they’re restless again, thrashing in the confines of their bed as a cold sweat works it’s way through their growing body. they’re suspended in that place between sleep and wakefulness, not entirely married to either; deep enough that the thunderous rush of water fills their ears, but too conscious to gain any proper rest. whimpers fill the room, escaping intermittently from between clenched teeth, and their feet kick out at random intervals, churning as though against some monstrous current.

behind their eyelids, an inky wave rises taller than its brethren, looming over them like the black maw of some horrible beast. Spider paddles faster, kicking bedding across the room as the wave hangs over them, taunting in its urgency…then it’s falling just as fast as it’d been slow, devouring them in one big swallow -

Spider gasps awake, shooting up in bed and panting harshly. their chest rises and falls, fur matted with sweat as their gaze darts desperately about the room. no water, no stone, safesafesafe -

still gasping for breath, they surge to their feet and stumble from the room, tripping clumsily through the treehouse in their haste to get away. they need cool night air on their face and the sight of the stars above, they need to feel grass between their toes. they all but fall out of the treehouse, coughing while they take a few shaky steps across the lawn.

"Speech"

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

a squeak of surprise rips itself from their throat, eyes growing impossibly wide as they drink in the sight before them. ghosts? Spider’d never considered the possibility of ghosts before, not really; it always seemed to be an old tale used to scare young pups into an early bedtime. and yet…

sniffling, they wipe the remnants of sleep from their eyes and squint, focusing on each individual face and the emotions they seem to be conveying. they balk immeadiately from the intimidating one, his scowling impatience off-putting in the face of their post-nightmare clarity. the pale one…no, their smile is nauseating to stomach, a happiness there that Spider can’t bear to witness. of course, that leaves -

Spider lifts their chin and meets the blue one’s eyes, and they recognise a kinship within them, connecting them through a mutual kind of misery. “you,” they whisper, gaze unmoving from the sad grey woman’s face. “please.” though what they’re asking for, they don’t know.


"Speech"

The tearful wolf seems almost surprised you chose her. 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.

Spider falls into step with the spectre, a million questions brimming on the tip of their tongue. are they hallucinating? is this all just a dream? had they never actually woken up from that fear-blackened nightmare? they want desperately to ask, but there's something about their companion that stays their tongue, a tremulous silence that feels almost sacrilegious to break. when they come to the lake, their eyes fall to the whirlpool in its centre, and terror seizes their heart. oh god, maybe this really is a nightmare.

staring up at their guide, a sense of betrayal stirs in their belly. had she known? had she looked into their heart and seen their fear, and brought them here to torment them further? "do i...do i have to?" they whisper, hating how childish they sound - like a pup refusing the task given to them. their eyes glisten with unshed wetness; they're particularly emotional tonight, while the remnants of their dream still clung to their mind. "please, don't make go in there," they beseech the guide, eyes turning big and desperate.

choice: ask the guide for a hint.

"Speech"

You ask the guide for help and she nods, wiping her tears on the back of her paw. She looks sympathetic to your fears, even if she says nothing in response to your words. 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 53 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.

Spider shivers and grits their teeth, wobbling to their feet as frigid water drips from their flattened pelt. at least they hadn’t had to swim through it. “thank you,” they murmur to the guide, offering a grateful, albeit wobbly, smile. after a vigorous shake, Spider peers around the icy walls with a soft “woaaah…” uttered under their breath, noting the strange markings and the thin gaps in the ice. raising both forepaws, Spider measures the width of the gaps and then compares it to their own size, finding the results relatively satisfying. probably they could fit through them. maybe. if they sucked in their stomach. whelp, only one way to find out…

choice: try to squeeze through one of the larger cracks.

"Speech"

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. Your size clearly worked to your advantage here!

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

unease snakes down their spine and twists in the pit of their belly as they eye the hallway, momentarily frozen by indecision. they certainly don’t trust the pillars to support the ceiling for very long - in fact, they could be wasting precious seconds just standing here, dithering. i must’ve been brought here for a reason, they tell themselves, glancing over their shoulder at the guide. they offer a trembling smile, looking into her face and praying she wouldn’t lead them here just to watch their tragic death. “you’ll be right behind me, right?” they ask the guide, speaking softly as though the sound alone will bring the ceiling down. “we’re in this together.” sucking in a deep breath, they begin to cautiously pick their way down the hallway.

choice: carefully tread down the hallway.

"Speech"

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 your underbelly 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.

pain lances through them, radiating from their wound and pulling from them a shuddering gasp as they examine the new room. glancing over their shoulder, Spider eyes the collapsed remnants of the hallway with a low whistle. “that was a close one, huh?” they joke to the guide, trying to bely the rapid pounding of their heart. they’d almost been crushed! gulping, they try to calm down as the next obstacle presents itself, tilting their head this way and that as though to view it from different angles. oh why did this journey involve so many bodies of water?! “there’s gotta be a way out of this place…” they mutter to themselves, brows scrunching in thought.

choice: look for the safest path to exit.

"Speech"

You study the room for a long while until you figure out the safest path to the exit. Avoiding the frigid cold waters, you find a solid path toward the small opening on the other side of the room, grabbing a carefully bundled item along your way. You make a note to examine it later.

Before you reach the exit, the ice around you cracks and water sputters up until you are left stranded with your guide on a large, floating stage of ice. From the frozen depths, a massive, blue tinted worm bursts forth and shrieks. You understand its name immediately: Bartholomew III. You know now that you can not leave until you defeat this menace. Your guide looks to you, ready to go on your command.

What do you do?

Strength: Fight the worm head on.

Use whatever strength you have left to charge forward and fight the worm.

Charisma: Convince the worm to let you pass.

Maybe you can reason with the worm instead of using violence to get your way.

Dexterity: Sneak around and attack the worm from behind.

You think maybe you can use the shards of ice as cover to sneak around and attack from behind.

Wisdom: Find the worm's weak point.

If you hang back and study the worm for awhile, maybe you can figure out how to best defeat it.

Spider skids to an abrupt halt, a yelp of surprise stuttering in their throat as a giant blue worm rears up before them. chest rising and falling with sharp pants, Spider examines the creature with eyes so round the whites of them are visible, mouth working open and closed like a particularly dim-witted fish. “Bartholomew III?!” they exclaim, the name popping into their head and leaping from their tongue before their brain can completely catch up. they cast a startled look at their guide, brows rising incredulously as though to say ’do you see this shit?!

but it’s clear the guide is relying on them to do something, and she’s been so helpful thus far that Spider really doesn’t want to let her down. after another heartbeat of incredulous study, Spider forces their fur to lie flat and attempts to look non-threatening, even offering a wobbly smile that is intended to look welcoming but properly makes them appear mildly constipated instead. “h-hey Bart, my man…um…wouldn’t mind letting us just, like, go, would you? buddy?”

choice: convince the worm to let you pass.

"Speech"

You desperately try to reason with the worm, but it seems he either has little patience for words, or he simply isn't convinced by yours. Just as you finish speaking you hear your guide begin to weep even louder beside you, nearly drowning out the sound of the worm's shriek as its mouth opens and it strikes, hard and fast. You have no time to react, the world around you growing suddenly dark.

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 deep wound on your right front paw, which will no doubt turn into a noticeable scar (about 6 inches long). Likewise you feel you've lost some knowledge along the way, losing 29 Hunting skill points. 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...

• 53 Gems
  
• Shrink potion
  
• 4 Inches Height/Height Reduction
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor Scar - underbelly
  
• Major Temp injury - right front paw,
  
• -29 Hunting skill points