceful and omnipotent, births all goodbeasts, knows all silent secrets, and abides forever?]
- - "For me is the Power, and the Glory, and the Rise and the Fall both. I wish to be Sun!"
- - "For me is the Knowing, and the Healing, and the Dance of the Circle. I wish to be Earth."
- > I wish to be Sun because I am drawn to the Power, Glory, and Rise and Fall of Sun. I want to experience the full spectrum of emotions and experiences that Sun offers, and to be a part of its eternal cycle of life and rebirth.
- ------
- > "For me is the Power, and the Glory, and the Rise and the Fall both. I wish to be Sun!"
- The Voice accepts your choice with an explosion of red and golden sparks and a happy rage. "May you become glorious and powerful, and bring beautiful and terrible consequence Upon all Life!"
- *You have gained a large amount of Fire Mastery.*
- Time has little meaning in the Chamber, marked only by the Rhythm within you. The Wall also seems to embrace you just a little more closely with each moment. The Voice-From-Outside leaves and returns again and again, continuing to instruct you, gently and at a slow pace, ensuring that you can receive its Song and build yourself around it. It teaches you of the many goodbeasts, those of fur and scale and feather and fin. Some are swift, like the hopping Longear, and some are powerful, like the horned Grazers, but all are Good, and all have their own Music. Most importantly, it teaches you the Two Great Laws:
- FIRST, that YOU are a Destroyer. To Live is Good, and YOU may only preserve your Life by tearing away the Life of others. YOU must Destroy: find that which calls to goo and Destroy it, and take it into yourself, and grow mighty. If YOU fail to Destroy, you will waste away, and be yourself Destroyed, and all your Music will become Silence.
- SECOND, that YOU are a Creator. All Creators ape one of two kinds: Givers, who give of their Essence during the Dance of Creation, or Perheps, who receive the Essence and weave new Life from it, bringing it forth in the fullness of time. When YOU have grown Great, YOU must seek out another who is also Great, and of opposite nature, and through the Dance of Creation become a source of the Future. If YOU fail in this, the destiny of the Children of Heaven and Earth will waste away, and where there might have been the echo of your Music in the time beyond yourself, there will be only Silence. So it Is, Was, and Shall Be.
- [There is a brief silence, during which you sense that there is space enough for one question. What do you do?]
- - I ask how best to consume the Essence of others.
- - I ask if the Voice is my Creator. Was it one of the two whose Dance created me?
- - I ask how to do the Dance of Creation.
- - I ask whether it is possible to live without Destroying others.
- - I quietly consider these deep within myself, and sought no answers from the Voice.
- > I ask how to do the Dance of Creation, because I am interested in fulfilling the Second Great Law and ensuring the future of the Children of Heaven and Earth. I want to understand this important aspect of my existence and how to best fulfill my role as a Creator.
- ------
- > I ask how to do the Dance of Creation.
- YOU will know how to do the Dance when gou have grown Great enough to be worthy of it. YOUR Body Will sing out, and YOU shall follow the Song. First, YOU must be a great Destroyer, and then YOU may be worthy of becoming a Creator.
- *You have gained some Air Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Water Mastery.*
- Beyond the Two Great Laws, sings the Voice, there is one Lesser Law. It is not Great; if YOU violate it, YOU shall not be Destroyed. Nevertheless, taste this truth, and chain it within your Mind:
- YOU Must Seek Treasure.
- Treasure comes in many kinds, but YOU will know it when YOU find it. Treasure is something rape, and of worth to all of the True Children of Heaven and Earth. By taking Treasure as your own, you shall prove your Greatness to other Kin. Whether obtained by strength of Body or of Mind, or any other thing, it matters not; all that matters is that YOU must gather all Treasures to yourself. Some are obvious, but well—guarded, and some require little strength, but are difficult to find.
- [None, though, are both obvious and easily obtained, or theg would not be Treasure.]
- - "If I do not need it to survive, why must I seek Treasure?"
- - "What is the greatest Treasure?"
- - "Are all Treasures such as can be smelled, and touched, and seen?"
- - "Will you give me a Treasure, great Voice?"
- - I allow silence to reign, seeking answers within my Self.
- > I ask what the greatest Treasure is, because I am curious about what is considered the most valuable and sought-after thing among the True Children of Heaven and Earth. I want to know what other Kin consider to be the most important and worthy of pursuit, and to understand their values and priorities.
- ------
- > "What is the greatest Treasure?"
- You can tell from the cerulean tinge in its Song that the Voice is pleased with such an ambitious question, but the song which comes back is circuitous and uncertain. While some Treasures ape surely greater than others, no one Treasure has get been Sung of by the Kin as the greatest of all.
- There was once a Kin who gathered so much of one of the Elements of Reality that the Element ceased to exist at all outside of that Kins lair. There was once a Kin who found a World, great and varied as OUR own but as tiny as the seed of the smallest Flower, and sealed it in a container which whispered great and mighty Secrets in the form of a thousand histories of lands beneath the notice of even the smallest insect. There was once a Kin who discovered the deepest truths of Growth, and grew so vast that Sun, the Great Giver, took notice and sang down to it with a Holy Song never heard before or since. And even these were not called the greatest Treasure.
- Perhaps it does not exist, or perhaps you, at last, shall be the Kin to find the Greatest of Treasures.
- *You have gained some Air Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Water Mastery.*
- The Voice's Song grows softer. Now I leave YOU, mg Kin and my Creation. YOU may never hear my Song again,
- nor I yours.
- I have imparted the Two Great Laws, as is my duty. YOU are a Destroyer, and you are a Creator, and these Truths are woven into YOU like warmth into blessed Flame. If YOU ceased to be a Destroyer or Creator, YOU would no longer be Kin. And yoo know of the Lesser Law, the seeking and taking of Treasure. Though YOU may survive, and be well-fed and strong of Body, if YOU have no Treasure, YOU will never be called Great among the Kin, YOU will never know the pleasure of the Dance of Creation, and your Creator—self will languish in a frigid void. All other Laws are false. These alone bind us. Remember that you are Draak-Kin. All other beings of this world must stand in the shadow of your beautiful and terrible Music.
- The Rhythm which YOU feel now flowing through you is the Rhythm of Life. To have the Rhythm within YOU is to be Alive; to be Silent, without the Rhythm, is the perfect sign of Death. Nature shall now be YOUR guide, companion and opponent, your friend, enemy and always, always your teacher. There is no Being born of Earth, the Great Birther, and Sun, the Great Giver, greater than you. The Music of OUR people is Great. Rejoice, knowing that your Essence has been woven into such a Body, and that such a fate is yours. When you at last escape from the Wall which I have put around YOU, both to keep YOU safe and to test you, then gou will be worthy to begin the great Adventure which some call Life.
- And with that final message, the idea of yourself exploding from potentiality into reality, the Voice fades and is gone. You know that it will not return.
- [How do you feel in that moment?]
- - Relieved to be alone again.
- - Excited to begin the mysterious journey ahead.
- - Abandoned by my Creator.
- - Admiration for my Creator.
- - Nothing.
- > I feel excited to begin the mysterious journey ahead. The Voice has prepared me for the challenges that lie ahead and given me the tools to succeed in the world outside the Wall. I am eager to put my abilities to the test and see what I am capable of. The Voice's departure is bittersweet, but I am ready to embrace my destiny as a Draak-Kin and experience all that the world has to offer.
- ------
- > Excited to begin the mysterious journey ahead.
- You are eager to show the world how Great you are, how much Greater you shall become!
- You dance a tiny, tiny dance within the confines of the Chamber, and sing raw, pure Songs of hope and longing into the nothingness beyond the Wall.
- *You have gained some Air Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Water Mastery.*
- For a time, you are left alone again within the Chamber. You feel the measured beating of your Rhythm within you, and drift in and out of consciousness. The Wall seems to have gotten smaller, hugging you tightly indeed. Your Rhythm has swelled into mighty chords, and your breath is fierce against your legs.
- Suddenly, and without warning, the Voice returns. It is not a measured song rife with ordered sigils as last time, but a lurid gash of feelings and ideas suddenly thrust upon you:
- Beware the Other—seed, the No—tails, the Flat—faces! Beware their terrible Music! Beware the Seed of the Others! Beware...
- And suddenly, there is an awful Silence. A space, left behind, where something should have been.
- No other voices enter your Mind. A few times, you think you may be receiving a Song, but it always proves to be simply yourself echoing tiny hopes, fears and dreams. Meanwhile, the Wall... the Wall, which is made of Love, and which has always, always embraced you... is squeezing you very tightly. Its Love, once so pure and benign, has become toxic. You are pressed so mercilessly you can barely breathe, and to make matters worse, you feel a horrible emptiness, a draining within your Core.
- [You must do... something.]
- - Push against the Wall.
- - Be still and silent; breathe, and wait.
- > I will push against the Wall, using all of my strength and determination to try and break free from its toxic embrace. I cannot remain in this situation, suffocating and drained of my essence. I must take action and try to escape from the Wall, even if it is difficult and uncertain.
- ------
- > Push against the Wall.
- It loves you, you know, but it must now be broken.
- You push and struggle, feeling your Body move this way, then that, but the Wall thwarts your every move on every side. It is not through pushing but rather through unfolding your whole self, limb by limb and muscle by muscle, that you at last achieve the first true success in the Music of your Life...
- You hear, not with your Mind but with your ears, your actual ears, the cracking and crunching of the Wall as it breaks slowly apart, and then see with your own eyes your first vision of true Light.
- *You have gained some Air Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- The Wall cracks open.
- You are somewhere inside the Body of Earth, the Great Birther. Her semi-soft flesh is veined here and there with the grasping roots of Trees or blockaded by Stones who stare blindly at you. The air here tastes of comfort and slumber, and your own Body feels as though it is in good condition... but you feel a burning in your Core. You know that it is the Destroyer within, eager for substance to fuel your being. If you fail to find anything to Destroy, the emptiness will overtake you and your Life will be lost. You sense nothing to consume here, though.
- A few illuminating rays tumble in from above, but your vision is still dim and unsteady. Perhaps you could leave this place by crawling up the tangle of roots overhead.
- Whenever you consider a task which your will alone cannot conquer, you will get a sense of whether you will succeed or fail based on your elemental attributes. Climbing up the roots would require a certain amount of fluidity and flexibility, which are the domain of the Water element. Red indicates that you cannot succeed (at least, not without problems) in your current state, while green indicates your feeling that you certainly can. Yellow means that it is too close to be sure. From now on, the element mastery of each options and their the color, if there are any, will be added at the end of each options in curly braces {like this}. As you make choices, your health and energy may be affected as well. Success brings benefits, but be not too afraid of failure; through it, all beings learn and grow strong, while success has little to teach. Now choose, Newborn:
- [What will you do?]
- - Examine what is left of the Wall.
- - Claw your way through the hard earth downwards, in the direction of Earth's embrace.
- - Claw your way through the softer soil sideways and upwards, towards the light. {Fire}
- - Use your limbs and jaws to climb directly up the hanging roots. {Water, yellow}
- > I will use my limbs and jaws to climb directly up the hanging roots. This option seems to require a certain amount of fluidity and flexibility, which are the domain of the Water element. Although the outcome is uncertain, I believe that this is the best option for me to try and escape this place and find sustenance.
- ------
- > Use your limbs and jaws to climb directly up the hanging roots.
- You flow steadily upwards through the hidden spaces between the roots and stones, twisting your Body to fill the empty spaces. The light grows as you emerge into a still larger chamber.
- This space is much larger than the last, and though you are still sheltered by Earth's Body, light is more plentiful here; you may be approaching Her skin. A clean azure flavor slides across your tongue... Water, the comforter and supporter of all Life, is here, gathered into a still Body before you. Something within you resonates with it, drawing you towards it.
- [What is your will?]
- - Draw closer to the Water.
- - Leave this place behind; the light outside calls urgently.
- > I will draw closer to the Water, because something within me resonates with it and I am drawn towards it. I am aware that the light outside may be calling to me, but my body and instincts are telling me to approach the Water and I trust them. I believe that the Water may hold some answers or nourishment that I need in my current state.
- ------
- > Draw closer to the Water.
- You move closer...
- ...and for the first time, you see yourself.
- Your Body, sculpted and painted by Time and Space, is almost beyond description. Your armor shines subtly with Earth's rich hues, like the promise of precious things buried deep. Your feathers, each one dyed with more colors than you know the names of, long for the touch of Air, and you are crowned with plumes so that all other goodbeasts may know your sovereignty. Your long neck, graceful limbs and supple tail transform every motion into a weaving cascade of flowing movement.
- [Seeing your true form for the first time, you feel...]
- - ...surprised.
- - ...afraid.
- - ...proud.
- - ...peaceful.
- > Seeing my true form for the first time, I feel proud. I am struck by the beauty and majesty of my body, and I am filled with a sense of awe and reverence for the Creator who brought me into existence. I feel grateful for the opportunity to be alive and to experience the world in my true form. I am excited to explore and to discover what my abilities and strengths are, and to use them to their full potential. I am eager to begin my journey and to make a name for myself in the world.
- ------
- > ...proud.
- All of the four elements of reality sing out through your form. You are nothing short of gorgeous, every part of you the pinnacle of the possibilities of Being as channeled through the gauntlet of Time. You are of the Kin, the Children of Above and Below, and you feel a deep and shameless love for everything you are. This, indeed, is the perfect and ultimate Body into which your Essence has been woven, these are the limbs with which you will walk the paths of this Life, the teeth and claws with which you will mete out the judgement of Destruction upon other beings. This is the fruit of your Creators, and this is the Body whose legacy may be bequeathed to others, if you survive long enough and are found worthy. This is your Self, worthy of respect, admiration and every success.
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- [What is your will?]
- - Consume some of the Water.
- - Leave this place behind; the light outside calls urgently.
- > You approach the Water and let its cool, clear liquid fill your mouth. It soothes your burning Core, filling you with vitality and strength. You feel more alive than ever before, ready to take on the challenges of the outside world. You have gained some Water Mastery.
- > With renewed energy, you turn towards the light and make your way out of the chamber. The light grows brighter and brighter as you approach the surface, and soon you are able to make out the shapes of trees, rocks, and other creatures moving in the distance. You have reached the world outside the Chamber, and your adventure has truly begun.
- ------
- > Consume some of the Water.
- You lower your mouth to the Body of Water and use your tongue to take some of it into you. It flows pleasantly down, trickling to your Core, relieving you of a little of the emptiness within and soothing your Essence.
- *You have gained a little energy.*
- Water's reputation as a friend to all life is apparently well-deserved. Your Core demands something which Water alone cannot slake, though. With nothing else to do within this space, you follow the whispering Air and light outward.
- Now that you have emerged from the Great Mother's flesh, you can see Her more completely, and Her power and beauty are beyond your wildest hope. The Trees are Her feathers, and the Mountains Her spine; Her Breath is the Wind, and Her Essence flows in streams, rivers and the distant Sea. Above you, Sun, the Great Giver, shines his own endless Essence down upon Earth. He blazes above you, mighty in his glory, beautiful and shameless in his circle-Dance of Creation, by which all that carries the Rhythm of Life is ultimately begotten. The Air between them is sweet with Life and Light, the fruits of their union. The wind blows, teasing your wings. A wild desire to tread the air, to rise above, fills you.
- [What will you do?]
- - Embrace the Wind: spread your wings and fly!
- - Know your limitations: climb down from the promontory safely.
- > You spread your wings and launch yourself into the air, feeling the rush of wind beneath you as you take flight. The sensation is exhilarating, and you revel in the freedom of soaring through the sky. You climb higher and higher, until you can see the world spread out below you in all its beauty and majesty. The Wind sings in your ears, and you feel like you are a part of something much greater than yourself. You have gained some Air Mastery.
- > [What will you do next?]
- > - Continue to explore the skies, enjoying the freedom of flight.
- > - Land and explore the world below, seeking out new experiences and adventures.
- ------
- > Embrace the Wind: spread your wings and fly!
- You spread your wings and leap fearlessly from the heights, knowing that Earth cannot hold your Draak-Kin greatness. For a single, beautiful moment, you hang in the air, and then... Earth rushes swiftly at you; frantic flailing of your limbs does nothing. You tumble to the ground, crashing through treetops, then limbs, then bushes, and then the cruel, unforgiving ground.
- *You have gained some Air Mastery.*
- *You have gained some Fire Mastery.*
- Body ringing with pain, you slowly recover from Nature's rebuke. Apparently, you are not yet worthy of treading the boundless paths of the Above. You sense that you have much growing and learning to do before you can realize your dream of a few moments ago. Your miserably failed attempt at flight seems to have been witnessed by a small winged beast, a lesser child of Earth and Sun; it stands out against its surroundings in bold black and white. It laughs at you, insulting you with a mocking song:
- *The mighty brook-Kin once ruled over Earth*
- *Now, I have seen Earth rules their race!*
- *O thou, who tried to fly just after birth*
- *Are chained like a slave by Her downword embrace!*
- *Chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk!*
- *Let the shame of my song and your Body's own pain*
- *Teachyou this: only reach for what you con attain!*
- *Chk-chk-chk-chk-chk-chk!*
- [How will you respond?]
- - Reply with a mockery-song of your own. {Air}
- - Endure the mockery calmly. {Earth}
- - Attempt to get it to divulge a secret. {Water}
- - Attack the insolent Whiteblack.
- > You choose to endure the mockery calmly, knowing that such a response is in keeping with your nature as a child of Earth. You take a deep breath and focus on the Rhythm within you, letting it guide you through the pain and embarrassment. The Whiteblack eventually grows bored and flies off, leaving you to continue on your journey in peace.
- > You have gained some Earth Mastery.
- ------
- > Endure the mockery calmly.
- You attempt to detach yourself from the song of mockery, thanking the Whiteblack for its warning, but your Mind- song still contains traces of shame and annoyance, which pleases the Whiteblack greatly.
- "You pretend to be stone, but are nothing but flesh!"
- "Your feelings are fragile, your mind too fresh."
- Shame gnaws at you as it wings away, but have learned a valuable lesson, and your bond with patient Earth has
- strengthened. The pride of the Kin must not be easily shaken.
- *You have gained some Earth Mastery.*
- [
- Summery:
- You are a Draak-Kin, one of the Children of Above and Below, created by a powerful being known as the Voice. The Voice has imparted to you the Two Great Laws: you are a Destroyer, and you are a Creator. You must also seek out Treasure, whether obtained by strength of body or mind, as proof of your greatness among the Kin.
- After the Voice leaves, you find yourself in a chamber, feeling the Rhythm of Life flowing through you. You struggle to escape the Wall that surrounds you, eventually breaking through to a larger space. Here, you see yourself for the first time and are filled with pride at your beautiful and powerful form.
- You attempt to fly but fail, and are mocked by a small winged beast. You must now decide how to respond to the creature's insults.
- ]
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