Adventure Game Studio

First vwg, then WHAM and now Wyz? Yes I also want to give this interactive story thing a go but since I can't draw it will be text only. However if you like to represent parts of the story visually be my guest, I would love that.

I'm not really going to give rules nor promise anything, I see it as a community effort to make something out of it. Actually I've done this before on forums a long time ago, it's up to the folks to keep it fun and maintain some level of maturity. Just see it as a text adventure. I'll pick the reply I like the most, or combine a few. I'll stop reading after 'and then...' so just suggest doing one thing at the time.
So erm I hope you'll enjoy this!

Ps.
I tried to make it look like a text adventure, initially I had everything in third person but I guess second person gives better immersion.


It was late when you drove home; the roads were only lit by the headlights of your car and perhaps the gleam of the moon. You were tired as you'd been driving for hours, and when the night fell you had trouble keeping your eyes on the road. The scenery had been the same for hours, dense forests with the only sign of civilisation the road; the dark road that made its way trough the forest as a snake creeping about. You followed the snake with every bend and expected its head to pop up any minute. But it didn't, instead it gripped you, hypnotised you, let you loose your focus. There, you tilted your head back up, almost home, just a few more minutes.
You thought of your home, your comfortable chair near the fire place. Your bed, already made, ready for you, ready to sleep. The soft mattress and pillow, the smell of fresh laundered sheets, the...
Suddenly you were wide awake, in front of you on the road the headlights illuminated a large tree that had fallen over. You saw how your hands yanked the steering wheel. You heard the sound of screeching brakes and tires. The car made its way in the forest and the last thing you remembered were the shattering of glass all around you and the deploying of airbags.


Recaps
Chapter 1 - awakening (http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=44254.msg591799#msg591799)


Chapter 1 - awakening
Birds are whistling although it sounds as if there are underwater. As you open your eyes a flash of pain hits the front of your head. You feel your head and the rest of your body: you can feel the bumps of dried blood and general sourness but other then that you are ok. Slowly the blurry world unlatches and becomes clear. You are sitting in your car, your seatbelt still on. The front window is broken and the car is "parked" against a large tree.

> unfasten your seat belt

and
> take off your pants

:P

You try to unfasten your seatbelt but to no avail, it seems like something jammed the lock during the crash. Next you try to take of your pants and wiggle your way out but half way you get stuck. You pull your pants back up and give up.

>check for the car keys

Hope you dont mind the following command overload. Feel free to disregard them if you do.

> I (nventory, pockets)
> Examine car interior
> Examine passenger seat
> Examine back seat (if available)
> Examine self (for injuries)
> Examine dashboard

Nope, it would have done the same if you had said "> Look around" anyways ;D

Quote from: Dualnames on Mon 22/08/2011 02:27:37
>check for the car keys

Quote from: WHAM on Mon 22/08/2011 07:19:27
> Examine a shitload of things

You look around and find the car keys still in the ignition. You try to start the car but it doesn't give any signs of life and figure the car is totalled. As you put the keys in your pocket you feel your wallet and mobile phone are still in there. You check the rest of the car: there is a large branch sticking trough the front window right where the passenger seat is, luckily nobody sat there when you crashed. The back seats are covered in glass but other then that empty. You look at the dashboard; the oil pressure and fuel level seems to be near non-existent. You notice the glove compartment, it is locked. The rest of the car seems to be beaten up pretty good, you wonder how you survived the crash this well. It is hard to inspect yourself whilst seated but it seems like you're not leaking any fluids in contrary to the car.

> Examine car keys
> If they are sharp: Cut seatbelt with keys
> If not: Unlock glovebox and examine glovebox

> Check underneath the sun-flap for (dry) papers etc (for the purpose of possibly making fire later on)

(I have to hand it to you, text-only can create a far more intricate world than the copy/paste graphics I can use. It's also a lot easier to follow through with player commands this way. I love the idea!)

>Look out the window/examine scenery

>Use mobile phone

Thanks. Well I have to say you do a great job with yours. It must be a lot of work to maintain it.

You try to cut the seatbelt using the car keys but it seems to be made of a very strong material and you don't even fray it. You decide to put a better use to the keys and open the glove compartment. Inside you find a first aid kit, a Swiss army knife, half a bag of licorice allsorts, sun glasses and a roll of TP (you never know when you need some right?).
You also check both sun visors, the one above your seat contains a road map.

Quote from: gameboy on Mon 22/08/2011 13:13:04
>Look out the window/examine scenery
>Use mobile phone

You take your phone from your pocket and notice the display is cracked and useless. It seems to work fine otherwise. Although, there is no dial tone when you try to call someone, all you hear is faint static noise.

You look outside: by the position of the sun you take it must be morning. You seem to have hit a large tree in the middle of a glade. All you can see to your left, right and in front of you are trees; a dense forest that swallows any light that might encroach upon it. To the rear side of the car you see smaller trees and shrubs knocked over where the car went through. The forest is filled with typical forest sounds, birds mostly.

> Pocket the roadmap for future use
> Pocket a handful of TP (I assume this is Toilet Paper, as this is what google tells me)
> Take first aid kit if able to carry (can it be attached to our belt?)
> Take swiss army knife -> Use it to cut seatbelt = sweet freedom of movemet!

You take the map and harvest a handful of TP from the roll and put it in your pocket. You notice that the first aid kit has loops on it's back side and you decide to hang it from your belt no matter how silly it looks. Next you take the knife and try out on the seatbelt but somehow it doesn't quite cut it; it remains firmly locked.

> Stop for a few seconds, listen intently
> Examine seatbelt locking mechanism

Quote from: WHAM on Mon 22/08/2011 17:49:28
> Stop for a few seconds, listen intently
> Examine seatbelt locking mechanism

You stop for a while and listen to the background noises of the forest. You hear the wind wheezing through the leaves birds singing uninterruptedly and no signs of nearby roads or water. Suddenly you get the feeling you shouldn't probably waste any time and get out of your car quickly. You examine the seatbelt's locking mechanism: The force of the crash had bent the metal slightly and the release button is pressed in. It moves freely when you rattle the mechanism as if there was some leeway in it.

You are nearly there ;D

(I should let others do stuff too, but this is just too much fun!  ;D Come on people! Post entries!)

> Examine swiss army knife (what tools does it have)
> Attempt to jam a blade/screwdriver from the swiss army knife into the seatbelt mechanism to jiggle it free

Come on, people, don't let WHAM have all the fun ;)

Quote from: WHAM on Tue 23/08/2011 15:24:42
> Examine swiss army knife (what tools does it have)
> Attempt to jam a blade/screwdriver from the swiss army knife into the seatbelt mechanism to jiggle it free

You have a good look at the Swiss army knife. It has a blade, wood saw, can and bottle openers, a file, screwdrivers, a metal hook, scissors, a magnifier, tweezers, and a toothpick.
You take the flat-head screwdriver and jam it in the mechanism, as you wiggle you hear a satisfying click. You press the button and it opens, free at last!

You open the car door and step outside. Pieces of glass fall on the ground all around you, you rub any off that stayed behind. A bit soar but you can definitely tell nothing is broken, other then a headache and a dry mouth you seem to be in good shape. You look around and wonder what would be the best strategy to get you out of this predicament.

>Open trunk

> I second opening the trunk
> Glance at the tire tracks on the ground, did we brake and can we go back to the road we drove on?

Since we're on our way home, do we know where we are?
How far is the next city/place for calling help/home?
Is it still night/dark?
Can we see the reason for the crash or do we know?
::)


> examine surroundings

Quote from: WHAM on Tue 23/08/2011 19:06:25
> I second opening the trunk
> Glance at the tire tracks on the ground, did we brake and can we go back to the road we drove on?

I too think it's a good idea to follow our tracks back to the road.


One more story! :) Thanks!

Quote
> Open trunk
> examine surroundings
> follow tracks

You take a deep breath of foresty fresh air and stretch your legs. You shouldn't have left that late visiting your relatives but you were having a great time. The only problem is that they live at the other side of the country or at least that's how it felt. You don't know this part of the country very well; it is locked in seemingly endless forests.

You open the trunk and look for anything useful; among stuff you find an umbrella, an old towel, your old laptop, a lengthy piece of rope, some rusty wrenches and a roll of duct tape. You wonder what would be worth carrying around. But first it's time to check your heading. You notice shrubs an smaller trees knocked over and tire tracks. This must be the way you entered the forest and also the path that would eventually lead to the road you figure. You decide to follow them.

You walk and walk and twenty minutes later you begin to wonder how far the car made it's way through the forest. It must have plowed through an awful lot of plants and moist forest soil.

My opinion for other players: Laptop is dead weight in a forest, it'll just run out of battery in moments, rusty wrenches sound unreliable, umbrella we can use (metal bits, waterproof cloth, metal rod), rope we can use and the duct tape is a no-brainer.

> Ponder what year it is

> Loop the rope loosely over your shoulder
> Pocket the duct tape if it fits (otherwise, keep in on wrist for now)
> Grab umbrella
> Strike a heroic pose, as shit just GOT REAL!

Check if computer is working before leaving it behind, if its working try contact someone through mail or skype.
Also check google maps for your position.
:)

You decide to walk back to your car. Strangely enough you get the feeling the way back took less time then the way you went. You take a look at your old laptop; to your surprise there is still about half an hour of battery left. You try to check you email but there appear to be no WiFi hotspot in this forest. You try connecting with your phone, no luck either. The GPS tool tells you 'no satellites found'. You check the year before you turn the laptop back off: 2011 it says.

You hang the roll of duct tape from the other side of your belt and hang the rope from your shoulder, you look even sillier now but at least in balance. You pick up the umbrella; it would make a good walking stick. Yes you feel shit just got real and move your arms up in the air in an attempt to make an heroic pose but cramp up half way. Slightly embarrassed you put them down again and get yourself together.

> Touch yourself

Well, we have no way to call for help in sight, and we are not in imminent danger, unless the car explodes...
*waits for a momen*
No, not looking like it will explode. Okay, I say we put all we learned from watching survival guides on discovery channel into use, and head back the way we came, continuing in the same direction until we find some sort of landmark or help. Or until we spot a shiny light in the forest, at which point we must GO INVESTIGATE!

As we apparently do not have a bag for the laptop, and we might need our hands, I still say leave it behind.

> Leave laptop in trunk
> Lock trunk
> Head back along the direction we scouted earlier
> Keep ears open, hoping to hear sounds of cars passing by, or any other signs of civilization

Maybe we should leave a note if someone friendly found the car and go looking for us. But then again maybe someone unfriendly finds it...?

No reason to believe anything is unfriendly so far. As far as I know we don't have a pen to write with, though...

Quote from: WHAM on Thu 25/08/2011 08:15:45
No reason to believe anything is unfriendly so far. As far as I know we don't have a pen to write with, though...

True.
We could sketch the message on the car with the car keys but maybe that’s bit overkill.  :)
(I was thinking of writing “take half a bag of licorice for food” but then I hate licorice so.  ;) )

Quote from: NsMn on Wed 24/08/2011 16:33:51
> Touch yourself

Quote from: BlueAngel on Thu 25/08/2011 08:06:34
leave a note

Quote from: WHAM on Wed 24/08/2011 16:44:07
> Leave laptop in trunk
> Lock trunk
> Head back along the direction we scouted earlier
> Keep ears open, hoping to hear sounds of cars passing by, or any other signs of civilization

You touch your nose, "Beep!", and chuckle at how funny that was. Then you put the laptop back in the trunk and lock it in case a deer tries to steal it. You decide that before you leave it might be a good idea to leave a note behind; you use the point of the umbrella to scratch the words "Help me" in the ground.

It's time to leave: you head back the way you scouted earlier and follow the car tracks. Every now and then you stop and listen carefully for any signs of civilisation which there has been none so far.
The forest is dense and seems to get denser each step you take. Every step you grow more tired; it appears as if the ground is made of gelatine. Yet you continue walking, in a steady even pace, stopping every few steps to listen. Its pattern soon becomes a routine. Your thoughts wonder off and you are drawn into some sort of trance. The woodland sounds first very clear seem to get muffled every step. The trees around you blur into one consistent mix of browns and greens. You hear yourself breathing, deep and slow. The car tracks go on and on, as if the car who made them is still driving in front of you. But you are predestined to follow them and find a way out of this weird forest. Even if it takes a lifetime.

Realize that you are falling in a trace (again) and stop and give yourself a slap on the face.
Then climb a tree to see if you can see an end of the forest.

Also, use your mobile phone's light to search the ground.

You notice you're loosing your concentration and slap yourself in the face. Some of the drowsiness faints and in a lucent moment you think it's a good idea to see where you are from a higher spot. You start climbing one of the trees and for some reason it 's easier then you would have thought; it is as if you are light as a feather. From the top of the tree you get a decent outlook over the forest but it isn't very helpful. In every direction all you see is trees, trees and more trees. In both directions of the car tracks you see nothing remarkable and it as if the newly made path is engulfed by the forest.
You climb back again and decide to search the ground for anything useful. You wanted to use the light of you phone but remember that the display is cracked beyond repair. You find nothing but leaves, mud and soil.

Okay, let's finally do the realistic thing here:

> Call out for help, shouting at the top of your lungs
> Wait and listen if anyone responds
> Realize that shouting might have been more effective from the top of the tree
> Mope

..ignore me...
i must learn to read better...

Ignore Lisa who just materialized near you and then disappeared and stop moping.  ;)

Climb the tree again and shout for help.

If that don’t work, start walking again same direction as before but mark some of the trees to see that you really are making some progress and that this is not a dream.
:)

ok then shouting it is ;D

You've got a strange feeling in your stomach, a sensation of fear or maybe it's just the fact you haven't eaten anything in a while but you climb back in the tree and shout your lungs out. A few crows shocked by your sudden cry make their way out of a nearby tree whilst shrieking loudly. A few seconds later the forest restores its usual behaviour.
You climb down a cool down for a bit. It's time to move on, as before, but this time every now and then when you stop you will mark the nearby tree to be sure you aren't walking in circles. You continue your pace and use the umbrella to scratch an arrow in the tree every few dozen steps. You also try to stay focussed but you are having a hard time.
Walking, stop to mark a tree, walking again, stop to mark, walking, marking, walking, marking... you hear you self breath heavy again, walking, marking, it is almost as if someone else is breathing in your neck, walking, marking, wal...
You look back in a swift turn, nothing, just trees. Wait a minute! You thought you'd marked that tree, were did the mark go, are you seeing things now?

So we're now trapped, low on supplies and the forest seems unwilling to let us escape. I say we make camp and rest. Maybe night will bring a change in the forest, or maybe someone will come looking for us in the morning.

> Check undergrowth for signs of animal life
> Check undergrowth for edible plants or berries you might identify
> Gather edible plats and berries you might find

> Find small trees and use swiss army knife to cut them down to size, in order to create frame for shelter
> Cut and gather leafy branches to make a roof for shelter

Quote from: WHAM on Sat 27/08/2011 15:14:11
[> Go Bear Grylls

Survival thoughts come to mind, you should probably gather food and build a shelter for the night while the sun is still up. You look at the sky and wonder what time it is, you gather it must be noon. There might still be time to find a better place to stay. You wonder what you should do.

> Look at the sun again
> Try to figure out which way the sun is going to set
   > Head in the opposite direction, and keep the sun behind you
     > March on

There is something wierd with this whole thing. Our mind keeps wandering, and I feel light as a feather when climbing trees. Plus my surroundings keep changing.  We might have a concussion. Or we're dead, pure and simple...

so...

> Examine me

> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

Quote from: -=Lisa=- on Sun 28/08/2011 17:40:35
There is something wierd with this whole thing. Our mind keeps wandering, and I feel light as a feather when climbing trees. Plus my surroundings keep changing.  We might have a concussion. Or we're dead, pure and simple...

so...

> Examine me

> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

The thought of us been dead has occurred to me too...

Quote from: -=Lisa=- on Sun 28/08/2011 17:40:35
> Examine me
> do a short run, jump, and try to fly like superman...

Quote from: WHAM on Sun 28/08/2011 15:14:45
> Look at the sun again
> Try to figure out which way the sun is going to set
> Head in the opposite direction, and keep the sun behind you
> March on

You get the feeling things aren't real, maybe you are dead...
You look at yourself, it all looks like you would have expected it to look. You poke and then pinch yourself, it hurts. You take a short run and leap as high as you can. You land with both knees in the soil; luckily it dampened your landing. You look at the sun again, it is high up which tells you it is going to set to the right of you. Something tells you that walking the way back to the road somehow gets you more stuck in the forest every step.

> March away from the sun, march until sunset begins to seem imminend or your feet give away
   > Or stop if you spot something interestin, that's cool too

And dont forget to listen and...

Quote from: WHAM on Sat 27/08/2011 15:14:11
> Check undergrowth for signs of animal life
> Check undergrowth for edible plants or berries you might identify
> Gather edible plats and berries you might find

...as we walk on.

Quote from: WHAM on Mon 29/08/2011 13:29:22
> March away from the sun, march until sunset begins to seem imminend or your feet give away
> Or stop if you spot something interestin, that's cool too

Quote from: BlueAngel on Mon 29/08/2011 14:00:21
> Pay attention to surroundings

You start the old routine again, walking stopping every few steps to check out the surroundings. You give up on marking trees as you want to make progress. Soon the drowsy feeling re-emerges; you hear yourself breathing again and your focus shifts away. You surrounding become a blur of brown and greens and the forest sounds become muffled. You are predetermined to go on, you will not stop until your feet give away. You try to look for anything interesting like signs of animal life or food but you just can't concentrate. The breathing becomes very loud, is it yours? You look behind you, and see nothing then darkness. You feel suddenly very light headed and the last thing you feel is dropping on the moist forest floor.


Darkness all around you, your eyes need to adjust. After a while the faint contours of trees become visible. When you look at the sky you can barely make out the moon as it is concealed by clouds. You look around and catch a glimpse of a light in the distance.

> "I say, that must be the mythical 'lights of Wyrdweald" over there!"
> Sit up, pinch self to ensure wakefulness
> Listen closely, are there any sounds in the direction of the lights?

<Walk to the light. Try to keep track of the moon as you walking to see if you walk in a circle.
:)

Quote from: BlueAngel and WHAM> Walk to the light

You pinch yourself to ensure you are awake; yes you are, the light is not a figment of your imagination. Where there is light there is something interesting you're sure. You start walking in the direction of the light. You look at what little you can make out of the moon and you are heading in the same direction; this light is not moving. It is very dark but you use your umbrella to make sure you don't hit a tree or trip over a tree root. You are making progress because twenty minutes later you can see the light emitting from a glade in the forest. When you finally walk out of the forest corridor and into the openness of the glade you are struck by a combination or surprise and despair. The light is not one light, there are two light less then an arm span apart. They are the head lights of your marred car.

Dun dun dun DUN!

Well... fuck! I somehow expected the batteries of the car would have given up already. My can usually runs out of battery in under 8 hours if I forget to turn off the lights and then I need to push the damn thing downhill to get it to start again. Maybe it's one of those newfangles hybrid cars that are mostly made out of batteries...

> Curse in a family-friendly manner
> Enter car again and turn off the damn lights
> Take a nap (heck, the car IS a shelter)

Quote from: WHAM on Tue 30/08/2011 15:50:42
> Curse in a family-friendly manner
> Enter car again and turn off the damn lights
> Take a nap (heck, the car IS a shelter)

"Shoot!" You exhaled and let the frustration settle. You wonder how the battery was able to survive this long and decide to turn off the light and save any energy left. Whilst in your car you figure this would be the perfect shelter anyways and since it is to dark outside to really do anything else you choose to sleep. Although not as comfortable as could be you soon fall asleep.

End of chapter 1, I'll write a small recap tomorrow.

Chapter1 - awakening
You woke up the next morning and slowly the blurry world unlatched and became clear. You were sitting in your car with your seat belt still on, broken glass everywhere as your car had hit a large tree. The gasp of your seat belt was not loosened easily since the locking mechanism was jammed. Your car took a good beating, every window was broken and it did not start anymore when you tried the ignition. You toke whatever useful you could find from your car: car keys, a road map, a first aid kit, a Swiss army knife, and a hand full of toilette paper. The Swiss army knife proved to be useful right away; you pried open the seat belt lock, free at last! As you stepped outside you were filled with new energy, though covered in cuts and bruises you rubbed the glass pieces from your clothes and were ready for some adventure. Though it would end here for your car, a quick peek inside the trunk gave you a roll of duct tape,a length of rope and a umbrella. You hung the first aid kit and the roll from your belt and wore the rope from your shoulder and used the umbrella as walking stick; you couldn't help to think you looked like the worlds silliest hiker, yet you wandered off into the woods.
The tracks, they must lead to civilisation you pondered and so you followed them. The forest was dense and seemed to get denser each step you toke. Every step you grew more tired; it appeared as if the ground was made of gelatin. Yet you continued walking, in a steady even pace, stopping every few steps to listen. Its pattern soon became a routine. Your thoughts wondered off and you were drawn into some sort of trance. The woodland sounds first very clear seem to got muffled every step. The trees around you blurred into one consistent mix of browns and greens. You heard yourself breathing, deep and slow. The car tracks went on and on, as if the car who made them was still driving in front of you. But you were predestined to follow them and find a way out of this weird forest. Even if it toke a lifetime.
You tried all sort of things like climbing in a tree, using your phone (its display was cracked beyond repair from the impact) and marking trees but each time you were drawn into a trance and it was as if the forest did not want to let you go. You got the feeling as if someone was breathing in your neck, and maybe from sheer exhaustion or perhaps reasons you could not comprehend you passed out.
When you regained consciousness it was dark, very dark: you could barely see the moon. You did see a light in the distance and you decided to walk to it. No much later you entered a forest glade and came to the despairing conclusion the light was emitted from the headlights of your own totalled car. You crawled back into it and went for some sleep. The morning would have been the best option anyway.


Chapter 2 - the forest awaits
You dreamt of your house, your work, how you use to spend your weekends, but when you woke everything got real.
A sore back and a very dry mouth, itching skin and a moaning stomach, you had just spent the night in your car seat in a weird forest. You realize you have not eaten in many hours. You have given up the quest of following the car tracks, arise a new one: find something to eat.

Reasoning: we have been trying to go BACK the way WE CAME into the forest. But if we think deeper, what got us to drive into the forest in the first place? Perhaps something is drawing is in a certain direction, to which we headed, in trance, until our car crashed and we were forced to stop. What if we simply go with the flow? Let the forest lead us forward, towards where we were apparently driving in the first place?

Something in there is calling to us, forcing us to approach, never allowing us to leave.

> Step out of the car
> Stretch
> Begin to walk forwards, to where the nose of the car is pointing
  > Keep eyes open for signs of berries, roots or water
  > Listen for the sounds of flowing water

Isn’t it strange that we haven’t seen this forest before as it’s only a few minutes from home?  ???

>Overcome your disgust of licorice and eat some if it’s not the salted kind and put the bag with the rest in your pocket before going out of the car.

Sorry, I've been a bit preoccupied lately.

Quote from: BlueAngel on Mon 05/09/2011 08:11:46
Isn’t it strange that we haven’t seen this forest before as it’s only a few minutes from home?

Yes it is, but... no wait I'm not going to spoil this yet :)

Quote
> Eat some of the licorice, take the bag
> Move from car

You look at the disgusting and half molten goo that was once a proud bag of licorice allsorts. Who knew that storing candy in a car could do that. In spite of the gruesome appearance your hunger makes it almost look appealing. You take a handful; at least it makes your stomach stop making weird noises though the saltiness makes you mouth feel ever dryer. You put the bag with what's left of it in your pocket.
You make your way out of your uncomfortable shelter, stretch for a brief moment and wander back into the forest. This time however you move forward in the direction your car would have gone if it wasn't for that big tree being in its way. You notice how every step you feel more revived, your sore muscles almost don't bother you any more. You take a deep breath and the scent of forest potpourri fills your nose. You continue your hike and not long after that you hear the gurgling sound of a water nearby. It sounds beautiful.
A few minutes later you enter a clearing; a small stream makes its way trough the woods. The water of the brook is as clear as it can be.

Either the night has worked wonders on our concussion, or my theory on directionality of the forest was correct.

> Wash hands in stream
> Drink water from stream using cupped hands
> Realize you have no need to drink your own urine after all
  > Breathe a sigh of relief and push Bear Gryllis out of your mind

My suggestion on action following a refreshind drink is:
> Follow the water's path downstream, hoping to encounter either a larger body of water or a village/town

Quote
> drink water
> follow stream

You wash your hand in the cool water of the brook. You see yourself reflected in the water; you also wash your face as some blood from small cuts had accumulated on your cheeks. There, looking better already. Next you drink from the water, it is very refreshing and finally that putrid taste in your mouth is washed away.
You are ready to move on, and you head down stream. A few minutes later the ground becomes soggy, apparently the stream ends in marshlands. You opt it is too dangerous to continue this way and head back.

> Shrug
> Follow river upstream instead

Heck, it's the only landmark we have!