Ashen Oath Chapter 4: Coven Path
From Grouse House Wiki
Chapter 4 of the Ashen Oath storyline begins on October 25th as part of the Halloween Spectacle event. This final branch of the storyline will only appear for you if you doubted Namir and helped Kora in Chapter 3.
Depending on the choices made in this chapter, you made jump between this storyline branch and the Kora storyline branch. For this chapter to make the most sense, we strongly recommend that you click the storyline buttons to be taken to the next page for a specific branch, rather than scrolling.
You smell a familiar scent on the air and follow it. Namir sits impatiently, looking as though you're wasting his time.
When you offer no excuse, he snorts and turns without a backward glance, headed for the grove.
He strides toward the grove without a backward glance, expecting you to follow.
"Oh, yes. A taste of what we have been waiting for. It won't be long now, [Name]."
You enter the grove to to the excited pawsteps and eager, hushed words of the witches as they prepare for the ritual. Saligia oversees as her sisters gather various ingredients and place them in specific spots. Saligia turns when she hears your paw steps, her expression brightening.
"[Name}! You're here!"
"Nearly, yes! I need your help once again. We need a few last minute things."
You need the following ingredients to continue:
• 1 x Boneset
• 1 x Dandelion
• 1 x Ginger
• 1 x Oregano
• 1 x Spoonwood
"Perfect...just perfect." Her gaze sweeps around the clearing, resting on you and Namir.
"It's time! Come, [Name]. Come, Namir. Our wonderful apprentices, it is time for you to receive your gift."
She strides to the middle of the grove, situating herself at the head of the circle. Her sisters follow suit, stationing themselves an even intervals where the ingredients have been placed.
Both of these options will bring you to the same place. However, for clarity, we have split each option into the two sections below.
No Hesitation
No Hesitation
Saligia closes her eyes and begins to howl the words of the ritual, and her sisters join in.
The air crackles and you feel your pelt rise. The flow of energy is enough to make you gasp and twist your stomach as the corruption begins to spread. The feeling isn't pleasant, but the hum of power beneath it is enough to make it feel as though you're drunk.
The power in the grove thrums and pulses as corruption begins to spread over the land, and--
"[Name]! You must help her!" Namir barks out, and you find yourself staring as he leaps onto Kora's back and pulls her to the ground.
With the exception of "Refuse to move", the choice you make here will solidify your ending of the story. Selecting "Refuse to move" can lead you to either of the paths listed below, depending on your choice made in the next step.
If you select "Jump into the fray", you are guaranteed to receive the below items, and you will not be able to switch your path again.
If you select "Help Kora Instead!", you are guaranteed to receive the below items.
Since each of these paths is a final story ending, they will be separated into individual sections below.
Hesitate
Hesitate
"[Name]! Step forward. You want to be a witch, don't you?"
Namir sighs aggressively and rolls his eyes, clearly impatient.
"You are but a sprout at the base of a tree. You have power, yes...but with this ritual, you will be opened to a flood of power you have never known before."
She sits beside you companionably, trying to reassure you.
"Not quite, my friend. Nearly, but practice still makes perfect, after all. Now then." She rises to her paws and turns to you expectantly.
"Are you ready, [Name]? True power waits for no wolf."
Sit opposite one another in the center. Listen well: repeat my words and let the energy of the Earth consume and fuel you. Soon, all will be as it should."
Saligia closes her eyes and begins to howl the words of the ritual, and her sisters join in.
The air crackles and you feel your pelt rise. The flow of energy is enough to make you gasp and twist your stomach as the corruption begins to spread. The feeling isn't pleasant, but the hum of power beneath it is enough to make it feel as though you're drunk.
The power in the grove thrums and pulses as corruption begins to spread over the land, and--
Saligia closes her eyes and begins to howl the words of the ritual, and her sisters join in.
The air crackles and you feel your pelt rise. The flow of energy is enough to make you gasp and twist your stomach as the corruption begins to spread. The feeling isn't pleasant, but the hum of power beneath it is enough to make it feel as though you're drunk.
The power in the grove thrums and pulses as corruption begins to spread over the land, and--
Namir is in much the same state, and he struggles to get to his paws as the sound of fighting clatters across the once quiet space. You squint through blurry eyes to see what had interrupted the ritual, and see a familiar flesh of horny growths as Kora tangles with Saligia.
"[Name]! You must help her!" Namir barks out, and you find yourself staring as he leaps onto Kora's back and pulls her to the ground.
With the exception of "Refuse to move", the choice you make here will solidify your ending of the story. Selecting "Refuse to move" can lead you to either of the paths listed below, depending on your choice made in the next step.
If you select "Jump into the fray", you are guaranteed to receive the below items, and you will not be able to switch your path again.
If you select "Help Kora Instead!", you are guaranteed to receive the below items.
Since each of these paths is a final story ending, they will be separated into individual sections below, after the "No Hesitation" section.
Jump into the Fray
Jump into the Fray
Battle Corrupted Kora to continue with the storyline.|
Ashen Oath |
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She thrashes wildly, her eyes filled with nothing but rage. There is no trace of the mortal wolf she once was.
"At last!" Saligia crows triumphantly. "What a nuisance. Witches, return to your places. Apprentices, resume your post. It's time to finish this."
As you stand over her body and Namir joins you with a grim look on his face, you find yourself bracing for the worst as you wait for Saligia to begin.
But what could happen? The ritual will be complete and you'll have immense power, just as promised.
You're vaguely aware of slumping to the ground and the witches moving around you. You feel Namir beside you, also slumped to the ground. All is eventually quiet, and your sense of time is warped.
Minutes or hours, you're not sure which, pass before your senses return to you. You blink open your blurry eyes and look around the grove.
The trees, the sky, the ground...it's all twisted beyond recognition. Once-familiar sights, sounds, and smells no longer exist and everything is foreign.
There is no trace of the witches remaining in the grove. It sits abandoned, without even a hint of what it was before. Where had they gone? And...why did you feel so...empty?
"They're...gone." His voice is gravelly, as if his vocal chords haven't been used in a long time.
Gone? But did that mean...
"They took it. They took our power for themselves. They never meant to give us anything."
Namir's look of horror as he stares, not looking at anything in particular, cause you to realize what that strange empty feeling is.
"The ritual was successful. The corruption was never meant to help the world...it was simply a way for them to gain more power. Now that they have it, they have no use for us or this land."
Kora's fur stirs in the wind, and you look down at her sadly.
"Without anything to stop the corruption, it will spread to us all. Without our power, we have no hope of righting things ourselves."
He rises to his paws and with a last glance at Kora, he turns to the entrance of the grove.
"I must go. You are not the only wolf with a pack to protect. I must do what I can for as long as I can, and so should you."
He hesitates at the entrance an looks down at his paws before murmuring:
Chest heavy and feeling as though your paws are trapped in mud, you pad to the entrance. Nothing remains for you here.
You head back to your pack, paws set firmly on the path before you.
You got a Marking Set Applicator [Notches], a Forest Clearing, a Saligia and +50 
ME!
Refuse to Move
Refuse to Move
You watch as the combined efforts of Namir, Saligia, and the witches eventually pin Kora to the ground. They are using all of their strength to hold her still as she thrashes.
"[Name]! You must end this!"
Saligia calls out to you desperately, her eyes locking with yours as she struggles to keep Kora pinned.
When you don't move, her desperation turns to anger.
Choosing "Agree" switches you over to the "Jump into the Fray" path, while choosing "Refuse" eventually switches you over to the "Help Kora Instead" path.
If you select "Agree", you are guaranteed to receive the below items.
If you select "Refuse", you are guaranteed to receive the below items.
You stay firmly in place, refusing to budge. Saligia lets out a bone-chilling growl and turns all of her rage on Kora.
"I'll do it myself!"
She latches onto the she-wolf's throat as Namir and her sisters pin Kora down, and with a sickening gurgle Kora's snarls of rage are cut off.
"You!" Namir howls, and throws himself at you. The full force of his bodyweight slams you into the ground, and it feels as if your lungs might give out.
"Don't. We need them. No matter their loyalty, they are powerful. I will not let that go to waste."
She strides forward and leans down to shove her face into yours threateningly. Injured and bleeding as she is, her presence is powerful.
"I can, and I will--but I'd prefer not to. Power given is much more potent than power taken. Final offer, then: help me complete the ritual, and you and your pack will be spared from the inevitable corruption. That's what you want, isn't it? To be normal?"
You lay there without struggle, watching as the witches stagger to their places. Their energy is sapped...perhaps the corruption won't be as strong as it could have been.
From this point forward, your story will sync up fully with the "Help Kora Instead!" path. For convenience, the next steps of that path are copied below.
You're vaguely aware of slumping to the ground and the witches moving around you. All is eventually quiet, and your sense of time is warped.
Minutes or hours, you're not sure which, pass before your senses return to you. You blink open your blurry eyes and look around the grove.
There's a chill in the air, and a hot, bitter taste at the back of your throat. The grove is oddly empty except for Kora's body in front of you.
The trees, the sky, the ground...it's all twisted beyond recognition. Once-familiar sights, sounds, and smells no longer exist and everything is foreign.
There is no trace of the witches remaining in the grove. It sits abandoned, without even a hint of what it was before. Your body remains unchanged, and your mind clear.
You head back to your pack, paws set firmly on the path before you.
You got a Marking Set Applicator [Notches], a Forest Clearing, a Corrupted Kora and +50 ME!
Help Kora Instead
Help Kora Instead
The corruption has been growing steadily as you've gotten stronger, and the pain in her eyes makes it clear--the corruption is not helping the land. It's making it worse.
"You are a disgrace to all witches!" Kora hisses, pinning Saligia down beside you. "Despicable. You should be ashamed."
Namir hesitates in his approach, eyes flitting back and forth between you and Kora, undecided on who to attack. Saligia pants heavily, bleeding from various wounds, but she manages to smirk.
"Not yet, witch. First, your sisters are going to help put the world back as it should be. It may be too late for me, but I won't let this world become twisted as I did. You hear that, witches? Purge the corruption, or I will kill her!"
She closes her jaws more tightly around Saligia's throat, causing the witch to let out a choked breath.
Both options lead to the same ending.
Battle Saligia to continue with the storyline.|
Ashen Oath |
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There is no way to win this battle, and progression in the story occurs when you lose.
You struggle underneath her hold, and she leans down, her muzzle nearly touching your own.
His jaws close around Kora's throat and with a crack she falls to the ground, unmoving.
The clearing is silent and you look at Kora's twisted form. If only...but no, you had your own hide to think about, and you know that if you had intervened, Namir would not have spared you.
The witch rises to her paws and shakes her head.
"Don't. We need [HIM/HER]. No matter their loyalty, they are powerful. I will not let that go to waste."
She strides forward and shoves her face into yours threateningly. Injured and bleeding as she is, her presence is powerful.
"I can, and I will--but I'd prefer not to. Power given is much more potent than power taken. Final offer, then: help me complete the ritual, and you and your pack will be spared from the inevitable corruption. That's what you want, isn't it? To be normal?"
He has her pinned, jaws closed around her throat, and she is vainly struggling to get out of his grasp. He pauses, his eyes finding Saligia's. She smiles and whispers:
"Now you get to watch her die."
"Sisters!" Saligia calls out. "Let us begin."
She releases you, and Namir moves to stand next to you threateningly. There's no need for his towering presence; you have no fight left in you.
You're vaguely aware of slumping to the ground and the witches moving around you. All is eventually quiet, and your sense of time is warped.
Minutes or hours, you're not sure which, pass before your senses return to you. You blink open your blurry eyes and look around the grove.
There's a chill in the air, and a hot, bitter taste at the back of your throat. The grove is oddly empty except for Kora's body in front of you.
The trees, the sky, the ground...it's all twisted beyond recognition. Once-familiar sights, sounds, and smells no longer exist and everything is foreign.
There is no trace of the witches remaining in the grove. It sits abandoned, without even a hint of what it was before. Your body remains unchanged, and your mind clear.
You head back to your pack, paws set firmly on the path before you.
You got a Marking Set Applicator [Notches], a Forest Clearing, a Corrupted Kora and +50 ME!
Join the Witches
Join the Witches
The storyline branch appears if you were previously on the Kora path, and then chose to Warn Saligia and Join the Witches on Page 7c.
"Your loyalty will not go unrewarded, [Name]. Once the ritual is complete, you will experience power you've never known before. You will--"
Her words are cut off as a blur of gray leaps from the shadows and tackles her to the ground.
Kora!
You pause uncertainly. Did Saligia want you to kill him?
"Don't kill him, [Name]. We need him. As for you..."
Saligia looks down at Kora with a malicious coldness. Namir is useful with his power. But Kora, though she had been purged of her corruption, offers nothing of value to the witches.
"Murderer! She wasn't corrupted anymore, there was no reason to--"
"Quiet, Namir. Quit your moaning. Clearly you're not the wolf I thought you were. Sniveling over the death of a traitor? Pathetic."
She spits on Kora's body and turns to you and Namir.
"Witches, return to your places. [Name], take Namir resume your post. It's time to finish this."
Without a backward glance, Saligia turns and takes her place at the head of the circle.
You nudge Namir to the center, and he offers no resistance. Your paws begin to tingle eagerly as they anticipate the rush of power you're about to have.
You're vaguely aware of slumping to the ground and the witches moving around you. You feel Namir beside you, also slumped to the ground. All is eventually quiet, and your sense of time is warped.
Minutes or hours, you're not sure which, pass before your senses return to you. You blink open your blurry eyes and look around the grove.
The trees, the sky, the ground...it's all twisted beyond recognition. Once-familiar sights, sounds, and smells no longer exist and everything is foreign.
There is no trace of the witches remaining in the grove. It sits abandoned, without even a hint of what it was before. Where had they gone? And...why did you feel so...empty?
"They're gone, of course. Did you really think they meant to give you any power?"
He whips around, hair bristling and sharp teeth flashing.
"Imbecile! This is your fault! How could you be so stupid? After everything you knew, that Kora--" He shakes his head savagely, overcome with emotion. "Now she's dead, our power has been stolen, and it's all been for nothing!"
He looks as though he might go for your throat, but a distant howl captures his attention.
He goes to duck under a branch hanging in the entranceway, and calls back nastily:
"Have fun telling your pack why they're turning into monsters, [Name]."
With that, he disappears, and you're left alone in the grove.
Kora's fur stirs in the wind, and you look down at her as reality begins to sink in.
You head back to your pack, paws set grimly on the path before you.
You got a Marking Set Applicator [Notches], a Forest Clearing, a Saligia and +50 ME!