Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn weaved her way around the Runestones, enjoying the cool evening air for a little while longer. As winter had moved into Boreas she opted to head back to the familiar haunts of Auster and maybe see if she could figure out a path forward. It really had become dreary wandering by herself lately but still she couldn't quite stomach the idea of joining a pack. So what was she going to do? She'd tried to recruit wolves for her own little band but no luck. She still had yet to fully decipher the journal and with each passing day she felt more and more aimless. She could feel the years starting to catch up with her and she knew she couldn't outrun them. Jynn had never considered life as an older wolf. Some day she was going to have a hard time traveling around and then what? She'd never considering starting any sort of family and having next to none of her own family still alive she was feeling more and more alone.

Jynn departed from the stones to wander down to the rocky beach where the ocean waves rolled up onto the shore. The moon was full and bright and the wind rushed through the seagrass, driving the waves, and whipping around her fur.

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

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn wandered down the beach, enjoying the breeze and the smell of the sea. The breeze was gentle and just slight warm. It was a peaceful summer night and she wasn't expecting much in the way of adventure until she ran into three strange looking wolves. "Oh! Hello, there." She responded automatically but she had the distinct impression that these wolves were supernatural. There was just something about them that didn't seem quite right. Uncertain what to do her eyes fixed on the sorrowful looking wolf in the center. Her ears flicked forward as she approached the woman. "Hey, are you ok? What's the matter?"

Jynn chooses the Medium Route

The tearful wolf seems almost surprised you chose her. She shakes her head to dismiss your questions. 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.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn tilted her head to the side as the woman said nothing and instead just shook her head and turned to beckon her to follow. Jynn wandered after the strange, silent woman into a fog that got thicker and thicker until she arrived in a clearing surrounded by beautiful weeping willows and a strange pond in the middle.

The strange woman beckoned her toward the lake and Jynn shot her a questioning glance. "It's a pretty lake. Did you lose something in there maybe? I can take a look." Jynn trotted toward the lake, noting the stepping stones in the middle. Had the woman tried going across and dropped something? Steadying herself she moved to try her luck traversing the stepping stones.

Jynn chooses Dexterity

The guide doesn't reply to your questioning, but you swear you hear her begin to cry even harder. You ready yourself and jump to the first rock, then the next. So far so good. On your third jump, your paw slips, but you are able to recover. The last step is an easy one and as you go to stick the landing, the rock dissolves into 88 gems. You slide down the whirlpool in one thrilling swoop, the guide jumping in after you looking unworried by your descent.

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.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn realized that she'd have to accept that the guide couldn't speak but as she seemed to cry harder Jynn just assumed she was on the right track. The wolfess clearly needed help with something. Sizing up the stones Jynn started to hop across, taking her time at each jump. The stones were wet and slippery and at one point she almost lost her footing. At the last rock it sudden dissolved beneath her feet and she slid down letting out at first a surprised shriek that turned into a call of joy. It was like riding down a slide!

She ended up in a strange land beneath the water. Swiftly getting to her feet and shaking the water from her coat her eyes focused on the icy palace. "Wow! Look at this place!" Jynn started to wander along the walls until she spied a larger crack. Hmmm… she stuck her face up to it, trying to see if there was anything behind it. Jynn was lanky and thin and she had a feeling that she could just squeeze through.

Jynn chooses Dexterity

You try to squeeze through and almost make it. You can see the other room! One problem being... you're stuck. It takes the guide several moments before she's able to push you through, a sharp piece of ice scraping into your flesh as you plop out the other side. That wound you feel throbbing on the inner side of your right back leg is sure to leave a scar.

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

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn pushed her head through the crack, squeezing her body through as best she could. However, just as she tried to push her hips through she felt herself get stuck. Ah, crap! Jynn wiggled and pushed before calling out to the guide. “Ummm… I seem to be stuck. My bad. Too many fat rats lately, my waist had just ballooned.”

She wasn't sure what the guide thought but there was little she could do about it now. At least she had a nice ass, even if it had expanded in recent months. She felt the guide push and after a few moments she was pushed through with a yelp as her inner right leg scraped. Jynn shook herself before twisting around to lap at the wound. "Ahhh fuck." She nursed the wound for a moment til the bleeding stopped.

Ahead there was a hallway, terribly beaten up and unstable looking. Jynn frowned and paced for a moment as she debated what to do. Opting to rely on her speed she steadied herself then shot forward, hoping to speed through the tunnel before it collapsed.

Jynn chooses Strength!

You decide not to risk getting stuck in the unstable tunnel, and charge forward as fast as you possibly can. Though you hear the shifting of stone and ice that suggests an imminent collapse, you make it through unscathed.

As you charge through the tunnel, you find a bag tied neatly with a ribbon - you'll have to open this later.

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.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Darting forward, her claws dug into the icy, frozen ground for traction. She could hear the ice cracking, the unstable tunnel starting to fracture but she didn't dare look anywhere but forward as it started to collapse around her. With a final burst of speed she skidded through into a large cavern. "Whooaaa…" she breathed. It looked like some sort of shrine but it was busted all to pieces. She peered ahead at the rays of daylight.

Jynn paced for a moment debating the best route before deciding to chance the jagged ice as a stepping path. While she was strong she wasn't sure if her lighter frame could break through. Steading herself and waiting for the right moment she leapt.

Jynn chooses dexterity!

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, but are able to regain your balance, aided by your expert dexterity. On one of the peaks, a small bag hangs. You take it and decide to open it later. Miraculously, you are able to make it across, your guide behind you every jump of the way.

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: Jonathan. 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.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn carefully timed her jumps, her claws digging at the ice as she steadied herself. So far so good… until the ice around her cracked apart, leaving her stranded on a floating piece of ice. "Well, shit," she cursed quietly under her breath. Before she had time to think about what might have caused the shaking a large, worm-like creature burst up from the freezing water. Double, triple dog shit!

Jynn shrank down, shuffling back behind the jagged ice formations left on her little floating island. She was a skilled fighter but she didn't see how she could match this creatures strength. It was massive! She opted to sneak around and try a sneak attack. Jynn slunk low to the ground and started to creep.

Speechthought

Jynn chooses Dexterity!

Edit: I'd also like to apply my Lucky Rabbit's foot from my player account

You dive behind the ice shards as the worm writhes and screeches. The guide lends her aid as well. You're able to navigate closer and when the time is right, you strike the worm, teeth meeting a cold exterior, then the warm gush of its inner fluids. You jump back and the worm rears back, plunging below the surface and leaving a cloud of blue blood in the water.

The worm bubbles beneath the icy surface and after a moment, no more bubbles float up. The worm is gone and the guide quickly ushers the two of you outside.



Outside the night seems clear and calm and you realize you are back where the adventure started.

Your guide stops weeping for just a moment and offers a soft, genuine smile. In a flash, she is gone, only a few fireflies buzzing lazily where the guide once was.

The cave, now peaceful, stands to be explored by any who come across it. Maybe you can remember your way back sometime.

You have unlocked a new site land: Crystal Cathedral!

You receive: 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea Bundle:

• Boosted Companion Pass
  
• 3rd companion slot
  

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...

• 88 Gems
  
• Ghost Bath Bomb
  
• 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea Bundle
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor scar - right back inner leg