Heroine ala Maleficent

5 July 2014

• Heroine: Aurora
• Kat Miller: Narrator, Philip, a blindfolded boy
• Me: Daystar, a crow
• Michael Miller: Heroine / Aurora -- 15
• Clinton Marchant: Grue, a monster who is supposed to live under the bed, Narrator

Kat wanted to do a Heroine game influenced by the movie Maleficent. This was an interesting idea, but it didn't quite pan out in practice. We were all low energy, but I'm not sure why -- all of us were interested in the game and had buy in. But, this game didn't click as well as the other.

We agreed that the heroine was Aurora before she was 16. She lived with three eccentric aunts who were raising her. She was 15, and tall for her age. She had a beautiful singing voice.

This is my picture of the area:

Stream-----------------Cliff
        \      Valley   /
          \            /
              Monolith

Aurora's aunts said that she "may never leave the area", but Aurora wanted to know where the stream goes. Her aunts were Irena, Tomara, and Yeliena.

I think Aurora was hanging laundry, and Irena offered to bring the heavy things in from the laundry -- but it might have been the other way around. Regardless, the aunt left Aurora to herself, with a warning.

Irena: Do not go past the boundaries -- I will know.

Aurora: You don't know anything!

Someone (probably Irena): Don't make me put on serious face.

Aurora sulked, but would probably have stayed within the boundaries -- except that there was a tree fallen from the other side of the stream bridging it. It must have fallen in during the storm in the night.

As Aurora watched, a squirrel dashed across the tree on the other side. She crossed the stream via the tree, and decided to collect some elderberries to smooth her transgression over with her aunts.

At this point, she met the first of the Companions. Each Companion had something he or she was Really Good At, a Flaw or Weakness, and a Reason for Immediately Liking the Heroine -- or possibly no reason at all, so long as the Companion immediately liked her. The player should also describe what the Companion looked like and what trouble the Companion was currently in.

Clinton introduced Grue, the monster under the bred of the woodcutter's son. The same storm that blew over tree knocked over the woodcutter's house, so the woodcutter and son had fled the area. Poor Grue was all alone, with no bed to hide under!

Still, Grue did his best, holding a beam over his head in place of a bed.

This seemed a nice theme to work with -- a being out of place. I started working on Daystar the Crow, as I really liked the crow in Maleficent.

If I read my notes correctly, Grue wanted to give a piece of his mind to the witches who obviously created the storm and stole his boy! Grue was Dusty and Fuzzy and had Big Teeth. He was surprised when Aurora reacted to his presence.

Grue: You -see- me?

Aurora: Of course!

My notes say "Agricultural, settled flocks", possibly referring to what was on the other side of the river. But, as Aurora went to get the berries, her new friend protested.

Grue: No, it's bad!

Aurora: Sounds just like the aunts.

Grue tried to grab Aurora's ankle so that she couldn't get to the berries.

Aurora: Oh, you're that kind of monster! (playing along) Eeek! There's a minster under the bed. (reassuringly) It'll be all right -- you can scare me.

Grue: But-- even if I did catch you, I have no idea where to stash you.

Aurora's player decided that Aurora would Take a Chance.

Aurora: I will help you -- after I eat these berries.

The berries were amazing. They were the sweetest, juiciest berries she had ever eaten. They were berries that make you forget everything that's bad.

Aurora: I could just spend the rest of my life eating these berries.

At this point, Daystar, a crow, banked into Grue's bush.

Someone (Grue?): Oh -- I think we hit something.

My notes say that the nest and flock were missed, rather than hit.

Now that the companions had met and joined the Heroine, they all heard the sounds of a fair.

Aurora: That sounds like no music -I- ever made! My aunts are tone deaf.

I think Aurora went to the fair. My notes say that Grue was opening a window in one of the houses in the town with the fair. Daystar was looking for mate for his new friend Aurora. Obviously, it had to be the one with the shiniest feathers.

Grue found a house that was hollow, like a shell. I think he got caught inside. Aurora realized after a time that she couldn't find him.

Aurora: Where'd he go? I promised to help him find a bed. And my aunts told me it's very important always to keep a promise.

Aurora found the house and came in through the window. The monster, lost in the darkness, I think, saw light only when Aurora was coming through the window. The challenge, explained the narrator, was how to get out of the house.

Would Aurora leave, saving herself, or hold the window so that the monster could get out? She decided to be Heroic and Brave the Darkness.

Sadly, the player wound up with a total of 3, after rolling the dice. Aurora failed, despite her heroic action.

She and Grue realized that it wasn't that the house was empty, not exactly. All the shadows were left behind. There was no bed for Grue to hide beneath, just the shadow of a bed. There was no door, just the shadow of a door. Indeed, the house was but a shadow of what the house used to be.

And, there was a shadow child speaking to Aurora's shadow.

Shadow Child: You need to let your person eat, drink, and be merry -- and forget -- so you can be severed -- like me!

Aurora said something that isn't in my notes.

Shadow Child: Shadows don't worry about things like that -- they can be free.

The Shadow Child told Aurora's Shadow to remember to leave her person somewhere, but my notes don't seem to say where. They do say:

-) Light, hollowed house
Shadow of a house turned inside out

Grue stared at the shadow of where the bed used to be, frowning. Then, I think, he headed for the door.

I'm fairly sure that Aurora tried to escape the house with Grue, and that Daystar tried to help. My notes say that the player rolled a 3 and had +3, but this was less than 7. Again, Aurora had been heroic, but had failed. She fell down toward the house, though Daystar tried to life her up, I think with Grue's help, and the thatch on the roof wasn't strong enough to keep Aurora from falling back into the house.

Aurora tried to climb up bodily -- but her shadow stayed behind, divided. I think she had lost her voice? My notes say: "Grue and Daystar and mute girl".

Aurora (possibly thinking, rather than speaking): Somehow I've become a shadow of my former self.

My notes also say that "The Witch" lived downstream.

Meanwhile, the people at the fair were dancing.

Grue: All these people are dancing, and I have this compulsion to grab ankles -- and none of the dancers have shadows -- including Aurora.

Somehow, Grue managed to use his beam of wood to help Aurora. Aurora could again sing, and her singing alerted the crow. Or possibly I've forgotten details, and the shadows were the ones dancing, which is why they themselves cast no shadow, and Aurora was trapped in the house, and never lost her voice -- the shadow simply had none.

Regardless, Aurora succeeded in a Clever and Daring way. I suggested that Daystar dragged Aurora's shadowless body --

Narrator: No -- he pulls the shadow to the girl!

After all, the shadow was a -lot- lighter.

And, improvising on this theme, we realized that the tree never really fell across the stream -- the squirrel and Aurora had both run across the stream on the tree's shadow!

Grue went into the stream, but he couldn't swim and was made of dust. He was injured, and my notes say "no legs". Aurora tried to pull him out, but failed, and fell in herself. Both were carried downstream, where the Witch lived.

Daystar went for help. My notes say "Clark Kent Fairy Aunt" The fairy aunt in question did magic to make a Giant Water Lily float downstream so that Aurora could climb onto it.

Fairy Aunt: Well, you don't have to worry about her drowning anymore. You're welcome!

The stream went through the cliff. At this point, Cliff bought the narration.

Bouquets of flowers floated in the pool that the stream led to. There was a cave with fires inside. There was also a cage. Inside the cage was a blindfolded boy, Kat's Companion character. There were also many other things in the cave.

Daystar: It's like a magpie's nest!

Aurora's Player: I don't think Aurora knows the meaning of the word sneak.

The boy, whose name was Philip, did indeed want to be rescued, but he refused to take off the blindfold.

Philip: The dare was I could do this blindfolded.

The challenge was to free Philip before the Witch came back to the cave. Aurora succeeded, but not in a brave, clever, or daring way. Rather, she succeeded in a childlike, greedy, or cowardly way, although my notes seem to lack details.

My notes say: "Retreat, Damosel -- I shall spin him around to help him fourrunning(?)"

I think that Philip probably said "Retreat, Damosel", but I'm not sure who spun whom around. Possibly, Aurora spun Philip around to try to get him running the right way? Or possibly some creation of the witch attacked, and Aurora tried to spin it around?

The crow flew at the Witch. Aurora's Player decided that Aurora would Take a Chance. Alas, Aurora both failed and behaved cowardly. My notes say: "Getting him dizzy made her dizzy".

Aurora stumbled -- right into the Witch's arms. The Witch vanished, and Aurora vanished with her.

Aurora found herself underground, sitting at a table laden with desserts, coffee, and tea. Three other girls sat silent and still at the table. The Witch was humming and pouring tea.

Aurora wanted to go home, to her aunts.

Witch: No, you need nice friends -- your own age -- just like you!

Someone (I forget context): one like you.

Meanwhile, Aurora's Companions were trying to find her, and Prince Philip -- oh, yes, Philip was a Prince -- knew where she was.

I forget the context of this:

Someone: How -- she's like a reverse cuckoo!

Someone Else: An Ookook?

Aurora tried to be Heroic, and she was successful. She noticed that the girls were quiet. She remembered that, while the villagers danced, and there were sounds of a fair, there was no actual music. She turned down the Witch's offer, politely.

Aurora: Although I do appreciate the generosity, so I will repay it the only way I can.

And, she started to sing, which was her special power.

Narrator: Obviously, the Witch doesn't like that.

And, of course, since our Heroine was Aurora, the Witch was Maleficent.

The girls started to wake up a bit. The Witch covered her ears and yelled to counter the song.

Aurora saw her Companions come to rescue her. She altered her song.

Aurora (singing): Which way should we turn now?

And everyone escaped the Witch. The silent girls were fully woken up.

We now moved to the concluding scene. The narrator described the return home. The Heroine had behaved somewhat heroically and had been somewhat successful.

The person with the fewest tokens narrated the Companion's Conclusion, which could not have any visible magic. I'm not sure if that was a rule that should have applied here, given that Aurora lived with three fairy aunts.

She was wearing Prince Philip's blindfold as a bandana. It was time for her to fetch water for breakfast -- but Aurora noticed that she was about to cross the stream!

Aurora: Oh I won't -- and when I get back, I'll even clean the whole house. (looks under bed) Well, maybe not the -whole- house.

And there we ended.