❊「Winter 6th」❊
The sixth of Winter in Lucine Island was like any other that winter; a cold, windy day. The sun peeked out between drifting clouds, and light snow fell all day, slowly piling up on previously standing snowdrifts. The cold seemed to unhinge no civilian, however, for everyone carried on with their day to day lives.
Of course, it could hardly be said that all was well. The land was still in sorry condition, and crop cultivation was difficult; even more so in the winter time! The mermaid, Harvest God, and Harvest Goddess, said to watch over the island, appeared not to the people... The pearls were still nowhere to be seen, but with no steady leads, there wasn't much the villagers could do besides trying to live a good life on what they could. Would things ever get better? No one seemed too sure...
While the hustle and bustle continued, further out, away from the village, the sounds gradually faded away. Here, not many people roamed. Snow fell to the ground almost without sound. Only the occasional rustling of winter foliage by the small creatures who resided there broke the silence. It was to be expected, of course... after all, who would be out so far in such cold weather?
However, aside from other, more natural sounds, there was a peculiar noise that resembled sniffling. As a matter of fact, someone was out there, within the Adventurine Forest...
"Where could it be...?"
The small voice broke the silence. All alone, it spoke to no one but itself...
Despite this, it asked itself its question again.
"I...I thought it was around here...? It should be..."
He put a hand to his chin and looked around. Snow had covered his cap, and parts of his clothing. The little traveller's hair had left a trail of snow behind him, though it had not quite covered his tracks, per se. Wiping a tear out of his eye, he clenched his tiny fists and moved forward. The sun would soon set... but it wouldn't stop him! No matter how long it took, he would surely find it... he wouldn't ask the humans for help! They...they were too scary...!
"I h-have to find it...the pearl... For the Goddess... for mama...!
And with that, he set out, determined to find it. Nothing would stop him, not the weather, not the dark night... nothing!
However...
He failed to notice that he was being watched....
❊「Winter 7th」❊
Dawn broke on the seventh of Winter, and the snow had let up a bit. The little traveller had taken shelter inside a burrow underneath a tree, and having awoken he peered out, rubbing his sleepy eyes. The search yesterday had been fruitless, but today would be different...! With that, he set out again, making tracks in the fresh fallen snow.
He had not gone far in his travels before something peculiar caught his ear... The sun's light was shaded by the foliage, so the area was still rather dark. He may have not been able to see what was going on, but the little traveller's ears were not mistaken...
The snapping of twigs...
The crunching of snow...
The rustling of the bushes..
And it was growing louder...
Louder and louder...
Until it was right
behind him...
The little traveller's first intent was to hurry. He would beat the creature in speed, find the pearl, and leave...! As he ran, however, the sounds too grew more frenzied and noisy, as if whoever tailed him meant to catch him...! He tried to run faster... but clumsily, he tripped on his hair, rolled, and struck a tree root.
When he looked up from a face full of snow, a huge creature met his eyes. White, furry, and with a monstrous expression, the beast towered over him, clearly about to attack-!! ...or at least, that's what the poor creature thought. What little confidence he had earlier drained entirely, he did what any man would do when faced with a beast of this size and power... ...he screamed as loud as his squeaky voice would allow and ran away.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
With surprising accuracy, the little traveller retraced his steps and ran out of the woods, tears spilling out of his eyes like leaky faucets. He didn't even think about where he was going... in his mind, he had to get away as far as possible!
While he vanished into the ranch meadows as fast as his little legs would carry him, the white beast tailed him out of the forest. Curiously, it eyed the forest edge... it had never come out of the forest before. However... the structures in the distance interested it. A day trip might not be a bad idea... would it? He could bring the whole family...
About the Visitors ❖
In order, left -> right; up -> down
Assume the relative sizes are accurate.
Muku Ma- Fond of tea and other herbal drinks... She can't help but clean when she sees a mess...!
Muku Muku- Loves to eat fish and other seafood! He has the most experience with humans.
Muku Muko- Adores making noise anywhere and everywhere; pots and pans are not safe!
Muku Mama- Fancies things considered pretty or shiny. Particularly jewels and human clothing.
They are all very adept in snow sports.
Muku Muku (the largest) stands at 4 feet.
To participate in this event, please draw:▶⊱ Your character's reaction to seeing / meeting these creatures. Remember, as innocent and gullible as they are, they are not good at listening and are meant to be troublemakers.
▶⊱ How your character negotiates with them. As they live in the area, they may be able to help find the pearl...! This won't be easy, though, so your character will have to come up with a clever strategy to convince them to help.
▶⊱ How your character lures them away from wherever they are terrorizing. Please note that you should NOT injure them. if you want to hit things, wait for day 3 Try not to anger them, as they will surely retaliate and make things worse for you.
General and Submission Information ❖▶⊱ The submission period for Winter 7th will take place between June 13th, 2012 and June 30th, 2012 to receive event G. A countdown will be provided. During this time, the calendar will remain at 'Winter 8th'. ▶⊱ The location will be in the town for Winter 7th. How they are to be drawn / depicted will be up to you. ▶⊱ There are two events running, Winter 7th and Winter 8th. You can submit either of them during the submission period even if the 7th will technically pass when the 8th is posted. ▶⊱ No sketches, or linearts. Only CG'd images, comics, or animations will be accepted. Black and white submissions (well toned or shaded) are also acceptable. ▶⊱ Collaborations are acceptable. ▶⊱ Your first submission will receive more G than usual for being an event image. Please see the art submission guidelines blog for more details. To clarify the background issue, as long as we can see that you've taken time and effort to incorporate details into your image (or you detail it in some other creative manner), background points will be awarded. For this event, each day will count as a separate event submission. Therefore, if you submit for both the 7th and the 8th, you can claim event G for both submissions. ▶⊱ Please submit all images to the Festival and Events Folder. ▶⊱ If there are any questions, please shoot us a note or drop a comment on the front page. We'll get to it ASAP!
❊「Winter 8th」❊
Around you, as far as the eye can see, are trees. Trees, trees, and more trees. Oh, and snow as well. Snow, snow, and more snow. The time is mid morning. You've already walked quite a long way... At least the sun has been good to you- oh wait. The foliage has covered it all... so the area is also very, very cold. The perfect weather for adventuring, really!
Ahead, your 'guide' has stopped. He's standing in front of a set of trees, looking in rather carefully... When you come up behind him, he turns around, tears still in his eyes. This guy is a bit of a leaky tap, and he never seems to run dry...
"I-In there..."
The pearl seems to be nearly at hand. Apparently, in the next patch of wood will be what you've come here for. Finally! It's been a good two to three hours of walking from the village, at the very least! But judging from your companion's reaction, you won't be alone. What could be in there?
"Monsters...", the feeble harvest sprite beside you whispers. "M-monsters don't want the pearl... but... if they see you... they'll surely attack...!" he whimpers. That is your warning. Unless you're looking for a fight, stay well out of sight.
A blast of icy water flies out of the forest, causing both you and Nye to dive aside, landing face first in the snow. As you rise, you wonder to yourself....
Why'd I sign up for this again?
To the Brave ❖Your task will be to protect Nye while he searches for the pearl. You can search for it yourself, but you'll ultimately need to get him to it.▶⊱ Defeat all the monsters so Nye can search freely. He will hide somewhere until a 30ft (about 9m) radius around him has been cleared.
▶⊱ If you can't fight, use some kind of clever way to get the monsters out of the way so Nye can search.
▶⊱ Please do not show the actual moment where the pearl is found. Only draw your oc in the woods fending off enemies.
The forest contains Shindra.
These enemies are capable of a ranged attack- water laser. Essentially, it will shoot a rather long beam of water towards you. Please proceed with caution.
To help you out, you've been given a basic sword and shield. How much use they'll be to you is up to you, however.
Here are some tips as well!▶⊱ Having a team is useful.
▶⊱ Remember to carry health potions.
▶⊱ Use farm equipment/household objects if you find those more handy.
▶⊱ Use magic if you have it! However, water attacks won't be effective.
▶⊱ The forest is filled with coniferous and deciduous trees. Use them to your advantage, but excessive destruction of the forest is a BIG NO-NO.
▶⊱ The forest is vast and confusing, so don't expect this to be a short trek.
While Nye is a single sprite and guide, don't worry about timeline inconsistencies with other groups. You will all head into the forest together. He will be wandering around himself, searching for the pearl, once you enter, so he could be anywhere at any time.General and Submission Information ❖▶⊱ The submission period for Winter 8th's event will take place between June 13th, 2012 and June 30th, 2012 to receive event G. A countdown will be provided. During this time, the calendar will remain at 'Winter 8th'. ▶⊱ The location will be in the forest for Winter 8th. ▶⊱ There are two events running, Winter 7th and Winter 8th. You can submit either of them during the submission period even if the 7th will technically pass when the 8th is posted. ▶⊱ No sketches, or linearts. Only CG'd images, comics, or animations will be accepted. Black and white submissions (well toned or shaded) are also acceptable. ▶⊱ Collaborations are acceptable. ▶⊱ Your first submission will receive more G than usual for being an event image. Please see the art submission guidelines blog for more details. To clarify the background issue, as long as we can see that you've taken time and effort to incorporate details into your image (or you detail it in some other creative manner), background points will be awarded. For this event, each day will count as a separate event submission. Therefore, if you submit for both the 7th and the 8th, you can claim event G for both submissions. ▶⊱ Please submit all images to the Festival and Events Folder. ▶⊱ If there are any questions, please shoot us a note or drop a comment on the front page. We'll get to it ASAP!
❊「Winter 9th」❊
After a long day and night of braving the woods, the sun finally peeks over the horizon on Winter the 9th. Light snow falls gently in the Adventurine Forest, having continued throughout the night. The morning sun peeks between the clouds and lights up the snow on the ground, making it glisten in dawn's glow. With the monster situation greatly reduced, it was incredibly quiet... The woods seemed almost... serene!
Somewhere amidst the silence, there's an audible squeak. Following the sound of the harvest sprite, you approach, reaching what seems to be the abode of some creature, set in an almost hut-like manner. Whoever it is is not currently present, but the place is rather homely, and surprisingly well made. There's an old wooden sign with the letters 'M' and 'U' by the door, but you can't distinguish the other letters.... however it was written, it certainly was not with a pen.
Upon sticking your head into the establishment (the ceiling is a bit low for the average human to walk around freely), you see Nye busily digging through what appears to be a large twine basket. He's knocked it over, and is carefully displacing the objects within as he searches around inside. Many shiny objects lay on the ground beside the basket- necklaces from the jeweller's, G, glass, coloured stones...
Finally, the small harvest sprite emerges again. Finally, what you've come to find has been found...!
The trek out of the woods is certainly easier than the trek in. With the monsters cleared out, there is little to fear as you and the rest of the group returns victoriously to the village. The remaining monsters, or those who had been left alone, retreat deeper into the forest. Nye explains to you that the pearl's energy reduces monster aggression, so areas like the forest and mountain should now be more accessible. It's hard to believe that just the possession of such a tiny object can do that...!
Upon reaching the village, there is much need for celebration! After all, the first pearl has finally been found after all this time, and the village is now a step closer to restoring itself to its former glory. Even the teary little creature seems overjoyed by everything. As you prepare to head over to the pub and warm up, you suddenly hear, "aren't you forgetting about something?" Turning your head to the direction of the voice, there stands another harvest sprite.
"It was all thanks to this lady!
...oh, there was a kid too, but I can't quite remember him...
Nye offers you a little smile, and a great bow of gratitude as well. With that, the two sprites disappear, vanishing as quickly as they had arrived...
So, What Does This Mean? ❖▶⊱The path to the Harvest Spring is now more accessible for the average person (less monsters). It will still be a bit dangerous. The Harvest Goddess may not necessarily appear to you, but you may ask her for a blessing! [RP]
▶⊱ Crops and the overall soil quality returns to normal (actually, it's been normal since Spring). [RP]
▶⊱ Celebration going on in the pub! [RP]
▶⊱ The old pearl hunt event is now counted as an 'event' piece, and will be credited the appropriate G for it. If you haven't submitted it to the gallery, please do so. If you have, I will go back and readd the G for it, so there is no need to note the group.
▶⊱ Look out for a new shop soon... [G System]
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