Shadowy Presence

## **First Encounter**

*You see a glade that was once a battlefield. Whitened bones and rusted shards of armor litter the ground, creating a peculiar mosaic. Suddenly you hear a woman's voice. Her patter is full of longing and hope, yet she seems to be talking to something she just picked up from the ground. "Is that you? You're so beautiful." She sighs. "No...it's not you..." Busy with whatever she's doing, she doesn't even notice your presence.*
COME CLOSER
*The moment you move towards her, she emits a horrible shriek. "Don't come any closer. And don't look at me, stranger. Don't you dare look at me!" And finally you see her: the crooked silhouette of an old woman clad in herbalist robes. Just a second later, she bursts into tears.*

* **"I'VE FACED BEASTS FROM THE WYRDNESS, AND YOU'RE NOT EVEN CLOSE"**
*Her sobbing grows louder. "Guess! Guess how old I am!"*
	+ **"10-20"?**
	*She buries her face in her hands and doesn't even look in your direction.*
	**--ENCOUNTER END--**
	+ **"20-30"?**
	*"A sweet liar, you are, traveler. I know how I look. And I look much, much older than that. But I appreciate the lie."* [Received: Trust Increase]
	+ **"30-40"?**
	*She buries her face in her hands and doesn't even look in your direction.*
	**--ENCOUNTER END--**
	+ **"40-50"?**
	*She buries her face in her hands and doesn't even look in your direction.*
	**--ENCOUNTER END--**
	+ **"50-60"?**
	*She buries her face in her hands and doesn't even look in your direction.*
	**--ENCOUNTER END--**
	+ **"60-70"?**
	*She buries her face in her hands and doesn't even look in your direction.*
	**--ENCOUNTER END--**
* **"YOU'RE NOT A PRETTY SIGHT TO BEHOLD, THAT'S TRUE"**
*"... I'm a disfigured wretch. I'm horrible. I'm ugly." Her sobbing grows louder. "Guess! Guess how old I am!"* *See above choices*

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"
*"I'm trying to find a Runestone that I lost. It was a gift. You know it's bad luck to lose a gift."
"And in the meantime, I'm doing what I've always done. Scavenging. Although a couple years ago, I might've tried to find a prettier word to describe looting battlefields..."
She looks at you with a hopeful stare.
"Any chance you'd share your runestones with me, traveler?"*

* **EXCHANGE RUNESTONES**
(Exchange x1 runestones for x1 consumable)
* **LEAVE**

## **Encounters**

Encounter #2: *You find the same woman. She's unnaturally old and clearly twisted by the Wyrdness. She's still searching for something on the ground. "It must be here somewhere... I just have to find it.."*
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"
*"I need to find... a memory... a runestone which belonged to someone dear to my heart. Maybe you've seen one around here? Maybe you have it? Maybe you've taken it?!"*

* **EXCHANGE RUNESTONES**
(Exchange x1 runestones for x1 consumable)
* **LEAVE**

#### Regrets (Start)

Encounter #3: *The woman grows more and more desperate in her search. You hear her mumbling something under her breath as you draw near. She doesn't even notice your approach.*
"WHY IS THIS RUNESTONE SO IMPORTANT TO YOU?"
*She looks at you with sadness in her eyes.
"You wont give up with these questions, will you, stranger?"* [Received: Trust Increase]
*"A few years ago, I found a little boy wandering around one of the battlefields. He was so tiny, so adorable! I treated him like a son, but he..."
She covers her face with one ragged sleeve.
"...he had to be an abomination conjured out of the Wyrdness. He stole my youth! He stole my health!"*
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"
*"He... he didn't change. After five years, he should've been twelve, but he looked seven... just like the day we met."
"But me? Just look at me! I suddenly grew old. Rapidly. Most of my hear fell out in one single night."
"I had no choice but to leave him. I needed to save myself. To keep these last years of my life inside me. I still regret it... I still love him dearly. But I had to..."*
"I THINK I COULD'VE MET HIM."
*You tell her about your meeting with Futhark - the boy playing with Runestones and waiting for his mother.
She lights up for a moment.
"So you met him! And he's still waiting for me? That's... heartbreaking."
All joy disappears from her face.
"You must think I'm a horrible mother. But I had no choice. I don't know whether he's a ghost or an abomination conjured by the Wyrdness, but he was... killing me. Literally."*
"I'M SURE HE'LL BE GLAD EVEN TO HEAR YOU'RE ALIVE."
*She tries to regain composure.
"If I could be cured... or if this disease could at least slow down... I miss him so much. I think of nothing else and I just wish I could take care of him again."* [New Quest: Regrets]

* **EXCHANGE RUNESTONES**
(Exchange x1 runestones for x1 consumable)
* **LEAVE**

#### Regrets (Complete)

* **LEAVE**