Ghosts of Great Bears Past: Let’s do it!

[conanjaguar]

I have decided to hang up the hat on the Neo-Native challenge for a while, and instead tackle @GeneralJConnor’s “Ghosts of Great Bears Past” challenge. https://thelongdarksurvivors.wordpress.com/2022/10/30/halloween-challenge-ghost-of-great-bears-past/
I’m thinking of doing this as a creepypasta sort of thing… we’ll see how it turns out!

My choice of difficulty will be “Loper with a rifle”, on Endless Night, with maximum aurora frequency. I’ll begin this afternoon; let’s see how well I do!

[Leeanda]

Umm....no comment😁.

Seriously though...Looking forward to reading it🙂

[Sgt Socks]

BOO! 👻

But umm, Conan, are you insane?!!

All right. I'll be here chewing my finger nails, even more so than before!

This should be entertaining 😊 I admire your crazy courage in giving it a go.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Prologue

Speedy change of plans, we’re doing Stalker difficulty! I want to live, after all.

DISCLAIMER: I’m not the biggest fan of writing in the present tense, I just want to experiment with it here.

I don’t know what happened. I don’t know how I got here, and I certainly don’t know how my camera, EMF meter, and voice recorder are still intact in my backpack. It’s cold. Really cold. And dark. I think it must have been around midnight when… whatever happened. I guess I was in a plane crash, but I don’t see any wreckage anywhere, and I don't look like I’ve just been in in a crash.

I spent a few minutes going through my pack, trying to find out who I am and what I am doing here. I found a passport filled out in the name of Nigel Danvers… I guess that’s me. I also found what looks to be a photocopy print of an email:Interesting.

Now I know who I am, where (at least in general) I am, and why I am here. I have a job to do.

Time to get moving. I still don’t know exactly where I am, but it’s cold. I guess I’ll try to find a road, and hope it leads somewhere.

[RossBondReturns]

YES!!!

I'll be posting a thread with my images and stories as I go...and a full video series later!

Thanks for giving it a go!

[Sgt Socks]

I am so relieved you're playing it on Stalker! Although it presents many of its own difficulties (wolves wolves wolves) its definitely the more likely option to keep you alive for long enough to enjoy it.

Wonderful start Conan.

Long live Nigel.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Day 1

I still tremble as I recount these events. I was by some sort of frozen creek, lined with reeds. It was dark, but the full moon gave off enough light for me to see by. The only sounds were the cawing of crows and the eerie hooting of owls as I made my way downstream.

Eventually, I arrived at a frozen lake. I almost slipped a few times, but eventually got my footing and decided that the ice would hold my weight. There was an ice fishing hut that I checked. I found a candy bar, a cotton hat, and a few revolver bullets. Something told me to take it all, but I left a few dollars on the shelf just in case someone still needs it. I’m not sure, though… what I found next was highly unsettling.

At the door to a fishing hut roughly in the middle of the lake was a corpse. A corpse… just laying there on the ice, right outside the door of the hut. From the way he had fallen, I would say that something jumped on his back the instant he left the hut, but that’s just not possible, unless… unless there was something in the hut with him that he was trying to run from, but that’s impossible! Or so I thought. Now, I’m not too sure. I checked the corpse for visible wounds, and found nothing. After hesitating a bit, I turned him over… and instantly regretted it. The poor man’s face was distorted; frozen in a screech of pain and horror. Tears of blood had frozen while trickling out of his hollow, empty eye sockets. I held back a wave of nausea as I said a brief prayer for him and covered him with a nearby tarp, then cautiously entered the hut.

In the drawers, I found a nice, warm wool balaclava, a can of tomato soup, another chocolate bar, and a small book… a journal of some sort, maybe, filled with indecipherable writing in some strange language, and strange, cryptic symbols… like pentagrams with eyes in the center, three-armed swastikas, and others, stranger ones. Despite my doubts, I held onto it.

Emerging from the fishing hut, I saw three cabins off in the distance. The lights were off; I assumed everyone was either asleep or… dead. I shoved the thoughts aside as I approached the buildings, trying the knob of the one in the center. It turned freely, and I entered. It was dark, but I could still fumble around, and I found some more food. I eventually found the light switch, and clicked it. Nothing. The power must have been out. I was still cold, but not as cold as I had been outside. I was also a bit sleepy, so I climbed into one of the beds and took a short nap.

After what must have been two or three hours, I awoke to the sound of radio static. The lights flickered on and off, and the very air itself seemed to buzz with static electricity. I had this eerie feeling that I wasn’t alone in the cabin. I glanced around, not expecting to see anything, and there it was… a black, shadowy figure, seemingly sitting in the rocking chair in the corner. It stared at me with it’s two glaring red eyes, mocking me with its silence. I managed to snap a quick picture of it before it vanished before my eyes.

I did not want to stay in that cabin anymore. I ran out the door… and was stunned by the sight I beheld. The clear night sky was aflame in shimmering curtains of green and purple. I snapped a picture and admired the gorgeous sight for a few minutes before checking the other cabins. The lights were flickering and the radios were playing static, as before, but there were no shadowy figures in the corners. The cabins were empty, so I helped myself to a cam of peaches and a pack of beef jerky that I found.

I continued in a path around the lake, eventually coming to a desolate scene… another cluster of three cabins, of which only one remained standing. What on earth happened here? I searched around the area, but found no bodies, although I did hear the distant cawing of crows. As I was about to open the door to the cabin, I saw something on the doorstep… a note! As I read it, I found myself wiping a tear from my eye. These poor people, just enjoying a winter getaway and beautiful scenery, suddenly caught in the middle of…something awful.

I entered the cabin, and, sure enough, there was a corpse hanging from the rafters by a length of rope. I didn’t have anything to cut him down with, so I just left him there, in the dark.

Shuddering, I emerged from the cabin and continued on my way. There was a lone cabin off on the distance. On my way there, I grabbed some cattails. I vaguely remember reading somewhere that they’re edible.

At the cabin, I tried the door. The knob turned, but there was something in the way. I was able to open the door about halfway before having to move the chair out of the way. Inside, I found little, if anything of use, but I was cold, so I grabbed a book, climbed into one of the beds, and tried to read by the flickering lamplight. I fell asleep, I guess.

When I awoke, the lights were still flickering faintly. I went outside, and heard a strange sound… sort of like radio static mixed with angry grunting. I glanced around, and saw a bear. A huge black bear, lumbering towards the cabin. And it was glowing… glowing with a green light, like it was reflecting the aurora. Whatever the cause, it hadn’t noticed me yet, so I just watched it. After a few minutes, it noticed me, and got really angry. It reared up and began charging.

I panicked and fumbled for the doorknob, slamming and locking the door right as the beast hurled itself against it. I put the chair back and waited, hoping the bear wouldn’t break the door down, and hoping that it would eventually lose interest. To pass the time, I tried to read again, but gave it up and took another short nap. After what must have been an hour, I woke up and peeked out the door. I was getting a bit thirsty, there was a stove in the fishing hut, and there was snow in the roof. All I had to do was to get past the glowing bear. Fortunately, it was too busy taking bites out of itself and rolling around on the ice like it was possessed to pay me any mind.

I lit up the stove, added a bunch of sticks that I had picked up, set a can onto the eye and filled it with snow. After debating whether it was a good idea, I pulled a burning chunk of wood out the fire and… provoked the bear. I don’t know what I was thinking; I just had this uncontrollable urge to go throw rocks at it. I snapped back to my senses just as the bear began to charge. I ran for dear life back to the fishing hut, hoping the bear was too large to fit through the doorway. Fortunately, it was.I resolved to myself not to provoke it anymore, staying put in the fishing hut and boiling a liter of water. When I emerged again, I noted that the aurora was gone, but the bear wasn’t! It began to charge, and I began to run. I ran for dear life back to the cabin, but it was gaining on me. I chanced a look over my shoulder, and it was almost on top of me! I literally dove into the cabin and kicked the door shut? The impact of the bear slamming against it nearly broke the door off the hinges, but I somehow managed to get the chair back against it.

That’s enough for one night… I’m not going anywhere until morning. It can’t be too long until the sun rises, right?

Edited November 2, 2022 by conanjaguar
Edited to put these pictures where they belong!

[Sgt Socks]

Absolutely bloody fantastic Conan!!! 👍🤩👍

[Leeanda]

Great start to the challenge.🙂.  You really are a natural  storyteller and stunning pics too 😊

[RossBondReturns]

I love all this. And it's wonderfully different than my story which is what I imagined with the storytelling aspect.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Still Day 1 (I think)

After a short nap, I poked my head outside to see if the bear was gone. Fortunately, it was, but the sun had not yet risen. It should have been up by now. I gave the cabin a final search, finding a map of Camp Mystery Lake, which must be this camp. 

I set out across the lake, keeping my eyes open for the bear, or the wolves that the note mentioned. The night was oddly silent and still; even the crows had ceased their cawing, and the only sound was the crunching of a fresh layer of snow under my feet. It was quiet and peaceful, despite the strange events of the last few hours, and I had time to think.

Before I knew it, I had arrived at what the map told me was the main office of the camp. I tried the front door; it was locked. I went around back and tried that door, but it was locked as well. After a few minutes of searching, I found the key in a rose hip bush. I took a few; I seem to vaguely recall that they make a pretty good tea. More and more things are coming back to me now.

After letting myself in, I lit up a hasty torch and had a look around. Some joker left rifle bullets out on the filing cabinet, and I took them. I might need to defend myself at some point. Poking around the building some more, I found a few empty cans, a fishing line, and a copy of a pamphlet called The Frozen Angler. Never heard of it before, at least as far as I can recall.

I went upstairs, pleasantly surprised to find a second bedroll by one of the beds. I took it, just in case I find someone who needs it. On a table, I found another note, in a different handwriting than the first.Whoever Beentsy is, I hope she’s okay, and not laying out in the snow, cold and lifeless, like those others I’ve come across. 

I need to rest now… I’m not as strong as I imagine I once was. Just a short nap, and I’ll continue on my way.

 

[RossBondReturns]

Are you playing with Endless Night ticked...because I didn't make that a requirement so more people would try.

If so...awesome!

[conanjaguar]

@GeneralJConnor

Yes, I have Endless Night on… I also just recently kicked myself for not turning the Heritage filter on 🤦‍♂️! I’ll get to that in my next session.

[RossBondReturns]

2 minutes ago, conanjaguar said:

@GeneralJConnor

Yes, I have Endless Night on… I also just recently kicked myself for not turning the Heritage filter on 🤦‍♂️! I’ll get to that in my next session.

My problem is that in testing with endless night on...with the Heritage filter....it made it difficult to make out the game.

And then when you upload it to youtube it for some reason will also darken it more. Watching my old 4DON vids for example is difficult at best.

The aurora make it easier to see while also much easier to die.

So for those reasons...while I have Aurora set to max...I have it day and night as well.

Besides if you weave a freaky enough story the fear follows you night and day.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Day 2

I awoke from my short nap and fumbled my way downstairs in the dark. I opened the door and was welcomed by a clear, cold snowy night. The moon gave off just enough light for me to read the map I had found, and according to it, there was another cabin off to the right of the railroad tracks going through Forlorn Muskeg… wherever that is.

I followed the directions of the map and hiked through the snowy forest, still remaining alert in case I encountered anything unusual. However, the eerie quiet remained, and I was starting to get a little uneasy, when I came into a clearing… it was the cabin! 

As I approached it, I could have sworn that I saw shadowy forms moving in my peripheral vision, but I attributed it to my eyes playing tricks on me. There was  headstone at the foot of the small hill upon which the cabin was situated. I couldn’t make out the name, but the date was fairly recent. I said a brief prayer for the poor soul before going up into the cabin.

The door swung freely, and I entered. It was pitch dark inside, so I lit a torch. On the table was a snare of some sort; maybe I can use it to trap some small animals, like a squirrel or something. In the shelf, there was some ammo and a military MRE… Canadian army surplus of 2013. Delicious.

There was a safe inside, that I eventually cracked out of curiosity and boredom. Inside were a bunch of official-looking documents, a rifle bullet, another MRE, and this note:

I read it by torchlight and crawl into bed for another short nap. It’s been more than 12 hours by now, I think. I have a feeling that the sun isn’t coming up anytime soon.

[hozz1235]

You really are a great storyteller, @conanjaguar

[Glacia]

Really impressed with your storytelling abilities, incredible job 😎

[RossBondReturns]

Amazing this is Excellent so far!

Mine will all come together when it's done...I've visited 7 of the Challenges P.O.I. only 30 more to go!

[Sgt Socks]

Ah Trapper's, a safe haven in a scary world.

I love that I can identify where you are by your descriptions. 

Great stuff Conan 🧡

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 1 / Still Day 2… maybe still Day 1. It’s hard to keep track of time.

I awoke and fumbled my way to the door, unsure of what to do and where to go. Outside, it was still dark. I’d accepted that the sun wouldn’t be coming up for a while, but I still think it can be explained logically. In some places, nights can last for months. Maybe Great Bear is one of those places… but I digress.

On my right, I spotted something odd about the cliffs… a patch of shadow against the dark rock. A cave, possibly? I went to investigate… sure enough, it was a cave! For lack of anything better to do, I lit up a flare and went inside.Fortunately, it was relatively warm. I would be cold, but hypothermia wasn’t a problem. I proceeded down the main passage, until I came to a fork. I turned right, and came to a dead end.I retraced my steps and then took the other passage. Presently I came to a larger chamber, where it appeared that someone had been camping not too long ago. Whoever was here, they left me a orange soda, a few chunks of coal, a few sticks, and a dead rabbit. Their loss is my gain.


I hurried through the rest of the cave, as my flare had begun to sputter fitfully. I soon managed to find an exit… to what I can best describe as a small ravine, with a frozen creek flowing through it. Two relatively high waterfalls completed the picture.


After a few more minutes of walking, my flare died, leaving me once again in the perpetual darkness. Eventually , I came to a gap in the path, presumably where a huge chunk of rock fell out of place hundreds, if not thousands of year ago. Fortunately, a sturdy fallen tree bridged the gap. As I moved to cross it, I noticed two sets of footprints in the fresh snow. Someone had passed through here not too long ago.There was a rope leading down the cliff. After thinking it over for a few seconds, I elected to climb down and see where it went. 

The first thing I noticed was a tree stump bearing some kind of mushrooms. They smelled good, and passed every edibility test I could think of, so I grabbed them. As I pulled the last mushroom, I heard a noise… like the pitter-patter of tiny feet in the snow. I whirled, and saw… well, not some supernatural demon, like I had been expecting. I saw bunnies! Some little voice in the back of my head whispered: “Kill them. Kill them all.” I obeyed, and both the bunnies necks were snapped before I could say “I’ve never been so cold in my life”… probably because my teeth were chattering so much. In a morbid sort of way, I was rather proud of myself. I still am, I suppose… even though I clumsily sprained my wrist while jumping down a steep slope.

What I came upon next was rather unsettling. Yet another corpse lying in the snow, right outside the entrance to a shallow cave. This one had a hatchet laying next to him. How he died, I don’t know, and I’m not sure I want to know. From the way he was lying, I’d say that something jumped onto him… from atop the 20-meter high cliff!The hatchet didn’t have blood on it… apparently he died before he could fight back. I didn’t have time to make a proper grave for him, so I sprayed a cross on the ground as a sort of headstone, and covered him with my spare bedroll.

In the cave, I found a pack of matches, coal, firewood, and even some food. That raised the question: why did the poor man who took shelter here decide to go out into the night and get killed, when he could have stayed by a warm fire? I pondered this while lighting up a fire of my own, putting a pot of snow on to melt, and crudely disemboweling the rabbits. The meat was chewy, burnt on the outside, and nearly raw on the inside, but far from the worst thing to eat.

I splurged and followed up the rabbits with a can of tomato soup and a sip of tea while reading the Frontier Shooting Guide until I could barely keep my eyes open. I put more fuel on the fire and slept soundly for about seven hours.

I awoke refreshed and warm, pulled a few torches from the fire, and set out on the way I had been traveling. After a fairly short walk, I came to a rope climb. I was apprehensive; whatever killed that man could have still been around. My fears proved unfounded, however, and soon I was up the cliff, and pretty dog-tired, despite my lengthy nap. After a few minutes of stumbling about in the darkness, my eyes properly adjusted, and I saw a picnic pavilion. There was nothing useful laying around, however, and I continued on my way. Eventually, I came across a small building, like an office or ticket stand. Footprints led inside, but not not out. Brandishing my torch, I entered… the building was seemingly empty! However, on a stool, I found a box of bullets… with an old rifle, seemingly a relic of the First World War, standing next to it! I checked the bolt; at least that worked. I loaded the rifle, lit a fire in the small stove, and took another short nap.

 

Edited November 7, 2022 by conanjaguar

[Sgt Socks]

The dark journey into Mountain Town.

I wish you strength, fortitude and courage to face the Looming Lupine Threat.

[conanjaguar]

Ghosthunter 2 / Still Day 2

I awoke little refreshed, but at least not completely exhausted. I lit a torch from the embers of the fire and set out into the falling snow. I followed a path leading down the hill until it came to a road. I went right. 

It was here that I realized I was being stalked. The silence was occasionally disturbed by the crunching of snow under feet that were not my own, and occasional hushed growls. I readied the hatchet in case whatever it was jumped out at me; I wouldn’t be able to bring up the rifle in time. 

Shortly after I passed a small cluster of trees, my stalker revealed itself. It was a wolf. At first, just another shape in the blackness, then, it detached itself, eager for meat.My torch held it off for a little bit while I got some distance, but it soon began to charge. (Gameplay note: Never travel with three fresh guts.) I had my hatchet ready, but didn’t give myself much of a chance; even a skinny wolf still has powerful muscles and sharp teeth.

I braced myself for the impact, and, sure enough, the blood-mad beast knocked me to the ground. It was all over in a second. I vaguely remember swinging my hatchet once and hearing the sickening crunch of snapping bone and the death yelp of the wolf.
I got to my feet and checked myself for injuries. I had a nasty bruise on my forehead, but for the most part, the blood was that of the wolf, which now lay dead at my feet.

[Sgt Socks]

Phew! You were lucky there Conan 😳 Stalker + Guts in Pocket = Very Bad Time.

Nicely done taking him out. I do like the hatchet best for wolf struggles, I never let it leave my side.

[conanjaguar]

I’ve gotten a few sessions in… currently working on writing them up.

[Leeanda]

12 minutes ago, conanjaguar said:

I’ve gotten a few sessions in… currently working on writing them up.

Yay 😊