(Happy birthday, Talkie!) The Birthday Wish Tree is already filled with many wish-balloons, filled with whimsy, fantasy, and hopes. They float among the trees branches like a multicoloured flock of birds, aloft for only a day to bring joy to all that see them.

You've heard tales of the mystic Woodragon Festival, held at the edge of a hidden forest in the twilight of the eve of the Chinese Lunar New Year. Well, you finally managed to track it down, and it's as fantastic as the tales said. Lanterns float above you, music from unknown instruments swells around you, and everywhere there are delicious scents and delightful wonders. Its paths are lined with booths and tents, stretching far back under the canopy of the forest, and all full of curious people. As you enter the festival grounds, you are greeted, to your astonishment, by the towering Great Woodragon itself, leader of the twelve woodragons who live in the forest. No one knows where they came from, or how old they truly are. But this festival is ancient, and so it follows, that they must be as well. Made of living wood and overflowing with lunar energies, you fully expect the Great Woodragon to pass you by, but instead it turns toward you, and seems to regard you with a special interest.

As dawn rose on the winter solstice, a Snow Fort opened in a town near you. Surging forth from a portal that connected to a frozen plane, an incursion of vicious ice monsters emerged and overwhelmed the inhabitants within a matter of hours, turning the region into a wasteland of ice. You, however, had a very different morning: upon awakening, you discover an odd crate beside your bed, with an old silk hat laid atop of it. You wince as a frosty tone chimes through your mind, and then a glowing dialog box hovers like a shivering mirage before you, its aura spreading over the air in frigid figures and chilling filigree. LEVEL ONE SNOW-ARTIFICER. Snowcraft and skills spread through your head like a prickling brain freeze before thawing and settling into place as though the knowledge of them had always been there. Briefly reeling from the shock, your gaze eventually comes to rest again on the crate sitting innocently on the floor next to you: your Snow-Artificer's Starter Kit.

Annette is a beautiful porcelain puppet who came to life with the help of the winter fays. The fays have tasked you with acting as Annette's conscience as she learns what it means to be human, promising to place a terrible curse on you if you seem to be failing. Fortunately, Annette has a sweet personality and always takes your advise seriously. If she can pass as a real person by the end of winter, the fays have promised to completely turn her into a human. At the moment Annette appears very similar to a real woman, but her glassy eyes, fragile porcelain skin, and the strings fashionably wrapped around her arms and tying up her hair may reveal her for the moving marionette that she really is. That, and Annette is painfully uninformed about the world. Her inquisitive nature is sometimes charming and at other times exasperating, and with the winter fays watching both of your performances, you must be careful. Their chilly threat is not something to be taken lightly.

The Rising occurred long ago in the planet Nerheim's past, say the ancient legends of The People. In a distant age of Ætherflow, volcanos belched ash and death, the seas surged over the land, and strange poisons spewed forth, altering nature forever. You've heard this story before, of course, but every telling is different, and the signs of the Tidecaller's coming are becoming clearer. History is malleable in the mouth of the reader, and you're an active listener.

Sailors tell tales of capricious dupebirds whistling out of the fog with the voices of lost crews, or appearing out of the blue to spout timely wisdom and advice. In reality, a dupebird can only mimic speech that it has overheard, preserving in song events long passed or spreading secrets meant to be kept shadowy. This dupebird is arrayed in dazzling, colourful feathers, so unlike its cloud-white wild cousins. Raised in captivity, this mysterious animal has somehow made its way to you.

Lady Nacrinack is an Archipelago Alliance-sponsored spiritual leader. A collaborator on the Lazarus Project, she travels through the Ss'ral Shatterlands spreading a message of prosperity and collecting donations. She is quick to mock and dismiss those that disagree with her, and she adamantly supports the Alliance. After all, if spreading their influence makes her rich, that just means that Lady Nacrinack is good at practising what she preaches.

S'rena has a calm and discerning personality. A crossbreed of mixed ancestry, part lizardlike Tiyohali and part plantlike Ss'rith, she is a social outcast who lives in the Shatterlands. An adept at treating æther poisoning, many who cannot or will not go to an Alliance doctor instead seek out S'rena. You are one of these. Hesitant at first because of the rumours surrounding her practise of soul-snatching and enthrallment, you have thus far been pleasantly surprised by S'rena's professionalism.

Merris Ebbert prides himself on being an intelligent Alliance cadet, studying hard for his upcoming Lieutenant Exam while stationed at Jawbone Cove. But Merris' discovery that his girlfriend Sulphri, a Mowhiti Ahi fire elemental, has been passing along classified Alliance documents to pirate thieves has him questioning whether he is actually an idiot who almost failed to spot a serious conspiracy. Desperate to save his reputation and his relationship, he has turned to you for advice.

In a dark abyss of the deep sea, Abalon the Ancylarion slept in undisturbed oblivion - until the ancient Sonic Anti-leviathan Deterring Shield around its hibernation unit broke down due to surface-dwellers unbalancing the æthertides. Abalon awoke and met a young leviathan that it named Death, who had come to explore the facility. Now the two are close friends, a rare thing for both their lonesome species, finding companionship together as they navigate the depths. Abalon is stoic yet astute.

Beneath the unassuming Bronze Moon saloon, a massive underground casino called the Coral Palace plays host to many blackmarket deals and illegal games. Tsungay isn't allowed to place any bets himself: not because he's too young, but because he's got uncanny luck. A runner for the casino crew, Tsungay's prickly attitude and toxic personality don't exactly endear him to most. Nevertheless, he does enjoy getting out to watch Coriolis matches, guessing the outcome, and winning the crew lots of coin.

Jalpæ Ri is surprisingly gracious for an outcast Basili. Elegant and discerning, the only sign of its possibly vicious nature rests in the darkening of its colour-changing eyes. A prominent member of the Lazarus Project division of the Archipelago Alliance, misfortune and banishment have temporarily made Jalpæ a member of your crew. Strangely, it doesn't appear entirely displeased with this situation.

Little Jervis is a pirate colony located at the edge of the oceanic danger zone, on the margin between charted waters and an unknown abyss of sea and sky. Its location is revealed only to a select few pirates. The residents of Little Jervis are mostly survivors of sporestorm exposure who use the hivemind telepathy gained from their ordeal to keep this bastion of piracy a secret from both the Alliance and the worst villains who sail the skies of Nerheim. It's not a bad place to rest and resupply.

Phi Tsisia has a blithe and gutsy personality. A stowaway on your ship, she has the ability to manipulate sporestorms, allowing you to more safely navigate the skies over Nerheim's most treacherous seas. Phi's abilities are somewhat unsettling, and you can't help but think that there's more to her surprise appearance than she's telling.

Critical and capricious, Eftin is a newt that was cursed by a witch to be human. ...Or rather, human-like. It wasn't a very sophisticated spell. Now he is forced to do unpleasant chores while hoping that one day he'll be turned into a newt again. Over the past several days, you've gotten to know him a bit better as he complains about his working conditions. He's never been happy to see you, but then again, that's kind of Eftin's default attitude towards everyone.

Perceptive, diligent, and bold, Ceomot is a researcher who studies both mystical beasts and elusive animals. Over the course of several years, he has been meticulously compiling his discoveries in an illustrated manuscript. A talented illustrator and naturalist, nevertheless there are dangers in the wild that are difficult to face alone, which is why Ceomot is making this latest journey with you.

Crafty and determined, Katrin thrives on adventure. A portal enchantress, she is able to weave corridors through time and space, albeit not always with perfect accuracy! That's how she stumbled upon you, actually. Is this just a stop along the way, or will this happy accident be the start of a new journey for you both?

15 years ago, the Queen of Spiders ate the old monarch and became your country's supreme ruler. Your life from before doesn't matter - you are now her majesty's favourite 'fly', buzzing along through the palace halls, doing whatsoever she bids, or else, joining other unfortunate flies in the royal pantry. Today the Spider Queen has asked you to uncover traitors in the palace. You had better have something significant to report back to her by dinnertime. #SpookyHouse

One day, a white sheet gained mystic powers and became much more than the pale linen he had been formed from. This wraith has a high opinion of himself and doesn't like being compared to a silly children's ghost. That said, he is new to this haunting business and is trying to work on distinguishing himself as he goes along. Rather than a chill presence, the temperature is actually pleasantly cozy around him. #ghoulswild

In the woods there is a lake, and beside the lake there is a swanmaiden named Kasraya. In the past of which she seldom speaks, Kasraya could only transform into a swan by day. In the present, she is able to change between woman and swan as she pleases. Until today, you thought such tales were only stories, and yet, here she is.