A Slight Change of Plans in Albia

I set out on my latest visit to Creatures 1 with some apprehension. I knew that I would witness the deaths of many Norns. Although the ones in question had already lived for ten hours or more, it did little to cheer me up. Erikstad passed away at 10 hours and 19 minutes… In the strangest pose! I don’t remember seeing a Norn die in a standing position before, but this world had been gitched for some time. Five eggs would bring forth Erikstad’s children. He was the first “alpha” male in Albia, and I was sad to see him go. He was lively to the end, though!

With reluctance, I checked in on poor Arnes. He was approaching eleven hours, and I had a feeling his time would be up very soon. To my surprise, I found him walking around and smiling! He even decided to act playful and attempt to crouch and hide. No such luck, but it was thrilling to find him in such good spirits! Leira took a liking to Arnes, and made it her duty to stick with him. They even traveled under the ocean to the settlement! Quite an interesting turn of events.

Jetvika had all but given up hope on having an egg of her own. Just as I was also about to give up, Mevik ran by, stopped for a moment, and then disappeared. I thought nothing of it, until I realized that this whirlwind had resulted in a pregnancy! Jetvika would finally be able to have an egg of her own! She seemed quite forlorn, though, and kept running away from anyone and everyone who came near her. Perhaps she had not wanted an egg, but it was on its way. Interestingly enough, the unhatched baby takes all of his or her appearance genes from Jetvika! He or she will be an identical copy of her, at least in terms of appearance.

Mevik was far from finished with his escapades, however! Remember who he first met in Greeting the Newest Member of Albia? He soon caught up with Dalselv, and another little one was on the way! I had a sneaky suspicion that these Norns planned everything: It’s difficult enough keeping an eye on one pregnant Norn, but two can be downright tough! Dalselv was also nearly eleven hours old, and I worried that she could die while pregnant. It had yet to happen, yet the possibility was still just sitting out there.

Jetvika was just about to enjoy a delicious carrot, when she realized that it was time to bring her egg into Albia! I was perplexed over why she would lay it so close to the water’s edge, but this was much less serious than the previous Questionable Parenting Decisions by Norns! Jetvika was quite relieved to have concluded her first pregnancy. Although it was her first, I figured it might be her only one. Shortly after, she turned into an elder and gave up on eating. Despite my best efforts, her life force has hovered at a mere 30%. Did she think that producing one egg was her final mission in life?

A real friendship developed between Mevik and Dalselv while she was pregnant. Mevik refused to leave her side, even while she slept. He assumed his former guard pose, and stood perfectly still for minutes on end. It was quite a sweet moment, since most males abandon the pregnant females. It’s not malicious or callous in any way: Just the way of Norns. Mevik himself had just recently abandoned Jetvika. Despite the happy atmosphere, I felt like it was a race against time. Would Dalselv live long enough to lay her egg? Or would we lose this special one?

As luck would have it, Dalselv laid her egg with no complications! She suddenly seemed so old and fragile, with her petite Forest Norn frame. As expected, although not as I had hoped, Mevik was nowhere to be found once Dalselv completed her pregnancy. Still, I could always remember how kind and caring he was towards her for those few moments. Perhaps Dalselv would hold that memory near and dear to her as the last chapter of her life came to an end. She still had some time left, though, and thankfully decided to enjoy it! No laying down and giving in to the clutches of death!

I should have known that Mevik would be found with the ladies! He brought his charm to Forvika and Bolga in due time: Before I knew it, they both were pregnant! Male Norns are ridiculously potent at the best of times: Remember Ranulf from the first generation? He fathered fourteen baby Norns! Mevik appeared ready to attempt to break that record. I put up a protest, but I doubt he would have understood what I meant. At least the third generation has a lot to choose from: There are nearly twenty unhatched babies! Rabbits, these Norns are: Rabbits!

This little population explosion has brought me to the realization that going through each generation in the same way will be nearly impossible, without spending months at a time on a single generation. I adore these Norns, yet I also would like to be able to follow them through many generations. I will be hatching and raising the remainder of the second generation Norns in the same way, since it would be unfair to cut them out at this point. Ranulf might come back from the dead to scold me for ignoring his hoard of children! Ha ha! For the third generation and beyond, I will only be keeping approximately twenty Norns to raise in Albia. Every egg will be hatched separately, and those who will not be raised will be made available for download. It might not be ideal, but I will ensure a good mix of interesting mutations and a varied gene pool. Choosing will be difficult, though!