ORIGIN - Polaris

i can't just let you go, i'd let the world burn

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 21:20:28 -0500

i swear it's getting harder just to exhale
backed up into corners, bitter in the lens

Her emergence is slow, near painless. A little of her fur comes off in the silken threads of her chrysalis, but other than that she is... well, scott free from the confines of her previous enclosure. Her heart beats rapidly beneath the fur of her chest, and she glances around at what might surround her. Heck. Where was she? She was new to this. All of this!

Virelle. A word, a name. Something to call herself. Something new. Everything was new. Everything felt new, and she couldn't shake the feeling that she was being freaking watched! Ugh, why did it bother her so much? What made this feeling appear in her head? Her body? She hated the feeling.

This feeling of fear.

She coughed, clearing her throat. "Is anyone there?" But her voice came out mumbled, feeble. She cleared her throat again, this time a big ahem sounding through the cavern that lay in front of her. Her ear twitched. "Is-- Is anyone around? Anyone at-at all?" Her tail wrapped itself as close to her body as it could, even as the pale blue of her eyes scanned her surroundings for anything that might stand out-- creatures, or something that she could possibly talk to... anything. Everything. It was all terrifying anyways, so what was the harm in trying something new?

Regardless of if an answer came, she would lay herself close to the ground and creep towards the (seemingly) glowing water of a great river that cuts through the middle of the cavern that she had emerged into.

actions "speaking" thinking

virelle

tale of two kitties

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 11:54:29 -0500

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

sad kitten ): and probably gore later.

After having fled the scene in Draco, Blastocyst had ran and ran, and hadn't stopped running. until he'd made it back to here. This foul and accursed place where his brother had first introduced him to that miserable pastime sensation of burning alive without any fire. Boiling and vaporizing from a false heat. Bursting with a light that cut through every internal seam, every cell. Full body apoptosis. It had been disgusting.

And yet, he'd returned to the view of the horrible burning thing. From here, its effulgence was almost soothing; it whispered magic and life into his stone-lungs and stone-heart that made them beat all the better. But Blasty knew its truth. Blasty knew what it was capable of. And he was far too young, too grief-stricken, too guilty, to understand that fire only burns when it's misused.

But he didn't know what else to do. After witnessing what had become of his brother, and running through like four or five caves and tunnels crying so hard he could barely see, Blasty now stopped here with nothing to do but think. He didn't want to experience it again. He didn't want to go down with his rotten brother who refused to listen to anything or anyone.

But wasn't it his fault that he had gone along the whole time, and had to witness it? Hadn't that been his choice, to let his brother go ahead and eat whatever it wanted? And what kind of brother was he? To make it this far and not finish what they'd started together. Blasty was far too young to understand, and his youthful mind was internalizing it all—making himself out to be the real problem.

He was a coward! A coward, and also a traitor, and also a terrible sibling! He should've joined his brother in doing apparently what it was that kittens do, and that was eating horrible, awful tasting rocks, and being generally miserable about it. Life was such a hungry chore.

Suddenly filled with kitten determination to right the wrongs it had never committed, Blastocyst steeled itself (as much as a literal baby can), and began to search for something.

[Transcendence] a bruise upon the snow

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 03:24:25 -0500

Audland had been given an interesting piece of information from an equally interesting specimen in Eridanus. Likely the first and last time he'd visit that cave willingly. And ever since taking that snake down all by his lonesome, Audland had felt like Chaos... was listening.

Listening for what? Waiting, for whom? Audland's body was beginning to adjust, in intriguing ways, to the plights of Corruption. He would talk to himself often; the touches of the wind were softening to the holding of his arms and playing with his fur. The visions were at times of battlefields, and at times just of people who didn't exist. Or maybe existed once, but not here. He was beginning to look up and find the sun. He was finding... a way to love it, incompletely.

In the light of Ursa, Audland needed his magic in order to exist. He sequestered himself to the caves, and used his own magic to cloud his form from sight. Maybe something he should continue his conversation with the Collector about—but that was not the point today. Today, Audland wanted to focus on the fact that he could now will that corrupted darkness to a pitch black. Today, Audland felt prepared for more.

"Emuh...?" Audland would take his gander into the space of Emuh's enclave.

And I'm so lucky, 'cause its all for me

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:26:09 -0500

You know the drill. Pillar of shining Oilstone growing by the spire. The thing inside it threatens to bust through. One day it does.

Sent tumbling down with a wet smack, and suddenly, Crypt was born. A miracle. There is something very blue somewhere nearby. He should investigate. Maybe its food?

He struggled to his feet, only for his feet to fail him again and again. Some part of him understands that they probably should, but the other three quarters isn't too bothered. It turns out he can crawl just fine, anyways.

Crypt spends the first five minutes of his live open-mouthed coughing at the huge, crackling centre of the Origin caves.

...Papa?

Not papa. Not. Papa. But he wasn't listening. He dragged himself towards the spire, which returns his approach with vicious, buzzing electricity that reaches somewhere past his skin and meat and glowing organs. This is what fatherly love feels like.

Crypt presses his meaty palms to the stone, ready to return his dad's embrace. God. Damn it. I swear to god this wasn't the plan.

oh god they're going after the pop rocks again

Tue, 28 Jul 2026 16:18:59 -0500

Hatched. Hatched! The kittens had hatched. The one called Rockeater had completed its sojourn within its blood-colored quartz chrysalis. The inner flesh—cracked! The baby um... thing, released! At first, it begins by gnawing on the shards of its own chrysalis. But when the shards don't go far enough inside, the boy-thing looks around for something more chewable.

Aha! Right before it! Big, bright, shiny—beautiful! Pop rocks. The only thing it ever craved to eat in its brief nanoseconds of life. Rockeater advanced.

The kitten tried to get a running start to climb up the blue Spire. He didn't trip or fall or anything, but his clambering and scrabbling wasn't enough. He couldn't reach the loose highly edible stone fruits dangling above his head.

Next Level Shrooms

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 14:00:34 -0500

It took...a long time to get The Chorus from Eridanus, but they did it, by the Fates they did it. There were a lot of stops involved, as parts of the nest dislodged on rocks and hills, and at one point the dirt started tumbling out and the poor Consul had to right it again and stuff it back in, but they made it there, exhausted and beaten, but for the Chorus, it only knew excitement and wonder.

It looked through The Consul's eyes for much of it. Even though Polaris was not far away, it was still a radically different environment then the one they'd come from. They felt for everything, every shed of fungal dander (although there was little here) every sight the Consul could see, it felt the energy bright in the air...ah. It was wonderful.

But this was not their focus - they had reached the place where they knew those that transcended went. It was probably an odd sight for Emuh to see - an exhausted echoing gray pulling the handle of a damaged woven nest of sticks and leaves, not unlike a bird's nest, within which was dirt, a bit of grass and sticks, and a few orange mushroom caps.

The rat stopped at the front of the cave, and the Chorus used its voice to speak - "Is Emuh here? We are the Chorus. We wish to take your Trial."

Unexpected Religious Encounter

Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:41:04 -0500

Edric was passing through Polaris when he had a sudden thought. If the Spire in Draco could be a conduit for the Voices to commune with him, then... what about the Spire in Polaris? Most of it was crackling blue with an energy that felt distinctly different from either the Draco Spire or the Altar in Tunnel K, but then again the Black Spire and the Altar felt different from each other, too. One was... warm and breathing, and the other felt very much cold and dead. And yet... both had Spoken to Edric. Both had chosen him.

He decided to investigate. Upon drawing close to the Polaris Spire, he discovered that it was not as Cheerfully Blue as he had thought! Ominous, dark cracks in the rock beneath glinted promisingly up at Edric. As a creature who had trouble looking up above his head, Edric felt uniquely suited to investigate these cracks below. He lowered his head to snuffle about at the glinting, Oily veins. Was there perhaps a way to break off a piece here, too, and consume it in the same way as he had in Draco...?

+2 pts spire intxn (7 total)

will you help me?

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 10:12:46 -0500

The rhodonite chrysalis had sat next to the crystal river for longer then it should as the poor cat within had taken a while to reform. Perhaps she was scared to awaken again, fearing that, when she did, the crystal-dog would still be there, to ensure that her flesh stayed removed.

But nothing came to disturb her slumber and after a while, urgency in her subconsious awakened her to reality once again and the shell cracked open.

Groggily, Wilder peeled away the exterior of the chrysalis and slid onto the ground, fur reformed and skin back on her body, wet from the chrysalis fluids but very much there. She quickly checked herself over, a paw reaching to swipe over the places that Parthenium had ripped her flesh away, and found, thankfully, that it was all still there.

She breathed a sigh of relief and stood...and then swayed.

She should remove that flesh. It shouldn't be there. It had been removed and now it was back. She should take it off and leave it off. It only caused her pain.

She blinked. Why had she thought that? She glanced back, staring at her side. She itched to sink her claws into it and rip the skin away. Why?

Uncertainty welled up as she tried to think clearly, to rationalize her train of thought. But it felt like trying to trek through fog and mud, with each droplet of moisture weighing her down being another urge, another need to remove her flesh. Somewhere in there, she felt lonely. She felt weak. In a way she hadn't before. Not...not for a long time.

Horror overtook her. She twisted, trying to see if there was something in her fur. Had Parthenium left something behind? Her head suddenly snapped to the remains of her chrysalis and she dove forward, searching through it, moving the shards around and trying to find what she was looking for. But it hadn't appeared on the surface of her gemstone. No it was in her.

She mewed and cried in her panic as she rapidly inspected her body again, ears flat against her head as she pawed and scratched at herself, trying to find the source, trying to find where the crystal spikes were poking through her skin but found nothing. She needed to get it out! Where was it? Where was it?!

me, i'm not

Fri, 26 Jun 2026 12:27:44 -0500

Content Warning
This post contains potentially sensitive material:

strong language

Her eyes were bleary.

Kera hadn't slept since she woke up-- which, in fairness, hadn't been long at all. She had no idea how much time had passed. Days? Weeks? Years? The last thing she could dimly remember was speaking with Vargas, the Overseer, and being told that she'd be his hand. Whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean. There was a good chance, as things often were, that Vargas wasn't even alive anymore.

Everyone she knew eventually died or faded away, it seemed. Things were blurry to her now, but she could dimly remember faces. Alan, Aztec... were there more...? she wondered. How did they--? Oh.

Oh.

Right.

Blackberry was hard to forget. Kera never attended her trial, never found out if she lived or died. Something... made her feel sick when she thought about everything that'd happened with her and Blackberry. Anger, certainly. How many people had she killed? How many children had been inducted into her little fucking cult? Sadness, too. Things might have turned out better if Kera hadn't... well, sent Blackberry into her chrysalis.

Kera didn't like to think about that day. If she'd known what would happen, maybe she would have turned away. But probably not. No, it wasn't anger or sadness that made the wolf feel sick: it was pure guilt. Her friends would be alive if she hadn't. Strangers wouldn't have died. People wouldn't have gotten hurt. Kids would be living normal lives.

So why did she fucking miss her? Why did she sit down and cry, wondering if she'd died? Why did a part of her want to kick herself for not going to that trial just to find out? Kera thought of the last time she saw Blackberry and she just knew that fucking goose was lying to her-- but what if she wasn't?

What if, what if, what if?

What if Kera just bit it all down and moved the fuck on? There were other people out there. People who actually deserved her tears, her time, her help. She wandered for a few hours and, as the lights began to dim, a particular anxiety rose in her belly. What if the lights go off again?

So, there she was. She hadn't been here since she was a pup. The water was up to her ankles-- it used to be up to her belly --as she pointed her snout down into the generator. It seemed... fine. The lights were certainly working. The gears whirred softly beneath the water. Just to make sure, Kera even held her breath and stuck her massive, broad head underneath to get a better look, but sure enough, nothing seemed wrong.

At least it took her mind off some things.

@Nameless

major incident

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 23:08:08 -0500

Backdated to right after [Quest] Requisite Stuff (June 12)

Yellow had lived in Eridanus for so long without venturing outside that the glow of Polaris seemed fresh and strange to them, and the buzz of magic almost uncomfortable. But it was on the way to Gemini, whose rift they wanted to visit and whose Hive node they wanted to check on, so they were here despite the way the Spire's crackling made their skin crawl.

Also, they had their gun with them. Just in case. Because what had happened the last time they visited Polaris and Gemini hadn't exactly been peaceful.

It was a shame that Polaris seemed to reject Mother's presence, they thought as they crept along a riverbank dotted with crystal outcrops and glowing mosses. A shame that it could not be made safe and Orderly like the other rooms. Because it was beautiful, when they could get over the sinister feeling that kept prickling at them. Almost like the scenes of rainbow fractals viewed through their kaleidoscope. Yellow tried to imagine what it might be like if Polaris too was made a safe haven of Order. What kind of symmetrical pattern would the Crystal River meander in? What kind of branching fractal arrangement would the crystals-

Oh. Oh no. What was this? A messy tumble of rocks and scratched-up earth and moss, like someone had barged through and flipped them over without a care in the world. Why could people not take care of the caves and pick up after themselves? Without even thinking about it, Yellow bounded over and began rearranging the mess of crystals, setting them down one by one in a careful, radially symmetric pattern, and smoothing over the disturbed soil with their small palms. It would only take them a moment to fix this, they thought, and then they could continue.

guess who forgot they paid real life magicka for a second posting table almost exactly four years ago! anyway here's its debut. enjoy it, because yellow certainly won't

for the bank

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:51:25 -0500

Aurelle had gone alone.

Living with someone always required a little bit of lonely time, she'd found-- and though Lichen was generally very respectful, Aurelle found herself needing a little more alone time than usual today. She'd had to go foraging, anyway, so it seemed like a good time to simply extend her time away from home. Earlier, she had wandered into Scorpio and gotten Bartholomew to tell her the bounties, and she walked into Polaris repeating the ones she thought she could do.

"Four cups of grains," she murmured. "Two cups of berries. A green vegetable. Maybe two cave fish."

The last one was easiest to find by virtue of never really going anywhere. Fish lived in the river, after all, and the river was especially noisy today, the current quick. With a contemplative hum, Aurelle shifted along, following the sound of rushing water until it'd gotten somewhere shallower and safer for her to stand.

Were there fish here...?

Babe: Pig asks what the meaning of life is..

Fri, 19 Jun 2026 06:20:00 -0500

She was a big hog now. Hog knew it. She knew it by the way her sides reached just a few centimetres higher on her favourite scratching spot. Not the biggest of growth spurts for most, but to her, this was huge. She was no longer a pipsqueak, and naturally, she'd outgrow the entire cave given a little time.

Yet, she'd also grown bored of simply mulling around and eating. There was a craving for a certain direction for her life. Something to occupy her mind that was more enriching than a routine of sleep, eat, roll in mud, scratch itch and drink.

It was arriving at Scorpio that'd inspired her. The food there, it all smelt so much better, but she had to work for it? Ugh. What a drag. Why would she work for it when she could try to make it herself? It couldn't be difficult to simply warm food over some hot-thing.

First things first, she'd need something to make a hot-thing out of, as well as some food to cook...

...Turning her snuffling snout to the floor, that was the easy part. After she and Rei had travelled here, she'd gotten to know the area pretty well. There were some roots at the bottom of a stalked plant that the Walleye's liked to eat sometimes. Those were easy to find and dig up. But, perhaps this hot-food stuff needed something more substantial?

She'd need a lot more ingredients in that case, she nodded to herself. There were baskets, she'd seen them at the market. So, with that Hog set off to collect all sorts of sticks, straight, hard ones and ones from trees closer to the water, bendy ones. It'd take time to get enough...

[Phelix] Navidad doo doo do do doo

Thu, 18 Jun 2026 05:39:47 -0500

[This thread is backdated to some time shortly after the Olympics and before Saran'zol.]

Audland had decided to take a load off by dipping his big fuzzy feet in the river of Polaris. It was the nearest cave to Orion that he knew had a water source in it, plus Ursa was right there if he started to overheat. He sat on the water's edge, feeling the coolth of the river rushing underneath his peats.

The Olympics had been a rush—of color, of heat, of general overall chaos. Audland was glad it was finally over. Was that Valkhound-ish to think? Audland didn't care. No crime like a thought crime. He was so tired he was considering tipping himself into the water below.

Something internally must have heard him. Something that was not him. Or maybe it was just his body letting off steam from the fighting and running and losing before. Audland could feel the chaos gathering, the building pressure before the storm. He was getting good at pinpointing when the flare-up would be. He wasn't good at pinpointing much else about it.

FWOOM!!!

A fire sprouts and blossoms from his back in a single breath, causing him to yowl and grimace in pain and temporarily lose awareness of his surroundings for a beat. An embarrassing display of weakness, but at least no one wa—a beat too long. Before he could finish that thought, the next thing Audland heard was a SPLASH!. A big one. He could even feel it through his thick fur, on the parts of his skin that weren't actively burning. Maybe it was some kind of ffffiiiiissss...

Oh. Oh wait. That was him. Oh shhhh...Audland doesn't know how to swim!

Pathetic as it was, Audland's dignity went right out the window. He hoped someone was around to hear him scream: "HELP!!!! HEEEEELP!!!"

@Phelix

in polaris, straight up removin' it. and by it. lets justr say. the flesh

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 21:19:03 -0500

A doglike figure moved in a sort of sidelong shamble along the Crystal River. Its head turned this way and that as it walked, as if looking for something... or someone? But who, or what?

The answer to that might be found in the hoarse whine that rose from its throat, if anyone were close enough to hear. "So.... alone...." it sighed quietly. "Please... someone..." The way its limbs moved didn't quite look right, and it stumbled and almost tripped on the steep rocky shore. What a poor, sickly beast. What was wrong with it? Wouldn't someone take pity on it, and help? Surely no one should be left to fend for themselves like this, right?

Was there anyone nearby? Parthenium's magic flickered up, only to die again. Its voice rose in a high-pitched whimper of frustration. "Magic... too weak." There was so much magic here, but it still didn't have enough for even this simple spell. When could it become stronger? When would it be strong enough?

F E V E R F E W
Will you stay with me?

@Wilder

the ghosts at the window echo all our quiet prayers

Tue, 09 Jun 2026 22:23:12 -0500

The past cycles had not been easy. Following the tragic end to her showcase, Tourmaline had woken up wrong. The change left her flailing with too many limbs, hitting her head and stumbling every way she went. Her den, once plenty of space, was now a lot cozier. Sometimes she'd thought she was back in Emuh's trial chamber again.

...It all looped back to that. Her magic, which she'd thought she'd hone and practiced, refused time and time again. First to an audience of one. Then to an audience of many.

She still mourns being able to fit in the gift box. It'd been a gift from Arquia. I wonder how she's doing... I hope she's alright.

But where did that bring her? Back here. Back to the shadow of the Spire, where Tectus's showcase had happened. As she approached, it was clear not much had happened here in the cycles since. A patch of ground still burns with corruption. Scorch marks and brambles also dotted the place.

Her gaze however, landed on one thing. The blood-caked quartz she'd unceremoniously disemboweled herself still stood. Shards of elbaite - fragments of her resulting chrysalis - were still embedded in the quartz. And those pieces also coated the floor, her namesake marking her temporary grave.

Her breath hitches. She'd come her, to somehow confront her past, to resolve to move forward, but the grim sight gave her pause. And she realized, How am I supposed to do that? Tourmaline stands there for a moment, paralyzed.

But she comes to her senses. She cannot make a fool of herself again. Golden eyes dart around, searching for onlookers. And before long she's reaching out with her magic too.

step 1: dont get lost

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 04:30:36 -0500

When you're blind, sometimes just getting through a tunnel without incident is a win, especially a tunnel like N, where both Aurelle and Lichen have had minor sensory overload incidents in the last... week, or so. Walking into Polaris alive and normal was a small win, but a win regardless.

"Maybe we can stop by the river and try to find some water crawlers?" Aurelle suggested to Lichen behind her, still leading the dragon into the room by her face-feelers. "Or rats, maybe. Even if we end up finding more later, we could eat the extras when we stop to rest." That seemed like a sensible thing to do.

The elf went on, "or we can just try to find the tunnel leading to Ursa and get to Cepheus as fast as possible. What do you think?"

Either way, good start.

@Lichen

playing barbies with my friend, maybe they'll find something, maybe not

Fri, 29 May 2026 16:06:47 -0500

After one disaster of a day attempting to gather items for coins, Lichen wasn't coming into this one with as much hope as she had the previous day. All they had to show from the previous day was a single cherimoya and nothing else. She doubted just the single fruit would pay for their meal. Yet, she'd still awoken, groggy and feeling a little drained from trying to make their mushroom-y breakfast the day before, but she was ready. Today would be better, she could feel it, almost. At least, she tried to feel it, which was almost as good as believing it. Probably.

Today was the day! There was a river and streams, fungi that would show them the way and probably some sort of other vegetation in this room, a pepper or fruit of some sort, surely. Even a lesser, though hunting wasn't easy, would make do. What was the list again? Fruit, fish, grains, peppers, bones and something that surely wasn't important. Wood? Perhaps it was wood.

After coming down from the awful case of overstimulation yesterday, she was ready to really dig her teeth into searching for their list of items, she could only hope Aurelle was still feeling as hopeful as she was. Lichen hadn't yet asked how Aurelle had been feeling yet, keeping their journeys' conversation light, small talk.

She wriggled her toes on Polaris' cave floor, it was time to find their way to.. somewhere. She wasn't going to hope for specifics after last time, so just sensing anything that wasn't awful would be a good start...

For once, the mycelium network unfolded neatly within her senses. The gentle pulse of the signals sent through the network felt more like the beat of a drum than a never ending, constantly winding echo of voices all around. It gave a half decent idea of what the terrain was like, never actually guaranteed since most of the network lived under the soil -- and in the case of the Polaris, up on the ceiling.

But it gave a decent enough idea of where to go where they wouldn't be walking into walls or falling into streams. Not a clear picture by any means, just enough of one to gain her bearings. "Where do you think we should try first?" She turns her head towards Aurelle, despite not needing to. Her feelers reaching out to find her.

@Aurelle

All I Want for Christmas is Youuuuuu

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 14:42:09 -0600

With the hiddenite clutched safely in his mouth, the Triage stepped away to the edge of Polaris to set it down somewhere and give it its proper spark. Yet as the lion set it down against the stone and prepared to send a bit of life into the crystal, it already began to grow against the stone, as if the life-giving had already happened.

Buckley blinked, confused. "Uh, okay then. Guess we...didn't have to do that?" He reached forward with a paw to gently tap the stone to see if it would move and sure enough it was stuck fast to the rock.

Okay.

"Buckley." Ishani's voice was quiet, as if she was speaking just to the lion, who looked back at her, quizzically. She was curled around the side of the body facing him, and gestured up towards the goat's head. It was then that it ocurred to Buckley that Gore was oddly quiet.

He looked up and saw his sibling staring at nothing, eyes clouded and head sagging slightly. It had set the swordstaff down already but with the way its jaw seemed strangely relaxed, he wondered if it would have clattered out of its grip. Something gripped at his heart, ragged fear pulsing fast through his body and he couldn't help but roll a shoulder back, as if to push gently at Gore. "Hey. Are you okay?"

The movement seemed to rouse the goat, who blinked, the fogginess chased out of its gaze and, a moment later, its gaze snapped onto Buckley. "Wha...yeah. Yes! I'm fine. Headache is all!" It snorted, the moment well and passed in just an instant, yet still Buckley looked at it with worry. It caught the sympathy in his eyes and its lip curled in annoyance. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT. I said I'm FINE. Turn your big stupid head around and away from me!"

Buckley huffed but did what it said, turning back to the gem. He wasn't going to forget about it, though. And from the way Ishani glanced at him, she wouldn't either. But for now, he moved on.

"What do you think it will be?" Buckley asked, softly. "A GREAT WARRIOR. And if it is not born that way then we will MAKE IT SO!!" Buckley hummed. "Hm, yeah. I'm hoping its nice at least." Ishani curled over the other side to get a better look at the stone. "I hope it is a good listener. Will we be raising it?"

Gore snorted. "Of COURSE. What, let it just run off on its own? Someone needs to teach it how to WALK!"

Ishani chuckled but didn't point out that it probably wouldn't be born with three separate heads...hopefully, at least.

"Buckley is speaking!" "GORE IS SPEAKING!!!" "Ishani is speaking..."

@Amun

[Event] Holiday Gifts 2025

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 05:22:38 -0600

Fly-By Gifting

The jingling of bells, for those listening to it, came and went quickly this year. It was almost as if Naskital were rushed, in a hurry; and indeed his voice could be heard briefly for anyone in Polaris.

"No, no--not too many in one place! Trust me, they'll take care of these. I hope. -Did you say 'engineered to be cute?' -Then they'll be fine!"

The clatter of gifts falling into the cave from some unknown dimension followed, and then... silence. And left behind? A slab of stone had been covered in the usual treats. There were mugs of steaming hot chocolate, which somehow were still warm (and Gembounds might find the mugs themselves useful, later; a lot of them had little candy cane or spruce tree motifs). There was drifting tinsel and gleaming gold, red, and green baubles. There were cups of milk, and plates of cookies. And there were candy canes scattered about, though "scattered" was the word, and it was these that made clear how much of a rush poor Naskital was in.

They. Were. Everywhere.

The whole cave smelled of mint. There were candy canes fusing to the Spire. Candy canes melting in the Crystal River. Candy canes in piles against the walls.

Suffice it to say, no one would go hungry, though diabetes was a risk.

But more important was the strange large wooden crate that appeared not far from the Spire. This was packed with soft hay, and within nestled what looked like nine... eggs? But perfectly spherical, and made of gemstone. Their auras, for those who could sense them, were Elemental. Where had they come from, and why..? It seemed Naskital hoped for them to find new homes, here.

* * *

Characters may join this thread and claim ~~hundreds of candy canes~~ whatever treats and decorations they wish, and may exchange holiday gifts themselves. Players may also adopt one gemstone apiece by posting in character to claim it. The gemstone may be planted on any stone surface, and will fuse and grow, hatching in one week's time; they have already been granted life. After adoption, the player will be given simple art of the character. The gemstones are as follows:

1. Pink Ruby - Animal element (claimed by Amun - Chishio)
2. Mookaite - Prokaryote (claimed by Wulfsige - Snail)
3. Chalcedony - Arcane (claimed by Rhapsody - Jaythebird)
4. Sapphire - Light (claimed by Tyrin - Bluebird)
5. Spinel - Earth (claimed by The Silence - Shadowlugia711)
6. Seraphinite - Electricity (claimed by Thalassa - Silkwyrm)
7. Hiddenite - Energy (claimed by Triage - Jaymie)
8. Jacinth - Fungus (claimed by Minali - Stone)
9. Lapis Lazuli - Water (claimed by Miriam - Nemesis)