The Black City - Epilogue & Raffle

The Black City quest line has come to an end! The Black City sub-region is now open in Fornax, new Lessers are spreading through the caves, and Farina has regained Artio's missing gemstone. If you'd like to read up, you can find the three-part trilogy here:

[Quest] The Black City - Part I
[Quest] The Black City - Part II
[Quest] The Black City - Part III

The Black City Achievement will be granted shortly to all characters who have 3+ posts in the thread series as a whole. If your third post is made after the achievement is handed out to participating characters, you may post in Update Me to have it added.

Mutations & New Lesser Gembounds
A number of new Lesser Gembounds have been released from the sealed Black City, and will find their way throughout the caves in the coming cycles. As explained in the finale, each Gembound with 3+ posts in the final thread may claim a mutation reward by chrysalizing by Farina's hand claws at the thread's end. Any two traits from these new Lessers may be applied to each of these characters!

Click Here for a list of the new Lesser Gembounds!

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Decorator Crab Location(s): Everywhere Danger Level: Harmless Diet: Omnivorous scavengers Height: 1-12 inches Quirk(s): Appearance varies widely by cave These shy, generally harmless crabs are capable of living either on land or in the water, and though a single species, come in a wide variety of colors and sizes. Their only real defining characteristic, aside from a similar body shape, is their reuse of objects and shells discarded by other creatures for use as their own new shell. They can be found in Skullcrab or Luckbite shells, suitably-shaped gemstones, and more. They are also known for their habit of gathering up any objects nearby and using a long-drying paste saliva to affix it to their shells. These objects help them blend in, and are defined by the caves in which they live: land-dwelling crabs in Canis or Eridanus use bones or plants, for example, while water crabs might use fragments of Luckbite shell or bits of seaweed. In some places, they will also build themselves small huts constructed of local items. Beneath the shell lies a softer body with ten hard-shelled legs, all of which bear small, fairly harmless pincers; four eyes stand on short, thin stalks. Decorator Crabs are scavengers preferring detritus, serving as cleaners in the caves--any rotting foliage, abandoned carrion, and so on is fair game.

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Skullcrab Location(s): Deep waters Danger Level: Dangerous to smaller Gembound Diet: Omnivorous, prefer meat and fish Length: 1-3 ft Quirk(s): Small, glowing eyes in sockets These crabs are found only in deeper waters, and are somewhat larger than Decorator Crabs. Their shells are usually shaped like a humanoid's skull, possibly as a defensive display or deterrant. These bear pointed spines that can be dangerous to bite. Rather than small, harmless pincers, Skullcrabs bear powerful, shearing forelimbs capable of cutting through meat, which they prefer in their diets. Though they prefer to utilize their shells for defense, they're more aggressive than Decorator Crabs, and capable of surprising speed and ferocity. They can be dangerous to Gembound smaller than their size, which is usually a foot or two in breadth from one side of the shell to another. Skullcrabs usually hunt small fish or scavenge carrion, but can eat almost anything.

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Lanternfish Location(s): Deep Waters, Mostly Fornax Danger Level: Potentially Dangerous Diet: Carnivorous Length: 1-3 ft Quirk(s): Luring fins often tattered; vicious in groups Lanternfish are medium-small, and very silvery and reflective in bright light. But they live far beneath the black depths in Fornax, appearing darker in hue. These fish trail both long tailfins behind them and a lure before their head that can flash and glow with variously-colored bioluminescence. These lights lure in smaller prey, which the Lantern Fish dispatches with a massive set of jaws and long, hooked fangs. Though extremely dangerous to small creatures, they avoid larger opponents unless they hold an advantage of numbers--in which case they can become aggressive, surrounding a larger target and darting in from behind to attack, gradually wearing it down and killing it.

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Lightning Ray Location(s): Warmer, deeper waters Danger Level: Unaggressive, but deadly Diet: Omnivorous Length: 1-2 ft Quirk(s): Capable of powerful electrical shocks These creatures are bizarre, horizontally-oriented, like birds with soft, always-spread wings. They ripple their way in long glides through the waters of the caves, either alone or gathering in larger groups to feed. They're generally harmless, using their powerful jaws to feed on only smaller creatures or available foliage, but if a threat draws too close the Lightning Ray will employ its defense: a shock from ionized glands along the dorsal line of the body. These course over the Ray and a short distance into the surrounding water, stunning anything close and delivering a potentially fatal shock to anything actually biting or gripping the Ray. These rays are usually only one or two feet long, plus another foot or more of tail, but in exceptional cases can grow four or five feet long plus tail.

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Snatcher Location(s): Deep waters Danger Level: Mostly Harmless Diet: Carnivorous Length: 1-10 ft Quirk(s): Slow growth and long age results in wide size range Snatchers are strange creatures, generally small and intelligent, even curious and sometimes friendly. They are capable of rapidly changing colors, and bear a venomous bite with strong, bone-plated jaws for defense. Their body, a cephalopod-like mantle, can change shape from smooth to seemingly spiky (though it remains soft to the touch) for textural camouflage. Six to twelve arms (the number varies) and any various number of eyes from one to twenty or more decorate these creatures. Snatchers are so named because they, being curious and usually fearless creatures, tend to steal anything they find interesting and swim away with it, either discarding it after growing bored or stashing it in a hidden hoard. They are rarely aggressive, and even in self-defense employ their paralytic venom in order to simply escape. They eat small fish, Water Crawlers, and Luckbites, prying the latter open with strong tentacles. Snatchers are very long-lived, taking many cycles to gain a single foot in length. Some very few may survive to grow into the behemoths known as Krakens.

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Kraken Location(s): Very Deep, Dark Waters Danger Level: Deadly Diet: Carnivorous Length: 10-40+ ft Quirk(s): Ambush hunters, camouflaged Only the eldest, most fierce and cunning Snatchers survive to leviathan size, going from fearless and curious to voracious predators. Though a Kraken who isn't hungry will generally hide, they're so large that they're almost always hungry. Being that they retain their camouflage abilities and paralytic bite into massive size, the Kraken is an incredibly dangerous predator--but rarely numbers more than one or two per cave, and remain in the deepest, darkest depth of Origin's waters. When hunting, they will use powerful limbs (some of which are tipped with hardened points) to ensnare and spear prey in an incredibly strong grip, and then apply the paralytic bite and massive jaws to paralyze and shred their prey.

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Deep Death Location(s): Dark waters Danger Level: Deadly to smaller Gembound Diet: Carnivorous Size: 4-6 ft leg-span Quirk(s): Often overgrown with moss or clinging molluscs These creatures look much like long-legged, spindly crabs, but are actually deadly spiders adapted to deep water. In fact, they're still capable of spinning proteins into thick and sticky webs that retain their adhesive properties even underwater; it's not uncommon to find a narrow passage in the deep dark blocked by a thick, nearly-invisible spider's web. The Death tends to lurk nearby, and wait for prey to tire itself out, their bodies well-camouflaged to underwater, rocky surfaces. But if needed, its chelicerae can deliver a powerful venomous bite that causes numbness and physical weakness. Once prey is weakened, the Deep Death spins it into a web, and feeds at its leisure. While mostly found in very deep waters, these creatures can be found anywhere the water is very dark, including the water channels that run beneath the caves.

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Lightsting Location(s): Deep Waters Danger Level: Unaggressive, but deadly Diet: Carnivorous (small prey) Length: 2-4 ft Quirk(s): Family groups display unique glows These creatures are not unlike eyeless Snatchers, but they are translucent, and from the center of their arm-like tentacles drifts a mass of longer, more flexible tendrils. These are used to trap small fish and Water Crawlers and the like, with a deadly neurotoxic sting capable of paralyzing the creature's body, respiratory system and heart. Lightstings are intelligent for Lessers, communicating intent with one another via a series of bioluminescent flashes in a variety of colors and patterns; they tend to read Greater intentions fairly well, leaving Greaters alone unless truly threatened. Even a brush with the tentacles can come away with no sting if truly accidental--but if startled or threatened, the Lightsting's venom can kill even large Gembound. These creatures float in small groups, and will come to one anothers' defense if need be. They navigate through vibratory sensation and sound, with two large, flapping pieces of flesh serving as ears and fins both.

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Luckbite Location(s): Any water Danger Level: Harmless Diet: Filter feeders Length: 1-8 inches Quirk(s): Vastly varied Luckbites are molluscs with a wide variety of shell shapes, sizes, colors and even materials: as they grow, they are capable of incorporating substrate, other shell fragments and even gemstones into their own expanding shells. Within the shell is a simple muscle, with a "foot" capable of reaching out and moving them along or grabbing and manipulating objects. Luckbites will eat anything, and are so named because of the high-risk, high-reward nature of eating them: some might be toxic from their diet, some might be highly nutritious, and others might be hiding gemstones or other precious objects within their shells. The shells themselves can close, and stay closed, very tightly--they must be crushed, or pried open with immense force, to harvest the meat within.

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Water Crawler Location(s): Any water Danger Level: Harmless Diet: Filter feeders Length: ~6 inches Quirk(s): Very cute Most aptly compared to shrimp, Water Crawlers are usually very small, multi-legged, and segmented creatures with a single pair of pincers used mostly for manipulating objects. Three eyes peer out from between each of the seven body segments: one to each side, one directly down the back. Water Crawlers are highly omnivorous scavengers, and necessary--as are Luckbites--for clean water; they eat absolutely anything, from plant detritus to bone fragments. They rely on rapid reproduction for their numbers, and this compared to the two long, broad "ears" (actually formed of hard shell) for sensing vibration have earned them the second nickname of "water rabbit."

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Drinker Location(s): Still waters Danger Level: Parasitic threat Diet: Blood Length: 3-6 inches Quirk(s): Can get swept away and wind up in strange places These creatures appear, at first glance, to be beautiful and varied bioluminescent sea slugs. Usually dark in color, they're streaked with lines and spots that can flash and pulse in bright colors. These seem to serve the purpose of very simple communication with other Drinkers, calling them to food or warning them of danger, or perhaps seeking potential mates. Generally, Drinkers remain in or around water, preferring stagnant and swampy water or very deep, cold depths. They avoid fast-running waters, and are thus very rarely found in rivers. This allows their simple bodies to navigate more easily, without being swept away--and allows them to find their prey more easily. The Drinkers are actually parasites, which latch on to any larger beast that draws too close; their lamprey-like mouth is extremely difficult to remove, and they will hold on and grow fat on that creature's blood. Extreme heat will remove them, or simple brute force, but tearing them away can leave a nasty bite wound. Sometimes it is better to leave them be, for the Drinker's saliva contains both antibacterial and painkilling properties, which can prevent pain and leave the wound healthy when at last they have drunk their fill, and fall away. Accidentally gaining large numbers of these parasites, though, can be very dangerous, as they each tend to drink a surprising amount of blood. Despite their bright colors, they are edible to carnivores, and quite nutritious as a meal.

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Skycaller Location(s): Anywhere with water Danger Level: Mostly harmless Diet: Omnivorous Length: ~2 ft Quirk(s): Beak, eyes and feet matching metallic gold or silver A bird-like creature about two feet long, with a four to five foot wingspan, these Lessers live in and around the cave's larger water sources. They prefer the crashing waves of Leo and, since Leo's reopening, have settled back into Fornax as well. Some can also be found in other locations, such as rivers or Pisces' lagoon. Skycallers have three feet--two with hooked talons for snatching fish from the water, and one set horizontally which waves back and forth as a rudder when swimming or diving. Generally pale in color, with countershaded grey upperparts, they're covered in a coat of sleek, waterproof feathers and have a long beak of metallic silver or gold. This beak is ridged with small, back-facing teeth. The bird's six eyes (one at the throat, one at the back of the head, and a pair to either side) always match the color of the beak and are often damaged or missing from fights with others of their kind. Skycallers are highly gregarious, usually roosting and flying in colonies, and will fish for their own food; but they also serve as a sort of garbage disposal, eating literally any meat, fish or detritus that they can find. They're also very vocal, with constant loud and high-pitched cries that visitors may find melodic or irritating. Skycallers will try to eat anything smaller than themselves, but that's a rather small list; they will otherwise flee, though they'll mob (with sharp strikes of their beaks) anything that tries to plunder an active nest.

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Frogbeak Location(s): Larger water sources Danger Level: Harmless Diet: Filter feeding, small fish Length: 8 inches Quirk(s): Extremely agile on the wing A feathered but reptilian Gembound, small and white, with a long, forked tail and four wings. About eight inches long, with a two foot wingspan at the most, they're extremely agile in the air; the long, slender wings with their single "finger" bone can retract and adjust to allow for very rapid changes in both speed and trajectory. They have hard, beak-like mouths but these are very broad, almost frog-like; they're used to snatch up big gulps of water which is strained out through the sieve-like corners of the beak, leaving only very small prey to be swallowed whole. The Frogbeak has two large eyes, one to either side of the head, and a third beneath the throat to help it search for prey while airborne; often several of them will accompany a Skycaller or two, with the smaller Frogbeaks seeking schools of fish and the Skycaller taking any larger fish while keeping watch for danger. While totally harmless to almost all Gembound, Frogbeaks, like Skycallers, will mob any creatures that get too close to an active nest; these nests might contain little chrysalises, or the leathery eggs that the gemless Frogbeaks lay. These eggs are tiny, but highly nutritious, and as even a flog of mobbing Frogbeaks can inflict very little damage, the eggs are sometimes sought out by hungry Cave Rats capable of scaling the cliffs on which Frogbeaks nest.

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New Spells!
The following Prokaryote-element spell has been unlocked and is now available in the Magicka shop!

Festering Miasma
High Intensity Manipulation. Seed a small area with multiple strains of bacteria of the user's choice, potentially infecting anyone who passes through it. The bacteria will fade within a few minutes if unsuited to the substrate but in a suitable habitat, may thrive on their own.

The following two spells have also been unlocked; any Gembound with 3+ posts in the Black City - Part III may claim one of their choice in Update Me after exiting the quest thread!

Bioluminescence
Low Intensity Transformation. A chosen body part or parts glows with a soft hue of the user's choosing. Repeated use may discolor and fade the pigment of the affected areas. These lights can gently pulse with the user's heartbeat, if so desired.

Flash Flood
High Intensity Offensive. The user draws water from the ground and other sources into one area before releasing it in a massive, uncontrolled flood. Intense concentration is required for this spell, and failure may result in extreme dehydration.

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RAFFLE! Update: Congratulations to YspobDon for winning this raffle! It is now CLOSED to new entrants.

Last but most certainly not least, we have a new Valkhound raffle for you all! You do not need to have participated in The Black City to sign up, but only players who have not won a previous Valkhound raffle may sign up. This particular Valkhound was created, and has slept, since before the Great Awakening; the character Deep Dark has been guarding their chrysalis for all that time.

SOH'LING, THE ABYSSAL SOVEREIGN
...is a strange beast, adapted for the sea but quite capable of moving on land, as well. It measures in at eleven feet long (or twenty-two to the tail-tip), and its skin pigments shift dramatically based upon its moods. Credit to Gortys for the awesome design & artwork, and Navy for several of the color variants!




other color variants...



Sign up for this raffle by posting & letting us know in this thread that you're interested! The raffle will be drawn on June 23rd at midnight EST.

Again, if you have previously won a raffle character, you are not eligible to enter for a new one. So far this list is: Navy, Fracture, Corvus, Ollie, Java, Chishio, Shafaer, Cicada.

Raffle Entrants:
1. Me! (Dark)
2. Charlie
3. Snail
4. Kenkou
5. Viv
6. Bluebird
7. Don

ME pick ME im applying for the valkhound

(great job gortys!!! lovely design <3333)

Can I enter the raffle, please?

May I enter the raffle? :D
Such a lovely design <3

i'd like to enter...

-wiggles fingers in excitement-

May I enter?

..........can i also enter pleas

Congratulations to YspobDon on winning Soh'Ling, the Abyssal Sovereign!

Double congratulations to Don for winning SOH'LING, THE ABYSSAL SOVEREIGN!