Gamebooks (Choose Your Own Adventure Style)

[RefSteel]

Wonder what funny comments RefSteel will have about Dinosaur Canyon?

Heh - thanks ... but I think you said everything funny there was to say about it already! All I have to add is that Dinosaur Canyon and Dragons' Realm (and for that matter, 22 Minutos: Tibicenas, where it's taken to an extreme) have basically the same problem, resolved in very different ways: The authors just don't seem to have many ideas for different stories that can happen in the worlds they've created. This is sort of understandable in The Worst CYOA because the author created a one-dimensional world and then - because of the terrible 22-minute gimmick - had to create enough monotonous content to support multiple 22-choice-long routes through the story, with lots of death-dealing side treks and/or cross-overs along the way.

Given a premise like, "you go back in time and find dinosaurs!" you'd think an author would be able to come up with more than the three or four different dinosaur scenes and associated stories, but I find this author's "solution" preferable to the one used in Dragons' Realm, where the author can only think of three or four storylines for an entire fantasy world, all of them uninspiring ... and therefore proceeds to tell each of them again and again and again in slightly different ways to fill more space!

Now's the time for the audience to make requests for which book will come next. The candidates are as follows.

If others don't chime in with opinions, I support just picking the one you think is most interesting; I wouldn't even try to judge these by their titles. But if you're having trouble deciding...

Secrets of the Singing Cave by Blair Polly and D.M. Potter: I don't know much about the premise, because finding out about the world is part of the plot.

I love exploration and discovery and learning about a well-conceived, coherent world. Which mostly means I'll just be bitterly disappointed by a book like this, but it might be worth giving it a try!

Oh, and thank you for indulging me; I like to talk about literature and stories ..... even if "literature" (and "stories") may be an over-generous description in most of these cases!

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Okay, at RefSteel's request, I'll try out Secrets of the Singing Cave.  Next one will probably be No Me Llames Tami.


You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Part 1


"While chewing a strip of dried meat, you stare at the brightly colored hunting scene painted on the cave wall.  A herd of massive vootbeests with tough wrinkled hides and razor-sharp horns lumber beside graceful zeeboks.  A stealthy pack of zegar trail behind, waiting for a chance to pounce.  Off to one side, swarming shredders devour an unlucky havera caught outside its burrow.  In the center of the mural, a triumphant hunt master in white robes walks alongside a contingent of spear bearers carrying slabs of meat back to the cave".


So this seems to be a future caveman setting, or possibly one in a fantasy world.  The animal names sound like they come from Dutch or Afrikaans, perhaps?


Other people are training to be hunters, and the instructor yells "Shredders!" to make them run for cover.  "Remember, there are the quick and the shredded".


The cave is cool, while the outside region has "searing heat".  In the middle of the cave, there's a hole with spiral stairs that lead to various rooms.  My friend Thamus is making "shadow animal" puppets on the wall to keep the kids happy.  Thamus appears to be "twelve seasons" old, and has pale skin due to spending most of his life inside the cave.  Does he have rickets from lack of Vitamin D?


Thamus can't leave the cave because he injured his knee a long time ago.  His job is therefore "storyteller and keeper of the tribe's history" instead of being a hunter, water guardian, cook, or herb gatherer.


Zeeboks might be giraffes, or at least some variation of them, because it eats "crackleberries" with the help of its long neck.


The next event is the water ceremony, and Thamus suspects everyone will get less water than usual.  "Bucket boys chant in time with the drums as they hoist the sacred water, hand over hand, from the Well of Tears in preparation for the ceremony".


One hunt master, Manaria, marches with 6 spear bearers.  She wears a white robe and leather armor.  Her bloodstone beads record her victories.



Now I have CHOICE #1.  Do I go to the water ceremony so I get extra hydration, or hunt with Manaria to get better meat than the dried stuff I've had lately?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Part 2


I'll stick around for the water ceremony.  No use dying of thirst just to get better food.  (But then again, YSWW isn't cruel enough to kill you on the 1st CHOICE. . .)


I'm tempted to lick the condensation on the rocks, but "You'd be caged if anyone caught you doing that!"  The water guardians are the real leaders of this tribe.


Stalactites are compared to the "teeth of a giant shredder".  Shredders themselves are only the size of a human hand, but must be highly dangerous if experienced hunters duck and cover when they see them.


13 pale-skinned water guardians are on a platform, and bucket boys in white robes kneel.  I hear a soft singing during the ceremony, which may not come from any of the people there.  The only water guardian who's dressed differently is the old prime guardian, who has a "crown of 13 bloodstones shaped like teardrops woven together with mintwort vines".


Everyone only gets 1/2 a skin of water because the supply is so scarce.  Or so the water guardians say.  This isn't much to make it through long days of hunting.


Zenan, an experienced hunt master, challenges the water guardians' power with his next speech.  "Many hunters are discouraged.  How am I to lead them out of the safety of the stronghold and onto the parched grasslands where they run so far, at great risk, if they don't have sufficient water?  Shredders are plentiful, yet water is scarce."


The prime guardian orders Zenan to be caged, so he launches a rebellion after brandishing a knife.  "Enough of this tyranny!  Hunters, to me!"  The other hunters obey.  Yet the water guardians had armed guards prepared for such an event.


CHOICE #2 is to support Zenan, or allow the water guardians to cage him.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Part 3


Somehow, I suspect Zenan isn't getting out of this trap, so I'll watch and see what happens.  This may have been the right call, as "the citadel guards have spears and outnumber the rebels two to one".  Zenan's faction is easily defeated, and the water guardians change the ration to a full skin now that many of the hunters will be caged.


But the tribe may starve without enough hunters.  The citadel guards aren't trained to hunt, and "most couldn't kill a vootbeast if it was tied to a yonobo tree".  Thamus mentions "many rebellions put down by the citadel guards", indicating that incidents like this are common.  


Thamus tells us a story that suggests this book isn't on Earth.  One hunter rebelled against the water guardians and was caged for a few days.  Then he murdered the prime guardian in his sleep and allegedly rides a zeebok on the grassland "when both moons are full".


The prime guardian shouts "Silence!  That's assuming you want your water rations today!"  Thamus calls him a "dorf" in a much louder voice than he intended.  The prime guardian orders the guards to "Seize him!", but they're too busy dragging the rebels to their cages.  Both of us leave the citadel, and Thamus suggests taking an "unexplored passage" in the storytelling chamber. 


We have to get down on our stomachs to crawl through.  "Are you sure this is safe, Thamus?"  "I never said it was safe, I just said it was unexplored".  "Geebus!  Thamus, it's damp.  Must be water seeping into it from somewhere.  The rock is slicker than vootbeest snot".


The fact that my character says "Geebus" suggests the ancestors of this alien tribe were converted by Homer Simpson's missionary work.


Before we can go further, we smell torch smoke and hear footsteps.  CHOICE #3 is to either take a chance with Thamus's secret passage, or be caged with the other hunters.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Part 4


We slide to the bottom, and I make sure to relax my knee to avoid breaking it.  We land in a puddle, which is probably on the same level of the cave as the Well of Tears.  There's total darkness, and my character is concerned about stalactite head injuries, or stumbling into a sinkhole like Thamus did so long ago.


Thamus notes that this room must be small because of the lack of an echo.  But this is also where the bucket boys get water.  Since they can become water guardians, they're likely to rat us out if they see us.  We successfully hide from them, and then find out the true extent of the water guardians' corruption.


"Do you see any watermarks higher up the wall?'  Then you understand what he's saying.  The well is as full as it can be, because any excess water would run down the passage you've just come through".


My response to this is "Plonkers!"  I'll have to use that word in real life from here on out.


A sympathetic bucket boy named Breven likes Thamus because he tells good stories, even though he knows Thamus called the prime guardian a "dorf".  Breven says the water guardians treat bucket boys like "slaves".  So either this tribe explicitly practices slavery and we haven't seen it in the text yet, or there are other cultures elsewhere that do.


Breven says "the prime guardian wants us to draw him a bath".  Neither Thamus nor I know what a bath is, and when we learn it's to "soak in precious water to clean themselves and then throw the water away afterwards", we're appalled.  "Geebus" appears to be my catchphrase just like Paulie's "holy moly" from Dinosaur Canyon.  Both books are written by Blair Polly, after all.


Thamus suggests splitting up to alert the hunters about the real situation, and then combining our forces to take down the guards.  This works quite well because the citadel guards aren't trained to deal with ambushes.


Zenan's faction is released "without the need for bloodshed", and the guards are caged instead.  I mention that the bucket boys were treated harshly and want to join us too.  When they're told the story, the guards join our coup. 


"Zenan is a true leader.  He sees that the situation calls for calm, not violence".  "Tears of anger and betrayal run down the guards' faces" when we tell them about the water guardians' deceit. 


"Zenan stands at the front of the crowd, while everyone else takes a seat.  He turns to face his people.  'We have recently been told a disturbing story.  One that most of you have heard second hand.  Now I'd like you to hear it directly from those who were instrumental in bringing this important information to our attention.  Come forward, please'.


You, Thamus, and Breven walk to the front of the chamber.  The crowd stomps their feet in appreciation.  'Who would like to speak on your behalf?'  Zenan asks.  You look at Breven and then at Thamus.  'Thamus, you're the storyteller.  Why don't you do the honors?'


A smile creeps onto Thamus's face.  This is his biggest audience yet.  A hush fills the citadel.


Then Thamus starts weaving a story that has everyone perched forward on the edge of their seats.  They hang on his every word.  He tells a tale of adventure, danger, and deception.  A story that will be repeated over and over in the seasons to come.  It is not a story that the tribe will be proud of, but it's one that needs telling, if only to make sure something similar never happens again".


A good CANONICAL ENDING, and all because I took the water slide.  The water guardians are exposed as frauds, and resources are shared fairly.  But we'll all stink because nobody takes baths. . .


According to the epilogue text, I still haven't found the title Secret of the Singing Cave.  But doesn't the water guardian conspiracy qualify as A Secret of the Singing Cave at least?



Results So Far


1 Good Ending

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 1


CHOICE #3 isn't actually a CHOICE at all, since choosing not to go on the slippery passage makes Thamus drag you along with him anyway. 


So let's stand with Zenan in CHOICE #2.  Evidently, the presence of a kid apprentice hunter intimidates the guards slightly more than in the other path.  I draw my knife, but doubt I could stab my own kin.


"Hold, hunters!', Zenan roars.  'Guardians, if you want to turn this sacred place into a slaughterhouse, be my guest.  I'd rather die right here than be dictated to by old men who've not seen the light of day since they were children-men who have their every need catered to by the tribe.  Kill us, and who will bring you sweet marrow?"


The prime guardian asks who dares to defy tradition, and Zenan criticizes the water guardians for not letting the tribe grow, or have enough spear bearers to trade, or getting crackleberries.  "The prime guardian's face changes from a pale alabaster to bright red in a flash.  His eyes widen.  You expect smoke to burst from his ears at any moment.  He raises a gnarled finger and points at Zenan.  'Kill him!  Kill them all!"


Since this isn't an ambush, the guards easily defeat many of the hunters.  CHOICE #4 is to take the stairs out of the stronghold, or duck into a tunnel.  I still want to find the title Secret of the Singing Cave, so let's go to the tunnel!


Thamus and I used to explore the cave frequently when we were younger, and didn't explore everything.  This was why Thamus damaged his knee in a sinkhole.  Unfortunately, I only have 1/4 of a water skin and a "pocket full of dried vootbeast".


I get a torch and "sparker stones" from my sleeping room on "pit level three" and then rush into the darkness.  However, I don't take any chances in using them yet to avoid the guards smelling smoke or seeing the flame.


Things get worse when the guards notice footsteps and cover up the tunnel entrance with a rock.  They're going to try a similar trick to the smugglers in Dinosaur Canyon, aren't they?


CHOICE #5 asks me to try to move the rock, or go forward and hope for another exit.


The text tells me "You can always come back later if this passage turns into a dead end", hinting at another section where multiple CHOICES lead to the same conclusion.  I tap my spear on the ground to avoid sinkholes and drink from the water skin.  I see a faint light after my eyes adjust to the darkness, which can either come from outside, or another part of the cave where someone has a fire.  No smoke, so probably the former.


I enter a cavern over 3 times the size of the largest room in the inhabited areas.  There's a slimy substance on the stalactites that glows.  Then I find a pool so large that it has "more than your tribe could drink in ten generations".


CHOICE #6 is to attempt to move the rock and share my discovery, or move forward and explore some more.


When I go forward, I land in an underground river and float on my water skin.  This leads to rapids, and I barely keep the water skin, although I lose my spear.  I'm afraid of getting a cut because shredders can smell blood.


I find a branch of red fruit on some bushes, which may be crackleberries.  I know this because traders used to carry them, and I listened to the old stories.  Some people must have cut steps into the canyon ledges.  I imagine the possibilities with the light slime, water, and crackleberries.  The latter's taste is described as such:  "Juice runs down your chin as sweetness explodes in your mouth".


A guard welcomes me after a long journey in the grasslands.  Zenan and the other rebels are caged, and the guard doesn't want to arrest me because "Me like crackleberries". 


"That's right', you say.  'No more crackleberries.  But if you help me free Zenan and his spear bearers, we can spread the word of my discoveries, and everyone can share in our new riches.'


The guards are a little unsure.  'Look', you say, 'the water guardians will have no choice but to give up control now that there is another source of water accessible to everyone.  Don't you want the words 'May you never thirst' to mean something?'


'Yeah, but. . .' the big guard says.


You hold up some more crackleberries and dangle them in front of his face.  He stares at the berries with open desire.  You smile, knowing you've won.  'Let's get these cages open first".


My exploration results in a new water source, bioluminescent slime, and even crackleberries!  The water guardian conspiracy is overthrown due to their well becoming obsolete, rather than exposing their plot.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

0 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings



 

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 2


Attempting to move the rock in either CHOICE #5 or #6 lead to CHOICE #7, even though there should have been different dialogue for #6 because that's when you find the new water source. . .


The boulder is quite heavy, and the slope leading up to it is steep.  My arms ache when I reach the boulder.  CHOICE #7 requires me to either lie on my back and push it with my legs, or put my shoulder into it.  The former will probably result in either Death or an Indiana Jones escape scene, so let's try it!


The narration says "Good choice!  The thigh muscles are the largest in the body".  But it doesn't succeed with my muscle power alone.  The broken spear works as a lever.  Apparently farts stink worse when you eat dried voortbeast, since my character waves their arms to get rid of the smell. 


"By the time you've shifted the rock enough to squeeze through a narrow gap, your legs are weak and your back is drenched.  But at least you've made it out.  You collapse on the floor, exhausted.  Too exhausted to fight off the citadel guard who stayed behind.


The guard is twice your weight and it only takes him a few moments to subdue you and tie your wrists behind your back.  'Well, that wasn't very smart', the guard says.  'You should have kept going.  You might have found a way out.  Now all you look forward to is the inside of a cage".


Caging doesn't always seem to result in Death in the Singing Cave tribe, so I'll add this to the Bad Non-Death ending column.  Will the shoulder pushing path result in a rolling rock casualty?


Results So Far


2 Good Endings

0 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 3


Trying to use my shoulder to push the boulder is a non-CHOICE.  All I get are these sentences:  "Your arms and shoulders are never going to be strong enough to move that big rock!  Leg muscles are much stronger than arms and shoulders".  Then it boots me back to either trying to use my legs, or go to CHOICE #6.


So I'll go up the stairs and leave instead of exploring the tunnels.


I try to act natural to avoid the guards' suspicion.  I tell them the water guardians want me to get "mintwort" by myself, and one says "Better you than me". 


Outside, I end up on an escarpment.  Slavers and "zegar" come to higher altitudes, but shredders stick to the lowlands.  There's also less heat, and caves are available if necessary.


The grass is dry, but rains will come in another month, along with vootbeest and zeebok herds.


Next, I see a cave.  This is a risky option because the cliff is steep and there might be either slavers or predators inside.  But I don't get any reaction when I throw rocks into the cave.  CHOICE #8 is to either risk it and explore it, or move somewhere else.  The narration clearly hints something bad will happen if I do this, so let's try it!


I don't even get that far.  "Suddenly the cliff crumbles underfoot and you are falling.


D
O
W
N"

I've been unconscious for a while, and now I'm riding on a zeebok's back with some other people.  My character thinks "By the waters!", as zeeboks aren't normally tame.  Not much description is given about these animals here except that they're faster than humans and have hooves.


These people probably aren't slavers.  This "modest settlement" has a pond and several caves.  The tribe looks like my own, except they wear red patterns on their robes.  I can understand their language a little bit because it's "similar to your own, but with a sing-song quality that rises at the end of each phrase".


They keep repeating the word "tiver", which at least isn't "slave" or "kill" according to the narration.  One woman asks "Est dat you, Tiver?"  She lost a child a long time ago, probably to slavers because they were "taken", and my eyes look similar.  The weird part is that some talk with this accent, and others don't.


One man wearing an "ornate belt of bone and leather over his robe" proposes a sacrifice of an unknown nature to make rain come.  I propose trading with my tribe to avoid the possibility of being ritually killed.  The hunters notice my spear is sharper than theirs, and I say it's made of "napstone", which is plentiful near my tribe's cave.


A girl named Lona will probably negotiate, since she knows my language better than some others in this tribe.  CHOICE #9 is to either return to my tribe with Lona, or stay with the foreign tribe until the migration ends.  The narration suggests that it might be better to wait for the water guardians to calm down, but they might forgive me due to discovering trade partners.


(Though I suspect out-of-character that the water guardians drove other tribes away by force to protect their secrets.)


I'll go with Lona this time.  "Besides, imagine the look on everyone's face when you arrive home riding a zeebok!"  My character's never heard the name Lona before, so she points to the "pale pink moon" and says it means "light in the sky".  Perhaps their fantasy world language is more Latin-influenced?  To avoid assigning me a name, the story makes me say that I'm "Apprentice", and that I might get a new name from the elders later. 


Lona offers to teach me how to ride, and collects some items to bring to my tribe.  She tells me to sleep in a small cave and pull up the ladder to avoid zegars.


In the morning, we eat havera meat flavored with yonobo leaves.  Lona's tribe captures zeeboks either with ropes, or catching them at a spring in the dry season.  They also know about crackleberries, which are "deep purple" in this timeline.  Weren't they "bright red" in the timeline where I found them?  WHAT KIND OF BERRIES IS MY TRIBE EATING?  Are they secretly POIsonous?


Anyway, Lona gives me some retconned crackleberries and I tell her she may become prime guardian if she brings them.  Lona's tribe is egalitarian, unlike my culture where status is measured with bloodstones and rations.  When I mention that higher ranking people sleep where the air is less smoky, she asks "Isn't everyone worthy of clean air?"


CHOICE #10 is to either wait for Lona to make me a helmet, or be reckless and practice riding the zeebok now.  Let's see what public service announcement awaits by not being protected!


Lona "mumbles something" when I say my "balance is good", probably about what a nincowpoop my character is.  Zeebok riders have to feed and water their animals before trying to get on their backs.  Riders sway because of how zeebok leg motion works, and you have to lean properly to avoid falling.


"Some people get so sick from the rocking that they can't ride for more than a few moments without ralphing".  When I ask what "ralphing" is, Lona "pretends to stick her finger down her throat".


This zeebok has "pure white" fur, so it's clearly not a giraffe, because the characters don't mention albinism. 


"Lona chuckles.  'No, you're just sitting.  Here, take the strap.  And remember gent-ly.'


You grip the zeebok's back with your knees and pull the strap softly to the right.  As the zeebok starts walking, you start rocking.  Walking, rocking, walking, and rocking.  This is easy.


But a momentary lack of concentration has you leaning the wrong way.  The zeebok takes another step and you're sliding off.  'Whoooooaaaa!' you say, giving the strap a sharp jolt.  Before you know it, you're flying through the air.  You throw out an arm as the ground rushes towards you, but your head hits a rock".


Our first Death, everyone!  This is caused by not following every bike or skateboard safety lesson you've heard in your life.



Results So Far


2 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 4


Let's not be stupid this time!  I'll wait for Lona to make a basket helmet in CHOICE #10.  Zeeboks love crackleberries, and make a "Slurrrrp!" sound when they eat them. 


She instructs me how to ride them again, and then sends the zeebok running with me on it.  I guide it to a nearby cave like Lona instructs.  It's her tribe's "special place".  Inside, the man who vaguely proposed a sacrifice is there, along with a vootbeast horn wall, and the light slime illuminates the area.  Lona explains that the slime can only be used where it's cold, and it's made by "tiny animals". 


Further into the cave, Lona reveals that this place is where the tribe "sings to their ancestors" in hopes future hunts will go well.  In case you have any doubts that it's the same cavern complex where my tribe lives, here's some ending text.


"You start singing the song you've known all your life despite not knowing what the words mean.  Three long low notes followed by a series of higher notes.  Lona is so startled you can see white all the way around her diluted pupils.  'How-how is it possible that you know our sacred song?'


It takes a lot of convincing, but Lona finally believes your explanation-how the water guardians say the singing your tribe hears in the stronghold is your ancestors telling the tribe that the hunt will be good.


'My tribe is nomadic', Lona says.  'We only travel this far south when the zeeboks are plentiful.'  'And at other times?' you ask.  'We stay in a valley to the north and live on havera and dried food.'


It all makes sense.  During good seasons, Lona's tribe comes south and sings.  And your tribe has a good hunt.  It's no wonder the water guardians believe the singing is a portent to good hunting.  It is!  Just not for the reason they think.  Then you have a thought.  'Hey, Lona, I have an idea that will ensure our trading mission is successful'.


'What is that?'  'Do you think you could convince your people to sing a special song?'  Lona looks confused.  'Special?  How?'  The two of you sit on one of the stone benches in the green glow as you lay out your plan.


Later that day, after a long conversation with the settlement's elders, most of the tribe mount their zeeboks and ride back to the cave.  After passing the wall of horns and walking to the glowing chamber, they take their seats along the stone benches.  After singing to their ancestors for a while, they start to sing a new song.  One you wrote and taught them earlier.  It's a simple tune, with a melody similar to their own, only this time they sing words you can understand.


It is a song that tells of the return of a young apprentice riding a zeebok, and how this young hunter is to be given much bloodstone, put in charge of all trade negotiations, and given the title of hunt master".


So I find out the main Secret of the Singing Cave by briefly joining Zenan's failed rebellion, then fleeing to a neighboring nomadic tribe that secretly uses a portion of our cavern as a ceremonial chamber.  I then exploit a tribal legend about the hunter riding a zeebok to become a leader.


My tribe may have some literacy too, given how I "wrote" the new song and there are marks indicating dangerous areas of the cavern.  Unless I composed it orally and the writer didn't include the right verb. 



Results So Far


3 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

You Say Which Way:  Secrets of the Singing Cave Alternate Endings Part 5


I may have discovered the reason why it's the Singing Cave, but there's still more to find.  Let's stay with Lona's tribe until after the migration in CHOICE #9.


They're going to capture some zeeboks tomorrow, and I get last pick since I'm a foreigner.  Lona once again explains that zeeboks like crackleberries, which are still purple here.  They also get "vootgrass", which is probably the staple food for zeeboks.


Lona gives me the usual instruction to lean in different directions to keep my balance.  I worry about shredder and zegar attacks, which makes Lona chuckle and tell me that I need to hold on tight to the zeebok.


Since there are fewer zeeboks than hunters this time, I won't get my own on this hunt.  The next day, there's a baby zeebok, which is mine.  They are "quick growers", so they'll be ready to ride by the end of my stay with this tribe.


Lona's tribe makes a point of not giving zeeboks names to avoid excessive attachment, since they eat them when food is scarce.  My character names the baby zeebok Cloud Runner, in defiance of this custom.


I ride Cloud Runner to practice with Lona, but we see "a dark cloud in the distance", which can only mean shredders.  Lona shows me the way to a secret opening.  "The sound of flapping wings and high-pitched screeches fills the canyon behind you. . ."  We may be safe from the shredders, but those near the zeebok pen aren't.


When I hear drumming from within a cave, Lona tells me that's "the ancestors telling us trouble is coming".  Those who explored farther into this cave never return, which makes me think of Thamus.  But the sounds are more familiar to my character, because they're longhorns from my tribe!


"Back at the settlement, you take Lona aside and tell her of your discovery.  She is skeptical, yet excited at the prospect of a possible link between your home and her canyon.  After a long discussion, the elders agree to let the two of you go exploring and see where the cave goes.


Lona fills a bag with torches, food, and water, and the two of you climb onto Cloud Runner's back and head towards the cave.  Your zeebok grows stronger every day and carrying the two of you is no problem.  Lona's zeebok is left behind because it is so much taller and you're afraid its head will hit the roof in some areas.


Apart from having to dismount to get through the narrows, the two of you are able to ride most of the way.  With torches to light the way, finding a clear passage is easy and you make good progress.  At one point, you stop to collect a pocketful of bloodstone pebbles that have washed down an old watercourse.


After a long ride, the cave finally ends in a passage too narrow to ride through.  But you are so close now you can hear noises coming from the stronghold.  After a brief search, you find another passage that exists onto the escarpment.  It's been overgrown by a huge patch of mintwort, so no wonder nobody's spotted it before.


The two of you ride the last bit to the stronghold's entrance.  To say the guards are surprised to see you would be an understatement.  'By the waters!'  one of them says.  'It's the apprentice riding a zeebok!"


The epilogue text says Lona and I make bloodstone necklaces like the hunt masters, and the water guardians don't mind us either.  Our tribe learns how to catch and ride zeeboks, enhancing our hunting ability.  That, and they like the crackleberries too.  There's no word on Thamus and Zenan's fate, though.



Results So Far


4 Good Endings

1 Deaths

1 Bad Non-Death Endings

0 Neutral Endings

0 Inconclusive Endings