Dragons of the Gloaming

LOGLINE: When a reluctant sister joins her brother’s mysterious role-playing game, she and her brother's nerdy friends get zapped into the deadly game world and have three days to discover a mystical castle and defeat a formidable dragon or be trapped in the game forever.

Jumanji meets Lords of the Rings.

SYNOPSIS: When game master Eric and his nerdy friends Carlos and Raj find a mysterious game with glowing dice in the basement of the creator of “Wizards and Weaponry,” they can’t wait to play the adventure module.

One player short, Eric convinces his sister Nia to join the party. Nia agrees, only to provide cover for her sneaking out, but when they roll the dice to start the game, the dice create a portal of light that zaps them into the game’s medieval fantasy world as their characters: a knight, a dwarf rogue, and an elven druid. Except Eric, who transports has his weak, teen self.

Confused and terrified—with no glowing dice to help them zap back home—they seek help from Dryga, a wise old sorcerer in a nearby village, who tells them they must find a mythical green castle in three days or be trapped in the game forever.

Before they can seek the castle, a poison-spewing green dragon attacks the village, killing several men including the blacksmith. The teens barely escape with their lives thanks to Nia’s last-second spell. The blacksmith’s daughter Bree, intent on avenging her father’s death, insists on guiding the gamers into the Dark Forest in search of the castle—and the dragon.

In the forest, they are attacked by an owl bear that nearly kills Eric. As they take shelter under the safety of a Fairy Tree, a mysterious cloaked figure watches in the dark. The next day, the party falls into a magically-hidden tunnel that leads to the dragon’s treasure-filled lair—and an angry dragon who blasts Eric with its poison breath, apparently killing him.

Distraught, the others escape the dragon's lair only to run into Dryga in an upper level of the castle. Using green gems stolen from the dragon, Dryga activates a stone Golem that attacks the group. Raj kills the Golem which creates new, glowing dice. Dryga reappears and takes the dice, revealing that he is Dave Gary, the creator of Weapons & Wizardry, trapped in his own game for months.

Dave holds Bree at knife point to force her to carry the Dragon’s treasure back to the real world. The Dragon reappears and they all get zapped back to Eric and Nia’s basement, including Bree, Dave, and the Dragon.

Back in Eric’s basement, they find Eric alive but temporarily blinded. Dave attempts to take back the dice, but is confronted by Raj and then interrupted by the screech of the Dragon.

The Dragon attacks and eats Dave. Carlos attaches M-80s to Bree’s arrows, and she brings the beast down with a well-placed shot. The heroes celebrate their defeat of the dragon, and Eric’s vision begins to return. Nia and Raj kiss, and the gang decides to bury the dangerous game module. That is, until Bree asks if they can help her return home.