ORIGIN

The dim starlight glow of Orion suddenly ignited in pink and gold spotlights. They swept the area around the Tower before settling on it. Music--jarring heavy metal--began to play, set (for some horrific reason) to a backdrop of blaring trumpets.

After a few moments, once Gembounds began to gather, a stream of pink and metallic gold confetti began to fall. A small stand appeared--it had been there for an hour or two, but was now unveiled from its cloak of shadows--and was illuminated in light, too. This stand held cotton candy, corn dogs, and sodas in cups with straws.

"COME ONE, COME ALL! COME SEE YOUR FAAAVORITE SPRITE, ON THIS SO-IMPORTANT DAY!"

It had been, give or take, ten years since they'd all started waking up--and that, to her, was as good a reason as any to celebrate. Not that she needed an excuse. In fact--a wave of Nemean's hand as she descended from the pinnacle of the Tower, and numerous cocktails with swirly straws appeared in a second cart. Now, that one hadn't been there.

She lowered gently, wings buzzing, pinned in bright light. She paused only to set a fishbowl (complete with a small goldfish) off on a pedestal, then rose again with her arms wide.

"It's been TEN WHOLE YEARS since you all started waking up! LET'S CELEBRATE! Come on! Food, music--and let's see how much you all know, or remember!"

She gave them time, while striking poses in midair, to gather up their food and drinks and to get settled (or to dance). Then she cleared her throat, snapping her fingers so that a microphone appeared in her hand. It was not hooked up to anything, but her voice was louder, anyway. The music died down, a little.

"Iiiiit's TRIVIA TIME! Okay, everybody listen up! If you give me the right answer, you get more free food! I got CAKES and COOKIES!" She moved aside, her lights casting giant images on the watchtower: cookies, and cakes, iced in pink, white and gold sugar frosting, all of them shaped like hers truly: Nemean!

"FIRST QUESTION!" she cried into the mic, too loudly. There was feedback, at first. "When and how did Master Astraea first appear to y'all after the Awakening?!" She gave it a dramatic pause, where a huge picture of the red-eyed stag with his forehead ruby and mushroom-hosting antlers appeared in bright colors across the tower's surface, as if set there by a giant projector.

"Was it... A., Awakening from the Spire in Polaris? B, to offer advice on interior lighting? C., creating golems in Polaris? Or D., giving away his old clothes?"

A soft drumroll rang out, awaiting the Gembounds' answers.

Origin's Tenth Anniversary Trivia Thread has begun! If a character guesses (or knows) a correct answer, they may claim a Bounty for the Anniversary Event! This bounty may only be claimed once, so don't worry if they get some questions wrong, too...

With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
"I am free! Yes, I'm free!"

Attracted by the loud sounds and the sudden lights, September approached the tower with eyes wide and curious. He was a little amazed at the festivities and also the whole ten years thing. Had it really been that long? He'd only been alive for...one? A little more? He was probably the worst choice for an Origin Cave trivia night, but if there was one thing he did like, it was excitement. And he was perfectly capable of guessing.

He didn't hesitate - as soon as they were offered, September was stepping forward to eat from the cotton candy. He didn't exactly have the capability to hold and eat at the same time, so he just kind of tore some off, like it was grass from the earth, and chomped down. Or...tried. It kind of instantly dissolved in his mouth. That was unexpected, but he found quickly that he liked it!

The offered cocktails, too, intrigued. He wasn't sure what was up with the straw - he tried chewing on it for a second, but that was unpleasant. So he just started carefully licking up the alcoholic beverage. It was...weird. It was sweet, but there was a horrible taste to it that felt like fire as he swallowed. Huh.

He looked up at Nemean and blinked. Astraea...Astraea.....nope, he'd never met an Astraea before! Wait, wait, hadn't Tectus mentioned him at some point? The name was familiar but he had no face to put it to, except for her word. He mulled over the responses for a second and just kinda blurted out, "Uh, B! The lighting in here SUCKS!" He laughed and continued licking at his cocktail.

september

Sair

Sair drifted into Orion often, seeking relics long forgotten, or glimpses of a familiar blue coat. The cave ceiling matched her dark patches now, and she couldn't help but be just a little vain, watching the now-pink light shine off the deep blues. Pink? That's what caught their attention first, followed soon after by something loud and jarring. Sair was the opposite of euphoric, desperately trying to cover his ears to dampen the onslaught of sound. Having only the ability to cover one a time, it did little good, and he was left with no choice but to wait for his aching ears to get used to it.

It felt like forever, but Sair's body adjusted as well as it could, and she began to approach the offending thing, only to be met with
nemean. Well, that was no surprise then. She certainly wasn't going to be the one to ask them to turn it down. "Long time no see!" She called, hoping she could even be heard over the music. Surely it would quiet down some, given what the sprite was calling for. Trivia? Well, Sair would take every chance to learn! But first, she was eager to try some more treats. Surely such goodies had been in previous events, but a horse simply did no have the stomach room to try them all. Today's choice? Some sweet-smelling liquid that.... bubbled? Was it even safe to drink? She paused a moment, peeked toward Nemean, and decided to give it a taste, Nemean had done no harm to them after all.

Until now, it seemed, as the horse's lips curled back. Their senses were overloading, fizz somehow making it's way both down their throat and out their nose. "What IS this stuff?" She snorted, wiping her face repeatedly until the offending sensation cleared itself from her sinuses. She stewed on the taste for a bit, wondering if the sweetness was worth whatever that was.

No, she did not like the demon drink. Settling down with some cotton candy instead, Sair listened intently to the first question. Ten years since they began to awaken? Is that really as far back as they went? What woke them? Why, when there were others that had been around so much longer? "A!" She called out, giving it her best guess. The Spire creating life? It was not such a strange thought, and the answer of the other made her snort. This was going to be fun! Ah, but maybe it was the Golems? Sair was not there, as much as they wished they had been.

"Speaking." Thinking. Doing.
OOC: For ease, Sair is guessing A

We don't know how to accept we're just a product of a chance /
And less like gods but more like plants

A spotlight pinned September, for a moment.

"EYYY! And we have a winner! LUCKY GUESS, KID!" she yelled at the very much not-kid, and then raised her arms. A cheer went up, from a nonexistent audience, and confetti rained down around September.

"BUT! That's right! The lights were OUT, and he wandered around and gave useless advice! Woo!"

Nemean's hands reached into illusory dress pockets, pulling out some flashcards. She shuffled through them, tossing a few behind her, before picking one. "OH YEAH! Here we go! AHEM--QUESTION TWO!"

Lights swept the area, and drumbeats rolled. The giant picture of Astraea was replaced by a darkness with two glowing red eyes. "How 'bout the COLLECTOR?! How did you all find HIM? Was it... A., a magical artifact swallowed by a fish, B., Master Tenzin gave y'all directions, C., he was freed on accident when Hydra was opened up, or D., as the Creator, he was always present--ooOooo," she finished, making a spooky noise.

Another drumroll rang out, awaiting the Gembounds' answers.

@Sair @September

With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
"I am free! Yes, I'm free!"

September laughed as the horse approached and tried the strange drink for herself. "I don't know but it's sure making me feel funny!" But that didn't seem to deter him at all, as he continued lapping it up, already feeling a little dizzy from the alcohol. The snacks, too, he nibbled on, only pausing to be surprised by the sudden confetti. "Uh, I got it right? That's pretty crazy! Wow!"

Onto the next question, and this one, September had to wrack his brain. He didn't know who the Collector was, but the name sounded familiar. Two of the answers were pretty crazy, the other seemed normal. His instincts were to go for the "normal" answers but his experience in the caves said "nothing here is normal" so he went, instead with the other two. And from those two, he couldn't imagine that whoever this "Collector" was was actually just whoever the "Creator" is. So.."A! It's A! I'm sure of it!" Still a guess, but at least an educated one this time.

september

Oh, Pollen was absolutely late to the event. Who could blame her though, distracted by the corn dogs she'd grown to associate with entertainment. It's not something she often had, being spoiled by Nedies's cooking and all, but it's part of the ritual.

She had a corn dog solidly stuck in her mouth when the lights focused on something else. Oh, right, she was actually here for something and not just eating. Chewing down quickly, Pollen scarfed the rest of her food as Nemean continued her game, leaving Pollen to scramble to find a seat.

She's bad at these recent events. Why not throw in the older stuff? It wasn't that hard to guess though, what with how Nemean liked to phrase her correct answers. "A!" She called out in confidence, waving her paw in the air as September called out his answer. Hydra was a whole thing, and... Well. Obviously not the Creator. What else could it be?

And frankly, she'd like to hear about that artifact... How'd it get swallowed by a fish? It has to be that one, just has to be.

Fleas had been passing by Orion. She didn't expect anything out of the ordinary for the cave--the usual stars and rotting stone structures. However, today was anything but routine. It was hard to miss the bright glaring spotlights coming from the Tower of Orion. That was strange. She had fully intended on avoiding whatever was going on over there (strange was bad in her experience) but she heard a shrill, distant voice.

She recognized that shrill voice. From that vision she had! Was that Nemean? Fleas hesitated, before deciding to pad over. She'd like to know what one of the Jester's many killers looked like. The lights hurt her eyes, and the confetti was basically part of her fur when she got over. But she got to see Nemean. Fleas had, to be honest, been expecting someone more... imposing. Nemean was short, sparkly, and very energetic. She didn't even have giant teeth, which Fleas had been expecting for some reason. Not the form of a killer, to say the least. She wouldnt tempt her luck and bring up anything about height though.

As Nemean began to speak, Fleas was sniffing around the food stand, trying to be as unimposing as possible. She investigated a corndog thoroughly, pawing at it as if half expecting it to sprout teeth, before taking it into her mouth. Then her mind clunked into processing the question. Was she supposed to answer? Was that for her? Aw shit, yeah, everyone else was answering.

"Fowwector?" She said through a mouth of corndog. "Iunno.." She took another bite and stuck it in her thumbed paw (don't think about them). Everyone else was saying A, and Fleas was already following suit, so she said: "Uh, yeah! I'll take A too!"

"When I speak"
When I think

Nemean lowered her mic, an expression of disappointed irritation crossing her face.

"Are you guys CHEATING?" she demanded. Then, more certain, she pointed at them all. "You ARE cheating. You didn't know any of that! Fifty lucky guesses, you expect me to believe that!? STOP IT or I'm REVOKING ALL YOUR PRIZES!" (There weren't any prizes.) "ANNNYWAY, YES. There was a fish, and that fish had a magic item, which led to The Collector!"

Her heart wasn't in it this time. Cheating. Ugh. Only she could cheat. "ONE MORE QUESTION. When did the Masked Merchant first make his appearance? Was it, A., organizing and commanding the first Trial of Hydra; B. having tea with the Blacksmith; C. he was summoned to the Palace by Eggbert; or D. a bunch of rogue wisps led everyone into a deadly dungeon? -And if you just 'guess right' this time, the next question will be: How long can you breathe underwater?"

Nemean glared at the Gembounds, the spotlight slowly sweeping to engulf them.

@September @Pollen @Fleas @Sair

With the wind as you fly away
Give a smile from your lips and say
"I am free! Yes, I'm free!"

September frowned as he was accused of cheating. Indignant rage flared in his chest and he stood up taller, ignoring the dizziness and the heat in his belly. "I am NOT a cheater! Maybe your questions are just easy!!" He was not going to tell her that he was essentially guessing all of these answers and just happening to land on the correct one.

(AN: Oh yes. Much luck. Totally random.)

He snorted and continued to taste the many things left out for them, and probably drinking a little too much of the cocktail that was really starting to get to his head. But man it tasted good and this was fun!

When it was time to answer again, he laughed loudly. "Well that's EASY. It's uhhhh. D!! D for Deadly Dungeon! SEE? Fuckin easy!" Yeah, this deer is drunk.

september

Game Master Nemean

September

Sair

Game Master Dark

September

Pollen

Fleas

Game Master Dark

September