(night/day)This egg has shimmers of color on a dark shell.
(night/day)
Spoiler
Galactic ray hatchlings are enigmatic. They are not social creatures by nature, though hatchlings do like to stay near their magi, drifting in slow circles around their magi's head. They do not eat normal food, but instead drift up and consume the puffy clouds over the keep. The rainbow colors that surround them lack the power that adults have, but sometimes images can be seen in the patterns. Fractal-like shapes, winding vines, and jagged branches sometimes flicker along the rainbow gradients. These images sometimes hold meaning to the magi the hatchling belongs to, but to others are incomprehensible unless the magi explains them. Some think they are reflections of the magi's dreams.
(night/day)
Spoiler
Once a ray reaches adulthood, they begin to drift, following the air currents and heading out alone. They are not creatures that stay close to their magi, but instead will return when the magi wishes it, the bond existing over long distances. Rays prefer to drift in skies that are far from large groups of people, such as in the cold skies over Boreus or the temperate currents over the oceans. When their magi wants to see them, they will float back, and it is usually faster for the magi to travel closer to them as well. Older researchers and scholars at the Keep like these creatures, as when important information has been lost over the years, or old dreams faded, a visit with their ray can make them feel young again.
Spoiler
Galactic rays are a rare sight. These creatures were long though to be a myth, with tales from sailors and arctic explorers describing enormous, slow-moving winged shapes drifting over the horizon. They are easier to spot at night. Their shimmering, aurora-like colors are obvious in the dark, with rainbows so bright they can be seen even through a layer of clouds.These creatures travel alone, usually far from civilization, and very few people have been close to one. Those that do describe strange experiences. Old memories grow sharp, and things that are forgotten return. Memories from childhood can be relived, and the faces and names of those forgotten can be recalled. The effects are stronger the older a person is, and the older the ray is. Rays that are only a few years old have only minor effects on memory, but ancient rays who have traveled the world for centuries can bring back whatever memory a person may wish, no matter how old or faded.
NEW QUEST!
Quest - Memories: Waves in the pond
Location: The Keep
Spoiler
You sit on a bench by the fields surrounding the Keep, leaves falling every so often onto your shoulders and head. Direwolf pups play in piles of leaves, panting as they leap about, and gryphons circle the Keep's towers in the distance. Other people, magi and villagers alike, wander past you. Despite the falling leaves, the air still contains the summer's heat, wrapping you like a blanket. You'll fall asleep if you stay here much longer, so you decide to get up and enjoy a walk in the fields.
The paths that snake between the Keep and the nearby village are littered with leaves, and your journey takes you to a small pond, which will soon be covered in ice once the weather begins to turn. But instead of leaves floating on the still water, waves are lapping back and forth.
You blink.
"Waves in the pond?" A voice says. You turn to be greeted by the sight of an old woman, her blue robes frayed. "I haven't seen waves like that since..." She trails off, her eyes clouded.
"What do you mean?" You ask. "You've seen this before?"
"Aye, when magi Denno... was a new student at the Keep. Or maybe he was my teacher?" She blinks, confused, and you can tell age has had an effect on her. "Do you know Denno?"
You shake your head. You've never heard the name.
"Oh, well." The woman pulls her robes tighter around her when the breeze picks up, but the blowing wind does nothing to calm the lapping waves over the pond. "This must be a message. I had a letter, but I lost it, so maybe this message is special."
"Messages?" The waves don't seem to follow any pattern you can see. "From where?"
The woman shrugs, then stomps a foot. "I just know I've seen waves like this before."
"Maybe." You doubt it, and think she's probably just a bit confused due to her age. It must just be the wind making the water lash back and forth.
The leaves in the pond bob in the waves, and slowly begin to drift. At first you don't think anything of it, but then the woman's eyes widen, and she points. The leaves have begun to circle, and an unmistakable image appears.
"W-hat's that?" you ask.
"That's the Callisto islands," the woman says. More leaves begin to swirl, the islands coming into view in a whorl of red and brown and yellow. But one leaf spins alone in a lazy circle, the only one not part of the image.
"What does it mean?" you ask.
The old woman slowly shakes her head, her eyes cloudy. "I don't know. But...I want to go to the islands and find out." She turns to you, her lined face suddenly full of worry. "Will you come with me? You're a magi, and he is too. Maybe something happened.. I don't have money, but now I'm worried...I wish I had that letter. I've forgotten something, I know it."
It seems far-fetched, but the leaves swirling in the shape of the Callisto islands is unmistakable. It will likely cost you a fair bit of gold to travel that far this time of year--Ship captains charge 5000 a person to go to Callisto when the winds are bad.
"I'll do it," you say. The woman's wrinkled face lights up in a smile.
The paths that snake between the Keep and the nearby village are littered with leaves, and your journey takes you to a small pond, which will soon be covered in ice once the weather begins to turn. But instead of leaves floating on the still water, waves are lapping back and forth.
You blink.
"Waves in the pond?" A voice says. You turn to be greeted by the sight of an old woman, her blue robes frayed. "I haven't seen waves like that since..." She trails off, her eyes clouded.
"What do you mean?" You ask. "You've seen this before?"
"Aye, when magi Denno... was a new student at the Keep. Or maybe he was my teacher?" She blinks, confused, and you can tell age has had an effect on her. "Do you know Denno?"
You shake your head. You've never heard the name.
"Oh, well." The woman pulls her robes tighter around her when the breeze picks up, but the blowing wind does nothing to calm the lapping waves over the pond. "This must be a message. I had a letter, but I lost it, so maybe this message is special."
"Messages?" The waves don't seem to follow any pattern you can see. "From where?"
The woman shrugs, then stomps a foot. "I just know I've seen waves like this before."
"Maybe." You doubt it, and think she's probably just a bit confused due to her age. It must just be the wind making the water lash back and forth.
The leaves in the pond bob in the waves, and slowly begin to drift. At first you don't think anything of it, but then the woman's eyes widen, and she points. The leaves have begun to circle, and an unmistakable image appears.
"W-hat's that?" you ask.
"That's the Callisto islands," the woman says. More leaves begin to swirl, the islands coming into view in a whorl of red and brown and yellow. But one leaf spins alone in a lazy circle, the only one not part of the image.
"What does it mean?" you ask.
The old woman slowly shakes her head, her eyes cloudy. "I don't know. But...I want to go to the islands and find out." She turns to you, her lined face suddenly full of worry. "Will you come with me? You're a magi, and he is too. Maybe something happened.. I don't have money, but now I'm worried...I wish I had that letter. I've forgotten something, I know it."
It seems far-fetched, but the leaves swirling in the shape of the Callisto islands is unmistakable. It will likely cost you a fair bit of gold to travel that far this time of year--Ship captains charge 5000 a person to go to Callisto when the winds are bad.
"I'll do it," you say. The woman's wrinkled face lights up in a smile.
Quest - Memories: Waves in the pond
Location: The Keep
Spoiler
You pay a captain for you and the woman's journey to the Callisto Islands and begin your journey.
Location: Callisto Islands
Spoiler
The chill winds give way to warm tropical air over the few days' journey. You take the time to talk to your new traveling companion, whose name is Marcia. She loves to talk about her life, her children at home, and the magi Denno, whose name you don't recognize but she apparently knew well.
"I never had been to the Keep, but Denno told me all about it," the woman said as the islands come into view over the horizon. The sun has begun to set, and the island looks bathed in purple and red light. "I remember him telling me about his first creature...it was..."
She trails off, her gaze distant. She does it often, you've noticed, but you also know to just wait, and she'll remember the answer in time. "Right, a leviathan," she says. "He always loved the ocean. I liked the ocean well enough, but I was much happier among the forests in Silva. I always hoped to tame a direwolf, but without magic it's hard." She laughs. "I did well enough without it though."
Something splashes along the side of the boat, and a Caeralis Dolphin leaps from the water. "Look!" Marcia says, pointing. "A whole pod!"
The creatures leap and splash, heading alongside the boat for a time before turning away toward the distance. You think of the lone, spinning leaf, but there's nothing nearby, just the steadily looming Callisto islands ahead. You wish you could somehow ask the dolphins for guidance, and part of you wonders if you imagined the whole thing.
"Those were his favorite," Marcia says, interrupting your thoughts. "I don't remember if he ever bonded with one, though. Hmm...there were dolphins that day too, I think?"
You wonder what day she's talking about, but you end up too busy with the captain as you pay for your trip and collect your baggage to think about it. "A good trip," he says, tipping his hat to you. "Magis are good luck, I suppose."
You smile, and you and Marcia head down the walkway to the bustling Callisto islands. There are people in droves, and you wonder if there's some sort of festival going on. An enormous carving of a hydra greets you in the town square, the stone weathered and aged. Marcia's eyes light up. "Oh look, he used to say he would like to tame on of those!"
It's a fine carving, and you let Marcia get close, placing her hands on the stone. At the same time, a little girl darts toward the statue, and her mother grabs her arm. "No, dear, you're not supposed to touch it."
"Marcia," you call, but no one has stopped her. Maybe they just think she's too old. You go over and guide her away.
"You said something about Denno maybe sending you a message, right?" you ask. "Where is his home?"
She peers into the distance for a moment. "This way," she says, and darts off. The woman who had scolded her child gives you an odd look.
For an old woman, Marcia can move surprisingly fast. You follow her down winding alleys where children throw bouncing balls back and forth, and then out past a fish market, the pungent scent tainting the air. Marcia doesn't stop, and actually seems to speed up past the booths advertising fresh-caught ocean fish. You have to run to keep up now, past the well-lived parts of the city where the lanterns give light against the encroaching twilight. Marcia becomes hard to see, and you call up magelight to help. "Marcia, wait!" you call.
"It's just up ahead!" you hear, and your path takes you between two slanted houses and then out onto a quiet beach. You skid to a stop, sand spraying in all directions. It's dark and empty, the only thing you can see in any direction a fallen pile of wood that looks to have once been an archway.
The waves bob at the shore in the same way they did at the Keep, a steady, lulling cadence. Marcia stares at the ocean, her expression lost.
A passing thought, or a surfacing memory from something you maybe passed on your way to the shore makes you wish you had guidance from the stars and makes you think you should've brought an Asesina Orcae with you.
"I never had been to the Keep, but Denno told me all about it," the woman said as the islands come into view over the horizon. The sun has begun to set, and the island looks bathed in purple and red light. "I remember him telling me about his first creature...it was..."
She trails off, her gaze distant. She does it often, you've noticed, but you also know to just wait, and she'll remember the answer in time. "Right, a leviathan," she says. "He always loved the ocean. I liked the ocean well enough, but I was much happier among the forests in Silva. I always hoped to tame a direwolf, but without magic it's hard." She laughs. "I did well enough without it though."
Something splashes along the side of the boat, and a Caeralis Dolphin leaps from the water. "Look!" Marcia says, pointing. "A whole pod!"
The creatures leap and splash, heading alongside the boat for a time before turning away toward the distance. You think of the lone, spinning leaf, but there's nothing nearby, just the steadily looming Callisto islands ahead. You wish you could somehow ask the dolphins for guidance, and part of you wonders if you imagined the whole thing.
"Those were his favorite," Marcia says, interrupting your thoughts. "I don't remember if he ever bonded with one, though. Hmm...there were dolphins that day too, I think?"
You wonder what day she's talking about, but you end up too busy with the captain as you pay for your trip and collect your baggage to think about it. "A good trip," he says, tipping his hat to you. "Magis are good luck, I suppose."
You smile, and you and Marcia head down the walkway to the bustling Callisto islands. There are people in droves, and you wonder if there's some sort of festival going on. An enormous carving of a hydra greets you in the town square, the stone weathered and aged. Marcia's eyes light up. "Oh look, he used to say he would like to tame on of those!"
It's a fine carving, and you let Marcia get close, placing her hands on the stone. At the same time, a little girl darts toward the statue, and her mother grabs her arm. "No, dear, you're not supposed to touch it."
"Marcia," you call, but no one has stopped her. Maybe they just think she's too old. You go over and guide her away.
"You said something about Denno maybe sending you a message, right?" you ask. "Where is his home?"
She peers into the distance for a moment. "This way," she says, and darts off. The woman who had scolded her child gives you an odd look.
For an old woman, Marcia can move surprisingly fast. You follow her down winding alleys where children throw bouncing balls back and forth, and then out past a fish market, the pungent scent tainting the air. Marcia doesn't stop, and actually seems to speed up past the booths advertising fresh-caught ocean fish. You have to run to keep up now, past the well-lived parts of the city where the lanterns give light against the encroaching twilight. Marcia becomes hard to see, and you call up magelight to help. "Marcia, wait!" you call.
"It's just up ahead!" you hear, and your path takes you between two slanted houses and then out onto a quiet beach. You skid to a stop, sand spraying in all directions. It's dark and empty, the only thing you can see in any direction a fallen pile of wood that looks to have once been an archway.
The waves bob at the shore in the same way they did at the Keep, a steady, lulling cadence. Marcia stares at the ocean, her expression lost.
A passing thought, or a surfacing memory from something you maybe passed on your way to the shore makes you wish you had guidance from the stars and makes you think you should've brought an Asesina Orcae with you.
Quest - Memories: Waypoint in the sand
Location: Callisto Islands
Spoiler
"I thought it was here," Marcia says. She turns in a circle, kicking up sand. "His house was here, I was sure of it."
It's clear she doesn't remember, or has remembered wrong. She moves over to the edge of the water, where something bobs in the darkness - a rotted boat, barely seaworthy.
"Come on," you begin to say, but then light begins to speckle the sand. At first you think it may be rain glinting in starlight, or perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you.
The light travels over the fallen wood, and you make out words carved into rotting planks. "In me ory l st ship Nautilus." The lights glow brighter, and a sense of peace fills you. It's your Aesina Orcae, the one you had wished you'd brought along.
It's clear she doesn't remember, or has remembered wrong. She moves over to the edge of the water, where something bobs in the darkness - a rotted boat, barely seaworthy.
"Come on," you begin to say, but then light begins to speckle the sand. At first you think it may be rain glinting in starlight, or perhaps your eyes are playing tricks on you.
The light travels over the fallen wood, and you make out words carved into rotting planks. "In me ory l st ship Nautilus." The lights glow brighter, and a sense of peace fills you. It's your Aesina Orcae, the one you had wished you'd brought along.
Location: Callisto Islands
Spoiler
Your Asesina Orcae begins to sing, a mournful sound that chases away any fatigue you feel. As the lights from your Orcae grow brighter, you see Marcia, staring up at the Orcae as well.
"I knew I was right to ask you," she says. "I think... I think I remember now. But... can we go?" she points out to the water.
Part of you is afraid, but your Orcae is there, and you know it's the right thing to do. The boat won't move without the help of a Caeralis Dolphin, but you're sure the journey won't take long. "Let's go, then," you say.
"I knew I was right to ask you," she says. "I think... I think I remember now. But... can we go?" she points out to the water.
Part of you is afraid, but your Orcae is there, and you know it's the right thing to do. The boat won't move without the help of a Caeralis Dolphin, but you're sure the journey won't take long. "Let's go, then," you say.
Quest - Memories: Waypoint in the sand
Location: Callisto Islands
Spoiler
Your dolphin chatters at you from the water, and your Orcae hovers just below the clouds, a silent beacon. Marcia stands in the water by the rotted boat, her frayed robes wet. But some of the confusion has lifted from her gaze.
"We can take the boat," you say. "My dolphin can pull us, and the Orcae will lead us." You help her get into the boat, the wood soft beneath your fingers, and you use magic to loop ropes of water around your Caeralis dolphin. Your creature swims past the boat once, letting Marcia pet it as it goes by.
"This is familiar," she says.
"Do you...know what Orcae do?" you ask as the boat begins to move. Your Orcae glides along, quick but smooth.
"He told me once. Years ago, when... They... guide magi home, don't they? After..."
Her face clouds again. You fall silent, waiting, but she doesn't say anything more.
Your journey takes you less time than you thought. The boat is old and likely won't last after this small voyage, but it holds together until your Orcae stops in the distance. Your dolphin follows, until the boat stops too, bobbing in the ocean.
"The waves are the same," Marcia says. She peers into the water, which reflects the stars overhead as well as the light from your Orcae. The waves bob to and fro, just like on the edge of the beach and in the pond at the Keep.
"Why did we come here?" Marcia asks. You don't know what to say, but you know it was right.
The reflected light glows brighter, and then you realize it's not reflected at all. Something enormous surfaces from the water, rivulets spilling over either side of two giant fins. It looks like a ray, but covered in stars. The stars shine off its back, swirling in ever-changing patters as though the stars themselves are rotating across the night sky. Different constellations come into being, and stars wink in and out.
"Oh," Marcia says. "How beautiful."
She reaches out, touching its back, and then the veil behind her eyes lifts. "Now I remember," she says.
You reach down too, and you know what's happened even as Marcia says it aloud.
"The ship sank decades ago. He tried so hard to save everyone, but in the end it wasn't enough. He was a young magi, with just two creatures. His Leviathan saved us both, and he had a dolphin who helped save a dozen others. But then he got sick. I tried to take care of him, along with his family, but..." she shakes her head. "I couldn't cure him. Not even magis could."
She trails her hand over the Ray's back. "I came here every year to pay respects to him, and so did the other survivors. But over time, the other survivors passed away, and I had a family, and a husband of my own, and over the years...I forgot, I suppose." Tears line her cheeks. "I did get a letter, from a historian on the islands who wanted to know about the sinking of the Nautilus. I'm the last survivor. But like everything else these days, I forgot."
Your Orcae shines overhead, and you're sure any lingering souls from the sunken ship are finding their way over. But the ray beneath the waves, with patterns of stars from the past, simply relaxes beneath your touch and helps Marcia remember.
"Denno was a good magi. He would have been great, I'm sure. He saved me. And when we get back, I'll make sure he's remembered."
"I'll remember him," you say. "And I'll make sure the rest of the Keep does too."
The ray beneath your hands dips beneath the waves, but you're sure you'll see it again. Your Orcae gives one last calming wail, and begins to ascend into the sky.
"Let's go back," Marcia said. "Now I know why I'm really here."
---
"So a magi named Denno saved 13 people?" The historian says as she dabs her pen into the inkwell. "I always wondered how it was possible that so many survived. Of course it was a magi. Records indicate the hurricanes that year were intense, so a sinking ship having any survivors at all would be unheard of." The pen scritches on the paper. "Please, anything more you can remember, tell me."
"And the monument," Marcia adds. "Can that be rebuilt?"
"Of course," the historian says. "Such things are always good to have to give people hope, and to remember those who were lost." The scratching sounds continue. "And of course, to warn ship captains about the dangers of autumn sailing. Thank you both very much. I can arrange for your fare back to the Keep, of course."
You say your goodbyes, and you and Marcia head back out in the sun-drenched town. Marcia sighs, standing straighter than you've ever seen her.
"I suppose it's time to go back, but I'd like to see the ocean one last time," she says. You follow her as she takes the same path she did the night before, winding her way past the fish market and down through alleyways. "It wasn't this built up before," she complains. "I'll have to find a new route to that beach next year."
Finally you emerge to where the broken archway lays, though now the waves are calm, the sun shining overhead.
"This is where he dragged us all," she says. "The rain was coming down hard, and the winds were fierce, but he made sure everyone he had saved from the ship was safe and sound. We lay there for hours, overnight in the storm, until we were found in the morning. We were all so cold...I guess that was what got to him in the end."
She sighs, and you watch as the waves lap against the shore. "Do you think his spirit sent the message through the water?" she asks. "Or was it just magic?"
"I'm not sure," you say. "But clearly something wanted you to remember."
She nods. "I don't ever want to forget again."
You can agree with that. You look back over the ocean almost expecting to see the strange waves again. Instead you spot two small eggs floating in the ocean.
"What are these?" Marcia asks, picking one up. You do the same, the egg warm in your hands. It's covered in stars, just like the giant ray you saw before. "Creatures?"
"Yes," you say. "Probably another way to remember all of this."
You're sure you both will take good care of them.
"We can take the boat," you say. "My dolphin can pull us, and the Orcae will lead us." You help her get into the boat, the wood soft beneath your fingers, and you use magic to loop ropes of water around your Caeralis dolphin. Your creature swims past the boat once, letting Marcia pet it as it goes by.
"This is familiar," she says.
"Do you...know what Orcae do?" you ask as the boat begins to move. Your Orcae glides along, quick but smooth.
"He told me once. Years ago, when... They... guide magi home, don't they? After..."
Her face clouds again. You fall silent, waiting, but she doesn't say anything more.
Your journey takes you less time than you thought. The boat is old and likely won't last after this small voyage, but it holds together until your Orcae stops in the distance. Your dolphin follows, until the boat stops too, bobbing in the ocean.
"The waves are the same," Marcia says. She peers into the water, which reflects the stars overhead as well as the light from your Orcae. The waves bob to and fro, just like on the edge of the beach and in the pond at the Keep.
"Why did we come here?" Marcia asks. You don't know what to say, but you know it was right.
The reflected light glows brighter, and then you realize it's not reflected at all. Something enormous surfaces from the water, rivulets spilling over either side of two giant fins. It looks like a ray, but covered in stars. The stars shine off its back, swirling in ever-changing patters as though the stars themselves are rotating across the night sky. Different constellations come into being, and stars wink in and out.
"Oh," Marcia says. "How beautiful."
She reaches out, touching its back, and then the veil behind her eyes lifts. "Now I remember," she says.
You reach down too, and you know what's happened even as Marcia says it aloud.
"The ship sank decades ago. He tried so hard to save everyone, but in the end it wasn't enough. He was a young magi, with just two creatures. His Leviathan saved us both, and he had a dolphin who helped save a dozen others. But then he got sick. I tried to take care of him, along with his family, but..." she shakes her head. "I couldn't cure him. Not even magis could."
She trails her hand over the Ray's back. "I came here every year to pay respects to him, and so did the other survivors. But over time, the other survivors passed away, and I had a family, and a husband of my own, and over the years...I forgot, I suppose." Tears line her cheeks. "I did get a letter, from a historian on the islands who wanted to know about the sinking of the Nautilus. I'm the last survivor. But like everything else these days, I forgot."
Your Orcae shines overhead, and you're sure any lingering souls from the sunken ship are finding their way over. But the ray beneath the waves, with patterns of stars from the past, simply relaxes beneath your touch and helps Marcia remember.
"Denno was a good magi. He would have been great, I'm sure. He saved me. And when we get back, I'll make sure he's remembered."
"I'll remember him," you say. "And I'll make sure the rest of the Keep does too."
The ray beneath your hands dips beneath the waves, but you're sure you'll see it again. Your Orcae gives one last calming wail, and begins to ascend into the sky.
"Let's go back," Marcia said. "Now I know why I'm really here."
---
"So a magi named Denno saved 13 people?" The historian says as she dabs her pen into the inkwell. "I always wondered how it was possible that so many survived. Of course it was a magi. Records indicate the hurricanes that year were intense, so a sinking ship having any survivors at all would be unheard of." The pen scritches on the paper. "Please, anything more you can remember, tell me."
"And the monument," Marcia adds. "Can that be rebuilt?"
"Of course," the historian says. "Such things are always good to have to give people hope, and to remember those who were lost." The scratching sounds continue. "And of course, to warn ship captains about the dangers of autumn sailing. Thank you both very much. I can arrange for your fare back to the Keep, of course."
You say your goodbyes, and you and Marcia head back out in the sun-drenched town. Marcia sighs, standing straighter than you've ever seen her.
"I suppose it's time to go back, but I'd like to see the ocean one last time," she says. You follow her as she takes the same path she did the night before, winding her way past the fish market and down through alleyways. "It wasn't this built up before," she complains. "I'll have to find a new route to that beach next year."
Finally you emerge to where the broken archway lays, though now the waves are calm, the sun shining overhead.
"This is where he dragged us all," she says. "The rain was coming down hard, and the winds were fierce, but he made sure everyone he had saved from the ship was safe and sound. We lay there for hours, overnight in the storm, until we were found in the morning. We were all so cold...I guess that was what got to him in the end."
She sighs, and you watch as the waves lap against the shore. "Do you think his spirit sent the message through the water?" she asks. "Or was it just magic?"
"I'm not sure," you say. "But clearly something wanted you to remember."
She nods. "I don't ever want to forget again."
You can agree with that. You look back over the ocean almost expecting to see the strange waves again. Instead you spot two small eggs floating in the ocean.
"What are these?" Marcia asks, picking one up. You do the same, the egg warm in your hands. It's covered in stars, just like the giant ray you saw before. "Creatures?"
"Yes," you say. "Probably another way to remember all of this."
You're sure you both will take good care of them.
I'd be happy if they could even breed with the Vevex Rays, so I could try to a second Galatic Ray that way. 
