(BN14) Into the Thorns

[Lesingnon]

"Hey," a wave is offered to the other two Changelings as they catch up. "Glad you two decided to come along."

"Now where was I, ah yes, those phenomena I pointed out are actually being caused by our presence. Those thorns seem steely because they're reflecting Marcus's nature, the clouds stormy because they're reflecting mine, and the way those vines seemed to be dancing is a reflection of yours. You see everyone knows that the Hedge is always changing, ever unpredictable. What some people overlook is that it's due to how malleable it is. The thorns aren't bound by the laws of science nearly so much as the mortal world, or by Fae contracts nearly so much as Arcadia. So something else needs to fill that void, to define it."

"Well, it's several somethings really. One of them is the Wyrd of the beings within it. You just saw a few examples of that. Another is their thoughts, frequently subconscious ones. If someone's wandering frightened through the Hedge, and they swear the paths seem to be closing in on them...they probably are, because the person is scared."

He slows as the path broadens into a small clearing, this would do nicely. "But conscious thoughts can influence the Hedge as well. That, combined with the way your Wyrd can influence the thorns is the basis of Hedge-shaping. While influencing the landscape of the Hedge itself is beyond all but those who are extremely powerful in the Wyrd. But there are possibilities open to everyone, such as forming a basic tool or implement from the thorns. It just takes a bit of Wyrd and will, fueled by a bit of glamour." And he used exactly that combination as he spoke; seeking to cause some of the roots beneath the ground to twine together and thrust upwards, to form a pole sticking up from the ground.

  Hedge shaping, 1 suxx, -1 Glamour

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-11-25 22:43:11		Rick Pereg rolls 4 to Wyrd		3, 5, 9, 1		1 success

[Degnar]

The Darkling offered a quick nod in reply to Coco's introduction, and then shifted his attention to their guide.

Degnar listened closely to Rick's words, absorbing the information that was being offered. Let Every Court Know Its Function, he thought to himself. Such were the words of the Ice Law, and as far as he could tell, Rick Pereg was quite aware of his Court's function. This was Autumn's thing after all; learning the forbidden lore of the Fae, and discovering new ways of using it against them.

"This is most interesting," he said as Rick made a visual display of what he was talking about. The Tunnelgrub tilted his head slightly to one side, studying the pole with his black beady eyes. "Are there any limitations to this? Asides from those you have mentioned?" His black beady eyes focused on Rick once more, awaiting for a response.

[Lesingnon]

"There are," he responded to Degnar's question first. "The larger, more elaborate, or more technical something is the more likely it is to fail. Though the exact limits vary depending on how strong the hedge shaper is in the Wyrd. But I doubt even one of them could make any complicated machinery or the like with this method. Especially since you're limited to the materials that are already around." He wraps one hand around the pole he'd shaped. "This, for example, I made by getting the roots underground to grow in the manner I wanted them too. But I couldn't have made one out of metal because there isn't any of that around."

"It's also not really fast enough to attack anyone, under normal circumstances. We'll touch more on that later."

He shook his head in response to L'aire's first question. Though it was a good question One that showed she wanted to understand something about how it worked instead of just accepting that it did. "Not to any noticeable degree. When you're watching the Hedge react spontaneously like I pointed out early that's just an unguided reaction to your Wyrd. So it's...reacting to the form your Wyrd takes, in a manner of speaking." It was a clumsy description. But he wasn't sure what a better way of describing it was. "When you're actively trying to create something it's reacting to your will. Your Wyrd is still the connection that allows you to shape the Hedge, but it's basic nature isn't very important at that point."

"And creating a path would be altering the landscape of the Hedge. So you've got to be pretty strong for that to work."

"Basic tools, and weapons, are definitely possible. If I hadn't kept this anchored in the ground, for example, it'd make a decent staff. But if you want to see something else, well," He motioned to the Hedge around them, "Why not give it a try yourself? Nothing wrong with a bit of practice, and it'll give you a feel for what it's like to affect the Hedge like this."

[Coco]

"Fascinating! So you can craft weapons! Few things would be as wonderfully appropriate as wielding such a thorn in battle," Coco declared, stepping over to a particularly spiny piece of Hedge. Faceted eyes fixed upon a particularly branchlike protrusion and stared, the Wasp's brow slowly furrowing into greater and greater canyons of flesh the harder she tried to will the Hedge into her desired shape. Eventually her focus progressed to the squinting of her eyes, and lastly to jabbing said piece of Hedge with the end of her cane.

"Bah! It must be unshapeable!"

   Nope :C

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-12-01 18:28:37		Coco! rolls 2 to shape dat hedge! avec Wyrd! (10 Again)		3, 4		failure

Precious glamours, noooo... -1

[Degnar]

Degnar listened as Rick replied to his questions, and those of the others. It was certainly an interesting topic, and learning how to shape aspects of the Hedge, could certainly come in handy. Even if he wasn't able to make large, significant changes, creating some improvised tools out of the stuff around him was definitely a neat concept.

When Rick encouraged them to give it a try, the Darkling shrugged to himself and then focused on some of the thorns nearby. As he got in tune with his own Wyrd, he willed one of the thorns to take on a different shape. Slowly but surely, the thorn took on the form of a rudimentary arrow. Once the process was done, the Tunnelgrub walked closer to it and inspected the arrow, squinting his black beady eyes as he picked it up and brought up closer for inspection.

"Neat."

  1 suxx

Date		Action		Roll		Result
2014-12-02 10:43:58		Degnar rolls 3 to Hedge Shaping! (10 Again)		7, 9, 4		1 success

[Lesingnon]

"Not unshapeable, simply resistant to being changed in such a manner. It's always a conflict; on one hand your Wyrd exerts its influence, working to define the Hedge around you. On the other the Hedge attempts to resist, and define itself. No one's Wyrd wins out all the time, unless its interests coincide with those of the Hedge itself. And there is one main situation where that's the case."

And now the Hedge did seem to press a bit closer...the thorns seeming just a bit longer, a bit sharper, as if they knew what topic he was bringing up next. "Hedge duels." Because the place ever was dangerous, bloodthirsty. Honestly, despite his proficiency with them the eagerness that the Hedge always seemed to exhibit when it came to such duels was still one of the more unsettling things about the thorns to him.

"During such fights, there are three modes of attack. Can anyone name any of them?"

[Coco]

"Steel would be one of them, would it not?" Coco asked, voice brimming with gleeful hope, her earlier failure utterly forgotten in the wake of this much more interesting change in conversation. Yes, this was truly why she had come here this eve: to learn how to dance that most vital and elegantly combative dance! The arrangement of the duel, the intimate nature of the exchange, the meaning and the dialogue created through its occurrence, all of these reasons and more elevated it far above any other form of combat. It elevated it into the sphere of art itself, and long had Coco been deprived of an outlet for her artist's spirit.

[Lesingnon]

"Steel, stave, fist...strength of arm is certainly one of them. One looked down upon in some circles. What's the point of even bothering with a Hedge Duel, they say, when you're just going to whale on each other with sharpened sticks like you could in any back alley." He shrugs, not seeming to put all that much stock in that viewpoint even though he had just presented it. "I guess they might kind of have a point...but then, the ones with that viewpoint are often the ones who'd barely know how to throw a proper punch. So they tend to be a bit biased.

"The second method is to attack your opponent's psyche, whispering reminders of their time in Arcadia and casting doubts upon both their freedom and sanity." There's definitely a bit of distaste in his tone as he mentioned that one. He'd never liked it. "Frankly, though, I've never been fond of that one. For one it's always struck me as particularly underhanded. And even besides that...I've never even considered it a worthwhile use of time. I mean...you could get to them, make it harder for them to concentrate on the duel and all that. But even if you succeed they're not out of the fight, and in the time you've spent doing that they've probably been doing their level best to cut you down, which is far more final."

"The last, and most common, method is to use the Hedge itself." He gestures to the landscape around them; ground thorns and sky. "No one is sure of the exact reason why, but in the event of a Hedge duel any Changeling can freely manipulate the landscape to lash out at their foes. The power, and nature of your Wyrd becomes your shield. And when guided by a quick and adaptive mind, your sword as well. A Shadowsoul might attack with razor-edged tendrils of darkness, only to see them burnt away by a Fireheart's flames. A Tunnelgrub might open a yawning pit beneath a Flowering who's able to dig roots into the side to prevent a deadly fall. And that's just scratching the surface. Hedge Dueling with the Hedge itself is quite possibly the most varied and unpredictable form of combat a Changeling can partake in."