The Kingdoms Curse

Atlas’ Adventures – The Game

Atlas is on a great quest, A quest that reads like a video game adventure. His is a selfish quest to save the kingdom from the “Kingdoms Curse.” He feels the needs of his world, but like Robin in the book “Moonborn,” he must save those he loves; regardless. He must save his own princess, she is hope for the future, and the most precious thing in his life. He must save her from the Kingdoms Curses deadly touch, and like any great adventure, for him to be selfish, and save the ones he loves, he must also save the world, and defeat the curse of evil in all the lands.

It really is a lot to take on, thought Atlas – it’s the grand epic task of any adventure game, and that’s just an opening scene! All the adventure games he has played before were easy in comparison. As he took up those adventures he was not so daunted. Those games have a linear course that prepare him along the way, make him stronger, and shortly he will start to find the items and people he needs to triumph over the evil, to save his world. A tediously long process, yet with faith and perseverance he knows he will beat the game, he will win. Easy peasy, defeat the next boss with the latest item, and evil is destroyed dramatically. Cut to scene kissing his loved ones, celebrating the new future, basking in the feeling of having achieved such an ambitious goal – and role credits with the ending score.  Atlas chuckles to himself over the metaphor. This game is a bit different.

The kingdoms curse can touch any player at any time, and when it does, it usually ends their game shortly. The curse is random, and it’s lightest touch can kill. So deadly is it’s grasp, only the quick will cut or burn the cursed flesh from their body, and save themselves. Like a wolf in a trap, the cursed flesh holds you tight to a quick death, and a glaring truth for action; cut your own flesh free, suffer that hard pain, and the burden of its loss – or die.

Atlas himself was once touched by the kingdoms curse. He only dodged his death by swiftly cutting himself free of his cursed flesh. His battle is personal, the curse has already touched too many around him, touched loved ones – and his father. He is determined to stop the curse to win the game. He must save the world, but what he is really saving is own heart, saving it from more pain. To do all he must – save them all, so he never again looks into tortured anguished eyes, eyes wet with the painful understanding on both sides – game over.

Never again, and never in the eyes of his princess – not ever!

Atlas is now deep in the game. He finds himself in a huge open world where there is no linear course to lead him the right way, no old man waiting to give him the needed item. There is only a time limit that will end the game. There are open choices and side quests are everywhere; enough to fill the time limit a hundred times over. A confusing and cursed land where all the characters have an equal chance of slowing or speeding Atlas along his journey. Atlas must decide what moves he needs to make, who might help, what items he needs to win against this evil, and even what it means to win the game.

A decade of game time later …

Atlas has been blessed in his quest. After many hardships, side quests, experiments, and years of deep research, and checking all the corners, Atlas has found the kingdoms legendary curse decoder! He now has the fabled curing potions! … and he has some time left.

Holding the two final items, the two in all the kingdom that can set Atlas against his games final boss, Atlas trembles with the anticipation. The banishing of the kingdoms curse from those already touched will be so sweet, so fulfilling, their futures and dreams alive again, alive in their eyes!

Atlas only needs to go to the potions master, the master will check which ones are made right, and the curse decoder will find the right combinations of potions to banish the kingdoms curses forever.

Without the potions master and the decoder, poor Atlas would just have to try all the potions, one after the other, in random hope and fading dreams of finding the right combinations. There is enough potion perhaps, but not enough time for the cursed. Once the player is touched by the kingdoms curse, their time is short.

Like all quests, the last few steps, the ones closer to winning the game, will require more resources, and more rupees / coins / and crystals, more now than he has collected thus far!

Again Atlas chuckles at the metaphor, like the other games – here he is, close to the end, after so much scrounging, checking the corners, and gathering resources, the games veteran to be so skilled – to achieve his current high position. The proclaimed hero has the winning items in his hands, yet now has to crawl around and scourer the entire open world again to find all the rupees for the potions master to be able to combine them,  and complete the winning item. No great surprise.

How will Atlas find all those coins / rupees / crystals ?
Tempus fugit.

Atlas has a huge surprise for you! This is actually your kingdom, your reality, and it is not a game. This is your life; and worse yet, the kingdoms curse is real! It’s cancer, and it is touching us all. Touching you and your loved ones, a curse that is mankind’s 2^nd largest killer!  The odds are too high – that you will be cursed too.

Atlas is standing next to you right now – two items are in his hands, the curing potions, and the decoder. You know and you feel their power, their potential to cure the kingdom,  you gaze up and see his smiling face is slightly deformed from the curse’s touch; the touch he cut away to survive. He is looking deep into your eyes; Atlas is asking you – for a little assistance with the potions master.

nameste

Atlas