>>6263774


You turn your back on the village gone insane and vanish into the woods, heart pounding like a war drum. The trees seem to bend toward you as you run-branches parting, shadows guiding.

By dusk, you reach the forest's deep heart, where the witches dwell. Three of them wait for you around a cauldron of brackish water. Their eyes are white, their hair tangled with vines, bones, and rusted charms.

They do not speak at first. They only look at you-and they know.

One raises a hand.
“You wear no shadow, and yet your skin is missing.”
Another hisses, “It wears you like a cloak.”
The third, older than the wind, speaks:

“A demon sits in your home. Not by strength, but by glamour. It wears your flesh-your hair, your voice, your eyes. And your people, blind as moles, welcome it.”
“Your tribe’s magic is faded, cracked. Even a low demon can fool them now.”
“Only fire can burn away the lie.”

They give you a choice:

“Burn it where it rests. Or lure it into the flame.”

> Burn the Hillfort While It Sleeps – Wait until the dead of night and set fire to the fort while the demon slumbers within. Risky, your people may die too.
> Lure It to the Old Longhouse and Burn It Down – You people's place of meeting, the oldest building in the village where the elders sleep. Risky, the elders may die too.
> Write in