# The Quests of Samantha the Red (pictures included-updated 8/5)



## Rel

What follows are the “Adventures” of my three year old daughter who I’ve introduced to a brand of LARPing in and around our home.  I’ve posted some information about our earlier adventures in this thread.   But what follows is the start of a series of adventures with a common theme and setting.  I don’t know how long these will go on but I’ll keep posting about them as we go.  I’ll warn you that they WILL be silly and there is no “system” to speak of.  Plenty of time for that later.

I will also be attaching photos to most or all of the updates.  These will illustrate the story as it progresses.  I hope you enjoy them.

And so on with our story…

A call went out throughout the lands of Mommyville that King Monkey was summoning any who would dare to attempt to lift the curse from his kingdom.  And this call was answered by the aspiring adventuress, Samantha the Red.  Garbed in her reddest outfit, she donned her backpack, empty but for a few red coins, and entered the audience chamber of King Monkey.

“Greetings, Samantha,” he said.  “I am glad you have come to help us.  My kingdom is cursed and everybody is sad and can’t get happy again until the curse is lifted.”

“Oh.  Well, I can help you with that,” replied Samantha the Red.

“I’m so glad to hear that.  To lift the curse, you must find all the magical items that have been lost and scattered throughout the kingdom.  The first three are the Silver Items.  The Silver Cup, Silver Horseshoe and Silver Jingly Ball.  Can you remember that?”

“Yes!  Cup, Horseshoe, Ball!”  Samantha repeated this brief list of items several times to commit them to memory.  Although very smart, she was as yet illiterate.

King Monkey addressed her once more before she departed, “Very well, I shall wait for you to bring back these items.  And before you go looking for them, you may wish to buy some of the things the merchants have for sale in the village.”

“What’s a merchant?” Samantha asked.

“Um, like a store.  One that sells things.  Go look for the Gnome and the Egg Wizard.”

“Ok.  Bye-bye!”  And with that, Samantha was off to do some shopping.

--------------------------------------

She went immediately to where she knew the Gnome to live, at the base of the Loquat Tree.  She found him there, sad but with several items for sale.

“Hello, Binky! (The Gnome’s name is Binky)  What do you have for sale?”

In a sad and pathetic voice, Binky replied, “*sigh* I have this Magic Rope, these Magic Shoes and a Sharp Stick.  The Magic Rope lets you climb things.  The Shoes let you jump very high and very far.  The Sharp Stick is good for poking rats in the bottom. *sigh*.  Each of them costs one coin.”

“I see.  I might need the rope for climbing things.  Here is a coin!”  She placed the red coin in the small bucket next to the Gnome and placed the Magic Rope in her backpack.  With a brief “Bye-bye, Binky”, she was off in search of the Egg Wizard.

She found him sitting despondently on a colorful couch.  If the brightly colored couch couldn’t cheer him up, likely nothing would.  “Hello,” he said wistfully as she approached.

“Hi!  I see you have some potions!  I have money!”  Samantha attempted enthusiasm but it was not contagious.

“Yes.  I have two potions.  The blue one makes you very tall and the green one makes you very small.  I also have a Magic Ring that lets you fly.  The Ring is two coins and the potions are one coin each.”  From the sound of his voice, the Egg Wizard barely made it through his sales pitch without bursting into tears.

Consulting the contents of her purse, Samantha the Red determined that she had enough money and opted to buy everything.  She carefully counted out the coins for each item and laid them on the colorful couch next to the Egg Wizard.  Once she had paid for everything, she loudly declared, “I have one coin left!”

“I don’t have anything else to sell right now,” proclaimed the Egg Wizard, nearly sobbing.  “You’ll have to go talk to the Gnome.”

“Bye-bye!” and Samantha set out to see Binky once again.

She found him where she had left him and regarded the two remaining items he had for sale.  She admired the shoes for they were shiny and black.  But the Pointy Stick held the allure of danger.  One never knew when one would be beset by a rat sorely in need of a swift poke to the bottom.  “I’ll buy this!” she declared, holding the Pointy Stick aloft in triumph.  So great was her rapture at this latest acquisition that she nearly forgot to pay for it.  But Binky reminded her and she parted with her final coin.

Adding the Pointy Stick to her backpack, she determined that she was prepared to set forth on her adventure after a brief pause for a photo-op…


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## Enkhidu

Rel has just become my new hero.


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## Rel

Not knowing precisely where she should go next, Samantha the Red gave some thought to the items she sought.  Silver Cup, Silver Horseshoe and Silver Jingly Ball.  The Cup and the Ball she would have to keep an eye out for, but she had an idea of where the Silver Horseshoe might be.  She hitched up her backpack and headed straightaway for the stables.

There she found her faithful old steed, Hobby.  And sure enough, hanging from his bridle was the Silver Horseshoe.  She reached for it and Hobby recoiled.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

“I need that Silver Horseshoe for King Monkey!”  Samantha replied with fervor.

“Well then I will gladly give it to you.  But I wonder if you will do me a favor?”

“Sure,” said Samantha the Red, always willing to help those in need.

“I have something lodged in my hoof.  Could you take it out so it stops hurting me?”  Hobby’s voice contained the hurt that he felt.

“I will do it!” said Samantha.  She quickly knelt and saw that a large stone of some sort was stuck to Hobby’s right front hoof.  She plucked it free and found that it was in fact a sizable diamond!

“Oh thank you!” cried Hobby.  “That feels better already!  You may take the Silver Horseshoe.  And is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Have you seen the Silver Cup or the Silver Jingly Ball?” she asked.

“I haven’t seen any sort of Jingly Ball,” Hobby replied.  “But I have heard that the Mean Green Monster owns a Silver Cup.  He lives on the Big Stump in the Forest.”

“I know where that is!” Samantha cried in delight, happy that she had a new destination in mind.  “Bye-bye, Hobby!”

And she was off once more…


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## Rel

She made her way carefully down the path into the forest, always wary of Rats and frankly quite anxious to poke one in the bottom with her trusty stick.  But none approached and she caught a glimpse of the Mean Green Monster in the distance.

She had dealt with him before and knew him to be greedy and rude.  And it now appeared that he was also reclusive for he had erected a tall wall along the path that entered his part of the forest.  But this was no deterrent to Samantha the Red who was determined to aid King Monkey and free Mommyville of its curse!

In a flash she had out her Magic Rope and cast it up and over the wall that barred her way.  As she held the end of it, it coiled around her and pulled her up and over the wall before vanishing in a puff of smoke.  With the wall behind her, she made her way through the underbrush until she stood face to face with the Mean Green Monster.

“Mean Green Monster, I need the Silver Cup.  Do you have it?”

The Monster replied brusquely, “Yeah, I have it!  But I’m not giving it to you!”

“Why not?” asked Samantha, her innocent heart not able to grasp why one would withhold aid from King Monkey in his time of need.

“Because I’m MEAN and GREEN!  I don’t just give stuff away!  You have to give me something!”

“Oh,” said Samantha, “well what do you want?”

The Monster thought for a moment.  “I want a great big diamond!”  He chuckled inwardly, knowing that it was exceedingly unlikely that young Samantha the Red had such resources.  He was startled at her reply.

“Oh I’ve got one of those.  Just a minute.”  She doffed her backpack and dug for a moment before finding where she had placed the diamond in her purse.  “Here you go!”

Angered at having to follow through on his end of the deal, Mean Green Monster connived to thwart Samantha.  “Well, you can have the Silver Cup now…IF YOU CAN FIND IT!  HA HA HA!”

But Samantha was nothing if not sharp-eyed and she easily caught a glimpse of the cup hidden in a hollow in the stump.  “There it is!”  The Mean Green Monster’s laughter ceased abruptly.  He was beaten.

“Do you know where the Silver Jingly Ball is?” inquired Samantha as she packed the Silver Cup into her backpack.

The Mean Green Monster had heard a rumor but wasn’t sure he wanted to pass it along.  But if he didn’t then Samantha was likely to linger and continue to gloat about tricking him out of his Cup.  He decided he’d prefer if she went and bothered somebody else.  “I’ve heard that the Eagle has it.  Now go away!”

“Does the Eagle live at the Birdhouse?”

“Of course he does!  Now GO AWAY!”  The Mean Green Monster turned away in frustration.

“Ok!  Bye-Bye, Mean Green Monster!”  And with that she set off in search of the Birdhouse…


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## Terwox

This is really adorable, thanks for posting it.


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## Baron Opal

Wonderful, Rel! My son is 3 as well and has similar adventures throughout the house, although I've never done anything so organized. I may have to get a picture of Sir James the Purple up here sometime.

Baron Opal


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## Cinerarium

Oh.  My.  God.

Rel, this is amazing!  I'm going to get my wife, a non-roleplayer, to check this out.  I love the pictures!  The Mean Green Monster is great!

Best story hour ever!


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## threshel

Absolutely awesome!

I love the world kids can live in, and you've done an excellent job playing in it.  Keep up the good work.  And keep letting us know more of the Aventures of Samantha the Red!


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## Rel

Thank all of you for your kind words.  I have such tremendous fun doing these adventures that I just wanted to share with a community that I enjoy so much.

I've got a couple more updates from our last adventure and then there will be a new adventure this coming weekend.  That will be the Quest for the Three Golden Items.


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## Rel

Before she could depart the forest and make her way to the Birdhouse, Samantha would have to find a way back over the wall now that she had used up her Magic Rope.  She regarded the contents of her backpack and came across the Magic Ring she had bought from the Egg Wizard. “I can use THIS!” she exclaimed with delight.

She donned the Magic Ring and she suddenly felt herself grow much lighter.  In just a few seconds it felt as though a giant pair of hands had gripped her, lifted her over the wall and sent her soaring through the forest in the direction of her destination.  She arrived at a black gate that was the entrance to the Duchy of Backyard.  Finding the gate unlocked she passed through it and continued on her way to the Birdhouse.

As she arrived, she called out to the Eagle who sat perched atop his aerie, “Eagle!  I need your help!”

The Eagle gazed down regally and replied, “My child, what is it I can do for you?”

“I need your Silver Jingly Ball to give to King Monkey!”

With a hint of sadness in his voice, the Eagle called down from his lofty perch, “And I would gladly give you what you seek.  But alas, the Egg Rat has plundered my nest and taken it from me.  He left me with but a single egg and I do not think that it will hatch.”

Samantha’s voice also dropped in sadness, “Oh.  Well, where did he take it?”

“He has made off with it to his lair, atop Mulch Pile Mountain.  There he guards it jealously against any who would try to take it back.”

Samantha the Red was instilled with a new resolve now that she knew where to go to right this injustice.  “I’ll go get it!  And I’ll poke that rat in the bottom!  I have a pointy stick!”

This seemed to give rise to the Eagle’s spirits, “I wish you luck my child!  And you may take the last egg that I have.  What it contains may aid you in your quest!”

Samantha looked up at the tall Birdhouse with consternation.  “How can I get it out?  It’s too tall.  Wait!...I have a Potion!”  She furiously dug through her backpack and withdrew the magical potion with the blue stopper that she had purchased from the Egg Wizard.  She held it forth, observing the almost day-glo orange of the liquid it contained.  Then she quaffed it in its entirety and felt herself begin to grow.

Within a few seconds she had reached such a height that she could easily open the Birdhouse to grab the egg within.  She shook it and heard a rattle from inside it.  With a squeeze and a pop, the egg opened to reveal three of the red coins used throughout the realm along with a golden key inscribed with a dragon.  She placed these things within her backpack and prepared to march off to Mulch Pile Mountain.

There lived a rat who had a date with destiny!


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## Rel

Samantha the Red made her way back through the Black Gate and near to the forest from which she had recently emerged.  There she found herself in the foothills of Mulch Pile Mountain.

Knowing what lay ahead, she drew out her Pointy Stick and kept it at the ready.  And it turned out that she didn’t have to wait long before putting it to good use!

From his perch on Mulch Pile Mountain leapt a large and fearsome rat!  His beady brown eyes gazed malevolently at young Samantha the Red and he came rushing forth, teeth bared.  “Rowr!!”

With a squeal of excitement, Samantha deftly dodged out of his way and turned quickly to catch him full on the wide bottom with her Pointy Stick.  His fur dimpled deeply as Samantha thrust at his furry backside, not once but twice.

With a yelp of pain, the rat took flight and scurried behind the bulk of Mulch Pile Mountain.  No more would he trouble Samantha the Red this day!

Her adrenaline still pumping, Samantha looked around for more adversaries but found none.  She then turned her attention to the top of Mulch Pile Mountain where she spied a small chest.  It no doubt contained the ill gotten gains guarded by the vicious rat.  She climbed the treacherous and crumbly slopes of Mulch Pile Mountain and retrieved the chest, with small difficulty, but at the cost of getting her namesake red outfit rather dirty.  But there would be time for laundry later!  This was the hour of triumph!

She found the chest locked and withdrew from her backpack the key given to her by the Eagle.  With a faint click the chest yielded its contents and she found that it contained the Silver Jingly Ball, just as she had hoped!

With the last of the three Silver Items safely stowed in her backpack, she merrily returned to Mommyville to hand them over to King Monkey.  As she entered his audience chamber she swelled with pride.  “I have brought you the things you needed!”

King Monkey, despite the sadness brought on by the Curse, found himself giving Samantha the Red a hearty, “Thank You!”  He continued, “With these items I can now start to lift the Curse!  This is a great day for the kingdom of Mommyville!”

Samantha the Red beamed with pride at her accomplishments but still recalled her manners, “You’re Welcome!”

King Monkey took a somewhat more serious tone, “But remember that the Curse is not yet lifted.  Next I will need the three Golden Items.  Can you return someday and help us with that?”

“Sure!” said Samantha the Red.  For her heart longed for adventure and she would gladly undertake any quest that offered her these exciting journeys.  But for now, she bade King Monkey farewell and headed off in search of an afternoon snack.

TO BE CONTINUED…


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## Henry

Now WotC needs to take a lesson from you about an introductory version of D&D!


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## Droid101

This is rather frightening.  That's the only word I know to describe what I'm feeling inside right now.


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## Rel

Droid101 said:
			
		

> This is rather frightening.  That's the only word I know to describe what I'm feeling inside right now.




It's ok, dude.  The rat has been vanquished.


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## Droid101

Rel said:
			
		

> It's ok, dude.  The rat has been vanquished.



Whew...


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## ledded

Man, I want to just gush and echo the comments of almost all of the above posters, but I will just simply say:

Dude.

You.

Rule.

I am duly inspired to chronicle the adventures of Sir Garrett, my own young knight errant.


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## Rel

ledded said:
			
		

> Man, I want to just gush and echo the comments of almost all of the above posters, but I will just simply say:
> 
> Dude.
> 
> You.
> 
> Rule.
> 
> I am duly inspired to chronicle the adventures of Sir Garrett, my own young knight errant.




Very kind words from you as usual, Ledded.  If you write a story hour featuring young master Garrett, I will be more than happy to read it.

Particularly if you give him a big shield and tell him to make liberal use of the word "justice".


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## Naathez

When a new player is born, any old player's heart rejoices.

But when such a sweet little new player is born, and the rejoicing of the heart is accompanied by the mirth of a delighted tender laughter, then truly a new fairy has gained her wings. (Hey, I AM a Bard after all)

Keep it up. What you're doing for her is greater than both of you know now.

oh, and ledded...  I'd think "Garrett" would be a Thief, not a Knight Errant... (ARGH! Game inside joke! Bad Xbox! BAD! Back off!)


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## Rel

As promised, here is the start of the second part of Adventures In Mommyville...

*Quest for the Golden Items*

After several days of rest and recuperation, Samantha the Red felt ready to once again plunge into adventure in the aid of King Monkey and the people of Mommyville.  She prepared to don her backpack and reviewed its contents.

From her earlier adventures she still retained a few items including the Potion of Smallness, her Sharp Stick of Bottom Poking and a key with the likeness of a dragon upon it.  Added to this were three of the red coins of the realm that she had found in the Eagle egg.  Armed with only these meager belongings and a malicious grin at the thought of the evil bottoms in need of poking, she sought an audience with King Monkey.

King Monkey was only too happy to see her again.  “Welcome, Samantha the Red!  Your aid to my Kingdom has been great and I hope you will succeed in your next quest!”

“What is it?” Samantha inquired.

“We are now needing the Three Golden Items to go with the Silver Items you have already returned to me.”

“Ok!  Bye!”  Samantha turned to leave, eager to get on with the real adventure.

“Um…wait!” cried out King Monkey after her.

“What?!” asked Samantha impatiently.

King Monkey let slide this breach of protocol and politely asked, “Don’t you want to know what the Three Golden Items are?”

Samantha considered for a moment, “Oh.  Sure!”

“Wonderful!” said King Monkey.  “I need you to find The Golden Egg, The Golden Candlestick and The Golden Horse.”

Samantha the Red repeated this sequence of items as was her habit when committing things to memory.  She was simply going to HAVE to learn to read soon so that she could start writing things down.  Once she felt certain to remember the objects of her quest, she bade King Monkey farewell, “Bye-Bye!”


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## Rel

Before she set out on her latest quest, Samantha decided that she needed to resupply with the town merchants, Binky the Gnome and the Egg Wizard.  She first stopped at Binky’s and found that he had no new Magic Rope for sale as of yet.

“I can offer you either of these two items,” said the Gnome.  “The first is a Magic Candle that lights itself and warms things up.  The other is a pack of rations in case you get hungry.”

Samantha was an easy customer and instantly decided that she would buy both items.  Binky considered the possibility that he may need to raise his prices.  But it was all for the good of the Kingdom and he did feel somewhat better now that the Silver Items had been retrieved.  With his material aid, perhaps this Samantha the Red would manage to lift the curse that plagued them.

The Gnome watched as young Samantha packed her latest acquisitions into her backpack and set off to see the Egg Wizard with a hearty “Bye-Bye!”

She found the Egg Wizard sitting upon his colorful couch as usual but he seemed in exceptionally low spirits.  Samantha decided that him accompanying her on her adventure would be just the thing to perk him up.  “You’re coming with ME, Egg Wizard!”

The Egg Wizard had become a creature of leisure, doing good business in Potions and minor charms and so forth in recent years.  He abhorred the prospect of being out in the wide outside world and did his best to distract Samantha from this line of thought.  “I’ve got some new Potions for sale!”

It seemed to work.  “Oh!  What do you have?”

Pleased that the question of him joining her was off the table, the Egg Wizard launched into his sales pitch.  “I have this Potion that makes you very strong.  And I also have this magic dust that makes you invisible.”

Samantha looked at him wide eyed, “Oh.  That’s good.”

The Egg Wizard looked back at her and asked, “Do you know what ‘invisible’ means?”

Samantha gave him a big grin, “No.”

“Ah,” the Wizard nodded, “It means that nobody can see you and you can sneak around.”

“Oh,” she responded.  “Well, I’ll buy the Potion that makes you strong.”
“Very good then.  That’ll be one coin.”

Samantha dug in her backpack for her last coin and offered it up to the Egg Wizard.  Then, without missing a beat, “Let’s go!”

“What?!” asked the Egg Wizard.

“You’re coming with me on the Adventure!”  Her demeanor was one that brooked no resistance but he tried anyway.

“I’m actually feeling rather sick.  I’d best stay here on my couch…”

“COME ON!”

The Egg Wizard sighed in resignation and got up from the couch.  He grabbed up the Invisibility Powder and followed the young adventuress out of the village.  He looked back longingly, “I’ll miss you my sweet, soft sofa…”


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## weiknarf

Potion of Strength + Sharp Stick = Trouble for rat's bottoms


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## ajanders

*Yoinks...*



			
				Rel said:
			
		

> <Deletia>
> She found the Egg Wizard sitting upon his colorful couch as usual but he seemed in exceptionally low spirits.  Samantha decided that him accompanying her on her adventure would be just the thing to perk him up.  “You’re coming with ME, Egg Wizard!”
> 
> <Deletia>
> Samantha dug in her backpack for her last coin and offered it up to the Egg Wizard.  Then, without missing a beat, “Let’s go!”
> 
> “What?!” asked the Egg Wizard.
> 
> “You’re coming with me on the Adventure!”  Her demeanor was one that brooked no resistance but he tried anyway.
> 
> “I’m actually feeling rather sick.  I’d best stay here on my couch…”
> 
> “COME ON!”
> 
> The Egg Wizard sighed in resignation and got up from the couch.  He grabbed up the Invisibility Powder and followed the young adventuress out of the village.  He looked back longingly, “I’ll miss you my sweet, soft sofa…”



I think I've just discovered how my next character is joining the party.  Go Samantha and Egg!


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## Lazybones

Great story, Rel. I'm not a parent, but I think it would be fun to be your kid.


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## fuindordm

Keep it coming!  My own daughter isn't quite ready for this sort of thing yet, but I'm storing up your ideas, and I love reading these!

Ben


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## Rel

Thanks to all you folks for your kind words.  I'm having a ton of fun both running and writing these little adventures.  Here's our next installment:

*Journey to the Tall Tower*

“So where are we going anyway?” asked the Egg Wizard of his new companion.

“We are looking for the Three Golden Items,” stated Samantha the Red in a rather matter of fact way.

“Ok.  And what exactly are these Golden Items?”

“Egg, Candlestick and Horse!” Samantha exclaimed.

“I see,” replied the Egg Wizard.  “I think I might know where we could find the Golden Egg, eggs being rather a specialty of mine.  But I also think I heard a rumor that the statue of the Golden Horse is kept high in the Tall Tower.”

“Oh!  I know where the Tall Tower is!  Let’s GO!”  And Samantha embarked on the first leg of her latest adventure at a dead run.  The Egg Wizard gave a sigh and did his best to keep up.

They shortly arrived at the Tall Tower and Samantha began to ascend.  “I’ll just stay down here,” said the Egg Wizard nervously.  Ever since the “incident” with cousin Humpty, the Egg Wizard was reluctant to climb up on high places, particularly in light of the relative shortage of horses and men in the kingdom of Mommyville.

Samantha seemed willing to let the Egg Wizard stay behind on this part of the adventure and ascended the Tall Tower without any problems.  In the room at the top, she found a stout looking chest and sitting nearby what looked to be a telescope.  Ignoring the telescope for the time being, she went to work on the chest and found it unlocked.  “The Golden Horse must be inside!”

But upon opening the chest she discovered not what she expected but a horse of a different color or rather a Cat of many different colors.  “Rainbow Cat?!  What are you doing in there?!”

“Thank goodness somebody found me!  Why I don’t know how long I’ve been stuck in there!”  Rainbow Cat seemed very perturbed at his imprisonment.

Samantha the Red was determined to get to the bottom of this mystery.  “Who put you in there?”

“Well I was up here in the Tall Tower, guarding the Golden Horse.  The King picked me for this job since I have…well HAD wings and could easily fly up here.  Then one day the Purple Troll showed up and demanded the Golden Horse.  I told him ‘NO’ of course but he was stronger than me.  He grabbed me, pulled off my wings and tail and then shoved me into this chest and took the Golden Horse!”

“Oh no!” cried Samantha in sympathy.  “Where did he take the Golden Horse?”

“I don’t know but I see that the Magic Telescope is still here.  With it you can find the Golden Horse.  Just climb down from the Tall Tower and look around with it.  It will point you in the direction of what you seek.”

“Ok!  Bye-Bye, Rainbow Cat!”  Samantha had the Magic Telescope in hand and was already descending the Tall Tower.

“Goodbye, brave Samantha!  And if you need help getting the Golden Horse, come get me and I’ll be happy to aid you!”

As soon as her feet were on solid ground again, Samantha raised the Magic Telescope to her eye and felt it pull her to the south.  Following along and letting the Telescope guide her, she soon discovered the location of the Golden Horse.  “It’s WAY up THERE!”  She pointed excitedly and grabbed the Egg Wizard to get his attention.

The Golden Horse sat high atop a lofty ledge, far above the height that Samantha could reach.  “How can I get it down?” she wondered aloud.  After only a moment of thought she decided to go for help.  “Let’s ask Rainbow Cat if he can help us!”

She was soon back atop the Tall Tower and seeking the aid of Rainbow Cat.  “I could easily fly up there and get the Golden Horse if only I had my wings and tail!” the Cat exclaimed in frustration.  “Do you think you could go and find them for me?”

“Sure,” said Samantha.  She was becoming used to these little side quests and felt that they were half the fun of her adventures.  “Where do I look?”

“I suggest that you go and consult the Two Faces.  They tend to know lots about everything.  I will wait here for your return.”

“Ok.  Bye-Bye, Rainbow Cat!”  And Samantha descended the Tower once again.

“How come the Rainbow Cat doesn’t have to come along?!” demanded the Egg Wizard.  “You made me come and we’re not even looking for my wings and tail!  But the Cat gets to just sit up in his tower and laze around while I’m out here risking my shell!”

Samantha dashed away in search of the Two Faces leaving the Egg Wizard to plod behind, his protests falling on deaf ears.


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## Xath

This is the most adorable thing ever.


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## Pierce

Best. Storyhour. Evar.


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## threshel

I don't have words.  All I can do is smile incessantly and say "awesome!" every ten seconds.


J


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## dream66_

This is the most adorable Story Hour EVER... Someday I'll have to have a little adventurer of my own to run game for.


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## ledded

Naathez said:
			
		

> oh, and ledded... I'd think "Garrett" would be a Thief, not a Knight Errant... (ARGH! Game inside joke! Bad Xbox! BAD! Back off!)



Heh. Ya know, with the unnatural propensity of a 6 year old to focus like an industrial laser on something he wants, added with his incredible imagination and unusual ability for bluff and base manipulation, I fear that even introducing him to the concept of a D&D Rogue or Thief at this age would wreak undue havoc on the world at large in years to come.

"You mean, I can wear the cool bad-guy outfit, and just sneak in and take the stuff I want, and then lie about it to avoid getting punished, and that would be a *good* thing daddy?!? Where the heck do I sign up for THAT!"

I mean, there's doing great stuff for my kid, and then there's the Safety Of The Free World As We Know It.

Rel, continued great stuff. Activities like this are what makes kids grow up not only knowing how to assert themselves and solve problems, but to _yearn_ to do so. And you can never underestimate the value of that, my man. Keep it up, you (and Joshua Dyal with his own youngster's SH) serve as an example to us all.

My son is recently asked me for another 'live action' superhero game straight out of his comics/heroclix. I believe I shall have to supply that one for him soon.


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## the Jester

This is so cool that it moved me to tears.

Fantastic, man- I'm going to have to point this out to all the gamer spouses (who plan on ever having kids).


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## Rel

Once again, let me thank everyone for the nice things you've said about the story of Samantha's adventures.  I truly hope you all get to experience the beautiful imagination of a child firsthand someday.  It is really inspiring.  Now on with the adventure!...

*Two Faces*

The journey to the Two Faces was a short one.  These mysterious Oracles had inhabited the area for as long as anyone could recall and were easily located within the dark recesses of the temple they inhabited.

Samantha entered and wasted no time getting to the point.  “I’m looking for Rainbow Cat’s wings and tail!  Where are they?”

The Face on the Right responded, “Calm down, young one.  The answers may yet be revealed but first you must answer our riddles.”

Samantha the Red was an old hand at this riddle game and was not intimidated, “What is your riddle?”

Right Face smiled and queried, “What number is bigger than 12 but smaller than 14?”

Samantha paused for just a moment in consideration.  She quickly decided that the best way to solve this was simply to count.  “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, fourteen, fifteen…wait.  I don’t know.”*

Right Face was patient, “Then I guess you need to try again.”

Samantha sighed.  Math was much less interesting than adventure.  “One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve…THIRTEEN!”

Right Face smiled, “Correct!  And now I shall reveal what you seek.”  The face moved out of the way slightly and Samantha could see a rainbow wingtip peek from behind it.  She seized the wing and triumphantly placed it in her backpack.  Right Face continued, “You may also ask me another question if you wish, but I cannot answer Left Face’s riddle for you.”

Samantha decided to postpone cashing in her free question for a time.  She addressed the Left Face, “What is YOUR riddle?”

“Ah,” responded the face on the left, “it is simple:  How many eggs does the Dragon have?”

“What dragon?” asked Samantha.

“That is not for me to say?” said Left Face smugly.  Where as the Right Face was fairly friendly and helpful, Left Face seemed more conniving.  But the faces has always been rather two-faced like that.

In a flash of insight, Samantha turned back to Right Face, “Where is the Dragon?”

Right face smiled, happy to answer such a good question, “He lives in a cave near the base of the castle.  Near the back of the deck.”  Samantha knew just where this was and set off immediately to find the Dragon’s cave.

She arrived there a short time later and approached cautiously to find the Dragon in a rather cross mood.  “What is wrong, Dragon?”

“Well,” she replied, “I have a bit of a problem.  I’m getting quite hungry but I can’t leave my eggs unattended to go hunt because I’ve got to keep them warm.”

This was just the sort of dilemma that Samantha the Red was used to tackling and she quickly consulted the contents of her backpack to look for anything suitable.  Her gaze instantly locked on the Magic Candle that she’d bought from Binky.  “This can keep your eggs warm!”  She uttered the magic words, “_Candle, candle catch on fire!_” and the candle flame sprang to life.**

With the Magic Candle now warming the eggs, the Dragon was free to go hunt for some food.  “This is wonderful, Samantha!  How can I repay you?”

Samantha was already getting partial payment by counting the eggs.  “One, two, three, FOUR!  Four eggs!”  It was then that she noticed that the third egg looked like it was made of gold.  “The Golden Egg!”

The Dragon asked young Samantha, “Would you like that Golden Egg?  You can have it.  The golden ones never hatch anyway.”

“Yes please,” said Samantha, remembering that it is always best to use good manners where dragons are concerned.  She carefully gathered up the Golden Egg and put it in her backpack.  Then she bade the Dragon farewell, “Bye-Bye, Dragon!” and hurried back to answer the riddle of Left Face…

*Samantha the Red is sharp as a tack in most ways.  But she seems to have trouble remembering the number 13 when counting.  Perhaps this is superstition or perhaps that she almost never gets to use numbers this big in practical situations.  Either way, we’re working on it.

**No actual fire was lit by Samantha the Red in the making of this adventure.  And she doesn’t know where we keep the matches.


----------



## Funeris

Wow....that's great.  I have a son on the way (due in Feb) and can't wait to do this sort of stuff with him, even though its...well 3 years or so off.  

And I already forwarded this address to a couple females out there that just recently started gaming.  Hoping they enjoy this as much as I did.  Thanks, Rel.


----------



## Old One

*Woot!*

Rel,

I have no time to post...but I just had to stop by for this one...way too cool!  Since my little guy is almost 2, how did you decide on when to start...how long does each adventure take?  Does it take all of your DMing skills to hold the attention of a 3-year old?

Great stuff!

~ OO


----------



## Rel

Old One said:
			
		

> Rel,
> 
> I have no time to post...but I just had to stop by for this one...way too cool!  Since my little guy is almost 2, how did you decide on when to start...how long does each adventure take?  Does it take all of your DMing skills to hold the attention of a 3-year old?
> 
> Great stuff!
> 
> ~ OO




OO, knowing how busy you are, I'm honored that you'd stop in to read this thread.  I saw your post in Faded Glory and I hope your wife is doing ok being on bedrest.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you guys.

The "adventures" really started almost a year ago when I started telling her stories using these pewter figurines that I collected as a kid.  I had a fairy princess, a castle, a wizard, a dragon and so forth.  So I would tell her stories using these characters and places and they got more elaborate as I innovated (mostly out of boredom from telling the same story over and over).

Eventually I started to add rudimentary tests in the story as teaching tools.  I would say "And a big snake jumped out of a cave and told Fairy Princess to STOP!  She has to pass his test before she can go on her journey to the castle.  She has to count to 10!"  And she would.  We worked on counting and the alphabet a lot with this sort of thing.

Recently after my daughter went through a spate of watching Dora the Explorer videos, I noted how simple the setup was for Dora's adventures.  Basically there was some overarching goal ("Return Little Star to his place in the sky" or "Take the books back to the Library"), three places to go ("Bridge, Tree, Tall Mountain") and something to do at each stop.  One day after watching one of these videos, I asked her if she wanted to do an adventure of her own.  She jumped at the chance so I spent 30-45 minutes setting it up.  You can read about the results in the thread linked at the start of this one.

Since then I've discovered that it really only takes me about 15 minutes to set one of these up.  Continuity and consistancy are less important to the average 3 year old than to most of my regular RPG players .  What is important is just a few things:

1) Good Props - I've found that I have tons of stuff laying around the house that I can use as props for these adventures.  Stuffed animals make good NPC's and I have all kinds of little bottles, play jewelry, plastic easter eggs and so forth that I use all the time.  She loves this stuff.

2) An area to travel in - On a rainy day we did an entire adventure in the house but I usually try to put our large yard (about an acre) to good use and have her hike around to find places and things.

3) A simple goal, but not too simple - The goals I have her try to achieve as part of the adventure are very basic (usually "Go get this thing") but I also add in complications along the way like somebody won't give her the thing unless she does something for them and so forth.  Sometimes I have to remind her of the original goal and I find that the best way to keep it in her memory is to repeat it several times at the start.

4) Help them out, but not too much - When she seems stumped, I ask her questions to try and get her back on track.  But I try to avoid simply giving her the answer and letting her give up.  If she gets whiny then I say, "You seem tired.  Maybe we should finish our adventure another day."  She almost always sucks it up and focuses on the task at hand.

Hmm, looking back far too much of those suggestions look applicable to roleplaying in general.  Scary, huh?


----------



## Rel

Samantha the Red wasted no time on pleasantries when she arrived back at the Two Faces.  She went straightaway to the Left Face and exclaimed, “I went to the Dragon and counted her eggs!”

“And how many does she have?” asked the Face.

“She has fo…wait,” Samantha’s brow furrowed as she considered.  “She HAD four but I took the Golden Egg so now she has THREE!”

(This bit of reasoning made me one proud papa.)

“That is correct!” the Face exclaimed.  He turned to the side to reveal another of Rainbow Cat’s wings hidden behind his leathery exterior.  “And now you may ask another question.”

Samantha happily grabbed up the wing and stowed it in her backpack.  “Now I have both of Rainbow Cat’s wings but I still need his tail.  Where is his tail?”

The Face answered her question as was his nature, “The tail was kept by the Troll that lives on Mulch Pile Mountain.  You’ll find it in his treasure chest.”

“Thank you!  Bye-Bye!”  And Samantha the Red was off again with the Egg Wizard in tow.

As they traveled, the Egg Wizard continued to bellyache about being involved in this adventure.  “I’ve heard that the Troll at Mulch Pile Mountain has some pet rats.”

“That is true,” said Samantha but she was clearly unafraid at the prospect.

“These are not just regular sewer rats.  I’m talking about very big rats.  Rodents Of Unusual Size!”

Samantha rounded on her reluctant companion, “And I’m gonna’ POKE em’ in the BOTTOM!”  That seemed to lay the matter to rest for the moment and the Egg Wizard fell silent.

At last they arrived at the base of Mulch Pile Mountain only to find that he only way in was guarded by a stout wooden gate.  Samantha the Red paused and wondered aloud, “I don’t have a key.  How am I going to get inside?”

The Egg Wizard was quick with a suggestion, “You’ve still got that potion I sold you that makes you very small!  You could drink that and squeeze through the gate!  Alas, not being so very small myself I could not join you, but that’s ok.  I’m not really much of a Rat Fighter anyway.”

Samantha doffed her pack and began rummaging through the contents.  As she sought the Potion of Smallness, her hand fell upon another draught.  “I KNOW!  I’ll drink the Potion that makes me very Strong and PUSH the gate over!”  The Egg Wizard muttered something in response but she couldn’t quite make out what.

She quaffed her Potion of Strength and stepped up to the gate.  Heaving with all her newfound might, she toppled the entire structure and the way to proceed was clear.  But what was that squeaking noise she heard rapidly approaching?


----------



## happycat2000

*Wow!!!*

I first started reading this a couple of days ago. This is a beautiful story.  I am excited for Samanta and Egg. I hope she fares well. Keep them coming. She sounds like she is having a ton of fun.


----------



## fuindordm

Uh-oh.  I think you've got a budding hack-n-slasher there! 

Thanks again for the stories, Rel.

Ben


----------



## Droid101

Samantha seems like a rogue, probably level 2 or so.  (She likes poking stuff in the back!)

I'd say the Egg is a level 5 expert.  Or aristocrat.


----------



## Henry

> The Egg Wizard was quick with a suggestion, “You’ve still got that potion I sold you that makes you very small! You could drink that and squeeze through the gate!...
> 
> Samantha doffed her pack and began rummaging through the contents. As she sought the Potion of Smallness, her hand fell upon another draught. “I KNOW! I’ll drink the Potion that makes me very Strong and PUSH the gate over!”




Sounds like the reasoning one of my old players used to use.


----------



## Len

That, plus:


> “I’ve heard that the Troll at Mulch Pile Mountain has some pet rats.”
> 
> “That is true,” said Samantha but she was clearly unafraid at the prospect.
> 
> “These are not just regular sewer rats. I’m talking about very big rats. Rodents Of Unusual Size!”
> 
> Samantha rounded on her reluctant companion, “And I’m gonna’ POKE em’ in the BOTTOM!”



makes me pretty sure that Samantha is a fighter. Or maybe a barbarian. Lots of kids seem to have levels of barbarian.


----------



## Captain Claymore

My son Sir Liam the Dragon is SO going on a quest this weekend! I cannot possibly thank you enough for this inspiration. He just turned three last weekend and received his spurs on Samhain night.

Not only is he a fully ordained knight of the Order of the Dragon, but he has this magic ability to turn into a tiger at the most inconvenient times.

Absolutely brilliant story hour! Thanks a million.


----------



## Rel

Captain Claymore said:
			
		

> My son Sir Liam the Dragon is SO going on a quest this weekend! I cannot possibly thank you enough for this inspiration. He just turned three last weekend and received his spurs on Samhain night.
> 
> Not only is he a fully ordained knight of the Order of the Dragon, but he has this magic ability to turn into a tiger at the most inconvenient times.
> 
> Absolutely brilliant story hour! Thanks a million.




Glad you liked it.  I wish young Sir Liam the best of luck on his future adventures!  Let us know how things go.

And for those still reading, I'll be shooting to finish up the tales of the Three Golden Items and also those of Samantha's next adventure throughout this week because next week is shaping up to be busy workwise.


----------



## wedgeski

I don't know how or why this little tale brings a gleam to my eyes every time I read it, but it does. Awesome!

 And I'm definitely gonna use the "You seem tired, maybe we should continue the adventure another day" line when one of my players moans about not being given a Spot check to see something or other.


----------



## pogre

Fun stuff!

I often play Dora the Explorer with my kids - same idea as you mentioned earlier. I also play heavily modified Warhammer Quest with them. My boy sometimes cries when I leave to go play D&D on Wednesday nights - not because I'm leaving mind you - he wants to play!


----------



## Micah

*Thanks*

I spent yesterday afternoon adventuring with my three daughters (ages 2,3 and 4) because of this storyhour. We had a blast! 

Thanks for the ideas!


----------



## Rel

Micah said:
			
		

> Thanks for the ideas!




You're welcome, and THANK YOU!  The idea that this story hour (which was really just a lark) has inspired others to get the same kind of joy by roleplaying with their kids warms my heart.  It almost feels like Christmas!


----------



## Rel

The Rats were nearly upon her before she could draw her Poking Stick but Samantha the Red acted with haste.  She dodged clear as the first Rat assailed her and rounded on him as he dashed past.  Powered still by the recently quaffed Strength Potion, her strike to the Rat’s bottom was enough to send the creature to flight with but a single thrust.

But the Rat’s mate was close behind and came at Samantha in a squeaking fury!  Samantha knew she would need a cunning plan to deal with her second adversary and came up with one in a hurry.  She ran in a tight circle around the Rat until it became dizzy.  As the creature reeled, Samantha maneuvered to its backside to deliver the vanquishing poke and it too was sent scurrying back into the darkness!

Flush with success but still keeping her mind on the goal at hand, Samantha crawled a short distance up Mulch Pile Mountain and retrieved the chest that held the Troll’s treasure.  Opening it carefully she saw that inside was not only Rainbow Cat’s tail but the Golden Candlestick she sought!  She recovered these items and stashed them in her backpack, commenting to no one in particular that the candlestick was actually rather heavy.

She turned to depart but before she could get beyond the smashed gate, there was a growl of anger from behind her and suddenly the Troll came rushing out!  Startled, Samantha let out a little squeal, but quickly regained her composure.

Given more time to think of things, she might have come up with a more subtle or elegant course of action.  But in the heat of the moment, only one solution seemed plausible:  Unadulterated Violence.  She drew out the Poking Stick and gave a firm thrust to the belly of the oncoming Troll.

The bright green creature let out a “WHUF!” as the breath was driven from him and he stumbled back, wheezing.  Unwilling to give him time to collect himself, Samantha stepped forward and delivered another sound poke to the abdomen.  The Troll knew when he was bettered and staggered away, hoping never to cross paths with this Red Ravager again!

Giggling with delight at her latest success, Samantha hefted her backpack and went to deliver her tale and the tail to Rainbow Cat…


----------



## Robbert Raets

Rel said:
			
		

> But in the heat of the moment, only one solution seemed plausible: Unadulterated Violence.



Yea, the wee one has tha haeart of a warrier!!


----------



## Droid101

Captain Claymore said:
			
		

> I cannot possibly thank you enough for this inspiration. He just turned three last weekend and received his spurs on *Halloween* night.



Fixed it for you.

And Rel, again, you rock the house.  I don't follow many story hours, but I do follow this one.


----------



## guyjin

So adorable. I didn't get help from my parents; I had to make up my own stuff. :/

But she's adorably selfish (which is normal for a 3 year old, I guess.) especially with the egg wizard thing.


----------



## Acquana

OMG OMG OMG

This is officially the first storyhour that I'm going to read regularly.  

Congradulations.  This rocks.  I love cute, and this makes me melt into a small puddle.  I love it!

I thank you right now, because it'll be a while before _she_ does.  But she will.


----------



## Rel

As per usual I'd like to thank everyone for the very kind comments.  Perhaps the biggest compliment of the thread is seeing that the post above is guyjin's very first here at the forums.

I've been very busy this week (which is a GOOD thing) but after Friday I'll reach the start of my holiday off-time so expect a flurry of updates after that.  And, if the weather warms up a bit, we'll be having some more Adventures over the holidays as well!


----------



## Eridanis

In the spirit of Christmas - a well-deserved BUMP.

May all of us blend our loves of family, imagination, and adventure as well as you do, Rel!


----------



## Rel

Eridanis said:
			
		

> In the spirit of Christmas - a well-deserved BUMP.
> 
> May all of us blend our loves of family, imagination, and adventure as well as you do, Rel!




Thanks!  I just happened to be online right as you posted this so I figured I'd let folks know that I'm sorry not to have updated this week as I'd planned.  I've had a nasty, persistent chest cold and it has really sapped my energy.  Not to mention all the demands on my time with Christmas coming up and a giddy 3 year old running around the house!

But never fear as it looks like I should have ample free time next week and hopefully I'll be over this bloody cold by then.  I look forward to bringing you the exciting conclusion of Samantha's first trilogy of adventures!

And Merry Christmas to all of you who have read this story hour and posted such nice things!


----------



## Len

I bet that on Christmas morning all the presents will be missing from under the tree and Samantha the Red will have to go on a quest to recover them.


----------



## Rel

Len said:
			
		

> I bet that on Christmas morning all the presents will be missing from under the tree and Samantha the Red will have to go on a quest to recover them.




Close!   Actually we had a brief adventure on Christmas Eve.  Santa called upon Samantha the Red to help him find some toys that the Elves had misplaced.  Without her help some children would have no presents to open!  (Oh the humanity!)  She recovered the presents and gave them to Santa for delivery.   

I have to say that, to some small degree, Samantha seems to be developing a streak of altruism.  Whether this is in part because of our Adventures, I don't know.  But on Christmas Eve, as bedtime approached, she told her mother and I that if we saw Santa Claus to tell him that it would be ok with her if he skipped our house and gave the presents to little children who didn't have any (Rel chokes back a little tear of pride).  

Of course this generousity failed to make an appearance on Christmas Day when after two solid hours of tearing through presents she wanted to know, "Is that ALL?!"   

I'll take the good stuff where I can get it I suppose. 

And be looking for another installment of our story in about...thirty seconds or so.  Thanks for your patience.


----------



## Rel

Samantha once again made the journey to the Tall Tower and ascended to find the Rainbow Cat warmly ensconced in the chest.

“I have all your parts!” Samantha the Red cried with glee.

“Wonderful!” cried Rainbow Cat.

Samantha withdrew him from the box and, with a bit of rough handling, she managed to restore his wings and tail in short order.  Made whole once again, Rainbow Cat was now ready to fly off and fulfill his end of the bargain by way of retrieving the Golden Horse from his high perch.  He prepared to take flight.

“WAIT!!” yelled Samantha with great urgency.

Startled by the unexpected outburst, Rainbow Cat halted at the edge of the Tall Tower.  “What is it?” he asked, “Is there danger?”

“No.  But I want to have a snack,” said Samantha the Red.  Adventuring is hungry business.  She settled down on the floor of the Tall Tower and enjoyed a hearty snack of peanut-butter crackers.  Hunger sated and energy restored, she was once again ready to resume the call of adventure.

She descended the Tall Tower in the traditional manner as Rainbow Cat soared above, happy to be free and flying once again.  They soon came within sight of where the Golden Horse stood high above the ground on the ledge.  Rainbow Cat scooped up the golden statue but his flight back to the ground was less than graceful as the statue was very heavy for only a small, winged, multi-colored cat such as himself.  Nonetheless, the Golden Horse was back on the ground where Samantha the Red hefted it and prepared to return to King Monkey with the good news and all three golden items.

“Thanks for the help, Rainbow Cat!  Bye-Bye!”

“Thank YOU, Samantha the Red!  You are the greatest heroine in all the realm of Mommyville!”

Her trek back to King Monkey was short and thankfully so as her burden had grown great.  The Golden Horse weighed a good bit and the Golden Candlestick was no feather either.  Thus it was not without considerable complaint that she made even this short journey.  Nobody ever said that adventuring was all fluffy towels and peanut-butter crackers.

At length she arrived again in the court of King Monkey and presented him with the golden booty she had gathered.  His praise was effusive and that soothed her sore muscles, worn from all the stabbing of rats and trolls and carrying of moderately heavy magical items.

King Monkey told her that her efforts had brought them that much closer to being able to lift the curse upon the lands of Mommyville.  All that remained now was the recovery of the three Crystal Bottles.

But that was an adventure for another day…


----------



## Robbert Raets

Rel said:
			
		

> “WAIT!!” yelled Samantha with great urgency.
> 
> Startled by the unexpected outburst, Rainbow Cat halted at the edge of the Tall Tower. “What is it?” he asked, “Is there danger?”
> 
> “No. But I want to have a snack,” said Samantha the Red. Adventuring is hungry business. She settled down on the floor of the Tall Tower and enjoyed a hearty snack of peanut-butter crackers. Hunger sated and energy restored, she was once again ready to resume the call of adventure.



 Aside from being absolutely sweet, wonderful and inspired, this story hour is also a great source of magic-item-ideas....
 Fruity Potion Mix of Strenght, Hearty Peanutbutter Snacks of Healing, Potion of Giant Toddler.....

 Way to go, Samantha & Rel!!


----------



## Rel

Robbert Raets said:
			
		

> Aside from being absolutely sweet, wonderful and inspired, this story hour is also a great source of magic-item-ideas....
> Fruity Potion Mix of Strenght, Hearty Peanutbutter Snacks of Healing, Potion of Giant Toddler.....
> 
> Way to go, Samantha & Rel!!




Thanks as always, Robbert.  And look forward to new installments in this story hour early next week.  My schedule then is rather "choppy" with a lot of half-days of work and babysitting so those are good opportunities to write up the relatively simple updates for this Story Hour (as opposed to my Faded Glory SH, which seems to take a minimum of an hour and a half to get any meaningful writing done on  :\ ).


----------



## Pierce

I know I've said it before, but:

Bravo.  Great stuff.

Just wanted to reiterate.


----------



## Rel

Pierce said:
			
		

> I know I've said it before, but:
> 
> Bravo.  Great stuff.
> 
> Just wanted to reiterate.




Your praise is humbly appreciated, Pierce.   

I wanted to share a bit of news:  Earlier today Samantha the Red embarked on her latest adventure and she has taken her first Prestige Class.  I won't say more of it now but the pictures for this one are particularly adorable.


----------



## pogre

Rel said:
			
		

> I wanted to share a bit of news:  Earlier today Samantha the Red embarked on her latest adventure and she has taken her first Prestige Class.  I won't say more of it now but the pictures for this one are particularly adorable.




So says the unbiased DM


----------



## Rel

pogre said:
			
		

> So says the unbiased DM




This is why I run a solo campaign.  Otherwise you'd see the other players posting here complaining about GM bias.


----------



## Rel

Too long had passed with Samantha the Red becoming entrenched in her daily routine.  She was not a creature of habit but one of excitement and adventure.  The drudgery of regular life began to wear and make her cranky and it was time to put the Curse of Mommyville to rest once and for all.

She attended once again the court of King Monkey and asked what the final quest was that she needed to undertake before the Curse could be lifted.

“I’m so glad you have come to our aid again, Samantha the Red!  With two of the quests done already, I can feel us growing close to ending the Curse.  Already my citizens begin to be less sad with each passing day and if we can just get the three Crystal Bottles then the curse will be finished once and for all!”

“Crystal Bottles?” asked Samantha, eager to make sure she understood what she was seeking so that she could get on with her quest.

“Yes, three of them.  One is blue, one is green and one is clear as water.  Do you understand?”

“Yes.  Where can I find these bottles?”

“I’m afraid I have no idea.  You could try asking the usual folks.  Binky, the Egg Wizard and so on.”

Samantha’s face lit up at the prospect of visiting her friends again, though the Egg Wizard had shown himself to be a bit of a coward on her last adventure.  But she now knew where she needed to go and was off at a run.  “Bye-Bye, King Monkey!” she called behind her as she went.

She first stopped to see Binky the Gnome, hoping that he would have some useful items to help her on her quest.  He did indeed and she noted with glee that he had restocked his supply of Magic Rope.  She added this purchase to her backpack and bade him good day.

Her next stop was with the Egg Wizard but here she seemed more interested in information than magical items.

“Where did you go last time when I was poking the rats?”

He nervously greeted her and responded, “Ah yes, the…rats.  Well, I could see you had things well in hand with your Potion of Strength and all and the last thing you needed was me getting in your way.  So I used my Dust of Invisibility and vanished.  But I was right there with you all the while though, just unseen.  Yes I was.  I guarantee it.”  He smiled broadly but in a rather wooden, unconvincing way.  Samantha decided to let the matter rest for now.

“Where are the three Crystal Bottles?”

The Egg Wizard showed a hint of recognition.  “Funny you should ask.  I was tending to one of the Green Parrot’s eggs the other day and he mentioned something about a bottle.  You should go ask him…”  The Egg Wizard hesitated, waiting for the worst.

“Where does he live?”

“At the bird house…”

“Ok, Bye-Bye, Egg Wizard!” and she bolted away on the heels of adventure.

The Egg Wizard watched her go and breathed a sigh of relief that his accompaniment was not required this time.


----------



## Fynn

Rel,

Must express my appreciation for this story hour and inspiration.  When reading I can remember my own three year old rugrat saying something along the lines of.  "No Daddy you can't walk there the dragon will get you!" What the? How does she know about dragons?  Must be the RPGenes have passed down eh?

Consequently I called one of my regular players (who daughter and my daughter get along like they are sisters) and totally ripped your idea off to have a great deal of fun. 

I'm AMAZED how naturally they fell in with the idea of going on an adventure - Note to self however for next one.  Don't give them the magic wands first - a three year old believes more in physical combat than spells so the "Spell" to defeat the nasty Dragon - aka tubby the dinosaur hand puppet with me inside it - was pummelled to death with shiny wands (they actually ripped poor Tubbys stitching too). If I ever get the photo's developed and scanned I'll post Jessica & Jasmine The Unstoppable Fairy Barbarians with +4 Wand of Smiting for you.


----------



## Zelligars Apprentice

I just want to add my voice to the chorus of adoration you are receiving about this Story Hour.  It is absolutely adorable, inspiring, and just plain fun!  To my mind, this is the true spirit of role-playing.  I think many adult role-players could learn from the example of Samantha the Red.  Thank you for sharing this!

Now I have thoughts about an EXTREMELY simplified version of D&D for really young kids.  _D20 Mommyville_, anyone?


----------



## Emperor Valerian

I love the 2nd attached photo to the most recent update.  She's got such a look of piratical fierceness...

"Yarr!  This here pirate be wantin' some milk and cookies!  Arr!"   

Once again, great thread, great idea!


----------



## Rel

No new update right at the moment but I wanted to share a story:

We tell a lot of stories to Samantha and they are fairly interactive, letting her interject things.  I was picking up a few things around the house while my wife told her a story before we put her down for her nap.  Going in and out of the room I only caught bits and pieces.  Here's a couple snippets I heard...

Mommy:  "And they discovered that the black guinea pig had escaped from the cage and was on the loose.  What should his name be?"

Samantha:  *without the slightest pause* "His name is 'Red Shirt Pita'!"

Mommy:  "O...k...'Red Shirt Pita' had escaped..."


Later...

Mommy:  "And they waved a torch at the big spider and she scurried back into her web and left them alone..."

Samantha:  *interrupting* "And they burned her eyes off!"

Mommy:  "No, they did not burn her eyes off."

Samantha:  "They burned her teeth out!"

Mommy:  "NO, they did NOT burn her teeth out!"

Samantha:  "What did they do?"

Mommy:  "They waved the torch at her from a safe distance and she went back up into the webs...The End."  *Looks at me with the "You realize we're raising the next Axe Murderer, don't you?" look.*

At that point I retreated from the room and came to post this.


----------



## Ion

> Mommy: "And they waved a torch at the big spider and she scurried back into her web and left them alone..."
> 
> Samantha: *interrupting* "And they burned her eyes off!"




That is the funniest thing I've read all day!  Such a little trooper...


----------



## Rel

Ion said:
			
		

> That is the funniest thing I've read all day!




There is NO better entertainment than your kids when they're at their best.  The other night we were giving her a bath and suddenly there were...bubbles in the water.  But rather than a giggle, she gave us this concerned expression.  Then she said:

"That poot didn't feel good.  Felt like a little FIRE in my bottom!"

Her mother and I could barely get off the floor from laughing so hard.


----------



## Tinner

*Thank you!*

Thanks so much for posting these stories. I liked them so much that I forwarded the thread to my younger brother (a lapsed gamer). He in turn was inspired to create some adventures for his boys, ages 4 & 2.
Over the weekend, my nephews had to call me and tell me all about he adventures of the Good Pirates Kaleb & Kaden, and how they fought off the Farting Crocodile, the High Snake, and the Big Bad Pirate to reclaim the Star, the Ball, and the Magic Sword.
You really should publish this idea. I think it's a winner!


----------



## happycat2000

Rel,

I have loved hearing the adventures of Samantha the Red.  I hope they continue. I look forward to hearing more.


----------



## Rel

Thank you, Tinner and happycat2000, for your encouragement.  Rest assured that there will be many more adventures to add to this thread.  But Daddy's Eberron campaign kicks off on Monday and Mommy wants him to find time to work on her solo Hunter: The Reckoning game that's been in the works since before Christmas.  So while I sometimes manage to find time for our Adventures, I'm finding it hard to find time for the writing of them lately.

Thanks for your patience.  There will be posts in the next couple of weeks, I promise!


----------



## Rel

(Ok, high time for a new update.  I've been having a few problems with posting pictures lately so hopefully this will work.  - NOTE:  I'M STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH JPEGs SO I HAD TO POST THESE AS .rar's.  SORRY - Also, if you notice that some of these pictures seem dark in the background that's because it was getting dark outside.  This adventure took place during the evening, just before dinnertime in the late autumn.  And now on with the story...)

Samantha the Red made straightaway for the birdhouse where the Green Parrot lived.  Her travels took her past the Watch Tower and she checked in to chat with Rainbow Cat.  He told her that he had seen no sign of these Crystal Bottles but he had noticed that Mulch Pile Mountain was infested with large rats again.  He warned Samantha to beware of them but she confidently assured him that her poking stick would be liberally applied to the behind of any rat that dared come near her.

As she approached the Bird House she could see Green Parrot perched atop his post and called out to him, “Hello Green Parrot!  I’m looking for a Crystal Bottle.  Have you seen one?”

The Green Parrot regarded her from atop his lofty perch and greeted her warmly, “Why yes I have!  There was one hanging from the bird feeder and it is QUITE in the way for those of us who need to eat there.  Plus, each time we tried to knock it down it made a jingling noise that scared away the smaller birds.  I’d be ever so grateful if you would go and take that thing away!”

“I’ll go move it RIGHT NOW!” said Samantha with glee.  She dashed away toward the bird feeder, eager to have the first of the bottles in her possession.

When she arrived she was pleased to see that the Clear Crystal Bottle hung from the bird feeder just as she’d been told by the Green Parrot.  What was less pleasing was that it was way up high where she couldn’t reach it.

Her first instinct was to go visit Rainbow Cat and see if he could fetch it down for her.  But then she recalled that she had just bought a new supply of Magic Rope from Binky.  She doffed her backpack and pulled out the coil of rope, feeling it come alive in her hands.  With an expert toss the rope flew up and lodged itself in a notch in the top of the bird feeder.  She almost felt as though invisible hands lifted her as she climbed the rope and retrieved the Clear Crystal Bottle.

As she brought it back down she could hear something rattle inside.  When she was safely back on the ground she shook the bottle vigorously.  Yes, there was definitely something in there.  She popped out the cork and tipped the bottle up and out into her little outstretched palm rolled a large, irregular chunk of diamond.  She held it up and regarded it happily.

“This needs to go into my backpack!”  She put both Bottle and gem safely into the pack and shouldered it once more.  Now she just had to go find someone else who knew where the next Crystal Bottle was!


----------



## Geron Raveneye

You know...reading how you manage to make the magic come alive for your daughter simply makes everything else feel a little magical again here, too. Thanks a lot for that.


----------



## Rel

Geron Raveneye said:
			
		

> You know...reading how you manage to make the magic come alive for your daughter simply makes everything else feel a little magical again here, too. Thanks a lot for that.




That is a great compliment and I apreciate it.  I'm sorry that I haven't updated more lately.  It seems like it just hasn't quite made it to the top of the priority list lately.  But I just found out that a job I was supposed to do this afternoon has cancelled so I should have some time then.


----------



## Rel

_Still having problems with JPEG attachments so I've included the pics as .rar files again.  Sorry about that._

As Samantha went in search of the other two Crystal Bottles she saw her old pal, Hobby the Horse sitting in the stables near King Monkey’s Castle.  She decided to pay him a visit in order to see if he might have heard of the whereabouts of the treasures she sought.  As she drew closer she saw that Hobby was not alone.

“Who is this with you, Hobby?” she asked.

“Why that’s Baby Unicorn!  I’m babysitting her while her mother is away eating grass down by the river.”

“Oh,” Samantha replied, “well how are you doing, Baby Unicorn?”

Baby Unicorn giggled as her translucent horn lit up with colors.  “I’m fine!”

“Baby Unicorn, have you seen any of the Crystal Bottles?  I have to bring them to King Monkey.”

Baby Unicorn looked back at Samantha, fluttering her long eyelashes, “The other day I was playing in the forest and I heard the Troll Wizard talking about some kind of bottle.  Maybe he knows something about them.”

“Well thank you, Baby Unicorn!  You stay with Hobby now while your mommy eats grass!  I have to go get the Bottles!  Bye-Bye!”  And Samantha the Red was off in a flash.

She knew quite well where the Troll Wizard lived and she knew just as well that he was the greedy sort who coveted money and gems above all else.  He challenged her as she drew near.  “Who enters my woods?!”

“It’s Samantha!”  She walked closer to him and addressed him earnestly, “I need to find the Crystal Bottles for King Monkey.  Baby Unicorn said you were talking about them.”

“HA!  And so I was!” replied the Troll Wizard.  “But I won’t tell you anything about them unless I’m paid!”

“Well, I have some coins in my backpack!” Samantha cried with glee, always happy to have the right solution to any problem.  She fished out the coins and gave them to the Troll Wizard.  He greedily scooped them up and secreted them in the tree stump where he lived.

“Ok, I’ll tell you where one of the bottles is.  It is hidden nearby in these very woods.  Look for a hollow tree stump and inside you’ll find it.”

Samantha looked at him expectantly, “And where is the other Crystal Bottle?”

“HA!  You’ll have to pay me even more to tell you where that one is!” cackled the Troll Wizard.

Samantha the Red frowned with consternation.  “But I’m out of money.  I don’t have any more coins to give you.”

“Well then I guess you’ll never find the last bottle,” said the Troll Wizard with a smirk.

“BUT, I DO have a DIAMOND!” cried Samantha with a thrill of recognition.

“Oooh!  A diamond!  Yes, that will be a good payment for me to tell you where the last Crystal Bottle is!  Give it to me!”

Samantha fished the chunk of diamond out of her backpack and gave it to the Troll Wizard.  He grabbed it and danced around singing, “Diamond, diamond, diamond!”

Samantha interrupted his gleeful prancing, “That’s enough of that dancing now Troll Wizard until you tell me where the other Crystal Bottle is!”

The Troll Wizard stopped his dancing long enough to quickly tell her its location.  “You’ll find the last bottle buried on Mulch Pile Mountain!  But you’ll have to deal with the rats when you get there!  HaHa!  Diamond, diamond, diamond…”

Samantha the Red shook her head at the silly Troll Wizard.  She was young but she knew that there was more to life than money.

Such as ADVENTURE!  She dashed off in search of the hollow tree stump containing the next Crystal Bottle…


----------



## Acquana

*Guess what?  Guess what?  You got fanart!!*

Hi!  You got fanart!  Check the Drawing a Day Thread!

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?p=2065399#post2065399


----------



## Captain NeMo

I dunno why, but LARP'ing always seems to add +10 to the nerd factor of roleplaying. (no offense) What I've read of this, however, is kinda sweet. In a sugar-coated unicon sort of way.


----------



## Fynn

*Bump*

:::BUMP::: 

When are we hearing from our favorite little adventurer again?


----------



## Rel

Fynn said:
			
		

> :::BUMP:::
> 
> When are we hearing from our favorite little adventurer again?




Plan on it later this week for sure.  The work week is light for me and as soon as I finish up some paperwork and get my taxes turned in then I'll get working on it.  Thanks for the bump.


----------



## Narfellus

Just saw this thread for the first time. Nice job, Rel. I think your daughter will probably be a roleplayer for life.


----------



## Clueless

*grin* Assuming she doesn't think dad's an old fuddyduddy when she gets older.


----------



## Narfellus

heh. A fuddyduddy.    I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing.


----------



## Rel

The Troll Wizard had indicated that Samantha would be able to find the hollow stump by looking for a green ball sitting atop it.  Given the rapidly fading daylight, this was still no small task.  But, as with all things, Samantha tackled it with gusto.  She dashed hither and yon, sharp eyes questing for a glimpse of this verdant sphere.

Suddenly her eyes seized upon it and she gave a shout of glee.  Running over to it she then paused as though expecting that there might be a trick of some sort in play.  Carefully she eased down next to where the ball rested in the hollow atop the freshly cut tree stump.  She craned her neck to look all around it for any signs of treachery before gently easing the ball from its resting place.

(You’ve all seen that scene at the beginning of Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indy is looking at the golden idol and then smoothly removes it and replaces it with the bag of sand?  I couldn’t help but be reminded of it as she was removing the green ball.  I guess she’s figured out already that daddy is a RBDM.)

There in the darkness of the hollow stump Samantha could just barely make out the cobalt rim of the Blue Crystal Bottle.  With a squeal of triumph she drew it from its hiding place and held it proudly in her hand.  Then she stashed it in her backpack and wasted none of the scant remaining daylight heading off toward Mulch Pile Mountain.

Samantha the Red was wise to the perils of Mulch Pile Mountain by now.  Her travels had brought her to its peaks more than once and it never failed to be infested with ROUS’s.  She doffed her backpack to give herself maximum mobility and drew out her trusty poking stick, brandishing it before her as she approached the slopes of the mountain.

The slopes of Mulch Pile Mountain did not disappoint and in seconds she was set upon by a pair of the squeaking monstrosities.  Her stick struck the first swiftly as it lunged into the air, seemingly held aloft by some unseen force.  Filled with an inner ferocity, her eyes glowed and her stick took it before it landed and sent it dashing away, its bottom severely poked.  There was no time for celebration however.

The second rat scurried in low towards Samantha’s tiny and tender toes.  But she was determined that her tootsies would not be made a meal this day.  She skipped back out of the reach of the beasts yellow teeth and gave it a fierce poke along the side, vanquishing it for good.

Being as close as she was to her goal, she wasted no time gloating about her victory over the rats.  Instead she put her backpack on again and began straightaway up the side of Mulch Pile Mountain.  The sides were crumbly and treacherous but she keep her footing and managed to make it all the way to the top.

There she discovered a patch of recently disturbed mulch and began digging at it.  In just a few moments she unearthed the cork protruding from the top of the Green Crystal Bottle!  She at last had the final object of her various quests!  She breathed a sigh of relief and held forth her prize to bask in the accomplishment of its recovery.

Now there was but one task remaining and that was to return these items to King Monkey so that the Kingdom of Mommyville could have its curse lifted once and for all.  She stashed her latest prize in her backpack and set off in search of His Highness.

She arrived back at the castle and was led straight to the throne room where King Monkey waited.  He cried out in hope as she entered the room, “You have returned!  Have you brought the Crystal Bottles?”

“Yes!” Samantha exclaimed with glee, “I have ALL three!  The Clear one, the Green one AND the Blue one!”

“Wonderful!  WONDERFUL!” King Monkey cried.  “If you don’t mind, I would love it if you would do the honor of placing them on the magical altar, thus breaking our curse forever!”

Samantha sighed.  Couldn’t these people ever do ANYTHING for themselves?  “Ok.  Where is it?”

King Monkey would not allow his enthusiasm to be stifled by Samantha’s attitude.  “Right this way!”

He led her to a room near the throne room where a pair of strange lights sat on either side of a tall altar.  King Monkey indicated that she should place each of the bottles between these lights.

She had to stretch to reach high enough but Samantha was finally able to place each bottle atop the altar and was rewarded as King Monkey shouted out with joy, “There!  Did you feel it?!  The curse is LIFTED!!”  He began to dance around the room and finally came to rest in front of Samantha the Red.

“Thank you so much for all you’ve done for my kingdom and the people of Mommyville!  You’re the greatest, Samantha the Red!”

Samantha reached out and gave King Monkey a great big hug.  She was very, very happy to have helped him and all his people and to have had so many wonderful adventures here.  But even so, she felt a longing for something more.  After a moment she was able to put this desire into words:

“Is it time for dinner yet?  I’m hungry.”


----------



## Rel

Here's the last few pics.  I notice that the ones above didn't come out in the order that I put them in.  Hopefully you guys still get the general flow of the action.


----------



## fuindordm

Awesome!  Thanks for sharing, Rel.

Ben


----------



## Mark Causey

Something I forgot to ask you last Gameday, Rel .. how do you handle 'combat'? Do you move the ROUSs around yourself? Does she 'realize' that combat's begun and just start a poke fest? Also, do you hold onto creatures that speak? I know I'm breaking up some of the illusion, but eventually I'll need my own DMing style for a rugrat or three and was looking for advice!


----------



## Rel

adamantineangel said:
			
		

> Something I forgot to ask you last Gameday, Rel .. how do you handle 'combat'? Do you move the ROUSs around yourself? Does she 'realize' that combat's begun and just start a poke fest? Also, do you hold onto creatures that speak? I know I'm breaking up some of the illusion, but eventually I'll need my own DMing style for a rugrat or three and was looking for advice!




Well, in case it isn't obvious, everything about these adventures is pretty informal to say the least.  But I do have certain trends in how I handle this stuff that have evolved fairly naturally.

Whenever there is an opponent who needs a firm poking, I usually preface it with some kind of signal that there is danger.  Usually I have this sort of dramatic stage whisper voice that I use and say something like, "Wait!  What's that noise?!"  Samantha always tenses up when this happens and will say something like, "What is it daddy?!"  She also tends to draw closer to me, instinctively seeking protection.  Then I'll say something along the lines of "Squeak!  Squeak!" and she'll know that there are rats in the offing.  From there she whips out the stick and commences with the poking.

I usually manhandle the rats myself.  Sometimes I'll chase her around a bit if she presents the opportunity but, these days, she usually get straight down to business and starts poking every rat in sight.  There is no resolution mechanic.  She never loses and never gets bit.  I always say something dramatic like, "They ALMOST got you that time!"  That seems to add to her sense of accomplishment and put a big grin on her face.  But I'm thinking about letting one of the rats give her a small bite next time and making it part of the quest to get a bandaid and some medecine so the bite gets clean.

As far as the speaking creatures go, I don't usually hold onto them.  She doesn't seem to require that in order to get the idea that they are the ones doing the talking.  What surprised me was how quickly and easily she took to this.  She had no trouble focusing her attention on the "NPC" in question and always speaks in the first person.  She never says stuff like "I say..." or "I tell him..." in the way that myself or my players do in our regular gaming.  

I guess that roleplaying just comes naturally to little kids.


----------



## Robbert Raets

Still awesome.


----------



## Rel

Robbert Raets said:
			
		

> Still awesome.




Thank you kind sir.  And I hope that we remain worthy of your .sig for many adventures to come.


----------



## Mark Causey

Awesome, I'm glad she anthropomorphized the NPCs and talked to them directly. With the dramatic increase in tension you create, I can now easily imagine how she can 'feel' what needs to happen.

God, I think I know how to better 'stimulate' my 'adults' at the table. *sigh*


----------



## Abstraction

Any more adventures to tell?


----------



## Rel

Abstraction said:
			
		

> Any more adventures to tell?




There are indeed.  I just need to find the time to tell them. 

I should have a little time in the latter part of this week if my schedule doesn't change.  Then you'll learn what happened when Samantha the Red journeyed from Mommyville to The Land of the Fairy Princesses!


----------



## Acquana

I can't wait!


----------



## Clueless

BTW - Having met Sam the Red in real life - she is absolutely adorable. Especially when pointing out snails in a fish tank.


----------



## blackfeather

i am sorry about the replie that i ahd posted earlyer. f some ne could e-mail me at vampricelf2005@yahoo.ca and ell me the story line and what is going on and give me some tips that would be nice...thx...sory.


----------



## der_kluge

Yea, getting to meet Samantha the Red last NC game day was the highlight of my trip. That Rel guy is ok, too...


----------



## Rel

Thank you Clueless and die kluge.  She said that she had a nice time meeting everybody too.  She's pretty shy around large groups until she gets to know people a bit more.  She took a particular liking to AdamantinAngel since he sat at her little table with her during dinner.

I've got a spot of bad news regarding the adventure in the land of the Faerie Princesses - It seems I can't find the pictures I took for it.  I'm going to look some more but for now I'll skip ahead to...

*Adventures in Mommyville:  Part 2 – Samantha the Blue and the Descent into the Earth*

The cry for help was typical.  It seemed that *someone* was *always* in need of help when Samantha the Red was nearby.  Fortunately for them, she LIVED for adventure.  But she had a dilemma.  For today she was not outfitted in Red, her traditional adventuring color, but, in fact wore Blue (and grey sweatpants).

It was bound to happen that sooner or later she would wind up without her preferred costume when someone was in trouble.  But the question was what she was going to do about it.  On the one hand, looking good had no quitting time.  But on the gripping hand, adventure was afoot and she wasn’t going to let a little thing like fashion sense get in the way.  Without further delay she dashed toward the call for assistance.

She found herself face to face with a talking bear and a well dressed one at that.  Whereas she herself had had no time to get properly outfitted, the damsel in distress was wearing a nice pair of jeans, a very cute, little strappy blouse and a smart, red hat that was the envy of someone who usually went by that superlative.  Better for all concerned that she skip the discussion about irony and get straight to the adventure.

“What is wrong?” asked Samantha

The bear replied, her voice dripping with gratitude, “My name is Curly Sue and my little friend Pellet the Hamster has gone missing!  The last time I saw him he was going down to pick flowers by the stream but he’s been gone way too long and I’m afraid that something terrible must have happened to him!”

“I’ll find him for you,” said Samantha.

“Oh that would be wonderful!  Thank you!  But you’ll need to find a way down the stream.  It’s quite fast and dangerous to be swimming in.  You’ll need a boat just like that one over there.”  Curly Sue gestured toward a small watercraft with deep gunnels, just big enough for one person and possibly enough room leftover for a distressed hamster.

Samantha wasted no time before hopping aboard and grabbing a nearby paddle.  She pushed away from the shore and out into the stream.  As the current began to sweep her downriver, Curly Sue called after her, “Oh!  And be careful of the Biting Frogs along the riverside!  If they try and bite you just poke them in the bottom!”

Samantha shook her head and sighed.  “Bottoms.  Why does it always have to be bottoms?”


----------



## Rel

Ha HA!  I got the JPG's to work this time so I don't have to do .zips!  No "White Screen of Death"!

I'll almost certainly update again tomorrow after I get a bit of work done.


----------



## Mark Causey

Rel said:
			
		

> Thank you Clueless and die kluge.  She said that she had a nice time meeting everybody too.  She's pretty shy around large groups until she gets to know people a bit more.  She took a particular liking to AdamantinAngel since he sat at her little table with her during dinner.




awww ._.


----------



## Abstraction

Rel said:
			
		

> Ha HA!  I got the JPG's to work this time so I don't have to do .zips!  No "White Screen of Death"!
> 
> I'll almost certainly update again tomorrow after I get a bit of work done.




When is tomorrow? Are you, like in Alaska or something and the night lasts six months?


----------



## Rel

Abstraction said:
			
		

> When is tomorrow? Are you, like in Alaska or something and the night lasts six months?




Yeah!  That's it! 

Actually not.  I've spent the last couple of months fitting in Story Hour updates on my Faded Glory Story Hour around tons of family activities (my dad's birthday, my sister's birthday, my wedding anniversary and my birthday all fall between the last week of April and the first week of June).  But I'm happy to say that it is finally finished as of last week.

The next two weeks are filled with work and then a week at the beach but after that I'll be catching this thread up on all of Samantha the Red's adventures.

Thanks to you and everyone else for being patient.


----------



## Rel

As promised:  *Samantha the Blue and the Descent into the Earth - Part II* (expect another update tomorrow)

Samantha guided her small craft out into the rushing river and found herself swiftly being carried toward a raging rapids.  She squealed and held on tightly to the gunnels as she was bounced along over the rocks.

(DM Note:  This is the part where I dragged her little “boat” down our carpeted stairs.  She made the obligatory childish monotone that came out sounding like “UH…UH…UH…UH…UH…” as she bounced down each step.)

No sooner had she cleared the rapids than she was drifting toward a more broad and placid section of the river.  She saw the banks were lined with several of the large Biting Frogs that Curly Sue had warned her about.  She found herself with a paddle in one hand and her trusty poking stick in the other.

As she came within reach of each frog, the beasts would let out a menacing croak and begin to extend their jaws for the bite.  But Samantha hadn’t come through so many adventures without learning a thing or two about monsters.  And one such lesson was “poke em’ quick while they are still speechifying!”  She delivered a precise poke to the bottom of each Biting Frog in turn and sent them hopping away.

But as she rounded a bend in the river, she saw the biggest, meanest, nastiest Biting Frog of all, sitting on a giant, green lily pad.  Knowing that he would be tougher than the rest, she hauled back with the paddle and delivered a vicious smack to the Frog’s head, stunning him even before he could begin croaking.  She followed this with a firm poke from her trusty stick and the King Frog was vanquished with ease.

As the ripples from the rocking boat settled on the calm water, Samantha the Blue heard a distant call…a beautiful call…almost a…Siren’s Call.  So she did what any adventurer would and paddled off toward it!


----------



## Gulla

Yay! 

Samantha is back   
I really love this story hour. 

I will be stealing ideas for my own "adventures for young boys".

Håkon


----------



## Rel

The Siren’s Call brought Samantha to the lair of the beautiful creature.  It turned out that the Siren was baking cookies at the time and singing as she cooked.

“Can I have one of those cookies?” asked Samantha in her sweetest voice.
“Not right now.  I’m haven’t put them in the oven to bake yet,” replied the Siren who was just dead sexy, even in her hoody sweatshirt.

“Alright,” said Samantha with a sigh.  But a cookie was not all she had come for.  “I need to get through the gate that the water goes through.”

“Oh my,” exclaimed the Siren, “Are you sure?  It’s dangerous down there.”

“Down where?” asked Samantha.

“Well the water pours down into a dark cave and if you fell in I’d be afraid you might drown!” explained the Siren.  “That’s why there is a magical gate that blocks the way.”

“I won’t drown,” said Samantha.  “And I’ve got to go and save the little Hamster that is trapped down there!”

“Such a noble cause,” said the Siren, beaming with pride.  “Very well then, here is the key.  Good luck on your quest and come back later and get a cookie!”

Samantha grabbled the key and headed to where the gate blocked the entrance to the cave.  She maneuvered her boat next to where the water gushed through the iron bars of the gate and carefully used the magic key the Siren had given her.  As the key went into the lock the gate vanished with a *Poof!* and the way was clear.

Just inside the entrance of the dark cave was a narrow ledge perched just above the churning waters that plummeted into the darkness.  The ledge looked slippery enough as it was and she was not in ideal footwear.  Samantha quickly made the decision to doff her socked feet and attempt the climb barefoot.  She stepped gingerly from her little boat and carefully placed a foot on the ledge.  Slowly, inch by inch, she made her way across the ledge until she saw a broader stone platform beneath.  She hopped down onto this platform and crept down a set of steps that ran next to where a waterfall plunged into the dark depths below.

From far beneath, she felt a stifling heat rising and saw an ominous red glow in the distance…


----------



## Clueless

Aaaaawwwwww


----------



## Acquana

So glad to see an update!  Also horribly jealous.  Just yesterday these two little ones (both about to turn six) showed up at my door and asked if they could come in.  I was a little surprised and asked them to make sure they had permission.  They were so cute!  And I couldn't help but sit there and think "Huh.  I wonder if I could do something like Samantha the Red if kids randomly coming over is going to become a regular thing ..."


----------



## Rel

Acquana said:
			
		

> So glad to see an update!  Also horribly jealous.  Just yesterday these two little ones (both about to turn six) showed up at my door and asked if they could come in.  I was a little surprised and asked them to make sure they had permission.  They were so cute!  And I couldn't help but sit there and think "Huh.  I wonder if I could do something like Samantha the Red if kids randomly coming over is going to become a regular thing ..."




You'd be the coolest neighbor in the neighborhood if you did!  But do make sure to get permission from the parents.


----------



## Rel

Heh, Samantha just came running into my office with a double handful of tinfoil and said, "Daddy, you need to make us some swords because Mommy and me are going to play Peter Pan!"

A few strips of cardboard box later and she's armed and dangerous.  Now I've gotta go play Captain Hook!


----------



## Matchstick

I'm pretty sure she's got a real pretend sword now, right?  Will that get worked into the storyline ("Samantha the Red and the Quest for the Sword") given as a reward ("thank you for saving us Samantha the Red, take this sword as a symbol of our gratitude"), or will it just magically get added to her inventory list (and who among us hasn't done THAT at least once)?

Love the homage to the Siren there, good call.


----------



## Rel

Matchstick said:
			
		

> I'm pretty sure she's got a real pretend sword now, right?  Will that get worked into the storyline ("Samantha the Red and the Quest for the Sword") given as a reward ("thank you for saving us Samantha the Red, take this sword as a symbol of our gratitude"), or will it just magically get added to her inventory list (and who among us hasn't done THAT at least once)?
> 
> Love the homage to the Siren there, good call.




She's already had one quick and dirty adventure with the sword within the first day after I got home from GenCon.  You can bet it will be appearing in most if not all of her future adventures.  It WAS the most expensive thing I bought at GenCon after all!


----------



## MavrickWeirdo

What? No pictures of the "dead sexy" siren baking cookies?  :\


----------



## Rel

MavrickWeirdo said:
			
		

> What? No pictures of the "dead sexy" siren baking cookies?  :\




What are you?  Some kind of Weirdo? 

To see the sexy siren, you'll have to check out the ENWorlder photo gallery.  It turns out that she doesn't like to be photographed from the wrist up while she's baking cookies in her sweatpants.  But she's still dead sexy.


----------



## A Crazy Fool

rat poker = +5 keen, anarchic, feircebane (DMG2) rats. 

you're DMing style is dubious. handing out artifacts to random kids


----------



## Mista Collins

Rel, this story hour is great. I wish it would have come across my attention sooner (as I don't frequent the Story Hour section often). This makes me want to have children of my own so that I can do the same. Shoot, if i am every in the NC area, will you run an adventure for ME? I want to poke some rats in the bottom.   

This is a great thing you are doing, Rel.


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## Rel

Mista Collins said:
			
		

> This is a great thing you are doing, Rel.




Thank you for the kind words, Mista Collins.  I appreciate it right now more than you know.

If you ARE ever in NC, look me up.  And feel free to attend one of our Game Days.  We've got one coming up in April of next year that will be a 2 day "mini-con" and we're hoping to see a lot of ENWorlders there who don't usually make it.


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## Buttercup

When I was small, my father used to make up stories and draw pictures to go with them as I sat on his lap.  One of the brave heroes of his stories was Pointy Melephant the Pet Elephant, who vanquished evil and saved the princess with his sharp tusks.  

My father was quite ill at the time, and he died before my 4th birthday.  But the memories he made for me are still fresh.  Your tales of Samantha the Red keep bringing tears to my eyes, because even now, I miss him so.

I just want you to know that the gift you're giving your Samantha will stick with her for the rest of her life.  Good on you, Rel.


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## Rel

Buttercup said:
			
		

> When I was small, my father used to make up stories and draw pictures to go with them as I sat on his lap.  One of the brave heroes of his stories was Pointy Melephant the Pet Elephant, who vanquished evil and saved the princess with his sharp tusks.
> 
> My father was quite ill at the time, and he died before my 4th birthday.  But the memories he made for me are still fresh.  Your tales of Samantha the Red keep bringing tears to my eyes, because even now, I miss him so.
> 
> I just want you to know that the gift you're giving your Samantha will stick with her for the rest of her life.  Good on you, Rel.




Thank you, Buttercup.  That is a very nice thing to hear.


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## zardok

*another site for kids and rpgs*

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/kids-rpg/ is an email list that contains accounts like these as well as discussions of philosophy and methods of roleplaying with kids.  Check it out!

--Zardok


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## Buttercup

Hi Zardok!  Welcome to EN World.  

Rel, I pointed Zardok at this thread because I work with his wife, and him too, sort of. Also, we game together. They have a daughter who is almost three.  (Or has she already had her birthday, Zardok?)


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## zardok

*gotta get cracking!*

Yep, she turned 3 in August.  I feel like I'm behind already in her gaming education!


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## rebarton2

As a newcomer to the Chronicles of Samantha the Red, let me echo all the praise. They are truly wonderful. I'm off to invent my own saga for Princess Katie of Fairtower.

Many many thanks, Rel, for the inspiration.

REB


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## Rel

rebarton2's post reminded me that it has been too long since I posted an update here.  I need to finish the current story so that I can tell of Samantha the Red's latest adventures as a Pirate!  So...


The entire floor of the room was covered in boiling lava!  Samantha knew that she’d be cooked in an instant if she set foot on the floor.  Standing well away from the edge, she could see that dangling from a bizarrely shaped stalactite was a net containing a small but struggling form.  A form that could only be…Pellet the Hamster!

“I’ll come get you, Pellet!” Samantha cried above the gurgling of the lava.  She looked at the layout of the room and guessed that she could possibly crawl across the various rock outcroppings and make it to where the net was tied.  But she would have to be very careful not to slip and fall or she would be burned to a crisp.

Taking a deep breath, she made her first leap onto a smaller rock close by.  She gingerly extended a foot onto the next stone only to find it rather wobbly.  With a cry of fear and elation she rested her weight on the wobbly rock only for a second before springing onto the next, much larger rock.

This big, almost sofa shaped, rock would take her most of the way to her destination.  She moved carefully, balancing on the highest part of the stone to stay as far from the lava as possible.  When she reached the end of this larger stone she carefully reached out to grab the rope that would lower the net and release Pellet.  With a pull, the knot tying the net to the stalactite came free and the net began to fall…right toward the boiling lava!


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## Henry

Rel said:
			
		

> With a pull, the knot tying the net to the stalactite came free and the net began to fall…right toward the boiling lava!




...And Samantha the Red learns the heroes' first lesson about rescuing prisoners...


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## tadk

So how did this end?


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## Baron Opal

Wow, has it been a couple of years already?! Lady Samantha must be in double digit levels by now.


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## Nikolai II

Think she made the switch in editions? 

(Oh, and in all honesty - I loved reading these stories, they were great. Super-duper-inspiring


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## Ed Gentry

GOOD HEAVENS MAN! FINISH THIS! 

I NEED to know what happened to Pellet!

Seriously...this is the best thing ever. Remarkably creative, completely engaging and fun. Just wonderful.

Thank you, Rel.


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## Crothian

I just pointed this brilliance out to a gamer friend who's daughter is now two so he can hopefully start planning ahead!


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## hagor

I am glad I found this thread again.
I think I may need it for inspiration:

last weekend, my daughter (3.5 years) was talking about firebreathing dragons & monsters. When I said she should chase them away, she said she couldn't because she didn't have a sword! 
So, I took one of her toys and said it was a magic wand. Next, she was magicking away all the monsters!

Thanks, Rel!

Hagor


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