Baby's first RP

Jaeger

Be kind, it's been a while since I've done any real roleplaying stuff!

A little background, Serrice admonished Jaeger for overharvesting and (in his eyes) set him a punishment task to monitor the regrowth rates of herbalism cures. The following ensues.

I'd be very interested in what you guys can tell me about Jaeger just from this log. I know what I'm trying to portray, but I'm not sure how well it's coming across.

You say to Serrice, "The results so far."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "When we first spoke of this some two or three weeks ago, I took the liberty of harvesting two sets. While those I harvested up to twenty five have mostly recovered, those I harvest further to depletion have barely recovered a third of their previous amounts."

You say to Serrice, "I would need actual numbers to calculate regrowth rates, but I have noticed a large element of randomness to the patters. Especially in early stages the rooms harvested down to nothing recovered a large amount very quickly, but growth then slowed."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Let us assume that the common wisdom that the more plants remaining, the faster the patch regrows is true."

You ask Serrice, "Even if we do make that assumption, which is not something I like to do, why does it matter?"

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "There was a follow up to that thought -- hold on. It wasn't meant to just stand alone."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Let us assume that the common wisdom holds. The growth spurts you see could be a product of fortune building upon fortune. That patch of willow that recovered more than half of what you harvested, for example."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "The birthwort struggled, on the other hand."

You say to Serrice, "That's entirely possible. So there could be both a natural inclination towards more regrowth in a room with more parent plants, as well as a random element of chance as to which plant thrives."

You ask Serrice, "Did you know you can actually see the plants mature if you're standing in the room with them at the time?"

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Yes."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Or at least, I think I've seen something similar to what you're describing -- it's been a long time."

You say to Serrice, "When I noticed that I wondered if maybe some of the plants are more aggressive than others. That maybe they took priority when regrowing."

You say to Caolan, "Sorry, I didn't see you come in."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "I suspect we'll need to broaden our scope if we wish to obtain anything definitive."

You say to Serrice, "I will finish this study first. Another question that has risen is do the surrounding areas affect regrowth rate at all? If I harvest only 5 from a room, but all of the rooms surrounding it I harvest down to nothing, will that affect the regrowth rate of the 5 harvested room? And conversely, if I harvest a room to nothing, but it is surrounded by fully stocked rooms, will that help that group of plants recover more swiftly?"

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "My hunch is no, given what I've seen. But vigorous examination couldn't hurt."

You say to Serrice, "Is there any point to this beyond idle curiosity? I mean, I'm more than capable of continuing this line of study, it got drilled into me enough at the Institute, but it seems... somehow anathema to our ethos. Does the wolf carefully consider how many of its prey will remain when it is hungry? or does it simply hunt and satisfy its needs?"

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "We may call ourselves wolves and lions and whatever animal we seek to emulate, but we are separated from them by our higher minds. So aye, there's a point beyond curiosity. It's knowing, to use to figure the best course of action."

You say to Serrice, "I was under the impression that the Pride used those titles out of respect. Because we value the ideals those creatures represent. Instinct seems a far greater gift than knowledge in many ways."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "I think perhaps you were under the wrong impression, then."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "They describe us -- we adopt some of their qualities. Mindless instinct is not one of those."

Jaeger settles down on his haunches, his dhurive resting across his thighs and looks up at Serrice. "Maybe I was wrong then. I don't see instinct as mindless. I see it as eons of refined responses. Of the Rhythm shaping creatures and molding them to exactly what they need to be."

"Instinct is mindless. It is acting without thinking, acting without knowing. Instinct has its place, in those that cannot think, in those whose thoughts are small, in the moments when thought it not swift enough." Serrice rolls her shoulders. She glances to you, cocks her head. "Instinct is useful for the immediate concerns of survival that beasts face. But we need more than instinct to deal with the threats to Creation we face."

Jaeger tilts his head curiously at Serrice. "The threats to Creation?" He asks. "Like Necromancy? Like Vampirism? Like people adopting Shadow and spreading it across the world?" He raises an eyebrow. "That is all a result of the higher minds you value, no?"

"You can blame the Celestine for supplying us with those," Serrice tells you wryly. "Who in His wisdom, permitted us intelligence and freedom of will. Aye. And unfortunately, we cannot simply revert to beastial natures to fight back. Had that been sufficient, Huwald's charge and our stewardship would be unnecessary."

Jaeger stands again, stretching out his legs. "Can't we? How long have you been fighting this fight? How many decades and centuries have the Sentinels been fighting tooth and claw to push back the threats? And have things gotten better, or have they only gotten worse? Now the wellspring of life itself is under attack by Shadow. Surely that is a sign something needs to change?"

"You're welcome to wholly adopt your instincts in the battle," Serrice tells you, mildly. "I don't believe it will work, but if you would leave us, set aside your dhurive, set aside all your training, and go live in the wilds like a beast, and belive that it will serve you better, then feel free."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Our intellect is a tool -- to be used for good or ill. You say that the battle has not been won. I counter the battle has not been lost, either."

"You're welcome to wholly adopt your instincts in the battle," Serrice tells you, mildly. "I don't believe it will work, but if you would leave us, set aside your dhurive, set aside all your training, and go live in the wilds like a beast, and belive that it will serve you better, then feel free."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Our intellect is a tool -- to be used for good or ill. You say that the battle has not been won. I counter the battle has not been lost, either."

You say to Serrice, "That seems like a great suggestion. Maybe I should follow in the footsteps of the man who founded the Sentinels and set aside society to live like a beast. The question is why do you see that as such a bad thing. You say to do that I would need to break my dhurive and leave the Pride. Why? Does a wolf not defend its pack? The lion defend its pride? Instinct is not incompatible with the mission we have."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Huwald did not live like a beast, I'm afraid. He cooked his food. He used tools. He lived apart from society, but retained his mind."

You say to Serrice, "I grew up in Spinesreach. I studied at the Spirean Institute. I've seen the results of the tool that is intellect and it is far more often ill than good."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "You propose to live by instinct alone -- if you would do so, then you must set aside all that your intellect has offered."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "And I'm fairly positive you were not born with dhurive in hand."

You say to Serrice, "And you propose to set aside all that nature has molded into us. You say that instinct is only for the small minded, the not quick of thought, that it only has a place in beasts and not in man."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "I think you must've misinterpreted what I said, placed your own negative perception upon it."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Understandable, given the antagonistic spin you've taken, so let me clarify."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "For the small of thought -- the mouse, the hind, the starling, a thing not possessed of higher though will act more of instinct. It has its place there."

Serrice, the Black Fox says, "For when the situation outpaces thought -- I do not know if you've ever had to fight for your life, but I have, plenty of times. There are many a time when one simply acts without thinking. These are the moments when instinct applies."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "And of course, I never said it only has a place in beasts. It has a place in us, too. But we should not let it govern us, as we possess intellect and thought."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "It is only you who propose a complete cleavage -- I perceive instinct as subordinate to thought. You see thought as completely unnecessary and espouse instinct alone."

You say to Serrice, "Because I've seen the end result of thought, as I'm sure you have. A beast acting on instinct does not act with malice, or vengeance. It acts solely to satisfy its need to survive. It will defend itself when attacked, it will take what food it needs to survive. It won't raze entire countrysides in an attempt to exterminate all competition. It won't take apart corpses simply to see what's inside? It won't experiment on its loved ones, simply to see how they react. You see the answer to the horrors of intellect to be more intellect. I see that as throwing tinder on the flame."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "A fallacy, again, on your part. You only see the negative aspects of intellect, as a man who has only been burned by fire cannot see its uses. As I said before -- it is merely a tool, to be used for good or ill."

Serrice, the Black Fox asks you, "And again, I ask -- if acting by instinct alone is something you favor, then why are we even having this conversation? Why do you still cleave to the products of intelligence?"

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "You were not born knowing how to speak Aetolian, or how to wield a dhurive, or how to harvest useful herbs and process them into pills. And yet you still do these things."

Jaeger's face flashes with rage for a moment before you see his jaw clench and he masters himself. "Because I am flawed, just like everyone else. I was born into a form that lacks so many of the instincts that nature has provided.." he stops mid sentence and takes a deep breath. "This conversation is going nowhere. I think I'll go spend some time wandering."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "If you truly would like to adopt this course of action, then travel to the Pash Valley. Visit the Packmoot."

Serrice, the Black Fox says to you, "Seek out the masters of the four tribes and embrace the ley within. You will be far closer to what you seek."

Jaeger through clenched teeth, says. "I will let you know when the regrowth study is done."

Caolan

Thanks for snipping off the bit with me, even if it did make the post look a bit less measured, just wasn't up for the intense internet fame that is aetolia forums :P

I like that Jaeger reacts with emotion rather than the unflappability of some people. You often get people with no patience and then people who just don't react to anything, but Jaeger's a nice mix of thoughtfulness and human emotion.

Even if Jaeger didn't end up convincing Serrice of his opinion, I love that he's interacting so much with people. Good stuff! Hope to interact more in future

Vyxsis

one does not simply convince serrice of their opinion sean bean meme dot jpeg

good job, jaeger. keep it up. :}