CORPSEGHOUL SWAMPLANDS and WITCHES HOLLOW

You may choose up to one companion and one accessory to take through the swamp. There is great risk involved to all that you bring along as well as your chosen character, though you may find there will also be equally great benefit.

Any rewards gained in your adventure will be account bound and therefore not tradeable. A handful of the benefits will be for the character you bring only.

Your choice in character, companion, and accessory will impact your story. Different attributes and aspects of your character, companion, and accessory will provide risks or benefits depending on the various encounters, and where one wolf would fail a situation another wolf might pass it with ease.

As the story progresses, encounters will become riskier though you can choose to abandon the adventure at any time. If you choose to remain, you do so understanding the risks!

Abilene has no companions and no accessories to bring with her.
Lets begin!

CORPSEGHOUL SWAMPLANDS - The Beginning

You enter through the low hanging fog into the Corpseghoul Swamplands. Ahead of you lies a large pond surrounded on all sides by boggy and mucky terrain. Frogs in the distance occasionally bellow out an ominous croak (and if you listen closely it sounds a little like "muuuuuurDER." Creepy.)

To move onward towards the Witches Hollow you must go deeper, but how will you overcome the swamp?

1. The pond appears to be deep, and the water is so murky that you can’t tell what lies in wait beneath. There’s gross foliage that might make swimming it difficult, though a larger wolf may be lucky enough to be able to touch the bottom. Do you choose to brave the water?
   
   
2. The terrain surrounding the water is gross, mucky, and squishy when tested with a paw. There is better visibility through this way, though there is the possibility that the ground may not hold your weight at all. Boggy foliage and obstacles are strewn about, that you’ll need to go around, under, or atop. Will you risk the potentially unsteady ground beneath your paws?
   
   
3. SKILL LOCKED: You do not meet the requirements for this path.
   

It seemed that Abby was drawn to a lot of things. There was the restless curiosity that drove her farther and farther away from home, the need to discover and navigate, and there was the pang she got when sharing ideas with others, the rush of dopamine that came with making friends and having conversations. Instinct and habit would entangle to create a need. Abby didn't know what kind of instinct lured her into the fog, but she'd never follow it again.

Muck clung to her feet and ankles, and she swore that she sunk further into the foul earth with every step. What the hell was she thinking? She noticed that the mud grew wetter the more she drew forward, and she caught sight of a pond. It wasn't a particularly clean pond, but it was cleaner than the path around. Maybe less treacherous as well, as she noticed the obstructions scattered around. She looked at the pond with a mix of suspicion and distaste. She sighed, and took a step in, surprised to learn it was much deeper than expected. Oh well, she was used to swimming anyways.

[Abby's going for a swim!]

SUCCESS

In a surprising turn of events, the pond's depth is unable to reach high enough past your shoulders to force you to swim it after all. You are able to carefully make your way through with your paws upon the ground, feeling creatures brushing past your legs but free from the sting of their bite. As you're nearing the shore, something catches upon your paw from the bottom of the pond. Upon closer inspection, you've found something.

[Abby has found a small companion accessory!]

THE WITCHES HOLLOW

Further into the swamplands sits a decayed, broken down cottage. The roof appears to have collapsed long ago, and it appears as if no one has been here for quite some time. Jars, broken glass, and beakers lay strewn about the floor covered in a thick layer of dust and grime. Only three items within the hut appear to have been disturbed recently, and your attention is drawn inexplicably towards them.

In the far corner of the room is a package of fresh, aromatic meat. Upon a hook on the wall beside you a gourd full of paint hangs from a thin string. Lastly, a mysterious corked vial of a crystal clear liquid sits alone in a tray on a nearby shelf. Beside the door you see as a small pouch that can fit one item snugly.

The cottage is eerily silent and outside the sun is beginning to set. You cannot stay long, though you have time to take something on your way out.

Your response at this part of the adventure will have great potential impact later in the story. It is not multiple choice, though multiple choices lay before you. Make your choice in character and write your wolf attempting their exit.

Abby had been expected her paws to leave the muddy ground as she swam through the murky water, but was quite relieved to find she could stand. It was a pond after all, it couldn't have been much deeper. What she didn't enjoy was the feeling of unidentified things touching her. To say her exit from the pond was swift would be an understatement.

Now properly soaked, the mottled girl trotted further into the fog. Luckily, she didn't have to walk much further to catch sight of... Something. A cottage of some sort. Something told her to not enter, but she'd walked this far already and tiredness tended to make her more stubborn. She walked through the doorway cautiously, in case someone still lived inside. At first glance it seemed it had been abandoned, but with a second Abby noticed various objects which seemed to catch the light in just the right way to catch her attention.

The package of fresh meat seemed the most promising. Something she could take back to Fireside perhaps? But she didn't like the strength of the scent, it might draw more attention to her, and the last thing she wanted to encounter was a hungry crocodile. She settled for the vial, intrigued. She'd sniff it when she got back. Fitting it into the pouch, Abby moved to leave through the way she came.

[Abby has chosen the vial of unidentified liquid]

SUCCESS

As you move to place the vial into the pouch, you hear the distinctive sound of the glass tapping up against something metallic and shiny. Peering into the bag you see the prize the prior owner left behind for you - a handful of money! Sweet. The vial still fits tightly within the pouch, and you make your way out of the hut without issue.

[Abby recieved 131 gems!]

THE FOUNTAIN

Deeper through the marshes you notice a faint glowing, and are inexplicably compelled to follow it. The trees and reeds open up to a pool of clean, clear water that seems out of place in the gross boggy swamp. Bathing within it are tadpoles, hatchling snakes, and other various baby animals.

(UNLOCKED) The vial in your sack glows brightly as you approach, and the cluster of critters turn to gape in awe. One juvenile monkey springs out from the fountain and before you have time to react, steals the vial from under your nose. He flees back to the water and unceremoniously upends the vial into the water, bringing a chorus of cheers from the animals who have made it their home.

You may stop for a moment and investigate, though you cannot stay long and must continue forward before the night grows too dark.

1. Your thirst is calling to you. There are many other bodies of water to satiate it nearby, though something about the strange water is enticing. Do you take the chance to drink from the fountain?
   
   
2. You would not be the first wolf to worry about ingesting something so odd and unnatural, though some part of you knows the water’s importance. Do you take a moment to soak in the fountain rather than drink from it?
   
   
3. If you are exceptionally cautious you might decide against having anything to do with the unnatural pond. You may leave without any part of it touching you, if that is what you wish.
   
   
4. SKILL LOCKED: You do not meet the requirements for this path.
   

Abby left the house with haste. Everything here felt weird, and wrong. She wanted to leave.

And yet stubborn recklessness guided her paws toward yet another strange place, this one more enticing than the last. She admired the fountain for a moment, only to find her vial missing, carried by a small monkey, who had decided to use it by emptying it into the fountain. Abby sighed, giving the monkey a tired and disappointed look. She should chosen the meat instead.

The act seemed to have pleased the wildlife surrounding the water source, so maybe the act hadn't been as wasteful as the girl first assumed. She drew nearer, observing the clear water the fountain contained. Part of her wanted to jump in, but she didn't know if this was the animal's drinking water or not. She didn't want to anger them, that's for sure. She settled for satisfying her thirst, and she lapped tentatively at the strange, enticing water.

[Abby's chugging the spook water.]

FAILURE

The multitude of animals watch carefully as you begin to lap at the water, but as soon as your tongue touches it's surface it begins to change in both color and taste. A thick black pitch spreads from the disturbed surface, and the group of creatures all begin to scream at you in heated anger. The monkeys begin throwing piles of mud in your direction, the snakes hissing at you and displaying their fangs. A knot begins to form in your stomach, and your stomach begins to churn. Something is wrong, though it's impossible to define what has been done to you as of yet.

[Abby received a [REDACTED] punishment, to be revealed and inflicted on adventure's end or early abandonment!]

NOT SUNFLOWERS NOR DAISIES

Journeying deeper, you encounter a bog of all types of sentient plants as wide as the eye can see. Their herbaceous mouths hang open, and they appear to be waiting for an unaware creature to brush by and fall victim to its fast-shutting clasp. You watch in awe as one particularly large one snaps an unaware eagle right out of the air. You must get past them, but how?

1. These dudes look hungry and unlike anything you’ve ever seen but you need to get past them somehow. If you are quiet and appear unappetizing, perhaps you can wander carefully by without drawing their attention.
   
   
2. If you believe you may appear too tantalizing for the carnivorous plants to ignore, you could try your luck with speed instead. As scary as the field of plants may be, they are rooted to the ground and cannot chase you if they miss their first bite.
   
   
3. SKILL LOCKED: You do not meet the requirements for this path.
   

Abby'd thought it would be fine. It wasn't. The black bubbling void spread and she felt what had been clear, perfect water slip down her throat turn into the stuff of the abyss and she stepped back in shock as the animals started screeching their displeasure. So much for keeping everyone happy.

She ran in fear, paws barely touching the ground before she was satisfied with the distance between her and the wretched fountain. She hacked and retched, desperately trying to rid herself of the liquid plague but the damage had been done. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach much like the accursed drink, but she still ventured forward. Unfortunately, it seemed it was all down from here.

She frowned again, this time at the aggressive-looking plants that blocked her path. Normally she'd shrink from the danger, but she was done with this shit. She was getting through this as quick as possible. She was good at running, though maybe not the greatest. She steadied herself, burying fear deep within and crouching down before bolting as fast as she could manage, a flash of grey, orange and white.

[Abby's running for it.]

FAILURE

You run for your life through the crowded field of carnivorous plants, feeling the movements in the air around you as they aim their jaws towards you. The end is nearing, and for a moment you think you've made it out with only a few lost patches of fur when suddenly - SNAP - one particularly large one takes hold of your left ear. It's hold upon you is firm, and acid is beginning to pool quickly in the mouth of the plant, eating away hungrily at the ear tip. You have only the one choice - to tear your head away and your ear along with it. The hungry plant's mouth cannot reopen until it's snack is complete, and you are safe to make it the remainder of the way through the field.

[Abby received a MINOR MAIM as punishment! She has lost the top half of her left ear.]

THE WITCHES BODYGUARD

An angry, oversized bullfrog with long, serrated claws stands in your way and lets out a bellowing, menacing croak. It stands upon a pile of bones three times it’s height and looks prepared to add your skull to it's collection.

1. A bullfrog can’t have been the worst thing you’ve fought or seen others fight, surely it is a winnable battle. You may choose to stand your ground and enter combat with the frog but be warned, he’s a more formidable opponent than he looks.
   
   
2. Sometimes power comes in small packages, and you are not willing to underestimate this particular opponent. While you may not be willing to put tooth and claw against him, there’s always the chance you can outrun him.
   
   
3. SKILL LOCKED: You do not meet the requirements for this path.
   
   

-----

Plants began to snap around her as she bound through the aggressive foliage, but she didn’t stop. Not for one second, even as the snapping grew closer and closer to her face until-

A flash of white filled her vision as one of the bigger ones finds purchase on her ear, yanking her backwards, but it didn’t hold her for long as she felt something tear and she was free once again. Blood rushed to the wound and began to flow heavily, but the adrenaline helped regain her momentum with ease. It was becoming harder to breath, chest constricting with wild, uncontrollable fear. Yet she continued her pace, not stopping for a second, past the pile of bones on which the oversized amphibian sat. She was determined to get through this in one piece. Sort of.

[Abby’s running for it again!]

FAILURE

The frog watches you carefully as you prepare to flee, seeing the moment your muscles tense and lunging. He pushes off of his pile of bones with such strength that in one bound he's upon you, colliding with his full force into your rear leg from the side. The impact is powerful and you hear the snap of bone before you feel the pain. Adrenaline is the only thing pushing you forward, and surely by the time it fades that leg will no longer be able to bare you weight.

[Abby received a BROKEN LEG as punishment! It will heal on the 1st of Winter]

THE WITCH HERSELF

In a flash of sizzling smoke and mist, an old crone apparates. Stooped in posture, she outstretches an arm in your direction, pointing a knobby finger right at you. "You stole my vial, and drank my bathwater!" She accuses, spittle flinging from her dry, thin lips. Her speech continues in a language unintelligible to you, though it occurs to you that it sounds a heck of a lot like a curse!

1. You have only a few moments before her chanting is complete, and without any idea what exactly the witch has in store for you, perhaps you should take this opportunity to run for it!
   
   
2. For all you know her curse doesn’t require line-of-sight, you might not be free from it even if you flee successfully. Would you like to instead try to explain yourself, reason with her and apologize?
   
   
3. SKILL LOCKED: You do not meet the requirements for this path.
   

Abby felt the frog smack into her rear leg, the snap of bone deepening the sense of dread she carried. She stumbled away, her limb struggling to carry her weight. Had the amphibian broken it? The pain felt like a second impact, and she cried out. Yep, definitely broken. The girl staggered, tears streaming from her face, mingling with the blood from her torn ear. She needed out.

The witch appeared, and Abby promptly collapsed in its presence. She didn’t know what it was. She didn’t know where she was. She just wanted to leave.

She met the crone’s accursed gaze. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come here.” She blubbered. “You can do what you want with me, just please let me go home. I want to see the sheep again. I want to see the flowers again. I don’t want to die here.”


[Abbys attempting to “negotiate”.]

FAILURE

Your pitiful attempt at negotiation brings a cruel laugh from the crone. No amount of begging could possibly convince her you're anything but a lowly thief deserving of punishment. This witch however is willing to give you one last chance, a game of luck to decide your fate in her final encounter. "You are either brave or foolish to make it all the way here, and then to stand here and beg me for your life." She begins with a sneer.

Her hand waves, and suddenly a glass vial containing a mysterious swirling mixture appears upon her upturned palm. With the other hand she gestures to it, her lips upturning into a daring smile. "I will make you a deal. You can hobble on home now as you are, or do me the favor of testing my newest experimental potion." She shakes the vial and the mixture begins to glow. "You may see your sheep and flowers again, new and improved, or you may not see anything again for a while. Only the Gods know what this will do to you."

1. You can take your chance at the consolation prize (or punishment!)
   
   
2. Or you can leave now and end the adventure.
   
   

She observed the potion with renewed curiosity and great fear. Would it be worth it? Or would it be the end of her? She felt her back leg swelling, her stomach churning and blood pouring from her poor left ear. She’d been through hell and back, would she really be willing to return with nothing. She looked to the crone with shaky determination. “Deal.” She moved to take the vial to drink, but before attempting to ingest the fluid she spoke again. “I won’t come here again. I won’t bother you anymore, and I certainly won’t drink your soap.” She reaffirmed, with maybe a hint of a joke at the last statement. It was hard to tell with her tear stricken face.

[ Abby’s drinking the potion!]