The Wildman
The day wears on…
Halfway through a stretch of sandy, silty bog, we notice a figure following us: a small, nude man, his eyes overgrown with hair. When we see that his intentions are peaceful, we offer him food. But he refuses, instead grunting in a language we cannot understand.
Confused, we continue to walk, the wild man following behind. Before we have even gone half a mile, a great snake bursts from the reeds, lunging for us. We freeze, terrified — but the man, uttering a cry, darts forward. Seizing the snake, he sinks his teeth into its flesh, biting the creature near in half.
As the beast drops to the ground, the man points to the snake. “Wild,” he grunts. Then, pointing to himself, he says: “Wild.”
His meaning is clear: to survive in the wilds, one must become wild.
The Challenge
The Wildman is trying to teach the party a lesson. Channel the beast within you.
The party seals their lips.
Clockwise starting with the Reader, travellers take it in turns to make the most feral, primal noise they can conjure. This could be a roar, a cry, a laugh, a bark, or something else entirely. There is only one rule: they must keep their mouth entirely closed.
If a traveller opens their mouth while performing, the game ends.
After everyone has taken their turn, travellers count to three. On the count of zero, each traveller votes for the traveller they thought sounded most primal. Travellers cannot vote for themselves.
Success. If one traveller has gained a majority of the votes, the Challenge is passed.
Failure. If a traveller opens their mouth while performing, or the vote is split, the party failed to impress the Wildman. The Challenge is failed.
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If the Challenge is passed, the traveller with the most votes wins the Blessing of the Wildman.
If the Challenge is failed, the party suffers the Curse of the Wildman. If this is the party's third Curse, click here.
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When a spirit is displeased by the party, it will lay its Curse upon them. Curses have dire consequences. The more Curses a party gathers, the more lives will be claimed in the Heart of the Wood. Furthermore, if a party incurs three Curses, the Wood's spirits will reject them and they will be forced to flee for their lives, ending the game.
When you incur a Curse, place it in a designated area of the table so that all travellers are aware of it.
As we grunt and squeal amongst ourselves, we turn to judge our companion’s reaction. But the man is gone. Only the snake’s corpse remains, sinking gently into the mud of the Mire.