DIY Medieval Fantasy Camp, part 6: Tests, Allies and Enemies

"The Hero needs to find out who can be trusted and who can't. He may earn allies and meet enemies who will, each in their own way, help prepare him for the greater ordeals yet to come. This is the stage where his skills and/or powers are tested and every obstacle that he faces helps us gain a deeper insight into his character and ultimately identify with him even more."

Crossing the Threshold

Now that you have a threshold built, your students will be using it each time you meet. Before they can cross, however, they must decide which hero's characteristic they plan to work on that day. It is of their choosing, but you can help your students in choosing, if they want the help. They state their plan as they walk through the threshold. Hearing other's goals also helps students build compassion and comradery.

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Allies and Enemies

The next section of the camp's story should take a many meetings to complete. You must guide your students through a series of meetings with other peoples that live in this imaginary world. Since it is a collaboration between you and your students, I can't really write you a how-to, at least in a step-by-step manner. Your students should, however be given the task of meeting several different kinds of creatures or peoples within this world, and they must choose how they will interact with these peoples.  Have as many volunteers as you can play these roles. Within these various groups should be:

• Defending the defenseless One that is weaker than they are, and are, in fact, being taken over or being used by another of the groups of peoples. Your students should be encouraged to defend the defenseless, and teach the defenseless how to defend themselves.
• Forming alliances Another group should be equal to your students in abilities. They have their own agenda (perhaps preparing to engage in a battle with another group, that is not the defenseless). Do your students form an alliance or decide to just stay out of each other's way.
• When to trust, propaganda and not everyone is good Another group your students should meet is a group that is not always honest, if it suits their needs. They also like to spread rumors or propaganda about another group. Do your students fall for what they say, or are they able to discern good motives from less honorable ones?
• Convincing others with honor They, at some point, should be led by the storyline to need to assistance of another group of peoples who have, until now, have remained segregated from the other people in the area. Can they convince them to join forces without promising something that they cannot deliver?

As your student make their way through the story that you all are making, take the time to sum up each meeting, reviewing concepts such as understanding cultures that are different from ours and seeing the best in others. Also, encourage your students to share with the group times in which they have done things that meet their goal or times in which they have seen their fellow peers doing things as a hero would.

"Now finally out of his comfort zone the Hero is confronted with an ever more difficult series of challenges that test him in a variety of ways. Obstacles are thrown across his path; whether they be physical hurdles or people bent on thwarting his progress, the Hero must overcome each challenge he is presented with on the journey towards his ultimate goal."

The Tests

At some point you need to give your students a challenge or two to encourage them to continue on with fortitude. These can be physical tests, such as an obstacle course that they must go through to meet their goal, or people or creatures that try to thwart their missions.