#RPGaDay2024 Day 11 – Invasion

On Day 11 of #RPGaDay2024, I continue writing using Skala Wyzwania’s alternative prompt challenge list. For more information on RPG a Day, see David Chapman’s Autocratik blog post for 2024.

The RPG challenge theme for today is Invasion. This topic changes the narrative I’ve been threading through these posts. Let’s see what comes out of this—rolling a 1d10 for the quest. The result is 1: Describe a Monster.

Playing in the forest

The two children played by the shallow stream, all that remained of the once mighty river. They came here and threw acorns at the squirrels, dug for worms, and splashed on the water with the innocence of children unburdened by the darkness of the world around them. They only knew Mother wanted them in the house before dark and that being outside at night was dangerous.

Today was different. There were no squirrels to bother, no frogs or worms. The stream and the woods around them were eerily silent. As if nature held its breath, the children remained undeterred in their quest for fun. The oldest climbed a tree too fast, too high, leaving the youngest protesting at the bottom of the mighty oak.

The fall elicited laughter from the child left behind until they saw the blood flowing down the face of their sibling from a jagged gash on their forehead. They both held their breath; they did not know why, but they knew touching the blood of another was dangerous, and the ill-understood fears of the adults filled them with dread. Unsure of what to do, they stood there momentarily, and the sudden sound truly froze them in place.

Metal grinding against metal, screeching at moments, rhythmic thuds, a soft whistling sound intermingled with the jarring unnatural noises. The kids looked up and saw the fog. No, not fog; the heat was palpable, and this was smoke like the wispy steam from mother’s boiling water.

Suddenly, the source of the sound emerged from the brush. A man in armor, they thought, but the frame was too gaunt, the body too large, the arms and legs a conglomeration of metal and wires with circles griding against other circles inside. There was no person in there. This creature was a monster of metal and steam moving on its own—the nightmare of Ravall, the killers of their makers from their mother’s story.

The face, a twisted facsimile of a person, turned to the injured child, and a dead, monotonous voice boomed, “Tainted blood, eradicate.”

One child ran through the forest, terrified of their sibling’s fate. As they ran, they did not look back to the automaton pulling the verdigris-colored spear from the body. All the child could hear over their crying was the thudding and hissing of other creatures trudging through the woods.

Well, I must admit that the theme and quest were inspirational. I am continuing the thread from yesterday, but I don’t know how successful I was in completing the quest. There is a monster description in there, but once inspiration hit, I went somewhere else. I hope you still enjoyed it.

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