Cryptic Conservatory’s most prestigious collaborative writing event returned over on the dev Discord server: a corpse of such exquisitousness that none could be exquisiter. Stitched together line-by-line from authors bringing bits and pieces from far off lands:

1. Vasili, Megan, and Alex arrived at the foot of the mountain to discuss how they were going to pull this off.
2. In a normal mountain of this size, the air would grow thinner as you went up, but this mountain was mana-filled and thus unpredictable.
3. One moment, the landscape scrolled smoothly underfoot, as though gravity had flipped to the travelers’ favor; the next, pebbles skittered and shifted, and the winds roiled with the caprice of a fairie creature scorned.
4. “Hee hee!” something snickered in Megan’s ear.
5. Fae are already coming into existence? Megan thought in alarm, But the mountain is still young!
6. Vasili put a hand on Megan’s arm to calm her, for it was never good to rush into these things, and pulled out a mana-compass to take readings.
7. The needle spun erratically for several seconds before jarring to a stop between N and…Q?
8. Alex had been quiet this entire time before she sighed, “If it is fae, then we need to find out if they’re rules based or customs based; we’re fine if they’re customs based, but…”
9. “North…queast it is, then,” Vasili muttered as she trudged onward, ever-practical in the face of even the most flagrant impracticality.
10. The laughter was back, and the others could hear it now too, from both sides of the path, circling like leaves on the wind.
11. “Okay, look for literal signs guys,” Alex said, “If it says welcome guests, we’re fine as long as we don’t attack, but if it lists rules, we’ll have to be careful.”
12. “Be not afraid,” the words appeared on a cliffside, scrawled in shimmering pyrite, and Alex fought a shudder; it may have sounded like a welcome, but that wording… Alex knew a command when he read one.
13. Megan took a breath to steady herself; this is why she was along, she was an expert in this stuff, she just had to focus, remember what she studied… but being in the field was so different from her beautifully organized bookshelves!
14. Vasili turned to Megan and asked, “How much time will the gift buy us here?”
15. “I’m afr-” Megan cut herself off, noting Alex’s warning glare, “I’m concerned it won’t buy us more than a few minutes, but I suppose every second helps.”
16. “I know we had to pack thirteen plus three gifts – numbers which mattered for some reason,” Alex couldn’t help but roll their eyes, “but I can’t remember more than just a handful of them. And I can’t think of any that would be useful here.”
17. Something shifted in Vasili’s bag, so they took a quick inventory and found one of the sixteen baubles they’d packed – a simple glass marble – had vanished.
18. “Ah, looks like it’s not up to us to decide what to pay. Equivalent payment is… subtracted, without our interference.” Vasili informed the others.
19. Farther up and on they went until they stood in front of the icons, where Megan squealed in delight.
20. They were far more stunning than the textbook illustrations let on – hewn from vivid gemstones into fantastical figures, as monstrous as they were magnificent.
21. Thirteen of them stood in a wide half-circle, shimmering in the morning light.
22. Up in the violet sky, three stars shone—a red sun, an orange sun, and a blue sun.
23. And when the light of all three stars shone unobstructed upon the seventh icon, there was a mighty crack, and half the gems rained down, leaving an entirely new symbol displayed for all to see.
24. Sweeping amber spirals formed in the seventh symbol’s place, newly formed magics softly emanating a warm and welcoming glow.
25. “What does it mean?” Vasili asked nervously as he watched the dancing shadows around them.
26. Megan frantically thumbed through the pages of her notebook, scrambling for an answer.
27. “Perhaps this isn’t a time for searching, but a time for feeling.” Alex said, placing a hand on top of Megan’s, to stop the frantic flipping of pages.
28. Megan halted on a illustrated page that shone with gold, the new symbol splashed across both pages in great detail.
29. A few nudges with the toe of her boot, and the symbol on the ground matched that on the page.
30. With a groaning rumble, part of the cliffside rock face opened up, revealing a dark tunnel inside.
31. Vasili gaped in awe, Megan grinned in wonderment, but Alex- against his best efforts and the warnings of the unseen mountain residents-felt a sudden, reflexive, dagger-sharp jolt of fear.
32. Delicate strains of music could be heard from somewhere deep inside the tunnel, inspiring yearning feelings that overrode all else.
33. And carrying the music, like heavy seas beneath driftwood, was a hum so deep in timbre that it was known more wholly by the marrow than any ear.
34. The humming crescendoed, knocking rocky flecks from the tunnel’s maw and kicking up a haze of dust.
35. When the dust settled, a staircase leading deeper down into the darkness beckoned, and shimmering orange veins of garnet spelled out the words: “ENTER, TRAVELERS THREE.”

This delightful decagon came together for a day of storytelling synergy:

• Ally, lines 21 & 26
• Carrie Berg, line 6, 10, 13, 16, 18, 23, 27 & 32
• Daniel, line 33
• Drew, line 28
• Farid, lines 2, 5, 8, 11
• Lilla, lines 3, 7, 9, 12, 15, 17, 20, 29 & 31
• Paladin Maar, line 24
• Paxton, lines 1, 14, 19 & 25
• Robin Scott, line 34
• Sisi, lines 4, 22, 30 & 35