Tyson HeckertThis is a playthrough of the board game Of Dreams & Shadows written in journal entry form from the viewpoint of one of the characters, Selene. In the game, a randomly chosen boss and randomly selected quests string together to have players work together defeating foes and gathering enough resources to defeat the boss.
I sat down with the game one night and had such a good time enjoying the story that was unfolding before me that I figured I might as well write it down. Originally hand written in a journal to practice my cursive, and I’ve translated it to digital format.
Obviously there’s spoilers for some of the quests. Additionally, there’s liberty I’ve taken to fill in some gaps between quests and make up the calendar, but overall, it should be fairly clear what happened in the game, especially to anyone who might have played before.
5 Alder Moon
My name is Selene. I stand here, breathing the crisp morning air I’ve been accustomed to for so long. I’m on the precipice of what I must do and yet I can’t help but wonder, am I ready?
I am a seer. Among others like me, a prodigy. If my dreams are any indication, that may very well be true. I never asked for the gift I have, yet the feelings that come from it, both of intrigue and dread, keep me in a state on the edge of sanity and fascination. Again and again, I see a figure, a man, hooded and strange with eyes like I’ve never seen. Who is he? I sense no danger from him, in fact, I think the opposite, that I will come to need him.
We’ve all heard the stories lately. People have gone missing, and creatures not seen for centuries have re-appeared. Some not seen before at all… I’ve been sent by the leader of my tribe, the strongest in Eriu to investigate. It’s been deemed that my gift will guide me as well as keep me safe. If my dreams are true, I’m not so sure. But then, what choice do I have? I set out at mid-day.
7 Alder Moon
Though it’s been quite some time since I’ve travelled this far from my tribe I’ve made great speed so far. If the wilds are the source of the trouble, then that’s where I’ll go. Already my dreams have started to shift. I see a house, no, just a room with strange symbols throughout.
8 Alder Moon
My dreams are true! Any other time of my life I would have shied away from such darkness but this time… This time a confidence swelling within allowed me to enter it
Deep in the wilds a sort of structure had formed from the trees and rocks. Endlessly twisting into something sinister looking and worse in life than any dream, inside I found a clue to this mystery. At the center of this manse a single stick man lie on the ground. Lines branched from it and connected to strange symbols all around the room, all painted in some dark ichor.
Staring for far too long I started to hear voices thrown around the room. I am spirit-touched and focusing concentration on my gift allowed my to hone in on some of these voices. Ordinary people, perhaps their last moments, calling out in fear. As the voices whispered and mixed with the gentle scraping of branches on rock in the breeze it finally dawned on me. If I were the stick man, the symbols are the locations where people have gone missing!
It took every ounce of courage I had left to pick up that effigy. As I did something caught my eye. Tucked inside the dried body of this figure was a crumpled piece of paper. I feared some kind of ritual but instead I found… Music? The notes seemed to shine and leap off the page but it is definitely some type of song, or part of one anyway.
10 Alder Moon
I decided after my findings in the wilds I would take some time in the southern farmholds. Not long after I’d settled for the day I met a local shaman woman. Although strange in her mannerisms she was who I connected to most. After telling my story she became convinced she was to accompany me and who was I to argue? I could use the companionship.
11 Alder Moon
Today I witnessed the fate of this realm first hand… It appears my suspicions around the ritual manse were true, gates to another realm are opening! My new companion and I witnessed one such shadow gate just outside the farmhold. As we arrived something on the other side approached the gate as well. Humanoid yet unknown to us we decided it best to close the gate rather than find out what was pushing it’s way through and we did so in a combined effort.
It hasn’t been long, yet my dreams change again. This time I see the wilds west of Albion, near the mountains. What a journey.
15 Alder Moon
Pity I couldn’t spend longer in Albion’s capital. The master craftsmen make such beautiful wares. The most lavish clothes, the most intricate equipment and charms. I did manage to pick up a set of rough leathers but perhaps I’ll return when this is all over.
16 Alder Moon
We stopped by one more farmhold before our trek to the wilderness and came upon an altercation. It appears a local woman had been afflicted by lycanthopy and was deemed a dangerous shapechanger by the knight guards. I had to step in on behalf of the White Rose order and traded blows with the knight commander to save her life. While I’m not a fighter, perhaps it was focus through my gift that made his swings seem slow and clumsy. The girl ran off and we took our leave soon after. I hope I did the right thing…
18 Alder Moon
It took awhile for the shaking to stop so I could write this. We found our destination in the woods but I see now why it was so unclear before. It’s not a place we were looking for at all.
Not long into our search of the woods we encountered a group of lost refugees. A babe in a young woman’s arms tipped us to their location. What was odd was that for how lost they said they were, there was no sense of urgency, just a feigned concern. My suspicions were right and it took only a moment more before these lost “folk” showed themselves for what they were. Several drew daggers and attacked! Something was wrong with their eyes as they lunged, something about them wasn’t human.
After an intense back and forth and several deep cuts to the armor I’d acquired, which I’m quite sure saved my life, the monsters were slain. Not human indeed, these creatures returned to their natural state upon death and must only have assumed human form for some kind of ruse. The only one not a changeling was the babe. I couldn’t leave it here in the woods so I returned it to the local farmhold. I did notice something bundled in it’s basket before handing the child off however. Another sheet of song with similar glowing notes!
20 Alder Moon
The wilds are full of terrors.
Perhaps overconfident with my success so far, I decided to stay and see what other adventures came my way in this wild expanse. I met up with a band of huntsmen that promised a grand reward for slaying a dangerous beast spotted nearby. Using my abilities, the beast was not hard to track but when I finally found it’s lair I discovered this was no small foe. A dire beast, mutated by the evil filling this land stood several feet taller than I, with fangs and horns the size of any predator of legend.
I ran, but not before taking a goring on my way out. I’m now travelling back to a safer seat of civilization to rest and ponder what I’ve discovered so far. I can feel the darkness coming now, my dreams each night are filled with images of the terror spreading throughout the land.
21 Alder Moon
I’d hardly caught my breath and bandaged my wounds before I was hit by the strongest and most terrifying dream yet. I saw a woman. Beautiful yet strange, she entered our world from a shadow gate in the wilds near… Tyr I think. With her, an army of obscene evil. All across the land there are shadow gates opening and terrible darkness flooding through. I must return home before it’s too late.
2 Willow Moon
He’s here. I’d say I met the man of my dreams but does that sound too… Corny? I’d passed through Albion and was just outside one of the last farmholds when there he was. Already engaged in combat, it only took a couple moments and spells cast before the champion he was fighting dropped her weapons and collapsed in a smoking heap. Apparently this man is as spirit-touched as I, and could command the power of a lightning storm.
Brom is his name. He’s a man of few words, fitting his imposing stature I suppose. What I gathered was that he was alone and has been fighting this evil for awhile now, longer than I have. Several times he’s come up against sinister foes not of this land and had acquired some fanciful gear to show for it. Without so much as a word he handed me a spare spear and shield, does he trust every stranger this much?
Eventually I worked up the courage to share my story with him and the song pages I’d found over my own journey. Immediately he started humming the notes, Fey! He tells me this is a song of the Fey, the Seelie Court to be specific. Of course! Now I see that the woman in my dreams, she must be from the Fey realm on some mad quest to conquer ours. And the song… Lets hope it was placed in my care for a reason, perhaps something we can use against her.
This must all be ordained somehow, my dreams, Brom, the Fey… We set out at first light to find this Fey woman and warn whoever we can about her intentions.
5 Willow Moon
We set a brutal pace forward but we know the stakes, my resolve kept my legs from buckling. We passed through the wilds on our way to Eriu and came upon several caravans of refugees, all fleeing from Tyr. All said the capital was lost already, that a woman and her retinue of beasts had cut down every force in their path with lightning speed and that those that weren’t dead already, fled.
Brom and I agreed we would set an ambush. If Eriu was the next target it would be up to us to slow the tide of darkness enough to give my seer sisters a chance to prepare… or flee themselves…
6 Willow Moon
*Blood stains some of the page*
Not my blood, thankfully… We set out to ambush our foes, so ambush we did. I have a little magic myself, and cast a protective ward on us while Brom cast a spell that invigorated me in a way I’ve never felt before. Ready for what may, it didn’t take long for our foes to enter view. Monstrous beast men with large horns and larger weapons passed us by, with her in center lockstep.
First, Brom let loose a lightning barrage, cooking several of our foes instantly. Next we entered the melee but when it came time for me to strike, my blows were simply not enough to counter the sheer power of our enemies. I at least expected to break a nose or something! Brom leapt into action with a glaive seemingly created to slay such creatures and finished the beastmen.
Feeling like we had gotten the upper hand we pressed for our target. To my surprise, she simply laughed. Then struck with a blow so fast, so precise she almost took Brom’s head off! I panicked. I didn’t know what to do so I threw dirt, cast what magic I could to cause a distraction, grabbed Brom and we ran. The doom of this realm, introduced herself as Morrigan as we stumbled away and said her next target was that which I’d feared… Eriu
7 Willow Moon
I can’t let it end like this… We’ve done what we can to bandage Brom and we’re moving to save Eriu, we still have the Fey song and perhaps the element of surprise.
9 Willow Moon
I write this now, alive, in a realm saved. It is a bittersweet moment. So many are dead, including Brom. Though I didn’t know him for long I could tell his heart was with this realm and that he cared deeply to preserve it.
Our battle was fierce. Despite our best preparation, despite what we had at our disposal, it wasn’t enough. Brom opened the battle by leaping to Morrigan and stabbing down with enough force to kill a bear. I can tell it hurt her but it didn’t stop her. I did my best to interpose myself between blows to protect Brom. I sang the Fey song as best I could and it while it gave her pause each time, perhaps enough to stay her power, her strikes were no less brutal. She was just so fast… a blur unless I poured my concentration into my power.
In the end it was I that struck the final blow. Brom opened the way with his dying breath and I finished her. Nearly dead myself I write this while Eriu’s medicine men do their best for me.
Hero I’m called. It doesn’t feel like it. Survivor, I’d say.
Thanks for reading
