THE CURSED DELL - Before the Beginning

IT WAS THE EARLY DARK of mid-winter on the outskirts of some Northern town. There sat a little gray house. A light shone on the porch, and smoke curled from the chimney. It gave the place a welcoming look. High above, stars were winking to life, while inside a modern ritual was being prepared.

Jo and her fiancé Roland had invited a couple of younger friends over to play a game. They had agreed to meet here, where staying up late on a Thursday wouldn’t bother anyone. So, Jo was turning the kitchen into a game room for the evening. Roland meanwhile was putting the final touches on his famous snack mix.

Soon, headlights shone in through the front windows and the crunch of tires on snow signaled the hour was here. Smiling, Roland answered the door. “Hello adventurers,” he said.

Lynne and Jeff kicked the snow off their boots, stepped in, and handed a bag of snacks over to Roland as they all exchanged greetings.

“I’d show you around, but this is about it,” said Roland. “It’s small, but by this time next year it will be all ours.”

“The bathroom is the door in the middle,” said Jo pointing across the main room.

“The place is bigger than it looks from the outside,” said Lynne.

Jo had the table set for the game to begin, so everyone took a seat. Before them was a pile of dice, a group of painted figurines, and a stack of papers. In the middle of the table Jo had laid out a map of the campaign area, a northern province of old Europe. She asked, “Lynne, you’ve never played anything like this before?”

“Well, does Settlers of Catan count?”

“Kind of—I mean both have maps,” said Jo.

“I’ve played Pathfinder,” added Jeff, “so . . .”

“So, you’ll have to unlearn a few things, but you should have the main gist of roleplaying.”

“Right” said Jeff. “There’s an imaginary world. You are the gamemaster, sort of like a narrator and referee all in one. And we,” he gestured at Lynne and Roland, “are playing characters in some,—”

“Some great adventure, hopefully,” chimed Roland.

“It’ll be whatever we make it together,” said Jo. “If you’re looking for adventure, come and get it. But first we’ve got to make your characters. For this game scenario you can be almost whatever, or whoever you want. Except all the characters will start as pretty much beginners, as far as skills and occupations.

“Also, for this story, which is called The Cursed Dell, one of the characters should be on the run for thievery. One of them should be a soldier, about to go AWOL. One should use magic, in a time when it’s becoming taboo. And finally, one should be a girl.”

“That’s four someones,” said Roland. “Did you want one of us to play two characters, or should we combine two of those into one?”

“Either way is fine.” At this point Jo pushed the pile of dice into the middle of the table. “Roland, you can help Jeff with his character sheet, since you already know how to fill it in. I’ll help Lynne.”

“Can I play an Elf?” asked Jeff.

“How about a half-Elf,” said Jo.“That’s cool. Can I also be the girl? And she’s the thief who’s on the run.”

“Sure,” answered Jo. “So, you’re a young, half-elven woman headed away from the little town of Alvoiel, on the road to the Village of Ramson. You’re hoping to escape justice. It seems you stole a purse of silver. Put it in her backstory. What’s her, or ‘your' name?”

“Lily,” said Jeff, as he held out his hand daintily.

“Pleased to meet you Lily,” said Jo, laughing as they shook hands. “I look forward to getting to know you. And I’ll be keeping an eye on my purse!

“OK, so that leaves the soldier, and a magic-using character. There are four kinds of spellcasters in the area: witches, druids, seers, and priests.”

“Take your pick Lynne,” said Roland. “I’ll be whoever’s left.”

“Well, I always wanted to join the Army,” she said. “I’ll be the soldier.”

“Ok,” said Jo. “But you won’t be in the service long, one way or another. There’s been a sort of truce called. It may be the end of the war. This isn’t the first truce however, and your character figures it will only last until spring. Regardless, you’ve made up your mind to slip away.

“You and your company are abandoning the fort near Alvoiel and heading back to Rome, and home. As we start you have fallen behind the other soldiers. Your immediate plan is to let them go on without you, change your clothes, grow your beard, and give yourself a new name.”

“Got it,” said Lynne. “His new name will be, Hans.”

“I guess I’ll be a druid,” said Roland, “and my name is Curtis.”

“Ok then Curtis, let’s see,” said Jo, mentally placing his character on the main map. “Your master is leaving for several weeks. One of his more trusted pupils is tending the home fire. You, however, have been instructed to travel to Ramson to investigate a dark rumor. We’ll get to that later.

“So, we have a lady-robber, a deserter, and a wild priest. Let’s say none of you know each other yet. But you will. Somehow, we’ve got to get you all on the same page. Should be fun! But first, let’s fill in your character sheets.”

Hans

Curtis

Lily

To be continued, at a table near you . . .