forgottentales_ooc | Game Notes #43: July 5, 2021

GAME NOTES #43: July 5th, 2021—

All right everyone, as we announced earlier we will be closing Forgotten Tales and continuing onto a new game, Songerein. Again we apologize for the suddenness, but we thank everyone who has been with us so far and will continue to be with us in the new game!

However, we still have a month left! The official end date will be July 31st, but the comms will remain open for those who wish to use it. We will have one big finale event that will help transition the characters into the new game, so read below for the details!

§ schedule

Here is our current schedule:

MAIN SCHEDULE

7/17: Finale Event

7/31: Game closes

Since the game is closing there is no new Commission Board and the rewards for this campaign will be listed below with further information. We will have another set of Game Notes closer to end game. There is no story check.

§ act summary

Here it is, the last summary for our last campaign!

As Clarabelle (Xion) and the Alpaca maid (Anastasia Romanova) quickly make their way through the forest towards the Beast's Castle, they hear noises from the nearby bushes. They quickly run away, but all too soon soldiers from the Mouse King's army come out from the trees and give chase. As they deliberate on whether they should fight or run, another group appears in front of them, forcing them to fight. With her trusty broom and feather duster, the Alpaca maid fells one before taking on others and Clarabelle is able to fend off several, but more keep arriving to take the place of the fallen. Suspecting they are only there to capture her, Clarabelle ultimately makes the decision to serve as a distraction to allow the Alpaca maid toy to run. Although some give chase, the teary maid is able to escape and reach the castle.

The Mouse King (Jean Kirstein) is greeted by an angry Sugar Plum Fairy (Kazuma Asougi), and after a heated exchange the two fight, the Sugar Plum Fairy wielding a cleaver at some point. As the tent falls and they are forced outside, soldiers come in to assist but they are ~~sliced in half~~ blown away as the two continue their fierce battle. During the fight, the Mouse King reveals his annoyance and frustration at how everyone is focused on the Beast and the Sugar Plum Fairy calls him out for his unneeded jealousy. It's not until the Mouse King is able to knock the Sugar Plum Fairy down that he is able to gain the upper hand.

While the Beast (Reaper) was working in his toy shop, the Alpaca maid toy (Alice) suddenly burst in all in a mess and torn up. Although it had difficulty communicating, it managed to voice out Clarabelle's name and the Beast immediately guides her to his chair and carefully repairs the worst of her injuries before he fixes her voice. Only then is the maid able to inform the Beast of what happened, telling him of the trap the Mouse King had laid at her home by posing as her father and that while they initially escaped, the soldiers appeared and attacked them. It was Clarabelle who allowed herself to be captured, giving the maid the chance to escape and run to the castle. The two then discuss plans for the impending attack, the maid informing the Beast of everything she saw on the way. WIth this information they can gather everyone and prepare for a proper counterattack.

Trapped in a shed, Clarabelle (Roxas) is roused by the sound of soldiers and it's not long before a strange doll manages to get through the cracks. It's one of Drosselmeyer's (Master Crane) creations, and he controls it to hold a knife while Clarabelle cuts the ropes binding her. With her father's help and guidance, she is able to escape the shed and the two make their way to the castle.

With a troop of soldiers, the Mouse King (Rokurou Rangetsu) forces the castle doors open, ready to attack but finds it strangely empty. Only once inside and the Mouse King shouts for the Beast do they realize it's a trap, the doors suddenly closing as toy soldiers and the Beast (Ren Amamiya) jump in. As everyone engages in battle, the Mouse King and the Beast separate themselves to duel, neither holding back. However, the grand chandelier hanging above is damaged and a stray cut from the Mouse King causes it to fall down towards them. They barely manage to escape only to have the floor crumble and cave beneath them, and the two disappear into its depths.

Clarabelle (Lena Sabrewing) and the Sugar Plum Fairy (Soldier 76) are trying to figure out a way to sneak into the castle when one of the Mouse King's soldiers spots them. At first they tense, but instead of attacking it actually waves them over. Although suspicious, the Sugar Plum Fairy decides they should follow and they are guided by the soldier into the castle where more are waiting. Two escort them inside and they pose as prisoners until they reach the wing where the music box is located. From there the two are on their own as they sneak through all the way to the room.

The Beast (Naomi Kimishima) with his toy soldiers manages to catch up to Clarabelle (Ryotaro Dojima) and the Sugar Plum Fairy, but when they enter the room they find the Mouse King already there. Before they can act, he finishes his spell and transforms into a terrifying monster. The final battle upon them, everyone rushes in to fight, the toy soldiers helping defend with the aid of the Sugar Plum Fairy. After slashing her dress with a borrowed blade to make fighting easier, Clarabelle rushed in while the Beast distracted the Mouse King, slashing at its tendons with the Beast following to take out the other leg. However, the music box falls in the struggle and Clarabelle is hit while trying to protect it. This leaves the Beast to finish off the Mouse King.

The fight was over, but the curse was still in effect. Seeing Clarabelle (Leia Rolando) unconscious next to the broken music box seizes the Beast (Alvin) in fear as he tries to reach her, but he falls to the ground as his legs grow stiff. Desperately he crawls towards the girl, his body growing stiffer by the second until at least he reaches Clarabelle and holds her. Clarabelle awakens which gives the Beast some relief, but now the curse has worsened. Black winds swirl around them, the castle slowly changing to become more toy-like. In an attempt to fix the music box, the two share a song, revealing their feelings towards the other. For the Beast, he learned to appreciate the help and talents of another. For Clarabelle, that the Beast was more than he appeared and a good friend. It's enough to fix the music box and break the curse, reverting everything back to their original forms.

The Beast was once more the handsome prince and the castle once again grand and full of life. But now the inhabitants no longer lived selfishly but spread joy through toys. A workshop was made so that both Clarabelle and Drosselmeyer could stay, and the three created a lucrative toy making business.

What an action packed ending for what should have been more of a romance story, but that's how these things go! And we now have a lucrative toy business in the works.

We are currently working on finishing the Library entry for the campaign, but it will be up so that we can all have it as reference.

§ rewards

Our final set of rewards, weep. Everyone will be given the following and it will be granted like gifts, so no points are needed. It will be possible to regain these items in Songerein.

Monetary Rewards. Everyone will receive a hefty sum of silver and gold coins that should tide them over for the next several months. As a bonus, most local businesses will be offering discounts to those who helped with the recent restoration.
Toy Soldier: This toy soldier can be summoned at will and be used to help defend and attack any who are threatening their master. Unfortunately their weapons are toys so they can't do a lot of damage, but they do pack a hefty amount of candy magic. Even a hard gumball would hurt when hurtled through the air at a fast pace, and let's not even think about sticky gum getting everywhere.
Alpaca Maid Plush. To help with the daily chores of cleaning not only the house but their masters as well. Not only that, but they will have a healing aspect, capable of mending any minor injuries such as cuts and scrapes. Anything more than that, however, and they'll just fall over and wail in distress. So don't get hurt around them.
Neverending candy gumball machine. A small, portable gumball machine that will dispense any kind of candy but with a limit of ten a day. Have to watch that sugar intake!
Home regains One personal item from the Aspect. It won't be the real thing, but it will be an exact copy. Unfortunately any item that may have special powers to them will not have those powers. It can only be big enough that can be carried by the owner.
General Ability Unlocks and Upgrades. Up to two new defined abilities are unlocked and all current abilities will be upgraded to a more advanced form. That could mean increased strength, accuracy, endurance, etc. As to how the Aspects learn these abilities, they will just have this sudden gain in knowledge about what to try. These new abilities will of course need practice as they are just learned, not mastered, but at least it's something more. So if players have been waffling as to what all their characters can do right now, this is the perfect opportunity to make concrete decisions.

Note: for those who are CRAUing into the new game, although abilities aren't carried over completely, the characters can base their dreamwalking abilities on their previous Essence abilities, so they can use knowledge about their Essence abilities there. Players can use this upgrade as an opportunity to get a headstart on a character's skill knowledge.

§ grand finale

For our final event, the Storyteller will bear some good tidings: with the completion of the seventh Book, The Sugarplum Beast, the Storyteller has restored enough power that it no longer requires full story restorations. There are still damaged stories out there, but it has enough power to rewrite and heal the stories on its own. It has also been channeling much of its power into sealing the tears and rifts that the Story Eater created to connect to other worlds. The Erasers that had infiltrated into those worlds have been pulled back or destroyed, either by the natives of the world or due to the ripple of power that tears up the Eraser's bonds to the Story Realm. Thus everyone will hear good news about their worlds and will be able to relax a fair bit.

However, things are not completely over.

The Story Eater is still out there and as long as it continues to exist, stories will continue to be damaged and worlds will be threatened. Thus the Aspects are tasked to find the Story Eater and finish it once and for all. The Storyteller will have sensed its presence within the Book of Peter Pan, and although the world is still intact, it's suffering damage from the Story Eater. In other words, it's a similar state as the previous Alice in Wonderland campaign.

For this final event, the Aspects will be sent to the Book of Peter Pan to not only help stabilize the world, but also to find and fight against the Story Eater. With the Storyteller's help, their Essence powers will be fully unlocked, allowing them to use everything their Essence and their story has to offer. But there is a warning—the part of the story the Story Eater is in is Neverland, a place of dreams, imagination, and childhood. Who knows how it will be twisted by the Story Eater's presence, and it already has experience in twisting dreams.

There will be an event log with prompts and will encompass all parts of the event, including the encounter with the Story Eater. Of course, we all know how this will really end as this event will be what literally throws all Aspects either back to their world or into Songerein. But let's make an interesting transition!

§ end notes

And that's it! If you have any questions regarding either the upcoming event or how characters will transition into the new game, feel free to comment to the post.