After speaking with Irilyth, it seemed that her dear healer was feeling the pressure of winter on her herb supply so even though she knew it was a bit of a long shot, she figured she might go to the near by thicket and see if there were any of the dense foliage that was sheltered enough from the cold to harbor a few herbs. If nothing else it got her out and moving a bit. She had criss crossed through the rustling thicket many times before so she had a pretty good idea of where to start which was a good thing since the sun was already half way to the horizon by the time she made it to the tangled mess of bushes and trees. She'd only have a couple hours left of decent light so she had to move quick. Moving into the brush, she wiggled her way through some of the thicker patches of foliage and started searching through some of the areas where she had seen some useful looking herbs before. Before she actually managed to find anything helpful though, a sound caught her attentive ear and she peeked out through the near by trees, immediately on alert and waiting to see if the sound was just a passing animal or a predator that was bothered by her intrusion.

"Manea Mendacium"

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

It seemed that her intuition was indeed correct that something was lurking in the shadows, but what she wasn't expecting was the trio of various colored canines that stepped toward her. She looked between them curiously, her head tipped to the side as she said, "Oh... hello." It felt like the silent, expectant figures were just waiting on her move and she eyed each of them for a moment. While following unknown and unusual dogs through a dense thicket of foliage seemed like a potentially unwise idea, she couldn't stop her curiosity and began to step closer to the dark storm cloud of a canine who seemed particularly grumpy about the whole proposition. "Well, why don't you lead the way since you seem so impatient then?" she questioned with a chuckle, gesturing with her paw as she waited to see what would happen next.

ooc: picking the hard route!

"Manea Mendacium"

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 - not looking at all impressed at your words - 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.

Choosing to follow the mysterious canine had been fairly easy, but the actual act of doing so quickly proved to be a bit more treacherous than anticipated. She couldn’t exactly pin point where she was going or where he was taking her as this odd smoke began to fill the air, but she got the sense that they were no longer in the thicket. It didn’t feel like they had been walking long enough to make it to the volcano, but it was the only thing her brain could rationalize as the strong smell of sulfur filled her nose and she was able to blink her eyes clear enough to make out the chasm that now stretched out in front of her.

“Ah, well… thank you for stopping me before I fell to my doom, I suppose,” she said lightly to her guide before the green eyed dog pointed her toward the rickety wooden bridge that was apparently the next point of interest. “Perhaps I thanked you too soon…” she muttered, but stepped toward the bridge regardless. She wasn’t sure if there was a right or wrong way to approach this path, but she most certainly didn’t want to be dangling over lava any longer than necessary. She began stepping lightly over the bridge, shifting her weight and trying to use the same graceful, delicate steps she used when stalking prey to make sure she was standing on the strongest parts of the wood with each step.

ooc: Picking the dexterity option!

"Manea Mendacium"

You gingerly step onto the bridge, balancing your weight. The bridge creaks and sways slightly. You inch your way across and the guide follows you. After what seems like eons, you make it across the bridge and the guide leads you into the shelter of the cave ahead. Before you enter, you manage to find 130 gemstones.

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 is 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.

Once she made it to the other side–along with her apparent guide for this unwilling journey she had been taken on–she breathed a sigh of relief and was about to ask where they were going and why... only to be taken into a chamber containing more lava. "Ah hells..." she muttered with a frown and began to look for a way across since it felt apparent that this is what the wolfish figure beside her intended her to do even though he had yet to say a word. "Well, lets get a move on then, shall we?" she said with a bit of impatience. The faster she got through all of this the sooner she could find out what this was all about. The most obvious path was the sizable stepping stone like rocks ahead of her that made a path through the pools of lava so that's where she moved toward next. She made one tentative leap to the first stepping stone to get a feel of the texture of the rock and make sure it wasn't too hot to stand on before she continued on with a bit more confidence, leaping from one stone to another to get to the other side.

ooc: picking the strength option!

"Manea Mendacium"

You coil yourself and jump from one stone to the next. Hey! This isn't too hard. Your confidence grows with each step you traverse. The warm, smooth stone holds steady and after a few jumps you find a silk sack containing a curiously shaped item - you decide to grab it and open it up later. After just a few more jumps, you find yourself on the edge of a new lava 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

After a few well placed jumps and a surprise find of an unusual pouch, she found herself on the other side successfully. She looked to her guide expectantly, hoping that would be the end of this at last, but no. She noticed his attention was focused ahead of them and she looked to see the flat, smooth piece of stone that he obviously seemed to think that she was meant to get to the stretch of stone that sat across a moat of lava. "I do hope that there's a good reason behind these perils you keep bringing me to," she grumbled with a sigh, considering the challenge ahead of her for a moment. Unlike in the previous room, there wasn't an obvious way to make her way across the final stretch of lava. No bridge, no stepping stones, no path. Perhaps she could have crafted a way to get across, but she was so ready to finally get to whatever this destination was and the amount of time that was bound to take was unappealing. Deciding to go for the fastest option, Manea stepped back slightly to give herself a running start, bounding forward and then kicking off hard right at the edge of the lava, launching herself across in a long, graceful leap.

ooc: picking the strength option!

"Manea Mendacium"

You kick off with all your strength, hoping your back legs are strong enough to propel you over the gap. Fortunately they are, and you land hard on the other side, feeling the impact of your jump ripple through you.

Though you make it to the other side, a low roar behind you gets your attention, and you spin around...

A giant, glowing worm erupts from the molten chasm below, lava sputtering onto the ground before you. It screeches, towering over the stage and you immediately recognize its name as Joseph. The guide growls, his stance rigid and wide. This is an enemy that must be dealt with if you wish to escape with your life.

What do you do?

Strength: Find a way to attack the worm.

With the way the worm's head begins to lower toward you, surely you can find time to strike...

Charisma: Convince the guide to deal with the worm.

Surely he has a better idea how to deal with this than you do, right?

Dexterity: Try to dodge the worm and stay out of its range.

Surely there's got to be a way to escape this worm, if you're just quick enough!

Wisdom: Study the worm to figure out how to deal with it.

You've never seen anything quite like this, so maybe acting too rashly isn't the best idea. You decide to study it inside and see what information you can gather.

She sighed with relief as her paws connected with stone, more than happy to accept the hard impact of her leap to the other side in favor of falling to what was sure to be her death. She stepped away from the edge a bit just for her own piece of mind and was about to turn and question her guide about what came next since she didn't see any obvious goal ahead of her now, but before she could a low, bone rattling roar stopped her, making her tense as she spun around to face the sound. Of all the strange things she had witnessed today, the absolutely massive, glowing worm erupting from the lava below had to be the most ridiculous and unbelievable. "You're kidding, right? I've got to be dreaming..." she muttered in disbelief, watching as splatters of lava dotted the ground in front of her. Even though there were no words, it was as if she just knew this thing's name somehow. Joseph. What a name for a worm.

She glanced past the worm and saw her soot-coated guide growling at this thing. So they were in for a fight, huh? But how did one fight a massive, lava swimming, glowing worm that couldn't possibly be real? She immediately dropped into a fighting stance, readying herself as she watched how it moved like she would any of her opponents. Hopping back a bit to put a little more distance between herself and the worm while still being mindful of the far edge of this platform, she tried to piece together how this thing would attack and where an opening might be. Not only was this the strangest fight she had ever encountered, but she also had to keep in mind the fact that it was swimming in lava It was more than worth figuring out some intel before she dove into this head first.

OOC: Picking the wisdom option!

"Manea Mendacium"

You stop to study the enraged worm, somehow thinking this was a good idea. Before you can react, the worm screeches, showing off its splintered mouth and too many teeth. Before the guide can even jump in the way, the worm in upon you.

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 neck left cheek, that will leave an impressive scar (about 6 inches long). You feel less knowledgeable at having gone on that adventure as well, losing 91 Hunting skill 71 Fighting 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.

Rerolled with Firefly's favor

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...

• 130 gems
  
• Xtra Shrink Potion
  
• Potion Of Perception
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• major injury -left cheek,
  
• -71 Fight skill points