Z is for Zoe

You watched her in the library Until you overheard her talking in a cafe Her girlfriend is a gamemaster Yet The Players Are the Thing You’re more than willing to play To get sucked into her roleplaying campaign To see what has Rhane so enthralled The game has a power of its own Your character is quite a compelling one Even if Rhiannon wasn’t originally yours You and Rhiannon find yourself drawn to Rhane and Amberwyne Stirring the jealousy of Mona and Isolde as you are There’s something so right about your rivalry You and Rhiannon are propelling the plot forth Stirring the Gamemaster to quicken to your novelty You envy Beatrix, yet you admire her Hoping to rekindle the fire of her inspiration Bring back her old passion for the game Even if it means losing your own chance A chance to get closer to Rhane You’re getting closer while you play the game Finding out what peaks her interest, makes her smile It’s a different way of getting to know someone Building a genuine bond of friendship Rolling the dice, letting your character speak As hers speaks to yours in turn.

Y is for Ylynessa

A waif from the dark and desperate corners of Rowenda Child seized from the long arms of the Dark Circle Growing up a lady within castle walls You’ve done much to make monsters less monstrous Introducing the term ‘nonhuman’ to common speech Doing your best to cultivate the Unicorn Matriarch Ingratiating yourself with her wide-eyes acolytes Trouble at Caerac Keep doesn’t take you by surprise You raise your voice to cry the Vampire Corwyth has risen You blame traveling adventurers for disturbing his crystal Of course the sickness spreading in the Keep is the kiss of a vampire You’re willing to listen to other explanations with a condescending smile The Keep has its secrets, some you won’t share with your brother Even if he’s Lord William of Caerac Keep A mysterious knight, whom is perhaps the new Captain of the Guard A figure in armour who never speaks, only acts And you’ve got your own secrets you won’t share All the letters you write to a mysterious aunt, couched in veiled terms Whatever you’re up to, you still love your brother Your devotion to the Keep itself is far more dubious Your devotion is already spoken for Claimed before you started playing your dangerous game Whisked away even as you stand in your castle Dressed in finery, dispensing smiles and fits of temper All to conceal the intentions you hold close.

X is for Xylanthe

Born from hunger, born from desire Striving for ideals shunned by the idealistic Recreating yourself as an immortal monster Shunned by your former Aethyrian sisters Immortal Queen of the Dark Circle Offering guidance and protection to other monsters Waiting for bold and juicy heroes in your lair To come wandering into your waiting webs Now there are not so many adventurers Monsters are now considered nonhumans Humans are discouraging from hunting them Less and less would-be heroes are coming after you Too often you and yours are going hungry There’s opportunity in this Trouble at Caerac Keep Trouble your pawns are causing Terrifying the timid human sheep Arousing the bold would-be heroes among them Heating their blood to a fevered pitch You can’t wait to taste it When the bold come wandering into your webs Seeking answers, needing to fight their fears You’re only too willing to remind them That monsters still exist in the darkness.

W is for William

A stable sanctuary for the your people Secure from monsters behind stone walls You’ve spent longer than anyone knows Making this walled town a haven Now there’s Trouble at Caerac Keep Your sorcerer has gone missing Nor is he the only one People all over town are getting sick Growing pale, wan, and listless The only mark a pair of tiny red dots They do seem like victims of a vampire attack Fearful residents mutter about the Vampire Corwyth How he’s risen to suck the blood of the living You need to put these rumours to rest Adventurers are no longer in fashion Accused of being mercenary and murderous You pick out a group of promising younglings Whose talents may lead them to sniff out the truth Perhaps you’re sending them to their deaths What are a few lives weighed against the many? Those younglings have lost loved ones They have an interest in solving the mystery If no desire to work together to solve it You gave them this dangerous task Equipping them with a hidden weapon One they know nothing of You hope it will make the odds more favourable At least these children should flush out your enemies Allowing you to deal with them Sacrificing them is a necessity in these times At least that’s what you keep telling yourself.

V is for Varwyth

Keeping to the shadowy places Mysterious connected to lord and sorcerer Showing a possessive, tender concern for the Serpent-Born Taking your angry sympathy out on the cleric Trading condescending amusements with the Aethyrian You play and keep company with these children You’re much older than anyone guesses This Trouble at Caerac Keep strikes deep Offending you in a way you won’t reveal As you seek the truth along with your companions Rousing Lord William Caerac to action Concerned beyond words by Daeric’s disappearance Annoyed by the constant prejudice showered upon Rhodry Much has changed, yet clerics keep making the same mistakes Monsters can make them as well Immortality isn’t a cure for stupidity or selfishness Weaknesses that refuse to go away In spite of a strong motivation to get stronger You’ll give these children a chance to grow strong and wise Hoping they’ll pass on that strength and wisdom in turn.

U is for Undine

Once a free spirit of water and waves Trapped by the call of a maiden’s shell You’re at the heart of the Trouble at Caerac Keep Reaching out to the Serpent-Born To the Unicorn’s chosen To the maiden from a faraway land Touching their dreams, directing the children your way The way to your peril, the way to the truth There’s so much misdirection in this place You’re in the hands of a mistress of misdirection You cannot directly speak of your plight Cannot name the captor holding you Or the nature of your captivity You’re just a hollow cry within your cage A prison you cannot bear All you can do is send images Images you hope your rescuers will recognize Hoping these children will be your rescuers.

T is for Thomas

Bat-eared, scowling at everyone before they can scowl at you Filled with ugly notions of the way things should be A Godling for Your Thoughts? Your own mind doesn’t appeal to you It disgusts you as much as the rest of you does Exploding with fury, unable to express it You’re reduced to hurling rocks at those too weak to fight back You’re learning what seems weak can be deceptive Blocking your bluster with a tiny hand Questioning your notions with quicksilver thought They do it all with a force you can’t overcome Fragile, too beautiful to be boys, you’re no match for them You’ve always sensed that beauty was power An evil power you’d never possess All you could do was yearn for it Sensing it would always reject you Only Seraphix came to you, a Voice, a talisman Offering to make all your dreams come true You can be as beautiful as they are You can bring them all their knees Humbling them as they’ve humbled you A part of you wonders if there’s more to it You don’t care to listen to this part You’ve trapped inside your own body for too long You’re ready to break out, to become something better To become the very embodiment of your dreams If you can trust yourself to wear them If your own inner poison doesn’t leak through.