Solo A Forest Found III

[Crylon Stonecraft]

32 Winter 520 N & A Challenge Day 2 Waking Crylon once more felt a pressure on his bladder. But along with this he felt the cloak wrapped around him that he was laying atop, and a dryness in his throat. If nothing else his stomach seemed settled, and did not gurgle of froth as he rose. Taking a quick drink and relieving himself a bit away from his camp, Crylon focused on his next task. The sun was rising, and he did not want to waste the day, and so set off at once after feeding the fire which had diminished over night. This took a few chimes or poking and prodding and adding wood before he felt safe leaving it alone. Before he was getting dried dead wood, for use in burning. Now though he needed something alive and strong to make a overhang. Looking about he searched for the straightest branches he could find of a proper length, quickly snapping it off its tree. Then he carefully worked down the branch, removing the offshoots and using his Isurian limb to smooth the surface where these were broken off. He kept this up until the wood narrowed too much, snapping this off and smoothing the end. He set this aside and repeated this process another four times, until he had five total smoothed and straight limbs. His idea was of a simple structure, the short side upward, the longer one on the diagonal and serving as a foot. And then the fifth to connect the two ends. The entire thing would lean against a tree, covering himself and the firecircle, with a bit of room for his things. Taking a long and short Crylon fixed the two ends together, and then working the wood like clay he twisted and turned them such that each branches wood formed a single knot. It was easier than making nails, and something only an Isur could do. The wood was not truly fused, but mixed and melded in a sort of way by the artificial knot so that it would not easily come apart. He did this on each side until the wood seemed solid in how it held. Then he took up the other two similarly sized length of wood, and repeated the process. Twisting and knotting the wood on each side until it held together. He took each of these parts of the frame and laid them against the fifth piece, repeating the knotting process on the top of each side so that it held to the cross piece. This done he picked up the frame and set it against the tree, finding it was a bit lopsided but serviceable. He added more limbs to the frame, packing them in tightly, until a simple structure was formed. He finished this off by packing in the holes and cracks between with leaves and bits of mud. It would not hold forever, but long enough he hoped till he got out of there. And besides, Crylon reminded himself, if he was stuck there long term he could just build a cabin or something by felling trees. Though for that he would likely need an axe or a better cutting tool, something other than his arm... WC: 534

[Crylon Stonecraft]

33 Winter 520 N & A Challenge Day 3 Heading back to the stream to once more refill his waterskin, Crylon smiled at his task planned for the day. Today he planned to work with stone, something he as an Isur particularly relished. Though admittedly not in such a way as to be as fine as the great stoneworks of Sultros. But still, stone! After filling his waterskin Crylon checked the smooth larger stones he had set aside to dry, smiling as he deposited them in his pack. He kept most of his items in his bag he carried around, at least the main ones he did not want to risk losing. Once back at the camp he set the two stones aside in front of the fire, and considered before beginning his work. Focusing on one stone he pictured the final product in his mind. A bowl, something made of stone he could use and place within the fire to cook things that wouldn't burn like wood. Using the stone as the base he pictured it flexing and shifting until a smooth clean flat bottomed bowl was left. A flat bottom, with smoothly curving upward edges that formed into the shape of the bowl and the smooth circular rim at the top. Then using his hand he began his work on making this a reality. Flexing the stone he began to flatten out one portion, while digging in and smoothing upward around the sides. This was tricky as he only had the one hand that could work this, which forced him to use the other hand to move and shift and turn the stone as he worked it. A union of the two where each served a purpose and did not sit idle. As he worked the stone crept upward and out, leaving a small hollow within with he flattened. This slowly curved upward with a push here, a press there, and another moving over on this side... By the time he was done it looked like an odd cross between a plate and a bowl, or a heavily lipped plate, rather than the clean flat bottomed bowl Crylon had imagined. But he believed it would suit his needs, and was not narrow enough anywhere that he worried about breakage or leaking. With that done he grabbed the other piece of stone, one he wanted to form into an axe head. This however was tricky, a triangle of sorts of the stone which he needed to fix with a handle. He pictured this forming into a solid head, but with a hole tunneled into it on one spot. This tunnel would also go outward, forming a cross of sorts, letting the wood handle go upward through the stone and a small wooden pin going through the side to fix it in place. As before he began by molding and moving the pieces into the vague shape he wanted, twisting and flattening here, making a side here and here... Then a jutting forward bit here... Pressing and molding to flatten it, and then here... And once he had that done, he was left with a wedge like surface, though without a real cutting edge. That though he planned to leave for last. Picking with a single finger he pulled and spread bits, trying to make the hole for the handle. He realized then that when he pulled off bits completely they snapped, no longer a part of the main stone. Once apart it was not so easy to add them back, and he was left with a larger stone thing and then a oddly shaped and smashed stone pebble. By the time he had hollowed out the part for the handle he had accidentally made several more pebbles. Even more as he cut out the sides, using his nail to cut and scrape more finely along the side to make the opening for the crosspiece. With this tactic he then made the head of the axe, scraping with his nails to make the front into a point rather than a rough wedge. Overall it looked rather horrid, only vaguely an axe in name, but he felt enough so that it would suit its purpose. The wood was easier to work, checking and fitting by getting a solid bit of wood and molding it into a form that would fit within the hole. At the end he had a somewhat longish axe handle, but one that fitted within the head. And lastly was the pin, a bit of wood excess he scraped and smashed into a thin rod like shape, one that fit within the small hole on the side. This would serve as a holder to keep the handle in place within the stone axe head, roughly at least. With a smile on his face Crylon looked down at his rough works, two horrid but serviceable bits of stone work that none in his family would allow be sold by any of their family. WC: 825

[Crylon Stonecraft]

34 Winter 520 N & A Challenge Day 4 It was the fourth day Crylon had been in the forest, and his stomach was hollow. His only food so far had been the berries, ones that unfortunately had induced vomiting rather than being edible. At this point he was getting quite hungry, and was hoping to chance upon a mushroom or such thing that he was familiar with. Of course, thinking back to the berries, there was the chance these could also be poisonous. But at this point hunger was becoming a concern, and he needed to eat if he was to make the trek to the big X. Each day he spent some time searching, working his way towards it. He also made sure to note anything else he saw. Possible sources of food, clean water, or anything else. So far he had managed to steer clear of any animals that were dangerous, but he felt this was more out of luck than anything else. He had his pack in hand, and another simple wooden spear he had melded from wood using his Isurian limb. He kept at least one with him at all times, partly to serve as a weapon or distraction if attacked, and partly to use as a marker should he find a point he needed to remember. Walking along he saw a fallen log, and wondered if some mushrooms might be living on its underside. Fungus and such things did like dead and rotting things, and the absence of light, so it seemed possible. As he rolled it over several things quickly skittered out, hairy spiders skittering away. Other things though seemed slower than,and moved about beneath the log. At first Crylon frowned at the sight, but then his frown turned into a grimace. Insects... Insects might not look nice, but... But they were food technically. After all birds and things at them. So why couldn't he? Even the day before he would not have considered such a thing, but today... Today his hunger outweighed his disgust. Reaching down he picked up a odd bulbous and smooth brown insect, looking it over. He did not see anything that looked like a stinger on a bee, or fangs on a spider... Nothing that indicated poison. Taking out stone bowl plate from his bag, Crylon set the thing inside and moved to crush it. However the bug seemed to as much pop as crush, leaving an odd pulpy somewhat solid substance in the bowl. Darting out his tongue he tasted the mess, nearly retching. It however was not foul, sour, rotten, or putrid... And so with a grimace he moved down and slurped the mess up. Crylon managed to halt his gag reflex as the thing went down his throat, an odd motion that made him feel like the thing was still alive. Shaking his head he looked down, and with resignation picked up several more of the odd bulbous things, and then anything else that looked palatable and without fangs or stingers. Once the bowl plate was full and its contents crushed and killed, Crylon began to move back to his camp and fire. There at least he could heat the stuff up. Crylon hoped that being hot or cooked the bugs would be more palatable, but he was unsure if it would be. WC: 550

[Crylon Stonecraft]

35 Winter 520 N & A Challenge Day 5 As Crylon had found a bit of food, as unpleasant as it had been, he felt better than the day before. He had visited another log and eaten more, and though he did not by any means feel well fed... At least he was fed. And it seemed in better shape than trying to eat plants... Each day he moved a bit further, a bit closer, scouting beyond what he knew and moving ever closer to his destination, the big X. Now he felt he was getting close, hoping to reach that point by the next day. But he was not quite there yet. As always he had his things with him in his bag, the things he started with along with the small and crude stone axe he had made and used for chopping wood he could not snap off with his hand, and the bowl plate for holding food and cooking it. He also had another marker stick in his hand, somewhat like a spear in the loosest of terms, having a pointy end at its extremity, but otherwise having little in common with a true spear. Still though the day before he had realized he could use the bit of broken sword to sharpen the end further than his manipulation would allow, thus giving a somewhat finer edge. He did his best to keep his wits about him, but knew that the farther he trekked into the unknown the more likely he was to have a run in with something. Today seemed to be that day, as Crylon tensed and realized there was a growl coming from the side. Turning he tensed, facing down, and saw a lone wolf approaching. He was glad it was alone, or at least was as best he could tell, but he was unsure how well he could fight it. Carefully he set down his bag in slow movements, trying not to startle the beast, freeing himself to move easier. Then he squared off against the beast, waiting, keeping the spear between him and the beast. Of course he trusted his arm better than a piece of wood, but perhaps it would serve as an initial buffer.... As the wolf began to circle Crylon locked his eyes on it, keeping his front side with the weapon out in front of him between them. The wolf continued a low growl, eyeing Crylon, moving and eying him. All at once it moved forward, and Crylon thrust with his spear. As he did the tip broke against its side, perhaps embedding a small bit into the wolves flesh before shattering at the end. Letting go of the broken weapon he stepped forward and swung with his left hand in a fist, smacking into the side of the wolves head. With a wail the wolf stumbled and broke off, shaking its head and backing off before turning and running off. Not worth the trouble maybe? Or perhaps going to get help... Either way Crylon knew he needed to get out of here, and more importantly to the big X, as it would he hoped indicate whether he would be stuck there or not. And if he was, then more preparations would need to be taken... Suddenly Crylons muscles un-tensed, his breathing heart ringing in his ears as his body calmed from the excitement of the attack. He suddenly felt tired as if he had run a great distance, and his heart still pounded. He also felt the sudden need to relieve himself, another muscle that had perhaps un-clenched with the others. WC: 595

[Crylon Stonecraft]

36 Winter 520 N & A Challenge Day 6 It had been a long journey, even though the distance was rather limited and in truth Crylon had not been at it long. But over that time he had faced many trials, slowly building upon what he began with and trying to make his time a bit easier. Not much, as he stumbled through the words and tried things out, failed, threw up, got sick, nearly killed himself, was attacked, ate bugs to survive, and overall had a miserable time of things. At this point he was dirty, the cloak he wore was ripped, and the bag on his shoulder held both the items he had begun with and the few simple stone tools he had made. The axe that needed repairing, the stone bowl plate that was intact, both of which he was inordinately proud of. In his right hand he held a simple wooden spear of sorts, more a length of wood with the ends flattened into a point and slightly sharped with the broken end of a sword, but a spear in name. Now, Crylon hoped, was to come answers. Or rescue. Or capture. Or... Something. He was unsure what was to happen, but as he moved into the area where he roughly believed the large X to be, expectation swelled within him. Surely something was going to happen? Whether good or bad, at this point he simply wanted to know what it would be. He was tired, hungry, dirty, and ready for his trials to end. With a sigh he looked about, before yelling out to the spot “Hello! Is anyone there?!” WC: 266

[Gillar]

“Everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are,” were the words that Crylon heard whispered in his ear by an unknown source. As the words were spoken, the soothing scent of flowers filled his nose. The melodic songs of birds filled his ears. The sweet taste of wild berries tanged his tongue. The soothing tickle of dandelion seeds brushed his skin. Finally, his vision was filled with a myriad of brilliant greens, blues and reds that undulated slowly, blending together and forming new hues of striking colors. These colors soon begin to transform from amorphous pools to defined shapes. It was as if a someone had dumped different colored paint on a canvas only to then paint a picture from the chaos. As Crylon found himself floating in the middle of the “painting”, grass begin to form at his feet. Towering trees took shape around him. Flowers happily erupted outward into sight. Before his very eyes, an entire landscape came into being; created from what had been but a great splatter of color.

Within a matter of moments, Crylon found herself standing on a small hill surrounded by grass that gave way to a seemingly endless forest. On top of the hill, looming over him, was a tree. It was quite unlike any other tree he’d ever seen. The first sense was that the tree was incomprehensibly ancient. There were a handful of exposed roots covered in impossibly thick bark. These roots led to a series of six trunks that twisted around each other to form a single, massive whole. Although not incredible in height, the main body of the tree formed by the numerous trunks was easily twenty feet in diameter. It rose at least fifty feet in height with countless branches. Leaves, the colors of which could not be described by mortal terms, were interrupted in many places by strange clumps of thumb-sized constructs that resembled miniature bundles of bananas. What stood out most however was the color of everything. The sky was a blue that Crylon had never knew existed. The same was true for the grass, trees and flowers and even the birds and other small animals that came into being from otherwise moving swirls of color.

When the onslaught of his surroundings began to slowly normalize within his senses, Crylon then realized that any of the wounds, scratches, cuts, bruises or worse, were gone; it was as if they never happened. The accumulated filth and grime of the past seven days…vanished. In fact, it felt as though he had bathed in the most luxurious bath ever to have existed. His skin smelled of the best thing they’d ever experienced.

After a few moments of getting his bearings while trying to reconcile what he had experienced for the past several days with where he was now, Crylon felt a hand lay upon his shoulder. Turning to look he would see nothing. Turning back, he saw a woman sitting on one of the great tree’s exposed roots. The woman was as naked as Crylon was. Her skin was an especially pale green color while here hair was the deepest of green with the texture of moss. Her eyes were colored the deepest of brown. From her hair, it looked as though flowers grew from the moss itself. Her skin was flawless, her lips a ruby red. Her finger and toenails were an autumn orange.

Her head was lowered but upon being noticed, she raised it. In a voice that sounded like the best mother’s voice, carried on the wind, complete with the chill of long lost, cherished familiarity, she spoke.

“Saying that this is all rather odd…is not quite describing what you have just been through. For that, I offer my apology. Mortal words, no matter the language, do not fully encompass the experience.” The woman hopped down from her perch upon the exposed root and walked a few feet to stand before Crylon. As the woman took her steps, flowers grew where her feet touched the ground.

“Again, forgive me for any lack of civilized manners. I may not be as formal as you are used to. You may know me as Caiyha, the Goddess of Nature. To answer your next unspoken question, you have undergone what you could consider a challenge of sorts or a test. It was a test to see if one such as yourself was capable of surviving in a place devoid of nearly all the trappings of civilization. Obviously, you indeed survived, despite the challenges.” Caiyha spoke while casually walking around the area beneath the tree.

She stopped at one point to pick up something which was concealed in her closed hand. Turning back to Crylon, she smiled.

“I know you have many other questions. What is the purpose of this test? Why me? What happens next? Likely many others. First, the purpose of this test is simple, at least to me. Since the beginning, I have sought out those who show respect and reverence for all that I’ve created. Those who seek to protect it and nourish it, I show them my grace. Recently however, I began to wonder. What about those who don’t think about my creations or who don’t feel truly a part of it all. What about those who, with a little push, may discover on their own, that they are connected to me. This is why I chose you. There is something about you that peaked my interest. It isn’t something I can describe other than to say you have a quality about you. It was that quality I decided to test. Can this mortal, left with only a physical body, natural skills and talents and the least number of civilized connections, survive my creation? Obviously, you passed that test so what comes next. We will get to that in a moment. First however, I wish to offer you a moment or two to ask of me what you will, within reason.” Caiyha plucked a flower from her hair, brought it to her nose and took in its scent before raising it into the air. The flower then erupted in seed before the petals dried and fell to the ground; quickly consumed by insects and thus contributing to the greater cycle.

[Crylon Stonecraft]

As Crylon finished calling out a voice answered. But oddly the voice did not seem to be from anyone he could see speaking out loud, but still was heard by Crylon all the same. Turning about he found his sensations overloaded, experiencing many things at once. The smell of flowers. The song of birds. The taste of berries, not like the ones he had eaten which had made him sick... An odd sensation of something brushing over his skin was also felt, and a sea of green, blue, and red covered his vision. These however continued to shift, as he noticed grass under his feet and trees looming up over him. Soon enough he was atop a hill, a place he had not been on before, surrounded by a forest. A more forest. And more... Turning he found another tree, this one much larger and grander than the other simpler ones that made up the forest at the base of the hill. The size and thickness of the tree reminded Crylon of Sultros, of grand thick stone architecture, albeit in a different manner. As he looked around more the more he was left with the impression that he was in a place where the colors were not quite right. Or at least not normal. Stretching for a moment Crylon realized as he gazed about that he was renewed, clear and fresh even more than he'd been before waking in a forest. As he realized this he felt a hand touch him, something he instinctively turned to respond to. Finding nothing he continued his sweep of his gaze to find a woman sitting among the great tree. She was nude, but both due to his own nudity for some time while in the forest and his upbringing among the Isur with plenty of well toned displayed flesh he did not find any fault in that. It was simply taken in as any other fact, like seeing someones hair color or height and noting it. The more odd thing to him was her hue, an odd green tint compared to his own Isurian blue-ish tone, but this too he took in stride. To a human his hue was odd, as was his Izurdin granted limb, so who was he to judge on the tones of color someone displayed? He found it odd that the woman was apologizing, though at her words felt something... Familial, in her tone. That tied with her presence, which was quite strong, and her explanation as to who she was seemed to confirm one of his posited scenarios for how he had ended up naked in the forest. A goddess had dropped him there. It had not been his exact idea of why, of which had been one of many, but similar enough for him to consider his having gotten close. But then, logically there were only so many reasons one would be dropped naked in a forest, and so perhaps he was more likely to have gotten close due to that. Caiyha. Goddess of nature. A test, one which he seemed to have passed. Crylon nodded along and silently listened to her words, as she explained some things and intimated at others. He enjoyed hearing her speak, and after a bit wondered if there was magic in the voice of a Goddess, or if it was simply her nature? When Caiyha finished talking Crylon paused in silence, pondering her last words. Did he have any questions? What should he ask of her? What did he want to know? What should he want to know? Was this another test? What would happen if he asked the wrong thing? Or would she just not answer certain questions... After mulling things over for a bit Crylon met the Goddess gaze for a moment, before his eyes turned back to the large tree. “I suppose I have a few... Like... Where are we? This place? This... Tree? Where exactly is this place? I was home... And then I was in the other forest... Now I'm here. But where was that place, the other forest, and where is this place? What is it?” “Also... I'm curious about something. You said I passed. But what would have happened if I failed the test?” “And this might be answered in your explanation to come, but... What is it that you want of me now that I've passed your test? I've heard of you, but I'll admit my knowledge of you is a bit limited... You explained why the test was given, and why you picked me. But what is it that you want now? I'm not sure what I can really do. Or do you even want anything else now that I've passed?” WC: 789

[Gillar]

Asked about his surroundings, Caiyha looked over her shoulder to the tree before answering.

“This place, it is the most sacred place in all of existence. It exists outside of the concept of individual mortal reality. It is where life, in all of its forms, in all places near and far, begins. This tree, it is the First Tree. By that I mean the first tree ever. From it, all life and everything related to life, is born. From the tiniest mundane lifeform to the gods themselves, the seeds of this tree have spawned them all. Its roots extend everywhere; even to places that exist only in the imagination.” A breeze picked up out of nowhere and sent a swirl of leaves and flower petals around the Goddess’ legs; rising up to surround her body before casually drifting off into the distance.

Caiyha turned to gaze upon Crylon as he questioned her about the possibility of failing her test. For a moment, her perpetual smile dimmed a bit. As it did, the light in the immediate area also dimmed. This did not last long and seemed as though it reflected her momentary feelings at the thought.

“Failure? Unfortunately, if you would have failed, you would have died. Such is Nature’s way. Survival is never guaranteed. It is however rewarded. This can be seen if you know what to look for. A rabbit is hunted by a coyote. In this there is a test. If the rabbit passes the test and survives, it is able to go on living and experiencing all that life has to offer. If it fails, it will likely become food for the coyote. If the coyote passes the test and kills the rabbit, it has found the means to survive and continue living and experiencing all that life has to offer. If it fails, it becomes more difficult to continue surviving which could ultimately lead to its death. This type of test, as you can imagine, is repeated over and over again during the course of the lives of both coyote and rabbit. Sometimes failure results in simply going hungry until the next opportunity for a meal or maybe suffering some injury. Other times, it means certain death. Thankfully, you did not fail this time. Next time…” Caiyha left her final thoughts unspoken.

Approaching Crylon, the Goddess’ smile returned with vibrance. “Fortunately, you passed and we do not need to worry about the alternative, at least for now. What does success mean now? It means that you have shown that you have a bit of a spark within you. It is a spark that will allow you to feel the connection to the First Tree. That was of course what this is ultimately about. Can a mortal such as yourself prove that you have it within yourself to become connected to the Tree? Here is the answer.” Caiyha reached out and took Crylon’s metallic hand into her own. Turning it palm up, she placed within it a single, smooth, iridescent seed that vibrated with a pulsing rhythm not unlike a heartbeat.

“It is not about what I want with you. It is about what the Tree wants. You see, I am the guardian of the Tree. As the Goddess of Nature, I help nurture and promote the natural cycle of life and death while protecting all that the Tree has given; maintaining the balance in the process. As for you, I present Nature’s Heart. This seed, once consumed, will sprout and grow within you. It will do so until it has formed the Heart. After a few seasons or so and bit of discomfort and disorientation, the seed will produce a small, wooden egg-like structure in the center of your chest. The process leading up to this will feel as though something is crawling just under your skin. When the transformation is complete, you will become a Wildling; a being strongly connected with nature. You will still be you but more. You will be able to connect with the forest around you and the lifeforms therein. As your skills with nature and survival grow, so will your connection. In addition, you will find the rays of Syna mixed with water will nourish and heal you. You will never need fear hunger as long as you have these two elements.” Caiyha lowered her head for a moment before lifting it and placing her hand on Crylon’s non-metallic arm.

“As for what you can do with this? Explore your connection to nature. Try to understand it and gain a greater understanding of yourself. You are a child of Izurdin; the one who laid out the plan for your world as well as others. He is the one who gave a plan to creation. Maybe with this gift you can gain a greater understanding of that plan. Now I said that the tree chose to bless you with one of its seeds. Yet, that is not your reward for your success. For surviving my challenge and making it to this point, I grant you this.” Caiyha’s touch on Crylon’s arm caused his skin to ripple. As it did, a myriad of colors; greens, browns, oranges and reds shot across the skin’s surface; forming patterns and shapes. A tree, the First Tree, came into view on the canvas of his flesh. Its roots and limps wrapped around his arm and formed a triskelion pattern on its trunk.

“I will always be here to guide you when needed.” The Goddess whispered as she kissed Crylon’s cheek. Her lips caused him to feel enveloped in a cocoon of countless rose petals that exploded and quickly vanished on the wind a moment later. He was then left in the very spot he was at before Caiyha’s test began.

ooc :

Because of the delay in this award, you may play as if you have had the Heart for awhile now or you may play as if, during the present season, it completes its growth and the transformation completes.

Nature’s Heart

A small, smooth, iridescent seed. Nature’s Heart contains very special qualities that are discovered by swallowing the seed. Once swallowed, the seed sprouts and spreads throughout the body. The sprouting of the seed transforms a person. The transformation, while unpleasant and confusing, is not overly painful. The seed itself partially exits the body in the center of the chest, creating a smooth, wooden, egg-shaped structure. The individual transformed by Nature’s Heart becomes a being known as, a Wildling.

A Wildling is a humanoid being with a unique connection to nature. They are empowered by the sunlight and with adequate amounts of it as well as water, the Wildling will never fear starvation. While they may eat normal food appropriate for their race, they do not need it to survive as long as there is sunlight and water present. With the same amounts of sunlight and water, wounds heal twice as fast and L1 poisons will be expelled from the body within a bell or two; their effects lasting half that time. The greatest gift of the Wildling comes from its strong connection with nature. This connection is treated like a new skill.

Wild Sense

The Wildling’s connection with nature is unique among all of nature’s children. It provides the Wildling with the ability to instinctively sense certain details about the surrounding environment. This ability, while offering a lot of insight into the Wildling’s surroundings, is limited to the specific “biome” that the Wildling is tied to. Much like the biome’s of the Witches of Caiyha, the Wildling find’s their senses empowered by those specific places. The skill level in Wild Sense is determined by taking the average of skill levels in Wilderness Survival and Animal Husbandry. For example, if a Wildling has a 20 in Wilderness Survival and a 10 in Animal Husbandry, they would have a 15 in Wild Sense (20 + 10 = 30 / 2 = 15). Wild Sense has four levels of influence just like other skills, detailed as follows:

L1 (1-25) – The Wildling can sense the presence of all lifeforms within a half mile radius. This ability is accessed through mediation. Any natural animal as well as humanoids can be sensed although details of sensed creatures is very limited. The Wildling can detect the general direction of lifeforms and rough distance but other details are just out of reach. They can also detect the presence of edible plants although the exact knowledge of said plants is limited to existing skill levels in herbalism, botany, poison, etc.

L2 – (26-50) – The Wilding’s senses are enhanced. They are able to identify the exact species and/or race of animal/humanoid within a half mile radius through meditation. While they may identify the lifeforms, their knowledge of said lifeforms is limited to existing knowledge and lore. In addition, the Wildling will be able to sense general age and health of sensed creatures. They will also know if the lifeforms are engaged in instinctual acts such as sleeping, hunting or mating.

L3 – (51-75) – The Wilding’s senses grow to much greater levels. They are able, through intense meditation, to identify a specific animal within a half-mile radius and know everything about it. They will know age, health and instinctual motivation; sleep, hunting, mating, etc. They may also, while focused on this particular animal, see what they see, smell what they smell and taste what they taste. The Wildling becomes a passenger of sorts, unable to control but able to experience everything the animal experiences.

L4 – (76-100) – The Wilding’s senses have merged with their surrounding environment is a very intimate way. Through meditation, they can feel the movement of animals; smell their scent, taste what they eat and feel their happiness and despair. These feelings can be overwhelming at times and focusing too much on any particular sense can result in an overload that causes great pain and confusion. The Wildling is so in-tune with nature that they can give up a bit of their lifeforce in order to heal any creature or plant within a half-mile radius by exchanging conditions with said animal. Thus, if an animal is seriously injured, the Wildling can transfer that wound to themselves while sacrificing their health; restoring the animal in kind.