you're going to be amazing

BACKGROUND.

The Director, still recuperating from the massive amount of energy it took to bring 50 people to the Bureau of Balance, has watched her Reclaimers undergo the Test of Initiation. Through hovering VR portalvision, she's sat at the edge of her throne chair, terrified and worried over every single encounter that you've gone through within the trial. There were so many times where she's considered ending the enchantment on the Arena to call everything off, to ensure the safety of the people that she's brought here. She audibly gasps when someone destroys a monster created from a participant's mind. Felt her eyes water up when images of peoples' pasts were brought front and center. Alone, she sat on her chair and worried in private. The Bureau needs a strong leader, and thus, no one can see her trepidation or immense relief as couples continue to resist the calling of the relics that demanded them to be used. And alone, she celebrated the bravery and mettle of 50 truly extraordinary people. It provides her comfort to know that what little she could do to pull them out of their doomed worlds... was the right choice. As her Reclaimers grow stronger, so does she.

As the days roll by, many of you have acclimated to your new environment within the Moon Base. Some of you have made use of the Dojo, written your initials into the high scores of arcade games, enrolled into classes at the Academy, reunited with people from your past in a bittersweet realization and moment of grief for those among your number who couldn't make it, and begun to form new relationships that you might not have expected. You've settled into a room with your new flatmate, had the doors locked in until you could make each other laugh- the Director's design on that one, of course, and found ways to make an otherwise colorless para-military headquarters bright and vibrant just by your presence. Although she, and Davenport, could have used a little less panic and mayhem at the behest of the campus robot chef, it's been a labor of love to have to shut down the requests for ramen, apple juice, and curry. Bender exists to bring a little bit of home to you, and if you've gotten a taste of something nostalgic and comforting, she feels as if the programming mishaps were hiccups that are justifiably okay. She doesn't even mind walking out in the early hours of the day to place a Bureau logo'd mug (courtesy of Garfield, of course) under the fountain's waterfall to grab a good cup of joe.

And on the morning of the 28th day, in the middle of her ritualistic sacrifice of Faerunian coffee beans, she breathes in the aroma granted by its sweetly bitter notes, and looks up at the world below. She blinks in disbelief.

"Quite festive for Candlenights. Every year, I swear it starts earlier and earlier."

Roll out the bubble lights, prepare the garland, and get ready for tinsel town. Roughly 2,000 miles away from the tallest dome within the Moon Base, the crown of a giant evergreen threatens to impale Faerun's second moon, the site of a small organization that stands on the precipice of a multi-universal destruction. And oh, holy night - that is one giant Candlenights tree.

A. A DECENT DESCENT

We weren't kidding when we said that the evergreen was huge. Its length is impossibly tall, a feat that shouldn't be possible even with the best Druidic magic available. Several of its largest limbs span the length of miles before teetering off to points that resemble cliffs overlooking the dangerous fall below. Because of the nature and the location of the tree, it's rather difficult to get a good estimate of where someone will land when shot out of the cannon and into their first field mission. There are, of course, a few different ways to tackle this sappy treat.

○ Jump. Probably the most dangerous option, but it's surprisingly feasible to launch yourself from the glass orb cannons straight into orbit. Unless your character can withstand very, very cold temperatures and no oxygen, you'll need to use one of the suits provided, free of charge, within the Hangar Bay. There's a risk involved with this method, as it might be difficult to grab onto one of the branches as you begin to leave the gravitational pull of the moon and come into contact with the Candlenights tree- large enough that it has its own magnetic and stabilizing force to secure you into the clutches of its arms. From here, it'll take about a day and a half of travel downwards by foot in order to enter any sort of atmospheric conditions.

Of course, you can also attempt jump down to a lower branch. Don't get crushed, that wouldn't be good form.

Either way, with enough time and travel downward, you'll start to notice that there's breathable oxygen emitting from the tree's biological processes. You won't need your suit after the first day of travel (or the first hour, depending on how you look at it), but that's just about when you start noticing a sprawling creep of spider cobwebs that extend in every direction for miles at a time.

○ Fire away. The cannon, unfortunately, doesn't work with extreme levels of precision. Each pod will accommodate 4 people comfortably, and the engineers in the hangar bay will not allow a 5th due to "safety concerns." Which really brings into question their priorities, because let's face it, how safe can it possibly be to endure getting shot out of a cannon in a (questionably) durable glass sphere? You and up to three others can be shot out of the cannon, directed at the tree itself. There's an emergency latch to pull if things get a little too dangerous or a quick brake needs to be pulled on the downward velocity, which will employ a large glass hook that you can pilot to land on one of the more medium sized branches. Congratulations, you've officially become a Candlenights ornament.

If the aim is to get somewhere around the middle area of the tree, you'll be among the first to encounter the town of New Aspen (described in detail below).

○ Hit the ground rolling. You could always take a bottom-up approach and direct the cannon to be fired down to ground level. As before, up to 4 people can fit in one glass cannonball, and the ride down is rather pleasant without the terrifying sense of falling or floating into empty space, or crashing into a giant tree limb. When you make your way to ground level, you'll notice something is very, very much amiss here. At the foot of the tree, which spans a diameter that would take quite a while to cross, you notice that wherever this is... was once a town. In the wake of the tree's growth, the area around its trunk is littered with houses that have been absolutely decimated in the wake of its massive expansion. On the very outskirts of the city limits, you notice that wherever you are, there's a lot of water surrounding in at least 3 different cardinal directions. There are some houses that haven't been completely destroyed, however, and they form a roughly protective circle around the base. Almost like this entire town was built around this tree, which was one in the center's square.

Try to investigate the houses (or steal from them, we're not your conscience), and you'll notice that there's nobody around. It seems as if everyone has vanished, yet several homes look well-lived in. You look up at the massive canopy of needles above, and you guess that the only way from here is up. And it's definitely harder to climb than it is to go down.

B. DESIGN

Whoever, or whatever, created this spacescraper of a tree had decorated it prior to its enlargement. Although it bears resemblance to a typical Douglas fir, its razor sharp pine needles can range from the size of an adult human, to the height of an entire house. Dotting the outskirts of the tree are tremendously large ornamental balls that bear handcrafted designs on them, and when the sun is hitting it at the right angle, it can nearly blind you due to its reflective properties. On the extremities of many branches exist towering candles, eternally lit and unperturbed by any rough or harsh winds. There are houses, dangling from giant steel hooks, all of which are large enough to enter, but usually contain nothing.

Weird tendrils of metallic tinsel have become swinging vines, allowing anyone looking to travel between branches a much quicker form of movement than tackling it by foot. An inspection of the bark or the general health of the tree will prove that it's in good health; it's never been severed and there are no major signs of plant death at all throughout the needles, the limbs, or the hulking base of the tree.

For those of you who decided to ascend the tree from the ground up, you'll already know that it's firmly rooted into the ground. A first inspection gives you the idea that someone has used magic to turn an otherwise cute and heartwarming tree into a monstrosity that threatens to literally touch the artificial surface of the moon. In the wake of its growth, its roots are enormous entities in their own right, and looking from this angle gives an eerie sense of awe and wonder, however- it does stir something within you, making you feel somewhat uneasy.

The tree itself has gained new lifeforms to protect it, as described below in the monster manual provided. Various denizens have made a home here, and some are willing to work with you, while others will attempt to attack you all along the way. The goal of this field mission is to investigate what happened, determine if a Grand Relic was used to enact the tree's growth, and figure out who the major players are. Where have the townspeople of Aspen gone? It's an almost barren, lonely trip upwards or downwards, until you eventually reach something that truly should not exist: a castle.

And on the archway leading into that castle, it's very plain to see the words "NEW ASPEN" painted right onto it.

C. ORNAMENTS
Scattered throughout the tree are miniature replicas of houses that were modeled after the town of Aspen. Some are very ornate, indicating a lot of love and attention had been made in their creation, and others are more childlike in nature, boasting felt gingerbread houses and poorly placed doors or windows. Carefully climbing down one of the hooks or ropes that connect them to the tree, none of them are locked. One of the largest ornaments in the bunch, with several repeat appearances throughout the tree, is one shaped and fashioned in the style of a general store. Cats have congregated and created residence in many of the houses you can explore, but for whatever reason, the general store ones are usually teeming with them. They're all incredibly friendly towards people, and will often entice you to stay with their sheer numbers by sidling up to you and attempting to keep you warm. The added benefit of these houses is that the shadow vultures are particularly terrified of cats (see the monster section below). They never seem to hover near or attempt to attack any of the ornaments, but it's not very apparent as to why that is.

Outside of house-shaped ornaments are also candy canes. You'll need some mining equipment to break off chunks of them, but they're incredibly sweet and can provide a decent sugar rush when licked or consumed. Anyone who manages to break off rocks of peppermint with often find themselves followed by small bush-like creatures, friendly, who are quite interested in getting a taste of what you've got. NOTE: The people of New Aspen will accept candy cane chunks as currency, though it's unclear what they use it for.

Lastly, there are also a number of snow globe spheres that dot the exterior of the tree. Be especially careful around these, as they emit a very strange and powerful magic aura. More on these to come in the log.

D. THE MOTHERLY MATRON

Roughly 1/4 of the way down from the top of the tree, there's an area that's nearly completely covered in webs. Some of the larger ornamental pieces look to be almost obscured in the wake of a thick silk, and every single footstep against the interwoven thread causes a vibration outward that audibly hums a low sounding note, resonating harshly on your ears. Different steps denote different sounds, and it's almost an eerie accompaniment as you continue to explore the source of the obfuscation that seems to wrap itself around the entirety of the great tree. It is here that you'll encounter hundreds of spiders in varying shapes and forms, all turning to study you, ready to strike at one false move, but something seems to be holding them at bay for the time being.

A trail, leading into a hollow, buried deep into the wood casing of the tree opens and gives way to a particularly chilling scene. From the walls dangle more of the same webbing in every direction, containing husks of something inside them undergoing various stages of digestion. A closer look at some of the less completely spun ones reveal that these are almost exclusively shadow vultures that had flown into the tree and become stuck to the spiders' trap.

At the center stands a woman, or a spider, or somewhere in between, and her four arms fold all at once, forming two sets of held hands. This is the Motherly Matron, Queen of the Spiders. And she's going to take some convincing to let you leave here alive.

A. LOOK & FEEL

The city of New Aspen was created through the work of incredibly fine artistry. Like all the other adornments around the great tree, the castle town had once started out as a decoration and had its entire volume expanded several thousand-fold. The gates are perpetually left open, and it's almost as if they were never initially engineered with a way to shut them. Out of all the buildings that are scattered around the tree, New Aspen seems to be the most technologically advanced, and shares only an attention to detail paralleled by one other house in the area (which is, in direct comparison, a cabin outside the city limits that proves to be one of the least technologically advanced settlements there). The streets are painted with gold, and closer inspection of the rooftops may exhibit some very minor signs of imperfections in the quality of the its coloring. You can almost make out brush stroke patterns that were never fixed, like some of the city was completed without being completely ready to be blasted to human-sized height.

The entirety of New Aspen fits within a grid system containing exactly 4 streets. Running up and down New Aspen are Candy Lane and Gingerbread Street. Spanning left and right, Cocoa Avenue and Milk & Cookies Boulevard (colloquially named MCB by the natives of New Aspen). In the middle of the city is a town square with a tree that's propped in the middle, representing a microcosm of the world just outside the gates. It's strictly decorative in nature, as it's composed of a cardboard like material, and over the course of the last few weeks, natives have tried to dress the smaller tree with new ornaments that look strangely similar to the homes within the walls of the city.

B. NATIVES

In general, the natives of New Aspen are rather wary of the Reclaimers who enter town. They warm up to the new adventurers slightly if they can prove themselves to work in the town's best interest. At first arrival, many of the men and women will shield their children from you, and refuse to offer many details about the state of the castle or who they can talk to in order to get a better understanding of what's going on around this place. They're not hostile, however, and if they see you're particularly wounded or in need of food, they will direct you over to Gnome, MD, the town's most accomplished healer, or the local tavern.

Successful attempts to glean useful information will provide a similar story. Their town owes everything to their Mayor, one Henrik Hollyweather, who is doing his best to protect the townspeople from some sort of great threat to their livelihood. What that threat is seems to change from person to person depending on who you ask, but it should be easy to ascertain that they're not completely sure of what Henrik was trying to do. They believe in him, though, as he's done an amazing job leading the people over the last few decades. Additional information may be gathered with some (potentially morally grey) work.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this city that stands out beyond normal comprehension is the employment and usage of cats that wander the four main streets in patrol. Now, it's not unusual to see felines roaming around the major cities of Faerun, but these are certainly a specialized case. Unlike the cats who reside in the ornament villas scattered around the great tree, these have been enlarged to bear-like sizes. Most are fitted in armor of some sort that protects their backs from assault. Ironically, the cats are more friendly than some of the villagers, and a few of them can even speak in common. Do note, however, that they tend to be somewhat fickle in their dealings with humans. It isn't incredibly uncommon to see one attacking the makeshift tree in the middle of town or punching at a banner hanging down from a shop window. Cats will be cats, after all.

C. ZAGART'S GUIDE TO FINE DINING AND CANDLENIGHTLIFE

Although the people of New Aspen are wary of the visiting Reclaimers, they're more than happy to accept any chunks of candy cane that you're able to pick off the ornaments outside of town. If it's a bed or a meal you're looking for, the Fraser Fir Tavern and Inn is the place to go for both. That being said, New Aspen does not usually have such a large influx of visitors, so the beds, while soft and warm, are in short supply and a bit dusty. You can expect to be making use of your bedroll, or maybe even a charitable family, if you manage to befriend one, more often than not. But hey, at least there are plenty of cats wandering around to cuddle.

Several small eateries dot MCB, serving a variety of dishes — as expected, a lot of them have that familiar peppermint flavor of the candy canes, but if you're willing to shell out a few more chunks of a restaurant's main choice in flavoring, you can order yourself fresh fruit or vegetables to take along with you on your next adventure. There's a small (well, large) problem, though — every fruit and vegetable that you're served is weirdly ... way too big. Think along the lines of an apple the size of your head, or a banana that's more like a sword. Inquire further, and the waiter will simply react with confusion: What are you talking about, traveler? Fruits and vegetables have always been this size.

There are also a variety of shops that can be found along the MCB, offering things like plain or warmer clothing, toys carved out bits cut out of the tree's trunk, paintbrushes made from pine needles, etc. These little stores will also hold wood carving and art classes for the Reclaimer who's curious, and who has the candy cane.

The general store is where you'll find, in addition to so many cats, things like mining tools and simple weapons, such as daggers. The citizens rely heavily on the cats to protect them from shadowy intruders, and thus, the selection of weaponry is pretty slim.

Lastly, not far from the tree in the middle of town is a Hunt Board. It lists some general information about a terrifying creature that's been attacking residents of New Aspen in the middle of the night when they're outside the town's borders. The reward looks promising.

A. FIXED NPC'S

Henrik Hollyweather. The current mayor of New Aspen. Paranoid and protective of his town, he's seen a vision of something, but isn't keen to talk about it to outsiders. He naturally distrusts the adventurers who are not from Aspen and closes down the town hall once the first Reclaimer reaches the city gates. The people of New Aspen love him dearly, and will talk at great lengths about how compassionate and wise he's been in seeing their town grow over the last 4 decades. Ask around town, and you'll find out that he's run unopposed ever since he took office in 1470, after organizing a citizen militia to drive out a cult of shadow worshipers that were cursing their farmlands.

Matthew Hollyweather. The mayor's son. Not much is known about him other than he typically had kept out of the eye of the political landscape for the majority of his adult life, preferring to spend time, instead, at a cabin just outside Aspen's city limits. He's kept this tradition in place, even as New Aspen began to grow. He currently resides in one of the ornaments about half a day's walk from the city gates. A skilled craftsman, his abode is almost perfectly designed down to the very last detail, including the furniture and a working chimney that he keeps a fire going at all times. Matthew resides with his cat, Sil, whom he loves very much. As such, the shadow vultures seem to completely ignore this house as well.

Bread, Leader of the Watch. Like many of the other protectors of New Aspen, Bread is an oversized cat — particularly, he's of the orange tabby domestic shorthair variety, with a few patches of white fur around his front. He is way too goddamned energetic, wary of strangers but easily won over with food, and extremely attached to Mayor Hollyweather. In other words, the title of Leader of the Watch is more of a novelty title: although it's true that Bread is one of the best at driving away the shadow vultures around, not even a fellow giant cat is truly capable of herding other cats, so he is generally seen as a friendly, familiar fuzzy face. If you're into sleeping entirely through the night, he has a solution for that, too: he maintains a strict, loud yodeling schedule that includes many sessions in the dead of night.

Motherly Matron. The matriarch and mother of spiders, she only cares for her children and their well being. Hesitant and yet extremely demanding, she strikes a rather intimidating presence to anyone who steps into her parlor for parlay. Her motivations for inhabiting the tree are currently unknown, as is how she became who, or rather, what she is. The townsfolk are relatively superstitious people, who will tell you that she's "bad luck, don't cross her path," and will often tell tall tales of people going missing in the middle of the night, or devoured by the "8 legged ones". A logical guess as to how her army grew from a small colony of spiders to an entire horde would suggest that they might have always been on the tree, but the magic that has made it grow to supernatural sizes has affected the arachnid kind as well.

B. PILOTABLE NPC'S

Gnome, MD. A rather jolly looking fellow with a soothing voice and much gentler disposition than the Dr. Tank guy who handles the hospital on the Moon Base. He manages a small clinic that just barely dangles above the branching walkway leading to it, but the building is heavy enough that it doesn't sway — too much. He and his wife Lisa will be taking care of you should you find yourself ill or injured.

Dr. Gnome is very fond of foxes, and keeps a sizable collection of fox statues and memorabilia. He's also a walking encyclopedia on the different flora and fauna you can find around the tree.

PLEASE NOTE: Dr. Gnome is capable of handling a wide variety of injuries, but he is not capable of using bracer functions to revive dead Bureau members. If you are killed at any point during this mission, a higher ranking member of the Bureau will be sent down to revive you — and don't forget, there is a penalty for death that's up to your discretion! Check the IC mechanics section of the FAQ for more information.

Erneldo Shackleton. Erneldo is a half-elf Ranger who travels along the great branches of the tree, marking pathways that are particularly safe for travel, and warning travelers to the dangers of loose branches and avoiding the areas overrun with cobwebs. He has a particular distaste for living within the city gates, as it's "too fussy and filled with people" and frequently moves from house to house to make camp for the night. With a little bit of good fortune, an adventurer caught in the fray of battle might receive a little help from Erneldo or his woodland companion, a fully decked out Maine Coon in armor. The cat is a particularly vicious hunter, and can easily decimate a shadow vulture with relative ease.

C. YOLO'S GUIDE TO MONSTERS

Violet Fungus. Dotted along the behemoth branches of the tree are patches of fungus that coexist in a parasitic relationship with its host. For the most part, these fungi are nothing more than landmarks that dot the environment, encumbering adventurers that are climbing or otherwise making their way up and around towards New Aspen. Some of them even make excellent footholds for those scaling up or down the edifice. Careful, though, as many of the fungi have poisonous spores that can put people to sleep for up to 2 hours, or make them begin to see hallucinations that aren't there. The most lethal of these shrooms, however, is the violet fungus. It remains indiscernible from other purple colored flora of similar architecture, until touched or otherwise bothered into springing to life. When danger has arisen, it will strike back, using its fetid tendrils that were previously latched into the ground like roots. Each attack can hit up to four times, depending on how many of the roots become exposed, but getting hit with one will cause necrotic streaks of a sickly lavender to appear on bare skin that stings for about 2-3 days. Additionally, it carries with it spores similar to its relatives, with the ability to make someone fall asleep or see things that aren't there. Tread carefully, as even though branches are wide and can support tremendous amounts of weight, fall damage from anywhere on the tree can be lethal.

Awakened Shrub. Similar to the violet fungus, which can hide its appearance from other indistinguishable mushrooms, the awakened shrub can pass itself off as any other regular plant growth on the giant tree. These shrubs are generally harmless and some of them can understand common in order to react to conversations you have with them, although they cannot speak. The biggest danger they pose to travelers is their camouflaging capability, as someone trying to grab onto a branch might awaken the shrub's sentience and cause it to panic, throwing whoever has grabbed onto it off in a fit of self defense. Attacks by these shrubs are of a bludgeoning nature, but rarely are they capable of causing much damage. Reclaimers who are especially sympathetic to them who try to approach by feeding the shrubs with peppermint dust or water (where is its mouth? you don't want to know) might even find a companion to follow them and keep them company throughout their travels along the tree. Extermination, for those who find these particularly annoying, is most efficient by any type of fire, force, or slashing damage. That is, if your conscience allows it.

Shambling Mound. Unlike the awakened shrubs that line the great tree's exterior, large hulks of shrubbery should generally be avoided, in case they're the far more aggressive and less amicable creature known as shambling mounds. Whereas the awakened shrubs are perfectly happy to eat candy and live off of nourishing water, the shambling mound applies a much more "FEED ME, SEYMOUR!" approach to its typical diet. Even worse, the typical shambling mound is sentient enough to know of its more friendly relative and will often try to pass itself off as one, despite the incredibly obvious size and composition differences. Alluring adventurers closer to build companionship and trust, the shambling mound will use the situation to its advantage to quickly ensnare its meal with dozens of vines that aim to draw the unsuspecting victim into its confines. Those who are unfortunately pulled in will feel their entire body constricted until they eventually pass out and are consumed by the monster. Extermination, for those attempting to rescue a fellow Bureau ally, will find that fire doesn't quite work as well as it should, and lightning actually heals it. Be especially careful with piercing weapons if someone has been caught within its grapple, as often time the mound will occlude vision from its target with its overgrowth, making whoever is caught within it extremely susceptible to attacks.

Giant Spider. The spiders that creep and hide within the branches of the great tree are cautious creatures, granted some level of sentience by the influence of their Motherly Matron. Smaller, less terrifying appearing swarms will often move in groups up along the webbing that twists and turns around bark and stretches between entire branches. Those who are especially apt to study the netting will discover that it's completely contiguous, all the way up and down for hundreds of miles. Following the trail to the hallow somewhere near the top of the tree will allow the Reclaimers to enter the the Motherly Matron's abode. See the above section under "A Decent Descent" for more information. Until a traveler has attempted to speak with and appease the spider queen, spiders will act hostile only when threatened by an outsider who attempts to break or otherwise harm the weave that connects their tribe. Of particular note are giant spiders, found in much rarer conditions than their smaller companions that spend their lives expanding and tending to the trail. These hulking monsters are particularly good at slowing their enemies down with silk, and their fangs are quite poisonous. The oldest and largest of their kind can often speak common, just like their ruler. Speech is accented with a strong emphasis on "s" sounds when they speak. Once allegiances have been formed with the Motherly Matron, however, they will instinctively be aware of it, like a scent that exists on you. Communication, then, becomes much more cordial.

Shadow Vultures. These creatures are quite possibly the most annoying to deal with while adventuring outside of town. Their sharp beaks are excellent at piercing, and their cries often alert other nearby vultures to join them in swarm. The most logical thing to do would be to kill them before they can invite friends over for... dinner... but, unfortunately, there's a catch. If the creature can sense you or see you actively trying to attack, it can simply vanish into thin air, leaving behind a trail of black feathers in its wake, and reappear at a different location. More times than not, that different location is most likely right behind you. This innate ability can be used at will and frequently, up until it becomes increasingly fatigued, noted only by the volume of feathers dwindling in halves every time it shadow steps. Nonetheless, their beaks are quite dangerous and can easily dent or often break through non-magical armor. When traveling, it's always a good idea to keep an eye out for the little houses that decorate the Candlenights tree, as entrance into them provide a safe haven of sorts that do not allow the shadow vultures entry.

D. HUNT MARK: KIPINE

DANGER. DO NOT ENGAGE Believed to be a magical mutation of the owlbear, the kipine prefers aerial combat above trees. Cloaked in a thick, feathery hide, its arms have evolved into large, flexible wings and its hind legs taper off into a pair of razor sharp talons. Its face is masked by a bony natural material, covering behind it a pair of eyes that resemble two moons. Adorned on the crown of its head are two enormous antlers that it uses to gouge and grapple its opponents into restraint as it uses his claws to disembowel prey. Although this monster should be approached with extreme caution, adventurers traveling at night are particularly at risk of being overwhelmed, as its darkvision has the capability to pierce magical darkness and allows the kipine to see up to a mile in the distance.

As for temperament, kipines are typically solitary creatures that keep to themselves, watching silently and using its incredibly reflexes to quickly ambush anything it sees as a threat. In a similar fashion to its close relative, owlbears, the kipine shares the unbridled aggression and stubborn ferocity that makes this such a deadly hunt mark. Whereas owlbears will often be tamed into submission through offers of gold and trinkets that catch its eye, allowing humanoids to ride on its back, the kipine responds much less favorably to attempts to saddle it. Reclaimers wearing anything that might sparkle in the moonlight are easy pickings for the kipine, who is attracted to glint and will often attack unsuspecting travelers just to claim their goods to add it to its hoard.