(Random Happening Roll: 2 – Oops!)
Without seeming overly interested in dogging the mare's steps, the dragonet nevertheless remained close at hand while she continued to comb the beaches. The waves snaked their way up the rocks, swirling through tidal pools and rushing to fill previously unseen crevices before slowly creeping back to the sea.
Though she searched with no small amount of diligence, Guardian's search seemed futile. Nothing presented itself to her - no buried treasure, no hidden bounty - until at last... she dug her way down to a previously undisturbed
cache of gleamstones! Dozens of the shiny things gleamed and glimmered up at her. The more she dug, the more obvious it became that they had rolled down the beach and been trapped by the steady pull of the waves.
Which swept in and, as quickly as she'd found them, disturbed her prize! A particularly strong and insistent wave carried all of the pebbles and debris she'd moved back to where it had first been settled. When she tried again, the same thing happened. And then she couldn't find them again! What was this?!
After a long time fighting the stubborn combination of rock and wave, Guardian had to eventually call it quits. It wasn't a total loss, though - her little dragonet friend had managed to catch one of the shiny little
Gleamstones in its claws before the cache was buried for the second time.
Results: 2 Gleamstones, Dragonet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 16 –Fine)
Soaked and dripping, Essence still cut a jaunty figure as she strolled into the small cave. Here and there, a dip appeared in the floor and water gleamed dully several feet down. From the frequency of these small, dipping paths, it seemed as though the island might just be riddled with small tunnels and caves like this one.
As she continued on, she caught a gleam of more yellow ahead. Here, as before, she could clearly witness magic in action.
Two Sunsnap Flowers stood on either side of the cave, growing almost as a pair of sentries or low-lying lanterns in the darkness. Their light went with them into the bag, casting a faint glow until she firmly secured her pack against the elements.
Further exploration into the caves occupied the remainder of her journey, leading her on a path of winding spirals until it eventually broadened and opened up to the far side of the rocky cliff area. It would have been a steep descent if not for a small, narrow path cut into the rock. They looked well-worn by both wind and use. But what used them...?
Results: 3 Sunsnap Flowers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 18 – Nice!)
Mirrors were something that Flair knew a great deal about, so when he finally reached one that shone like an
actual mirror - without reflecting his lovely fur as it should have - he knew that he had come across something special. Valiantly braving the water of the shallow pool, he managed to scoot a wet scrap of
Silver Bark to the surface.
And then he had to put it in his pack, where it landed with a slightly soggy noise. Good thing the sides of the pack were waterproof... eugh.
His investigation of the shrubs proved far less interesting... until the shrubs then decided to investigate
him. Rather, a sharp and sudden barking noise not a foot from his face sent the stallion careening backwards as a small black-and-white head burst forth from the bushes.
Unfortunately for Flair, his descent would prove far more of a hassle than he anticipated, as the canine creature refused to stop barking until they reached the base of the cliffs. Even then, he didn't seem overly interested in being touched or handled, and generally avoided the milling crowds of Samanayrs returning from their respective adventures.
Results: 1 Gleamstone, 2 Tandil Berries, 1 Silver Bark, Mage Construct
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 9 – Fine)
The clumps of grasses were thick and stubborn, but parted grudgingly as Aurora gently pawed at them. Some were more waterlogged than others, their roots descending into a mess of pebbles and sparse soil. It was amazing that any sort of plant could survive in these conditions, and yet for all intents and purposes, the hearty grasses thrived.
A splash of color rewarded her patient searching as she uncovered what looked to be a small nest, ripped and torn from the actions of the water and long since abandoned by its former residents. Maybe these grasses were more habitable at other times of the year. Regardless, the
Rainbow Lamanayr Feather was now hers to keep.
Her careful investigation revealed a small fish trapped on top of a rock, flapping desperately as it tried to return to the water and relative safety. Its sides were scored by what appeared to be tiny claws. Whatever had pulled this creature from the water seemed to have abandoned it for some reason. Strange...
Results: 1 Brown Lamanayr Feather, 1 Gleamstone, 1 Rainbow Lamanayr Feather
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 19 – Nice!)
Moments before Acrobat would feel the need to return to the safety of the caves above, the tunnel widened ahead of him and took a sharp curve upward. He could see... light? His head emerged into a small air pocket trapped inside the rock. But no, that wasn't right - there was light peeking through the rock above and he could hear the call of distant sea birds.
More immediately, he could hear the keening wail that had steadily lessened as he swam begin anew. The sound was frightened this time, though it quickly petered out and became words. And splashing. There was another Northern Aquatic in the cave trying to get his attention!
"Please help me," the mare pleaded. Her front flippers splash freely, but her mouth and nose were barely above the surface of the water and it seemed a struggle for her to speak without sputtering. Her lower half was stuck inside another tunnel, as Acrobat would find when he moved to assist.
She introduced herself to him as
Trance of the Swaying Seaweed. She hadn't ventured through these tunnels since she was younger and had underestimated how tight some of the passages would be. She knew another way out, though, and was able to lead the pair of them back to the sea, a ways away from where Acrobat had begun his journey. It would be a long swim back to the Sharians.
When they were nearly back to the ship, Trance unwove a
Sweetscent Flower from behind one of her horns and shyly gifted it to her rescuer.
Results: 1 Gleamstone, Trance of the Swaying Seaweed, 1 Sweetscent Flower
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 3 – Oops!)
Rooting around in the underbrush proved a fruitless pursuit for young Hunter – unless the fruit that made its way into his stomach was counted in that equation. The prancing creature in front of him seemed entirely dissuaded by his lack of success, her paws a constant ticking on the cool rock underfoot. She didn’t seem to understand what he was doing up here, but she was interested! Certainly interested enough to follow him.
On their way back down the treacherous path, she kept up with him pace-for-pace, often bounding ahead only to return to his side a moment later. She moved over the rocky scree with the ease of long practice and even ran off for a few minutes to rile the nesting birds! Not the wisest of moves, as it certainly ended their hunting for the day in a mad dash for safety.
Results: Mage Construct, 1 Rainbow Lamanayr Feather
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 7 – Fine)
Undisturbed by his presence, life in the kelp forest continued its slow meander onward. The crabs paid him no mind, engaged in their own private struggles, and fish occasionally darted past like swift-moving ghosts.
Color lost all meaning layer by layer the further down he traveled. Nevertheless, his patience and slow observation paid off when a scuttling creature unearthed what he could barely discern as a buried and ruined pair of feathers, held fast by a tangled snarl of debris that had sunk to the floor of the sea. When he eventually ascended the depths, they would regain the normal hue of two
Brown Lamanayr Feathers.
Results: 1 Silver Bark, 2 Brown Lamanayr Feathers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 5 – Fine)
The large kelp leaves cradled Joy as she slowly snaked her way through their branches. Here and there, a hardier piece of kelp seemed a likely candidate for her "table" and her pack quickly began to fill with snacks. The Tandil Berries were pushed this way and that, but eventually nestled safely near the bottom of her bag with a cushioning layer between them and the pack's lid flap.
All around her, vibrations could be felt in the water as life proceeded as normal. It seemed less hectic here, however - so different from the land and beaches above, where winds ripped at every living thing and life seemed a bleak struggle.
As time passed and her appetite diminished, the Aquatic finally located her prize of the day. She nosed aside a particularly stiff branch of kale and was startled to find an object that didn't in any way belong beneath the waves. It was, in fact, buried treasure! Buried in the folds of the plant and thoroughly tangled in itself, a
Rarity Modiem had remained tucked away for who knew how many days... weeks... years! And yet the spell trapped within its tiny glass sphere still seemed as bright and potent as the day it had been cast.
Results: 1 Tandil Berries, 1 Rarity Modiem
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 11 – Fine)
Not long into her jet-like travel down into the kelp forest, several dark shapes appeared to flank her passage. If she bothered to notice, they seemed agitated and darted closer and closer to her in an attempt to stop her headlong dash. She finally collided with a large strand of kelp, effectively solving the problem and allowing her to see that the creatures paying attention to her were in fact sea otters.
They swam quickly upward once they noticed her paying attention
back and a game of chase ensued, with Samanayr and otter swirling through the kelp forest. They led her back to a group of otters closer to the surface, larger than the adolescents she'd been playing with. Their elders seemed to be making short work of the delicious sea urchins hiding among the kelp.
After swirling around her and seeing who could dart the quickest to get her attention, they eventually began another race through the forest, showing off some of their favorite sights along the way. Here, a tiny, shiny
Gleamstone embedded in the rock! There, a much larger and more interesting trio of
Gleamstones winking dully from beneath the sediment! With a hunter's keen instincts and some serious determination, she was able to pry her shiny prizes from their stubborn resting spots - all save one, which taunted her with its presence. Even so, her new friends were very impressed!
Results: 3 Gleamstones
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 18 – Nice!)
A moderately successful poke around the root ball of the tree unearthed a captured
Brown Lamanayr Feather and a shiny little
Gleamstone. What Mystic eventually felt in his exploration of the hollowed out log, however, came as a bit of a surprise!
When his muzzle bumped into a small protrusion in the wood, the cacophony of sound that suddenly greeted his ears proved
entirely too loud in the confined space! Combine that with sudden thrashing and a buffet of limbs against his unprotected face, and it was all the stallion could do to pry his body out of the tree fast enough.
A thoroughly displeased dragonet followed him out, wings spread in an effort to make it look larger as it hassled the Mystic away from its home. There was chirping, there was hissing, there was all
sorts of noise!
Eventually, with a little time and patience, he managed to calm the creature down. A little more time and a
lot more patience saw it sitting quietly a few feet away and chirping at him innocently. Only the stinging scratches across his face would even hint at what a fuss the creature had made during their brief, explosive introduction.
Results: 1 Sweetscent Flower, 1 Rainbow Lamanayr Feather, 1 Brown Lamanayr Feather, 1 Gleamstone, Dragonet
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
(Random Happening Roll: 7 – Fine)
Fever's wings illuminated the fissure in the rock much more brightly than the meager daylight could hope to manage. Several pairs of beady eyes stared back at her in terror as a family of small rodents scrambled to escape the flaming terror hovering over their home.
In the wake of their debris and... well... "leavings", the mare was able to unearth a
Rainbow Lamanayr Feather only slightly soiled by the whole experience. Surely the Sharians would be able to clean it up and make use of it. Even if it did smell kind of a lot like pee.
Results: 1 Rainbow Lamanayr Feather