Book Eight, Chapter 69: Antoine Stone and the Sunken Cradle Part II

I didn’t sleep well that night, even after using Out Like a Light. I had nightmares. That wasn’t supposed to happen. I’d expected a dreamless sleep, but instead I saw darkness, endless, timeless darkness. Whatever else happened in the dream, I didn’t remember when I woke up, but I had never been so thankful for morning than I was when I realized I wasn’t dreaming anymore.

I wasn’t the only one. The others feared what lay ahead for us. It was going to be difficult, there was no doubt, but we headed into it with the same mindset we always had. We never gave in to our fear. We never allowed ourselves to meditate on it, to focus on it, or to give it any weight at all, because if we did, we knew it would win, and that was no way to enter a storyline.

It was a pragmatic approach. It didn’t mean the fears were wrong.

We hunted around to find the supplies Antoine would use for his costume. It wasn’t so difficult. The Speakeasy was full of rough-and-tumble adventurers, so to speak. In the end, we found him a proper Indiana Jones-style hat, with a shirt and pants to match. He also used the grappling hook with the trope So Anyway attached, which would allow him great feats of Hustle while using the grappling hook as long as he was acting casual and talking while using it.

He had a gun that he had pulled off of one bad guy or another. I thought it might be someone from KRSL. It didn’t have any bullets, but that was no problem. Even with the weapons depot blown up, there were no fewer than three arms dealers drinking at the Speakeasy who were willing to barter.

That was all we could find. No proper satchel, but he did have the camera bag with the Lucky Bulletproof Souvenir trope. He had no adventuring shoes, but he would just have to find those in the storyline.

The rest of us made do. It was a quiet morning, so many things unsaid.

When it came time to trigger the storyline, even Antoine wasn’t able to muster a pep talk. We all walked down to the water while NPCs and paragons watched us.

Antoine carried the letter from his rival carefully, and as soon as we all stepped on the boat and unhooked from the dock…

The storyline had begun. The needle on the plot cycle switched from choice to party, and everything around me changed.

–

Riley Lawrence is The Film Buff

His aspect is Filmmaker. The Filmmaker understands how movies are made and uses meta-Insight and meta-Rule tropes to subtly manipulate the environment, relying on high Hustle to stay unseen while shaping the story behind the scenes.

Riley has a Plot Armor score of 48, Mettle of 4, Moxie of 13, Hustle of 8, Savvy of 16, and Grit of 7.

Free Background Trope: “My Grandmother Had the Gift…” A background trope that gives Riley’s character some ambiguous connection to “The Gift” through his heritage.

Current Trope Limit: 10

“Trope Master” grants him the ability to perceive enemy tropes, but at the cost of sacrificing half of his Plot Armor.

As an “Oblivious Bystander,” Riley remains untargeted by enemies as he convincingly acts oblivious to their presence.

“Escape Artist” buffs his Hustle to help enact plausible escape plans.

“The Insert Shot” makes allies aware of an object the player chooses. The object will be shown to the audience and its use will be buffed in the Finale.

“Cutaway Death” sends him Off-Screen before the moment of his character’s implied demise and allows him to exist behind the scenes, as if Written Off if he survives the encounter.

“Call Sheet” gives him a timer for when he will be On-Screen next.

“Raised by Television” buffs the user to do one big meaningful action if they establish their inspiration from film and television to establish it.

“Intermission” Grants Deathwatch at his demise and allows them to pause their viewing of the film for a break and start back a few moments earlier.

“It’s Just a Puppet” reduces fear when confronting something perceptibly terrifying.

“No Stab In The Dark” reduces the narrative impact of anything that happens in low visibility, where the audience cannot see it.

~

Camden Tran is The Scholar

No aspect has been chosen.

Camden has a Plot Armor score of 39, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 3, Hustle of 9, Savvy of 17, and Grit of 5.

Current Trope Limit: 10

“Eureka!” helps him find important information within text.

“Right Tool for the Job” buffs Savvy and Mettle when fighting an enemy with their weakness.

“Zippos are Cheap” boosts Savvy for plans that expend a Zippo lighter.

“Hide and Seek” allows him to use Savvy for Hustle in a chase with lots of hiding involved.

“Photographic Memory” allows him to display visual information committed to memory on the red wallpaper and recall information he has seen, even if he didn’t focus on it.

“Battlefield Intuition” allows him to use Savvy to perceive enemy combat tactics.

“Red Thread Theory” gives the user a visual summary of known information and helps them know what threads to follow next.

“Chain Reaction” buffs an attack for each link in the cause-and-effect chain leading to the ultimate damage of the attack.

“Trap Montage” allows the player to initiate a montage wherein they and allies rig traps in the finale without disturbance from enemies.

“Sweat, Blood, and Chalk” buffs his Savvy and Grit when he is Scathed, Hobbled, or Mutilated.

~

Antoine Stone is the Adventurer.

The Adventurer Advanced Archetype transforms the story into an expedition, emphasizing physical feats and academic intrigue.

His base Archetype is Athlete. His aspect is Health Nut.

Antoine has a Plot Armor score of 44, Mettle of 13, Moxie of 4, Hustle of 9, Savvy of 8, and Grit of 10.

Free Background Trope: —

Current Trope Limit: 10

“Gym Rat” buffs Mettle and Hustle by revealing an athletic backstory.

Brandishing a weapon is “Like a Security Blanket,” buffing his Grit and soothing his and his allies’ fear.

“Fight or Flight” buffs Mettle if escape is not possible or Hustle if victory is not possible. Buffs Mettle if neither is possible.

“The Mountain as a Metaphor” boosts allies’ uses of Grit and Savvy and allows the user to conquer maladies through metaphor by tackling physical challenges.

“Calm in the Chaos” allows the user to channel Savvy into their next physical feat through a slowed-down shot of them planning things out On-Screen. Time will appear to slow down while planning.

“Gut Instinct” gives him a heads up about nearby danger both in and out of storylines, though he may have to investigate to find the source.

“Willpower is Magic” ensures all applicable enemy technology or magic is now resistible through sheer effort. Results vary. Effects vary. This will hurt.

“Museum Detour” provides the user with character-appropriate knowledge as they make discoveries and findings in proportion to the difficulty in getting there.

“Sentimental Outfitting” allows him to carry anything an explorer might use into a storyline and slowly increases the narrative weight of each item as his bond with the item is established.

“The Intrepid Guide Who Knows The Way” allows him to hire an NPC companion as a guide.

~

Cassie Hughes is the Psychic

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No aspect has been chosen.

Cassie has a Plot Armor score of 35, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 15, Hustle of 9, Savvy of 6, and Grit of 2.

Current Trope Limit: 10

“We are not abandoned…” can keep her allies’ spirits high by weaving a narrative of some higher power in control. When done well, this trope can heal Incapacitation, certain forms of spiritual Infection, and even buff Grit.

“Clarity of Purpose” lets the user substitute Moxie for Grit when enduring tasks that cause constant pain, like handling dangerous objects.

“The Anguish” lets her see her allies’ health stats from anywhere and lets her take some of their pain by feeling it herself. This can reduce their overall injuries.

“It’s Speaking to Me…” lets the user detect vibes and weak visions from evil or supernatural objects, which become important if attention is drawn to them.

“Empathic Shield” buffs an imperiled ally’s Grit by expressing genuine concern for them On-Screen.

“Wards of Affection” allows her to gift allies totems of spiritual protection.

“It is Written” codifies all spiritual or similar information in some kind of text that the user will have access to and gives them information accurate to their character.

“Undying Words” allows her to declare a prophecy at death, which will become true in some form later in the movie.

“Get Up!” makes it so that the user or allies will receive messages from the dead when near death, providing a range of effects from insight, to buffs, to healing.

“Soul Read” provides the user with unearned information, continuing until they fail to utilize it in the narrative.

~

Anna Reed is the Final Girl

Her aspect is Girl Next Door. The Girl Next Door is a genuine, relatable emotional anchor whose high Moxie and Grit fuel connection, resilience, and quiet strength that protects others and uncovers unexpected solutions.

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