Interestingly enough, a brutish throwback from the Ironmonger's pits actually became the poster child for the new effort - this creature didn't even LIKE Cheese, so uncivilized was its bearing, yet this usually undesirable attribute proved itself a strength, for it would be able to survive the barbarity of the surrounding worlds without going into shock from their appalling lack of even the most basic of amenities. This creature, this throwback, was well suited for Talent Scout work, and besides - no one would have to worry about having to look at the creature while he was away! A win all around!
Mog awoke from strange dreams in a room bare of all but a locked copper door and a single copper reclining chair bearing a crisply folded note. He blinked his eyes, shook his head a bit to clear out the cobwebs, then attempted to open the door, but as usual the featureless metal did not react to any of his futile attempts. Finally, he decided to read the note on the only furnishing in the room:
You have carefully been selected by the Nexus Entertainment Division to perform a service to all of the citizens of the Nexus.
Fame, fortune and a title of minor nobility await you when you send one (1) living hero of any gender from the Outworlds
to the Nexus Entertainment Division, to compete in the NED Grand Tournament of Champions.
Your family and indeed, the entirety of the Nexus requires your aid and only you can provide it!
1) Sit in the chair
2) Close your eyes
3) Snap the fingers of both hands simultaneously.
Your activation phrase is: "The Destruction of Cheese"
When you open your eyes, you will be standing in the Outworld specifically chosen for your unique skills and temperament.
Find a suitable hero and guide them to The Dark Tower, where they will be given that world's Gate Key.
Remember, you must tell the ruler of The Dark Tower the activation phrase written above, or they will not be able to provide the Gate Key!
Once your Hero has acquired the Gate Key, guide them to that world's Gate and send the Hero to us.
Good luck, and may the tides of fortune be ever in your favor!
(This is not a prank.)
WARNING: This message will self destruct in 5 minutes
No, no no no
Aw no, not again...
OK, look for the hidden cameras...
"Not a prank"? How dumb do they think I am? ...
Er... OK, you fellows got me again. Ha ha! Joke's on me!
You can let me out now!
Guys?
Guys?!!
...
BANG! The note was now a curl of smoke, quickly dispersing with a brief but pleasant scent of sandalwood and almonds.
...
After awhile, Mog decided to wait the idiots out and dozed off a bit in the really rather comfortable chair before an idea penetrated his brain: Perhaps he could remove the door via the hinges! Snapping his fingers, he stood up, opened his eyes and stared in complete bafflement.
What the?... This was the most elaborate practical joke he'd ever heard of. Or maybe... nah. Looking down, he discovered that he was wearing some sort of woven garments and had a cheese knife of all things strapped to his body with lengths of fibrous twine. Tucked into a pouch at his waist, he discovered a fine white lace doily and a simple overhead map.
Welcome to The Labyrinth? What the heck did that mean?
Maybe I'm still dreaming. <Pinch>
Ow!
OK, so either dream pinches really hurt or this is actually real... Existentially, either would result in an illusion or an empirical reality where the same stimuli can be experienced, so either way, I must find may way out of this. What did the note say?
Hero, Dark Tower, Gate Key, Gate.
Alrighty then! First up, I need to find me a hero!
After looking around at his surroundings, Mog decided that he'd just start walking in the direction he was initially pointed and try to get his bearings. On either side of him, the mountains could be seen in the distance, so he was either walking north or south. It was a cold and snowy day, so he kept himself mindful of his footing - he'd never hear the end of it if he slipped and injured his ankle or something similar on an icy patch.
Eventually, he stepped out onto a road composed of a smooth black stone,
then looked up to find himself entering a little hamlet.
To his right a little ways along, he saw a partially built structure made out of some grey stone blocks,
with a wagon perched precariously atop it. Around behind this structure, he glimpsed a pit of some kind and might have seen some motion in it. Was someone hiding back there? Further along, there were two buildings made of split logs, the first was long and a bit narrow, with a statue carved from the same grey stone in front of one of the doors. The second building farther along the road, just past a narrow alley (or possibly some sort of alcove?), was much larger than the first, supporting what looked to be two or three levels. It had three doors in the road-facing side: two spaced closely together and another farther along. On the roof just past the narrow alleyway, a rotating wind-catching contraption creaked listlessly in the cold. The furthest door seemed to be below some snow covered workshops open to the sky. Mog wondered what kind of people preferred to work in the cold so much that they built their workshops under a snow-filled sky. To the left of the road, a few feet of furrowed soil showed that these people grew their own food - something Mog could respect in such a snowy and frozen environment. The black stone road continued onward past these buildings, and into the fog.
He stroked his facial fur in thought. What would be the best thing to do in this situation? Hmmm...
Explore the partially built stone structure (ruins?)
Explore the pit behind the wooden buildings
Knock on the door of the first wooden building
Examine the
Stone Statue Explore the narrow alley
Examine the snow-covered fields
Knock on the first door of the second wooden building
Knock on the second door of the second wooden building
Knock on the third door of the second wooden building
Keep following the road (south?)
Poll
2 (66.7%)
Author
Topic: Looking for a Hero: Mog's Journey (A choose-by-poll adventure) (Read 2467 times)