TMA1

TMA1 : Text Message Adventure 1 

Far across the muddy meadows of mad mushrooms and far, far beyond the fairy forest of frightening floofs, through the scary swamps of sinister sound effects, over the dreaded mountains of monumental monstrosities, perched upon the cavernous cliffs of cunning critters, there is a village at the edge of the crappy kingdom called the village of valiant vagrants. 

Here lives an assortment of strange folk all of whom have tales to tell and one of whom possesses the map of the lush lowlands which spread for many miles to the farthest visible horizon from where the sun rises. 

The map is a treasure to those who seek to escape the crappy kingdom for it shows the way to the pretty perfect palace of polite people who according to legend welcome strangers who make it across the labyrinth of the lowland wood and to the sandy beaches of the coast at the edge of the continent. 

Dare you brave adventurer explore beyond the mud huts of your own sad village at the very edge of the desert of desperate death, hoping to discover...

“Hehe”

...the many splendours of a better civilisation? Or will you stay here to be eaten by the giant desert vultures who are swooping with ever more daring to snatch away your kinsfolk for their meals?

“Uh no.1”

Yay! Even as you prepare your backpack of useful stuff for your adventure ahead, the shadow of a giant vulture swoops over the village. You hear it’s ghastly cries piercing the skies and your ears like hot poky sticks through butter made from frog fat. 

You are glad to be indoors a mud hut preparing for your journey otherwise the horrible creature would have gripped you in its cold hard talons and swooped you away to chew your hands off, and then your feet, and then your arms and legs and finally to swallow you hips first so it can totally enjoy your screaming pain right up until the last gulp. 

The local legend of your brave ancestors who learned how to tame and ride the giant vultures has never been proved for generations because everyone who tries that ends up with their bones coughed up and spat out.

 Indeed the roof of your mud hut clatters with the sound of old bones being choked up and spat out by the vulture as it flies overhead, thankfully this time it flies away still hungry.

Your backpack contains: 

Ten sundried frogs (the basic source of protein for your tribe). 

A small pointy stick, very sharp. 

A long pointy stick, very sharp. 

A spare loincloth made from vulture feathers collected over time and stitched together with dry frog guts. 

Some balls of sand mixed with mud, some have more mud and some have more sand. They have made themselves somehow, due to the magical qualities of your backpack. 

Some frog gut, especially prepared to be elastic, it stretches to ten metres. 

A hard clay cup scorched black underneath from many camp fires. 

A water pouch made from elasticated frog skin. 

The frogs on the swamps nearby can grow quite big. Sometimes they eat people. Attempts to tame them for use as riding beasts is also the stuff of legend because anyone who tries riding a frog large enough to bare the weight usually gets eaten. 

It is early morning. 

You can travel:

North (along the edge of the desert/swamp track to another village much the same as yours)

South (see North route)

East (into the deadly desert of dumb dead dudes)

West (into the swamp of sinister sound effects) 

Or

Stay in the village

“North.”

After some time you come across some children of the next village. They wear the traditional dry-mud-bead clothes of all the people in this region. You recognise them as your cousins children, Gom and GomGom, age five and three. They should not be playing out here alone so far from their village! 

Suddenly a terrifying shriek of a giant vulture can be heard. The kids both start crying in fear and looking to you to protect them. 

This village is quite close to the swamps which have occasionally giant mushrooms growing. You can see some of the mushrooms from here although you would have to risk wading out to them - people disappear in the swamps they can be treacherous like quicksand, if you leave the safe paths. 

The village is somewhere up ahead. 

Again the vulture calls, if you could speak its language you would know it is saying “oh yum! three fat meals! Come here fellow vultures to share in this fortunate event!”

“ Do I have weapon?”

You have a short pointy stick and a long pointy stick. They are both very sharp.

“ Does long 1 reach vulture?”

The vulture is still somewhere out of sight. The skies are bright with sunlight making your eyes squint and water a bit. The sun is directly above you now.

The kids are crying in fear now.

A shadow of a giant vulture passes over you, and over the children. You can see the vulture swooping to examine its next meal!

As you watch, it turns around and swoops back toward you, coming lower in the sky. If you do nothing it will grab one of the kids and swoop away with him!