Chapter 02: Act I

[keeperoftales]

Tale of the Bamboo Cutter: Act I—

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§ instructions.

The first Act of our second 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. Finally, it is okay to assume that a base camp of sorts is made in that central location. Like the Sub Quests, there is no specific toplevel for it, but players are free to incorporate it in their own.

As a reminder, characters will find similar information and instruction 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. In addition, they will experience a general wardrobe change upon arriving into the Draft to match the general feudal Japanese aesthetic, but you don't have to be too strict about it. Characters in Main Scenes will have a second wardrobe change while acting the scene. 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. So those on Prince Quests, they can wait a day or two before setting out, and after completing their journey, they can rest another day or two before going with Kaguya to be judged.

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 toplevels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level.

¶ I. Base Camp. Help set up, clear out, and protect the central location so that it can be used for a base camp. No one knows how long they'll be here, but it's going to be a few days, perhaps weeks. Time passes strangely within stories, after all. Although the Storyteller's magic will help offer some basic protection, there are still dangers that lurk outside of the forest and the occasional Blot monster or Eraser may try to harass those waiting behind. There's at least plenty of camping supplies, from tents and tools to food and medicine.


¶ II. Find the Gold Nuggets and Precious Stones. Hidden within the stalks of bamboo are golden nuggets and precious stones. To find them, characters will have to find red lined bamboo to cut down. One would think that would be easy when everything is monochrome in color, but the red lines will also be very dull and subdue and obscured by everything else. As to why they must be found, they are actually used to help plant new bamboo stalks to help regrow the forest and bring back life and color to the world. Thus after finding them, clear a patch and plant them.

Note: each gold nugget will provide some small healing to any injured and will have an additional boost in purifying the ground upon planting. It's all right for characters to hold onto a few gold nuggets, but do not be greedy!



¶ III. Eliminate Threats.As said on the tin, this forest needs a lot of culling. Just beware, the Erasers and Blots are dangerous and draw upon the forms they've taken on—from traditional Japanese demons to wild, dangerous animals. As more threats are cleared, the easier it will be to restore the forest as well. Destroying the Erasers and Blots will automatically revive the portions they had been "haunting" and make it easier to replant the bamboo.

Comments

SCENE 1: BAMBOO CUTTER AND KAGUYA - EIZEN AND PRINCE LOTOR

[keeperoftales]

While out in the forest, the bamboo cutter finds the baby Kaguya within and takes her home where she would be adopted as his and his wife's daughter. In this scene, Kaguya is stuck in a giant tube maze of bamboo and the Bamboo Cutter will have to help hack out certain sections so that Kaguya can escape. Kaguya can also try and hack their way out, but they have to be careful since it is a maze and there will be traps and such. Parts of the maze may grow back or suddenly create new walls, and there is always the threat of Blots or Erasers coming into attack either party.

The Bamboo Cutter will have a special hatchet that will allow them to cut the bamboo more easily and delay the regrowth. Kaguya will have a baby doll that can help guide them in the right direction.

[deadmentellnotails]

[Eizen's first time involved in this shenaniganery and he's....

Dressed really terribly. What the hell, man? And why does he have that hatchet?

Eh, whatever. His journal is telling him he gets to hack away at bamboo to save Kaguya, so he guesses that's what he has to do. But first he calls out:]

Princess? Can you hear me?

[smallra]

[Lotor doesn't enjoy his outfit any more than Eizen likes his. He's never worn anything like this before. While he actually doesn't mind how it looks, it's not something he can fight in, and it's getting in his way.

He's also never had a doll before. He looks at it and frowns. It reminds him a little of the decorative creature that he won at the carnival game, so he's not without a frame of reference for it, but it doesn't seem very useful.

Well, he knows what to do, generally. While Lotor knows absolutely nothing about these odd human stories, he understands what is called for in this task. He has to get out of here. He's not about to sit and wait to be rescued. Lotor is also familiar with bamboo from the games, so at least they were educational. Lotor withdraws his blade, because he did bring one with him, of course. Remembering the texture of bamboo and the way it cuts, he slices through a stalk experimentally, setting the doll down on the ground.

That's when he hears Eizen call out to him.]

I hear you. I'm here.

SCENE 2A: PRINCE #1 AND PRINCE #3 - EIZEN AND VELVET CROWE

[keeperoftales]

The items the two princes are after happen to be in the same place, so they will embark on a treacherous journey to a volcanic island where an ancient Buddhist temple rests. However they must hurry for the volcano is active and the temple already crumbling from old age. The first prince is to retrieve the stone begging bowl of the Buddha Shakyamuni. It is protected by the giant statue of Buddha which will come alive and attack.

However, that is not the only threat. The third prince is to retrieve the legendary robe of the fire-rat of China worn by the "fire-rat" herself, but in truth she is a pirate able to control rat demons. They have taken the temple as their base, so to get to the bowl, they'll have to get past the crew.

Of course, they could give up and just have a forgery made... At the entrance of the island are exact copies of the items, clearly marked as "replicas" and a fiery wisp informing them as such so as not to cause confusion.

[oligomania]

[ Traveling by boat is no new thing to either of them, though normally she left it to the crew of the Van Eltia to get them to every possible location. Velvet isn't as experienced on the high seas as Eizen is but she did pick up a few things from watching them bustling about during her time with the pirates. So she leaves Eizen to man the helm and ensure they're on course while she handles everything else... though with instruction from the ship's "captain", of course.

During a brief moment of relief, she turns to look back at him. ]

How long has it been since you've been on the seas?

[deadmentellnotails]

[Eizen is beaming right now, which is a little weird maybe but can you blame him?]

Centuries. There's no need for boats right now on Glenwood.

SCENE 2B: PRINCE #2 AND HIS SQUIRE - CYRUS ALBRIGHT AND SHIZUO HEIWAJIMA

[keeperoftales]

The path will lead the second prince and their squire to a pier where a boat awaits to take them to a mythical, remote island to retrieve the jeweled branch hidden within. The voyage over will be uneventful, but that is only because the island itself will be a handful. Living tree ents roam the island and will attack all intruders. The jeweled branch itself is at the very top of a giant tree ent, the king of them all. They will have to not only defeat the lesser tree ents but also challenge and climb to find the branch. Force is an obvious way to do it, however the king of ents is an intellectual being and may be open to some exchange of riddles.

Of course, they could give up and just have a forgery made... By the boat is an exact copy of the branch, clearly marked as "replica" and an earthy wisp informing them as such so as not to cause confusion.

Note: the jeweled branch will "help" in that it will glitter brightly in any source of light, which will not only help locate it, but will help blind the ents.

[scrutinies]

[They're well on the way to the island by now, Cyrus perched near the hull of the boat, leaning out over its edge to get a better look at their surroundings, hand held above his eyes to shield them from the sun as they approach the shore.]

Picturesque, isn't it? And I've always wanted the chance to take to the seas!

[He's enjoying this far too much already, and they haven't even hit land yet.]

[hatesviolence]

[Shizuo is a bit more...wary and uncertain about this trip. After the whole Ebegeeser fiasco, he's glad he doesn't have an actual particular role and is basically just someone's sidekick. He's also actually familiar with the story, or at least the basics of it, so he at least know the princes originally fail. Whether that happens here or not... Well, guess that's why it's open-ended for them.

Still, Cyrus's exclamation surprises him a little.]

You've never been to the sea before? Not even to the beach?

SCENE 2C: PRINCE #4 AND HER SQUIRE - MIYAMOTO MUSASHI AND KAZUMA ASOUGI

[keeperoftales]

The fourth prince and their squire will travel to a distant mountain to retrieve a colored jewel from a dragon's neck. The mountain itself is filled danger and is difficult to climb, with attacking lesser dragons, sheer cliffs, and threats of avalanches every so often. To make matters worse, there is a constant storm that beats down upon the lower regions of the mountain, but up on top it is clear and filled with sun and rainbows. The lair of the dragon is up there, and if they manage to get past through all that, they must somehow get the jewel from the dragon. Fighting is ill advised, but perhaps they can sneak past and take it while it slumbers.

Of course, they could give up and just have a forgery made... By the boat is an exact copy of the jewel, clearly marked as "replica" and an windy wisp informing them as such so as not to cause confusion.

[fifthforce]

[ Despite how difficult the climb up is, Musashi is keeping at it with a smile - or at least, as much of a smile as she can manage with the storm beating down on them both on the way up. She's no idiot though, as she knows the entire trek up is going to be a total mess, but keeping a positive attitude couldn't hurt, right? She'll just complain about it later.

Speaking of which, while trying to shield her face from the downpour, Musashi glances over her shoulder at her squire to make sure he's keeping up. ]

Hey there! Not having too tough a time, are you?

[chippedsoul]

[The Disciple wasn't too far behind her. He wasn't being incredibly chatty, focusing more on making sure he doesn't slip. He's no stranger to the danger of nature, but climbing a mountain in rough storms isn't quite the same as being caught in a storm at sea. At least this time the Storyteller was gracious to give him a weapon and more suitable clothing.]

I'm managing. [It's tedious, but he wasn't struggling where he felt it was worth vocally complaining over.] Something's out there. [It may just be the wind, but he could have sworn he heard something pounding against said wind. A strange rhythmic whooshing noise.]

SCENE 3: PRINCE KAGUYA JUDGES THE PRINCES - ROKUROU AND ALL YOU PRINCES

[keeperoftales]

In a special private room sitting on a dais behind a curtain waits the Princess Kaguya to pass judgment on any Prince who has returned from their journey with the requested item. Anything could happen in this special meeting. Will love blossom? Or will everyone be rejected?

[rokubro]

[Rokurou, dressed in such fine, beautiful garments and hair flowing loosely behind him complete with hair extensions......



Is the sulkiest "princess" to ever have existed. Even worse than the original Princess Kaguya herself.]

Of all the— I can't believe this stupid—! Is anyone even out there??

[He already had to be a princess once, HE DID NOT WANT TO DO THIS AGAIN. And this is even worse since all he can do is just sit here. He did wait a while, knowing his "brave princes" wouldn't be back immediately, so he had spent most of his time dealing with everything else within the forest. But it seemed like at least one of the princes would be heading in soon—or so he assumed when his journal flashed at him and the path to the mansion where his scene would take place illuminated, guiding him.

Honestly, he may or may not have hoped everyone would have died so that he wouldn't have to do this—

But here he is, sitting so "prettily" on the dais. All right, he looked more like the mistress of a yakuza, no manners whatsoever as he just chugs down a bottle of sake. At least he had that much.]

T'ch, can I just go ahead and reject everything and be done with this already?

[What a wonderful princess, y e p.]

[ ooc: princey poos can just tag this whenever, but if anyone else wants to just drop in to see and torture chat with Rokurou, that's totally cool o/ ]

(frozen comment) --- BLANK SEPERATOR --

[keeperoftales]

From here on out, everyone can make their own toplevel for sub quests and whatever else they'd like.

Subquest II:

[sparrowrain]

[ So, it might have been Aya's idea to go out looking for the stones they needed but still - this is a little discouraging, since they've been at it for a bit and haven't found a lot. The colour of this place is making stuff a little difficult. Crouching at the edge of the clearing, she curls her fingers into the soil.

Gustav nudges her with his whole body, the bear giving a little growl to cheer her up. Despite herself, she smiles and reaches up to pat his cheek. ]

Right, we're not going to get anywhere if we just wait and hope.

[ Her smile deepens for a second before she sighs and stands. Then she glances around, trying to see if she can see someone through the bamboo... ]

[slovenlyserenade]

[And that someone is crouched down slightly, inspecting each bamboo stalk that's surrounding him very carefully. This isn't a very easy task, what with the colours being what they are. Everything looks the same at a glance, so you have to get pretty close to find what you're looking for. Not to mention he's wearing a lot of clothing (which is a little distracting); all of it feels odd and heavy, or just a bit awkward. He's hardly one to care about what he wears, but he's still getting used to it.

Just when he's about to check back with Aya, to see if she's had better luck, he notices the slightly darker colouring on one of the stalks.

Finally.]

Aya! Hey, Aya! I think I found one!

[He shouts, keeping his attention on the stalk while raising his hand to wave so she can spot him easily. Either that or the colours have been so burned into his eyes that he's seeing things now.]

[twilightskey]

[This should have been an easy task to do. Bright red against a sea of monochrome should be easy to spot. But unfortunately, the Draft wasn't making their task any easier, and so far Roxas hadn't been successful in finding anything. It was starting to get a little frustrating, before his eye caught movement deeper in the forest.]

Hello? Is someone there?

subquests

[rokubro]

[Rokurou is not happy about his role, SO he's just going to busy himself with all the other tasks and hope all the princes fail. Maybe die—]

» i. prepping camp «
[Although he's a Huntsman, his essence and own traveling experience has given him some knowledge that would be useful in setting up the campsite. Pitching up tents, gathering wood and setting up a fire, set up some basic traps outside of the initial protected areas both to catch as well as alert of anything that might be wandering nearby. Once the basics are done and checking what supplies they had, he'll turn his gaze to outside the forest.]

Hm... I think we have enough food, but might try to go out and see if there's anything else out there we could use. Anyone have any preferences?


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» ii. hack down bamboo to find gold «
[This has probably one of the weirdest tasks he's had to do yet, but seemed simple enough. Trying to find the right bamboo was like finding a needle in a haystack, especially with the monochrome color thing going on, but his daemon eye actually proves useful for this. It's something he hasn't really quite practiced much with, but if he concentrates enough, he can pick out the strange lines from the rest of the trees.]

[ a. interruptions ]
Think I found one over there—!

[But of course, it won't be easy. His Huntsman and daemon senses tingle when he hears a rustling and low hiss from somewhere on his left.]

And looks like we have company. I'll handle it, just get that bamboo stalk!

[Great plan, he gets to fight! ...One big flaw, he didn't quite tell where he spotted the bamboo. IT'S IN THE AREA, THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH, RIGHT???]

[ b. planting ]
[But when not dealing with threats, he'll be using his swords to help cut down the targeted bamboo or clear out a new patch for them to be planted. Holding up a gold nugget, he looks at it curiously.]

I know this place is a story and all, but still hard to believe that planting gold nuggets would help grow plants. ...But now I wonder if this means you really could grow candy trees from pieces of candy...

[Only one person would know what he's talking about.]


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» iii. daemon killing other demons(?) «
[What better way to vent out some mild agitation at his designated story role than by going out and killing Erasers and monsters? All right, there are probably a lot, but not for Rokurou. He'll be using his daemon eye to try and pick up traces of their presence, and he will attack them all with gusto. It's also kind of fun for him because of these demons look like the ones he's seen in illustrations back in his old home.]


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» iv. wildcard «
[anything else you may want to do! feel free to hit me on up discord or plurk.]

II-B

[scrutinies]

[It's been on Cyrus' mind this entire time, as well, even as he's used his handy magnifying glass to help pick out the appropriate stalks to be cut down. His abilities have certainly helped to expedite the seeking part of the process, and now all that's left is the planting.]

This is proof enough that it's possible, is it not?

[He sounds delighted by that fact.]

I wonder if anything would grow if we were to take one or two of these back to the Index and plant them there... I have a garden outside my house that's looking a bit bare.

III

[twilightskey]

[This forest is in need of a lot of culling, that's for sure. It's a good thing the shopkeepers back in the Index have become open to helping the other Aspects out with supplies; since he still hadn't figured out a viable method of transporting water yet, Roxas had gotten himself a pair of short swords for the time being as a means of extra protection.]

[Those swords were sure coming in handy as he helped Rokurou slay a few of the Erasers. He just finished cutting down one when he turned to Rokurou.]

Behind you!

Subquest II | Cyrus & Alfyn

[scrutinies]

[This particular task seemed perfectly suited for the both of them, given Cyrus' knack for finding things and Alfyn's green thumb. Whatever skills they had possessed back home, this world had done its part to enhance, and searching through bamboo stalks for gold nuggets and jewels to replant seemed like a pleasant enough way to spend the afternoon.

Cyrus catches a glimpse of a glimmer of gold through a stalk's outer casing, and he perks up as he reaches for the knife he's opted to keep at his belt, stroking his chin as he considers the best way to get at its insides.]

It's remarkable just how many things that oughtn't serve as seeds seem to grow things in this world, isn't it?

[First giant lollipops, now bamboo stalks from gold nuggets!]

[apothecarry]

[He wouldn't be surprised to find an actual green thumb on himself after all they've already been through. Alfyn slides around bamboo stalks behind Cyrus, not nearly dumb enough to say aloud how grateful he is that no Erasers are stalking after them or anything like that.

When Cyrus starts contemplating a particular stalk and patting his knife, though, Alfyn steps forward and shakes his head.]

Yeah, but when you think about it, an awful lot of stories start with growin' things or finding out how to get to 'em. [He pats Cyrus's knife wrist gently, unhooking a small hatchet from his belt instead.] I've got this one, Professor. Just tell me where to hit it!

Subquests - OTA

[twilightskey]

I - Setting up camp
[It was actually a bit of a relief that they had all been dropped in the same location, meaning everyone could work together to set up a base camp. Roxas did what he could to help out; setting up tents, clearing out some dead brush out of the way, helping sort and count supplies, among other things.]

[He will help out anyone who asked him for help, or anyone who looked like they were struggling. He also took some time to explore the nearby area, and upon making any notable discovery he'll come back and report on it.]

Hey, there's a nearby river just over there. It looks pretty clean, too.

II - Golden nuggets and precious stones
[One would think that finding a band of red in a sea of monochrome would be easy, but unfortunately that wasn't the case. Still, Roxas will do his best to help hunt through the forest, squinting in the muted colours of their surroundings as best as he could to try an find those elusive bands of colour.]

[If he stumbled upon anyone, He'll approach with a wave and a shake of his head.]

I haven't been able to find any gold nuggets or stones. Have you?

III - Culling the forest
[It's a good thing that Roxas had decided to pick up a pair of short swords in the Index before arriving, because the bamboo forest was teeming with monsters. Fortunately, thinning the numbers of monsters was something he had experience in.]

[He was currently in the thick of battle, both swords flashing as he cut through one of the Erasers. Perhaps your character had been with Roxas when the horde attacked, or perhaps your character stumbled upon the battle while looking for nuggets or stones. But when Roxas caught sight of someone nearby, he'll give out a quick warning shout as the Erasers attack.]

Look out!

I

[ricebird]

[Kotori had been working hard with the chores too, including using her pot to provide porridge for lunch. She visibly brightens at the news, though.]

Really? Phew, thank goodness! Those creeks and fish from the last story still give me chills, not to mention we need a good source of clean water, especially you. Do you see any fish there?