Thalor | Cabin in the Woods Collab

[They/them]

The dusty air of the basement felt suffocating. Oppressing, even. The air felt heavy with presence, something that couldn't be seen, touched or heard. The ominous creaking of the stairs stopped once the entire friend group was in the mysterious room. Puzzling objects were scattered around the place, like relics of bygone ages.

Nothing seemed to be interesting enough. Pocket watches, rings, axes and tomes, yet despite their age and finery, none of them appeared...thrilling enough. Until a human skull came into view. Jaw wide open on its hinges in a silent scream, dried blood flaking off it at the touch. A piece of paper lay forgotten beside the paper, with a hastily scribbled warning on it: Don't release him! Blood is the k- A long line indicated that whoever wrote it didn't have time to finish it. The question appeared, unprompted. Blood is the what? The key? Maybe? But the key to what?

Unsure hands touched the skull, observing the macabre relic seemed more appealing than pondering over the sinister message. A sharp bone piece scraped delicate flesh, a stray drop of red splattering on the ground. Time seemed to stop, as everything seemed to ripple, like the surface of water being disturbed.

Surroundings changed abruptly- the creepy basement turned into a dark cave, so pitch black that it felt like being swallowed by the void. The darkness seemed to be alive- it started with a faint thud-thud thud-thud sound, that progressively got louder. Then came the unmistakable scent of decay. The air turned heavy with it, almost like a warning that whatever occupied this den could only mean death. The heavy exhale made goosebumps rise on flesh, signalling the awakening of a beast so ancient it almost had no place on this Earth anymore. And if the vicious growling was telling anything, it was the embodiment of prehistoric fury.

The darkness receded then, sight clearing as the basement came back into view. The ominous vision was probably just the play of nerves. Nothing else.

Thalor woke up with all the destructive force of a dormant volcano. He felt the moment when the pest forced itself into his prison, taunting him with his chains like they wanted him to bite. To snap. He wasn't sure how long he had been imprisoned- a few hundred years, maybe more. Yet, the burning heat of his hate and fury never sizzled out.

Thalor was a mighty beast once- some worshipped him like he was a god, some wanted to see him gone. He was lured into a trap during the night of a full moon, crazed by the scent of distressed prey and blood. The witches of the nearby village waited for him. They drew him into a salt circle, sacrificing one of their own for their ridiculous ritual. He didn't believe it would work.

Yet, here he was. A prisoner in his own den. Thanks to the human sacrifice, the magic was strong. The chains that materialised around him were powerful enough to bear the force of his thrashing. The skull of the sacrificed witch was the door to his prison- the key? A fool's blood.

His muscles coiled as he hissed like a pissed off alligator once the mysterious visitor left. Then, the chains melted. He watched them disintegrate, huffing in well-hidden surprise. Then he bellowed victoriously, starting to dig himself out of the den that felt more like a grave during his captivity. That meant there was actually a fool who managed to cut themselves.

Once he broke to the surface, he sniffed around. He was too proud to admit it, but he wasn't sure he would ever feel the crispy freshness of forest air. He turned his large head, observing his surroundings and all the changes in them. There was no doubt he was still where the ritual happened back then, but instead of ritual stones, the sight of a wooden cabin greeted him, and the unmistakable sounds of life inside. He wouldn't fit through the cabin, but he knew of a different route.

Thalor knew of the existence of the underground tunnels around here. Covens often travelled underground to their secret meetings, trying to avoid those who had hunted them. He already had the scent of the intruder, so he buried himself back into the soil, bringing their end closer.

The tunnels widened just below the cabin he saw on the surface; the vibrations of steps came from above him. That's where the pests were hiding. He growled low in excitement at the promise of a simple capture. He tore into the ground where the scent of the invading human was the strongest, soon snatching them out in the hole he'd carved.

He dropped them unceremoniously to the ground once he was back in his old nest, looking down at the delicate thing with a growl. "So you are the fool who freed me. Kneel before me if you want to keep your head, and you might survive long enough to see as I eradicate your kind."

[She/her]

The dusty air of the basement felt suffocating. Oppressing, even. The air felt heavy with presence, something that couldn't be seen, touched or heard. The ominous creaking of the stairs stopped once the entire friend group was in the mysterious room. Puzzling objects were scattered around the place, like relics of bygone ages.

Nothing seemed to be interesting enough. Pocket watches, rings, axes and tomes, yet despite their age and finery, none of them appeared...thrilling enough. Until a human skull came into view. Jaw wide open on its hinges in a silent scream, dried blood flaking off it at the touch. A piece of paper lay forgotten beside the paper, with a hastily scribbled warning on it: Don't release him! Blood is the k- A long line indicated that whoever wrote it didn't have time to finish it. The question appeared, unprompted. Blood is the what? The key? Maybe? But the key to what?

Unsure hands touched the skull, observing the macabre relic seemed more appealing than pondering over the sinister message. A sharp bone piece scraped delicate flesh, a stray drop of red splattering on the ground. Time seemed to stop, as everything seemed to ripple, like the surface of water being disturbed.

Surroundings changed abruptly- the creepy basement turned into a dark cave, so pitch black that it felt like being swallowed by the void. The darkness seemed to be alive- it started with a faint thud-thud thud-thud sound, that progressively got louder. Then came the unmistakable scent of decay. The air turned heavy with it, almost like a warning that whatever occupied this den could only mean death. The heavy exhale made goosebumps rise on flesh, signalling the awakening of a beast so ancient it almost had no place on this Earth anymore. And if the vicious growling was telling anything, it was the embodiment of prehistoric fury.

The darkness receded then, sight clearing as the basement came back into view. The ominous vision was probably just the play of nerves. Nothing else.

Thalor woke up with all the destructive force of a dormant volcano. He felt the moment when the pest forced herself into his prison, taunting him with his chains like she wanted him to bite. To snap. He wasn't sure how long he had been imprisoned- a few hundred years, maybe more. Yet, the burning heat of his hate and fury never sizzled out.

Thalor was a mighty beast once- some worshipped him as if he were a god, some wanted to see him gone. He was lured into a trap during the night of a full moon, crazed by the scent of distressed prey and blood. The witches of the nearby village waited for him. They drew him into a salt circle, sacrificing one of their own for their ridiculous ritual. He didn't believe it would work.

Yet, here he was. A prisoner in his own den. Thanks to the human sacrifice, the magic was strong. The chains that materialised around him were powerful enough to bear the force of his thrashing. The skull of the sacrificed witch was the door to his prison- the key? A fool's blood.

His muscles coiled as he hissed like a pissed off alligator once the mysterious visitor left. Then, the chains melted. He watched them disintegrate, huffing in well-hidden surprise. Then he bellowed victoriously, starting to dig himself out of the den that felt more like a grave during his captivity. That meant there was actually a fool who managed to cut herself.

Once he broke to the surface, he sniffed around. He was too proud to admit it, but he wasn't sure he would ever feel the crispy freshness of forest air. He turned his large head, observing his surroundings and all the changes in them. There was no doubt he was still where the ritual happened back then, but instead of ritual stones, the sight of a wooden cabin greeted him, and the unmistakable sounds of life inside. He wouldn't fit through the cabin, but he knew of a different route.

Thalor knew of the existence of the underground tunnels around here. Covens often travelled underground to their secret meetings, trying to avoid those who had hunted them. He already had the scent of the intruder, so he buried himself back into the soil, bringing her end closer.

The tunnels widened just below the cabin he saw on the surface; the vibrations of steps came from above him. That's where the pests were hiding. He growled low in excitement at the promise of a simple capture. He tore into the ground where the scent of the invading human was the strongest, soon snatching her out in the hole he'd carved.

He dropped her unceremoniously to the ground once he was back in his old nest, looking down at the delicate thing with a growl. "So you are the fool who freed me. Kneel before me if you want to keep your head, and you might survive long enough to see as I eradicate your kind."

[He/him]

The dusty air of the basement felt suffocating. Oppressing, even. The air felt heavy with presence, something that couldn't be seen, touched or heard. The ominous creaking of the stairs stopped once the entire friend group was in the mysterious room. Puzzling objects were scattered around the place, like relics of bygone ages.

Nothing seemed to be interesting enough. Pocket watches, rings, axes and tomes, yet despite their age and finery, none of them appeared...thrilling enough. Until a human skull came into view. Jaw wide open on its hinges in a silent scream, dried blood flaking off it at the touch. A piece of paper lay forgotten beside the paper, with a hastily scribbled warning on it: Don't release him! Blood is the k- A long line indicated that whoever wrote it didn't have time to finish it. The question appeared, unprompted. Blood is the what? The key? Maybe? But the key to what?

Unsure hands touched the skull, observing the macabre relic seemed more appealing than pondering over the sinister message. A sharp bone piece scraped delicate flesh, a stray drop of red splattering on the ground. Time seemed to stop, as everything seemed to ripple, like the surface of water being disturbed.

Surroundings changed abruptly- the creepy basement turned into a dark cave, so pitch black that it felt like being swallowed by the void. The darkness seemed to be alive- it started with a faint thud-thud thud-thud sound, that progressively got louder. Then came the unmistakable scent of decay. The air turned heavy with it, almost like a warning that whatever occupied this den could only mean death. The heavy exhale made goosebumps rise on flesh, signalling the awakening of a beast so ancient it almost had no place on this Earth anymore. And if the vicious growling was telling anything, it was the embodiment of prehistoric fury.

The darkness receded then, sight clearing as the basement came back into view. The ominous vision was probably just the play of nerves. Nothing else.

Thalor woke up with all the destructive force of a dormant volcano. He felt the moment when the pest forced himself into his prison, taunting him with his chains like he wanted him to bite. To snap. He wasn't sure how long he had been imprisoned- a few hundred years, maybe more. Yet, the burning heat of his hate and fury never sizzled out.

Thalor was a mighty beast once- some worshipped him as if he were a god, some wanted to see him gone. He was lured into a trap during the night of a full moon, crazed by the scent of distressed prey and blood. The witches of the nearby village waited for him. They drew him into a salt circle, sacrificing one of their own for their ridiculous ritual. He didn't believe it would work.

Yet, here he was. A prisoner in his own den. Thanks to the human sacrifice, the magic was strong. The chains that materialised around him were powerful enough to bear the force of his thrashing. The skull of the sacrificed witch was the door to his prison- the key? A fool's blood.

His muscles coiled as he hissed like a pissed off alligator once the mysterious visitor left. Then, the chains melted. He watched them disintegrate, huffing in well-hidden surprise. Then he bellowed victoriously, starting to dig himself out of the den that felt more like a grave during his captivity. That meant there was actually a fool who managed to cut himself.

Once he broke to the surface, he sniffed around. He was too proud to admit it, but he wasn't sure he would ever feel the crispy freshness of forest air. He turned his large head, observing his surroundings and all the changes in them. There was no doubt he was still where the ritual happened back then, but instead of ritual stones, the sight of a wooden cabin greeted him, and the unmistakable sounds of life inside. He wouldn't fit through the cabin, but he knew of a different route.

Thalor knew of the existence of the underground tunnels around here. Covens often travelled underground to their secret meetings, trying to avoid those who had hunted them. He already had the scent of the intruder, so he buried himself back into the soil, bringing his end closer.

The tunnels widened just below the cabin he saw on the surface; the vibrations of steps came from above him. That's where the pests were hiding. He growled low in excitement at the promise of a simple capture. He tore into the ground where the scent of the invading human was the strongest, soon snatching him out in the hole he'd carved.

He dropped him unceremoniously to the ground once he was back in his old nest, looking down at the delicate thing with a growl. "So you are the fool who freed me. Kneel before me if you want to keep your head, and you might survive long enough to see as I eradicate your kind."