Samhain Nature Walk

Medium Risk

In each autumn-touched land a quiet route for contemplation and thought has been set up. The familiars in charge of this activity will be patrolling to ensure it is completed peacefully. You are encouraged to participate, and to observe and contemplate the strange magical autumn that has arrived. Notice the colors, smells, sounds and other sensations of the season. Reflect on the circle of life and how important death and rebirth is to nature itself.

Requirements:
To participate in this activity, complete a 3+ round thread or 800+ word solo in any of the affected areas*, taking a contemplative journey through the autumn changes.
Completed threads can be claimed for 30 Navigation Skill Points.

Code:

[b]Player Name:[/b]
[b]Character Name:[/b]
[b]Link to Thread[/b] <a href="LINK">Here</a>

*The lands currently experiencing a magical autumn are as follows:
Hells River, Battlefield, Locus Obscuro, The Range, Whistling Willows, Amron’s Castle, Starlight Plains, Cedar Falls, Fossil Ridge, Wraith’s Woods, Aspen Dam, Emerald Valley, Illusions Oasis, Barren Dunes, Redwater Rocks, Traveller’s Lake, Stylianos Crypt, Buffalo Knolls, The Orchard, The Rio Grande, Traveller’s Pitfall, Lazuli Falls, Cattail Creek, and Grapevine Cathedral.

Player Name: Shelby
Character Name: Rusalka
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm.. up until the moment something large and black was thunked down from a high up tree branch onto the top of your head. Ouch!

Craning your head back you can see the deranged cackle of a fat chipmunk, so far into his laughter that he nearly falls from the slender branch. What was that for??? A quick glance down at your paws to the weaponized item in question reveals a strange sight - a dismembered paw of a black cat that seems to absorb the light around it. It's claws unsheathed and dripping with something tarry and black, hope it didn't get on your coat!

You have received:

Black Cat's Foot

Staff: note when claimed

Player Name: Shelby
Character Name: Gwynevere
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm, when suddenly a sharp pain sears through your pawpad - you've stepped on something that was hidden in the dried leaves. Maybe that's why the crows were shaking more foliage down...

Brushing away the leaves, an odd pool of thick black liquid is revealed. At the base of the tar-like substance is a cat's paw. It looks intentionally placed, the paw turned over so the unsheathed claws reach high toward the sky. At closer inspection, the claw-tips themselves seem to be the source of the thick black tar. How odd, hope the cut didn't break skin!

You have received:

Black Cat's Foot

Staff: note when claimed

Player Name: Shelby
Character Name: Remus
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm.. perhaps too calm, as you seem to have missed the presence of pinecones on the trail! You step directly upon one and it rolls beneath your paw, relieving you of your balance and footing and bringing you to fall on your rear. Ouch!! That's going to hurt tomorrow.

You have received:

Sprained Tail (Heals January 1st)

Player Name: Chrono
Character Name: Cerberus
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm.. up until the moment your partner cried ouch! Something seems to have hit them over the head (which the chipmunk above finds hilarious.)  

You might have felt the urge to laugh along too, at least until a second projectile is launched from the heavens. This one is thrown hard enough that the chipmunk dislodges himself from the branch almost entirely, bringing himself to hang precariously by only his paws. Thankfully you were paying more attention then your partner and you could catch the vial before it landed and likely shattered. In your paws now sits a glass container, containing a single glowing firefly.

You have received:

Firefly's Favor

Staff: note when claimed

Player Name: Kara
Character Name: Incubus
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm.. unaware that your movements are being stalked by a particularly young and playful fox.

The fox springs forward as you are lost in thought, thieving from your paws the helmet you just dusted off. He bounces away with you hot on his heels, leading you through the plateau, leaping over discarded and rusted swords and ducking beneath torn flags blowing in the breeze. You are so preoccupied with catching him and reclaiming your prize that you aren't watching where you are going. The fox darts beneath an ancient combat structure and you follow hot on his heels, but before you can come out the other side you hear an echoed clang. A rusted and displaced piece of the machinery was jostled at just the wrong time, falling from beneath the equipment and landing with a hard knock upon the base of your tail. Ouch!

The fox stops as it notices your pain, it's ears flicking back in shame. It didn't mean to cause you harm, just to play! He steps forward uncertainty and drops the helmet at your paws, fleeing before you have a chance to retaliate.

You have received:

Sprained Tail (Heals January 1st)

Player Name: RelevantKoala
Character Name: Zeitgeist
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm.. something you are quite thankful for, given your current circumstances.

It seems the world takes pity on you, as the end to your trails is uneventful and leaves you feeling better than when you came in. On your way out you stumble over an item discarded intentionally - it seems to call your name. Cool!

You have received:

1 inch of Post-Acceptance Height

Player Name: Lolaf
Character Name: Gloom
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm... or you would have, had you not forgotten how to walk like a normal wolf and broke your goddamn ankle. You might have thought that things couldn't really get much worse, but you'd be wrong. As you lay in the grass babying your wound and crying, a new pain sinks in. A sharp, shooting agony.

It appears you have landed on a snake, and he did not hesitate to let you know just how little he cares about your wound. Is the snake venomous? No idea, but you might want to find out!

You have received:

Scarring (ankle, minor)
Snake bite (player's choice on how severely this affects the wolf in question)

Player Name: lunarcat7
Character Name: Áskell
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling rejuvenated and calm... until your memories begin to resurface, leaving you with a deep cold dread. Where is your brother, anyways?

The feelings stir in you a fight or flight reaction, and your trained and practiced body defaults immediately to fight. Your adrenaline surges, preparing you for the battle to come. If there is a battle to come at all..

You have received:

5% Fight Score Pass

Player Name: lunarcat7
Character Name: Álarr
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling anything but calm and rejuvenation - you've just been haunted, man!

You bolt from the path in a terrified fright (understandable, really) paying so much attention to escaping that you fail to notice the creeping vine protruding from the ground before you. Your paw hits it hard and you feel a crack, sending you tumbling. The rotten apples you've landed on will likely be the least of your worries as the pain sets in and you realize you've broken something. At least you landed on something relatively soft?

You have received:

Broken Paw (Heals January 1st)

Player Name: Chrono
Character Name: Asheila
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... but a little bit uncertain in your own abilities.

Nobody can blame you for lacking knowledge of Boreas and Auster when you've been gone from both for so long, but you can surely blame yourself. Maybe you were a good navigator once, but today you feel like you couldn't find your way home even if your life depended upon it. The uncertainty builds and builds and you are thankful that a seasoned explorer is with you to lead your paws, even if you can't find the nerve to share with him your own doubts and discomfort.

You have received:

Lost 58 Skill Points (Navigation)

Player Name: Hermes
Character Name: Calico Jack
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... with undertones of anxiety, building with each new step you take. You try to push it back but this place is just so freaky. Just how respectful do you need to be to keep a God happy, anyways?

Lucky for you, the Gods do not seem bothered that you're put off by their rotten corpses and blood. You make it through to the end of the trail without issue, finding something there on the ground at the edge of the grass. A black cat's paw, claws unsheathed, laying in a puddle of tar that's source seems to be the claws themselves. Odd. Anyways, it's yours now! Enjoy.

You have received:

Black Cat's Foot  

Player Name: Shard
Character Name: Corbin
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... but also suddenly more knowledgeable than you were before.

You've heard before that children learn through play, but somehow you get the impression you've learned more than most from your chaotic bouncing and playing pretend. Was it the butterflies? Whatever the cause, you exit the nature walk feeling like you could take on a tiger - with your mom's supervision, of course.

You have received:

+51 Fight Skill Points  

Player Name: Shard
Character Name: Rudyard
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... but with a prickling feeling of danger on your nape. You turn your head, entertaining your instinct and seeing the danger at the exact right moment. A snake! Your pregnant mate is about to step on a snake!

You move quickly, intercepting the snake before it can land a bite upon your partner. Unfortunately, you've taken the hit for her instead. At least you had the opportunity to kill it before the pain began to sear. Ahh, the things we do for love.

You have received:

Minor scar in a location of the player's choice.
Snake bite (Severity to be determined by player)

Player Name: Hermes
Character Name: Enki
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... even if that calm rejuvenation is tinged with fear. You're just a puppy, after all! Fear in strange places is normal... or is that the tickling of instinct, telling you to beware?

In true Recluse-puppy fashion, luck is not on your side today. Maybe it's your overblown anxiety brought on from the area or maybe just a simple case of scatter brain commonly found in puppies. Whatever the reason, you're not paying close enough attention... but you will be. Your paw touches upon a pile of leaves and suddenly falls through, the dried foliage crackling along with your bones as your limb juts down into the hole and twists. Ouch!!! Well, at least it wasn't all four.

You have received:

Broken Paw (Heals January 1st)

Player Name: Seadragoness
Character Name: Kitsune
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... until the puppy you're escorting screams, sending your blood to run cold. Luckily the injury was not a result of immediate danger needing to be handled, but the adrenaline in your bloodstream doesn't know the difference.

Your heart rate skyrockets, your paws feeling clammy all of a sudden. The pup is 'safe' and you are safe, but still your body feels the flight or fight and has decidedly chosen fight. At least you'll be ready if a bear randomly drops out of a tree or something.

You have received:

5% Fight Score Pass

Player Name: Seadragoness
Character Name: Ciaran
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... or as calm and rejuvenated as you can be after such a robust conversation about life and death.

Your walk is uneventful for the most part, at least until you reach the route's end. Before you on the ground something strange sits, something inky and black. If it wasn't for the tar seeping out of the cat's unsheathed claws, it might even be pretty. You don't know who put it here, but it's yours now! Just don't chew on it, okay?

You have received:

Black Cat's Foot

Player Name: Seadragoness
Character Name: Kyanite
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated. Awww, two adorable puppies being so very sweet to each other on a peaceful nature walk. It's enough to warm one's cold heart!

Whatever warmth might have existed runs cold suddenly as you near the end of the walk, your paw sinking into a gopher hole. Unfortunately it was bound to happen at some point, you being blind and all. Your paw twists and you feel something break, tears abruptly wetting your crystalline eyes. It hurts so much! Maybe even more than a thousand bee-stings.

If only you had a mother to run to, to make it all feel better.

You have received:

Broken Paw (Heals January 1st)

Player Name: NachoMumma
Character Name: Sakana
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... or you would have, had you not stuck your nose where it didn't belong.

Berries and thorns weren't the only thing in that bush, and while yeah it was probably a poor place to try and hibernate, the snake within is not pleased at being woken from his nap. A sudden snap of pain touches you as his fangs pierce deep in retaliation. Ouch!! That's going to leave a mark. Deluge is going to be in so much trouble when you get home.

You have received:

Scarring (Minor, in a location of player's choosing)
Snake Bite (Player determines severity of effects)

Player Name: NachoMumma
Character Name: Deluge
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... or you would have, had your exploring partner not stuck their nose where it doesn't belong! Lightning never strikes the same place twice, they say, but what about snakes?

The disturbed creature is so angry that he does not settle for the other pup in his retaliation. No, you brought them here, so to you the blame falls. The snake turns from the first bite to land another - this time on you! Ouch! Better run home, pups!

You have received:

Scarring (Minor, in a location of player's choosing)
Snake Bite (Player determines severity of effects)

Player Name: Hermes
Character Name: Fern
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... until you almost step on a snake! Your mate rescues you (bless his heart) but you can't help but feel enraged that he had to at all!

His heroic actions combined with your retaliative fury bring a boil to your blood, adrenaline coursing through you. The snake's already dead, but you're sure ready for the next fight! Maybe you can save him next time! Or Willow!

You have received:

5% Fight Score Pass

Used in Prezzies for Players 2022 - nyx

Player Name:  Shard
Character Name: Thorn
Link to Thread Here

NPC:

Wasn't that an enjoyable experience? A peaceful walk through the knolls under the watchful supervision of the familiars intent on keeping the trail a safe route for all. You come out from the nature walk feeling calm and rejuvenated... and full of extra knowledge! Woah, deja vu.

You have laughed and played in typical puppy fashion and with those actions, somehow came out with a few more tidbits of knowledge on how to properly fight! This is a weird coincidence, but it's not even the first time it's happened today!

You have received:

+30 Fight Skill Points