Prologue

"My King, there certainly must be a better way than this." Je-J'iar had heard awful plans from King Malkus before. He'd seen King Malkus pace nervously before. He'd seen him consume massive quantities of wine before. But never before had he witnessed his King do all three of things simultaneously. And never before had the idea been so ponderously dumb. "Sending these three brutes to do a job of this importance, it is a risk that people of Palandros cannot be forced to take. Let's get the generals in here, Your Grace. Perhaps they can come up with a better solution."

The King sat his jeweled chalice down on a table, walked over to his wizard and back handed him across the face. "How long have you been in my service, Je-J'iar? HOW LONG?"

Je-J'iar hanged his head in shame and softly replied "35 years, My King."

"In all of that time have you seen me enter into any decision, no matter it's importance, without weighing all my options?"

"No, sire."

"Then what in the hell makes you think I'd do so with a decision whose result will literally determine the immediate future of realm?" Malkus sat down on his throne and stared down Je-J'iar.

"My apologies, Your Grace. I meant no offense. I just don't fully understand your plan, is all."

"Luckily, the success of this plan isn't dependent on my fucking court wizard's comprehension of it. Did you do as I asked?"

"The Wizard Council looks down on the Dark Arts, Your Grace. If they found out I would be banned and stripped of my-"

"DID. YOU. DO. AS. I. ASKED?"

"I did. While the three brutes were unconscious I used a banned spell and removed their souls and placed them into these." He opened a sack and pulled out three large gem stones, one red, one black and one white and handed them to Malkus. "I've never disobeyed you, My King. And I never will."

"Good." A look of relief washed across the King's face. "You've always served me well, Je-J'iar. I've never asked you to do anything that compromised your Council Code, before. I want you to understand the gravity of the situation we are in the midst of here and know that it was desperation alone that forced me to put my most trusted adviser into a bad position."

"Prince Aldous is your only son, My King. He is the only heir to your throne. The time of his coronation is drawing near. Getting him to return home is the only thing I think about each day. I've known the boy his entire life. I know he has it in him to be a great ruler. Is there truly no way to convince the rulers of the Woot Islands to simply extradite him?"

"He's committed no crimes. He's there as their welcomed guest. I love the boy, but he simply loves the extravagances that his position grants him, and the Woot Islands offer him all the women and drink and parties he could possibly ever want. He is a celebrity over there. The Crowned Prince of Palandros living wild and free in a tropical paradise. It's my fault for allowing him to go in the first place. God only knows what other disgusting habits he's picked up there the last year. The sooner he gets home, the better."

"Indeed, My King. If he misses his coronation day you will have no successor. All the clans will line up to stake their claim to your throne and the kingdom will erupt into a brutal war that will destroy everything your family has spent the last 600 years building. So long as I draw breath, you have my word that I will work tirelessly to bring Prince Aldous home."

Malkus nodded his aproval. "Summon my Royal Guard. I'm going to inform our captives of my proposal. They'll either take it and walk away today as free men or they can refuse and will be dead minutes from now."

"Right away, My King." The wizard bowed and left the throne room. Malkus sat back and tented his fingers. This gambit had best work, or the world his family had curated over half a millennia would vanish forever.

Welcome to Palandros!

Greetings from the sandy shores of the island nation Palandros! I will be your tour guide as we journey across this beautiful world in search of fame, fortune and whatever else comes our way! I am the game master Miguelito, but the real stars of this tale are the players. We have Neil playing Halden, a cult leader in the service of the Blood God, following in the evil footsteps of a father who never knew of his existence. Also joining us for this campaign is Matt, playing Irl, the surly frost giant. And lastly we have Kevin, who is playing Gorm the Barbarian, who is just in it for the mayhem of it all. I will be using this blog to share their tale as well as to flesh out the story that they create. We will be playing the amazing game Dungeon World, with a couple of house rules that we add in for the hell of it. Dungeon World is an amazing game as is, but old habits die hard. I will be making weekly updates here as the story unfolds. Enjoy!