I have no idea why I wrote this. All I can say in my defense is that it seemed like a good idea at the ti--wait no that's a lie, I said, repeatedly that this was stupid and shameful every time I mentioned working on it.

The truth is I needed to publish something before the end of the year and there is CLEARLY a burning need for wolf stories in the psyche of children using the internet. But then they write them badly, or make their wolves behave like clans of cats. So here is a simple straightfoward story of a young wolf leaving his pack in search of a better life. Maybe no one will ever feel the need to write another one now, or if nothing else maybe this will give them ideas for how to do it in slightly more minimum-standards-meeting ways.

Final conclusion however is that writing about some dumb animal with no agency is not something I'd recommend.

If you don't know what this is for, then it isn't for you.

A short, educational piece. Please remain sensitive and respectful in the comment section. (I'd hate to have to report you to an admin for bullying me.)

(DO NOT READ if you're at all easily offended or lacking in a sense of humor. There's nothing graphic at all in here, but seriously, I still cannot stress it enough, this story is not for you.)



Dedicated to the good people of COG.

You awaken in a dream far worse than the previous one. In this dream, you shall play the villain, perhaps... (Your Shadowcraft skill has increased by 9)

Oh, we were going to do that anyway.

> visit the thief [&] ENCOUNTER: THE CONDIGN KEY The thief holds court in some shady dive by the warfs, where drunken scum drink bilgey grog from chipped glasses. She is old, with hands worn rough and nobbly from too much pickpocketing. They say she was the most gifted thief in the Thieves' Guild, until they kicked her out. There are nasty rumors about competition with the portly guildmaster himself. ...at any rate, she now has grander plans, and you can help. "In the lava tubes below the city of Zapirtaz are treasures beyond belief." She whispers. "Diamonds in great abundance, kept safe by the Condign cartel. We're going to steal them...one last job before I retire. A capstone to a glorious career. This will be a complicated operation, but with the dreamer on my side, how could I fail?" She describes the first step of a twisty plot. "The cartel's vault-locks cannot be picked. Each ten-ton door can only be opened by a small silver key, kept in the possession of a courier. I'll need you to steal that, while I make other arrangements." She direct you to a small sea road, by the wharfs, where the courier will travel this very night. You dutifully lie in wait, and sure enough, the courier appears...a sallow, sunken-eyed, spidery man who travels under heavy guard of course. They cluster about him in dark armor that does not clank in the deep night. You can see the silver key sparkling on a golden keyring at the courier's hip... You can STEAL the key (Shadowcraft)(CHANCEY) ...or you can MAGIC it right into your hands (Dreamcraft)(DAUNTING) > steal You lie in wait by the roadside until the courier's keyring is within your grasp. Then, you snake your hand forward and attempt to obtain the key. You lift it lightly from his belt. It might be hours before he even realizes it is gone. A few hours later, you present the key to the thief. She rewards you with a small fee for your troubles. "There will be much more later." She promises with a wink. You have gained 10 pleasance. She also teaches you a few thieving-tricks. "I need you at your best for the heist ahead." She says. Your Shadowcraft skill has increased by 2!

10 Pleasance and 2 Shadowcraft richer, we learn that crime DOES pay. Although, I think we're just stealing from a cartel here anyway, so it's actually a good act? I think that's how morality works.

> remain here [=] ENCOUNTER: THE DREAM WITHIN THE DREAM During your time here, you fall asleep, of course. ...this is, of course, confusing, as you were already asleep to begin with. You are now in a dream within the dream, and you have considerable control over how that dream will go... 1) Dream up a dream that's better 2) Dream up a dream that's far, far worse

....okay, I have never gotten this event before. I'm gonna need some guidance from the peanut gallery here.

All right, you guys really wanted to do commerce. I ended up losing that last save actually, I left a different program up and it froze my laptop with Adrift still running in the background. No sweat since it's the beginning of the game though, I just quickly went through character creation again and will be more careful going forward. I ended up with 12 Pleasance and zero Fury this time, and the only other thing that's changed is that there's a new place of interested on Zapirtaz. Once we will only be able to explore once we gain more fragments of knowledge however. Since I found a really good deal on figment fruits in the market, I purchased three more, and then went exploring.

[&] ENCOUNTER: THE HEIST A group of your friends, from the waking world, have seen fit to pass you a message: they know of a secret cave nearby, where Bernie Madoff stored his ill-gotten gains. If you wish, you could carry out a heist... Success would mean considerable wealth. Failure, of course, would make you a powerful enemy. You can STEAL the treasure (Shadowcraft)(IMPOSSIBLE) Or find some subtler way to FOOL the guards (Talent)(IMPOSSIBLE) It would be safer to simply LEAVE

...yeah, that's a hard no for now. Maybe another time. The IMPOSSIBLE is in bright red text in the game itself, that ain't happening and I'd just gain unpleasance for failure. We leave and SET SAIL for mighty adventure. ...we can't actually do anything here, as our time in Zap used up our action, but just showing what the game looks like in actual play. (It looks like green text on a black background, hth.) But for future reference, we can return here to either visit the city again or hunt for diamonds later. And of course you can see from the list there that there are many other kinds of precious cargo to collect. Zaptiraz in particular is a good place to sell spices and silks. Our very humble map: ...which I've now taken the liberty of revealing a bit of. Haha, the empire is made of Doo. Anyway, so just looking at our prospects surrounding Condign, here's a list of things we can do: In the Cave Trench we can PLUNDER THE SEA LANE. In the Doo Empire (...teehee...) we can visit a library, or visit a famous thief. The Port of Thrones, now that's one of the important locations you will find in every game. Lots to do here.

The Port of Thrones There is one building, at the end of a long pier, that all explorers know. This is Entham's, a market for particularly discriminating customers, ladies and gentlemen interested in only the finest things the dream can provide...and the strangest. Entham deals in things no one else has the genius, and the courage, to buy and sell. You can VISIT ENTHAM'S. The Port of Thrones is a peaceful and glorious city. Old, and respectable...but boring. Perhaps you could use a little boredom. Perhaps there are adventures, mundane and domestic, that are worth having. You can choose to REMAIN HERE if you like, and temporarily forsake life upon the sea. The cliffs swarm with monks and nuns in white and gray, robes aflutter. Occasionally, you see the golden robes of a bishop or high dreamer. The four godheads reside here, in the mighty cathedrals that ring the cliffs. There are four cathedrals: one to Bajbuk, the widest-awake. One to Cosia, the happiest dreamer. One to Moslimbo, the deepest-sleeper. One to the great goddest Vatiya, the slayer of nightmares. You can ENTER THE SHRINE that connects each cathedral. Dozens of sails in the distance. Strangely-colored. Exotic. A sea lane, and it looks to be a well-traveled one. You can PLUNDER THE SEA LANE.

Moving on, in Choyture Forest we can visit some elves. Climbing the highest reaches of the Aa Mountains, we may hunt for rubies. Saint Nukagum despite its cool name, doesn't have anything for us to do there. The ocean is very big and empty sometimes, that is just the way of things. Oh, and since all of the sailing to scout these areas out has reset the time, there's also the option to revisit Condign to hunt for diamonds or make trouble in Zapirtaz. Lots of options here, but I'm going to bed now so take some time to talk it over among yourselves before giving me your three most desired picks in a nice numbered list.

The Sea You bob on the surface of the sea, somewhere out past the breakers. Water is cool on your naked skin. The sun is warm upon your face. This place is real...so very real...for now anyway. You are now dreaming. You can end the dream at any time by typing WAKE UP. When you do that, this world will end. But why do that now, when there is so much to see and do?

Okay, so given the option to swim straight to my ship, or swim to shore, I go to the shore for two reasons. First, to cut my way through the terrifying SWUNGLE and then go to a bar to chat up the locals. Inside, we find our drinks will be served by a very special guest:

You climb the rickety steps from the beach to the bar. It's a cozy sort of place, with one wall open to the ocean breezes, the whole place smells faintly of sea grass and pipe smoke. A bartender sits behind the bar, shaking up a cocktail for the bar's only patron: a dour old priestess who gazes serenely out on the sea. You notice, also, that the bartender is Hugh Jackman, an arguably-famous individual you recognize from life. Why are you dreaming of them?

Why indeed?

As you survey the scene, the screen door at the far end of the bar opens with a BANG, so loud it nearly stirs you from slumber. A mysterious fellow, clad all in black, enters, and takes up a seat at the far corner of the bar, where shadows and spiderwebs have gathered. His face is wreathed in a cloud of aromatic pipe-tobacco, and he blows another puff of the sticky-sweet substance into the air as he flips three coins to the bartender from a hand far more like a ragged claw than anything human. They plink, one...after...another...into a cup near a sink below the bar. "My friend deserves a drink." He says to the bartender. "Dreamer, Come and talk with me." He says to you. There are three people you can speak to here, and the order is up to you. You can SPEAK TO THE BARTENDER SPEAK TO THE CLERIC Or SPEAK TO THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS

Well I know where I'm going...

You sidle up to the bar. The bartender smiles as only Hugh Jackman can, and makes you a drink. "Courtesy of the fellow in the shadows." The bartender says, pouring out your drink. "It would be rude not to accept, and those that are rude to the man in the shadows come to a bad end...you owe him a lot." You take a sip of your drink, a dark and stormy made by a clearly gifted individual. "Let's talk about happier things." The bartender says. "I'm Hugh Jackman. I've been a bartender, right here, on this beach, for a decade or more. Where's here? You're in ZAPIRTAZ, my friend, the second-largest known city, after ZULTUSK. I've been all over the MAP: I've sailed the sea lanes between ST. COSMO and ST. BELCHIOR, I've seen the mighty temples of the PORT OF THRONES and the even mightier whaling yards of DAEN. I've crossed the TROPIC OF ZIMBARDEE more times than I can count, even seen the islands along the TROPIC OF ZAEL on one occasion. I've fought alongside the men of SCANT, the women of THE CONDIGN ARCHIPELAGO and the gnomes of HEYURUNDESIFROUD...it's been quite a life. Now I just mix drinks for a living. I'm happy to tell you about any of these places. What I can't tell you, though, is what lies beyond them...this is your dream, after all, and much of the world is unknown.

All right so, you get the gist, we can ask about any of these places, and some of them suggest other places to ask about, and it's just a lot so I'm not copying all that. But the main thing to understand is that any of these locations being referenced, these are PERMANENT locations that will exist in any game. Their place on the map may change but they'll still be be found in the same general areas and in relation to each other.

> zapirtaz Hugh Jackman cleans a glass and explains: "Zapirtaz is a city of a million souls, set within a large natural harbor, on the largest island in THE CONDIGN ARCHIPELAGO. It serves as a major trading hub in the southern seas of the dream, its chief exports are diamonds, its chief import is diamonds too, this being the only place in the south you can buy and sell 'em. You can deal in diamonds, of course, but only with the Condign Diamond Cartel. Folks are afraid of them, and rightly so. They've got their greedy little hands into more than diamonds, I can tell you that." > zultusk Hugh Jackman munches on a cocktail onion and explains: "That's a goblin city, way north, across the tropics of ZIMBARDEE and ZAEL. It's tough place to get to, you understand, lots of ocean in the way for one thing, lots of pirates for another...and of course the city itself is surrounded by leagues and leagues of jungle full of vicious monsters. Still, it's a nice enough place to visit. I went there on my honeymoon, oh so many years ago..."

> zimbardee Hugh Jackman polishes a tumbler and explains: "Most folks around here don't go farther north than the Tropic of Zimbardee. The tropic of Zimbardee demarcates the Southern oceans of the dream from the wilder, unexplored tropics, and the even wilder, more unexplored north. Most of the dream is tropical waters, you understand. Couldn't tell you why. It's your dream after all." > port of thrones Hugh Jackman mixes up another drink and explains: "The Port of Thrones is the home of the gods. A mighty city, ringed with four mountain-sized thrones. The dream-gods actually sat on them in ancienter days, but they've all gone their separate ways now. The Port of Thrones is the center of dream-religion, and its citizens stand opposed to the nightmares and other dark forces that plague the dream. Entham lives there too, for what it's worth. Now *there* is a man you should definitely meet!" > daen Hugh Jackman munches on a cocktail onion and explains: "Daen is a rock in the freezing southern seas, wracked by storms and menaced by floating chunks of ice. No one would live there, but for the abundance of whales. The Daenish Main is full of them, such that Daen has practically no other industry...I do say 'practically,' for there are also pirates and smugglers that run out of Daen. Daen is also the home of a tavern far better than this one. Daen is the site of the Gap of Gew Genning, the only break in the ice and rocks to the seas of the utter South..." > scant Hugh Jackman mixes up another drink and explains: "The home of heroes and bold sailors, Scant is a society controlled by an admiralty, which is itself controlled by a naval commission. The Scantlings took it upon themselves about a century back to clean up all the pirate trouble in the Southern seas of the dream. I can't say they've done a perfect job, but we still owe them a great deal. It's a good destination if you're looking for work. Also a good place to trade: that navy's pricey, and they finance it with a pretty sizable merchant-fleet."

> heyurundesifroud Hugh Jackman cleans a glass and explains: "That's where the gnomes come from. Strange folk to be sure. They've had other cities in their history: Fenyarnunhesmoundesrenarnzannister, of course, before it fell to the Nightmares. Shalmanyundarlazarnot as well, before it was lost due to a mysterious accident. Now the only great gnomic city is the oldest. Heyurundesifroud lies on a frozen lake that opens to the seas south of DAEN, along the Gap of Gew Genning. It is a place full of ancient mystery, wonder and terror: the largest library in the world, for example, and ruins that long predate any civilization I've heard of. Definitely somewhere you should check out. Bundle up!"

fucking gnomes Eternal had the right idea about their kind. All right though, we have milked Hugh Jackman for all he's worth. Let's have a quick chat with the others.

> speak to the cleric The cleric shifts their robes as you approach. "Take a seat." The cleric says, assuming a slightly (oh, so slightly) reverential attitude. "Let's start with the formalities: yes, you are dreaming, and this whole world is the product of your fitful imagination. We are all very grateful you've dreamed the place up. Now, onto the specifics...it's been perhaps twenty thousand years, all told, that dream-history has been unfolding without you. A rather long absence. We were worried...but I knew you'd show up. The dream-gods VATAYA, BAJBUK, COSIA, and MOSLIMBO have cared for the world in your absence. They have a message for you." The cleric removes a shining white scroll from their bag, and reads: "It is said that long ago, there was another dreamer...THE FIRST DREAMER. The first dreamer crossed over every inch of the dream, seeing great sights and doing great deeds, amassing wealth and power, turning back dark forces, taking what they wished, conquering whatever dared stand in their way...and when they had mastered the dream, in its entirety, and all the MAGIC it contained, is said that the first dreamer renounced all their POSSESSIONS. This brought them some measure of peace...but it was not enough, so they sought wisdom and enlightenment, enough to answer all their QUESTIONS. Still, they felt something was lacking, some hole in their soul, and so they traveled the dream once over again, and told all their STORIES, and shared all their SECRETS, and at last they were at peace. There, in a garden on some remote beach, the first dreamer WOKE UP." The cleric rolls up the scroll, and continues. "The dream-gods think it best if you...um...do all that again. Not necessarily in that order. I'm happy to help in any way I can, but the best advice I can give is not to trust the man in the shadows. (Your goal in the dream is simply to wake up, whenever you want. You will receive a score based on the amount of Pleasance you have obtained, minus the amount of each form of Unpleasance. The Cleric has told you about several ways to gain lots of Pleasance at once. You can ask the cleric about any word in all-caps. When you are finished you can SPEAK TO THE BARTENDER or SPEAK TO THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS). > first dreamer The Cleric leans back and explains: "She...or He...is the central figure of our religion, the only being mightier than the dream-gods. It is said they were here at the inception of the dream, and dwelt within it for perhaps five thousand years, before they WOKE UP. The First Dreamer's true nature is unknown and perhaps unknowable: it's distinctly possible that others have dreamed this dream before, and they were simply the first. It's also possible that you are the First Dreamer, or that you are simply something the first dreamer dreamed up. What you choose to believe is largely up to you." > woke up The Cleric mutters a prayer and explains: "You can wake up at almost any time, simply by typing WAKE UP. When you do that, it is very likely the dream and everything end it will simply end...perhaps things will keep going in your absence, but I doubt it. At any rate, in this portentous instant, the dream-gods will award you a final score based on the amount of Pleasance you have accrued, minus the amount of each form of unpleasance. As you explore the dream, you may find wondrous places that will modify this final reckoning. You cannot WAKE UP in the middle of encounters, or in this room." > magic The Cleric eyes the man in the shadows with suspicion and explains: "Magic is the most important resource in the dream. You will find it, in raw form, from time to time, but most dreamers harvest it by cracking open diamonds using the specialized equipment found by exploring academies. Now, finding diamonds isn't easy either...but it's far easier than finding magic. You can buy diamonds at Zapirtaz, for example, if you're willing to spend a bit of coin..."

Righto, main quest received, and magic btw is very important in this game, for any character BUT the pirate. Why?

You are a Pirate Your special ability is: SCOWL (bypass all travel obstacles, such as storms and sea monsters, in exchange for a small amount of fury)

That's right, every other class ability requires magic to function, but we have arguably one of the more useful that only needs a bit of FURY. (And I gained four points of it already messing around in the Swungle earlier.) Fury is actually the only potentially useful form of Unpleasance, as pirates use it for a currency of their own. But now onto the spooky man in the shadows.

The man shifts in his seat as you approach. "Schneckloth." He coughs dryly, and gestures for you to sit. "Schneckloth. Schneckloth. Schneckloth. That is my name. That is my nature...unknowable to you, yes, but knowable in time. I am that little nodule of noctochemicals lodged deep in your neuroanatomy...the source of your darkest thoughts. I evolved alongside your miserable species. I wait in the deepest parts of your collective unconscious..." The smoke around his face is clearing. You can see, through the haze, tiny pinpoints of light that just might be eyes...but then he exhales again, and is surrounded by a shifting, reeking cloud. "...I am the master of NIGHTMARES. The ultimate menace of the edge of SLEEP. There are so many surprises in store for you, this slumber. The TENTACLE TREES! The MIND-MAGGOTS! The one where your BRAIN falls out the back of your head!" He claps gloved hands together in perverse joy. A dull roar fills the shadows. "Oh, and of course we can't forget SCALPEL-HANDS MAN. Are all his fingers little knives, or does he just have one enormous scalpel where each of his hands should be? You'll have to find out!" The man wreathed in smoke and shadow gives a wet little chuckle. "It's going to be a fun evening, full of SADNESS, MADNESS, FURY, and WORRY. We'll start with something easy. You owe three coins to Schneckloth, the master of nightmares....and I shall be very, very upset if you do not pay me back. (You have gained 1 Worry) (Nightmares will be your most persistent opponents within the dream. Once activated, they will recur at points of interest all over the dream, effectively blocking your more pleasant adventures there. All nightmares can be resolved through some deed or task of high renown or incredible difficulty. You've just activated one that will resolve when you can pay Schneckloth the three coins you owe him.)

> nightmares Schneckloth flickers briefly out of existence, then reappears and explains: "We are the very substance of fear. The essence of despair. You know, I'm quite certain, that the 'real world' is as transient and frail as the dream. At any moment, it may give way to yawning night. In that black infinity, you would have nothing at all...except us. We are the ultimate truth. The little black shard of reality that you carry with you always. We are within you, and if we appear mysterious and unknowable, know this: you will understand our designs in time." > tentacle trees Schneckloth emits a low, hissing gurgle you find most unsettling and explains: "They are among my least loyal minions. They claim dominion over vast swathes of the dream, but do not pay me the tribute in sanity and souls that I am owed. Chop them down. It makes little difference to me..." > mind maggots Schneckloth flickers briefly out of existence, then reappears and explains: "A lord of NIGHTMARES such as myself should not play favorites, but I will confess that I do have a favorite. The mind-maggots are elegant in purpose, delightful in their simplicity. You will find them in certain far-away ruins...or perhaps, more appropriately, they will find you!" > scalpel hands man Schneckloth briefly assumes the form of something hideous and explains: "The other NIGHTMARES consider him a cheap charlatan. I do agree his methods are a bit...direct, but he has been in the game quite a while, and he has my respect." > brain Schneckloth emits a low, hissing gurgle you find most unsettling and explains: "All of this is, of course, a neurochemical illusion, created by you with only a little help from myself. In fact, you wouldn't be far-off in simply suggesting that I am part of you. As the dream wears on, you will realize how truly terrible that makes you. Revel in your darkness, my friend. It will be a comfort."

> sadness Schneckloth flickers briefly out of existence, then reappears and explains: "Sadness is the most subtle form of Unpleasance...and the strongest. You will have a very hard time getting rid of it." > madness Schneckloth briefly assumes the form of something hideous and explains: "Madness is my favorite form of Unpleasance. You will find yourself exposed to mind-rending terror on a few occasions this evening. Madness is hard, indeed, to shake. Your only respite will be the temples of the hated dream-gods." > fury Schneckloth briefly assumes the form of something hideous and explains: "You will accrue Fury when your dream-form is injured or tormented, or when you are frustrated in your attempts to achieve greatness. It will happen...often. You will find two ways to rid yourself of Fury: certain encounters may provide you with healing, and certain nefarious elements in the dream, most notably pirates, will use it as a form of currency." > worry Schneckloth giggles madly and explains: "Worry is the most common form of Unpleasance. It will follow from your myriad failures and anxiety, most importantly your inability to care for your dream-form or feed your crew. Worry is easy to accrue, but easy to lose again. Many encounters will provide you with a means of being rid of it."

> leave (You leave the bar, and enter the bustling port city of Zapirtaz. Your ship is docked in the harbor, which abuts a truly massive marketplace. When you SET SAIL from Zapirtaz, this tutorial will cease, and you will be truly on your own. Your ship currently carries a cargo of 2 figment fruits, 2 crates of goods, and 10 pleasance. Sailing from one location to another will have a chance of consuming 1 unit of food or one crate of goods. Your crew will first eat all your figment fruits, then all your fish, then all your smoked meats, then all your sugar, then all your spices. If there's no remaining food, you will begin gaining Worry in ever-increasing amounts. Thus, it makes sense to keep your ship well-provisioned. Zapirtaz is a good-enough place to do that, but you'll need to purchase it with Pleasance, and you already owe three coins to Schneckloth. It's time to make some money...)

All right. We are on our own now. Captain of our own ship and our own destiny. And this dream is--literally--nothing without us. Finally an RPG that acknowledges that the entire world centers around our characters.

Pleasance:11| Sadness:0| Madness:0| Fury:4| Worry:1| ............Might:10 ...........Talent:0 .........Seacraft:30 ......Shadowcraft:10 .......Dreamcraft:5 ======================= Situational Advantages: ======================= [~]: 15 [^]: 0 [=]: 0 [!]: 0 [%]: 0 [#]: 5 [&]: 0 [*]: 0

Our Seacraft leaves us quite prepared to be a no good scurvy seadog, and that 5 Dreamcraft is from the stuffed animal. We are also equipped with a Swimsuit, which was my SECOND reason for going through the tutorial. It gives +5 to sea themed encounters. (~)

Zapirtaz Your ship bobs in the harbor. You can SET SAIL at any time... There is a dense knot of dark buildings here, whose only purpose seems to be to horde shadow and filth. Alleys. Poorly maintained. You can LOOK FOR TROUBLE in the alleys, but why would you want to? The market district of Zapirtaz is one of the largest in the world. Languages of all nations echo among the close, red-brick buildings. Beautiful women, and swarthy men, tempt strangers with their wares. Enormous, sweet-scented caravans load and unload exotic cargo. You can VISIT THE MARKET. There is a harbor here, a place where ships can be mended and goods and figments may be traded. You can VISIT THE HARBOR if you wish.

And now, at long last...here we are. What do? Look for trouble as befitting our piratical nature, or seek advantageous trades?

All right, we're going with BOAT ANIMAL EXPLORER PIRATE Plundering sea lanes is a passtime one can derive a great deal of pleasure and satisfaction from in this game, and I would expect nothing less from Cystians. >LET THE DREAM BEGIN src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2zkjQVh5KmQ" title="YouTube video player" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0"> Oh and how could I forget? You should listen to the Spotify. (And yes that's the first song on it.) And now I'll need a few minutes to get through the tutorial. It's normally optional, but there's a lot of useful info to grill the NPCs about. So just listen to the nice music while I prepare the text dump.