drowning in my own thoughts

Hawkins didn’t feel real anymore. It felt staged.

Military trucks idled at intersections like unmoving miniatures. Helicopters traced the same loops across the sky every afternoon. The cracks in the earth had stopped widening, but no one trusted that they were finished. There were no monsters visible.

Just waiting. WSQK became common ground.

Robin was broadcast every morning — voice bright, sarcasm sharpened just enough to pass inspection — but by late afternoon the station belonged to them. Folding tables. Plastic chairs. Static humming softly from unused equipment.

Dustin dropped the bag of dice onto the table like a declaration. “We’re starting a campaign.

Lucas didn’t even look up from where he was sharpening a pencil. “Now?”

“What else are we doing?” Dustin snapped. “Counting helicopters?”

Mike leaned forward automatically. “I’ll DM. no surprise he wanted. He always did. Dustin nodded. “Yeah. Mike DMs.”

Robin, who had been reclined in a chair with her boots on the desk, tilted her head. “Absolutely not.” The room stilled.

Mike blinked. “What?” Robin swung her feet down and stood up slowly, theatrically. “You,” she pointed at Mike, “are playing.” Mike frowned. “Why?”

“Because you haven’t played in forever. You’re always behind the screen. It’s unhealthy. Control issues. Very on-brand for you, but we’re branching out.”

“I don’t have control issues.” Mike's words stumbled out of his mouth Robin raised both eyebrows. Lucas coughed. Dustin squinted. “So who’s DMing?”

Robin stepped around the table and placed both hands on it like she was claiming territory. “I am.”

There was a beat of silence. Then Dustin laughed. “You’ve never DMed.”

“And?” she shot back. “You’ve never survived Russian torture. Growth happens.” Mike crossed his arms. “You don’t even know the rules.”

Robin leaned in slightly. “I know stories.” Dustin frowned. “You don’t even own any books.”

Robin pointed toward the back storage room of WSQK. “We’re a radio station,” she said. “People donate weird stuff.”

Will perked up immediately. “Wait.”

Robin disappeared through the door and came back with a cardboard box. Inside were worn rulebooks.

Player’s Handbook.

Monster Manual.

A DM guide with the spine taped together.

Mike leaned forward slowly. “Where did you get those?” Robin shrugged. “Storage room. Probably donated.” Dustin flipped one open and froze. “This was Eddie’s.” Lucas blinked. “How do you know?”

Dustin pointed to the inside cover. In messy Sharpie handwriting:

HELLFIRE CLUB PROPERTY

There was a second note beneath it.

IF LOST RETURN TO EDDIE MUNSON

No one said anything for a moment. Robin cleared her throat. “Well,” she said gently. “Guess they needed a new dungeon master.”

That landed. Will, who had been quietly sketching in his notebook, looked up. “She’d be good,” he said. Robin glanced at him, surprised.

“She listens,” Will added. Mike hesitated. Dustin was already tearing up again. Eddie’s Uncle probably donated the things after Dustin had refused to take them. Grieve had still been too deep  and too present to take Eddie's most loved belongings.

Now Robin held them softly, like a treasure she didn't realize she had.

The truth also was: they needed something different. Different rules. Different control. Something that wasn't about Vecna. “Fine,” Dustin muttered. “But I get to make a new character.”

Robin beamed. “Congratulations. You’re free.”

Jonathan, leaning against a wall near the record shelves, gave a small, reluctant smile. He came to the station to not be around Nancy every minute in the Wheeler house. Since they have ended their relationship the air between them was tense. Not in a bad way but strange. Will glanced over at him. “You should play too.” Jonathan blinked. “Me?”

“You used to,” Will said. “With me.” Jonathan’s expression softened in a way that hurt to look at. “Yeah,” he admitted quietly. “I did.” Dustin shrugged. “Sure. Six-person party.”

Lucas counted automatically. “That’s five.” Dustin frowned. “No, that’s—” Mike ticked them off on his fingers. “Me. Lucas. Dustin. Will. Jonathan.”

Five. Silence.

They all looked, almost in unison, toward the soundbooth from which Steve submerged. He  was re-coiling cables with unnecessary precision. He didn’t look up. “I’m not playing,” he said immediately. Robin didn’t even miss a beat. “You are.”

“Nope.” Steve shook his heat. “We need six.” Dustin claimed. “You literally just counted five.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Exactly.” Dustin looked at him, almost pleading. Steve glanced over his shoulder. “You don’t need me.”

There it was. The thing under the thing.

Lucas shifted in his chair. “We need a balanced party.” Steve huffed a quiet laugh. “Yeah, well. I don’t even know how it works.”

“We’ll teach you,” Mike said. “That’s not reassuring,” Steve muttered. Jonathan was watching him now. Carefully. Outside, a helicopter passed low enough to rattle the windows. No one flinched anymore at it.

They were all tired of flinching.

Lucas leaned back. “We’re bored, man.” It wasn’t boredom. It was restlessness. It was the kind of silence that followed a boss fight when you weren’t sure if the campaign was actually over or not. When you have won but the price paid has been too high. 

Robin slid a blank character sheet across the table toward Steve. “You don’t have to be good at it,” she said. “You just have to sit.”

Steve stared at the paper. Columns. Boxes. Numbers. Armor. Class. Hit Points. Saving Throws.

He looked up at them. Six faces. Waiting.

“How many hit points do I get?” he asked lightly. Dustin answered automatically. “Depends on your class.” Steve hesitated. “What class am I?”

The room went quiet. Robin didn’t answer for him. She just tilted her head and said, gently this time, “What kind of hero do you want to be?”

The military siren wailed once in the distance. Long. Low. Ominous. Steve pulled out a chair. And sat down.

Robin didn’t let them build characters on the spot. “Absolutely not,” she said after a moment, snapping the big spiral notebook shut. “If we’re doing this, we’re doing it right. You all go home, you design new characters, you bring back backstories. Trauma optional but encouraged.”

Dustin lit up. “Oh, I already have—” “Of course you do,” Robin muttered.

She pointed at Mike. “No tragic martyr nonsense.” She pointed at Lucas. “No lone wolf edge lord.” She pointed at Will gently. “You can do whatever you want.” Then she turned to Jonathan. “You too.” Jonathan nodded, already thinking. Finally, she looked at Steve. “You’re staying.”

The others made noises of protest. “Not like that,” Robin said quickly. “He needs help.” “I don’t need help,” Steve said automatically. She gave him a look. “You absolutely do.”

The kids left in clusters, already arguing about optimal builds and subclasses. Jonathan lingered for a moment, eyes flicking toward Steve, but Will tugged him toward the door. “We’ll see you tomorrow,” Jonathan said quietly.

Steve nodded.

When they were alone, Robin dragged a chair next to him and opened the D&D Player’s Handbook like it was sacred text. “Okay,” she said. “back to the first question: What kind of hero do you want to be?” “I don’t know,” Steve muttered. 

“That’s fine. We’ll reverse engineer it.” Robin announced.

Here are the Characters the party has created, I thought maybe I share them with you. And yes Will is playing a different class this time xD

Caelum Brightshield — Paladin L3 Played by: Steve Harrington Archetyp: Assimar Paladin (Oath of Herorism/Glory) AC 18 | HP 28 | Speed 30 ft | Initiative +1 Saves: WIS +2, CHA +5 Skills: Athletics +6, Persuasion +5 Attack: Longsword +6 (1d8+4) Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5 Spell Slots: 1st (3) Spells: Bless, Shield of Faith, Compelled Duel Features: Divine Smite, Lay on Hands (15), Fighting Style (Defense) Appereance: Golden-lit armor, broad-shouldered, built like a shield more than a weapon. Soft radiance under his skin, like sunlight caught beneath the surface. Looks every inch the hero—just a little too worn at the edges

Aldric Valeward— Paladin L3 Played by: Mike Wheeler Archetype: Human Paladin (Oath of Devotion) AC 18 | HP 28 | Speed 30 ft | Initiative +1 Saves: WIS +2, CHA +5 Skills: Athletics +6, Intimidation +5 Attack: Longsword +6 (1d8+4) Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5 Spell Slots: 1st (3) Spells: Bless, Shield of Faith Features: Divine Smite, Lay on Hands (15) Appereance: Immaculate armor, perfect posture, every line controlled. Sharp features, steady gaze, never out of place. Looks like the ideal of a hero—no room for anything else.

Kaelen Nightpath — Ranger L3 Played by: Lucas Sinclair Archetype: Half-Elf Ranger (Gloom Stalker) AC 16 | HP 28 | Speed 30 ft | Initiative +4 Saves: STR +2, DEX +6 Skills: Perception +5, Survival +5, Stealth +6 Attack: Longbow +6 (1d8+4) Spell Save DC: 13 | Spell Attack: +5 Spell Slots: 1st (3) Spells: Hunter’s Mark, Absorb Elements Features: Dread Ambusher (+initiative, extra attack turn 1) Appereance: Shadow-toned leathers, always half-hidden even in plain sight. Sharp eyes, low stance, moves before you notice movement at all. Feels like the dark between trees is working with him.

Fizzwidget Geargrin — Bard L3 Played by: Dustin Henderson Archetype: Rock Gnome Lore Bard (College of Knowledge) AC 14 | HP 21 | Speed 25 ft | Initiative +2 Saves: DEX +4, CHA +6 Skills: Arcana +5, Performance +6, Insight +4 Attack: Rapier +5 (1d8+2) Spell Save DC: 14 | Spell Attack: +6 Spell Slots: 1st (4), 2nd (2) Spells: Vicious Mockery, Dissonant Whispers, Healing Word Features: Bardic Inspiration (d6), Cutting Words Appereance: Tiny, chaotic, covered in books, tools, and half-finished ideas. Bright eyes, fast hands, something always rattling or glowing. Looks like a library and a workshop collided and started talking.

Elaris Thistleveil— Druid L3 Played by: Will Byers Archetype: Half-elf Durid (Circle of dreams) AC 14 | HP 24 | Speed 30 ft | Initiative +2 Saves: INT +2, WIS +6 Skills: Medicine +6, Nature +4, Insight +4 Attack: Staff +5 (1d6+2) Spell Save DC: 14 | Spell Attack: +6 Spell Slots: 1st (4), 2nd (2) Spells: Healing Word, Goodberry, Entangle Features: Wild Shape (utility) Appereance: Soft, dreamlike, like he’s slightly out of sync with the world. Faint glow in greens and blues, eyes that see too much. Looks gentle—until something moves through him too quickly.

Marek Ashfall — Cleric L3 Played by: Jonathan Byers Archtype: Tiefling (Chaotic Good) Cleric of Avandra (Domain of trickery) AC 17 | HP 24 | Speed 30 ft | Initiative +2 Saves: WIS +6, CHA +4 Skills: Insight +6, Religion +4 Attack: Mace +5 (1d6+2) Spell Save DC: 14 | Spell Attack: +6 Spell Slots: 1st (4), 2nd (2) Spells: Bless, Sanctuary, Guiding Bolt Features: Channel Divinity (Twist of Fate) Appereance:Amber-red skin, small curved horns, wrapped in soft, muted layers. Quiet, steady, hands that hover before they touch. Looks like he shouldn’t be gentle—and then he is.

Party Composition Aldric & Caelum → front-line paladins (belief vs mythic heroism) Marek & Elaris → divine / mystical support Kaeelen → tactical striker Fizz → knowledge + debuff

Thats just the basics with what they are starting into the whole Campaign. I'm planing hard to keep this thing as realistic as possible (given the circumstances xD) und I also have allowed myself a bit of freedome and created some Homebrew rules and mechanics.

Hello! Well I'm out of the hospital today so if everything works out today will be the Epilogue upload happen and in the next few days the Bonus Jonathan chapter, I can already give you a little snippet of this:

Steve wrote about nights he couldn’t sleep. About waking from nightmares and needing something, anything, loud enough to quiet what wouldn’t stop.

And then—

the tape.

One of Jonathan’s tapes.

He read that part twice, slower the second time, like it might change if he gave it enough space.

It didn’t.

Another letter followed. The paper worse this time, the ink uneven, smeared in places where something had interrupted it.

Halfway through, Jonathan had to stop because Steve was writing about the tape again.

About the sound beginning to warp.

About rewinding it over and over until the ribbon wore thin.

At first glance the letter seemed to only go over that one page, out of instinct he turned the paper, there on the back, smaller, was more. Added like an afterthought but the writing here was fractured, the ink blurred like something had fallen onto it and not been wiped away.

The moment it snapped.

Just a small sound. A tear.

But Steve had written it like something inside him had broken with it.

Jonathan lowered the paper slowly.

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Stranger Things (TV 2016), Critical Role: Exandria (Web Series) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Jonathan Byers/Steve Harrington Characters: Jonathan Byers, Robin Buckley, Steve Harrington, Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair, Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson Summary: A DnD campaign was supposed to be harmless.nIt isn’t.As their characters cross worlds and face something ancient beneath Exandria, the Hawkins group starts to realize: some choices don’t stay in the game.And some people were never playing safely to begin with..." Some people play heroes. Steve Harrington plays sacrifices.”

Chapter 3:

Silence on the table. Steve swallowed and didn't know what to do.  Robin’s eyes landed on him. Steve froze for a second like he’d been caught cheating on a test.

“your turn,” she said. Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh.” Six people looked at him. He glanced down at his character sheet again like the answers might be written there. “Okay,” he said slowly. “So… his name is Caelum.” like he hadn't said it a few moments prior.

Robin tilted her head slightly, she knew the most details because of her helping Steve out. But she wanted to get him to get into the feeling of Roleplaying.  “Caelum Brightshield.” Steve finally said  Dustin made a noise. Steve kept going, voice a little uncertain. “He’s… a paladin.” “Of course he is,” Mike muttered but got elbowed by Lucas. Steve ignored both. “Like, one of the holy ones. But not the preachy kind.” Will raised an eyebrow. “Very specific distinction.”  Steve shrugged. “He just… helps people.” Lucas nodded once. “Okay. Go on.”

Steve hesitated. “He travels around a lot. Doesn’t stay anywhere very long.” Jonathan glanced up at that. Just for a second. Steve didn’t notice. Robin smiled faintly. “And what does he look like?” Steve blinked like he hadn’t expected that question. “Tall,” he said automatically. Dustin snorted. “Very descriptive.” Steve shot him a look. “Shut up.” Then he tried again. “Uh. He’s got light armor. Like… silver. And a sword.” Robin waited. Steve sighed. “And that glowing stuff.” “Glowing stuff,” Robin repeated, smiling. “Yeah.” Steve exhaled slowley. He wasn't made for this kind of things. He wasn't a storyteller.

Will spoke softly from across the table. “Aasimar?” Steve nodded. “Yeah. That.” Robin made a small note in her book.“Alright,” she said. Then she leaned back in her chair. “Let’s see him.” Steve blinked again. “What?” “I already said he’s already at the ruin.” Robin folded her hands. “So what’s he doing there?” Steve opened his mouth and closed it again. Thought for a second. “He’s… watching it.” Robin nodded. Then her voice shifted again. That subtle storytelling tone. “Alright,” she said quietly. “So the tale beginns…The ruin should not have been there….”

Caelum Brightshield knew that immediately. The stones were wrong. Not broken. Not weathered. Wrong. They stood in the center of the hill clearing like they had been placed there yesterday, smooth gray blocks forming the broken outline of an archway. Wind moved through the tall grass around the hill. The village of Valecrest lay far behind him now, its lantern lights barely visible between the trees. No road led here.

No tracks either. Just the ruin. Caelum rested one hand on the pommel of his sword. Not drawing it. Just ready. A faint warmth pulsed under his skin, that quiet celestial instinct he had learned not to ignore.

Something about the ruin felt…

Unfinished.

The stone arch hummed softly. Not loud enough to hear. But enough to feel. Like a heartbeat in the air. Caelum exhaled slowly. “Alright,” he murmured to the empty hill. “Let’s see what you are.” Behind him, somewhere down the forest, footsteps approached. More travelers. More stories crossing paths. 

But for the moment— 

Caelum Brightshield stood alone before the gate. And the gate was beginning to wake without anyone realizing. A sound reached him. Not the wind. Footsteps. Slow. Measured. Not trying to hide. Caelum didn’t turn immediately.

Travelers used the road through these hills often enough. Merchants. Pilgrims. The occasional wandering swordsman with more confidence than sense. But no one had mentioned ruins. The steps stopped somewhere behind him. Not too close. Smart one.

Caelum rested both hands lightly on the pommel of his sword now and finally glanced over his shoulder. A man stood at the edge of the clearing. Tall, lean, wrapped in a travel cloak the color of dark ash. The fading daylight caught the curve of small horns at his temples and the dark ember red tint of his skin. Tiefling.

When they were alone, Robin dragged a chair next to him and opened the D&D Player’s Handbook like it was sacred text.

“Okay,” she said. “First question. What kind of hero do you want to be?”

“I don’t know,” Steve muttered.

“That’s fine. We’ll reverse engineer it.” Robin announced.

They worked on it for over an hour. Robin explaining mechanics with dramatic hand gestures. Steve asking quiet, careful questions.

He didn’t understand the terminology at first, proficiency bonuses, saving throws, spell slots, but he understood the shape of things.

Paladin. Oath of Heroism. Aasimar. “Radiant damage?” he read slowly. “Light,” Robin said. “Holy. Divine.” Steve made a face. “What?” she asked. “Nothing.” was his short answer. She noticed it anyway.

When they finally finished, Steve stared at the character sheet. It looked official. Legitimate. He still wasn’t sure how.

“Don’t let them tell you what you are,” Robin said casually as she packed up the book. “You picked this.” Steve nodded, but didn’t say anything.

---

The next evening, WSQK felt different. More structured. The folding table had been cleared. Chairs pulled close. Dice laid out like offerings.

Robin arrived carrying a thick rulebook under one arm and a notebook stuffed with loose pages under the other. The kids came in with full folders.

Actual folders. Dustin’s had tabs. Lucas had color coding. Mike’s had at least three printed pages stapled together. Will’s was neat, precise, handwritten.

Jonathan brought a smaller folder, worn, simple, but clearly prepared.

Steve walked in with a single sheet of paper folded in half. He immediately felt stupid.

He hadn’t even thought to bring anything else. He sat down quietly. Dustin glanced at his paper. “That’s it?” Steve shrugged. “It’s a character.” Dustin made a small noise but didn’t push.

Robin raised a hand before anyone could touch the dice. “Hold on,” she said. “We start with a session Zero.” Mike groaned immediately. “You made that up.”

“No,” Robin said calmly. “Real DMs do this.” she held one of the books up, that she had been studying almost the whole night. Dustin squinted suspiciously. “What’s Session Zero?”

Robin leaned back in the chair. “It’s where we figure out who your characters are before we start murdering them.” Lucas nodded slowly. “Fair.” Steve looked relieved. “Good. Because I still don’t understand half of this.”

Robin pointed at him. “Perfect. We are doing Session Zero. Let's start with rolling stats.”

Robin set the rulebook down with ceremony. Bags were opened and dice were dumped across the table. Plastic clattered against plastic. Steve stared at them. There were more shapes than he expected. Sharp little pyramids. Fat cubes. Things that looked like tiny gemstones.

“Which one is which?” he asked. Dustin showed him a d20 without looking up. “That’s the twenty. You’ll need it a lot.”

Mike grinned slightly. “for the stats, Roll 4d6, drop the lowest.” Steve blinked. “In English?” Lucas leaned over and showed him. “Roll four six-sided dice. Ignore the lowest number. Add the other three.”

Everyone else started picking through their dice automatically. Steve didn’t move. Robin noticed immediately. “What?” Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t… have any.”

Dustin blinked. “Dice?” Steve gestured vaguely at the table. “Yeah. I didn’t exactly grow up with a dragon hoard of math rocks.”

Lucas slid a couple toward him, but Jonathan stopped him. He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small cloth pouch. It was faded blue. The drawstring frayed at the ends.

Jonathan loosened it and poured a small set of dice into his palm. Translucent amber plastic. The numbers were filled with black wax. He held them out.

Steve looked at them. Then at Jonathan. “You sure?” Jonathan shrugged a little. “I have another set.” That was technically true. Well he had at least three or four… maybe more. But this one had been his first and most beloved one.

Steve hesitated before taking them. They were lighter than he expected. “Thanks,” he muttered. Jonathan nodded once and looked back at his character sheet.

Across the table Dustin leaned over to Lucas and whispered loudly: “Holy shit. Steve Harrington just got adopted by a dice goblin.” Lucas elbowed him.

Steve rolled the d20 once just to feel it. The die bounced across the table and landed on nineteen. Dustin groaned dramatically. “Of course it did.”

Steve proceeded to do what the kids told him. He rolled the 4d6. They scattered across the table. “Sixteen,” Mike said quietly after counting. Steve looked surprised. “That’s good,” Will confirmed. Dustin rolled his eyes. “Of course he rolls high again.”

Steve rolled again. And again. The numbers stacked up. Not genius-level. But solid. Durable. Reliable.

Steve looked down at his sheet.

Strength: high. Charisma: high. Wisdom: better than he expected. Constitution: strong. Intelligence: low…

He felt that. He felt like someone who didn’t know the rules. Beside him, Jonathan closed his folder carefully and glanced sideways. “You rolled well,” he said quietly.

Steve shrugged. “It’s just dice.” Jonathan held his gaze for a second longer than necessary. “Yeah,” he said. “It is.”

Next they picked their spells. Dustin leaned over Steve’s sheet to have a quick look at his spells. “Okay you need something useful.”

Steve frowned. “I picked something useful.” Dustin squinted. “Compelled Duel?” Steve shrugged. “It makes the monster fight me instead of you guys.” There was a pause. Lucas nodded once. “…that’s actually pretty good.”

Across the table Jonathan quietly wrote Sanctuary onto his spell list.

Dustin noticed anyway.“What does that one do?” Jonathan shrugged. “It discourages enemies from attacking someone.” Dustin stared at him. “That’s the most Jonathan spell imaginable.”

Robin grinned and flipped to a clean page in her notebook. “One more thing,” she said. Mike groaned again. “Relax,” Robin said. “It’s fun.” She pointed at the table. “we are not finished yet. I wanna hear Rumors.”

Dustin lit up immediately. “Oh hell yes.” Robin continued. “Every character has a rumor about them. Something people say about them.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “And the truth?” Robin smiled slightly. “That’s the fun part.” She looked at each of them in turn. “You only tell the rumor.” Mike groaned. “Why?” “Because stories travel faster than people,” Robin replied. “And rumors are fun. You secretly tell me if it's true or not.”

Robin flipped to a clean page in her notebook and tapped the pencil against the table. She reached into her Dice bag and pulled out a small stack of scrap paper. She tore them into smaller squares and passed them around the table.

“Here’s how it works,” she said. “Each of your characters already has a rumor floating around about them.” Mike leaned back slightly. “Like what people say they’ve done.”

“Exactly,” Robin said. “You say the rumor out loud.” She held up a finger. “But on the paper you secretly tell me if it’s true, false, or… complicated.” Jonathan frowned. “Complicated?” Robin smiled faintly. “You’ll figure it out.”

She pushed the pencil across the table. “Write it down. Fold it. Give it to me. Only the dungeon master knows the truth.” Dustin bounced in his chair. “This is the best mechanic ever.” Robin pointed at him. “Congratulations. You’re first.”

Dustin cleared his throat dramatically and sat up straighter. “Fizzwidget Geargrin,” he announced, “Rock Gnome Bard, College of Lore.” Lucas muttered, “Of course.” Dustin ignored him and continued. “They say Fizzwidget once outsmarted a wizard in a debate about magical theory.” Mike snorted. “That sounds fake.”

Dustin scribbled something quickly on his paper, folded it in half, and slid it across the table toward Robin. She took it without looking and dropped it behind her notebook.

Next.

Lucas shrugged and leaned forward. “Kaelen Nightpath. Half-Elf ranger.” He glanced down at his sheet. “They say Kaelen can walk through a forest without making a single sound.”

Will looked impressed. Lucas wrote something down and handed the paper over. Robin added it to the growing stack.

“Good,” she said. “Next.”

Mike straightened in his chair. “Aldric Valeward,” he said. “Human paladin, Oath of Devotion.” Dustin muttered under his breath, “Called it.” Mike ignored him. “They say Aldric once stood alone against a band of highwaymen and refused to move until they surrendered.”

Dustin rolled his eyes. Mike folded his note and passed it across. Robin collected it with the others.

Will spoke next, quieter but steady. “Elaris Thistleveil,” he said. “Half-Elf druid.” His fingers traced the edge of the paper for a second. “They say animals trust Elaris more than they trust other people.”

Dustin tilted his head. “That one’s creepy.” Will smiled faintly and wrote his answer down. Robin added the folded square to the pile.

Jonathan shifted slightly in his chair. “Marek Ashfall,” he said. “Tiefling and Cleric of Avandra.” He hesitated for a moment before telling the rumor. “They say if Marek is standing at a crossroads, it means someone’s fate is about to change.”

The table went quiet for a second. Dustin whispered, “That’s metal.” Jonathan wrote something on the slip of paper and passed it over.

Robin tucked it beneath the others.

That left Steve. Robin looked at him expectantly. Steve rubbed the back of his neck. “Alright,” he said. “Caelum Brightshield.” Dustin grinned. “ This sounds like a shampoo brand.”

Steve ignored him. He glanced down at his sheet. “They say Caelum once fought an ogre alone and lived to tell the tale.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow. Mike looked impressed. Robin tilted her head. “And?” Steve shrugged helplessly. Dustin burst out laughing and nearly fell out of his chair. Steve scribbled something quickly onto his paper, folded it, and slid it across the table.

Robin added it to the pile.

Then she gathered all the slips and tucked them behind the DM screen, the truth of six different stories now hidden from everyone except her. She looked around the table slowly.

Dice waiting. Character sheets filled. Rumors already spreading. “Alright,” Robin said quietly. “Now we see what’s real.”

She flipped open her notebook. Inside were pages of cramped handwriting, arrows, half-erased diagrams, and a map drawn in thick black marker. She didn’t show it to them. Not yet. Instead she turned the map toward them.

Robin picked up a pencil and tapped it once against the table. The room quieted almost immediately. Dice stilled. Chairs scraped a little closer.

Outside, somewhere far down the street, a military truck rumbled past. Robin looked around the table.

Six players. Good, balanced party. She smiled faintly. “Alright,” she said again. “Welcome to the campaign.” Dustin bounced in his chair. “Title?”

Robin flipped a page in the notebook. “The Shattered Compass.” Mike nodded approvingly. Lucas leaned forward.

Will rested his chin on his hands. Jonathan watched the map. Steve watched Robin. He still wasn’t sure what the hell he did here, but the kids looked all so happy right now, so that he thought it must be worth it

She reached across the table and nudged a single d20 toward the center.

“Before we begin,” she said, “there’s one rule I wanna tell you.” Mike groaned quietly. “Relax,” Robin said. “It’s an easy one.”

She pointed at the dice. “If something cool could happen, it might.” Dustin grinned. “If something terrible could happen,” she added, “it probably will.”

Lucas snorted. Mike muttered, “That’s not how probability works.” Robin ignored him. She tapped onto the map. A coastline. Mountains. Forests.

And, marked in black ink near the center, a ruined structure. “You are not heroes yet,” Robin said. Steve shifted slightly in his chair. “You are travelers,” she continued, “on the road to a frontier town called Valecrest.”

Her voice had changed. Not louder. Just steadier. “Three nights ago, a ruin appeared in the hills outside the village.”

Will’s pencil moved automatically across his notebook, sketching. “Not discovered,” Robin clarified. “Appeared.”

Mike frowned. Dustin leaned in. Jonathan’s eyes lifted from the map. Robin tapped the ruin symbol with the pencil. “Locals say the stone wasn’t there before.” Lucas asked quietly, “Magic?”

Robin smiled. “Roll for arcana if you want to find out.” Mike grabbed his d20 immediately. “Seventeen.” Robin tilted her head. “You’ve heard rumors,” she said. “Old ones. About gates.”

The word hung there. Steve didn’t know the mechanics yet. But he understood the shape of a story. Robin looked around the table again.

Six faces. Waiting.

“Your characters don’t know each other yet,” she said. “You’re just travelers heading toward the same place.” She paused. Then she looked at Steve. “Except you.” Steve blinked. “What?”

Robin flipped another page. “You’re already there.” Steve stared at her. “Wait. I’m already there?”

Robin nodded. “In the hills outside Valecrest,” she said quietly, “a man stands in front of a ruin that shouldn’t exist.”

Dustin grinned. “Of course.” Steve stared at her. “Why?” Robin met his eyes. “You tell me.”

A helicopter passed overhead again. bDice waited on the table.

And somewhere in a world that did not exist yet— a gate was already opening.

To be continued...

The whole things is inspired by Critical role (because its running constantly in the background while writing) in this case its Campaign 2 so I guess there will be propably happen some caleb/essek tension in their game plus additional Jonathan/Steve tension in the end xD

@lexilexipoowhereareyou @saltshakergirl18 @tinaa-aas @mixateer

My neweste Oneshot arrived! Took me age to finish it, even if the main plot was written back at the beginning of january!

Summary: