{ Saving Oz }

[dreamposts]

SAVING OZ

After a month of increasingly windy weather, it all comes to a head when a giant book appears right above the town of Reverein. It opens its pages facing the town and a large tornado emerges, descending down to cover the entire town. Miraculously, no buildings are destroyed, but the entire population is sucked up into the air and into the pages of the book. It's a wild, twisting ride until everyone crash lands into a strange city all in emerald green. The tapirs make their usual rare appearance and look around before gasping, "Oh! It's the Emerald City from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz! Looks like a mess though… And so do you!"

As pointed out, everyone will find themselves dressed or transformed into some semblance of one of the five main characters: Dorothy, Toto, Scarecrow, Tin Woodman (Tinman), and the Cowardly Lion. They could be wearing authentic costumes, have an almost complete appearance change, partial transformation, and anywhere in-between. While they are mostly stuck in whichever "role" they've been initially cast in, they can temporarily change if a different role would work better. They gain additional abilities fitting of the character, such as the Scarecrow unable to bleed as they are now made of straw, the Tinman always wearing or made of some kind of metallic armor, the Lion have wind blasting roars and the strength of a real lion, Toto able to become a real dog, and Dorothy has their charisma stat shot up through the roof. Everyone will be able to use their dreamotion and original abilities as well, so they can be even more creative. While there are no complete personality changes, some may feel some "adjustments" to fit their role at times. Some roles will be more effective for certain tasks and objectives, and they will receive additional buff bonuses to help clear it.

With the help of local citizens who have formed their own rebel force, everyone must now help push back the nightmare force that has taken over this story and lure out the mysterious new "Wizard" that is the source of all this chaos. If they can fill a giant emerald with positive dreams and launch it at the "Wizard," then it'll be a mission success.

For any questions, refer to the Game Notes and comment there.

I. HELPING THE CITY

Emerald City is a mess, but not lost. The rebel force has a base set up to help direct everyone and serves as the main camp for aid and rest. There's plenty to do, and now that they have "Dorothy and her friends" again, they may be able to win back their proud city. Oh, if only they could find the Princess Ozma...

A. Porcelain Rubble. Aside from the usual physical destruction, large portions of the city have turned into porcelain and broken apart. A special glue is available and becomes more potent with dreamotion infused into it, and as soon as pieces are glued back together the structure will return to its original form. However, there is a risk of someone turning into porcelain the longer they remain in the area and will need to be glued back together if broken (fortunately no one can die, just lie helplessly in pieces). Perhaps those who are cast as Toto can help sniff out trapped individuals, while the Scarecrow's straw would make for excellent padding for those broken pieces.

B. Statued. Many citizens have been turned into statues, scattered all over the city and outside the walls. They need to be moved to safety first before a cure can be used as it takes time to fully work. Special sleighs fashioned after the Gump are available to help carry any statued citizen to safety; just be careful when driving it as they are very unpredictable. Once in a safe spot, a few drops of the potion will start the curing process. The many witches that cursed everyone to begin with are still out and about, ready to turn anyone unaware into statues. Strangely, the spell bounces off metal, so those cast as the Tinman will be great in offering support and could even try and reflect the spell back onto the witches to turn them to statues instead.

C. Into the Poppy Field. The dangerous poppy field known for its ability to lull any who are flesh and blood to sleep until their dying days has been inching closer towards the city, perhaps drawn by the nightmare energy flowing out from it. To make matters worse, they now can move their roots and leaves to try and ensnare people. A special plant killer diffuser has been developed, but it requires anyone cast as Dorothy, the Lion, or Toto to take the diffuser and run into the field as deep as they can before they succumb to the pollen, which will activate the diffuser. Either the Tinman or the Scarecrow must then make their way through to fetch them. Those who volunteered to run in can use their ability to dreamwalk and appear as a little wisp to help guide their would be rescuer to their slumbering body, even give them some help with the snares. (Mod: for threading purposes, characters can either partner up as the sleeper and rescuer, or both can be rescuing an NPC that served as the role of sleeper instead).

D. First Aid. For any who prefer to stay out of combat and help the wounded and scared, the base camp is stocked with medical supplies, food, and other necessities to help weather out the attack. They do need to be resupplied, however, so those more daring to venture either into the city or outside the walls to get items should take someone capable of defending just in case. Some places include an orchard of lunch pail trees that grow fully stocked lunch pails filled with various foods. Lions will be great at climbing them while Scarecrows can shoo away annoying crows. Another is gathering wood in a cursed forest where the trees have become Fighting Trees. The Tinman's ax is lethal against them and will chop through them easily.

E. Yellow Brick Road. The famous golden yellow brick road has been broken apart and needs to be repaired so additional support from neighboring areas can come in. Because it's a magical road, it needs to be fixed in a magical way—which is reliving the whimsical, iconic, song and dance of Dorothy and her friends. The Munchkins have created special silver shoes that anyone of the cast can wear and it has the magic to inform the wearer how the musical rendition goes. It will also "help" their movements to skip and dance along the broken spaces. Should they be successful, the broken and missing bricks will be repaired and the road will start to shine. So partner up, link arms, and belt out those vocal chords because they're off to see the Wizard!

II. FIGHTING FOES

There are numerous enemies attacking the city, but while some are original to the story, many are abnormal creations or noctasers, the unholy union of noctaere and the Story Eater's minions, Erasers. Of course the Story Eater would have a hand in this! But with the advantages gained by the roles, they can be defeated.

A. Wheeling Monkeys. The Wheelers and the Winged Monkeys have been ensorceled and are creating havoc within the city. However, instead of violence their actions are more…goofy. They're throwing rotten eggs, colored water balloons, creamed pies, and other strange pranks to hinder everyone's movements. They're relatively easy to capture and even prank back. The more aggressive ones, however, are actually noctasers and will need to be destroyed via dreamotion. Those cast as Dorothy will be able to distinguish those who are original to the book and the disguised noctasers as well as inflict extra damage to weaken the noctasers. Everyone in the cast is strong against noctasers.

» BONUS: THE GOLDEN CAP. The Winged Monkeys were once free but after the Golden Cap was ripped apart to steal its magic and now many are once again enslaved. Dorothy can convince the originals to join their side, if they have some Golden Cap fragments that appear when a noctaser is defeated. The more noctasers defeated, the more fragments collected and the more Wheelers and Winged Monkeys will join their side!

B. Meeeelllttiiiinng! Those witches are causing the most problems, and they are abnormal creations that need to go. Because they were fashioned after the Wicked Witch, they are weak to water, especially dreamotion infused water. The trick is actually getting to them as they are often found flying high above. There are numerous small hot air balloons that can be used to fly up and to either hose the witches or dump giant buckets of water, both tools already attached to the balloon basket. Just be careful because it just takes one giant tear to pop the balloon and send everyone into a crazy spinning crash to the ground. Having a Tinman to help deflect spells off their armor will be a great help.

III. SWEET DREAMS

The Projector of Dreams has been set up and several beds with the magical headsets are available to those who wish to volunteer and produce positive dreams that will be used against the Wizard. These dreams will be funneled into a giant emerald that will be launched from a cannon at the Wizard once lured out.

A. Positive Dreams. To help the Projector, positive dreams are needed. These dreams will briefly be projected onto the emerald so those nearby monitoring things may catch a glimpse of the dream. Perhaps those who are dreaming will have theirs be more interactive to try and get others in and create a stronger positive experience.

B. Luring out the Wizard. The Wizard is holed up in the Throne Room of the castle and needs to be lured out before the dream infused emerald can be hurtled into it. The methods to do so might seem a bit unorthodox, but it will work and may give a hint on who the "Wizard" really is. Everyone is told to play various children's games within the Emerald City's castle. Tea parties, hide and seek, tag, games—whatever they can think of. As they play, a strange shadow that looks like a young princess will emerge to either watch or join in. Players can either incorporate the shadow playing or just focus on their characters, but the shadow will always be happy and laughing. The goal is to produce happy, positive fun feelings, so there are no dangers. Unless someone wants to throw in a noctaser or something to spice things up.

Comments

[judicialassistant]

[ Her entire essence is numb. It feels like she is just going through the motions, doing exactly what Corneo's lackeys said, simply because to fight is too much effort, too much thought. She draws the line at that table, perhaps. The straps make her deeply uncomfortable, but more awake as a result.

Susato wants to get as far away as possible from that thing, but until then, she can almost feel brain fog lift. Aerith's words are slow to process. ]

Right here?

[ Literally? This very room? A cell amidst what feels like a dungeon? ]

[everblooms]

That's right.

[ Got it in one. Aerith offers her a knowing little smile, before she continues. ]

Cloud and I ran into her while she was on her way here. We decided to follow her. [ Aerith does not mention that Cloud felt Tifa could handle it on her own, because she thinks that he was quite wrong for that. Every girl wants someone they care about to rush after her, even when she says otherwise— but more importantly? Tifa was not going to be put in a position where Corneo could take advantage of her. Not on Aerith's watch. ] The guy who runs this place... Don Corneo. He's... not a very nice man.

[ The light over the table is bright, illuminating the whole room. Who knows what's happened there, before now... ]

We got the favor of the other Wall Market heads. Now... if my timing isn't wrong...

[ A voice booms over a speaker system, asking them to proceed to the door and down the hall, up the stairs, into the room. It's time to get the show on the road. ] Right on time, guys.

[judicialassistant]

[ Cloud... For some reason, the name rings familiar, like they've met before. A distant memory pulls at her, begging to be acknowledged, yet it feels just out of reach. She listens to Aerith speak with confidence, her memories far clearer than her own, but what does that mean? ]

But... If this is how you and Tifa met...

If this has already happened to you, then...?

[ But just as she's about to get the words out that could change everything--a dream--the speaker interrupts. She looks up to find the source, clicking her tongue in annoyance. Must they obey? To eventually locate Tifa, she supposes they must. ]

[everblooms]

[ The dream’s collapsing. Little bits of it are starting to crack, memories flooding her mind. They’re walking, the door to the corridor opening now, and she’s taking to the stairs. They don’t have a choice in not following, but Aerith at least is entirely herself. Rushing forward, always ready for the next moment to hit her. Her heels click on the stone floor— it really is like castle dungeon down here. ]

Gotta keep moving. Tifa’s waiting.

[ She’s trying not to think too hard about it.

Susato is right, though… if this already happened, if she already knows—

She swings the two old heavy doors open. They’re scarlet red, the same color as deep scratches. Inside the room are more of Corneo’s goons, acting like bouncers. A duo at every possible entrance or exit, waiting for a moment to pounce, and a set of them rounding up the back behind them. It is golden and warm, ritzy in all the wrong ways, like someone who doesn’t understand that opulence is an eyesore rather than a status symbol. Aerith sees the way that the men are trying to line them up, a spot empty for TIfa, and… Ahem.

Well, Susato… Aerith pulls her to the middle, between her and where Cloud would have stood.

Then, Aerith looks at her, mouth shut, and eyes speaking volumes: Don’t speak. ]

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato's head is on a swivel the whole time. She only stops once Aerith tugs on her, and she is eyeing that empty spot meant for Tifa knowingly, though she has no way to know that it's meant for her. Maybe she's about to speak, a million questions ready to explode from her entire chest, but then she catches Aerith's eyes.

Her own go similarly wide as she receives the message.

Don't speak... but then, now what? How do they get out of this? It feels like they're waiting for a signal, but perhaps that's what Tifa's eventually appearance is meant to be. They leave together. ]

[everblooms]

[ Here is where the dream diverges.

“Sorry ladies,” says one of the cronies, gesturing toward the room as though he were addressing a crowd of women. “The Don’s already chosen a bride for the evening. Too good to pass up that time. But the fun part is…”

If Susato looks aside, she’ll see the way Aerith looks down then up, gaze like steel, expression unreadable. She’s good at this, she knows, she can hold a tried and true poker face in truly dangerous situations. In this moment, it perhaps starts to unfold what, exactly, goes on under the Don’s rule, what that man at the door had meant, and what sort of evening was promised to any woman walking through those doors. It is likely clear, too, why they were drugged before being moved: anyone who leaves can’t point another person to where to go in the future.

“We get to have fun together! So, what do you say? You girls ready?” ]

Hmm. Well…

[ Turning to Susato, Aerith wears a placid smile. Beneath it, a teasing demeanor. She’s confident they can get this done. ]

I guess. I think I’m ready to go whenever. What about you, Susato?

1/2

[judicialassistant]

[ She can feel her heart sinking when he mentions the chosen bride. Whether it is true or not, she has to assume that he means Tifa. That's the whole reason they're here, but she can't let any of that show. She has to close the book on her heart and stop being so easy to read.

Aerith's smile is almost unsettling by comparison. Susato doesn't know how she does it, but by gods, she will take her example and try. ]

Of course. This isn't suspect at all. [ A cheeky, sarcastic little remark she can't quite help. ] But, before we go, there's just one thing.

[judicialassistant]

[ ......It's a dream. Somewhere deep down, she's figured it out. Maybe that's why they're able to pull this off. Surely there's no way she would have it in her to instigate a fight against all of them when they are clearly outnumbered, yet there she is, the thought of Tifa suffering the same fate they were just threatened with motiving her.

There's only a second. That's all the warning the goon who spoke gets, along with that subtle way her lips crack into a smile. That smile is the last thing he will see before Susato is rushing him with terrifying speed for someone who's just been drugged. All her weight goes into it to compensate for his as she makes contact, lifting him as high into the air as she can manage. ]

Hiiiii-YAH!

[ It's just too bad she won't get a chance to relish in that satisfaction. She knows the other goons will be rushing her in turn, no doubt to subdue her. She won't let them easily. ]

[everblooms]

[ There is a pause in the split-second before utter chaos falls over them in thunderous, stormy waves, as Aerith looks aside to Susato and spots the way her face falls. There is a horrible silence that passes, where she knows Susato has started to understand the situation, but Aerith has no doubt that the challenge is something that she can handle. True to the spunky girl that she knows Susato is, the girl takes control and breaks through the tension with the ease of a knife cutting through butter.

Aerith dodges, pulling away to the side to give Susato room to make her move. In doing so, she steps off the red rug beneath their feet, and she watches Susato’s lightning-quick footwork… Right. She steps off the rug, too, and Aerith kneels, as if suddenly not stable. It’s a good opening for the others.

Though the gang encroaches upon them like birds of prey surrounding a dying body, Aerith wastes no time using the confusion to her benefit. A quartet of goons approach— only for that luxurious red rug to be ripped out from under them. They stumble and knock heads together, groaning in agony. With that, Susato’s clear to perform a toss as she pleases. Giggling and delighted with the success, Aerith then moves— further away, but almost into the awaiting arms of a duo… ]

Oh! Uh, heya.

[judicialassistant]

[ Susato is just a civilian, and a woman at that. She has no business in a fight against yakuza-esque goons, but this is a dream, and the satisfaction with each successful maneuver is unmistakable. Aerith's giggle comes as another one is tossed onto the rug with the others. A metallic screech sounds very briefly as a chair is dragged by all the commotion, but only for a moment. Loud, but completely missable.

She notices Aerith suddenly change her tone, and she quickly moves to her friend's side, pulling her back to put some distance between them and the duo. ]

Where are the Don and his chosen bride?

[ No pleasantries here. Susato attempts to sound "bigger" than she truly is as she addresses them. ]