Wander - Cult of Barnacle Bay - Choose your own adventure

It was just before lunch when the bushes outside the Wanderers camp began to shake. The fresh roasted thoraxes of giant ridge beetles spun over the warm yellow flames of the open fire and the mundane task of preparing and cooking their coming meal and the warm glow of the tiny fire had kept each of the parties mind clear and ears closed to the surrounding area, more focused on the meal to come than to the perimeter of their own camp.

The bushes shook again before being torn apart by a frantic scrambling creature, each of the Wanderers taken by surprise leapt to their feet taken by surprise by this sudden intrusion, each member grabbed the nearest weapon closest to them and prepared for the worst.

The form of a terrified small girl crashed through the branches and stumbled into the clearing and for a moment each of the adventurers privately sighed in relief but something about the girls expression kept them slightly on edge, She was obviously young, perhaps no older than 12 or 13 but her blank eyes and gaunt hollow expression reflected a lifetime of fear.

Still wary each of the wanderers assessed the situation and acted accordingly, Fynn, a tall Lupine ranger kept his eye on the small girl and readied his crossbow scanning the surrounding area for any more unexpected surprises, Kira, the parties resident rogue was already dashing towards the nearest tree, her squirrel nature taking over as she quickly bounded up the branches and took her position as lookout. Tank, a squat burly turtle dropped his immense hammer and shied to his side and grunted, he saw no immediate threat in this frail girl and figured the best place for him at the moment was by the fire, he would be prepared for a fight if they needed him but a hungry fighter wouldn’t be any use to anyone he reasoned grabbing one of the roasted thoraxes and biting into it with a crunch that sounded abnormally loud given the current situation.

A red panda in the group shook his head at Tanks apathetic display and approached the girl cautiously but with a sympathetic smile “easy now girl, none of us here will harm you, whats going on? do you need help?” His approach was halted by a frail hand on his shoulder, “Be cautious Roland, these lands are filled with all manner of sprites and spirits, does it not seem strange that a girl such as this would be alone in the wilds?” Roland turned to face the aged goat and removed his hand from his shoulder “We are members of the Wanderers guild Ibexus, it is our duty to assist whomever needs aid, besides if she is something “unnatural” its good to know i have an accomplished wizard backing me up, do you sense anything arcane around our “guest”? Ibexus remained focused on the trembling girl and shook his head.

While the details were foggy the stuttering panicked explanation from the small rabbit girl had made some details known, she had come from a fishing town several miles to the east, a place known as Barnacle Bay. Over the last few months a stranger had come to town and shortly after his appearance things had begun to change within the towns walls, church sermons had started to take place more frequently, at first every couple of days, then daily until finally sermons seemed to be conducted nearly every hour. Monstrous howls and unnatural screams seemed to echo from under the streets and twisted forms could be seen during the night, their sightings becoming more frequent with each passing day, the girl herself had managed to evade being caught by these horrific creature before fleeing the town in search of help.

The Wanderers readied their bows, sharpened their swords and prepared for the hike towards Barnacle Bay, Roland opted to take the girl to the nearest safe haven and decided it would be prudent to seek assistance from any of the local guild members, he wished each of his fellow Wanderers luck and assured them he would be back by their side within a day.

With everything prepared Flynn, Kira, Tank and Ibexus began the long hike towards Barnacle Bay and whatever challenges await…