There was a hint of rain in the air, and Mortis knew his outing would have to be a short one if he didn’t want to spend time drying his wings. Worse, if it remained cold enough, it might not be rain at all that fell. He didn’t think it was likely to snow, but he'd been wrong about such things before. Spreading out his wings, Mortis let the wind ruffle through them. Between his kids, and the duties of the pack, he hadn’t spent much time outside of Armada territory lately. It was good to take a minute to get a break, and breathe in the fresh air. Even if this outing would only be a short one. Just a minute to himself. "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

He hadn’t gotten far through the woods when three wolves appeared. Mortis let his wings spread out lightly on either side of him, catching in the wind as he regarded them. There was a light toned wolf, a blue one, and a darker tone wolf with an expression that reminded him of his father. “Hello” He said in greeting. He tilted his head slightly to the side as he looked from one wolf to another. In the end, his gaze settled on the blue wolf. This wolf looked inexplicably sad, and the kind hearted Lieutenant was drawn to them. “Are you okay?” He asked the blue wolf softly, taking a few steps closer to them Choice: Medium route "Speech"

The tearful wolf seems almost surprised you chose her, but does not answer your question. After sniffling back some tears, she turns and motions for you to follow.

Quietly, the woman leads you into a perpetual fog. Your senses are blocked and it is impossible to know where you are going. Your only lead is the salty scent of the woman you follow and the brief grey blue flash of her tail in front of you, her body obscured by the mists.

When the shroud thins, you find yourself in a small clearing surrounded by the largest weeping willows you have ever seen. In the center of the clearing, a mirror-like pond awaits, completely still except for a small swirling whirlpool in the middle. A thin path of stepping stones trail towards the center of the lake then stop. The sad wolf sits, and motions you towards the lake, tear-filled eyes brimming with anticipation.

What do you do?

Strength: Swim into the whirlpool.

You're probably stronger than some water, right? You can just swim over and see what's up.

Charisma: Ask the guide for a hint.

The guide seems nice enough. Maybe she will help you.

Dexterity: Use the stepping stones.

There are perfectly good stepping stones here for you to use!

Wisdom: Inspect the water.

Something is amiss with the water... Maybe you can figure out what.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Mortis was tempted to wrap a wing around the crying wolf to comfort her, but he didn’t want to invade her personal space, and she wasn’t answering his questions. Concerned for her, the gentle Fatalis wolf followed after her. Perhaps she would show him what he could do to help? He blinked and sneezed at the sudden dampness in his nose, and hunched his wings around him in an attempt to block off some of the fog that teased at his sensors. But it didn’t seem to help much. Luckily, it wasn’t there for long before he found himself in a clearing… and one that wasn’t in the Red Forest as he knew it. Blinking, he looked about himself, and a sinking feeling began in his gut. The last time strange things had happened to him had been during the Long night. Surely, surely this was not that. He glanced at the blue woman, who seemed too sad to be part of any such horror. He looked at the water that seemed the focal point of his guide, and took in the clear water and the whirlpool. Assessing his options, the stepping stones seemed the best idea. Flaring his wings for added balance, he took a careful step onto one of the stones. Dexterity "Speech"

You ready yourself and jump to the first rock, then the next. So far so good. On your third jump, your paw slips and you plunge into the lake where your struggles against the currents are for naught. The last thing you remember is going around and around and around and then... down.

As you fall, you scratch your right shoulder.

Under the whirlpool, a waterfall floats you into an underground lake. As you pull yourself from the frigid pool, an icy palace opens before your eyes. Thick layers of ice coat the cave's interior and ornate carvings decorate the walls. Your guide stands on the shore, shaking out her fur. She inspects the surroundings, and you do the same. You realize there is no discernible exit, though some of the ice looks thin and even cracked in some spots along the walls.

What do you do?

Strength: Break through one of the weak spots.

The ice looks thin enough, and you feel strong enough to burst through.

Charisma: Ask the guide where to go.

The room seems directionless... Maybe the guide knows something.

Dexterity: Try to squeeze through one of the larger cracks.

Some of the cracks and cervices look large enough for you to squeeze through.

Wisdom: Inspect the drawings on the wall.

The drawings are intricate, they must mean something.

Leave.

Leave and exit the event.

Mortis leaped once, twice, and again. He felt like it was going well, his wings added that little extra balance to his steps. But on that third step, he slipped. He hit the water hard, feeling something - probably stone - scrap against his shoulder on the way down. He struggled against the current. He had been born by the ocean, and had spent his life in water. But this was different. The current was impossible to overcome. He felt a moment of terror as he was pulled down -- And then he was beneath the whirlpool, in some sort of cave below. Shivering a little, he pulled himself from the water, holding his wings close to his body for warmth. It was freezing in here. After a moment’s assessment, he decided it was important to keep moving. The ice didn’t look too thick, perhaps he could use that superior Fatalis height and slam his way out? Folding his wings even tighter against his body, he attempted to do exactly that. Strength "Speech"

You find a spot on the wall and push on it. Then slam against it. It doesn't move. After another smash hit, you realize the ice has bested you and now drips with your blood, from a small wound on your left shoulder that is sure to scar. Better to stop now before you get seriously injured. Besides, the guide has already found an opening to squeeze through.

On the other side of the ice wall, what was once a neat hallway has been utterly destroyed. Carved pillars lay broken and elaborate art shattered.

The tunnel ahead looks a little unstable, and proceeding further may be very dangerous. You know if you go on now, you may not return in the same condition you entered.

What do you do?

Strength: Charge through the tunnel.

If you're plenty quick, the tunnel won't have a chance to collapse!

Charisma: Convince your guide to lead the way.

One wrong step could lead to the tunnel failing. Perhaps the guide knows a better way.

Dexterity: Carefully tread down the hallway.

If you go slow and carefully, you can leave the tunnel undisturbed.

Wisdom: Study the cave and find the safest path.

If you look closely, you can see where the cracks and freshly broken ice are.

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, temporary disabilities, moderate loss of gems/skill points

Mortis wasn't having a great time. As he slammed his shoulder against the ice (the right, to avoid the fresh wound on his left) he realised the folly in trying to break through the ice. His slamming had opened up a second wound on his right shoulder, and blood ran down his fur on both sides now. Tainting the ice with his blood he didn't know what this place was, and he wasn't sure that feeding it his blood was wise. He pushed a paw pad down on the wound, trying to stem the bleeding. As he did so, he realised his guide had found an easier route. 


Getting through it without hurting either shoulder, or catching his wings, was no easy feat. By the time he was through, he was panting. Stress and pain brought lines across his muzzle. He glanced at the weeping guide. He could turn and walk away, but leaving her… wasn't right. 


Feeling subdued from how his brute strength tactics had failed him, he proceeded more cautiously through the strange cavern. His eyes lingering on broken art across the floor. What had happened here?


Dexterity

Slowly you start working your way down the hallway, though you take far too long to traverse it and you hear the tunnel beginning to crack and splinter around you.

As the tunnel behind you begins to collapse, you find yourself  getting battered and bruised by a multitude of ice shards, their blades cutting through your fur and smashing onto the ground below. You begin to falter, but with a final push from your guide, you make it to a more stable part of the tunnel. You notice an injury on your front right paw that's sure to leave a scar.

At the end of the collapsed tunnel, what appears to have once been an elaborate shrine at some point in time lays demolished. A part of the wall carves out and opens to an open room full of jagged ice floating in deathly waters. In the center, a large, flat expanse is frozen, and on the other side, what look like daylight shines through a small opening.

What do you do?

Strength: Break through the jagged ice to the exit.

The ice doesn't look so tough, you can probably break through the tips and clear a path.

Charisma: Convince your guide to lead the way.

The guide may know how to get through the treacherous cave.

Dexterity: Jump from jagged peak to peak towards the exit.

If you time your jumps just right, you think you'll be able to use them as stepping stones.

Wisdom: Look for the safest path to the exit.

Looking ahead, there has to be one safe path... if only you can spot it.

Mortis didn't think things were going very well for him. His attempts to go slow and careful were thwarted as the cave began to collapse around him. He tried to shelter his body as best he could with his wings as he struggled to reach a safer section of the cave. He felt a push from his guide, and knew the weeping wolf was trying to help him. He gave her a slight bow of thanks, keeping the silence as she was.


He surveyed the next section of the cave, and found more ice to break through. He grimaced as he judged it as carefully as he could. He was probably going to end up covered from head to toe the way this was going. But there was no help for it, through was through.


With a soft, sad, sigh the winged wolf braced himself, and charged through the ice 


Strength.

You bash through the ice and the cold soothes and numbs your skin. It is halfway through the room you feel woozy and look down, seeing the ice below you stained with blood. Behind you, now spinning, you see the streaks of your own blood melting down the broken and jagged ice. As your vision tunnels, the guide runs to your side and all you can think about is how warm her tears are.

You awaken out by the lake, battered and beaten and so. so cold. 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 ache, but you will heal fine; you can tell somehow by the way the fireflies buzz around you.

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.

You've made it out alive, though not without injury. You notice a deep wound on the right side of your neck, which will no doubt turn into a noticeable scar (about 6 inches long). Likewise you feel you've lost some knowledge along the way, losing 3 hunting skill points. Any items you've found lay beside you, and will be revealed later.

He smashes into the ice, and the cuts on either side of his shoulders flares. They were bleeding again. His blood was running in rivers down his fur, staining the ice. He hurt. He hurt so much. He looked at the teary-eyed wolf again. I can’t let her down he begged himself. But the pain was so strong, he could feel himself blacking out. He collapsed, but when he awoke he was no longer in the ice cavern.

His first thought was that he had failed, his second was a strange familiarity for the fireflies around him. Were these like what his father had described? On the day his mother had died? “Please” he whimpered, voice cracking. He didn’t know if this was real. If the fireflies could hear him. “Please, Is my mother there? Is she okay? I just want to see her… one last time” He whispered, before the deep dark black of unconsciousness took him away once more.

You bash through the ice and the cold soothes and numbs your skin. You are able to bash through the ice with minor bruising, but not worse for wear. After what feels like an icy eternity, you clear a path near the exit. You also find a item bag, neat!

Before you reach the exit, the ice around you cracks and water sputters up until you are left stranded with your guide on a large, floating stage of ice. From the frozen depths, a massive, blue tinted worm bursts forth and shrieks. You understand its name immediately: Gary. You know now that you can not leave until you defeat this menace. Your guide looks to you, ready to go on your command.

What do you do?

Strength: Fight the worm head on.

Use whatever strength you have left to charge forward and fight the worm.

Charisma: Convince the worm to let you pass.

Maybe you can reason with the worm instead of using violence to get your way.

Dexterity: Sneak around and attack the worm from behind.

You think maybe you can use the shards of ice as cover to sneak around and attack from behind.

Wisdom: Find the worm's weak point.

If you hang back and study the worm for awhile, maybe you can figure out how to best defeat it.

Mortis reeled backwards in surprise at the giant blue worm that rose from the depth of the ice cavern. He did not even know worms could get that big. He knew immediately it wasn't from the world he knew. At this point, he had only a small platform left to him and his guide now. Nowhere to run to. He glanced at the weeping wolf, and he felt he understood the reason he was brought here. This menace. 

He took a breath, and as he breathed in a name came to him. He seized it and decided not to question it. He understood that strange things happened in this world. Sometimes it was better not to look too deeply. “Gary!" He thundered, trying to seize the worm's attention. As he did so, he charged forward. This was it, the deciding moment.


Ooc: Strength

Please use my lucky rabbits foot on Ciarans event

You launch, knowing everything hinges on this. The worm turns its attention to you, its mouth peeling back into too many parts and revealing way too many teeth. It curls and slithers and crawls over the ice to face you, but your faster. Your attack hits, and the guide is at your side lending her aid. The worm is pulled into a gaping mess of blue carnage before its able to wriggle and roll itself off the ice, plunging into the water with a vibrant blue splash.

The worm bubbles beneath the icy surface and after a moment, no more bubbles float up. The worm is gone and the guide quickly ushers the two of you outside.



Outside the night seems clear and calm and you realize you are back where the adventure started.

Your guide stops weeping for just a moment and offers a soft, genuine smile. In a flash, she is gone, only a few fireflies buzzing lazily where the guide once was.

The cave, now peaceful, stands to be explored by any who come across it. Maybe you can remember your way back sometime.

You have unlocked a new site land: Crystal Cathedral!

You receive: 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea Bundle:

• Boosted Companion Pass
  
• 3rd companion slot
  

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...

• Date Night Kit
  
• 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea Bundle
  

You Lost These Along the Way...

• Minor injury - right shoulder
  
• Medium scar - left shoulder
  
• Minor Scar - right front paw