You are one such guiding spirit. You are in the form pictured currently. Mortals can not see your true form, yet, but they can hear you. You have some telepathic power. You have some telekinetic power. You have some illusionist powers. You have the power to control some animals' minds for a short period of time. You are in the middle hand of your creator, he is looming over you and smiling. His right arm points to a small model of the new world, his new stage. You move closer to it. Your Creator wishes you to choose an environment to find the race of whom you shall guide. At first you will only be able to guide a small portion of that race, but that will grow. You may be able to expand your dominion to other races, but expect resistance from the races and other guiding spirits. The Jester plucks a symbol of an environment in each of his hands. He wishes for you to make your choice, where shall you start? This will determine which races you will have available to begin in.

Shall it be:
Desert.
Mountain.
Swamp

>>8141641

Desert, please!

>>8141671
Your choice done, the long deserts that encompass the largest continent of the world, the Jester clenches each hand and reopens them. An example of a race is in each hand, make your choice on which race you shall guide.


Desert races = Humans, Cactusmen, Scarabs.

Humanity: you seem to have an inbuilt knowledge of them. You feel they need no explanation. They are primitive like all the other races still, using stone tools and caves and are omnivores. They are a race quite heavily divided, but also widespread. They have stone-age tools and fire. Medium magical prowess, medium birth rate, medium physical combat prowess.

>>8141813

Cactusmen: One of the few plant races of the planet. They grow up to to seven feet tall and are covered with spines. They have a bipedal form of two legs and two arms, although four armed Catusmen have been known. They do posses hands. They are able to take root into the soil, they travel to find water and an area of higher magic concentration in the desert which
they also feed on. Have been known to kill magical animals to feed on the magic within them. Yet to develop many tools or shelter due to little need, however they have basic tools and fire although it is used little. Due to their magical feeding, their race is comprised of many mages some able to have some weather control. High magical prowess, low birth rate, medium physical combat prowess.

Scarabs: An insectoid race, they have six limbs but can stand quite straight their top limbs have a hand like structure at the end. Their exoskeleton is quite hard, serving as armor and they have mandibles capable of a strong bite. Herbivores, they feed on plant life and their own dung. They also use this dung to form housing, and are probablly the race that has developed furthest in this department, they live in small tribes using fortresses and warfare between tribes has become quite common. They grow up to three feet tall but are immensely strong for their size capable of carrying ten times their own weight. They live mostly underground. Low magical prowess, low birth rates, immensely high physical combat
prowess. They posses fire and some tools and weapons.

>>8141813

Humanity.

>>8141813
Cactusmen

scarabs

>>8141813
humans

>>8141813
Cactusmen!

>>8141834
>>8141870
Humanity is boring. Old. Insects are new, and exciting.

>>8141889
Okay, then Cactusmen, far more original than giant bugs.

2 votes for humans, 2 for cactusmen and 1 for scarabs. I'll let voting continue for a few minutes since this decision's important to the Quest. If it stays a tie of some sorts I'll roll a d20 with the number of votes proportioned to the odds of the roll i.e at the moment 1-8 would be humans 9-16 would be cactusmen and 17-20 would be scarabs.

Cactusmen must rule this world!

Cactusmen

cactusmen fuck yeah

(I'll admit /tg/, I was not expecting Cactusmen. Well then, let's go.)
Your choice is made, the Cactusmen have your guidance. Your creator's three eyes stare into your own eye and his pointed mouth opens into a laugh. The middle arm extends and grabs your eye, and chucks you into the representation of the world, suddenly become a lot larger.

You plummet to the desert, a grand plain of sand. Down and down you fall, clowds pass and many strange birds, until you hover just a meter above the ground. Before you, you see a tribe of Cactusmen, 20 in total, lounging in the sun absorbing sunlight. They are oblivious to your presence until you make yourself known.

First encounter, gentlemen. How do you proceed?

rolled 3, 3, 1 = 7

>>8142082
Can we make our self visible to them?

>>8142082
Watch and observe.
For now, at least.

>>8142082
Get a better look at them first. Do we have any way of telling if any of them are leaders, more powerful than the others, or anything like that?

>>8142153
You can use you telepathy to communicate before them and perform illusion to give yourself a false image before them. Has an off chance of failing horribly as you'll have to roll for it.
>>8142167
>>8142172
You observe. One has dark purple spines and is clearly larger than the others. They all crowd him, they are in a tightly knit circle.
Moments pass and a small brown lizard with tiny wings goes close to the Cactusmen. It sniffs with it's snout carefully, it think for a moment. Briefly it's eyes flash with alarm as it realizes it's mistake and that it has gotten too close, but it's life is too short to worry too much about it. The nearest catusman stomps it with it's foot, it's head is crushes. Blue and red liquid gush forth. The largest Cactusman steps from out of the circle, and stand on thee corpse. The circle moves to go once more around him, all going as close as they can to absorb the liquid.

rolled 14, 2, 20, 15, 18, 6 = 75

>>8142248
Are there any other animals around?

>>8142265
There are various flying insects. Vultures swoop overhead, eying the recent corpse. A small spiny lizard relaxes in the shade of a dieing tree. There are a few shrubs, but other than that you see no more signs of life in the immediate area. You do not know what lurks underground.

rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12

>>8142377
Can we move the lizard to the Cactusmen with telekinesis?

>>8142426
Yes you can. You can also control it's mind for a brief period of time.
Do you wish to, and how do you wish to do it?

We should try to make contact with the leader, not appear with illusions, but make contact with its mind with our telekenesis, try to guage its personality a bit more so we know how to motivate it to do more than lounge around.

>>8142454

Look around for a more impressive animal? Maybe mind control a vulture.

>>8142526
Sorry, I meant with our telepathy.

rolled 6, 1, 2 = 9

>>8142454
I wish to move the lizard to the Cactusmen by whichever means requires less energy/is easier. If they are roughly equal, telekinesis.

Incinerate all but one of them and then turn him into Cactus-Rocky and use him to conquer the entire cactusman population.

>>8142526
Anyone want to confirm this?
>>8142534
A vulture is within your capability to mind control.
Upon traveling a bit in the opposite direction of the cactusmen you discover a very strange bird. These are not like the ones you saw in flight. It is very large, with a round feathered body, long legs, long neck. The animals is in fact very similar to an Emu, except it's neck is even longer and it's head appear to be larger as well.

>>8142569

Is there any way we can separate the cactusmen? Are they afraid of the great bird? Can we mind control it to attack them?

>>8142540
You do so. Mind control appears to work easiest, the lizard is hungry. It does not take much to convince it's simple mind that the risk is very small and the gain is very big from going near the cactusmen. Again, when the lizard is close and seems to about to do something to one of the cactusmen, a foot crushes it. Red liquid oozes forth, but no blue. Many cactusmen move close to it, but the largest castusman stays where he is so the second large stands atop the corpse. The cactusmen are now in a 8 formation. The cactusman on the new corpse seems to shout a strange bark, it is clearly pleased in it's position.

>>8142526
I agree, communicating with the leader would be a good first step.

rolled 1 = 1

>>8142624
You believe it time to communicate with those you will guide.
<Greetings>
The dice will see how it reacts with this sudden voice in it's head.
>>8142604
You could separate them with some of your powers. It would, however, be exhausting. They do not appear that concerned with going after the bird or even acknowledge it's existence. You could convince the bird to attack.

I'd guess that they don't do much because they're conserving the energy they draw from the things they stomp on. It's probably a bit far off, but if we're ever going to get them to become more active we're going to need to get them to start keeping herd animals.

I'm also going to assume that the first animal was magical, while this new one probably isn't. Obviously the big one is only interested in feeding from magical creatures.

>>8142667
>rolled 1 = 1

This'll go well...

>>8142667

Let the bird attack. Make them scatter. Then find one of them, the strongest one is possible, and go talk to it directly.

>>8142667
Oh dear.
"WHAT THIS. THIS NOT SCORCH VOICE. THIS STRANGE VOICE. GET OUT HEAD. GET OUT HEAD. YOU NOT BELONG HERE. GET OUT HEAD."
The largest cactusman does not seem pleased, it is frustrated. It's spines rise to full attention and it is moving slightly with little twitches.
How do you proceed?

>>8142674
From what you know, this seems to fit their description. They were made with a hunger for magic. The blue liquid does seem to act strangely, do you wish to observe it?
>>8142696
You are already communicating. Do you still wish to make the bird attack?

>>8142749
Yes, observe the blue liquid.

>>8142755
The blue liquid moves at a snail's pace, expanding and reaching the other cactusmen. It appear to be a gooey substance. It bubbles and some of it faintly evaporates, leaving a shimmering crackling gas rising up in the air. It seems to offer mild resistance to being sucked up by the cactusmen.

>>8142702
Explain to it that we are not it's enemy. We are a friend. We gave it's people a lizard to feed, that was our doing.

rolled 5 = 5

>>8142927
<Do not cast me out so soon. I am your friend, and I have came bearing gifts. The lizard was my doing, my gift to you.>
Same drill as before for it's reaction.

>>8142993
"TRIBE OF SCORCH NOT NEED VOICE. TRIBE OF SCORCH FINE. VOICE IS STUPID. VOICE GO AWAY. LIZARD STUPID."
It appears that the leader of the cactusmen is not pleased or impressed.

>>8143026

Can we set it on fire, the disobedient scumbag?

>>8143026
and now we mind-control the bird into attacking, attacking Scorch specifically if we can.

>>8143040
>>8143054
A good smiting seems to be in order. The bird's mind is set off into a terrible rage. It charges at the cactusmen, Scorch specifically. The speed of the bird is immense, and the cactusmen are very slow to react. Thanks to the lizard killed the 8 positioning leaves them far more open than the circle and the Emu can go through.
Roll a 1d100 for the attack, gentlemen.

rolled 51 = 51

>>8143134

rolled 32, 7 = 39

(Forgot my name and trip.)

>>8143234
The bird strikes. Scorch topples over and is torn horribly by the bird's strong legs. He is oozing blue liquid and is away from the corpse he was feeding from, you hear a mental scream of pain. However he is still alive and is about to attack, the catusmen around him are also, slowly, beginning to take action...
1d50 for Scorch and another 1d50 for the other cactusmen assisting.

>>8143320
Scorch, despite the pain he is in, does not give up very easily. A mighty punch to the stomach winds the bird quite heavily. He grabs and pulls at the wings, so hard that they ooze blood. Spines jab into the bird and the bird screeches in pain at this. Unfortunately for Scorch the cactusmen, in their confusion, have tripped trying to assist their leader and have been of no use to him.
Another 1d100 for the bird again.

rolled 25 = 25

>>8143357

Are lows good or highs good?

rolled 28, 18 = 46

>>8143420
The bird squawks in a fury, driven by the pain it's in. It tears at the gash it has already made, and pecks one of Scorch's eyes out. Scorch's pain is furthered with the diminished sight and the rest of the cactusmen try their best to get up to aid their leader.

>>8143467
Highs, at least for combat and diplomacy rolls.
>>8143491
Scorch is a stubborn being and, despite the pain it's in, shows a display of ingenuity. Scorch grabs the bird by the neck, squeezing. The bird's neck remain intact due to the loss of strength Scorch has received, but it is struggling to breathe. The spines that prick on the neck are causing a lot of blood loss and immense pain for the bird. A single, and one of the smallest, cactustman comes forth to aid it's dieing leader it punches at the bird from the behind, hitting the thigh of it's right leg and causing it to bleed.

Roll another 1d100 for the bird.

rolled 97 = 97

>>8143575

>>8143467
>>8143575
>>8143589
Rape time

>>8143589
The bird refuses to go down to a bunch of plants. It pecks Scorch's arm viciously until it oozes blue goo and Scorch is forced to let go in pain. The bird stands, wobbling on it's bleeding leg. It throws it's head back and then throws it towards Scorch's head with all it's fstrength. The blow connect, right in between Scorch's eyes and his last sight is one of fear as the bird reaches to connect with his head. The beak shatters through Scorch's head, but it continues, an explosion of blue good as the whole of the bird's head passes through Scorch's head. The bird pulls back, with some trouble getting it's head out of Scorch's body, Scorch is dead. It let out a shrilling squawk of victory. It may be a pyrrhic victory as the blood it is losing from it's neck is substantial.

Your course of action now?

>>8143683
Can we heal the bird? Perhaps we can use it as a proxy for ourselves?

We should try to convince the other cactusman, the one who went to that other lizard, that this is a sign, that he has to lead his people because Scorch was unworthy.

I don't think we should really use threats, as this could lead the cactusmen away from us in the long run. Instead we should paint what happened to Scorch as fate.

>>8143758
Good idea, if we can this could be the beginning of using those birds as a sort of symbol.

rolled 14 = 14

>>8143758
>>8143823
You use your abilities to help healing. The other cactusmen appear to be afraid of the bird, so will not continue the attack. The bird is still weak, but with your help may recover. However you will not be able to perform many more miraculous actions at the moment, your powers weaken.
>>8143807
You communicate to the now biggest cactusman.
<Scorch was unworthy of leading the tribe. You shall lead now>
+5 bonus for the cactusman being scare shitless.

>>8143924
Oh boy, set sail for diplomatic failure once again.

>>8143924
There is a pause in the cactusman's mind.
"Yes, Storm will lead. Is natural for Storm to lead now, Storm is the biggest. Who this voice? Did voice send bad-bird?"

>>8144004
There is, you feel, a tremor of fear in the tone Storm communicates to you with.

The Bird is your salvation through your leaders destruction, Rooting out his evil ways in favor of a more qualified leader, Do not disapprove of the bird he shall only strike again when We disapprove. You shall not disappoint us will you?

>>8144002
oops, thought we were still on d100s.

>>8144004

"Scorch was punished because he was unworthy, because the deserts were angry with him. I am a guide, here to watch over you, the deserts have chosen you Storm, you must lead your people to greatness."

rolled 16 + 5 = 21

>>8144066
>>8144090
(Nah, d20s for diplomacy, d100s for combat.)
<The Bird is your salvation through your leaders destruction, Rooting out his evil ways in favor of a more qualified leader, you. Scorch was punished because he was unworthy, because the deserts were angry with him. I am a guide, here to watch over you, the deserts have chosen you Storm, you must lead your people to greatness. Do not disappoint, Scorch was a disappointment.>
Still a +5 for being terrified.

"Yes, oh mighty desert. I follow you, I shall not disappoint. I will spread your word." Storm's tone is a mix of awe and fear.
Storm turns to the, quite frankly, terrified cactusmen trying to keep their distance from the bird but keeping near their fallen leader. They seem to want to get to the blue liquid, but are afraid of the bird. Storm opens his mouth.
"LISTEN TO ME" Storm speaks, his voice is a low guttural thing "THE DESERTS HAVE SPOKEN THROUGH THIS BIRD. SCORCH WAS A BAD LEADER. HE DID NOT DO THINGS RIGHT. THE DESERTS HAVE MADE THEMSELVES KNOWN. I AM LEADER NOW, AND THINGS WILL CHANGE!"

This shouting is received well from the cactusmen. Their shattered hierarchy is repaired, a sense of relief seems to fill them. A chant begin to shout up.
"ALL HAIL STORM! ALL HAIL STORM! ALL HAIL STORM!"

Storm allows this chant to go for a big before he raises a hand for silence. He breathes in.
"ALL HAIL THE DESERT!" He shouts, and kneels before the bird. The other cactusmen follow his lead, the bird regards them with a perplexed but exhausted and slightly relieved look.

"The desert is pleased Storm, you have shown your tribe the truth, and this bounty is yours."

and with that, have the bird move away so that the cactusmen can get at the blue liquid.

>>8144437
Eh, not really bounty since its their old leader. If we gave them the bird it would count, but undermine our position. So far they probably think we're the bird, which is something we'll have to resolve.

>>8144512
Unless I'm reading it wrong, their old leader was full of the blue liquid, they all want the blue liquid.

>>8144437
<The desert is pleased Storm, you have shown your tribe the truth, and this bounty is yours.>
"Thank you, desert."
The bird is moved. It walks towards the dead tree, forcing the lizard resting there to move out of it's way.

Storm takes his place atop his former leader's corpse. The rest of the tribe surrounds him in the traditional circle.

You now have one tribe of cactusmen under your control.
You have established the foundations of a religion.
The bird is venerated.

In light of your first achievement you are allowed to receive a gift from the Jester. Your choice in what kind of gift is:
A small miracle.
The gift of minor spellcasting to one of your followers.
A new power for yourself.

>>8144532
If we're going to be using those birds, I'd say a new power which lets us control them easier.

>>8144593
and in greater numbers.

>>8144593
(Bugger, just realized I dropped my trip again. Is hard juggling the trip when posting in other threads.)
The Jester's gifts do come in threes. There is a selection of new abilies:
Increased mind control. Longer control, easier and with more.
Posses. You can now posses something and take control of them utterly with no cost to your power, the problem being is that if they are harmed or, even worse, killed it harms you immensely.
Increased telekinesis. What it says on the tin.

>>8144671
Increased mind control sounds good.

>>8144808
Increased mind control it is. You now have the capacity to mind control more than one mind, mind control stronger minds and mind control longer.

Do you want to give any commands or ask any questions to Storm or any of the other Cactuspeople, do an action or skip to the next day?

>>8144851
would it be possible with our increased mind control to condition minds over time? For example condition some of the birds to be naturally inclined towards staying near the cactuspeople and being somewhat protective of them. Though it's a long term project I can see the benefit of our slow race having hunting/war birds someday...

>>8144939
It is indeed possible, although it will take some time. Local birds includes, in order of those who live closest to the cactusmen vultures, the sacred bird, roadrunner and hawks

Do you wish to inform Storm of your plan?

>>8145002
I'd say use the sacred birds, if they're emu-like then they're big, tough and fast, perfect for catching and killing fast-moving prey.

Inform Storm that the sacred birds are the desert's blessing to him, and that his people should treat the birds with respect as the birds watch over them.

>>8145002
Aim for vultures and the birds that the cactuspeople now revere. Those seem like good birds for war. And maybe use their eggs and stuff. Farming magical creatures at sometime's a good idea too.

And tell Storm so he doesn't squish them.

>>8145118
>>8145144
Very well. You begin convincing a flock of sacred birds that being near the cactusmen is a good idea.
<Storm! I comes with a blessing. My sacred birds shall aid you. They shall watch for you, they shall kill for you but only if you treat them with respect>
"Thank you, oh desert. I will do as you command, I am not worthy of your blessing."
Storm beings to inform the cactusmen that the slowly approaching flock is not something to be worried about or attacked.
You are able to get the sacred birds to not act hostile to the cactusmen, and they gather around the tree with the Bird. Domestication of them seems very possible.
(And that's it for today, have to cut it short here due to being really tired. Was fun, I'll continue it again soon. See you /tg/.)

>>8145248
that was fun, thanks.