The final adventure of the summer took place at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. Eighteen adventures set out to solve the mystery known as "The Golden Cage."We bounced on and off the page as the detectives made some unpredictable choices. The final mystery had some new twists and turns that were very entertaining. The first variation was provided by the moon, with a solar eclipse on our first day. We made our own pin-hole cameras so we could watch the eclipse, but the images were so small that we ended up sharing the one pair of solar eclipse glasses we had.
The eclipse fit neatly into the mystery, since it involved the Firebird from the Golden Mountains of the Sun. This group of detectives came with all kinds of knowledge and research on Russian mythology and folktales, so they were onto the devious plot pretty quickly, but there were still a few surprises along the way.
Knowing whose advice to follow can make a big difference in outcomes. The detectives decided not to trust a character, and that meant several days of off-book adventuring. It led directly to the capture of a sunspark stone and a number of detectives in serious trouble.
Our bold detectives took on Koschei the Deathless in his magic chamber, where he was most at home. This resulted in the biggest twist of the story, when Koschei decided to use the sunspark stone of a certain horrified detective to summon another big bad into the game.
We can definitely say that our team was bold, adventurous and courageous. They were skilled at getting out of the trouble they devised.
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| One of the Secret Keepers the detectives made this week |
That detective emerged from the cage with newfound powers that she will have for future adventures. She restored the team's lost artifacts
and revealed that three of the detectives were still under Koschei's power.
Those three detectives tried to defeat their comrades. Fortunately, the detectives won back their freedom.
With the whole team restored, the group rescued the Firebird, defeated Koschei and his little friend. The sun was not eaten; the Firebird flies free and all is well that ends well.
Right?
Well, maybe. The immediate problem was solved rather nicely.
Cernunnos the Horned God of the Wild Hunt from Celtic myths was summoned to chase down the little friend. He did this, but then he discovered that the detectives had transformed Koschei into a baby.
Cenunnos is known for his chaotic ways. Summoning him for "help" always has its down side. He took that ugly baby into the Underworld with him, creating a definite sequel for next summer.
Did Cernunnos foster the baby Koschei himself or did he deposit the adorable bundle with some unsuspecting foster parents? We won't know--until next summer.
Never a dull moment with this crew of detectives! Thank you for a whole week's entertainment--and for a new adventure! A wonderful way to end a fabulous summer of adventuring!
Images of the adventure may be found on the Dragon's Eye FB page, here.
Images of the Secret Keepers the detectives made may be found here.
