Abandon the Quest
Pick Your Peril: The Hero of Mudtown
(This is part of a series of choose-your-own-adventure articles. If you want to start from the beginning, click here. If you want to revisit the previous chapter, click here.)
Finding your family is starting to feel utterly impossible. It’s a difficult conclusion to come to, but it’s time to face reality.
How many other villages have disappeared under the King’s watch? How many families have been lost? People have been searching for years, yet the mystery of what happened to the missing peasants still remains.
It’s clear that nobody really cares about your troubles or the well-being of some unaccounted commoners.
Abandoning the search for the people of Mudtown in exchange for a place at the inn is not the resolution you were hoping for, but in the end you agree to work permanently at the Stoneville Tavern. The Innkeeper grins when he hears your choice.
“Excellent!” He looks like he could hug you. “Agatha’s getting on in years and won’t be able to help out for too much longer. I’m glad to hear you want to stick around!”
The decision doesn’t sit right with you for a while, but over time you become too embroiled in the goings-on of the hospitality industry to dwell on your feelings. The Stoneville Tavern is a popular destination for travelers, and there is always some sort of business to attend to.
The Innkeeper takes great care to show you how he handles the establishment. He genuinely seems to enjoy showing you the ropes of tavern management. Soon, dealing with customers and serving drinks becomes second nature.
Agatha reluctantly teaches you how to make all the Tavern’s most popular dishes, and you feel like you’re ultimately able to win her approval after months of practice. She’s finally able to retire when you’ve perfected your cooking, although she still stops by occasionally to see if your culinary skills are slipping.
You become the Innkeeper’s most trusted business partner, and you take on more and more of the Tavern’s responsibilities. You still think about your missing loved ones from time to time, but you find a new sort of family in the Innkeeper and Agatha.
The years start to fly by.
One day, after much time has passed, the Innkeeper approaches you.
“You know, I always hoped that I could pass down the inn to a son or daughter or even just a competent business partner, but nobody ever seemed to fit the bill.” He sighs. “Agatha was a great help, but she was never one for the business side of things… and she keeps hanging on, I’d honestly assumed she’d be dead by now.”
You notice for the first time how much older the Innkeeper looks since you first met him. Gray hairs have started appearing in his beard, and the wrinkles on his face deepen as he smiles warmly at you.
“I’d like for you to take over the Stoneville Tavern when I retire, there’s no one else better for the job.”
Of course, you eagerly agree to this proposition. The Stoneville Tavern has been your whole life these past few years, it’s hard to imagine leaving all that for some hopeless adventure. Your family has become a distant memory to you, and there will always be time to look for them…
Later. One day.
The Innkeeper leaves the Tavern in your capable hands, and the business thrives under your ownership.
You keep an ear open for rumors of Mudtown, but the only thing you hear is the odd whisper every now and then. It becomes re-inhabited and re-named Brownwater Borough, although no one knows where any of the original residents went. You spend the rest of your days hosting all kinds of travelers and fortune-hunters at the Stoneville Tavern.
Deep in your heart, you hope that some bold adventurer may one day complete your quest and reunite you with your loved ones, but eventually it becomes clear that the disappearance of Mudtown and the fate of its former inhabitants will forever remain a mystery.
THE END.