Ominous Writings

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This is a **Forest** exploration event

## Inspect

A book lying on a pedestal. You sense a great aura of evil coming from the book...

## Take the book

Relevant Skills: **Courage, Wisdom, Agility, Stealth**

As you advance toward the book, you feel the air filled with a purulent, disgusting, aura. You take a step forward, and the air begins to be suffocating with devilry.

* **Leave** You can't! It's... No... You don't want to! You cower in fear of a terrible black curse. + Afraid (2 day negative trait; Courage -5) + Nightmares (4 day negative trait; Courage -10, -15% to Depression decreases, +4 to +8 Fatigue each night)

* **Get closer** (Courage)
	+ **Succeed** You take a deep breath and walk confidently toward the book. Your vision is starting to blur, everything seems... Hazy. You're now facing the book on its stall. You touch it with the tip of your finger, and instantly your body freezes! You can't move, and your mind is engulfed into an impenetrable darkness. Everything around you is blurry and dark, like in a nightmare. The forest has disappeared into a mess of moving shades and mist. The world has slowed down, you fell like you were under water. It is as black as coal and freezing. Suddenly, you see yourself sitting in circle with dozen hooded men. They murmur a litany of words you don't understand. And so are you! In front of you, you see a young woman. You KNOW she is to be sacrificed soon.
		- **Escape** You... You can't help her. You know it. You still feel bad about your decision, but... It's for the best. + Depression You must find a way to escape. But before, you must steal the book... The book. That's what you are looking for.
			* **Remember the ritual** (Wisdom)
				+ **Succeed** You remember how the ritual works... And... It scares the sh!t out of you! You have to escape! You know that when the woman is... sacrificed... You'll have a window of opportunity. You wait for the right moment... You hear her screams. Now! Steal the BOOK!
					- **Steal the book** (Agility)
						* **Succeed** You have it! You're so excited! You stole the BOOK! But now, hide, quick!
							+ **Hide!** (Stealth)
								- **Succeed** You hide behind a large pillar. Your heart is racing... You must act quick, soon your theft will be discovered! You KNOW what you have to do... Read the BOOK. You HAVE to. But... Do you have the guts to read it? Your hand is shivering... Who knows what ominous secrets lie within its pages?
									* **Read it! Now!** (Courage)
										+ **Succeed** You open the book and start reading the dark secrets hidden in its pages, when... You wake up where you were before, in front of the pedestal. Just... Now you are holding the book in your hands! You shiver. You still feel the ominous aura around the book... You decide to quickly put it in your bag, and forget about it. + Ominous book + Courage +10 + Book Curse (9 day negative trait; -15% to Depression decreases, +2 to +5 Injury each night, +2 to +5 Depression each night)
										+ **Fail**  ???
								- **Fail** You can't find a good hiding spot! The Master saw you! He screams an order, and all the hooded men rush to you! They're going to kill you! They engulf you in their robes, you see daggers coming at you, and... Instantly, you wake up, lying on the ground, at the foot of the pedestal. You feel a terrible HUNGER in your belly. + Hunger + Cannibal Curse (8 day negative trait; +15% to Hunger increases, +5 to +10 Hunger each night)
						* **Fail**  ???
				+ **Fail** You try to remember what's going to happen next, but... You can't focus... The Master takes the dagger in his hands and opens the woman's belly in half. She screams like Hel. Fountains of blood come out of the poor woman's belly. And you feel... You have to stand up. You advance toward the sacrificial altar, as all other hooded men do, and.. You plunge your head in her! You were about to eat her internal organs when... You wake up, lying on the ground, at the foot of the pedestal... You feel a terrible HUNGER in your belly. + Hunger + Cannibal Curse (8 day negative trait; +15% to Hunger increases, +5 to +10 Hunger each night)
		- **Help her** (hidden condition: Can only be used once) You can't let a poor innocent soul be killed like this! You rush toward the Master, holding a dagger above her belly. You punch him in the face. One time. Twice. You can't think straight... The Master isn't moving anymore... You punch again. And again. You look around you... All the apprentices left. You're now alone with the woman. You untie her naked body, mechanically, covered in the blood of the Master. + Savior (permanent positive trait; Courage +10; Charisma +10, +15% to opinion increases) And instead of running away, she stands up in front of you. She's not afraid. She licks the blood on your hands. Then, on your chest. You push her against the sacrificial altar, drop your robes, and kiss her. You dive into a wild embrace for a moment... When... You realize... The woman... Her face... No... No... NOOO! Her face has changed into a grotesque, demonic shape! And you feel her claws' grip on your bleeding hips! She stares at you with an evil smile. She opens her mount and shows a terrible set of point teeth! She's going to try to bite you when... Instantly, you wake up, lying on the ground, at the foot of the pedestal. You feel a terrible HUNGER in your belly. + Hunger + Cannibal Curse (8 day negative trait; +15% to Hunger increases, +5 to +10 Hunger each night)
	+ **Fail** You physically feel the aura of evil in your body. You cough, you fell... Very bad. You back off, sick and ashamed. + Depression + Sickness