EPONA

[soulping]

[ Upon stepping through the archway, you find yourself deep within a green forest, surrounded by trees, undergrowth, and the chittering skittering noises of small animals and insects. Behind you and around you, the trees and other vegetation close in on themselves; before you, a narrow but clear path beckons strongly. ]

[ Your normal skills are off, but you gain Basic Outdoorsmanship. ]

Comments

PROLOGUE

[soulping]

[ A wizened old crone waits at the side of the path with a dire warning. ]

Beware, travelers! This forest is haunted and alive with magic. I can send the spirits and spells away for you, but only if you choose another part of the forest to lay them on. Do you wish my aid?

[ You know instinctively what she means: you can make the challenges ahead of you less complicated and fraught with unpredictable curses if you pick another team to burden. ]

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

Re: DISCUSSION

[grandstanding]

[...well, he knows he would, but...]

What do you two think?

ANSWER

[soulping]

 

Re: ANSWER

[wingtamer]

We're sending it to Amalthea.

FIRST CHALLENGE: THE RIVER

[soulping]

[ The path stops abruptly at the banks of a roaring, rushing river, dotted with slick treacherous rocks in the shallows and almost two meters deep in the middle. On the other side, about fifteen meters away, the path resumes. But there's no bridge, only a couple of rotting posts that might once have supported one. You're going to have to figure out how to get across yourself.

Why not have a look around? ]

ON THE RIVERBANK

[soulping]

[ The thick forest opens up quite a bit right next to the river, allowing you to travel easily a little ways up and down the bank, away from the path, before it grows too dense to travel through again. In some locations, the river is slightly slower, a bit narrower or shallower, or a little less plagued by sharp rocks, though there's no place that looks like it would be particularly pleasant to cross. In several places, the crumbling remains of a stone wall, at its tallest no more than a meter high by now and surrounded by stones that have fallen loose from the rest, can be seen on the riverbank. ]

NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[soulping]

[ Near the river, the forest thins out enough to explore for a time. It's still thick with undergrowth and fallen branches--some small and easy to snap, some almost as heavy as the tree trunks themselves--but it can be traversed. Here and there in small clearings are mysterious piles of stones stacked upon each other. Some of the trees are easily climbable thanks to the thick vines that wrap around their trunks; others tower impossibly. ]

Re: NEARBY IN THE FOREST

[grandstanding]

[Blade approaches one of the trees with the vines. He grabs hold of one vine, and yanks on it, trying to see if it will either detach or hold firm to its tree.]

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

 

A MYSTERIOUS STATUE

[soulping]

[ Between a couple of tall trees is a worn-down statue that might once have been a serpent or a mermaid. However, the inscription on its base is still very readable. ]

Wroth am I with my disorder,
In this alone do I seek quarter:
Bereft of it both gold and ash
Together fetch the same cold cash.

SECOND CHALLENGE: THE THICKET OF BRAMBLES

[soulping]

[ A small clearing spreads out around the path here, but ahead of you, the way forward is thoroughly blocked by a dense thicket of thorny brambles growing across the path and the nearby woods. You're going to have to find some way through them. ]

THE BRAMBLES THEMSELVES

[soulping]

[ The branches crisscrossing the path and surrounding trees vary in length and thickness, but all are covered in sharp thorns. None are too heavy or sturdy, especially compared to the thick trees around them; they could probably be pushed aside easily enough, if not for the thorns. Beneath the brambles the soft ground is mostly clear of additional growth, it having been choked out by the thicket of thorns. ]

THE CLEARING

[soulping]

[ Spread out around you are the decayed remains of some kind of encampment. Scraps of torn or rotted canvas are scattered about, as well as rusted metal tools: shovels, metal pots and bowls, pegs for the tents. There are also bits of rope here and there. Towards the edge of the clearing stand several mounds of earth with surprisingly rust-free swords standing in them. ]

A MYSTERIOUS STATUE

[soulping]

[ Near the edge of the clearing is a worn-down statue that might once have been an angel or a bird. However, the inscription on its base is still very readable. ]

Change your heart to find me there;
You will see how I oppose the air.
I wait to greet you come your fatal end,
No more beneath you, now a friend.

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

 

THIRD CHALLENGE: LOST IN THE WOODS

[soulping]

[ You enter another clearing, only to realize: the path stops here, and there's nothing to guide you any longer. The forest is dark. What do you do? ]

A MYSTERIOUS STATUE

[soulping]

[ The one and only thing in this clearing is a worn-down statue that might once have looked like a person. However, the inscription on its base is still very readable. ]

Rebel against what came before.
For this you work through any chore.
When comes the end please start anew
So something thrives where nothing grew.

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

 

FINALE

[soulping]

[ That's it! You're free of the woods, somehow! There's plenty of light filtering through the trees up ahead. But before you leave and return to your day...

In front of you are three stone plaques, with a small sandy pit beneath each of them, a large wooden stylus at its side. The riddles you found earlier are inscribed on each plaque. If you wish, write an answer in the sand for each riddle. ]

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

SUBMIT YOUR ANSWERS

[soulping]