This is the first storyline that we did on our LARPing day in September. You can also download this story on the Materials Tab.
Queen Amaterien Poisoned!
The Healing Mother, also known as Queen Amaterien, was feasting with her Heroes in the Conflicted Dragon tavern when she suddenly started to act strangely after drinking a cup of amber mead. She lost her memory, flopped around, and acted like she was insane. She even fainted!
The heroes rushed up to her and asked what was the matter.
She slipped in and out of a state of lucidity.
When her mind was clear, she gasped that she had been poisoned and that the only person who could heal her was Geavoh the Black Thorn Herbalist. He had an antidote that would save the Healing Mother.
Her royal bounty hunter bowed in front of her and said, “I will personally find who did this and kick him to the farthest realm into oblivion!”
Amaeterien and the heroes and the bounty hunter journeyed to Geavoh’s home where they found him at his fountain painting a picture. He told them they need to find the rare white flower known as Wisdom Root that will restore the Queen. They first must find a map at Raven Rock. But before they find the map, they must find a riddle planted in the garden and solve it.
Geavoh’s apprentice, Dashmeir, then was asked to go with them as a guide. He did not look pleased but he assented. “Yes, my liege,” he said, bowing. His black robe billowing in the slight breeze that suddenly kicked up.
The bounty hunter sneered.
So they traveled East toward the Vanishing Woods into the far reaches of the kingdom to Raven Rock.
When they arrived, they found that Raven Rock was populated by a camp of Rujjie! So a battle ensued and the hyena men fled before the strength of the heroes. The Healing Mother was going in and out of acting insane.
Dashmeir was acting strange. Like he was afraid. He did not fight like the others but shrunk back, cowering.
“Fight, you dog!” Cried the Bounty Hunter. Dashmeir cried and whimpered.
So after they fought off the Rujjiee, the heroes searched the grounds. The Healing Mother, when her mind became clear, searched, too and she found the riddle in a bird bath.
What pain brings to the surface,
Living water clears the soul,
The raindrops of thy fair beauty,
Once fallen in battle and rose again.
The heroes, most of whom are new to the guild, stared blankly. They had no idea!
The Queen kept going in and out of clarity, yelling and jerking and weeping in turn. She drew out a vial from her pouch.
“This….is…a….vial….of….my….”
“Tears!” The only remaining veteran from the Fall of Mauldrogk years answered excitedly.
“It’s the tears you wept for Darien when he was dead. Your tears brought him to life and then he became the One True King just like the prophecy said. You bottled those tears up in your special vial!”
Just as she said that, the heroes and the Healing Mother heard a CLUNK behind them. Some kind of stone tablet had fallen to the ground from the arbor that lay burdened with thick elderberry leaves.
Dashmeir rushed over to grab the tablet. The Queen’s bounty hunter reached it first and handed it to the Healing Mother.
The bounty hunter looked it over and explained to the group that they must go to a nearby swamp village and find a blind net weaver named Ashim.
They make their way through the nasty filth of the swamp to the village. They find Ashim and introduce themselves. Dressed in a brown ragged robe and his long hair shaggy and tangled, Ashim is weaving a fishing net.
He listened to their story, let down the net, and told them to follow him. He led them to a secret tunnel that is under an abandoned shack in the murkiest part of the swamp. Now they are damp and their clothing REALLY stinks!
This tunnel goes long and far up the back spine of the Boarspine Mountains.
Suddenly they are faced with a two-headed troll! The heroes battled with it until it is defeated. The Healing Mother becomes more and more insane and begins babbling in a strange language.
By looking at the map the bounty hunter knows they need to find a ring of tall stones and a tree called the Wisdom Tree. They find it and it is filled with mist!
They start stepping through and as soon as they enter, each person becomes blind. The Healing Mother shouts and yells and jerks this way and that.
They are fumbling and tripping when all of a sudden they hear a voice from down below the hill they are on. It’s a shepherd guiding them! They listen intently.
“There’s the Wisdom Tree! Right in front of you. Everyone touch it and your sight will be restored!” the shepherd said.
It was true! Their sight was restored! The Healing Mother fell to the ground, thrashing and hollering in that strange language. She began to flail her arms and legs violently.
The heroes start looking around at the tree. As soon as Dashmeir can see again, he starts backing away, slowly.
“There it is,” the half-elf Rota exclaimed. He grabbed it. A scroll falls to the ground. One of the healers grinds it down and administers it to Queen Amaterien.
Rota opens it and discovers it is a poem of praise to the Silent Dove. He puts it in his pocket. He’ll show it to her later when she is well, he says to himself.
The Queen calms down and she stops talking. She looks peaceful and calm. She sits up and rubs her temple.
“Oh my, I was POISONED!” She said.
“Healing Mother,” asks Rota, “what was the last thing you remember?”
Her bounty hunter helped her up. The Queen smoothed her gown and straightened her crown.
“Hmmmmm. I…. remember….”
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Dashmeir racing away from the group and down the hill.
“The last thing I saw was Dashmeir sneaking out of the tavern with a bag of herbs in his arms!”
“He’s a spy!” yelled the bounty hunter. “To arms!”
The heroes sped down the mountain. They found Dashmeir on the edge of a cliff. The heroes battle him and the Queen herself swings her staff which causes Dashmeir to fall. He gets up and attempts to kill one of the heroes.
With a good kick, the bounty hunter kicks him off the cliff and Dashmeir falls to his death.
They look over the cliff and watch him fall. The cliff has an amazing view of the kingdom. They gaze out, mesmerized.
“What is that?” Rota exclaimed, pointing over the horizon to the edge of their view, miles and miles away.
A mist swirls and grows. It’s dark green and red and yellow and black.
Then all of a sudden there’s a shudder in the ground. Far away rifts form and out of those rifts and appearing in the mist are MONSTERS!