Treasure Hunt - Cassiopeia Mercer

12a
You decide to investigate the stump. The label on the jar says ‘Gillyweed’. As you near it, you take in the stump. It’s old, with moss growing at the side, and thick branches curled inwards. The jar sits in the middle of an opening of the trunk; it is just wide enough for your hand to reach inside and pull out the jar.

You take another step forward and at once the plant springs to life. The branches extend outwards, vines emerging from somewhere inside it. They are long and thin, covered in thorns, and wave around dangerously. You hesitate and realise that they aren’t reaching for you, and seem to be moving at random, protecting the jar. If you are fast enough, you could reach inside and grab it without getting hurt, or you could try and use a spell.

The other option you have is to ignore the plant altogether and opt for brewing the potion instead.

What do you do?

a) Get the jar of Gillyweed (write the successful obtaining of the jar to continue)
b) Go over to the potions table

(OOC: At the end of your post, please make your choice clear by writing it in another colour, or bolded.)

Cassiopeia takes few steps closer to the stump, when she is close enough she notices that on the jar is written Gillyweed. If she remembers right from the lessons then these plants help you breathe under the water. She remembers that next clue had something to do with the lake. She figured she would have to go now under the water.

When she was close enough to pull out the jar out of stump opening but before she can do it some branches began to move. At first girl things that they try to harm her there but she soon enough understands that they just try to protect the jar there. She sighs and wonders how she could get the jar there now.

She knows she could use spells but she couldn't remember any good ones there really. Well, those all she remember won't be very useful ones. So she decided just reach it. She took a deep breath and looked for few minutes of those branches moved there around.

She soon reached towards the jar and somehow she managed to get it successfully into her hands. She was glad she did it. So that means she can continue her treasure hunt now.

a) Get the jar of Gillyweed

13b
You manage to get the jar from the stump successfully. Taking it with you, you leave the hall through the door, making your way down to the Black Lake. Reaching the shore you look around and notice there is a sign post that has never been there before. Beneath it is a locked box. The sign post explains that the box is magically locked and can only be opened with the key -- which is located somewhere in the marked out section of the lake.

It goes on to tell you that there are three areas for you to explore. The first is the kelp forest. The second is a rock pile. The third is a small cave. It ends with wishing you luck and adds that if you run into trouble to shoot red sparks from your wand; the merpeople on standby will assist you.

You eat the Gillyweed just before you enter the water. You feel the gills grow and you plunge into the lake and find you can breathe without issues. You start to swim downwards, and soon find yourself facing the decision of which area to search first.

Where do you go?

a) The kelp forest
b) The rock pile
c) The small cave

(OOC: At the end of your post, please make your choice clear by writing it in another colour, or bolded.)

Cassiopeia was glad when she got the jar in her hands. Which meant she can continue the treasure hunt there now, even if she had no idea what she will get if she finishes it. Anyways she left hall trough the door and began to walk towards the lake since it was only place where she knew was water.

When she reached the shore of it, she noticed there sign. Also that there was chest under it. Those signs did tell her what she should to do now. She looked at the lake and sighed. She wasn't for sure the best swimmer but she managed. She took the Gillyweed in and walked towards the water.

She could feel of gills began to grow there now and she plunged into the water, where she realised she can breathe under water without issues. She actually likes it. She smiled and did swim bit further into the water.

Soon there are three ways she could go. She decided to try out that cave there. It seemed the most interesting place for her. She just loved to explore unknown places and she has never been there.

c) The small cave

16a
The cave is what you decide on and you swim towards it. It’s badly lit and small, and you take a moment to adjust to the light. Something glimmers at the very back. You just manage to make out the shape of a key hanging on the wall! It seems that the cave was the smart choice, and you move forward to take the key. Suddenly, something darts out from a small crevice hidden at the back.

It’s a small creature, green in colour, long tentacle like fingers moving around it. It’s a grindylow! It bears its teeth at you. The key seems to be under its protection. If you want it, you have to fight it. As you prepare to do so a second thought hits you -- you could always ask the merpeople for help.

What do you do?

a) Fight the creature yourself
b) Ask the merpeople for help

(OOC: At the end of your post, please make your choice clear by writing it in another colour, or bolded.)

Cassiopeia swims closer to gave and when she is near it, she notices it's small and it's also very lit. So it took few times to her to adjust with the light until she noticed something shining end of the cave. It was the even shape of the key but before she could even reach some creature appeared in front of her. She was surprised about it for sure.

She noticed it was green, it had long tentacles moving around like fingers. She recognised it soon as the Grindlow, she had seen it somewhere in the book. She usually doesn't read them but this one she had read. She is taken back there for few seconds and she is ready to fight until she remembers she could ask merpeople to help her out.

She thinks little and decided to ask their help since she didn't really know very much spells what could be really helpful here under water.

b) Ask the merpeople for help

18b
You raise your wand and conjure up red sparks. Within seconds a merperson is there and begins to talk to the grindylows. They begin to leave, and soon they are all gone. The merperson takes the key and passes it to you before leaving.

You make your way out of the cave and back to the shore. Quickly, you unlock the box. Inside is your next clue.

Follow the path of life to find the shack in the middle of the forest.

You head into the forest, walking down the only path further into the thicket of trees. A few moments in, you find that the road splits into three. A signpost labels the paths with a mere picture; the one on the right is marked by a crude drawing of a flame, the one in the middle is marked by a drawing of a water droplet, and the one to the left is marked by a drawing of a leaf.

Which path do you take?

a) The right one (marked by the drawing of a flame)
b) The middle one (marked by the drawing of a water droplet)
c) The left one (marked by the drawing of a leaf)

(OOC: At the end of your post, please make your choice clear by writing it in another colour, or bolded.)

Cassiopeia raises her wand and conjures red sparks from it. A few seconds later merperson is there and it begins to talk with the Grindylows there now. Soon they all are gone and merperson takes the key from there. It gives the key to Cassie and she thanks it for helping her out before it disappears again.

After that, the Hufflepuff girl swims back to shore and walks over the box. She quickly unlocks it. Inside from there, she founds the next clue. She reads it very carefully and soon after that she walks into the forest.

Soon the road splits to three ways. She saws that there are three signs. They all have a different item on it. She sees on signs flame, water and leaf. She thinks about the clue she did get. Since it said to follow the life path then she decided to go to the left where was a leaf. Only thing what seemed to represent life.

She realised this treasure hunt wasn't so easy as she at first thought it could be. You need to be quite smart to figure it out. So far her guesses have been pretty good ones. She has chosen things very randomly but same time has used some brain of hers. She hoped this will end soon.

c) The left one (marked by the drawing of a leaf)

21
You choose the leaf path. You begin to walk along a dirt path that veers to the left. The vegetation begins to thicken considerably. Shrubs line the paths, and as you continue to walk, you notice the trees get taller and taller, the trunks getting thicker, gnarled roots poke through the ground. The path becomes more difficult to follow, becoming littered with fallen leaves. Soon enough, you’re walking along mulch that cushions each foot fall. Gnarled roots now partially block the path in which you follow. Though you step over each with ease. You come to a small cave, one which you would need to crawl to get through.

There’s a red arrow drawn on the side, indicating that that would be the correct way to go. So naturally, you crawl through. The cave floor is damp and muddy, but you continue, seeing that not too far ahead, there’s an opening. Once you’re through, you stand, hands and knees covered in mud, the vegetation noticeably thinner. Walking another hundred meters or so, you see that you’re back to the beginning of the track, somehow having come out of the water path.

a) There’s only one option left -- the path of fire.

Awhile walking and walking Cassiopeia notices that tree becomes bigger. She founds it odd but doesn't say anything. She just keeps walking. Even trunks began to get tighter, so she realises that this wasn't right choice probably but she still keeps going on. Soon the path is harder to follow even but she still keeps going there, maybe she finds a way out from here. Soon even the fallen leaves make it be there like a cushion which she finds so out but she still keeps going on. Until she is front of some cave. She sighs and begins to crawl through it there.

"Eww," she says when she realises it so muddy there. She knows that her clothes will be now very buddy when she is done crawling. She soon reaches to the end of the cave and smiles for seconds. She looks around and realises that it's the water path and there is now one path where to go. The fire path.

She sighs and looks at her clothes. They were for sure muddy. She didn't know the cleaning spell so she just shrugged. She began to follow the then fire path.

the path of fire.