Ostlea: A Land of Legends - Spring Eggstravaganza Origins

***Spring Eggstravaganza Origins*** is the second chapter in the Library book *Ostlea: A Land of Legends*. It is the story of how the first Shelled Duckle was created, heralding the start of the Spring Festival.

## Story

The Spring Eggstravaganza has been a longstanding tradition in Ostlea. Towards the end of May, Ostleans from all corners travel to Alameda with supplies to craft a very special creature: Shelled Duckles. They were originally discovered by a hedgewitch in an arts and crafts accident during the breeding season. In an effort to help the community, she offered to watch the youth of the community while the adults cared for livestock. On the third day, the hedgewitch was just about out of her wits and gave her charges clay, feathers and some shed shells. As the group worked the clay, it took on a life of its own and became a creature!

The next day, when most of the work was done, some of the parents came to confront the hedgewitch. Some were quite angry about the strange, noisy creature that had invaded their homes, while others wanted to make their own. Over the next few days, the community made some discoveries about the odd creature. Shelled Duckles are more loyal, protective, and even give an alarm when danger approaches if all of the materials are collected by the owner. Those made entirely of materials collected by another are quite unruly, like the first Shelled Duckles discovered by the children. These creatures can be quite territorial and if a new Shelled Duckle is joining the family, all older siblings should be present for the creation or they will be hesitant to accept the newcomer to the flock.

To the dismay of the townsfolk, Shelled Duckles could no longer be formed after two weeks. They worried it was just a fluke pocket of magic from the presence of the hedgewitch and imagination of children. The next year, the hedgewitch tried half-heartedly to make another Shelled Duckle and to her own surprise, she was not disappointed. She mused that it may be the result of regional magical energies and the position of Ostlea to the sun. Because the farming community was so isolated, it took some time for the existence of the Shelled Duckle to become known to the rest of Ostlea. One resident of the town decided to allow a fiercely protective Duckle to accompany her to trade for cloth in the capital. When she arrived with her companion, she was offered much for the creature. She gladly shared the information on how to make one, but wouldn't part with her companion.

The following year, the Spring Eggstravaganza's attendance more than doubled. The fairgrounds were chaos and a few attendants were hungry for a few days, but the Shelled Duckle population exploded. The next year vendors from far off started attending to sell their wares. The festival continues to grow, but at a much slower rate now. Many researched have studied the Shelled Duckles and Ostleans now know not only the exact dates, but also reliably calculated the hours when they will form. Formulas listing the optimal materials for Duckles of different colors and dispositions are circulated by the mage-folk at the time of the fair. While these formulas are reliable, the creatures are strongly affected by the person helping with their creation and the origin of the materials used. Make sure to remain cheerful when creating your Shelled Duckle - they can be quite a handful if they've got an ornery disposition!

## Links

* Ostlea: Land of Legends
* Spring Eggstravaganza Origins