Summary

The website content describes an interactive story-game where the player, having died and been resurrected by a sorcerer named Lord Harbach, must choose between two quests to pay for their new life.

Abstract

The web content introduces a unique interactive narrative titled "The Adventure Never Ends," which is part of the Medium Adventurers League. Players are thrust into a scenario where they must make decisions after being resurrected in a dungeon cell by Lord Harbach, a practitioner of dark arts. The player's character has the option to either undertake a series of item collection tasks for Lord Harbach, which is safer but time-consuming, or embark on a single dangerous quest, which offers a quicker resolution but at greater risk. The story emphasizes the importance of player choices and their consequences within the game's narrative.

Opinions

The author suggests that the story-game is engaging and immersive, as it involves the player's character being brought back to life and facing moral dilemmas.
The character of Lord Harbach is portrayed as a morally ambiguous figure, offering a second chance at life in exchange for servitude.
The game is designed to be a 'choose your own adventure' experience, with the player's decisions directly affecting the outcome of the story.
The author expresses enthusiasm for the potential of the story, inviting other Medium Adventurers League authors to contribute and expand the narrative.
The interactive nature of the game, requiring paper and dice, harks back to traditional tabletop role-playing games, indicating a blend of modern digital storytelling with classic gaming elements.

Fiction | Game | Medium Adventurers League ⚔️

The Adventure Never Ends

A waypoint in a ‘choose your own’ adventure game

This is part of a story that works as an interactive game. You’ll need to have some paper and dice at the ready! Click here for the beginning of the Medium Adventurers League. Here is a reminder of the rules.

So, you died. That sucks. However, while the body is weak, the spirit lives on (at least in this story-slash-game…).

And as a moment of utter darkness gives way to the glimmerings of a renewed consciousness, you find yourself in a dungeon cell with a single barred door. A single torch-flame gutters and flickers outside in the corridor.

You are surprised to find yourself here, and even more surprised that you are still alive. Slowly, you get to your feet, realizing that you have nothing — no possessions, no weapons, and you are wearing only a plain cotton smock.

You walk over to the cell door.

“Hello? Is anybody there?” you shout.

Silence reigns.

“Hello?!”

With no sign of anyone coming to your aid, you begin to rap on the bars with your knuckles. It’s painful, and soon you stop. The noise reverberates around, however, and before long you hear a shuffling noise from the other end of the corridor.

Somebody is coming.

You take a step back, looking out warily. At first you see only a shadow on the far wall, cast by some further torch that is out of sight from where you are.

Then, a figure appears.

You had half-expected a hooded torturer, a lich, or a necromancer. Instead, you see a young-looking man with dark curly hair, dressed in green robes. He looks human, and harmless enough…

“Hey, hey there!” you call as he approaches. “I woke up in this cell! Can you let me out, please?”

He smiles. And it is a cold, cruel smile.

“Ah, my latest experiment. Back in the land of the living. How do you like your new body?”

“My…?”

“Oh, yes. You see, I harvest the spirit of slain adventurers. My name is Lord Harbach. Unfortunates like yourself form a resilient basis for my dark arts.”

“Dark…?”

“To be clear, I have summoned you from the dead, and invested your soul in a new body. But I expect a payment for my services. You have two choices.”

You sigh. “Very well — spit it out, dude.”

He gives a cold smile again. “The first option is that you can collect certain items that I need. It is no doubt the safer option, but it will take longer. And while you are in my service, you must warmly praise me to anyone who speaks my name.”

You nod fractionally. “And the second option?”

“The second option is to do a very specific quest on my behalf. It is much more dangerous, but you can be sure that this will all be over more quickly for you. One way or the other.”

And so, you…

If you have already promised one of these things to Lord Harbach and have returned here a second time, whether or not the task is complete, you must now promise the second service.

Shoutout to fellow Medium Adventurers League authors Jann Christoph von der Pütten, Bradan Writes Stories, Jonathon Sawyer, Sieran Lane, and anyone else who wants to jump on board… I haven’t fully decided what happens next with this story, but I hope you like the potential that it offers! ⚔️