2024 Travers Winner!

~Charlie Kuper, Class of 2026

Chapter One: Adventurers United

You met in a tavern. It was a cold, rainy and dreary night, with that nasty cold rain that soaks you to the bone, and that thick darkness that swallows up even the strong light of an oil lantern. So the tavern was packed, and because of that, the bartender seated the four individuals traveling alone, together at a dark table in the back corner. You quickly strike up a conversation with the other, like minded people at the table. There is the tall elf, who you take to be a ranger, one who wanders the outlands, protecting civilization from those that would destroy it. He has high cheekbones, light skin, and bright green eyes. You quickly learn that his name is Luka, and you two make quick friends. The two others at the table are also adventurers, the stout dwarf warrior named Kei, and the shadowy man, who tells you his name is Tracer. Kei has a stocky build, and he has brown eyes framed by a tan face. As for you, you’re the bard! You tell them your name, Belerond, and decide to add some more cheer to the tavern. You’re always ready with a song, and you start with an old classic, a quirky, cheerful, and silly song about a warrior who slays an odd dragon: 

Once there was a knight, 
His kingdom had a plight, 
There was a dragon, 
A very strange dragon,
With tiny wings and purple scales, 
Every knight who tries to kill him fails,
So then the knight goes to fight,
This ugly dragon, and set things right,
He charges at the dragon,
But then he trips on a flagon…

You trail off as you realize nobody is stomping, clapping, or singing along, as is normal with this song. The warm and musty tavern, only minutes ago rowdy and loud, is now silent and filled with a tangible sense of mistrust and fear. One of your new friends—Tracer you realize as you turn around—taps you on the shoulder. He whispers to you in his husky voice: “I don’t think you’d better talk about dragons around these parts”. You ask him why, and he takes you back to your table in the dark. Even then he speaks in hushed tones while he tells you the story of the dragon. It first arrived here in Tarrygan, where it carried off a whole herd of sheep, and burned the house of their caretaker. He gives you a vivid description of what has become known as the Scourge of Seleria. It has scales as black as its soul, which is darker than night. The fire it breathes is the same color, and no amount of water will extinguish it. It is at least fifty feet long, he tells you, but the rumors say that it’s bigger than castle Farawend, the grandest castle in the realm. It has massive wings, and claws that tear through armor like butter. And it’s eyes. Those piercing green eyes, that seem as if they’re looking directly into your soul. They make most men freeze in terror. 

Tracer goes on to tell you about how the dragon is terrorizing Seleria. First it took over the massive caverns of Bellum Mountain, home of the dwarves. Then the dwarves, forced out of their homes, fled to Gelden forest, where the elves live. Next, the dragon started killing animals in the forest, so the elvish army marched to defend their home. In the ensuing massacre, half the elvish army, about five hundred elves, were killed or wounded, and half the forest burned in a massive conflagration. The most recent attack was at a Halfling and Human village in the south, which the dragon completely destroyed. By the end of this, you are filled with a burning hatred for the dragon. “How long has this been going on?” You ask Tracer, in the same lowered tone. He tells you the attack in this village happened about three months ago. In the past month, the dragon has been somewhat dormant.

You ask him what he means, and he tells you he’s going to kill the dragon. “Alone?!” You ask incredulously. “I’ve done my research. Deep in Solis Mountain, there is a  sword that emits bright light, and is sacred. Although no normal weapons can pierce the dragon’s scales, this one will. It is called Dawnbringer. There are prophecies that say the sacred sword will destroy the darkness. I believe the darkness refers to the dragon. And I think we should do it together,” he says. “No,” he cuts you off as you begin to protest, “you are a skilled fighter, and you are trustworthy.” 

“How would you know?” You query.“I can read people, very well,” he replies. “Ok,” you agree, “but we should bring the others.” He is reluctant to include them at first, but you convince him it would be foolish to take on the dragon with only two people. The others were immediately onboard, as they were both already planning to try to kill the dragon anyways, just alone. Tracer shells out some questionably obtained money for rooms for the party, and you spend the night in the tavern. 

In the morning, after a delicious breakfast of eggs and bacon, you set out. None of your group own horses, so you’re walking towards the Contraria mountain range that forms the eastern border of Seleria. Across the mountains is the wilds, with rugged mountains, harsh tundras, and lots of ogres. No humans live there. Seleria has its neighbor—and enemy—Odium on its southern border. Odium is a mainly coastal kingdom, with a large navy that is a constant threat to the security of Seleria. To the west, the Tempus sea provides a trade route to the distant Sicco desert kingdom, which is quite rich. The Odiun constantly prey upon ships on this trade route. To the north, the forested kingdom Claria is a strong ally to Seleria. Now you and your party head northeast, for Mt. Solis, which is the northernmost mountain in the Contraria range. 

You and your party make good distance on the first day, and Tracer estimates that you should be there at four in the afternoon tomorrow. Luka the ranger goes out hunting, and brings back a plump, white rabbit.He skins it with his hunting knife, and soon there is a rabbit roasting over the fire, making everyone’s stomachs growl loudly. When your portion is served, you devour it, and then help yourself to another serving. You camp out under the  bright summer stars. There is no need to set a watch, as Seleria is a peaceful country. Besides, you are all seasoned adventurers, and sleep light. You go to sleep happy, with a full stomach. When Tracer wakes you in the morning, he’s worried. “I saw the dragon this morning. I think it was heading for Castle Farawend,” he says, in a fearful tone that seems unlike him. Unfortunately, there’s nothing you and your friends can do, so you make for Solis Mountain. 

Later that day, as your group walks along, you’re ambushed.  A party of three bandits jump out onto the dirt road. They carry crude or improvised weapons, with the exception of their leader, who carries a longsword. Then you also notice the other two behind you. The bandits are commoners, turned to a life of crime. However, bandits are evil, and you and your party will have no problem severing their ugly heads from their bodies.  While you’re taking all of this in, the leader bellows, “Surrender your valuables or die!”

“I don’t think so,” Tracer replies cooly. The leader of the robbers hesitates. Most of his victims whimpered in fear and gave up their money. Then his confusion turns to anger, and his face darkens. He tells his men to attack. It was a mistake. You all draw your weapons and advance. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Tracer throw two knives at the pair of brigands behind you. A second later, a scream, and two thuds of bodies hitting the ground. One of the bodies is ominously silent. Then you reach the bandit leader. He swings his longsword at your head in a savage downward cut. You easily deflect it and dispatch him with a thrust from your shortsword. As he falls with a grunt, you see an arrow, launched from Luka’s longbow thud straight into the chest of another bandit. To end the battle, Kei slams his battleaxe hilt down on the bandit’s head, knocking him out. The fight was over before it really started.

You reach Solis mountain just as dawn breaks, and the sunrise over the mountain makes it easy to see why this place is named after the sun. In front of you stands an iron door. Tracer is getting out his lockpicks. Suddenly, you hear the clanging sound of metal impacting metal. You turn to look and Kei is standing next to the open, dented door with a smile on his face and his battleaxe in hand.

Chapter Two: Malum Dungeon

You slip into the dungeon, swords out. In front of you is an empty hallway. Tracer leads, followed by you, Luka and Kei. Ahead of you is a dark cavern. “It’s empty,” Tracer whispers after a quick search, “but there’s a narrow bridge ahead. It’d be the perfect spot for an ambush. Let’s proceed with caution”. 

You enter the next room, with your party walking in the same order. There’s a ledge that extends four feet over a cavernous abyss that descends into darkness. In the middle of the cavern is a one foot wide bridge, with twenty feet from the walls on either side. As you start to cross, walking slowly and very carefully, Tracer steps on an unseen triggering mechanism. You hear a series of clicks and ancient gears grinding to life, and then a stone door slams shut on the ledge you just left. Suddenly eight blades come swinging out of the darkness, four from either side. You and your party barely dodge out of the way. Immediately after, a hail of arrows flies out from the walls. You hit the ground to avoid them, and you see Luka and Tracer do the exact same. Kei stays on his feet, and deftly uses his axe blade to block on one side and his shield on the other. Now the blades swing again, faster this time, and one slashes across your cheek, drawing blood. “What the heck is this?!” Luka yells to Tracer, wondering why he wasn’t informed about this trap. “It’s called the Bridge of Blades and Arrows. I read about it in an ancient text, but I thought it was completely mythical,” Tracer shouts back. “These blades seem real to me,” Luka says as he dodges another swinging implement of murder. Your party is starting to learn the sequence the trap operates in, and how much time you have to move. Slowly but surely, you push closer to the other side. Now, after the blades swing, Tracer takes advantage of a one second gap before the arrows fire, and sprints across, throwing caution to the wind, and reaches the safety of the ledge on the far side. Next, Kei does the same. The next time the blades finish their pass, you and Luka run as fast as you can, but you’re not going to make it. As you hear the arrows fire, you still have a few feet to go. You slide, and the arrows fly over you. You survived. 

You emerge from the cavern with The Path of Blades and Arrows into an area with stonework, rather than a rough cave wall. It’s a hallway, dimly and eerily lit by floating candles. You emerge from the hallway into a large hall. At the far end, on a raised dais, sits a coffin, and above it on the wall, shining brightly, is the legendary sword called Dawnbringer. Tracer walks forward, sheaths his weapon and grabs the hilt of the sword. As he takes it in his hand it crumbles to dust, and a deep dark laugh fills the hall. 

The floating candles all around providing light extinguish, as if blown out. When they light up again, Tracer has taken several steps back, and standing on the dais is what looks like a zombie, but wears black silken robes. “Are you looking for this?” he asks slowly, as another sword rises up out of the coffin. It has chains that appear to be made of pure darkness, and glows faintly, as if being suppressed. “I am the Lich Malum, and I am the owner of this sword. You mortals must now die for your insolence,” the monster says, and rises up to its full height. “You’re the one going to die here,” Tracer pauses to think for a moment, then adds, “again”. Malum begins to reply, but is cut off as an arrow from Luka’s longbow strikes him in the shoulder. “So be it,” Malum says, and arrows of darkness fly from him. One strikes Luka, and he falls with a cry. Kei roars in fury and charges the Lich, swinging his battleaxe, hoping to split the Lich in two. But Malum just laughs darkly, and with a wave of his hand, the axe meets a wall of force, and Kei staggers back. You, seeing half your party dealt with so easily by the Lich, have an idea. You charge in with a roar, doing you best to imitate Kei, but then, as the Lich sends some cloud of green, noxious gas from his hand, you hop back. Then, as he sends some more shadowy projectiles you dive out of the way, rolling to your feet. Malum is starting to get very angry now, and he glides down and swings his arm around to strike you. Yet, you calmly step to the side and his hand swing by your face. You jab him quickly with your short sword, and he staggers. Behind him you see Tracer, sneaking up towards the sword.

You need to buy him more time, you realize, as Malum stands up and advances towards you. Yet he wavers. He doesn’t seem to want to go far from the dais. So you pull out your lute and begin to play a song. At first he doesn’t budge, so you start taunting him. “Ohh, is the Lich scared to go away from home, does he need his coffin?” You seriously angered Malum, and he lets out a strangled snarl and shoots a ray of darkness towards you. You instantly react, rolling out of the way. The Lich is infuriated. A ball of shadow hovers over his chest. Malum seems to be pouring his essence into this spell, and he prepares to release the ball. A beam of darkness shoots forth from him. 

You try to dodge, but you’re frozen in place. Then, out of nowhere, Tracer leaps over the Lich’s head, and he stands in front of you. He is holding a sword. Not just any sword, but the sword: Dawnbringer. He swings the blade, and it contacts the beam of evil energy. The sword seems to absorb it, then sends a pulse of light, blindingly bright, right back towards Malum. The beam hits the Lich square in the chest. Then there is a flash of light, and the evil Lich, Malum, is no more.

Chapter Three: Bellum Mountain

“Then Luka, you and Belerond will distract it with arrows and annoying songs, while Kei and I attack from the front, going for the thinner underside,” Tracer finishes, after explaining his plan. “Remember, stay with Luka, Belerond, for his dark vision. I’ll stick with Kei. Everyone got that? Alright, let’s go,” and your party leaves the tavern. You were staying in a tavern in Forestbrow, where the Ravenna forest meets the Contraria range. The village is hidden in the forest, probably saving it from being burned by the dragon. Now you begin your final objective: slay the dragon. It is believed the dragon resides on top of Bellum Mountain, the original capital of the Selerian Dwarves. Bellum is the tallest mountain in the Contraria range, and you have to hike a few smaller mountains just to get to Bellum. 

You set off, climbing a narrow mountain trail that the dwarves once used to reach the village. You begin to climb a small peak that is very close to the village. You begin to get near to the top and the trail becomes rockier, and rougher to climb. You can see the peak, about twenty feet above you, when you hear heavy tramping ahead of you. Tracer puts a finger to his lips and then points to the steep cliff on the other side of the trail, the message obvious: over the side. You drop over the edge, hanging on for dear life to a rock that provides a sturdy handhold. To your left, Luka hangs on to the cliff face like a spider. On your right, Kei has found a foothold, but seems very scared of the extreme drop off below. Beyond him, Tracer’s fingertips cling to the edge of the trail. Meanwhile, an Orcish war band rounds the bend. They number about twenty, and you are glad you didn’t try to fight them. As they round the bend, one Orc’s foot slips. It slides towards the edge, and dislodges Tracer’s delicate handhold. You watch in slow motion as he starts to fall, looking back up at you, an expression of horror on his face. A cloud of snow blows up, and Tracer is gone. 

You and your two remaining partners camp out in a small cave. It has a small entrance, and at a cursory glance, it looks like a small fissure. But you can slip inside, and then it widens out, creating a secure and secluded chamber. No one speaks. Inside, you are all harboring the same doubts. What will you do without Tracer? He had the sword that you worked so hard to obtain. How will you defeat the dragon without it? Also, he was integral to your attack plan against the dragon. However, you resolve that you should push on. You stand tall and begin to speak: “I know what you’re thinking. I was thinking the same. ‘We’re all screwed now that Tracer’s gone, and we might as well give up.’ Now, I urge you to think again. We’ve fought so hard to reach this moment. What would Tracer want? For us to give up and go home? No,” finally, Luka and Kei look up. “We will fight this dragon and win! We will not let Tracer’s sacrifice be in vain,” you finish, and you see Luka and Kei’s faces harden in determination. 

In the morning, You, Kei, and Luka set out for Bellum mountain. At one point, you run into a small scouting party of Orcs. Kei takes point, and Luka stands behind him, shooting arrows into the fray. Meanwhile, you climb above the trail and drop down behind them. The Orcs are wiped out, and your party left unscathed. 

You reach the base of Bellum mountain in the early afternoon. There is a large, wrought iron portcullis and a gatehouse blocking the entrance. The portcullis is up right now, allowing large numbers of Orcs to pass through, leaving and entering the mountain fortress. One sentry on either side stands guard on the ground, and four more stand on top of the fortification. 

An arrow flies through the air, making a hissing sound as it travels. It thuds into its target. His partner on the other side, is struck by another almost immediately after. They fall to the ground, one with a quiet cry and the other, silently. On top of the gatehouse, a similar scene takes place. Two are struck by arrows, and the other two cut down by quick strokes of a battleaxe. The whole attack takes about five seconds. 

You hold up a hand, and your team presses back into the shadows, allowing yet another patrol passing without noticing you. You’ve decided to take a stealthy approach, to conserve your strength for the battle with the dragon. Now, you reach a room filled with maps. This is the strategic planning room. You overheard some guards talking about it, and figured it would have maps you could use to find the dragon. Now, you quickly slip into the room and close the door quietly behind you. Inside, a large map of the kingdom is laid out on. A table. You can’t help but notice a lot of red lines and arrows are drawn on the map. As you inspect it closer, you realize they’re battle plans. You can’t completely discern the meaning of the Orcish writing but you can tell that something big is coming. 

Noticeably, a drawing of a dragon and a horde of Orcs has an arrow pointed towards Castle Farawend. This clearly indicates a major attack. The army is in no shape to repel such an assault! If you fail to slay the dragon, Seleria will fall. Luka calls you over to a piece of paper nailed to the wall. On it, in plain common (the universal language) is a complete battle plan. Apparently, the first phase was to pick off the tribal settlements so that their troops would not be able to support the royal army. You remember the raids on the elves, dwarves, and halflings. That was clearly phase one. A secondary objective was to whittle down the food supply to make it harder to feed the army. 

The next phase is a raid on Castle Farawend to weaken the fortress and scout its defenses. You suddenly have a flashback: You are waking up. Tracer tells you that the dragon flew over and it’s heading for the castle. It all fits. And finally, phase three: the endgame. It dictates an all out invasion. Orc armies will sweep across the countryside. In a crossed out section Malum would’ve also led the main Orc army in the push to Farawend. It’s clear this must be stopped. Finally, Kei finds a map of the mountain. “I know my home by heart, but I don’t know where the dragon is,” he says, examining the map. “Aha! It’s on the summit,” he says triumphantly as he locates the king of the invaders on the map. 

You emerge from the staircase, hunched over. There is a large amount of cover, made of large ice mounds sticking out of the mountain. Darting between those, you see an open space. There, on a large stone platform, rests the dragon. It’s scales are as dark as the stories tell, and it is quite large. In a nearby cave, you see piles of gold and priceless artifacts. You sneak silent forward. If you can stab the dragon through the head while it’s asleep, you may win the battle then and there. Glorious? No. But it gets the job done. As you step up onto the raised platform, one eye of the dragon slowly opens. “I’ve been eagerly awaiting your arrival,” the Scourge of Seleria says in a deep, menacing voice, drawing itself up to its four legged standing position. It swats you away with a flick of its front leg. You tumble backward, head over heels. Kei roars and charges, his battleaxe held back over his head, ready to strike. Right as he begins his swing, he freezes. He turns slowly back towards you. His eyes glow a deep unnatural green, instead of their normal brown. He walks ever so slowly closer. 

The dragon speaks once again: “Kill the bard”. Kei nods, again slowly, and then continues walking toward you.

 Luka grabs his shoulder: “Kei, don’t listen! This isn’t you! This isn’t y—,” Luka is cut off as Kei throws him to the ground. Next, the seemingly possessed warrior attacks you. You desperately parry and deflect his attacks, but he’s wearing you down. You glance at the dragon, who appears to be concentrating on a spell. 

“Luka! We need to break his concentration!” You shout desperately as Kei swings yet another stroke at you. You almost dodge this one, but he grazes your shoulder. You wince in pain. You don’t know how much longer you can keep this up. Behind Kei, You see Luka shoot an arrow at the dragon, but it glances off.  Finally, Luka scores a hit. His arrow strikes the dragon in the eye. The arrow doesn’t penetrate. The eye is protected by what is almost a clear eyelid. However, it successfully surprises the dragon. Kei staggers back, his eyes returned to their normal color. 

The dragon is seriously angered now. It breathes out a cloud of noxious smelling gas. You get clear quickly, but Luka and Kei are caught in the poisonous breath weapon. Kei soon charges out holding his breath. Luka appears, coughing but alright. Kei continues charging the dragon. The dragon roars and tries to swat him away, but Kei slides under the attack and carves a wound into the dragon’s softer underbelly. The dragon roars and slams Kei, who has emerged from underneath the dragon, with his tail. Kei flies through the air, slams into a rock, and slides to the ground. The dragon, rising to its full height, beats its wings, creating a gale force wind. 

Luka is literally blown away. You stand your ground, pushing with all your might against the wind. The dragon, frustrated with your stubbornness, lets out a mighty roar. Overcome with some primal fear, you scramble backwards. Your brain is screaming to go forward, but your body keeps going backward. The dragon roars again, this time not to intimidate you, but in triumph. Then, there is a sudden movement behind the dragon. It’s followed by a blinding flash of light. 

Then, after jumping down, a man in full battle armor stands before the dragon. He wields the legendary sword of light, fabled to defeat the darkness. “Tracer?!” You exclaim, recognizing the sword and the man’s build. 

“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later,” he says over his shoulder. He once again readies himself to fight the dragon. Tracer runs forward, evading the dragon’s attempt to bite him in half, and slashes it in the side. Blinding light erupts from the sword, and the dragon roars in pain. Then it’s tackled by a flurry of movement. Another dragon, this one pure white, stands over the Scourge. The newcomer bites its pinned adversary, and the apparently losing dragon roars yet again, but it’s weaker this time. The dragon isn’t ready to give up yet though, and the downed dragon opens its mouth, and a ball of dark energy grows. The Scourge of Seleria lifts its head and releases a beam of darkness. It catches the white dragon right in the chest, lifting it up and backwards. It slams into a wall of ice, sickeningly similar to Kei. The black dragon, its enemy defeated, prepares to stand and dispatch the mortals that dared to challenge it. It swats Tracer, who was running over to the other dragon, with its tail. Tracer is flung backwards, and slides back along the ground. He drops the sword! 

You the dragon laughs, that sends shivers down your spine. The Scourge thinks it’s won, but you’re not giving up yet. You run forward, grab the sword and charge the dragon. It tries to slam you with its leg, but you dodge left. You leap over the tail the dragon desperately tries to defend itself. You seize the moment and scramble up the side of the dragon. You stand on top of the dragon and crawl to the head. You draw the sword up, and plant it in the dragon’s skull. With a blinding flash of light, the dragon disappears. With it, snaky trails of darkness withdraw from the wounded white dragon, and life returns to its eyes. 

Tracer finally tells you how he survived on the journey back to Castle Farawend. He was caught by the dragon. Its name is Orinthax. He is the Dragon guardian of Seleria. He protected the kingdom when the Odiun attacked, centuries ago. Now, he protected it again in its darkest hour. Tracer knew what would happen, and he told Orinthax where to go. Reunited, you return to Castle Farawend. Now, you and your team work for the king, hunting down and attacking threats, as the Selerian Saviors. The kingdom of Seleria lived happily ever after…