Mist Meadows is not entirely safe. Occasionally, a horse may find themselves lost, attacked, or otherwise ill-wished. In addition, Nature is not silent here. Great disasters sometimes befall this land. But bad luck comes with good as well, and many a stray foal has returned with abilities beyond explanation.
Disasters
May 26th - After weeks of a darkening sky, the storm has hit. It began as an ocean storm, rain and wind. The coming winter froze the rain into hail and snow, but whatever this is, it's enormous, and more clouds keep rolling in from the sea. Lightning is rare on land but common near the ocean, and horses are advised to seek shelter or risk being pelted to death by ice and wind. Because of the constantly-arriving rain, snow rarely builds up anywhere, but low areas are beginning to flood with freezing cold water, that turns to ice in the night.
May 18th - Storms are normal in autumn, but the darkness on the ocean horizon is more than just a storm, and several horses have begun whispering about the wisdom of even staying in MM when this one hits
January 12th - Fires start all around MM, mostly started by pyrokinetics and a few by lightning, and in the surrounding terras. Femme Forest is a pine deathtrap, the Glen is a bad place to be, the Lake is hard to get to and the nursery should be evacuated. The Cliffs of War, Bachelor Beach, The Fissure, The Graveyard, and to an extent the Swamp will be safe, the other areas will be burned but not deadly. Moonlight Valley, High Lonesome and Hidden Canyon will be impossible to get into or out of by the 15th. The Forest, part of Crystal Waters, The Dragon Empire, and The Penetentiary will be entirely in flames by that time; anyone still inside can be considered dead or very lucky. Tranquil Magick and La Force won't be touched at all, protected by their rivers, nor will Point Pleasant, protected by rock, and The Dead Forest, Hegira Heights and The Gorge will be relatively untouched, safe if scorched, and Wish Caverns may or may not be a good place to hide - if it fills with smoke, you'll be out of luck. All other terras will be scorched somewhat by the end of this, but livable, and horses who find themselves there when the fire comes have a decent chance of staying alive in lakes or rivers.
September 13th - As well as the light, strange things have begun to happen around the fissure. Smaller animals have been seen dropping dead, and so far the mystics have remained away from the seeming source. Though no one has seen it yet, a vein of strangely colored glass-rock has sprung a leak. It rests several hundred yards to the right of the spring, but the entrance to the twisting tunnel that leads to the problem begins just a few yards into the fissure. Though green, the liquid spilling down the side of the rock is strangely sweet...
June 13th - The lightning is moving closer. There have been reports of scattered fire in the trees of Pine Forest, the closer woods of Sunfire Valley, and some trees by The Glen have gone up in smoke.
June 6th - There are dry leaves scattered throughout Mist Meadows, and the grass is dying off for winter. Lighting storms have also been spotted beyond the plains...
July 11th - This previous winter was relatively warm for Mist Meadows, but in return the land was coated in thick layers of snow. Nature being the fickle thing she is, spring came abruptly and tempuratures soared. The snow melted in a rush, turning grass into muddy muck and sending cold, high waters throughout the water terras and the meadow's rivers. Though not a flood, every river in the land has become more dangerous, as fast-moving water combines with bone-chilling cold to make a nasty thing to fall into. As though this added danger were not enough, winter regained the upper hand soon after and while the water remained high, that snowmelt which had not yet reached a river but stayed on land was no longer the benign warm mud it had been, but cold and almost impossible to avoid. Horses, all of which still had long winter coats, found themselves drenched in cold. Unsurprisingly, pneumonia began in the chilled population. Young (between 4 and 7) horses fared best, almost none became seriously ill although most are less than well. The elderly (over 7) found themselves less able to fend off illness, and most came down with a mild case. It was foals who fared worst - the older ones, born before mid-autumn (pre-June 25th) were healthy and strong enough to mostly resist, though some of the weaker-born became ill. All younger were afflicted with severe pneumonia - weakness, coughing, dizziness, etc - and must be kept warm, fed well (difficult, since they mostly still drink milk) and as much as possible given rest.
March 11th - Though for horses, the recent snows are tolerable, other animals are worse off. Specifically the predators from the hills. Usually they remain far from the horse herds, but with the snow driving their smaller prey into hiding, the wolves and mountain lions are getting hungrier... Check the Wanted board...
January 26th The rain stopped. But the land was flooded. At first, the horses thought their troubles over - the bachelors were able to return, the grass regrew. But then, horses began falling ill and the water in much of the land turned sour. Only the two vast rivers remain pure, and even there it is only safe if one wades into deeper water, for the slow moving stuff by the shore is poisoned too. To all who have evacuated their terras - remain in either the Meadow, the Forest, or the Beach unless you want to die. The only surefire way to get the disease is to drink bad water, but some horses who were very hard hit are contagious as well and should be avoided. THIS MEANS that if you aren't on the lists below, stay in the Meadow or one of the two realms. DO NOT go to your terra, but DO post in the Meadow.
January 3rd The rains are slowing gradually, but the river terras are flooded. Some ground remains, but it will be at least the 5th day of summer before everything is entirely normal. Corte, Silence, Sparrow, Revolution, and Gazali are missing... it's feared the river got them. Try looking in the forest. But quick, lest a predator appear. Harma and her filly were caught in floodwaters, but are alright now, if bruised and tired. The Bachelor beach and path to its is washed out; most of the brutes should retreat to the caves now and it isn't clear when the path will re-open. James and Captain were not there, however, and can't get back until the path is no longer so dangerous.
December 29, Beginning The spring rains came, but never went. The ground is getting soggy and already low-lying herdlands are beginning to flood. Cascade Falls' waterfalls are picking up power, approach is not advised. Sunfire Valley is at risk, the river is flooding. Evacuation probably the best course. Crystal Waters is also in danger, the river there is rising. Hidden Canyon is not in such danger, but the meadow is rapidly becoming a marshland. A Land Island is the most dangerous, if the rains continue it will flood completely.
Misfortunes
General - Certain pine trees are acting up this summer and fall; their needles are much sharper than usual, and walking in to one is rather like walking into a cactus. Not fun
Blaze - Wandering around, you stepped in a rabbit burrow and twisted an ankle. Yes, horses do. It'll heal in a few days, but you can't move from one place much until then
Miracles
June 5: The storm has ended, and a mysterious visitor has appeared in the Glen
June 21: The lightning storms are gone, mysteriously vanished overnight, and there is an odd smell of burning coming from somewhere...
Yes, there is a new land. Somewhere. It might be several days before I post it on the main menu. In the meantime, try to find it. Escapees might have more luck than the contented... Keep checking back, I'll give a hint per day until I reveal it
September 2: A small avalanche struck high in the surrounding mountains one night. Those who investigate will find that the shifted mountainside is incredibly easy to cross - and beyond the rubble is an unexplored area of fertile land, big enough for perhaps five terras.
Fortunes
Colts in the Nursery - In what is doubtless a spill-over from the power in the fissure, you stumble (sometimes literally) upon perfectly circular globes of what look like glass, ranging in size from a hoof to a head. They bounce away when bumped, and float if one can get them in the air. Any colt who posted in the Nursery during the month of March can have found one or more of these. They're just playthings
Julius - Somehow manages to avoid illness. And what's more, he finds a sheltered pine grove in the hills, warm, and big enough for two full-grown horses or three foals.
Envy - You found a patch of still-green grass in Hidden Valley. It's large enough for about five horses to eat well for a week...
Imagination has been sighted with a coat color not her usual chestnut. It would appear she may have the ability to color-shift, and to some extent shapeshift. She has not been able to produce any non-natural colors, and her shapeshifting is limited to changing certain facial features - she is still a horse, but she can be any horse she chooses.