This was the place that Venom found herself wandering when she needed to more fully clear her mind. The night was young, the sun hadn’t been down for very long but already the mists had become heavy in the air. The plant life here seemed to flourish all year, but then again the deserts were never so heavily affected by the winter temperatures. The air certainly was though, as was evidenced by the heavy fog that trickled into the valley like oasis.

As her white gloved paws carried her over the sand and through the fog as her sunset gaze scanned the area. She would have been errant if she hadn’t caught the sight of three figures almost appearing in the mist. Her head tilted slightly as she made a somewhat hesitant approach.

"Venom"

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

Venom took pause as the sight of the three canids looked up at her with almost glowing green eyes. Each one seemed to be waiting on her, as if they had appeared only to see which of them the Ashen Empress would choose. As she looked ot the left, the pale borzoi seemed to beckon and each subsequent character seemed less enthused about her choice, but as Venom’s sunset gaze lay to the far right her choice was made. The right choice, was of course, the right wolf.

White gloved paws carried her towards the grumpy looking canine. Venom offered a small dip of her head as she made her choice, still wondering what these apparitions had in store for her.

Venom chooses: hard route: the irascible guide

"Venom"

The grumpy wolf's brow relaxes just slightly when you choose him. He seems to give you a moment to reconsider. After a moment, the tough looking wolf grunts in approval and turns to lead.

As you follow, a thick smoke rolls in and masks sight and smell. Through watery eyes, you are barely able to follow the guide, but eventually the smoke begins to clear and you are hit with the strong smell of Sulphur. You take a step forward and the guide pulls you back slightly. Blinking the rest of the tears out of your eyes, you realize you're on the edge of a steep chasm- a chasm filled with bubbling lava. One wrong move and it's over.

The guide motions to a wobbly wooden bridge that connects down into a cave on the other side of the canyon.

What do you do?

Strength: Dash across before the bridge can collapse.

If you're fast, the bridge won't have a chance to collapse!

Charisma: Make the guide go first.

This was his idea, so make him go first.

Dexterity: Balance lightly between the planks evenly as you go.

Most of the planks seem stable enough. If you balance evenly, surely none of them will break.

Wisdom: Evaluate the safest planks to walk on.

If you take your time, you can pick out the safest planks.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

The dark wolf looked at her as if she would take a pause to change her mind, but when she didn’t move he seemed to acquiesce. Venom would warily follow behind as they moved deeper into the mist, but as the scent changed from water vapor to smoke Venom felt herself having second thoughts. Where was he going to take her and more importantly why? Her thoughts were not as clear with the heavy smoke that filled her eyes and made keeping to the path difficult. The scents here were much more like the volcano that took her father’s life than the crisp clear oasis they had just been.

She lost sight of her guide and very nearly went over a cliff had he not stopped her. Venom’s heart nearly sprang from her chest as the guide let her catch her balance and gestured towards a bridge over the deep pit of lava. She took in a deep breath and nodded, ready to follow him over the bridge. She had been led this far, surely he could get her over the rickety bridge as well.

Venom chooses Charisma: make the guide go first

"Venom"

You ask the guide to go first and he doesn't budge. For a long while there is silence, then he is behind you. He pushes you forward, onto the bridge and blocking your way out. The bridge swings and creaks awfully. He pushes you across, scruffing you and dragging you if he must before he deposits you on the other side of the bridge and walks into the cave, not waiting for you to follow.

In the struggle, you scrape your left back leg. It bleeds a little, but will heal just fine.

Inside the cave, warm lava lights the way. Small pools bubble and small streams flow from tiny cracks in the walls. Several boulders act as stepping stones across larger gaps, and small wooden bridges span other areas. Around the walls of the room, a thin edge navigates above any threat of lava. It is clear you need to get to the end of this room if you wish to continue your journey.

What do you do?

Strength: Take the stepping stones.

The stepping stones look sturdy and all you have to do is jump a little.

Charisma: Ask the guide to lead the way.

The guide should know the way through the pass.

Dexterity: Take the thin edge.

Creeping on the thin edge keeps you above and away from danger.

Wisdom: Take the bridges.

The bridges are obviously there for a reason, so use them.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Venom lingered and waited for the guide to continue showing her the way through, but instead of taking the lead and allowing her to follow his ethereal movements bring him up behind her as he unceremoniously pushes her out onto the rickety bridge. Venom gives a loud ‘harrumph’ at being handled so disrespectfully but he isn’t forced to touch her again. The initial push brings her a scrape to her leg, but she manages to make it across the bridge with little more drama.

Sunset gaze checks her surroundings, in slight awe at the room she’s brought to. The warmth of the liquid rock and the eerie light that illuminates the different paths to the center. Venom takes a moment to second guess her decision to follow the man. Again, he is her guide so he should be showing her what paths to take. However, with her last logical decision very much backfiring she wasn’t so sure. Venom was still for a moment longer, but decided to take her chances once more. She looked to her guide, waiting for him to give some clue as to the best way they were going to get across.

Venom chooses charisma: ask the guide to lead the way

"Venom"

You ask the guide to show you the way and he begrudgingly leads the way, seeming to consider his options. In the end, he chooses a series of bridges and stepping stones. As you follow him, you find a bundled up item, which you grab and decide to examine further later. Before long, you find yourself in a new lava-filled room.

Across the lava room stands a flat piece of smooth stone, so level and flat, it is as if thousands of paws had worn it over time. It looks cool to the touch and vaguely important. Surrounding it is a mote of lava, separated only by sharp stalagmites that impale it to point towards the open ceiling. There is no discernible path across. You know you must get there one way or another, but you're not sure you'll be able to go back the same way you came if you cross.

What do you do?

Strength: Jump over the gap.

If you push off real hard, you can close the gap... probably.

Charisma: Ask the guide to help.

Maybe just this once...? He's got to know something!

Dexterity: Use the stalagmites as stepping stones.

If you're careful, some of the tips of the stalagmites look wide enough to balance on.

Wisdom: Build a bridge with the materials from the other room.

It'll take a while, but it should work...

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, permanent disabilities, higher loss of gems/skill points

To her surprise the dark pelted guide considers her for a moment longer and then leads her over a series of paths, none quite as alarming as the very first bridge. The Empress follows behind him carefully, even finding a bit of a souvenir to take back with her. If she ever makes it out of this deepening cave. She’s led to another lava filled room, this one perhaps even more dangerous than the last and she finds herself following with extra care, every step well calculated.

As they arrived she looked up to find the destination, but how were they supposed to get up there. Again Venom looked to her guide, having followed him this far she had no doubt that he would see her the rest of the way through. Venom tilted her head slightly, a question on her features as to how he thought she could make it there.

Venom chooses charisma: ask the guide to help.

"Venom"

The guide shakes his head. This, you must figure out on your own. He will be no help here.

Across the lava room stands a flat piece of smooth stone, so level and flat, it is as if thousands of paws had worn it over time. It looks cool to the touch and vaguely important. Surrounding it is a mote of lava, separated only by sharp stalagmites that impale it to point towards the open ceiling. There is no discernible path across. You know you must get there one way or another, but you're not sure you'll be able to go back the same way you came if you cross.

What do you do?

Strength: Jump over the gap.

If you push off real hard, you can close the gap... probably.

Charisma: Ask the guide to help.

The guide has nothing to say.

Dexterity: Use the stalagmites as stepping stones.

If you're careful, some of the tips of the stalagmites look wide enough to balance on.

Wisdom: Build a bridge with the materials from the other room.

It'll take a while, but it should work...

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, permanent disabilities, higher loss of gems/skill points

Venom looked to her guide, but as sunset eyes fell upon him he shook his head without thinking. There was no offer of wisdom or insight from him. The Empress felt a tad flustered, after all he had been the one to bring her all this way, why couldn’t he tell her how to progress forward? She refrained from grumbling while she reevaluated the options before her. Did she make an attempt at jumping the gap? She had always been athletic, but that was a gap she wasn’t so certain she could manage. There were columns of stone that were almost large enough to perch upon, but that seemed just as unwise and dangerous as trying to make the leap. Her last real option was trying to make her own way across with the different ruins from the room before. Venom had always been a patient woman, so she decided on the final option, trusting her own paws much more than the gamble of either of the other choices might be.

Venom chooses wisdom: build a bridge with the materials from the other room.
"Venom"

You decide that building a bridge across is your best bet. Gathering materials from the other room, you get to building, only stopping once you're sure the bridge is sturdy.

You begin to make your way across, though when you're nearly at the other side you feel the materials begin to splinter and crack beneath you. You try to scramble to the other side, but you feel yourself falling...

All you remember is the hot blazing heat and then... cool darkness. You awake outside of the chasm on a smooth, flat rock.

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 are blindingly painful, but you will live; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you. One in particular will stand out, a deep, ugly wound that lies across your left front ankle, that will leave an impressive scar (about 6 inches long). You feel less knowledgeable at having gone on that adventure as well, losing 61 intellect skill points.

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.

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...

• Xtra Grow Potion
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor injury - left back leg
  
• Major injury/scar - left front ankle,
  
• -61 Intellect Skill points