The creature crouched before the Spire would have been difficult to miss even in a fog, or storm. He towered high, his limbs like those of a massive gorilla; thick claws and a long, thick tail, a shaggy mane hanging from his throat, jutting tusks, curled rams' horns and a shining golden nose-ring all highlighted by reddish-striped, bright white fur. The giant wing-like structures hanging from his back were the same reddish hue.

So: difficult to miss.

Even moreso by the fact that he was talking at the Spire: from a safe distance, but his muttering was loud and interspersed periodically with shouts and firm gestures, as though he were in an argument with the damn thing.

"IT SHOULD BE OTHER ONES TOO," he bellowed. It seemed his language skills had improved only marginally, if at all, since his last noisy intervention in the caves.

"NOT JUST ICE. WE SHOULD BREATHE PLANTS," he said, slamming a meaty fist on the ground. "AND ROCKS." Then lifting his fist up, rubbing it, because he'd hit a rock and hurt himself a little. "I NEED MORE TO HELP MAKE THEM!"

---

Peppermince is looking, vaguely, sort of, for help in forming a series of new spells with a particular theme. He hasn't explained anything yet, at least not very well, but anyone may hear his muttering and shouting (or see his obvious form) and get involved, and hopefully...? He will explain what's necessary.

Surely there'll be rewards?

For all the advantages a higher level of intellect brought, Lessers consistently outstripped Greaters in a single important category: pure survival instinct. The caves plagued by rampaging monsters and sadistic creatures of every size, most had long ago learned it was best to stay far away from the familiar noises associated with potential violence, lest their family tree be pruned ever smaller. Gembounds, however, weren't so guaranteed to have received that same memo. Whether driven by bravery or stupidity, they might approach the belligerent and offer a concerned ear for their rage at the risk of it being torn off.

"Ah... Is anything the matter over here?"

And here came the first to prove the point, his aforementioned ears large enough to accommodate an entire heaping pawful of Peppermince's grievances.

"Sorry," Richter murmured a few hops behind the gargantuan mass of fluff. Regardless of how well or not his interruption of this venting session would be received, he bashfully ducked his head away from drawn attention. "I, uh, just couldn't help overhearing. You seemed mighty twisted up over something, so I figured... Well, heck, why not? Always helps me to talk something out. And I mean, you're doing that already—the talking—but maybe getting actual words back might help you a little better."

Volume grew alongside confidence as he gradually gained surer footing in his speech. A natural predisposition toward fascination instead of wariness caused a twinkle to emerge in stormy gray eyes once they finally dared peer closer at the towering being before him. Claws twitched upon observation of the ring gleaming within nostrils capable of snorting out a buffeting gale, yet politeness restrained the kangaroo from invading personal space farther to better admire the oversized jewelry's craftsmanship.

Luckily for Richter, it seemed survival would not need to factor in, here. At least, not in any immediately obvious fashion.

Peppermince wheeled at the voice, but blinked slowly, and then lifted a massive, meaty hand in a tentative wave. "I-..." Then he paused, face scrunched up, hesitating.

Richter had said a lot of words. Peppermince was not the best at following the threads of conversation. In part he was the sort of great beast who himself operated on survival instinct. In part, he hadn't talked to anyone for many cycles, and was rather out of practice.

It took him a moment to seemingly pick out a single thread from the ones Richter was weaving into sentences, and fix on that. "SOMETHING IS THE MATTER," he very nearly bawled, dropping on his immense rump. Then he squinted again, staring at the kangaroo to examine him closely.

"Do you know magic?" Then, scrambling back up hopefully--"What kind?!"

---

New participants may join this Event at any time.

@Richter

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

Sounds of distress? Mentions of magic? The voices of new friends? You could bet your behind Mocha would be there, and sure enough, he came waddling along. He had come to enjoy a few different caves as of late, and the river of Polaris was quickly becoming a favourite alongside Leo's beach.

"I do! I do!" He called, waddling as fast as his little legs could carry him towards the commotion. Kinds of magic? He had never thought of it as a type. He squinted, taking a mental inventory of his particular skill set. "I hatched with magic that let me hear heartbeats really well, so I can find food and friends!" As if on cue, Nori popped his tiny head out from behind Mocha's. "But I can also pull in water from the air, and connect to my familiar and summon ANOTHER familiar!" He rambled on, all smiles. "Does any of that help? Did you need help?" He tilted his head, hopeful.

"Hello again!" He addressed Richter as he came into view around the giant red and white puffball that was surely a gembound. It looked incredibly soft, and the only distance he kept from the thing was to prevent himself from trying to touch it. "I like your fur!" He said instead, emphasized by a tail wag. It didn't drag so much now that he was older and had the muscles to control it, but it was still massive compared to the mass of his body.

Regardless of the half of a heart behind the gesture, it'd have been rude to not return the wave Peppermince sent his way. Paws which had wound around each other while waiting for a response from the giant now pulled themselves apart to duplicate it, Richter's swaying wrist certainly more decisive and enthusiastic than what was mirrored. In no particular rush, he nodded encouragement as his newfound conversation partner fumbled about for words, then rooted feet in place to remain standing once the ground quaked beneath the sudden weight introduced to it. Nevertheless knees quivered, and any resulting awkwardness from the threatening instability was redirected into idly grooming a drooping ear. Perhaps this fidgeting also meant to reduce the intense gaze that fell upon him; it certainly had the additional effect of providing stimulus to focus on in the absence of an immediate answer.

"Well," he drawled, considering the question, "if you mean those strange happenings that everybody seems to cause a little of, then... well, ah, yes... I suppose I do. Know magic, that is. Don't have the foggiest idea what most would call 'my kind,' but I can tell you what it does. I make an energy of sorts? That's the best I can think of it. Sometimes I move my claws just right and, uh, sparks fly."

"I don't know if you'd be all right with a demonstration. It tingles a bit, but mostly it hurts. Now, I don't fault anyone for liking a bit of pain. However, I figure usually they prefer not to experience that unless they absolutely have to."

Not the type to forget faces so easily, even though he was well-travelled enough to encounter a fair share of them, the sight of Mocha's waddling form evoked a second instance of waving. "Hey, why thanks!" accompanied his greeting. "Nice to see you and your squirmy friend again. Now, maybe this isn't my place to say—sorry if I'm assuming too much here—but I think this fella here wouldn't mind your help either. Don't have an idea what magic he needs, but might as well offer any you can, right?"

Peppermince stood silent, hulking and squinting, as he tried to puzzle out all that the little dog-shark had said. It was... again, a lot. Whereas Richter's conversation had been (and was, again, a moment later) too complex for him, Mocha's was far too fast. His sheer energy left Peppermince floundering.

His brain gave up trying to keep up and instead, he just sneezed.

A few blinks later and he managed to at least grumble out the most basic of responses to each Gembound.

"Breathing heartbeat would be strange. There is already water... I think? Maybe," he added, conceding his ignorance on the topic. And a squint at Richter, as he went on: "Energy... Spark? Spark-breath!?"

Peppermince took a deep breath, although not the kind he'd apparently been rambling about. This one was just that; a breath. But it reminded him of his idea. "DO THIS," he blurted to them both, leaning back and thumping his chest. (But that was just to draw attention to himself.) Theatrically, he exhaled, then took another deep breath, then blew it out, hard.

With it came a crackle of frosty magic, a plume of ice that froze into shimmering particles in the air before him: the spell some knew as Glaciate.

"But do it with YOUR magic-!" he cried, thudding meaty paws onto the ground.

---

Richter and Mocha have been urged to attempt to 'breathe out' their magic in an elemental exhale. They may attempt to do so, with any roll type; a Barely+ may result in the discovery of a new spell.

Results of successful attempts should be left to a GM to write.

Other characters may still join this thread, and attempt as well, with their own elemental magics.

@Mocha @Richter

Mocha

'Cause I'm having a good time

Mocha was little more than a blank, albeit happy, face in this situation. He did not know why this big striped creature needed their magic, but he was happy to chirp his agreement to Richter and Peppermince. After all, why would anyone steer him wrong? Magic came easy to him, and who was he not to share the gifts that the cave had given them all?

"We can do that!" He declared, full of confidence and with his usual toothy grin. Mocha tried (and failed) to copy the big guy, twisting his paw at an awkward angle to try and hit his chest, gearing up for the big blast of icy wind that he had just witnessed. He was in awe of the sight, of the light reflecting rainbows in the spray. Could he do that? What would his look like? His magic was a connection to animals, to life and heartbeats and the very patterns of his own skin. Could you.... breathe that? He had to know! To try, at least! And who knew, if he could pull water from the air, why couldn't he breathe another kind of magic?
Mocha inhaled, and inhaled again, filling his lungs to the brim before huffing it all out in one forceful puff (his lungs aren't very big). All that came out was hot air, and enough of it that his head began to spin. It was a reallyyyyy big breath though! That was cool!

Mocha hop-turned to watch Richter's attempt, hoping for another example. Electric breath would be awesome! Maybe he should try for... Oh, what magic had he seen? Plant... breath? Light breath? How would those work? He just had to try again!

"Oh, sorry," Richter said. He swiped a paw down his snout, wiping it of the unfortunate long distance spray he'd been subjected to, then shuffled awkwardly in a circle to put additional space between himself and Peppermince. "Didn't realize I was tickling your schnozz there."

Despite prickling questions about how exactly one could breathe out such a stunningly cold gust as that which crystallized before his very eyes, the demonstration was attended to in quiet. This courtesy extended further once Mocha took the initiative and leapt at the chance of throwing all the air he could muster into an attempt at imitation. Despite the end result qualifying as nothing more than a failure, a small clap and encouraging murmur of "that's some mighty good form you've got there" was offered. Sure, it hadn't worked out for the younger Gembound yet, but certainly the enthusiasm exhibited would bear good fruit once he had another try.

All attention turned to him now, and this fact was acknowledged by an awkward shrug. "Here goes, I guess." The remark, though fizzling with uncertainty, overall was chipper. After all, no high stakes were in sight: either he showed magic breath or he didn't, and no harm existed in giving it a shot.

Letting his wrists dangle at his sides, Richter's entire body tensed while he drew into his lungs every ounce of oxygen possible to contain. The combination of his effort and jittery nerves caused him to vibrate in place. On the verge of bursting apart, his head tilted up and unleashed everything held within onto the surrounding world.