These are some notes I'm putting down to use in NaNoWriMo and a game jam I'm hosting. This will be constantly updating :)
Name ideas:
An NB person leaves a medieval wooden boat and enters the Town. There they are supposed to stay for a few days and move on. They have a boat to catch downstream the river that comes once a week which will take them to the sea and across the Martian ocean to a new kingdom where they might find living. They stay at the Inn and watch the Festival but when they awake in the morning of their departure, the town is covered by mist.
They come out and wade through the mist only to find an empty pier and no way to look forward. The river is strange as it moves slower than usual. They come back and a few villagers are congregating in the square, discussing how the thicker mist hurts their bodies as soon as they touch it. One shows a bad burn. Another shows their arm bleeding but tended to.
The middle of the town square trembles and the "kasna" in the middle glows. The eyes of the statue (some god) glow. The village leader recognizes the "Omen" and points toward a cave outside the town. Strangely, the mist creates tunnel that leads there. The Traveler volunteers to help -- seizing the opportunity to experience an adventure, to feel the adrenaline, and to feel closer to the Gods.
Three others volunteer to go as well. The cave had been explored but none had ventured deep as somehow, bigger animals find their way in there and lurk about. The God/Goddess of the statue is said to reside deep within. Her curse, the Mist, can be lifted by reaching her -- and proving their devotion through the perils.
Navki is on their way with a message to the Eye City -- a city in a great crater with a meteor in the middle that sticks out as an island in a rushing water. They are going there to apprentice the blacksmith who is the brother of their village's blacksmith. They land at a small village that has a dangerous but short path to the Eye City.
There's a summer slavic festival that the Hogwitch crashes. She flies in her cauldron and in her anger at their noise, burns down a building with a person inside. She laughs and warns them that soon, they'll be stuck with her in the vallye and the woods. As they try ot put it out, they notice the town well is suddenly empty.
Navki heads out, disturbed by what happened. When they reach the dip between two mountain ranges, they find a small mushroom-headed elder. They talk to Navki but warns. The animals have been coming into the valley and they're not sure why. They're afraid of something.
Navki makes it out a day's journey but in the night is awoken by a creeping mist that burns everything in its path. As they reach for their pack to run away, the mist reaches for them and burns them. They make it to the mushroom elder and pick them up to run into the village. They run into the forest and the mist slowly follows.
Navki runs with the elder until they reach a fence and see the enormous house standing in the moonlight. It has chicken legs. They try to escape quickly from the mist but that wakes the Witch. The Witch flies up and spews fire at them until she noticed the mist burning her house. She casts a spell, cackling, and the hero escapes.
They arrive at the village. The mist is a prophecy. They need to head into the mountains and go through the cave into the underground. Their well was already a sign. Navki volunteers (but why?) and along with a few others, they decide to head to the cave that same night. As they near the cave, they notice the mist crawling toward its opening. The group runs in and after a few minutes, the mist closes the entrance (but does not go in).
The group starts to descend. ???