ORIGIN

December 1st, 2019 -

Hello, and welcome to Cycle 56!

December's OTMs are in! Character of the Month goes to Hemlocke, Pair of the Month to Mirage and Quentin, Thread of the Month to "i'm done asking i DEMAND" and Member of the Month to Hawkweed!

Congratulations, guys!

Art will be posted below when finished.

______

For December, we have the Spy vs Spy Group Event, and potentially a small holiday somethin'-somethin'- up our sleeves for later on. Out of character, SilverWinter is running a second annual Secret Santa! Sign up quickly if you want to take part!

______

As for our November event and raffle, Gortys has won the special Origin Lore Rare Character Raffle! Details on the character will be posted in a second post below. In addition, anyone participating in the Random Thread Prompt Contest who completed a 15-post-or-more thread by the deadline (or whose partner went inactive for a week or more) may claim an additional prize of 75 magicka per entry!

Lastly, instead of a single Mutation Slot this month, CJ kindly ran a super special secret random raffle prize! The prizes handed out are as follows:

Mutation Slot: Pluto, SilverWinter, Hawkweed, oscenavis
Rare Character Slot: Shafaer
1k Magicka: Dark

Rewards can be claimed in Update Me/Magicka Market, respectively!

Physical Description

This is an unusual creature, the size of a large dog, but dissimilar to any natural animal. A thick, soft fur coats it in three shades of violet-gray. Spindly forelimbs seem too long for its body, so that its shoulders always stand higher than its rump when upright. A lithe, almost catlike body displays speed and grace. Its long, fluff-tipped tail is quite flexible and suited for helping it keep its balance. Each limb is tipped in thick fur, and rather than paws or hooves, these seem almost insectoid, with two claws not unlike those of a moth or a spider; these provide good grip on most surfaces. The eyes are very small, glowing with a chartreuse light; its sense of sight is not particularly strong. Its main sense, instead, is hearing: great, batlike ears have a surprising range of motion, and seem to constantly twitch and turn to catch the slightest sound. Its sense of smell is average.

This creature's mandibles open sideways as well as downward, splitting into a jaw to either side and a lower jaw beneath. These can open quite wide, and within, it is not unlike a hyena in dentition, though the teeth are each three-pointed like the premolars of a dog. The jaws are strong, closing back inward as well as upward, allowing it to easily crush into a pulp its choice diet: thick fruits and hard-shelled insects. Its teeth, blood, and muscles are all yellow-green, should they ever be exposed; its bones are black.

Quills along this creature's back provide some form of defense against attack from behind, though its ability to remain sharply alert and agile aid it in escape too. It is somewhat noticeable with the faint chartreuse glow that often seems to shimmer over it in darker lights, matching the glow of its eyes, the two-pronged antlers, and the strange light that seems to emanate from a translucent, hairless portion of its chest and ribs. These areas of its torso are not particularly vulnerable, with keratin coverings, but they do allow this strange glow to shine from within its body. It rather gives the impression of being some sort of firefly.

A chunk of rough Titanite, the same hue as the other chartreuse highlights on this creature's body, juts out of the creature's leg bone just below the left hind knee.

History

This creature served beneath Overseer Ogvraz. Ogvraz could best be described as hulking, reddish, pustulant and turtle-like, as well as viciously grumpy. Despite his bulk, impatience ruled him, and his element of fire made a frequent, angered appearance. He was liable to eat those who brought bad news or who talked back even a little (or who he even imagined might be talking back), and didn't move around a lot. The creature's purpose was to wander the caves, monitoring Lesser Gembound population numbers along with weather patterns for Ogvraz; in this it was allowed more than the usual freedom.

Its name was initially Titanite One-Five-Two, but in its duties serving an Overseer it could well have earned a new name.

Congratulations @Kalama (Gortys) on winning this character! The personality, gender, and so forth are entirely up to you.