Bellona's Waltz
The original basis of the modern party game "Truth or Dare" lies in the elven courts of ancient Norse mythology.
History
When originally played, elves would collect mortals to represent them in the circle, compelling them through magic to speak the truths asked or commit the deeds as ordered. This original version saw the group getting smaller as representative mortals died in the attempts, so it was determined that individual players could substitute additional mortals as needed. In this case, the game ended after three complete rounds with the fae courtiers considered the "individuals" for purposes of counting rounds.
Execution
Bellona's Waltz consists of a circle of six players who must each complete eighteen tasks, either speaking truth when asked or fulfilling a dare or committing an act when ordered. Players are compelled through Unseelie magic to fulfill these terms or be subjected to a violent death which usually appears accidental.
- Players each draw a card containing either a truth or a dare.
- The contents of the card must be completed within the given time limit.
- A truth card must be answered by the person who drew.
- A dare card may be completed by any or all of the participants.
- Wording of the cards is important; fairies are very literal.
Participants
In the modern version of Bellona's Waltz, participants are drafted into the game by whim of the Game Mistress, Eira. If the game has been fallow for a while, she will entice new buyers to the property or trick teenagers into spending the night. These mortals will be trapped in the game's magic until they have either experienced the required 18 tasks or have died, at which point Eira will find a new mortal to take their place.
Primary Related Location
Are the mortals the "property" in the "game has been fallow for a while, she will entice new buyers to the property or trick teenagers" ? Is there a special room/building/place that the waltz take place? I don't understand this sentence, "In this case, the game ended after three complete rounds with the fae courtiers considered the "individuals" for purposes of counting rounds." How do the individuals get used for counting?
The property mentioned is Bellona, an estate in central Virginia (noted in the sidebar under related locations). I'm kind of writing this backwards, starting with the way I want the game to play out in my story and working backwards to what it must have looked like originally (when it might have actually been more fair than it is now). The way it works now, the game ends when every current living player has experienced 18 cards (truths or dares). If someone dies when everyone else has survived 17 cards, they all have to survive through another 18 for a new player to catch up. The original version counted each master fae as one, rather than counting the individual proxies. Does that make any more sense?
Kind of, thanks for explaining