It doesn’t matter where you are. Traveling on the road, ensconced in an inn, working out in a weapons practice, meditating at a temple, engaging in a contract with the seamstresses' guild, ... it doesn’t matter. The messenger finds you.
She greets you politely, using your name (or at least what you have been calling yourself lately) and then hands you a scroll, sealed with an undistinguished wax seal and a simple ribbon. Once the scroll is in your possession, the stranger (again politely) takes her leave from you and quickly loses herself in the surroundings. Even if you wish to pursue the messenger, she eludes you easily.
The scroll reads:
My dear adventurer:
I trust that this brief missive finds you well. My name is Gilliam Stenn and until very recently you probably never heard of me. I am a Mage of not inconsiderable Power, and up until now I have had the pleasure in engaging in Magical studies for many, many years. More years than you could guess, actually. And while these years have been incredibly fruitful, they are alas coming to an end.
It is as a result of my upcoming demise that I find myself contacting you. For I know the date of my death, and it is coming soon. I will see my last sunset on the second day of the month of October, in the in the year One Thousand and Ten Anno Imperii. And sad and somber as this knowledge is for me, it also presents me the opportunity to come to the end my life in a manner of my own choosing.
Thus I find myself entertaining a boyhood notion of mine. For as much as I have loved the study, research, and practice of the Ars Magica, I spent my youth and young adulthood wishing to be an adventurer. I wished the opportunity to wander the land, seek my fortune, and do the deeds out of which legends would be made. And while I certainly have made my fortune, and perhaps have done a thing or two that some will remember me for, I have never had the opportunity to tread upon the adventurers’ road.
Therefore I choose to spend my last days not trembling in fear at the coming of my going, nor pursuing one last avenue of research, but instead surrounded myself with those who have done what I could not. Thus I am asking you to journey to my home in the Grendarr Mountains and regale me with your tales. Let me live however briefly through your eyes.
And let the manner of my departure provide another adventure for you to tell by a later fireside. Foreknowledge has given me a glimpse of the forces that will gather around my deathbed. Some seek to gain portions of my power after I am gone… and others have deeper, darker motivations that can only be foiled by true heroes such as you have proven (or will prove) to be. Consider it my gift to you as your presence will be a gift to me... a chance to face a grave danger, risk your lives, and seek rewards that may exceed your dreams.
Gilliam Stenn
P. S. I would appreciate the favor of a reply, so that I may ensure for your comfort during your stay. If you choose to come, all you need do is to make your mark on this scroll and burn it after sundown.
When?
October 1-3, 2010. Check-in will be Friday from 7:00 to 8:00 pm; new players should
arrive at 7:00 pm to make new characters and attend orientation.
Players arriving after 8:30 pm who have not made prior arrangements may receive in-game penalties.
The game is expected to run until mid-afternoon on Sunday.
Where?
The 4-H camp in Pomfret, CT.
How much?
$60 for those pre-registering before noon on September 28th, and $75 after that.
First-time players get $15 off, as does anyone who brings along a first-time player.
Admission includes snacks on Friday night, all meals on Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Sunday.
Registering
Please send checks to:
Quest Interactive Productions, Inc.
PO Box 2322
Middletown, CT 06457-0033
"The Passing" is a weekend-long LARP, set in the world of the Continuing Game.
Pre-registration is strongly encouraged, at thepassing.
Deposits of $30 may be made in advance (and with much appreciation) via PayPal or check (see sidebar at left).
Deposits (or full payments) are refundable up until September 28th, 2010. And if you are considering whether or not to pre-register, please consider this: the more we know about who is attending, the better we can make the gaming experience.
This game will feature combat, mental, and skill challenges, so there should be something that all types of characters (including new players) will find interesting and enjoyable. We intend to make "The Passing" a challenging game with both the potential for high risk and high reward.
If you would like to request special plotting or would like more information, please contact the GMs at thepassing. The GMs welcome requests for special plotting and will do our best to accommodate these requests on a first-come, first-served basis. Please submit any such requests to the GMs by August 1st, 2010.
Please submit any dietary restriction information as soon as possible to zfarcher (axt) gmail <dxot> com before by noon on September 28th, 2010. We may not be able to accommodate requests made after that date.
You must be 18 years or older to participate in this (or any) Quest event.
Original teaser:
Deep in the Grendarr Mountains, far from more civilized realms, lies the mountain keep of Gilliam Stenn. While unknown to many, he is a legend among the most learned of the mages and sages in Hesket. Among those worthies, his name is spoken with a reverence and awe reserved for the greatest of men. His name is literally a name to conjure with.
Many have journeyed through the oft orc-infested areas leading to this fabled keep seeking the esoteric knowledge this man has. Some have returned with the knowledge that they seek, and tales of wondrous magics that dazzled and delighted. Others, however, have returned quiet and subdued, never talking about their experiences.
A few of the boldest have journeyed there to offer their services to the keep after hearing of the riches and rewards those in service have accrued. Those who have returned to friends and family returned far richer but forever quiet about their experiences, only smiling and moving on to other topics when asked for details of their time spent there.
Fewer still have been those individuals who have sought this keep with motives less than pure. Of these, nothing is known, for none have returned to speak of their journey.
Now, after decades, it grows time for Gilliam Stenn to go to his Judgment. Knowing the hour of his death, he has chosen to surround himself with one last, most unusual group of guests. And so it is that a group of Hesketine adventurers -- some notable, others not -- receive an invitation to journey to his keep to bear witness to the passing of a legend.
Deep in the Grendarr Mountains, death waits. It waits for a man, aged beyond his normal span of years. It waits patiently for the appointed hour to collect his soul and guide it to its appointed place. And it waits also for other souls... for Gilliam will not likely be making his final journey alone.
