Winter had sucked all the color out of the world. The prairie in the glory of midsummer had been a surge of green, summer winds sending pulses through the tall grass, causing it to wave like an underwater kelp forest in a strong current. Now, however, it had relinquished its blooming majesty, its former radiance dulled to straw the color of a deerhide. The flowerheads were stripped of their colorful identities, appearing like sepia photographs of themselves; the ghosts of summer past. The sweetclover, which had extended from one horizon to the other back in June, covering the prairie in a blanket of gold, was now skeletonized, its broken-off stems rolling like tumbleweeds in the winter gales. Trevor was over it. Another South Dakota winter, another four months until the snows would cease and the ice would melt in the creek. In March and April, the spring blizzards would bury the world and on the subsequent sunny days, the combination of blue sky and white land would be startling, like finding oneself living in the center of a bicolored flag. But for now, a capricious midwinter thaw had left snowdrifts only in the prairie draws, on the north-facing ridges, in the shadows of the ponderosas that speckled the hills. And around the trailer, mud. In a few nights, a deep freeze would turn the sides of the tire ruts into knife edges, testing the suspension of any vehicle that took the approach too fast. Still, that was better than the loamy mud, which could imprison even a 4x4 until freezing cold or drying winds finally freed it. The view from the front porch could be gorgeous. Back in July, when the church group from Virginia had constructed a wheelchair ramp for the trailer, the evening sun had set the prairie on fire, its light reflected by a thunderstorm hanging in the sky as if by a puppeteer’s strings. “God almighty,” the youth pastor had exclaimed. But now, grays and browns mingled in a decidedly drab palette. Over at the little bird feeder, the goldfinches were no longer yellow-and-black exclamation points, but had acquiesced to dullness, dressed for a time of year when vibrant color seemed to be outlawed by some unseen authority. Trevor stared at the expanse of mud that spooled out from in front of the trailer and unwound into a ribbon that led over the hill toward the old sundance ground and, eventually, the paved road. He wondered if he would get out today. Always a calculation this time of year. Driving on the muddy channel that was his approach was out of the question; he would set a course across the grass, which would provide enough barrier to keep his tires from sinking in again. Two-tracks radiating out onto the prairie showed how many times he and his family had taken this course of action since the last snow. It felt ironic that their approach took them by far the long way around – heading north to go south; harder than it needed to be, like so much of life around here. But the way south was blocked by Roanhorse Creek. This wasn’t all bad; the creek provided nice wading in the summer and water for the horses for most of the year. It also gave rise to the only trees on the property, although the cottonwoods whose leaves whispered in the summer breezes now stood dumb and impassive, and resembled skeletal wraiths at nighttime. A horse would make it, of course. He could saddle up the buckskin, ride cross-country and be in town in twenty minutes. But that would be silly…he snorted at the ludicrousness of this thought. First of all, he had to go way beyond town today. And even if he were just going to his old job at the tribal building, was he supposed to just hitch it up outside for the day? Tie its reins to one of the smokers’ benches by the entrance? What was this, 1895? No, better not to risk TȟatéZi getting stolen or having some gang sign spraypainted on it or some shit. Besides, he needed to pull into his job interview looking halfway decent, not spattered with mud and smelling like horse sweat. Trevor regarded his truck, sitting smack in the middle of the sloppy mess. Fuck, he thought. Still, he didn’t really have a choice today. No job interview, no job. No job, no funds. Another calculation, but this one was straightforward. He went back into the trailer and made his way to his bedroom in the back, passing his brothers in the living room. One was sleeping on the couch and the other was crashed out in the recliner, oblivious to the flickering hearth of the muted TV. Let ‘em sleep today, Trevor thought. In the bedroom, he stepped across piles of clothes – some clean, some dirty – and over the miscellany of his life; a pile of old DVDs, a defunct gaming console, a canister of Bugler and squares of broadcloth for the tobacco ties he was supposed to make for ceremony, a scattering of empty Mountain Dew cans, a 24-pack of ramen, a basketball. He hunted around in his closet for the dressy clothes that he knew were there. He had worn them once, on the day of his high school graduation, three years before. And there they were; a purple button-down shirt, a solid black tie, and black chinos. Further rummaging found him a pair of brown loafers and a tan braided belt. He would look sharp for this interview – couldn’t hurt. Trevor took a quick shower. The hot water always took forever to come and once it did, didn’t last long. He got dressed hurriedly, glad the tie that had come as a set with the shirt was a clip-on, and ran a comb through his hair. It wasn’t long enough to do much with other than backcomb it a little with some hair gel, but he figured that looked better than not. He considered putting in big stud earrings to look extra fly, but decided again it; might not be the right look for the occasion. Now fully dressed and ready, Trevor took stock of his appearance. His summer tan was long gone and his skin was as pale as the white kids he had met during his one semester of college. The same change of season that had desaturated the prairie and garbed the birds in dull colors had undone all those days spent out in the badlands sun – working with the horses, swimming at the dam, helping keep fire at sundance. Too many French fur traders in his lineage. He recalled the book that his eighth grade teacher had assigned them – Part-time Indian or something – and thought, Yup, that’s me. Indian in the summer and wašiču in the winter, like changing plumage. Trevor envied his brothers their melanin. He had learned that word in one of his college classes and now thought of it nearly every day. Travis was a rich brown complexion even in the dark days of midwinter. Trenton was in between the two but had jet-black Lakota hair and definitely looked “ethnic,” enough to be followed around stores in the border towns. Trevor knew it was his privilege to be exempt from such treatment, but it bugged him nonetheless. He hadn’t asked to be light-skinned. His brothers called him žiží – a reference to his tawny hair. They had gotten into scraps over this, and Trevor even bloodied Travis’ nose in one such altercation. Once one of them had even called Trevor a “half-breed” but Trevor retorted with “Fuck you, boy, you got the same blood as me. Fuckin’ dumbass.” This seemed to put the issue to rest. Trevor’s brief stint at college had been at an out-of-state school, which now struck him as an ill-advised decision. At least South Dakotans had some experience with Natives. Even the East River kids had at least crossed paths with one at some point, and didn’t think of Indians as something from the pages of a dime novel. Trevor was the first Native in many years – maybe ever – to attend the small-town liberal arts college in a neighboring state. He thought the fact that the college was reasonably selective would mean that the students were smart enough not to ask dumb questions. He was wrong. The queries were predictable enough, clichéd even; Are you really Indian? (Yes) Do you speak your language? (No) Did you get in because you’re Indian? (Who knows? I’m pretty smart and got good grades.) Does the college have admissions quotas for Indians? (If it did, you’d think more would go here.) What’s it like on the reservation? (I don’t know; different.) Do you prefer “Native American”? (I find the question annoying, to be honest.) Do you like Leslie Marmon Silko? (Who?) Have you seen Dances with Wolves? (Some of it.) Do you know a guy from Pine Ridge named Verdell? He used to work with my dad. (Maybe) His last name was something Horse. Running Horse? (No) Fielding these questions was exhausting and added another layer of weariness and alienation to his college experience. He found himself having to answer such inquiries from his roommate, classmates, professors, his R.A…Sometimes they were cloaked in well-meaning concern (I bet you get tired of all these questions, huh?) but they were always there. Most evenings, Trevor would retreat to his room and call his mom. His roommate, Skyler, a cross-country runner who was handsome in an unspectacular way and who monitored his water intake religiously, was hardly ever around. He seemed to have no trouble making friends in college and reveled in the social opportunities around him. In his phone calls back home, Trevor found himself experiencing a homesickness that inhabited the pit of his stomach like a hunger pang. He had never been gone from home for that long. Really, his only trip away had been the summer before his senior year, to a weeklong STEM camp for Native kids that one of the state colleges had put on. But that had been with a half dozen other students from his high school. Here he was alone. The subjects of their conversations would leave Trevor feeling a gravitational pull toward home: Trenton got into a fight at school and got suspended. Travis is drinking again. We had sweat for your auntie because they have to amputate her leg after all. Those dogs were back again. Everett hit $200 at the casino on Tuesday night but of course he put it all back in. They’re having a basketball tournament for that boy who got paralyzed in that wreck. Our hot water heater went out but uncle came and fixed it. They still haven’t found that Two Arrows girl that went missing. Travis wants to go up on the hill this spring – maybe that will get him to quit drinking. Good news, bad news, mundane news…The latter tugged at him the most. Like many who grew up on Pine Ridge, he had a love-hate relationship with the reservation. It was the home of his people after all, and could be so beautiful (“God’s country,” as it was called by even those who had no time for the white man’s God). But the hardships, the tragedies, the death…it all wore away at your spirit, hardened you. Still, the news of day-to-day life going on in his absence; a school powwow, a bingo tournament, tribal council drama, rumors of a Dairy Queen opening. It made him miss home in an ineffable way. The last vestige of his indecision evaporated after a particular conversation in the lounge of his dorm. He had been sitting on a beanbag chair, discussing random topics with two friends (at least, he considered them friends, in some ill-defined adolescent way). They had all left a dull party that hadn’t livened up even after a couple of drinks, but still felt heady and obligated to prolong the night a little longer. So, they were shooting the shit, in a garishly-lit common space that smelled of burnt popcorn, and Trevor was feeling rather collegiate. An off-campus party, late-night conversation; weren’t these the trappings of university life that he had seen in teen movies, if a much more prosaic version? Kayleigh, tipsy off Jäger bombs, started the chain of events that would unravel his college experience with a simple, but pointed question: “How Indian are you, anyway?” Colton snorted at this comment. “Kay, you can’t just ask that!” But he was clearly more amused than disapproving. “You mean like my blood quantum or what?” Trevor asked. “Is that what you guys call it?” said Kay, now playing the innocent party. “I just mean, like, you say you’re Indian, I mean like I know you are, like, I know you are on paper…” The alcohol was causing her to trip over her words but she plowed on. “I mean like, okay, if I were to like, run into you on the street…” Kay was now gesturing expansively, as if the meaning of what she was saying wasn’t explicit from words alone. “Like, I wouldn’t be like, ‘Damn, look at that Indian,’ right? I’d just assume you were a white guy. I mean you know what I mean? Ugh, I’m not making sense.” She was making perfect sense. Colton looked embarrassed, and for a second, Trevor thought he might shut Kay down. But instead, his inhibition similarly worn down by a few shots of German 70-proof, he followed suit. “I think what Kay’s drunk ass is trying to say is, like, your ancestors are Indians, right, like in the history books. Like Geronimo or whatever. But do you consider yourself one of them? Or are you, like, their descendant?” Trevor could feel the ball of rage growing within him, a sea urchin radiating spikes in his gut. Stop talking, he thought. Just stop talking. Colton continued, heedlessly. “Okay, so like I’m Irish but I’m not like Irish Irish, like a leprechaun or some shit. Like my ancestors…” Trevor stood up, his fists balled. He was now stone-cold sober but his anger was its own intoxicant. “It’s none of your fucking business. It’s none of your business what the fuck I am!” He was shouting; he couldn’t help it. He picked up a half-empty can of PBR and threw it at the wall, slamming the door to the lounge on his way out. The sudsy contents of the can leaked onto the ugly orange dorm carpet, as Kayleigh and Colton sat in stunned silence. “Jesus,” said Colton finally. “Just trying to ask an honest question.” After that, Trevor had holed up in his room for a few days, skipping classes and avoiding other students. When he told his mom he was dropping out, she hardly sounded surprised. He knew she would be glad to have him back home; the prodigal son returning. Trevor, the one who had his shit together, who had gone to a STEM camp and was almost salutatorian. He knew she thought that once he got back, he could do what she couldn’t; get Travis on a better path, bring another income to the household, fix what needed to be fixed around the trailer, shoot at the stray dogs when they came around. It would all fall to him. His failure was their blessing; they would lean on him as long as he could stand. So here we fucking go, he now thought, patting his gel-stiffened hair and giving himself one last hazel-eyed glance in the mirror. Gotta get that bread. His brief stint at the tribal building hadn’t panned out. He was a good worker but wet weather made his road too sloppy to get out easily. Too many latenesses had translated into a pink slip. “Shit man we all got bad roads. Gotta leave earlier,” his boss had said. So, lesson learned, he was giving himself extra time getting ready for this interview. Really, the lady had just told him to come by “around mid-morning,” so he’d probably be okay. The job was off-rez, down at the county livestock auction and sale barn in one of the closest border towns, “white towns,” as Ridgers called it. It was mostly going to be paperwork – inventory and itemizing and that kind of shit – but it was decent pay and Trevor hoped that he could transition over to working with the animals before long. On most days, he preferred their company to dumbass people. Grabbing his bag, Trevor stuck the loafers inside with his other miscellany. He would need to wear his cowboy boots across the muddy expanse between the bottom step of the porch and the door to his Blazer so he jammed his feet into them. Outside, he walked gingerly so as not to stain his black slacks with muck. Once in the driver’s seat, he figured he would leave the boots on for the drive, since they were already smearing mud on the floor liner, and in case he got stuck and needed to get out. Trevor knew that the people who worked at the sale barn were as countrified as he was and wouldn’t judge muddy boots under most circumstances, but he also knew that being from Pine Ridge meant he had to put his best foot forward, literally in this case. Trevor fired up the Blazer, put it in four low, and gunned it. His tires found grip and he jerked along, slimy divots of earth spattering his windows and roof like hail. His windshield wipers left a pasty smear that obscured much of his view, but he practically knew the way by feel. As soon as he could, he bumped up onto the grass, gopher holes and clumps of prairie bluestem jolting his ride, testing what was left of his suspension. When he finally hit the pavement, the smoothness was startling as it always was, like a TV being suddenly muted, like silence after a door slamming. He cruised through town, passing the gas station, the other gas station, the commod building, the quonset hut, the old BIA headquarters…and turned south into Nebraska. He tried to ignore the persistent squeal under the hood that had gotten worse lately. The overcast sky reflected the dullness of the land – as below, so above – and Trevor alternated between zoning out and counting hawks on telephone poles. A handful of miles south of the border, the vehicle gave a jolt and Trevor felt a temporary loss of control. He hit the brakes and steered toward the shoulder, but the Blazer was suddenly steering like an army tank. Fuck, he whispered. Once he wrestled Blazer off the road, Trevor got out and popped the hood. He already knew what he would find under the rising steam. “Fucking serpentine belt,” he hissed to the universe. Trevor was good with cars but he didn’t have the tools for this fix. Luckily, he thought, out here in the country, somebody who did would be by soon. Lots of Natives on this road, maybe even a cousin would happen by who could at least give him a ride to town. Trevor thought of calling his dad’s brother Everett on his cell, but figured he’d give it a bit. He hated the thought of owing Uncle Ev anything. Sure enough, in a few minutes, a gunmetal gray truck passed by slowly, hit a u-turn, and pulled up behind him. Trevor felt a twinge of envy over this late-model Dodge Ram MegaCab with duallies. It had county plates on it, so the cowboy-hatted driver was a local guy, and as he got out, his Carhartt overalls and mud-caked boots identified him as a rancher. “Trouble?” MegaCab asked, giving Trevor an easy smile. “Serpentine belt busted,” said Trevor, unconsciously smoothing out his rez accent in favor of a more neutral affectation. Code-switching – another term he had learned at college (by the professor who asked him if he prefers “Native American”). “No shit, huh?” MegaCab considered this information. “I got nothing for that but I could give you a ride somewhere. You call anyone? Someone coming after you?” “No,” said Trevor. “I’m trying to get down to the sale barn for a job interview.” MegaCab looked at Trevor as if for the first time. “Oh ok so that’s why you’re all fancied up. Well, hop in if you don’t mind leaving it here.” Trevor considered this. He was off the rez so there was less of a chance that the Blazer would end up with busted windows or slashed tires. And he was eager to get his interview over and done with. Before he could answer, MegaCab added “I have to stop in Whiteclay first but then I’ll take you down.” This was only a few miles out of the way so Trevor assented and climbed into the rancher’s idling behemoth. It still retained some new-truck smell, mixed with a tinge of manure and rich earth. Really, it was almost luxurious. MegaCab flipped a u-ey again and headed back north toward Whiteclay. Formerly notorious for copious alcohol sales to people from the dry reservation whose border it sat on, Whiteclay’s package stores had been shuttered after the state had revoked their liquor licenses following years of protests over their depredatory business model. Now, it was just a town of a couple small stores and fewer than a dozen permanent residents, its streets empty of vagrants, its ghosts banished. “So, you from Hot Springs?” Trevor momentarily wondered where this question had come from, and then remembered that he had 27-plates on the Blazer – Fall River County, a relic of when he bought the car from a white lady over there. He had kept the off-county registration because the plates were far less likely to get you pulled over off-rez than the infamous 65s of Oglala Lakota County. MegaCab continued without waiting for an answer. “I used to go up to Hot Springs a lot when my dad was in the V.A. hospital up there. Nice town.” “Yup, it’s pretty nice,” said Trevor, wondering if he would have to sustain this small talk the whole way. Luckily, MegaCab took it from there, reminiscing about his high school football team dealing Hot Springs a particularly lopsided loss, and then they were at Whiteclay. Trevor played around on his phone while his driver of the moment went into the little grocery store. He looked up his old roommate Skyler on Facebook (why, he didn’t know; certainly not to friend him) and then Googled “Pine Ridge South Dakota Dairy Queen” just to see if there was any truth to that rumor. MegaCab returned with some mail – Trevor had forgotten that there was a little post office in there – and they turned south toward Rushville. Two miles and five hawks-on-telephone-poles into their trip, MegaCab got chatty again: “I still can’t believe that the state revoked the liquor licenses. They had no legal right to do that of course, but just like everyone else these days, they bowed to the pressure from liberal special interest groups. Those store owners – my brother was one of them – followed the damn law to a T but still got their rights taken away. They’re the real victims in all of this.” Trevor, whose father was found dead in Whiteclay when Trevor was ten years old, didn’t answer. “You know it’s just going to push the problem down the road. These Indians are gonna get their liquor one way or another. You guys must see that all the time up in Hot Springs.” These Indians. You guys. Trevor suddenly recognized MegaCab’s presumption, and wondered when if he should correct it. “If they wanted to buy millions of cans of beer in Whiteclay every year and drink themselves to death, shit, I say let ‘em. It’s a free country, right? Those AIM types are always going on about Native rights and shit, y’know? Well shit, you have the right to drink and die if you want. Not saying that I want that for those people or anything, but the nanny state can’t be protecting everyone from problems of their own making.” Trevor, whose brother had first gotten jailed for drunk and disorderly at age 14, two years after their father died, said nothing. MegaCab continued to rhapsodize about “the Indians” and their problems, adopting the tone of an expert, one who knew all about them. Trevor felt the blood rise to his face. Some coloration at least, he thought darkly. In the pit of his stomach, the sea urchin had returned to stab at his insides. What must it be like, he wondered, to live a life in which people aren’t constantly telling you who you are, naming your characteristics like symptoms, trying to trap you like a spirit in a photograph? The Blazer came in sight on the shoulder ahead. “Can you let me out at my ride?” Trevor asked, his voice hardly recognizable to his own ear, like hearing himself talk underwater. “Sure, you need to grab something out of it?” said MegaCab, reluctantly pausing his diatribe. “No it’s okay,” replied Trevor, “I’m gonna call someone to come help me fix this after all.” He fiddled with his phone as if to underscore this intention. “Well, if you’re sure,” said MegaCab. “And hey,” he added as Trevor stepped down onto the running board. “You be careful around here. One of these rezzers might see you here all by yourself and try to mess you or your car up. And watch out for drunk drivers. You just never know with these Indians.” MegaCab gave a serious nod to accentuate this show of concern. Then he wished Trevor luck and drove off. Trevor watched the truck recede into the distance until it was merely a gray speck between the monochrome earth and the steely sky. He sat down in the cold front seat of the Blazer and looked into the rearview mirror. Hazel eyes stared back at him under a pale forehead. Fuck it, he thought; people are dumbasses. Let ‘em believe what they want; that he was from Hot Springs, that could be was related to that Apache, Geronimo, that he was only Indian on paper. Trevor saw what they didn’t; the hidden depths beneath the surface, and in their faces, in the spaces between their words, their ignorance displayed like a tattoo. In another minute or two, he would call Uncle Ev for a ride. In another hour or two, he would be offered a job at the sale barn that would bring another income into his household (and buy him a new serpentine belt). In another day or two, he would finally finish the tobacco ties for ceremony, at which he would pray for Travis’ sobriety and his auntie’s diabetes. In another month or two, the lengthening of the days would be unmistakable. Spring would come as it always had, first heralded by a single meadowlark piercing the predawn silence with his song. This would be followed by a green sprig on the prairie, pushing up, perhaps, through snow. Then a cluster of pasqueflowers appearing suddenly on a hillside, a skein of geese overhead, sheet lightning on the horizon. Small miracles, one after another. Finally, color would surge back into the world like paint scintillating on a canvas, causing goldfinches to glow like stars and evening thunderheads to stand like towering fires. The brilliant Dakota sunlight would stoke the melanin in Trevor’s skin, and nobody would mistake who he was. He would go up on the hill for two days and nights with Travis that spring, and Trenton would keep fire for them. He would pray for the coming year, for the survival of his people, for enough blessings to outweigh the hardships. And there, among a sea of undulating green, facing the crimson blaze of sunrise, he would again know himself and find the strength to carry on, in the face of all the peculiar indignities of this world.
[Let's Build] D100 starts to a campaign that aren't in a tavern
I'm tired of starting all of my campaigns inexplicably in a tavern. What are some other ways you've seen a campaign start? 1: You were all involved in a war that's now over, visiting the sight of one of the most gruesome battles. Maybe you're here because you lost someone you cared about in the fight. Maybe you wished you could have been in the fray, but were held back. Maybe you ran from the fight and guilt drove you back here. As the sun sets, the spirits of those long dead soldiers begin to reappear, all marching in the same direction. Will you follow? 2: All PC's were captured by the guards of a large city and sent to hang (the reason for this can be up to the player. Wrongfully convicted, career criminal, spoke out against the leadership, etc.). At the last moment, right before the lever is pulled, an arrow takes out the ropes and smoke bombs explode around you. You are quickly whisked away by your saviors, down a dark alley and into a secret hide away. Your rescuers reveal themselves to be the most powerful and feared criminal syndicate of the country, and your life has a price. A very large ship of theirs carrying illegal goods that they won't specify (stolen gold, drugs, maybe even slaves for an interesting twist) went missing in a cove, along with any groups sent to search for it. If you can find the ship, bring back the cargo, and not be caught by the guard in the process, you walk away rich and free. 3: The PC's are in a medium sized town, checking the local bounty board for work (why their here is up to the PCs). They quickly come to a disturbing realization: All of them now have a price on their heads. 4: An annual ceremony in the town takes place at the graveyard, unusually large due to the war-torn country. It's basically a carnival, where families gather around the graves to reminisce and celebrate the lives that once were. Chaos quickly erupts as the deceased relatives start clawing their way out of their caskets, attempting to kill their past loved ones. 5: beaten and bloodied, the PC's are left for dead, tied to trees in the middle of the forest by a local bandit group. What they didn't realize is that they tied you up right next to the mushroom circle of a local fey. She agrees to release you all on one condition: kill the bandits that have been ransacking her forest for supplies. 6: Inspired by elder scrolls, oblivion: You all are invited separately as illustrious guests to an esteemed and very wealthy manor. As soon as all of you enter, all of the doors slam shut and lock magically behind you. A disembodied voice is then heard throughout the manor: "kill eachother. The last one of you left standing will go free." Will they do as the voice commands? Or will they work together to uncover the mystery of the manor and escape? Could end very quickly, but has a lot of potential. Could even have player characters come back as undead if killed by another person, solely bent on hunting down any members that remain. 7: You are all attendees to a wedding. You each may or may not know each other, but you do know at least one of the couple. As they are trading vows, assassins burst through the doors, killing the couple before anyone can act. 8: The local university hires the party as body guards for a scholar who is transporting his revelatory research to the capitol. During the journey, the scholar is assassinated, and his research is stolen. Now the party themselves are the subject of much suspicion. If they can solve the mystery of the assassination and recover the research, their names will be cleared. 9: In various locations, though various circumstances, the members of the party have been captured to be sold into slavery. They begin on a slave ship headed to market. 10: Each player wakes up in a wooden box (a coffin) buried in a shallow grave. 11: For one reason or another, the party has all signed up for an arena, either they are placed on a team together to fight monaters, or pitted against each other (depending on your group). They can go through the arena or the arena can be interupted by something (an assassination, explosion in the city). Either winning the prize money, ir having arena officials be skeptical of them or asking for their help. So many option you can go, and it usually starts with pretty quick combat. 12: You see a man post a notice on the notice board, saying local mansion needs help defending against nightly hauntings. That night you go to saod mansion and find corpses that have been there at least a year 13: In Medias Res: The players are in a town, and the town is under attack! The Fighter's guild, mages guild, churches, and even the thieves guild are all rushing to help hold the line. 14: Everyone wakes up on a beach, surrounded by the aftermath of a shipwreck. 15: The characters wake up in a jail cell, their heads throbbing from the previous night's apparent bender. The guards want to know how an NPC died. Could either have the players make it up, or hand them pieces of paper telling them what they remember. 16: The players are abducted by aliens. They have to figure out where they are, why they were abducted, and how to escape. 17: Characters are all in a market when a merchant stands on a podium and begins to speak. He shows off some type of item (can really be anything you want it to be), boasting that it is completely priceless/extremely powerful. Out of the crowd, someone jumps up onto the podium, knocks the merchant to the ground, and runs off with the item. The merchant screams, "Stop them! I'll give 1,000 gold to whoever can bring them back to me alive!" The players give chase. 18: Characters are all in a market of about 100 people, going about their business. One by one, they each realize they've been the victim of a pickpocket. They look around and see that everyone around them is having the same look in their eyes. They quickly discover that every single person in the market has been pickpocketed, and no one noticed. Was it a highly organized criminal group? A magically enhanced rogue? A trick of an illusion spell? The PC's aim to find out. 19: Characters are all soldiers in a war, and have been gathered by a superior officer for a special mission. 20: Characters all died prematurely in the same event, the Fates/some deity is upset about it. They all meet in whatever equivalent of purgatory you choose, and are sent back to the mortal plane stop whoever is interfering with fate. 21: Characters are all on a trade caravan(for whatever reason) when it is attacked by X type of monsters. The monsters are more organized than normal, and all have some kind of badge/insignia that indicates allegiance to something. The characters can choose to investigate on their own, or will be requested to upon arrival at their destination, after the caravan head reports to the Watch that they distinguished themselves in the fight. 22: You are all travelling on a riverboat in a deep canyon to the furthest-most city on the edge of civilization. The riverboat is attacked by Kobolds (or any sort of enemy, this is a great chance to use something uncommon and exotic) on ziplines that steal supplies from the boats that ply the river. The players are the only ones capable of defending themselves and the boat. 23: You all wake in a field, lying in a circle with your feet towards the center, where the ground is scorched from a small explosion. Placed delicately in the middle of the scorch mark is a single page ripped from a journal. You know who each other are, but have no idea how or why you met, or how you got here. 24: You are all invited to a ballard performed by an incredibly famous bard. As the performance goes on, the PC's notice that everyone around them has been petrified besides themselves. The bard then says, "Now that I have your attention, I have a favor to ask..." 25: You are all invited to a Ballard performed by an incredibly famous bard. At the end of the performance, you walk out side of the theater to see that the town you were just in is deserted and overgrown. As the other patrons walk out, they turn to dust and collapse to the ground right outside, with the people behind them quickly following, not noticing what's happening right in front of them. The only people who survive going through are the PC's. They slowly discover they've somehow been teleported one hundred years into the future. 26: You are all invited to a Ballard performed by an incredibly famous bard. As the bard continues their performance, his entourage quickly and discreetly locks all doors and bars all windows. By the time the performance has ended, all of the audience is surrounded by 30-50 archers, all with crossbows at the ready. From the back of the stage, a lich comes forward. You are all to be used as a sacrifice to give life to a new lich. Can your party stop the cult and save the audience? 27: In a village far to the north, a group of onlookers gawk at the sky (your PC's included). They've always seen the northern lights over head, but never as spectacular as this! With mixes of purple, blue, and green bands intertwining and coalescing throughout the sky, the whole village is lit up by the bright light. But it looks as if the bands are getting....closer. slowly but steadily coming closer to the ground. Finally, as the bands of light sit just above the buildings in the town, you realize: each of these bands of light are a colossal cloud of wisps, at least a billion in number. 28: at the invitation of a royal gnome tinkerer, your party meets along with at least 20 other adventurers in a palace carved into a mountain. The gnome steps forward and speaks to you all: "I have called all of you here today because I need a crew of the bravest, strongest adventurers that this world has to offer. For I have developed a revolutionary new form of travel that will take us to places never seen before!" "I call it, the Star Sailor!" 29: The local university hires the party as body guards for a scholar who is transporting his revelatory research to the capitol. During the journey, the scholar is assassinated, and his research is stolen. Now the party themselves are the subject of much suspicion. If they can solve the mystery of the assassination and recover the research, their names will be cleared. 30: After going to sleep for the night in their separate domiciles, the PCs share a vivid dream. They open their eyes to discover they have all somnambulated to a small shrine to a forgotten God, in the nearby countryside. This group of strangers, frightened and confused, wonders why they were called. 31: In recent years a new phenomenon has cropped up: people throughout the land are being born with strange patterns on their skin. The PCs, each having a perfect holy symbol on their back, have been gathered at the temple for examination.
The PCs are all freelancers, and a mutual contact (a Fixer) has found a job for them which requires all their unique talents. They have to meet with the employer's representative (Mr. Johnson) to receive details and their initial payment. The location in question is at the docks, as the person will be departing on a ship immediately after the meeting. They are given details on how they will get paid after that.
There's a good reason this one doesn't start in a tavern. All of the PCs have run afoul of the gang that runs the local, and they have to either side with that gang's enemies (who aren't the PCs' biggest fans either), or somehow repair their reputation.
All of the PCs are in the employ of an eccentric wizard who does not leave his tower. Prior to this, they had never directly met - but a murder has taken place and their employer needs information to solve the crime. (Nero Wolfe)
You're an ex-military unit of Lawful Good PCs, and you found out that the general and his staff worship Bane (or another LE deity). Being the only witnesses to the evil, you are convicted of a crime you didn't commit. The campaign starts on the caravan to jail. (A-Team)
All of the party is on the same boat voyage, whether across a sea or an ocean, when the boat is attacked by pirates. If they're not defeated the pirates steal trade goods while their leader gives an intimidating speech on the other boat. The party now knows a) there are pirates, and b) what the leader of the pirates in this area looks like. Any NPCs on the boat spread word of the party's deeds when they reach land.
A scholar of the ancient, extinct cyclops race hired the PC's as body guards. They were ancient warriors who were immortal and had the ability to see briefly ahead in time. They became larger, stronger, and able to see farther into the future as they became older. You travel with him to the ancient cyclops ruins of one of their largest cities. After traveling a day and a half just to reach the center of the city, you arrive upon a circle that looks like it used to be a stadium of some sort. After walking into the center, he pulls a large vial from out of his coat, and smashes it on the ground at your feet. Suddenly, the buildings around you rematirialize, and your surrounded by a large group of extremely surprised cyclops, currently in the middle of a political meeting. You've been sent eons back to the past. Will you attempt to find the reason for their downfall, and try and save them? Or will you try and find your way back, ignoring their future demise?
A country with an incredibly storied past is known to pay adventurers VERY well, due to a long history of them being saved from peril by legendary heroes and dragon slayers. Word has spread of a highly organized group of kobolds terrorizing this country. They are not merely raiding trade caravans, their isolating settlements, taking over whole towns and making the citizens slaves. The PC's meet at the capital either to help, or earn easy money. They are tasked with taking out a nearby kobold compound, scouring the capital and probing it for weaknesses. They have been ordered to take back the kobold warchief head as proof of their deed, which will adorn a spike on the city wall.
Before leaving, the king sends his personal body guard, a rangerogue to lead you to this compound. He seems extremely reluctant at first, but the king forces him to go. He tries his best to stay as far from combat as possible, almost like hes looking to bolt at the nearest opportunity. During the course of the encounter, the kobold warchief catches the party by surprise, swinging a battle axe straight at the bodyguards head. The battleaxe literally cracks in half, with the bodyguard not even flinching. He immediately reaches behind on instinct and grabs the kobolds head, crushing it into pieces inside it's plated helm. After the party questions him, he reveals that he is actually an ancient brass dragon, as old as the country itself. He considers the country his home, and loves being a part of the humans. He has often protected them, or even spinned tails of himself defeating dragons that had been terrorizing the area, bringing back one of his own scales as proof. Almost every legendary warrior in the countries history was actually him, in human form. This kobold threat is new, though. They are the slaves of a red dragon, who heard tales that an ancient brass dragon had been hiding here. He wants to take him and his country as his slaves. It is up to the party to fight him and his slave army back, alongside the brass dragon.
The party has been conscripted to fend off a cult from overthrowing the local lord. The general of the army and the lord are vassals of a corrupt, failing dynasty.
Mad Margull’s Mysterious Menagerie and Miracles Show is in crisis – all the performers are desperately ill from the basilisk egg soufflé. So, the party meets as stand-in performers providing: Stunning Showcases of Strength and Stamina, Amazing Aerial Acrobatic Acts, Spine-tingling Sorcerous Summonings, Stupendous Stories and Songs, Accurate Archery of Apples atop Audience heads, and *Complete Conversations with Crabapple Trees…Tonight only!!!! Curtains close and the wagon cabin surrenders to darkness. The group of complete strangers ringed around the table links hands and are encouraged concentrate…concentrate…concentrate. The crystal sphere centered atop the table begins to glow, and the séance begins…
Doing their civic duty, the party joins together as an impromptu jury in a witchcraft trial.
Seeking free drinks, each has joined in as laborers at a brewery and wine-making faire.
A bolt of lightning sparks from the sky to the top of an individual and jumps from person to person in a busy market. For a moment all five (Four? Three?) people are enveloped in light and joined by lightning bolts. Afterwards, they appear unhurt and undamaged. Why them?
Each PC has a flashback to an event in there past that could have ended catastrophically but at the last second something happened. (Almost fell asleep on guard duty, and would have missed the Assassin comeing for the king. Or playing with a friend as a child they bump into an oil lamp in a barn.) But in the vision everything falls apart and they see themselves saying "I would give anything to..." after a voice in there head says "I've come to collect."
The annual goblin hunt contest. The local town gets together once a year, everyone signs up and is put on a random team. (The players are on the same team, but it was random) The goal is kill as many goblin's as you can. The time of the event Sundown to Sunrise, and takes place in the forest. Each person has two Firefly jar's attached to them to prevent friendly fire.
A meteor strikes the town next to yours a hour ago, the local guard is are asking any willing body's to help with the rescue, and see what happened.
A carriage large enough for the party pulls up and the door opens to let you in. There’s no one driving, no one inside and the carriage is pulled by skeleton horses. Do you get in?
You've all woken up in a grave yard, in holes 6 feet deep. One of you is currently having dirt shoveled on you.
The PCs were all hired by different people to do the same job. When they run into each other at the job site, the first question is "Why is this job so important that so many people are willing to pay for it?"
The PCs were all hired by the same person to do several different jobs at the same time. Each PC also received a note only to be opened when their job is done. That note gives the name of another PC (no two notes have the same name) and an offer to double their payment if they kill that person. (Best to save this one for groups that are okay at handling inter-party conflict, of course...)
The PCs were all members of the same criminal gang. They're picked by the boss to carry out an assignment. When they come home, the city guard/police have swarmed over the gang's hideout. One of the guards/cops is holding a list of known members. Time to relocate.
Each party member books passage on a ship heading for a local city. Each is on his or her own business. They're caught in a rift/wild magic surge/whatever you want and instead of docking at the target destination, the ship puts into a port far, far away from the original destination. From there, they can be in trouble because it's an enemy country, they can't get back because they don't have enough money, or some other hook you like to keep them there. This could also work with a merchant caravan or some other group travel method. large pieces of hostile geography could serve to keep the PCs in the new location at least for the beginning of the campaign.
Party meets in a casino. They're suckered, either together or individually, such that they owe more than they can pay to the casino's owner who is also a local fixer. He's on the hook to map out a stretch of dangerous, unknown country, however large you want. To get rid of that problem, he offers to outfit the party with what they need, including a cartographer if no one has a compatible background, and then bullies them into performing the mapping mission to clear their debt. From there, they can run into whatever hooks you need to start your campaign somewhere in the wild. and if they abandon the mapping mission as a result, then they have a villain chasing them (the casino owner) who can pop up when they least expect it.
For a less-then-good party (depends on each character's back story): The party is in prison, working at hard labor. They know each other's names, but not much more. they're on the same work detail, working outside the prison walls. Farming near a swamp, mining in a guarded shaft, farming in harsh weather conditions near a large forest. Take your pick. A monster runs through the work detail, killing the guards but leaving the party alive. Or a wild magic storm, or a war party from the local bandits or a neighboring but hostile country. Bottom line: guards are gone or dead, the coast is clear. Each party member is on the hook for a long sentence, guilty or not is up to you and their back story. They can get basic equipment off the bodies of the fallen guards and then it can either be a quiet escape into a nearby city from where they need to book passage out as quickly as possible...or a wild chase through a swamp or forest being pursued by angry guards and tracking dogs. They can escape outright or find a helpful NPC who hides them while dropping the first hook to your campaign in the process.
The party are all young adults in the same family. If races become a problem, then remember adoption as part of the back story. A low-rank noble family is easiest since those kids would be trained in straight D&D classes as part of their education -- knight, ranger, cleric, even wizard. rogues could be rogue-centric rangers or they could be bad-boy nobles who spend too much time with the wrong crowd in the local city so they actually develop first-level rogue skills. A creative backstory is required for each character. Once that's done, then something happens to the family. A patriarch is convicted of treason, the family is ruined and cast adrift. Or the kids unwittingly commit a crime -- they hurt the son of a local king, they accidentally release some long lost horror that was being kept beneath the family castle. Two other directions might be a peasant family, though this will require some creative back story-ing for why an entire family of peasants would be trained in non-serf skills. but if you can work that out, then the village could be ransacked or the family could go bankrupt forcing the oldest kids to hire on as caravan guards or something to support themselves and the family. The final direction would be an upper-crust noble family. Princes and princesses of a major nation. A coup casts the family out and the campaign is about regaining the throne.
The party are all low-level employees of a local thieves guild. They don't have to all be thieves. Fighters can be enforcers. priests can be back-room healers. wizards can be tool makers or simply in debt to the guild master and trading services for debt-reduction. again, dependent on a character-specific back story. The campaign starts when the players attend some kind of general meeting -- they're all at the neighborhood capo's tavern on separate business maybe (paying debts, paying tribute, reporting on operations, etc). A rival thieves guild suddenly attacks, mostly wiping out the PC's guild. The PC's an a very small number of unknown other survive and must escape the city before the rival guild finds and neutralizes them. That's why they stick together. They can run towards your first campaign hook if you make it part of one of their back stories, or they can run for the nearest safe haven and encounter the first campaign hook there.
(From DND memes, which got it from tumblr user probablyfunrpgideas) The players are a squad of government investigators, trying to prevent monsters from claiming new habitat. Making sure abandoned properties are sold and dont remain vacant too long, trying to keep people from stockpiling loads of alchemical/magical ingredients in one place, etc. Its mainly negotiation, but sometimes people have an interest in attracting dangerous entities for their own purposes.
Maybe your party dies in the middle of a campaign, maybe they died separately of natural causes. Either way they all "wake up" next to each other, in a cold and bleak mirror image of the regular world. You can all feel it in your bones. Something is coming. You have only minutes to talk and prepare before whatever it is will be there.
As it gets closer, you can make out what is on it's way. A creature standing at least eighteen feet tall is shambling awkwardly towards you. It is vaguely humanoid, with three legs of slightly different lengths all jutting from a central point at where it's pelvis would be. It has six arms, four of which are holding human sized cages (it can be more if the party is larger than this). It's hands bend in the opposite direction of a normal humans, curling sickly out from it's body. The body itself is deathly pale and malnourished, clearly showing the veins and musculature beneath the skin. It has a normal head, but is absent a face. It has sunken in skin where it's eyes would be, with cracks covered in dried blood at the center. A long, jagged crack in the skin also stretches across where the mouth would be. A spike twice the length of a spear is stabbed downward through the creatures ribcage. At the upper half of the spear, a lantern with a blue flame is attached. If the players manage to steal the lantern or kill the creature (it may be large and swing pretty hard, but it is practically unable to avoid attacks with its awkward gait and has no outside armor whatsoever. Removing the lantern from the creature will cause it to immediately drop to the ground, lifeless.), they will discover that releasing the flame sends them back to the material plane, in the middle of the wilderness. The lantern is still with whoever opened it, albeit it's no longer lit. They just managed to do something no other living being has ever done. They have obtained one of the lantern of the collectors, a literally priceless artifact that can bring people back from the dead, and traverse the dead realms. Now they just have to figure out how it works.
Strange groups of identical looking adventurers have started roaming the country, taking on assignments for very little money. You gotta figure out who they are, where they came from, and how to stop them before they take all your work.
A fallout new Vegas one. Basically the group all wake up in a doctors office with no memory, only a letter explaining they were delivering something to a location.
In the central city of the empire/nation, during a major celebration, the king is assassinated, and resurrection spells fail when cast on him. There is a major bounty placed on discovering why.
Your party is a bunch of strangers that has been framed for a crime. Now your group has to work together to prove their innocence and put the real culprits behind bars!
All members of party are found in strange place.. no floor, no ceiling, no nothing. They are just floating around. Suddenly, man dressed in black suit walks in, and proposes a deal. The party is going to hell either way, but if they help him out, he might secure them a way back to mortal realm.
All the PC's are in a huge open air bazaar in the center of a large desert fortress town (they do not need to know each other or be shopping together). Suddenly, a young boy (early teens) comes crashing down through an awning of a nearby stall, a short sword in one hand (still sheathed) as a merchant and several of the local guard chase him yelling "Stop, thief!"
The party is all half human and half other races looking for their shared parent.
All members of your party are part of the town guard. Monster attacks have been on the rise lately and a nest of goblins/orcs/whatever has been discovered and your party has been sent to wipe them out (along with other soldiers who, alas, don't make it.)
The PC’s all meet in a gnomish tinkers shop, looking to get their pocket watches repair. Oddly they all have pocket watches that have stopped on the exact same time.
All the PCs are going about their own business in the market square. Suddenly time stops and everyone and everything is frozen for 3 minutes, apart from the PCs.
All the PCs meet out in a field next to a large flat topped rock, having received a note to be there at this specified time and date. A flapping gushing sound starts softly getting louder and louder until thud, a body from the sky hits the rock. Clasped in the bodies hand is a note which reads ‘avenge me’.
Here are two facts you should probably know: Fact the first: When a human being is driven into a corner, you should never underestimate the levels of stupid and dangerous they will resort to in order to escape. Fact the second: If a deal seems too good to be true, it is. Normally, I wouldn't be the kind of guy you should be taking advice from. If I wrote an autobiography, it'd be called "Jesus Wept." But in this very specific instance, I have some valuable experience. It started, as most tragic stories tend to, with a series of short-sighted mistakes. About a decade or so back, I was a few years out of college and trying to build a life for myself. I was single, educated, and driven - all the qualities someone needs to succeed in life. Well, not the "single" part, but you get the idea. I had prospects, some real potential - but, like Oscar Wilde once said, I can resist anything except temptation. Yeah. I was an English major. I didn't get hooked on meth or porn or anything like that. No, my vice was the thrill of chance. Gambling was the greatest rush I'd ever experienced - just giving up control, letting the gods of probability and randomness decide your fate. I got hooked, kept going to those damn casinos night after night. Looking back, I was naive, I was foolish. It'd take an idiot, blinded by a lust for sensation, to not realise another crucial fact: the house always - I repeat, always - wins. To make a long, painful story short, at the tender age of 24 the local pit bosses had taken me for all I was worth and then some. As a result, I was indebted to some unsavoury characters who were not all that keen on giving me some leeway on the money I owed them. I managed to pull together just shy of a hundred dollars in a week doing odd jobs, but that was a fraction of a fraction of what I was in for. At the time, it seemed like a better idea to just piss away what money I had at a local bar rather than carrying on my sad little exercise in futility. So that's exactly what I did, and by virtue of a few gallons of the cheapest spirits you can possibly imagine, I can't remember a great deal of what happened after that. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in a puddle behind the bar, having been turfed out for making an ass of myself. The electric buzz of the neon signs above my head felt like I was taking a power drill to the frontal lobe, while the cold, filthy water below my face helped to sober me up a smidgen. Just enough to make me aware. It was right then, in my lowest possible moment, that I met him. "Hey there, buddy," He said, his voice pleasantly cheerful and melodic, "You look like you need a helping hand. Thankfully, I've got two." There was a gentle tug on both of my shoulders, pulling me upright. He leaned me against a wall; I could finally take a better look at him. To begin with, I wondered if I was hallucinating. He seemed so strange, so out of place. My Good Samaritan was about six and a half feet tall, but he was built like a pack of uncooked spaghetti. A long, lean, string bean of a man. That being said, the black-and-white pinstripe suit he was wearing still somehow managed to be form-fitting, like it was just painted directly onto a featureless body. Above his collar - fastened to the top button and held in place by a large and ugly bow-tie - sat a pale, grinning head with black hair parted in the middle. Truth be told, my initial thought after properly taking in the sight of him was as follows: holy shit, I died in that puddle, and this is death himself come to collect my pathetic soul. Sadly, that was not the case, I was, in fact, still alive. "There we are, pal, that's a lot better, isn't it?" He said, kneeling down on his long, rail-thin legs to look me in the eye, "We'll have you feeling like a million bucks in no time. Never fear!" While back then I just assumed that it was my drunken mind playing tricks on me, I remember his eyes seeming strangely...yellowish. They had a kind of jaundiced sheen to them, like sclera and iris just melted together into a single, formless mass. Eyes like goddamn egg yolks. "It's always such a shame to catch folks in a pickle, such a shame," He said, largely to himself, I think, "Whatever happened to helping people out, you know? It's a good feeling." "Who are you?" I managed to choke out. The kind stranger smiled and turned his sulphuric eyes towards me. "You're asking the wrong person there, amigo, I'd tell you if I knew. Honest!" He replied with a laugh, "What's your name, though?" "Nate," I said, wondering if I was about to vomit or not, "Nate Wilson." "Oh my god, that's such an awesome name!" The stranger said, as the sudden explosion of interest on his face told me that he wasn't faking his misplaced enthusiasm, "Nate Wilson. It has a ring to it, don't you think? God, what a great name. You're a lucky guy, Nate. Lucky to have such a great name." "Uhh, thanks, I guess." There was a long, awkward silence after that. I sure as hell didn't know what to say, and the stranger seemed more than content to just stand there and stare at me, grinning like a freak. It felt like it was my responsibility to break that irritating silence. "Look, I really appreciate you helping me, buddy..." I began. "Wait, you consider us buddies?" He asked. His tone was, at that stage, ambiguous. "I mean, you saved me from breathing alley-water, so I guess so, yeah." This might seem hard to believe, because I definitely didn't believe it at the time, but the stranger literally jumped up into the air and whooped loudly. A grown man, behind a dive bar, doing that. It was like something out of a strange dream that your one boring friend always wants to tell you about. "This is fantastic!" He said, grinning ear to ear like he'd just won the fucking lottery, "It's so wonderful to make new friends!" He extended a spindly arm towards me, his hand open and his spidery fingers outstretched. "Put her there, friendo." He said. And because that night wasn't weird enough already, you better believe I did. "That's what I'm talking about," He said with another childish cackle, pulling me to my feet with disarming levels of strength, "Through the power of friendship, anything is possible." Sure, he may have spoken like his only experience with the outside world was watching Saturday morning cartoons, but he seemed innocent enough. A benign weirdo, just trying to help people along his way. Though I must admit, the fact he was reluctant to tell me his name was somewhat of a red flag for me. "Now, I'm going to be completely honest with you, Nate," He began, his amber gaze turned downwards in what might have been embarrassment, "There was a reason I followed you out here. It wasn't just a stroke of good luck." My heart immediately sank. I knew he was too good to be true - this was when he stabbed me, cut me up, wore my skin as a suit and turned the rest of me into a makeshift lasagna. Nobody was ever that happy at that hour of the night if they had all their psychological ducks in a row. "Well, if you're being honest," I said, swaying on my feet, still too drunk to defend myself, "Would that reason happen to be my murder?" He seemed shocked at first, then began to laugh. "Do you think a murderer would be this friendly?" He asked. "Molestation, then?" "Jesus, no way, Nate. You're a good-looking guy, don't get me wrong, but you're not really my type." "Then what does a guy like you have to do with a guy like me?" I asked, the needle on my internal emotive scale creeping from 'curious' to 'irritated.' "Well..." He paused again, as though searching for the proper words. He was looking at everything but me. "The bar," He finally said, "How much of what happened in there do you remember?" "Somewhere in the margin of nothing, I think." I said, now leaning against the wall for support. "You were talking to the bartender. Loudly," He said, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet, "I wasn't eavesdropping, not at all, I just happened to overhear. You were talking about some kind of...money troubles." I'd almost forgotten about them myself, but the second he said it, all the memories came barreling into me like some nauseating tidal wave. I'd ranted and raved, screamed at the top of my lungs. Debt. Debt. Debt. I got belligerent when I felt they weren't showing me enough sympathy, and when I got belligerent, I was rightly thrown out on my inebriated ass. "Oh, don't worry about those," I said, my cheeks reddening with shame, "That's not your problem. I'll deal with it." "But Nate, you didn't sound like you could deal with it." "What the hell is it to you?" I snapped back. The stranger stopped talking, and began reaching into his jacket. I got a sudden flash of paranoia that he worked for one of the casinos, and he was going to put a bullet between my eyes. "You're my best friend, Nate," He said, "And friends are meant to help each other out of sticky situations, aren't they?" He produced a stack of bills from a pocket inside his suit, and passed it over to me. "Will this be enough?" He asked. It was at this point that I was most open to the idea of this all being some crazy dream. With the ferocity of a madman, I quickly counted the money this total stranger, calling me his best friend, had handed to me. Twenty-fucking-grand. It could bail me out, and then some. "Holy shit," I said, though I can't remember if it was out loud or in my head, "I...I can't possibly accept this." "Please do," He said with another ear-to-ear grin, "You need it an awful lot more than I do." A sober me might have been too proud to indulge him, but - funnily enough - drunk me had a far more realistic take on my level of desperation. I was a desperate, desperate man, trapped in a corner. Fact the first: When a human being is driven into a corner, you should never underestimate the levels of stupid and dangerous they will resort to in order to escape. "But why?" Was the only question I could summon. He smiled and shrugged. "Because I like you," He said, "And I like helping people." "But you've only just met me." "So what? A friend is a friend is a friend. Why overthink it?" I collapsed back against the wall, holding the stranger's twenty grand. It was a way out of my dire situation. "I'll pay you back. Every penny, with fucking interest, I swear to god." I said. The stranger laughed. "No need. I've got no shortage of money. Just take it and bail yourself out, okay? Then promise me you'll stop gambling." There were big, swollen tears running down my burning cheeks. The stranger's kindness was baffling, but it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever experienced. He was a true Saint in flesh and blood. "I'll never gamble another penny." I said. Without another word, I lunged forward and hugged him. A long, warm, tight embrace. By the end, I could feel his emaciated limbs wrapped across my back. "Thank you so much." I whispered, my tears dripping onto the shoulder of his suit. "What are friends for, right?" When I finally prized myself off of him, I just couldn't stop laughing - it was nerves, probably. The stranger watched me, a kind of eccentric joy burning in his big, yellow eyes. He seemed to like just observing. "Oh, one more thing," He said, reaching into his jacket again, "A little something I wrote up in the bar, just to help you out." He passed me a piece of paper, folded into the size of a pamphlet. I didn't even think to check it at the time, I just shoved it into the pocket of my filthy coat and carried on thanking him. I needed that money, lord knows I did, but I couldn't just take it without giving something in return. "There must be something you want, man," I pleaded, palms open in deference to his generosity, "Anything. I owe you my life, man, you just name your price. I can't thank you enough." The stranger grinned and stroked his narrow chin in contemplation. "Now that's an irresistible offer," He said, almost jokingly, "You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Wilson. Leave it with me, okay? I'm sure I'll think of something." He began walking away after that, whistling - of all things - "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" as he did so. Now I was laughing again. Half out of giddiness, half in acknowledgement of the sheer strangeness of the events transpiring around me. Right then, as I sat outside a shitty bar, covered in dirty water, my own tears, and more than a little puke, I was the luckiest human being on the planet, "What do you give to the man who has everything?" I said aloud. The stranger looked over his shoulder at me one more time, his odd eyes meeting mine. "Almost everything, Nate," He corrected, "Almost everything." And just like that, the stranger was gone. Almost funny, isn't it? How someone like that can have such a profound impact on your life, then just up and disappear just as quickly. Like a comet, just trailing past. You only catch its light for a brief instant, then it's dark again. Using the stranger's money, I paid off my gambling debts in full, and still had a little left over. I swore to stick to my promise, for my own sake and his. In the ten years that've passed since that day, I haven't gambled a cent. Once I was all square with the house, I finally took a moment to check the piece of paper that he'd left me with. At first I only sort of skimmed it, and it didn't make a great deal of sense to me: just a list of dates from 2007 to 2017, each accompanied by a sentence fragment. It was only when I sat down and took a long, hard look at what those fragments actually were that I realised the stranger couldn't possibly have been human. No, he was so much more than that. It was a list of instructions, specific down to the days, minutes, hours, and seconds. Where to be and what to do in order to maximise success at that given moment. He'd left stock tips for companies that didn't exist, but would come into existence exactly when he'd predicted they would. He'd left exact instructions on which house to buy, and how to get it at the best price. Clothes to wear, jobs to take, friends to make. Fifth of October, 2009. Go to Starbucks in town. Meet Jessie O'Brien. 3:51:17 PM. Two years later, Jessie O'Brien became Jessie Wilson. The stranger had even engineered me meeting the love of my goddamn life, precise to the exact second we'd first make eye contact. I invested in the right stocks and pulled out of the wrong ones, avoiding company deaths and market crashes like some financial Houdini. My capital skyrocketed and my personal wealth just grew greater and greater. Eighth of June, 2011. Buy House 10 Aspen Way. Don't Rent. 6:14:43 PM. And so I did. Jessie and I moved into that big, gorgeous house once our honeymoon was over. We were wealthy, healthy, and deeply in love - but something was missing, something the stranger had accounted for, too. Seventeenth of August, 2012. Conceive child with Jessie. 8:31:19 PM. Our little girl is called April. The stranger picked it, not me. She's four now, and I love her with all my heart. The stranger, a man who I'd known for less than an hour, had steered the entire course of my life in the best possible direction, out of nothing more than the kindness of his heart. He'd saved me, he'd saved all of us. Even though it'd been ten years since that day and I was drunk out of my mind at the time, I remember every detail vividly. That's why, as I was walking down the street this morning - my arms full of grocery bags - when I heard someone singing "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows" a few feet behind me, I recognised the voice instantly. "Sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows, everything that's wonderful is what I feel when we're together!" His melodic voice sang, his tone screaming joviality, "Brighter than a lucky penny, when you're near the rain just disappears, dear, and I feel so fine!" Without a moment's hesitation, I turned to face him. It looked like that strange, strange man hadn't aged a day in an entire decade. He even wore that same pinstriped suit that he had on the first night I met him. "Just to know that you are mine." He finished the verse with a smile, and threw open his arms. "Jesus Christ," I said, my face cracking into a smile impossible to hide, "It's actually you." "The one and only, baby," He said with a laugh and a grandiose hand gesture, "How's Jessie, by the way?" I opened my mouth to answer, but he raised a hand, as though to politely silence me. "I'm sorry to drop in after - gosh, has it really been ten years? Jeez Louise, time really does tend to get away from me," He said, "Anyway, the reason I'm here is because I finally figured out what I wanted from you." "Beg your pardon?" "Ten years ago, you said you owed me something, anything," He replied, though I almost heard it back in my own voice as he said it, "I couldn't decide at the time, but I think I know now." "Oh, of course! That's wonderful to hear, man," I said, my heart filled with a sudden trepidation, "So, uh, what is it you want?" The stranger gave that same ear-to-ear grin that he was wearing back behind the dive bar in 2007. "Well, I've thought about it for a long time, amigo, and I've finally made my decision," He said, "I know what I want from you, Nate." He paused to take a step closer to me. His eyes were just as golden in the daylight. "I want your name, Nate." I almost laughed to begin with, but I soon realised he wasn't joking. He was deadly serious. "My name?" "Yes, Nate, I've always loved your name, it's so wonderful," He said, wringing his hands with glee, "See, I've never had a name myself, and it's always left me feeling a little left out, you know? I've wanted a name for so long, and I decided just recently that the name I want is yours. I think it'll fit me just right." This man had given me my entire life. He saved me from getting killed by casino sharks back in '07, and every wonderful success I'd had since I owed entirely to his decade-long itinerary. With all this in mind, who was I to turn him down this last batshit crazy request? If he wanted to go around calling himself Nate Wilson too, what right did I have to stop him? "Sure thing, buddy." I said with a smile. He leaned forward and embraced me, almost crushing the groceries against my chest. "You have no idea how happy you've made me." "It's the least I can do after all you've done for me." I replied. The stranger - or rather, Nate Wilson - extended another spidery hand towards me. "Let's shake on it." He said, his voice elated. And I did. We went our separate ways after that. I walked home, and he ran off into the city, singing and cackling with mirth. It brought me some peace of mind to know that my debt to him was finally repaid, and that some simple token gesture was all that I needed to do it. When I arrived back at 10 Aspen Way, I saw April playing around with her toy lawnmower in the front yard. I smiled and called to her, but she didn't respond. She was too wrapped up in her fictitious duties. I made my way inside with the groceries. Jessie was in the kitchen, cutting up carrots. Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows blasted out of the radio. Today just kept getting weirder and weirder. "Hey, babe," I called to her, putting the groceries on the kitchen table, "You'll never guess who I ran into this morning." Jessie didn't respond. She just carried on chopping, and hummed to the tune. "Babe? Everything okay?" I asked. Still no response. At this point, I was beginning to get a little...worried. With a peculiar heaviness to my every movement, I walked over to Jessie, and placed a tentative hand on her shoulder. It just went straight through. Straight though her goddamn body - like she was a hologram, or I was. I recoiled with a short, sharp yelp, and fell against the kitchen table. Again, no response from Jessie. What the hell had happened? "Honey, I'm home!" I heard a familiar voice call from the hallway outside. Jessie suddenly perked up, turning her head towards the noise. "Hi, sweetie," She said, "You were a while out there. I was beginning to get worried." The stranger walked into the kitchen, a smile stretched across his waxen face. "Sorry about that, honey-bunny," He said, "I met an old friend in town. We had a little catch-up." As he said that last part, he threw me a sickening wink with one of his piss-yellow peepers. "Huh," Jessie said, "Anyone I know?" She leaned forward and gave the stranger a kiss. The kind of kiss she always gave me. "Nah," The stranger said with a chuckle, "I don't think you've ever met him." I felt like my mind was going to implode. Nothing going on was making any kind of goddamn sense. The whole world had gone crazy. April called from outside, something about the grass. "You mind taking over the carrots for a sec, babe?" Jessie said to the stranger, "I better go check on April." "No problem, honey." He said, taking the knife from her hand and giving her another kiss. Jessie left the room, leaving just me and the stranger, all alone. I quietly fumed, and he chopped carrots. "What the fuck is going on?" I finally asked him, when I'd gained the modicum of composure required to do so, "What have you done, you crazy fucking weirdo?" He carried on chopping the carrots. His eyes never left the chopping board. "My name is Nate, stranger," He said, "I'd really appreciate it if you called me by it." In my state of fury, I tried to grab him by the shoulder and turn him to face me. I could actually touch him, but he wouldn't budge. It was like trying to move a mountain. "That's my name. This is my house. And that's my wife," I said to him, rage and confusion rendering my voice a crackly mess, "I want you out of here and out my life." The stranger chuckled. "See, that's where you're wrong, slick. All that changed hands," He said, "This is Nate Wilson's house. Jessie is Nate Wilson's wife, and this is Nate Wilson's life. And, by the terms of our recent deal, I'm Nate Wilson. And you, good buddy? You're nobody." "I won't accept that." I yelled, slamming my hand down onto the kitchen countertop. Without another word, Nate Wilson rammed the knife through my hand. There was no pain, no blood. It just phased through, as though I no longer even existed. "Word to the wise, stranger, reality marches on regardless of whether you accept it," He said, as I pulled my hand away from the knife, "Everything you have, everything you've tricked yourself into believing you earned, you got from my instructions. You never owned this life, stranger, you just rented it from me, piece by piece. Now, it's mine, and there's not a thing you can do about it." He stuck the knife into the chopping board and turned around to me. "Except, of course, leave, and let me, my wife, and my daughter get on with our lives. Do you understand, stranger?" I stood in crushing silence for a minute or two. "But can I see them again?" "Sure you can, you can see them any time you like, but only I can see you. Just like, up until around an hour ago, only you could see me. It doesn't feel good, does it? Being nobody. Being nameless." The gravity of it all was finally closing in. I fell onto my ass and began to cry. "God, I was so fucking stupid," I said, "How did I fall for all this?" Nate Wilson shrugged and ate a piece of carrot. "Don't blame yourself, buddy," He said, "I was waiting for centuries before I found someone who I could interact with. It isn't your fault you happened to be that person, or that you had such an awesome name at the time." "My name..." "You were only going to waste it, friendo. If I wasn't there that night, a heavy would have broken your legs the next day, you'd have gotten into painkillers, and OD'd a few months later. Nate Wilson becomes gravestone fodder. What a waste that would have been, huh?" "But what do I do now?" "What I did, stranger," Nate Wilson said, eating another piece of carrot with undue relish, "Ask around, find someone you can talk to. Might be this afternoon, who knows? Sure, could be a week, month, year, decade, century, but I'm an eternal optimist." "A century?" I said, trying to ebb the stream of tears flowing out of me, "I can't wait that long." "You'd be surprised, pal. Patience is something you'll learn, being nameless. When you finally do manage to wrangle yourself a name, you'll appreciate it a little more this time. You'll make something of yourself." Fact the second: If a deal seems too good to be true, it is. "So is that it?" I asked, "Is that all you have for me?" Nate Wilson nodded. "I'm afraid so, good buddy," He said, "But you seem like a nice enough guy. I'm sure you'll figure something out. You can always depend on the kindness of strangers, don't you know." As the man who had just stolen my entire existence carried on hacking up vegetables, I left the room, walking out of the kitchen, through the hallway, then out of the house entirely. I stole one last look at Jessie and April, my - no, his - family, playing on the lawn, totally carefree. All smiles. They'd never even know that I was gone. Perhaps it was better that way, no heartache. I whispered a goodbye that they'd never hear, and closed my eyes in a pointless attempt to shut off the tears I knew would be coming either way. I set off into the city after that, walking alone, in search of something - hell, anything - to call myself. And that was that. The story of my un-naming. Perhaps Nate was right, perhaps it was his life all along. Maybe he'll live it better, live it kinder. He might be a better father, a better husband, a better Nate. I don't feel so attached to that name anymore. But, if you know all this now, that means one good thing: you can read what I'm writing. If you can read my words, perhaps you can hear them? And if you can hear them, perhaps you can reply. If so, I hope to hear from you soon. We have a lot to talk about, you and I, a lot to discuss. I think I can do some great things for you, dear reader, dear friend. I'll help you out of any bind you need, and I'll barely ask for anything in return. Barely anything at all... X
What's happening around town (Wed, Mar 4th - Tue, Mar 10th)
Tulsa's event list.
Wednesday, Mar 4th
😂 Brendan Eyre(Loony Bin - Tulsa) Thru Sat, Mar 7th
♪ Brown Bag It: Finnegans Awake(Tulsa Performing Art Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 12:10pm The Brown Bag It free noontime concert series at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center happens the first Wednesday of the month. The series features some of Oklahoma’s finest professional musicians performing in the PAC's Westby Pavilion. This month is local band Finnegans Awake.
Build A Reader: Stay and Play(Owasso Library - Owasso) Start Time: 11:00am Playing is learning! Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills. For ages birth-5.
Build A Reader: Stay and Play(Zarrow Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 11:00am For babies, toddlers and preschoolers, playing is learning! Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills.
Build A Reader Storytime: Babies & Toddlers(Tulsa City County Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:00am Ready, set, READ! This beginning storytime focuses on helping your baby or toddler develop important literacy skills while emphasizing the fun of reading.
Build A Reader Storytime: Babies & Toddlers(Zarrow Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:30am Bring your babies for bubbles and books, and your toddlers for trikes and tales! Our songs, stories, games and activities will aid in developing your child's early literacy skills.
Build A Reader Storytime: Family(Jenks, OK - Jenks) Start Time: 10:30am Bring the whole family for this 0-to-5 storytime! Thereâs something for everyone â simple songs and books for the little ones, more interactive stories and activities for your older children.
Build a Reader Storytime: Preschool(Owasso Library - Owasso) Start Time: 10:00am The best in children's literature, songs, games, finger plays, rhymes and other reading-related activities are shared with your preschooler. For ages 3-5.
Build A Reader Storytime: Toddlers(Hardesty Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:00am Join us for songs, stories and movements geared to your toddler.
C.J. Box - Master of the Modern Western(IDL Ballroom - Tulsa) Start Time: 7:00pm Magic City Books is proud to welcome bestselling author C.J. Box in celebration of his 20th novel in the Joe Pickett series, Long Range. This is a ticketed event, each ticket includes one (1) copy of Long Range and one (1) seat at the event on Wednesday March 4 at IDL Ballroom (230 East First Street). There is a limit of four (4) tickets per…
🎓 Tulsa Collegiate Career Fair - Tulsa Collegiate Career Fair(Donald Reynolds Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 1:00pm Held annually, the Tulsa Collegiate Career Fair is a multi-university event for students and alumni seeking a full-time job, summer internship, or part-time experience in a variety of industries. Recent graduates and alumni of the consortium schools are encouraged to attend. A career fair is an opportunity for you to present yourself…
Dog Play Wednesday presented by AARP Oklahoma(Gathering Place - Tulsa) Start Time: 9:00am Bark your calendars! All day, every Wednesday. But that’s not all! Once a month, Gathering Place will have a special event made just for you and your pup. Keep checking our events schedule to see Pup-coming activities you won’t want to miss. Our tails are wagging just thinking about it! Please note, all dogs must be on a leash. Dogs are not…
♪ Eicher Wednesday featuring Annie Ellicott and Scott McQuade(Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame - Tulsa) Start Time: 7:00pm listening room jazz. $10
🎨 Homeschool Art: Ages 5-8(Philbrook Museum of Art - Tulsa) Start Time: 1:00pm Members: $10 per class $45 for the Spring 2020 Semester Package (all 5 classes) Not-Yet-Members: $15 per class $65 for the Spring 2020 Semester Package (all 5 classes) Join Today NEW THIS YEAR: Both Members & Not-Yet-Members welcome! Homeschool art experiences at Philbrook are specifically designed to provide opportunities for social interaction…
Introduction to Finding Grants(Hardesty Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:00am Are you new to the field of grant seeking? Discover what funders are looking for in nonprofits seeking grants and how to find potential funders in this introductory course. Registration is required.
🎓 Intro to Microsoft Excel: Basics of Excel 2016(Martin Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 2:00pm Learn to create, format, edit, save and print documents in Excel. Starting with the basic tools, weâll cover ways to make documents that not only are functional but appealing.
LitWits' Book Club(Hardesty Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:30pm Join fellow book enthusiasts to discuss "Cherokee America" by Margaret Verble and discover similar authors and titles you may enjoy. For adults.
🎭 Open Auditions for Cast(Tulsa Spotlight Theatre - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:30pm Open Auditions first Wednesday of every month. 6:30pm
♪ Open Session with host Clark Gibson- All Ages(Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame - Tulsa) Start Time: 8:00pm Clark Gibson Director of jazz studies hosts our Open Session. Basic back line is provided. House Yamaha grand piano, jazz drum kit. (Must provide own cymbals and amps). RSVP tickets here
Tulsa Performing Arts Center(Tulsa Performing Art Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 12:00pm Tulsa PAC Brown Bag It series
🎭 Speaking Of Which A Spoken Word Open Mic(Gypsy Coffee House & Cyber Cafe - Tulsa) Start Time: 8:00pm Every Wednesday evening we open our doors to poets, prophets, raconteurs, wordsmiths, and bards, so they may share their original art with the fine people of this city. Sign ups for the open mic portion with be at 7:30pm, the show starts at 8pm
Success with Sourdough(Tulsa Garden Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm Join us with our friends from Dale & Daughter to learn the what, why, & how of creating a successful sourdough starter. In this class by Lacey Wissen, participants will learn about the necessary tools and steps for making bread in addition to the variables that can affect the outcome of bread-making. Everyone will take home their own starter, a…
🎓 Teen Tech Month: Spheros(Rudisill Reginal Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 4:00pm Use code to control Sphero robots and get them through a maze.
🎓 Tom Skinner Science Project(The Colony - Tulsa) Start Time: 8:00pm Science Project 21+ • Tip the Band • Special Guests Weekly
Young @ Heart Book Club for Adults(Helmerich Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 4:00pm This month's book is "After the Shot Drops" by Randy Ribay from the 2020 Intermediate and High School Sequoyah lists.
Thursday, Mar 5th
🎨 Advance Screening: Emma(Circle Cinema - Tulsa) Start Time: 7:00pm Join us at Circle Cinema on Thursday, March 5th at 7:00pm for an advance screening of "EMMA," based on Jane Austen's beloved romantic comedy. Tickets are on sale now. (Regular engagement of Emma at Circle Cinema begins Friday, March 6th - Thursday, March 12th.) About the film: In 1800s England, a well meaning but selfish young woman meddles in…
Tulsa Area Daylily Society - March Meeting(Tulsa Garden Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:30pm Our first meeting of the year will feature Dr. Todd Lasseigne, President & CEO of the Tulsa Botanic Garden. Our members will be bringing their favorite dishes to share, so join us at 6:30 for food and fellowship, and Dr. Lasseigne's presentation will start at 7.
♪ Ben Neikirk(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa) Start Time: 5:00pm
♪ Bounce'n Beethovens(Owasso Library - Owasso) Start Time: 6:30pm Ages 0-5 and parents explore music through movement and instruments as they play with egg shakers, bells, rhythm sticks, drums and maracas in this fun, interactive program. Registration is required. Register online or call 918-549-7323. Please register for only one Bounce'n Beethovens session per month. Register here for Thursday, March 5,…
😂 Brendan Eyre(Loony Bin - Tulsa) Thru Sat, Mar 7th
Build A Reader: Bilingual Baby Storytime(Martin Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 11:00am Join Ms. Emily for stories, rhymes and songs in English and Spanish that help your baby or toddler develop important early literacy skills.
Build A Reader: Stay and Play(Nathan Hale Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 11:00am For babies, toddlers and preschoolers, playing is learning! Join us for games, toys and activities that foster critical early literacy skills.
Build A Reader Storytime: Family(Hardesty Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:30pm Bring the whole family for this 0-to-5 storytime! Thereâs something for everyone â simple songs and books for the little ones, more interactive stories and activities for your older children.
Build A Reader Storytime: Family(Nathan Hale Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:30am Bring the whole family for this 0-to-5 storytime! Thereâs something for everyone â simple songs and books for the little ones, more interactive stories and activities for your older children.
Cacti Soil Workshop by Tulsa Cacti and Succulent Society(Tulsa Garden Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 7:00pm RESCHEDULED FROM FEBRUARY 6. Join us as we learn about components of a good cactus and succulent soil mix! Participants will make their own soil mix with provided materials, and we will compare some top selling pre-bagged soil mixes as well. Let's get our hands dirty and have a great time! Click here to register:…
Celebrate Life(Cox Business Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm LIFE Senior Services presents "Celebrate LIFE" and an evening with complimentary valet and cocktail reception, a gourmet dinner by Chef Devin Levine, CEC, Live and Silent Auctions, Mystery Boxes, Raffle, and musical entertainment by Ayngel and John. The evening's emcee is KJRH Chief Meteorologist Mike Collier. Tickets on sale now.
🎓 D&D Character Creation Workshop Series: Clerics(Zarrow Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm Making player characters is big part of D&D (Dungeons & Dragons). This series guides you through creating the different types of classes in the Player's Handbook (5th ed.) and possibly beyond!
♪ DJ Demko(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa) Start Time: 5:00pm
♪ DJ Vector(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa) Start Time: 6:00pm
♪ DJ Whit(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa) Start Time: 7:00pm
🎡 OK Electric Festival feat Inbal Segev + David Broome Band(Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame - Tulsa) Start Time: 8:00pm Living Arts of Tulsa's annual OK Electric will feature two sets of music for acoustic instruments together with electronic elements. 2020 guest artist is international cello soloist Inbal Segev. Segev will perform works for cello and electronics by composers Missy Mazzoli, Anna Clyne, Gity Razaz, and Dan Cooper, with a world premiere by Noam…
♪ Exile(Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tulsa - Catoosa) Start Time: 8:00pm
🎨 First Thursday Art Show(Dennis R Neill Equality Center - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm Shawna Chisholm is a two-spirit or Transgender Native American woman who has spent her life defending and fighting for the things she believes in; her family, her country, and spreading the ideals of her Native American heritage. She has spent over 30 years in military services and is currently a Warrant Officer in the United States Army, and…
Gaming in the Digital Lounge(Hardesty Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm PS4, Wii, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One ⦠which one will it be? Search through our gaming library in the Digital Lounge and play a few games on a first-come-first-serve basis. For ages 12-18.
Girls Night Out the Show(Hyatt Regency Hotel - Tulsa) Start Time: 8:00pm Girls Night Out, the #1 Ladies Night Event Is Coming to Thursday March 5th! Tickets available through Osage Casino! Get ready for the BEST GIRLS NIGHT EVER! Whether you’re celebrating a Birthday, Bachelorette Party, Divorce, Dirty Thirty or your Sheer Awesome Self; You will meet your party match with “GIRLS NIGHT OUT THE SHOW”! Purchase…
Hands-on Storytime(Tulsa Central Library - Zink Study Room - Tulsa) Start Time: 10:30am Busy hands, busy brain! Preschoolers learn through hands-on activities. We will explore, experiment and create. Be ready to get messy! For ages 3-5 and their caregivers.
Mystery Readers Book Club(Tulsa City County Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 2:00pm Join us for a discussion of our favorite mysteries! We do things a little differently â no special book to read each month. Simply discuss what you've been reading and get suggestions from others.
Pop Up Shop with CM Customs(Mother Road Market - Tulsa) Start Time: 11:00am We’re going to be setting up in The Vault at Mother Road Market for just one day! We will be selling wood and leather earrings, farmhouse home decor, along with Tulsa and Oklahoma items. You’re going to love the selection of items we have. Here’s a little background on CM Customs. We’re a husband and wife ran home based business in…
🎓 Spring Infusion Class(Inner Circle Vodka Bar - Tulsa) Start Time: 6:00pm Our seasonal Infusion class is here with some delicious spring themed infused liquors. This class only happens 4 times a year and it is a really fun way to learn to make your own infused cocktails at home. The class starts at 6 pm on Thursday, March 5th. Price includes a chance to taste the infusions, try cocktails based on the infusion, put…
Story Time(Gathering Place - Tulsa) Start Time: 4:00pm Fall in love with the magic found in children's books! Join us every Thursday at 4 p.m. and every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. in ONEOK Boathouse for Story Time from guest readers. Guest Reader Schedule Saturday, Jan. 25th - Gathering Place Education Team February Guest Readers: Saturday, February 1 - Gathering Place Education Team Thursday,…
♪ TCC Music Department Concert(VanTrease PACE - Tulsa) Start Time: 7:00pm Tags: Concert Free Music Southeast Campus VanTrease PACE Share
🎓 Teen Leadership Club: Teen Advisory Board(Nathan Hale Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 4:00pm Whether you're looking for volunteer hours for school, scouts, or just like to work on cool projects, eat and have fun, the Teen Leadership Club is the place to be! For ages 13-18.
🎨 Teen Tech Month: Teen Photo Lab(Martin Regional Library - Tulsa) Start Time: 3:30pm Use some props, a computer and an iPhone with a photo app to create funny and interesting photos. It is the next step to learning animation. For ages 10-18.
🏃 Health Zone Kids (Mini) Triathlon(Health Zone at Saint Francis - Tulsa) When you sign up your little athlete for this fitness event, you both help other kids, as all proceeds benefit The Children's Hospital at St. Francis. Distances 10-13 age group: Swim 100 yards;Bike 1 mile; Run 1/2 mile Distances 6-9 age group: Swim 50 yards;Bike 1/2 mile; Run 1/4 mile
🏃 The Snake Run - 3 Hour or Six Hour Trail Race(Turkey Mountain - Tulsa) Join us for the 2020 Snake Run where everyone has the same finishing time. You run as many loops as you can in Six or Three Hours. The course is a flat and sandy single-track trail named the Snake Trail, located on the upper west section of Turkey Mountain. The Snake Trail is one of the smoothest, rock and root-free trails on Turkey Mountain. …
Monday, Mar 9th
I was unable to find any published events for Mar 9th.
Tuesday, Mar 10th
I was unable to find any published events for Mar 10th.
Here's 20 Events For Your Weekend at VT, Blacksburg and the NRV...
For those looking for something to do locally this weekend, here's 20 events you can enjoy... 1. 2020 Virginia Tech Entrepreneur ChallengeThe Inn at Virginia Tech and Skelton Conference Center, BlacksburgFriday, February 21, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PMAdmission: Free The Virginia Tech Entrepreneur Challenge is a campus-wide, student startup competition that brings together successful alumni-entrepreneurs, industry partners, and students to showcase the best new ventures at Virginia Tech. Watch as interdisciplinary teams from across campus compete for the best business model and a chance to win up to $40,000 in cash awards and prizes! The Entrepreneur Challenge event features a showcase of the finalist teams from Virginia Tech along with a high-powered lineup of judges sharing their expertise and experience in the world of entrepreneurship. There will be free swag and giveaways for attendees. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539537 2. Alex & Andrew in ConcertIndia Garden Restaurant, BlacksburgFriday, February 21, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PMAdmission: Free Alex & Andrew are a Jazz duet that “Jam” spoon out sweet guitar licks and spread on the charm based in the New River Valley region of Virginia. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=538480 3. Play: The WolvesSquires Studio Theatre, Virginia TechFriday, February 21, 2020 at 7:30 PM and Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PMGeneral Public: $12.00, Students & Seniors: $10.00 The Virginia Tech School of Performing Arts presents the play "The Wolves" which is an engaging, funny, and sometimes painful meditation on society, sex and soccer. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539448 4. 31st Anniversary Party at London UndergroundLondon Underground Pub, BlacksburgFriday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 PM - 02:00 AM$3.00 cover London Underground Pub is celebrating their 31st Anniversary with a Birthday Party in Vegas. Featuring the live jazz stylings of the The Chinquapin Hunters, door prizes, food & drink specials, casino card games and a birthday champagne toast. There will be a Charity Black Jack table with guest dealer Michael Haberman with all proceeds benefiting the New River Land Trust and a Vegas-inspired menu and martini list. Must be 21 or older. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539284 5. Howlin' Mudbellies in ConcertMcClain's at First & Main, BlacksburgFriday, February 21, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PMAdmission: $3.00 The Howlin' Mudbellies are a blues group performing rhythmic, percussive, shaking and grooving blues, from the deep south country to the rockin' city. Picking, slide, and finger style acoustic guitar, Dobro, thumping bass, and sometimes added kick of drums and harmonica. The Blacksburg band has shared the stage with blues and bluegrass legends like Bo Diddley, Willie Watson, Bob Margolin, John Hammond and the Nighthawks. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539643 6. 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge FestivalBisset Park, RadfordSaturday, February 22, 2020, 10:30 AM - 2:00 PMMinimum donation or total fundraising amount of $100.00 to plunge per person. Special Olympics Virginia along with the Radford City Police Department and Radford University presents the 2020 Special Olympics New River Polar Plunge Fest. Break out your swim trunks and get chilly with several hundred Special Olympics supporters in the New River. There will be a costume contest with prizes, DJ music to get you moving, plus free hot chocolate keeping you warm. It’s $100.00 to participate which benefit the Special Olympics and includes a Polar Plunge t-shirt. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539545 7. 2020 Soul Food SamplingSt. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall, BlacksburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PMAdmission: $25.00 The Blacksburg Museum and Cultural Foundation presents the 6th Annual Soul Food Sampling. The St. Luke and Odd Fellows Hall in Historic New Town will offer a Soul Food Sampling and presentation on the history and traditions of Soul Food. There are 3 time slots for the Tastings: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Today is the last day to sign-up. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536686 8. Gate 10 CD Release PartyFloyd Country Store, FloydSaturday, February 22, 2020, 12:00 - 3:00 PMAdmission: Free Floyd Country Store presents the Gate 10 CD Release Party for their new album. Gate 10 is a high energy band hailing from the New River Valley region of Southwest Virginia. The band brings a classic and modern sound to bluegrass, gospel and country music. Gate 10 is excited to travel this musical journey with a hard driving, solid style, but one that is firmly rooted in traditions with their own innovative sound. Their stage presence is beyond their young years with their musicianship, vocals, and harmonies. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539372 9. Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation ClinicBurrows-Burleson Tennis Center, Virginia TechSaturday, February 22, 2020, 1:00 - 3:00 PMAdmission:Free Virginia Tech Men's Tennis and Virginia Tech Rec Sports offer a Free Wheelchair Tennis Recreation Clinic. If you are a tennis fan and whether you are a wheelchair user or not, see what wheelchair tennis is all about. USTA National Manager and Head Coach for Team USA Wheelchair, Jason Harnett, will be here to help you learn about the history, the rules and get on the courts to try wheelchair tennis for yourself. The event is free and no pre-registration is required. All ages, skill levels and abilities are welcome. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539458 10. Studio Ghibli CelebrationChristiansburg Library, ChristiansburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 1:30 - 2:30 PMAdmission: Free Enjoy an afternoon of all things Studio Ghibli. Create Ghibli inspired crafts, enjoy Ghibli inspired snacks, as well as other tasty snacks from Japan, and even compete in a Ghibli themed Jeopardy tournament to get a chance to win a Ghibli themed door prize. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539540 11. 50s Night with Karaoke, Elvis & MarilynHwy 55, BlacksburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 10:00 PMFood is 50% Off if Customers wear 1950s Attire, Admission is Free Elvis and Marilyn will be on hand and you can get in the spirit with your own 1950's attire to get 50% off your meal. In addition, get your photo on our red carpet and sing karaoke. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539538 12. Virginia Hollow in ConcertRising Silo Farm Brewery, BlacksburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 6:00 - 9:00 PMAdmission: Free Virginia Hollow is an Indie, Newgrass, Americana, Bluegrass and Folk Rock band from Floyd, Virginia. Their performances and music take you on a journey fraught with raw emotions and stories of love, trust, betrayal and longing. Rising Silo Brewery is a family-friendly, dog friendly vibe and all are welcome. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535687 13. Soul Party DanceGraduate Life Center Auditorium, Virginia TechSaturday, February 22, 2020, 6:30 - 10:00 PMAdmission: Free Solely Swing, Blacksburg Swing Dance and West Coast Swing Blacksburg present their Soul Party Dance. This 70s themed night will feature lessons in Blues and West Coast and plenty of soul music. Disco attire is not required, but is very much encouraged. Come out and boogie the night away. No partner or experience required. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539749 14. Pakistani Student Alliance at Virginia Tech 2020 Culture ShowHaymarket Theater, Virginia TechSaturday, February 22, 2020, 7:00 - 10:30 PMAdmission: Free Enjoy as Virginia Tech's Pakistani Student Alliance puts on a spectacular cultural event showcasing Pakistani dance, fashion and more. Admission is free and seating is limited to the first 450 attendees. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539459 15. 2020 Floyd Mardi Gras Costume BallDogtown Roadhouse, FloydSaturday, February 22, 2020, 7:30 PM - 02:00 AMPre-Festival Tickets: $20.00, At the Door: $25.00 The 11th Annual Mardi Gras Costume Ball, a fundraiser for Blue Mountain School, is an entire evening packed with enthralling musicians, tantalizing food, and magnificent fun. This years line-up includes music from Music Road Co. and The Ambassador, Her Majesty, DJ Step, a Krewe du Bleu pre-show dinner with Chef Richard Perry, and a Kiddy Gras Pajama Party for ages 3-12 down the road at the June Bug Center for kids (and parents) who want a fun night out. The Krewe du Bleu Dinner tickets are $65.00 and include entrance to the Costume Ball. The Kiddy Gras Pajama Party is $20.00 for the first child in a family and $15.00 for each additional child in advance. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=536601 16. Mardi Gras Party with Music from Sonic CamelMcClain's at First & Main, BlacksburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 8:00 - 11:00 PMAdmission: $3.00 Enjoy live music and Mardi Gras themed food and drink specials. Sonic Camel covers most eras and genres with tributes, requests, dancing, and laughs. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539536 17. Wave Nite XI featuring JKuch with 13 PerformersThe Milk Parlor, BlacksburgSaturday, February 22, 2020, 9:00 PM - 02:00 AMAdmission: $5.00 Sine Wave Surfers presents Wave Nite XI featuring Buffalo, New York headliner JKuch. A total of 13 performers will take the stage including mister (Greensboro, NC), Electrobro (Blacksburg, VA), Johanna Vaughan (Blacksburg, VA), Glazed (Philadelphia, PA), Skelechrome (Christiansburg, VA) and Sleazy Lettuce (Charlottesville, VA) among others. Attendees must be 18 or older. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539454 18. Women's Basketball: UVA vs. Virginia TechCassell Coliseum, Virginia TechSunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PMGeneral Public: $10.00, Youth: $5.00 The Virginia Tech Women's Basketball team hosts ACC Conference opponent and in-state rival the University of Virginia. The first 500 fans will receive a maroon shaker. It's also a Youth Team Day. Local youth basketball teams are invited to attend free of charge, but must sign-up in advance. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=535897 19. Tackle The TowerChristiansburg Aquatic Center, ChristiansburgSunday, February 23, 2020, 2:00 - 4:00 PMDaily Admission Fee: Ages 3 & Up: $5.00 Have you ever jumped from five meters in the air into 17 feet of water? Here is your chance to jump off the Aquatic Center's 3-meter board or 5-meter tower. Participants are required to pass a 25 yard swim test before diving. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539444 20. Roaring 20s Speakeasy Membership Drive: The 51 Club at The ShadeRaymond F. Ratcliffe Memorial Transportation Museum, PulaskiSunday, February 23, 2020, 4:00 - 7:00 PMIndividual Memberships start at $12.50, Special for the Event: Two Memberships for $20.00 Join the Ratcliffe Museum for a fun filled and educational evening at the museum for a membership drive event themed around the Roaring 20s Speakeasies. Learn about 1920s local Pulaski history, enjoy music, dancing, and finger foods inspired by the 1920s plus other surprises. Dress up in your best flappers or fall guys costumes or come as you are. A cash bar will be available for wine, but everything else is included with admission. Link:http://www.nextthreedays.com/FeaturedEventDetails.cfm?E=539642 Have a great weekend everyone and add any other events I missed.
Slaughter Spirit Mountain Casino, Grand Ronde, OR - Nov 3, 2018 Nov 03 2018 Following concerts Slaughter The Showroom at Golden Nugget Casino, Las Vegas, NV - Nov 16, 2018 Nov 16 2018 The best free entertainment starts at Spirit Mountain Casino! Whether you’re looking for watch parties for sporting events at our own Mountain View Sports Bar, or a fun atmosphere to let loose and enjoy yourself, we have the entertainment you need at a price you’ll love: free.. Check out all of our upcoming free events and entertainment here, and follow us on Facebook or Twitter for Welcome to Spirit Mountain! We are so excited to see you this winter. Stop by to see why Duluth is Minnesota's Best Ski Town. Mountain Message: Operations Update - Wednesday 2/10 and Thursday 2/11 will each have a delayed start.Hours for these days will be 12:00pm - 8:00pm. All the events happening at Spirit Mountain Casino 2021-2022. Discover all upcoming concerts scheduled in 2021-2022 at Spirit Mountain Casino. Spirit Mountain Casino hosts concerts for a wide range of genres. 246 reviews of Spirit Mountain Casino "Spirit Mountain isn't anything like the casinos in Vegas, but its the best Oregon is going to get for now. Unlike the majority of the other Indian casinos (Chinook Winds, Seven Feathers, etc.), a full hotel complex was built not long ago. Expect intense cigarette smoke on the casino floor, a rowdy environment on the weekends, fun dealers, and the And make sure to check out calendar of poker events and see if you have what it takes to bring home the big win. If you are a regular to Spirit Mountain Casino, consider joining the Coyote Club today to experience benefits like complimentary tickets to concerts, free food and rooms, discounts throughout the resort, and much more. Hospitality is World-famous rock acts, nationally touring comedians, and the toughest brawlers in MMA and boxing. Each up-close-and-personal unlike anywhere else in town! Paradise Cove at River Spirit Casino Resort in Tulsa, Oklahoma is large enough to attract the biggest acts, yet intimate enough to get you close to the action. Ready for an experience you’ll never forget? Hi, Thank you for visiting Spirit Mountain Casino. We appreciate your feedback about your recent visit and want to let you know that as of 11/17/2020, we are a non-smoking gaming facility. Smoking is not allowed indoors or within 20 feet of any entrance. This includes all areas such as the lodge, gaming floor, restaurants, lobbies, etc. Winners must join Spirit Mountain Casino’s Coyote Club. Membership is free and does not require the purchase of goods or services. APRIL 24, 2020: DUE TO CURRENT EVENTS THESE CONTEST RULES. Get the Billy Ray Cyrus Setlist of the concert at Spirit Mountain Casino, Grand Ronde, OR, USA on October 14, 2017 from the 25th Anniversary of Achy Breaky Heart Tour and other Billy Ray Cyrus Setlists for free on setlist.fm!
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