A Grendel Wish and a Cloudy Genetic Future

Nildeleer was in an adventurous mood when she left the desert island via the ocean cart… Yet she soon realized that she left behind something else. She headed over to the wishing well in a terrible mood. Her best friend and soulmate, Dahloi, was nowhere to be found. As annoying and challenging to my patience that Nildeleer was, I felt sorry for her misery! Her wish was heard loud and clear, though it was unclear what forces would bring Dahloi back to her. I had a feeling I would have a role to play, though it was always possible that they would find one another on their own! A carrot was hardly enough to help with Nildeleer’s heartache, though I was happy that I could ease one ache.

I figured that it was about time that my Norns had someone new to welcome. I figured he would be a very happy addition to Albia, but I was met with a rather terrified newborn Norn! Pathun was the son of Manakin and Niltava. That tiny face melted my heart: It may have been the exact same look that every Forest Norn had, yet Pathun seemed to have his own personality right away. There was no escaping it: I was ready to take care of him right away! Surprisingly for a fifth generation Norn, he had very few genetic mutations. Sometimes I prefer to have a few of those in the gene pool to ensure that a lot of genes remain intact. Onto a quick genetic analysis!

Receptors

Chemical receptors define parameters for a certain chemical. When these parameters are met, an element in the Creature is affected. These genes can increase drives, define life stages, control fertility, and more.

Default: 50 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Sleepiness, chem=Sleepiness, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue
Mutation: 50 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Sleepiness, chem=Sleepiness, thresh=0, nom=1, gain=255, features=Analogue

This gene is quite important in converting the sleepiness chemical into the sleepiness drive. However, Pathun’s mutation is fairly negligible. It was actually inherited from his grandmother, Llyan, who had the exact same nominal value mutation. In a sentence, this will mean that Pathun will never be able to achieve a zero value for his sleepiness drive. With the maximum value of 255, however, a value of one is still extremely low enough as to keep him fully functional in the sleeping department! I failed to mention this in Manakin’s genetic analysis, though.

Default: 55 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Anger, chem=Anger, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue
Mutation: 55 Emb B MutDupCut Creature, Drive Levels Anger, chem=SexDrive, thresh=0, nom=0, gain=255, features=Analogue

Receptor gene mutations can be rather interesting, and this one had all the makings of a good story! In the standard Norn genome, this gene defines how the anger chemical turns into the anger drive. Very straightforward, like the previous example. For Pathun, his anger drive is controlled by the amount of sex drive chemical in his system. As with many mutations, this one has its advantages and disadvantages. Likely Pathun will not even know what anger is until he is an adolescent and ready to kisspop. At that point, his anger could grow out of control. I had the feeling that he would be the most polite sort of young Norn, but his future seemed like it could be a challenge. Only time would determine whether Pathun would be a terror once he grew up. That was a ways off, though: It was time to enjoy the early hours with him!