"Storytelling Contest"

by Zazu

In order to promote the arts, DHZ & Company recently sponsored a storytelling contest at the Bard's Corner in the Half Pint Inn of Crossing. Categories included Race Related, Immortal Tribute to the Gods in the Immortal, General Humor, and Local History. Five judges rated each story on originality, content, creativity, and flow. There was a strong turnout of about 34 folks with 20 actually entered in the contest.

The Race Related category was open to stories regarding personal, traditional, and folk tales about any race in Elanthia. We heard stories about Prydaen, Sand Elves, Rakash, Dwarves, and Gor'togs. First place went to Avrachai Westanjalawen as she retold a folk tale about Fenec the Trickster, "Fenec and the Pit Viper."

The Immortal catageory was open to stories regarding tributes to the Gods and how the immortals have influenced the lives of even the most common Elanthian. Several stories were entered, and there was a tie for first place. Only one of the winners wished to be mentioned in this article. Tashya wrote a story about the Gods as they appear in every day life.

The General Humor category received the most entries. We were entertained with stories about how someone received his name, folk tales of forest creatures, funny thief stories, and some that incorporated song and wordsmithing. Unfortunately, at this time, we have not received permission to reprint any of the top stories from this category.

The final category focused on Local History. I have found it difficult to unearth good tales of local history and folklore. We had one entry in this category, though several of the preceding stories may have fallen under this listing as well. After much deliberation, the judges decided this was a good representation of local history, though we are not too sure which history it represents. We decided to classify "The Chronicles of Straenghert and Gkor'lin: The Bargain" by Asera Ri'sel as a legend. Our hats are off to Asera for spinning such a wonderful tale about love and friendship in these hard times.

My heartfelt thanks goes out to everyone who attended. The response was overwhelming. We expected maybe a dozen folks total, including judges. Instead, we had over 30 people supporting our efforts. As a result, there will be more contests in the future with better prizes and recognition.

Zazu Turning'leaf, founding member of DHZ & Company