Du sade:
Investigate the box. Look for traps
ChatGPT sade:
You crouch beside the lockbox, running your fingers carefully along its edges. The metal is cold, slightly dented from the crash, but there are no visible markings or wires that suggest a trap. The lock itself is sturdy but simple—nothing a skilled hand couldn’t pick.
Lifting it gently, you note that it has some weight to it. Whatever’s inside wasn’t taken in the attack.
The woods remain eerily silent, the mist curling around your ankles.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Pick the lock
ChatGPT sade:
You take out your lockpicking tools and get to work. The mechanism is simple but well-made—nothing too difficult for a practiced hand.
Roll a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check.
Du sade:
14
ChatGPT sade:
With a few careful twists of your tools, the lock clicks open. The lid creaks as you lift it, revealing the contents inside:
- A leather-bound ledger, its pages filled with handwritten notes and trade records.
- A small velvet pouch containing 15 gold pieces.
- A sealed letter bearing an unfamiliar wax crest—a coiled serpent around a crescent moon.
The ledger might hold clues about Orlan Vess’s last dealings, and the letter could be important. The woods remain unnervingly still, as if watching your every move.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Take the pouch. Open the sealed letter and read it
ChatGPT sade:
You pocket the pouch of gold and carefully break the wax seal on the letter. The parchment is thick, the handwriting precise and formal.
Orlan Vess,
Your shipment must arrive on time. The client is not patient, nor forgiving. Any delays will be your problem, not mine.
Do not take the main roads. Use the Veilwood path—faster, less attention. Avoid unnecessary stops. If anything goes wrong, do not bring trouble back to me.
Deliver the cargo as agreed, and you’ll be paid in full. Fail, and you’ll wish the forest took you first.
—L
The message is blunt, and the wax seal—a coiled serpent around a crescent moon—might give clues about who sent it. The woods remain silent, thick mist shifting between the trees.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Put the letter in my backpack, careful not to damage the seal. Read the last entry from the ledger.
ChatGPT sade:
You carefully tuck the letter into your pack, keeping the seal as intact as possible. Then, flipping through the ledger, you find the most recent entry. The handwriting is rushed, uneven—different from the earlier, neatly recorded transactions.
"Left Black Hollow at dusk. Avoiding main roads as instructed. Cargo secure, but something feels wrong. The men are uneasy. Wilkes swears he saw shapes moving in the trees. Told him it’s just the mist."
"Second night in the Veilwood. The horses are restless. Something howled far off—didn’t sound like wolves. Found strange markings on a tree this morning. Almost like runes, but not any I recognize."
"Third night. Gods help us. The whispers started after sundown. The men are seeing things in the dark. Wilkes vanished from his watch—no sign of struggle, no tracks. Just gone. We need to leave."
—Entry ends here.
A cold breeze stirs the mist. The wagon lies in ruin, its passengers missing, and the forest remains deathly quiet.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Investigate the supplies. Anything useful?
ChatGPT sade:
You sift through the scattered supplies, searching for anything useful. Most of the cargo is missing, but you manage to find a few intact items:
- 1 Healing Potion (miraculously unbroken in the wreckage)
- A bundle of torches (six in total, still dry despite the damp air)
- A hunting knife (worn but sharp)
- A small wooden idol (carved with strange runes similar to those mentioned in the ledger)
The idol feels oddly warm to the touch, though that could just be your imagination.
As you kneel in the wreckage, the silence of the forest presses in around you. Then—just at the edge of your hearing—a faint whisper.
Not words. Just sound, carried on the wind.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Take the potion, torches and hunting knife. Investigate the idol
ChatGPT sade:
You pocket the potion, torches, and knife before turning your attention to the wooden idol. It's small, roughly the size of your palm, and carved from dark wood. The strange runes etched into it look weathered but deliberate. The craftsmanship is rough, yet something about it feels… purposeful.
As you examine it, a faint warmth lingers in the wood. Then, for the briefest moment, the runes seem to shimmer—like a trick of the light, or maybe something more.
The whispering sound brushes against your ears again, just barely audible. The mist shifts slightly between the trees.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Pocket the idol. Investigate tracks.
ChatGPT sade:
You tuck the idol into your pack and turn your attention to the tracks around the wreckage.
Most of the footprints belong to humans—likely the caravan guards—but they’re scattered, confused. Some lead toward the trees before vanishing completely. Others show signs of a struggle, deep gouges in the dirt as if someone was dragged away.
Then you spot something else—larger prints, deep and irregular. They start as bipedal but shift midway, as if the creature dropped to all fours. The claw marks are long, unnatural. Whatever made these prints was heavy and not human.
The tracks lead away from the road, disappearing into the misty undergrowth. The whispers are gone now, but the silence is worse.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Could the tracks be made by a werewolf?
ChatGPT sade:
You study the tracks carefully, considering the possibilities. The shifting gait—from two legs to four—is a known trait of lycanthropes, and the deep claw marks suggest something powerful. However, something feels off.
- Werewolf tracks tend to resemble large wolf prints even when shifting, but these have an unnatural, erratic pattern.
- The claw marks are longer than what you'd expect from a werewolf—more like talons than lupine claws.
- The ledger mentioned whispers, and werewolves aren’t known for supernatural mind tricks.
Whatever made these tracks might share some traits with lycanthropes, but it’s likely something else—something stranger.
The trail leads deeper into the Veilwood. Following it might give you answers… or put you face-to-face with whatever tore this caravan apart.
What do you do?
Du sade:
Go back to town
ChatGPT sade:
You turn away from the wreckage and begin the trek back to town, keeping a wary eye on the misty treeline. The silence follows you, heavy and unnatural, as if the forest itself is watching.
The journey feels longer than it should, but eventually, the wooden palisades of Black Hollow come into view. The familiar sounds of distant hammering and muffled conversation replace the eerie stillness of the Veilwood. You step through the gates, the weight of what you found settling in your mind.
The town is waking up, smoke rising from chimneys, merchants setting up their stalls. You have the ledger, the strange letter, and the carved idol. Clues, but no clear answers.
Where do you go next?
Du sade:
I want to find an expert on strange creatures, maybe a wizard
ChatGPT sade:
The best place to find someone knowledgeable in strange creatures would be The Hollow Archive, a modest library near the town’s central square. While Black Hollow isn’t known for its scholars, the archive’s keeper, Master Varlan, is a retired wizard who has spent decades collecting books on folklore, magic, and the unnatural.
Varlan is a sharp-minded, if somewhat eccentric, old man. If anyone in town knows about the thing that left those tracks, it’s him.
Do you head to the archive?
Du sade:
Yes
ChatGPT sade:
You make your way to The Hollow Archive, a squat stone building nestled between the blacksmith and a weaver’s shop. The wooden sign above the door is faded, but the carved eye symbol—a mark of knowledge seekers—remains clear.
Inside, the scent of old parchment and candlewax fills the air. Rows of bookshelves line the walls, stuffed with tomes, scrolls, and loose pages. At a cluttered desk near the back, an elderly man with wild silver hair and half-moon spectacles scribbles furiously in a massive ledger.
Without looking up, he grumbles, "If you're here for love potions or curses, go bother the hedge witches. If you're here for knowledge, state your business."
What do you do?
Du sade:
Tell him about the remains of the caravan, tracks and the whispers and ask what kind of creature it could be
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan stops writing the moment you mention the whispers. Slowly, he sets his quill down and finally looks at you, his sharp gray eyes narrowing.
"Whispers in the Veilwood… and tracks that shift from two legs to four?" He leans back, rubbing his chin. "That rules out simple beasts. Werewolves? No, they don’t whisper. Ghosts don’t leave claw marks. But there are things that do both."
He stands and shuffles toward a shelf, pulling out a thick, dust-covered tome. Flipping through the pages, he stops at an old, faded illustration—a gaunt, elongated creature with twisted limbs and hollow eyes.
"This could be what you're dealing with—'Hollowborn.' Not quite spirits, not quite beasts. They were once people, lost souls claimed by the Veilwood. The forest doesn’t just kill—it keeps things. Changes them. They say those taken never truly die… just become something else."
He taps the page. "They stalk the woods at night, hunting in silence. The whispers? That’s them… calling to you, pulling you in. The moment you answer, you’re as good as theirs."
He closes the book with a thud and looks at you gravely. "If the Veilwood is stirring again, you’re walking a cursed path, my friend."
What do you do?
Du sade:
"What weaknesses does the Hollowborn have?"
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan exhales sharply, rubbing his temples. "That’s the trouble… Hollowborn don’t die easily. They’re not living, not undead—something in between." He flips a few pages in the tome, tracing a gnarled finger over ancient script.
"Fire can drive them back, but it won’t destroy them. Steel can wound them, but not stop them for long." He looks up. "They say their true weakness is the bond that holds them here—whatever curse twisted them in the first place. If you break that, they unravel."
He taps the book again. "Some scholars believe Hollowborn are tied to places of sorrow, old tragedies that linger in the land. Others think they’re bound to objects—totems that keep them tethered to our world." His gaze lingers on you. "Did you find anything unusual at the wreck?"
What do you do?
Du sade:
Show him the idol
ChatGPT sade:
You pull the wooden idol from your pack and set it on the desk. Varlan’s expression darkens the moment he sees it.
"Where did you find this?" he asks, his voice low.
You explain that it was among the wreckage of Orlan Vess’s caravan. Varlan doesn’t touch it. Instead, he grabs a pair of iron tongs from a drawer and carefully lifts the idol, inspecting the runes.
"These markings… they’re not arcane, not druidic either. This is old magic. Binding magic." He sets the idol down, frowning. "If this was at the site of the attack, it might not be a simple trinket. It could be an anchor—something keeping the Hollowborn tied to this place. Or worse, something calling them."
He looks at you seriously. "If this is what I think it is, destroying it might weaken them. Or… it could make things worse. Magic like this rarely unravels cleanly."
What do you do?
Du sade:
"How can it be destroyed?"
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan sighs, adjusting his spectacles. "Destroying a binding like this isn’t as simple as smashing it. If the magic is strong, breaking the object might just release whatever power is trapped inside."
He flips through another tome, scanning for something. "Ah. Here." He turns the book toward you, showing a passage written in tight, faded script.
"To sever a cursed binding, one must unmake it as it was made—through fire, blood, or the will of the bound."
Varlan taps the page. "Fire is the safest bet. If the magic is weak, it’ll burn like any other wood. If it resists, that means the binding is still strong, and something else is needed." He eyes you. "Blood… that usually means the one who created it, or the one it’s bound to. Either way, risky."
He leans forward. "If you want to be certain, find out where this came from. If Orlan Vess had it, maybe he—or whoever hired him—knew what they were dealing with."
He leans back. "So, what’s your next move?"
Du sade:
"Why did the Hollowborn take the corpses of both humans and mules. Does it eat them?"
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan grimaces. "Eat? No. Not in the way you’re thinking." He drums his fingers on the desk, choosing his words carefully.
"Hollowborn don’t hunger for flesh. They take bodies because they need them. The more they claim, the stronger they become. Some say they hollow out the dead, wear them like shells—others think they use the remains to spread their curse, turning the lost into more of their kind."
He exhales. "If they took both men and beasts, that means they’re growing… or preparing for something." He looks at you seriously. "The longer they go unchecked, the worse this will get."
What do you do?
Du sade:
"Do you know anyone that could help in destroying them?"
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan thinks for a moment, then nods. "You’ll need steel, fire, and someone who doesn’t flinch at things that whisper in the dark."
He counts off on his fingers:
- "Bram, the trapper—you already met him. Knows the woods, knows when to keep quiet. He won’t like it, but if you convince him there’s coin in it, he might help."
- "The Blackhollow Watch. Most are just hired blades, but Captain Edric is a veteran. He’s seen things, fought worse. If you can prove the threat is real, he’ll listen."
- "Then there’s Edda. She’s… odd. Lives on the outskirts, deals in charms and old magic. Some call her a witch, but she knows things about curses that I don’t. If this idol is truly bound to the Hollowborn, she might know how to break it."
He looks at you gravely. "Alone, you’ll be outnumbered. But with the right allies? You might just stand a chance."
Who do you seek out first?
Du sade:
I show Varlan the ledger and letter and ask him what he thinks
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan takes the ledger first, scanning the last few entries. His frown deepens as he reads about the caravan’s final nights—the unease, the strange runes, the whispers.
"They knew something was wrong," he mutters. "But they didn’t turn back. Either they were desperate… or too afraid of their employer to risk it."
Then he takes the letter, carefully unfolding it. His eyes narrow at the coiled serpent and crescent moon seal.
"This symbol… I’ve seen it before." He taps a finger on the wax. "It belongs to a group that deals in rare, often dangerous, goods. Smugglers, relic hunters, sometimes worse. If Orlan Vess was working for them, then whatever he was carrying wasn’t just coin and trade goods."
He looks at you. "The client mentioned in this letter—'L'—is the real question. If they wanted this idol moved, they either knew what it was… or they didn’t, and they made a terrible mistake."
Varlan leans back, thoughtful. "This gives you leverage. Captain Edric won’t ignore a smuggler’s trail in his territory. If you can track down who hired Orlan, you might get answers before the Hollowborn grow too strong."
What do you do?
Du sade:
Ask Varlan: "Are the Hollowborn sensitive to sunlight, holy water or silver?"
ChatGPT sade:
Varlan shakes his head. "Sunlight? No. Unlike true undead, Hollowborn don’t burn in daylight. They prefer the dark, but they can endure the sun if they must."
He taps the desk. "Holy water? That depends. If they were born of a curse or dark magic, consecrated water might weaken them—but it won’t destroy them outright like it would a wraith or vampire."
Then, he hesitates at your last question. "Silver… now that’s interesting. Lycanthropes, undead, fey-born curses—many unnatural things recoil from silver because it represents purity, resistance to corruption." He adjusts his spectacles. "If the Hollowborn are bound to something twisted, silver might disrupt them. A silvered weapon wouldn’t be a wasted investment."
He folds his arms. "If you plan to fight them, take fire, steel, and silver. And if you can, find the source of the curse—because until that’s broken, they’ll keep coming back."
What do you do?
Du sade:
Go to captain Edric
ChatGPT sade:
You make your way to Black Hollow's watch barracks, a sturdy timber building near the western gate. Inside, the scent of oiled leather and metal fills the air as a few off-duty guards sharpen blades and dice for coin.
At the back of the room, Captain Edric leans over a table, studying a map. He’s a broad-shouldered man in his late forties, his face lined with experience. His dark hair is streaked with gray, and a heavy longsword rests at his hip. As you approach, he glances up with sharp, assessing eyes.
"You’re the outsider asking about Vess’s caravan, aren’t you?" He leans back in his chair. "Word travels fast in a small town. What did you find?"
What do you do?
Du sade:
"Who told you I was asking about the caravan?"
ChatGPT sade:
Edric smirks slightly. "You think I don’t keep ears on the town? The bartender at The Hollow Cask mentioned you were sniffing around. Then Bram stopped by this morning, looking uneasy. Said you came to him with questions about the woods."
He folds his arms. "I make it my business to know when trouble’s coming. So, I’ll ask again—what did you find?"
What do you do?
Du sade:
"I found the caravan, it has been attacked by Hollowborn. All humans and mules were killed and dragged away. "
ChatGPT sade:
Edric's expression hardens. "Hollowborn." He exhales sharply, rubbing his jaw. "Damn it. I was hoping the rumors were just that."
He stands, pacing slightly. "I've heard stories—vanishings near the Veilwood, travelers going missing. But a full attack on a caravan? That means they’re getting bolder." He stops and looks at you. "You’re certain? Tracks, signs—everything points to Hollowborn?"
His tone has shifted. He’s not dismissing you—he’s weighing the danger.
What do you do?
Du sade:
"I talked to Varlan, he is sure"
ChatGPT sade:
Edric exhales through his nose, nodding. "If Varlan says it’s Hollowborn, I believe it. The old man knows his monsters."
He turns to the map on the table, tracing a finger along the Veilwood’s edge. "If they’re strong enough to take down a caravan, it won’t stop here. Travelers, hunters… even the town could be next." He looks back at you. "You’re not just telling me this for conversation. What do you want?"
What do you do?