Velwrith put down the wine, he wanted more, but the finely dressed man with his stupid hat just would not stop pestering him.

Snapping, the prince stood. “Fine, you win. We’ll play. But you lads are buying my drinks, and I have a mighty thirst.”

Searia took the chance and added herself to the demand with a curt. “Mine too while you’re at it.” before rising herself.

“Naturally…” The purple-clad fellow said, cracking a devilish grin. “My table is right this way. I’ll introduce you to the group.”

They traveled through the maze of tables, mugs in one hand and bottles in the other until they reached perhaps the only level table in the establishment. Three people sat around a large map covered in wooden figurines, rolling dice and shouting about the numbers.

“Alright, lads, I’ve got us some new blood,” The finely dressed man said, stepping behind an empty chair. Then, with one hand, he motioned towards the newcomers. “Velwrith here said he’s never gambled before but has heard of the game, so we’re going to take it easy on him.”

A slight flick of the man’s entire demeanor, his voice somehow becoming harder and softer at once. ”Saeria, was it?  She said she has no idea what we’re doing, so we aren’t going to make her bet at all.”

The finely dressed man cast a finger at a sparsely dressed younger man. “That means YOU, Vanfar!” Everyone except the young man with his long red-brown hair burst into laughter. 

Vanfar, the man with the luxurious hair, turned pink and shrugged. “Valasta, you of all people are one to talk!”

The man in the purple doublet, Valasta, smiled. Then, with one hand, he reached up to pat the rim of his purple boater hat gently, “Well, I am good with dice; but the real credit goes to Betsy here. I would never have thought to bring you in if she hadn’t made that stupid joke about your rear.”

The hat flared at the base and creased at the front, almost frowning; the hatband around its core went spotty, turning from green to yellow. I’m glad my little joke could be helpful. However, I’m still confused by all these arbitrary numbers and rules. In my time, all you needed was to roll more sixes.”

“It’s not so hard, Betsy, just simple maths really,” a short, bald, brown-skinned Mymish said, reaching over the table to indicate a hastily scrawled rule paper. “Just see what’s on this page here.”

Saeria chimed in, examining a stack of papers covered in tally marks. “I thought you said we were playing some strategic dice game; this seems like scholarly work to me.” 

Valasta chuckled. “That is what the last three people I dragged from the bar said. But then they are paying for their drinks.” He emphasized his words with a sip before continuing.

“Saeria, dear, why don’t you have a seat here? I can show you most of the process while your friend places his pieces. After a few rounds, you’ll have the knack, and we can have so real fun!”

There was no proper choice between sitting at a table of strangers playing this strange war game and buying their drinks.

Velwrith and Saeria pulled up chairs. They would not leave them for the rest of the night.

They placed wagers as the game began, betting on their victory or that of another player. Then, with bets resolved, they took turns putting down differently sized, colored, and shaped tokens that represented squads of soldiers, vehicles, buildings, and occasionally powerful heroes. They then spent several hours moving those tokens around a map of the region, a local map of Thenia in this case, and emulating battles with simple dice rolls. 

Valasta tore apart the table for the first three rounds. He utilized blitzkriegs in the early games, smashing into enemies with his most robust units in a rolling conquest. These games ended less than an hour after the beginning.

Once Velwrith understood the nature of the game how the terrain and types of units affected one another, he humbled the purple conqueror. For five games straight, the prince not only stopped the purple tide of death but reversed it.

He would lure his rivals into fortified snares or press them against impassable terrain and crush them with casual ease. In one case of spectacular luck, he broke his opponent so badly against a coast they retreated straight into the sea without any boats.

However, the victory was empty as he found shortly afterward that Saeria possessed a similar aptitude for the game.

The dragoness did not build fortifications and move armies. Instead, Saeria invested entirely in raising heroes and champions of unimaginable might. She threw these unstoppable champions behind another player, marshaling them in creative ways. She rarely won herself but instead became the arbiter of victory. However, it seemed to Velwrith that she was an arbiter who favored the color purple.

When eventually the Teklem tired and excused himself from the game, they played liar's dice until all the Myrmish fellow went to bed too. 

When the moon reached its peak, Valasta and Velwrith agreed to meet the next night again.

Thoroughly intoxicated, Saeria stayed the night; the boys paid for her room. Then, despite the suggestions from his companions, Velwrith departed. Without a worry, he staggered his way back to the palace alone.