<div align="center">(https://i.imgur.com/zcWtZrr.jpg)<br/>(Art by Misha Kuznetsov (https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Winter-Sunset-in-the-Forest/669987/3310175/view))<br/><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 15pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><strong>Year One<br/>The Time of Long Sunsets</strong></span></span></div><br/><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 13pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><em>Agi's good fortune turns a wave or two away from the ship, but there is only so much good fortune to be had when things are this bad! Still, a wave or two breaking away from the ship is better than all of the waves breaking for it, and the luck does give the mortals some relief! <br/><br/>Rime finds it difficult to freeze the rapidly moving water quickly enough to seal anything shut, but with great effort she is able to plug a few holes. The mortals are stunned to see ice forming around the leaks, but are too frantic and busy to question it! It slows down the sinking of the ship a little, and every bit helps! <br/><br/>Aqua is indeed able to calm the clouds a bit. Clouds are Aqua's friends! They have a lot of rain to pour out, but they agree to do it not so angrily. The storm calms rather noticeably, prompting sighs and shouts of relief and gratitude, although not aimed at anything in particular, from the mortals! Aqua's attempt to open a path away from the island however does not seem to have any effect, the mortals still seem to view the island as their only possible destination!<br/><br/>A destination that Rin has made very clear with her lighting of one big beacon! Despite any efforts to make another path out look more promising, Rin's beacon shines brightly and the mortals point to it, shouting again with thanks and praise to whatever forces are helping them see the way and get them there safely! <br/><br/>Wish's winds blow and blow and the ship begins to turn, but the mortals now have a clear signal, a reduced storm, and lucky and icy help keeping their ship afloat. They quickly give up efforts to fix their sails as the winds have turned against them, but extend their oars and begin to row against the wind, harder and harder, desperate to make it to the island where the fiery beacon beckons them! <br/><br/>Cor is watchful for any mortal that is swept over, and for those who already have been, as he goes about gathering them up on little rocky islands and returning them to the ship! Many families are very grateful as he saves the lives of the mortals who have been swept overboard! <br/><br/>And then Bubble uses her gifts, moving the ocean itself in a big happy wave that gently coaxes the ship forward, rising it on a little swell to give it momentum and carry it through the heavy rain and wild winds. With the help of many spirits, hindered only by a few, the ship makes it through! <br/><br/>Exhausted mortals slump from the ship, again shouting thanks and praise to whoever or whatever it was helped them through the storm to the island! <br/><br/>Up on the mountain, you see Boiling Grumpus harrumph and grump some more before marching back down into the hole he came out from, back into the warm depths of the earth, still quite unhappy! <br/><br/>The Spirits have had quite an exciting night! But now it is time to retreat and think about what has happened!<br/><br/>Mortals have landed on the island! Their ship is in no condition to sail away again! It looks like they will be here for quite awhile! <br/><br/>As the happy spirits watch from distance they see the mortals are putting together makeshift shelters, rescuing what supplies they can from the shipwreck, and otherwise trying to set up on the island. In the next few days the area becomes a little campground. <br/><br/>This is the time of year when the nights are becoming much longer, and the days much shorter. The mortals have arrived at a bad time for a species that enjoys light and warmth! The snow has begun to fall again and in earnest! Soon it is blanketing the land in happy white snowflakes!<br/><br/>Many of the animal friends are hibernating, or bunkering down for the winter. But they have had all summer and spring, and the help of happy spirits to do so! What of these mortals? They do not seem as prepared. They look cold and unhealthy! <br/><br/>Still though, despite what the spirits try, they cannot be seen or heard by the mortals! <br/><br/></em></span></span><div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/kZLj8ng.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_size" style="font-size: 13pt;"><span class="bbc_font" style="font-family: georgia;"><em>Finally one night as the depth of winter approaches, you see that the mortals have lit a fire and are dancing around it! Normally they do not have the energy to dance! But today is different for some reason! As you see them dance a woman stands at the fire with her arms wide and to the sky, <strong>"Hear me spirits of this place!"</strong> She intones, <strong>"Please show yourself to us, we do not know if we have made you angry or if we can beseech your aid! We are strangers here! Please show yourselves so we may ask your blessings!"</strong><br/><br/>Show yourselves?!?! Is that all you had to do?!?<br/><br/>As spirits hear these words they realize that, with great concentration and focus they could indeed enter the world of the mortals and show themselves to these people! But is that the right thing to do? The smart thing to do? What you want to do?<br/><br/></em></span></span><br/><br/><hr/><br/>You must make a choice! Do you<strong>REVEAL</strong>yourself to the mortals, or do you<strong>STAY HIDDEN</strong>from them?<br/><br/>If you choose to REVEAL you must also choose the form you reveal yourself in! You will find that you can adopt a new form, one that is about the size of a mortal, and it may be in the shape of a two-legged mortal, a four-legged beast, a many-legged creature, or you may stay in the shape of your happy spirit form! If you reveal you will find that you can speak to them and introduce yourself, and it is encouraged that you do so in your reveal post!<br/><br/>You are of course free to speak amongst your happy selves, or talk to any of the animals of the island, or slip into the realm of the Spirit of Blossoms if you wish to speak to her (do so in this thread please!)<br/><br/>If for any reason anyone wants to speak to the Grumpus, you will find that only fire or earth spirits can withstand the heat and pressure inside the mountain to do so!<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Updated Map</div><div class="spoiler_body">(https://i.imgur.com/gtmgpAD.png)<br/></div></div>