What Is Waiting Within Echoes Cavern?

Vespera stepped out from Ripple's tunnel into Echoes Caverns and back into the bright sunlight of Sienna Canyon. She clapped her hands together to wipe off some of the dirt and dust. Exploring underground was dirty work, but it was also exhilarating!

The main chamber of the Cavern had already revealed so many rare plants and fish, but Vespera was sure more was waiting deeper inside. It was time to make a plan to explore even deeper -- but first, she needed more supplies to fuel her Echoes Cavern expedition.

"I wonder where I can stock up?" Vespera wondered aloud as she slowly strolled back toward the main settlement. "I suppose we could fly back to Tangle & Tote -- Lani Archipelago isn't very far. But that's still a longer trip than I'd like to take right now..."

As Vespera approached the outskirts of town, a signpost caught her eye. "Canyon Crossroads?" She read. It sounded like a shop. Couldn't hurt to take a look!

The sign pointed to a building hewn from the same pale reddish stone as the cavern walls, the same as most of the structures around here. When she stepped inside, she saw rows and rows of shelves, all stacked to the brim with food and gear.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Vespera exclaimed, walking deeper within to get a closer look. One shelf held pouches perfect for carrying treasures out of remote Gathering locations. Another held stacks and stacks of sturdy baskets. One rack was brimming with all different varieties of Tracker Treats and fishing bait. There was more variety wherever Vespera looked. "There's basically everything an Adventurer needs!"

A warm laugh interrupted Vespera's musing. "I'm glad you're finding everything you're looking for. Welcome to Canyon Crossroads. We're the greatest general store in Sienna Canyon, or anywhere else!"

Vespera poked her head around the shelf to greet the speaker, a strong-looking elf with a rusty brown beard and kindly green eyes. "Oh - I didn't see you at first. I'm Vespera, and your shop is incredible. It's nice to meet you!"

"I'm Gideon Ridgewalker," Gideon introduced himself. "Now, are you looking to stock up on supplies?"

Gideon guided Vespera around the store until she had collected everything she needed to return to Echoes Cavern and delve even deeper within. Vespera paid with a smile. "Thank you, Gideon!"

She left the general store grinning, and made her way back to the excavation site. Sitting down on a conveniently sized rock, Vespera pulled out the Ancient Fossil Codex and began to examine it again.

The Codex was full of notes and diagrams, but it was hard to make sense of them. After a while spent fruitlessly flipping through the pages, Vespera thought that the only way to truly understand Echoes Cavern would be to explore it more thoroughly. By matching discoveries within the Cavern to the information within the Codex, perhaps a pattern could be revealed. 

"We'll discover the secrets inside Echoes Cavern, I'm sure we will -- but, Adventurers, I need your help!"

Community Event: Gather Within Echoes Cavern

It's time to explore every corner of Echoes Cavern in order to discover even more of the secrets within! You can help Vespera make sense of the Codex and unlock the deeper reaches of Echoes Cavern by Gathering and Fishing there as much as possible.

Every Gathering and Fishing trip to Echoes Caverns will advance the Community Tally!

But performing lots of expeditions will also reward you by advancing your Personal Goal. Complete each stage of your personal exploration goals to unlock amazing rewards:

Wearable Previews:

By participating in any part of the Community Event you will be awarded the Petrastone Trophy!

Go Shopping At Canyon Crossroads

Stocking up for adventure is easier than ever thanks to Gideon Ridgewalker's well-stocked general store, Canyon Crossroads!

Canyon Crossroads stocks all kinds of useful adventuring items, from food to gathering equipment. All this useful stuff is conveniently stocked in one place -- but that convenience does come at a small price. Gideon sells his wares at slightly higher prices than a specialized merchant might.

Gourmet Collection Expanded

The Gourmet Berry Collection has been renamed Gourmet Collection and we have added the remaining items you can create via cooking to the Gourmet Collection. You can access your Gourmet Collection via your User Profile. 

Delicious Spuds From Culinary Cravings

Nalani at Culinary Cravings is now offering up some delicious new Spuds for helping her finish various tasks.

TL;DR

• ★ Vespera met Gideon Ridgewalker (he/they) and shopped at his general store, the Canyon Crossroads.
• ★ New Shop Canyon Crossroads opens in Sienna Canyon!
• ★ Community Event: Help Vespera dig deeper into Echoes Cavern by gathering and fishing!
• ★ You are awarded the Petrastone Trophy by participating in any part of the Community Event.
• ★ Gourmet Berry Collection has been renamed Gourmet Collection and includes all items you craft via Cooking.
• ★ Nalani at Culinary Cravings is now awarding delicious Spuds as prizes.

Clearing The Landslide

The trio slowed to a halt as the landslide blocking the cavern entrance came into sight. The pile of dirt and stone looked as impenetrable as ever...but there were signs of scurrying movement on and around the rock walls of the canyon.

There were Minimals climbing and digging all around the Echoes Cavern entrance -- but they had spotted Vespera and her companions at the same time as Vespera saw them. Every Minimal except one quickly darted away, diving into hidden burrows to take shelter underground.

"Wait!" Vespera called out -- but the creatures had all but vanished. Only one was still visible, standing curiously on its hind legs and peering back at Vespera, River, and Ripple.

It was a Moonshade Giggleroo!

For a moment, the trio and the Giggleroo simply stared at each other. Then, Ripple made a move. The Quenaris crept closer to the cavern, keeping its head low and being careful to avoid any sudden movements.

Despite Ripple's fearsome mane of glowing Netherflame, the Giggleroo slowly hopped closer to meet the mighty dragon. Closer, and closer...then, the huge Quenaris and the tiny Giggleroo touched noses.

As soon as they touched, an aura of magical energy swirled from the Giggleroo and surrounded Ripple. The Quenaris drew its head back, shocked for only a moment, before it flexed its foreclaws thoughtfully.

"Did that Minimal just share its Burrowing  ability with you?" Vespera asked, walking up to Ripple and the blocked entrance to the cave.

Ripple tossed its head, snorting out a proud burst of flame. The Giggleroo let out a squeak, then ran over to the dirt blocking the cavern entrance and began to dig. Ripple followed its new Minimal friend and started digging, too!

Ripple and the Giggleroo disappeared in a shower of dirt as they quickly began to tunnel into the cavern wall. After only a few moments, Ripple's head popped back out. The Quenaris was standing in a newly made passageway.

"Amazing!" Vespera exclaimed. "Let's look inside."

Vespera ducked to enter the freshly-dug tunnel, traveling into the depths of the cavern. At first it was too dark to see, but as she entered a larger space her eyes began to adjust.

Vespera found herself in an enormous vaulted cave dotted with shining blue crystals. The floor was carpeted in soft greenery that surrounded several clear pools of water. Vespera could see the silhouettes of fish darting around in the watery depths.

"We're in!" Vespera cheered. "This place is amazing. I wonder what we can Gather here?"

Vespera, Ripple, and the Giggleroos have discovered the way to get inside Echoes Cavern and discover the treasures within!

To start Gathering at Echoes Cavern, you will first need to Dig  a tunnel to open the way. Use the unique abilities of your Pets and Minimals to Dig or Burrow a passage!

Some Pets are great natural Diggers who can get into Echoes Cavern on their own: Direfang, Ogreling, Rattlinz, Wolperjack, Wispyr, and Grusim!

But never fear if you don't have one of them in your adventuring party. By equipping a Minimal with the Burrow ability, any type of pet can enter Echoes Cavern.

Dig your way into Echoes Cavern to discover all kinds of new items to Fish and Gather:

We would also like to share two new redeemable codes that will help enhance your explorations of Echoes Cavern:

★ BURROW
★ MININGGEAR

Happy Adventuring!

Santae's First Official Meme Contest Results

We want to thank everyone in the community for taking part and voting on your favorite submissions for the Meme Contest that we held to ring in the new year! We are excited to say it is now time to reveal what Memes our community found the most enjoyable and relatable. You can view the results here.

In 3rd Place was, Lexicon!



You have won a Divine Synthwave Blepp Figurine for your Entry!


In 2nd Place we have, Zin!

You have won a Synthwave Shimmer Dust for your entry!


And finally, in 1st Place was....
Densunes

with this meme:

You have won a Glitched Pet Paper for your Entry! Congratulations!


All of these rewards have been issued, Congratulations! The Jar of SanDust Participation Prizes have already been awarded to all participants as well. 

You can review the statistics for this contest like you could for our previous Mixology Contest on the [Contest Page Link Here]! Feel free to review the gallery of everyone's submissions again and have a good chuckle. You all had the staff team in fits of laughter as these entries came in  and we appreciate everyone's participation in this contest. 

Thank you again for users continued feedback regarding the meme contest, we know that there were some concerns regarding specific submissions and whilst we definitely have felt this contest was a lot more straightforward than our  previous contests in regards to voting and submission reviews, this feedback will help us to continue to improve our future Official Contests across site.

Registration Opens, Account Verification Update

Registration is back open! Thank you all for your patience during the maintence we had to perform. 

Users must now verify their account via an email that will be sent to the email you register with. This allows you to be able to use the sanMail system and post on the forums. 

For Current Users: If you have never verified your email, you will be prompted to verify your email before posting on the forums or sending sanMail. 

Users must now be verified before any referral point is awarded to an account. 

TL;DR

• 
  
• ★ Meme Contest Winners announced and Prizes have been awarded.
• ★ Registration is back open, Referral Contest has had a small upgrade during the maintenance, users must now verify their account/email before the referral point is awarded. 
• ★ You must now verify your email upon registration to be able to post on the forums or use sanMail system.
• ★ Vespera and Ripple used the help of a Giggleroo to Burrow into Echoes Cavern!
  ★ Pets with Dig ability Direfang, Ogreling, Rattlinz, Wolperjack, Wispyr, and Grusim!
  ★ Use the Dig or Burrow ability to enter Echoes Cavern and begin Gathering and Fishing there
  ★ New redeemable codes: BURROW and MININGGEAR

The Entrance To Echoes Cavern

Vespera hurried back toward the Bedrock Outpost with the Codex clutched in her hands. Harrison was the one who had first told her about Echoes Cavern and the landslide blocking it off. If anyone could show her where to find the hidden entrance, it would be him!

"Welcome back, Vespera!" Harrison greeted her as she walked into the mining shop.

"Hi, Harrison!" Vespera said. "Are you busy? I could use your help with something."

"I reckon I can spare a moment or two," Harrison smiled. "What do you need?"

"Could you please show me the entrance to Echoes Cavern?" Vespera asked. "I want to get a closer look. Yara over at Timeless Relics sold me this Codex It has all kinds of interesting information in it about Digging and Burrowing. I think it could help us gain access to Echoes Cavern again -- but I won't know for sure until I see the place for myself."

Harrison nodded along. "Yara's a good sort. That Codex ought to come in real handy. I'd be happy to show you the way, although I'll warn you...there's not much to see right now. It's mostly a big old pile of dirt!"

Harrison led the way through Sienna Canyon's main streets and out toward the outskirts of town. Vespera followed the miner down trails that he navigated with the ease of long familiarity, showing the way as the path twisted through valleys and gorges.

Finally, Harrison stopped and gestured at the cliff wall ahead with a sweeping arm. "There she is," he said. "I'm sure you can see the problem."

The problem was absolutely clear: The upper part of the cliffside had collapsed in a massive spill of dirt and stone, forming an enormous pile that completely blocked whatever had been found there before.

"I do see," Vespera replied softly. "The entrance to Echoes Cavern is behind all of that?" She walked closer and knelt to examine the dirt and debris more closely.

"That it is," Harrison agreed. "It'll take some serious elbow grease to shift all that soil."

Vespera smiled, taking the Codex out of her pack. "That, or we'll just need the right kind of help! According to this, a Minimal that knows how to Burrow could make short work of digging through here. But that means we need to find and tame one..."

"There are all sorts of critters that live around the Canyon. Maybe the right sort of helper will show up soon!" Harrison replied.

"Thanks for showing me the entrance," Vespera said. "Let's go back to town for now, and work on a plan to dig inside!"

Hidden Treasures Beneath The Earth

Another set of ores have received a gorgeous art update! These precious materials are hidden deep within Santae's caves and caverns, patiently waiting to be unearthed by adventurous miners sometime soon.

Vespera and the people of Sienna Canyon have almost everything they need to unblock Echoes Cavern and allow Adventurers to explore it's depths. Now is a great time to stock up on equipment at the Bedrock Outpost and prepare to start Mining in the next few days!

Social Media Sharing Raffle Winners!

We held a Giveaway Raffle for sharing one of our Social Media posts over on Tumblr or  Twitter (X) that was associated with our recent Meme Contest in December! We want to thank our users for taking part in that sharing event and we are now ready to share who the Winners for the 10 Divine Prismatic Wispyr Figurines are!



Winners:

• Lammergeier
• WillowTree4788
• warden
• Vaporeon
• Corina
• Waytowne
• Plum
• Nidoranity
• SirLeafHeart
• K3nam

The Jar of Sandust Participation Prizes & Creativity Medals have been awarded to everyone who participated in the meme contest, we look forward to our next official contest! The winners of the meme contest will be posted tomorrow 1/19, we do apologize for the delay.

TL;DR

• ★ Vespera and Harrison visited the site of Echoes Cavern's blocked entrance. They need a Minimal with the ability to Burrow in order to get inside!
  ★ Five more ores have received updated artwork in anticipation of the Mining update.
• ★ Winners of the Social Media sharing contest have been announced and participation prizes have been awarded.

Digging Deeper Into The Canyon's Secrets

Vespera walked slowly down the path next to the river that wound through the center of Sienna Canyon, taking in the sights and sounds around her. With so much to see around every corner, she couldn't decide which building to explore next!

One shady archway looked especially welcoming. She could see rows of shelves inside, with strange items arrayed across every surface -- orbs, elixirs, dusty books and odd sculptures. What kind of shop could this be?

She stepped inside to get a closer look. As she entered, the pixie shopkeeper behind the counter raised a hand in greeting.

"I haven't seen you around here before!" The pixie greeted Vespera with a smile. "I'm Yara Fortuneforger. Welcome to Timeless Relics!"

"Nice to meet you! I'm Vespera," Vespera introduced herself in turn. "And you're right -- I'm new to Sienna Canyon. I came in search of ancient fossils and the Petrastone Relic."

"Ancient things are my specialty," Yara replied. "I sell every kind of artifact you can imagine here." The pixie fluttered her lilac wings and flew over the counter to join Vespera in the main body of the shop. "If it's fossils you want, I have just what you need," Yara continued. She led Vespera over to a shelf with papers, scrolls, and books neatly stacked on it. After a quick search, Yara withdrew a sheaf of papers bound together with silver rings.

"This is the one!" Yara handed it to Vespera. "This Codex has all kinds of information about fossil hunting inside."

"I'll take it!" Vespera agreed, exchanging a smile with Yara.

After returning to the counter to pay, Vespera stepped back outside with her new purchase in hand. She flipped through the Codex's pages, examining the diagrams and reading the text within as she continued to stroll.

Then she stopped in her tracks, reading the same paragraph over again. The information contained in this Codex was amazing!

It contained a description of Pets and Minimals working together with Adventurers in ancient times to excavate treasures from the earth. They used their Dig and Burrow abilities to create tunnels and move rocks -- greatly enhancing Adventurers' hunts for fossils and ores.

"Incredible!" Vespera exclaimed. "This is just what we need to dig through the landslide and enter Echoes Cavern! If I can find the entrance, that is..."

Timeless Relics Opens In Sienna Canyon

Stop by to visit the new Artifact store now available in Sienna Canyon!

At Timeless Relics, Yara Fortuneforger has endless ancient treasures on offer. These precious objects command a high price, but they are all rare and genuine artifacts that would surely enhance any Adventurer's collection.

TL;DR

★ Vespera purchased an Ancient Fossil Codex, which taught her that Pets and Minimals have the ability to Dig and Burrow.
★ Pets with the Dig ability (or a Minimal with the Burrow ability) can access deep caves -- an ability that will soon come in handy!
★ New store in Sienna Canyon: Timeless Relics, where Yara Fortuneforger (she/her) sells artifacts.

A Mischievous Pair Of Minimals Appears

Silvershade has been tracking down some reports of strange noises in the wilderness recently. It sounds almost like...giggling?

The culprits are these two mischievous Minimals: The Sunspire Giggleroo and Moonshade Giggleroo! These playful pals love to leap and tumble as they explore, always searching for the next shiny treasure to collect. Their bellies are equipped with stretchy pouches in which they keep their hoard of shimmering objects.

Silvershade's adventures have brought them all over Santae in search of more information about these adorable and mysterious new creatures. They've discovered that, while they may look similar, the two varieties of Giggleroo have different habits and live in completely different habitats!

The Sunspire Giggleroo, identifiable by its sunny yellow markings, can be found only in Santae's northern hemisphere, Valaria. It's most active during bright sunny weather, and prefers to hide during the dark of night. It can only be Herded during the day!

The Moonshade Giggleroo, distinguished by its cream-and-teal fur, lives only in Santae's southern reaches, Aleriea. It sleeps each day away, emerging only at night to wander and play. It can only be Herded at night!

Now that Silvershade has practiced tracking the Giggleroos down, they are both available via Herding! Visit Silvershade's Ranch at Lani Archipelago to get started.

Research on these mysterious new Minimals is still ongoing. Silvershade suspects that we might soon learn that they are capable of using brand-new abilities . Perhaps they might even be able to help us discover a way through the landslide that is blocking the entrance to Echoes Cavern!

A Sparkling Assortment Of Ores

A new selection of items has been freshly revamped with brand-new beautiful artwork. These rare ores are looking more precious than ever!

To find them all, you'll need to travel beneath the surface of Santae into the mines -- but unfortunately the deepest caves and caverns are not yet accessible. Follow Vespera's adventure through Sienna Canyon and stay tuned for more Mining updates, coming soon!

A Fresh Batch Of Revamped Potions

Something exciting is brewing at Shadow Alchemy. Naveen has been hard at work perfecting his recipes! Five classic potions have had their ingredients tweaked, their recipes perfected, and they've been decanted into beautiful new bottles. Bottled Sunshine, Bottled Rain, Bottle of Butterflies, Bottle of Love, and Bottle of Clouds have all received lovely refreshed artwork!

Next time you find yourself in Shadow Veil Pass, pay Shadow Alchemy a visit to sample these revamped concoctions for yourself.

TL;DR

★ Two new Minimals, the Sunspire Giggleroo and Moonshade Giggleroo, are available via Herding.
★ Several ore items have received upgraded and refreshed artwork for the upcoming mining update.
★ Five potions have received updated artwork.