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

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.]

[sparrowrain]

Is he going to make me go all the way over there if he's not sure?

[ She sighs it under her breath, and she grabs a handful of her skirts to start walking. These clothes are so fitted around the legs, making it more than a little difficult to walk at any speed above slow. Still, she starts moving, Gustav following along behind her, Aya's shoes crunching through the underbrush. ]

Just give me a minute!

[ She calls out, frowning at her pace. ]

[slovenlyserenade]

[Did she find one herself, or--

He turns around.

Oh. Right. If he thought his attire is complicated, Aya's is much worse. Sure, it looks really nice on her (everything does), but it's so restrictive around her legs that it makes long gaits or running difficult. She can't even ride Gustav in that.

She also doesn't look too happy. He rubs the back of his neck before shouting back.]

Uh, do you need any help?

[He could carry her. But she'll probably just say no.]

[sparrowrain]

I'm fine.

[ Of course she'd refuse being carried. Or needing help! Especially in this case. Besides, this is a minor inconvenience so she can overcome it. Right? There's so much worse going on, she's not going to be stopped by some stupid dress.

She finally makes it, and she kneels down near him. As does Gustav. Hope Capell didn't want any alone time. ]

Okay, so which one is it?

[slovenlyserenade]

[No. Never. Who needs alone time with their significant other? Gustav has been very pushy lately too. Probably because they've had quite a bit of downtime, which meant more time together... and, clearly, Gustav has felt like he's given them plenty of time to reconnect.

He was hoping this task would be just the two of them, but he isn't that lucky.

Momentarily distracted watching Aya approach him, though, he scrambles a bit to refocus his thoughts.]

Oh, uh...

[Great, did he just lose it? His head turns in every direction-- it was right here, wasn't it???? Um.....

Oh, there it is. He points at the stalk slightly behind him and to his left.]

That one! You see it too, right?

[sparrowrain]

[ Behind him? Geez, Capell... Aya looks a little tired as she shuffles a bit closer as quickly as she can - everything's so hard to see around here, but... ]

Yeah, I think that looks right.

[ There is the slightest of red lines on it, isn't there? She blinks a few times as she reaches out to trace whatever she's seeing on the bamboo's surface... ]

Okay, so that's the first part. We should cut it down now, I guess?

[ Gustav makes a short roo - is this where he comes in?! ]

[slovenlyserenade]

[And the gold nuggets they need are inside them. Seems counterproductive to have to destroy one stalk if they need to plant more, but he really doesn't know much of what is going on, so...

He turns to Gustav.]

Gustav, think you can cut down this bamboo stalk for us?

[sparrowrain]

[ Gustav sniffs at the stalks, shoving his head between Capell and Aya while doing so - he growls an answer and raises his paw. ]

You can do it!

[ Aya encourages helpfully... Too bad bear claws would be better for digging, something that's obvious as he takes his first swipe, that doesn't quite cut the hard shaft of the bamboo. So he just tries again until finally..! ]

[slovenlyserenade]

[It takes a few whacks, and a few ARRRRRGHs, but Gustav makes quick work of the bamboo stalk. Scary how much damage a bear's claws can do! He sure wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of those...

And he should know because he has.]

Thanks! Although, maybe we should trim your nails a little.

[Trim a bear's nails?]

[sparrowrain]

His nails are fine, Capell. Do you really think Gustav will let you cut them?

[ Geez. Though, his claws don't even do that great of a job, less cutting the stem and more hacking it off. Oh well, Aya shrugs, it did the trick, after all... Catching the branch of bamboo before it falls, Aya pulls it away from the root. ]

[slovenlyserenade]

Well... not me, but you? [nervously rubs the back of his neck] I mean, he's a pet, isn't he? Don't pets usually get their nails trimmed?

[You know... like cats, and dogs. It could be a problem if Gustav decides to "playfully" swipe at him, or sit on him, or chase him. He doesn't know his own strength! All it would take is one accident and things could get messy.

And what does Gustav think about all of this?]

[sparrowrain]

He might be a pet, but he's still a bear. He gets enough exercise to wear them down when he walks.

[ Doesn't every good, conscientious bear owner know this? Capell is like... practically a bear-father, he should learn a thing or two. Also, Gustav is a perfect angel, or maybe a teddy bear is a better way to describe it.

For what it's worth, Gustav is looking at his claws as if there's nothing at all wrong with them, and he's totally right in Aya's estimation. He gives a little grr in (seeming) agreement with her comments. ]

See, he's fine.

[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?

[sparrowrain]

[ She catches movement too, but she doesn't hear the words as much as she hears a sound that's definitely not one that's natural for this place. A voice - not Capell's either, so - ]

Hello?

[ Leaving Gustav behind, she takes a few steps toward whoever's moving in the distance. ]

Can you hear me?

[twilightskey]

[The movement caught his eye again, and the muffled call reached his ears. He turned towards it, heading over.]

I can hear you! Let me try coming over.

[It's a short distance through the thicket before he finally saw another person. A person he recognized from the last story.]

Aya?

[sparrowrain]

[ brushing some of the bamboo fronds away, Aya peeks through the foliage and-- ]

Roxas! Glad to see a friendly face. Everything in here looks so...

[ She waves her hand, as if it's pretty self-explanatory. ]

Plain. It's a little hard on the eyes.

[twilightskey]

Hey! It's good to see you too.

[He immediately relaxed as he saw her, a small smile forming on his face.]

Tell me about it. I can barely tell where anything is like this.

[sparrowrain]

[ She returns his smile - and appreciates it a lot, honestly. Seeing something less monotonous on the eyes is helping her get some of her focus back. ]

Right? How are we supposed to see red on any of these branches when it's just barely there... [ she sighs. ] Speaking of which, have you had any luck yet?

[twilightskey]

[He shook his head.]

No, not yet. I've been looking for red too, but it's almost impossible to tell in all this. I didn't wanna cut anything down without it being something we need to cut down.

[With his luck he'd accidentally release a monstrous Eraser or something.]

[sparrowrain]

That's the kind of problem I've been running into too. I don't want to destroy anything accidentally. You never know what might happen if we do.

[ She also doesn't want to summon some monster either. This is hard enough as it is... ]

Though... We need to start somewhere, right..?

[twilightskey]

Yeah, or else we won't get anything done.

[He squinted out into the distance again, before turning to Aya.]

Want to try working together? Maybe we'll have better luck that way.

[sparrowrain]

I think that sounds like a good idea. Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?

[ And as if he understands, Gustav growls lightly from somewhere behind Aya, hey, what about his eyes? Aya chuckles, tossing a glance and a smile back toward her pet bear. ]

Okay, three sets, and one good nose.

[twilightskey]

[When the growl sounded and the bear appeared, Roxas jumped in surprise.]

Woah!!

[How had he missed that big bear?? He was surprised to see it, but stared as Aya seemed unphased by it.]

Is... he with you?

[sparrowrain]

[ He is good at hiding in the bamboo. ]

Oh! I forgot, you haven't met!

[ Acting ever so gracious, Aya waves a hand toward Gustav, as if introducing an old friend (which he is, actually...) ]

Roxas, this is Gustav. He's my pet.

[ Gustav, for his part, sniffs the air between him and Roxas, taking a slow step forward. ]