Carved by the Garden

CONTENT WARNING 

Please be aware this game contains content that could be disturbing to some and includes themes of fear, isolation, violence, self-harm, and death. Read with caution. 

 

Carved by the Garden

 

Carved by the Garden is a Wretched and Alone system game. Instead of using a jenga tower for this system, I’ll be using a die roller alternative. Starting with 100 d6, anytime I need to remove a block from the tower, I’ll be rolling the dice pool. Any 1 rolled will be removed from the pool. When there are no dice left, it will be considered that the tower has fallen. Starting off, I’ll roll a d6 and roll the dice pool that number of times.

Roll: 3
Dice pool remaining: 65

The Setup

You reside at the back of a dead-end road in the middle of the woods. You share your home with people who care about you, but they’re afraid of what you get up to in the woods. They know they can’t control or stop you, but they don’t want to lose you

Answer these Questions

1. What draws you to the woods?
A sense of peace fills me as I explore the vast woods. Initially I found it calming to be on my own as I wandered through the dense forest.

 

2. Who do you live with?
A small group of people who have chosen to live off the grid in a self-sufficient community. They are my friends…

3. Why do they wish you to stop visiting the woods?
Each of my friends have had a strange experience with the woods. Though they cannot describe it, they all fear being alone in the forest.
 

4. What would you do if you didn’t go into the woods?
I would pass my days monotonously sitting in my home, bored out of my mind with the day to day living that I’ve found myself stuck in.
 

5. What do you fear in the woods?
I fear that the woods will take me one day, the solitude of the forest calling me to abandon my friends and strike out on my own.

My friends have asked me to keep a journal to chronicle my experiences in the woods, hoping that I will realize the dangers of being alone within it.

Day 1

Dear Friends,

You’ve asked that I record my daily activities in the woods. You’re afraid I might get lost, or worse… You promise not to read this diary and only to use it should I not come home by sundown. I agree that the woods are dangerous, but I know how to stay safe. I love the woods and the woods love me…

From here on, I will spend my evenings chronicling the day's events as I explore the peace and calm of the forest that seems to call me to it.

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 2

The Events
D6: 5; Draw 5 cards
The draw: 3 of Spades; 5 of Diamonds; 2 of Hearts; 4 of Hearts; 7 of diamonds
Dice Pool: 65

The Journal

Dear Friends,

Today I saw a strange sight. A small clearing in the trees, covered in giant white feathers. Some were even longer than my arm. Some even soaked in fresh blood... There was something glinting in the sunlight underneath a small mound of the feathers. I discovered a compass. It was obviously broken. The needle just spun around aimlessly as I tried to reorient it. A keepsake. I have it now next to me as I write this. The needle continues to spin around without care. Not sure why I kept it. Spots of blood from the feathers has dried onto it…

Wandering on I heard the faintest sound of a hymn carried in the air. No one comes into this forest. It was unsettling, but I couldn’t help my curiosity. I followed the sound, it grew louder and louder. Suddenly when I thought I was just about to find the source of the book, the sound stopped. Sitting on a rock was an old book. The leather-bound cover was flipped open and the moldy damaged pages were flipping over in the wind. It stopped. I stepped up to look at the page. There was a list of names. All of your names were in the book, each one crossed out in a heavy handed line. Mine was on the bottom. It was not crossed out. Is this why you all stopped coming into the forest? Maybe since my name remains uncrossed I still have some time left to enjoy the forest before I face whatever it is that drove you all away from it. I hope I have more time left than you all did. I enjoy my time in the forest…

As I sat in thought, a swarm of birds fell upon me! They pecked at my face and my arms, they ripped at my clothes and tore strips away from my shirt. They pulled out my hair! I don’t know what made them so angry at me, but they seemed to mock me as the whistled their songs and continued to peck at me. I fled from the book and finally the birds gave up their chase. After the shrill sound of their song was gone, the woods seemed to quiet. Unnaturally so. Almost as if all the sounds of the woods fell silent as they watched me panting and trying to wipe blood from my face. I’ll have to be careful about the birds here. A few of their feathers had come loose in the tussle. They were white. Small, but some soaked in my blood after their attack.

I almost returned home after that, but as suddenly as the silence had settled, I heard a voice calling out to me. A man stood in front of me in an old worn suit next to a woman in a stained and yellowing white dress. I was confused at first, why would anyone besides myself be in the woods. They begged me to witness their wedding ceremony. I hesitantly nodded and stepped up towards them. They said the strangest vows, thinking back on them I can’t even remember what they said. Or if I even understood the language that they were speaking in. When it appeared the ceremony was over, I expected the man to kiss his new bride. Instead they thrust a large canteen into my hands and both knelt before me. The man told me to pour it over them. I didn’t want to anger him, so I did so. A thick oily black sludge poured out of the canteen as I emptied it over their heads. It stank of death and disease. I almost lost my breakfast. Once it was done the man stood and looked at me with a strange grin. Suddenly he pushed me back. I lost my balance on a tree root that was sticking from the ground and fell back. I tried to stand up and confront the man, but as soon as I stood, I was alone. The couple was gone, leaving only a small pool of that foul smelling black sludge on the forest floor.

At that point I had enough and ran back toward home… Or at least the direction I thought home was. The forest is hard to navigate sometimes. I made a turn that I was sure was right. It turned out to be wrong. I found myself near a small pond. On the edge of the pond was a crumbling statue of a goat covered in lichen. It held out arms that looked human, in its hands was a freshly made flower crown. It looked like it had just been woven that morning. I… I felt the urge to put it on my head. I caught myself stepping forward. Suddenly I stopped and ran back. I don’t know what made me stop, but I worry that crown was dangerous somehow.

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 3

The Events
D6: 4; Draw 4 cards
The draw: 8 of Spades; 4 of Spades; Queen of Diamonds; Jack of Diamonds;
Dice pool: 51

The Journal

Dear Friends,

I walked back into the woods today. I was still a bit scratched up from yesterday, but it seemed as if my cuts from the birds had healed up more than I expected overnight. I decided to journey deeper today. There was a ridge that overlooked a valley that I found to be enticing me to climb it. And so I did. The view was spectacular. I could see down into the valley and it was breath-taking. Then the ground started shaking. It was subtle at first, but then it felt as if there was an earthquake! The ground rumbled underneath me. I ducked towards a tree to hold myself steady. I looked back at the valley. The trees were moving. Several large trees uprooted and… Walking? I’ll never forget that sound, the branches cracking their roots pulling free from the ground. I turned to run from the ridge, away from the valley. But when I turned, bells seemed to begin tolling out. Loud. Ear shattering. It looked like the shadows of the trees around me were reaching out towards me, like hands trying to grab me and hold me there. A deer emerged from the trees. No, not a deer. It looked like a deer but it had too many heads. Antlers sprouted from each of them and tangled in a mass above its body. Its mouths were moving, like it was trying to say something. The bells were overwhelming and the shadows kept grasping at me. I was frozen in terror. Suddenly in a flash the creature was gone, the shadows had retreated back to resting under their respective trees. My heart was pounding. Was this a warning? I… It scared me, but it could have just been in my head. Or a vision. Is it the forest? Or something else…

After leaving the ridge I headed back home. After all that, I was ready to get home for the rest of the day. But I couldn’t find my way. I held the compass out in front of me and the needle… It was still. It pointed off to my left. So I followed it. Not paying attention to where I was going, just following that needle I stumbled upon a circle of women. I froze in my tracks as I suddenly realized they were there and they had seen me. One of the women motioned for me to sit beside her. She seemed kind, but her smile seemed not to touch her eyes. It was… Hollow feeling. I sat next to her and she held out a piece of embroidery that she was working on. She said something about the thread of life being measured before its cut. She pointed to a piece of the embroidery, and then she quickly slit it open with a knife. It felt so strange. Like I knew what was coming next. She laughed and patted me on my shoulder before pointing off in a different direction. “That way. They are waiting for you” she said. I didn’t want to be sitting next to this woman any more so I stood and just walked that direction. I didn’t think about who was waiting for me but it certainly couldn’t be worse than the feeling of inevitability that I felt sitting in that circle.

As I walked, I tried to sort out how to get back home. While I was trying to orient where I was, a group of people jumped out and surrounded me. They danced around me in a circle. A man came up and said he had a gift for me. A woman came up behind me and covered my eyes. “Hold out your hands for your gift, child” She whispered in my ear. I instinctively put my hands out. Her hands pulled back and I opened my eyes. I was alone. And in my hands was a heart, blood dripping down to the ground, it was still beating. I dropped it and ran. Luckily I found myself in a familiar area and darted back home.

Sorry for using all the soap in the bathroom. It was hard to wash the blood off my hands.

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 4

The Events
D6: 3; Draw 3 cards
The Draw: Jack of Clubs; 9 of Hearts; Jack of Hearts
Dice pool: 38

The Journal

Dear Friends,

Today, the compass was broken again. The needle spun around aimlessly. I wandered, trying to follow it, but it just ended up walking me in circles. Staring down at the compass for a moment, I wasn’t paying attention. I bumped into something hanging from a tree. I stepped back and looked up. There was a man hanging there. I couldn’t tell, but it looked like he was wearing a suit. Couldn’t really tell. It was burnt. The wind blew black flakes off of the body and it seemed to fall on me like snow. I tried to run, but I couldn’t move my feet. I… I heard a voice on the wind. “This person bore witness. Will you be next?” I looked around trying to find who was talking but there was no one there. I turned back and the body was gone… I wiped my face and there was a smear of black ash. I felt like I was going to be sick.

I got away from that tree where the body had been hanging. It must’ve just been in my head. The trees. The solitude. Sometimes it just gets to you I think. Maybe the woods are trying to tell me something. I had to sit down for a moment. Catching my breath. I just needed to rest and clear my head. I heard a crack of something stepping on a tree branch. A man stood behind me. He had several rabbits tied up on his waist and he had a big knife. He yelled at me that I shouldn’t be there. That it was dangerous for me to be in the woods. I tried to ask him what he meant but he just kept yelling to leave. I stood up and ran from him, leaving his shouts behind me. I don’t know why it's dangerous for me to be here but not him. Why is it that he gets the whole forest to himself!?

I kept running until I came upon a stream. But it was strange. The stream was… Red? It was odd, so I followed it upstream. It got darker red the farther I went until it was almost as red as blood. It must’ve been an iron deposit or something discoloring the water. I thought that at least. Until I found the body. It looked as if the river was flowing out of him. So much blood, but how could that be, there isn’t that much blood in a body… And he couldn’t possibly be here. And dead. The bully from school. He didn’t live around here. But his body was right in front of me. There was a strange symbol carved in his chest. Like a rune of sorts. And the knife. That kitchen knife of ours that's been missing for a few days. But I didn’t take it. It couldn’t possibly have been real…

I ran home. I… It all has to be in my head. The forest is speaking to me. I just have to listen. It must be a warning…

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 5

The Events
D6: 6; Draw 6 cards
The Draw: 8 of Diamonds; 2 of Diamonds; Ace of Diamonds; 2 of Clubs; 10 of Spades; 5 of Spades
Dice Pool: 38

The Journal

Dear Friends,

The compass started working again. I followed it for an hour or so. It led me to a mirror. Just a full length mirror, just leaning up against a tree. It felt wrong. The trees around me looked right, but me… There was something different about me. I was taller. More muscular. It looked like I had been living in the forest, but I had been doing… Fine? I guess that's the best I could describe it. I liked it. Maybe I need to embrace this side of me. The forest could provide for me I guess. The compass needle was spinning again, so I just decided to wander around and see if there was anything else around.

I must’ve forgotten to eat that morning, because I suddenly had a splitting headache. It hurt so bad, I passed out from the pain. I don’t know how long I was out, but when I woke up I could here the sounds of chanting around me. I jumped to my feet but no one was around. Just the whispers… “Bow to the old Gods. Provide for the old Gods.” Then I noticed I was holding something. The knife. That one that we are missing. Still covered in blood. I don’t know why, but I kept it this time. Maybe the forest wants me to have it. I think I’m starting to understand what the forest wants from me. Blood. There's magic in the woods, I just need to give it something in payment. I cut my hand with the knife and let my blood drip onto the forest floor. The chanting stopped. Nothing happened. Hopefully that was enough. My hand still really hurts…

I kept walking. I was just waiting for the next sign. The forest owes me now. I couldn’t leave just yet. Then I spotted this strange stack of stones. At least I thought they were stones, but when I got closer they looked like turtle shells. They were stacked around almost like a fire pit. Or a nest. I looked down into the center and there was a massive hatched egg sitting there. It was covered in blood. Maybe whatever left those feathers had hatched something here. It looked like it would have been big, whatever it was. I didn’t want to be there when the mom came back so I left quickly.

I kept walking along the edge of this small stream. I hadn’t seen this stream before and so I followed it to its source. A stagnant looking pond. It stank, but it was something new. While I was standing at the edge, something pushed me forward. It felt like someone's hand, but I hadn’t heard anyone behind me. I fell into the water. It felt like fingers were grabbing me and pulling me under. Thankfully it wasn’t too deep and I climbed out quickly. But that feeling of hands on me was still there. Then I realized I was covered in leeches. It was disgusting. But I couldn’t let them have my blood. I used the knife to cut them off of me. I burned them before I left.

It was time to go home, and still the forest hadn't given me anything. Maybe it wasn’t enough blood. Anyways, I was heading home and I stumbled upon a shovel and a hole. Looked like someone had started digging and given up when they were about knee deep. I decided to dig a bit deeper. Maybe there was something to find here and they’d just given up too early. I thought I was digging for twenty minutes. Maybe a half hour. But when I looked up it was already getting dark. I must’ve been at it for two or three hours. I was about to give up and head home, when I finally hit something. I brushed away the dirt and found a wooden box. It was big. It looked like it could’ve been a coffin. I could see part of my last name carved into the wood. It freaked me out and I jumped out of the hole and ran home. It could’ve been anything carved on the box. And who’s to say it was a coffin. Still I didn’t want to get caught out in the woods after dark.

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 6

The Events
D6: 3; Draw 3 cards
The Draw: 9 of Spades; 9 of Diamonds; Ace of Clubs
Dice Pool: 38

The Journal

Dear Friends,

I’ve been having nightmares lately. I’m walking through the forest and I see you all. You’re all there, only you’re not walking with me. You’re hanging. The forest must know you’re trying to keep me away from it. You say it's dangerous, but I know it’s looking out for me. It’ll keep me safe as long as I give it what it wants. I was thinking about these nightmares when I heard some buzzing above me in the woods today. Massive hornets nests were on the trees. They looked like bodies in the trees. All the hornets seemed to be frozen in place. I knew they wouldn’t hurt me. See, the forest does really want to keep me safe. I kept walking. I was in no rush today. I was safe.

Then it began to rain. Or at least that’s what I thought at first. It was red. The rain. I looked up and saw birds and mice impaled on the tree branches. It was blood. I kept walking. The animals got bigger and the drops of blood came more quickly. Rabbits. Foxes. A deer even. The forest must have finally answered me. It felt warm, like soaking in a bath. It felt nice. I came to a tree. There was a note pinned to it. My knife was pinning it there. The forests answer. It must’ve known I’d come here today. The note said to take a rabbit, a frog, and a bird from the trees above. Eat their tongues while standing in front of a tree painted in my blood. Spit at the roots of the tree. I did. When I looked up, the animals were gone from the branches above. The blood that had been covering me had disappeared. Finally I must have done what it wanted of me.

I spent the rest of the day wandering around with a smile on my face. The forest wasn’t going to hurt me. It was keeping me safe…

Till tomorrow
-R

Day 7

The Events
D6: 5; Draw 5 cards
The Draw: 6 of Clubs; Queen of Spades; Jack of Spades; 10 of Diamonds; 1st Joker
Dice Pool: 26

The Journal

Dear Friends,

Apparently there are more hunters in the woods than I thought. Today I stepped on a bear trap. This wasn’t the woods fault, I stumbled into it. I was distracted taking in the beauty of the trees. Bear traps are quite hard to open by yourself though. Thankfully a woman heard the trap go off. Or maybe the forest sent her, knowing that I was in danger. She helped me open the trap. She must have been from the forest, she was so kind to me. She wanted to protect me. After sharing some of her food with me for lunch, we parted ways.

I must have been thinking about that woman and how kind the forest was to send help to me. I got lost. I found myself in a part of the woods I had never been in. Or maybe the woods had pulled me here. I don’t remember how I got there. Almost as if I had been summoned here. I’ll have to keep this place in mind. It must be important. While I was taking this in, I heard the sound of rushing water. It was so sudden. It seemed odd, I hadn’t heard any water before. The water rushed into the clearing. It was so sudden. It washed me away from that place. I must’ve hit my head on a tree trunk. I passed out. I woke up face down in the mud, thankfully I was placed down carefully so that I could breathe. The forest wouldn’t let me be hurt. It had washed me away, baptized almost. It washed me for something. I don’t know what, but I’m clean now.

Looking around, I again found that the rushing water had deposited me in another strange place. I wasn’t worried though. The forest will get me to where I need to be… And here, I found myself at the entrance to a beautiful garden right in the middle of the woods. Wisteria, jasmin, even honeysuckle. It was beautifully done. The arches were the perfect finishing piece as well.. The arches were built out of what most have been human bones. I walked through them, breathing in the fresh air of the garden. These people must have angered the forest. I wouldn’t do that though. I was safe. I kept walking and the path got muddier and muddier. I realized that each time I picked up my foot, it would reveal a face. You all were amongst them. The faces, I mean. Obviously you weren’t really there. You all are to afraid of the woods. No wonder its mad at you. You’re cowards for running away from it. It doesn’t ask much. Many of the faces I didn’t recognize. Who knows if they had done the same thing as you all. But I won't be ending up there in the mud under the garden. The forest is going to keep me safe.

It was a nice walk today. I think tomorrow is the day. I think tomorrow I’ll stay.

You’ll be reading this soon I suspect. Too bad you all were too scared. I could have shown you what the woods were really about.
Till tomorrow
-R

Day 8

The Events
D6: 1; Draw 1 cards
The Draw: 2nd Joker
Dice Pool: 26

The Ending

I’m walking through the woods. I’ve got my backpack full of clothes and some food. I’m not going home tonight. Tonight I will be staying in the forest. And the next night. And the next night. I’m finally home. The woods will keep me safe. Its the only thing that can keep me safe. I spend the day finding a place to call home. A nice clearing next to a stream. Maybe I can find the garden again. It was so beautiful to see.

I keep walking by the same stump. I’ve seen this stump before. I shake my head, sure that it must just be in my head. I pile some rockets up on the stump and keep walking. I walk by another stump. The pile of rocks I had placed on it neatly stacked just as I left them. I keep walking. I keep passing the same stump.

Darkness falls. I’ve lost my way. I’ve never been in the woods this late. There are strange sounds. Voices calling to me. “I can guide you…” “No let me lead the way…” They are fighting over me. I run. The forest will protect me, I just need to trust it. I’m gripping my knife in my hand though… just in case.

I fall. A sharp pain is searing through my side. I roll over onto my back and feel the handle of the knife sticking out of my side. There's so much blood… I’m getting dizzy. I try to stand but fall back on the ground. The sound of wings sweeping through the air. I see it. A massive white owl. It swoops down and grabs me in its talons, lifting me into the air. I think to myself, I knew the forest would protect me… Then the talons let go. I fall to the forest floor… It’ll keep me safe right?

-R