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Little is known on how Ponporri came to be, exactly. There are theories, sure, but no one was there. The planet is assumed to be an old one -- previously inhabited only by plants and water for several billion years. Then, the Lifestream came; abrupt and unknown as it became a series of winding streams and rivers spread throughout the planet. Originally present on the surface, it began to spread underground as well, reaching all of Ponporri.
With the arrival of the Lifestream came an explosion of growth in fauna, the arrival of magic, and the slow evolution of animals -- one being the Ancients, who quite literally came from the waters itself. Almost identical to a Ponpon (which did not exist yet at that time) in appearance aside from being larger, the Ancients were born to protect the Lifestream. Working as one to ensure the longevity of Ponporri and the Lifestream, they were the dominant intelligent species of the world and hosted a plethora of magical capabilities as well as an infinite lifespan.
As a few thousand years passed Ponporri began to see the civilization of the Ancients. Beautiful cities, towns, and villages sprang throughout the world, mostly using Ponporri's natural magic to sustain them. Instead of taking down Ponporri to make room for their buildings, the Ancients built into their surroundings, making their world functional and filled with nature where it could be. Life was good for the most part. The only issue that arose was the inability of the Ancients to have children. The Ancients could not age, no, but they also couldn't reproduce like other animals within Ponporri. Concerned for a future where the Ancients might dwindle they prayed to the Lifestream for an answer.
The Lifestream -- believed to be sentient due to far too many instances of a voice guiding the Ancients in times of need -- eventually whispered to the Ancients to take from her and brew water from her streams into tea or coffee. Confused and unsure by the bizarre request, a meeting was held before the Ancients decided to follow the guidance of the Lifestream. Lifewater was taken and brewed into one pot of tea and one pot of coffee.
Thus, the creation of Ponpons came to be! The pot of tea eventually created a Tea Ponpon, and the pot of coffee created a Coffee Ponpon. Delighted and perhaps even more confused, the Ancients celebrated. Ponpons, similar to Ancients in appearance (the Ancients even had two types of their own that resembled the Tea and Coffee types heavily), lacked most of the magic the Ancients held, but they had a natural desire to protect and further the growth of Ponporri, themselves, and the Lifestream. Ancients led the new intelligent species, eager to help them begin their futures on the planet. Coffee Ponpons found themselves looking up to the Ancients with the same wolf-like appearance as them, and Tea Ponpons idolized the Ancients who held the same fox-like appearance.
Small gates began to show up throughout Ponporri shortly after. Named Kettles, Ponpons and Ancients discovered that entering these portals would bring them to other worlds that seemed to differ from Ponporri in their own ways. Some had less gravity, others could be completely underwater, it always varied -- Kettles led to worlds previously only dreamed of. Ponpons, excited by the adventure of Kettles, began to spread out and inhabit them while Ancients remained on Ponporri exclusively.
Peace is not everlasting, and Ponporri was not exempt from this fact.
As the expansion of life within Ponporri grew and explored Kettles it seemed Ponporri had become perfect. There was no lack of resources and the Ancients and Ponpons lived harmoniously. The voice of the Lifestream had been heard less by the Ancients, and with that came the comfort of knowing everything was okay. The Ancients began to discuss exploring the Kettles, too, only to be interrupted by a desperate cry from the Lifestream herself.
Ringing hard in their brains, the stream cried out. Something was wrong, and the Lifestream pleaded with the Ancients to help. Her message was clear within their head: "He's here!"
Who was he? The Ancients had no clue, and no probing or praying to the Lifestream provided answers that made any sense. Various iterations of "He's here" and "Help!" repeated, and it was then the Ancients realized they had never had a proper conversation with the Lifestream. Her wisdom had always been fragmented and abrupt; perhaps they could not demand these answers.
They didn't have to wait long. The Ancients sent a few of their own to explore every inch of Ponporri and their Kettles in an attempt to find “Him”. An unfortunate group of Ancients did not return home after an expedition. Concerned, the Ancients focused their attention on where they had been, locating the exact Kettle and entering it.
They were met with a world that had lost all of its colors, instead pulsing strange dark purples and blacks. Not a living creature could be found and the air felt thick. Suffocating. The Ancients felt their bodies growing powerless within hours, forcing them to draw back when one of their own began to go despondent. That Ancient perished shortly after returning to Ponporri.
Reports of various other Kettles experiencing this phenomenon exploded. The Ancients pleaded to the Lifestream for guidance -- nothing as horrid as this had come to Ponporri before! The Lifestream finally spoke once more, pleading in broken sentences to provide them an Ancient willing to "give up their gift of health". Immediately, an Ancient named Elysia offered herself, crumpling to the ground where she remained for days until she returned to the world of the living.
Elysia had connected with the Lifestream, becoming the one Ancient to hear and feel as the Lifestream did. Titled The Will of the Lifestream, Elysia told the other Ancients what she was now aware of. A rot was sweeping across the Kettles of Ponporri, and soon it would find Ponporri and devour the Lifestream whole.
The only way to stop the Rot was to close the Kettles and stop their path for good. The only question was; how? The Ancients spread their message to evacuate all and any Kettles and return to the mother planet as they attempted several ways to close the Kettles. Physical harm did not work, nor did blocking the gate with various objects. The Kettles would always either expel objects right in front of it or withstand any damage done. As Ponpons fled back home the Ancients attempted to break down the Kettles in any way they could.
The Rot, within a span of weeks, corrupted all known Kettles. The gate edges began turning purple, marking the Rot's impending arrival. Desperate, the Ancients banded together and offered one final idea; expend all their magic on the Kettles in hopes to destroy them.
A small group of Ancients, including the Will of the Lifestream, stayed behind to ensure if anything went wrong there would be a few of their kind to guide the Ponpons. Together, the Ancients focused their magic on the Kettles and cast their final attack with every ounce of their being.
The Kettles shattered -- each and every one of them. Cheers rang throughout Ponporri as the residents witnessed the Kettles break apart finally. Ponporri was safe! But... at a great cost. The Ancients disintegrated in their final attack, leaving Ponpons behind with the small handful of their own left over.
The Will of the Lifestream quickly began directing her kind in spreading across Ponporri to ensure their final stand had not been in vain. Ponpons despaired over the loss of the majority of their leaders and ancestors. The world was safe, but at a great cost none had wanted to accept. They turned to the Will of the Lifestream, seeking her ultimate guidance and eventually selecting her as the final say in all things within Ponporri. If she was connected to the Lifestream, their ultimate source of life, then surely she was to be the most trusted.
Except, not all Ponpons agreed. Coffee Ponpons in particular held a distaste for the sole leader of Ponporri resembling a Tea Ponpon, leaving them unrepresented. After a few hundred years of various generations of both types of Ponpons fighting their ideals, Coffees decided they would leave the surface of Ponporri and live within the deep and intricate underground. Coffees held almost no desire to continue communication with Teas due to their already inherently different natures. Teas, valuing the pursuit of magic and expansion, were far different than Coffees who preferred nature and remaining in their selected territories. Frustrations reached an all-time high and, almost overnight, Coffees moved underground.
We now reach current times, where a few thousand years have passed. The remaining Ancients have moved into the palace of the Will, where they work as a council to help the Will in her decisions. The Will has not commanded Ponporri much, instead acting as an ultimate final say when it is needed or to enact the Lifestream’s wishes. This has allowed Ponporri freedom in life choices depending on location. Some towns are run by mayors or the community as a whole while others may be ruled by a chosen King or Queen.
As diverse and unique each location within Ponporri may be, everyone on the surface answers to the Will when she speaks. Perhaps this is why she rarely does so, instead choosing to let her people live freely for the most part. Coffees have not been seen and, due to the wishes of Coffees as a whole at the time, a spell has been cast to forcibly redirect any Teas trying to enter the underground and any Coffees trying to leave. Most living Teas have never seen a Coffee and some may even call them a hoax if they haven’t seen the one remaining Coffee-appearing Ancient within the palace.
Kettles have not been seen within Ponporri since the Final Stand.
