There is a path, deep in the Wyrdian Wood, that has no end, and no beginning. You do not find it, it finds you.
I must issue a warning upon this path. It harbors malignant entities insidious by nature. Survival is less than thirty percent.
You may hear sounds. Abnormal, abhorrent sounds. You may catch glimpses of the unimaginable as you stroll onwards. But heed my warning. Do not deviate from the path in any way. Keep your eyes forward, slightly lowered.
The entities here wish to cause you harm.
You may hear a sobbing, a wailing that strums at your heartstrings. So broken. So sad. So vulnerable. I can assure you it is none of those.
An inhuman form, twisted by shadows and ill intentions awaits your bleeding heart with gnashing teeth.
Ignore it. Please.
Sometimes you may hear a boisterous laughter coming from several disembodied voices. It can come from miles behind, and it can be right in your ear. Do keep that in mind.
They look humanoid from shoulder down. Then the anomalies begin. The creature has several necks bent in impossible ways, and innumerable heads twisted and writhing in pain and ecstasy.
The eyes are hollow and the carnivorous teeth stretch into a Cheshire grin, salivating and starving. Hungry.
Oh so hungry.
And so very happy to greet you.
There is sometimes a shadow that trails just over your shoulder, on the edge of your peripheries. Flitting in and out, from side to side. It is silent, but persistent, at times even tapping harshly on your shoulders.
It's main goal is to anger you, to agitate you into violence. You blood pressure rises and you begin to see red.
Calm yourself. Think of lavender and sage. Take deep, measured breaths. Any violence will be returned tenfold. You will not survive.
Another particularly violent creature that may cross your path is seemingly less anomalous in nature. Before it appears, a deep growl announces its presence.
The sounds of the insects and leaves moving in the breeze become muted, and you hear footsteps approaching. The ground will tremble beneath you.
This is very important. You must stand completely still. And remember, keep your eyes lowered. Stay alert. Any move you make, any breath you take, just might be your last.
This creature appears to be a surviving member of the Arctotherium Angustidens family. This species went extinct forever ago, but this one somehow survived.
Massive and homicidal, it weighs several thousand pounds, but moves at the speed of a human, or faster in most cases.
This enormous bear-monstrosity will not hesitate to eviscerate, and then eat you (not necessarily in that order).
Luckily for you, it's sight is extremely diminished. It can only track you if you make a sound.
Other than that, you have the whispers in the wind, the blood tinged mud, and the undulating waves of unease to keep you company.
May the twisted root be with you. And the withered one far, far away.
