The crackle of energy - like a thunder storm, rumbling with intent and then booming great flashes of light and sound entwined - has swept in to Polaris. There is no telling where it came from or why, but the cacophony ebbs and flows like an angry ocean across the rugged ceiling; there is a dimming to everything from the lights to the colors of Polaris, and even the mighty Spire has been affected.

A series of blasts ricochet throughout the cave; there is no way to pinpoint the direction of each sound due to the obscuring nature of this bizarre storm. The smog has started to collect along the ceiling while forking bolts of energy undulate throughout it like light through water - it is beautiful, but at the same time seems incredibly dangerous.

A storm in Polaris?!

This quest is open for anyone to participate.

The storm appears to have come out of nowhere and is affecting different areas of Polaris, but the only way to know the specifics is to investigate! Where will you look first?

Participants: Xerxes. Menoetius (hatching), Zeno, Winter, Cecei (hatching)

Xerxes had proclivity for doing things he wasn't supposed to do, but lately, he'd been doing pretty good at following orders. Canis was a happier place despite the events leading up to today, but he wasn't sure if he was the only one feeling such things. Even since seeing Cure when everyone fought that giant spider, he'd been trying to keep her out of his mind as much as possible. Though it had been hard at times, especially having seen her so recently, it was easier when he had chores to do.

He was doing said chores when a series of blasts sounded through the caves, nearly deafening the man as he stood near the entrance of a tunnel when the blasts came through. Xerxes groaned in a mixture of pain and annoyance - now what was it? Although his position clearly stated to not go far from the room, he felt it was rather important to investigate this sound. It was nearly painful, so with a quick bound, he was out of Canis and heading straight towards where he thought he heard them coming from - Polaris.

When he got there, nothing stood out to him immediately besides the smog gathering with electricity running through it. He thought back to the generator when he, Arkrael, and that owl tried to figure out what as wrong with it. His head tilted curiously, wondering what would make such a sound. He hardly had time to hesitate, eager to discover what was wrong. Marching over to the Generator, he peered hard at it, afraid to cross the water in a thunderstorm, or even get close to it right now.

he woke during a tumultuous storm which, when thought about later, was fitting for a being of such power. he was cognizant even before the bolt of energy struck upon his vessel; it was the sound reverberating off of the iron pyrite that roused him from a deep slumber, one that likely would have continued for aeons further were it not for this chance event. the bolt blasted the surface as the energy sank in to the ground and bits of gold scattered like super-heated dust around him. all it would take was a nudge and, like a massive trap door, the chrysalis would drop and crash to the earthen floor beneath. from here he would heave himself free of this foreign object which held him in place, stagger from it as if still waking from sleep. the beast's head swung from side to side as he lurched and swayed, seeing nothing through the haze of strange clouds except the faint glimmer of distant light. perhaps the light wasn't there at all - or maybe it was, maybe the diluted colors and soft glow were much closer than they appeared? the storm was thick and dark around him, but he was not afraid. new, yes, but oddly unaffected by the bizarre world which had become his birthplace.

when the creature finally reached a point of wakefulness that he could take in all that surrounded him, he was in awe. the sky was ripe with energy arcing from point to point, undulating with power. he turned and saw the golden egg from which he had emerged - saw the flecks of gold shining in the soil around him like starlight and fire, and felt -- well, he wasn't sure. rather than dwell upon his feelings the beast turned in the opposite direction and stumbled away from the chrysalis, right across the path of @Xerxes - nearly trampling the other creature in the process. the newborn (if one could call the gargantuan beast that) leveled a haughty glare at the thing which skirted it's path and huffed a breath, and the mist curled away from his convex face hastily.

@Xerxes fails to get far due to a sudden energy spike in the swirling vortex above; violent bolts of energy spasm out from the storm and hit the cavern floor in a haphazard pattern! Luckily they don't come too close to either creature, but the air feels charged, ready for another go.

Zeno Alone again, thoughts and observations his only company. Silent as any lesser one and with no sign of a gem on his body taking on the appearance of one as well. This is how it had always been, a singular existence interspersed with occasional interactions with the residents of this cave. He had borne witness to a great many events here, seen great triumphs and defeats while all the while staying in the background, no more apparent than any of the other bats that flitted about. These had not been his stories to interfere with, though such a fact did not bother him. His own thoughts had always been enough to occupy his mind, his place in life accepted in accordance with the will of nature. So it was that when Zeno flew over Polaris in time to see a storm roll in he did not panic. Another story was unfolding, another chance for a hero to rise or a group to gather together and overcome all odds. He simply descended so that he was well under the storm and began to glide around to catalog the reactions of those below. Aside from the lesser gembound scattering about at the unexpected sounds and lightning strikes a lion was the most plainly visible, making way for the generator. A reasonable place to look, indeed. A crack filled the air, but this one had not originated from the storm but rather a golden structure that now lay partially broken with a new life emerging from within. Though this story almost certainly belonged to the lion, Zeno couldn't in good conscience sit this one out completely. The time of awakening was a confusing one, and he could only imagine how much more confusing it would be to awaken to such an abnormal scene. "You join us at an unusual time, large one." the fruit bat spoke as he slowly spiraled down, landing on a rock near the golden egg. "The sky rains down sound and fury to announce your arrival it appears." Despite the grave danger all around the bat's voice was calm, metered, as though the raging storm was nothing more than a light rain shower. "Have your dreams foretold any meaning behind this sign?" he asked, hoping that the innate knowledge of newborn gembounds would have revealed something of the current event. Know yourself "Before you try to influence others" Tags: @Xerxes @Menoetius

Winter slid carefully across the rocks, ever so aware of the storm above her head. She had not hatched long ago. In fact, the shattered remains of her chrysalis were still lying in a heap not far behind her, the fluid still dripping off the edges. And, since her hatch, she had always wondered about the storm. What was it? Why was it there? What was that ominous, intelligent vibe she had gotten from it since the moment of her hatch? Those were the questions she sought to answer on this adventure.

As she approached the eye of the storm, she caught sight of a small band of gembounds gathered near the edge of the river. They were probably investigating the storm too. However, she was still running on the survival instincts she was born with and was extremely wary to approach them upfront. Instead, she slowly slithered closer, trying to listen to what they were saying while still trying to be as quiet as possible.

(roll is for how well of a job she does staying hidden)

Dark blue eyes shot open. There was nothing but darkness. It seemed she was in some sort of shelled structure. Cecei pecked at it, attempting to break it open. Once, then twice, then once more and there it was. The shell cracked. With every peck of her break it broke more and more until a hole was formed. Cecei quickly began to work her beak across other parts of the Chrysalis until the hole grew bigger. Just big enough for Cecei to emerge. Her dark blue eyes looked around slowly, taking in everything she could. 'Where am I? What's going on?' She continued to inspect the area, taking every detail in. From her viewpoint she could tell she had emerged from her Chrysalis at the bottom left of the room. Above was a dangerous looking storm. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted slowly. Cecei continued to look around, taking her time to inspect every detail. 'There are three creatures here. One of them has wings like I do.' On that thought Cecei turned her blue gaze to her black wings. She stared at them before turning back. 'It is too dangerous here. I best move towards the other creatures. I think I can make it without getting hurt.' Cecei looked around once more before quickly attempting to run towards the winged creature as fast as she could. Luckily, with her being on the ground and not being too far away from them she seemed to reach them safely. She stopped beside them and looked towards the storm. "This storm does not look good. Who are you? What is going on here?" There was so much happening, Cecei just needed to understand.

the beast turned and snorted as a small thing came to pester him; the bat spoke and the new-but-old creature was struck by surprise. he did not know what to make of the sounds while simultaneously understanding, and it was this understanding which made him stare. the bat made mention of the storm - and the bull turned his giant head upwards to stare at it, this massive swirling vortex of energy, feeling too many things to name. he did not know what a storm was until that very second, and did not know how badly he wished to be elsewhere until his lurching steps had carried him away from the gathering of creatures - without a word to the bat, the feline, or with any remarks about the strange occurrence which was happening in tandem with his own waking, menoetius removes himself. his strides are slow and cumbersome at first; yet he is a broad thing, a powerful thing, and soon has put some distance between himself and the others. as he escapes he nearly steps down upon a serpentine form - but a flash of light from the storm illuminates the white body of winter just in time, and with another series of agitated grunts menoetius is gone.

(EXIT MENOETIUS)

Zeno Zeno's head tilted slightly as the newly emerged gembound proceeded to completely ignore them, electing to walk away without a word. The small bat was not offended by any means, but young ones were usually much more curious, displayed so much more emotion. Though the creature was leaving the area it didn't seem to be doing so with fear or alarm, or at least not with panic. The bovine was not the only gembound to be awoken into being by the storm though it seemed. A new voice rose from Zeno's side belonging to a very small bird. "I have no idea what's going on, young one, but I aim to find out." he replied with a gentle tone, suppressing the surprise in his voice at the child's sudden appearance. "Stay low to the ground, there is no telling how dangerous it may be. I'll see if I can gather some information." Usually he would be quick to escort the youth to safety, but there were too many unknown variables here. He'd never seen a storm quite like this before and there was no telling whether the best maneuver would be to seek shelter or to evacuate the area. Would the activity pose a danger to their spire? If so then no running or hiding would help anyways. The bat took to the air once more, hoping that staying away from the ground would help deter lightning blasts. He'd try to circle around the edge and try to gauge the size and direction of the storm's movement. Where had it probably come from and what would happen if it ran into a wall? Know yourself "Before you try to influence others" Tags: @Winter @Cecei @Xerxes

Cecei watched as one of the gembounds just left without a word. Then the winged creature spoke and she gave a nod. She couldn't fly anyway, even if she wanted to. She had only just hatched. Cecei looked up at the storm and took a few steps forward. She needed to know how it was formed, why it had formed. Cecei looked over to the winged creature and watched him as he moved around the edges of the room. "Be careful. I am going to try and see how this thing formed, and why." She looked up back to the storm once more and slowly began to get closer. As she did she looked around the area for anything that might of caused the storm. There had to be a reason for this storm and she intended to find it.