The Treequines
Perhaps it was the expediency of their transition between worlds, maybe it was their potential as mages, or possibly even just the safety it would grant your followers in death. Either way, despite some initial hesitation, you elect to make your servant into an Eldritch type. You watch with admitted fascination as Servant morphed and twisted into a body that mortals would struggle to describe.
The body was like a serpentine jellyfish, with the translucent skin revealing its internal body. It was filled with a blue substance that produced an eerie glow as bolts of magic danced through its length, like lightning in slow motion. All along its body were many short, insect legs, arranged like a millipede's. The head was like that of a shell-less nautilus, with a host of thin yet lengthy tentacles about its beak-like maw, but with twelve eyes: three on each of the upper left, lower left, upper right, and lower right. All twelve were like hollowed stubs that twitched about to stare at one with a physically hollowed slit. The tail was...not there, the creature appearing to continually move from where it was emerging, as if it became a ghost at that end.
In the very center of it was a black...spine of sorts. One that moved with a ripple through it when it spoke. "Master, I am formed," Servant said, apparently happy with its completed self as the many legs danced against the air. You had to admit, whereas Chaos was overwhelming, your servant was more...not exactly beautiful, but awe-inspiring was a word you felt comfortable using.
All the same, you nodded to Servant before turning to keep your attention on the hunting Hunter. By this point, Shaded Gold had taken to the trees, leaping from branch to branch. It was a much quieter way to travel than one might expect, if one knew how to land properly by judging both the distance and the intended branch. But one misstep risked falling at worse and at best drawing a lot of attention to one's self. It was something only someone as skilled and experienced as Shaded should try out here, deep in unknown and hostile territory.
Turning you focus briefly back to camp, you deduced that Shaded was at least a mile away from the clearing, probably more. And, by the looks of it, Frozen Meadow and Quick Blade were getting a group ready to come searching for Shaded if he took too long. And that group included Thicket, which was good: If this DID turn into the first battle with the natives, the Kirin would need their heavy hitter. And if worst came to worst, AKA Shaded Gold dying out here, you could use Servant to order in the cavalry, hopefully.
You needed to give Servant a name, for your own sake if nothing else, which also highlighted your own need for one. But that could wait, this couldn't.
You come to a halt even as Shaded continued on, looking off to the side with surprise. Unless you are a hundred and ten percent wrong, you just found your missing Kirin. You call to Servant, whose form phased through physical matter without care, just as you could. "Yes, Master?" it answered dutifully. You give directions to grab Shaded's attention towards where you could sense his comrades. "As you will, Master," Servant responded with far more resolve than needed.
You observed your creation at work, its unseen body curling around the Kirin as it did something you found quite clever. Servant forced its magic into the physical world while remaining in the spiritual world. It wasn't much, but it was enough to cause Shaded to stop in alarm. And setting off his instincts from the right angle got his senses exactly where you wanted them to be: The softest flicker of light smoke in the distance, an even thicker and more distinct smell in the air of things both fruity and foul, and...
Something you both just noticed. The trees were...more in this direction. Not more as in the swamp was denser, but as in the plants themselves were thicker, and covered in more vines and moss. Which really didn't make sense. No matter how in tune with nature a race was, the flora should lessen towards their settlements and outposts, not increase. Unless they were completely primitive without civilization, maybe?
Servant released itself from Shaded, but remained close to him, sensing your wariness from the bond between servant and god. The Leader of the Hunters moved forward again, at a much more cautious pace, keeping to the lowest branches to avoid ambushes from above. You scowl, perceiving how boggy it was becoming below. Sneaking about down there would be hard without leaving evidence, if it came to that for Shaded.
Said hunter slowed his pace the closer he came to the light, noticing how the vines became thick and tangled the further he went. Not to mention little scuffs and dents in the bark, obviously a sign that some creatures frequented this location, sapient or not.
Being what you are, you are not bound by the same rules of distance and senses that Shaded is. With an idle command to Servant to keep an eye upon the Kirin, you pressed forward and reach the clearing and found...a mixture of things that you did and did not expect.
The group of Kirin were here, all five of them. And better yet, unharmed! But they were unguarded, or so it appeared. You were positive their captors were nearby, but none of your divine senses were screaming "trap" to you. However, they were bound with vines at the hooves, and a sap-like substance covered their horns. You examined it, sensing it was...not magic proof, per say, but magic resistant. Which, like this, was as good a magic-blocker. Still, even odder than all of that was, despite being bound and unguarded, they seemed to be well taken care of: they had been given food if the leftovers on the ground was anything to go by and they were laying upon logs around a camp fire. If not for the swamp's humidity this night, you'd expect them to be covered in blankets.
But...now that you thought about it, this scene still didn't add up. While the horn was important for magic, Kirin didn't need it to take on their Nirik forms. Could they have just been too worried about burning the whole area down in the fight, or causing an explosion?
Too many questions. Questions you could look into their minds for if your focus wasn't also on Shaded's approach and figuring out where in your undecided name were the natives lurking about? That was your one inherit disadvantage in this marsh. There was so much life, too much! Being so new to it, it was hard to find a sapient life form if you didn't actually know what you were looking for.
Your entire being twitched and jerked as you felt...something stir in the swamp. No, not stir. React. To you. The longer your direct attention lingered in one spot, the more your presence grew in it. While nothing divine, strictly, these beings had some form of sense for gods and such.
Which gave you a very wonderful, crazy idea.
You looked up towards where Shaded was watching and studying the site for traps that you knew didn't exist. Unknown to him, Servant was next to him, half floating and half curled around the branch. Servant, sensing your intent, cocked its eldritch head in confusion, but followed your desire all the same.
Just before Shaded was about to embark down, Servant flexed a bit of its own magical power, just enough to put Shaded on edge and give him pause. You, meanwhile, decided to flex massively.
Immature yet potent waves of your divine power washed over the spiritual side of the given area. The prisoners began to stir, your young bond with them already giving them the vaguest awareness of you. But they weren't your target.
All at once, the swamp came alive. Literally, in fact.
From the trees and swamp they rose, creatures of pure plant life given a form that imitated the life of more flesh and blood variety. You sensed Shaded's alarm, but ignored it for now as at least two dozen of these natives made their appearance. What caught your attention was the lack of fear from the prisoners at their captor's arrival.
Their forms shifted and differed, but they had the same general shapes and themes about them: They had the vaguest of equine forms. Some were too long or too tall, others too rounded in the wrong ways or scrawny in others, but the shape was definitely there. Their barrels were made of, or at least covered in, tree bark. A few even had branches and leaves upon their backsides. Their legs and necks consisted partially of twigs and sticks, filled with a semi-translucent, green material. Their faces appeared to be like a Kirin or pony, but the texture was like that of a fruit skin, and framed by manes of leaves.
They moved into the campsite, looking about with both curiosity and caution. They couldn't see you, but their eyes did linger on your spot sometimes. A lot of things made sense to you now. These...Treequines were by definition in tune to plant life. Generations of them living here probably not only gave them a sense for the forest itself and the divine, but there might actually be a proto-godling formed from the ages of Treequines living and dying here. Something to look into later. For now, you had a situation to control and possibly diffuse.
You can tell just by knowing who Shaded is that he will go for a surprise leap to catch the Treequines off guard and attempt to free his comrades. From here your options are limited.
You could keep Servant on standby, jumping in when and if Shaded is in need of back up. After all, Shaded had skill, instinct, and his Nirik form, but the Treequines had the homeland advantage, numbers and hostages.
Conversely, Servant could emerge immediately before Shaded has a chance to attack, and make the first blow itself, possibly settling the issue before Shaded even needed to be involved.
Of course, given Servant's ability to appear nigh instantly in the material world, it was possible to join the fray right when Shaded made the first move, forming a more unified front- assuming Shaded didn't assume Servant was an enemy from the get go.
But...was there another way? Something else you could try? After all, no one was hurt yet. Did a show of force need to be a show of death? After all, Servant wasn't just your warrior, but in many ways, your messenger...
Also LikedSimilarAuthor
- Wild Wire · 7.5k words · 127 4 · 4.5k views
- The-Third · 2.8k words · 18 12 · 1k views
- The Infinity Doctor · 9k words · 28 3 · 1.7k views
- Reizthefakebrony · 65k words · 79 9 · 3.3k views
- ArkKane · 4.9k words · 26 2 · 917 views
- Sanguine Blade · 3.9k words · 30 4 · 1.1k views
- The Bricklayer · 2k words · 37 5 · 1k views
- Midknight_Rose001 · 1.1k words · 44 4 · 2.1k views
Stats
Page generated in 0.254 seconds
Total duration
998 users online
2,367,127 hits today, 2,151,698 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I'd go for a tag team. Option C.
D try and get the Treequines under our influence
D. I could imagine the treequins proto god could be the first to horn your trinity.
I don’t know what exactly they should say but it should start with “Do not be afraid” for some biblical reference and so you don’t end up freaking out the treequins and shaded gold
Good to hear regarding your uncle.
I bow to you and your descriptions in this, particularly Servant and the Tree-quines. So deliciously detailed yet didn't feel like they interrupted flow at any point.
Option D - To try and bring a message of non-harm and possible co-habitation. Maybe appeal to them with regard to what our followers have been through to get here.
On a side note, and for absolutely no reason of gender, would love to see Servant with a name like Bob or Tiffany. Would be such an odd contrast with their form and appearance.
I think the treequins should either become hostile to the Kirin viewing their Nirik forms as a threat and we end up saving their proto-Godling or they should evolve to be bigger and sturdier over time because I honestly don’t think their current forms are bound to survive long in any combat scenario as they appear to be Guerrilla warriors
[D.] Servant the Messenger
"Hail, Creatures of the Grand Swamp. These Kirin are watched over by my Master, you have felt their presence. They desire the captive Kirin, swift return; as it is their duty. They wish no further conflict, but the other Kirin have become restless and worried, if not resolved soon, an unfortunate torch will be lit..."
Obviously has to be voice by Abathur
B
D
There is always another way, also if there is a proto godling among them then we could end up with two out of three in our Trinity. Most likely our god of life and death.
D. If we can score the treequines as alies, it may also add a new godling to our group and a population that knows this place very well.
Say something like how we don't want a fight.
It is also possible that the others did something that scared the treequines, say their nirik form.
So the treequines tied them up and blocked their magic.
Fighting dryads? Risky.
Fighting dryads in a swamp? Yeah, but Why?
Fighting an unknown number of dryads, in an unexplored swamp, when your motley society of refugees have barely finished pitching their tents?
What we have here is a classic example of best possible friend, worst possible enemy. One must be careful to consider consequence, and hordes or even packs of enraged dryads would be literal murder on our poor dragon-ponies. Shaded had no idea they were there, we couldn't even detect them. I want no part of that hypothetical pony-Vietnam.
On the other hand, our kirin appear to be in excellent shape, well cared for and unharmed. If these dryads had intended malice they've had ample opportunity, and if they intended an ambush they wouldn't have all come out to see what the big metaphysical "noise" was. If we can come to good terms then we will have befriended a society that knows the swamp like no other. Food, resources, danger, places where a settlement might be founded, places where disease or seasonal weather scourge, there is so much to gain for comparatively little risk.
"D", with all of my heart, "D".
"Greetings children of the greenwood, greetings from the One who shepherds the flame. You have stolen that which does not belong to you, what use have bole and bough for fire? Come, there is no need for wrath to kindle, let us talk and sow the seeds of harmony upon this fertile ground."
9944535
You ever see what ivy does to a stone wall? Trees are the strongest things there are, for all that they're so very slow. Treefolk are a good bit faster, and bone is a good bit weaker than stone. Don't assume that fire is the be-all and end-all either, green wood can be surprisingly difficult to light, not to mention the inherent problems in fighting trees with fire in a swamp.
D
Allies would be good and this could get us another godling, one that may look at us as a friend in the future if we bring it into our trinity and help to make it a proper godling rather than a proto-godling.
As for what to say, I'm not good with words myself, but something friendly and peaceful.
I'm glad your uncle is doing well!
As for the question, {D}. 100% They aren't openly hostile so far, they simply captured a brand new creature; they didn't even hurt anyone. Furthermore, we don't know much about this land, it would be wise for us to make them our ally. Furthermore, I want the prisoners and Gold to see Servant. Realizing that there's something supernatural watching over you is sure to start up worship.
As for our message...We shouldn't be rude, but we should firmly demand the release of our people. Once that's done, I want us to request their friendship within the wilderness. They know more about the Swamp than we do after all; having a teacher would be grand. But also, given that we don't have much to share in exchange for assistance, I think it'd be best to make it clear that there's a God involved; if they're spiritually connected, that alone to be enough to buy their favor.
9944523
That's the first thing I thought about, do you imagine a situation where godling have to say something like that?
"BOB, DO SOMETHING!!!"
media1.tenor.com/images/85882dbf7359ab7488d563848e5dd4aa/tenor.gif?itemid=12831998
66.media.tumblr.com/233a922359558c0f0930e32705c2b073/tumblr_pnamswPPUB1s7dhyjo3_500.gifv
D
It's kind of obvious, isn't it?
They kept Kirins safe and in good condition.
There is a possibility for a godling ally
A servant message should be something like that
"This is a message of my creator and God of Kirins(or another title that fits better), you already felt his presence,didn't you?.
Children of the forest, do not be afraid, we come with peace and good intentions.
We merely were concerned with the disappearance of Kirns you have captured
I don't see a reason to fight but only to work together in these troubling times
And if another God is here, please reveal yourself, We/I wish to talk, We/I wish to work in trinity, together"
Hm, dryads are spirituals, could they understand elf language or Thu'um?
So maybe use a translator to tell message in them elf , elvish engraving,Thu'um
Also what our godling gender is?
Or it will choose it later, with a name and form/avatar/body?
D. Try to communicate with the Treequines and see if we influence them
D. Servant the Messenger
Our servant/Bob lifts up his most nonthreatening appendage and says greeting children of the green Do not be afraid I am simply a messenger here on behalf of my creator the God of the Kirin who wishes to end this peacefully as he sees you without harmed his followers
9944686
I do agree in many ways that trees are better, however we are able to turn into literal beings of fire, green wood still burns just really smokily and if we chose a battlefield far from water or we started to try and drain a part of the swamp we could burn them. I am not suggesting war though as someone else pointed out it would be like Vietnam, probably worse since we don’t have napalm and we are in a swamp.
I imagine some may join us, however others would prefer to remain in their own lands. I imagine those who remain would eventually fear us and go isolationist. The others who join us would probably get bigger to better traverse the swamps and to just be a better help with larger forms. Just my opinion though
9944540
Abathur is great, but everything he represents is an existential threat to the natural order, but they don't know that. 🤣
9944684
I just realized something, if we had chosen a fire or metal elemental then we would have never been able to detect them. Worse if we had been able to detect them and they turned hostile. We likely dodged a bullet.
Going with wood might have been the best to negotiate with, and while retaining the precious crafting.
I also don't think they would respond to our daemons/Eldritch abominations very kindly. Nirik forms might have been what set them off. It depends on how they react to us tossing the natural order out the window. I think that even having MLP variants of elves influence how our civilization progress is not in our best interest. It depends on the ethics. Or if they are magical constructs being puppeteered by a potential God-ling of life. Or a combination of the above. Not to mention this gives one of our rivals, Frozen Meadow, a lot of power over our civilization very early on. We can't have that now can we ladz.
However, the other options are, do nothing or varying degrees of fight. Which would have been better with fire or metal. Diplomacy may just get us back the hostages as I don't think we can super charge our shard and win against the Treequines. The hostages are still in acceptable condition, so perhaps we can hope for the best. However if we can influence them, then we may just get out scott free. If they want us to leave, then we buy time to build up a force that can resist exposition, and eventual conquer the land. We still have the weapons from the airships, we still remain with viable options in case of hostilities.
9944686
I agree, but it will be harder to accelerate our technology without such direct involvement though elementals. Asymmetrical Warfare in a swamp is the preferred method of War. Implementing them as Guardians/Laborers would maximize their home field advantage. The servants of the potential new God-lings are tree-ants, calling it now.
Also https://www.quora.com/Why-is-bone-stronger-than-concrete-and-steel-and-how
D (everyone is on the same page)
For now we negotiate, if thing go well the resources they can provide us will be a boom. They may even posses some knowledge: bit of early tech, or knowledge of the land and its potential dangers. Their information would help our emerging society, even be a boom with establishing a major settlement. Future trade would also be on the table. I would hate it if they were a staunch traditionalist people. If we can influence the protogod-ling then we win the swamp.
Take care of your Uncle
As for a speech
“Do not be afraid! I am the servent of the Shepard of these creatures, the Kirin, we only ask for peace, however we are not weak and we will fight you, wee wish for our people back and will leave you in turn!... Wah aak do daar joriin Zu'u laan wah grind hi ahst zok lok himdah ko nix un hof!”
I added the Dovahzuul for the other Godling and it translates roughly to “To the guide (I think Shepard has a better ring to it but there is no word for it) of these people I request to meet you at the highest lands in between our dwellings!”
I vote for D.
"Hello, I come to talk. Don't be afraid.
Master says hi, and wants to know what are you doing with the Kirins he's watching out for. You don't seem to be hurting them, bu he's a bit worried since you got them here without warning.
Oh, and Master is standing over there."
... Now that I think about it, looking as an eldritch is going to make first contact... interesting.
Servant is like an angel in that way.
D.
"Greetings folk of the trees.
I have come to ask for the release of the kirin you have captured. My Master, the patron of the Kirin people, wishes that
for the Kirin and your kind to become friends. This swamp y ppl u know better than the Kirin and they have Knowledge they could share with you.
All they want is a place to settle after fleeing the Crystal Empire.
If this is acceptable to you then release your captives to the kirin that will show up looking for them."
D.
They haven't hurt our followers yet, and the proto-godling of the tree-quines, if it even exists, could eventualy take one of the two vacant slots on our patreon.
So let's start with a we come in peace. But be ready to burn everything down should they prove hostile withouth good reason.
D
Obvious choice is obvious. Not that any other vote has a chance at this point.
As for what should be said, I'd suggest something along the lines of this.
"Greetings mortals. I come bearing a message from the unnamed"
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XHFy3YWpRx8
Or if that's too meta.
"Greetings mortals. I come bearing a message from the unnamed.
'You have left my people unharmed, if inconvenienced. I would like them back.
That said, I would also ask that you bring forth your leader so we may negotiate the continued presence of my people and their cohabitance with your own'
That is all."
We have to consider how our decisions affect us from the moment we make them, and what results may come decades, centuries, and/or millennia from now.
This is super important for decisions that are permanant once made, like what type of servant to make.
An eldrich servant is quite versitile, it can possibly assist any application of external magic, it can collect straggling/lost souls, it can easily hop dimensions.
An eldrich servant will not become useless when times change.
A feral servant could easily become useless down the road, which would be bad.
A feral becoming useless when kirins don't need to fight may motivate our charges to pick more fights.
9947805
Wait are you suggesting our servant sing Because That is so funny if hs Could
I mean I can picture it now out of nowhere this jellyfish creature comes out of Finnair and just start singing you’ve got a friend in me
That’s something I really want to see now
And it would technically be in line with this world since every conflict can be solved with a musical number
9948755
Amazing. Imagine Servant in a little red salsa dress, squeezing their appendages into some high heels and tap dancing. From somewhere within the mass of eldritch horror, a grovely voice booms out.
"HELLO MY BABY HELLO MY HONEY! HELLO MY RAGTIME GAAAAAAL!"
I will give my vote to D.
"Greetings, dwellers of the swamp. Do not be alarmed, I come in peace and bearing a message from my master. 'We/I do not wish to bring you any harm. We/I came here out of concern for the Kirin under my/my masters protection. We/I wish for you to return them back to us, unharmed. We/I would also wish to speak with your leader, as to establish a treaty of sorts. Co-operation would be beneficial for all. Bring forth your leader if you wish to negotiate, if not, we are willing to leave peacefully.' That is all."
That's the best I could come up with, in terms of a message.
If we are to fight despite our best efforts at negotiations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7qkQewyubs
Small question but exactly how many followers do we have I know we have a lot of Kirin and I know we have one dragon but do we have any other different species and if we do would they be mentioned in the story later
If it's not too late to vote, I vote D.
The message being something along the lines of 'we come in peace' 'we'd like our people back' 'we'd like to coexist' others have put it more elegantly, so I'll defer to them on wording.
D because if there's potential for getting a treequine god apart of the trinity, it would be through peace. Message should be simple like "greetings children of the swamp (magic will bulldoze through any language barriers); If i'm not too late that is
.
9950883
And this actually could work in diffusing the tension... not saying that I agree... baka
I vote D, "Peace children of the swamp, we come to find what happened to our missing friends. The Kirins you have in your camp. We are new to this land and would like to work together with you."
Servant will provide aid so. Option:C. Also grind the treehorses into the dirt then burn the corpses to nothing but ash and charcoal.
Also name for servant: Styx Gaia
So that's why I'm looking at tree-things... Now, if I'm correct, these beings may have one like Us bonded to them, but They did not have the benefit of Our... introduction to Divinity, for lack of a better term. As We have decided a Trinity is ideal for us, this Godling may be a good candidate for the Life/Death aspect. If that happens, We would be best suited to the Mind/Heart aspect, with the Material/Immaterial aspect left open for another to join Us.
But much of that is for Us to decide later. For now, I suggest We choose D. As for the wording... hmm... how about:
"Fear not, beings of bark and branch! We intend no threat to your kind, and are willing to coexist in peace should you release our charges.
In fact, We would very much like to meet with your own Guardian, as We feel that working together may benefit both of our peoples far more than either of us could alone."
There's still part of me that says it could be worded even better, but I feel the core structure is sound.
Hope your uncle is alright, by the way when’s the next chapter?
10146552
Interesting so your theory is that these tree creatures are servants to another god? I think that’s what I got from your sentence,
10146552
A thought I had while waiting for Our collective choice to be decided here: if the Changelings have a similarly-young Godling, said entity would likely fill that Immaterial/Material aspect of Our Trinity quite nicely. Of course, that assumes the Treequine Godling agrees to our plan...
[D]
Reason: This is a great opportunity to
1: Get more followers. (Results: get more experienced followers of the local area, which can equal more resources, food, and protection.) [Has a chance to fail, if not done right.]
2: Show your existence to your current followers, and basically say "I'm your God, and I'll protect you." (All so you can choose a name and tell them it) [100% chance of telling them that etheir you, or something else (that they don't know anything about) exist, and is watching over them.]
3: To show your power. [If done right will inspire loyalty among your followers.]
I might be new to the party but I chose option... E: personal intervation!
Takes form of a minor merical thats free the hosteges from their bonds and fills all Kirin in the area to retreat.
It will be draining on our young godling but it will show that somthing greater is watching over them.
if not exaptable... D
Can you tell me the name of the CYOA you used? And the link to it? Thanks!^_^
10636445
Not yet! Sorry, keeping that a secret until all choices based on it are done.
10636683
Nuts.
Ok.
Guess I'll just have to look on Google and maybe stumble across it.
D
Since they haven't hurt anyone yet.
C and D
[D]
Slaughter them all and send a message to their pathetic proto-God! BURN THOSE DISGUSTING TREES TO THE GROUND.I mean, uh... talk to them. Yes.
when is the next chapter its been almost three years?
If the author comes back to this story, then option D is my choice.
This fic is dead, isn't it now.:(