The Winter Traveler: a Community journey

Community Games 'n' Such
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24

I walk up to the massive castle. I can see it crumbling, mold climbing up it. Eventually, I reach a throne room, at the far end is a massive stained glass window showing what appears to be… Me? Below it is a throne with a skeleton and countless cobwebs, with a crown lying in front, spotless and clean, as though the spiders didn’t want touch it. Do I…

  1. Investigate the stained glass window - it must have some meaning.

  2. Check out the crown. Perhaps it could be useful later…

  3. I have had enough of this creepy place. I’m out of here! (leave)

1 Like
25

I walk towards the crown, for some reason it reminds me of something, something really important…

I take one glance at the stained glass window, before i look back at the crown… It reminds me of someone important, someone who wanted me to protect someone… Someone im close too…

However i am snapped out of my deep tough, when i feel something in my knapsack is moving… THE EGG IS HATCHING!!!

1: i better take the egg out of the knapsack so that i can see the hatching.
2: I should take the knapsack off so that i can consentrate more on the crown.
3: What ever the egg is hatching it can wait, there is something with the glass window that is reminding me of my past.

2 Likes
26

I snap out of my trance and pull out the egg. Setting it on the ground, I wait for it to hatch. I wait for about three minutes, and then a small, baby Dragon thing comes out. It looks much like the Dragon depicted in the underground temple [quote=“DarkHenrik, post:22, topic:23449”]
A large mural depicting a rainbow colored dragon creature, with six large, feathered wings, a featherd tail and a bird like head.
[/quote]
It makes an odd squeaking sound, and then turns to me, staring straight into my eyes. What on earth do I do now?

  1. Grab the crown, and get the heck out of here. It might be a baby Dragon, but it still looks dangerous.

  2. Do nothing: I’ll just see what the Dragon does on its own.

  3. Try to touch the baby Dragon. Maybe it will be friendly to me, since I hatched it.

1 Like
27

Hesitantly, I sit and watch the dragon. It waddles over to where the crown is currently, wrapping its wings around it and looking at me. Do I…

  1. Touch the dragon.

  2. Touch the crown. It may have some effect.

  3. Just wait this out.

2 Likes
28

I slowly reach my arm towards the crown and touch it… but noting happend. I then desited to put the crown on my head, still noting happend. But after i had placed the crown on my head, the dragon then moved towards me, it then stood up on its hind legs and (i think) gave me a hug.

i then heard a child like voice say: Mommy.

where did that voice come from?
1: The Dragon.
2: someone behind me.
3: Its an echo from my memory.

1 Like
29

Looking behind me, I notice a young lass about the age of 9. She looks back at me and states, " The rainbow is hungry, here." The lass pointed me toward a shelf to the right, where many meats, cheeses, and fruit. I think the lass wants me to feed the dragon.

Should I

  1. Choose the meat and cheese?
  2. Choose the fruit?
  3. Ask the lass what she thinks?
3 Likes
30

I desited to feed the dragon with some of the fruits. It look really happy, with its tail waggin from side to side like an over joyed puppy.

After i had feed it the fruits, it then moved towards me and snuggled with me like a kitty. it was just acting so cute and adorable… that i think it must belive me to be its parent.

I think im going to take care of it, i mean it needs me.
1: “If im going to take care of you, you would need a name… i think im gonna call you…”
2: Wait, what am i thinking, this is a dragon for goodness sake. Maybe the girl could take care of it, she seems to know about the dragon more than me.
3: But… why is there an image of me on the stained glass window anyway? Do the girl know about it?

2 Likes
33

@DarkHenrik
@king328
@Baldric
I turn to ask the little girl about the window, but I see that she has already began to wander off down a side passage through the castle. “Wait” I call out. “Do you know why this window looks like me?” She turns towards me and says in a haunting voice: “If you can find me, maybe I’ll tell you…” She then turns and runs down the passageway. I get up and chase her, and the Dragon follows. I come to another room filled with rubble and ancient weapons. There is a hole in the wall, and the girl is standing in front of it, looking at me. She smiles, says “Bye bye” and promptly jumps out the hole in the wall. I rush to the hole and look down. About 200 feet below me is a large lake, the surface of which is strangely unfrozen. The girl is nowhere in sight. Leading out of the room there is a doorway, with a set of stone stairs leading down into the darkness. I think I can hear someone crying down there. I also recall running past another side corridor while chasing the girl. Should I:

  1. Brace myself and jump into the lake. Stranger things have happened, right?

  2. Head down the stairs. Maybe I can get down to where the lake is without doing any crazy jumping. Or maybe not.

  3. Backtrack until I can find that corridor I ran past. I would be good to thoroughly explore this place before doing anything stupid.

2 Likes
34

@SmeatyFlavor
@Baldric
@king328
@Hutere_the_Toa_of_Air
@Leoxandar

I decide to backtrack towards the door i ran past. I eventualy come back to it, and i then tried to open the door. i had some problems in opening it at first but with a little force, im able to open it. Inside is a large library coverd in dust and spider webs. The air is filled with dust, and the room have a rather rotten smell to it.

As i walk around the library, i see a book titled: “The Winter Travelers: A collections of fantasy lore and legends” im a bit shaken by the title.

Before i can pick up the book, i hear the noise of falling books. I turn around and see my little dragon friend having accidentaly torn down some of the books from a book shelf, but it seems to have found a book it is interested in, because it is carrying one of the books in its beak as it is walking towards me. It drops the book near me… seems like my dragon wants me to read it for it. The title of the book is: “The Great book of Dragons: From Nuturing a Dragon to Dragon spells”… Interesting.

Maybe there are other books in this library.

1: read “The Winter Travelers”. Hopefully this book will shed some light on my past.
2: read “The Great book of Dragons”. Knowing about the baby dragon will be really helpful if im going to keep it… i should probably give it a name too…
3: Go futher into the library, who knows what knowledge and secrets might be hidden in here.

4 Likes
35

I pick up the book titled The Winter Travelers. The book is very large, and would take a very long time to read, but skimming through it I see illustrations of vast numbers of beings like me, all heading towards a large castle. That looks a lot like the castle I’m inside right now… I think to myself. But, what’s with all these copies of myself? Where did they all go? My thoughts are interrupted by the Dragon’s noise again. It stares at me intensely. What should I call you? I wonder. Several names come to mind. What would I call the Dragon?

  1. Deurin

  2. Laighe

  3. Astor

  4. Maybe I should think of something less weird…

2 Likes
36

While thinking of a name for the dragon, a memory crept to the forefront of my attention. Kalion, a name that meant shimmering in my tongue. “Kalion, does that name please you?” The dragon whooped and danced for a spirited moment, and then stared back expectantly at me.

Should I:

  1. Read the book of dragons.
  2. Explore the library.
  3. Go back to the drop off.
2 Likes
37

@SmeatyFlavor
@Baldric
@king328
@Hutere_the_Toa_of_Air
@Leoxandar

I desited to read the book of dragons, and like with The Winter Travelers, its a really large and heavy book, whoever wrote this must really have been an expert with dragons given how thich it is.

as i opend it up, i saw that just four pages alone where dedicated too the contents… “this is going to take a while”…

As i looked throught the contents, i saw one chapter that was interesting: “the truth behind a dragon’s growth”. I desited to read that chapter, and i think i now know why the witch wanted Kalion…

“…The truth about a dragon’s growth, is that its not a sign of aging, but a sign of its growing power. Dragons are ageless beings, who have existed for as long as our civilization have endured, and to grow into their “adult” forms, they must absorb mana from the mana crystals found only in the hearth of the mountains. Because as a dragon absorbs mana, their power grows with them, and though its a slow prosess, the end result is why many both respects and fears a dragon’s might…”

If the witch had been able to capture Kalion, then the witch would have an incredibly dangerous creature at her command

1: Maybe i should continue reading this, the chapter seems to continue with something called: “Wyvern”.
2: I should probably put this book down in my Knapsack and contine reading “The Winter Travelers”
3: My knapsack have space for both these books, ill should pack both of them in and go back to the drop off.

3 Likes
38

@Baldric
@king328
I put both books into my knapsack. Maybe they’ll have some information that will be useful later on, but for now, I have more important things to do. I head back to the drop off. I try to convince myself that I should be able to jump off into the lake, but I wimp out and decide to head down the stairs. I come into a dank, dark dungeon. Icicles hang on the grimy walls, and the whole place gives off an eerie feel. I walk up to one of the cells. To my horror, I see a person sleeping in the cell, but he seems to be completely covered in ice. I poke around some more and discover that almost all of the cells have frozen people in them. I even find the frozen jailer, standing rigidly outside a cell! I walk through the dungeon and emerge outside, near the lake. I see more frozen people all around the lake. There must be at least a hundred. They all seem to be facing the lake, in a kneeling position. Kalion makes an uneasy whining sound, and stays close to me. What on earth should I do?

  1. Go inspect the lake. I’m going to get answers from that girl.

  2. Walk around the lake. It seems to be in a large courtyard in the middle of the castle. Maybe I can find a way into another part of the castle.

  3. Maybe I should see if there’s anything in the Winter Travelers that can shed some light on this.

1 Like
39

As i walk closer to the lake and look into the water, i see that the lake is deeper than expected. I did not want to go down there, nor did i want to leave Kalion alone here, as it did not like the frozen people around the lake.

But before i could make a desicion, the water in the lake started to move, and suddenly a girl rises from the water, clothed in a royal dress with a short crown on her head and a blue scepter in hand.

As she walks closer to me, i recognise her as the girl i was following. When she finaly meets me at the edge of the lake, i now see what she is.

Me: “your an ice spirit.”

“Correct” the girl said. “And i know that you found my two favorite books in the library.”

Me: “I… did not mean to steal them.”

Girl: “laugh… Of course you did not, i left them there for you to find them,or atleast to resive them, i was kind of expecting you to meet me down here first.”

Me: “soo… why are you here?.. infact what does this castle have to do with me?”

Girl: “Well if you do want to know, let me just warn you that its a long story… but before i tell you, i just want to ask you one thing.”

Me: “And that is?”

Girl: “Can i join your journey?”

1: “Yes… if that is what you want…:flushed:”
2: “N…no… why actualy?:grimacing:”
3: “I need to think about this first, could you tell me what you know in the mean time.:relieved:”

2 Likes
40

@DarkHenrik
@Baldric
@SmeatyFlavor
Me: (I may not get the information otherwise) yes…you can come with us.

Girl: thank you. Where are we going?

I don’t know, I think we should…

  1. Follow Kalion
  2. Search through “The Winter Traveler”
  3. Ask for the girls name
2 Likes
41

@Baldric
@Hutere_the_Toa_of_Air
@SmeatyFlavor
@king328

Me: “Say, i never got your name. What is it.”

Girl: “its Malia.”

Me: “What a nice name. But… now that you have your answer could you tell me what this place have to do with me?”

Malia: “Well a long time ago the winter travelers came to this castle once a year to rest after their travels. The Royal family that lived in the castle loved their visits and the tales they told of their adventures, so much so that he wanted those stories to not be forgotten. Thus his servants made the book that you now carry with you, “The Winter Traverers”. Durring those days the castle and the village near it was filled with joy, but as the years passed, fewer and fewer travelers came back to the castle, until they eventualy never came back.”

Me: “Whats your connection to this?”

Malia: “I was originaly the last daughter of the royal family of this castle, the reason for my current appearance… is because of an attack, caused by five black clad sorcerers. They came ridding on Wyverns, and devestated the village and the castle, demanding my father to give them a map to the travelers secret vault, that is belived to contain all of the artifacts and treasures that they have discovered on their travels.”

Me: “So you where cursed by one of these sorcerers.”

Malia: “Correct. They forced me too… Cries”

Me: “you don’t need to tell me anymore Malia. Come now, i think its time we all leave.”

I help Malia to get up, and then i, Malia and Kalion, all leave the castle. As we leave, the weather have cleared and we can see from the distance a small town, a forrest and the mountain from which i found Kalion’s egg, i now see that there is another temple atop the mountain.

Malia: “Where should we go.”

1: “Lets go towards the village.”
2: “Lets go to the forrest, i could use some a different scenery than white snow and gray stones.”
3: “Lets go to the temple atop the mountain, i can see smoke coming from it.”

Current list of Companions

  • Kalion - Your young dragon pet.
  • Malia - A 9 year old looking, Ice spirit that knows about the “Winter Travelers”.
3 Likes
42

We walk up towards the temple, not sure what to expect. However, the closer we seem to get, the denser the snow becomes. The wind howls as the snow turns to sleet. Though each of us can still see the temple, it becomes even more difficult to reach.

  1. “Perhaps we should turn back!”

  2. “We must press on!”

  3. “Anyone happen to have a convenient way to lessen this storm?”

2 Likes
43

@Leoxandar
@DarkHenrik
@Baldric
@king328
@Hutere_the_Toa_of_Air

I decide that we’ve come too far to turn back now. I ask Malia, “You’re an ice spirit, right? Can’t you make this storm go away?”
She replies, “I can, but I have sworn only to use my control over the ice and snow only in the most desperate of situations. One should only meddle with the world unless it is absolutely necessary.”
I groan, and we slowly make our way up the mountain. Our destination seems to be about halfway to the top. We finally arrive to find a pair of large metal gates, through which we can see a statue of some sort of Dragon creature… Perhaps it is a Wyvern? Beyond the statue I can see the temple, which bears an eerie resemblance to the temple I found underground a while ago. Looking off to the side, I think I see an object sticking out of snow, although it is some ways up the mountain, away from the temple…
I consider what I should do next:

  1. Ask Malia if she knows what this temple is for.

  2. Go through the gates already! I want to know what’s inside the temple…

  3. Walk over to the object. I wonder what it could be?

1 Like
44

@SmeatyFlavor
@Baldric
@king328
@Hutere_the_Toa_of_Air
@Leoxandar

Me: “What is this place Malia?”

Malia: “I don’t know, this place never existed when i was human. But i recognise that Wyvern statue. Its the sorcerer leader’s own Wyvern.”

Me: “So this must be or have been the sorcerers base then. We better then be careful if they are still here.”

at the moment i walk towards the gate, i remember the witch and the golem i meet in the temple that was under the mountain.

Me: “Malia, where there any sorceresses in that sorcerer group that attacked our family’s castle?”

Malia: “Yes a few, why are you asking?”

Me: “Because i think i meet one of them in a temple that was under this mountain, the same temple where i also found Kalion’s egg.”

Malia: “Then what should we do?”

1: “We should leave before she and her golem returns to the temple.”
2: “Lets go and get that object, it would also allow us to spy down on the temple if the witch is returning.”
3: “Weather or not the witch is returning to the temple or is inside it allready, i still want to know what these sorcerers are up to and why they want to locate the secret vault of the Winter Travelers.”

2 Likes
45

“Let’s go see what that object is” I say.
We head up the side of the mountain. The object turns out to be an old backpack, encrusted with ice and snow. I open up the backpack. Inside there is some rock-hard, frozen food, a chipping hammer, a coil of rope, and more interestingly, a map. Looking down below at the temple, I see that the witch is indeed returning, the golem lumbering behind her. “Oh boy” I whisper. What should I do now?

  1. Read the map and see where it goes. There could be something interesting on it.

  2. Try to come up with a plan to sneak into the temple and follow the witch.

  3. Simply stay up here and watch the witch. Maybe I can figure out what she’s doing here.

1 Like