Snow White

Participants: 8 players

Organized by

Shifting Forest Storyworks

By

Mythic Consequences (2019), Naish Holiday Village, Christchurch, Dorset, United Kingdom

Ray Hodson

Description

Everyone knows the story of Snow White. But what happens when you actually live through some of it. The tale is almost done. Snow White has been rescued from the forest by the Prince's raiding army/ bodyguard and they will be married. The Queen is facing the death penalty for the attempted murder of Snow White. You are honored guests and retainers at the wedding and execution. Who do you believe and what will you do?

A long time ago, there was a beautiful kingdom on the edge of the great forest, ruled by a good king and queen. The king had a loyal and wise advisor, Naresh, who was a great lover and appreciator of beauty. He filled the castle with beautiful things. The queen gave birth a baby girl who had hair as black as ebony, skin as white as snow, and lips as red as blood. She named the girl Snow White, and loved her very much. However, when the princess was very young, the queen fell ill and died.

At Naresh's advice, the king remarried. The new wife that Naresh had found for him was the most beautiful woman in the land. But neither the king nor the new Queen had much time for the little princess. So Snow White was left to the care of her old nurse, Gittel.

Time passed, Snow White grew older, and still the Queen bore no children. A few years after, the king died, and the Queen and the princess grew yet more distant. The Queen spent more and more time with a gift her husband had given her for their wedding, a large glass mirror from the western lands, that was whispered to be magic. One day, only a year after the death of the king, when the little princess was nine, she disappeared. It was said that she ran off alone into the forest and had an accident. Under the Queen's rule, the once great kingdom dwindled and weakened.

Advisor Naresh became its ruler in practice, if not in name, vainly trying to hold things together. The kingdom grew weaker and weaker, and its people grew poorer and poorer, and worse seemed yet to come, for there was no heir. Three years passed in this way. Then, a few days ago, in the middle of winter, the Prince of the neighboring kingdom to the east arrived with a large band of his men. They were invited courteously into the castle and promptly made themselves at home in the great hall, among the empty seats and threadbare tapestries. The Prince announced that he had brought back with him young princess Snow White, to whom he was now betrothed. Upon hearing this, Sevros, the commander of the paltry castle guard, swore loyalty to the Prince in delight.

In the past few days, the story has come out. Three years ago, the queen had ordered young Snow White killed, but the princess escaped. She found a cottage in the forest in which lived seven dwarves, and stayed with them, cooking and cleaning for her keep. The leader of these dwarves, Kione, had returned with them. It was also revealed that after she had been with the dwarves for several months, the Queen tried once more to kill her. Disguised as an old peddler, she gave Snow White a poisoned apple. When the dwarves found her dead, they made a crystal coffin for her in the forest. But though Snow White did not breathe, neither did her body waste. In fact, she grew older and lovelier inside the coffin for two more years.

Two months ago, the Prince, his lieutenant, and the rest of his band were traveling through the forest and found the coffin. The Prince offered to buy it from the dwarves, but they refused. He begged them to give it to him as a gift, since he had become so much in love with Snow White that he would not be able to live without her. The dwarves agreed to this, and the Prince carried Snow White off. After they had made some distance in the trees, he could not bear to be separated from her any longer. He opened the glass lid before all his men, climbed upon it, and laid down next to her

Thus jostled, the piece of poisoned apple in her throat was dislodged, and she woke. Afterwards, she and the Prince agreed to marry and unite their kingdoms. So when Snow White had recovered enough to travel, they returned to her castle.


Content warning, jealousy, poverty, family strife, revenge. This game is intended for players age 18 and older I am intending to run it gender neutral but it has not been written as such and pronouns will not be correct on character sheets.

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