Grist

Tǔhuā Lǎbā (Earth-Flower Horn), the dragoness who Governs Geomena, Seeks ivory, and Embodies flowers.

Grist

 Referred to as Wang-Wu by the Jian and the Dragons who live amongst them - or ‘the Ten-Thousand-Things’ meaning all Saol and every discernable thing comprised of Planar Metaphor - Grist is the Glamour embodied by Dragons (and Kobold Shamans) to Cultivate an identity which they may then be channeled into miracles. Grist requires a Minor Merit to pursue.

History Ancient dragons catalyzed Grist within their bloodline long before the other races of Ælphyne had formed their own. Grist is often referred to by the Faefolk as ‘Primordial Glamour’ with jealous reverence. They once clashed with dragon-kind, banishing the majority of them from Ælphyne to Antarok in the Dragon-Faefolk Conflict. Settling in the new world, the Elder Dragon Huǒxīyì Chī devised a ritual to create Dragonbound from the lesser races, allowing them to call upon a Dragon's Grist. This made humanity incredibly loyal - and useful - to the Dragons.

Concepts Gristle: Grist is a Glamour derived from an arcane fluid rich in Saol called Gristle. This catalyst forms within a small gland surrounded by thyroid cartilage in the throat - beneath the 'Adam's Apple' - which then circulates Gristle in trace amounts throughout the body, pervading the environment through perspiration or else congealed within the larynx for exhale. Three-Among-Many: Through Saol, the Gristled possess a connection to three concepts which inform how Grist will manifest, and how it will influence their lives; one to govern, one to seek, and one to embody. Governed - a Metaphor: Luxium, Geomena, Aeris, Imber, Somnium, Fabula, or Anathema. The rest oppose the Saol which powers the Glamour, or they are too nebulous to be governed by it. Sought - usually a mundane object, material, artform, or some other esoteric concept like an emotion or activity to be hoarded or sought. Examples might include pastries, feathers, gold, smithing, joy, or swordplay. The Gristled eats less when Cultivating near to these things, and could eat what is Sought without consequence if it recently had that association. Embodied - one specific form of life to embody - any race, animal, spirit, or flora they feel drawn towards. Examples are roses, tigers, a race of people, blue jays, or 'avians' in a more general sense. Embodiment means a slow, and subtle, partial, or total transformation into that form of life through Inner Alchemy. Path to Oneness: To be One is to be aligned with Three-Among-Many, in what is Governed, Sought, and Embodied, in one's Soul and the flow of their Life Force. Grist influences its host and others onto a path towards this seemingly unattainable ideal, and to achieve Oneness is to become an Aspect of Grist, a Meridian. Incitement Incitement - initiation into Grist - occurs when the Three-Among-Many are Cultivated by those with Grist throat-glands. They will have no sense for how any of this works as they begin, often undergoing a spiritual journey to find what they wish to Govern, Seek, and Embody. Once these three concepts are internalized, a spark of Oneness will blaze within themselves - a torch that will not easily be blown out. This will take a few hours of time beneath the tutelage of a wise dragon for some, while most will require a lifetime of experiences to catalyze a Three-Among-Many unique to them. Young Adult Dragons Incite without effort - for them, it is instinctual and profoundly sudden once they mature, and they inherit their initial Three-Among-Many from the parent they spend most of their time with. Whelp 'Prodigies' who Incite early almost always form the wrong Three, and they are pushed out of the nest by other dragons to preserve harmony within the Flight. Throat-Glands As Grist is a Glamour, the throat-glands necessary to channel its spells are passed on from a parent to its offspring. Dragons and Kobold are all born with the ability to Cultivate their Grist. There are bloodlines with draconic ancestry, and half-breeds with Grist as well. Gristled can utilize Outer Alchemy to temporarily grant someone Grist by turning them into a chimera of their Embodied animal or spirit and granting them the organ, but this will fade upon leaving the Gristled's influence unless the grantee Incites their Grist and wields Inner Alchemy to retain the form. If trustworthy and powerful Gristled are scarce, a Maltrician may transplant donated throat-glands which may then be Incited. The ‘donor’ is usually a Kobold, or - sadly - a Dragon Whelp. Notes: If the Gristled is undead, they will obtain the Geist variant of Grist. Until a Glamour organ is Incited, it does not require spending a Minor Merit to obtain. Mageburn Symptoms Mageburn is rare for the Gristled as they must Cultivate their spells and rituals. Overuse and dilution of their Gristle will weaken the strength of their Cultivation, lead them astray from the Path to Oneness, and hinder their ability to Cultivate without burning even more Saol. Doing so may weaken their immune systems, inflame their vocal chords and afflict them with life-long mental illness or worse. Lesser: Sore Throat, Fever, Headaches, Chills, Irritability, Weakness, Incessant Urges, Lethargy, Anxiety Moderate: Asphyxiation (Inflammation), Panic, Narcolepsy, Powerful Urges, Temporary Aesthetic Mutations Greater: Glamour Organ Failure (Throat Rupture), Coma, Schizophrenia Become-Ten-Thousand: Seen as a fate worse than death by the Gristled and cautioned by parent to child, to Become-Ten-Thousand is to lose a hold on one's Three-Among-Many, by consequence inviting the 'Ten-Thousand-Things' of nature within. These tortured souls have become ever-changing beasts, warped by their Inner Alchemy to become all that they witness until they bleed through their Saol and die. Spells Cultivation Gristled Cultivate to prepare their spells continuously rather than the standard way of casting them, expending Spell Reserves as they finish Cultivating rather than when they discharge the spell. They incorporate experiences, belongings, and environments relevant to their Three-Among-Many through focused pursuits of meditation, introspection, or labor as an artist seeks references for a painting until the spell is primed or finished. Cultivation may also be performed aimlessly without any intention or Life Force expenditure: there is a sense of moving towards a unification of the mind, body, and soul as one Cultivates - a Path to Oneness - and for most, this is well worth the effort Any Grist spell or ritual requires a month of dedication - concentration is not necessary - for a Novice to prepare or finish, and at least a day for a Master; only a Meridian may do so in the span of a breath. Changing the Three-Among-Many is possible through Cultivation until becoming a Meridian; this would take only a month for something adjacent like altering which species of bird is Embodied, or a year if multiple drastic changes must be made. Inner Alchemy Inner Alchemy is the ritual for how those with Grist Cultivate their Three-Among-Many to change themselves permanently, so slowly that only its difficult to observe. There are only up to three specific changes at a time: how what is Governed manifests in their body, how they sense what is Sought, and how what is Embodied shapes them and their diet; one use of Inner Alchemy accounts for up to three changes. This Cultivation Ritual is available from Novice. Governed: The Gristled will develop an aesthetic mutation representing one of the three concepts belonging to that Metaphor; an example would be Luxium fire upon the tip of their tail which feels warm but does not burn. This aesthetic might not be purely visual - if Somnium is Governed, Nightmare might bring haunting images of one's own nightmares to the back of their mind. The effect is always minor and never enough to bring harm to another or benefit themselves in a tangible way. Sometimes weak Gristled are hunted, as these aesthetic changes might linger in their hide and bones. At Journeyman, the Gristled develops a notable resistance to what they Govern, and at Master they are nearly immune unless that source matches their own power. Sought: The Gristled develops a single supernatural sense - taste, touch, feel, scent, or sight - for hunting or experiencing what is Sought. Physical things can directly be Sought. Someone in search of dolls might have a sense for automata and skillfully crafted zombies are nearby. There might be a pleasing smell to track, or they might stand out better from everything else. This sense might bring them euphoric joy, calm, or comfort, and lacking this stimulation for a time might bring stress, irritability, or depression. For more esoteric concepts like an activity or an emotion, the Gristled only senses what is Sought when it's actively being demonstrated to the outside world - if they Seek joy, then they might 'smell' someone engaged in joyous laughter, but not if that person is holding back their feeling. At Novice this is merely one sense, but every tier of Grist thereafter offers potential for another until all five are earned at Master. The Gristled is subtly compelled to seek out what is Sought, to be around and experience it, to dominate and hoard, or serve something related; how this manifests is up to the author. Embodied: The Gristled shifts aspects of their body towards any facet of their Embodied race, animal, spirit, or flora. This can be any kind of anatomy, sense, or even mental changes. If they Embody a specific race or animal, they might blend qualities of these with themselves or outright become them. A Gristled who Embodies the orchid plant might slowly alter themselves into one over the course of a month, losing itself to the floral way of life until the winter or some nauseating change in the soil. It's not impossible for the Gristled to pollinate each other and germinate offspring of their original race from seeds, but they will only be able to reproduce with life that also has a soul. Flora Embodiment is also one way to qualify for Inciting Draoidh. Note: How your character uses Inner Alchemy should be detailed on your Character Sheet. This can be a total and exact transformation into the Embodied, a blend between them, or nothing at all. If you are feeling overwhelmed, consider ignoring Inner Alchemy until you are ready to explore it in-character. Inner Alchemy is learned at Novice. Governed Breath Each Gristled by Apprentice may Cultivate the Metaphor they Govern into a breathed spell, stored within their throats for exhale. Meridians and Ancient Dragons may breathe Governed Breath continuously until they burn through their Life Force. The quality of any created object depends on relevant Craft skills known by the character. Only one use of Governed Breath may be prepared at Apprentice; Luxium: A wave of bursting flames, or a finely focused beam of burning light. They might also spit gobs of solid light, stretching it over entrances or creating bridges or large volumes of weightless Hardlight objects such as spears or caltrops which linger for an hour. Geomena: A wave of sand to batter and bury, or spitting a rock to stab, bruise, and crush. They might also hollow out a well-supported tunnel in stone with their breaths, or sculpt stone with as much detail as they can muster in a span of breath. Aeris: The Gristled breathes a wave of battering or cutting wind. They might also breathe a pocket of calm into a storm or other air-based phenomena, or a consistent breeze to power a sail for up to an hour. Imber: A wave of water to crush and wash away. They might also breathe a rain cloud to disperse their water over a wide area, speak secretly to someone else for a time in words only the target(s) can hear, or exude a vision obscuring fog. Ardor: A chilling breath that causes minor frostbite at Apprentice, freezing the surface of its target solid by Master. They might also breathe a whiteout blizzard over a wide area, or stabilize the dying for several minutes at Apprentice, up to several hours by Master. Somnium: A wave of chromatic color that induces a hallucinatory state - vivid dreams whilst asleep - or lethargy, for an hour. The Gristled does not control what kind of hallucination is received, but might guide their experience through other means such as conversation or trickery. Suggestive at Novice, and overpowering by Master. Resisted through equal skill in Meditation or an appropriate Dreamcatcher. Fabula: A spit of bone javelins, or large volumes of one kind of bone. The bones receive a boost to their hardiness for an hour as they are expelled. They might also breathe a visual and auditory projection of a story - embellished or no. Anathema: A spit of sliming black bile that slowly digests what it falls upon. They might also by Master concentrate this bile to destroy magically 'invulnerable' objects such as a Liches' Phylactery. Outer Alchemy Obtained at Expert, Outer Alchemy is the ritual for projecting Inner Alchemy outward. This is a slow process which requires regular Cultivation, applying what is Governed, Sought, or Embodied to nearby objects and life in a similar manner to Inner Alchemy. The effect is semi-permanent so long as the Gristled is nearby and engaged in some sort of Cultivation, reverting gradually over the course of a month should they leave and not return. Everything within a location can be altered at once, slowly through Cultivation; any form of resistance stops this altogether: even a Meridian cannot influence other Gristled, nor are they able to affect the transformed such as Glimmerlings and Nightwalkers. Below are the differences specific to Outer Alchemy. Governed: They may apply the specific aesthetic change affecting them to objects and life nearby. Sought: When applied to an object, it will resemble what is sought in some mundane and sensible manner. In this way, the Cultivator might alter artworks, trees, or their environment to depict what they seek. Life might be granted the Gristled's same sense for what is Sought. Embodied: Cultivation can be focused on individuals over time, transforming them part-way, even entirely into an Embodied race, animal, spirit, or flora. If they Embody a form of fauna or spirit, the Gristled might choose to impart their Grist throat-glands this way - or Draoidh for flora - requiring Incitement to keep the Embodied form and thus the gifted organ. Their entire body will revert to normal within a month if they leave the Cultivator's influence, otherwise. Natare Unique to wielders of Grist who are Dragons, Natare is the power for a dragon to idly swim within the air as if it were thicker like water. Their wings, fins, and the undulating, leading edges of their scales are used to move in this way. Flying or Swimming are the skills used for power and control, yet Grist accelerates this. The more massive and less aerodynamic a dragon is, the slower their Natare - many dragons favor long and serpentine-like bodies that make this process more efficient for them. This ability is functional no matter what they Embody, but certain species or combinations of dragon and animal - or race - will make it easier to 'swim' or fly.

Skill Tiers

Novice The Gristled at Novice has just begun to learn how to identify and then Cultivate their Three-Among-Many, an uncertain time for them: they struggle aligning their lives with what is Governed, Sought, or Embodied on their Path to Oneness, and they mainly focus on educating themselves, Cultivating the ritual of Inner Alchemy. Cultivation Time: 1 Month Natare Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 5 feet per second. Apprentice An Apprentice of Grist has developed a subtle sense for their Three-Among-Many, Cultivating twice as fast as before. They begin to experience a tingling in their throats - Governed Breath - which they may now Cultivate towards. Even as an Apprentice, their breath while only useful once every two weeks is potent enough to addle, perforate skin, or break bone. Cultivation Time: 2 Weeks Breath Charges: 1 Breath Reach: 20 Ft Breath Power: Can melt, crush, or reinforce up to and against solid bone if applicable. Natare: Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 10 feet per second. Journeyman A Journeyman of Grist experiences a refinement of their powers. Nothing new is gleaned at this stage, only a reinforcement of what they have learned thus far. They may Cultivate and retain two uses of their Governed Breath in just a week, and their breath is notably more powerful, enough to kill or disable a man outright if they take the brunt of its force. Cultivation Time: 1 Week Breath Charges: 2 Breath Reach: 50 Ft Breath Power: Can melt, crush, or reinforce up to and against solid rock if applicable. Natare: Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 20 feet per second. Expert At Expert, a Grist experiences a deeper sense for their own environment, allowing for Cultivation to influence the appearance of a temple through Outer Alchemy across just three days of ritual. They spend much of their time seeking out and maintaining a location which they alter for their own comfort, taking on students of Grist or assisting other Cultivators. Their Governed breath is truly potent now, capable of bringing down scores if caught in their exhale. Cultivation Time: 3 Days Outer Alchemy Reach: A small location such as a shop or a temple and its courtyard. Breath Charges: 3 Breath Reach: 100 Ft Breath Power: Can melt, crush, or reinforce up to and against solid iron if applicable. Natare: Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 35 feet per second. Master A Master of Grist is so in tune with the Three-Among-Many that they require only a day of Cultivation to finish an Alchemy ritual or renew their Governed Breath to capacity. Their Governed Breath might bring down a small army without any way to defend against it, covering a large swathe of distance. Often they are hunted down and killed or recruited by the local governance for their power or meddling. Cultivation Time: 1 Day Outer Alchemy Reach: An entire city district, encompassing several streets and dozens of homes or businesses. Breath Charges: 4 Breath Reach: 250 Ft Breath Power: Can melt, crush, or reinforce up to and against solid steel if applicable. Natare: Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 50 feet per second. Aspect Having achieved Oneness and become a Meridian, an Aspect of Grist is often revered as a local deity. Their mere presence is a threat great enough to incite a country into war against them, or else to parlay or coerce them into cohabitation; A Meridian's Outer Alchemy might disrupt an entire city by turning all its living denizens into what they Embody. While fearsome, they usually retreat deep into the wilderness to lead a life of asceticism due to the inescapable sense of detachment their long lives and Oneness fosters. Becoming a Meridian requires the expenditure of a Major Merit. Cultivation Time: Immediate Outer Alchemy Reach: Subtly - small changes - across an entire country. Notably - major changes - within a city. Breath Charges: As Life Force permits. Breath Reach: 250 Ft Breath Power: Can damage to some extent most forms of enchanted material, reinforcing a considerable degree above solid steel (up to 2x hardness) if applicable. Natare: Up to Swim/Flight speed, plus 100 feet per second.

Artifacts

The oil of Gristle and entire throat-glands are often extracted from slain dragons and kobold for use by Practices. Their throats may be tapped with a metal straw, extracting Gristle which is valuable as a magical ink or a catalyst for both Saol and whichever Metaphor the victim Governed. Artifacts made from Grist are notable for being useful even at Novice; most are wards against Outer Alchemy, as even a small charm conferring the weakest Inner Alchemy would allow the power to pass over them. Others might match Governed Breath weapon at the tier harvested, with Dragonslayers commissioning muskets, arrows, or spears capable of clashing against a dragon's breath to cancel out its power. Rarely an artifact of Inner Alchemy will confer a sense for what was Sought, or transform the holder progressively into a form of life. If the oil donor still lives, a kind of pylon might be made to extend the influence or reach of their abilities, or else Cultivate Outer Alchemy independently if powered by Alkahest.

"I've met with a terrible fate, haven't I? - Adopting a hatchling abandoned by its mother. The whelp demands every piece of gold we have and asks that we collect flower nectar to feed her. So many butterflies. Our dog has grown butterfly wings - I am growing butterfly wings. We all have butterfly wings in this village. My beautiful Nuǎnjīn Húdié, will you leave your pile of treasure to guard us from the Gnoll with your dazzling breath of burning light?" - A Charitable Magistrate

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