Id, Ego, and Super-Ego: A Text Adventure

[Zuul]

You struggle over the decision a bit, but ultimately decide that making camp would be the sensible approach. "It's dangerous either way, but if we're exhausted or our horses have keeled over then we're only hurting ourselves," you point out to Kurt, who seems very upset you didn't side with him.

Camp is made and everyone takes shifts watching during the night. You take the last shift, feeling quite refreshed from having a non-drugged night's sleep. As you're sitting there beside the fire, you can hear many strange sounds throughout the forest. Owls calling and the rustle of leaves in the wind aren't unusual, but at times it sounds as though the wind is whispering to you. Soon you're sure that there is something there, but you can't identify what it is.

"Come...come..." It whispers. Faint lights can be seen dancing through the trees, beckoning you to join them.

[CatInASuit]

Oooo shiny lights. Join them.

[Ramses]

CatInASuit's right. It's probably evil fairies. Or ghosts of awesome baseball players in the corn.

Investigate the lights.

(come on baseball players)

[Marsilia]

Y'all want us to die, don't you?

[Ramses]

We're on watch, Marsilia! It's our sacred obligation to defend the party from any dangerous, naked, sylvan women. I've got my sword and my magical scroll, I say we'll be fine!

[Marsilia]

But, we can't defend the party if we wander off and get killed by the naked vampire sylvan women and their rabid hyena pack.

[Ramses]

No one said anything about hyenas. I didn't sign on for that!

But, the best defense is a good offense. The cook from Alice said that.

[Zuul]

You decide to investigate the sound and get up to leave the safety of the fire. As you walk toward the lights, they begin to flit further away into the woods. They lead you further and further from camp until you're unsure of how to return. Finally, as you feel the ground beginning to sink beneath your feet and catch a whiff of swampy air you're able to get a clear view of the lights. There are three of them and each appears to be an orb about a foot wide.

One zips past you suddenly, going back the way you came. Or at least you think it's the way you came. The other two begin to circle you dizzyingly.

What will you do now?

[Ramses]

It's heading back to camp! Give chase! (and yell for backup)

[CatInASuit]

I don't think so, we turn our backs and those things will get us. Swing at an orb with the sword.

[RabbitMage]

Give chase!

[Zuul]

You chase after the glowing orb, shouting out for the rest of your party. The orb doesn't appear to be going in a straight line, but darting around and spinning off. You lose sight of it once and pause, then catch a glimpse from the corner of your eye. You spin in that direction to follow, but as you turn toward it another one dances past your vision. They appear to be purposefully playing with you, getting you more and more lost in the woods.

Now you're completely unsure what direction you're going in and how to get back to camp. The orbs continue to move through the trees.

Shall you continue trying to chase them?

[CatInASuit]

Told you it was a bad idea. Walk in the opposite direction

[Ramses]

Fine. Control Z. As best we can...

[Zuul]

Turning around, you begin walking in the opposite direction from where the lights are luring you. Eventually you're able to see a light through the trees, but it isn't one of the orbs. You recognize it as a fire and quicken your pace. As you get closer, you begin to hear sounds of battle.

It's your camp, but a strange, fiery creature has attacked while you were away. The horses are screaming in terror and trying to break away while Kurt and Jamben fight the creature. It appears to be roughly man-shaped from the waist up and a giant serpent below. Ombralee is trying to stop the horses from escaping and is reciting some sort of chant to her goddess.

[Ramses]

Attack!

The creature, not the horses.

[CatInASuit]

Attack the creature

[Zuul]

You draw your sword and charge the creature with a battle yell that comes to you naturally, though you can't recall ever hearing it before. The fiery being is surprisingly fast and uses its tail as a whip, striking back at all three of you. Kurt has a bad burn across one cheek, but because all of you had been prepared for fighting a great black dragon your bodies are largely protected with your armor. For now, at least.

It carries a spear, which it's currently using to jab at Jamben, who has so far managed to fend it off with his sword. One thing you notice is that the creature never moves far from the fire, despite putting off a great deal of heat itself. You and Kurt attempt to attack from different sides at the same time so that one of you can get through the defense of that tail, but its remarkable speed still proves too much for you.

[RabbitMage]

Interesting! Is there anything we can use to put out the fire?

[Zuul]

Your party has been carrying water bags with it. Kurt had filled a bucket with soil and kept it beside the fire in case it needed to be smothered quickly as well.

[Marsilia]

Let's smother the fire with dirt. (Call this blue, since I'm on my nook.)

[Ramses]

Sure. If it is using the fire for strength... Put out the fire.

I suspect this thing is a trick of light... stupid fairies...

[Zuul]

The thought to put the fire occurs to you and your eyes dart wildly around, taking in your camp. When they settle on Kurt's bucket of earth beside the fire you know what to do. Dashing past the fiery creature, you dive for the bucket, leaving Kurt on his own to fight off that tail.

"What are you doing?" he cries out.

"I've got a plan!"

That part catches the creature's attention--perhaps it speaks the common tongue?--and it turns toward you just as you throw the dirt over the fire. The creature hisses and slithers back from the fire a few feet, looking alarmed. While it's distracted Jamben thrusts forward with his sword and buries it in its stomach. Kurt shoots an arrow at its face, managing to strike an eye.

Shall you finish the creature off or change tactics now that it's apparently weakened?

[Ramses]

Okay, not a fairy light trick.

How's our future wife doing with the horses?

[Zuul]

Ombralee is still struggling with the horses. She appears to have successfully cast a calming spell on three of them, but the other four are still panicking.

[Marsilia]

I say we finish the creature (in BLUE)!

[Ramses]

Cheer them on to finish it - need to save the horses!

[Marsilia]

I bet a monster free environment would go a long way in calming the horses.

[Zuul]

...you find yourself frozen with indecision as you struggle to make a choice...

[Ramses]

I bet helping our fiancée calm the horses will go a long way to getting us laid.

[Peeta Mellark]

Finish the creature. Horses spook over a flea shitting. Trying to calm them down while that thing is attacking is pointless.

[Marsilia]

Finish the creature. Horses spook over a flea shitting. Trying to calm them down while that thing is attacking is pointless.

The man acts like there are horses where he's from, or something.

[Zuul]

Finally, you decide killing the creature is more important than going for the horses just yet. Swinging your sword in a mighty arc, you slice the creature's head from its shoulders. As it falls to the ground, the flames are extinguished at last. Jamben prods at the thing with his sword, satisfied that it won't be getting up again.

"Did you see more of these?" Kurt asks you.

"Ah...no, no, I didn't. I just saw some lights out in the woods. They looked like balls floating."

The ranger shrugs, unconcerned. "Will o' the wisps are common here. I wouldn't expect to see a salamander, though."

Once Ombralee has the horses calm she storms over to you and smacks you across the back of the head. "Never wander off when you're supposed to be guarding! Idiot!"

While your party waits for the sun to finish rising, Ombralee tends to Kurt's wounds. Then you finish breaking down your camp and mount up once more. Riding through the forest is as slow and difficult as it had been the night before, but by afternoon you're finally coming to the end of it. Now your party begins debating about which way to go next.

A young black dragon had been seen over the eastern forests, yet there was no sign of one during your journey. North of here you can see jagged peaks of a mountain range, while to the south there's what appears to be farmland in the distance. Going further to the east would require crossing a river, then fields, then entering more forest.

What do you recommend to your party?

[AllWalker]

I think we have a fear of fields. They haven't been kind to us.

I say go south. If the black dragon is in the mountains, it will be hard to attack. But if it is hungry it will move on the farms, and maybe there will be a hot farm daughter to make the priestess jealous.

[Ramses]

Yes. I, John Fields, prefer to avoid my namesake.

Dragons like caves, right? Let's

[Peeta Mellark]

The dragon might be in the mountains, but if it is then the farmers have probably seen it coming and going. If we go to the farms, we can learn if we're on a wild goose chase or not before going through the trouble of mountain climbing.

Go south.

[Zuul]

After some deliberation, you decide to go south first. Now that you're on more even ground and have a straight path ahead it's much faster than going through the woods. In short order you arrive at the first farm, where a statuesque woman wearing trousers and a belted tunic is outside tossing out slop to hogs. She pauses in what she's doing when she notices your party approaching.

"Greetings," says Ombralee. "We're searching for a black dragon that's said to have taken the king's daughter. Have you seen any sign of one?"

The woman considers this as she wipes her forearm across her brow. "There was a young one over those woods the night before last. From what I heard the one that took the princess was old, though."

Do you have any questions you'd like to ask?

[Marsilia]

"What else have you heard about the old dragon?"

[Peeta Mellark]

Yeah, ask about the old dragon.

[Zuul]

"What else have you heard about the old dragon?" you ask the farm woman.

"It hasn't been seen in recent years, but my grandmother told me a black dragon had ruled the eastern side of the river when she was young. It was pure black and shined like a mirror, except for one spot on its belly where a scale was scarred and white. This old one has the same scar. Folks around here think it must have left or gone into hibernation and is looking to rule again," she explains.

Do you have further questions or do you want to move on?

[Ramses]

Thank them kindly; but where the youth is, is our only clue. It's still somewhere over the trees; Head over the river and through the fields into the woods for clues. Besides. The east side of the river was where the Old Dragon was known to once roost...

[Marsilia]

We should ask about other habits of the dragon when it "ruled" before.

[Peeta Mellark]

Let's get a little more information before we go wandering off. Ask about the dragon's "rule."

[CatInASuit]

Can we ask about the dragon's "rule.", please

[Zuul]

"Tell me more about when this dragon ruled to the east," you ask.

The woman considers for a moment, frowning in thought. "This was back before I was born, so I can only say what I was told," she warns. "But that black dragon was a female. It was generally fairly unconcerned with people, so long as they brought livestock on a regular basis. It ate two cows a week and if at least that much livestock wasn't offered, then it would attack and might take a few people. That was quite a burden on people, as you can imagine. And it was quite obvious when the dragon was no longer active, since we weren't losing cattle on a weekly basis. Occasional tributes of precious metals and stones were also demanded, but more often than not the dragon got those on its own.

"But even worse than losing a few cattle was when the courtship began. In the weeks leading up to the dragon's disappearance, bull dragons began showing up and putting on aerial displays to try to win it over. Entire herds were wiped out feeding them."

[CatInASuit]

Hmm, interesting. I think it may be time to head east.

[Ramses]

Yes. Over that river east, to more trees and stuff.

Too lazy to blue...

[CatInASuit]

I wonder if east is not an option??

[Zuul]

You decide to cross the river and continue on to the east. The farmers maintain a bridge in order to access the fields, making your crossing easy. This area was associated with the old dragon in the past and a young one had been seen in this region, so it seems like a good start. Kurt and Jamben enthusiastically agree with you, but Ombralee is displeased.

"Great black dragons don't live in forests. Where would it keep its nest? We're wasting our time," she says.

"It's the best lead we have," Jamben counters. "It was here before. It only makes sense for it to return."

"Ruling over a region isn't the same as living there!"

You ignore the fighting between the two of them as you ride through the fields. It takes about half an hour to reach the forest. Kurt finds a path to lead you through, though warns that dragons don't follow paths and everyone must keep their senses sharp to spot any sign that a dragon might have a nest hidden nearby. A sickly sweet smell draws you to find the remains of a cow. It looks as though it was dropped from a great height after having giant jaws rip out its vital organs. The word "splat" describes what you find quite well.

A sound catches your ear. It's a distant, reptilian cry coming from the northwest. The cry sounds familiar to you and you automatically feel that it's from a female dragon.

What will you do next?

[Ramses]

Try my hand at dragonsong. Clearly, the creature is sending a mating call.