Greetings [isley; O|T]

[~Emi~]

+5, Your skill points in know ability went from 0/125 to 12/125

Creator was able to perceive the two young girls with ease

While the girls still are oblivious of his presence

[[.Eva]]

Eva would luagh at the woman as she girned at her, she then looked out across the wilds of the area they were in at to look for that house, she spoke exciatly,

"Well, maybe you agreed to this. Because maybe you can get the head of the owner who lives there then. Which is a good idea, you can have the persons head and I can have the sugar house. though, you will at least eat a lollipop with me, right?"

She turned back to smirked at the woman when she spoke about the lollipop.

[💀]

Observation
Rank: "E" (5 TP at all times)
Skill: Skill
Effect: This skill focuses certain powers of observation - sight, smell, hearing, and touch.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an Animal. A failed check indicates that the character is oblivious until the thing is pointed out to him. This skill is important for ferreting out advancing enemies or ambushes, generally real-time events and actions occurring, versus scrutiny, which covers static objects or areas. A Game Master may roll an Observation skill check for a Character any time there is an NPC, monster, event or happening that a character might notice, even if he did not specifically state that he is monitoring his surroundings. Characters are capable of noticing any event within their perception. Observation reveals only facts, not motivation. Each time learned user gets 1 die roll to increase the skill. If you are Schooled in Anthropology you gain a +10% synergy bonus with Observation checks that involve noticing disguise checks.
Limit: ---

0/5 [0/125]

Hecate was too tempted to roll her eyes, so she did. "Anyone living in a candy house way out here in the middle of the country has more marbles loose than I do." That thought made her eyes light up though, the possibility of running into a fight was enough to make her smile. "And I am not into sweets much...but maybe one sucker wouldnt hurt though. The trees hadnt yielded anything but disappointment so she looked around the bushes, through all the common herbs she could, looking for any plant that was three feet or so tall. She also continued looking for red leaves, maybe even round seed pods that would weight down the limbs of the plant in question.

The reason this plan could be even harder to find than normal could not only be the low spawn rate, but wild animals as well. So she crouched low and swept he scythe through the area, uncovering the forest floor and searching for footprints, animal prints, tread marks, footfalls of any kind or anything to suggest some type of contraption had come through here recently. She was tempted to get on hand and knee to look but no one would bring her to her knees but Jashin himself.

There were a mass of tracks though, many of them quadrupedal animals, most of them small and one large set directly ahead of them. This could be a family of animals, though to which animal could be anyone's guess. There were old boot prints, perhaps form when this had once been mud and the ground was relatively undisturbed and such perfect preservation wasn't exactly a surprise. Then there were her own footprints and that of Eva, the difference wasnt great, and the width of the foot would easily be defined as female or that of a lithe and effeminate male.

Searching for:

SPOILER: Click to show

Arva
Rank: Rare, Small
Type: Herb, Forest/Wasteland, Summer, Bodily Function
Effect: An herb that increases the recipient's strength.
Special: Preparation: 16 days ; Duration: ---
Drawback: Loss of 10 to 20% of body mass, exhaustion, 20% chance of coma leading in 5% of cases to death. Effects vary with dosage.
Description: Picture A climbing plant that reaches 2 to 3 feet. In late summer several bright red flowers appear on the lower plant, later giving way to round seed pods. Found in woodland and heath. Crush entire plant, mix with 4 parts water and ferment for 16 days. Strain and distill. Yields lavender liquid from each dose of plant. Dosage: taken orally. After 1/2 an hour, increase in metabolic rates, doubling of strength etc. for 1 hour. Herb consists 4 doses.
Limit: Must know Herbal Knowledge for Forest or Wasteland Regions. 11% chance of finding.
Cost: 34,000 Ryo per herb. 6,800 Ryo per Dosage.

11% chance]

[Nira]

Since one of the paragraphs was eaten for the herb search, the training missed the mark by a bit.

+3

None found

[The Creator]

Reading Lips
Rank: "E" (10 TP at all times)
Skill: Skill
Effect: The character can tell what other characters are saying, even if they cannot hear them.
Special: ---
Drawback: Must be Fluent in the language of the observed speaker.
Description: On a successful skill check, the character discerns part of the conversation (because some sounds are much like others, lip readers never understand a full 100%). The speaker must be mostly facing the lip reader (at least a three-quarter view). If the skill check fails, nothing is learned.

Unskilled: A word or two.
Novice: About 10% of the conversation.
Average: About 20% of the conversation.
Advanced: About 50% of the conversation.
Expert: About 70% of the conversation.
Master: About 90% of the conversation.


Each time learned user gets 5 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---

0/10

I took a fierce pride in my eyes. Others took theirs for granted, looking but not seeing, or else had things bolster their sight for them. Binoculars, animal spies, goggles were all used by the seeing layman to improve themselves. I was one who needed none of those. From my safe distance of ~170 meters I could clearly view the two girls as the spoke. For the first time, their lips parted as to give information away; crucial information. These women were dangerous, that much is true, but did well to hide their identity by not wearing any headbands. The possibility of their posing a threat to me and the village was all too high, and I couldn't leave without first finding out their intentions. I was afraid to creep any closer to listen into their conversation but I could see how their lips parted. I was unskilled in lip reading but found that, in cases like these, it would be extremely useful to do so.

"Planning on attacking the village, huh?" I muttered to myself. From what I could tell, they had no super hearing perception nor had they yet perceived my presence at all. Nevertheless, I was afraid to speak above a whisper. First the dark one talked, but was not sure what she was saying. There was one point towards the end of her talking, however, when her lips came together, parted to make an "o" shape, and then came back together. As I thought about it, only two different sounds could be made by closing the lips. The "m" and the "p". I was not sure what vowel she had used but I suspected an "o" because of the telltale way the mouth is formed when speaking it. But what is the difference between the m and the p? I quietly made both sounds, focusing on how my lips felt when I did so. The "m" was a result of humming, formed in the throat, so I concluded, and would be characterized by a slight vibration of the upper throat. The p sound was used by pushing air and letting it bust through the membrane of the lips rather quickly, giving it a 'rush of air' sound. She did not vibrate her mouth, as I began to think about it, but the lips parted with some force, as if something had rushed past it. Pop? That was not the whole word, but only the latter end of it, and I began to think of what it could have meant. Sillypop? Fallowpop? No those weren't words. As I felt like the word was coming to me, the second woman spoke. I flinched instinctively as she waved her scythe around but carefully closed in on the lips.

"What are you guys planning to pop?" I mumbled, thick with suspicion.

She spoke, indistinguishable upon her lips I am afraid to admit, but then made the "m" sound. "Mo", she seemed to say, due the the "o" shape of her mouth. "mapes" was the second word; I realized that the tongue being pressed to the roof of the mouth, under the teeth, would make the "s" sound. Not to be confused with the "th" sound where the tongue was slightly forward, pressed against the top row of teeth. However, "mapes" was not a word. I didn't know that she had actually said "more marbles" and before I could ascertain any more from those words, she began again. I realized that the only ones that I could pick out of the words were "m" and "p", the most noticeable and unique amongst the linguistic phonics of the common tongue, and found that she used it again when speaking to the other female. ".... ma....muh...maypes...thuh" was all I could read. I frowned as she turned the ground, apparently scrutinizing the tracks, and spoke no more. All I ascertained was "pop", nothing more, and it was clear that more information would be needed. That scythe looked deadly, and as she looked at the tracks laid upon the ground it was clear that she was on the hunt for something that belonged to the people of Oto no Kuni, which included myself, and did not belong to these apparent interlopers.

"I need to learn their names." I muttered, voicing my realization. Thus, while they hunted some many meters away, I began my own hunt! It was on!

SPOILER: Click to show

Tasukeru S Rank, Still Active
Able Learner: 7 Die Rolled for Reading Lips if learned

[💀]

3/5 -I forgot to mention I do have able learner. So that would be 7 rolls I believe.-

Now just as distinct as Ane's and her own footprints, there was a set of three Not too far along now, maybe a months old and again so well preserved by the conditions. When it rained in Oto is was brief, the ground got slushy and the hot sun baked that thin layer of mud almost instantly. Tracking in these conditions would be optimal though that was easy to the untrained eye. However the more Hecate looked and continued to follow the further out of country the footsteps led. Perhaps these led all the way back to the Village of Sound? Bleh.

The herb however continued to be a bitch, so rare and so elusive, yet so damned useful. There had to be some around here! Climbing down the hill was easy though no idea if this direction would lead her closer or further away from the one who stalked them, unbeknownst to her. Instead of looking for seedpods and red leaves again she simply looked for the certain height and the leaves of the plant. Dark green with tiny ridges along their ends to trap water in this arid climate. She of course made sure Evadine didn't stray far. Hell she wasn't sure if the woman was a clumsy or just a really good actor.

-Same Herb. Avra 11%][Thank you Nira/Draven for being on the threads so adamantly ^^-

[Nira]

I assume you're starting from 0, Creator.

+10, Learned

0-35sp

---

MaiYoo, observation gets 1 dice roll, so you would get 2 with able learner.

+2, Learned

0-8sp

None found.

[The Creator]

The birds whistled lightly overhead, seemingly used to the heavy smell of pine that seemed to soak the air. Behind my odd but loveable mask, I looked at the two women whom I had concluded were not shinobi but some adventurous warriors or some other; they did not seem particularly harmful. In fact, I had concluded that one of them was scanning the area for something, likely an herb or an insect, and that she had no intention of raiding the Sound and killing me. The other, however, I was not sure. She seemed to hold herself in a lackadaisical manner, as if she was curiously happy, and she seemed deep in wondrous thought. My time was precious to me and I suddenly realized that I was wasting it.

"Bah; we'll meet again." I muttered before scurrying off, back towards the village from which I came. The walk was pleasant. My footsteps would eventually fall upon the road and fall into the chaotic, well-traveled road that led through the rice patty fields and into the Hidden Village of Sound.

[exit]

[[.Eva]]

Eva smiled at the woman as she would be trying to look at the dirt on the ground and then all around as if she was looking for the house too. Eva's face was bright with a smile as she would speak to her, about the fact anyone out here would have more marbles loose then her, Eva would frown at her, she didn't mind the fact the other woman swung around her weapon too much now. She wondered if they would move out of the country, she paused, they? Huh. Naw, she wouldn't stick to Eva for too long, just long enough to get what she wanted or killed her by total accident, eh, it wouldn’t matter. That’s what she finally came to after she stared off in the distance looking past Hecate with a soft smile on her lips. She finally spoke,

"well, nothing in that general way, oh! hay wait for me!"

She would give a cry as the other woman moved off with out her, she would scramble out of the tree and down to the ground to give chase after the other woman who was looking at the ground again. She would pant slighty as she misjudged misjudged the footing and would go flying towards Hecate with a loud 'ekk' as she fell again. Eva never took a acting class in her her life so, acting for her mind is really out of the question.

[💀]

Tracking
Rank: "E" (10 TP at all times)
Skill: Skill
Effect: Characters use this skill to follow the trail of animals and other persons.
Special: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Can be learned by an Animal. Tracking means the user found a trail if they gain the check, while failure means they did not. If user fails this initial skill check, they simply cannot find that particular trail. After finding a trail, further checks may be necessary depending on the situation. Darkness, falling rain/snow, a dust storm, moving from one terrain to another (such as from sand to rock), one trail splitting into 2 or crossing water are examples why a user might need another Tracking check. Look in Task Skills thread found in the Skills and Traits Index for more information. Each time learned user gets 5 die roll to increase the skill.
Limit: ---

0/10 [0sp]

It was a long search and during that time she had gotten some ways ahead of Eva, but the need to find out more about these tracks were plaguing Hecate more than they should have. fresh tracks meant fresh prey, and if she could find them oh the god Jashin would surely light the way for her then! In fact she hardly even heard Eva as she continued to survey the ground, the prints from earlier already getting dusty and fading out greatly, the small imprints and one large set suggested two females and a tall male, possibly even a child. at least thats what they were and Hecate was none the wiser to it at the moment.

When Eva was close she decided to turn around and look at her own prints, trying to judge precisely all the characteristics of a fresh footprint. firstly the dirt just looked fresh and stamped, almost like in a cartoon when the rest of the background was a constant dynamic. But the affected areas were brights and stood out more, as if moved to the forefront. More so, the depths of the footprint was unmistakably fresh, the dimensions defined greatly and melded perfectly to her foot. "Well then."

It was then that Eva came sailing down the hill, toppling into the crouching Hecate who nearly brought her scythe up in a flash of steel. However it was her last minute sight of the woman that made her drop her weapon instead. "Oooff!" She saw stars for a moment, gritting teeth and feeling out her position on the ground. It was here she felt the soil and how well it hold prints and other items that would leave impressions in the ground. The soft earth ground up beneath her fingernails easily and she sucked in a deep breath before looking up at the crumpled mess that was Eva.

She flushed slightly, her deathly pale skin tinting a soft pink as she noticed the way Eva's body was so...soft, compared to her own. Hecate was hard bodied, ell trained and defined, her years of scythe swinging and physical activity as she traveled through the lands. It was then she thought back to the prints she had seen, wondering how much purpose height and weight played into footprints and the like. Her own weight was roughly around 120lbs but she left deep footprints from the power she had inside her body, on top of the fact her height weighed her down more than her overall mass.

In an attempt to not notice how Eva's larger bust dwarfed her own small C cups, she cast an eye around the plants that looked to be around three feet in height. Praying she would see any red flowers, possibly see any full blown seed pods that would hang down from the stems and flower buds. This plant was proving annoying, and the more she looked the more infuriated she got. It was a nice distraction from the situation at hand, but she was more than sure Eva would bring it up.

{Looking for Avra still. 11% chance. 7 die rolls with able learner.]

[[.Eva]]

Eva hit the woman and they hit the ground together. She blinked rapidly as she relished the body below her own. It was as hard as a rock but it felt nice. It felt like she had hit a rock, she would mumble finally,

I think I bruised something that shouldn't have been bruised. Sorry for crashing into you.

She wouldn't move off the other woman though, she just stared at her as if she staring at her for the first time then she would finally move off the other woman as she half blushed at her and then she smiled brightly and spoke,

I hope I didn't hurt you. She paused then spoke, I could go for a lollipop now.

The other woman had felt amazing really, she had to wonder as she forced her mind to think of sugar, how she would be if she could keep her like a pet or something. But she figured it wouldn't be a good idea to keep her like a pet so, when this was done and over, she would have to invite the woman back to her place to spend the night though, to make up for this.

[Nira]

For MaiYoo:

Once again, herb searching eats a paragraph of your post, which cuts the training short since it was at the border.

Also, be sure to make it more apparent that you're searching for the herb. A whole paragraph should talk exclusively about it.

+8

None found

[💀]

8/10

Nothing. Perhaps animals had dwindled its numbers? Either way she found herself in an outside perspective of her own body, like an out of body experience. What would their body marks look like right now? Like a struggle had happened? Perhaps maybe even several people had been tussling? The ability to discern such markings wouldnt be something simple in fact, not for one as novice as she in this particular situation, but when she came to she was more than happy to relax and give Eva a stare that exuded annoyance to cover up her previous embarrassment.

"You are fine." She grunted, pushing up to a sitting position easily with her greater muscle mass. "If you are done trying to bodyslam me, we can finish looking for your godforsaken candy house." She huffed slightly and looked away, not wanting to look the female head on.

In stead she gave up on the plant and looked for her personal favorite, the deadly nightshade. With its long green leaves and purple flowers and berries, the plant would be abundant in such area's like Oto. The conditions were perfect, warm, sweltering in the summers and moist, but cool enough at night to provide the constant water needed for the plant to grow. She even cast an eye around for anything that stood tall as an average height human, five feet for less give or take a few inches.

SPOILER: Click to show

Deadly-Nightshade
Rank: Common, Medium
Type: Herb, Forest, Summer, Sedation/Bodily Function
Effect: An herb used to place people to sleep for a long duration. Capable of making someone insane.
Special: Preparation: 1 week ; Duration: ---
Drawback: ---
Description: Picture This plant can grow up to 5 feet tall. It has soft green spreading leaves, and purple flowers and berries. The berries must be left to stand in water for a week and the distillation drunk. Deadly nightshade will put someone to sleep for 1d4 days. They cannot be woken. A d20 roll must also take place. A roll of 1 will kill them, a roll of 20 will render them insane. Herb consists 8 doses.
Limit: Must know Herbal Knowledge for Forest Regions.75% chance of finding.
Cost: 16,500 Ryo per herb. 1,650 Ryo per Dosage.

{75% chance of finding.]

[Solus]

As you were trying to decipher the information supplied to you by the tracks you found something most curious. Someone had spelled out something in twigs. It read '+2'. What that was supposed to mean? A few meters away from that message you found a potato, someone had carved '0-35 skill points' in the food item. Why would anyone do such a thing? Moving yourself further down the trail you suddenly walked into deadly night-shade. No more insomnia for you.

SPOILER: Click to show

linklink

[[.Eva]]

Eva would finally move off the other one, she would roll off her and on to her own back, she would goan softly and then she would move slowly to stand up from where she was, she would move kinda ditzy like as she got her bearings back then she would move to lean on a tree. She would mumble finally,

Sorry for landing on you.

She would rub her head slightly out of embarrassment then she would go to looking for that house again, the sugar on that baby will make it all better.

[💀]

0/10 [35sp] [7rolls]

"Dont mention it..please." Hecate mumbled as she pushed into an upright position and shook her head slightly. On the ground she noticed markings and with the she studied their surroundings for anything that might give her a clue to who might have been around to do such a thing. Aside from their own footprints, she saw nothing though, no dust disturbed, no real snapped branches or even anything to indicate there was any anyone around to leave this "+2." marking on the ground that was laid out.

"Clearly anyone leaving behind such items wa sin a rush." She deduce daloud, examining the markings on the ground and finding just the faintest of footprints left in the dirt. Their weight was light, the prints faint, and they led further off into the brush. With head tilted she followed them, stopping every meter or so to check the brush, looking for snapped branches, ripped clothing snagged on jagged broken tree branches or bramble bushes. Maybe even a dropped item, but within the first meter she found nothing but the steady retreating steps.

They were roughly 40 meters closer to where they had first been observed, her eyes narrowing slightly as she searched the next meter of ground for similar markings. Instead she found food, an unmarked potato, possibly food dropped by a passerby! It was still firm and ripe, fresh at that, not even covered in the dirt on the ground save for the spot that it had landed on. That was promising, and it gave her haste in her steps, scurrying ahead to the net meter to try and find just who had been out here with her and Eva.

Covering another meter she found something that made her smile, part humor and equal parts sadism. Footprints and broken branches, leading steadily in that one direction, even another potato that was fresh and ripe, covered with the dirt on the spot it had landed in. Who had it been and perhaps they had been poor? Potato's were cheap and easy to obtain and grow, perhaps this person was a begger or possibly a peddler of cheap wares to make a steady living. Despite that, whomever it was had very light feet and were very skilled in moving undetected.

"Eva." She called over, 3 meters away from the woman, peeking her head up from the ground. From this one position she noticed something though...the path she had taken. It was erratic, purposely off a beaten path to make tracking harder. Oh yes they had been very much experienced, the way they moved was hidden well beneath the bushes and the other animal tracks that would criss-cross over their own, making them look older than they were. Luckily they had caught it before it went on too far.

From her spot she decided now would be a perfect time to look for an Ash Tree. It was taller than regular tree's, about 15 feet or so, and its height was its one true defining factor. The other thing that made it a stand out was its bark. Only the bark on the leaves could be stripped off and used in a way that was beneficial to the user. It would and could heal uncommon poisons but it was just hard to identify. The taste of the bark would have to be the deciding factor, but she gave it a shot, looking for a tree that was about two and a half times her height.

{

SPOILER: Click to show

Ash Tree
Rank: Uncommon, Large
Type: Herb, Forest, Spring, Bodily Function/Poison Cure
Effect: A tree used to help bring control of fevers. Also capable of helping cure against Uncommon Poisons.
Special: Preparation: 1 day ; Duration: Permanent.
Drawback: ---
Description: Picture A large tree that grows in the size of 15 feet high. The bark of the ash tree must be stripped from its branches and boiled in clear water for 1 day. It should then be drunk as a cure for fevers, especially those caused by diseases such as malaria. It does not cure the cause of the fever but merely brings it under control within 8 hours. The ash tree is sacred to worshipers of Thor, who use its wood to make spears. Ash leaves should be boiled in water and drunk as a cure for Uncommon poisons within 1d8 rounds. Its flowers have no petals. Ash trees are also by tradition used to make stakes for the purposes of killing vampires. This belief stems from Roman times, when Pliny the Elder wrote that all evil things feared Ashwood. herb carries 16 doses.
Limit: Must know Herbal Knowledge for Forest Regions. 50% chance of finding.
Cost: 16,000 Ryo per herb, 800 Ryo per dosage

50% chance of finding Ash Tree}

[Solus]

As you walked you came upon an eerie scene. You found an Altar made out of a large natural slab of granite. A tree stood over the scene, it's branches protecting the altar. Around granite slab and tree five stones had been erected, all of them connected by lines in the soil that together formed a pentagram with the standing stones on each of the corners and the altar in the centre. On the centre of the altar lay a potato, with a stake made out of ash pierced through it. Around it, words in a strange language had been scrabbled around the potato:

Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus tuberosum, omnis vegetabiles potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,omnis congregatio et secta diabolica.

Under the potato someone had written in potato mash in the ultimate piece of torture. Your best guess would be that they would have to make the potato watch the mash get made from his children before he was killed with the stake. It read "+10 35-57 LONG LIVE MEAT!" The scene was horrifying, but luckily the tree next to the altar was the one you were looking for.

SPOILER: Click to show

link
link

[[.Eva]]

Eva would go about to climb a tree as she did so, she would find this tree would be unforgiving as the other trees. As hecate moved away from her down below, she would watch as her hands would dig into the branch of the tree, the bark was rough. So her hands were bleeding slightly as she she finally let loose and fell hitting branches as she fell until she smacked into the ground. She goaned for a couple of seconds before she would get on on her hands and knees and crawls to where her new found friend was at.

I dont think I should climb trees again today. I wanted to find that house.

[💀]

Having dusted off and followed a small trail to a rather macabre looking alter, Hecate had her attention drawn back to the clumsy form of Eva. "You...where do they even make people like you?" She said with a sense of misunderstanding and annoyance. It was a drag this woman didn't fear head, and with a momentary lapse in character she drew herself to her full height and strode into the woods quickly, using a quick shunshin to put a little distance before she broke into a dash.

Looking for this blasted tree was setting her behind.

[Exit. Lets make another thread, one without my training in it >.>]

[[.Eva]]

exit