This time, when John goes to pull the sword from the stone, he feels like he's succeeding: it starts to slip free of the stone, only to stop halfway out. If he continues to tug, the stone starts to rumble. If he continues, bits of the stone start to peel off instead of the sword, and pelt themselves at John. If he yet persists, the whole stone gets up as if it's alive and will start rumbling toward him, intent to subsume him in stone.
Failure
The next time John tries to pull the sword from the stone, he can't even get close to it. The glen has turned against him, and as soon as he approaches, the vines start to move and slither slowly after him. When he reaches for the sword, vines flick out to bat his hand away. If he persists, they'll wrap around his wrists and pull him back. If he struggles, they'll pin him against a tree and tie him there. Hope you brought a friend!
Failure
This time when John tries, when he touches the sword, a blood-curdling scream starts. He more he grips the sword and tries to pull it, the louder the yelling gets. It almost sounds like it's yelling his name in anguish, over and over again. If he lets go, it quiets, but it will still be there until he leaves the clearing. If he persists, the sword will not budge.
Failure
Wherever John treads in the clearing, his footsteps leave patches of eyes, sprouting up from the ground in his wake, watching him. Wherever he touches the sword, the same thing happens. They're moist and squishy under his hand. If he persists, the eyes spread down from the point of contact, sprouting five a second until the whole sword is covered, and then the stone, and then the ground.
From the cross guard, drops of blood start to drip like tears from the eyes. Then the rest of the eyes follow suit, crying tears of blood. The sword may be too slick to hold onto, now. An unearthly wailing starts once the sword is awash in blood. If he yet persists, he will start to be buffeted by an unseen force, and it feels like ghostly hands are on him, grabbing at his clothes, tearing at him, trying to hold on and to push him away all at once. The screaming is loud and unending. If he doesn't get out of there, the earth will open up again under his feet and try to pull him to his doom.
Success!
If John does decide to come back after all of that, the clearing is oddly quiet and peaceful. Almost suspiciously so. The chorus welcomes him as ever, the sun gleams on the sword, which looks oddly tempting this time around: whip thin with an intricate swept cross guard and hilt: metal snaking around it to protect the hand, and look pretty nice in the process.
When John reaches for the sword, the chorus gets louder, and this time, when he goes to pull it, it comes free easily. Congratulations, his persistence pays off and nothing terrible happens! The blade is thin and solid, and makes a satisfying whipping sound when swung, moving faster than one would think (giving a +1 to speed of attack). The hilt is comfortable in the hand, and wrapped with a soft, buttery black leather that will form to the hand after some use.
5 more now
This time, when John goes to pull the sword from the stone, he feels like he's succeeding: it starts to slip free of the stone, only to stop halfway out. If he continues to tug, the stone starts to rumble. If he continues, bits of the stone start to peel off instead of the sword, and pelt themselves at John. If he yet persists, the whole stone gets up as if it's alive and will start rumbling toward him, intent to subsume him in stone.
Failure
The next time John tries to pull the sword from the stone, he can't even get close to it. The glen has turned against him, and as soon as he approaches, the vines start to move and slither slowly after him. When he reaches for the sword, vines flick out to bat his hand away. If he persists, they'll wrap around his wrists and pull him back. If he struggles, they'll pin him against a tree and tie him there. Hope you brought a friend!
Failure
This time when John tries, when he touches the sword, a blood-curdling scream starts. He more he grips the sword and tries to pull it, the louder the yelling gets. It almost sounds like it's yelling his name in anguish, over and over again. If he lets go, it quiets, but it will still be there until he leaves the clearing. If he persists, the sword will not budge.
Failure
Wherever John treads in the clearing, his footsteps leave patches of eyes, sprouting up from the ground in his wake, watching him. Wherever he touches the sword, the same thing happens. They're moist and squishy under his hand. If he persists, the eyes spread down from the point of contact, sprouting five a second until the whole sword is covered, and then the stone, and then the ground.
From the cross guard, drops of blood start to drip like tears from the eyes. Then the rest of the eyes follow suit, crying tears of blood. The sword may be too slick to hold onto, now. An unearthly wailing starts once the sword is awash in blood. If he yet persists, he will start to be buffeted by an unseen force, and it feels like ghostly hands are on him, grabbing at his clothes, tearing at him, trying to hold on and to push him away all at once. The screaming is loud and unending. If he doesn't get out of there, the earth will open up again under his feet and try to pull him to his doom.
Success!
If John does decide to come back after all of that, the clearing is oddly quiet and peaceful. Almost suspiciously so. The chorus welcomes him as ever, the sun gleams on the sword, which looks oddly tempting this time around: whip thin with an intricate swept cross guard and hilt: metal snaking around it to protect the hand, and look pretty nice in the process.
When John reaches for the sword, the chorus gets louder, and this time, when he goes to pull it, it comes free easily. Congratulations, his persistence pays off and nothing terrible happens! The blade is thin and solid, and makes a satisfying whipping sound when swung, moving faster than one would think (giving a +1 to speed of attack). The hilt is comfortable in the hand, and wrapped with a soft, buttery black leather that will form to the hand after some use.