A pale dawn broke over the turrets of Duchess Dander’s border duchy, bathing the castle walls in soft gold. Clutching her father’s silver pendant at her chest, the young duchess slipped from her velvet-lined chamber. Behind her lay the comfort of soft cushions, roaring hearths, and the familiar lull of palace life – but ahead stretched an uncertain path, one she must walk alone.
“This place was never meant to be mine,” Duchess Dander thought, as her paw tightened around the pendant. “I was supposed to grow up here, not rule it. Not yet.” She glanced once more at the quiet hallway behind her, half-expecting her father’s booming laugh, or the rustle of her mother’s cloak around the corner. But only silence greeted her now. “If what father told me is true… then I can’t stay hiding behind curtains and courtiers.”
As she approached the towering gates, the memory of her parents’ final stand weighed on her mind. She could still hear their valiant roars at the battle’s edge, the clash of steel against shadow… and her father’s last whisper: “Basement Cat has risen again…”
“Why didn’t you tell me more?” she wondered, eyes fixed on the horizon. “Did you think I wasn’t ready? Or did you hope I’d never need to know?” The silver pendant pulsed faintly with warmth against her fur – not magic, perhaps, but memory. “Well… ready or not, I won’t let your warning fall to dust.”
Filled with purpose, she stepped outside. Duchess Dander vowed to journey straight to King Meowrick’s capital – and warn him of the creeping darkness.
As she stepped through the castle gates, the head guard bowed deeply, helm tucked under one arm. “Good fortune, my lady,” he said solemnly. “May the winds favor your paws.”
Dander nodded, adjusting her bow. “Thank you, Captain. Hold the duchy while I’m gone.”
Then, without another word, she turned toward the waiting dawn – and walked into the wild.
Stepping beneath the ancient boughs of the Whiskered Woods, she paused. Silver leaf litter crunched beneath her boots, and shafts of morning light danced through emerald canopies. Determination steeled her heart – this was her first act as duchess.
But destiny seldom travels in silence. From the trees ahead came soft murmurs and the scrape of horn against wood. Duchess Dander’s keen green eyes darted left and right, and there she beheld two curious figures:
To her right, sitting in a small clearing was a Golden Retriever knight, shining his shield with a ceremonious lick, armor glinting even through the shaded canopy of trees.
“Well, he certainly looks chivalrous… but perhaps not the smartest, licking his shield clean,” Dander mused, her ears twitching. “That fur, that grin… he’s got the heart of a golden sunrise. But can a heart like that survive the shadows I’ve seen?” She watched as he adjusted his helm, tail thumping cheerfully against a mossy stone. “He seems brave… and loyal. But will he keep pace with danger – or need saving from it?”
To her left, there was a billy-goat barbarian, her horns splintering wood sparks as she struck logs together to kindle a fire.
“Fierce,” Dander thought, watching the goat’s muscles ripple beneath her worn leathers. “Sharp-eyed. No nonsense.” The barbarian huffed at her stubborn fire, then grunted with satisfaction as a flame caught. “She’d carve a path through a dozen foes before breakfast… but would she bother with a duchess’s plea?” Dander’s tail flicked behind her. “I’ll need more than strength, and I could certainly use hers. But can I convince her to join my cause?”
Now the realm’s fate hangs on your will:
Make a major plot choice on our Facebook glade:
Should Duchess Dander approach the knightly Golden Retriever and seek the loyal defense of a paladin, or greet the billy-goat barbarian and harness her raw power and fierce determination?
❤️ React to the post with a heart to choose the dog knight.
🤗 React to the post with a care to choose the billy-goat barbarian.
Make a minor choice through our Instagram forest clearing:
Will she stride with confident purpose into the clearing, or slip silently through the underbrush and surprise them with a note on an arrow?
1️⃣ Comment “Confidence” on the post to choose walking over with credence.
2️⃣ Comment “Stealth” on the post to choose a silent message attached to an arrow.
Cast your votes – and shape the very first footsteps of our hero’s quest!
Want to learn more about the Kingdom of Cheezburgia?
You can go back to our pre-adventure explanations and immerse yourselves in this meowgical tale even further! 🏰
In this first introductory post, you can learn a little more about the Kingdom of Cheezburgia and see how it all began.
In this second detailed post, you can read more about King Meowrick the Magnificent and why it might be difficult to have him help our Duchess.
In this third explanatory post, you can read more about Basement Cat and all that might be lurking in the shadows of the kingdom.
