The Game Room

The Game Room is the headquarters of the House of Thrones, a powerful organization in the Clarkwoods Literary Universe led by the Gamemaster. In the Earth-669 iteration of reality, the Gamemaster is The One True Goddess.

The room itself occupies the upper floor of a tavern called The Strumpet’s Sister, and is centered around a circular table carved from granite. It is around this table that seven rulers gather annually for game that determines the fate of the universe—or at least the fate of the kingdoms involved.

In the Earth-669 iteration of reality, The One True Goddess has chosen Five-Card Draw as her game of choice.

The Game Room, though ultimately ruled over by the Gamemaster, is represented in each game by a dealer/player of the Gamemaster’s choosing. The current dealer, as described in the short story “House of Thrones, Game of Cards,” is Nasha—a member of the royal family of Onterey.

The Rules of the Game Room’s Game

• Each player must carry their own throne through the Veil of the World on the day of the game. No servant or servants shall be employed in the carrying of said throne, nor shall any magic or technology.
• The House will not fold.
• Those who fold before the showdown will be allowed to leave with the seats of power they carried in.
• Those who stay until the end of the game and do not win will forfeit their thrones to the House.

Keeping It Secret

Between games, the room is arranged to look like a furniture warehouse to any who might try to peek in through the grimy windows after a night of drinking downstairs in the Strumpet’s Sister.

During a game, the Sister is closed for business so as not to prompt questions from patrons—regulars or otherwise—about what’s going on upstairs.