MOUNTAIN WITCH
The sound of rain fills your heart heavily. It’s the sound of cold. Of discomfort. Of treacherous terrain ahead. It used to be the sound of relaxation and a reminder that your garden will grow. You used to love it. Until the Mountain Witch stole that which is irreplaceable to you. Your puppy.
Now you, and a few friends determined to have your back, find yourselves at the edge of a decaying forest. The trees line the crooked foot of the mountain and lead inward to a misty trail.
The way forward is unclear and filled with obstacles and despair. The rain’s dour downpour does not end or ease up at any point in time. Even the rain feels evil here.
As you wade through the noxious swamp of mud you realize the rain has unearthed a mass grave of bodies and is washing them from the mountain’s higher regions down to the land you have to cross. “This is no simple witch we seek” you think to yourself as you step over a skull with several silvered teeth.
You can’t be sure of it, but deep down you know the being you seek to put an end to had traded her humanity long ago for something horrifically unattainable. The flood of countless bodies, the endless rains, the mountain itself working against your progress, are all indications of higher magicks and death trades with elder gods.
The shopkeeper who sold you the provisions and gear needed to traverse the witch’s mountainside said he’d be by in the morning to recollect his wares from your lifeless bodies, and called this quest a rush to your end.
Your friends are shocked you’d chase a puppy into this soggy land of hell. They want to turn back. They’ll understand why later. They will thank you for this sacrifice once they meet this extraordinary canine. They just need convincing.
You see, that is no mere dog. It is a spirit bonded to you, and you are bonded to it as its protector. It is a miracle-bearer, it holds the power to shield life from eternal undeath, and has come into existence many times in the past. This time it chose to preserve the living world in a form most unexpected - a puppy.
☾ So, how will you proceed?
Press on, and persuade the others to continue forward. (Requires Charisma check.)
Look for a safe spot towards the forest that might be dry enough to set up camp.
Tell the others a story about the witch, and what you think she is becoming.
Tell the other party members the truth about your miracle puppy’s true nature and purpose. (Requires Charisma check.)
Search the bodies in the swamp for items.
Leave. Ends the game and ends all life on earth as you know it.
This story was written in February of 2025 and posted on the 2/27. It’s been posted in its original form here, and will be part of an upcoming collection of these stories.
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