dramatispersonae | [GAME 38] SAPPHIRE

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[GAME 38] SAPPHIRE

[You find yourself on a circular island of grass. Though night has fallen, the island is surprisingly well-illuminated by a stone lantern at its center. The lantern's light reaches far enough to reveal that the island is surrounded by water -- a pond? The water's glassy, greenish surface is only broken by the stems of huge white lotuses. Each lotus flower seems to glow ever so slightly, providing just a bit more light to the scene. The air is full of the scent of flowers and greenery, and the sound of crickets is almost deafening at first. It doesn't seem a stretch to assume that you're in some sort of garden.

Four ornamental wooden bridges, painted red, stretch over the pond in opposite directions. You can't tell where they lead. For the moment, the entrance to each bridge is blocked by a thickly-woven rope with zigzags of white paper hanging from them.

There is no moon in the sky, and the stars are only dim points of light.]

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[A scroll appears next to the lantern, and a moment later the Masked Lady's voice seems to issue forth from everywhere and nowhere at once.]

Are you familiar with hanafuda? Their name means "flower cards." You can play all sorts of games with them. Most of these games involve matching certain cards together in order to gain the most points. I enjoy card games well enough, but they can be a bit… boring on their own, don't you think? So let's find a way to, mm, make things a little more interesting.

There are thirteen islands in this garden. Each island, save the one you are currently standing on, represents a hanafuda suit. When you cross to an island, you will be given a choice of three tasks to perform. If you perform the task of least difficulty, you will be awarded the card with the least value, whereas the most strenuous task will give you the most valuable card. Some of these tasks involve your entire team. Others involve only a single person.

You will five islands -- which islands you choose is entirely up to you -- and you may only carry a maximum of three cards at a time. When you complete your fourth task, you will be asked which card you would like to discard. Certain combinations of cards will give you more points than others, so please choose carefully.

I wonder what tasks you will perform…? Ufufufu…

[The ropes blocking the bridges fall away. When unrolled, the scroll provides a map of the garden. On the reverse side is a summary of the rules:

一。 Move to an island. Obviously, you may only move to islands connected to the one you are currently on.
二。 Choose a task to perform. Once you have performed it, you will be given a card.
三。 You will visit a total of five islands and perform a task on each.
四。 When you have acquired more than three cards, you will be asked to discard one.]

Huh. Least it's pretty.

...I hear crickets.

Not a lot to do, though.

[waking up. AGAIN!]

...Wow...

Not so much. Go over a bridge?

[nods]

But let's wait and see if something happens.

Feel better?

[nod]

This place...

You've been somewhere like it?

[shakes his head, then half-nods and half-shrugs]

Sort of...but not really. I'm not sure.

It's pretty.

So where do we wanna go?

[Your footsteps echo on the wooden bridge as you cross it. In the middle of the bridge, there is a stretch where everything is completely dark save for the dim lotus-lights. But this quickly passes.

The island you come to is also grassy, circular, and lit by a stone lantern. However, unlike the starting island, it is dominated by a twisting plum tree in blossom that almost seems to embrace the lantern. Its delicate pinkish-white blossoms carpet the island. As though to drive the theme home, the paper pasted to the face of the lantern has the emblem of a plum blossom on it. Draped over the branches are several lengths of rope, some of which have been tied into nooses. They sway back and forth in the slight breeze. In front of the lantern is a stone step on which three cards have been placed.

Upon seeing the cards, you instantly know the task associated with each.

✿ plum with nightingale: one person must wear a blindfold, have their hands tied behind their back, and tie a rope around their neck, letting another person lead them around with it for the rest of the game (10 points)
✿ red-lettered tanzaku: one person must wear a blindfold and tie a rope around their neck, letting another person lead them around with it for the rest of the game (5 points)
✿ plain plum: one person must tie a rope around their neck, letting another person lead them around with it for the rest of the game (1 point)

Which will you choose?]

...Not it.

O-oh...

I'll do the bird one, but no walking me into things.

Want to lead me around, then?

At least it doesn't involve stabbing.

Sure. I'll take good care of you.

Try not to strangle me or walk me off any bridges, okay? Let's go for the big points.

Are you sure?

[shrugs]

It won't hurt unless I fall.

[nod]

We'll be careful.

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[GAME 38] SAPPHIRE

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