BARGHEST

[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]

 

ANSWER

[soulping]

 

Re: DISCUSSION

[remarch]

...So...

Re: DISCUSSION

[criticalbark]

So.

Re: DISCUSSION

[remarch]

Are we gonna do it?

Re: DISCUSSION

[criticalbark]

Not if it'll hurt the others...do you think they'll do it to us?

Re: DISCUSSION

[remarch]

I dunno.

Re: DISCUSSION

[criticalbark]

...You can do whatever makes you happy, but don't hurt Takshaka or Epona.

Re: DISCUSSION

[jellyfishies]

Please, there's no need to harm anyone! Because I will protect us.

Re: DISCUSSION

[remarch]

We... Let's not. Everyone got out fine last game, right? Maybe- Maybe no one will. Let's do it your way.

Re: ANSWER

[remarch]

No. Uh, thanks.

Re: DISCUSSION

[jellyfishies]

Did they? That's certainly a relief. If we're a team, it should be fine if we simply help each other.

[ nod nod! ]

Re: ANSWER

[soulping]

[With a bit of a cackle:]

Very well then!

[And she retreats altogether too quickly into the woods, leaving you all to move forward on the path...]

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. ]

DISCUSSION

[soulping]

 

SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

[soulping]

 

[remarch]

I think it's a puzzle.

[jellyfishies]

There were those vines, and stones...

[ processiiiing ]

Ah, what if we tied one around ourselves? And the rest held the other end on land!

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.

[remarch]

I don't trust the water. I bet it's poisonous. Totally radioactive. This game looks too easy.

[jellyfishies]

Radioactive...?!

[ CAN YOU SEE THE DISTRESS UNDER THAT MASK BECAUSE IT'S HAPPENING ]

The possibility does exist, doesn't it?

[remarch]

If it looks too easy, it's cause it's a trap.

...And what's up with the statue?