#[Ebon Gate 2025] The Hole and the Hand

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kind current
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Making friends in Naidem isn't always easy. Believe me, I've tried! I guess we're all so busy making up for lost time, which is pretty silly considering time is one of the only things we have left.

One day, out in the woods behind my little hovel, I met someone new. This is a story about them, because they're not the kind of friend people like you are used to.

For being such a busy place, the Darkbriar Woods aren't so bad. That's where I live, out there. In the dark. It's kind of perfect! I skip along narrow paths and past dense briars with gnarled limbs that claw down toward me. I wave back, because that's the nice thing to do.

That's when I found the hole. A voice called to me like gently-breaking glass one day, from out in the undergrowth behind my hovel.

S… Siebarra.

The wind carried through me, displacing my form and scattering leaves along the narrow trail.

"H… hello?" I called out.

Focusing my energies, I solidified enough to follow the voice. I parted the low-hanging branches of a half-dead willow and pushed my way into the dense undergrowth, being careful to not break a colony of spiderwebs as I went.

H… here.

At my feet there was a small hole. Darkness spilled out from it, flowing like water from a small spring. And then I saw it: a pale blue, ethereal hand slowly emerging from the hole's deep darkness.

Dozens of spiders surrounded the hole in a semi-circle. The ethereal hand twisted upward, moving slowly. The spiders were transfixed, staying perfectly still. So was I.

C… closer.

The voice was everywhere and nowhere, forcing its way into my head where it rattled around unceasingly. As it did, the hand curled a single, ethereal finger, beckoning me closer.

A single, black spider with red bands stepped forward, its thin, spindly limbs carefully picking over leaf and rock. The hand lowered itself to the ground, palm-up, spilling wisps of darkness further as it did.

"W… wait," I said.

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The other spiders scattered, darting into the undergrowth and its crevices. I flinched and stepped backwards, but then I heard the voice again.

D… don't… go…

I watched the ethereal hand as it slowly withdrew towards its hole, taking the spider with it. The spider didn't appear afraid. And because it wasn't, I found my strength, too. After all, strange and wondrous curiosities often appear across Naidem.

I sat next to the hole. The darkness from it flowed like water against a shoreline, forever ebbing and receding. When I reached out for the darkness, it playfully moved away from me.

Then the hand reappeared, slowly rising from the hole. Atop the hand's open palm was a completely different spider. This one was bright teal and orange with a mirror-like sky blue splotch atop its abdomen, perched calmly and confidently, like nothing had happened.

N… new… f… friend…

I reached out for the hand, and as my spectral fingers brushed against its wavering form, a flood of images crashed through my mind.

I saw flashes of spiders of all different shapes and sizes crawling toward the hole, to the hand laying flat on the ground. Countless spiders, entire colonies. As the spiders reached the hand and scurried over it, the hand shivered, almost like it was giggling.

I saw other spirits like me gathered to watch. As the spiders crawled to the hand, to the hole, they vanished one at a time into the dark. And, after a moment, a new one would emerge, entirely different. The spirits cheered and the hand quivered, almost like it was pleased.

And then I heard it, a voice in my mind.

S… Siebarra. T… tell… about us. N… new friends. N… new s… spiders. P… please.

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I quickly pulled back, and as I did the ethereal hand withdrew into the hole, leaving the teal-orange spider before me. The images faded as the voice withdrew, leaving only the wind rushing through the Darkbriar Woods.

The teal-orange spider stared up at me. I leaned forward, watching it.

"Are you okay, little one?" I asked.

The spider was still. Slowly, other spiders emerged from the undergrowth and surrounded it, curiously examining their changed companion.

"Play nicely, friends!" I said with a giggle.

I stood and started to move away, but turned back to face the hole. The ethereal hand had poked a couple of probing, pale blue fingers out, watching me leave.

"Don't worry," I said. I waved to the hand. "I'm glad you're here with us! I'll come back and visit soon. And I'll bring friends!"

The hand twisted upward once more from the hole, curling its fingers toward me and trembling slightly, almost like it was excited.

S… Siebarra… f… friend…

I nodded eagerly and flashed a broad, toothly grin at the hand. "It's nice to meet you, too!" I said to my new friend. "And welcome to Naidem!"

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A small dark hole has been added to the Outer Rim of Graveyard Temporalis in Naidem! This small, happy tear in the space-time will happily accept Apothecary Spiders from players for sharing and safekeeping. Others are then able to remove one (1) spider every 30 seconds. In a rush, then simply add a spider of your own to the collection and feel free to take another immediately!

Amazing storywork done by Kaonashi, script by me.

Enjoy!

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young pewter
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Wow, this is fantastic. Thank you!

safe canyon
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💙

proper wraith
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This is amazing ❤️ ❤️

violet blaze
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Impressive turn around! Amazing!

eager bison
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That's wonderful, thank you!

tawdry swallow
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Brilliant

late crow
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That's awesome! Thank you so much!

olive furnace
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Standing ovation!

cedar atlas
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Don't fall in!

wispy nest
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Thank you so, so much ❤️

unreal sparrow
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Awesomesauce

echo kayak
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LOVE IT.

ocean sinew