Lurid had taken a personal night for herself, leaving behind her companions and mate to reconnect with herself and figure out what she needed to do to make Mirovis rise again. It was not about ruling for the sake of power, she wished for her pack to be a family of monsters. Tonight saw the queen of demons moving through the darkened forest, her paws barely making a sound as she strode through the area. On the hunt for new territory for her Mirovis to reside in, Lurid's holographic gaze scanned the wintery woods around her. Thick fog surrounded her like a cloak as she walked, her pale coat making it hard to see her at a distance.

This place could work, there would be plenty of prey to hunt and it would offer protection with its gnarled branches and dense fog cover - if it stayed year-round. There was no sound in the forest as she walked as if the creatures knew the devil was among them and dared not make a noise. Lurid halted her walk, reclined on her haunches, and closed her eyes, listening to the deafening silence around her. For a moment, she allowed herself to do nothing, to think of nothing, and just enjoy the peace and quiet of the soulless forest.

---
Word count: --- words
"Talking" | 'Hearing'
Notes: ---

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

Her peace and quiet was interrupted by the sounds of approaching paws, upon opening her eyes Lurid spied three wolf-dogs approaching. Standing before her, they said nothing but seemed to be waiting for something. Their sudden appearance startled her, but she would not let that show. Looking between them, Lurid could tell they wanted to make a choice between them. One seemed overly excited, one was sorrowful, and the other seemed annoyed. Curiosity about the dark wolf's mood was hard to ignore, so Lurid looked to the other two before following along with him. She wondered at his mood, "What's eating you?" She asked the dark stranger.

---
Word count: 107 words
"Talking" | 'Hearing'
Notes: Choosing the hard route. She never learns.

The grumpy wolf's brow relaxes just slightly when you choose him. He seems to give you a moment to reconsider, not answering your question. 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 Borzoi said nothing in response to her question, only grunted in approval of her choice and turned to lead them further into the forest. As she followed him, thick smoke began to fill her nose and sting her eyes until she could barely see through the tears that formed. Blinking rapidly and coughing, Lurid tried not to lose sight of her guide, wondering where the smoke had come from and where they were going. Still blinking the smoke away as it cleared from her vision, the scent of smoke changed suddenly to a smell not unlike rotten eggs.

She knew the smell of sulfur, and it very nearly frightened her. Lurid took another step forward only to be pulled back by the grumpy seeming wolf-dog, finally seeing the edge of a chasm in front of her. She could have walked right off the edge if not for him. "Thank you!" She said to him, not expecting anything back from the rude male. Looking down into the chasm and blinking away her tears, Lurid spied lava down at the bottom, no way she would have survived that.

Looking back to her guide, she saw him motion to a bridge that looked ready to collapse at any moment. She made her way over to the bridge, following the dark wolf-dog. When he stopped, he seemed to want Lurid to cross the rickety rope bridge. Lurid shook her head, "Why don't you show me how it's done and I will follow you across." She didn't want to be the first one across the bridge. If the male could cross, she could too. Hopefully, he would lead the way.

---
Word count: --- words
"Talking" | 'Hearing'
Notes: Choosing charisma, let the guide go first.

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 right eye. 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.

When the brute didn't respond to her gentle command, Lurid grew a little angry, but said nothing. For a while, there was an awkward silence, Lurid just staring at the male with those holographic gems. Suddenly, he disappeared and then he was behind her. "What the-" Before she knew it she was being pushed onto the bridge and the dark stranger blocked her path. "Quam rude." She was a queen, how dare he push her in such a manner!

Lurid moved to snap her jaws at him, but the post for the bridge got in the way. It scraped her eye, causing her to turn back around and keep going. Lurid could feel the blood well up, but she knew it wouldn't be bad. She had been through worse in her fights with her siblings. Going across the rickety rope bridge, Lurid could feel the warmth coming from the lava below them and she prayed to whatever dark gods were listening that she didn't run into a bad board and fall in. The male only had to give that initial push, but he didn't let up until they were on the other side of the chasm. She had made it safe and sound, no worse for wear, and when she stopped staring at the male like she wanted to eat him, she noticed the mouth of a cave.

With a long-suffering sigh, Lurid moved into the cave. She now assumed the wolf was in cahoots with the firefly god that had zapped her to her old home, and her trust in him wavered. Should she keep going? As always, curiosity got the best of the pale goddess and she continued inside. Her holographic white-to-lavender eyes widened as she looked around. Pools of lava bubbled and brought heat to an otherwise chilly environment, streams of it flowing here and there. Looking at the dark male she could tell he wanted her to go to the other end of the room.

"I don't suppose you will help me this time either?" She questioned with a scoff. There were bridges she could take, perhaps that was the safest route through the room. Lurid moved forward, her usual confidence wavering just a bit as she took one of the bridges across. She was careful, and took her steps one at a time, trying not to fall into the lava below. She was almost sick of bridges though, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

---
Word count: 409 words
"Talking" | 'Hearing'
Notes: Latin: "How rude."
Choosing wisdom, she takes the bridges.

You decide to use the bridges. They seem to have stood the test of time, only being singed here and there. They're easy to cross, and you progress steadily, even finding a sealed bag along your way. You decide to see what's inside it later. Soon, you find that the bridges end and you are in a vast, 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

Lurid moved over the bridges with relative ease, the structures seemed sturdy enough to hold her and they did. She even managed to find something along the way in the shape of a sealed bag. Deciding to take the bag with her, Lurid moved along into the next chamber where a large slab of rock lay across a boiling mote of lava. Panting from the room's heat, Lurid looked around her, then back at the guide. He seemed to urge her on, but she could see no clear way across to the slab.

With a wry look at the dark male, Lurid sat down to think about her way forward - if there was one. The gap seemed like one could jump it, but as a heavy dire wolf, Lurid didn't know if she could make that leap. Maybe if she had a running start, she could, but there wasn't a lot of running room. Some of the stalagmites seemed like she could balance her way across, Lurid had always been graceful, but again she could fall to her death. Lurid was not a wolf with a death wish, she liked living her life. Perhaps, if she took her time an answer would come to her.

Lurid sat and thought for a while before she got up and moved into the previous room, bringing back materials to make her own bridge with. Another bridge, great. Lurid thought to herself as she worked. When she was finally done, Lurid stared at the bridge she made, double-checking its stability before making her way across it to the other side where the seemingly important slab of rock promised cool relief from the heated pools of lava.

---
Word count: 282 words
"Talking" | 'Hearing'
Notes: Lurid chooses wisdom, again lol

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 right cheek, that will leave an impressive scar (about 6 inches long). You feel less knowledgeable at having gone on that adventure as well, losing 62 fighting 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...

• Scar Remover
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor injury - right eye
  
• Major wound- right cheek,
  
• -62 Fighting skill points