Apollo and Artemis

"That is an odd question, my friend.  You were a pup once.  Do you not remember the old tales?"

Artemis glanced briefly towards her Lunarian counterpart, one ear twitching in mild irritation...or from the tickling sensation of the puffs of snow drifting down from the blue-gray sky.  Real white snow.  Cold, but also soft.  Beautiful in the light of early evening, with the glitter of warm firelight beyond.  Artemis' expression softened as she watched one puff drift in front of her nose to settle on the grass at her feet.

"Times changed," she replied.  "And so did the legends.  When I was a pup, Klaus was just a happy spirit that watched over you, and tattled on you to your parents if you misbehaved so you wouldn't get the good treats come the season.  After...after the Sundering...Solaria fighting too hard just to survive to find comfort in stories about a mischevious tattle-tale."

"But some sort of comfort was still needed, so your people changed their stories?"

"Over time, yes.  Pups needed something to believe in.  I suppose the harshness of winter didn't seem so scary to them if they could wake up one day in the midst of it and find that a jolly old soul had left them something to brighten their hearts."

Apollo smiled, and then let out a gentle snort to shake off a puff of snow trying to settle on the tip of his nose.  

"It is a tale I wish to hear.  Come, let us go to that gathering yonder and listen."

Artemis rolled her eyes, but she gave Apollo a smile in return as the two mighty guardians set off towards the warm firelight and the strings of merry music.  After a moment Artemis sniffed the air, and then her pace quickened despite herself.

"What is it?" Apollo asked, grinning.

Artemis grinned back.

"I smell raspberry caramel tarts."

******

Howdy, y'all!  Admiral here!  Well, you heard our mighty Lord and Lady!  It is time to discover exactly who jolly old Klaus is and where he came from!  So that is the first question of the Festival of Frost we need YOU to answer!

Not sure who exactly Klaus is?  Well, he is your creation!  Many years ago his design and name were voted on by the site, but he has been a quiet sentinel until now.  Better late than never, but let's bring him to life.

So give us a brief summary (four or five sentences max) telling us YOUR version of his origins.  Who is jolly Klaus?  Is he similar to Santa Apollo?  Has he always been there, watching over the pups of Solaria, or is he a mighty spirit born in an age of suffering to bring peace and comfort to a struggling world?

Your answer can be heartfelt, humourous, whatever you wish!  Just post in answer to this news post, also providing us your name and ID number.

Answers will be accepted until December 10th, EOD.  After that, mods will vote on our favorite, and that answer will become a part of official site lore.  The winner will also recieve 5 CWP.

The winner will be announced with lore question #2, coming the end of this week.

Who or what is jolly old Klaus?  As big as a house, or as small as a mouse, few ever seem to agree!  But what is known well, and all happily tell, of the joy he brings every year.  

Is he Santa Apollo?  Why, yes!  And why, no!  No matter the name, in both turns of the world, the spirit of the holiday is the same, in all the stories that are told.

Feet that clomp, or hooves that stomp?  Antlers that glitter with frost.  A long fluffy mane and a tail the same, that is the basics of jolly old Klaus.

But it matters little what he looks like, his feet or his size.  Every year he still frolics and flies, bringing every good girl and good little boy treats and toys to play with and enjoy.  As the winter winds blow and holiday bells toll, he comes in the night to bring joy and delight.

What games do pups play, what carols do they sing?  In old Solaria in December what do the holidays bring?  Let us find out together, come one and come all!  This Festival of Frost, let all heed the call.  

To find out if it is different, or perhaps more the same, as we celebrate and play and enjoy all the games!  

**Nominate for a Staff Gift**

******

So who is Klaus?  How does Solaria celebrate their holidays?  There's so much to learn!!  And this year, we are going to find out, and you are invited to help build this site lore!  Periodically through this year's event, staff will post News Posts asking specific questions about Solaria holiday lore, and site players will be providing the answers!  The best answer from each will become official site lore and featured in our Library!

First post coming this Sunday!

******

Additionally, site favorite events are once more returning this year!

Santa Apollo is already passing out amazing gifts, and will do so throughout the month of December!

And keep an eye on the Wajas Park!  The Corps and Chosen are on the move, and will soon make their yearly reappearance there.

And as in years past, the Goblins are up to their old schemey schemes!

******

The Festival of Frost will end EOD on December 31st, 2025.

New trivia is up!  This time, I decided to delve a bit into some simple site lore.  What are these questions referring to?  Certain wajas have special titles attributed to them.  Those who recognize the names should know quite easily where in the Wajas Library to match the right title with the right waja!   And as a special pre-holiday treat, the WC prizes have been doubled!

Remember, the Festival of Frost begins tomorrow!  Also refer to previous news posts on other recent exciting updates!  

Referral Event Notice

 Improvements

• NextGen improvements
• Guild Secret Santa improvements
• Item Tracker: you can now track any item you choose
• Quick Transfer: added a link to the last step to Send Another
• WajaDex: added a new category "Not in Inventory"
• Craft Book: added Craft Preview feature
• Nostalgia: restored classic home page (non-working) because returning players missed it
• Bulk Transfers: added SEND NOW button for better UX
• Waja Showcase: Showcase Slots are now live
• Referrals: Added some new achievements
• Color Picker: internal improvements & bug fixes
• Gifting Tree: topper, lights and garlands can now be hidden; added Sparra's new themes

 Bug Fixes

• Fixed: in Project Stash, clicking on a wand no longer causes the wand image to disappear
• Fixed: Preview Markings no longer tries to colorize the Chrome and Rainbow markings

Cder
Recap

Site Coming Soon/Misc Changes made/Reminders:

• Don't forget about the Wajas Sales Spotlight Thread.
• Don't forget about the Nostalgic Screenshots and Memories Thread.
• BOGO ends tonight at 11:59 PM, Wajas Time (est).
• Forum Goblin Items have been swapped around.
• Small QOL update done today to Wajas Pages, the items now show the Wajadex thumbnail.
• There are some new Gifting Tree options, check them out in your tree settings.  This includes a treeless option.
• There may be some last minute items.  We will do a News Post when these are released.
• REMINDER: The ornaments you get from opening the Newsletter gift are also going to be available individually in the Ornament shop. 

Important Staff Note:

• Deep Sea Plume Aurora was mistakenly added to the leaf exchange (it was supposed to be Deep Sea Plumose Aurora). We will be sending out the correct items to those who purchased it before the items were swapped. If you want your leaf points refunded, please send your copies of Deep Sea Plumose Aurora (once you receive them) to Nicola (ID:12) and send Bluee (ID: 84832) a PM and she'll handle refunding your leaf points.