Once a generation, one and only one member of the village is chosen to take tribute to the dragon. If they survive the journey and deliver an acceptable tribute, the dragon will bless that generation with fertility of crop and belly. If they do not, fire will rain from the sky.
So, I've only got about two hours now, so let's make this a two-scene scenario for Haven of the Mere: one challenge and one conflict.
Based on the setting conceit, there are three major issues: surviving the journey, having an appropriate tribute, and presenting the tribute successfully.
Surviving the journey sounds like an appropriate challenge scene.
Would you rather focus on getting the tribute, or presenting it? I kind of like the idea of focusing on choosing and acquiring.
But presenting the tribute sounds like a social conflict vs dragon, which is always fun.
I'm not sure what the trouble is going to do, but I have a couple ideas.
So... challenges have the GM call for all the rolls before narrating any of them.
Would you like to lay the scene as Haven sets forth on his quest, and then we'll see what challenge awaits him?
Perhaps you can take this opportunity to create an advantage that might help during the travel scene.
(Challenges are a series of Overcome actions, but Create Advantage can be used as much as the players want... though it can complicate things if they fail. Attacks are never made during challenges.)
Tribute year is usually grim, but this one unusually so. After a harsh winter and a particularly devastating outbreak of the flu, many are dead or too weak to make the tribute journey, but the dragon does not soften to such human weakness.
After the traditional lottery drew three names incapable of surviving the trek, Haven volunteers, being spared from the illness.
Maybe I could create Determined to Save My Village or something.
Haven takes his village's blessing with him, bolstering his confidence that he will be able to deliver an acceptable tribute and gain the dragon's boon, thus helping his village recover from its deadly winter.
Okay, so Haven is going to meet a number of challenges along the way. I'd like to call for all of them before we narrate any of them--or even decide what order they'll happen in--so that we can put them together in a sensible order based on outcomes.
Remember, even if you fail a roll, you can still succeed at great penalty.
You'll decide to spend FP or tags at that point, and when you're satisfied we'll move on to the next part of the challenge.
Let's start with the simple stuff.
Haven is going to have to forage for supplies as he travels; the journey is too long and his village is too ravaged by famine for him to carry all he'll need.
Rustling up food and drink as he travels isn't too hard; he's a good shot and there's a river nearby for most of the journey. Difficulty of +0.
Winter's breaking, but game would still be scarce. He's going to wait patiently until he has a chance at a deer or a moose or something, and use Deadeye to carefully slay it. Should be enough meat for the journey.
Regardless, you have succeeded with impeccable style and you gain a boost: a temporary aspect with a single tag, which vanishes when you have spent that tag.
Please narrate your success in a way that indicates the boost you will receive.
It's a few hours, but Haven finds a suitable mark: a buck, foraging in the trees. He lines up a shot that is impressively accurate even for him, and fells the animal with a single shot, giving him a boost in confidence. Perhaps, even if the dragon does not find the tribute acceptable, perhaps...
Next up: The journey is also perilous because the animals along the way are as hungry as the people of his village. Overcome action vs being eaten, difficulty +2.
> If you tie: You attain your goal, but at some minor cost. The GM could introduce a complication, or present you with a tough choice (you can rescue one of your friends, but not the other), or some other twist.
Overcome: • Fail: Fail, or succeed at a serious cost. • Tie: Succeed at minor cost. • Succeed: You accomplish your goal. • Succeed with Style: You accomplish your goal and generate a boost.
Haven knows that he's not the only predator in these woods; he suspends his gear in the trees and climbs up to sleep. If anything comes for him in the night, he should at least have the luxury of waking up before he's eaten.
... thinking about it, climbing a tree is probably not a great escape from a wulfpack, but... oh well.
Okay. Because my past failure involving wolves haunts me, it would make sense that even though I am adequately prepared, I would not have such an easy time escaping from a wolf pack. Damn my luck.
Instead of taking your spectacular overcome, you'll take a Fate point to turn a single Overcome check into a contest: you and the wolves both running through the woods at night.
Finding familiar reference in the sky, Haven is able to orient himself after his mad dash to escape the wolves. Steeling his resolve, he trudges onward.
I imagine the labyrinth to be easy to get lost in; it would benefit him to carefully navigate, yes?
"Two days," Haven grumbles to himself, twisty little maze at his back and the Wyrmrest before him. "Good thing grandfather taught me a thing or two about the stars."
That would be a +0. But because I am a Volunteer Dragon Tribute, I have the village hunter's cloak. It blends well with the land, giving me an advantage to my sneaking? [waves fate point]
Now, this is interesting because it makes getting the tribute moot. We don't want to spend a lot of time on something we know you're going to lose. Instead, the drama shifts to WAT DO NAO?
If this were a short story in an anthology or something, it would be amazing if Haven volunteered because he was armed with something his grandmother gave him: the dragon's True Name.
