{(print: "<script>$('html').removeClass(\)</script>")(if: (passage:)'s tags's length > 0)[(print: "<script>$('html').addClass('" + (passage:)'s tags.join(' ') + "'\)</script>")]}(if: $stumbled is not true)[(set: $stumbled to false)](if: $stumbled is false)[(set: $scene to 1) (set: $injuries to 0) (set: $time to 1) (set: $awareness to 0) (set: $courage to 0)
Exhausted from a long day in the forest hunting, and demoralized from coming home empty-handed, you stumbled across the uneven ground in the twilight. Looking up toward your village, you smiled sadly at the welcoming smoke of the chimneys. Hopefully someone else had more luck. The crops hadn't been good that fall, and througout the winter bringing home fresh game had kept the village going.
[[You picked up your pace->fall]]](else:)[
And now you had a rolled ankle. The day just wasn't going well.]
[[You kept your eyes down and trudged on->smoke]](set: $awareness = $awareness + 1)
You slipped behind a nearby tree, then peeked around the side. Before long, the cause of the smoke became(if: (history:) contains "Stay Back")[ obvious.
The village was on fire. Almost every single house, to some degree, was burning.
[[You ran in to help->Entry One]]
[[You stayed in the forest->Forest One]]
[[You ran away->Escape Ending]]](else:)[ [[obvious->Stay Back]]]You tried to pick up into a jog, only to trip on a root in the twilight.
(set: $injuries to $injuries + 1)
(if: $injuries < 2)[
You rolled your ankle, fell flat, and picked yourself up out of the dirt.](else:)[You fell on your rolled ankle again, spraining it worse.]
(set: $stumbled to true)(if: $scene is 1)[
you [[go on ->Coming Home]]](if: $scene is 2)[
you [[go on ->smoke]]]
(set: $scene to 2)
As you drew closer to your home, you kept glancing up at the smoke rising from the village. Usually, the sight of the little plumes rising from the chimneys brought to mind the warmth and coziness of your little three-room hut.
But today, the smoke looked thicker than normal, and darker.
[[You took a closer look->Check the smoke]]
[[You ran home->Entry One]]
[[You stepped behind a tree->Stay Back]](set: $awareness to $awareness + 1)
As you watched, a charcoal-black plume spouted from the middle of the village.
[[You picked up the pace->Entry One]]
(if: (history:) contains "Stay Back")[(set: $time to $time + 5)]
You arrived in the village. (if: $time > 5)[Flames raged in every window, and some houses had already collapsed.]
The heat from the fires seared your eyes, and you stopped dead in your tracks, wincing from pain. When you recovered, you saw a group of armed figures wearing all black round the corner at the end of the street.
[[You ran to your family->Home]]
[[You sprinted back out of the village->Forest Two]]
[[You charged at the figures->Fight]](set: $time to $time + 1)
(if: $injuries > 3)[Your injuries slow you down(set: $time to $time + 1)]You ran through the village, choking on the smoke, and arrived at your home. Busting through the door, you found the inside filled with acrid fumes. Frantically, you broke into each room, searching for your family.
(if: $time > 12)[In the last room you found them, throats slit, already charred by the flames. (if: $time > $threshold)[As you knelt down by them, you heard one of the soldiers come into the house behind you. It was too late.
==>
Ending One: Death](else:)[You wished you could stay, but as you choked on the smoke you realized you couldn't. Too much longer, and either the fumes or the soldiers would kill you.
[[You stayed anyway->Fire Death]]
[[You left->Main Street]]]](else:)[You found your children huddled inside, back against the wall. As soon as they saw you, they ran to you.
(set: $children to true)
[[You took them back out the front door->Main Street]]
[[You tried to break down the back wall->Back Yard]]]Upon reaching the treeline you stopped and caught your breath. Who were those people? Why had they attacked your village? It was only a little farming town, nothing special. You weren't even near any roads that armies had used in the past. You'd heard stories that towns too close to moving armies would be ransacked for supplies, but you hadn't thought that anything like that would ever come to your village. You were so far out of the way, so poor. And yet, here they were: soldiers, attacking your little home. And now you needed to decide what to do.
[[You stayed in the woods->Forest One]]
[[You returned to the village->Home Two]]As you approached, the figure in the center turned. It was a woman, clothed head to toe in black leather armor, with red stitching on the seams. As she stepped toward you, you tried to throw a punch. She caught your hand and twisted.
//Crunch//
You stumbled, grasping your injured wrist. Meanwhile, the woman pulled one of the swords from her waist. Looking up, you just caught a glimpse of the other women in black before the one in red ran a blade through your neck.
==>
Ending one: DeathYou ran. You ran far, you ran fast, and you got away from there. You never saw your family or your friends again. But you made it out, and lived the rest of your days working on a farm as far from there as you could go.
==>
Ending two: Escape(set: $time = $time + 5)
You stayed in the forest and watched as the village burned, gazing on the scene in stunned silence. Soon enough, the sounds of shouting from within the village ended, and you were left with nothing but the crackling of the flames.
You were shaken from your stupor, however, when multiple figures in black walked from the village. They formed a perimeter and started sweeping the area, moving ever closer to you.
(if: (history:) contains "Forest One")[(set: $awareness = $awareness + 1)
You took stock, and thought you understood their movements. But now they were closer, and you needed to make a decision.]
(if: (history:) contains "Forest One" is false)[
[[You took a closer look at their movements->Forest One]]]
[[You ran->Chase]]
[[You ducked under a bush->Hide]]As soon as you bolted, one of them saw you and gave chase.(if: $injuries > 1)[
Unfortunately, your rolled ankle slowed you down, and your assailant caught you before long. The last thing you felt was the steel of their blade piercing your back
==>
Ending one: Death]
<==
(else:)[
Luckily, your hunt hadn't tired you too badly - and the adrenaline rush kicking in helped as well. You made it through the familiar woods more easily than your assailant, and quickly lost them.
[[Stop and catch your breath->Look Around]]
[[Keep running->Escape Ending]]](if: $awareness > 2)[You saw a clever hiding spot, a hole between some tree roots obscured by a bush. Clambering inside, you found that you just barely fit in the opening. You waited. And waited.
(if: (history:) contains "Hide")[
And the sound of footsteps came, went, came again, and then vanished. It seemed that they were gone.](else:)[And [[waited ->Hide]]]
(if (history:) contains "Hide")[
[[You try to enter your village->Home Two]]
[[You ran->Escape Ending]]]](else:)[You ducked under a nearby bush. A few breathless moments later, you heard footsteps approaching. At first, you had hope that you hadn't been seen, since no voice called out, and no change occurred in the pace of the footsteps. But then they came up alongside the bush you were in, and a sword slashed down through the leaves. You hardly noticed the sound of the blade cutting the air before you died.
==>
Ending One: Death
](set: $awareness = $awareness + 1)
Panting, you stopped for breath. The figure in black had fallen off a while ago, and you were fairly certain you had lost them. But the choice still remained: did you go try to find your family? Or did you leave them for lost, and try to save yourself? There was almost no chance that your family was still alive. There was also a high chance that the soldiers would still be in the village. But... your kids were there. You couldn't abandon them if they were still alive somewhere.
[[You ran->Escape Ending]]
[[You steeled yourself, and set off for the village->Entry Three]]By the time you made your way back to the forest's edge, the fiercest part of the blaze had died down. Still, the larger logs that formed the pillars of your little huts kept burning, and heat radiated from the charred remains of your home. When you reached the last patch of cover, you looked out at the scene. There was no way your family was still in there; the tallest structure still standing was less than three feet high.
[[You went to find their bodies->Home Two]]
[[You finally gave up and left->Escape Ending]]
[[You collapsed where you were->Bushes]]
Overcome by grief and lightheaded from the acrid smoke, you collapsed on the floor next to your children's bodies. Before long, you passed out. You never woke up.
==>
Ending One: Death(if: $children)[You and your children staggered out of the flaming wreckage of your home only to be met by six of the women in black walking down the central street, three from each direction.
[[You had nowhere to go->panic]]](else:)[Gasping for clean air between coughs, you staggered from the ruins of your home. As you emerged, four of the women in black arrived at the entrance.
[[You had nowhere to go->panic]]](if: $injuries >1)[The pain from your rolled ankle, combined with a little light-headedness from the smoke, kept you from breaking down the back wall.
[[You returned to the street->Main Street]]](else:)[
Luckily, the fire had damaged the back wall enough that it gave away fairly easily. You stumbled out into the yard with your children, coughing and spluttering from the smoke. (if: time < $threshold)[It seemed that no one noticed you, or at least they hadn't caught up yet.
[[You sent your children ahead->Stay Behind]]
[[You led your children into the woods->Show The Way]]](else:)[But as you broke out of the smoke, you heard one of the soliders coming through the house behind you.
[[You ran with your children->Chase With Kids]]
[[You sent your kids ahead->Captured]]]]You entered the town, searching through the ruins, choking on the fumes. Even in the wreckage it didn't take you very long to find your home. Unfortunately, the roof's collapse had covered the whole area in rubble, and you'd have to dig to find your family's bodies. Before you could, though, you heard a sound behind you. A woman dressed in heay black leather armor, one of the soldiers, approached you, sword in hand.
[[You stayed->Ruins Ending]]
[[You ran for the forest->Forest Three]]
[[You ran for the landowner's manor->Manor One]]You collapsed flat on the forest floor, unable to go on. After a few moments you'd caught your breath. The time had come to make a decision.
[[You left->Escape Ending]]
[[You went into the town->Home Two]](if: $time < $threshold)[You stood, panting, listening for anything coming behind you, but no sounds came. Your kids disappered into the trees.
[[You followed->Save Your Family Ending]]](else:)[As your children ran, you heard a soldier come through the house behind you. A figure in black came from the smoke inside your home, and grabbed you by the shoulder.
[[You tried to break away->Captured]]]You grabbed your youngest child and put them on your back, motioning to the other two to follow you. Quietly, you led them across the open space. Behind you, you saw one of the soldiers, dressed in all black, come out from the hole you broke in the back of your home. Though they watched you go, they didn't follow, and you made it into the trees just fine.
[[You kept running->Save Your Family Ending]]You grabbed your youngest child and put them on your back, motioning to the other two to follow you. As you set off at a dead sprint, the soldier rushed out from your home.
(if: $injuries < 1)[[[You kept running->Forest With Kids]]](else:)[[[Your injuries slowed you down->Split Decision]]]A strong blow struck you across the back of your head. Some time later, you woke up in the tool shed at the far end of town. Your hands and feet weren't tied in any way, and it looked like the shed hadn't even been locked.
(if: (history:) contains "Captured")[(set: $awareness = $awareness + 1)
A small group of people were standing nearby the door, chatting quietly. It wouldn't have been wise to head out while they were there.]
(else:)[[[Listen->Captured]]]
[[You waited->Shed]]
[[You tried to escape->Rush Out]]You found your kids and made it out. No one else in the village survived the attack, but you made it. You and your kids travelled for several days, eventually meeting up with your brother a few villages over. He and his wife took you in, and you worked on his farm. You never saw the soldiers that attacked your town again.
==>
Ending Three: Save Your FamilyYou couldn't do it. Your ankle wasn't going to hold out if you kept this up. You had to do something.
[[You took your youngest off your back, and tried to keep running->Failure Ending]]
[[You made your kids run ahead, while you stayed behind->Sacrifice Ending]]By the time you reached the forest's edge the soldier had given up. You watched as they retreated into the village again, then didn't wait around for them to decide to come back.
[[You took your kids and ran->Save Your Family Ending]]You dropped your youngest off your back, and yelled for your kids to keep running. Your oldest, your daughter, grabbed the other two by the hand and kept going. You turned around to face the figure in black following you. They dropped into a walk as they approached.
"You'd die for your children?" the soldier asked. You were surprised to hear a woman's voice. You simply nodded in response as your knees went weak.
"Impressive," the woman said. "Just for you... I'll let them live. Be happy. Some of the others wouldn't do that for you."
You tried to throw a punch as she approached, but she put a dagger through your wrist mid-swing, then punched you in the jaw. Hard. You fell, spinning backward, and saw your kids disappear into the woods.
Then for a split second you felt the cold steel slipping through your back before everything went dark.
==>
Ending Four: Self-Sacrifice(display: "Setup")
You took your child off your back and tried to keep going, but your ankle still didn't hold out. You tripped and fell, and your children stopped to try to help you. You yelled for them to run, but they didn't. By the time you'd regained your footing, the figure in black had caught up to you. You turned to face them, putting your kids behind you.
The figure didn't even hesitate. Their blade came up, and across, and all went black.
==>
Ending Five: FailureEventually the voices faded away, leaving you in the shed. Perhaps they had all gone, perhaps not.
(if: (history:) contains "Shed")[(set: $awareness = $awareness + 1)
From what you could see, all of the soldiers had left. You couldn't be sure, but it certainly looked like this was your best chance.
](else:)[[[Peek outside->Shed]]]
[[You ran for the landowner's manor->Manor Chase]]
[[You ran for the woods->Forest Three]](set: $injuries to $injuries + 3)
You quietly opened the shed door, peeking out. The group of soldiers stood nearby, their backs turned to you. But as you slipped through the door, attempting to dart behind the shed before they could see you, the hinges squeeked softly. You moved fast, but the soliders moved faster. One of them, apparently the leader, given that their armor had red stitching rather than the pure black of the others, launched a throwing knife in your direction. It caught in your calf as you pulled around the back of the shed.
Crying out, you pulled the knife from your calf and kept going, limping away from the town. Luckily, the blade hadn't pierced too deeply, and your leg still worked -- more or less.
Behind you, the soldiers came around the shed.
[[You ran for the landowner's manor->Manor One]]
[[You ran for the woods->Capture Ending]]You stumbled into the manor, tripping over the threshold and slamming the door behind you.
(if: $awareness > 2)[(if: (history:) contains "Manor One")[
You slammed the door bolt down onto the door. Hopefully that would hold them.(set: $threshold to $threshold + 3)](else:)[[[You see the door bolt in the corner->Manor One]]]]
[[You looked around->Look around]]
[[You ran deeper into the manor->Manor Two]]You couldn't make it to the woods. At least you knew that your children had made it out as the woman in red and black slashed her blade across your back. Falling forward, you landed facedown in the dirt, staring up at the trees that had always seemed so close to town, yet now felt so far. Then the woman drove a sword into your lungs, and everything went dark.
==>
Ending Six: Captured and KilledYou knew you couldn't do it. There was no way you were going to manage to go back into that town. Besides, it was probably too late already. You couldn't help anyone if they were all dead, which they almost certainly were.
[[You gave up->Escape Ending]]As you ran, the soldiers caught sight of you and gave chase.
(set: $threshold to $threshold + 1)
[[You kept running->Manor One]]You pretended not to notice her, frantically digginng through the ruins. Perhaps she would have mercy.
No such luck. She came up behind you, and put her sword through your back.
==>
Ending One: Death(set: $awareness to $awareness + 1)
There was nothing else in the entryway that could help you. You had to keep going.
[[You ran deeper into the manor->Manor Two]](set: $threshold to $threshold + 1)
You ran down the hallway, skipping past empty bedrooms and side-passages, trying to find... something.
[[You tried to find a place to hide->Hide Route One]]
[[You tried to find another way out->Run Route One]](set: $threshold = $threshold + 1)(if: $time > $threshold)[
[[They caught you]]](else:)[
You came across a few options: a bedroom or a broom closet.
(if: (history:) contains "Hide Route One")[There was also a passage down to the cellar
[[You ran down into the cellar->Cellar]]]
[[You locked yourself in the bedroom->Bedroom]]
[[You shut yourself in the closet->Closet]]]You came to the back door. This was it: you could probably make it to the treeline from here, so long as they weren't too close.
(if: $awareness > 2)[(if: (history:) contains "Run Route One")[
And now you were armed. Even if they came, you were ready. (set: $armed to true)](else:)[You saw a bow lying next to the door, along with a quiver of arrows. (set: $awareness to $awareness + 1)
[[You picked them up ->Run Route One]]]]
[[You ran for it->Run Route Two]](if: $time > $threshold)[
You heard your pursuers moving around upstairs.]
You leaped down the stairs, several at a time, down into the cellar. When you reached the bottom, you found a barren stone room with a door set in the wall at the far end.
[[You tried the door->Basement Room]]
[[You returned upstairs->Hide Route One]](set: $threshold = $threshold + 1)(if: (history:) contains "Bedroom")[After shoving the bed in front of the door, you rolled underneath it, holding onto the bottom.
[[You waited]]](else:)[You rushed into the bedroom, locking the door behind you. Yet something told you just locking the door wouldn't be enough.
(if: $injuries < 2)[
[[You blocked the door with furniture->Bedroom]]](else:)[
[[You hid under the bed]]]](set: $threshold = $threshold + 1)(if: $awareness > 3)[
(if: (history:) contains "Closet")[You secured the door as best you could. However, this meant you were trapped inside now. (set: $barricade to true)](else:)[You noticed some boards, nails, and a hammer in the corner.
[[Barricade the door->Closet]]]](else:)[
[[You left the closet again->Hide Route One]]]
[[You waited->Broom Closet Ending]](set: $threshold = $threshold + 1)(if: $barricade)[Within minutes they were banging on the door, but your reinforcements held. Hours passed, and they had gone. You pried the boards off, and made your way back into the forest.
[[You ran away->Escape Ending]]](else:)[Within minutes the door was forced open, and a woman in heavy leather armor bust through. You didn't even have time to cry out before she slit your throat.
==>
Ending One: Death]As you ran across the field, you heard them shout. Looking back, you saw three of the women in black coming up behind you. They were faster.
(if: $armed)[[[You took the shot->Shoot]]](else:)[[[You ran harder->Slow]]](if: $awareness > 4)[
[[You hit]]](else:)[
[[You missed]]]You weren't fast enough to get away. The three women came up behind you, wrestled you to the ground, and slit your throat.
==>
Ending One: DeathYour shot caught the woman in the center dead in the chest, and she fell. Yet the other two didn't so much as flinch, and before long they caught you, wrestling you to the ground and knocking you out.
(if: $female)[[[You woke up several hours later->Harbinger]]](else:)
[[[You never woke up->Male Death]]][[You kept running->Slow]](set: $threshold to 13) (set: $children to false)
So you want to know what happened during the Harbinger Resurgence? And yet you're too lazy to read the full report. Fine, I'll tell you a story. During my travels, I spoke to many people who had heard of the Harbingers - but only a few who had met them. We'll see if you're clever enough to be one of the survivors.
To start, I'll give you a choice:
[[You were a man->Ready One]]
[[You were a woman->Ready Two]](set: $female to false) Very well then.
Imagine you're a man from a small village. This is your story.
[[Begin->Coming Home]](set: $female to true) Very well then.
Imagine you're a woman from a small village. This is your story.
[[Begin->Coming Home]]When you awoke, you found yourself in the soldier's camp. They gave you an offer: since you killed one of their own, they would take you for training. You had nothing left here anyway, they told you. If you joined them, you'd be given food, shelter, and a purpose until your death. If you refused, they'd kill you here and now.
[[You accepted]]
[[You refused]]Since you were a man, the Harbingers had no use for you. If it had been a woman to kill their sister, they might have considered taking you for training. As it was, you weren't worth anything to them. And so they killed you.
==>
Ending Eight: No Men AllowedYou agreed to the Harbingers' offer, and became their newest Auxiliary. You were stripped of your name, your home, your life, and everything else you ever knew and were thrown into a whirlwind of training and pillaging, fighting all day every day. Before long, the constant battle and the older Harbingers' psychological tortures had turned you hollow. You followed orders, killing when you were told to kill and sleeping when you were told to sleep.
Eventually, there would come a day when another woman, coming home from a disappointing hunt, would find you ransacking her home...
==>
Ending Nine: HarbingerYou turned down their offer. The woman in red and black nodded, nocking an arrow. You closed your eyes, and awaited your execution. Before long, it was over.
==>
Ending One: DeathWithin minutes, the women chasing you were at the door. They broke the lock, but couldn't force the door open. Eventually, they gave up and moved on. You waited for hours to make sure they had gone.
[[Then you ran->Escape Ending]]Within minutes, the women chasing you broke through the door and entered the bedroom. Unfortunately for you, they thought to look under the bed.
==>
Ending One: Death(if: (history:) contains "Basement Room")[The door closed with a final /click/ behind you. When you tried it again, you couldn't open it from your side. You couldn't see anything, either.
[[Try to escape->Trapped Ending]]](else:)[The door was unlocked, but it was pitch black inside.
[[Go in anyway->Basement Room]]
[[Return upstairs->Hide Route One]]]Hours passed, and your pursuers never came into the cellar or tried the door. Days passed, and still it remained locked. Eventually, you starved in the darkness.
==>
Ending Seven: Trapped(if: $children)[You pushed your children behind you and stood to face the women. One of them, the one with red thread on the seams of her armor, stepped forward, bringing her blade up in swift arc. You braced yourself for death.
[[The flat of the blade connected with your temple->Captured]]](else:)[You got ready to fight, even though you'd never fought an actual soldier before. As one of the women stepped forward, drawing her sword, you realized just how inadequate your fists would be in this fight. As the blade came toward your head, you braced yourself for death.
[[The flat of the blade connected with your temple->Captured]]]You weren't fast enough making your way through the house, and the soldiers caught you. You weren't aware that they caught you, though. You just heard a noise, and then an arrow sprouted from your back.
==>
Ending One: Death