As you sprint away from the rustling sounds, your clothes snag on the thorns of the berry bushes. Still, ragged scraped clothes are better than encountering a possibly irate mysterious wild animal.

After a few panicked minutes of running, you find yourself in a wide clearing, closed in by a ring of stout oak trees. The sunlight streams in from above, conveniently spot-lighting a path leading out of the clearing. You pause a moment to catch your breath and recollect your thoughts.

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Upon surveying your surroundings, you find that you are not alone.

On either side of the clearing is a group of grown men and women, glaring at each other.

One group consists of a short, sturdy humanoid in heavy armour; a tall, pale humanoid wearing a dark velvet cloak and a look of general disdain; a scantily clad warrioress using an ornate sword as a walking stick; and a small, child-like creature that seems to possess both an ageless wisdom and an innocent wonder. Clearly, these are no ordinary travellers.

The other group consists of what presumably would be a band of merry men, were they not engaged in a combination of squabbling and arguing. Both men and women are clothed in green shirts, green leggings, and rather silly pointy green hats. Some of the men sport red feathers in their hats, in a futile attempt to make them look less like Santa's Little Helpers.

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Approach the Misfit Band of Heroes | Approach the Merry Band of Thieves | Take the path out of the clearing