Tarnish folded his ears down atop his head against the wind. The evening sun was setting, casting orange glimmers of light across the black stones of Obsidian Beach. He'd wandered across the archipelago bridge alone. It had been awhile since he'd been completely on his own, without siblings or Worc. A dream had woken him and left him restless and unable to get back to sleep so he'd snuck out of the den to go for a walk and try to untangle what had been lurking in his head. Problem was, he couldn't remember the dream. Not exactly. He could only remember waking with his stomach knotted and his heart racing. Tarnish didn't want to talk about or cause anyone to worry so he took off. He'd just walk for a bit and go back.

Raider Brats

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

Tar batted at the stones, occasionally sending one spiraling into the ocean. That was fun! He bounded forward giving another a significant hit. It clacked along the other stones before ending in the water with a satisfying plop. He continued playing for a little bit until he got the sudden sense that he wasn't alone. Tarnish looked up and saw three strange wolves there. They were very tall and kind of skinny and strange looking. One of his ears flicked back. He wasn't sure if they were friendly or not, well at least two of them. The pale colored one seemed like they might want to play. Tarnish perked up and bounded over toward the pale wolf. "Hey! I'm Tarnish. Do you want to play? I know some good games."

Raider Brats

Tarnish chooses the Easy Route

The welcoming and charming borzoi flashes you a bright smile when you choose them. You suggest games and they play bow at you briefly, then turn, eager for you to follow.

The cheerful wolf prances off, turning every so often with a smile to make sure you're still following. The sun seems to shine brighter around this wolf, and after a while it becomes almost blinding. When you are finally able to focus again, you find you are in a lush meadow with a gentle breeze causing the flowers to bow to you in greeting. In the center of this meadow, there is an impossibly large pine tree. Your companion sits, motioning towards the tree enthusiastically.

What do you do?

Strength: Push on the tree

You decide to push on the tree. Maybe it will yield to your sheer power.

Charisma: Ask the guide what to do.

You turn to the guide, asking them for advice.

Dexterity: Climb up the tree.

You size up the tree, deciding to climb it.

Wisdom: Inspect the tree.

You decide to get a closer look at this tree.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

The smiling wolf bowed playfully then turned and beckoned him to follow. Excited to play with a new friend he bounded after her. As he did it started getting brighter and brighter. What the- was it dawn already? He didn't have time to process before the light faded and he found himself in a wonderful meadow with a huge tree in the middle. "Wow! That tree is ginormous!" He bounded across the meadow toward the tree, leaping through the grass before screeching to a stop at the bottom. He stretched up it, claws out, but hesitated. It was really, really, really big. Instead he settled back on his four feet and started sniffing around the base of the tree, tail wagging as he went.


Raider Brats

Wisdom - Tarnish wants to inspect the tree

You can tell it's a tree because of the way it is. How neat is that? That's pretty neat.

After a few moments too long of staring at the tree, your guide walks ahead of you and pushes in some bark to reveal a door. With a chuckle and an eye roll, they lead you into the tree.

Inside, the tree somehow seems even bigger, the inside carved out to reveal multiple floors. Some are connected with large turkey mushrooms, others with vines, and some not at all. Many inhabitants seem to skitter in the shadows, but never clearly in your vision. Your guide motions to the top of the tree almost desperately. Something is there, something they want and need you to help them with.

What do you do?

Strength: Climb up the mushrooms.

The turkey mushrooms have a wide surface and a solid base, they should be easy enough to climb.

Charisma: Call out to the other inhabitants.

The others in the tree seem to know the way around. Maybe they'll share their secrets.

Dexterity: Weave your way up the vines.

With a little flexibility, you think you could maneuver your way up the vines that climb the side of the tree.

Wisdom: Look around for an easier way up.

Trees and mushrooms and asking for advice are all good and well, but there has got to be an easier way.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

At first it just seemed like an ordinary tree. A very big but very ordinary tree until the guide showed a hidden door that led inside the tree. Tarnish whistled as he stepped inside. "Neat! Is this your house? It's a really cool house." He immediately started sniffing around, gazing at the mushrooms that led from one level to another. There were other creatures in here somewhere. He could here them skittering about but he wasn't too worried. Probably a bunch of squirrels or something.

The guide gestured upward. "Oh? Go up there? Sure!" He sized up the trail of turkey mushrooms, trying to decide if they'd hold his weight and which path he should take up. He was a big pup but still a pup so he was pretty sure it would support him. Tarnish coiled his legs and with a great leap attempted to climb the mushrooms.


Raider Brats

Tarnish chooses Strength!

You hop onto the lowest mushroom you can find. It feels spongy under your paws, but holds fast. This works for the next one too. At some point, just when you begin to feel confident, a mushroom crumbles beneath your feet and you tumble to the ground.

The guide laughs and tries to cover it by coughing as they lead you to a wooden platform hanging by vines in the back of the room. They invite you on and the small wooden platform lifts you to the top.

At the top of the tree, there is a large spider web with an even larger spider on top. It's legs titter angrily on the threads of the web. It seems agitated. In it's state, its web has fallen into disrepair and you see a family of the tree's inhabitants stuck in the webbing just behind the spider.

What do you do?

Strength: Fight the spider.

The spider has trapped that poor family! As an adversary, you must defeat her!

Charisma: Calm the spider down.

The spider's obviously bothered by something. Maybe you can calm her down.

Dexterity: Tiptoe to sneakily save the family.

If you're extra cautious, then you can save the family without ever alerting the spider.

Wisdom: Figure out what's agitating the spider.

There must be more to the story than is going on, if only you could figure out what...

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Tarnish hopped up onto the nearest mushroom, pausing a bit as he felt the strange, spongy texture under his feet. This was so cool! With a grin on his face he bounded to the next and kept right on going before one crumbled under his paws and sending him tumbling. Oops! "Awww, shoot!" He got up sheepishly and looked over to the guide who invited him to a platform that lifted him up to the top of a tree.

Once there he noticed a huge spider and immediately his fur stood on end. That was a pup eating spider if he ever saw one! His ears pinned to his head, fur standing on end as he growled at the spider. He saw other creatures trapped in the web behind it. Well it wasn't going to get him. Tarnish darted forward, claws unsheathing as he aimed to cut the web and hopefully drop the spider.


Raider Brats

Tarnish chooses Strength!

You ready yourself to fight the spider. It seems improbable, impossible even, given the venom and size of the spider. No matter, you launch your attack and the spider seems surprised. After a quick tussle, the spider evades you and flees impossibly high into the tree.

During your struggle, your guide was able to free the family and they wait for you on safer ground.

The inhabitants tell you of something causing the tree to vibrate, which is making the spider's web give her false signals. This has become confusing for her, and the once guardian of the tree has been blindly attacking anything she finds in her web. They explain the vibration comes from underground and show you to a hatch in the floor that leads to a cave.

The cave is small and seems fairly fresh, with loamy soil still clinging to the roof and walls like a newly dug den. It is dark, but your eyes adjust and you see a series of paths you can choose to take.

What do you do?

Strength: Take the straightforward path.

Stop wasting time and just go until you find something.

Charisma: Call out to the void.

Why try to find the source of the vibration, when you can let the source of the vibration find you?

Dexterity: Squeeze through the newest tunnel.

The freshest tunnel should lead to the one digging it, right?

Wisdom: Follow the vibration.

If you feel through your paws, you can distinguish where the vibrations are the strongest and follow those there.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Tarnish pounced at the spider, claws and teeth bared. They tangled for a brief moment as he became almost overwhelmed by the amount of legs. The spider pushed him away, evading his attack and scurrying far up into the tree. He snorted. Served it right for messing with a raider!

He looked to where the family had been but was surprised to see them gone. Glancing down he saw the guide had secured the inhabitants safety. Tarnish scrambled down to where they were only to be told there was something weird at the base of the tree freaking the spider out. “Ok, I’ll take a look and see if I can figure out what to do.” If the tree was located over a fault or a geothermal whatever you call it there wasn’t much he could do.

He peered into the cave for a moment before charging down the most straightforward path. Let others pussyfoot around. He was on a mission!

Ooc: Tarnish chooses strength

You charge forward, determined to force your way through the tunnels. Upwards, downwards, and side to side you go. On the way, you find a small item. You'll have to look at that later. Eventually you come into an opening where something writhes in the back of a large room.

Before you writhes a large brown worm with markings resembling carved rock. This eyeless creature shrieks at you, revealing a mouth with too many sharp points. For some reason, you immediately understand it's name: Steven. This must be the source of the vibration! That means it must be dealt with. Your guide nods to you, ready to follow your lead.

What do you do?

Strength: Fight it head on.

You gather your strength, this is going to be a tough battle.

Charisma: Tell the worm it needs to move somewhere else.

If the critters in the tree can talk, maybe this worm can be reasoned with too.

Dexterity: Sneak behind the worm and go for a stealth kill.

The worm is enormous! Better be sneaky about it then off him.

Wisdom:  Find something else to ward away the worm.

You think back. There has to be some herbs or something that can ward off worms...

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Tarnish barreled forward along the path, following its twists and turns to the opening of a large room. He skidded to a stop and peered through the darkness. There was something in that room. Something big. His ears flicked forward, picking up a shuffling type sound that he couldn't place. It wasn't like the paw steps of a larger predator but whatever was in there was definitely big. He crept closer as his eyes continued to adjust to the dim light. Inside the room was a massive, toothed worm. Shit…. well how the heck was he supposed to deal with this thing. What would even be the weak point of a worm? He didn't see a throat or anything he could target. Still, he wasn't going to back down from this fight.

Tarnish clung to the shadows, steeling his strength and setting his defenses. He looked to the guide who nodded. Right, time to do this! Tarnish sprang forward, bolting toward the worm like a living coil of shadow as he approached at an angle, seeking to dig his jaws into where he reasoned the neck ought to be, while hoping the angle of his approach would keep him out of the worm's jaws.


Raider Brats

Tarnish chooses strength!

You launch at the beast, the guide at your side. The two of you struggle and fight the monstrosity.

You try your best, but the worm's wrath is too much. The last thing you remember is the swath or worm viscera and the shadows ebbing at the edge of your vision.

You wake up some time later where you first began, the guide next to you injured, but not in any serious way. They seem excited that you are awake, and flash you a smile despite their own pain. Though they haven't suggested it, you know that your mission has failed. You take a moment to look over yourself and besides the raging headache, you notice the left side of your ribcage is bleeding, but it seems as though it will heal, leaving a barely noticeable scar. After the guide catches their breath, they nod and bid you farewell, limping away until you blink and they are gone, only a few fireflies buzzing lazily where the guide once was.

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...

• Small Companion
  
• Aged Breeding Pass
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Injury - left ribs