JASPER

[dramatispersonae]

[You're in an oval, almost egg-shaped room, with a high dome and clear walls that allow you to see the other team's rooms, although you can't hear them. In the middle of the room is a table, with some of the items from the Ring scattered about. An ornate book lays there as well, open to the first page:]

"There were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had no children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all the waters in the world; vows, pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and all to no purpose.

At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening; and the Princess had for her god-mothers all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom (they found seven), that every one of them might give her a gift, as was the custom of fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the perfections imaginable."

The Princess is already wonderful, isn't she? What more could you want in a princess?

Comments

INSTRUCTIONS

[dramatispersonae]

All characters receive this information as they enter the room.

Your goal is to build the best princess you can imagine! Your starter princess already has the benefit of modifiers like beauty, wit, grace, dance, song, and music. You have 8 units of ??? to decide where she goes from here!

(You can't quite remember what the units you were given are units of. If you try to focus on that word, it feels like it could be something like "struggle" or "effort," but that's not quite right…)

There will be one round to decide your Princess’s outfit and accessories and justify those decisions, a second round with an opportunity for customized input, and a third for wrapping up and adding more details if you like. DO NOT worry if your selections mean you have units left over, as scoring will be based on your reasoning for each choice in Round 1 and on your creativity and reasoning in Rounds 2 and 3, not on units spent. While all rounds have an important effect on the outcome of the game, the later rounds have the potential for the greatest score impact if used wisely. Please manage your time/discussion with that in mind!

You will receive a final outcome for your Princess in a specific situation depending on what you input, and the cumulative effect of everyone’s efforts will be seen at endgame.

ROUND ONE

[dramatispersonae]

[The book opens itself to the next page. Handwriting in a flowing script that is magically comprehensible even to those who can't read appears on the paper, and you know that the book will record your answer even if you can't write it in on the provided lines. There's a strange sensation when you run your eyes over that ???illegible? word...]

Please choose one item from each list (Clothes, Shoes, Hands, and Accessories). You have 8 units of ??? total to spend on your choices. Justify your choice for each item with an explanation of that choice, even if part of your explanation is "I didn't have enough left to get what I wanted and got this instead."

Clothes
Light armor set. | (costs 3 units)
Simple but elegant dress, cut for free movement. | (costs 2 units)
Beautifully rich and luxurious gown, suitable for a palace. | (costs 0 units)

Shoes
Tough, practical boots. | (costs 3 units)
Decorative but sturdy shoes. | (costs 2 units)
Soft, heavily-embroidered thin slippers. | (costs 0 units)

Hands
Sword and shield. | (costs 3 units)
A heavy book. | (costs 2 units)
A spindle. | (costs 0 units)

Accessories
A full-face helmet and gorget, protecting the head and neck. | (costs 3 units)
A sterling silver key necklace. | (costs 2 units)
A lantern. | (costs 0 units)

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[rebells]

Not what I expected . . . .

Anyway, I don't know that we ought to cheat any category, except perhaps the lantern.

[pterosaur]

...okay, that's kinda adorable.

Ranging from tomboy to girly-girl, huh?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[rebells]

JASPER PLUS KNIGHTS CHOOSE:
+ light armor
+ sturdy shoes
+ a sword and shield
+ a lantern

We'd like to provide Beauty, or "our princess," I suppose, with the ability to move around freely, and some means of protecting herself and others. Everyone, whether a knight or a princess, should have freedom to act, and, at the very least, the ability to defend themselves from harm.

For that defense and protection, then, we opted to give her armor and a sword, along with a lantern, to provide light in the Darkness and a traditional source of Beauty's strength. We don't choose armor and a sword because we believe that armor is the only way to protect oneself, or because a sword is some superior kind of weapon, but as a representation of independence and learning to fight--having a personal source of power, and a way to protect yourself and others, that derives from your own ability and effort.

We thought about carrying along the key and Beauty's Book, but if the Book provides protection to others, it's a passive kind--you can't defend or fight with it, only preserve people, and although the key provides protection for her, it also ties her to the spell of Aather, which is flawed and limiting--particularly in Beauty's case, as part of it is the story which keeps her from having free choice, and pushes her towards dependence on knights. We understand that having her leave the key behind might leave her vulnerable, but we're willing to take that risk in exchange for independence and the armor and sword, a source of strength that doesn't rely on a magical binding.

ROUND TWO

[dramatispersonae]

[The book turns its own page again. This one looks a little different...]

Design a custom accessory or item for your Princess! You can only give her one item, and the item cannot be a person, but otherwise there is no limitation as to what the item can be. You must explain why you chose to give her this item, and the meaning behind it.

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[unbalancedscales]

Let's give her a dragon.

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[unbalancedscales]

A dragon. One whom recognizes Beauty as its master. It doubles both as an excellent mount and a combatant that she can command in battle, and, of course, is highly fashionable. I can assure you anyone would respect a princess who arrived on a dragon, and it would certainly give the darkness a run for its money.

ROUND THREE

[dramatispersonae]

[The page turns one more time, revealing a space for a small drawing and quite a lot of text under the instructions.]

Provide a final summary of your Princess! This can include personality and history, or be a simple cumulative description of her appearance and personal style. You can include a drawing, if you like.

((ooc: This is where you can add a Dreamselfy link with your text answer. You know you want to.))

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[rebells]

Are we sticking with Beauty?

Re: DISCUSSION

[swordhandled]

[ MY TIME HAS COME!!! ]

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[rebells]

GOES HERE

(illustration)

BONUS ROUND

[dramatispersonae]

[This question appears at the bottom of the page where you've been recording your choices once you're finished. You know without looking at it that answering it won't affect your game results… but maybe someone's reading this.]

If your Princess was separated from her Prince by grave danger, what would you think she should do about it? Do you think she would be well prepared to do that, based on the choices you have made?

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[rebells]

Well, does she like him?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[rebells]

The princess should do what she, after careful consideration, considers right and necessary. And we've set out to give her the tools to make what she chooses a reality, so I for one hope that she takes advantage of them.

((feel free to +1 or add your own comment))

FINAL RESULT

[dramatispersonae]

Re: FINAL RESULT

[dramatispersonae]

[You see that your Princess is awake, animated. She stands amid her knights and gives them directions. She mounts a horse herself, heading off with her friends; perhaps even leading them. Her Prince is just over the next hill, and she's going to bring him home with her own hands.]

((to endgame.))