Chapter 01: Act I - The Horseman of Christmas Past

[keeperoftales]

A Hollow Christmas Carol: Act I—

§ instructions.
This is the designated log for all the main scenes for Act I: The Horseman of Christmas Past. All sub quests and nonrelated threads are to be made in their own posts. The scenes are listed below along with the assigned cast. Organization wise, the threads can happen in any order so you don't have to wait for one group to post before you do. Just start when you're ready! But to help, include in the subject line the scene header (ex. Scene 1, Scene 2, etc.) You can fluff it up a little to make it more specific like including the main characters or even scene title. Just be sure to have the number so we know which is which!

As a reminder, characters will have the necessary information within their journals. Those who are selected to play a scene will find their journal flashing red, so hard to miss. Aside from a few aesthetic changes (costumes, makeup, etc., think stage effects), all characters will be unchanged and won't gain any new powers or properties (ie. "Ghosts" are still tangible). The information they have is roughly the same as what is written OOCly.

Although there are certain characters set for a scene, it's not impossible for those not directly involved to make an appearance as random side characters or helpers. Characters can either just happen to be there or those cast as the role can make a "call out" through the journals. Any items and locations found through the main scenes are also free to be used by others for fun. There are also Bonus scenes that are basically extra prompts for people to have fun with if they'd like.

If you have any questions, post them to the Game Notes.

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§ main scenes.

¶ Scene 1: Ebegeeser and Horseman of Christmas Past. The Horseman is supposed to show Ebegeeser how he was as a teacher and he was (supposedly) a decent guy. So the best way to showcase that is give Ebegeeser a classroom to teach. The two will need to recreate the Schoolhouse, take care of some pranks, and deal with animated straw children. The "children" can behave however players want them to. Angels or devils, throwing things at Ebegeeser. Even the Horseman can be a brat and play along if they want. The Horseman will also have their pony to deal with and yes—must ride it at some point. Note: If it's pre-planned to not find the Schoolhouse here, let us know so that it's noted in other scenes involving it.

• Find the gift with the Schoolhouse to kick things off. [It's a big green box with a piece of a chalk on top so it should be be pretty obvious]
  
  
• Disarm three pranks set up within the Schoolhouse. [Pranks can be whatever you guys want]
  
  
• Ebegeeser "teach" a class of "children" and the Horseman.

Cast: Ebegeezer - Kazuma Asougi; Horseman - 9S

¶ Scene 2: Ebegeeser's first meeting with Beltrina. Set in the Schoolhouse, Ebegeeser first meets the beautiful Beltrina...and starts thinking about her wealth. Beltrina herself is practicing the violin and is already in a relationship with Bromfred. But could Ebegeeser worm his way into her heart!? Time for Ebeneeser to get his flirt on...and the Horseman might sit on the side and watch. MUSICAL NUMBER ♫ Note: If the Schoolhouse is pre-planned to not be found in the other scene, then they will need to find the box. Otherwise, the scene is set in a random building.

• Beltrina plays or uses the violin. [Can be meshed with the musical]
  
  
• Ebegeeser tries to flirt with Beltrina through song. [♫]
  
  
• Mention Bromfred.
  
  
• Bonus: Horseman of Christmas Past makes an appearance to speak with Ebegeeser [Can have a separate thread]

Cast: Ebegeezer - Cyrus Albright; Beltrina - Pearl; Horseman - Therion

¶ Scene 3: Bromfred's arrogance and Ebegeeser's jealousy. After learning about Beltrina's relationship with Bromfred and Bromfred constantly messing with him, Ebegeeser is brimming with hatred and jealousy. Bromfred's feelings are far simpler—he just finds the guy dumb and an easy target (no one said Bromfred was nice). So they are at each other's throats and will showcase their dislike through the magic of rap. The characters will have to find microphones, make a stage, and then dish out insults at each other a la "Drop the Mic." Who will be the victor? Will Ebegeeser let slip his murderous thoughts!? MUSICAL NUMBER ♫

• Find the gift containing two microphones. [Small yellow triangular box up in a tree]
  
  
• Make a stage. [There will be planks of wood and a toolset available nearby]
  
  
• Rap at each other. [♫]
  
  
• Bonus: Horseman appears to warn Ebegeeser through rap. [♫; can have separate threads]

Cast: Ebegeeser - Edna; Bromfred - Therion; Horseman - Ib

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[Mod note: Refer to the accompanying Game Notes for more information. If you wish to switch out of your current role, let us know!]

Comments

[chippedsoul]

[Data wipe and--...wait, what? He stops, looking surprised. Some actual life on his face, amazing.]

You're actually a machine? [The whole data collecting explanation probably should have clued him in, but he just thought 9S was a spy in some advanced hi-tech world, not the actual hi-tech.]

1/2

[decryptic]

No!

[ 9S's response is sharp and caustic. It's his turn to stiffen, his entire being rejecting the Disciple's question. ]

2/2

[decryptic]

[ But he quickly realizes that he's overreacted to an innocent question, and he forces himself to calm down. ]

... Sorry. I think our understandings of that word are different. I'm technically an android. I'm made out of metal like a machine, but Machine Lifeforms are agents of the Aliens who took over the Earth. We've been at war with them for millenia.

I'm not a human any way you cut it, though.

[chippedsoul]

[That, was quite a reaction. Eventhough it was an innocent mistake, he felt bad for making it, especially when he hears what the actual machines have done to the Earth. He lowers his head.]

I'm...sorry for the misunderstanding. I've never heard of the word android before.

[decryptic]

[ He shakes his head. ]

That's not your fault. No one here knows what an android is, really. It probably would be easier to call myself something else.

[ Should he just stop mentioning it? Passing for a human still feels wrong, though. ]

Anyway... you were telling me about trials and "courtroom procedures"?

[chippedsoul]

Well, you are an android. You can explain to me. [He's not going to let that go just yet. He'll get back on the trials and courtroom stuff afterwards.] There's no reason you need call yourself anything different from what you are.

[decryptic]

...

[ It's oddly reassuring to hear that. Coming from a time and place where his friends were nothing but androids, he's felt like an odd duck out here. All of his pride and duty as an android -- a highly advanced Scanner model, to boot -- has amounted to nothing here, with few threats to speak of, no technology to exploit, and no one to answer to. He's functionless.

So it's nice to be reminded that it's okay to be what he is. Humans insisting that he's human too doesn't make him feel better; it just makes him feel like a failed android. ]

An android is... basically an artifical person. We were made by mankind in order to protect mankind. Our personalities and performance specifications are determined before we're manufactured, and we tend to be predictable based on our model types. As a Scanner model, I'm programmed to have a healthy dose of curiosity. It just helps me do my job better. Meanwhile, the 9 in my name means I have No. 9 default personality data. If I was ever destroyed in both body and consciousness, you'd be able to load that default personality into a different body and get a shiny new me -- minus the memories. We were designed to be interchangeable like that.

[chippedsoul]

[Bear with him, as he's from a time period where the hippest thing is a gramophone and black and white photos. 9S explains it well enough to differentiate androids from machines, but...they're still machines in the end, aren't they? Just with human features and personality. He's not going to say that to him of course. He nods once his explanation is finished.]

So there will never be another 9S active while there's already one running?

[decryptic]

[ Wise choice, Disciple... And 9S has been doing nothing but bearing with people when it comes to talking about himself, so this is about par the course. ]

Right. It isn't unheard of, though. Sometimes if the war effort required it, you'd get multiple units of the same model running around at the same time. It just isn't ideal. Imagine waking up the next morning and suddenly having a second set of memories you didn't know about buzzing around in your head. It would mess with you a little, right? Better to keep things nice and neat.

[chippedsoul]

You share memories if there are other 9S? ...That's troublesome. [How do they even tell each other apart? He shakes his head.]

Well, thank you for explaining. It makes sense now why you're so nosy. [...Was he making a joke? Hard to tell with that serious look on his face all the time.]

[decryptic]

[ Joke or not, it's a strong fact. ]

Heh. You're welcome. It's my biggest boon and bane wrapped up in one.

[ ... ]

So...... did you wanna talk about the law now?

[chippedsoul]

[He hums quietly.] I suppose.

A prosecutor is someone who takes on cases in a court of law, a place where we make arguments and present evidence to prove someone's guilt or innocence. Robbery, murder, anything you can think of that needs solving. A prosecutor's job is to prove a suspect guilty. On the other side, there's a defense attorney trying to prove their innocence. Presiding over us is a judge and a seat of jurors, people randomly selected by the population brought in to be the voice of the people.

[decryptic]

There's a lot going on there... But it makes sense that you can't just go about exacting death sentences on humans all willy-nilly.

[ It kind of sounds like a headache, though. ]

It sounds like there's a lot of room for subjectivity in that arrangement. Why bother with jurors if there's already a judge? Who gets the final say?

[chippedsoul]

It's a system put in place to ensure a fair verdict. The judge may have the final say, but a verdict can't be ruled if the jurors do not agree as well. They basically check each other, like how defense attorneys and prosecutors do. [. . .] But as you say, there's room for subjectivity.

[He shrugs.] I never said it was a perfect system.

[decryptic]

[ 9S thinks about that for a moment before nodding. Androids and humans can't be judged in the same way. Where an android can be corrected and put back into service after a transgression, humans are stuck living with their sins. And humans can't be given severe rulings just to err on the side of societal safety; every human has a family willing to fight tooth and nail for their loved one. There must be a whole bunch of drama and politics surrounding the law. ]

Perfection would be tough for an imperfect species. No offense. The more I learn about you all, the harder it seems to be a human.

[ His tone is conversational; he doesn't mean to be condescending. ]

Do you think they use the same system in the Index?

[chippedsoul]

[He merely shrugs.] I'm not disagreeing. [He seen and been dealt his fair share of hardships.]

I remember seeing something resembling a courtroom, but I think it's being run differently.

[decryptic]

[ So a court system does exist, at the very least... ]

Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about the laws in the Index. I wonder if there are a lot of them. How many did you have back home?

[chippedsoul]

Too many that it would be a waste of time and we wouldn't get anything done. [Seriously, they'd be here for days.]

[decryptic]

[ ... Well, that would explain why there needs to be disciples of the law. ]

Sounds messy. Y'know, there was an ancient civilization I heard about once. It had tens of thousands of laws, and all of the land's citizens had to know each and every one of them by heart. Wild, huh?

[chippedsoul]

Hah. [He shakes his head.] With a ridiculous demand like that, it sounds like a mess waiting to happen. People generally only remember what matters to them directly. When something happens, they may not be aware of all their rights and be able to represent themselves to the fullest extent. That's why attorneys exist, to consult them and present every option available to them under the law.

[Boy, he's rather passionate about this law stuff.]

[decryptic]

[ The Disciple really does seem to feel strongly about his profession. 9S is silent for a moment before speaking up again slowly. ]

What made you decide to study law in the first place?

[chippedsoul]

[Now it's his turn to go silent. Why indeed is a mystery to him right now.]

I don't know that answer, just that knowing the law is the only thing I can remember.

[decryptic]

[ 9S can relate to that. It doesn't seem too different from the way he was "born" knowing what his function was. ]

Then now that we're living in the Index, are you going to try being a prosecutor here too? If they have prosecutors, anyway.

[chippedsoul]

[He shrugs.] If it'll help get us out of here sooner. There doesn't appear to be a need for me to do so right now.

[decryptic]

[ That's... practical. Practicing the law isn't an impulse for the Disciple, then. Not the way gathering information is for 9S.

(Why did he even feel the need to determine that? 9S wishes he could dial his curiosity down sometimes.)

Suddenly, 9S remembers something important. ]

Oh, I should probably return this horse.