Realm of Stories

Once again, when all the scenes have been completed and some time has passed for everyone to rest and enjoy the ball, the moon will eventually begin to fall as the sun peeks out from the horizon. It is at this moment that all fall into a deep sleep and share a dream of what has transpired so far...

Though the priestess "saved" his life, the prince found himself put off by her pushy demeanor as they danced while watched by the nobles. Throughout their dance and their walk through the castle gardens, his thoughts drifted back to the mermaid who brought him to shore. Eventually they would part ways, and while getting fresh air, the prince heard a voice calling out to him: the very same mermaid who saved him. The two of them made their way through the ice along the shore and found each other through singing with relative ease, despite the prince's shyness. As they spoke, the mermaid made it clear that despite her desire for the prince to join her, his own desires and choices were most important—even if it meant not choosing her or the priestess.

The priestess caught wind of the mermaid speaking with the prince and went down to the beach to confront the sea dweller. She argued that the mermaid didn't belong on land or with the prince, but the mermaid responded that it was her choice and the prince's whether they wanted to pursue their love. Neither lady would back down from her stance.

The mermaid's frequent visits ashore did not go unnoticed by her family, but her two elder sisters were curious and supportive of her romance with the prince.

The prince returned to the beach to speak with the mermaid, still hesitant about the choice ahead of him. The mermaid spoke honestly about how he could possibly go back and forth with the sea witch's help, but not without a price. She again stressed that what he wanted was important. In the end, the prince chose to go with the mermaid and took the potion.

Unbeknownst to them, however, the priestess tried to take matters into her own hands. She rowed out onto the ocean to summon the sea witch and ask for a deal to keep the mermaid away from the land forever. The sea witch supplied her with a potion, but the priestess unwittingly traded away her humanity and became a mermaid herself in order to "defend the land" from the princess.

The prince's disappearance does not go by unnoticed, and the priestess herself sends word to the worried monarchs of the fate of their son. The king is the most outraged, crumpling the paper in his hand before immediately ordering all his ships to be ready for deployment. He would bring war to the people who lived in the oceans.

The dream fades with such an ominous development, and those familiar with the original story will be able to tell that this is a drastic departure from it. But there is nothing they can do but to follow the events as they unfold. When the Aspects awaken, they will discover themselves split up and each side already engaged in war. Some are with the merpeople while others are on the royal navy ships. Strange floating platforms made of debris, sand, seaweed, and wood float between the spaces, allowing closer access to those of the sea. The skies themselves are dark with the distant rumbling of thunder, and the seas are choppy from both the weather and the soldiers of the underwater kingdom raising waves to crash into the ships.

This war will last for as long as it takes for the Aspects to get through their scenes, and each one must follow a designated glowing trail to a special whirlpool portal that will take them to where they need to go. Those waiting must either take part in the war or try to pacify the angered Blots, and just hope that everything will pass quickly.

The third Act is underway! This is the designated log for everything. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scenes under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels. Everyone is free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below, or for anything else you'd like to thread out.

As a reminder, this Act is set in the ocean with the Royal Navy Fleet. Characters cannot transform into their opposite form, so those on the Navy side can't take on their merforms and those as mermaids cannot have legs. There is a way, and that is detailed in the Sub Quest section.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to enter special marked portals 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.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.