Checkmate CYOA - Murkcrow

[Tiarana]

Transferred from Gaia Online. Original Post

Prompt 1: THE QUEEN

You open your eyes from the deepest of sleeps with the sound and the memory of a nonsense poem in your mind. Some of you will remember only bits and pieces, snippets and words, and others will remember the poems in their entirety, playing over and over in the back of your head.

As you shake away the cobwebs, you realize this is not your home, not the swamp or the plain or the mountains you're familiar with. This is not where you fell asleep. And your eyes land on a pale doe with serious eyes, something like a crown crooked on her head.

"The poem, yes?"

She sounds empathetic. Maybe. Or maybe she's faking it.

"If you want to find out what it means, you have to cross the marsh." She turns her head and points with her chin, meaningfully. "And perhaps, along the way, you will learn enough about yourself to take up a crown of your own..."

Whether or not you trust her, what else can you do...?

____________________________________

OOC INFO:

This is the first CYOA prompt, which will serve as a signup prompt; if you're interested in participating in this event, you must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like. Write the poem, or bits and pieces, or just reply to the doe, but whatever you do, you must decide to take on the Queen's quest and move on to the next round.

You have until December 26th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the 27th XP].

Remember that this is a LONG event, with 10 prompts that each participant will be expected to reply to [except for those who are eliminated, of course], though your replies don't have to be long!

OK....GO!

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgright]Another passing vision of dubious meaning from the Swamp, thought Murkcrow, as he stood up to work the stiffness from his bones. This wasn't the first time he had woke without waking, found himself standing in some strange place - it looked, honestly a little empty, save for the strange doe watching him intently. Somewhere in the back of his mind a wordless, half-remembered melody repeated itself, a jumble of sounds he couldn't quite make out, like listening to a song from a long distance off.

The doe said something, and he turned his attention from the maddening tune to what she had to say. "The poem, yes? If you want to find out what it means, you have to cross the marsh. And perhaps, along the way, you will learn enough about yourself to take up a crown of your own..."

Murkcrow inclined his head toward her. "Crowns and the like I have no interest in, but I'm curious enough about this poem, if that is what it is." Actually, he wasn't curious much at all, but he'd already learned that Swamp-dreams were easier when you did what you were expected to do. He turned in the direction the doe had indicated, steeling himself for whatever trial was in store for him.

[Tiarana]

Prompt 2: THE BEGINNING

As soon as you accept your quest -- the decision made in your mind whether or not you voice your willingness aloud -- the graceful queen is gone, leaving you only to blink at the dreamers around you and then move forward on your quest.

This is most certainly unfamiliar ground. Even those of you experienced in tracking, who have explored the far lengths of Matope, will find no landmark that jogs your memory. Worse than that: for each step you take forward, the land behind you becomes unfamiliar as well.

This is the way of dreams.

But it is only after a few paces that something will catch your attention ahead: the swell of a cheer, a large number of kin shouting something unintelligible. You do not choose to run, but find yourself doing so all the same, to enter a clearing in a rush.

There you find the crowd, forming a tidy circle around the main event.

Two owlcats fight. one is black and one is white.

A dark-eyed acha with an overly wide grin is taking bets on the outcome. He won't let you leave until you pick one over the other.

_________

OOC INFO:

This is the first elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're betting on the black or the white owlcat.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until December 29th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the 30th XP].

OK....GO!

Dice Roll: 19

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgleft]
Murkcrow trudged forward thoughtfully, analyzing the ground every time he placed a hoof. The doe had called it a "marsh", but he wasn't sure that was accurate - though the ground felt spongy like a bubbling wetland, the feeling was all wrong, too. And he was becoming aware of other kin in the dream, though whether they were dreamers themselves, or merely dream-shades, he couldn't guess and cared little enough to ask and find out.

So he was surprised to find a crowd of cheering kin. He was more surprised when he ran into the center of the group, headlong, without giving it any consideration. He was not extremely surprised by what he found when he got there, though; there were only so many things to be found at the center of cheering crowds, after all.

"You want to place a bet, mate?" a grinning acha asked him.

"Not particularly," Murkcrow replied, but the acha cajoled and wheedled him until finally he gave in. "Alright. I'll pick the black one."

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 2 RESOLUTION

The crowd swells as the battle goes on, and comes to a crescendo as the battle comes to a bloody end.

The white owlcat is victorious, but as it stands over its conquered foe, the mood in the glade changes. Those who bet on white are rewarded with one simple prize: their lives. As for the rest...with a mighty cry, the crowd turn on all the losers like a pack of wild wolves, chasing them from the glade and taking out all who lag behind.

_________

Prompt 3: The Garden

Eventually, the chase flags, the fury of the glade melting away to something more serene, many kin escaping their certain death and nursing wounds as they take their first few steps into a brightly-colored, well-kept garden.

At first, it is quiet, but as you walk deeper among the daffodils and the violets and the lilies, a chatter begins to swell around you. A snippet of conversation to the left. A snipped to the right. Someone laughs, down the way, and you begin to make out a word here, a word there, until --

"Watch where you put that foot!" Exclaims a lily that you are near to stepping on. Not too far away, the violets let out a high-pitched giggle, and you realize that all the flowers are talking.

It occurs to you at once that if they can talk, then you can ask them questions, and so [in your own way] you beg, or demand, or politely inquire, as to which way you should go.

"Across the river," says the Lily, and her tone implies you are a moron. She tips her head to point in that direction.

"Through the valley," argues one Violet, and her sisters all agree, talking over each other and babbling in excitement.

You must follow one of them. Which way will you go?

_________

OOC INFO:

This an elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're following the advise of the Lily or the Violet. PLEASE BOLD YOUR CHOICE.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until January 1st at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the next day. XP].
_________

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL IN THE GAME
Everyone who took the wrong path but rolled over 5 was kept in the game.

OK....GO!

Dice Roll: 16

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgleft]The black owlcat lost, and, like angry/delighted sports fans everywhere, the kin around the circle turned to rioting for entertainment. Murkcrow edged his way out before anyone could note his own bet, making for the apparent calm of a flower garden not far away. The crowds melted away and he found himself in a riot of color and smells.

He thought, maybe, he'd like to stop a minute, collect his wits. Nothing too long, or the Swamp would surely force him forward again, but perhaps a short break would escape its notice. Carefully Murkcrow made for the nearest bed of soft flowers - there was something unsettling about this garden - until he heard "Watch where you put that foot!"

Looking around for the source of the voice revealed only flowers, so he tried again, to the same result. "Is that you talking?" he asked the lilies at his feet.

"Yes, yes it is!" they responded in chorus.

"Well," Murkcrow sighed, "I suppose you're here to tell me where to go next."

"Across the river!" said the lilies, and "through the valley!" said the violets.

Murkcrow groaned. Rivers were always full of peril, but he didn't imagine the valley to be particularly safe either. Well, at least he would be dry...or the whole place would flood and he'd be waterlogged anyway. Murkcrow followed the path indicated by the violets down into the valley.

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 3 RESOLUTION

The river, it turns out, is a beast: not a simple meandering stream of water but, instead, a fury that catches at legs, deep enough at the middle that it's impossible to walk across, with a current that drags kin under and leaves them breathless. It's not impossible to cross, but it is difficult. It takes a strong swimmer, or a healthy dose of luck.

Unfortunately, six kin don't have that luck. As they're swept away toward a hundred-foot plummet onto ragged rocks, they realize they should have gone through the valley.

_________

Prompt 4: The Gnat's Guidance

Eventually, you all find your way through the valley and onto dry land again, catching your fight and preparing for the next leg of your journey -- not that you know where to go, of course.

A guide comes in the form of a gnat, lazily circling to settle in your ear so that its tiny voice can be heard.

"There is a grove," it tells you, and you have to suppress the urge to giggle at its itty-bitty, high-pitched voice. "There you will find your path. Eventually."

And like this, settled in your ear, evading any attempts you make [voluntary or not] to swat it away. Through the valley, past some towering trees that you want to explore further but are instructed not to, and into a quiet, peaceful sort of grove where the light is filtered through fine branches, and where you immediately forget your name.

You remember that you're on a quest, that's for sure, but you don't know who you are or how you got here, and you certainly don't know which way you need to go. You meander slowly around the grove, and find you can't figure out how to get out. The circle of trees seems impenetrable. Or maybe it's just a trick of the light.

Eventually, you turn around to find a slight, confused-looking Acha behind you. She, too, has forgotten her name: stands staring at you and frowning.

"Do I know you?" she asks, and you certainly don't know the answer.

"We have to get out of here," she adds, after a moment, and with that you agree.

"Want to work together?" you think, maybe, there's something sly behind her tone of voice.

And here you must make a choice. Do you try to get out of the grove alone, or do you accept the acha's offer and team up to find your escape?

_________

OOC INFO:

This an elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're trying to escape the grove alone or with the acha. PLEASE BOLD YOUR CHOICE.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until January 4th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the next day. XP].

_________

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL IN THE GAME
Everyone who took the wrong path but rolled over 5 was kept in the game.

_________

OK....GO!

Dice roll: 15

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgright]Murkcrow trudged through the valley, putting one hoof in front of the other, slowly forgetting everything he ever knew without realizing it. A gnat settled on his ear, whispering to him.

"A grove...yes," he echoed, looking around, seeing that it was true. "And from here, where do I...?" but the gnat is gone already, in its place an acha doe staring at Murkcrow wide-eyed.

"Do I know you?" she asked, and Murkcrow shrugged indifferently. Probably not, he imagined, but he couldn't remember his own name.

"We have to get out here," she supplied. Murkcrow nodded, supposing that was true, trying to remember where he was going and for what reason, only remembering that he was going somewhere, for some reason.

"Want to work together?" she asked. Murkcrow squinted around him at the imposing, impenetrable trees, remembering the gnat's whispers.

"No," he finally said. "I think I'll go alone."

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 4 RESOLUTION

The grove seems to be a maze: each fork taken driving kin around in circles and back where they started. If there is a way out, after hours of searching, those kin who decided to travel alone will find themselves tired and frustrated.

But those who teamed up will have more success.

Eventually, the strange acha -- frustrated herself, now, scowling a bit with her eyebrows knitted, will turn to you to make a suggestion.

"At the next fork, you'll go right, and I'll go left, and maybe at least one of us will make it out."

You do so, and you emerge from the grove, at long last, your name restored to you.

_________

Prompt 5: The Twins

After some time, the kin who opted to go alone think better of their choices, and carefully team up into pairs -- managing to find the trick of their escape and emerge from the grove along with the others. to remember their names. And their quest.

There comes from not too far away a resounding thock that captures your attention and draws you in toward it, as it echoes down from hill, your ears still ringing.

There you will find two young Totoma, horns locked, roaring at each other unintelligibly. After a moment, they will notice your presence and pause long enough to blink up at you, so you can ask what's going on.

"...he stole my seedpot!" says the one, indignantly, his chin lifted. "The one that jingled if you shook it!"

"I did not!" Replies the other, putting his own head down and swiping one forefoot against the ground, apparently ready to charge again. "But I do have my own --"

They ram each other once again, the sound echoing, and you are faced with another choice. Do you break them up? Or do you just sit and watch the show?

_________

OOC INFO:

This an elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're going to break up the totoma or sit and watch. PLEASE BOLD YOUR CHOICE.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until January 7th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the next day. XP].

_________

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL IN THE GAME
Everyone who took the wrong path but rolled over 10 [you all rolled high this time!] was kept in the game.
_________

OK....GO!

Dice roll: 3

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgleft]

The doe slipped out of the clearing well before he did, and Murkcrow cursed himself for declining her aid. What had come over him? He couldn't remember. Eventually, as the gnat promised, he found his way out, and soon came to a pair of young totoma, clashing on the green. He flinched with every strike, but he had things to do, and didn't care much for more interruptions.

"Children, please!" he finally said, stepping in to break up the totoma. "Can you give me some directions?"

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 5 RESOLUTION

The siblings fight on, despite any efforts to break them up. Despite their age, they are large totoma, and their goal in to mash horns, so they will mash horns. No one their own size [or smaller] will have any success here. You might as well iust and watch.

The choice simply didn't matter. After some time, once you're tired and decisively find their battle more annoying than amusing, a screech will come from above.

A great crow's inky wings block out the entire sky, and as he swoops low, the two brothers scramble apart from each other, the battle broken up as he lands between them.

"Go north," he caws at you, rough and annoyed, and you think it's probably wise to flee instead of sticking around and watching his punishment.

_________

Prompt 6: The Sheepweed

You run like blazes from the fluttering and screeching of the crow and his two charges, behind you, leaving behind the distant sound of someone whining. One brother losing to the other, perhaps; it's hard to tell.

When finally you slow from your canter to a slower walk, struggling to catch your breath, a smell suddenly invades all your senses: something you can't quite place, but that triggers a memory from your past, something sweet and maybe a bit melancholy. You think that it comes from some rushes, across a dark expanse of water.

It's possible that the memory these rushes kindle, slowly, will give you more insight into which way you go -- but you have no idea how deep the pool that separates you from them is. Do you risk the depths and go get the rushes, or do you let them be and, sadly, go one your way?

_________

OOC INFO:

This an elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're going to break up the totoma or sit and watch. PLEASE BOLD YOUR CHOICE.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until January 10th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the next day. XP].

_________

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL IN THE GAME
Everyone who took the wrong path but rolled over 10 [you all rolled high this time!] was kept in the game.

NO ONE ELIMINATED, HAHA.
_________

OK....GO!

Dice roll: 4

[imgright]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgright]He expected a bonecrushing crunch as the totoma smashed into him, but instead they dodged around either side at the last second and continued fighting, not even acknowledging his presence. "Come on," Murkcrow groaned, trying to step between them a few more times and completely failing to catch their attention. Finally, he sat down to watch. They'd stop their fighting eventually or something else would happen, right?

Something else did happen. An enormous crow swooped out of the sky and landed between the totoma. "Go north!" the crow screeched. "GO NOOOORTH!"

"Alright," said Murkcrow, turning in a direction he thought was probably north - but this was a dream, so honestly, it could have been any of the compass points. Anything to get away from the screeching crow.

Eventually he reached a long dark pool, and a smell emanating from some rushes across the pool tugged at the edges of his mind. Something half-remembered like a poem from a dream. He'd tried so hard to stay out of the water before, but now he plunged into the pool to get the rushes.

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 6 RESOLUTION

The pool is inky, black, and some choose not to risk its dangers -- but others dive in head first to explore, even despite the disaster of previous choices.

And they are, in fact, rewarded.

As they swim, something brushes low against hanging hooves, but nothing grabs, nothing attacks, no disaster strikes. They reach the other side and scramble ashore, shaking water from their flanks, and are immediately surrounded by that sweet smell.

They are overwhelmed with the desire to eat, and as the devour great mouthfuls of the rushes that sway lightly in a breeze, they way forward is made clear to them.

Those who lack this knowledge will wander forever, lost.

_________

Prompt 7: Lumpy Bumpy

It's strange, now, but with the taste of sweet rushes still filling your senses, you have the sense that you know this place, that you have been here before. The paths take on the shape of somewhere familiar to you, different for each person, but always leading the way forward.

Eventually, you step out onto the edge of the plains, where tall grass sways in the wind, and as you admire the sight, someone speaks.

"Hey, you."

Where is it coming from? You turn, and search for someone else in the tall grass, but don't see anyone in any direction to the horizon: not even the other kin travelling the path with you.

"Down."

You blink, tip your head down, and then you see it: a slightly-lumpy kiokote egg, perched precariously on the top of a sun-heated rock. And something inside of it is speaking to you, an unhatched creature with a voice.

"If you're trying to find your way forward, pick me up. I know how to go."

The egg seems well-spoken and self-certain: perhaps it will serve as a guide. But it's also an egg, with no eyes or senses, the strangest thing you've seen yet. So the choice is yours: do you take the egg or leave it to forge out on your own?

_________

OOC INFO:

This an elimination prompt! You must reply to the prompt above in whatever way you'd like., but you must, somewhere in your post, specify if you're going to take the egg or leave the egg. PLEASE BOLD YOUR CHOICE.

When you post, please also roll a 20-sided die. In past events, this die has been used to put some members back into the running, even if they choose the wrong fork, so it is to your benefit to do so!

You have until January 13th at 11:59 PM EST to complete this prompt and join in the event [but, realistically, I'll probably accept entries until around noon on the next day. XP].

_________

THE FOLLOWING PARTICIPANTS ARE STILL IN THE GAME
Everyone who took the wrong path but rolled over xxx was kept in the game. - Everyone on the wrong path was eliminated this time, sorry!
_________

OK....GO!

Dice roll: 4

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgleft]When he reached the other side of the pool, he was suddenly hungry, and Murkcrow set to devouring the rushes voraciously. Eventually his hunger lessened, and Murkcrow realized he was standing someplace familiar - the clearing where his mother used to live. Familiar paths and landmarks sprawled around him, and he found himself walking down one path, north, toward the plains. Eventually he reached the end of the swamp, and he stopped to feel the breeze on his face.

"Hey, you," a voice said.

"Me?" Murkcrow repeated, looking around. There was no one there, but he remembered the flowers, so he looked down instead.

"That's right. Down here." A lumpy kiokote egg quivered on the edge of a rock. "If you're trying to find your way forward, pick me up. I know how to go."

"What does an egg know of the world around it?" Murkcrow frowned down at it.

"I just know. Come on. Anyway, this is a dream, isn't it?"

He couldn't argue with that logic, so he picked up the egg and took it with him.

[Tiarana]

PROMPT 7 RESOLUTION

Some of you opt to take the egg and, as you struggle to move forward with it precariously perched here or there, or rolling it along in front of one heavy hoof, you realize that this wasn't the best idea you'd ever had.

Even as this idea graces your mind, it is too late. Everyone who took the egg finds it crashing against the rocks at their feet and, as the shell breaks open, it reveals not a kiokote but a feathered serpent, which turns on you with poisoned fangs to attack.

_________


THE FOLLOWING THREE PEOPLE WERE ELIMINATED THIS ROUND.:

Murkcrow -  4

Please feel free to write an 'exit' post for your kin.
They will be bitten by a feathered serpent and give in slowly to terrible poison, but will wake up same and sound wherever they fell asleep.

NEXT PROMPT WILL FOLLOW, IN THE NEXT POST.

[imgleft]http://matope.pixel-blueberry.com/image ... ow_tia.gif[/imgleft]The egg quickly proved itself bulky and difficult to maneuver. Finally, it fell to the ground with a sickening splat. But instead of a broken kiokote, what slithered from the eggshell was a feathered serpent, larger, larger, impossibly large. It wrapped itself around his leg and bit into his neck while he watched in horror, and then it whispered "goodbye" into his ear and swooped into the sky.

Murkcrow watched it go while his limbs slowly grew leaden, and he realized then that he had failed whatever quest the Swamp had set for him. He felt something very much like relief, that the Swamp wasn't calling him after all - and then his eyes snapped open and he woke with a jerk. Alone, nestled against a massive dead tree, as always, and snake-bite free.

The lines of a poem suddenly floated into his mind, and he laughed out loud.

Little playful foal,
Come singing home,
Strong healthy buck,
Comes singing home.