ardent
Thread Closed 

The Emerging



Ardent

Administrator

age
Pup
gender
Female
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124443
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Small
build
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10-01-2024, 06:38 AM (This post was last modified: 10-16-2024, 06:28 PM by NPC. Edited 20 times in total.)

Update #1:  As night falls, the world is cast into an strange, deep darkness. Though there appears to be no cloud cover in sight, the usual light of the moon and stars is strangely absent.

This heavy darkness sinks deeper and deeper as the night drones on, so all-encompassing that the inhabitants of Boreas and Auster collectively take it as a warning and decide to hunker down until daybreak

That decision proves a smart one. Throughout the night the tremors begin, gentle at first but then growing more violent with each passing hour. Though some injuries may be sustained through the night, most of them are minor and easily shaken off.

As dawn breaks, the quaking slows to a halt, casting a vibrant red glow across the sky. A sinister sense of foreboding hangs in the air.

Somewhere in central Boreas a strange land has appeared, set not far from the opening of Glowshroom Cavern.

Despite its sudden appearance, this place seems anything but newly-constructed. The tall stone spikes, which reach higher than any tree, bear the marks of countless seasons; their surfaces weathered and sun-bleached. Somehow it is obvious this place is not a new creation, but yet it seems impossible that no one has ever encountered it before.

This place seems dangerous, but begs to be explored.

New task: ???




Update #2: The sun continues its ascent into the sky, though its light doesn't seem to fully break the color that now stains the sky blood-red.

Little can be gleaned from the spikes themselves. Their heights are impressive, their angles sharp and menacing. They seem to be immovable, no amount of force can get them to budge or sway. The soil surrounding the spikes is solid and compact in some sections, though between the structures becomes much looser and easier to dig into, crumbling under paw.

At the base of some of the structures, some odd carvings can be seen etched into the stone. Some are badly weathered and barely discernible, but the figures on some are obvious- the face of a strange, foreign creature can be seen, its mouth contorted into a scream of terror.

The air, once eerily still, is broken as a slow breeze begins to move through the field. The sound that it creates as it whistles through the spikes is ominous- the sound is oddly mournful. A dissonant cry- or perhaps a warning? The sound is unsettling, and you swear the warning is coming from the spikes themselves.

The danger is still present....

WARNING: Continuing to post in The Prominence forum from this point on may cause some temporary bad effects on characters. This does not include things like skill point loss, gemstone loss, loss of items, maims, or anything permanently disabling yet.




Update #3: The Prominence continues to be explored, but its secrets are not yet revealed. The spikes stand as stable as ever, and the howling wind grows louder and louder.

The danger persists....

The days drone on, though the blood-red sky remains. The nights remain strangely dark, as though the light of the stars and the moon have been swallowed by the void.



In a sliver of land wedged between The Shimmering Shore and Fossil Ridge, down in Auster, the earth seems.... unsettled. It appears as though the earth has begun to shift here. Winding channels snake through the soil, visible from above, leaving the surface uneven and disturbed.

New task: Complete 10 navigation threads, scouting this area (minimum 2 participants, 3+ rounds each) to begin to reveal more. Post in the Shimmering Shore, but note the happenings are not on the beach, but further inland. (Complete)




Update #4: Creatures of all types note something amiss at The Shimmering Shore, and readily begin to investigate.

Something becomes quickly apparent- there is a sound emanating from deep beneath the ground, and if you pause long and hard you feel movement from below, shifting the soil beneath your paws.

There's only one way to figure out what's going on. You must dig.

WARNING: Digging in The Shimmering Shore from this point on, during this event, can cause minor injuries or other bad, temporary effects to characters.

New task: 30 different characters must dig to uncover more. (Complete)




Update #5: The digging begins, triggered by the sound of something shifting down below, all across the vast stretch of unsettled soil. At first, nothing happens—then, suddenly, the ground gives way, collapsing beneath your feet before you can react.

The fall is short enough, though some injuries are sustained.



What lies below is even more perplexing: a sprawling network of winding tunnels stretches out in every direction, spiraling further inland. You can venture deeper, yet no matter how far you explore, you often find yourself back at the beginning. Perhaps you need someone more perceptive to help you navigate this labyrinth?

New task: ???