"Hey!"
"Glad to see you're awake. Wasn't sure you were going to make it for a bit there."
"Wait. You //are// alright, aren't you?"
[[I'm fine.]]
[[It's a little rough right now]]
[[Who are you?]]
(set: $inv to (a:))"Glad to hear it! Last thing you want is something festering in any wound of yours."
"Well, I suppose we don't have much to now."
[["Oh, you've got a question for me?"->Who are you?]]"That's rough buddy, sorry to hear it. You could try checking around to see if anyone left a bit of a healing kit around."
"Well, whenever we get out of here, that is. Which should be any day now. Any day now."
[["You've got a question for me?"->Who are you?]](set: $npcName to (either: "Vanangiern", "Irhall", "Zodius", "Ezerith", "Azstag" ))
"Me? Well, I'm just a bit of nobody. I used to be someone that mattered, but not anymore. As you can see I'm Monsterkind. Don't really remember much of the old days, y'know?"
"Anyway, I'm $npcName. Nice to meet ya, pal."
"Gah! I can't believe I forgot to ask you something!"
[["Who are //you//?->player info]]"I really can't believe I forgot to ask this! Who forgets to ask a stranger their name?"
(set: $name to (prompt: "So, what's your name, friend?", ""))
"$name? //$name//. That sounds so familiar..."
"Ohhh, you're //that// $name! I heard about you from a, well, let's just call them an acquaintance."
"And since my eyes don't always work that well, what are ya? Monster? Human? Halfling?"
(dropdown: 2bind $playerRace,"Monster","Human","Halfling")
"Ah, $playerRace, I thought so! Just wanted to be sure."
[[So, where exactly are we?]] "Hah! //Where are we//. You're a funny one pal."
"Wait. Wait, you're serious. You're dead serious aren't you?"
"Can't say I expect that to be honest. Well. We are in one of Their pits. A real shithole in the wall in between the Sands and Mansinar. Just remote enough that no one ever really passes by here, and it dwindles your hope of ever getting out of here. Add onto that the fact that none of us really did anything wrong and you've got a nice nasty concoction of complete hopelessness."
(text-color:red)[(text-style:"smear")[HEY $name! YOU BETTER BE UP!]]
[[...]]clock with (current-time:)
$npcName tells you the (current-date:)
(link-reveal: "Heart")
[ is broken]
(dialog: "Beyond this point, things get serious. Grab a snack and buckle up.", "Sure.")
go to three different areas
sands: you roam around, go into slight delirium due to wandering around in basiclaly nothing, meet a x'otar who wanders with you, run into irin whos looking for a magic temple buried?,
rheza -> shrine, helping guard it?
ashbark -> woods, 'chosen one' -> are able to find the secret of the forest, which is [figure t
> explain bail/jail -> meet orignals? hollowwing?
(text-color:red)[(text-style:"smear")["Don't fuckin' know how but someone paid your bail. Ha! Never thought I'd see the day, you ain't worth anything. But whatever, boss' orders so I gotta let you out. Come with me to get your stuff and then get the hell out of here."]]
[[Talk to $npcName -> Hang around for a minute]]
[[Leave immediately->Go with the guard.]]You open your inventory to see everything you've currently gathered:
(print: $inv)
(link-goto: "Exit Inventory", (history:)'s last)(set: $medKit to true)
You find a half-used healer's kit lying on the ground, with discarded wrappers laying around it. You sort through it to find some pretty useful things, and pick it up. Could come in useful later on if you get into trouble.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a half-used Healer's Kit"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)(set: $dagger to true)
Looking around, a glint on the floor catches your eye. Upon closer expection, you find an ornate dagger. While it's certainly seen better days, you know it'll be good enough to help you on your journey.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " an ornate dagger"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)(text-color:red)[(text-style:"smear")["You ready? Finally. Let's go so I can get your ass out of here."]]
....
(text-color:red)[(text-style:"smear")["Alright, here's the couple things you came in here with. Now get outta my spines."]]
[You pick up what you had on you when you were thrown in here. The contents contain a small pouch with a few coins, a key, and a small map of the region. Looking at the map, you notice there are a few key places you could go.]
Where do you think you'll set off to?
[[The Alkanian Sands ->Go towards the desert]]
[[The Darkwood Forest ->Go towards the Darkwoods]]
[[The Aspus Shrine ->Go towards the Aspus Shrine]]"Hey, congrats! Glad you're finally getting out of here. One of us has to! Don't question it, just get out of here and live your life kid."
"I know we haven't known each other for that long, but if you ever feel like it, you should come back to visit your ol' pal $npcName."
"Now get on, go! Shoo! Go explore the world out yonder!"
[[Go with the guard.]] The Alkanian Sands. You've heard many horror stories about this desert. Mainly from the village elders who warned you and all the other kids not to go near there for fear of dying. The Sands are said to cause heat stroke and delirium in travelers that aren't well prepared to travel them. But there's also supposed to be hidden relics out there, and even a whisper about a hidden city in the sands.
And to add onto the horrors, an old explorer you met as a teenager told you about how vicious the X'otar can be. He described them as the hellhounds of the desert, able to run at fast speeds and adapted to the harsh conditions of the desert. He even described them as having wickedly long talons on their feet, as well as razor sharp spines leading to a semi-prehinsile tail. You shiver at the thought of these seemingly legendary beasts.
[[The Sands don't sound so appealing anymore. Maybe you'll head North and visit the Aspus Shrine.->Go towards the Aspus Shrine]]
[[Or maybe you'll head South and take your chance visiting the Darkwoods.->Go towards the Darkwoods]]
[[No, you've made up your mind and want to head to the Alkanian Sands.->Leave the city]]You think about heading towards the Mansinar Range. You've heard many tales about this forest, like how there are power-crazed Monsters waiting to attack anyone who gets lost or how it's devoid of all sane life entirely.
While you highly doubt that one, you can't help but remember one of the old hybrids in your village telling a story about how the forest somehow affecting their vision and making everything seem so much bigger, almost enticing them to get lost within it. Surely it can't be possible though? Forests aren't sentient, they can't have motives to make travelers get lost... can they? But if they could, are they protecting something? Maybe it could be worth it to try and visit.
[[You're unsure about visiting the Darkwoods. Maybe you'll head North and visit the Aspus Shrine.->Go towards the Aspus Shrine]]
[[Or maybe you'll head East and visit the vast Alkanian Sands.->Go towards the desert]]
[[No, you've made up your mind and want to head to the Darkwoods.->Leave the city]]While you've never really heard many bad things about the Aspus Shrine, you do know that it's well protected by the druids of the forest. These are beings that have seemingly melded with nature to become the ultimate protector of whatever lies within the Shrine. You've never really even heard of what lies there, as no one can get past the ruthless, battle-hardend warriors of nature.
Once, a human warrior visited your town and you overheard her talking about her journey trying to go to the Shrine to see it for herself. She said that the druids are massive beasts, both human and Monsterkind, and if they catch you then they'll viciously attack you using the power they wield from nature. After this, she had shown off scars that she said were from their brutal weapon attacks. Part of you didn't believe her, but it could be something to worry about.
[[The Shrine and the surrounding druids worries you. Maybe instead you'll try your luck with the Sands.->Go towards the desert]]
[[Or maybe you'll head South and take your chance visiting the Darkwoods.->Go towards the Darkwoods]]
[[No, you've made up your mind and want to head to the Aspus Shrine.->Leave the city]]As you're leaving the prison and walking into the city, you decide to take the back alleys and other shadow-covered streets. You're still not sure why you ended up in the prison in the first place, so maybe it'll be better to avoid being in sight of everyone.
As you walk by, you notice objects lying around that look like they haven't been used in a while. Around one bend, a [[glint catches your eye->Dagger]].
Later on through the day you stop by an [[abandoned house]] to take a small break. You suspect no one's been here in quite a few years.
Around half an hour later, you spot the city gates. Finally, freedom! Near the gates, you also spot a [[Healer's Kit]] lying on the ground next to what look like pieces of broken off horns. Whatever happened here couldn't have been good.
[[Open your inventory]]
You've made it out. Now the big question, //where to?//
[[Go East to the Alkanian Sands]]
[[Go North to the Aspus Shrine]]
[[Go South to the Darkwoods]]
Stepping into the house, the first thing you notice is how barren it is. But upon closer inspection, you notice small personal effects here and there. You get the suspicion that the previous occupants might've left in a hurry.
Since no one's been here in a while, you figure that it must be alright if you take some things that are just lying around. You post a [[book about the region]], [[extra food rations]], [[a well-hidden pouch of coins]] and [[a small rusty sword]].
[[Leave the house ->Leave the city]](set: $book to true)
While picking through the bookshelf, you find a sizeable book detailing the region. This could definitely come in handy.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a book detailing the region"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)(set: $rations to true)
Looking through some cupboards, you manage to find a small handful of rations. You figure they'll tide you over for at least a couple days.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a few days of rations"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)(set: $houseCoins to true)
Inside the pouch you find a good few coins. You decide to add them into your existing pouch and leave the empty pouch here.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a pouch full of coins"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)(set: $sword to true)
Underneath the couch you find a small rusty sword. You don't quite trust the integrity of it, but it could always help out in a pinch.
(set: $inv to $inv + (a: " a rusty sword"))
(link-goto: "Go back", (history:)'s last)As soon as you leave the city limits, you start booking it towards the desert. It'll be at least a couple days until you get there, and you spend the whole time thinking about the danger ahead of you. But where there's danger, there's usually some sort of reward and you really can't stop thinking about that.
What could be buried out there in the harsh sun? Rumors have said a hidden city in the sand, but is that really even possible? Surely someone would've found it by now. Maybe there's an overlooked chest full of treasure out there you can find. The thought of having a suprplus of money to do what you please with fills you with excitement. You could move somewhere and settle down, or you could use it to travel around even more.
(set: $sandsRoute to true)(set: $forestRoute to false)(set: $shrineRoute to false)
[[You keep going East]]
[[Open your inventory]] As soon as you leave the city limits, you start gun it towards the Darkwoods. It'll be at least a few days until you get there, and you spend the whole time thinking about what could possibly be ahead of you. But where there's danger, there's usually some sort of reward and you really can't stop thinking about that.
You wonder what could possibly lie within the Aspus Shrine. You've never met anyone who's made it there and lived to tell the tale. The thought of the ruthless druids skewering you looms over you and sends chills down your spine. You briefly wonder how large they are. Surely they have to be at least 10 feet! They might even be as big as the trees around them. While they do scare you a bit, part of you hopes for the chance to be able to at least talk to one of them.
(set: $shrineRoute to true)(set: $sandsRoute to false)(set: $forestRoute to false)
[[You keep going North]]
[[Open your inventory]] As soon as you leave the city limits, you start gun it towards the Darkwoods. It'll be at least a few days until you get there, and you spend the whole time thinking about what could possibly be ahead of you. But where there's danger, there's usually some sort of reward and you really can't stop thinking about that.
What's the whole deal with the forest? What could be hidden within its mysterious depths? There //has// to be something out there for the chosen few that make it through, right? There's so many questions you don't know the answer to and you feel like it might eat you up inside. But at the same time, you're looking forward to what comes next.
(set: $forestRoute to true)(set: $sandsRoute to false)(set: $shrineRoute to false)
[[You keep going South]]
[[Open your inventory]] You spot many travelers coming to and from as you continue your journey East. Some of them you stop and talk to, even share a spot at a fire for a night with, but most you just silently acknowledge each other and move on.
The night before you're destined to reach the beginning of your destination you build a nice little camp so you can get your beauty sleep for the upcoming day. However, later that night you hear more rustling than wild animals typically make!
[[Bandits appear!]](if: $dagger is true and $sword is true)[(display: "You bested the bandits")]
(else-if: $dagger is true or $sword is true)[(display: "You fought them off with some injuries")]
(else:)[(display: "You lost")]You spot many travelers coming to and from as you continue your journey South. Some of them you stop and talk to, even share a spot at a fire for a night with, but most you just silently acknowledge each other and move on.
The night before you're destined to reach the beginning of your destination you build a nice little camp so you can get your beauty sleep for the upcoming day. However, later that night you hear more rustling than wild animals typically make!
[[Bandits appear!]]Huzzah! Even though these bandits caught you by surprise, you best them anyway. Thanks to the power of having a sword and a dagger, you're able to fend them all off and send them packing! With hardly any injuries too! You're quite proud of yourself, and you thank your past self for looking around for these weapons.
However, your sword did chip majorly during the fight so it's not really useable anymore.
(set: $sword to false)
[[You're almost there]]Wow! These bandits really caught you by surprise. Just another lesson to not let your guard down you suppose. However, while you were able to hold them back, having just one weapon meant you got hit a few times. Might be worth it to look at what's in the Healer's Kit.
.....
(if: $medKid is true)[(display: "Use the Healer's Kit")]
(else:)[(display: "You're sure you'll be fine")]You must've really been out of it because you didn't catch a whiff of those bandits until they were already on you. In having no weapons to defend yourself, you tried picking up a stray tree branch but it was immediately tossed away and you recieved quite an ass beating. You make a mental note to definitely pick up a weapon the next time you see one.
You're bleeding a little too much for comfort, so you decide to look for your Healer's Kit and fix yourself up.
....
(if: $medKid is true)[(display: "Use the Healer's Kit")]
(else:)[(display: "You're sure you'll be fine")]
You spot many travelers coming to and from as you continue your journey North. Some of them you stop and talk to, even share a spot at a fire for a night with, but most you just silently acknowledge each other and move on.
The night before you're destined to reach the beginning of your destination you build a nice little camp so you can get your beauty sleep for the upcoming day. However, later that night you hear more rustling than wild animals typically make!
[[Bandits appear!]] (if: $sandsRoute is true)[(display: "You arrive at the dunes of the Alkanian Sands")]
(else-if: $forestRoute is true)[(display: "You arrive at the mouth of the Mansinar Range")]
(else:)[(display: "You arrive at the beginning of the Aspus Forest")]After using what's left of the Healer's Kit you feel much better. You're not quite sure how Healer's medicine is able to heal your wounds in a matter of minutes, but you're sure glad it can.
You keep an eye out for the rest of the night to make sure nothing sneaks up on you again, but eventually you're able to get a couple of hours of sleep.
(set: $medKit to false)
[[You're almost there]] You arrive at the dunes of the Alkanian Sands. You're not even in the thick of it yet can you can already feel the suffocating heat from here. This is going to be quite the adventure, you think.
It's about mid-day when you arrive, so you wait until later in the evening when it's sure to be a bit cooler to actually head in. You're going to need all the energy you can here.
[[Walk into the desert]]
You arrive at the mouth of the Mansinar Range, the giant forest looming over you. The trees have gnarly almost-black wood at their bases, followed by a gradient of dark red leaves, each one seemingly ever so slightly off from the one next to it. It's breathtaking.
You feel a pull coming from the forest, as if it's enticing you to come in. From this distance, you feel like you can resist it and that it's nothing more than a push to go towards it. But, you're also not sure you can really turn around now.
[[Step into the forest]]You arrive at the beginning of the Aspus Forest, home of the Aspus Shrine. The forest that stands before you is one of beauty. The leaves are trapped in a beautiful palette of reds, oranges and yellows. It nearly distracts you from the looming thought of the terrifying druids you've heard about.
You put off going in for a few minutes before eventually reaching the conclusion that you just need to rip the bandage off and go in. It's now or never.
[[You walk into the beautifully deadly forest]]Hello, traveler. You're about to partake in your own journey throughout the world of The Horned Skull, created by @catalysst. This is not a complete story quite yet, so be prepared for that as you start your journey.
This world is not the same one that you may know. No, this world changed many years ago. In the year 2061, the central volcano of the island of Azreaion exploded and the world was covered in a thick, hazy cloud of ash for several years. Then suddenly, a couple years later, the fog lifts and Monsterkind is spotted for the first time. Several hundred years later and we're arrived in the current world. Monsterkind is the dominant race, with human numbers dwindling by the day and half-Monster-half-Human (Halflings/Hybrids) stuck trying to figure out what side they want to be on.
Your story will start soon, and you will be the master of it. Go where you want, do what you please, for only you can make your own decisions.
[[Are you ready to begin?->Start]]
<img src="https://i.imgur.com/DSKUl5M.png" class="center">You realize in your haste to leave the city, you forgot to look for and pick up a Healer's Kit back when you were in the city. You're doing a little rough right now, but you think you'll be fine? Maybe? Hopefully..
[[You're almost there anyway->You're almost there]] The second you step into the forest, you understand exactly what the old explorer was talking about. The very forest around you seems to nearly quadruple in size. How does such a large forest fit into the relatively small area it occupies? You try turning around, and the edge of the forest you just took one step into looks like it's miles away from here.
The weak pull that you felt a few moments ago now feels like a raging inferno beckoning you to step closer to it. If you had a clearer head you might try and get away from it, but you find all you want to do is follow its lead.
[[You can't stop your foot from taking another step]]You follow the pull of the forest for another little while until you hear it. You almost miss it at first, but it finds its way into your ear.
(text-colour:green)[(text-style:"italic","sway")[We have chosen you. You will be the one to find It.]]
'Find //what//?' you try asking the whisper. But you never recieve an answer.
---
After what seems like hours, (or maybe days? time doesn't feel quite normal in here) the pull that's been guiding you suddenly stops. It catches you so off guard that you stumble a bit, and when you recover you look up to see //something.//
[[What is it..?]]At first it looks like a weird deer skull, but as you get closer, you notice that it seems to be attached to a ... tree? It's not quite a regular tree. It looks like a walking tree.
"H-hello?" You try asking it. You honestly don't expect an answer because, well, trees can't talk. They're trees.
Within moments of you speaking, the eye sockets within the skull light up, and the limbs and branches start to move in a humanoid fashion. "It's been ages since I've seen another soul here. They must have guided you to me. I am Verdant Ashbark of the Summer Trees. But you may just call me Ashbark. Who are you, traveler?"
[[$name ->Give Ashbark your name]]"$name? What a lovely name. Very fitting for one chosen by the forest to visit me."
"Why did they guide me here?" You ask. It's the question that's been on your mind for the last while. You can't really comprehend what's special about you, you're just a nobody.
"Ah. I can't answer that unfortunately. Only the forest Itself can answer that one, and I have a feeling you won't get an answer from Them about it. Alas, I'm glad they brought you to me. I've been tasked with taking down those in power. Hollowwing, the leader of the Originals has gone too far and has plans to get rid of the last remaining humans.
"I have a couple of friends roaming the region looking for anything that can help us in this task, but I've felt we've needed another member to join us.
"Will you join me in this quest to take down Hollowwing and the Originals?"
[[Yes ->End]]
[[No ->End]]You've reached the end of this short demo. If you're interested in the world of The Horned Skull and want to see more of this, please consider supporting the project by leaving a comment on the <a href="https://catalysst.itch.io/the-horned-skull">itch.io page</a>! With your help, this could become a fully-fledged RPG complete with a much grander story.
Thank you for playing!
[[Restart->Start]] The desert is really quite nice at night you think. After around half an hour, you look back to realize you can no longer see the grass of the area leading up to the desert. You're really in it at this point.
You travel for most of the night, looking for anything that might be out here. Near the beginning of dawn you start feeling like you're seeing things that might not actually be there. Everything looks the same out here in the sand.
You take a couple hour break around dawn to get ready for the day ahead of you.
[[Is that something moving?]]
You swear to yourself you saw a flicker of green on the horizon. You leave the rock you've been sitting in the shadow of to venture out in the heat to see if you can find that green blur.
You swear it's only been a few minutes of traveling but you look back again and you can no longer see the rock you were sitting under. You also can't place where you currently are. There's nothing here you recognize and there's nothing around you.
You wander around in a heat-induced delirium looking for anything and everything. How do you get out of here? You want out. You should've never come here in the first place.
Somehow, someway, you manage to ride out the day. You collapse on the sand underneath of you and state up at the sky. Closing your eyes, you pray to the gods above, and hope for a miracle. Eventually, you drift into sleep.
[[Something snorts in your face, waking you up]]You startle awake and freeze. There's a green, scaly creature directly in your face and you have no idea if it's hostile or not. After sniffing you a little more, it finalls backs off and just stares at you from where it stands.
You slowly sit up, all while watching the creature. It doesn't appear to have any hostile intentions yet, for which you're incredily thankful. You rack your brain trying to think of what this creature could be and you suddenly remember the story the old explorer told you about the vicious creatures called the X'otar. He described them as the hellhounds of the desert, green, scaley, spike-covered nightmares that showed no mercy to any being they came across.
You realize maybe that's not the most truthful thing as the creature before you stares at you as if it's a puppy. You decide it needs a name and name it Avos. All of a sudden, Avos stands, looks at you and starts to walk.
[[You get the feeling you're supposed to follow it]]Avos leads you on for a while, all the while checking to make sure you're following it. After a while of you following it, it stops all of a sudden and screeches. You've never heard a noise quite like it, and you're transfixed by it.
A few minutes pass when you hear an answering whistle. Avos perks up and starts running towards the nearest dune. You aren't sure if you should follow so you stay where you are. From the dune emerges a man. If you had to guess, you'd say he was a Halfling, having both human and Monster aspects to him.
"Oh! Hello there. Valkimos, did you lead this person here to me?" He greets you. You're not really functioning at your highest right now so all you do is give a little wave back to the man.
Avos, or Valkimos as the man addressed it, gives a small, almost happy, screech in affirmation.
[["Who are you exactly?"]]It might be a bit rude to interupt the man's interaction with Av--Valkimos, but you're incredibly confused. How is he out here in this blazing sun acting like nothing is up?
"Ah, my apologies! I should've introduced myself. I'm Irin Rarsk, an adventurer out here looking for anything to help my friends and I. Who are you, if I might ask?"
"$name" You manage to get out.
"Ah $name! What a fantastic name. Say, $name, would you be up for helping me? I'm looking for a buried temple out here and another set of eyes could be greatly useful. Plus, Valkimos trusts you and he doesn't trust anyone! If we can find this temple, it could hold secrets to finally taking down Hollowwing and the Originals. That's what my friends and I are working towards, you see.
"So, what do you say? Want to help?"
[[Yes ->End]]
[[No->End]]You journey for a while into the Aspus Forest, all the while keeping an eye (and ear) out for your surroundings, watching for any sign of the Druids. They could really be anywhere and could sneak up on you if you're not careful, you think.
Most of the day passes as you journey through the forest. You haven't found anything interesting yet, but that could change at any minute. Eventually, night falls and you decide to make a small camp for yourself.
[[That night, you have a strange dream]]The dream comes to you sometime while you're asleep, but once you awaken you can remember it perfectly. It was a glance at what looked like a very old shrine within the forest. Could it be the fabeled Aspus Shrine? You're not quite sure, but if a place like this came to you in a dream, you feel like you should definetly check it out.
You have the brief thought about how you don't know where the shrine was, but mere moments later you remember perfectly that the dream was showing you exactly where to go. It had almost felt like a future memory of you going there, but that could just be your imagination.
[[You follow the path to the Shrine]]While you're nearing where the shrine should be, you realize one crucial thing. You completely forgot about the druids! What if they're around the corner hunting you and the trail you've left through the plants! Are they going to jump out and kill you?
All these spiralling thoughts distract you while your feet continue walking. Before you know it though, you've reached the very shrine that was in your dream. How did that happen? Shouldn't you have come across the beastly druids who are said to protect it?
Before you can keep spiralling again, your curiosity wins out and you go tup to the shrine. Surely there has to be something important about this place for a dream to have led you here.
[["HALT!"]]Oh no. This is it. You're over! They finally found you!
Before the voice can do more than shout, you throw your hands up and turn around to face whoever it is.
What greets you isn't what you expected. Before you is a human woman, who's clearly a warrior, adorned in battle paint and dyed leather armor. Her hair burns like the hotest red of the leaves around you.
"Who are you and how did you get here?" She demands.
[["I'm $name and I was led here by a dream! -> Meet Rheza]]"You.. were led here by a dream?" She no longer sounds angry, but instead maybe hopeful?
"I know it sounds crazy, but I was shown this place and how to get here in a dream.." You know it sounds a little crazy, but you hope that she believes you.
"I can't believe it! I thought I was the only one who had been led here through a dream! I'm Rheza Valkas, sworn protector of this forest and this shrine."
You shake her hand as relief floods you. You thought she was going to bring out the spear strapped to her back and attack you with it, but instead you found a new ally.
"Say, $name. Since it seems you were also led here, I want to proposition you something. My friends and I were all essentially chosen by the spirits of different regions and we've all come together to complete one goal. We want to take down Hollowwing and those nasty Orignals. They only want Monsterkind to rule and we've heard they have plans to attack a bunch of the humans.
"Would you be up for helping us stop them? We could really use your help."
[[Yes ->End]]
[[No ->End]]
↶↷Hello, traveler. You're about to partake in your own journey throughout the world of The Horned Skull, created by @catalysst. This is not a complete story quite yet, so be prepared for that as you start your journey.
This world is not the same one that you may know. No, this world changed many years ago. In the year 2061, the central volcano of the island of Azreaion exploded and the world was covered in a thick, hazy cloud of ash for several years. Then suddenly, a couple years later, the fog lifts and Monsterkind is spotted for the first time. Several hundred years later and we're arrived in the current world. Monsterkind is the dominant race, with human numbers dwindling by the day and half-Monster-half-Human (Halflings/Hybrids) stuck trying to figure out what side they want to be on.
Your story will start soon, and you will be the master of it. Go where you want, do what you please, for only you can make your own decisions.
Are you ready to begin?
