Choose Your Own Adventure

- Raven, Crystal Skull, Cloak –

The pickings were sparse and you looked at many items individually and passed over many others. You touch several, just to leave your mark in the dust. You pick up stones, and daggers. You ask for suggestions and receive no answers. The eclectic items before you seem endless in quantity now that you can see what you’re looking at.

You pick up an item wrapped in brown paper, the size of a baseball; the aged paper disintegrates at your touch. Brushing it away you reveal within a perfect miniature skull, made of the finest crystal you have ever seen. As you stare at it you think you can see a light shimmer within its depths, but you just think it’s the candle light reflecting through it.


You hold it up, showing the woman, who had finally identified herself as Citrine, as she trails behind you.

“A wise choice.” She nods, but that’s as much information you get out of her on anything you have picked up. Her approval neither helping nor hindering your exploration of the store.

Shrugging, you place the crystal skull in your pocket, it bulges and you can feel its weight settle against your leg as you move along to the clothing rack that you hadn’t noticed before. There were several items hanging here, shirts, pants, jackets, cloaks. There are hat’s hanging by strings and bags holding boots made of soft leather’s that folded easily into piles of indistinguishable brown that you had to open to check the contents. Finally you choose a gray cloak, the color of smoke that has a wide hood and room to spare.

“Ah!” Citrine says behind you, making you just, this is the only voluntary word that has come from her in a while. “The cloak of Gaabor. This,” she says, taking a handful of cloak and holding it up to you. “THIS is a wise choice.”

You’re still just playing along because this really is just a joke and one of your friends has put this strange woman up to this. Since she hasn’t spoken about any of the other items you have chosen you figure this is a clue as to what she wants from you and you unfurl the material and settle it onto your shoulders.

“One last item…” She says as she touches your arm. “What will you choose to help you on your way?”

“Where am I even going?” You ask. If you had some idea of what she’d be leading you into you could better limit your choices. Do you need boots? Do you need spears? Do you need magic items? She hasn't been of any help at all, and the next words that come from her lips don’t help you either.

“Only you can tell where you are going. That is not for me to know.” She smiles though and with her hand that she hasn’t removed from her arm she gently directs you to the back corner of the store where there are several taxidermied animals, cats, rats, rabbits, birds, bats… all in waiting positions, their glass eyes looking down at you expectantly. It’s gross, but fascinating; your eye catches on a glossy raven that is on a pedestal next to you, its black feathers almost blue in the candle light. Reaching out, you touch it gently, running your finger down its long black feathered wing. You think you feel it twitch beneath your touch, and then the bird stretches and spreads its wings, shaking of the years of dust. Letting out a loud “Caaaw” it hops from its perch to your arm that is still outstretched before you.

Citrine smiles, “It is done. Your path is set, the time has arrived.” She turns and leads you through the doorway behind the counter; the room is bare except for two doors on the far wall, and a trap door in the center of the floor. “Here is where your journey begins. I can guide you no further.” She leans into you, gently kissing you on the cheek. “May Argharna Rendall guide you safely to your victory.” Placing both hands over her heart she bows to you and backs out of the room, leaving you alone.

Taking a deep breath you step forward and choose your path.

WHAT DO YOU CHOOSE?

Door on the Right
Door on the Left
Trap Door

You know the voting drill by now...
... but at the same time leave a comment, I'm curious to know who's reading :)