Book Eight, Chapter 7: red wood

Riley Lawrence is The Film Buff

His aspect is Filmmaker. The Filmmaker has a comprehensive understanding of the filmmaking process. They can manipulate the game environment effectively, altering the game’s dynamics in subtle but impactful ways. Their abilities are a mixture of meta-Insight and meta-Rule tropes. They have higher Hustle, reflecting their ability to stay out of the way, stay alive, and remain unseen as they manipulate meta-movie elements.

Riley has a Plot Armor score of 46, Mettle of 4, Moxie of 13, Hustle of 7, Savvy of 15, 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.

“Just Out of Shot” allows him to see ‘cameras’ when sneaking near an enemy to avoid being seen.

“Cutaway Death” sends him Off-Screen before the moment of his character’s implied demise and allows him to exist behind the scenes 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.

“What Doesn’t Kill Them Makes Them Angry” allows the user to antagonize the enemy into attacking and lowers their Savvy.

“Props Department Requisition” allows him to requisition story-appropriate props.

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Camden Tran is The Scholar

No aspect has been chosen.

Camden has a Plot Armor score of 30, Mettle of 3, Moxie of 3, Hustle of 6, Savvy of 13, and Grit of 5.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“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.

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

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

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

“Fall Like Dominos” buffs the user’s plan based on how well they represent it visually when pitching it to the audience.

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Bobby Gill is The Wallflower

His Aspect is Recast. The Recast slips into minor NPC roles and quietly transforms them into story-critical characters. Armed with targeted background knowledge and uncanny narrative timing, they pull strings from the sidelines, guiding subplots, influencing outcomes, and stepping into the spotlight when least expected. Masters of adaptability, Recasts turn overlooked moments into defining scenes.

Bobby has a Plot Armor score of 38, Mettle of 4, Moxie of 12, Hustle of 8, Savvy of 9, and Grit of 5.

Free Background Trope: “Actually, I’m a Veterinarian” changes his character’s background to being an animal doctor.

Current Trope Limit: 10

“Background Noise” allows him to get background information from NPCs when Off-Screen.

“If You Can’t See It, It Won’t Bleed” allows him to temporarily mend wounds by covering them from the audience’s view.

“From Humble Beginnings” debuffs the player’s stats 30% in the Party, then buffs them 15% in Rebirth, the Finale, and the Final Battle, resulting in a net 15% buff by the end of the story.

“My Only Role is Exposition” gives him some useful information to be relayed On-Screen, but takes it away if he starts to bore the audience.

“Pure” protects the user from enemy targeting if they avoid the storyline’s principal “sin,” until they interfere with the enemy’s agenda.

“The Bickering Duo” assigns Bobby an NPC named Jules, who will assist him while creating a comedic tone.

“Character Notes” reveals general needs from allies until Second Blood, though specifics aren’t provided.

“Line Whisperer” allows him to talk to nearby allies on the red wallpaper.

“The Understudy” allows the Recast to elevate their character to the main cast to replace the narrative void left by a downed player. They may use one of that player’s tropes for the duration of the storyline and gain that player’s buffs.

“Last-Minute Casting” recasts him as an NPC that is moderately involved in the plot. The selection is seemingly random. He will get some limited background information for the character and some access to the NPC script.

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Molly Menkin is The Comedian

Her aspect is Stooge. The Stooge survives by being underestimated. Clumsy, loud, or just plain unlucky, they stumble through danger like it’s slapstick, often avoiding death through sheer absurdity. But the chaos they cause isn’t just comic relief; it’s disruption. They draw fire, shift tension, and buy time for others to act. In the worst moments, the Stooge reminds the Audience that it’s okay to breathe, laugh, or hope. And sometimes, somehow, they’re still standing at the end.

Molly has a Plot Armor score of 39, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 12, Hustle of 8, Savvy of 4, and Grit of 10.

Free Background Trope: —

Trope Limit: 10

“Weapons of Mass Absurdity” buffs her Mettle and Hustle while using humorous weapons. The buff extends to weapons that are used if the original weapon fails.

“The Null Force” makes all supernatural forces less powerful in her presence, especially when others are trying to prove they exist.

“Funny Bone” buffs her Grit when she reacts to physical damage and pain in a humorous way.

“Wine Drunk” makes her supremely relaxed, so she will not feel fear, nervousness, or stress while appearing tipsy. Guards against any mental debuffs.

“The Purse Dimension” allows her to keep a ridiculous amount and variety of objects in her purse and show this On-Screen without risking suspension of disbelief from the audience.

“All Better” allows her to heal injuries to varying degrees by using simple, superficial first aid, such as patching a large wound with a Band-Aid.

“Wait, You’re Alive?” makes her be written off if she is killed before the Finale, allowing her to make a reappearance at a reduced Plot Armor.

“Misunderstood Mythos” allows her to debuff enemies by humorously misunderstanding them. Provides a subplot to high-Savvy allies to find better information.

“Death is a Bummer” eliminates the pain of death if she acts humorously underwhelmed by her death. If successful, the enemy’s lethal attacks are debuffed.

“Surprising Savant” gives her mastery over a skillset in the Finale if she incredulously claims to be good at it earlier in the film, and her claims are treated as patently ridiculous.

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Nicole Van Note is The Eye Candy

Her aspect is Socialite. The Socialite brings status, reputation, qualification, and a curated presence that precedes them. Maybe they’re a rising politician, a famed alumnus, a media darling, or just someone who always ends up in the right rooms. Their fame isn’t about looks; it’s about access. Socialites trade in influence and information, leveraging reputation, privilege, and connections to shape events around them and get the insight they need.

Nicole has a Plot Armor score of 46, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 10, Hustle of 9, Savvy of 16, and Grit of 6.
Free Background Trope: “Unclean Rise” gives her character status, but a dark backstory to explain her ascent to stardom.

Trope Limit: 10

“Between the Lines of History” gives her insight into the hidden backstories of accepted historical facts in some form.

“The Pedestal of Admiration” makes her the Center of Attention and makes subplots dealing with knowledge or resource acquisition more prominent.

“Convenient Backstory” allows her to believably change her backstory to assist with the current task, buffing the relevant stat.

“Written by the Victors” ensures that all players are treated as having the same Plot Armor as her and are given subplots that could make them main characters.

“Well-Informed Fan” provides a fan of her work who can give her important information related to the plot or assist her in other ways.

“Dressed to Impress” reduces the effects of debuffs and auras while well-dressed.

“Just Us Monsters” buffs her Mettle and Grit when she lets loose fighting against a monster alone.

“Secret to Success” allows her to reveal the secret to her success, whatever she decides that is, and in doing so buffs relevant skills, stats, and improvisations.

“Just Like Us” prevents her from being killed in the next attack when she shows that, despite her reputation or fame, she is an ordinary, sympathetic person.

“The Pen is Mightier” reduces the importance of combat in resolving a storyline in favor of its elements of character, cooperation, and knowledge acquisition.

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Dina Cano is the Outsider.

Her aspect is Newcomer. The Newcomer is the audience’s window into the story, an outsider whose reactions ground the horror. They stumble in with their own baggage from another life, but in Carousel, everything is new. Their fresh perspective uncovers details veterans overlook, and their instinctive responses make every discovery land harder for the Audience. When the moment comes, the Newcomer’s perspective might be exactly what is needed to see the story clearly.

Dina has a Plot Armor score of 34, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 7, Hustle of 11, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 8.

Free Background Trope: “A Haunted Past” gives her character some past trauma that haunts her like a ghost.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Guarded Personality” resists all insight abilities and actions.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“An Outsider’s Perspective” alerts her to new, out-of-place, or unusual information.

“Encouragement from Beyond” soothes her when stressed, scared, or in pain and may provide useful information in the form of communication from the beyond.

“They Fell Off” allows her to quickly get out of handcuffs and similar restraints.

“Savvy Safecracker” tells the character how long it will take to pick a lock of some kind. Buffs Hustle in the attempt.

“From the Shadows” prevents the user from being noticed while concealed in shadows, with applicable Off-Screen effects as the audience observes them.

“She’s Owed One” greatly buffs a user’s avenging act in the Finale, but unequips all of her tropes.

“Who Even Called the Cops” allows her to summon the police to break up a scene by committing a crime in view of the public.

“Unfinished Business” allows her to remain as a spirit or similar after her death to help an ally complete her subplot, which will have increased narrative weight.

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We had to take the resin specimen back to the lab, which was to say, we had to take the Omen back to Kimberly’s loft so that everyone could use their scouting tropes on it.

Since Antoine wasn’t going, Kimberly wasn’t going to either. They were going to stay back as backup in case we lost, so that we would have a strong team ready to rescue us.

Luckily, we had Nicole, who had volunteered to join this storyline. She was an Eye Candy, so she could use Kimberly’s Just Ask Sal trope, although interestingly enough, Sal did not want to talk to Nicole nearly as much as he did to Kimberly, perhaps because she was a Socialite instead of a Celebrity.

He sounded extremely deflated and didn’t even try to make jokes.

“I can give you some pointers, sure,” he said. “It’s never too late to get into acting. Plenty of women, even at your age, have successful careers. Look, this Red Wood film is no blockbuster, but it will help you pad your meager résumé. It’s got the makings of a decent character piece with some potential to show off your action chops, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Nicole looked a little offended at his attitude, but I gave her a thumbs up, and that helped her get over it, from what I could tell. I pointed to a question on a piece of paper I had written out to try to keep her on track.

“What’s it about?” she asked.

“Haunted house, I think,” he said, like he couldn’t be less interesting if he tried. “Action twist if the director takes it that way. Could be made-for-TV, that sort of thing. A bit thin on the plot. Crooks sneak into some dead guy’s house looking for his hidden treasure and then get ambushed by spirits. That’s what I remember.”

She continued talking to him for quite a while, but the conversation never really went anywhere. He just wasn’t into it. Still, that was pretty good information.

Eventually, we gave up trying. He had given us every clue he was going to, but I felt pretty good about it.

The next person to try to give us some help was Cassie, who was still trying to build up her skills at aiding teams from a distance.

“Spirits, please speak to me,” she said. “Tell me of the dangers of Lark House and of the red wood.”

She was sitting in a normal dining room chair, unlike the last time, there was no floating, and the lights didn’t even fully flicker. They just kind of got dim for a second.

“I hear them calling,” she said. “They’re talking to someone. Always calling, always reaching out, always accusing. They are screaming that they have been killed.”

All in all, that was a pretty reasonable thing to scream about if you were a ghost, I thought.

“‘You killed me,’” Cassie said. “That’s what they’re screaming. ‘You shot me from behind.’ It’s a man. There are so many voices.”

“What do they want?” I asked. “Why are they in the house?”

Cassie took a moment as she focused.

“We are here for you,” she said in a voice that was many voices. “You know what you deserve, and you will get it here.”