https://youtu.be/WFztMq_aQtQ?si=4VKhBuXUmKU6B5hl “Hey dude, wake up, the GPS is making me take a detour, and we gotta gas up. Wanna stretch your legs?” You awake, bleary-eyed, stiff back, and bladder full. Glancing at the clock, you let out a yawn, and rub your eyes. Is it really midnight? “I was out for ten hours? Jeez. Yeah, sure, I gotta take a mad piss. Where the hell are we, anyway?” you ask. Ben glances over at you with a smile, seemingly unphased by the nearly half-day drive. With a jittery finger, he points towards the map on his phone mounted to the car’s dashboard. Figures, he’s probably finished off that big thermos of coffee by this point. “Kansas, we’re getting close to Colorado.” he says, moving his hand lower on the dash to turn the radio down. “Colorado? I thought we were cutting down through Oklahoma and Texas?” you ask. Ben shrugs, and drives into an exit lane, heading directly for a truck stop. Your stomach growls. Gas station food sucks, but a cheap breakfast burrito doesn’t sound bad right now. “The GPS said there was some gnarly accident on our route, and if we went through it, we’d be in the thick of all that traffic going west on I-40. Trust me, you don’t wanna be stuck in bumper to bumper in Amarillo.” he explains, pulling up to a gas pump. As soon as Ben put the car in park, you unbuckled and hopped out, shaking the cramp out of your leg. Not wasting time, you went inside the truck stop, making a beeline for the bathroom. After finishing your business, you grabbed the only burrito left under the heat lamps at the hot snacks counter, a can of cold coffee and a bottle of water. By the time you got to the register, Ben was inside as well, filling up his thermos with more coffee. You hope he didn’t plan to stay up for the whole drive. Once you actually got to your destination, you still needed to get through the festival check-in and set up your tents for the week. With that thought lingering in your mind, you grabbed an energy shot off the impulse display. If he was gonna crash when you got there, you at least wanted enough energy to set up your own shelter. The werewolf girl running the register was only half paying attention to your transaction, and seemed more invested in talking to her coworker who was stocking smokes. With how she was clearly undressing him with her eyes, you couldn’t help but frown slightly. It’s not that you disliked how overt some monsters could be, you were honestly just kind of jealous of the guy. Like the werewolf here, all the monster girls you saw back home near Moorhead were gorgeous, and seemed like a perfect ten in all accounts, but they were always glued to the hips of their boyfriends. When the portals opened, and the monster leadership made their intentions clear after the initial chaos, you still found it odd that there weren’t more single monster girls showing up around where you lived, but you chalked it up to being in a small city far from the main portals. But hey, wasn’t finding a single monster girl half the point of this trip anyway? The werewolf finished your transaction, handing you your change and wishing you a good night, snapping you out of your thoughts. You grabbed the bills and your bag of goodies, heading back towards the car, this time taking your place in the driver’s seat. You counted out your change while Ben made his way back, and a big grin spread across your face. If miss thirsty werewolf had been paying attention, you wouldn’t be twenty bucks richer. Score! Roughly nine hours later You yawned and stretched your neck, waiting for a red light at an intersection in Albuquerque to turn green. Ben had thankfully not drank his coffee, and was saving it for later in the drive, deciding to sleep as much as he could before morning. He made it through most of the way through Colorado, only waking up when you swerved the car to avoid hitting… something. You weren’t sure if it was your eyes playing tricks on you, or if that gas station burrito wasn’t agreeing with you in a weird way, but some big furry thing on two legs ran across the road as you were getting close to the New Mexico border. Listening to old episodes of Kold Calls probably didn’t help matters, either. Ben kept joking that it was probably a Grizzly chasing her husband, or soon to be husband, but you weren’t so sure. Whatever it was, you put it out of your mind the closer you got to your destination, and by the time you got close to Albuquerque, the both of you were starving. Ben messed around with his GPS for a few seconds, and now, you were moments away from stopping at a Waffle House. You hoped it was as good as it had been hyped up to be. Minutes later, the two of you were seated at a booth, and had placed your order with the Holstaur waitress. Ben was looking up the festival schedule for the day on his phone, swiping through page after page. “It looks like the first bands go on around noon, a couple small acts on the side stages, and the EDM tent doesn’t kick off until dusk. If there isn’t a traffic jam heading eastbound from here, we should have enough time after setting up our campsite to wander around and get a feel for the place.” he said, and a flutter of movement over his shoulder caught your eye. Glancing behind him, you saw a pale woman wearing an amber sundress in the next booth over. She had long, jet black hair, and a pair of similarly colored furry ears poking out of her head, one of which was still twitching. She turned, her brown eyes making contact with yours, and a wide smile grew on her face. In less than a blink, she was at your table, sidling in alongside Ben, who was looking as bewildered as you probably did. “Hello! I couldn’t help but overhear you, but are you two going to Lunapalooza?” the strange kitsune asked. You noticed a single black fluffy tail curl around from behind her and settle into her lap. Ben blinked, and nodded. She then looked back at you, her eyes locking to yours. You found it a little unsettling that it seemed like you couldn’t look away. “Uhh… yeah, yeah we are. Why? And who are you?” you mutter out. The kitsune let out a small laugh, and placed a hand on her chest. “Ah, excuse me! I am Mara West, fortune teller by trade, and you are?” she asked back. Ben and you quickly introduce yourselves, and she smiles. “Wonderful, it is good to meet you! This may sound a bit ‘out there’, but I believe you two are the ride to the festival that I have been praying for. You do have enough space in your car for a third person and a large bag, right?” she continues, leaning closer to Ben. “Whoa, lady, slow down. We haven’t even gotten our breakfast yet. What makes you so sure we’re your ride?” he asks. Her smile grows, and with a flick of her wrist, a deck of cards was in her hand. She began to shuffle them quickly, and laid three of them on the table, one for each of you. “Well, I would owe you greatly for the ride. My plan is to share my skills at the festival, for a price of course, either at my tent, or wandering around the festival grounds. For you two, I would offer no charge for my skills during the duration of the festival. But! Talk is one thing, a demonstration is clearly in order. If you would, please flip your cards.” she elaborated, while continuing to shuffle. Ben flipped his card, which showed a smiling man staring skyward, carrying a bindle, with the sun behind him. You drew your card, and it was a robed man with a staff, holding aloft a lantern. Mara flipped her card, and it was a woman in a blue robe and winged headdress, sitting between two pillars, one black, and one white. “The Fool, The Hermit, and The High Priestess. Very fitting!” “That doesn’t quite prove to me that you’re some kind of soothsayer…” Ben mumbled. Honestly, you kind of agreed with him. Mara giggled, and laid a spread of cards face down in front of him. She gestured for him to pick one first, and he did so, but she stopped him before he flipped it over. “That card is how you got your tickets for Lunapalooza.” she stated simply. Ben rolled his eyes, and flipped the card. It was The Wheel of Fortune. He stared at it for a few moments, then chuckled and shrugged. “Good guess, I suppose.” he said. The kitsune looked back over at you, and gestured for you to draw from the spread. You tried to pull one card, but another stuck with the one you grabbed. You went to take a different one, but Mara waved her hand. “If they’re stuck, they’re meant to be together. Take them both. It represents your leg of this journey.” she explained. You did as she said, and drew the two cards, flipping them over. One was The Chariot, the other was The Moon. “Something you can’t quite explain crossed your path early this morning, did it not?” she asks, grinning as she watched your expression change. Your mind went back to that thing at the border. “Okay, that’s fucking weird. Maybe you are a fortune teller.” Ben said with another chuckle. Mara joined in with his laughter, and nodded. “I will admit, it puts some people off, but I find fate brings me across the paths of those most receptive to my skills.” she added, and looked at you. Or at least it kind of felt like it, but it also felt like she was looking past you. “If you’d like, I can give you a small background reading right now. You could consider it a… '‘Status Check’'.” she finishes with a smirk, gathering her cards back up, and beginning to shuffle once more. Roll 7 D6s for your SPIRITS stats. Any skills, interests, abilities, and so on may also be suggested. For example, Ben is decently skilled in drumming, and has brought along a Cajon box drum.

>>22339 >>22340 So it is one character whose fate is decided by our collective mind? Regardless, rolling for stats, and I suggest Anon's instrument of choice is the flute, and he's bringing his own flute with him.

>>22339 >>22354 Seconding anon, i think it's best if you explain how this generaly works, for the uninitiated. Will you take the first roll, an average of rolls, a random one, the best stat, or is it a separate character for whoever wants to participate. In terms of decisions, will you do polls, or perhaps we have to decide between ourselves?

>>22385 >Will you take the first roll, an average of rolls, a random one, the best stat, or is it a separate character for whoever wants to participate? >In terms of decisions, will you do polls, or perhaps we have to decide between ourselves? >>22339 >Player interaction will be relatively simple, there will mostly be multiple choice options, depending on the scenario, stats and/or roll checks will be enabled. If consensus on a choice isn't reached, we will roll for a tie breaker. Bingo. It's one character that everyone is controlling. With how spaced out updates will be, the idea would be to banter back and forth on what options, rolls, and ideas pitched are worth while to go forward with. I'm avoiding polls for now, as in previous CYOAs I've done and participated in, they're far too easy to fudge if one particular player wants to wrestle control from everyone. >>22354 > I suggest Anon's instrument of choice is the flute You have no idea how much this is making me grin.

>>22467 I see. Sounds very free form then. Guess we can all roll and select the best roll, or conversely, the most unbalanced one. Don't think anon's profession was mentioned yet, so how about making him an electrician? It's probably bound to come in handy.

>>22467 >the idea would be to banter back and forth on what options, rolls, and ideas pitched are worth while to go forward with I suggest changing participation method from consensus to deciding by dice rolls, as in anons post their choices and whichever option lands with the highest roll is automatically chosen. Something resembling the ancient >giganigger has escaped, only quads can stop him /b/ roll threads would be far more accessible, at least for me. Expecting us to hold our own debates feels like putting responsibility on the participants.

>>22790 >I suggest changing participation method from consensus to deciding by dice rolls That's where the tie-breaker roll kinda comes into play. If everyone is very staunch about their own choices, and we've been simmering too long, it'll come to that. I won't rule out doing purely "high roll wins" only options, though. >Expecting us to hold our own debates feels like putting responsibility on the participants. Bear in mind that right now, we're coming up with Anon's background (which, with what's been pitched so far, he's a flautist and electrician). So some back and forth for that would is ideal. Future "debates" would hopefully be more along the lines of "The only options listed are A, B, and C, but I noticed something else peculiar, let's do ____ as option D". Besides, what fun is an adventure without some secrets to uncover? Anyways, I'm going let this sit for just a little longer before posting the next part, partly due to capybara being a slower board, and partly cause it's a holiday weekend in the states. If it stays at just the two current rolls with no further discussion or additional rolls, I'll coin flip on which one to go with.

>>22794 Hopefully someone else rolls because the first two were kind of low.

>>22842 I think it's fine if they're low because it may lead to absolutely hilarious situations.

Here it is! Anon has his profession and creative outlet, and he also has a personal interest in rocks and minerals and will be on the lookout for anything cool kicked up in the dry dirt. He's okay with spiders, but is deathly afraid of snakes and snake-like objects in his periphery. Good thing everything he's seen so far has been furry.

>>23186 Now that's a roll. Having an interest in rocks is going to be a fun avenue for Anon. Anyways, while I'm currently working on the next part to post, you can still post ideas for interests, hobbies, and what else Anon may have brought along with him. Anything considered "critical" (tent, clothes, etc.) is already accounted for.

>>22340 https://youtu.be/njpzJDTYBPk?si=JqxMO-CojcalIvLd Mara seems to sense your agreement before you could utter it, dealing out another spread of twelve cards face down. It formed a circle, and the kitsune flipped the card closest to yourself. It was The Hermit once again. She continues on, flipping the cards in a counter-clockwise fashion, until they are all face up. Following The Hermit was the Four of Pentacles, the Four of Wands, Justice, the Two of Cups, the Eight of Pentacles, the Two of Swords, The Magician, The World, The King of Pentacles, The Queen of Wands, and finally, The Devil. The fox smiles. “While not the most socially outgoing, you’re a pretty hard-working guy, though one who’s been too stuck in his routine. You keep your nose buried in the grindstone, doing what you can to survive, always preparing for the day when the other shoe drops.” she begins, pointing towards the first two cards. Her finger traced over to the next card. “The upcoming festival will change you, that’s a given. Try to keep your wits about you, eyes wide open and head on a swivel. You’ll find much amusement across your path, but some things can be permanent.” Her finger stops at Justice, and she taps it twice. “Your family has raised you with a firm moral compass. You may not be outspoken, but you won’t stand for seeing someone getting kicked when they’re down.” “This doesn’t seem exactly small for a reading…” Ben mutters. While you were a bit entranced, you were starting to think the same. Hopefully your order doesn’t show up before she’s done. Mara lets out another laugh, and shakes her head. “Sorry, once the cards are down, I kinda get into the zone. It also helps to stretch out time if your client is paying by the hour. Anyway, the cliff notes version then!” she explains, and moves on to the next set of relevant cards. “Your work and play is a balancing act of skilled elements… one moment.” The Kitsune suddenly had another deck of cards in her hands, and in her quick shuffling, a few cards fell out, landing face down on certain face up cards, including the current pair. “Oracle cards. These will add further detail.” She flips the first one over, and the card displayed a scene of violent weather, dark and ominous clouds from which lightning struck down at wind whipped trees. “The Century Storm. You are the Winds and the Lightning. A force to be reckoned with. How that ties into work and play…” she trails off, briefly glancing at your hands. “I get the sense you’re a kind of handyman by trade, that’s the lightning. Therefore, the winds must be your play. A passion for wind instruments, perhaps?” Her finger points to the next pair. “Your soulmate will be the one you’ve hoped for, your sun to your moon, your counterbalance. She is..” The fox flips the next face down oracle card, displaying a misty road, obscuring strange, shadowy shapes. Her eyebrow raises, and she smirks. “...Unknown, naturally. I get the sensation that the Gods are having fun with you here.” She waves her hand over the last four tarot and two oracle cards of the spread. “Along with your soulmate, you seek to expand your mind, not just for creative purposes, but you wish to advance in your trade, new strides that no one has considered before. You want to utilize…” She flips the next oracle card, which shows precious gemstones pouring from the mouth of a cave. “The Jewels of the Earth. A proverbial dragon’s hoard. Your new community can help you achieve these goals, but you will need to face your shadow, and what you fear most.” She then flips the last oracle card, placing it at the foot of The Devil card. It was a coiled snake, ready to strike at a moment's notice. You frown, and squirm in your seat. Mara notices your discomfort, and flips it back over. “The Angered Serpent. I don’t believe I’ll need to elaborate too much here.” You mull over the reading for a few moments, and let out a sigh. “God damn.” You didn’t quite grasp all of the symbolism, but some of the more obvious stuff stuck out. Your flute hobby, your electrician trade, even the damn fear of snakes. Suppressing a shudder at that slithering mental image, you watch Mara gather the cards back together, and thought back to her comment on advancing your trade. You had been toying around with a couple of ideas using tourmaline and quartz, but nothing you’ve tried seemed exactly feasible so far. By the time the fox finished putting her cards away, your waitress returned with your order. Now that’s some damn good luck! “Alright, two all stars with extra bacon and eggs…” the holstaur said in a sing-song fashion, setting down Ben’s dish first, followed by yours. “...And the triple chicken and eggs breakfast for the lady!” she finished, and set down a massively stacked plate of food in front of Mara. Ben’s jaw went slightly slack, while the fox just smiled, a little wider than you thought was possible. She then turned, and handed a credit card that just seemed to appear in her hand to the waitress. Where she kept all those cards and decks hidden in a sleeveless dress, you had no clue. “Thanks, love. Would you bring us some more coffee and sweet tea, please?” Mara asked the waitress. The holstaur nods, and takes the fox’s card, heading back towards the counter. Your attention was briefly captured by the swaying of her hips and tail, but the fox cleared her throat, bringing your focus back. “Anyway, since I have proven my skills, may I accompany you two for the rest of the journey?” she asks. You honestly didn’t see the harm in it, especially if she’s offering you free readings the rest of the week, but it was Ben’s car at the end of the day. “Eh, why not?” he says with a shrug, and begins to cut up and mix his bacon and some syrup into his eggs. “Having a fortune teller with us probably won’t be the craziest thing that happens this week.” he paused to take a bite of his concoction, and waves his empty fork in a circle towards Mara. “So, do you live around here, or did you just get stuck here while travelling?” “The latter, although I prefer temporarily delayed.” she says with a smirk, adding a few shakes of pepper to her breakfast. “I live and work in Sedona, and I recently got my festival ticket as a gift from a thankful client. It was my luck that my friend and her husband are visiting family out here, so I tagged along.” The fox then takes a small bite of her eggs, and grins. “I honestly haven’t been waiting too long, though, a couple hours at the most…”

>>24847 https://youtu.be/eQimWdMRDH8?si=iJSao5Gge4LxTOAV Roughly three hours later Breakfast went rather quickly after that, and in the small discussions during it, Mara shared a few stories from her job and around Sedona, while Ben and yourself told her a little more about your own lives. The fox insisted on paying the whole bill, and not just her portion as you had initially thought, as another thanks for letting her tag along. After rearranging luggage in the car to fit her and her bags in (along with one last pit stop at a convenience store), you had hit the freeway. Traffic for the rest of the trip was pretty normal, until you were a few miles out from the festival, where it finally slowed down to a steady crawl. By the time Ben pulled up to the entrance to the grounds, you were itching to get back out of the car and stretch your legs. Check-in at the festival was set up in stages. At the entrance, the attendant had directed Ben to follow the line of cars heading towards the parking shelters. The other line of vehicles were mostly SUVs and trucks that were headed directly for the far side of the campgrounds, many with camper trailers in tow. While probably a more convenient way to camp, their line was going much slower, so you didn’t envy them too much. Minutes passed until the parking line was split again, and your group was directed towards one of the quickly-filling shelters. They were basically open-air tents, set up to protect vehicles from the harsh New Mexico sun. Once you were finally parked, Ben fished out a collapsible wagon from the trunk of the car, which was quickly filled with everyone’s gear that couldn’t be carried. From there, it was about a ten minute jaunt to one of the ticket stands, where your passes were exchanged for blue and yellow fabric wrist bands. They seemed to give off a slight glow, and felt perpetually cool, as if it had been pulled straight from a fridge. What sort of magic was involved, you weren’t sure, but it helped to ease the discomfort of the desert sun. After that was the last checkpoint with festival security, and after a brief chat, they directed your group towards the campgrounds side of the event. Even with it being early in the first day, you were still surprised at how many people were already here. Many spots had already been completely filled up, but as you walked down the trail, you noticed a few areas where the three of you could set up. The first place you saw had a few tents already set up, though not the typical ones you expected. These were large canvas tents, ones that gave the distinct impression these were not originally used for camping, and a few tarps were propped up between them, creating an entirely shaded area. Under the shade, there was a pale blonde woman in a black t-shirt and shorts reclining in a beach chair nursing a drink. Near her were a few tan girls wearing surfer hoodies and fishnets, dancing to some drum and bass beat coming from a bluetooth speaker. There was also an odd chill to the air, reminding you briefly of the cold winters back home. The next spot was a thick grove, one that could have only grown with the mana permeating the Oasis. You noticed different colored hammocks strung up and around on the various trees, and a slight sound of buzzing and rattling could be heard from deeper within the trees. A brunette woman with long pointed ears was in the middle of setting up one of the hammocks, and she waved at someone higher up in the canopy. You looked up, and saw another woman with red hair securing a second hammock higher in the trees. It was only when you noticed that her lower half was long, bright green, scaled, and wrapped around the tree, that you noped out of there as fast as you could. The third place you found had a lot more people (mostly couples from what it looks like), as two camper trailers, an RV, and a few more tents formed a semi-circle for their camp. There was a strong smell of backyard barbeque and beer in the air. You were pretty sure these folk were bikers, as most of the men were wearing leather vests with a large “War Hogs” patch on the back. The women, mostly orcs if the ears and tails said anything, were wearing their own eclectic leather garb, though they also bore the “War Hogs” patch in one way or another. It half reminded you of a bunch of Mad Max cosplayers and an ad for Harley Davidson. The fourth spot was one that Mara had found. It seemed to have a perpetual, smoky haze in the air, that had the vague smell of sage and some unknown herb. It made you feel a number of mixed sensations, the most prominent being a faint tingling in your extremities. The source of this haze came from a woman who was lying halfway out of her tent, smoking a hookah that was set up on a small table. From what you saw of her upper half, she had pale green skin, two-toned violet hair, and wore a loose cream-colored blouse. Her tent was set up next to an old VW hippy bus, the side door of which was wide open, as someone inside was tossing out different bags onto the grass. There was one more tent on the other side of the bus, but you could only hear someone moving around inside it. The last place you came upon was one that Ben had found. Tucked around a row of trees was a small clearing, next to one of the Oasis ponds. No one had set up any tents here yet, and it was far enough from the main walk path that noise wouldn’t be too much of an issue. It seemed perfect, and because of that, there was a strange, uneasy feeling that lingered in the back of your mind. It was probably just paranoia. Probably. “So what do you think?” Ben asks, glancing around the area again. “I doubt we’re gonna find another spot like this, but we can always ask one of the other camp groups if we can join them.” Choose your camp site. Note that picking one does not prohibit you from visiting the others. 1. Shady Tombs - Mostly undead, some demonic campers as well. Not too active in the sun, but the party kicks off after dusk. Magic is a bit thick in the air aroind here. 2. The Garden - Snakes. Why is it always snakes? Conquer your fears before visiting. 3. Warhogs Den - Bikers, Orcs, and an eclecitc menagerie of other monsters that are part of their Motorcycle Club/Tribe. You won't get much sleep here, but you'll be well fed, have plenty to drink, and your chances of getting dosed with something are very slim. 4. Hippy's Slice of Wonderland - A lot quieter and relaxed than the other sites, but you might find something slipped in your tea if you're not paying attention. 5. The Unclaimed Spot - Offers most versatility, at the temporary cost of not having fellow campers to trade with immediately. More people will filter through and set up as the festival advances, but you have say on who stays and who goes. If chosen, highest roll gets to name the site.

>>24848 when you dont like any of the choices given to you, might as well not choose at all. lets make our own spot. where you can get to sleep at a reasonable time, dont have to check every direction for a scaly man-eater, can actually hear what people are saying over the music and wont get a nonconsensually pre-arranged meeting with the entities. and we'll call it Pyrite Lane.

>>24848 Shady Tombs sounds like a chill place, as far as cemeteries are concerned at least, and hey, if there is one race that's gonna find some cool rocks, surely it would be the one with the type of people who slept underground many undead types are known for being originally buried with the jewels and gems they possessed in life or are part of the nobility, so I imagine it's more likely for there to be some people with shared interests in there.

>>24848 >>24871 I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a coiled snake tarot card, so whatever trick this fox is pulling, i don't like it. She also just "happens"to find out the druggy campsite, i say she's not to be trusted, so i'd recommend ditching her at the first opportunity, or at least staying far away from her. I also agree with >>24871 that we should make our own place and take the unclaimed spot. Calling it the Lighning Rod is too on the nose, so let's go with Lodestone Hill.

>>24848 Were we supposed to do something else besided pick the camp and choose an name? It's taking quite long for the next update.

>>26387 The next part is in progress right now, an update will be out at some point soon(ish).

>>26461 Looking forward to it.

>>24848 https://youtu.be/VBagA0PxVUo?si=513IhdFuTGOKvNFe “Yeah, we’ll stay here. Since you found it, why don’t we call it Pyrite Lane?” you reply to Ben, nodding in agreement on choice. There really wasn’t a better spot, paranoia be damned. Ben chuckles, and grabs his tent from the wagon, heading towards where the trees were closest and most uphill to the pond. You grab your tent and follow, hearing Mara in step behind. “Works for me! We can jury-rig up a sign post later. Do you want to be closer to the water?” he asks, and you shake your head. Ben simply shrugs back, and begins to set up his tent a few feet uphill from the pond bank. Roughly a handful of minutes later, there were three tents in a slight semi-circle, with your tent at the center position. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but you could comfortably stand in it, and it had a small entrance vestibule that you could sit under. Ben’s tent was a bit shorter, but made up for it in surface area. You were pretty sure it could fit a queen air mattress, if one didn’t care much about head clearance. It was Mara’s tent that surprised you. What you had initially thought was a small two person A-frame had been unrolled and opened up into what appeared to be a six, maybe eight person teepee style tent. You were pretty sure she was using some sort of magic to keep the damn thing packed as small as it was. The front entrance was currently staked up to form a large awning, one that could comfortably seat about four people around a small table. On either side of the awning, the fox had hung up some light tapestries, giving it more of a shaded open room feeling. Funny enough, while it didn’t appear that she was done finishing her entire set up, she still had managed to stake a small sign in front of her tent. It read “Wisdom of the Third Eye: Tarot, Runes, Palmistry, and More” at the top, with a list of services and prices. Your eyes nearly bulged out at some of the half hour and hourly rates. While you didn’t exactly know what an average price for a tarot reading was, you were pretty sure $150 for an hour was pretty steep. On the other hand, Mara seemed pretty skilled in her trade, and you knew from personal experience, you don’t sell your skills for cheap. You reminded yourself to at least get your palm read or something later. She did offer you her services for free, after all. Hearing a light clunk followed by a clatter of ice, you turn back towards Ben’s tent. Having finally unloaded the wagon of most of the gear, Ben had opened up the cooler you shared, settled between both of your tents, and was pulling out two red and gold tall cans. “Hey, it’s a bit before five, but want a beer?” he asks. You mull over it for a couple seconds, and nod. “Fuck it, why not?” you reply. He tosses you one of the tall cans, and you catch it and crack it open immediately, taking a generous gulp. Damn, that’s refreshing! SPIRITS - Temporary Resolve +1, Tolerance 4(-1) [Casual Drinker] = Chatty Cat. Your Midwestern charm has been dialed up a notch. More conversation options may appear. “Mara! Beer?!” Ben yells. The fox had just finished fastening another tapestry to obscure the interior of her tent, and poked her head around it outside towards the two of you. “Maybe, what do you have? I’ve never seen that in Sedona before.” she asks, leaving her tent and walking over towards Ben, with some bundle clutched under her arm. He fishes out another tall can from the cooler, and hands it to her. “Grain Belt Premium. We call the tall ones ‘Big Friendly’s’ back home.” he explained, cracking his beer open and taking a long sip. Mara shrugs, and follows suit. She glances back down at her can, and after a few moments, gives a small nod of approval. “That’s not bad. Better than the swill my friend’s husband used to drink.” she replies, and takes another drink. You take a sip as well, and gesture to the bundle under her arm. “So, what do you have there?” you ask. She smiles, hands her can to Ben, and pulls the bundle out. “Well, since you mentioned it earlier, and we’re mostly settled in…” the kitsune begins, and unfurls the fabric into a decently sized banner, just a bit longer than the span of her arms. “...it’s not quite a signpost, but I do hope you’ll approve.” The banner was a field of swirling blues, with “Pyrite Lane” embroidered in shining gold thread across the middle. Your eyes nearly bugged out again, and you hear Ben let out a low whistle of appreciation. “Jesus Christ, that was fast. Do you have a sewing machine hiding in that tent?” you ask in jest. Mara smiles that smile that’s just a bit larger than should be possible. “I just used my mana to manipulate the threads to go where they need to, that’s all.” she says. You hear Ben chuckle again. “Well ain’t that some pretty convenient magic!” he says, and takes a long drink. The fox’s smile just grows wider. “Yes. Yes it is.” she says, and gives you that strange look that’s at you, but past you. She then blinks, bundles the banner under her arm once again, and clears her throat. “Anyway, I have a good feeling on where to place this.” The fox turns, and points from the pond back towards the start of the tree line. “We would be claiming a lot of land, but in the long run it might behoove us to do so.” You glanced around, and Ben rose an eyebrow. Sure, the clearing was a little big, but it could fit maybe three, maybe five more tents. Mara seems to sense your collective apprehension, and lets out an amused huff. “No, I mean…” She gestures again at the pond, and circles her arm around wide. You follow it, looking past the water into the thicker line of trees behind most of it, and the other small bank on the far corner of it. Okay, that is a bit of land. “How’s the banner gonna help us claim that, exactly? And why do we need the whole area around the pond?” Ben asks, and Mara smirks. “Let me show you.” the kitsune says, heading back to her tent. Reaching in beyond the tapestry, she pulls out two tall wooden stakes, and walks towards the start of the tree line. She looks around the ground for a few moments, and nods, pushing one of the stakes deep into the ground with the heel of her hand. You felt your jaw drop slightly. The Oasis ground was kinda soft, but not ‘hot knife through butter’ soft. Ben just laughed again, and chugged the remainder of his beer. You took a long drink as well. “Man, monsters, right? I am so glad I shelled out for that new broken pelvis coverage my insurance started offering.” he said, grinning smugly. You coughed, choking briefly on your beer, and cleared your throat. “Wait, is that shit real? I thought you were pulling my leg.” you reply. “I’m not done yet!~” Mara yelled back in a sing-song voice. With the banner secured firmly between the two stakes, she gave another nod of approval, and grabbed the bottom corner closest to her. With a tug, a blue thread pulled free, and she began to pace backwards. “This thread will act as a barrier; Anyone who wishes ill-will or harm towards us will be unable to cross.” With her free hand. she reached behind into the fluff of her tail, and pulled out a tightly bound bundle of gray leaves. With a pinch between her thumb and forefinger, the end of the bundle smoldered and smoked, and you soon were able to smell sage in the air. Now ready, the kitsune began to hop and dance backwards, humming a strange tune, dragging the thread around the perimeter while waving the sage bundle through the air. You glanced back over at Ben, and he just shrugged. You guess if it works, it works. Mara continued her way past the tents, working into the woods around the pond, before eventually making her way back to the other side of the banner. When the thread in her hand touched the other corner of the banner, you suddenly felt a cool breeze, and a feeling of calm settled over you. With the barrier complete, the fox walked back over to the two of you, and grabbed her beer from Ben. “Now that that’s settled, shall we see what the first day of the festival holds for us?” “May as well. Unless you can literally conjure up a campfire, we still need to get some firewood, and we still need to get a better lay of the land.” Ben replied, and began to move the cooler and the last of the gear still in the wagon back into his tent. When he came back out, he had a drawstring bag slung over his shoulder, another beer, and two small padlocks in his hand, which he immediately turned and used one on the two zippers of his tent. Once finished, he turned back around, and handed the other to you, along with a spare key. “I know this won’t exactly stop someone from cutting open your tent, but at least then we’ll know if someone stole our shit.” You took the lock, and headed back to your tent. After considering it for a moment, you grabbed your own drawstring pack, tossed your flute case inside it, and locked your tent. “Just so you’re aware, my barrier would also stop potential thieves. That does fall under ill-will.” the fox adds, sipping her beer. Ben chuckled again. “Fair, but it doesn’t hurt to cover as many angles as you can. Plus, that’s locked property now. I highly doubt we’ll need to deal with the police, but they’d need a warrant to search anything of ours that’s locked up.” Ben explained. An impressed look crossed Mara’s face. “I’ll admit, I didn’t consider that. Why would you be worried about the police, though?” she asked. “Actually, yeah, what’s got you worried? The guys at your work didn’t get you hooked on booger-sugar, did they?” you followed up. Ben scoffs. “Fuck no! I avoid that shit like the plague. I got enough expensive vices that are mostly legal, I don’t need to add to it.” he explained, cracking open his second beer. “All we have is that case of beer, the Jager, the Craig, and I brought an ounce of White Widow. Oh! I also have these.” he continued, pulling open his drawstring bag and rummaging inside it. He then handed you a couple small boxes with a familiar logo on the front. “Camel Wides? What made you splurge on these? I don’t smoke, and I know you’re cutting back.” you ask. “I bought a carton to barter with. I got those and some monster smoke called Wunders.” he answers. Mara seemed to perk up at the mention of the latter. “Barter? What, is this fucking prison or something?” you joke. Ben shakes his head. “Hey, you never know what you can find, and you’ll want something to trade with if you don’t wanna spend cash.” he replied, smirking. “What kind of Wunders did you pick up? Reds?” Mara asked. Ben reached back into his bag, and pulled out a couple of the packs, the fox deflating slightly at the sight of the purple and black striped boxes. “Purples. Why, are they like menthols or something?” he asks. Mara shakes her head. “More like cloves and a few other flavors of spice. The red ones are fun, they turn you on, and then some.” the fox explains with a smirk, then gestures towards the purple packs in Ben’s hand. “Purples, on the other hand, keep you simmering, just right at the edge. Now, other than maybe the river in Egypt, denial is not exactly my thing. Around here though? You will find some other monsters who would be interested.” she adds. Somehow, you were not surprised that even monster cigarettes had something to do with sex. “Huh.” Ben mutters, amused. Without a word, he places one of the packs, along with a pack of Wides, into his cargo shorts. He then reaches back into his bag, and hands you a few packs of each. “Well, if you do trade for something, all I ask is that if it’s pretty good, share a little bit of it!” You take the packs from him, and toss them into your bag. ''Items for Barter: 3 Packs of Camel Wides 3 Packs of Wunder Purples $520 in cash'' https://youtu.be/0cLI65FwHzs?si=d7mTs4LU6LkEljoU With everyone ready, the trio returned back to the main pathway with the now empty wagon in tow, following the flow of foot traffic towards the festival crowds. With all different tents and structures, half of which were selling one thing or another, the hustle and bustle of the crowd, along with the variety of monsters and styles of dress (or damn near lack thereof) you saw them in, you couldn’t help but be reminded of a busy day at the Renaissance Fair Bazaar. You idly wondered if centaurs jousted for sport, when you felt a tug on your sleeve. You glanced over, and saw Mara pointing further up the path, towards one of the wooden structures. A hand painted sign mounted on the roof that showed a simple campfire. That must be the supply store. Weaving through the crowds, you started to make a beeline towards it. As you got closer, you started to hear a pair of voices in the midst of an argument just outside the hut, as well as someone strumming an acoustic guitar nearby. “Renee, honey, breath. It’s just one spot, and it’s still early in the day, we’ll find somewhere to set up.” you hear a male voice say. “It was PERFECT, Freddie! We would have had plenty of open sky for the eclipse, the breeze that rolled through was refreshing, and it was quiet. Now there’s a bunch of… ruffians and hooligans mucking about there!” you hear a female voice with an odd accent reply. Breaking through the crowd, you see a tall man, easily over six feet, wearing a black ball cap that read “HAKEN” in white letters. His hands were on the shoulders of a tanned girl with dark chestnut hair style in a bob cut, with similar colored fluffy ears poking from the top of her head, and a similarly colored tail waving erratically behind her. “They’re just bikers, honey, I’m sure they’re not that bad. Besides, have a little faith! One missed spot isn’t going to ruin our week. Relax.” the man named Freddie replied. Taking your attention off the couple, you glance towards the source of the guitar music, and see a cat girl strumming away with her claws. She wore (in various shades of pink) an open zip-up hoodie with a faded t-shirt underneath, shorts, a lime-green bandana (one of the few non-pink items she wore), and rose-tinted shades. Behind her was a massive backpack, still strapped to her shoulders. At her feet was an open guitar case, with a few dollar bills and coins inside. On the inside lid, a piece of paper was taped up that read “Donations for the Kitchen of Eros are greatly appreciated!” You glanced back up at her, catching her gaze and making eye contact. She gave you a warm, inviting smile, and you felt a slight flutter in your stomach. “Hey, after we get some firewood, do you want to explore more, or should we try to catch one of the first shows? I don’t think any headliners are playing til after dusk though, but there’s still probably some good tunes playing.” Ben asked, breaking your focus on the cat girl. 1. Keep wandering the festival grounds 2. Head to the Main Stage 3. Head to the Second Stage 4. Head back to camp for now And 1. Talk to the couple? Y/N 2. Talk to the Cat Girl? Y/N

>>27004 Oh wow, that's a pretty hefty update. Mara sure's proving herself to be worth her weight in gold. I'm going to vote for 1. Keep wandering the festival grounds, gotta get a better feel for the area first methinks. And sure, I'll also be a good samaritan and go Talk to the couple. Am I supposed to roll? Might as well.

>>27004 Feels strange to have a more dialogue options when we haven't had any previously to compare them to. Wonder what that's about. No point in going back to camp, and there probably isn't much going on in the stages, so i'd say we keep exploring the festival, look at the tents and see if they have anything interesting to buy or barter, or someone interesting to meet. Before that however, i say we talk to the catgirl, and give her some donations in exchange for a song. It's good to get on Eros' good side. I'm somewhat apprehensive of talking to the couple. Best to leave them and their marital affairs alone.

>>27169 I suppose this is where we'd have to come to an agreement onto what to do. I'd say we give the catgirl a quick chat, and then head onto the couple? Maybe we could ask her for some advice on how to help her, or maybe the catgirl already knows what's going on.

>>27668 I'd say sure, but is going for both the cat girl and the couple even an option? I assumed we'd only have time for one of those things. Also I'm not sure if there is really much we can help with the Cat besides a donation, but asking her for advice on how to help a couple we don't even know is just plain weird.

>>27668 >>27685 >I'd say sure, but is going for both the cat girl and the couple even an option? You can. If there's a time constraint on an option as far as talking to people goes, I'll try to have an "Or" listed between choices.

>>27685 >Also I'm not sure if there is really much we can help with the Cat besides a donation, Well, she works for the Eros Kitchen, so i'm sure we could offer to volunteer there, meet some people, etc. As for the couple, they mentioned a biker gang, so what i meant is if the catgirl already knows what's going on, as she's probably been there for a while. Although maybe that's unnecessarily indirect when we can just ask the couple.

Alright, I'm going to give this another day or so for deliberation, but so far it sounds like alongside wandering the festival grounds, we'll be talking to the Eros Cat first (as well as getting any input on the couple from her), followed by talking to the couple. If there's any changes or anything we may want to mention from the get-go to either, post it now.

>>27941 Not directly about the current decisions, but how constrained/free are we in terms of what we can do? If there is someone or something in the scene that is not in the options, can we still do something with it?

>>27941 Sounds good to me.

>>27981 >If there is someone or something in the scene that is not in the options, can we still do something with it? Of course, Perception is very important, if you notice something that sticks out, mention it. There's some things I would like to elaborate further on, but I don't want to ruin any potential surprises.

>>27004 You think about it for a moment, glancing around the immediate area again. Since you were still pretty unsure how much there was to do around here beyond catching some shows, it was a good idea to keep exploring. Once you feel pretty confident about the layout, you might draw yourself a map for reference later. “Let’s keep looking around, there’s probably more to do, and I doubt we’ll be missing much for tunes right now.” you answer Ben, and gaze back at the pink cat girl, followed by the bickering couple. “Why don’t you grab some firewood and anything else you think we might want. I’m gonna hang out here for a bit.” you add, and finish off the last of your beer you were still carrying. Ben and Mara look over at the cat girl, and they both smirk back at you. “Sure man, we’ll take our time combing through what they got. Good luck.” Ben said, and heads inside the hut. Mara gives you a wink, and follows behind him. Now alone, you turn back towards the feline troubadour, and make your way to her. Her warm smile grew as you approached, and she gave you a nod. “Well hello~” she greets you, winding down her song. You smile back at her, and look down at the open guitar case. Without too much thought, you pulled out your wallet, grabbed a five, and set it down in the case. Barter funds at $515 Her smile widens. “Thank you, Mother Eros blesses the charitable~” “You’re welcome.” you reply, still smiling. She begins to strum again, a tune you recognize, which gives you an excellent excuse to stick around for a few moments longer. Now that you’re a bit closer to her, you picked up a few more details regarding her and her apparel. https://youtu.be/01AqU5a9RHI?si=-s_NmSrcJGiEFYii The immediate thing you noticed was that her fur was a darker shade of pink than her clothing, and had occasional white highlights flecked throughout. At first you thought this might be a dye-job, but it appeared to be completely natural. The lime green bandana she wore on her head had a lighter-green paisley pattern across it, and it was tied to cover most of her hair, letting her fluffy pink ears poke out on either side. The rose-tinted sunglasses had large round frames, and you couldn’t make out her eye color from behind them. She had a dark fuzzy pink choker around her neck, one that matched her fur. It seemed a little warm for the weather, but you figured the festival wristband she wore was helping her keep cool. Her faded pink shirt was stretched tight across her bust, and while you couldn’t make out the scripture at the top, you could make out the image, which was a skeleton wearing a crown (and surrounded by) roses. She starts to lightly bounce on her paws while you examine her shirt, which was… very distracting, to say the least. The lighter pink zip up hoodie she wore was zipped together at the very bottom, resting just above her shapely hips, while the sleeves were pulled up, just above where her fur gave way to bare skin. With the song reaching it’s close, you look back into her eyes, her smile still the same as earlier. “That was pretty good! How long did it take you to learn a song from this side of the portal?” you asked. She giggled, which gave you that fluttery feeling again. “Oh, I learned that one a few years ago. It’s kind of a long story…” she trails off. You rose your eyebrow, but before you could ask her to elaborate, your mental train of thought was derailed by a pained wail. Turning your head, you saw the tall guy named Freddie hugging his wife Renee, who appeared to be sobbing. “Uffda. What’s their deal, anyway?” you casually mutter. “She’s too work-minded.” you hear the cat mention, and turn back towards her. The feline shrugs, bearing a slight frown. “She’s an anubis, it’s one of their cultural hang-ups. Everything has to be done as efficiently as possible, as every waking hour is sacred. It’s why Eros blessed her with her husband. Look.” she continues, and steps closer beside you, her free paw pointing towards Freddie. You couldn’t help but notice the cat smelled of some unknown incense and patchouli. “He’s relaxed, but in control. He knows everything will turn out fine, but she’s too obsessed with her schedule. She can’t see the forest for the trees.” she observed. You kinda noticed what she was talking about, as the jackal girl seemed rigidly stuck in place, while the taller man held a loose posture, hugging his wife and rocking side to side in an attempt to relax her. “Odds are, she’s trying for a litter this weekend. If she stays stressed like that, it’s doubtful his seeds will take root in her garden.” she finished, a hint of dismay in her voice. You look back at the cat, your eyebrow raised yet again, and she gives you a knowing look. “I’ve been helping the Church of Eros for years, one picks up on these things after some time.” You look back at the couple, and frown. Well, that sucks if that’s actually the case. Mulling it over, you decided that while you’re normally not a nosy dude, you felt like you could help out, somehow. Before you realized it, you were already walking in their direction. Deciding to roll with it, you waved, trying to get Freddie’s attention. The taller man eventually saw you, and gave a small wave back. “Hey! I couldn’t help but overhear, you’re having some troubles finding a campsite? What happened?” you call out as you approach. Renee reluctantly separated from her husband, and turned to face you, still sniffing back tears. Freddie straightened up, and cleared his throat. “Uh, hey. Yeah, you might have seen them earlier, but there’s a big group of bikers camping out at this spot Renee’s cousin scouted out for us. I keep trying to tell her they’re probably decent folk, but she wants to be somewhere that’s a lot quieter, and she’s dead set on that spot because of the view.” the tall man explains. “I’m sure if I talk to Lapis, she can pass the word to Najia and make them change spots, it wouldn’t be that hard!” the anubis exclaims, Freddie’s eyes widen slightly, and he looks down at his wife, shaking his head. “Honey, no. That’s a dick move, and you don’t do that to bikers.” he said firmly. Renee let out a whine. “But, but, what else can we do? It was a perfect spot.” she pouts. 1. Convince Renee to camp with the bikers. 2. Convince Freddie to let Renee’s cousin pull some strings. 3. Tell them of the Wonderland Hippies’ campsite. 4. Invite them to Pyrite Lane. (Gain +2 Campers. Skills and Barter options available.) 5. [Chatty Cat] Invite? Lead them there! You can get to know them and share some stories from back home. You’re pretty sure you can get back before Ben and Mara are done shopping. (Gain +2 Campers. Skills and Barter options available. Temporarily split from group.)

>>28408 >3. Tell them of the Wonderland Hippies’ campsite.

>>28408 Well, that took a turn in several unexpected directions. I'd say we invite them to Pyrite Lane. It's peaceful, so it wouldn't be too difficult to convince them, and we could use some company. Though we shouldn't separate from the group just yet. i'm sure they could use a pair of arms to carry the firewood. We can chat them up later at night. I'm not quite sure what it means to have +2 campers, as if they are a resource to control, not that that's the reason why i chose to invite them.

>>28434 I think having some friends and getting to know people is nice.It's going to liven up the place.

>>28987 She sounds like more trouble than it's worth, who knows what other demands she might make until she's satisfied. Besides, there is already a place that seems to fit what she's looking for. I don't think jumping on the first opportunity we see to increase the number of campers is necessarily a good idea if there's a precedent they might cause trouble for others in the future.

>>29154 Well, we are here to have some fun, not to spend all day inside the tent, safe from anything and anyone who could possibly disturb peace. Give adventure and fun some opportunities. With that attitude you might as well just stick your dick into the ground until a dorome picks you up. I can assure you there won't be any trouble after that.

>>28434 >>28443 >>28987 >>29154 >>29262 While I will say the point of Anon's week at the festival is to have an adventure and just about everything that could possibly entail, it does pay to be wary about things. Remember, details are important, all things mentioned, seen, felt, or heard may play a part in a decision now, or one further down the line. It is still Day One of the festival, by the way. That's all I can say for now. Anyways, I'll let this sit for another day or so of deliberation, and go from there.

>>29262 Nah man, there is plenty of fish in the pond, no reason to get hellbent on this wan. First tiny obstacle she finds in a place meant to be chill and she wants to go straight for the use of authority on people who have literally done nothing wrong just sends off the wrong vibes.

>>29419 >>29453 Very well, if even the writer tells me it's a bad idea far it'd be from me to argue the virtues of being a good samaritan. We'll tell the the sandwan to pound sand.