The Palace hosted its parties and the rooms offered their food and their intrigue. For a moment it seemed the pulse of feral magic that flowed through Novus had calmed; as if the gods had stitched the seams so perfectly, so flawlessly, that it ceased to be a worry. It was as if Novians forgot that just a short while ago, the Terminus swallowed the Island whole in an act of wrath.

But Nature did not forget; when did she ever?

---

While the Portals that led to the Palace were found at the beach, nature and her wild magic burned through the fabric of time again. These new portals... they were dotted all over Novus - less grand, less imposing, more easily disguised in their surroundings... curiously, there seemed to be one in each of the main areas. 

The first Portal appeared here in Ruris, at the mouth of the Abigo Caves.
The second two days later in Delumine, nestled in the Viride Forest.

The third a day after in Solterra, carved into the walls of the Elatus Canyon.

The fourth four days later, in Terrastella, nearly hidden among Tinea's trees.

The fifth alongside the fourth, here in Denocte, burrowed into the Arma Mountains.

The wind always howled loudly outside of the Abigo's yawning mouth, that was no unknown fact. But for some reason, during this year's winter.. its howl seemed that much more intense and otherworldly.

Should one look, it was not that easy to miss the massive Portal that had opened near the main mouth of the Abigo Caves' tunnel system. The edges of this portal were etched into the sheer, solid rock and the warping center had an intense pull to it that would draw the Novians in if they were not careful. The magic and electricity sizzled in the air, making hair stand up on edge and charged with static. 

Looking into the Abigo Portal, it did not appear much different than if you were peering into the mouth of the caves themselves.... dark and hard to see much of anything, but the sense of foreboding and claustrophobia threatened to put its iron grip around your throat. 

What lay on the other side did not seem particularly... different or magical but rather just a strange, unknown land. The 'end' of the cave — what was really the Abigo Portal — opened up into what appeared to be a rainforest - muggy and humid with an overbearing, dense tropical heat.

There was no immediate harm that would come to you should you pass through the Abigo Portal to explore the damp tropical forest - but you may just come face to face with some distinctly non-equine-like beings.

But unlike the local fauna you may be used to encountering... these non-equines - Cervines, in fact - were very clearly sentient and able to speak the same language as you, their equine counterparts. Their initial hesitation around you and all other Novians is just the same as your hesitation around them.

Why are they here, and where did they come from?  — They could say the same about you.
How will you react and interact with them, if at all?  — They may or may not feel the same about you, too.
Are they here to stay? — These questions boggle them the same as they do you.

... — Maybe you're not so different.

This is an extension of The Portals board Year 506 Winter event. Seems multiple Portals have opened up - and not at the Terminus Shoreline, but rather within the continents themselves! There have been strange reports of odd, non-equine creatures passing through these portals, too...


YOU CAN EARN +2 EXP FOR PARTICIPATING
To redeem the EXP once you meet the criteria below: Go to the Experience Updates thread and post a redemption for "Participating in Seasonal Portal IC Event (506 Winter)." Link to the Portal thread/s you posted in and THIS Portal info thread.

• You can reply in this thread OR make your own exploring the Abigo portal - you must use the [Portal IC Event] prefix OR include [Portal] in your thread title!


• Your character will need (4) posts in a thread started during the timeframe of that season's event. Any post started during that timeframe and completed within (2) months of that start date can redeem the +2 EXP.


• Like other IC events, you can claim those (4) posts across multiple threads as long as they were all completed during the same (2) month period.


• As the Portals will change on the first day of each new season, all threads started after that date will not count towards the 506 Winter season's IC Event.