Emily, Tim, and I (Clayton) ventured into a session of Serpent's Tooth. We had all played at least once previously, and we all seemed to find the session more enjoyable with a clearer understanding of the mechanics. We determined the scenario by process of elimination. The Monarch seems almost too obvious given the nature of the game, and though it shouldn't be surprising, it is a great scenario to pick for the purposes.

Emily elected to be the King, or Queen as it were, and after finishing the setup, we went about the business of ending her reign. Tim elected to be the bratty Laigree (whose mind was damage at birth), 1st in line to succeed his mother Queen Kestral as the ruler of Daluvia. He chose the Spiteful nature card. I elected to be Grey the Spy (How could I resist? I didn't introduce this character!), who was secretly intimate with the Queen. I chose Traitorous, as my nature card.

The Crown, The Sword, and The Castle are quite literal when The Monarch is chosen as the King, so the only detail of note is that The Sword was a magic sword called Firelight.

What followed was a tale of inter-family treachery fit for the history books. I have left out a few scenes, characters, and details in an effort to streamline things.

Queen Kestrel, the widowed ruler of Daluvia, is dealing with political threats from the north while scheming to increase the wealth of her kingdom by marrying off her daughter; but all is not well in what remains of the Daluvian royal family.

Laigree expresses contempt for all those around him. Carving up his desk as he calls out the names of those whom he despises. Upon hearing of this, the Queen orders that all of the furniture be removed from his room. Laigree, scheming some kind of revenge, seeks solace by romancing Rosie, a local barmaid at The Cloven Hoof Tavern. She puts him in touch with a guard at the castle, whom he intends to bribe as a means of stealing the sword, Firelight. Grey discovers this plot, observing the theft in secret. When news of the theft reaches the Queen, Grey's nature turns Loyal as he betrays Laigree's transgression to the Queen. Once informed of the plot, Kestrel orders Rosie and Laigree to be imprisoned in the Forge of Loyalty, the Daluvian Castle's torture chamber and strips him of his right to become King.

On witnessing the suffering the Queen inflicts upon his mistress, he caves and reveals his hidden nature of Loving and the hiding place of the sword to the Queen. Countess Magdalyn, a political suitor known to the Queen's court, appears before Laigree's cell. She offers to free the captors and aid him in seizing the throne. All she asks is that he wear a thorned ring and agree to never interfere with the goings-ons in The Fractured Wastes to the south of the Daluvian capital. The Countess Magdalyn reveals herself to be the Witch of the Wastes who comes from this place and her wishes to be left alone.

She relates a plot to abduct his younger sister Lydia, who has been sent off with Grey to a secluded watchtower along with the Crown, which Lydia has hidden there while the Queen marshals troops to settle a border conflict with Lyan-Dar, the country to the north.

Laigree uses the witch's magic to confuse a servant long enough to add sedatives to beverages intended for Lydia and Grey. The last thing Grey recall is seeing Laigree ascend the stairs before passing out.

Grey is shaken back to his senses by Duke Giddon, Lydia's wealthy suitor, and the captain of the guard, Valdor. They pursue Laigree and the witch back to her hovel in the wastes, Grey scrambles to recover the sequestered Crown before setting off to save the abducted Lydia.

Meanwhile, the witch has cast a spell upon Lydia to erase her memory. Upon his departure, Laigree runs into a band of nervous city guards accompanying Valdor, Duke Giddon, and Grey. They come to find Lydia, who is actually the witch in disguise.

On returning to the Throne Room, Lydia's true form is revealed to the Queen by a magic mirror which reveals inner secrets to the Queen. Kestrel attempts to kill the witch with Firelight, but through another act of witchcraft, the sword is revealed to be a wooden cane. Laigree uses the real Firelight strikes the Queen down. "Lydia" insists that the her brother be made the King insisting that it was the Queen who was truly at fault, and Laigree ascends to the throne.

Emily did a wonderful job breathing terrible life into the Queen and she deftly introduced the witch at just the right moment to make things interesting. Tim made a terribly wonderful entitled prince, and I had a lot of fun playing the middle-man in their struggle for power.

For those that might be curious the banners were filled out thusly:

Crown
Heirs

• Lucius (3rd in Line)* - Age 10
  
• Lydia (2nd in Line) - Age 15
  
• Laigree (1st in Line) [Tim] - Age 17
  

Suitors

• Countess Magdalyn (The Witch)
  
• Duke Giddon the Red
  
• Jevarius, Prince of Lyan-Dor*
  

Commoners

• Gill, the stable boy**
  
• Rosie, Bar Maid
  
• Grey, the Spy [Clayton]
  
• Captain Valdor [Added]
  

Daluvian Castle
In the Castle

• The Throne Room
  
• The Forge of Loyalty (Torture Chamber)
  
• The Secret Wing*
  

In the Village

• The Cloven Hoof Tavern
  
• Chella the Healer's Hut**
  
• The Gallows**
  
• A Watchtower
  

Wild Places

• The City Sewers*
  
• The Frozen North**
  
• The Fractured Wastes
  
• The Witch's Hut [Added]
  

Sword (Firelight)
Outlaws

• The Witch of the Wastes
  
• Harkon (The Thief) [Died]*
  
• Val Agdor, The Murderer in the Shadows*
  

Heirlooms

• The Skill of the Daluvian Empoeror **
  
• The Mirror of Reality
  
• Guilded Hilt of the Daluvian Emperor **
  

Acts of Nature

• Famine **
  
• Approaching Winter **
  
• Wind and Storm*
  

*Featured but not described here.
** Not used in any significant way.