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A New Trailblazer

By the time this piece, illustrated with one of LittleBadWolf‘s YCHs back in July of 2023, was started, I had already decided that I would turn the friendship I had been developing with Edmund and Mortimer into a relationship. And in that context, I had to write the way they first met and came together.

Additionally, I was starting to grow nervous that Mortimer might not have enough positive qualities for people to connect with him, so I wanted to start making in-roads in that realm. I wanted him to be the one to bring Edmund in and help him develop new social circles as a freshman student.

But funnily enough, the thing that most people had questions about once I had made this piece public was the idea young people in a fantasy setting would play a tabletop role-playing game. To me, it made all the sense in the world. In our world, people play war games constantly (from which Tabletop RPGs would spawn) so it felt right that these students would play similar games in their universe.

And in case you’re curious, the name “Trailblazer” was a riff off Pathfinder, as I was tired of the cliche of fake RPGs in fiction being named _____ & _____ ala “Dungeons & Dragons”.

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In the late afternoon, sun setting as students dutifully studied in the housing complex of the Theorem Magistrum, illuminated by the twilight mixture of the fading day and the soft glow of their mana-lamps, a group of the otherwise quieter students from the College of Magical Science came together in the common room.

With their more athletic peers taking the time to train in the fitness center near the College of Martial Arts, this was the perfect opportunity to continue their tabletop Trailblazer campaign. The four of them sat around a circular table, a hand-drawn map in the center flanked by a set of dice in various shapes and designs. In front of three of the players was another sheet of paper outlining the vital information of their character, and a enchanted quill that updated said sheet as they played in real time.

The fourth student, a green serpentkin in casual dress, was their Game Master. Separated by a simple cutout, she continued her narration.

“After besting the dread necromage Galdur, you enter the private study he so jealously guarded. Inside, surrounded by more tomes and papers than the Magistrum’s archive, you see the item you seek: The Chalice of Eternal Spring.”

Captivated by Wendella’s narration, the young white rabbitkin, Mortimer was leaning forward in his seat when he had an idea of his own. Deepening his voice to maintain character, he looked at the grey raccoonkin and human to his left.

“Tanya, Garreth, let’s do a quick sweep for traps.”

Gerald the young raccoonkin male, assuming the role of the female cleric, Tanya Hearthing, nodded his head. Jesse, the androgynous human who played Garreth the Wild Mage, confidently shrugged their shoulders.

“Sure thing, Vallant.” They replied, referring to Mortimer by the name of his stoic paladin.

Listening to her players, Wendella kept the campaign moving. “Roll for perception.”

All three cast a twenty-sided die into the space in front of them. While Tanya’s senses failed her that day, Vallant and Garreth were both independently able to spot the explosive trap that protected their prize, a pressure plate beneath it acting as the trigger.

Looking back to his party, Mortimer broke character as he spoke. “Do any of us have a way to getting past that trap? We need the Chalice to compete our quest.”

Gerald and Jesse each leaned back as they tried to come up with a solution, before Wendella began to apologize.

“Sorry, guys. I didn’t think we would get this far today. I wrote this part before Ceddy had to quit the campaign and haven’t had the time to rewrite it. It was meant to be his big moment to shine.”

Gerald/Tanya was quick to respond. “Awww, that’s okay, Wendy. Just means we need to-”

The group jumped as they heard a thud on the wall near the door. Turning to face it, the eyes made contact with a shirtless, heavily muscled tigerkin watching them from a comfortable distance. With a bashful grin on his face, he raised his hands slightly in a gesture of peace.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean tah be so loud.”

A nervous tension began to permeate the room before Wendella broke the silence. “Are you looking for something?”

Sensing the fear that he was causing his peers, Edmund tried and failed to make himself look less intimidating by giving an innocent grin.

“‘Are you the guys runnin’ the Trailblazer campaign? Ya put an ad out for anotha player, right? Since one of yers had tah drop out.”

Jesse spoke up. “That’s us. What’s it to ya?”

Taking a deep breath, the tigerkin suddenly found himself unable to summon his trademark charm, turning away from the playgroup, lowering his head and ears. “I was hopin’… Ah, nevah mind. Sorry I asked.”

Before he could make his exit, a spark of realization hit Mortimer square in the jaw. “Wait a minute! I know you! Aren’t you the new guy that joined Professor Cyanis’s Intro to Mana the other day!?”

Turning back around to face the Trailblazers, he smiled more sincerely than before, gently patting the back of his neck. “Yeah. Dat’s me. Still figurin’ out my way around the school.”

Mortimer’s friends all turned to him, and then back to the newcomer, eyes bulging out their sockets as they put the pieces together.

Gerald was the first to vocalize it. “Hold on. You’re Enigma’s personal apprentice!?”

For his part, Edmund could barely process the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere. “What? People already talkin’ ‘bout me?”

It was Jesse’s turn to speak. “Sure are. Enigma turned down hundreds of applications from lords and nobles across the plane, then out of nowhere he hands the one slot to some kid who just showed up one day. Everyone was wondering who this supposed genius was supposed to be.”

Pausing to take in the sheer magnitude of what he was hearing, Edmund wasn’t sure how to respond. “Well shit. Teach nevah told me any of that.”

Sensing a kindred spirit in admittedly intimidating hopeful, Morty looked to his friends and back at him. “Can you give us a minute? Won’t take long, I promise.”

Tension partially dispelled, Edmund simply said, “Sure, I’ll just wait outside.”

Once he was out of the room, Gerald looked to Morty and begun to whisper. “Are you really thinking of bringing him in?”

Morty leaned in closer to the group, keeping his voice down in turn. “Come on, Gerr. He’s new, and probably wants to make some friends.”

The nervousness that previously held sway over the room appeared to linger in Gerald’s heart. “But look at him. He could beat us all up without even thinking about it.”

Shaking his head, Morty knew just what to say, “The Great Detective made him his personal apprentice. I don’t think he’d vouch for dumb muscle like that.”

Jesse nodded, but it was Wendella who chimed in. “Morty’s right, Gerr. Let’s give him a chance. Besides, we need a new rogue.”

Realizing he’d been defeated as surely as the necromage Galdur, a heavy sigh escaped Gerald’s lips. “Fiiiinnnne. I guess that’s only fair. Let’s bring him in.”

With an unusual hop to his step, Mortimer got up from the table to give the newcomer their verdict. When he stepped outside to the hallway, he saw the big catkin waiting patiently, leaning against the wall. Edmund noticed him immediately.

“Y’all good?”

Mortimer smiled at him. “Yeah. Do you mind playing rogue? We already have a paladin, cleric, and mage in the party.”

The newly christened, bodybuilding rogue smiled back, “Nah. Sounds like fun, as long as you’re okay teachin’ a newbie.”

“Oh, that won’t be an problem… I don’t think I got your name?”

He chuckled before answering the prompt. “It’s Edmund. Folks call me Ed. And you’re Morty, right?”

“Y… yeah. Mortimer, but my friends call me Morty. You can too!”

“Thanks… And thanks for sticking up fer me. I didn’t realize how scary I looked. It never bothered the guys back home.” If furred beastkin were capable to blushing, Mortimer got the impression Edmund would be doing so from the way his ears and whiskers fidgeted.

“Heard all that, huh?”

“I got good hearin’.”

“Sorry.”

“Nah, I get it. C’mon. Our party’s waitin’ for us.”