Rapid Pixel Adventure

{[GO]: [INWARD]:

You duck under the small doorway behind the checkpoint counter, and enter into the [Record Storage Room]

The room comes to an end with a large brick wall, and it is stacked floor to ceiling with large [Filing Cabinets] Many drawers are missing or are simply scattered across the floor. Piles of faded [Documents] lay in stacks or loose across the room.

As with every room of this castle, there are several [Skeletons] laying on the floor.

However, you aren’t really paying attention to your surroundings right now, because you are fixated on [Cal Moonlace] who is crouched atop one of the cabinets, sobbing quietly. 

In a shaky voice, you can hear Cal muttering to themselves.

Before you can say anything, Cal sees you and begins to panic. They pull themselves up and crawl through a torn hole in the ceiling.

It seems that Cal is still under the influence of the curse and is not acting rationally.

You don’t see any safe way of climbing up to the top of the cabinets from where you are standing now, and they seems to be falling apart already. 

The doorway behind you leads back [OUTWARD] to the [Mist Castle Border Checkpoint Office]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[GET]: [Rusty Longsword]}

You grab ahold of the weapon stuck in the skeletons ribcage and tug with all the strength left in your tiny little clay body.

As the blade is wrenched free, you fall on your rump and kick up a small cloud of dust. You didn't expect the entire sword to come loose, but this is even better than just a makeshift spearhead.

{You got: [Rusty Masterwork Longsword]}

This is the first time you have gotten your slimy little hands on a real weapon. Compared to your [Rusty Sword] it is far heavier and far sharper. Even with the thick coating of rust, and the large crack in the middle, this sword is a work of art onto itself. The intricate carvings on the pommel, the reinforced cross-guard, and the fitted metal grip all shine with the pride of a master sword-smith.

This weapon has very low durability due to its age but deals a much higher rate of damage when compared to your current weapons.

{You have three weapons equipped, any new weapon you find will be put in your inventory instead.}

As you slide the weapon into your [Blessed Travelers Cloak] to act as a sheath where it rests with a noticeable weight.

Your [Orb of Exploration] shudders slightly, the light blinking with a yellow sheen for a split second. You watch it for a few moments but it doesn't happen again. You haven't seen it do that before.

[STATUS] (new!)

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[INVESTIGATE]: [Office Counter]}

You climb over the wooden [Office Counter] and look around for anything useful.

This appears to be some sort of station for accepting and processing paperwork. You remember from the information you got from the Fleetwood Couriers that this castle used to be a check point for people trying to cross the border.

It seems that this is where people went to submit their travel requests. There are lots of scratches on the stone floor, implying that a some sort of chair used to be behind this counter, and there are large faded ink stains all over the countertop.

The [Skeleton] propped up behind the counter appears to have died leaning forward, most likely from the [Rusty Longsword] stabbed into their back. A large black stain on the counter shows that they bleed out from the attack. You notice that the sword is actually stuck into the wood of the counter and seems to be holding the skeleton upright.

The sword itself is fairly high quality, most of the rust centered around where it comes in contact with the skeleton. The bodily fluids have eaten through the middle section a fair deal, but the area near the hilt and the tip are still both polished and sharp.

You spot many [Small Footprints] behind the counter, leading into the [Records Storage Room].

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[GO]: [INWARD]}

You open the wooden door and enter the small side room across from the main entrance.

Immediately you feel the soft cold air of night leaking through a [Crack in the Wall] above your head. A faint shaft of moonlight land on the intricately marbled floors, revealing a large pile of [Skeletons]

You see no obvious clues about how any of these people died, and they seem to have nothing on them save for a few scraps of rusty chainmail.

The [Skeleton] behind the [Office Counter] on the other hand has a pretty serious clue regarding how they died. Using your expert detective skills you can assume that the [Rusty Longsword] impaled through their chest probably did the trick.

More [Coat of Arms Banners] hang in the rafters, dangling lifelessly above the decaying room. A single piece of the rafters has collpased and some loose [Ropes] are within reach, but they look so moth-eaten that they would probably snap the moment you pulled on them.

Behind the [Office Counter] there is a doorway that seems to lead [INWARDS] towards a small [Records Storage Room]

The door behind you leads back [OUTWARDS] towards the [Mist Castle Grand Hall Ruins 1]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[INVESTIGATE]: [Stone Gargoyle]}

Above the smaller doorway is a [Stone Gargoyle.] It appears to carved out of the same blueish-grey material like the rest of the castle.

It resembles a small winged goblin with sharper features, and seems to be guarding this doorway.

Like the [Coat of Arms] it seems more decorative than functional.

The [OUTWARD] path leads back to the [Mist Castle Gate Entrance]

A small wooden door leads [INWARD] towards the [Border Checkpoint Office]

The [RIGHT] path leads deeper into the castle towards the [Grand Hall Ruins 2]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[USE]: [Copper Gear Mechanism]

The gear winch seems to open the main gate, and you decide to try and active the rusty old device.

There is a metal [Crank Handle] but it is lodged firmly in the [Skeletons] ribcage, so you try to move the whole gear by itself. Unfortunately the [Soldiers Spear] makes sure that none of the gears can move since it is threaded through three different spokes.

If you had more than your pathetic noodle arms you might be able to remove it, but alas, you do not.

After a few attempts to remove the spear, the [Spear Shaft] breaks off in your hands and you flop to the floor with a loud splat.

{You got: [Broken Spear Shaft]!}

It has barely been a minute and you have already broken something inside the castle. This is a new personal best. Or personal worst, based on whatever your opinion on breaking things might be.

Only the shaft broke, the [Spear Head] is still locking the gears in place. It seems like the mechanism is too damaged to operate without repairing it first.

The shaft is made out of high quality wood and it is gilded with golden bands around the top and bottom. It is heavy and solid in your hands. It would work as a decent polearm weapon but without the spear head it would do very little damage.

Your [Harvest Blade Spear] and your [Rusty Spear] are still better weapons, but if past experience has taught you anything, you can probably find a use for sturdy wooden stick while exploring.

[STATUS] (new!)

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[INVESTIGATE]: [Coat of Arms]}

You take a moment to examine the small blue and gold [Coat of arms] dangling from a wooden support beam.

It does not resemble the Gorren royal family coat of arms but it does seem to follow the same style. The intricate stitching seems to be made of actual gold and it shimmers gently in the light of your orb of exploration.

The main design has two crossed spears above a small golden targe shield. It also has two ribbons ending in golden stars adorned with diamonds.

Unlike many of the bandit banners you saw on your way here, this banner seems to be in perfect condition, beyond a layer of dust and a few cobwebs.

Hanging right by the front door is a seemingly priceless treasure, the gold and diamonds easily worth more money than you could make in a lifetime.

You remember what Sorren told you about the treasure left behind in the castle, about how it would curse anyone who tried to steal even a single coin. Maybe this superstition held more weight than you initially assumed.

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP] 

(discord server)

{[GO]: [INWARD]}

With some effort, you are able to squeeze through the crack in the massive wooden gate.

The atmosphere inside the castle is damp and oppressive. You feel like you can barely get a full breath of air because of all the dust. 

As soon as you enter, you notice the strange dilapidated architecture and the two [Skeletons] wearing the rotting remains of soldier uniforms. One lies in a heap on the stone floor, the other appears to be lashed to a copper [Gear Mechanism] that controls the door. 

A [Soldiers Spear] is embedded between two of the inner gears, permanently locking the entire device in place. It seems like this was the result from a final desperate attempt to keep the gates closed. The rotting [Ropes] coated in dust in the rafters overhead, unused after all this time. 

A regal looking [Coat of Arms] dangles limply from a banner, but you do not recognize the pattern. It depicts two golden spears crossed over small intricate shield.There are no signs of Gestalt or Cal so far, and the many [Footprints] in the dust seem to scatter in all directions.You're mission is clear:

Find Cal and Gestalt.

Find the Potentate's Crown.

Leave before Nightfall.

Don’t touch anything that looks even remotely cursed.

Don’t die.

Seems easy enough.

The [OUTWARD] path leads back to the [Mist Castle Gate Entrance]

A small wooden door leads [INWARD] towards the [Border Checkpoint Office] and has a small stone [Gargoyle] perched above it.

The [RIGHT] path leads deeper into the castle towards the [Grand Hall Ruins 2]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP] (new!)

(discord server)

{[INVESTIGATE]: [Skeletons]

The couriers warned you about the dark magic surrounding this castle, and the [Undead] that protect the treasures inside. You take a moment to inspect the large pile of [Skeletons] from a respectful distance.

They appear to be very old, not a single trance of flesh or muscle on any of them. At first you wonder how their arms can continue clinging to the door without any sinew holding them together, but then you notice...

The skeletons have fused together into one being and the bones are all one continuous mass of. It’s almost like all these people died together, bonded through some sort of warped magic. They couldn’t have been alive and fused at the same time right? This had to have happened after they died... probably?

From here, you can just make out long twisting abrasions running all up and down the mass of bone, like the flesh was somehow shredded off with great force.

They don’t seem to be moving, or even capable of movement, at least you don’t think so. The mass has no joints, so the chances of it grabbing you as you walk past are pretty slim...

But then again you are no expert on bones, since you are simply a squishy pile of clay supported by sheer force of will. So maybe bones CAN bend without joints, you simply have no way of knowing.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Bridge Ossuary 2] The [INWARD] path leads to [Grand Hall Ruins 1]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[GO]: [RIGHT]}

The gloom of night is finally overpowering the last orange lights of the sunset, turning the pale white fog into a muddy blueish grey.

The fog that was pleasantly chilly in the sunlight, now feels bitterly cold on your clay skin. There is a growing tension in the air, and you still find very little evidence of your missing friends.

The fog finally breaks and the massive bridge comes to an end in front of you.

There is a towering [Cracked Castle Gate] at the end of the bridge, the crack in the middle just big enough for a person to walk through. Didn’t you see cart tracks in the dust? How do the carts get through this gate? Perhaps there is a mechanism to open it on the other side.

You highly doubt that, since there is a huge pile of [Clawing Skeletons] encrusted on the door, as if they died trying to tear a hole in this gate. You remember what the couriers told you about the massacre that happened on this very bridge.

[Rotting Arrows] dot the bridge all around you, all of them fired from the parapets above your head.

You can smell the thick scent of mold and rot, the crashing waves far below you. The massive stone walls of the castle mark the end of the river, the [Silver Gorge] on the other side.

If you look to either side of this imposing structure, you can make out multiple levels, towers and windows of what must be different sections. You think you can spot some [Dim Lights] on the far leftward side. Are there other people already inside? It might be Gestalt and Cal, but would they go that far into the castle without you?

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Bridge Ossuary 2] The [INWARD] path leads to [Grand Hall Ruins 1]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[TRACK]: [Companions]}

The pile of bones is significantly lighter in the middle, as if people pass through here all the time.

Under the layer of mold and bone dust, you can make out the tracks of what is probably your two companions.

They continued [RIGHT] along the bridge, as far as you can tell.

There are also dozens of other boot prints heading in both directions. It seems that more people than you’d initially thought brave this path on a regular basis. 

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Bridge Ossuary 1] The [RIGHT] path leads to [Mist Castle Gate Entrance]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[INVESTIGATE]: [Headless Statue]}

Three statues once stood along this section of the bridge. One is crumbled into dust, unrecognizable at this point, the second is snapped in half, only the legs and the end of a great war-hammer visible. 

The one closest to you is mostly intact, depicting a tall figure holding a broadsword. The head is missing, with a polished smooth as if it was sawed off with some sort of metal tool

You have a sinking feeling that you already know where the head went. The dark blue stone resembles that of the [Stone Guillotine] used by the [Rubble Valley Scavengers]

Which means that the scavengers have no qualms about pursuing you as far as the bridge if they wanted to.

That is a nice thought, that in addition to vengeful ghosts, hungry undead and magic curses, angry bandits could be lurking just out of sight.

You are not safe here.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Bridge Ossuary 1] The [RIGHT] path leads to [Mist Castle Gate Entrance]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[GO]: [RIGHT]}

The fog seems to be getting weaker, as if you have passed through the center of the magic.

As you continue onward, you spot large looming figures in the distance. Upon closer inspection, you see that the figures are in fact [Stone Statues] dotting either side of the bridge.

While most of the statues are heavily damaged, you noticed one statue appears to be missing its head. 

More [Bone piles] and [Rotten Arrows] are piled high in your path, the crunching sound echoing across the vast river with each step.

Bits of crumbled [Masonry] appear to have fallen from above, weakening this section of bridge, so you decide to tread carefully.

You must be getting close to the end of the bridge, with your companions still nowhere in sight.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Bridge Ossuary 1] The [RIGHT] path leads to [Mist Castle Gate Entrance]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[INVESTIAGTE]: [Skeletons]}

You take some time to inspect the pile of skeletons.

They are all completely stripped of flesh and belongings, leaving behind ancient crumbling bones. The skeletons hold both young and old, with a soft [Grey Mold] creeping between every opening. 

Arrows stick out of every skeleton, untouched even after all these years. A single skeleton, no bigger than Cal, is pierced through the throat by a [Ballista Bolt] The legs of the skeleton dangle pitifully in the air, hoisted off the ground by the force of the impact.

There appears to be very little to loot, maybe 1 in every 10 arrows seems useable if you were willing to defile the dead. 

In the center of the bridge, the bones are basically powder, with a scattering of cart wheel and trampling boots crushing the bones in their way. People must use this bridge regardless of the corpses.

Some of the boot prints look fresh, smaller prints probably belonging to Cal, the long sweeping tracks could be from Gestalt’s cape.

It seems like they passed you, heading furthering into the mist.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Fog Bridge 2] The [RIGHT] path leads to [River Bridge Ossuary 2]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[GO]: [RIGHT]}

You carefully move further across the bridge.

As you make your way through the fog, the number of [Rotten Arrows] starts to grow. At first just a few, but eventually, the entire bridge is coated in stray arrows. 

You stop when you hear a crunching noise under your boots. Looking down you see the path is littered with [Skeletal Remains], almost all of them peppered with multiple arrows.

A [Dark Bird] lets out a lonely call before flying away. The bird was resting on what appears to be a massive [Ballista Bolt] embedded in a [Corpse], leaving the skeleton standing in place.

There are dozens of bodies appearing in the fog, all skewered with arrows, all fired from a tall vantage point.

You can’t help but remember what the couriers told you about the Castle...

“The screaming crowds gave every last coin they held, and yet the Potentate did not open the gate.”

Based on the amount of arrows, it seems like the Potentate did a lot more than just lock the gates.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Fog Bridge 2] The [RIGHT] path leads to [River Bridge Ossuary 2]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[CALL]: [For your companions]

Now that you are alone, you need to find Cal and Gestalt. You know that Gestalt can probably handle themselves, but Cal is probably terrified.

Also, let’s be honest, you are also a little terrified.

Your voice carries over the empty bridge, echoing a few times before getting swallowed up.

Not all is silent, as you think you hear faint noises coming from further down the bridge. Somehow Cal and Gestalt must have gotten ahead of you in all of the confusion.

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Fog Bridge 1] The [RIGHT] path leads to [River Bridge Ossuary 1]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)

{[ACCEPT]: [The Herald’s Blessing]}

You don’t have time to look for other options, Gestalt and Cal could be in danger. Without hesitation, you agree to the Heralds’ offer.

{You accept the Herald’s Blessing.}

Behind their golden mask, you can almost sense the Herald smiling. Their voice becomes muffled as the power flows out of them, a deep air of sadness soaked into their words.

Your [Orb of Exploration] suddenly glows with energy, and a powerful light shoots out of it, clearing the fog around you wiping the haze away from your eyes.

{Your [Orb of Exploration] had been upgraded. As long as it is active, those inside its light are protected from low level [Illusions] and [Curses].}

As soon as the Herald’s magic takes hold, the two specters begin to fade, as if they were always part of the fog.

The last thing you hear before they vanish, is the comforting words of the Petrified Knight.

You are still under the effects of the [Void of the White Mage] but you have regained you ability to [Investigate] and you are no longer trapped by the illusionary fog.

The orb is providing enough light to let you walk without worry about where you are going.

The protective magic surrounding you feels oddly warm. You feel safer despite the danger lurking ahead. You remind yourself to thank the Herald next time you fall asleep. 

The [LEFT] path leads back to the [River Fog Bridge 1] The [RIGHT] path leads to [River Bridge Ossuary 1]

[STATUS]

[QUESTS]

[MAP]

(discord server)