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in: Games, The Five Moons of Japan

The Five Moons of Japan

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Written by Hannah Rothman and played at Advanced Camp 2008.

Overview[]

When the storm god Susano unleashed his epic rage, the sun goddess Amaterasu fled and hid, plunging Nippon into 200 years of night. Humans had to interbreed with elemental kamis to survive, but eventually turned against each other, believing one element to be superior. Now Susano has returned to Nippon and the five Moons are going to have to learn to get along...

Teaser[]

One storm struck. One sun fell. Five moons rose.

The Nippon moon was rising, signaling the brightest part of night. In this cool familiar light, only two figures could be made out. They both appeared human at first, but the telltale pointed ears of a kami gave the shorter one away. They were both sitting in the branches of a tree and laughing.

“…and then I said to that poor Black Moon sucker ‘What, are you going to pull another one of your dirty tricks on me?’ and he said ‘Dirty? Is that supposed to be a clever pun?’ and I was in the middle of saying ‘Why, yes it is!’ when he hurled a boulder at me!” The laughter stopped. The taller of the two suddenly looked very concerned.

“You know,” he said “At the end, that really wasn’t very funny.” The kami’s pointed ears quivered slightly.

“Sorry, Kiiroi,” he said “I just thought, you know ‘dirty tricks’…Black Moon is Earth-element…I mean…I didn’t even get hit with the boulder!”

“Wait…you didn’t?” Kiiroi paused, and then burst out laughing again “Sorry, Joule, I just meant that it wouldn’t have been funny if you got hurt! I mean, you know what Earth does to Lightning.” The two laughed heartily again before calming down into contemplative silence. Minutes passed. The leaves on the trees whispered back and forth, as though the man’s and the kami’s thoughts seeped through to them and were translated into the language of the forest, indecipherable to all but wise few. Then, Kiiroi spoke.

“Joule…what’s...‘day’ like?”

“What’s day like?” repeated Joule in surprise “Well, THAT came out of nowhere. Why do you want to know?” Kiiroi raised an eyebrow.

“Oh come on, do I really need to explain?” smiled Kiiroi. “It’s only night here and it always has been as far back as any mortal, half or otherwise, can remember. I know that ‘day’ was something that existed back before Amaterasu-sama disappeared.” He smiled “And I also happen to know that a certain Lightning kami was around back then.” Joule chuckled and also smiled.

“Well, let’s see,” He sighed and let himself sink deep into nostalgia “Ah, day. 200 years of its absence hasn’t dulled my memory of it one bit. For one thing, instead of the moon rising to signal awake-time, there’s the sun. It’s also round and shines like the moon, but with innumerable times more brilliance. In fact, staring at it for too long can rob you of your sight itself! It carries so much light that the entire world changes color! You’ve seen how lovely our clothes glisten in the light of Holy Orbs; the sun is like the greatest Holy Orb of all, hanging in the sky and turning it bright blue instead of this near-black. But the best part of all is…”

“…we can see you better. WATER-SPEAR.”

A loud crash cut though the tree below them as the moonlight stuck a fast-moving silvery object that snaked and shimmered before slicing into Kiiroi’s arm. He let out a cry as he clutched his wound, lost his balance, and fell out of the tree. Crashing to the ground, his arm started to bleed. Looking up, he found himself facing a mass of warriors, all in a readied stance. Lightning was excellent against Water but, in his current state, Kiiroi was dangerously outnumbered.

“JOULE!” he cried “GET BACKUP! IT’S A RAID!”

Joule stood firm.

“Go and leave you behind?” he said, jumping down from the tree to join his friend “Not a chance. Together we can take them.” Kiiroi leapt to his feet and sent a surge of electricity through his wound, stimulating rapid cell regrowth and sealing it. Maybe Joule was right. He was probably more used to this kind of ambush than Kiiroi was. The woman at the head of the opposing Blue Moon party smirked.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, boys?” she said, pointing casually behind them. Kiiroi and Joule glanced around before they caught a couple flashes of blue darting through the forest…straight in the direction of the Yellow Moon camp.

“What th…how did they…” SPLOOSH. A second wall of water slammed the two of them against the tree. Thinking quickly with survival instincts churning rapidly in his brain, Kiiroi took advantage of the connection of water between him and his opponent. He sent a jolt of Lightning through this convenient conductor, striking down the two girls pinning him and Joule up. Like a quite literal flash of lightning, Joule took off towards the Yellow Moon camp. Kiiroi followed close behind him, the two of them gaining on the Blue Moon members who had slipped past them before.

To the unfamiliar onlooker, one might think one of two things. The first being “are those water-chicks crazy? What are they thinking, attacking people who can shoot electricity?” The other being “those lightning fellows ain’t got a chance.” Truth be told, scenarios like this one were quite common and had been so for the past 170 years. Indeed, it was quite foolhardy of Blue Moon to launch a direct attack on Yellow Moon, but crazy, almost suicidal, moves like that were just a part of life in Nippon. As the two leaders of Yellow Moon pursued their would-be attackers, it should also be noted that the post-initial-shock groan that escaped Kiiroi was not necessarily one that implied an exhaustion of routine. You see, Blue Moon was highly feminist, and Kiiroi really didn’t like to hit girls.

Flow[]

Moons[]

  • Start at individual camps, eat, split up for Holy Orb raids.
  • Raids, may also be ambushed by Susano’s peeps.
  • Return to camps.
  • Learn that Susano is back.
  • Join Susano or not? (Blue and White Moon most susceptible, maybe Red too)

If you join Susano…[]

  • Go to Susano’s landing (can be accomplished by finding one of his underlings) and express interest in joining.
  • Mingle a little? Get to know each other? Practice fights to test each other’s power? Maybe?
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

If you don’t join Susano…[]

  • Go to Moon Temple and confirm alliance with everyone else.
  • Split up to either 1) Inform Amaterasu and the Sun Sprites of the plan 2) get supplies for the magic circle from Gaiden Shrine or 3) gather Holy Orbs (will likely involve a lot of fighting).
  • Perform siphoning spell to return Amaterasu’s powers.
  • Confront “bad guys” for first mass battle.

Moon Sprites[]

  • Start at Moon Temple, get instructions from Tsukuyomi.
  • Spy on groups, gather info, learn of Susano’s return.
  • Report back to the Temple.
  • Gather with remaining Moons and mortals, plan to collect Holy Orbs to return Amaterasu’s power.
  • Either 1) Inform Amaterasu and the Sun Sprites of the plan and set up the magic circle or 2) gather Holy Orbs (will likely involve a lot of fighting).
  • Perform siphoning spell to return Amaterasu’s powers.
  • Confront “bad guys” for first mass battle.

Sun Sprites[]

  • Begin at Amaterasu’s cave, make merry, la la la…
  • Ambush by Tempests and a few Order members, run like hell to Yellow Moon.
  • Compare stories with Yellow Moon: Nippon is under attack by Susano.
  • Return to cave, FINALLY convince Amaterasu to come out if you can get her power back.
  • Meet up with others coming from the Moon Temple OR stay with Amaterasu and help set up the magic circle when the equipment arrives.
  • Perform siphoning spell to return Amaterasu’s powers.
  • Confront “bad guys” for first mass battle.

Ninja Knights and Solar Samurai[]

Ninjas[]

  • Begin at encampment, Yugure’s 25th birthday.
  • Ambush by Order of the Sea Serpent, chase ‘em off.
  • Blame Samurai, go to find them.

Samurai[]

  • Begin at encampment, chill, talk.
  • Save Sun Sprites from Tempests and OotSS.
  • Ambush by Ninja Knights.

Ninjas and Samurai[]

  • Small, hopefully non-fatal clash.
  • Learn from each other that Nippon is being invaded.
  • Go to Moon Temple and confirm alliance with others.
  • Join in Holy Orb hunt and magic circle spell to return Amaterasu’s power.
  • Confront “bad guys” for first mass battle.

Rogue Kamis[]

Note: The actions of the kamis will be dictated more by their character sheets than the Flow because of pre-established individual motivations. Their Flow is a more generalized guide to events they will be involved in at the beginning and end of the game.

  • Begin at Gaiden Shrine, discuss Miho’s visions.
  • Storm and Volcano Sprites come to confront their fathers, drama, maybe light scuffle.
  • Maho-Reiji Guild attacks and steals things, including Kitsune’s log book.
  • Follow your hearts, do what you believe should be done.
  • After Amaterasu gets her power back, confront “bad guys” for first mass battle.

Tempests[]

  • Begin at Susano’s landing, receive instructions.
  • Go with a few Order members to Amaterasu’s cave.
  • Scare off Sun Sprites, brief clash with Solar Samurai.
  • Report back to Susano that “locals are hostile”.
  • Meet whichever Moons decide to join up. Mingle a little? Get to know each other? Practice fights to test each other’s power? Maybe?
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

Order of the Sea Serpent[]

  • Begin at Susano’s landing, receive instructions.
  • Split up about even, proudly announce Susano’s return to locals you encounter.

If you go with the Tempests…[]

  • Scare off Sun Sprites, brief clash with Solar Samurai.

If you go to the Ninja Knights encampment…[]

  • Brief clash with Ninjas.

And then...[]

  • Report back to Susano that “locals are hostile”.
  • Read up on Nippon when the Maho-Reiji Guild brings the log book.
  • Meet whichever Moons decide to join up. Mingle a little? Get to know each other? Practice fights to test each other’s power? Maybe?
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

Maho-Reiji Guild[]

  • Begin at Susano’s landing, receive instructions.
  • Go to Gaiden Shrine, fight kamis, steal log book and other goodies (PLEASE LEAVE SOME STUFF FOR THE GOOD GUYS), drama may abound when Widdershin’s demons are recognized.
  • Proudly announce Susano’s return to locals you encounter.
  • Report back to Susano that “locals are hostile”.
  • Read up on Nippon from the notes in the log book.
  • Meet whichever Moons decide to join up. Mingle a little? Get to know each other? Maybe? Practice fights to test each other’s power?
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

Tanuki Force[]

  • Begin at Susano’s landing, receive instructions.
  • Do what you do best: sneak around, spy on people, make a ‘lil mischief, etc.
  • Report back to Susano.
  • Meet whichever Moons decide to join up. Mingle a little? Get to know each other? Practice fights to test power? Maybe?
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

Storm and Volcano Sprites[]

  • Begin in the woods, decide to finally confront your fathers.
  • Go to Gaiden Shrine, engage in aforementioned confronting, light scuffle may ensue, drama WILL ensue.
  • Follow Maho-Reiji Guild back to Susano after they sack the shrine (you may be sent away before they show up. If this happens, find another way to get to him).
  • Join Susano’s crew, meet everyone else.
  • Go get Holy Orbs, fight peeps.
  • Perform magic circle spell to permanently infuse weapons with elements.
  • Confront “good guys” for first mass battle.

RE[]

  • Begin inside Amaterasu’s cave, Izanagi appears and explains the cave connects Heaven with earth.
  • Function as a normal RE, occasionally hearing mysterious wicked voices.
  • Amaterasu leaves the cave when the Sun Sprites return with Yellow Moon.
  • Izanami shows herself, revealing the cave links to the underworld as well.
  • From this point up until everyone else has departed for the first mass battle, Izanami and Izanagi will flip a coin each time someone comes to RE over who will decide the dead character’s fate.
  • If Izanami wins, the character will be sent back as him or herself, but corrupted and evil, even if they’re already a “bad guy.”
  • If Izanagi wins, Izanagi can do whatever he wants with the character.
  • During the first mass battle, Izanagi is forcibly expelled from RE.

The End of the Game[]

  • Izanagi shows up, ceases the fighting, scolds his children, and informs everyone of Izanami’s corruption of RE.
  • Izanami signals for the Corrupted to return.
  • Massive reconciliation, excellent opportunity for Soap Opera Flow events to take place if they haven’t already happened.
  • Confront Izanami and the Corrupted, second mass battle.
  • Sign Fifth Amendment to Lunar Decrees prohibiting organized conflict between the people of Nippon; Moons, Ninjas, and Samurai are essentially disbanded.
  • GAME

Soap Opera Flow[]

The Soap Opera Flow is simply a listing of character-specific events that do NOT need to take place for the core story to progress. They can occur at any point during the game, given the proper circumstances of course, and serve primarily to make things a little more interesting.

  • Miho confirms her parent’s identities with Jin.
  • River learns that Kappa is really her father, not Koi.
  • Kiiroi learns of Misora’s existence.
  • Hare and Setsuna learn that Yugure is actually their half-brother.
  • The Tanuki Force learns why they really left Okinawa.
  • Poko discovers where his mother came from and his relation to Kiiroi.
  • Just about anything relating to the five demons and the people they once knew.
  • Just about anything relating to the RE sheet characters, should they show up.

What Really Happened[]

Since the game conformed well to the Flow in terms of the core story, it's more a question of what happened differently.

- A few of the Moons missed each other.

- None of the Moons joined up with Susano, and those that did didn't stay very long.

- The Ninjas and Samurai never properly met up.

- The Maho-Reiji Guild didn't have to fight the Rogue Kamis for the items they wanted. The groups reached a compromise instead.

- So many people carried Holy Orbs around with them that hunting for them wasn't a high priority.

- Since the Elemental Infuser Tokens never made it into the game, the infusion rituals for the good guys were performed by Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi and for the bad guys near the end of the game by Kagerou.

- The Storm Sprites and Volcano Sprites chose not to join Susano and went instead on their own separate philosophical journey.

- There was considerably less emphasis on combat than was originally planned, so very few people went to RE. Izanami had to make her Corrupted army from scratch when she interrupted Izanagi's argument with Susano near the end of the game.

Cast[]

Protagonists[]

Gods[]

Sun Sprites[]

Main article: Sun Sprites

Moon Sprites[]

Main article: Moon Sprites
  • Getsuko (Moonhead) – Becca Bowe
  • Equinox (Moonhand) – Oliver Kalb
  • Crescent (Moonheart) – Benji Wachter

Blue Moon[]

Main article: Blue Moon
  • Mizuko – Trine Boode-Petersen
  • River – Julia Sub
  • Jin – William Cooper
    • Rei – Lily Rosenthal-Williams
    • Konan – Asia Hunt

Red Moon[]

Main article: Red Moon

Yellow Moon[]

Main article: Yellow Moon

Black Moon[]

Main article: Black Moon

White Moon[]

Main article: White Moon

Ninja Knights[]

Main article: Ninja Knights
  • Yugure – Matt Wright
    • Satoshi – Brian Rubenstein
    • Ranmaru – James Lavin
    • Tobi – Alex Lawson

Solar Samurai[]

Main article: Solar Samurai

Rogue Kamis[]

Antagonists[]

Gods[]

Tempests[]

Main article: Tempests

Order of the Sea Serpent[]

Maho-Reiji (Magic Rage) Guild[]

Widdershins' Demons[]

Volcano Sprites[]

Main article: Volcano Sprites

Storm Sprites[]

Main article: Storm Sprites

Tanuki Force[]

Main article: Tanuki Force
  • Poko – Rueben Pacheco
    • Ginta – Sam Zilberg
    • Kei – Drew Elmore
    • Chan-chan – Brynna Golden
    • Kun-kun – Lucas Beaulieu

Unsealed Demons[]

Main article: Unsealed Demons

(*) Indicates absence due to medical incidents in the hours prior to game.

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