The Descent of the Brag'm

May 6, 2023 - Reading time: 4 minutes

I wrote this epic poem for my oldest son at a time in his life when role-playing games were consuming all of his time. My brother got him D&D when he was eleven and from that point on he was hooked. Some years ago when he and his girlfriend were sitting at home watching Stranger Things he gave me a call. He was taken aback by the scene where the boys are sitting their playing D&D, and the mother's reaction when she learned how long they had played. It reminded him so much of his childhood that he had to call me.

The poem tells the story of my son's campaign, the Brag'm being his own creation. They were vikings who had aligned themselves with a goblin empire and set sail to conquer the kingdom of Dio, later named Dio Dor after the threat was dealt with.

The kingdom of Dio was peaceful and serene,
Where its people lived life in a blessed routine.
Their leader the King was beloved by all kin,
The land prospered under his wise rule from within.

But then came a threat from beyond their keep's wall,
An enemy unlike any that had been seen before.
A scourge of vikings with goblins at their side,
A force so strong it could not be denied.

From across the sea they sailed upon ships of wood,
With weapons in hand and hatred in heart to do no good.
Through fear and dread the kingdom did quiver and quake,
As they braced themselves for what fate might await.

The King rallies his troops with courage and strength,
Ready to protect his lands at any length.
He marches forth to face this dire foe,
Determined to show them he will not let them go.

Steel clashes against steel as blade meets blade,
As warriors fight in spirit never afraid.
The Brag'm forces seem unstoppable it seems,
Sweeping away all who dare stand between.

But still the King refuses to yield nor despair,
And leads his brave men on a final prayer.
His last breath is taken as he falls on that day,
Bringing an end to the Kingdom of Dio in dismay.

Sometime later, his friends asked him to continue the campaign. Thus Dio Dor was created. He asked me to supply him with a new epic, a poem to use as a basis for his story, it was flattering, and I agreed. Those efforts turned into this poem. He told a story about a kingdom in ruin and a group of champions who set out to stop the Brag'm. They had to travel to the evil kingodm, there they learned that the Brag'm king had been tainted by the goblin pince who had given him a goblet that poisioned his mind. When his friends completed the campaign the went on to have several other adventures but I can't tell you the rest of their story, by that time they stopped playing on the kitchen table.

Courage in the Face of Destruction

The people of Dio were worn and spent,
Their victory came at great cost to their kin.
But though hearts were broken and tears were shed,
They kept steady in the wake of death.

With courage and strength they set out anew,
To mend what was lost and rebuild what was due.
Their King gone but never forgotten,
His legacy lives on through what they wrought in.

Forests regrew atop their once barren land,
Plants sprouted where there used to be sand.
Buildings rose strong from the rubble and ruin,
As the kingdom began to heal anew.

Villages flourished with crops so ripe,
And craftspeople crafted goods far and wide.
The people of Dio worked together day by day,
Until finally a new life began to take shape.

The legacy of their beloved king lived on, 
Though his body lay beneath the sod that had grown above it all.
The Kingdom of Dio was rebuilt from its ruins anew, 
A lasting reminder of those who fought for what is true.