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[> Ask her what this place is and why she is trying to break into it.]

> Ask her what this place is and why she is trying to break into it.

You glance up at the looming tower, then step closer to the door to shelter from the rain.

"So, what exactly is this place?" -you ask. "And why are you trying to break in?"

Shoshana smirks at you. She still has that same smile and that same glow in her eyes you recall from your shared youth. She's on an adventure.

"You don't know? Really? And here I thought you'd become an all-around proper Autumnscreek local by now!" She nods her head at the door. "This is the home of the mayor of Autumnscreek, one mister Lucas Leimer, who happens to be very surely not here tonight. Remember what I said about a big payday when we talked? This place is it, sis! We can make it big, and we can do it together!"

She sounded especially excited about that last part.

"I pulled some strings for us and got it on good authority there is a safe inside, somewhere. Probably in an office or a work room or something like that. We find it, open it, and we'll be far gone before anyone ever finds out!" She looks at you with those bright eyes of hers, as if expecting something.

[> Signal back with the signal you and Shoshana use. Then turn off headlight and approach.]

> Signal back with the signal you and Shoshana use. Then turn off headlight and approach.

You respond to the side-to-side wave of a light by tilting your head up and down, your beam of light bisecting the ghost-image of that light flash in your eyes. It's the way you used to spot and recognize one another as kids, back when you were spending time at the summer cabin and hiking in the woods with the family. With a click of a button you turn off your headlamp once more and walk across the flat, even ground until you reach the tall building ahead.

It has gotten very dark. You can no longer make out the shades of fading red in the distant sky, as clouds drown out what little light remains.



A familiar figure, clad in a raincoat quite similar to your own, awaits you under a narrow awning that provides some cover from the rain, with a box of tools sitting on the ground beside her.

"I was almost getting ready to go in on my own!" -Shoshana calls out, flashing a friendly smile your way. "Good to see you, sis. And, um- I'm really glad you came out. Wasn't quite sure you would, to be honest."

She looks like she's about to say something more, but instead she simply smiles your way.

[> Turn off your car's headlights and enter the area behind the gate]

> Turn off your car's headlights and enter the area behind the gate

You step back to your car, reach in through the open door and turn the ignition off, as well as turn the knob to turn off the lights. You pocket your car keys to be safe, after you close and lock the driver side door. That's better.

With your car secure you walk to the gate and easily hop over it, landing in the wet gravel on the other side. Ahead of you the open ground, seemingly all gravel, extends for what looks like a little over a hundred meters, though in the weather the tall structure ahead seems further away.



> Turn on your headlamp

You grab the headlamp from your pocket, strap it to your head and press the nice, clicky and waterproofed button to turn it on. It casts a beam of illumination ahead of you, allowing you to feel more confident in your step as you move over the gravel surface.



> Carefully approach the tall structure

You start to walk towards the structure in the distance. As you get a little closer you start to better make out its shape and curious colouring, seemingly consisting of alternating squares of dark and light colours.



Then, from the darkness, a bright light flashes your way and waves side to side a few times before going dark again.

@WHAM Would you like me to move the thread over to the Adventure Related board? It's an adventure game after all, and it might be noticed by more people over there.

@cat
I don't mind where the thread is located. To me it seems like a shared activity, so the competitions & activities board seemed logical. This is also where past projects of similar nature were located. If you think it'd be better somewhere else, feel free to move it around.

[> Take tire iron]

> Take tire iron

You pick up the cross-shaped tire iron. It feels cold and heavy in your hand.
Lacking a backpack or any other solid method of carrying the thing, you decide to keep it in your hand for now. You feel a little safer than you did a moment ago. In case a horde of angry ducks rushes you, you might stand a chance now!


> Inspect the fence and gate

You move away from Soshana's car and approach the fence and gate to inspect them. The gate is a simple metal bar on a pivot, locked in place with an equally simple padlock. It doesn't look very challenging to pick or even break.

The fence itself seems designed to diver wildlife, like deer or foxes, away. It's quite climbable for a human and there is no barbed wire or any other visible nastiness. It's probably not electrified either. Probably.

[> Carefully open the the trash bag and hope it does not contain anything bad.]

> Carefully open the the trash bag and hope it does not contain anything bad.

The black bag is shiny and glistens with the raindrops falling over it beneath the open lid of the trunk. You reach down to the bulging sack to find it feels cool to the touch and somewhat soft, despite looking rather bulging and stuffed. Carefully you peel open the pieces of tape holding its mouth shut.



The wind picks up and scatters pieces of paper that look like cheap paper towels from a dispenser all around you. You'd sensed a faint smell of motor oil before, but now the stench truly makes itself known, forcing you to turn your head and draw a deep breath before the wind disperses the stench. The papers that flew out are all soiled with dark brown and black stains to some degree, while most of them seem so completely soaked that they are too heavy for the wind to actually move.

The escaped papers do not make it far as the rainwater soaks them and pins them to the gravel or grass.

Hopefully someone will clean this mess up.

[> Look inside your sister's glove compartment.]

> Look inside your sister's glove compartment.

You reach into Soshana's car and open the glove compartment. There is a single piece of paper on it, which looks a lot like a speeding ticket. Besides that, there is only a small carboard box for lightbulbs for the car's headlights.

> Check ground for footprints or other signs of where Shoshana went.

You examine the ground. It's not easy to see anything clearly, as the gravel does not take up footprints very well. As for the dips in the mushy grass, you're not sure if any of the watery depressions are fresh, but there are several scattered all around.



> Pop the trunk.

You consider showing off your lockpicking skills again, but decide that doing the same sort of lock a second time in ten minutes and with no audience around is not worth your time or effort. You tug on the trunk release latch and step back to inspect the contents. Inside you find a tire iron and a bunch of bolts scattered on the floor of the trunk, another plastic jug of motor oil, and a large black trash bag that has been tied shut.

[> Try to pick the lock of the door.]

> Try to pick the lock of the door.

You pull out your trusty multitool, which you've customized out of old habit to make it looks bog standard at a glance, while containing a set of extra picks that you can pull out and use as needed, along with all the regular blades and such.

The relatively simple lock on the car door is easy enough to get through and the door pops open after just a couple minutes of tinkering.

The interior of the red car is much like your own, except far less tidy. Crumpled up soda cans litter the passenger side footwell, along with a bottle of brake fluid and a plastic jug of motor oil, and various bits of trash cover the dashboard and seats.

You feel a little guilty for breaking into your sister's car.

[> inspect sister's car. Try opening the doors and popping the trunk.]

> inspect sister's car. Try opening the doors and popping the trunk.

You step over to your sister's car and examine it. It's definitely familiar, and there is little mistaking the empty soda cans and other assorted trash that has accumulated in the footwells and on the passenger seats. There is definitely nobody inside, but she must be somewhere nearby. Despite having very little interest in the collection of trash visible through the windows, you tug on the door handles only to find the doors are firmly locked with relatively simple locks. For good measure you move to the back and test the trunk, but that is similarly locked.

> call sister's name

ERROR: uknown variable 'sister's name'. Please define a name.

[> Turn lights back on, then exit car and inspect surroundings.]

> Turn lights back on, then exit car and inspect surroundings.

You decide that seeing things is valuable, after all, and turn on the headlights on your car once more. They cast a beam of illumination across the open field ahead of you, and once more reveal the distant shape of a tall structure off in the distance. You unbuckle your seatbelt and crack open the driver side door.



The rain falling on your bright yellow raincoat is almost deafening at first, much more intense than it had been inside the muffled confines of the car. You close the car door so as not to let the seat get soaked by the rain, though you can still see the illuminated dashboard inside and hear the rumble of the idling engine.

You are surrounded by a field of felled trees. The grass and minor vegetation around the stumps has been seemingly flattened by heavy wind and rain. The road underneath your shoes is gravel and ahead of you the gravel seems to extend out into a broad field of the stuff, though the rain and darkness makes it difficult to be sure. You are quite sure the car parked beside your own must belong to your sister, though there is no immediate sign of her presence.

Introspective: You were always the calmer one, the more collected and organized in your actions. She was more rash and prone to not thinking ahead, so wandering off would not be unusual for her.

Being out here, in the storm, under the wide open sky, somehow makes you feel small and insignificant.

[offtopic]I evaded it for a long time, but Covid finally caught up with me and I've been running a high fever since monday, hence this post is a couple days later than I intended. I'll try to keep delays to a minimum, though.[/offtopic]

[> Look for footprints or other clues in the muddy grass on either side of the road.]

> Look for footprints or other clues in the muddy grass on either side of the road.

You peer out of the window of your car. The headlights provide you with a solid bit of visibility to the front of your car, but the darkness and rain don't help your cause. Despite your raincoat you're not all that keen on diving out into the weather to poke around in the dirt without clear instructions to EXIT your vehicle first.

The ground is uneven, the road you are on is gravel and the grass and soil appear mushy with the rain. It's impossible to make out any kinds of tracks, save for the depressions left by the car tyres of the two vehicles.

> Search red car's trunk and interior (if accessible)

You are quite certain you'd need to EXIT your car first to search the familiar-looking red car. Through the windows you can see a few loose pieces of trash on the dashboard of the red car, and you think the driver's sideview mirror might be held on by some duct tape.



> Turn off my car's lights

You reach down and flick the switch to turn off the lights of your car, plunging the surrounding area into sudden and near-complete darkness, as the heavy rainclouds block any suggestions of illumination from the sky above.

Good thing Grues aren't real. Ha-ha! ...right?


[offtopic]I am arbitrarily limiting the input to three commands of less per post, depending on situation, and as long as the commands do not contradict. If multiple commands have the same amount of votes, I will pick the one that was posted first among them.[/offtopic]

[> Perform a visual inspection of the surrounding area.]

> Perform a visual inspection of the surrounding area.

You arrive at what appears to be the end of the road for now. The road is closed off by a simple gate and what looks like a padlock glinting in the headlights. A simple wire fence extends out away from the gate, seeming more like a way to deter wild animals than to keep people from getting in, considering the simple nature of the road gate. It has gotten quite dark and the rain has not let up, limiting visibility considerably. Past the gate the road only seems to go on for a short bit, after which the landscape opens up to a wide open field that goes on for quite some time, though there is a tall structure up ahead, of which you can just make out the silhouette of.

> Get the pen from the glovebox.

You reach into the glovebox and slip the ballpoint pen into your pocket for safekeeping, then peer out the windows at the surrounding area.

> Approach and inspect the other car.

That other car looks familiar to you. Your sister wanted one just like yours when she got old enough to drive, but hers needed to be in red. She couldn't really afford one, but your parents helped her out and she got her way eventually, though from the look of things it hasn't been well tended to. Some bumps and scrapes and off-colour panels speak of both previously done repairs and much needed ones still pending. There doesn't seem to be anyone inside the car, though.

[> Open the glovebox and check what's in it]

> Open the glovebox and check what's in it

You peer into the glovebox. It contains a dusty copy of the owner's manual for the car, a thick tome of glossy pages you've never even opened, and a few assorted cassette tapes of music, some of which you actually bought with your own money. You also find a ballpoint pen that may or may not be in working condition after having been stored in the glovebox for a year or two. You're not sure where it came from. It might have been there when you bought the car used.

> Remember what you have been told about this forest. Check gas gauge.

You try to recall details of the woodland areas surrounding the town. To the north and to the east the town is mostly surrounded by dense wooded hills and valleys, with a few small creeks and rivers running southward to the lowland areas there. The south is mostly farmland now. To the west of the town, across a bridge, was to be a vast industrial zone for all sorts of newfangled production, but from what you can recall those plans never quite came to pass and construction was never finished on most of the projects there. You think one of the buildings produces fishing lures in there.

You started off headed east, with three quarters of your tank of gas remaining, though your latest turn is taking you roughly north by north-east now. A sign by the side of the road reads "Airfield", though that has been crossed out, with an added sign saying "Private property - Keep out".

The trees grow sparse, and most are cut down. It feels more open out here, more spacious now that you're getting away from the trees, of which merely their stumps remain. You see a parked car ahead, its lights turned off. It looks familiar to you.


(Sorry for the delay in posting this one. I've got my home internet connection routed through a VPN and apparently the new forum doesn't like that very much and is blocking me as a suspected spammer. Thus I'm making this post from my workplace. )

[> Slow down just enough to make sure to safely arrive at the meeting point]

> Slow down just enough to make sure to safely arrive at the meeting point

You drop your speed down to something more manageable, making a mental note to drive more carefully from now on. You find the left turn your map had indicated, though instead of the wide two-lane road the map indicated you find a narrow single lane road instead. You recall a mention that the roads out here were never quite finished, with projects being downscaled as local industry and jobs were lost.



> Wonder...

You feel indebted to your sister, though you're not sure if that's quite the same as trusting her. She was always adventurous, and took to the idea of some relatively harmless crime with about as much ease you had when you were younger and lived far away from here. She also kept you sane in the few years you spent in prison after getting caught, writing, calling and visiting. Nobody else did, after all.

You're sure she wouldn't try to lead you into a trap. She wouldn't want anything bad for you. Most likely she felt tonight would be a way of making up for past mistakes, of helping you get back on your feet and be more secure financially. Or maybe she just missed the thrills and excitement of old times? Missed seeing you? She wouldn't have travelled across the country unless she had a good reason, after all.

Besides: you're sure you've missed her.

The narrow road crosses a small bridge, its edges indicated by bumps in the road. The jolt of going over causes the car stereo to briefly crackle, then resume.

He's the one.
Who likes all our pretty songs.
And he likes to sing along.
And he likes to shoot his gun.

The heavy rain beats down on the windshield, and the road underneath feels soft and mushy, the thick layer of water making it difficult to steer. The more controlled speed has you feeling more secure, though. You're not about to crash. Less than a mile now, and you'll be there.

[> Keep going for the agreed-upon meeting point.]

> Keep going for the agreed-upon meeting point.

> Reminisce of past adventures with your sister, while listening to Nirvana's Nevermind album.

The left turn for Ol' Rogers flashes past you, quickly vanishing in the rearview mirror.
You reach for the glovebox and pick out a cassette tape. Your sister's handwriting on the piece of masking tape says 'Nivarna'. The tape slides into the stereo. With a click and a hiss the music begins to play.

Load up on guns.
Bring your friends.
It's fun to lose and to pretend~

You move your lips with the words, silently singing along.

This was the first album you listened to after you got out of prison. She got away with it all for being too young, just fourteen when the two of you got caught breaking and entering. While you tinkered with locks and picks, she was careless and curious and tripped an alarm. You covered for her, to make sure she didn't get into trouble, and she promised she'd learned a lesson back then.

Never again.

You moved out here to regroup, to get your life in order, to work a nice job and, maybe, find someone nice. Settle down. Forget about that dark chapter in your life.

And yet here you are. Again.

All it took was one phone call and the promise of a big payday.

You smile as you recall how she told you this would be 'practically risk free'. You told her that, word for word, back when she was fourteen.

The heavy rain beats down on the windshield, and the road underneath feels slick. Just a few more miles and you'll be there.

[> Head out to meet your sister]

> Head out to meet your sister

She was supposed to call you before she headed out, but the phone in the living room has been dead silent all night. Maybe she went on ahead without you? Maybe she forgot to call in her excitement?
Whatever the case, she might be out there alone. She's probably waiting for you, or hoping you won't show up so she can have all the fun, and that won't do.

You pocket your items, grab your raincoat and head outside. A minute later your car rumbles beneath you as you roll down the street, heading toward the edge of the small town. Ahead awaits your destination, the meeting point you and your sister agreed to meet at: a road junction some five miles past a 24 hour service and rest stop the locals call 'Ol' Roger's'.

The heavy rain beats down on the windshield, and the road underneath feels slick, as you head out deeper into the lightless night.

[> Take headlamp, multi purpose tool and map]

> Take headlamp, multi purpose tool and map

You set the pair of your most trusted objects on the table before you and give them the same examination you've done many times before. The long-life batteries in the waterproof headlamp are fully charged. The rust-proof multitools many blades are sharpened and the hinges that allow it to unfold for its many uses are recently oiled. Heavier equipment would just slow you down and make you too clumsy for your own good. This is good.

The map you are less familiar with, but it's necessary since you just recently moved into town. It's a little faded from its time in the local shop window, but clearly readable, and also waterproof, since it was designed for hikers and campers to take with them. On its front it has a wider area map of the town you are in and its surroundings out to a considerable range. On the reverse is a more detailed street map of the town itself. The name of the town is printed in the top: "Autumnscreek".
You find your own address on Heartwood Street, a single house on a small plot of land near the edge of town, in a cheap, sparsely built residential area. You orient yourself with the map, and form a clear plan of which way you need to head to get started.

You instinctively tap your pockets to make sure you have the keys to your home, as well as your car keys. All is in place. It'll be a bit of a ride, but that's never been an issue. And besides...

(?) SOMEONE is waiting for you out there. WHO is this person to you?

Valid suggestions for the current prompt so far:
> Take infinity gauntlet
> Take headlamp ( instead of flashlight)
> Take multi purpose tool
> Take map
> Take rubber chicken with a pulley in it

To perhaps ease what seems a bit like people being afraid of making mistakes early on, I shall say this: you cannot make mistakes during the prologue chapter.
There are no truly wrong answers.

Do raincoat and shoes count as two of the three possible items?

Sensible clothing counts as zero items.

> Take keys.
So you can lock up after you leave. Don't want bad guys breaking in while you're gone.

Keys also count as zero items.

[> Examine room]

> Examine room
> Examine me
> Examine inventory

You examine the room you are in. It's a room in your home, the kitchen, a part of the place you live in. There are other rooms, of course. You know them well and they are familiar to you.
A table sits before you, nestled against the kitchen window, looking out into the rainstorm and the darkening horizon.

You are you. You wear clothes that feel comfortable to you, and you carry various small items with you. Footwear and protection from the rain are, of course, available to you. It rains often so you are prepared for the weather.

This is your way of preparing. Your ritual of introspection. Self-examination. Confirming your surroundings and grounding yourself in the here and the now.

Trait gained: INTROSPECTIVE

Your little ritual completed, you feel more ready to head outside. It will be dark soon, so you feel like you shouldn't spend too much time here.
It is time to gather your things, the items you rely on and trust. That feel right to carry with you into the night. You can select three ITEMS from your home to take with you. They can be any items.

(?) What ITEMS will you take with you before you head out?