Whisper hadn't gone far from home, not really. If it was such a struggle to get into the Col, well, she needed to stretch her legs somewhere. The moon hung fat and round overhead, lighting up the wall that stretched before her like a spotlight. She was sure she could get up on top of there if she tried really hard. Her meagre height would make some of the steps more of a leap than a scramble, but she was going to give it her all!

What she thought should have been halfway up, she stopped for a breather, a low whine in the back of her throat breaking the silence as she realised she hadn't even really climbed as far as her father's shoulders! In her frustration, she kicked at a loose pebble, and watched it fly into the night.

“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

Whisper visibly flinched when lavender eyes fell on the trio before her. While the white one seemed the most welcoming, kinda like her mum, the darker wolf-thing reminded her of her grandpa, and she realised she probably shouldn't be out here. Was he a friend of the family? Also, strangers could come across as friendly to try and steal her away right? The grumpy one was what she expected to get from her family if she got caught out of bounds. Tail tucked and ears back, she padded towards the darkest wolf, expecting a solid scolding for sneaking off alone in the middle of the night again. She expected him to scoop her up and carry her home.

“Speech”

-Choosing the irascible guide-

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 smoke crept into her lungs reminding her of the pressing cold of the flood and the tiny girl trembled pressing closer to her guide's heels. Tears blocked her vision and she almost felt the floor fall away before the guide pulled her back. A horrible, horrible smell got into her nose and she started to cough, gasping desperately for any fresh breath of air but finding none down here. The big, dark, not-grandpa seemed to be gesturing towards a bridge. It didn't look very sturdy, but she could make it, right? After all, the Armada was full of fierce warriors and she was going to be one one day too! If she ran really fast, being as light as she was, maybe she could make it to the other side without it collapsing.

“Speech”

Choosing: strength! dash across before the bridge can collapse.

You kick off, launching yourself down the shaky bridge. You can hear the guide grunt in surprise behind you. Your paws crash down on the warm, dry wood. About halfway through the bridge, your paw crashes through a plank, sending your body tumbling into the weakened structure. The guide is fast behind you, scruffing you and shoving you down the bridge one step at a time. At the end, he releases you and ushers you quickly into the cave with an eyeroll.

In the struggle, you scrape your right abdomen. 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 it 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.

Whisper's very short life flashed before her lavender eyes when the plank gave way beneath her paws. Jaws closed around her scruff and hauled her onwards, across the lava and into another room. Being unceremoniously dumped on her butt bought an oof from her lips, her limbs quivering from the adrenalin of their dash, she barely noticed the wetness on her abdomen from the scrape, she certainly couldn't smell the copper of blood over the sulfur.

Catching her breath she realised another challenge was laid out before her. She took a moment to chew the inside of her cheek before heading towards the narrow ledges. She didn't take up much space, and they seemed less imposing than the other options.

“Speech”

Choosing: dexterity! take the thin edge.

You traverse the thin, crumbling edge around the room. To no one's surprise, it cracks, and your paw slips. You scramble at the surface just enough to save yourself from falling in with a little help of the guide. The lava sputters, splashing you across your right back ankle. The lava singes through your fur, leaving a deep burn about the size of a wolf's paw (5in x 4in). Ouch! that's gonna leave a scar.

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

If the girl had thought almost drowning was bad, it was nothing on the pain that lanced up her limb as the ledge crumbled and her right back paw hit the lava. She couldn't even scream as the scent of cooking flesh overpowered the sulfur scent. Her guide moved her to smoother, cooler ground, but Whisper was only a tiny wolf, and the burn stretched from her toes to almost more than halfway up her leg (she was still a baby and would only grow to be 15" at her tallest). The room looked white through the pain, she shook and vomited all over the smooth cool stone, and still her guide didn't say a word. She wanted to live up to her family name, wanted to show that despite how tiny she was she could be just as brave and strong as anyone else... She tried to push the pain down, stumbling to her paws. She wasn't going to back down, even though all she wanted to do was pass out. She could push through it, right? She just had to find a way across.

Maybe if she ran really fast on 3 legs, she'd have enough momentum to jump across the gap. A girl could only try, right?

“Speech”

Choosing: strength! jump over the gap.

You decide to kick off hard, hoping to close the gap using your sheer strength. Only when you're almost to the other side do you realize you underestimated the size of the gap, and you feel yourself falling, falling, 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. The flesh no your right shoulder has been torn and tattered, strips of skin hanging loose; surely you need to find a healer to help patch up those wounds, which are sure to scar (roughly in a 5 x 5 inch area). You feel less skilled as well, losing 15 skill points along the way.

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...

• Zilch
  
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor injury - right abdomen
  
• Medium scar - right back ankle
  
• Major injury/scar - right shoulder