Story

⚠️⚠️BREAKING NEWS ️️️⚠️⚠️

A Meteor passed through the atmosphere late this evening and fragmented before impacting near many of Palleth's cities and forest environments. The crystal composition of the debris is unknown and must be assumed harmful until scientists can verify otherwise. Officials heavily advise that contact with any impact debris, particularly these glowing crystals, must be avoided without the proper attire. Please allow clean up crews to work unobstructed. 

Pick a Side!

GREMCORPS SIDE

As you walk through the bustling commotion of confused spectators, you are greeted by a group of Gremcorps employees and volunteers sporting bright yellow hazmat suits industriously cleaning up the central crash site. 

"We've been expecting you," says a voice muffled within a protective helmet.

 A yellow-suited creature separates itself from the group and removes their helmet before offering you a proper greeting, all while getting you situated for the clean up.

If you have officially chosen the "Gremcorps Side", then Welcome to the Team!!

Your side is represented with a blueish/teal corresponding to the meteor fragment shown above. This is also the meteor whose debris you will be collecting later. Upon arriving, you are happily set up with the leader of the cleanup crew who explains your tasks and some very specific instructions to follow!

"It's a little inconvenient, but with your help we can go about cleaning everything properly and safely! Now before you even start going about cleaning up things, please be sure to wear your GC Collar™ before and while touching any of these blue, creepy, glowing crystals in any way. They will protect you from any radiation or other contaminants that they may give off. Your Geiger Count Collar™, once activated, puts your entire body in an invisible (and slightly sparkly) suit to help shield you from any nasty radiation. It's safe 'n' cool and also helps you find crystals with a beeping noise, all while reading the radiation levels of an area and giving real-time readings of how dangerous they could be for you. Please refrain from taking this collar off until the clean up is finished!"

It would seem that Max has made a few more discoveries than he originally bargained for! It turns out that prolonged contact with these crystals can sometimes have... less-than-desirable side-effects.

But there's no need to panic! This unforeseen little "incident" does not seem to have had any adverse effects on his health, although it appears he's gained a few new features. He tells you that he's sure it's fine, and he's just so darn charismatic that you believe him without question..

"Well hello, stranger! I'm absolutely ecstatic to have more cleaners to help us take care of the mess that this big ol' meteor has caused. It's a little inconvenient, but with your help we can go about cleaning everything properly and safely! Now before you even start going about cleaning up things, please be sure to wear your GC Collar™ before and while touching any of these blue, creepy, glowing crystals in any way. They will protect you from any radiation or other contaminants that they may give off."

"Your Geiger Count Collar™, once activated, puts your entire body in an invisible (and slightly sparkly) suit to help shield you from any nasty radiation. It's safe 'n' cool and also helps you find crystals with a beeping noise, all while reading the radiation levels of an area and giving real-time readings of how dangerous they could be for you. Please refrain from taking this collar off until the clean up is finished!"

If you are confused then here is a short summary of what is mandatory to be on the Gremcorps side!

-The first week requires you to have your grem experience the meteor in its specific colour, if you choose "Blue" then you are a part of the Gremcorps cleaning crew!

-Your grem will be required to have the Geiger Count Collar™ on after the week two event has started.

-Environment doesn't matter, but you will probably find these fellas more in urban areas than within forested places.

-Lastly, giving us your help will not go unnoticed! We are limited with the amount of gifts we could give, but we do have items that we will be randomly giving out to the group by the end of the clean up. They will be things that are rare and exclusive in nature, something that we have been working hard on and can finally complete with the use of these crystals,. If you're interested in our project then hang around for it!

-Dangerous Cypherus grems who approach GremCorps for this event will be apprehended on sight and therefore are STRONGLY urged to choose the Mother side if they wish to participate.

Mother side

At first it was just curiosity that urged you towards the impact site of the great violet streak, but then that urgency was replaced

by a voice singing with mournful sweetness in the back of your mind.

 "Children of this world... I need your help.." 

    Her words fill your head and chest, weighing heavy on your heart. You have no idea who she is but you feel compelled to go to her, to aid her. 

If you have officially chosen the "Mother's Side", then Welcome to the Nest!!

Your side is represented with a purple/violet corresponding to the meteor fragment shown above. This is also the meteor whose debris you will be collecting later. Upon arriving, you find a seat where the voice tells you, obeying eagerly as she explains what she needs of you.

"I am very far from where I must go, my Child... The crash took from me my means of leaving... But I am being hunted and must remain here to protect what crystal I still have. With my grace they will not harm you but you must collect them quickly before this hidden nest is discovered." 

Disembodied though she was, you felt the placement of warm hands on either side of your face followed by a kiss

on the center of your forehead that blossomed into a deep sense of contentment. 

"My Eye will guide you and protect you on this path. Think of me when you feel lost. I am always here now watching over you."

If you are confused then here is a short summary of what is mandatory to be on the Mother's side!

-The first week requires you to have your grem experience the meteor in its specific colour, if you choose "Purple" then you are apart of the Mother's Nest!

-Your grem will be required to have the Mother's Eye (example shown above) depicted on them after the week two event has started.

-Environment doesn't matter, but you will probably find these crystals more in forested areas than within city limits.

-Lastly, giving us your help will not go unnoticed! We are limited with the amount of gifts we could give, but we do have items that we will be randomly giving out to the group by the end of the clean up. They will be things that are rare and exclusive in nature and also different from the other side, more... feral in nature... so hang around for that!

-Cypherus grems are welcome on this side, feel free to come this way if you wish to help with the Mother's cause.

END EVENT EPILOGUE

The mother now stands in her full form thanks to the recovery of the meteor shards, six shimmering celestial wings having emerged from her back that now spread wide in preparation for her flight home among the stars.

To those who have earned her trust and shown her kindness, she tells her story. Images that feel oddly like memories fill your mind as she shares her tale. She tells of her home in the stars, of her family preparing for a migration to a new home in space to flee the xenophobic race that has hunted them down for so long. During their flight, they were ambushed by these vicious beings and in the fray, the Mother was separated from her family and sent barreling through an adjacent wormhole that deposited her in the galaxy Palleth calls home. Upon impact, the loss of her chrysalis sapped her energy and left her stranded. Weak and now helpless on this strange planet, she called for help and the grems of this world came to her aid.

The images fade from your mind and you are once again aware of her towering over you, though you think you see the sparkle of a few tiny stars falling from her eyes like tears.  "I am sorry for my deception. I did not wish to frighten you." She gathers herself then, spreading dazzling wings and looking down upon you with what you somehow understand to be great fondness, despite her unmoving visage.

"Thank you my child. I have little to offer but my gratitude, but I wish to bestow a gift to your world when I depart, one that you may need in your future." Her words feel somewhat ominous, a veiled warning, and you get the feeling she knows more than you could possibly fathom. "Please ensure they are found by those who would care for them."

With this last cryptic request, she erupts into the sky in a blinding flash of light, appearing to all the world like a shooting star streaming upwards into the sky. As she goes, you think you see several fragments break away and descend into the surrounding forest, their dull glow beckoning. Some few grems may yet stumble across whatever the Mother's blessings may be.

Rumors have already begun circulating that she mentioned something about diversifying gene pools and helping the species in future endeavors. No one knows anything of what she meant or what future she speaks so grimly of, but the foreboding feeling fades as cascades of colored light stretch across the sky in a brilliant aurora, as if to blanket the world in a protective embrace. 

Only a few miles away, at the very edge of the city, a grem called Max also watches the Mother's departure, one heavily-gloved hand raised in tearful farewell.

"Goodness, I'm glad she managed to take off." he says, his attention drawn back to you and the precariously stacked tower of notes that seems to sway on the table between you. He's behaving as if you have any idea what he's talking about again, but by now you're used to it. "As I was saying, the shards you brought in are just amazing! You'd be stunned at what these little guys can do. Of course I can't tell you, confidential information and all that but they are really something!" 

He rummages around under the table, lifting clipboards and beakers haphazardly into the air with what you can only assume is his mind, decidedly revealing exactly what these little guys can do. You don't say anything though, because that would be rude and Max is obviously doing his best. Probably.

A moment later, he pops up again with two sizable tanks under his arms, filled with a cloudy liquid that makes it nearly impossible to notice the indistinct shape that seems to be floating in the middle. He hefts them onto a nearby table and turns back to you, all three eyes aglow with excitement. "Now that all the shards have been recovered and the little matter of potentially fatal radiation exposure is behind us, we'll be able to focus all of our efforts on Phase 2 of the project! I can't thank you enough for all your help. You were instrumental in our research!"

Two more tanks emerge from under the table and Max places those on the table as well. He's starting to look winded. You suddenly find yourself wondering if this grem has slept once since the meteor landed.

"I haven't slept once since the meteor landed!" he chirps, and you think maybe it's time you excuse yourself.

Seeing you looking as though you're about to leave, he hops to attention, scattering that swaying tower of notes in a flurry of little papers. He doesn't even seem to notice. "Oh oh, before you go!! We're doing a little promotion! Really more of a research program but please do keep an eye out for any deliveries! We'll be sending just a few of these out to some of the fine junior scientists that helped us out in recovering these shards! U-unfortunately we were only able to get the ball rolling on a small handful, but hopefully they find their way into good hands." He pats one of the odd tanks, eyes glazing over as he once more seems to forget that you're standing there. You take the opportunity to sneak away, figuring he has a lot of work to do.

Later, you hear some talk about Max having been in touch with an alien life-form deep within the forest by the city. From what you're told, he began to feel the presence of a being called Mother on the day that the odd mutations started to form on his face, the strange powers that came with them enabling him to communicate with her across the distance. 

Strange…