Hooked on Books discussion

I'm going to start working on the story and hopefully will have something to share with the team by tomorrow. I know we are close to have the task books completed.

Great! I look forward to seeing it ;)

Okay, here's a take on the story. Anything in all caps was pulled from a book title.

It's long so I put it under the spoiler. I'm also adding it to the spreadsheet if it's easier for people to read there.

(view spoiler)[
The Chaos Crew arrived in the providence of TIGANA hoping to relax at their favorite spa after completing their last quest. Alas, that was not to be the case. Upon arrival, they realized their party was under SIEGE by a fiend attacking innocents during the WICKED HOUR of the night while wearing the face of Ruth.
Chaos Crew will not stand for one of their members to have their reputation ruined in such a way or be dishonorable by turning Ruth in for crimes she did not commit. They begin to investigate and gather clues to determine who might be behind these terrible acts. Judith uses all of her innate tracking skills as a Ranger and her computer know-how to follow the fiend’s trail to the den of THIEVES known as the HOUSE OF HOLLOW. The Chaos Crew waits until nightfall to try and capture the fiend and clear Ruth’s name.
The party is armed to the teeth with swords, guns, and even a scythe and begin to STORM the building, only to be revealed by the fiend’s devious WHITE CAT who spots them and yowls. The fiend makes a run for it, but in their haste, their face is revealed by the BRIGHTLY BURNING MOON. The members of Chaos Crew recognizes them as their nemesis, THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE! Who is known far and wide for heinous crimes committed under the moniker of THE BUTCHER OF THE FOREST. He must be stopped before more innocent people become victims. Erin, using her level four fighter skills leads the charge, sword in hand hoping to cause Montague a serious BODY PROBLEM. For the assist, Benedicte uses her fairy magic to make the fiend YIELD UNDER GREAT PERSUASION, allowing them to be bound with magical ropes.
The Chaos Crew brings Montague back to TOWN in hopes of clearing Ruth’s name once and for all.
(hide spoiler)]

Feel free to edit away!

Judith wrote: "Feel free to edit away!"

I loved the story as written, Judith... what a fun tale.

We are checked in for Quest 3.

Thanks Ruth!

Thanks! The story looks great btw! ☺️

🌘 Quest 3A: Breaking the Fractured Veil

Though you defeated the fiend impersonating Ruth and restored her name, the world is not so easily healed. Your battle disrupted something older—an ancient tether between light and shadow. When Montague’s illusion fell away, the magic he used cracked the last defenses of the Fractured Veil, a barrier that was already weakening.

Now... your shadows move independently.

They twitch before you do. They whisper things you haven't said. And in battle, magic, or moments of fear, they sometimes take over.

You are cursed with shadow selves—fragments born from unresolved emotions and choices you haven’t yet faced. To regain full control and master these new powers (or rid yourselves of them), each of you must confront what your shadow reveals.

🕳️ Quest Tasks: Redemption or Ruin
Each player must read four books, one for each trial of the shadow. You may tackle them in any order. Then they must read a final book that determines their outcome. We will get to that final book in a bit. First, the trial.

The Inner Darkness
📘 Read a book where someone confronts their inner trauma, rage, grief, shame, or forbidden desire.

The Mirror Self
📘 Read a book with a mirrored or split personality character—someone with a secret, alter ego, or double life.

The Shadow Cage
📘 Read a book where a character is trapped in literal or metaphorical shadow—prison, exile, curse, or internal torment.

The Light Beyond
📘 Read a book that ends in redemption—someone who chooses good, is forgiven, or overcomes their past.

🌓 Outcome Choices:
Once all four tasks are complete, each party member chooses one of two outcomes:

Shadowbound: Fuse with the shadow. Gain power tied to your flaw. You’ll never be free of the darkness, but you’ll learn to wield it.

Lightforged: Banish the shadow. You become radiant, resistant to corruption—but bear a permanent scar or loss.

Each member may choose individually, but the party’s unity may be tested...

🌑 If they choose to become SHADOWBOUND
You accept your shadow. You do not fight it—you become it. It is your pain, your hunger, your edge. You gain power from the very thing that once threatened to destroy you.

🕷️ Final Task – Embrace the Shadow
📖 Read a book where a character uses a flaw, curse, or dark power to overcome a greater threat.
(The character doesn’t reject their darkness—they master it.)

Outcome: You will be granted a custom Shadowbound Power tied to your flaw (e.g., rage, envy, pride, fear) and may use it in key future quests. But your soul will bear a visible mark of shadow—seen only in moonlight or magic.

🌟 If they choose to become LIGHTFORGED
You resist the pull of shadow. You reclaim your light—at a cost. You may lose something of yourself, but in doing so, you stand whole and sovereign again.

🌸 Final Task – Embrace the Light
📖 Read a book where a character makes a painful sacrifice to protect others or preserve their own integrity.
(The story must include a cost—personal, emotional, or physical.)

Outcome: You will be granted a custom Lightforged Boon, offering resilience, radiant magic, or divine favor in future trials. But you must choose a scar to carry—physical, magical, or emotional—as a reminder of what you gave up.

I've finished my last book for Quest 3A

I’m afraid I may have gotten ahead of myself in reading my Final Task book before completing all 4 of my Quest books. I may have to switch out that Final Task read for something else I’ll have finished today or later. Sorry for the mix-up!

I’ve finished my last book for Quest 3A, including a new book entered for the Final Task selection.

Benedicte wrote: "Thanks! The story looks great btw! ☺️"

Hi Benedicte... Will you be reading a Final Task book soon for Quest 3A? That's all we need to finish and then we'll be moving on to the next quest. 🐉

Sorry, I was offline last week. I thought I had notified all of my team members from challenges, but apparently I forgot to post a message here. Will try to read a book today so we can get our next quest! 🤗

I finished my last book yesterday but I am currently travelling and I don’t have access to a computer for another day or so. Could you log it for me? I think I have already put in everything in the spreadsheet except for the finish date, which was yesterday (July 15). Sorry for my inactivity this last week, I have been travelling a lot

Benedicte wrote: "I finished my last book yesterday but I am currently travelling and I don’t have access to a computer for another day or so. Could you log it for me? I think I have already put in everything in the..."

Thank you for staying in touch! I've added your book completion date and will be checking the team in for Quest 3A. Safe travels!!

Thanks!

🕷️ Judith’s Shadowbound Power: Flashfire Strike

Essence:
Judith’s impulsiveness manifests as sudden bursts of fierce, shadow-fueled strikes — overwhelming in speed and intensity but leaving her vulnerable afterward.

How it works:
Flashfire Strike: When Judith chooses to unleash her shadow power during a critical moment (like a battle or confrontation), describe how she instantly lashes out with a blazing, shadow-tinged attack that surprises and overwhelms her opponent.

Cost of Impulse: After this fierce strike, Judith’s shadow pushes her forward recklessly — narratively, she struggles to maintain control, opening herself up to consequences like missed opportunities, missteps, or moments where others must help her regain footing.

Example narrative cues:
“Judith’s weapon flares with dark flame as she lunges forward without hesitation, catching her foe off guard — but the rush leaves her off-balance, vulnerable to counterattack.”

“Driven by the shadow’s restless fire, she strikes first and hard, but the aftermath is chaos, and her allies rally to steady her.”


🌟 Ruth (Elf Druid)

Boon: Verdant Radiance
Ruth’s connection to nature deepens, allowing her to channel radiant healing energy. Once per reading challenge or narrative milestone, she can restore balance to a damaged environment or soothe emotional wounds with a burst of calming light. Her presence encourages growth and renewal.

Scar: The Withered Leaf
A faint, silvery vine-shaped scar winds along her forearm, visible only under moonlight or when she channels her healing power. It reminds her of the sacrifice she made — a piece of her vitality was given to mend the Veil. Sometimes, when she overextends herself, her energy wanes unexpectedly.

🌟 Erin (Human Fighter)
Boon: Shield of the Fallen
Erin gains an almost preternatural resilience. She can withstand trials that would break others and inspire courage in allies. During moments of great pressure, she becomes a beacon of steadfastness, rallying those around her with a quiet but unyielding strength.

Scar: The Iron Brand
A faint burn mark, like a brand of steel, lies across Erin’s shoulder. It pulses softly when she is near betrayal or dishonor, a constant reminder of what she sacrificed to reclaim her integrity. The mark sometimes tightens painfully when she must make difficult choices.

🌟 Benedicte (Fairy Monk)
Boon: Luminous Grace
Benedicte moves with an ethereal lightness, her steps leaving traces of soft glowing motes. She can tap into divine favor to protect herself and others from harm or curse, acting as a living ward against darkness. This grace aids her in meditation and clarity.

Scar: The Flickering Halo
A subtle halo of shimmering light hovers faintly above Benedicte’s head but only visible when she is deep in meditation or prayer. When under emotional stress or threat, it flickers or dims, signaling her vulnerability. This ephemeral mark symbolizes both her strength and her fragile sacrifice.

🌗 Quest #3B: The Sundering Path

🎭 Premise:
With the Veil torn and shadows exposed, the Chaos Crew’s unity is splintered. Three of you banished the darkness. One embraced it.

Though Ruth, Erin, and Benedicte shine with radiant strength, Judith walks a darker path — wielding power born from impulse and shadow. While the party remains loyal, cracks appear in trust, instinct, and vision.

Then comes the call: The Oracle of the Mirror Deep has summoned you. She speaks only to those who walk the line between truth and illusion. She claims your group carries a dangerous imbalance, and if it’s not corrected, the Weave of Fate itself may tear.

You must travel into the Mirror Deep, a realm of refracted memory, illusion, and mirrored souls. But you won’t just face monsters — you’ll face reflections of yourselves.

🪞 The Mirror Deep: Three Reflections, One Truth
Each party member must enter a different mirror — alone. Inside, they face an alternate version of themselves: one where their fate took a different turn.

💡 Reading Tasks (1 per member, customized):
Ruth (Lightforged – Redemption & Renewal):
📖 Read a book where nature is corrupted or fading — and someone must choose whether to let it die or fight for it.

She sees a version of herself who gave up on healing. The land withers. The animals are gone. Will she confront the cost of inaction?

Erin (Lightforged – Courage & Honor):
📖 Read a book where someone must choose loyalty over justice — or justice over loyalty.

She faces a version of herself who obeyed orders blindly — and helped the wrong side win. Will she accept her own past misjudgments?

Benedicte (Lightforged – Grace & Protection):
📖 Read a book where beauty or light is used as a weapon.

Her reflection is blinding, manipulative, and cold. Can she see the line between grace and arrogance?

Judith (Shadowbound – Impulse & Power):
📖 Read a book where someone uses forbidden power to protect others — but pays a price.

Her mirror self is powerful, unbound, revered — but utterly alone. Will she accept that control may be harder than surrender?

🌘 Final Task – Reunion and Reckoning
Once the mirrors are complete, the party faces a final trial together: a fusion of all four reflections emerges, a composite Shadow of the Crew — part light, part dark, part truth, part fear.

The party must decide:

Try to cleanse the Shadow and heal the fracture (reunify)

Or shatter the reflection, cementing their separation permanently


✨ Path of Cleansing: The Unity Accord
Goal: Heal the reflection. Accept shadow, forgive flaws, and rebuild the fractured bond.

🕊️ This path is about humility, compassion, and the willingness to carry one another’s burdens.

📚 Reading Tasks:
📘Read a book where characters must forgive a betrayal to move forward.
You must let go of old pain and trust again — even if the wound still aches.

📘Read a book with a ritual of healing, spiritual cleansing, or restoration.
Together, you undertake the Harmony Rite to purify your fractured reflection.

📘Read a book where someone accepts a dark truth about themselves and still chooses the light.
The mirror only heals when each of you admits your flaws without shame.

📘Read a book with a group united by love, found family, or shared history.
You remember what binds you together — not just what drives you apart.

🪶 Result of Cleansing:

The fractured reflection is healed and becomes a Spirit Guide, offering boons in future quests.

Judith tempers her impulsive Shadowbound side but keeps access to it — just no longer dominated by it.

The group gains a once-per-session power to synchronize (e.g., shared initiative or shared defense).

🔥 Path of Shattering: The Fractured Oath
Goal: Destroy the reflection. Embrace the truth that your paths may never fully align — and choose power and independence over fragile unity.

⚔️ This path is about hard choices, independence, and the burden of walking alone (even within a group).

📚 Reading Tasks:
📘Read a book where someone chooses strength or vengeance over peace.
The mirror shows what you could be if you stopped apologizing — and you say yes.

📘Read a book with a character who splits from their group or loses their place in a team.
The cracks can’t be patched — not without dishonesty.

📘Read a book where destruction is the only way forward.
You break the mirror. And from the shards, power rises.

📘Read a book where identity is changed by choice or force (a name taken, a role abandoned).
Each of you emerges from the mirror… different than you were before.

🪓 Result of Shattering:

The fractured reflection becomes a Wraith Twin, haunting you in battle — sometimes aiding, sometimes destabilizing.

Judith’s Shadowbound abilities become dominant, but so do the others' unique Lightforged traits. Each PC becomes more individually powerful but harder to coordinate.

The party gains new solo scene options but loses the “Group Synchronization” benefit.

Yohoo! New superpowers!

... but also dangerous scars :(

And a difficult choice. Do we reunite the group or do we choose to separate? What do you think?

Yohoo! New superpowers!

... but also dangerous scars :(

And a difficult choice. Do we reunite the group or do we choose to separate? What do you think?

I was thinking reunite?

I vote reunite!

I also vote to reunite! Goooo team!!!

Yayyy! Me too

We completed Quest 3B and I've check us in. Nice job everyone!

Thanks!

Nice!

Quest #3C: The Dawn of Renewal

Premise:
With the Veil partially mended and the darkness pushed back, the Chaos Crew now faces the challenge of restoring what was broken — not just in the world, but within themselves. Their bonds must be reforged and their spirits purified to prepare for the next great threat looming on the horizon.

Reading Tasks — The Dawn of Renewal
The theme here centers on healing, reconciliation, and strengthening bonds. Each task reflects a step in their journey toward wholeness:

📘Read a book featuring characters overcoming betrayal to rebuild trust.
Symbolizes the party healing rifts between themselves.

📘Read a book with a ritual of cleansing, purification, or renewal.
Represents the magical or spiritual act of restoring the Veil and themselves.

📘Read a book with a found family or tight-knit group overcoming adversity together.
Mirrors the Crew’s renewed unity.

📘Read a book with nature or seasons as a metaphor for cycles of death and rebirth.
Reflects the broader restoration of balance in the world.

Hi team! For Quest #3C, does anyone have plans already going to read for that fourth and final task? This one is a little harder for me to conceptualize and I do not have a book from my TBR, or any book in general, that comes to mind.

“Read a book with nature or seasons as a metaphor for cycles of death and rebirth.”

I was struggling with options for that one too

Sorry, I have been super busy with travelling. I came home from holiday three days ago and have been having a hard time getting my routines back in place. But from now on I am back and will be better at updating and answering.

I will look around my TBR a bit, but I feel like this is a hard task that you can't really know if it fits until you have read the book...

But I'll try to find something since I'm the only one that hasn't contributed yet for this task :)

I wonder if Donna has some suggestions?

I'll ask in the Q&A thread

Okay so Donna gave a lot of helpful answers. I have to finish the book I am currently reading and then I'll get around to reading a book for this. I am aiming to have it finished on Friday and then we can get a new quest 😊 Sorry if you have had to wait for me for this one!

No worries, I’m glad she had some suggestions because I wasn’t coming up with anything

So so sorry guys I completely ghosted you! This month has not been it so far. I will try to get a book read for the task as soon as possible. I'll keep you updated

I read the 4th book we needed and have us checked in for Quest 3C.

🌘 Quest 3D: The Looming Eclipse

Premise
The Veil has been healed, the Mirror Deep reflections cleansed, and renewal embraced. Yet every healing leaves a scar. The Spirit Guide warns of an approaching Eclipse — a moment when light and shadow overlap, testing the strength of what you’ve built.

The Eclipse is not just cosmic — it is personal. You will be asked not only to defend the world, but to confront whether you truly accept the balance you’ve fought so hard to create.

📚 Core Reading Tasks: The Eclipse Trial
(complete these first, then the Crew chooses a path)

🌗 Shadow Calls
Read a book where an enemy returns stronger than before.

🌕 Light Falters
Read a book where hope is nearly extinguished but rekindled.

🌓 The Eclipse Crossroads
Read a book with both shadow and light imagery in the text.

🌑 The Scar Remains
Read a book where healing is incomplete, and scars remain.


🌑 The Eclipse Choice

When the tasks are complete, the Spirit Guide appears one last time.

“The Veil holds… but not forever. To bind shadow and light, one of you must bear both. To refuse is to let the scar split again.”

The Crew must decide:

✨ Path of Harmony — Accept the Burden Together
The party chooses to share the weight of the Eclipse, each taking shadow into light and light into shadow.

Harmony Tasks (4 total — self-assign):
📘 Read a book where enemies become allies.
📘 Read a book that features a ritual of unity, bonding, or joining forces.
📘 Read a book where a character admits a painful truth but is accepted anyway.
📘 Read a book where a group triumphs because of their trust or friendship.

Outcome: Harmony in Eclipse
🌟The Spirit Guide ascends into a permanent guardian.
🌟The Crew gains Eclipse Unity, a once-per-quest boon allowing perfect synchronicity in a challenge.

🌑 Path of Collapse — Reject the Balance
The party refuses to share the burden, believing they’ve done enough or fearing the taint of shadow/light.

Collapse Tasks (4 total — self-assign):
📘 Read a book where a character chooses pride or fear over reconciliation.
📘 Read a book where a group splinters or fails to stay united.
📘 Read a book where destruction or corruption creates something new and dangerous.
📘 Read a book where someone gains great power but pays a devastating price.

Outcome: Collapse of the Eclipse
🌟The Spirit Guide shatters into fragments, birthing a Rift.
🌟The Crew loses synchronization, but their individual powers intensify — volatile and harder to control.
🌟A dangerous presence begins pressing through the Rift, setting up the next quest.

I’m out of town on vacation but will be home to look at this tomorrow

Judith wrote: "I’m out of town on vacation but will be home to look at this tomorrow"

Enjoy your vacation, Judith!

Although the Chaos Crew moves at what many would think a leisurely pace, it looks like we're still a few steps ahead of many other teams, so we're doing great.

Judith wrote: "I’m out of town on vacation but will be home to look at this tomorrow"

Hope you have a good time!

Which path would you like to go and which tasks would fit for you?

Edit: Oops I didn't see we had to complete The Eclipse Trial first!

Benedicte wrote: "Which path would you like to go and which tasks would fit for you?

Edit: Oops I didn't see we had to complete The Eclipse Trial first!"

Still a good question though, I was thinking the Path of Harmony (first option)

And we had a lovely time! My son had his first RV camping experience, boat ride, fishing experience, and saw Niagra Falls. Overall a lovely trip :)

Hi everyone! The Path of Harmony would be my first choice also.

Path of Harmony works for me

Ruth, I'm not sure you can use Summer of Night.

We didn't complete the first part until Sept 3rd. And if I read the Quest correctly we have to complete The Eclipse Trial and then we do the Path to Harmony.

Hi Judith… I’ve updated the SS to switch to a book completed yesterday, so there should be no question now re the team starting the path too early. 😀

Better safe than sorry!