Chapter 03: Act I

[storyevents]

The Little Mermaid: Act I—

---

§ instructions.

The first Act of our third campaign is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels. There are also toplevels for each Sub Quest this time around, but players are more than welcome to create their own individual toplevel if they have something else in mind they would like to do.

As a reminder, characters will find similar information and instructions within their journals so they won't go in blind. Also to note, all characters will have all their belongings within them as well as the additional supplies provided to them by the Storyteller. As you know, everyone has undergone a special "mermaid" transformation upon arriving into the Book, but do note: characters in Main Scenes will have a second wardrobe change while acting the scene. Their merform will stay the same, but they'll have additional bits to add to their role. Outfits will be provided in the prompts themselves, and these outfits will only be in affect during the scene. The moment they leave the setting area, they return to their other wardrobe.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to travel to the "setting location" and then return. Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

Comments

OTA

[tempredmental]

4. Haunted Ship

[Keith had spent some time trying to get used to his merform. Thankfully, being the athletic type, he was pretty aware of his body's positions and movements. Translating those to work under water was the problem. Still, he made it with the others to the sunken ship. By the time they got there, he'd gotten fairly smooth at the whole swimming thing.

Fighting, though, was a different matter, as he soon found out when faced with a few skeleton pirates! He let out a somewhat undignified yelp in alarm, swimming fast to get some space between him and those creepy things so he could figure out how to fight back.

Probably should have practiced that before heading off on a quest...]

[ricebird]

[You know... maybe Kotori should have thought better before following the new guy out to the big, spooky looking shipwreck. Really, she meant to just catch up to him and say "hey, maybe you should go in with a partner, like Rokurou-san, or Musashi-san," you know, one of the people CAPABLE of fighting. NOT HER. But even with her mer-half being a tuna, one of the fastest fish in the ocean, this guy is FAST and she's still not the most adept at swimming this way either.

By the time she actually catches up to him... oh. They're at the ship. And that sure is a small mob of pirate skeletons that just got annoyed at losing their quarry. ... And their necks begin to creak and snap HER way.

GULP! Okay, Kotori. Maybe... maybe if you don't move, they'll lose interest and go away. Right? RIGHT?]

[tempredmental]

[Keith noticed right away when the group started to divide their attention between him and someone else. He'd check on her later, but he was going to take advantage of the distraction to take care of the reduced number of skeletons focusing on him for the moment.

Sorry, Kotori... he'll come for you in a second. He just needed to get through the mob first...

Thankfully, the more he fought them off, the better he got as he learned how to move in the water. That wasn't to say he wasn't taking his fair share of hits in the process, but he also was getting less and less clumsy about it as he went.

Once he had a clear shot, he braced himself against the hull and pushed across the cabin towards her, gliding through the water like it was just zero-G in outerspace. Keith grabbed her arm and pulled her along through a gaping hole in the side of the ship, twisting himself to dive deeper and underneath the wreck before the mob could follow.

Once hidden, he took a moment to look back for any lurkers as he caught his breath before speaking.]

You okay?

[ricebird]

[Meanwhile, Kotori just did her best to try and swim and dodge out of the skeletons' ways, swift if clumsy to get out of reach of hands or belaying pins used for clubs, but then one of them comes at her with a cutlass, and THAT freezes her on the spot, like a deer in the path of a truck.

It's then that Keith grabs her arm, leaving the cutlass to swipe through empty water as Kotori yelps, but then she tries to swim with him as they duck into the hull, gasping for water. She nods and tries to calm down enough to answer Keith when he asks her though.]

Y-yeah, I'm okay. [She bends her waist for a deep, abashed and grateful bow.] Thank you SO much, I'm REALLY sorry about that...

[tempredmental]

[Keith shook his head.]

It's okay. This place seems to need a bit of getting used to.

[Keith wasn't the strongest swimmer around to begin with... not that he was a slouch, but he didn't exactly start early in life like a lot of kids. And having a tail like this was definitely not a style he was used to, so that was a whole new level of awkward he was attempting to adapt for as well.]

I think we lost them...

[ricebird]

Phew, I hope so...

[Sigh...]

I was trying to catch up so I could tell you, it's only better to go in a group when doing those tasks, so you don't get caught alone if Blots or Erasers attack.

[... Like she did, in a way. Keith is absolutely free to point out the hypocrisy of her following him and trying to slow him down on HER own.]

[tempredmental]

[Yeah. He was totally going to do that...]

So you came racing after me by yourself to tell me not to go by myself.

[Have a judging eyebrow raise...]

[ricebird]

[....... Yup, she got carried away again.]

I uh...... thought I'd be able to catch you before we got to the ship... maybe.....?

[That is the only defense she has and it has the strength of wet paper, she knows.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith actually smiled a bit and then shook his head.]

Fine.

For now, though, we can stick together. We still have to look for that pearl.

[He maneuvered around her to look around where they were in the ship.]

Any idea what we should be looking for as a clue on where to find it?

[ricebird]

[A soft, embarrassed nod.]

Okay... Hm... Well... if this is a pirate ship, it might be kept with rest of the treasure? Although... the pearls are also pretty big, so it might be kept in its own special place too.

[tempredmental]

If they're big, then there's a chance it could be in what would have been the captain's quarters, even. I think that's closer, so let's go there, first.

[If his knowledge of pirate movies was correct, the captain's quarters would be in the back of the ship, and up. He headed off that way once he was sure she was able to keep up with him. She was pretty fast, too, considering how quickly she'd been able to dodge some of those skeletons...]

[ricebird]

[That she is, thank you, skipjack powers.]

Right. Let's see if we can sneak around those skeletons, I don't know how many their are...

[tempredmental]

[Keith nodded.]

Avoiding them would be our best bet right now.

[If they were both used to moving like this, it would be a different matter, but Keith wasn't willing to risk that.

So, he was careful, not even really moving his tail much for the time being, and more using the boat to pull himself along so that he didn't make much noise. There was a spot with a set of stairs that headed up towards the deck and the captain's quarters.

He waved for her to follow him, watching as best he could as he made his way up.]

[rokubro]

[Looks like it was time for the Huntsman to play his role and help defend Red—or something like that. Just as one of those pirates is about to make a jab for him, there's a rush of water as Rokurou rushes in to parry the crusty pirate blade with his own. Despite entering the battle, Rokurou just throws Keith a grin.]

Looks like you could use some help!

[And then he uses his second blade to slash through the skeleton's rib cage and smack the remainder with his tail.]

[tempredmental]

[Keith stared for a second. The strange innate feeling that he could trust this guy was weird enough, but then watching him move through the water like that...

But he didn't have time to think about that right now. He pushed off the hull and back into the fray, clearly not afraid to fight if he had to, after all. In fact, despite the slight awkwardness of the whole merform thing, Keith wasn't half bad in the water. His style was definitely more land-based, though, and he was working on adapting on the fly.]

[rokubro]

[It had taken Rokurou a bit to get adjusted to fighting on water. The only reason why he's adapted as well as he had is... ...He just got into a lot of fight before arriving here, so he had plenty of practice. Even without that, he's still ruthless to the core, driving his blades into the undead pirates with no mercy. Not that they needed that to begin with.

When he notices Keith joining in, he can't help but grin. He's not exactly sure why he feels a stronger urge to help and protect the guy, but he's not thinking too much about it, either. He gets to fight, that's all that matters at the moment to him!

The numbers are dwindling, and soon the threats are neutralized. Sheathing his swords, he turns to Keith.]

Nice job! Was a pretty fun fight for a warm-up.

[tempredmental]

[The fight had taken more out of Keith than he wanted to admit, but it definitely had been a good learning experience. By the time the last of the skeletons were defeated, Keith had figured out how to move with the water better, and how to compensate for the extra drag and lack of gravity in addition to using a tail instead of legs. Catching his breath, he looked over at his 'savior' as he spoke, and then nodded.]

Yeah... warm-up.

[Keith didn't look quite as thrilled at the idea.]

We need to find that pearl. You coming?

[He didn't give the other much time to respond, getting right back to the mission at hand by swimming off towards the stairs that would take them down another level into the bowels of the sunken ship.]

[rokubro]

Guess I should since I'm here.

[He makes it sound as if the pearl hadn't been his priority in coming out here. ...It's pretty much the case. So with a more relaxed air, he following behind Keith, catching up fairly quickly to pull up a little more alongside him.]

I'm Rokurou by the way. I haven't really seen you around before so guessing you're new.

[tempredmental]

Yeah. I got here just before we got dumped into the ocean and turned into mermaids.

[Man... if only Lance was here... He'd heard about that mermaid planet he and Hunk had found.]

I'm Keith.

[After a beat.]

Thanks for the help back there. I'm not really used to the whole... being half fish thing.

[rokubro]

In that case, welcome to the group, Keith. [Just a casual grin that has a hint of amusement in it.]

But you're not the only one. I think only two people actually have essences that are related to fish, and I only know one who may be used to this.

Still, it's pretty cool. Not something I'd be able to experience back in my world, anyway.

[And because he's a fun-loving guy, he'll swim a quick circle around Keith.]

[tempredmental]

[Erk-! Keith was a bit startled by the circle, but then managed a small smile.]

Yeah. Same here. I mean, there is a water covered planet with a race of mermaid like aliens back home, but, as far as I know, no one can actually change between races like that.

[And they really did look nothing like these "storybook" mermaids from what Hunk and Lance had described.]

So, uh... do you know who you're supposed to be? Apparently, I got Little Red Riding Hood. [Keith wasn't so sure about that one, but he was just going with it for now.]

[rokubro]

Whoa, really? I haven't really been out at sea too long, but I think mermaids and sirens are just folktales from sailors. Then again, there are monsters out there so who knows. Could be based on some truth.

[And now he's idly swimming backwards, arms behind his head.]

But you're Red, huh? That explains some things. [Just a grin as he doesn't quite explain what he means just yet.] I'm the Huntsman from the same story.

[tempredmental]

I thought the same thing... until I went into outerspace. They don't exist on Earth that I know of, but they apparently do on other planets.

[Keith just... kept swimming normal.]

Explains-? Oh. [It took a second as Keith made the connection.] So like... that's why I feel like I can trust you... [Because that feeling was definitely not normal for Keith towards a stranger.]

[rokubro]

[There's a look of surprise, and Rokurou is going to answer a little out of order and a bit hurriedly.]

Yeah, and I felt a greater need to protect you, but did you really go into outer space? Like, where the stars and stuff are?

[LOOK THE WHOLE "INTO SPACE" CONCEPT IS NONEXISTENT AND HE ONLY KNOWS BASIC/COMMON KNOWLEDGE IN TERMS OF ASTRONOMY AND STUFF so this is fascinating and way more interesting than their essences at the moment. (They can get back on that in a bit, but for now—space.)]

[tempredmental]

[Okay, way to skim over the effects of the essence-

Keith blinked.]

Uh, yeah.

[Keith looked so... unimpressed.]

I mean, we were training for it and all, and never thought we'd get as far as we did. I mean, it was a big deal just to get to Kerberos, but then Voltron happened, and we were traveling the entire universe.