tencandles

Tranquility

Alex Ward

Oct 13, 2023 • 2 min read

Nestled in a quiet valley, deep in the tranquil mountains, far away from the din of the city lies a village quite unlike any other. It's said that the people there have found the secret to eternal life, and that they're willing to share it with whomever can make the journey. The trek itself wouldn't be so difficult, save for the remoteness and a peculiar quality of the place - it cannot be reached except for a singular mountain pass. To date, no plane has successfully navigated the mountain range - odd gusts of wind buffet any who approach too closely, threating to rip travelers from the sky and scatter their bones amidst the peaks.

Each of you has your own reason for making the journey, and braving the long road through the crags to get there. Perhaps it's an incurable illness. Or you've too much great work to complete in a lifetime and so you'd like a second. Either way, you all found yourselves here, at the start of the path - ready to brave whatever danger in order to reach the village. Strange, though, you don't really remember how you arrived here, or why you've banded together. Only that you have and you must all make it through together.

It's said that the pass conceals dangers, beyond that of local flora and fauna. The rocks shift and move, impossible sounds rise from the ground to greet you. Some tales say that the price for passing the mountains are your very memories, and what makes you, well, you. Who tells these tales - you wonder. As far as you know, no one has made it through the journey to return to tell the tale. How then, do you know about this place? Why are you driven to go there?

Should you make it through the dangers of the mountain road, down past the serene valley, you must still convince the villagers to share of their secret with you. Will you be able to handle their blank stares, and pointed questions? Will they even be there? You try to quiet your uncertainty as you step forth from the tunnel, and proceed down the winding road.

Play Notes: There are several different ways you can play "them" in this case, and feel free to brainstorm with the players. Perhaps it's the slow loss of memory and emotion that finally takes the toll. The villagers could be the real danger, with everything else being the slow build up to the end. Play up the sense of isolation and loneliness - the players know why they've come, but not how they got there. Only that they cannot go back. Additionally, having a player or two who's moment involves saving someone else on the path will help heighten the sense of "we must make it to the village together", but what happens when they arrive can be the knife to the back that finally breaks them.

Areas of Note: The Path's Start, An Unusual Rock Slide, "Just a Cave", The singing stones, The Valley Below, The Village at the end of the Road

Goal: Make your way through the mountain path, down the valley and to the village. Convince who or whatever you find there to grant you immortality.