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realmofstories2018-10-21 12:00 pm
keeperoftales) wrote in realmofstories2018-10-21 12:00 pm
Entry tags:
Opening Log: Welcome to the Index + Halloween Festival
Opening Intro Log: October 2018—
§ instructions.
Greetings and welcome to the first intro log for Forgotten Tales! There are no hard and fast rules here. Just include your Character, canon, and essence in the subject line and post away! Network prompts are allowed in the intro log, so feel free to put one in.
In terms of timeline, the intro log can span over several days, so don't feel as if everything has to happen all at once. You are also free to post your own logs at any time, and can even take these prompts for them!
For more information, refer to the accompanying Game Notes.
§ greetings from the storyteller.
It's no surprise that everyone who first enters the Realm of Stories will feel disoriented, especially when their soul is basically fused with that of another. Fortunately, there is someone who is more than willing to explain things—just not physically. Once the initial dizziness and confusion passes, be it through the pages of the journal glowing in their hands or through telepathy, the same "voice" who sought them out and pleaded for their aid will speak.
The message will remain within the first few pages of the journal, and past it are other informative passages that the newly arrived may find useful. Information such as how to use the journal, local maps of the Index, notable businesses, where they may find their own unique residence, even names of other Aspects who have arrived. And despite the seemingly endless blank pages when rifling through, the journal itself remains thin and light when closed.
So for now, all they can do is wait and learn more about themselves and each other.
§ prompts.
¶ I. Getting to Know Your "New Character." Even after being told by the Storyteller about everything, there's still a lot to learn. There's also the satchel and journal to investigate and figuring out where they live. In any case, firsthand experience and experimentation is the best way to figure things out.
¶ II. A Halloween Festival. Despite the threat of the Story Eater always looming somewhere outside in the Void, the residents are preparing for the Halloween season. With so many stories either fostering or born from the traditions, it's no surprise that survivors of said ghastly, sometimes fun tales are throwing their all to keep the spirit of their stories alive, especially with help now arriving. What better way to meet the residents than participating and helping out? Might learn a few things about their new abilities, too, and can even put on a different costume.
¶ III. Recreate Some Stories. The main reason the Aspects are in the Realm of Stories is to help restore and recreate the lost books. But it would be good if they got a little practice in how they can do that. While there isn't much to restore here in the Index, there are still plenty of opportunities to get the feel of "acting out" certain roles and scenes in the city. And who knows—maybe these little stories and plays will be written down and filed away in the Grand Library.
¶ IV. Exploring the Index. The Index is a large, vast city inhabited by a large variety of characters from numerous stories. Because of this there is no uniform style to the city. One street could look like a normal street plucked out of a Victorian, English fairy tale and then the very next is made of candy. It makes for an interesting mishmash of cultures that somehow manages to get along. Most of the time, at least.
Greetings and welcome to the first intro log for Forgotten Tales! There are no hard and fast rules here. Just include your Character, canon, and essence in the subject line and post away! Network prompts are allowed in the intro log, so feel free to put one in.
In terms of timeline, the intro log can span over several days, so don't feel as if everything has to happen all at once. You are also free to post your own logs at any time, and can even take these prompts for them!
For more information, refer to the accompanying Game Notes.
§ greetings from the storyteller.
It's no surprise that everyone who first enters the Realm of Stories will feel disoriented, especially when their soul is basically fused with that of another. Fortunately, there is someone who is more than willing to explain things—just not physically. Once the initial dizziness and confusion passes, be it through the pages of the journal glowing in their hands or through telepathy, the same "voice" who sought them out and pleaded for their aid will speak.
Greetings, Aspect, for that is what you are now. We thank you for your agreement in helping fight against the Story Eater. For those whom we had to bring in for your own safety—forgive us. Once we have enough power we will return you to your worlds should you so choose.
All of you have been gifted with the essence of a powerful character from one of the many stories now lost to the Story Eater. We did not choose it—it chose you. If you touch the medallion hanging on your journal, its name will be revealed to you and you are welcome to browse through the Grand Library to read their stories.
But time is of the essence. Even now we feel the loss of yet another Book and many more will follow. We will contemplate and decide on a Draft to send you to, so in the meantime, please explore the city and learn what you can. You should have been given everything you will need for your temporary stay here in the Index, and the city residents have been informed of your coming.
Keep your journal close—we will reach out to you again.
The message will remain within the first few pages of the journal, and past it are other informative passages that the newly arrived may find useful. Information such as how to use the journal, local maps of the Index, notable businesses, where they may find their own unique residence, even names of other Aspects who have arrived. And despite the seemingly endless blank pages when rifling through, the journal itself remains thin and light when closed.
So for now, all they can do is wait and learn more about themselves and each other.
§ prompts.
¶ I. Getting to Know Your "New Character." Even after being told by the Storyteller about everything, there's still a lot to learn. There's also the satchel and journal to investigate and figuring out where they live. In any case, firsthand experience and experimentation is the best way to figure things out. - A. Brushing Up on the Lore. Perhaps a trip to the Grand Library to read up on the essence's stories wouldn't be such a bad idea. It might help give the Aspect some ideas as to what they can do. But you know, it would be their luck to have a large tome dedicated to their stories way high up on a top shelf. And the ladder is rusty. Might need some help.
- B. Magic Journals. For those of the modern era, needing to write is going to be an interesting exercise. But after reading the instructions, maybe they want to reach out, see who else is out there. Or troll people with dumb doodles.
- C. Watch What You're Doing! Testing out a new spell or weapon? Great! Just be mindful of the surroundings—this is all new and no one has thought to create a special training area for everyone (yet). And while most of the locals are happy and hopeful about their potential heroes, broken windows or almost burning one of them won't go over too well.
¶ II. A Halloween Festival. Despite the threat of the Story Eater always looming somewhere outside in the Void, the residents are preparing for the Halloween season. With so many stories either fostering or born from the traditions, it's no surprise that survivors of said ghastly, sometimes fun tales are throwing their all to keep the spirit of their stories alive, especially with help now arriving. What better way to meet the residents than participating and helping out? Might learn a few things about their new abilities, too, and can even put on a different costume.- A. Batty Books. A few well meaning young wizards and witches in training had hoped to spice up the Grand Library with a few flying books. Unfortunately, they were a bit overzealous with their wandwork and now there are hoards of flying books overrunning and ransacking the place. Even worse, books of violent content are attacking, spitting out pages or clamping down on hapless victims. Hard covers are the worst, and watch out for all those paper cuts! Help capture these rogue books so the reverse spell can be cast, but be careful! They are still precious books and can't be damaged! If they are, well... There will be more than a few librarians wailing in mourning and will need to be taken care of.
- B. Wild Jack o'Lanterns. Can't have Halloween without those scary pumpkins! Or silly ones if that's your preference. However, a few residents have gotten a little overzealous in their creations. From pumpkins bursting with fire like volcanoes to giant golems bumbling through the streets to some sprouting bat wings and flying all over the place dumping their pumpkin innards or candy corn on unsuspecting victims. Things are definitely getting out of hand, so either find some way to turn the pumpkins back to normal or just outright destroy them. Bonus points if the leftover pieces are collected to make pumpkin pie so nothing is wasted!
- C. Beyond the Grave...? What's spookier than haunted graveyards? Graves that actually are haunted. Storybook characters of the skeletal and ghoulish nature have opened their neighborhood for a Fright Night Challenge, happy to use their homes to spook those who dare to tread near. And there are a few openings for volunteers for that night's haunting. Perhaps an Aspect could fit in? Or perhaps they'd like to go through the challenge instead. Just remember everyone is supposed to be friendly so try not to hurt them. Of course, some of the nastier residents might take this an opportunity, in which case anyone is free to bury them.
- E. A Haunted Feast. During the evening hours, everyone is invited out to one of the larger plazas of the city for a chance to eat delicious meals prepared by a number of different businesses and volunteers. This is the perfect chance to unwind, mingle with everyone...until some sneaky young ghosts pilfer all the good food and desserts. They even have the gall to steal right off the plate! Try to stop them—or maybe one of the Aspects is among the thieves. If not, there may be a food fight on the horizon.
¶ III. Recreate Some Stories. The main reason the Aspects are in the Realm of Stories is to help restore and recreate the lost books. But it would be good if they got a little practice in how they can do that. While there isn't much to restore here in the Index, there are still plenty of opportunities to get the feel of "acting out" certain roles and scenes in the city. And who knows—maybe these little stories and plays will be written down and filed away in the Grand Library.- A. Make Your Own Horror Story. What's more fitting for Halloween then recreating or even creating frightfully scary stories? From nightmareish to silly, there are a number of storybook characters doing their best to relive their lost stories and could use a few volunteers.
» Roles: 1) ghoulish monsters, 2) unfortunate victims, 3) bloody murderers, 4) the last hero.
» Scenes: a) chasing, b) fighting, c) saving, d) the final blow.
It doesn't matter how the combinations work. Monsters could be fighting murderers to save the hero; heroes could be monsters; monsters could be victims; murderers could be the anti-hero; etc. The scenes can also be either be based on actual stories (perhaps the Aspect's) or just something random. Have fun with it! - B. The Adventures of the Little Scarecrow. In one of the many parks, a few older residents are recounting the favorite children's tale, "The Adventures of the Little Scarecrow," a tale of a little boy scarecrow who leaves his cornfield to explore the world beyond. Small puppets are being used, but it looks like they could have some help. These are elderly folk and their hands aren't what they used to be. Just follow their narration, shouldn't be a problem. Or for those feeling a bit more daring, they can act out the roles instead, even mixing with the puppets for stand-ins.
» Roles: 1) the little boy scarecrow, 2) the scary wolf, 3) the friendly crow, 4) the lost pig.
» Scenes: a) a battle of wit with the crow; b) running from the wolf; c) helping the pig (crow aid optional); d) getting lost with pig and crow; e) return of the wolf; f) back home to the fields (did the others survive??)
There are a lot of variations of how the story can go, just keep in mind it's supposed to be kid friendly.
¶ IV. Exploring the Index. The Index is a large, vast city inhabited by a large variety of characters from numerous stories. Because of this there is no uniform style to the city. One street could look like a normal street plucked out of a Victorian, English fairy tale and then the very next is made of candy. It makes for an interesting mishmash of cultures that somehow manages to get along. Most of the time, at least.- A. House Hunting. Among the items found in the satchel is a set of keys. These keys will magically lead their new owner to the house they will be living in for as long as they are in the Realm of Stories. The home will be styled to fit the essence and the location will also be fitting of that essence. It could be within the main city of the Index, outside of town, underwater, in the air—anywhere! Now if only the keys didn't take their own through...interesting, winding routes. Like through a random bakery or down someone's chimney. Have fun!
- B. Decoration Wars. There is one particular section of the city that houses many of the more "ghoulish" storybook characters, and for this Halloween festival they've taken to their storybook roots to pull out the creepiest, ghastliest, and sometimes silliest decorations and themes possible. The thing is, they've become so overzealous that some of those decorations aren't just for show. With everyone on the block already high in competitive spirit, it's a bit of a war zone straight from a horror story as hanging skeletons and floating ghosts fight against one another via throwing pumpkins, rotten eggs, toilet paper, and stale candy to prove they have the scariest house. They may even pull one of the Aspects to try and win points.
- C. Pumpkin Carriage Rides. All the taxi and transportation carriages have been changed to fit the season, so there are giant pumpkin carriages drawn through the streets. The horses vary from skeletal, ghostly, and even headless, and while some are genuine, others are just painted to look the part. They still enjoy apples, carrots, and a good scratch on the neck as thanks! Now the insides of the pumpkins are usually clean and look almost like a real carriage, but a few may still have raw pumpkin or giant seeds stuck to the inside. And if someone says the phrase, "Bippity Boppity Boo" they run the risk of the carriage shrinking, expanding, or even changing into something else entirely. Of course, how would they even know of such a phra—oh look at that, someone carved the words in small print on the walls...
- D. Shopping Around. Everyone is arriving in a new set of clothes, and some may want to buy something more fitting of their own sense of style. Unfortunately they're going to have to wear something still in line with their essence's style, so compromises will need to be made. But hey, better to have multiple sets of clothes instead of wearing the same one all the time, right? It's not like this is a video game or something.
- E. To the Edge. Those who wish to venture out of the city to travel to the edge of the world are free to do so. They may even see remnants of the last Segment pathways that once connected the Index to a lost Book, letters of the destination scratched through. And within the Void they will see scattered, torn pages floating in the far distance, some actually disintegrating into the darkness right before their eyes.
¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! Especially in regards to the festival, anything can really happen.
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He's just going to look at her, then the ladder, then the shelf. ... ... ...]
I could give you a lift.
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[More out of surprise for the offer than the fear Shizuo might be useful. Sure, he might have muddy clothes and stitches, but this IS a Halloween themed dream so she doesn't think too much of it.]
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Thank you...
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[And when she gives the signal, he'll very carefully and slowly boost her up.]
Tell me when you're high enough.
[He can kind of use the other shelves as a guide, but she's the one actually reaching up. And she won't feel any tension or struggling on his end—other than just making sure to keep it upright and balance, this isn't really that difficult for him.]
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Ah, there, that's it! [She slips a thin children's book out of the shelves, only a few pages long and clearly padded with illustrations.]
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Tell me when you're ready to come down.
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Anyway, just going to carefully lower her back down and makes sure the ladder is steady before releasing it and stepping back to give her space.]
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Still, one she's settled back on the ground, she'll give Shizuo another light bow.]
Thank you for the help. I'm Kotori Iida.
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[FIRST ONE HE'S MET.]
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[Now that she thinks of it, he IS the first Japanese person she's met here. Which is weird if this IS her dream.]
I didn't know the book was going to bring in more people from home, but I guess that makes sense. [After all, it's not like there's more than one Japan, right?] Um... do you know what story you're from yet?
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But I'm Frankenstein's monster. [Said with...not the same amount of eagerness as just a few seconds ago.]
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[Oh. She recognizes that at least, more from pop culture than anything, but... he doesn't seem happy about it.]
I guess that explains the clothes. [Not that hers are in much better shape; save for the pristine white apron, she's only in a drab and threadbare peasant dress and bonnet.] I've... actually never heard of my story before, just that the book told me I'd be able to make as much food as I want with it.
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I thought it was that Saika's crap again, but they were just...black-like shadows that popped out after I punched a few people. [ISN'T THAT A REASSURING IMAGE...] Didn't really understand until I almost tripped over the book and read it.
[Still bizarre when he looks back, but he was kind of used to bizarre at that point. Anyway...]
But an essence about making food sounds nicer than what I got.
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[Who or what is Saika? But then he moves on quickly enough.]
Ah, thank you... But Frankenstein's monster is supposed to be really strong, right? Maybe... that's why the book gave it to you, so you can help protect people better and scare the bad monsters away. I don't know how making food is supposed to help beat them, and I don't know anything about fighting at all, so... I think it's a good thing we have people who can here.
[She's glad that HE'S here is what she's trying to say.]
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Maybe... But you don'g have to be fighting all the time to help. Your food could help if there isn't any around. Like what are they...support classes? [HE ONLY KNOWS THE BARE BASICS ABOUT JRPGS....]
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I guess that's true... Thank you.
[Seriously, though, how and why would they be stuck in a place with no food?]
Of course, I should probably read this so I know HOW to make it work...
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Anyway, he just nods.]
I'll leave you to that then. Good luck.