Chapter 06: Act I

[storyevents]

FRANKENHYDE: ACT I—

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§ instructions.

Frankenhyde Act I 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.

A few reminders. The city's setting is steampunk themed, so while for the most part it follows ye old Victorian England style, you have a lot of Industrial accents and odd machines about, including small airships. There is a river, so ports and docks are available but although this place may seem large, it's actually a finite space. Sailing down the river will be an endless loop back to the start with fog being the only visible "boundary." Passing through this fog will them back to where they were. There are also numerous research labs and other buildings, but many of them are locked or sealed behind an invisible barrier so no one can enter. The "locals" are all blots, so they are more like living puppets that will have minimum response to anyone who tries to interact with them. Most are neutral, but will attack if provoked. There are also some that are immediately hostile, and are differentiated by the sparks of electricity they generate around their bodies. The "safe zone" for this campaign will be a designated apartment building. Everyone can either bunk together or choose their own room.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are assigned roles will know beforehand and can either communicate with their partner beforehand or just wait until they're in the scene. To get to their scene, characters must enter a specially marked door in the apartment building to be transported into their scene. They will automatically return upon completion (or if something goes horribly horribly wrong). 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.

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§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the Sub Quests. There are no specific top levels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level.

¶ I. Help the Scientists. A lot of work needs to be done to help the research experiments be a success, some of it a bit more unsavory than the rest.

1. Gather Ingredients.There are a lot of things that go into creating life, so cue the fetch quest. Items range from organs from wildlife to various plants and herbs to tools such as thread, needles, and large bolts. These items can be found throughout the town and outside of the forest and can be left at either of the buildings that is set for Frankenstein's and Jekyll's laboratories. Do note that no one except those who are cast for the scenes can go inside (there is an impenetrable barrier that will shock anyone who tries to enter).
   
   
2. Bzzzzt. The scientists also need to generate a lot of electricity. Outside each laboratory are various generators used to harness and conduct electricity: lightning rods that can be attached anywhere, strange boxes that need to be powered, and even an odd looking metal ball that can be opened to physically capture lightning. Just be careful to not get shocked!

¶ II. Help the Locals. Like most damaged stories, the local townspeople are not real but Blots taking the form of the original residents. Most are friendly and continue about their lives without paying much attention to the Aspect and providing basic assistance or keeping out of their way. They do not speak but seem to understand if communicated to.

1. Science Fair. There is a local science fair being held that anyone can participate in! Rewards...aren't that great, but it's the experience that matters. But as expected, things don't go smoothly as various experiments and projects go awry. With the technology as it is, this can be even more dangerous as more than one is dealing with explosive fuel or have way out-of-the-box inventions such as flying motorized bikes or small automaton of some kind.
   
   
2. Dangerous Blots. There are some blots who are badly damaged by Erasers and are more prone to attack. Those that have small electric sparks around them will have jerky movements and must be subdued or destroyed. There are also real Erasers lurking about, taking the form of unidentifiable homunculus and small chimera.

¶ III. Trick-or-Treat! It seems everyone came in time for Halloween. Although not quite as festive as current day, the children still participate in some lighthearted trick-or-treating. The Aspects are free to participate either in wearing costumes, doling out candy, or playing tricks, but they will want to keep an eye out. Some of these costumes appear too good, and some unfortunate accidents and incidents will reveal odd mutant experiments have escaped and mingled with the crowds. Most are not hostile and just cause accidents and disturbances, so they can be gathered and returned to the various research labs. Others may prove a bit more "bite-y" so more force may be necessary to subdue them.

¶ IV. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt!

Comments

[chippedsoul]

[Be it his connection to the story or his own essence, Kazuma has been unable to get much sleep at night. He's been spending his nights beating up ink monsters and occasionally poking into the kitchen for something to eat afterwards. It's another one of those nights, though while he's washing off as much ink off him as he could, the smell of something delicious reaches his nose.

Someone is using the kitchen this late at night? He'd wait for them to finish, but he's hungry, and whatever is being made smell too good to resist. His stomach will declare his entrance into the kitchen as he wanders in. There's still some ink stains on his clothes, but he's got most of it off.

So it was 76 in the kitchen...making pancakes? Rather than say something, or just go get what he needs, he's staring at 76 and the food as he cooks.]

[steadypulse]

[Was making them large enough he only had one in a pan, picking it up to flip the either thing with a flick of his wrist. Left him some time in between to drink his coffee, hip rested against the counter-]

Need something?

[-was hard to see where he was looking. The visor was still activated, that black 'band' of magic hiding his eyes. Only thing that could be seen -with the lower 'jaw' of the mask removed- was the thick beard he apparently was sporting under it all. Tone gruff as usual, so likely wasn't bothered by being watched.

Just asking what the hold up to keeping him standing there was, more or less.]

[chippedsoul]

[As if on cue, this stomach growls after his question.]

Pancakes at this hour? [There's nothing really weird about it, he just doesn't want to ask about having some.]

[steadypulse]

Yep.

[His head tilted towards a bowl of sliced apples resting in a light mix of cinnamon and sugar he'd scrounged up.] Interested?

[Vague, but it was still enough to be a clear enough offering of what was being made. He'd heard the stomach growling after all. Already up.]

[chippedsoul]

[Don't drool, don't drool, don't drool, don't drool-]

Yes. [He might have said that too quickly.] Do you need any assistance? [Smooth recovery]

[steadypulse]

[His head tilted, glancing over what he had a handle on and-]

Feel like grabbing one of those small pots? Haven't cooked the apples yet, need a bit of time mixing with some butter.

[Would make a nice thick sort of sauce with the apples, sugar, and cinnamon once heated up in some butter. All the better to top some flapjacks.]

[chippedsoul]

[The apples...he walks off to gather the pot and set it on the stove. Some of the apples have already been sliced, so he'll go ahead and put those in. If he thinks there should be more, he can cut some more.]

Just the butter? [He sees there are other ingredients, but he's unfamiliar with the recipe to know what else to put, or how much.]

[steadypulse]

Just the butter. It's got the cinnamon and a bit of sugar in with the apple slices already.

[He liked to let the slices sit to soak it in a bit, the sugar causing the apple to let out it's juices a bit like it did with some other fruits. Made for a nice little bit of 'syrup' to start with. Even if it was just some thought, felt like it made the flavors stick better when cooked.

Worked for him.]

Start with half the stick, can take a look from there.

[chippedsoul]

[These apples cooking were starting to smell so good even before the butter goes in. The dumb thought of taking one of the apples from the pot crossed his mind at one point.]

You work the kitchen often? [He wasn't given that immediate impression when he first met 76.]

[steadypulse]

No. [Not these days at least. Usually cooked over a fire if he was lucky, otherwise he survived off of protein bars and the like. Simply how he lived and he was damn fine with it.

Things changed a little here, he could risk having a fire to cook over, but why not take advantage of a fully stocked kitchen while he could? Hell, he'd made a mini casserole one late night after scrounging up what he'd needed himself.]

Know my way around one well enough all the same.

[chippedsoul]

Certainly more than me. [He can cook, but it's usually just to have some substance.]

The apples seem ready. [He carefully lifts the pot from the stove to show to 76]

[steadypulse]

You'd be surprised.

[Did take a look, and with the addition of the butter and cooking down a little there was a nice caramel-like syrup there with the apples-] Get it back in to the bowl, be cooled enough to thicken up a little by the time I've got a stack ready to put it on.

[He certainly knew how to get a stack of flapjacks together without letting them cool. A bit of that butter put between each one for a bit of taste.]

[chippedsoul]

[He'll do as told, probably dipped a claw in for a little taste.]

Got anything to even out the sweetness? [The pancakes and sauce is fine, he just doesn't have much of a sweet tooth.]

[steadypulse]

Cut a lemon in half, squeeze the juice over it an stir it in. Cuts out the sweetness, but adds a nice tartness to the apple.

[He usually did that for himself- it still left a bit of sweetness to help the cinnamon not be overwhelming, but it also made it... not so sweet. A good balance.

He did gesture to one of the bowls that had fruits, some being lemons, there in it.]

[chippedsoul]

Lemon. [Huh. He easily slices through said lemon with his claws and after squeezing a bit, has another taste.]

Mm, this is much better. Think you could pass me the recipe sometime?

[steadypulse]

Yeah, sure. Got it memorized enough to write it down sometime.

[There were a good many flapjacks for a stack, that plate slid aside-]

Once that cools down enough you can put some of those apples on to that, for now it just needs the butter between each one and a bit on top.

[Stuff should be cooled enough after that was done at least.]

[chippedsoul]

Got a recipe that might mix well with meat?

[His stomach growls, it could sense the time to feast is soon. But he behaves, working on getting the butter onto the pancakes. He then proceeds to pour the apples onto the stack.]

[steadypulse]

Got one for maple bacon flapjacks- but if you mean meat alone? Quite a few, used to working with fire and meat.

[Was getting his own stack ready, building up a stack just as easily as he did the first.]

Remember, just half of what's in that pot.

[chippedsoul]

Hm? [He looks down at the pancakes, then back to 76]

These are pancakes, right?

[steadypulse]

Flapjacks, pancakes. Same thing depending the part of the Americas you're from, some it's a difference of cooking method.

[A slight shrug of his shoulders.]

Elsewhere? Flapjacks are an entirely different thing from pancakes, but I grew up with them being called flapjacks. [That same easy drawl as he spoke, a hand held out for the pot.

Was going to use what bit of the apple concoction for his own stack after all.]

[chippedsoul]

[He looks at the pancakes, frowning.] I see. [How did the Americans correlate pancakes to flapjacks? They look nothing alike.]

I've never been to the Americas, so I only know flapjacks as these oatmeal fruit bars in Great Britain. [They're ok, for a snack.]