57 A Different Sort Of Creation (1/2)
As we drew closer and closer to the first lifeform I had ever created, the Cosechian high-priestess named Raiz, my elven allies began to sense something. They were tight-lipped about it, but they couldn't hide their physical reactions from me.
Their ears perked up, a strange sight when such a thing happened to an elf, and their hearts began to race. I could audibly hear the pounding of their hearts quicken thanks to my enhanced senses. Their hands, previously at their sides, twisted and stretched towards their weaponry.
Inwardly I chuckled, as I began to piece together that they could in all likelihood somehow sense Raiz. I quietly sent her a message as well. ”Be careful, my allies might have detected you. I'm unsure of why, but their hands are atop their weaponry and their body language indicates that something has spooked them. Don't attack if they attack.” I told her, commanding the newborn to stay calm.
”But master, am I in danger?” She asked, replying to me in the exact same method in which I communicated with her. I was tempted to shake my head, but we were still over three kilometers apart. It wasn't likely that she could see me, and it'd surely confuse my already tense allies.
”No Raiz, you are not in danger. I doubt they'd strike first, and even if they did I have light-speed reflexes and can manipulate light into forming protective barriers. You're safe.” I told the newborn dryad while explaining just one way in which I could protect her.
Inwardly I knew that if I needed too I could also drain Farrane of her ability to use magic and telekinetically catch any arrows or any other weapons that Calorron might use against my servant. I felt ready to play defense if worst came to worst.
Earlier in the day, the moment I had arrived in the forest, a wolf began to dash towards me. That wolf, being a beautifully persist thing, was continuing to approach me. It was still far away though.
It took us a few minutes, but eventually, we did manage to reach Raiz. We were still in a darkened part of the forest though, and so it took my companions longer than it would have otherwise to actually detect the short, red-headed dryad who at that point had begun to patiently stand still and wait for us to reach her.
It was while we were walking towards her that I received the notification alerting me to the powers I had just gained from the Fagaceae subdomain for creating Raiz, which was my reason for doing so.
[Details about the Fagaceae subdomain:
The Fagaceae subdomain is the subdomain of a tree-type but effectively serves as the arboreal subdomain. By gaining influence over it, you are gaining influence over evergreen trees, and gain assorted tree-type abilities.
Once you gain enough influence over it, it officially becomes the arboreal subdomain, governing all tree-types, and its powers already affect a healthy amount of trees. It's worth the work.
To gain further influence over this particular subdomain you must awaken and nurture tree-servants. This subdomain is the first to grant you an awakening ability, the ability to grant sapience to a non-sapient creature or entity, though it is a limited awakening ability that will only work on trees, even if they are non-Fagaceae trees.
Fagaceae subdomain passive powers:
Photosynthesis manipulation: This power grants you the ability to cause photosynthesis in plants, eliminating their need for sunlight. You can activate this power remotely and can use it to speed or slow the growth of plants, especially if it's mixed with your entropic manipulation ability. This is a synergistic power that is the result of the light domain mixing with the Fagacaea subdomain.
Root manipulation: This power allows you to command tree roots specifically. By using it you can further use the earth or nature as a weapon, or you can transport trees from one place to another. Your abilities to manipulate roots aren't limited to just manipulating their location either.
Roots serve a number of functions, including feeding the plants they are a part of. If you wish you could activate a root's feeding function, causing the organ to drain nutrients, life, and energy from people or creatures entangled in them, instead of through photosynthesis or water absorption.
Tree transformation: This power allows you to manipulate the shape of a tree, enabling you to transform a tree into a humanoid-like shape, if you wish to, or something stranger if you're so inclined. You can mix this ability with your awakening ability to create all manner of life, civilization, and art.
Leaf manipulation: This ability allows you to manipulate leaves, forming things from barriers to weapons with them at will. This power allows you to transform leaves into thorns, spines, and prickles, and use them as needed.
Arboreal aura: This aura is one that ambiently heals and strengthens trees in your proximity, even if it's just their roots under the ground you're on top of. If attacked near trees this aura will cause roots to come to your defense and has a small chance of causing nearby trees to awaken spontaneously and temporarily to aid you.
Fagaceae subdomain active power:
Awakening: You can awaken trees, granting them sapience. This power's precise effects are hard to nail down, but it causes trees to animate and gain a similar sort of will and thought-processes as humans and other humanoids have. By animating them this power grants them ambulatory abilities and the ability to speak a single language.
This ability is best when mixed with other abilities, not when used on its own. When mixed with the powers of the soul domain this power can be used to create all sorts of new species. Trees have weaker souls but possess souls nonetheless.
To truly transform an awakened tree, it is necessary to replace its soul with one of your own creation. Creatures awakened by you automatically worship and serve you.
This is perhaps your strongest power that this world's oldest historians recognize was an ability once usable by mortals, though it hasn't been used by a mortal in millennia, possibly as far back as the end of the mythic age. Truthfully this power is a synergistic one that stems from the intersection of various subdomains with the mind domain.
This ability can be used eight times per three hour period.
Fagaceae subdomain blessing and curse details:
The Fagaceae subdomain's blessing is only applicable to Fagaceae plants. Plants blessed in this way are stronger, healthier, and if awoken become smarter and faster creatures.
The curse this power applies causes Fagaceae plants to be weakened and more easily destroyed.]
Shortly after reading through the entry, a process that took me a few seconds, I realized that I had a chance to set Raiz at ease using these newfound abilities. I quietly began to activate and experiment with my new abilities. I did so in a location that was far from me: right beside Raiz.
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I mentally focused on three distant trees. None of them were particularly large, and all three of them were close to my newest ally: Raiz. I quietly envisioned their diminutive, for trees anyway, forms shifting into distinct shapes, making rough use of my new ability to transform trees.
One of the trees seemed to shrink, becoming shorter and thicker, and taking on a distinctly lupine form. This process was a noisy one, one which caused Raiz's head to turn and examine my work. As she did so she mentally messaged me.
”Master, is this your doing or should I prepare myself for combat?” She asked, fear and awe mixing in equal parts in her mental tone as I was weaving together an arboreal wolf right next to her. I chuckled and formulated a response to her.
”Sorry Raiz, I just wanted to go ahead and begin doing what I needed to do. I am creating a... honor-guard of sorts for you, as is befitting a high priestess of a spirit of nature and civilization alike.” I told her, as I envisioned a tree-like wolf and set about making my will manifest. I heard her sigh and relax when she knew that I was protecting her.