Welcome to Origin Cave!
Origin is a play-by-post, fantasy, liquid time, real time, animal roleplay. According to the Universal RPG Rating System, we operate on a rating of 3-2-3. To view the Guidebook, simply click on a page on the menu to the left.

In terms of what we allow and don't allow, Origin is incredibly lax. However, there are still some guidelines that we'd like our members to follow. If you are ever unsure about something and it is not mentioned in the rules, PLEASE consult with staff first! We would hate to see somebody to do something only to be told later on that it's discouraged or not allowed!

Magical animals in a non-Earth setting // 3-2-3 Rating // No activity requirements
While our Guidebook can seem expansive and dense, it is not necessary to deep-dive into all of the mechanics and lore straightaway. As your character grows and learns about the caves, so will you! It is not required to know or understand all of the intricacies of Origin to start. Below are the basics you should be comfortable to start with, and everything else can certainly come later.

We do not necessarily have activity requirements but characters will be sorted into the Inactive usergroup after 60 days of no posts to keep our stats based on active characters. Characters can be reactivated with no penalties.



Please try to read our Rules page in full, but our most important rule is simply don't be a jerk. Respect your writing partner(s) and understand that we are all somebody real on the other side of the screen, during both Out-of-Character and In-Character interactions. This includes respecting basic roleplay etiquettes such as no god-modding, powerplaying, or untouchable characters.

We reserve the right to ban anyone we feel is abusing or harassing other members in harmful ways, and you as a player are free to block anyone you do not feel comfortable with. If something happens that makes you feel that way say something to a Game Master so that we can properly address the situation.



• Characters on Origin are called Gembounds. All Gembounds start at "Cycle 1" in age and each month is one cycle. Characters are hatched from a gemstone chrysalis as juveniles of their species—this means that your character will be essentially a newborn, but should be able to survive on its own.

• Characters start with no history. It's okay to assume they know basic language to start but may not be perfect at speaking to begin with. Characters all speak "common" (aka English but they do not know the name) but can learn other or made-up languages later.

• Characters mature quickly and reach "adulthood" at Cycle 4. Most characters stop physically aging at this point.

• Characters are hosts for magic gemstones which supply them with their magic. Somewhere on your character's body is their stone, but keep in mind that gemstones are not flexible and should not be in a position to inhibit or harm your character unless you want to play it that way; gemstones can replace and mimic the function of certain organs if the organ is important, but if it is something that can be survived without (such as an eye or kidney), the gemstone does not mimic the function of that organ. Gemstones must be in one piece but can have the illusion of being multiple pieces as long as it is connected under the skin.

• Your first Gembound will be an Earth-based animal that has its natural coloring/patterns, although eye color can be anything you want, including the sclera and pupils.

• Please see our Characters page for more information about which Earth animals you can create and the life-cycle of your Gembound.

• Avatars on Origin are 200px tall and 300px wide. Profile images are a max of 500px wide.

Mutating a Character:
Characters can undergo mutations as long as you have a Mutation Slot (won from raffles, given as prizes, or purchased for ʡ2,000 magicka). These allow you to alter your character's physical appearance or size, but not too drastically. Your character can undergo as many mutations as you have Mutation Slots.



Your character will start with a base magic element but can learn spells from almost any other element; these can be viewed in the Magicka Shop which requires a registered account to see.

• There are 12 elements you can choose from for your character's base element: Fire, Water, Energy, Plant, Animal, Fungi, Prokaryote, Earth, Light, Electricity, Pressure, and Arcane.

• Your character chooses 1 Low Intensity spell from their starting element to begin with.

• There are 2 elements unavailable to start as, unless you adopt a character with that element: Corrupted and Ordered. These elements' spells can only be learned by characters of their respective element. You can learn more about these two elements as you play. It should be noted that these elements will alter your character but are optional to interact with.

• Character progression is done by following the Magical (spellcaster), Physical (physical combat), or Other (strategist) paths. Each one has two tiers but all characters start as Fledgling. Progression is as follows:
Magic: Fledgling -> Pupil -> Master
Phsyical: Fledgling -> Brawler -> Champion
Other: Fledgling -> Strategist -> Genius

You do not have to choose a path right away. Your character can remain Fledgling for as long as you like. Characters who reach the final tier of their path can Transcend and later choose a Specialty.



At the bottom of your post screen you will see a checkbox for Attempt, and a dropdown to select Cast Spell, Physical Combat, or Other. A second dropdown will show up to show your lists of spells or skills. For Phsyical and Other rolls, this is optional.

The blank box to the right the dropdowns is used to say what you are attempting or why. For example, if you choose Other in your hatching thread, you can say "trying to break out of the chrysalis" for the reason.

After you roll and see the result in your post, you can go in to edit your post with your character's reaction whether it was a success or fail. The exception to this is for combat rolls, where the result of your character's success or failure is up to your posting partner to write (although a success cannot be ignored and must either be defended against with a roll or affect the character in some way). Editing a post does not alter the roll result.

Characters can perform one critical action per post/roll, meaning if it is significant enough to need a roll, your character must choose wisely what to do.

Feel free to post and explore the attempts/rolls in your character's first thread to get the hang of the system. As always, you can ping @CJ in the Discord or PM Game Master CJ if you have a question or need help with this system, or if you need something changed or edited about your roll or activity log (on your character's profile). Please note we will not alter rolls to be success/fails, but can change the spell cast or attempt made if you selected the wrong one in error.



All your character needs to know to start is that the RP takes place in an enclosed cave system, albeit an expansive one! We have many rooms and tunnels to explore. Neither you nor your character need to know the site or cave history to start.

Things to note:

• Not Earth! Origin's cave system is deep within a moon called Let. Therefore, characters will have no ties or knowledge to any Earth-related things or places.

• No sky, although some rooms may have the illusion of one.

• Night/Day cycles are simulated by light bulbs or other light sources throughout the cave, dimming for "night" and brightening for "day," although some rooms may have set or fluctuating darkness/brightness. (The light bulbs throughout the cave are powered by a hydroelectric generator located in Polaris, so sometimes the brightness or power of the lights may vary. It's okay to use this fluctuation in RP!)

• Weather is sporadic! Some rooms have set weather patterns (for example, Ursa is snowing/cold), while others can vary between clear, rain, fog, etc.

• No saltwater. All of the water sources in the cave system are freshwater. If your character is a saltwater animal, it can be assumed they have been magically adapted to survive in freshwater instead.

• Caves are connected by underwater tunnel systems, so that water-based characters can move between them.



Those are the basics, really. You and your character will learn more about the caves as you play, including learning about our Non-Player Characters and our lore, although NPCs and lore can be freely explored OOC. Click the "Joining Us" tab in the Guidebook Menu to see what you need to fill out on your character's profile and application thread.

Questions? Feel free to post in our forums or PM Game Master CJ if you have questions. Additionally, our Discord is pretty active, so feel free to join and post to our #help channel. Many of our members are responsive and anyone can jump in to help you out. :)

Here is a breakdown of the guidelines Origin follows:

Play-By-Post: The roleplay is advanced via posts, or small written excerpts of your character's point of view, in individual threads. Important actions are performed as "Attempts", and their success is based off of a number roll between 1 and 20. While the roleplay primarily progresses through posting in threads, there many be periodic jumps in the timeline, or important events that are described globally across the board.

Fantasy: For the most part, the playable characters on Origin are realisticly passing animals from the planet Earth. However, due to the presence of hybrids, non-Earth originating creatures, and magic, Origin can be classified as fantasy. Thus, we do some stretching of what may be possible such as interspecies communication, for example.

Liquid Time: Threads may take place at any time or location you wish. You can have multiple threads happening at the same time that take place, in-character, at different times. The characters on Origin follow a linear timeline, but the use of liquid time allows us to determine what happens when.

Real Time: Events in Origin take place at the same time and date as here in real life. That means that one cycle (month) in game will take exactly one month in real life.

Animal: The playable characters on Origin are animals that originate from the planet Earth. Unfortunately, there are no humans, and for a good reason - but that's something you'll have to discover on your own.

3-2-3 Rating: This rating is based off of the Universal RPG Rating System.


001. Don't Be A Jerk
First and foremost, please be respectful and kind to your fellow roleplayers! We do not tolerate any rude or abusive behavior between members of the community or the staff. This behavior creates a very negative atmosphere, and that's bad juju.

002. Give Everyone A Chance
You aren't the most elite, best writer on the planet, and neither are your friends - its just that simple. So why should there be a hierarchy? Regardless of the writing level of your peers, please be inclusive! You are allowed to have friends that you like to roleplay with, but neglecting everybody else makes everyone feel bad.

003. The Sky's The Limit
You're allowed to have as many or as few characters as you like. There are no post requirements in order to bring in new characters, but please remember to stay active with all of them. Or, if you plan on dropping any, just let us know!

004. Give Fair Warning
If you're going to be writing about some questionable or adult-oriented content, remember to mark your threads with the Mature icon. It's not that hard, and it prevents other members of the community from accidentally reading something that makes them uncomfortable. In the same vein, if you're going to write about sensitive topics, leave a trigger warning at the top of your post.

005. Be Not Judge Not
Everybody's different, and Origin is basically the pinnacle of different characters coming together, so that's something we'd like to reflect in our ooc community as well. Do not discriminate against somebody for their race, sexuality, religion, choices or opinions. Friendly debate is allowed, but ensure that it is welcome before engaging.

006. Pretend This Is An Art Gallery
On the subject of artwork, we ask that you basically treat Origin like an art gallery. You are more than welcome to peruse peoples' artwork, enjoy it, comment on it, etc. But please do not steal it, and only criticize if criticism is welcome by the artist. You cannot bring stolen artwork onto Origin. If you do use content created by somebody else (with permission), make sure you credit them. Making requests for artwork or graphics is prohibited, as it causes the forum to overflow with requests. You may ask someone politely over PM or in the cbox, but please don't make a whole thread for it.

007. Three Strikes
Origin follows a "three strikes" system. Each time a user breaks any of the rules listed on this page, they will receive a strike. Depending on the severity of the transgression, a user may receive a warning instead of a strike. We will always discuss the matter with you before we issue a strike, in the case of a misunderstanding or accident. However, upon earning three strikes, a user is suspended from Origin for an amount of time determined by the staff based on the rules broken. The user may then return to Origin, however if they earn three strikes a second time, they will be permanently banned from the forum. We try to see the best in everybody and practice forgiveness, but if our leniency is taken advantage of, there will be consequences.

008. Don't Be A Bystander
Finally, if you see somebody breaking the rules or something fishy going down, please let us know in the cbox, via PM, or by clicking the "Request GM" button. This will bring up a window that will allow you write a personalized message regarding a specific post. While the Request GM function is also used for roleplay purposes, reporting a post this way will ensure the report appears immediately in our Mod Center, where we can deal with it as soon as possible. Make sure you include details about the post you're reporting, otherwise the staff may not know what to look for or how to respond.

009. Just Don't Break The Rules?!
Any attempts to circumvent the rules via loopholes or exploitation of code will be responded to in the same manner as breaking them. You will be given a strike or a warning. This involves exploiting code that would allow you to do something you are otherwise unable to do - ie. changing your attempt roll, purchasing a spell without a spell borrow, etc. Sending spells between characters, especially characters of different elements, constitutes as breakage of this rule.

010. What's Dead Is Dead
Please do not transfer magicka or spells from your inactive or dead characters to your currently active ones. It imparts an unfair advantage to your character. While there are mechanics in place to prevent this, don't try to find a way to do it, or we'll find out. It shows up on your activity log.

010-A. What's Fresh is Fresh
Please do not transfer any more than a total of 500 magicka to your Cycle 1 character, as we stress to avoid unfair advantages between newly hatched Gembounds. As such, Magicka Market claims cannot be requested to be sent to Cycle 1 characters if they have already exceeded their 500 magicka limit, or to Unsorted accounts. (New players are exempt from this if they only have one account/character.)

011. Rolling, No Re-Rolling
When you roll for an attempt, you are under no circumstances permitted to delete your post to try and roll again. Users are given the ability to 'Soft Delete' their posts, but admins can still see these deleted posts and will know if you have deleted and re-rolled. That also shows up in your activity log. If we see someone deleting their posts and re-rolling, we will not hesitate to question why the post was deleted, and users may be punished for trying to exploit the roleplay this way.


001. Powerplay, God Modding and Untouchable Characters: The Trifecta of Evil
Under no circumstances do we allow the acts of powerplay or god modding. These are among the worst crimes a player can commit. We'll throw you in roleplay jail, for real. If you don't know what they are, read up so that you can avoid accidentally doing them. Untouchable characters are nearly the same as god modding, however these are characters that continue to be absolutely perfect regardless of the influence of other characters - they are, in a sense, untouchable and unaffected by whatever their player doesn't want them to be affected by. This is incredibly frowned upon and we recommend, in order to avoid this, writing your character responding to all the relevant information your partner provides in their post.

002. Use Your Creativity, Not Others
When creating a character, please be mindful if whether or not that specific character already exists. This covers "fandom" characters - characters based off a character pre-existing in media - and stealing characters from other roleplays/players. It is advised you craft your character completely from scratch. There's nothing that says you can't base your character off another, but please ensure your own character remains distinct. In summary: we have 0 tolerance for fan characters and will reject them.

003. Stick To The Setting
The roleplay takes place within a deep, dark cave. Your character has never witnessed the sun or the sky, they know nothing of what the Earth is, or stars, or anything else they would otherwise see if they weren't in a cave. Origin begins in a completely new realm, and so referencing events from another site is prohibited as, unfortunately, those things have never happened to your character. As a general rule, refrain from referencing anything your character hasn't experienced on Origin. Remember that all living creatures in the cave are referred to as Gembounds.

004. Act Your Age
Origin is all about character development. As such, your characters may not be able to act exactly how you want them to act from the start. All characters upon joining Origin begin at 1 cycle (month) old. If you follow the aging chart in the Characters section, you should have no problem writing your character as they develop. It doesn't take long for a Gembound to grow into adulthood, but we still want to prevent you writing your character as if they were a seasoned adult when they are still just a juvenile. The same thing can be said for magic-wielding characters. You have no evidence that your brand new and still young character is a master of their spells; you must progress their development in your own posts.

005. You Get What You Give
Origin has no post minimums or maximums. Ideally, we'd like to see posts at least a paragraph (5-7 sentences) long, but if you find your muse lacking, it's perfectly alright to write a shorter post. Your partner has no obligation to write the same length as you, but if somebody replies to you with a long and detailed post, it is courteous to try and replicate that length. Again, this is not mandatory, only a recommendation. It can be annoying writing beautifully rendered, multi-paragraph posts only to be responded to with a couple sentences.

006. Tag Your Content
Threads containing details of violence, sexual activity, strong language, drug use, and other mature subjects should be tagged with an [M] in the title, with an additional tag in the first post, or at the top of the post it occurs in, explaining what the mature content is (ex. "Thread tagged [M] for sexual activity"). While we try to avoid censoring content, please use your discretion when writing it and especially when tagging it. This applies to any mention of drug use as well, which tends to be a topic that makes some people uncomfortable so please, keep it at a minimum and tag it. When should you add a [M] tag to a thread? If you have to ask yourself this question, it's probably safer to add the tag.

007. Characters Portraying Mental Health
In the same vein, we want to keep our roleplay a safe haven to explore ideas and concepts we perhaps can't experience in reality, without making others uncomfortable. Characters portraying abnormal mental health or disorders must be auditioned for prior to creation to any of our Game Masters. A writing sample, description of any real-life experience you may have with this condition, and a description of your research on the condition (sources you use, etc.) are required before the character will be approved. The condition should not be the character's only defining feature, and should be roleplayed with respect for those who may suffer from it in real life. It is unlikely a Gembound will be born with most conditions, but can develop them later in life, especially in response to a major event or a series of minor events. A Gembound does not necessarily need a condition to be a certain personality type, such as "crazy," "evil," or blissfully carefree.



While the rules we have set for Origin are fairly sparse and universal across the roleplaying realm, please keep in mind that we are a fresh, new site, and things may occur that we did not foresee. It is entirely possible that we may add or change rules to better suit the community, but always remember that in doing so we hope to improve the roleplay for the community, and no person in particular. Members are well within their rights to question and even challenge rule changes if they see fit, and staff members are always willing to discuss and explain rules in order to establish an understanding of them, or explore possible adjustments. Members of the community are also encouraged to bring up suggestions for existing or new features of the site. We do ask that discussion of staff conduct within the community be kept at a minimum, and if the staff feels there is something particularly important that must be discussed, we will provide the platform to do so.

Origin was created in April 2015, opened to the public in May 2015 and was created by Madison Trupp with the help of CJ, Java and Argent. This site is not a prequel or sequel of any other existing site.

Game History
We hope to list and describe main events that take place in the game so that everybody can enjoy the story regardless of whether or not they are/were a part of it. Events, quests and important threads will be summarized per month.



The Great Awakening — All over Origin Cave, Gembounds are beginning to emerge from their chrysali and wander the previously abandoned caverns.

— Golems are beginning to awaken with the renewal of magical energy to the caves. (1, 2, 3)
— Quest: The Strangeness of Cetus - Part 1 is concluded as the Gembounds discover a mysterious hum.
— The Bonebound are formed, led by Aza'zel. (read thread)
— Maji Walezi is formed, led by Cancer. (read thread)
— The Gembounds awaken an angry monster named Svarog; Origin Cave sees its first death, Deus, at the hands of the yeti.
— Deer Dad makes his first appearance.
— Quest: Shed Some Light is concluded with the destruction of the golem dam. Light returns to the caves. (Part 1, Part 2)
— A strange, shadowy Gembound appears in Tunnel J: The Beast.
— The Merrymen are formed, led by Louie.


— THE Pack is formed, led by Majesty. (read thread)
— Fisher has a penchant for aggravating the Cave's original inhabitants after he disturbs a new creature, Batcat.
— Svarog goes head to head against a swarm of golems, until two Gembounds interfere.
— Quest: The Strangeness of Cetus - A massive sea monster is drawn out of Cetus' marsh and attacks the Gembounds!
— A large group of Gembounds comes together for the first time for a game of Truth or Dare in Eridanus. Chaos ensues.
— Teyouma intrudes on Pisces and is accidentally constricted to death by Midas.
— Giggle accidentally awakens a squad of raptor-like beasts that begin prowling through the caves.
— Quest: The Strangeness of Cetus is concluded with the great sea monster Aquarian forging an alliance with the Gembounds. (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
— Gembounds continue to travel the caves in search of the Beast's lost artifacts. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)



— Quest: The Carvings is concluded as the lichens and moss finish growing. Gembounds attempt to decipher the mural.
— THE Pack is disbanded.
— A pit in Monoceros is discovered to be the home of a sleeping dragon and lamb.
— Batcat shows Origin Cave that it is capable of replication.
— The weather suddenly changes, producing endless rain in Cetus while the water in Canis dries up.
— Silver engages in a fight with Rafael and is killed.
— The true leader of the raptors is revealed: a cognizant Gembound raptor.
— Maji Walezi holds a trial for Cancer's attempted murder of Leon.
— Quest: The Fiery Pit - The massive dragon, Raheerah, has been awakened and flies to Polaris, bathing it in flames.



— Quest: The Beast's Best Friend is concluded. (Part 1, Part 2)
— Maji Walezi holds an election to replace their leader. Bevy wins the election.
— Giggle leads a training session for The Bonebound.
— Children of Rot is formed, led by Dragon. (read thread)
— Diamondfang and Nemesis revive two of the stones recovered from the pit in Monoceros.
— The Merrymen call a meeting after capturing Baratheon and Booker.
— Maji Walezi calls a meeting regarding the dragon in Polaris.
— Raheerah terrorizes Gembounds that visit Polaris. (1, 2)
— A war brews between The Merrymen and The Bonebound.



— Quest: The Fiery Pit is concluded as the Gembounds fight Raheerah to protect the cave. (Part 1, Part 2)
— Wynry dies after being tossed off a ledge by Louie, prompting the onset of Vazi's insanity.
— The Bonebound heads to Maji Walezi to seek help against the Merrymen.
— Members of Maji Walezi and the Bonebound seek out the Merrymen to dissuade them against the war, but the threat of war has died since Louie's disappearance with Baratheon and Booker in tow.
— Quest: O Eyes, What Do You See? - A scream through the jungle cave alerts Gembounds to the sickness of the Eyes in Eridanus.
— Quest: O Eyes, What Do You See? - The darkness travels to Canis, where a member of the Bonebound, Giggle, vanishes mysteriously.



— Quest: Organ Cave - An earthquake ripples through the cave, releasing a surge of magic that brings bones to life.
— The wedding between Leon and Makyna takes place in Pisces, followed up by a game of football. (1, 2)
— The Bonebound hold a festival.
— A fight breaks out between Vazi and Leon, mortally wounding both of them.



— As a warning to all carnivores, Vazi kidnaps the child of Cancer and Amaria, Cure.
— After discovering Cure's disappearance, the Karkata clan bands together with Leon to search for her.
— Meanwhile, Vazi brings Cure to Arkrael and threatens her to back down, prompting a fight between them.
— Arkrael calls a group together to fight Vazi.
— Mau dies after falling from the a tower of bones in Canis.
— Groups of turkeys appear in Origin Cave, prompting the Gembounds to decide whether to help them or hunt them. (1)
— The Children of Rot rejoice as Dragon finally returns home to Cetus.



— The Children of Rot celebrate the holidays in an unexpectedly traditional fashion.
— Arkrael, Leon and their allies hunt down Hasira and challenge him, leaving him nearly dead.
— Quest: Wharrgarbl! - Tunnel M has become cold and begins to gush water from an unknown source. The Gembounds investigate, leading them to a new room called Fornax. (1, 2, 3)
— Maji Walezi holds an election for their new leader - Leon is elected, but the meeting ends in Bevy's death.
— Following Bevy's death, Maji Walezi hold a funeral for her and mourn the death of their previous leader.



— Quest: Dungeons and Dungeons - the Gembounds are drawn to a dilapidated statue that appears in Tunnel J. They each venture out in search of missing pieces of the statue. (1)
— The Children of Rot call a meeting as Dragon asks his groupmates to locate the leaders of the other groups for a meeting.
— Arkrael calls together her allies to put a stop to Hasira's terror once and for all.



— The Gembounds are drawn to the carvings in Tunnel I, speculating the figure in the center to be the All Mother.
— Mysterious pink flowers begin popping up all over the cave. (1, 2)
— Maji Walezi, unable to remain united after Bevy's death, begins to fracture and officially disbands, however some of its previous members still remain in Pisces.



— The First Great Hibernation ensues as Gembounds slowly begin to retreat to their chrysali for an unknown reason, and the caves fall still.



— Gembounds re-emerge into Origin Cave.



— Arkrael finally puts an end to Hasira and his son Kingsfoils' reign of terror, killing them both.
— The Merrymen call a meeting and form a plan to take over Origin Cave.



— Quest: Rhywbeth yn y Ffwrnais - something has changed in Fornax, leading the Gembounds to believe that something sinister lives within its waters.
— Ares bands together with his friends to form The Flower Children within Cetus, but the group doesn't linger long and soon disbands.
— The Children of Rot come together to wreck havoc on the inhabitants of Origin Cave as penance for the group leaders failing to come to Dragon's call.
— The Guardians are formed by Arkrael within Eridanus.



— Clover and Belladonna are killed in their fight for control.
— Quest: Will You Help Me? - A mysterious voice calls out in Canis, leading the Gembounds to a pack of vicious rats.



— Eythan reunites with his father, but the reunion ends with Azazel's death, leaving Carni as the new leader of The Bonebound.
— Carni calls The Bonebound together to announce his new leadership.
— The Gembounds of the cave come together to have a magicka competition and run an obstacle course to test their abilities.
— Arkrael's near death at the hands of Makyna prompts The Guardians to disband.



— The Children of Rot begin to fall apart and officially disband.
— Othello assumes the role of leader of The Merrymen.


— The Merrymen fall apart as Othello is unable to keep his groupmates together and disbands.



— The Gembounds enter the Second Great Hibernation, and Origin Cave goes silent.



— Life returns to Origin Cave once again.
— Farran is murdered by Aaliyah by command of Imperia.
— Tukluk hosts a holiday party in Polaris.
— Quest: After All This Time - The Gembounds are alerted to the sound of an argument in Tunnel O.
— Destiny is no longer able to cling to life as her stone pierces her skull.



— Carni recreates the Bonebound as the Marrowbound Kingdom. It quickly fades away.
— Aaliyah takes in a small, sickly weasel named Envy.



— Quest: To-Do List - Nemean, furious that she has been given one of Batcat's fissioned copies, jams the Generator in Polaris and demands that the Gembound hunt down the original. (1, 2, 3, 4)
— Quest: Three Kings of Orion - The Gembound pledge themselves to the Three Kings in exchange for magic, which grants them wings. (1, 2)
— Quest: Nine Lives - A swirling vortex appears in Polaris. Its source is revealed to be Vathrahi, Andraste's Senka's sister.



— Khloros, believing the cycles' continuation to be cruel, attempts to spread a plague across Origin Cave.
— Event: Floral Frivolity! - Strange flowers crop up around the caves, temporarily connecting Gembound to one another. (1, 2, 3, 4, 5)



— The Gembound, at the direction of the Three Kings, seek out the Architect Skahan's stone. (1, 2, 3)
— Alan is murdered by Blackberry, freshly reformed by her chrysalis. She vows to exact her revenge on the caves.



— Dragon reforms the Children of Rot. Aquarian welcomes them back.
— Quest: Gone Fishing - The Collector is freed by the Gembound, and he bestows his first gift, the Fate's Throw, upon Thothaga. (1, 2, 3)
— Skahan bids the Gembound collect orb-like keys from the Ancients.



— Upon her children's hatching, Blackberry forms the Bloodberries and starts a reign of terror.


— Quest: The Singing Crystals - Melodically chiming crystals appear across the caves, and the Gembound collect them for Jupiter... at risk of bothering the more active golems.


— Envy proclaims themselves the King of the newly-formed Sinful Seven.



— A Gembound-started fire rages in Eridanus once again. — The Seer Giggle confronts Eythan about Aza'zel's death. — Khloros attempts to destroy the Spire. Astraea, in a gamble to save the Caves, tries to kill him. The Spire saves him instead and remakes him.



— Placeholder.



— Blackberry begs for a shot at redemption after numerous failures, and is given it: at the cost of enduring Hydra.



— The last of Dawa's magic is released into the caves, and it brings a flood of chaos...
— Raheerah, the Chaos Beast, returns to the known caves and sets Polaris aflame. Throne and Tyr are eaten.
— Orion is set on fire by Raheerah, who is led away by Nemean.
— Lord Dhracia comes to lay claim to Dawa's stone.
— Jupiter is devoured by Senka and Batcat JRs at the behest of the Lord; Raheerah and a stone (Netil) are taken from the Caves.
— Tenzin is chrysalized by Dhracia as revenge for the Masters' failures and Tamalus's fleeing the caves.



— The Bonebound, Kingdom of the Seven, and Children of Rot form a warband against the Mother node in Cetus.



— Newly liberated from Mother's influence, the mite swarm Legion tries to rebuilt themselves. They inadvertently fission, becoming the first Gembound known to do so.
— Monoceros Lair is founded by Dread, Asimona, and their children.
— Kalama attempts to overthrow the Bone King, Aure, and garners quite an audience.
— Quest: Ascension - The Gembound discover the Guardian of Transcendence, Emuh.



— Gembound from around the Caves assemble to discuss an all-important question: rebel or comply with the need to produce?
— Astraea uses an Altar to remake the Overseer Vargas as a Master, and names him the Leviathan.
— Event: The Visitor - A mysterious stranger darkens Tunnel N, fills it with various trinkets and traps, and observes the Gembound.
— Lam II emerges from the Altar in the Hole.



— The Bone King, Aure, becomes the first Gembound to Transcend.
— After creating the next batch of test designs, Vargas names Orthoclase-Alpha its Overseer and discusses what's next.
— Quest: Relics of a Forgotten Age - One of Fornax's storms dumps a number of things onto its shores - all from a time long past. (1, 2)
— The twins Crown and Sword seek out the Three Kings for a way to acquire wings and are urged to summon the Hunt.
— Event: The Trial of Darkness - Vargas and the Masked Merchant unleash a monstrous, dark force upon a group of Trialgoers in Hydra.



— Vargas uses his abilities as a Master for the first time to create Khavur.
— Lord Dhracia returns with a task for the Master Vargas: build a world-ender.
— The survivors of the Trial of Darkness are chased out of Tunnel P by Vargas and his creatures.
— Vargas begins to study the human Beatris and the dog-human hybrid Two; the Sentinels stand guard.
— Fairy forms the peaceful, industrious Edenfolk in Eridanus.
— Origin's Fourth Olympics begin in earnest and go without a hitch.
— Beatris, ill from being in the caves, is mercifully killed by Vargas and disposed of in the Eyes.
— Rift returns to Eridanus after cycles spent in hiding from Astraea.



— The Creator speaks to Temperantia and tips them over into pure Chaos so that they will destroy all Order.
— Dhracia comes to claim her world-ender, Mary. Scout speaks up from the sidelines and is murdered by Senka.



— Led by the Master Totum, Vargas and his creatures arrive in the Womb and find a Mother node beneath the Spire.
— The Chaos Forge is formed by Vargas, formally splitting from the Sentinels.

Origin takes place in a cave system referred to by its inhabitants as Origin Cave. As far as the creatures of Origin Cave know, there is nothing beyond the cold stone walls of this extensive cavern. There are no skies or endless plains, there are no mountains or oceans. These creatures know nothing of the stars or clouds or what the surface of the planet looks like. It is an unfortunate reality, but it is the only one that the residents of Origin Cave know.

There is no prior history of the cave that is currently known to its residents, simply that one day, Gembound creatures began awakening and roaming the tunnels. The Great Awakening begins in May 2015, as large cognizant creatures began to emerge from their chrysalis. They make what they will of the cavern, slowly unraveling its secrets: who else lives here, how old is the cave, and more importantly, why are they trapped here?

Months are referred to as Cycles; this is how characters keep track of their age and the passage of time. There are no seasons. Conditions within the cave remain the same throughout the year, provided nothing happens to upset that delicate harmony. Some believe that Origin Cave is a living, breathing entity, just like them and that it can spawn changes of its own accord, but evidence of that has yet to surface. Flora and fauna are naturally occuring in the cave in the form of plants (ranging from mosses to trees), fungi, and smaller Gembound creatures incapable of cogniscence. Water is always present in the cave; some sources may be crystalline and pure while others are murky and tainted. Organic matter has a tendency to break down quickly in the cave due to the abundance of hetero- and necrotrophs.

One particularly interesting kind of creatures are the Golems. Golems consist of a collection of enchanted rocks and boulders - magically infused stones that haven't developed into Gembounds. They are moving manifestations of magic, and while they possess no brain or any senses, they can sometimes be seen roaming the tunnels. As all magic is attracted to itself, Golems are drawn towards sources of magic. They have been known to protect the chrysali of developing Gembounds, later adding the shattered chrysalis to their own body. At the moment, it is undetermined whether or not they are hostile towards Gembounds.

Light in the cave is provided by glass orbs suspended by ropes found along the walls in every room. Some larger rooms have orbs suspended from the ceiling as well. The lights are powered by the generator in Polaris, and though it is now functioning, its effectiveness fluctuates. The lights may flicker, dim, or turn off completely every now and then. Feel free to include these occurences in your roleplay.



(click to enlarge (opens in a new tab))

A few of our members have whipped up maps of their own: By Almighty, By Azazel

There are currently three known sections of Origin Cave: the Core, the South-East Quadrant and the South-West Quadrant. Rooms in the cave are connected by tunnels, some of them connected together and others isolated with only a single way to reach them. Each section of Origin Cave has its own unique properties.

The Core is the center of Origin Cave and the magical hub of the caverns. This is where all magic eventually congregates; as such, it is the most magically charged. Gembounds often feel more energetic when in the Core, but so do other creatures, particularly Golems. The Core is also home to an abundance of glowing flora, mostly mosses and fungi, that sprout from the cave walls. Blue crystals blossom between the rocks with a cool glow of their own, illuminating much of the Core. The air itself seems to have a cerulean glimmer to it. The Core houses the room Polaris, which is the largest room in all of Origin Cave containing relics of a life past.

The South-East Quadrant is populated with vegetation and ample water. For the most part, it is a soothing place to be and the closest thing to Earth one could ever get. Its rooms and tunnels are sprawling with plant life; towering trees, vibrant mosses, leafy ferns. Crystal waters usually aggregate here, particularly in Pisces, which is home to a grand waterfall. While it appears to be the most pleasant sector of the cave, it also seems to be the most inhabited.

The South-West Quadrant is one filled with mysteries. Though it is less lively than its Easterly counterpart, this quadrant holds whispers of lives once lived. No one knows what used to reside in those tunnels or what they did, but something definitely used to live there. Discarded artifacts, wall carvings, and crafted architecture define this area. The main attraction of this region is Orion, the room of stars. Within this room lie a hundred abandoned stone buildings, an entire metropolis that has since crumbled to dust. Now, Gembounds wander the streets beneath a glistening quartz roof, unaware of what used to rule the city.

A vital part of the story of Origin Cave is its lore. As the roleplay progresses, pieces of lore will be revealed (primarily through in character events) that will ultimately tell of the cave's history.

Known Lore:

There are a number of features on Origin Cave that are different from or even not present on other roleplaying sites. Below, you can find an explanation on the game's features and how to use them.


A critical part of the game are Game Masters. These are OOC accounts belonging to staff members that have permission to post in IC threads. Game Masters can essentially control the outcome of a thread depending on what they are posting for.

Request GM
Each post has a "Request GM" button at the bottom of it. If you press this button and submit a request, a Game Master will be alerted to it and will respond to it ASAP. You can use this function to request the services of a Game Master, but you must specify what you're requesting them for. You can request them for the following:

You can request a specific GM if you like, but its not guaranteed that that GM will respond to you. In the details you provide, be as specific as you feel necessary. Just be mindful that the GM responding to your request will respond accordingly.

GM Accounts
Game Master accounts are treated the same as staff because, essentially, that is what they are. However, Game Masters are OOC and so they don't have the same information as characters. When you click on a Game Master's profile, it won't display any character information - it will still display their OOC information, and you can PM them freely if you need to get in contact with them. Game Masters, if they have a character, will usually list the characters they play in their staff bio as well. Their posts are formatted the same way and do not display character information.


You may notice that in the posting screen, you have the option to check off "Attempt", and can choose a type of attempt. Attempts determine the success of critical actions in a post. For this reason, there are some things you can't do without attempting it. If the action will have a notable effect on the environment or your/another character, you must execute it as an attempt. You can only make one attempt per post, but you can post as many times as necessary in order to complete all the actions you want to do, provided it doesn't inconvenience your writing partners. You won't be allowed to make 10 posts attempting 10 different attacks in a row, but if your character is trying to do something on their own, you can continue to post and roleplay until you complete the action.

The success of an attempt is determined by a random roll. Rolls can be between 1 - 20. Similar to Dungeons & Dragons, lower rolls are less successful than higher rolls. To make it easier, when you make an attempt, the outcome of the roll is displayed at the bottom of your post. Attempts are also added to your activity log so that you can keep track of your character's accomplishments. Once an attempt is rolled, you can't change it. You can edit the post, but nothing you do can alter your roll. Likewise, you can't add an attempt onto a post you've made yourself. If you want to add an attempt, you can submit a GM Request for that post (specify that you want to roll an attempt!) and staff will let you know if it is possible or not.

Spells must be attempted in order to be used. Lower intensity spells are easy to use and have a fairly high success rate, where higher intensity spells have a lower success rate. Your success with spells also depends greatly on your Magic Level, as do your "Physical Combat" and "Other" attempts.

When rolling an attempt, you have the option to add details. This is mandatory for any attempt that isn't a spell, so that you can accurately summarize what your character is attempting to do instead of having to comb through an entire post for it. When attempting a spell, adding details is less important, but still helpful. Attempts will only show up on IC threads.

Magicka Bars are bars located at in the top right corner of your posts. They are coloured according to your character's element and dictate the level of magicka that your character currently has access to as of their most recent post - it is split into "Magicka Level %" which is the level the character is at in that specific post, and the "Restored To %" which is the level your character is at presently. They are affected by different kinds of attempt rolls:


It is important to remember that the magicka bars start at 100% for each individual thread, so even if you have 100% in one and 5% in the other, your attempts will still work in the 100% thread, and will fail in the 5% thread.


Characters are free to engage in battles as they wish. Battles occur completely in character via written posts and should follow a specific format:

Rounds
Each pair of posts between combatants is a round. Battles should typically last 5 rounds (5 posts per combatant), but they can last longer if necessary, and should not be shorter. Points for battles are allotted per round, so it is helpful to signify which round you're on in your post.

Post Format
It is helpful for both your opponent and the judge if you include the following information at the bottom of your post:


Attempts in Battles
Your character is expected to perform 1 critical action per post. This is their attack, dodge, recovery, etc. You are expected to describe it in your post and then summarize it, once in the formatting mentioned above, and again in your attempt roll. The success of the action is determined by the attempt roll. Therefore, you cannot write the results of your action during your post - you must wait until after you've posted, at which point it will be your opponent's turn. This prevents people from godmodding or powerplaying and evens out the playing field. You can perform more actions than just the critical action, but these must be minor actions and have little effect on the outcome of the battle (ie. no additional attacks/dodges/spells).

Judging Battles
Only staff members can judge battles. When you and your partner have finished your battle, you can click Request GM, request a battle judge, then wait. Usually it will be a Game Master who judges the battle. They will post the results of the battle in the thread, then the thread can move on. The outcome of battles is determined by points accumulated by each combatant:

It is common courtesy to respond to a battle post within 3 days. If there is no response within that timeframe, the last poster is allowed to request the battle be judged. As there are few requirements for battling (ie. no expected post length or depth), the staff feel that 3 days is an acceptable time limit for battle posts. If you would like to challenge this or feel you have a reasonable excuse for missing the time limit, you can contact the staff or try to work it out with your opponent.

Character Advantages
Some characters may have characteristics that are described as allowing them to be resistent to a certain element. While you are encouraged to use your creativity in designing your characters, if you describe your character as having a hide or some other characteristic that is resistent to an element, you should keep in mind that it will have no real bearing in the battle mechanic. Characters will not lose or gain points due to characteristics that are not allotted to them as part of the mechanic itself. For example, a character with a thick, flame-retardant hide will still take damage from fire elemental attacks, and the caster will still earn just as many points as they gained from their roll.


Reproduction can occur between any two characters regardless of species, gender, size or age, and is not the same as sexual intercourse. In fact, reproduction occurs entirely separate from intercourse and can produce a child between the two parents without any physical contact. Sexual intercourse will not result in children.

In Character
In order to reproduce, one parent must cleave off a portion of their stone and the other one enchants the stone with new magic. This produces a hybrid between the parents. The hybrid will typically carry the stone of one parent and the element of the other. It takes 30 days - 1 cycle - for the stone to form a Neonate and a chrysalis, then a new Gembound will emerge. The parents can remain near the chrysalis through the duration of its growth in order to protect it, but they cannot move it, as it will take root in the ground where ever the stone is placed.

Out of Character
Out of character, reproduction is a little more complicated.

Cleaving off and enchanting of stones must occur in a thread. There is no need to attempt using these spells, but you can if you like. Once this thread is complete, you can post in the Gembound Nursery to have the results of the reproduction delivered. The Origin Cave account will post the results and from there, players can adopt out characters. After a successful reproduction, the Give Stone and Give Life spells are removed from characters' accounts, as they are only one time use. Characters are permitted to produce up to 3 children at a time. After conception, characters undergo a cooldown of 4 cycles before they can breed again. Characters must also be 4 cycles old to reproduce.

Lost Stones
As time progresses, there will be stones that once belonged to Gembounds scattered through the cave. These stones can be found and "awakened," producing a hybrid of the stone's original holder and the awakener. A sort of 'alternative' form of reproduction, these only need the spell Give Life. View a list of available stones and their locations in the Lost Stones List or feel free to have your character search for viable non-player stones using the Detect Magic non-elemental spell. Please keep in mind that reviving a Lost Stone works differently than conception with another Gembound. A broken or shattered stone cannot be revived.




Origin Cave does not have many activity requirements. All we ask is that you post at least once a week! As our posting minimum is nearly non-existent, we feel this is a fair expectation. You will not be punished for failing to post once a week, however, we do have a pruning function that will automatically place your account in the Inactive member group if you have not posted within 25 days.

Magic is the vital life essence of all Gembounds. All living creatures within the cave wield magic to some degree, as it is necessary in order to survive the conditions of Origin Cave. Magic is bound primarily to a stone or gem that is part of a creature's body - in order to be magically charged, a creature must have a stone or gem attached to them that is infused with magic. It is the foundation of their power, the basis of their existence. These stones can appear on any part of the creature; it can be unseen, residing somewhere in their body or skeleton, or it can be exposed to the world. Any stone or gem can be found on a creature, but they only have one. One kind, one stone at all, anywhere on their body. You can read more about stones and creature origins in the Characters section.

While all characters have magic, you are not obligated to use it. Your character can be as magical or non-magical as they want, but they can't deny the existence of magic, for it is the reason they can survive.


Magicka is our way of quantifying magic. Out of character, we use Magicka as a currency with which we can purchase spells or other goodies at the shop. In character, Magicka is defined as being the energy that fuels each character and in this case, magic and Magicka are practically synonymous. You can read more about earning and using Magicka here!


All magic receives its energy from somewhere. Magic itself is not a boundless energy formed from nothing - it is given by the essential forces of existence. As such, magic is divided into twelve elements that embody the vital forces of all life.

Non-Elemental Magic
	There is a special brand of magic that does not seem to belong to any element. In actuality, this magic is drawn from all aspects of life and cannot be contained to just one element. Thus, it can be shared by all Gembounds regardless of their element. Examples of non-elemental magic include the reproductive spells, as well as recovery and the ability to gain knowledge of specific elements.
Fire Element
	This powerful school of magic focuses on the summoning of heat, primarily from within the user's body. With this magic, a Gembound can increase their body temperature to affect the world around them. However this magic is wildly dangerous, and once the tongues of flame have been forged they can no longer be controlled. Fire can just as easily consume its creator as it can external targets. A seasoned Gembound can learn to contain their fire, but once it leaves the grasp of its caster, it hungrily devours everything it sees. Some view this magic as the greatest power, other as a terrible curse.
Water Element
	Water is the polar of fire, and as such it is completely opposite in all of its attributes. Water is soothing and calm, graceful and easy to wield. It is a giver of life, and so its magic is often associated with positivity. However, the source of this element's power comes from the environment as opposed to the user. In order to manipulate water, it must already be present nearby. The user can manipulate water from their own body, but this is highly dangerous and rarely practiced, even by masters of the element. As tranquil as this magic is, it can easily be turned into a weapon as practioners of this element learn to heat or cool water, bringing it to a scalding boil or forging vicious claws of ice.
Energy Element
	One of the most dynamic elements is that of energy. This element deals in manipulating matter itself without a focus on any specific substance. Because there is no affinity with individual forces, users of this element are constrained in that they cannot manipulate tangible objects, only their properties. This still proves to be an effective magic as those of the energy element can warp existence, altering densities, states of matter and temperatures. They are malleable and quick to adapt, capable of practicing their magic no matter where they are. Still, Gembounds belonging to this element must exercise caution when using their spells - the altered attributes of matter can easily leak from targets to the rest of the world.
Plant Element
	Those bearing the element of plants find themselves with a curious affinity towards organisms of the plant kingdom. Though largely docile, their range is expansive and this magic can prove to be a powerful tool. All plants bend to the will of these Gembounds, capable of flourishing under their command or sacrificing their vital life essence to them. Experienced users can even control the movement of plants, making them act as they please. Others may simply benefit from the presence of plants as they offer detection or nutrients. Plant magic is popular as a source of aesthetics as well - this magic can liven up a room with its vibrant and colourful energy.
Animal Element
	Those blessed with the element of Animal have no power over their environment - instead, they have extreme control over their own body and senses. One with animal magic has heightened perception and can be considered biologically honed. They can better their physical form with little effort, adapting to environments with ease. These Gembounds are incredibly versatile to all kinds of environments and conditions, using stealth and intuition to make the most of their surroundings, including other creatures nearby. They can tap into the raw life force of all creatures, using it as they will.
Fungi Element
	Many believe that there is more to fungal magic than what is visible in this physical realm. The Fungi element breaches the line between what is here and what is not; it is most liminal of the elements, profound and mystical. The powers granted by this element allow its users to see into the depths of the unknown, to feel things beyond this dimension, to communicate among beasts unexisting. With the ability to see into the rock itself and feel what has, currently is and what may happen in the future, users of this element often feel deeply in sync not with this realm, but the next. Their powers may seem otherworldly, but that is merely a side effect of the fungi as they lend their awesome and cryptic abilities to those harnessing this element.
Prokaryote Element
	Though this element is obscure, it has its benefits in existing beyond perception. Gembounds of this element can harness the power of the unseen, which can prove to be more deadly than some expect. They control the element of sickness and health, acting as the vectors of powerful and numerous organisms. Prokaryotes exist in every environment, and so are easily to access - due to the uniqueness of each individual, their response to bacterial or viral attacks vary so greatly that those of the prokaryote element can affect virtually anyone. These small organisms can very quickly get out of control however, especially during propagation so users of this element must be mindful of their spells at all times.
Earth Element
	The Earth element is said to be most closely tied to the magical energy feeding the cave. Users of this element wield the power to transform and shape the world around them - rocks. The most notable ability of Earth Gembounds is the ease of which they can infest mineral-based substrate with magic. True, Earth magic most often propagates and leeches into the non-magical due to its pre-existing affinity with the rocks from which Gembounds are born. While this element is incredibly adaptive, it takes a long time to manifest. Even the strongest and most skilled users of this element may find their spells taking far longer to come to fruition. Earth is a powerfully old element, and it shows.
Light Element
	Photons are at the complete mercy of those of the Light element. These Gembounds are able to manipulate these miniscule packets of light such that they can forge realistic illusions or cast a room in complete darkness. The Light element is a graceful one, crafted in prowess, skill and forethought. Though this magic may not be inclined towards combat or defense, it is beautiful and renowned for its aesthetic purposes. Even so, it is useful in that users can control the amount of light in a room to do with as they please - they control what can and cannot be seen.
Electricity Element
	Electricity is wild and difficult to tame. This element emerges from the user and the air surrounding them, shrouding these Gembounds in an unpredictable energy. It is hot, dangerous, and hardly robust - often this magic is fleeting, but when harnessed, it is impressive. Users can send forth strong shocks that can paralyze their opponents or electrify their environment, or they can use their magic to distribute currents to targets. Some can even control the electricity flowing through another Gembound's body. For as much power as this element has, its user must be equally skilled.
Pressure Element
	All the power of the atmosphere is in the hands of Pressure Gembounds, and there is a lot - the reality of it is that the atmosphere is bountiful and literally everywhere. This allows those of the Pressure element to use their magic anywhere they wish with few limitations, however because of this, they must be cautious. Misuse of this magic may not only affect the user, but everybody within their vicinity and often may do more harm than good. That is why those with this element must practice it closely before they can master it, for it could easily escape them.
Arcane Element
	The Arcane element deals not in a tangible force nor the environment, but the user themselves. It focuses on the power of the mind and allows its users to see far along the most obscure of dimensions. Many who practice this element find themselves understanding and solving problems with ease, wielding the ethereal access to otherworldly information. They can project their mental powers into their environment or towards targets, and have the power to predict or even witness events as they have happened or will unfold. Too much dabbling in this magic, and a user may lose themselves in the boundless knowledge of the unknown.
Corrupted Element
	Those who are Corrupted are often very chaotic and unstable when it comes to their magic; even their stones become darkened and Oily. This magic feeds off of an otherworldly source and can be very dangerous to use. It is also very dangerous to come in contact with, often leaving some of its corruption behind, or inflicting it on others. Click here to read more about Corrupted characters.
Ordered Element
	Ordered characters find themselves to be incredibly detail-oriented and like their things organized and categorized. Their gemstones become more pure and translucent. Ordered characters are a part of The Hive, and can spread Mother's influence more freely with Ordered spells. Often they can become infiltrators, like Mother herself. Click here to read more about Ordered characters.

Spells are Gembounds' form of wielding magic. Though a Gembound may access their elemental powers through other means, spells are a concentrated intent, occuring for a specific purpose. Many spells have both different purposes and different levels of accessibility. Some spells perform more powerful magic and have greater effects, and thus require more mastery to use. Some spells may be used to protect ones' self, while others are used to harm a target or change their environment. This is why all spells fall under categories of Intensity and Type.

Low Intensity Spells

Medium Intensity Spells

High Intensity Spells

Offensive Type Spells

Defensive Type Spells

Transformation Type Spells

Manipulation Type Spells

Detection Type Spells




A Gembound's affinity to magic and their element can be quantified as their Magic Level. In the most simple of terms, it is a way to determine a Gembound's proficiency at casting spells. However, Magic Levels don't only pertain to a Gembound's ability to use magic - there are in fact three different level paths that a character can pursue: one for Magic, one for Physical Combat, and one for Other attempts. A character can only pursue one level path, meaning that they will only have increased success in their rolls in one attempt type. You can read more about advancing Magic Levels in this thread!

Fledgling

Pupil — Magic

Master — Magic

Brawler — Physical Combat

Champion — Physical Combat

Strategist — Other

Genius — Other



Give up part of your power to expand your potential for growth even further. A Gembound wishing to gain their element's Transcendent spell—or their path's Transcendent ability—must visit Emuh for a trial to prove their mastery. They will be asked to cast a number of their spells or abilities to prove their mastery over their path. If they succeed, Emuh will perform a brief ritual. The Gembound's power will be greatly drained, costing ʡ1500 and weakening the Gembound back to Pupil, Strategist, or Brawler status, leaving them confused and disoriented... but granting them knowledge of the new Transcendent spell or ability. From here they will need to regain their footing with magic/abilities, once again progressing from Pupil to Master level, Strategist to Genius, or Brawler to Champion; but once they attain this rank, their Transcendent spell and Master/Genius/Champion level will prove their proficiency to all, and make them a formidable caster to face—or a strong ally to have. They will then be able to focus on a Specialty.

Transcending Requirements:
— Master, Genius, or Champion level reached
— ʡ 1500
— Succeed in the trial presented by Emuh

Characters who have Transcended will be displayed as Transcendent (level) on their profiles, such as Transcendent Pupil. When they reach max level again and choose a Specialty, a new field will appear below the level field noting which Specialty they have chosen. A character may choose to change their Specialty once every 6 months, and is described In Character as practicing and mastering new magic/spells at the sacrifice of their mastery over their previous Specialty's spells.

CLICK TO VIEW SPECIALTIES

Flamebringer

passive effect

All included offensive Fire spells also ignite an enemy target for small additional burn damage.

character aura

Heat shimmers, embers; character has a higher internal temperature.

any 3 cauterize, incinerate, combust, pyrokinesis, engulf, or everburn

Torchbearer

passive effect

Lights and the included light-producing spells give off a lingering heat in this character's presence.

character aura

This character has subtle glowing markings; a trail of light and glowing footfalls follow in their wake.

torchlight + any 2 incinerate, glow, lightplay, blinding beam, flametouched, night vision

Master of Elements

passive effect

Less likely to be hindered by negative effects of the included elemental spells.

character aura

Embers, bubbles, windy swirls, or rock-like armor patches depending on last spell use.

any 3 Pyrokinesis, Combust, Aquakinesis, Flash Flood, Earthshatter, Fissure, Sonic Boom, Cloud Step

Medic

passive effect

Spells used for healing will also alleviate pains and calm the patient.

character aura

A soft warmth and clean smell constantly surrounds this character. They feel safe.

fauna cleanse + any 2 summon water, greater empathy, germicide, failed timeline

Mender

passive effect

Included spells are less painful to patients, and any scarring will heal up quicker.

character aura

Gentle glow and light shimmers; life seems to thrive in their presence.

weave + any 2 cauterize, lesser empathy, sterilize, internal control, blessing of pisces

Rainmaker

passive effect

Draw water from the environment to slightly counter dehydration from Water spells.

character aura

Bubbles of varying size lift and float free from the character.

rainfall + any 2 summon water, mist cover, fountain, bubble

Hydrologist

passive effect

Mastery over water makes these spells easier to cast with little chance of dehydration or tiredness.

character aura

The skin, fur, scales, etc. of this character glistens softly as if slightly wet, with faint glimmering droplets.

any 3 dehydrate, summon water, aquakinesis, purify, drown, state change

Cryomancer

passive effect

Frozen or chilled objects are more resistant to heat and take longer to melt.

character aura

Icy air and frozen particles surround the character; lower internal temperature.

glaciate + any 2 fountain, snowfall, state change, cool down, everfreeze

Stormbringer

passive effect

Less likely to be harmed by their own storm's effects, such as shock or wind buffeting.

character aura

Crackling electricity and/or windy swirls across character; intensifies if in their own storm.

rainfall, lightning storm + any 1 thunderclap, gust, dust devil

Destroyer

passive effect

Structural or collateral damage are more likely to occur from the included spells.

character aura

Embers, bubbles, rock armor, crackling electricity, or windy swirls depending on last spell used.

any 3 incinerate, aquakinesis, fissure, lightning storm, dust devil

Master of the Mind

passive effect

Included spells are cast with little to no physical effort, and the caster maintains them easily.

character aura

Pink-purple airy strands lick from the character's body; these intensify with included spell casts.

any 3 dispel, whisper, telekinesis, phantom hold, mind reader

Phaseshifter

passive effect

Character transitions easily between surrounding temperatures and less likely to go into shock.

character aura

Heat shimmers and/or icy fog surround the character, intensifying with matching spellcast.

state change + any 2 heat up, everbrurn, cool down, everfreeze

Chaos Mage

passive effect

Less likely to get sucked into their own spellcasts of the included spells.

character aura

Small 'pixels' of the character shift or move, as if they are inter-dimensional.

any 3 supernova, event horizon, pulsar, warp

Lightbearer

passive effect

Spells that give off light are brighter; lit objects and lights in an area brighten when character is near.

character aura

Soft glowing; bright firefly-like orbs that float off of and around the character.

glow + any 2 illuminate orb, lightplay, spotlight, animated bauble, black light

Voidbringer

passive effect

Spells that absorb light are darker; lit objects and lights in an area dim when character is near.

character aura

Shadows grip the character; dark firefly-like orbs float off of and around the character.

dissipate + any 2 event horizon, shadowplay, summon void, multishadow, black light

Illusionist

passive effect

Included spells' illusions can appear incredibly lifelike or extra believable.

character aura

Shifting light plays off of the character, and sometimes one hears whispers near them.

any 3 drift, shadowplay, lightplay, aether dance, mimicry, whisper

Druid

passive effect

Lessers seem more friendly to Druids, especially in response to the included spells.

character aura

A soft glow with small plant sprouts or keratin-like growths; their presence soothes Lessers.

any 3 plantcharm, flora call, lesser empathy, greater empathy, charm, ephemevenom, bodyswap

Gardener

passive effect

Plants tended by the character are more likely to grow in any envrionment, even harsh ones.

character aura

A soft glow, likely green; brief but flourishing plants grow in their footfalls or wake.

emerge, blossom + any 1 summon water, flourish, growth spurt

Cultivator

passive effect

Plants and fungi tended by the character co-exist together without harm to each other.

character aura

A soft glow, likely yellow-green; brief but flourishing plants/fungi grow in their footfalls or wake.

fungal wake, propagate + any 1 emerge, blossom, flourish

Bioluminator

passive effect

Things grown by a Bioluminator have a pulsing glow: patterns, edges, or the whole plant.

character aura

Low-light conditions cause softly-glowing, pulsing markings to become visible on the character.

any 3 blossom, fungal wake, mycelial swarm, propagate, glow, bauble

Basidiomorph

passive effect

Included spells are easier to maintain for long periods of time and take less energy to perform.

character aura

Trailed by spores large enough to be visible and leaves a slightly gray, filmy afterimage as they move.

spore + any 2 inky cap, hallucinate, cordyceps, zombify

Symbiosis

passive effect

Growths associated with the included spells last longer and are healthier with fewer drawbacks.

character aura

Surrounded by an earthy smell and always looks healthy, regardless of their actual state of well-being.

host, mycelial swarm + any 1 propagate, consume, incubate

Nuisance

passive effect

Less likely to be harmed by their own spellcasts, and successes feel extra annoying to others.

character aura

Particles float around the character depending on last spell cast; sometimes they smell funny.

any 3 fire trap, mist cover, warp, hayfever, stinkhorn, spore, pitfall, pause

Predator

passive effect

Bites or scratches from this character can cause excessive bleeding, especially if bit with Biteform.

character aura

A red-black energy surrounds this character, and the general feeling of danger.

red sense + any 2 adrenaline, camouflage, high senses, biteform, scratch

Nightstalker

passive effect

More easily lost in shadows; range of spells slightly increased for stalking prey.

character aura

Extra reflective eyes that almost seem to glow, but not in shadows; dark shade swathes them.

night vision + any 2 high senses, adrenaline, dissipate, summon void

Mindbender

passive effect

Can slightly influence the direction or scene of hallucinations for themselves or other targets.

character aura

A soft, pink-hued glow shimmers on this character and faint whispers seem to follow them.

hallucinate + any 2 cordyceps, summon void, whisper, mindscream

Necromancer

passive effect

Included spells make any puppeted objects seem unnaturally alive with a strange stench.

character aura

A black-green glow clings to this character, and their eyes have red glints.

any 3 plantcharm, weave, bloodhold, propogate, cordyceps, zombify

Effigy Maker

passive effect

Able to cast the included spells on a likeness of the target (must include biological matter of target).

character aura

An inviting, warm aura that turns cold and unsettling on contact; their image is haunting for some time.

any 3 engulf, scry, drown, bloodhold, charm, gem sense, short circuit

Seer

passive effect

Included spells less likely to have negative feedback, and visions are more clear.

character aura

Whispers tend to follow this character; their eyes glow with wispy fog of their chosen color.

any 3 scry, necrophagy, stone memory, hindsight, future shift

Beholder

passive effect

These characters gain the ability to maintain two sense spells, in their own rolls.

character aura

Wispy, random eyes surround this character, opening and closing, disappearing and reappearing.

any 3 detect magic, blue sense, green sense, red sense, grey sense, white sense, gem sense

Living Rumor

passive effect

Hard to notice and hard to remember; very successful at stealth with included spells.

character aura

Surrounded by a gray/blue mist; difficult to determine whether Living Rumors are ethereal or physical.

any 3 mist cover, driftwalk, camouflage, reflect, whisper

Rotbringer

passive effect

Spores continously float free from this character, causing passive fungal growth.

character aura

A black-green glow clings to this character, and often fungi trails in their wake.

necrophagy + any 2 propagate, viral strike, spawn parasite, plaguebearer

Plague Doctor

passive effect

Included spells can ease a target's pain or inflict flu-like symptoms, depending on intention.

character aura

A white-green glow surrounds this character, and their eyes have a white-green glint.

any 3 white sense, fauna cleanse, nauseate, incubate, viral strike

Plaguevector

passive effect

Included spells have a higher rate of infection, lingering longer on surfaces or in hosts.

character aura

A black-green glow clings to this character, and mites may swarm around them in a dense pack.

incubate, immunity + any 1 propagate life, plaguebearer, accelerate

Earthbreaker

passive effect

Included spells are often more catostrophic than intended, and can cause collateral damage.

character aura

Stone-like or gem-like spikes or horns protrude in random areas on this character's body.

any 3 pebblequake, dislodge, earthshatter, fissure, shard storm

Stoneguard

passive effect

Character has higher resistances to earth-shattering magic, protecting their armor.

character aura

Stone-like or gem-like ridges raise from this character's body, often as small plates of armor.

stoneskin + any 2 regeneration, immunity, magnet, gem summon

Fulgurkinesis

passive effect

Included spells will leave lasting static charges in the area they affect, though shocks are minor.

character aura

Lightning crackles across this character, jumping to nearby objects to discharge built up static.

high volt + any 2 lightning storm, generator, call current, ball lightning, chain lightning

Electrokinesis

passive effect

More resistant to electricity, and nearby lights may bright or dim on their spellcasts.

character aura

Crackling static crawls across this character, and their fur or others' nearby may stand on end.

internal control + any 2 charge, bolt, magnetosphere, power surge, short circuit

Soundshifter

passive effect

More resistant to changes in air pressure, especially from their own spellcasts of included spells.

character aura

A light blue, airy glow wisps freely around this character, and clings to them on spellcasts.

any 3 minor vibration, muffle, mimicry, scale, sonic boom, alter frequency

Aeromancer

passive effect

These characters can travel longer and faster on air currents and gusts.

character aura

A light blue, airy glow wisps freely around this character, and trails behind their movements.

any 3 gust, pickup, jetstream, dust devil, blast breath, levitate, barrier

Flightless Bird

passive effect

Gifted with the speed of the wind, this character walks and runs slightly more quickly by default.

character aura

A light blue, airy glow wisps around this character's feet and trails behind their movements.

any 3 Levitate, Cloud Step, Gravity Trap, Claustrophobia, Dust Devil

Telekinetic

passive effect

Moving objects is easier for this character, with higher weight thresholds and fluid movement.

character aura

A light purple, airy glow wisps freely around this character, and also on objects they are controlling.

telekinesis + any 2 levitate, budge, phantom hold, translocate

Chronomancer

passive effect

Higher perception in dire moments, and an overall better control of time-related spells (ex. Hindsight).

character aura

A soft glow of the character's choice; they often appear to glitch or shift slightly in place.

any 3 driftwalk, animated bauble, hindsight, pause, future shift, failed timeline

Mystic

passive effect

Effects of included spells are much more smooth to the eye, as if casting them is effortless.

character aura

Wispy trails float from the character's glowing eyes, and behind their movements, footfalls, wingbeats, etc.

levitate + any 2 torchlight, pyrokinesis, aquakinesis, driftwalk, barrier, cloud step

Demonic

passive effect

Light sources dims near the user and spells take on demonic forms/images.

character aura

Dark smoke and embers roll freely off the character's body.

any 3 summon void, torchlight, dissipate, incinerate, attack flurry, berserk

Chef

passive effect

Food always tastes better made by a chef, even if there are mistakes or fails!

character aura

Chefs always smell absolutely delicious, and this character radiates good vibes.

cooking + any 2 emerge, blossom, summon water, everburn, everfreeze

Chaos Beast

only available to corrupted element characters

additional information

Though these characters can fission easily and produce feral copies of themselves, it should be noted that it is incredibly taxing on their body and their magic; while there is no limit on the number of feral copies a character can maintain, producing them imparts a real and severe risk if the character produces too many in a short period of time. Typically, characters can produce one copy per cycle, but may attempt up to once a week given they succeed. Failure on additional units within a cycle may result in the character returning to chrysalis. This is up to your character's IC expense, health, and overall capabilities. Please be honorable in your portayal of these limits!

passive effect

These characters can fission easily and painlessly, and have full control over their feral copies.

character aura

Due to control over their Corruption, they may choose whether or not to appear Oily.

Brute

any 3 cursed flame, malevolent growth, profaned creature, deviant spores, defiled earth, void conduit

Magus

any 3 polluted water, energy of the void, chaotic plague, encompassing darkness, black winds, forsaken mind

Guardian

passive effect

Take slightly less damage from all attacks, moreso if guarding another character.

character aura

A shimmering gold aura surrounds these characters, and vertical flares make them appear almost holy.

protector's bulwark + any 2 block, deflect, mongoose reflexes, guardian shield

Assassin

passive effect

Stealth attacks inflict more damage if the target is unaware of their presence.

character aura

Shadows seem to cling to this character, easily engulfing them, and they move with more stealth.

assassins guise + any 2 cripple, trip up, disguise, incapacitate, toxic coating

Reaver

passive effect

With no regard to its own safety, the savage Reaver inflicts extra damage with all attacks.

character aura

A dripping blood-colored aura suggests an insatiable bloodlust, but only for honorable battles.

attack flurry + any 2 cripple, rip, boneshatter, berserk

Battlemage

passive effect

Increased physical combat damage following the successful use of their magic.

character aura

Soft glow, the color of which matches the character's eyes; this intensifies during included spellcasts.

pause, attack flurry + any 1 driftwalk, adrenaline, blinding beam, riposte

Killer Cacti

passive effect

Included spells deal more damage and spikes or teeth may get lodged in their oppenent during combat.

character aura

The character's claws and fangs appear longer than normal. Small bits of bone or spike encrust them.

bonecase + any 2 ephemevenom, biteform, shell, cripple, avoidance, rip

Jester

passive effect

Successes and failures are equally very entertaining from Jesters, very fun and interesting to watch!

character aura

A jovial jubilee of lights in bright, fun colors dances around Jesters, who jingle when they move.

any 3 trip up, avoidance, mongoose reflexes, petty theft, wheedle, disguise

Cultist

passive effect

More persuasive to those around them; their arguments and logic are strangely convincing.

character aura

An unsettling black-red aura curls around this character; grasping tendrils reach to those nearby.

reassure + any 2 wheedle, disguise, toxic coating, dominator

Leader

passive effect

Presence inspires others to greather heights: courage, combat, magic, etc.

character aura

A comforting, inspiring white-gold aura shimmers around this character; their eyes are usually aglow.

reassure + any 2 blind, gauge, resourceful, inspire

Thief

passive effect

Masters at sleight-of-hand; suspicious actions are more likely to go unnoticed.

character aura

An assuming feeling surrounds them; they are easily forgotten, and shadows lick at their heels.

petty theft + outrun, distraction, blind, disguise, assassin's guise

Craftsman

passive effect

Included spells less likely to negatively backfire; effects more intense.

character aura

A soft glow, crackling static, and/or sparking embers surround this character; intensify when crafting.

any 3 smolder step, summon water, gem form, bauble, charge, generator, resourceful, affix dye, enchant

Monitor

passive effect

Heightened awareness of immediate surroundings and individuals' behaviors during social interactions.

character aura

Exudes complete neutrality, appearing slightly desaturated in comparison to their environment.

gauge + any 2 lesser empathy, spore, stone memory, hindsight, wheedle

There are two types of characters in Origin. The first are Player Characters which are as they are named: characters that are played by a player. These are the typical characters that you'll see in a play-by-post roleplay. The second type are Non-Playable Characters, or NPC's. NPC's are vital to Origin in that they can help progress the story and unlock lore. However, NPC's cannot be played by players of the community. The only ones that can write NPC's are the Game Masters.

It is important to know exactly how characters come to be. They do not follow the same life cycle as their Earth counterparts, rather following one completely new and dependent on magic.


The Stone


The Neonate & Chrysalis


Emergence


Aging


Hunger & Thirst


Reproduction


Death



A vast assortment of species are playable here on Origin Cave. For the most part, users will begin with species most similar to those originating from Earth. As the game progresses, there may be the potential for hybrids or mythical creatures, but those are granted on a case-by-case basis. The following list of species will be allowed upon joining without question, however if you'd like to bring in a character belonging to a species not listed, feel free to check with a staff member!

Phylum Chordata



Not Allowed Species: For quick reference.
- Fan characters/species
- Currently extinct animals (as of Jan 2015)


Character Appearances
The characters in Origin Cave are identical species to their Earth cousins, so it should follow that they would be similar in appearance too. At the moment, only naturally occuring fur/skin patterns can occur on characters with mildly unnatural markings (spots, stripes, etc). No wildly outlandish colours should be seen in Origin Cave's inhabitants, nor should there be any strange mutations - at least for first generation characters. Characters born via Gembound reproduction may emerge with strange colours and mutations, but those will be permitted on a case-by-case basis. Eye colours, however, can be any colour.

The stone your character has can be any shape or size; it can take the place of an organ (except the brain), occur internally or externally, and can be any gem naturally found on Earth. However, it must be in one piece. It may give the illusion of being in multiple pieces so long as it is connected under the skin. If the stone replaces an organ that is needed for the body to properly function (the heart, liver, intestine, etc.) the stone magic will mimic the job of the organ; it will not mimic the job of an organ the body can be considered functional without (an eye, a kidney, uterus, etc.). If you can't decide on what stone to choose, this website is an excellent resource that sorts gemstones by colour and this website provides excellent references and stock photos that can be used for non-commercial purposes.


Aside from player characters, Origin Cave is also populated by NPC's - non-playable characters that can be encountered throughout the game. Each NPC has their own unique set of properties, such as whether or not they'll be useful for advancing quests, releasing lore, helping to teach characters vital skills, or even knowledge or hostility level. Sometimes they can be summoned via requesting them in a GM Request, other times they may show up completely of their own accord. NPC's are as diverse as player characters in their personalities, and may end up challenging or attacking characters, while others may simple exchange a few words and leave. NPC personalities will be unlocked as they are interacted with.

The important thing about NPC's is just that - they are non-playable. You are not allowed to dictate the actions of an NPC in your post and are expected to treat them as you would any other character. They are controlled by Game Masters only.

You can read up on the current list of NPC's in this thread!


The Uncommon Character Slot is a specialty item that allows users to create characters that normally would not be allowed. This includes the following:


However, there are still some restrictions. You may not play a species that belongs to a pre-existing work of fiction or that you do not own the rights to, and humans are still not allowed. It may not be an extinct species (as of 2015), but it may be any other Earth species, including fish or insects. This slot still follows all of our normal character rules, such as needing natural colors, patterns, sizes, features, etc. but can still have any eye color. This does not include hybrids of any kind that are bred by humans and would not occur in the wild.

The Uncommon Character Slot is given out as a contest prize or as a reward for donating ʡ500 to the Spire. It can not be sold, but it CAN be traded or given away! Members who have won an Uncommon Character Slot will have the slot icon appear under their name in the OOC Member List. You can win and hold multiple slots but it will still only show one icon—not to worry though, we will list each one you have in our file! When you have used the slot to create a character, the icon will appear next to the character's name. You can not recycle the character slot - ie. you can not create a character with the slot, then remove the character through some means (dropping or killing them) and recreate a character with the slot. You can, however, wait to use the slot until you have a good idea in mind for a character.


The Rare Character Slot is a specialty item that allows users to create characters that normally would not be allowed. This includes the following:


However, there are still some restrictions. You may not play a species that belongs to a pre-existing work of fiction or that you do not own the rights to, and humans are still not allowed. You are also required to run it past the staff before making your character so that staff can confirm whether or not it is acceptable. Most species will be allowed using the Rare Character Slot - but we just want to be safe. The Rare Character Slot can only be used to bring in a new character, not mutate an existing one.

The Rare Character Slot is given out as a contest prize or as a reward for donating ʡ1,000 to the Spire. It can not be sold, traded or given away except Game Masters. Members who have won a Rare Character Slot will have the slot icon appear under their name in the OOC Member List. You can win and hold multiple slots but it will still only show one icon—not to worry though, we will list each one you have in our file! When you have used the slot to mutate a character, the icon will appear next to the character's name. You can not recycle the character slot - ie. you can not create a character with the slot, then remove the character through some means (dropping or killing them) and recreate a character with the slot. You can, however, wait to use the slot until you have a good idea in mind for a character.


As time goes on, some characters may undergo mutations.

Mutations can be brought about using a Major Mutation Slot or a Minor Mutation Slot on a character, which can be obtained via a monthly draw, or by donating ʡ700 or ʡ350 to the Spire respectively. Even mutations brought about with a Mutation Slot must be approved by staff to ensure the mutation is within the limits of what is allowed. Mutations are most likely to occur to a part of the body that is damaged the most, as the mutated character's body tries to reform in a way that will prevent such damage from happening again.

What needs to happen to make a character mutate?
For starters, the player needs to possess a Mutation Slot. Then, the character needs to get damaged or stressed somehow. This damage can be to the stone or to the body, and must be bad enough that the character doesn't die, but requires time to heal. Extremely stressful conditions can also make a character undergo mutation. The character will enter a coma-like state, during which time their damaged stone will form a new chrysalis around their body. Inside the chrysalis, their body or stone slowly recovers. This is when the mutation occurs. Upon completion of the recovery, the character will emerge from their chrysalis again with a new mutation. Character ages do not reset during mutations - they will continue to age as they lie in their new chrysalis. The act of entering the coma, forming a new chrysalis and emerging with a mutation is called Reformation.

How long does reformation take?
Your character will be in their chrysalis for approximately 2 weeks. During this time, you cannot make any new threads with them. You can post in threads that occur before the mutation, but there cannot be any new threads with them, as they are taking this time to recover inside of their chrysalis. After 2 weeks, you can make a new thread with them emerging from their chrysalis.

What kinds of mutations can occur?
Changes to the body such as new limbs or features (horns, tails, wings, gender, etc.) as well as different colours can all occur as a result of mutation. However, characters can not change their species or their stone type/location, and they can not drastically change size. Anthropomorphizing your character is allowed so long as this is the only mutation taking place, as it is such an extreme change. Mutations must be approved by staff first. Mutations that are functional or significantly change a Gembound's appearance (gills, venom, wings etc.) fall under the Major Mutation Slot category, while cosmetic alterations (color, small spines, etc.) are considered Minor Mutations.

How can I get a mutation approved by staff?
Send a PM to the Origin Cave account detailing the mutation you have in mind. You must be in posession of a Mutation Slot in order for your character to mutate! We no longer allow mutations via Rare Character Slot, or based on plots or quests.


Whether to heal an injury, sickness, or simply to hibernate, characters may enter their chrysalis to do so. Without a Mutation Slot, this will not result in Reformation, and the character will most likely emerge with their regular appearance. Reverting to chrysalis to heal without mutating will still take about 2 weeks. If a character has only entered their chrysalis to hibernate, then consequences are optional. Rolling for consequences is mandatory when reverting to chrysalis to heal. You will need to Request GM for a roll.

Are there consequences for reverting to chrysalis often?
Yes! A type of "chrysalis consequence" could happen to your character if they abuse their ability to heal within their chrysalis. Do note that because of the way the roll system is set up, it is impossible for a character (4+ cycles) entering their chrysalis for the first time to be at risk of these consequences; characters 3 cycles and under will be rolled as normal. The chances of receiving a consequence for characters that do not use their chrysalis often are also low; while rare, a character may find they wake up with a minor consequence, but never anything moderate or severe. However, if your character is constantly in and out of their chrsyalis, the penalties will add up and the chances for a moderate or severe consequence will be increased.

What types of chrysalis consequences are there?
Below is a quick list of the consequences your character could suffer. If the magic is given enough time to regenerate, some of these consequences can be healed by reverting to chrysalis again, but only after 4 cycles when the internal magic of the Gembound has had a chance to refresh.

How do I roll the consequences?
You don't! A Game Master will roll the consequences for you and post the results in the In-Character thread where your character has reverted to their chrysalis. Please 'Request GM' to your chrysalis post using the button at the bottom of your post.

Can I heal my character of consequences?
Some of the consequences may lessen with time, or may be able to be healed within the chrysalis—however, there is always the risk you may roll a new one if you decide to try and heal an old one!

Do I get anything cool for receiving a consequence?
Aside from the potential character development around different consequences, you may claim the individual consequences as an achievement for the character they have affected. If your character is unlucky enough to roll each different kind of consequence, you get to claim a big achievement!

	Rupture	A spiky cluster of the gemstone penetrates the surface of the Gembound. + Roll for severity. + Roll for location.
	Adjunct	Limbs may duplicate but may not be usable. + Roll for limb. + Roll for location of limb sprout. + Roll for usable or withered. Only one may be usable.
	Oculi	Eyes may duplicate. + Roll for severity (minor: 1 eye ; moderate: 2 eyes ; severe: 3+ eyes) + Roll for location of additional eyes. + Roll for usable or blind.
	Glitch	Pigment may disappear from areas of the Gembound. Will affect dye. + Roll for severity. + Roll for location.
	Defunct	Senses may be affected. + Roll for severity. + Roll for sense (sight, taste, touch, smell, sound)
	Wither	Gembound is physically and magically fatigued. + Roll for severity.
	Fissure	Part of the Gembound collapses into a geode-like rift of its gemstone. + Roll for severity. + Roll for location.
	Fracture	Gemstone fractures and may lose a piece of itself. + Roll for severity. + Roll for location (if applicable: internal, external)
	Stray	Gembound may speak and understand an ancient language rather than their common tongue. May have strange memories that are not their own. + Roll for severity. + Roll for type (language, memories)
	Vampire	The Gembound is partially severed from their magic, and must periodically seek out and consume sources of magic to survive. + Roll for severity.

Pushing Your Luck...

Somehow, you have survived the odds of being very unfortunate...

There are no predetermined "groupings" of characters in Origin Cave. Everybody is placed in the "Lone Gembound" group from the start until characters choose to band together and create their own groups.

Creating Groups
Creating your own group has few requirements, but they are vital. You must have the following:
When you have everything listed above, you can make a post in the Update Me! thread and if everything checks out, the staff will create the group and sort characters appropriately. Multiple group members may be played by the same player and still count toward the requirements.

What is the purpose of groups?
Some characters may choose to band together so that they have a close group of characters towards whom they behave altruistically. These characters may defend one another, hunt for one another, or come together for a different purpose. Each group has their own personal purpose. Groups are a purely in character feature with little use outside of roleplay.

Group Territories
While groups may establish territory in a single area, they do not get exclusive rights to that area. Most rooms and tunnels are required to be passed through in order to reach other sections of the cave, and so a group that attempts to completely block off an entire route may find themselves very quickly overwhelmed with angry travelers. Groups can try their hardest to maintain the privacy of their territory, but depends on the accessibility of their territory. Out of character, the purpose of a territory is simply for a location for the group's roster. As most animals operate on their senses to detect the presence of others, we have a feature at the bottom of forums that lists the five most recent posters in that area. This serves to inform players of the recent activity in a forum, and may alert the inhabitants of group territories to potential trespassers. Again, groups do not have exclusive rights to territories - however, they can try to defend them if they like. Groups cannot be established in Polaris.

Group-Specific Spells
When Gembound come together into groups and they are in close proximity, their magicka may pool together and may be developed into new spells that aid in representing who they are and how they act. Any so-called "GSS" is to be of medium intensity and is considered non-elemental, though it may lean towards a specific element if it is needed. These spells are obtained when a Gembound joins a group, but, should they leave, the spell will fade into nothingness and will be gone. To claim the GSS of your character's group, simply post in Update Me!

Joining Groups
After they are created, groups will be listed on the Group Memberships page. From there, players can choose to either join the group or leave it. Players attempting to join a group with their character will require acceptance from the group's leader(s), and these requirements can range from simply joining the group via this page to having an IC thread between your characters.

Disbanding Groups
A group will disband if it falls below 3 members or loses its leader(s). There will always be an opportunity for members of the group to revive it before it is disbanded, either by recruiting more members or finding a new leader. If a group is at risk of disbanding, all of its existing members will be alerted so that they can attempt to arrange a group revival if desired.

Quests are important parts of Origin's story progression that integrate character interaction. Most quests are driven by characters through roleplay, therefore they won't always end the same way, or as planned. There are usually multiple endings to a quest that can be achieved through making different decisions. This is why, because of quests, the story of Origin is largely driven by the members.



001. Shed Some Light — complete
Origin Cave is in complete darkness. You may notice that along the walls and ceiling are glass orbs suspended by ropes and wires, but what are they? Follow them and you will find that they all converge at the Core - specifically, a large hydroelectric generator. This machine sits in a recess in the cave floor, in the middle of what looks to be a dry riverbed. This machine might have something to do with the glass orbs, but it'll require some further investigation.
Outcome: The dam diverting the crystal stream was destroyed, resulting in water returning to the riverbed, powering the machine, and golems awakening. The lights have turned on, but now there is an abundance of golems roaming Polaris.



002. The Strangeness of Cetus — complete
Something is amiss in Cetus. Entering this room, one feels a buzz of activity, but it seems almost unnatural. Despite the strangeness of the sensation, the boundless life within the room appears to flourish. Still, the sensation is unsettling, and the new Gembounds are dying to get to the cause of it. It seems an investigation of the strange sensation must be underway. What could be causing it?
Outcome: After the buzzing fled to another tunnel, it led the Gembounds back to Cetus, prompting the emergence of a massive sea monster named Aquarian. He attacks the Gembounds, only to learn that many years have passed while he slept, and that he had been abandoned by someone. In an act of defiance against his "Creator", Aquarian offers his allegiance to the Gembounds so long as they bring him offerings.



003. The Carvings — complete
Old, worn down illustrations appear to be carved into the walls of this tunnel, but no one can decipher them. They are too shallow and obscure to be made out. Somehow, some one needs to figure out how to make these carvings visible so that everyone can see them, otherwise they may remain a mystery forever. Perhaps it may help to take a cue from efforts of the past... of course, the only way to do this would be with some magic.
Outcome: The lichens have filled in the divets in the wall. The carving can now be seen, but there are chunks of rock missing, particularly in the middle. Characters can examine and speculate on the carvings as they please.



004. The Beast's Best Friend — complete
Setting foot into this tunnel, one may notice something that wasn't there before. A 7-foot-tall, spindly-limbed creature has settled down against one of the walls and is surrounded by piles of bones and old, cracked pieces of armor. He is composed of complete blackness, save for glowing green eyes and a peridot gem in his chest. He appears to be holding a helm of some kind. The monster gives no air of hostility nor benevolence, and though he seems to be absorbed in the helm, he may react to a Gembound should they approach him.
Outcome: After returning the lost armor pieces and the serendebite to Beast, another strange Gembound appears: Jupiter. Jupiter and Beast engage in a battle, digging into one anothers' pasts, before the Beast revives the Serendebite, revealing it to be another part of himself. The twin creatures combine, creating Totum, who chases Jupiter away and thanks the Gembounds for helping them.



005. The Fiery Pit — complete
A mysterious pit has been discovered in the gorges of Monoceros. Inside there lay two slumbering beasts: a massive dragon guardian several magic imbued stones, and a peaceful lamb. There seems to be no way to enter or exit the pit other than from above, and no one knows who these creatures are, why they're trapped in the pit, and why they seem to be sleeping through absolutely everything!
Outcome: After reigning terror on Polaris for a couple cycles, Deer Dad is finally able to revive the great ice phoenix Tenzin. With the help of the Gembounds, Deer Dad and Tenzin are able to launch an attack on Raheerah. However, they are no match for the great dragon - until a small sprite appears and leads up into a hole in the roof, away from the Gembounds. For now.



006. O Eyes, What Do You See? — complete
A foreboding scream echoes through the caves. Upon investigation, the great Eyes of Eridanus have stilled - the crystal clear waters refuse to show any reflections and the forest seems to tremble in the presence of something horrific... but nobody knows exactly what it is. What is for certain, though, is that some mischievous spirit has commited a great crime against the Eyes.
Outcome: After discovering the shadow in Eridanus, the Gembounds follow it to Canis where it has enveloped the entire room in darkness. The many-eyed shadow took the hyena Giggle hostage! The shadow played tricks and mocked the Gembounds as they struggled through Canis to rescue Giggle. It turned out to be a feline figure, corrupted by something, but was defeated anyway and released the hyena; but Giggle was never quite the same. The shadow is now known as the NPC Senka.



007. Organ Cave — complete
After an earthquake ripples throughout the cave, a surge of magic fills the air. In the core, magic seems to inhabit everything from rocks to idle bones of long lost creatures. The Gembounds coming together sense something has changed, but they have no idea what they're in for once the magic causes some bones to come together in some freakish skeletal amalgamation.
Outcome: The Gembounds came upon several skeletons, but after defeating those, the Organ Monster hauls itself over the edge of the newly formed crevice the earthquake caused! After an exhausting battle, they extinguish the new life as quickly as it had been born, and its remains fall back into the crevice. The crevice slowly closes back up.



008. Dungeons & Dragons — in progress/continuous
Tucked away in a small alcove between two grand carvings of monsters. As the clay falls apart, it reveals the remains of a broken statue sitting upon a tall square pedestal. The statue looks like it had once been a huge, husky creature resembling a goat, but pieces are missing out of it. They have been cleaved off in large chunks and are nowhere to be found in this tunnel. The pieces of the statue are scattered around Origin Cave. There are 5 pieces to be discovered and returned to the statue. Characters must make a thread in any forum searching for a piece of the rock and make a GM request. The GM will state whether or not a piece of the statue is in the area; if it is, then there will be a hint given to lead your characters towards the piece. You must continue to make GM requests to locate the statue pieces. The first hint is: Orion!



009. Wharrgarbl — complete
A thunderous, hollow CRAAACK ripples through Tunnel M. The Gembounds arrive to a colder, icier Tunnel M. A surge of water then bursts through a portion of the wall, flooding the tunnel and sweeping some of them away! Surges of water continue, but eventually the Gembounds force their way through and find Totum struggling with a lever-like mechanism. The mechanism seems to be controlling the flow of the water, which Totum confirms is a drainage gate they have passed through before. Constant pressure must be applied to the siphon, but the Gembounds need to withstand the water surges while trying to figure out how to apply pressure as a solution.
Outcome: Through the combined efforts of the elephant Gadanai shoving a rock down into the siphon, followed by the wolf Arkreal's earth magic dislodging a heavy blanket of rubble into the siphon, the pressure on the mechanic allows the door to slowly grind downwards. The door is now open, and there is a steady, albeit shallow flow of water running through the opening through the tunnel. Characters are now free to enter the doorway, discovering a new room: Fornax, the great furnace.



010. To-Do List — in progress
The lights have suddenly gone out in the cave! The Gembounds went to investigate the broken generator, finding the cat sprite Nemean already there trying to fix it. She claimed to need some things first, and sent the Gembounds away to collect materials. She claimed to have a nice reward for them if they helped her! After waiting several cycles, Nemean grew impaient of waiting and collected the materails herself. The lights are now back on in the cave! When the Gembounds returned to her, she let them know she was upset, but also that she needed them to fetch her one last thing. She sends them to Orion in search of Batcat. Xireidi returns with a Batcat clone who eats Nemean! She escapes from it and disrupts the generator again, turning the lights back off! She sends Xireidi back out to look for real Batcat!



011. Nine Lives — complete
After finding her sister Vahi's stone, Senka attempts to revive with seemingly little succes. The stone is given life with His help, but its energy is released far too early. Sapping magicka in an EMP-like fashion from any Gembounds within the vicinity, the energy bolts out of Orion and toward Polaris. Something like a lightning storm begins in Polaris. It moves to several parts of Polaris, including the Generator; while at the Generator, Gembounds discover the topaz jammed in the wheel and dislodge it, returning light to the caves. Outcome: Senka arrives at the Generator in search of where her sister's energy has gone to find several Gembounds already there, and the storm's energy bouncing between them in search of a host—or at least of a body that matches what it used to know. Senka calls for her sister, and the energy moves to her, familiar in the body of another large cat; it calms, and the storm takes the shape of a quadrupedal-like large cat, though the energy is still unstable. It is quelled, for now.



012. Three Kings of Orion — complete
Adrift are three, Orion's Kings... A strange energy is discovered emitting from a broken wall in Orion. After an EMP-like phenomenon from a different area of the room, a quake shakes down more of the wall and the harmful energy is taken away with the strange lightning that leaves Orion for Polaris. Inside the broken area of the wall, three large chrysalises can be seen orbiting each other with strange energy crackling between them. They hatch into crane-like birds who are ethereal and translucent with galaxy-like matter making up their bodies: Alnilam, Mintaka, and Alnitak. They are arguing despite having just been reborn. To settle their dispute, they send the Gembounds on a quest to fetch them stones: whichever of them receives the most stones will be the winner, and participants will be rewarded.
Outcome: Mintaka has the most stones in the end, and becomes the lead personality after the birds merge into one large entity. They send the Gembounds to find a lost stone that they need to revive. It is revealed the stone is an architect's stone belonging to a creature known as Skahan; he is revived and refuses to help the Three Kings, exiting to Canis.



013. RAID: What Lies Beyond — in progress
A hidden door sealed with four... Skahan has opened a mysterious large cavern in the north side of Canis, revealing a staircase leading up a lone mountain; at the top is an alcove and sitting inside is a plate with four round apertures.

Achievements are icons that appear on character profiles. These icons can be earned by doing certain things on the forum - ie. by posting, joining quests, performing spell casts, etc. Achievements can be added to your account by requesting them on the Update Me! thread. Icons will not replace each other as you earn higher achievements - ie. if you post 500 times, you will have the 50, 100 and 500 post icons! You can find all of our achievements in the table below.


General Achievements can be obtained by doing various things around the site, IC and OOC.

Mage/Brawler/Tactician Your character will automatically earn one of these achievements based on the type of attempts they use most.	Original Originer A special achievement given to users who joined Origin in May 2015.	Donater An achievement given out to users who donate money to help fund Origin.	Elemental Master Learn 3 low, 3 medium, and 3 high intensity spells of your own element.
CotM Win Character of the Month.	PotM Win Pair of the Month.	MotM Win Member of the Month. Can be claimed on all character accounts.	TotM Participate in a Thread of the Month.
50 Posts Write 50 character posts.	100 Posts Write 100 character posts.	500 Posts Write 500 character posts.	1000 Posts Write 1000 character posts.
Met 5 NPC's Meet 5 listed NPC's with your character in threads.	Met 10 NPC's Meet 10 listed NPC's with your character in threads.	Met 20 NPC's Meet 20 listed NPC's with your character in threads.	Spire Feeder Donate up to ʡ1000 to The Spire account.
This One's With Me Form a group with other Gembound.	A Line That Can Never Be Uncrossed Take another Gembound's life.	Bad Luck Brian In one thread, roll three consecutive Critical Failures.	Triple 7 In one thread, roll three consecutive Critical Successes.
Pop Rocks Eat a piece of the Spire.	Unconventional Reformation Mutate by means other than injury or emotional duress.	Back to the Roots Fully convert to the Corrupted Element.	Mommy's Little Host Become irreversibly infected by Mother.
Creator's Oracle LOOKED CHAOS IN THE EYE	Pilgrimage of Echoes Made a pilgrimage to Andromeda's Pit during the Season of Echoes.

Quest and Event Achievements can be obtained by participating in various Quests and Events as they occur around the Cave. Many of these are acquired upon completion.

Quest: Shed Some Light Quest: Shed Some Light completion via activity log.	Quest: The Strangeness of Cetus Quest: The Strangeness of Cetus completion via activity log.	Quest: The Carvings Quest: The Carvings completion via activity log.	Deer Herder Help Deer Dad find the cave deer herds for the 10k Post Scavenger Hunt!
Quest: The Beast's Best Friend Quest: The Beast's Best Friend completion via activity log.	Quest: The Fiery Pit Quest: The Fiery Pit completion via activity log.	Turkey Time 2015 Participate in Turkey Time 2015!	Quest: O Eyes, What Do You See? Quest: O Eyes, What Do You See? completion via activity log.
Quest: Organ Cave Quest: Organ Cave completion via activity log.	Origin Olympics Winners of the Origin Olympics!	Quest: Wharrgarbl Quest: Wharrgarbl completion via activity log.	Quest: To-Do List Quest: To-Do List completion via activity log.
Halloween Corruption 2017 Participate in Halloween Corruption 2017!	Magicka Event Exterminator Participate in Magicka Event 2017!	Quest: Three Kings of Orion Quest: Three Kings of Orion completion via activity log.	Quest: Nine Lives Quest: Nine Lives completion via activity log.
Floral Frivolity 2018 Participate in Floral Frivolity 2018!	Quest: Gone Fishing Quest: Gone Fishing completion via activity log.	Quest: The Trials Quest: The Trials completion via activity log.	Champion of Hydra Survived a Trial of Hydra.
Spy vs Spy Quest: Spy vs Spy completion via activity log.	Lost Knowledge Quest: Lost Knowledge completion via activity log.	The Wild Hunt Quest: The Wild Hunt completion via activity log.	Mother Original Host Was one of Mother's first hosts.
Follow Me To Paradise Participate or complete the Visitor's story event.	Remembering Andromeda Quest: Echoes of Andromeda completion via activity log.

Chrysalis Achievements can be obtained by characters being affected by a chrysalis consequence. More information can be found at the bottom of the Characters page under Reverting to Chrysalis.

Rupture Character suffers the Rupture consequence.	Adjunct Character suffers the Adjunct consequence.	Oculi Character suffers the Oculi consequence.	Glitch Character suffers the Glitch consequence.
Defunct Character suffers the Defunct consequence.	Wither Character suffers the Wither consequence.	Fissure Character suffers the Fissure consequence.	Fracture Character suffers the Fracture consequence.
Stray Character suffers the Stray consequence.	Vampire Character suffers the Vampire consequence.	Pushing Your Luck... Character has suffered each unique consequence!

Spell Achievements can be obtained by characters rolling a certain number on a spell cast.

Flashlight Roll 20 on Torchlight	Lightningrod Roll 20 on Lightning Storm	That's So Raven Roll 20 on Future Shift	Definitely Not A Fish Roll 1 on Water Breathing
Watch It, Sneak Thief Roll 1 on Drift

Elemental Specialty achievements can be obtained by characters who have a focus on two or more elements; while this broadens the range of magic they can use, two combined elements produce a single specialized area. Characters can claim these achievements if they have 5+ spells of their own element, and 5+ spells of a partner element.

Luminous Warmth Light + Fire	Natural Instinct Animal + Plant	Sharp Waters Electricity + Water	Red Waters Animal + Water
Geological Turbulence Earth + Pressure	Planetary Gravity Earth + Energy	Fire Storm Fire + Pressure	Plague Vector Prokaryote + Fungi
Freeze Dry Water + Energy	Firefly Flicker Animal + Light	Light Years Light + Energy	Mud Slide Earth + Water
Really Bad Rash Fire + Prokaryote	Infestation Infiltration Earth + Prokaryote	Glow Cloud Prokaryote + Light	Biting Ground Electricity + Earth
Dirty Lightning Fire + Electricity	Fast Feet Electricity + Animal	World Breaker Earth + Arcane	Plasma Body Arcane + Energy
Hurricane Warning Water + Pressure	Jungle Madness Plant + Fungi	Bright Cacophony Electricity + Pressure	Cutting Leaf Pressure + Plant
Mental Flare Fire + Arcane	Cordyceps Caster Arcane + Fungi	Night Lights Fungi + Light	Patio Lanterns Plant + Light
Tempered Steel Earth + Fire	Hivemind Prokaryote + Arcane	Tangling Grasp Plant + Energy	Solar Flare Energy + Fire
Wildfire Wizard Plant + Fire	Riptide Water + Arcane	Static Disease Electricity + Prokaryote	Refraction Action Water + Light
Fossorial Hunter Earth + Animal	Life Support Animal + Prokaryote	Loud Light Light + Pressure	Miracle Grow Earth + Plant
Rapid Growth Fungi + Arcane	Polarized Growth Electricity + Fungi	Walking Carcass Fungi + Animal	Whispering Winds Arcane + Pressure
Bernoulli's Principle Energy + Pressure	Boiling Steam Fire + Water	Bright Lustre Light + Earth	Flame On Animal + Fire
Potato Battery Electricity + Plant	Power Plant Energy + Electricity	Spore Cloud Fungi + Pressure	Super Genius Animal + Arcane

A special thanks to Briar, Dark and Shafaer for making some of these icons! Credits listed here.

Joining Origin is as simple as registering, filling out your profile and posting in the Applications forum. Your profile MUST be filled out as specified in the User CP before you can be accepted.