You are Finn of Rosach, apprentice druid. Though you hail from the western shores, you have come to live in the southeast of the great forest, amidst idyllic fields and peaceful woodlands - and it is here that you began learning the druidic arts.
Unfortunately, being an apprentice druid turned out to have a whole lot more studying and writing than you anticipated.
You see, druids are the protectors of the forest’s people. With ancient rituals and potent concoctions, they ward off dangerous spirits and maintain order, and, correspondingly, they command a great deal of respect. It’s a noble and prestigious line of work, one that only the fearless and cunning can succeed at.
Being an
apprentice druid, on the other hand, involves taking absurd quantities of notes, assisting a master, and suffering through long-winded lectures on the more esoteric aspects of the trade. The adventure you were promised is, unfortunately, in very short supply.
However, that may very well be changing for you! Your master has sent you to the town of Abhach to resolve an unexpected problem while the settlement’s guardian druid is indisposed - your first foray into proper solo druid-ing. You can hardly wait!
You stride down the dirt highway as the afternoon wears on, rowan staff in hand. Despite the short travel distance, it still takes nearly a full day of trudging along to reach Abhach - not that you’re complaining. It’s a pleasant place to walk.
Okay, you’re complaining at least a little bit. Walking is boring.
Eventually you pass the town’s outlying buildings. You don’t see any people, though, which strikes you as rather odd. By the time you reach the village’s walls, you are slightly more unnerved.
Where is everybody?The gates swing open and you are ushered through by a guard, past a small crowd gathered just inside, down the main road, and into a rather important-looking building, where you are greeted by an elderly man with a concerned expression. He explains that the village has been terrorized by a
thing from the woods. Come eventide, it haunts the roads beyond the walls, attacking his people, killing livestock, and destroying property. For safety’s sake, all civilians retreat to within the town’s walls well before the spirit returns.
Can you protect us, druid?You tactfully refrain from commenting that this suddenly seems way above your pay grade and also that you fell asleep multiple time while studying. Of course you can handle this spirit! Definitely. Right.
You check your notebook.
You’re doomed.Time Until Sunset: 2 Hours
You have two hours until sundown. Large actions (such as moving to different locations, preparing potions, etc.) will take time. As such, you must carefully manage your remaining time, lest you be caught unprepared!
You do not have complete knowledge of the situation. You do not have complete knowledge of spirits. You do not have complete knowledge of rituals. To survive, you will need to investigate and improvise! At times, you will be able to add to your notebook, building upon your existing knowledge base.
Despite his sloppy note-taking,
Finn can create a dazzling array of potions and elixirs, both researched and improvised. You’ll need to collect ingredients (Some of which may not be in the notebook! Please try to avoid poisoning our intrepid protagonist.) from different locations in order to brew them, but a good druid always carries the implements needed to create such concoctions with him (we’re being lenient with our definition of ‘good’ here).
Finn can also conduct rituals, both researched and improvised (but let’s be honest: mostly improvised). These can be as complex as burning herbs and scrawling esoteric symbols on a silver disc with the ashes while reciting incantations or as simple as hitting something with a particular type of stick. You’ll need to experiment to discover what works and what doesn’t - but try to avoid getting him killed.
(Hint: You won't know for sure what kind of spirit you're up against until you're almost face-to-face, but there are always general preparations a druid can take. Take your best guess and get ready!)
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Topic: [ISG] The Druid's Apprentice (Read 10517 times)