Strange rivers of geothermal activity run beneath Hyperborea’s blue forests. The tender earth liquefies just above human body temperature, and becomes a warm, fluid stone that flows easily through the hands. The local terminology for this substance translates roughly to “world jelly.”
Long-legged caribou dip their antlers into the bubbling pits, gathering their colors for autumn. The magma comes in many colors, from pale emeralds to phosphorescent lavenders, and each collected increases their chances of finding a suitable mate. By the time winter arrives, they are soaked in rainbows of lust.
Shamans believe that these vibrant colors reflect the temperament of the earth, and that its emotions can be inherited through contact or ingestion. If this is true, perhaps the caribou are acting out a deeper desire of the planet itself, which has no mate of its own.