Awaken...

A haze envelopes me. Who am I again? It started with a C, right? What's a C? That's a letter, yeah. They spell words. Words make sentences. What's a name, then? Are they words...?

...

Back to the C-word, name thing... C... Co... Cormac... Cormac! That's me! I'm Cormac! Alright! Now... where am I?

...

...

...

My name is Cormac O'Connel, my family's been hunting the wilds for generations, but I don't recognize this place. The trees feel almost... primeval... I don't know how I got here... or why I'm naked... but I suppose that's tomorrows question. Today's is how to stay alive...

...

[1d100 encounter roll, 56, Threat lvl 0]

...

I woke up in a forest clearing, my memory hazy, but my instincts kicking in, I scanned the environment for anything amiss. I discovered an oblong patch of grass, misshapen and out of place. Upon prodding the foliage, I discovered it was not natural. I then pried up the covering to reveal a pit fall trap. It was small that I could assume that I was not the intended target.

The words "Huh, that's clever..." slipped out from my lips before a rustling in the foliage caught my attention!

A 4 foot tall anthromorphic dog emerged from the brush, snarling and approaching me aggressively. Not wanting to make a bad first impression worse, I took a cautious stance, holding my hands in front of me in a calming manner, and said in a soothing voice, "Heyyyya pal. I didn' mean ta intrude. No need ta get messy 'ere."

While unable to understand my words, the kobold seemed placated by my tone and body language. It was clearly still upset, but was at the very least not about to start anything. I tried to pantomime my apologies for disturbing the trap, but from the glare I received in response, I could tell they had more investment in rearming the trap.

I sat down cross legged, and centering myself after the stressful ordeal, and waited for them to finish. Not long after, the kobold finished rearming the trap, after which it gave me one last glance before running off.

Holding up a futile hand, I released a defeated "Wai-"

Once I am alone, I contemplated the situation and decided I need to locate a water source if I wanted to survive. I set off.

[30 EXP from the encounter]

...

[1d100 encounter roll, 65, Threat lvl 0]

Making my way through the forest, I took in the environment. Taking mental note of the plants I encountered, I found myself stopping before a shrubbery. Despite the sun beating down from between the canopy, the dew on its leaves was as if it dawn had just broken. Despite something seeming off about the bush, I couldn't place your finger on what. I approached, my foot catching a stray root I hadn't noticed, causing me to trip and land face-first in a mud puddle. High-pitched chuckling erupted in a chorus about me. I hastily rolled onto my back, anticipating an attack, only to see several pixies laughing at my misfortune. Glancing back at the bush, I saw that the dew had vanished, it's evident that the pixies played a prank. Before I could get back up they flew off, likely looking for a new target.

"Not exactly the most 'ospitable bunch, I'd say." I said as I stood up, attempting to clean myself off. After a meager effort to clean my naked body, my bent over perspective allowed me to spy a low-hanging fruit a few feet away. Eyeing it suspiciously, worried about another trick, I cautiously approached the fruit. After a pregnant pause, I concluded that it was just a piece of fruit, no less, no more. I plucked it from the branch.

Taking it in my hand, I stopped just shy of taking a bite. I needed to be smart about this. Rationing is key on long excursions, and who knew how long this ordeal would be. I grasped the fruit in my left hand, and took a deep breath. It was time to set out again.

[Added Piece of Fruit, 10XP from the encounter]

...

[1d100 encounter roll, 16, Threat lvl 5]

As I walked through the forest, I caught telltale smell of carrion. As a hunter, I had experience scavenging leftover scraps of animals for materials. Perhaps some bones or even sinew would be salvageable. I moved closer, the stench becoming nearly unbearable. At least I could assume that no other scavengers would come near. Entering another clearing, I stopped dead in my tracks. What seemed to be a shambling husk of a humanoid shape pierced my very being with hollow eyes.

...

In the moments that hung in the air like a feather down a stairwell, I thought of many things. I could run, perhaps? No, the determination in its eyes gave me the impression that it wouldn't stop for anything. Was this it? Was this all my short life would measure up to? Being a source of sadistic joy to a couple of pixies, and a stupid piece of fruit?

...

...Wait...

My eyes found themselves resting on the piece of fruit in my hand. I then looked into its eyes as it slowly shambled forward, I could see a look of recognition as it glanced at the fruit as well. I decided to take a leap of faith.

I made an offering of the fruit and pleaded: "This be me only possession, therefore I'm offering my all to ya. Please, I beg of ye, just let me be. I dunno what ye want, but I'd be willin' ta give ma help, if ye want it."

It lurched forward until it was right next to me. The stench causing tears to stream down my cheeks. A moment passes before its arm shoots forward.

I am flung back into a nearby tree, slamming into it full ****. Pain shoots through my body, and the last thing I hear before passing out is "DANG IT LOUIE! The first visitor I have in months and you do this to them?"

...