Battle for the Valley

“There weren’t always dragons in the Valley. Neither were their fairies, or vampires, or all other sorts of creatures that seem whimsical and mysterious until you meet them. I assume they came to the Valley like you did, migrating from an area that couldn’t support them. I assume they left for the same reason. But whatever their reasons for leaving, there are no more dragons in the Valley, no more fairies or vampires or monsters. All that is left is land and resources … and you. Hungry, homeless, with a prize before you.

So take up your spear. Gather your allies. Claim a home.”

The words rung through the air, loud, low. They bounced off the walls as if we were situated in a vast chamber instead of a leaky basement. The soft thump of the box hitting the table followed soon after. It sat there on the table with its embellished lid staring up at us. Two armies opposed each other. Swords glinted, magic swirled across the sky. Scrawled between them in ornate letters was the title of the game – Battle for the Valley.

A bland name, but an interesting enough premise for ten bored teenagers off for summer break.

Alex leaned back in his chair and grinned at us. His teeth almost lit up the room. “Pretty nice, huh?”

“It didn’t tell us any of the rules.” Christy returned. She twined one strand of dark hair around her finger, lips pursed. “The objective of the game is to get the Valley, but how?”

Her question was obviously what he’d been waiting for. His laid back posture evaporated. He sat forwards, eyes glittering eagerly. “That’s the fun part. We have to split up into teams, two groups for two clans. Each clan will have a number of soldiers and a clan leader, with the clan leader doubling as some sort of spell caster. Each clan also has a special unit, someone with unique abilities that could be led to the downfall or success of the team. It’s all based on strategy and team work.”

We all glanced at each other. It seemed alright … and, well, there wasn’t much else to do. Summer this year had alternated between scorching hot and thunderstorm hell. No one wanted to go outside, and the internet was on the fritz more often than not. Board games might have been old-fashioned, but at least they didn’t cut out on you in the middle of a desperate battle. So really, why not?

The sentiment decorated all of our faces. Christy turned back to Alex and smiled, wide. “Alright. We’ll give it a try.”

His eyes brightened, his grin stretched. With eager movements, he tugged at the lid of the box. It came off with a soft pop. “Alright, we’ll divide into teams and deal out the character cards. After that … Well, let the best clan win.”

...

Character Card:

Name: Shraze Diarfdottir

Clan: Christy’s Barbarians

Role: Special Unit

Abilities: Lucky, Favored by the Gods, Clear Sight

Lucky: Once per round, you may reroll a die to attempt to get a better number – but you must keep the reroll

Favored by the Gods: Once per round, you may attempt an impossible feat. Your skill roll will be scaled on difficulty. Lucky cannot be used to reroll this roll.

Clear Sight: You see things no one else does. Perception, Investigation, and Insight rolls have advantage. However, not everything likes to be seen clearly. This skill makes you the first target of any unit that relies on Deception, Stealth, or Trickery to get its way.

...

It’s warmer than I’m used to. Frost doesn’t nip at my nose. My breath doesn’t plume out between my teeth, doesn’t hang before my eyes in an icy haze. Here, my furs are nearly unbearable. They cling to meat in sweat soaked clumps. Not even pulling my hair into a tight braid and tugging it away from my neck has helped. I’m drowning in the heat, and it’s all I can do to not shed all my layers of protection.

But to do so would be folly. I will need all the protection I can get in the coming days.

I reach up and wrap my hand tight around my necklace. The carved wooden spokes press against my palm, almost painful. I pray for guidance and open my eyes, scan the valley below us for any waiting threats.

The Valley is an impressive place. It’s wider than most valleys and flanked by two hills trying their best to be small mountains. A silver sliver winds its way through the lowest part of the valley, and no doubt it will become bigger when the gods grant this land the blessing of rain. Not that it looks like rain will be needed. There are a plethora of healthy, looking trees, all green leaves stretching towards the sky. The green extends in a carpet across the ground, sloping gently between the hills.

Water, farmland, lumber. It’s the perfect place to settle. The promise of it calls for me, even as something deep twists in warning. For a second, I can’t understand why. Then I note how unnaturally still the valley is. The grasses move with the breeze, the water flashes as it flows, but no wildlife moves. It’s silent. Even birdsong is absent.

Suddenly my breathing is far too loud.

Louder still is the crack of a breaking branch.

My head jerks up, fingers squeezing hard on my symbol. The sun is blinding. For a second I can’t make out anything, just white spots that coat the trees in a hazy cloud. Then the white spots clear and I see them.

On the hill opposite to mine, hidden amongst the trees, are figures. They’re human shaped, human sized. I count five in total. The same number as our group. Preliminary scouts, then, sent to secure the location before anyone else could. Of course, with a place as perfect as this, why wouldn’t they?

The silence and stillness eats at me. I push the feeling away and drop my holy symbol, scramble to my feet. Christy needs to know that we have enemies. She needs to know that we will have to battle for our new home.