Deeper Into the Forest
Pick Your Peril: The Hero of Mudtown
(This is 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.)
It would be nothing short of a miracle for you to find your way through the forest tonight, but you decide to take the chance.
The plan was to seek out help from the forest men at the first sign of danger, and you are determined to see it through. Despite the fact that you are lost and shoeless, you get the feeling that you are headed in the right direction.
You carry on through the woods, hesitantly tiptoeing around any hazards that might further injure your exposed feet. After some time, the night has come and your ability to navigate the forest has been severely diminished.
You somehow become even more lost than before, and are considering giving up for the night when your foot touches a stretch of hard-packed dirt.
The forest path!
After all your blunders, you have managed to stumble your way back on track. Your spirits are instantly lifted, and you practically skip a short way down the trail. You slow your pace when you hear a man singing somewhere deep in the forest. Glimpses of a glowing campfire can be seen through the trees, and as you get closer you’re able to spy the source of the song.
A fat man dressed in plain clothes sits next to a campfire in a clearing, strumming a lute and singing leisurely. You enter the clearing and approach the man, who seems to take no notice of you. As you are about to address the bard, you hear the sound of a bowstring being pulled. You glance behind you and see three forest men with their bows drawn, arrows pointed at you.
The fat bard by the fire concludes his song, and rests his lute against a stump before he slowly stands and stretches.
“Greetings traveler,” He nonchalantly scratches his belly as he speaks to you, “What brings you to this part of the forest?”
You tell him about the disappearance of Mudtown, sweating under the watchful gaze of your armed captors. You mention that someone close to you has connections to a band of forest outlaws, and that your family was planning on using those connections to escape the village and avoid the King’s wrath.
The bard listens to your story and nods consolingly. You notice that the huntsmen behind you have put their weapons away, sympathetic looks shared between them. The fat man snaps his fingers and the three forest men disappear into the wilderness, reemerging a few moments later with a jug of water, a blanket, and a pair shoes the perfect size for your battered feet.
The bard says that he and his three companions are the band of forest outlaws that you have been seeking, and that they have not seen your family or any other peasants coming up the path all day.
The rotund musician introduces himself simply as the Bard, and tells you that he will help find your family on one condition.
“The King is behind this, no doubt in my mind” he strokes his chin as he speaks, “and we’re going to need help if the King is involved. It’s not so easy breaking into the castle with a group of four. You’ll need to join the Revelers of the Woods if you want to rescue your family.”
He shrugs and gives a small frown of indifference.
“Or we could take you back to your village in the morning and you can try a different way.”
You say nothing while you weigh your options. The Bard smiles and smacks your shoulder.
“Come on, join us! You’ll never thirst for adventure again!”
What will you do?