Embedded Files
Stage 2
Stage 2
That night when you drift off to sleep, you find yourself in a forest. You look up, and see the hawthorn moon overhead. You know you have been here before.
You wait a few moments, and the owl appears, silent as it swoops overhead. You follow, and it leads you deep into the forest, until the trees part and give way to a clearing. Here, you find an hawthorn tree. On either side of the tree, shallow streams trickle, in the shape of an arrowhead - behind the tree, they join, and vanish back into the depths of the forest on the other side.
The owl takes roost on a bough of the tree, and you step forward slowly, cautious. You are considering your surroundings, the familiar streams and forests, so closely perhaps that you don’t notice the owl is watching you just as closely.
You tense when a voice murmurs.
“What is your name?”
You look up into the tree. The only other living thing here is the owl. You begin to feel uneasy. Owls, after all, are omens.
You watch, and it hoots softly. You hear the voice again, as though it is inside your head.
“What is your name?”
It is your choice:
It is your choice:
Tell the owl your name OR back out of the cleaning?
9 wolves tell the owl their name
9 wolves tell the owl their name
The owl blinks slowly. A silence follows, as you watch one another.
Then, you hear the voice again.
t̴̳̊͘h̸̟̖̹̠̣͗e̸͎̬̮̍̕r̴̠͕̙̞͛̈́͗è̷̞̱̻͐͊̚ ̵̳̄̎̈͌̐í̶͎͠s̵̢̛̤̟̅̾̽͛ ̶̗̈́̾p̷͕̳̈́͂̽͠ȯ̴̝̼͑́̌̔w̷̱̮̙̦͗͛́͐̃ḛ̶̙̗̯̤̏͛́͝r̴̢̗̔̀ ̷̖̱̑̈́̔ǐ̷̧͍͉͔͊̈́̑͝n̴̻̓̓ ̴̜̹̝͍̞̍̈́͒ą̷̱̪͕̀ ̵̨̗̋̄͊̋̕n̷̗̙̯͌̀ą̵̜͍̫̞̔̓́m̵̖̱̣̭̗͌̑̊̓e̵̪̫͂̂͐̈̊ͅ
From the shadows of the trees, four figures emerge, and even as they step into the light they are shrouded by darkness. Two either side of the split river. They stop at the water's edge. Watching you.
The earth below your paws begins to tremble.
à̴̧̛̠̫͉̹͈̾̿͘̚ ̵̞̤͎̺͂̽͌̀̚͘t̷̰͇̞̀r̵͇̥̗̱̼̋̌́̍̂̇̅u̷̡̻͍͙̦̐̽͋̈͝ē̶̮ ̵̧̢̞̹̯̎̉̑̐̂n̷̨̞̠̻͇͈̭̊̐ȁ̵̡̦̻͍̱͚̮ḿ̷̈́ͅe̸̬͋̕͠
You watch, and in unison, the four figures speak.
Aperio.
Degero.
Fatus.
Necto.
The owl stretches its wings, and the figures dissipate. The bird takes flight, and from its talons, drops a stone - which lands at the roots of the tree. You step forward to get a closer look. It seems to have a curious marking upon it.
AWAKE.
5 wolves back out of the clearing
5 wolves back out of the clearing
Distrusting, or perturbed, by the owl, you back away.
As you move backwards, you hear footsteps that are not your own. You turn, and are shocked to see the figure of a wolf behind you. It is opaque and translucent, but you can make out a slim muzzle, and sharp cheekbones framed by long, drooping fur, like the weeping boughs of the willow.
You begin to hear voices, though neither the figure nor the owl seem to be speaking.
Is this the only way?
Not the only way. But the best one.
Can you force - to say it?
A pause.
I will make them speak.
The figure begins to glow brightly, and you turn to face it, as it opens its jaws and speaks with a voice that seems to pulse through your bones.
“Fatus.”
You shrink below the figure in fear. Then, the voice behind you, the owl, speaks again -
What is your name?
This time, whether you want to or not, you answer.
AWAKE.
9 ancient runestones have been found!
9 ancient runestones have been found!
It’s enough to earn a clue. When they wake, the 9 wolves who told the owl their name can remember the mark on the stone.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse