Night approaches

This is Against a Bitter Sky, a fantasy solo roleplaying adventure where players are driven by the dice. I'm still refining what this thing is and putting together elements that hopefully communicate the feel of the piece — I imagine that will be an ongoing effort.

I sat down yesterday to begin writing narrative for the first episode based on my play-through, but soon found myself distracted with the opening monologue preceding every (theoretical) episode. What should it sound like? What should it say?

Writing that opener is like writing the first few lines of a novel: every word counts to evoke a feeling, an immediate sense of place, and a purpose. It's prime ground for Writer's Block to take root, and after struggling with it for a half hour, decided I should take the pressure off and aim lower, the result being this little poem. I don't know if I'll ever use it, but it has served its purpose by inspiring the three sentence opener.

In lands undone and hewn asunder
the shadows lick the weary heel
against a bitter sky, they reel.
A quest betwixt loss and wonder

With guttered flame to light the way
or mark the trav’ler’s final breath.
A fateful roll to conquer death
or grind their bones to fallow clay.