Vine was a good little girl, maybe expected of her more strong stoic parents. She enjoyed lessons from both her mother and father and kept out of trouble. Easy to explore the lands she already knew. One day she’d be ready to make her way outside by herself, when she felt it was right.

The breeze was a little bristling today, but her coat had grown mostly accustomed to it. She’d take a break back at the den soon. But for now she hopped around in the snow drifts around the trees. She had seen one of the border patrollers not long ago not that she was worried about her safety. Just a young girl enjoying young life.

"Vine"

Three wolfish borzoi stand before you, shifting with anticipation. Their glowing green eyes flitter and dance with an ethereal excitement. To your left, a pale and excitable wolf beckons, their tail wagging fervently behind them. In the center, a mournful wolf who's coat is such a pure slate, it seems as if she's tinged blue. To your right stands a dark abrasive looking wolf who's eyes are barely visible under his furrowed brow as he impatiently awaits your decision. In fact, it seems they are all waiting for you to make a choice between the three.

Who do you choose?

Easy Route: The Gleeful Guide

This route poses minimal risk, but also lesser rewards.
Risks: Scarring, small loss of gems/skill points

Medium Route: The Sorrowful Guide

This route poses some risk and moderate rewards.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, temporary disabilities, moderate loss of gems/skill points

Hard Route: The Irascible Guide

This route poses the most risk and greater rewards.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, permanent disabilities, higher loss of gems/skill points

As Vine hopped around in the snow drifts she would be unaware of the unexpected company. Once they came to light her hair bristled up and not a few seconds later she was howling and call for the pack to come fend off the intruders. But no one was coming. She had just seen a patroller not long ago so they should have been here by now, but even the wolves didn't seem phased by her calls. It took her a short moment to calm herself a little more, look each of the wolves in the eyes as they stared back at her. Each one seemingly feeling a different way. The happy wolf seemed well off, the angry wolf seemed like he could handle himself. As for this sad wolf she was drawn to. Maybe just a young puppy spirit, but she wanted to cheer her up. "Are you okay?" She asked the slated wolf still cautious of going too close to the stranger. But the longer she was here, the more it didn't feel real and more like a dream.

Vine chooses the medium route

"Vine"

The tearful wolf seems almost surprised you chose her, giving her head a slow shake in response to your question. After sniffling back some tears, she turns and motions for you to follow.

Quietly, the woman leads you into a perpetual fog. Your senses are blocked and it is impossible to know where you are going. Your only lead is the salty scent of the woman you follow and the brief grey blue flash of her tail in front of you, her body obscured by the mists.

When the shroud thins, you find yourself in a small clearing surrounded by the largest weeping willows you have ever seen. In the center of the clearing, a mirror-like pond awaits, completely still except for a small swirling whirlpool in the middle. A thin path of stepping stones trail towards the center of the lake then stop. The sad wolf sits, and motions you towards the lake, tear-filled eyes brimming with anticipation.

What do you do?

Strength: Swim into the whirlpool.

You're probably stronger than some water, right? You can just swim over and see what's up.

Charisma: Ask the guide for a hint.

The guide seems nice enough. Maybe she will help you.

Dexterity: Use the stepping stones.

There are perfectly good stepping stones here for you to use!

Wisdom: Inspect the water.

Something is amiss with the water... Maybe you can figure out what.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Vine doesn't really feel comfortable as the slated woman starts to lead her away, but the will to help her feels strong in her soul. She didn't have time to ask if she needed help, or if that's why she was leading her away. Suddenly everything around them was covered in mist, so much that she could barely see the woman ahead of her. But the willows would appear, and the young pup could only silently awe at them, trying to keep focus on the task at hand. She would be behind the slated wolf in time.

The reflective pool of water under her nose was beautiful, but the whirlpool that the wolf gestured to was worrisome. She couldn't just dive in though some pups may have. She looked towards the woman asking, "Is what's bothering you over there?" She supposed she could probably hop the stones and see for herself but she was smarter than that. She'd need more information first.

Vine chooses charisma

"Vine"

You ask the guide for help and she nods in direct response to your question, wiping her tears on the back of her paw. She readies herself and in one fluid motion lifts you by your scruff and takes a massive leap into the center of the whirlpool. On your way down, you find 97 gems.

Under the whirlpool, a waterfall floats you into an underground lake. As you pull yourself from the frigid pool, an icy palace opens before your eyes. Thick layers of ice coat the cave's interior and ornate carvings decorate the walls. Your guide stands on the shore, shaking out her fur. She inspects the surroundings, and you do the same. You realize there is no discernible exit, though some of the ice looks thin and even cracked in some spots along the walls.

What do you do?

Strength: Break through one of the weak spots.

The ice looks thin enough, and you feel strong enough to burst through.

Charisma: Ask the guide where to go.

The room seems directionless... Maybe the guide knows something.

Dexterity: Try to squeeze through one of the larger cracks.

Some of the cracks and cervices look large enough for you to squeeze through.

Wisdom: Inspect the drawings on the wall.

The drawings are intricate, they must mean something.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

She taken by surprise as the woman grabs her by her scruff somehow gently, not a feeling she didn't know or remember in her still young age. They leap into the whirlpool together, so it couldn't be too dangerous or so she thought.

They came out on the other side, Vine finds herself making her way towards the shore on her own as the woman also makes her way that way. Good thing she knew how to swim... As palace doors opened before her, this was where she started to think that this couldn't be real. Even in a young imaginative brain, she'd only find a place like this in her dreams. She looked around the room, seeing more than the missing exit. That wouldn't be a worry on her mind anymore. She turned to the drawings as they caught her eye more, briefly looking back to her guide before studying the drawings some more.

Vine chooses wisdom

"Vine"

You look at the carvings, but can't discern anything. They're very pretty and very complex, but they don't seem to mean anything, at least not to you.

Under the whirlpool, a waterfall floats you into an underground lake. As you pull yourself from the frigid pool, an icy palace opens before your eyes. Thick layers of ice coat the cave's interior and ornate carvings decorate the walls. Your guide stands on the shore, shaking out her fur. She inspects the surroundings, and you do the same. You realize there is no discernible exit, though some of the ice looks thin and even cracked in some spots along the walls.

What do you do?

Strength: Break through one of the weak spots.

The ice looks thin enough, and you feel strong enough to burst through.

Charisma: Ask the guide where to go.

The room seems directionless... Maybe the guide knows something.

Dexterity: Try to squeeze through one of the larger cracks.

Some of the cracks and cervices look large enough for you to squeeze through.

Wisdom: Inspect the drawings on the wall.

You tried this already.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

As she walks around the ice palace room, it seems the drawing are nothing but history, art, or something of the sort. She keeps moving one, seeing the glass like ice walls that to her seem impenetrable. Maybe if she had some kind of weapon or tool. She looks back at her guide that seems to not have moved since they fell from the whirlpool. Maybe as if she was even judging her decisions. Vine looks back at the walls more and with her still small frame from being young she goes to place a paw inside one of the crevices in the walls. Maybe not the best choice, the best she believed for her.

Vine chooses dexterity

"Vine"

You try your best to find the largest crack and start to shimmy through. The ice is cramped and cold, but you start to wiggle this way and that and eventually plop out.

On the other side you find a bag containing an item! Can't wait to open this later.

On the other side of the ice wall, what was once a neat hallway has been utterly destroyed. Carved pillars lay broken and elaborate art shattered.

The tunnel ahead looks a little unstable, and proceeding further may be very dangerous. You know if you go on now, you may not return in the same condition you entered.

What do you do?

Strength: Charge through the tunnel.

If you're plenty quick, the tunnel won't have a chance to collapse!

Charisma: Convince your guide to lead the way.

One wrong step could lead to the tunnel failing. Perhaps the guide knows a better way.

Dexterity: Carefully tread down the hallway.

If you go slow and carefully, you can leave the tunnel undisturbed.

Wisdom: Study the cave and find the safest path.

If you look closely, you can see where the cracks and freshly broken ice are.

LAST CHANCE TO LEAVE.

If you proceed further, you will not be able to leave. Abandoned threads may result in failed rolls.
Risks: Scarring, cosmetic disfigurement, temporary disabilities, moderate loss of gems/skill points

What was this place? Somehow she managed to squeeze her way through the cracks, just small enough to make it to the other side. And what she found was a destroyed room nearly full of iced ruins. She took a quick moment to look around at her surroundings, just that curious young mind wondering. Gentle and careful paws moved forward moreso looking around at the icy hallway instead of paying careful attention to the floor below her. Her claws and paw pads were slick on the ground but she seemed to manage. It may have been her first winter but what she had grown accustomed to as she grew. She wondered if that sad lady was still following behind her.

Vine chooses dexterity

"Vine"

Slowly you start working your way down the hallway, though you take far too long to traverse it and you hear the tunnel beginning to crack and splinter around you.

As the tunnel behind you begins to collapse, you find yourself getting battered and bruised by a multitude of ice shards, their blades cutting through your fur and smashing onto the ground below. You begin to falter, but with a final push from your guide, you make it to a more stable part of the tunnel. You notice an injury on the right side of your neck that's sure to leave a scar.

At the end of the collapsed tunnel, what appears to have once been an elaborate shrine at some point in time lays demolished. A part of the wall carves out and opens to an open room full of jagged ice floating in deathly waters. In the center, a large, flat expanse is frozen, and on the other side, what look like daylight shines through a small opening.

What do you do?

Strength: Break through the jagged ice to the exit.

The ice doesn't look so tough, you can probably break through the tips and clear a path.

Charisma: Convince your guide to lead the way.

The guide may know how to get through the treacherous cave.

Dexterity: Jump from jagged peak to peak towards the exit.

If you time your jumps just right, you think you'll be able to use them as stepping stones.

Wisdom: Look for the safest path to the exit.

Looking ahead, there has to be one safe path... if only you can spot it.

Getting through the icy crevice was scary for the young girl at some point, but she was able to push through. She was a tough girl after all. And once she was no longer creeping between the cracks there was a big relief that ran through her. Hopefully she wouldn't have to do that again.

The guide had helped her before, but the path ahead looked easy enough. Enough. She'd go to leap forward onto the ice platforms that seemed to trail along to another side of the cavern shrine. It was the only way for her, and there was no way she was going back the way she came.

Vine chooses Dexterity

"Vine"

You jump to the first peak and your adept paws grip the surface. After the second or third jump, your paws feel numb. A few more jumps and you slip, the icy peak beneath you racing to meet your flesh. Above you, now spinning, you see the streaks of your own blood melting down the broken and jagged ice. As your vision tunnels, the guide runs to your side and all you can think about is how warm her tears are.

You awaken out by the lake, battered and beaten and so, so cold. A familiar form kneels beside you, tending your wounds. It takes several blurry moments to realize this is not your guide, but a cluster of fireflies in a cloak the same color as your guide's fur. Your injuries ache, but you will heal fine; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you.

You realize loosely how little sense that makes and you wonder if this is real, but a warm force closes your eyes and bids you to think of home, of safety. When you awake next, you are in a safe place, one which you might have imagined.

You've made it out alive, though not without injury. You notice a lighter feeling, and realize the length behind the middle of your tail is gone. Likewise, you feel you've lost some knowledge along the way. Any items you've found lay beside you, and will be revealed later.

Rerolled using firefly's favor

You jump to the first peak and your adept paws grip the surface. After the second or third jump, your paws feel numb. A few more jumps and you slip, the icy peak beneath you racing to meet your flesh. Above you, now spinning, you see the streaks of your own blood melting down the broken and jagged ice. As your vision tunnels, the guide runs to your side and all you can think about is how warm her tears are.

You awaken out by the lake, battered and beaten and so, so cold. A familiar form kneels beside you, tending your wounds. It takes several blurry moments to realize this is not your guide, but a cluster of fireflies in a cloak the same color as your guide's fur. Your injuries ache, but you will heal fine; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you.

You realize loosely how little sense that makes and you wonder if this is real, but a warm force closes your eyes and bids you to think of home, of safety. When you awake next, you are in a safe place, one which you might have imagined.

You've made it out alive, though not without injury. Your right front paw has been broken, though it will heal in about a season's time. Likewise, you feel you've lost some knowledge along the way. Any items you've found lay beside you, and will be revealed later.

Three wolfish borzoi bow their heads in appreciation. Thank you for playing the Halloween 2023 event! All is calm as you look out, but there's no telling what's on the horizon... or perhaps even under it...

Look forward to peeks into the event, hiccups, and maybe some hints into the next adventure!

You Gained This Along the Way...

• 97 Gems
  
• Equalizer
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor scar - right neck
  
• Major injury - broken right front paw