The Tsukune Matsuri is an annual festival held in many worlds that celebrates the ascension of the Fortune of Rebirth to the Celestial Heavens. While, for obvious reasons, the festival is particularly famous among the Phoenix, a variety of worlds celebrate it in different ways. With the Sanctuary of Rebirth’s close ties to the Fortune, the festival has great social and theological significance for it, and is celebrated each year with an event that has come to be famous among the in-worlders - the Night of Rebirth Walk.
Held at the evening of the Tsukune Matsuri, the event includes festival food stalls, traditional lamps and coloured lightning along a few of the Sanctuary’s main boulevards, as in other traditional festivals. Most of the sanctuary, however, is kept at low illumination and quiet, and visitors are encouraged to walk silently and keep eyes and ears wide open as they travel through the sanctuary at night - which is when many of the beasts are most active. The visitors’ excursions aren't only rewarded with rare sightings of the sanctuary’s beasts, however. Each year, the Sanctuary holds a number of special events, always located at different areas which are not informed in advance or shown on a map. That means finding each year’s events is a prize in and of itself, and ensures that visitors spend a significant part of their time experiencing the nightly environment at the sanctuary.
The Night of Rebirth Walk is very popular with children, those with a penchant for festivals, and many in the highly urban World of Dreams who welcome the opportunity for close contact with nature. The festival is meant not only for fun, however - the Conservation Sanctuary movement has a strong religious basis, rooted in the theological significance of nature and its many life forms as part of the spiritual world. Remembering and preserving endangered or near-extinct species is therefore seen by many as an act of devotion - and many who come to the festival do so not (or not only) to have fun, but as a way to show their piety.
As visitors enter the sanctuary, they are welcomed by lights and stalls at the entrance and along the main boulevards where they can try festival foods and buy souvenirs (see list and prices at the end). The most interesting and exciting part of the festival, however, is found elsewhere. As they walk around the silent, dimly-lit pathways looking for signs of this year’s special events, visitors have the opportunity for a chance encounter with the more reserved animals that make their home here - maybe even capturing the moment in a memorable picture!
Magic: Magic is allowed, as long as the spell used lasts for at least 10 minutes. A spell that lasts 10 minutes is considered to last only for 1 Sub-event during Step 2. A spell that lasts 1 hour or more lasts for the whole event.
Step 1 - The Night Walk
To find the festival's events, roll Hunting (Trailblazing)/ Perception or Investigation (Search)/ Perception against TN 15 to find at least one event. You may call Raises on this roll to keep an eye out for sightings of the Sanctuary's denizes. This makes it harder to actually find the events - but may allow you to take nice photos!
Night Walk Success and points
If you succeed, you gain a number of Night Walk points equal to your roll minus 5 per Raise called. This determines the number of special Events you can participate in:
- Between 15 and 20 Night Walk points: go to Step 2 and choose one of the Night of Rebirth Events to participate in.
- Between 21 and 30 Night Walk points: go to Step 2 and choose up to two of the Night of Rebirth Events to participate in.
- 31 or more Night Walk points: go to Step 2 and choose up to three of the Night of Rebirth Events to participate in.
Failing to find events
- The first time you fail your Night Walk roll, you can choose to try again, although you suffer the Fatigued condition (+5 to all TNs) for the rest of the event. Remember to adjust the TN for all rolls (including the new Night Walk roll!). If you prefer, you can give up on searching (thus participating in no special events);
- If you fail the Night Walk roll a second time, you get lost until you are rescued by the Sanctuary’s staff. As a result, you suffer the Fatigued condition until you sleep, and must rest for one additional Time Slot to recover from Fatigue and avoid penalties the next day.
Advantages
Absolute Direction: You gain a +1k0 bonus to your rolls to find events;
Inner Gift (Animal Ken): You gain a Free Raise to your rolls to find events;
Disadvantages
Cursed by Chikushudo: You suffer a -1k0 penalty to your rolls to find events;
Overconfident: If you fail your Night Walk roll, you cannot give up - you must try again.
Step 2 - Night of Rebirth Events:
After defining how many events you find, choose among the Events below to participate in. You can only participate in each event once.
Event 1 - Trivia quiz
Around a large stall set up at the well-known “three Sections junction”, close to the centre of the Sanctuary, is a gathering of sanctuary staff and visitors. The staff offer seats and refreshments and organise the visitors to take part in rounds of a tradition of the Tsukune festival - a trivia quiz.
To participate in the quiz, you must answer three questions, all at a TN of 25. For each question, you can choose one of three topics, which defines the skills you can use:
Topic A - Fauna of the World of Dreams - Roll Lore: Biology (Zoology)/ Intelligence or Perception, as you either recall information from memory or rely on your senses of the specimens you have observed in the sanctuary.
If you have a more specific Lore skill related to animals that might apply (e.g. Lore: Tropical Fish - you may want to ask in GM questions if you think your Lore skill applies), you may roll that skill once at a TN of 20. You must actually have the skill to receive this benefit (i.e. Sage does not apply!).
Topic B - History and geography of the Tsukune Sanctuary - Roll Lore: History (World of Dreams) or Lore: Geography (World of Dreams)/ Intelligence or Willpower, as you either recall detailed information or convince the staff with a long-winded answer.
If you have a specific Lore skill that pertains specifically to the sanctuary (you may want to ask in GM questions if you think your Lore skill applies), you may roll that skill once at a TN of 20. You must actually have the skill to receive this benefit (i.e. Sage does not apply!).
If you have Lore: World of Dreams, you may roll Lore: World of Dreams/ Intelligence at a TN of 30 (instead of TN 25).
Topic C - Theological significance of Conservation Sanctuaries - Roll Lore: Theology/ Intelligence or Void, as you recall detailed information or go with a more mystical, transcendental answer.
If you have a Lore skill that pertains specifically to Wildlife Sanctuaries (you may want to ask if you think your Lore skill applies), you may roll that skill instead.
Trivia Quiz Points
Each question answered correctly gives you 1 Rebirth Point.
Each two Raises called successfully on a roll to answer a question grants you 1 additional Rebirth Point.
Finally, if you answer one question correctly for each of the three topics, you gain 1 additional Rebirth Point.
Event 2 - Rainbow Road
A small, silent crowd gathers in one of the dimly lit glass tunnels surrounding the enclosure of the famous Pearlescent Tiger Squids. As the Sanctuary staff offers visitors cameras and recording equipment, some festival goers walk or wait around the tunnel trying to catch the perfect angle for a picture of the prismatic animals or record a film of their eerie low-sound, many-coloured communication.
You will roll twice to participate in this event - once to take a picture of a Pearlescent Tiger Squid, and once to record sounds and video of their communication. You may do this in either order you choose. The TN is 20 for the first roll you attempt, and 25 for the second roll.
To get a perfect shot of one of the majestic animals, you may roll Artisan (Photography) or Investigation (Notice)/ Void or Stamina, as you either attune to your surroundings to find the perfect moment or wait patiently as you hold the camera without flinching. You may call one Raise to use Perception or Awareness for this roll instead.
To record the cephalopod’s communication, roll Engineering or Use Computer/ Awareness or Void, as you either look for the perfect combination of colours and sounds or attune instinctively to the animals. The Music or Visual Arts emphases of Use Computer apply to this roll. You may call one Raise to use Intelligence for this roll instead.
Rainbow Road Points
Each successful roll grants you 1 Rebirth Point.
Each successful Raise called on any of the two rolls grants you 1 additional Rebirth Point.
Event 3 - Bouncing with Badgers
As you approach a beach at the meeting between Grounds and Aerie, you see an unusually well-lit area and hear a crowd cheering and what sounds like barks. As you soon recognise, they come not from dogs, but from a group of armoured badgers which seem to be having great fun as they play a version of Tag-Oshidama with their trainers and festival-goers. The games involves two teams of four - two badgers and two people - that try to eliminate players from the other side by having the ball bounce off them without getting passed back over the net. The net is set at a lower height, but the badgers are especially trained to either bounce the ball back to their team or avoid being hit by particularly tricky spikes.
To Bounce with Badgers, you must make two rolls:
Training Talents
First, roll Battle or Animal Handling/ Awareness or Perception against TN 25 to practice and organise your team’s strategy. Characters with the Tactician advantage gain a +1k0 bonus to this roll. Success in this roll grants you a Free Raise for the Mustelid Mayhem roll, and each two Raises called successfully grant you another Free Raise.
If you fail the Training Talents roll by 10 or more, you suffer a +5 TN penalty for the Mustelid Mayhem roll. If you fail by 20 or more, you suffer a +10 TN penalty instead.
Mustelid Mayhem
Now your team is ready to rumble, roll Games: Oshidama (Tag Oshidama)/ Strength or Reflexes against a TN of 20. Remember to apply Free Raises or TN penalties from the Training Talents step here.
Bouncing with Badgers Points
You gain 1 Rebirth Point if you succeed in the Mustelid Mayhem roll, plus 1 Rebirth Point for each successful Raise.
Also, record the result of your Mustelid Mayhem roll here, adding 2 to it for each successful Raise. At the end of the festival, the two characters with the highest totals will gain +2 Rebirth Points.
Event 4 - Cowboy Beep-beep
In a forested part of the Aerie, you hear warks, kwehs, thuds stepping on leaf litter… and low 'bangs'. Coming closer, you see a race course and a festival goers galloping Taihou - large, red birds that run remarkably fast, but fly very little. All but extinct except for a few populations at the world’s Sanctuaries, these birds are a symbol of Rebirth for those in the Conservation Sanctuary movement. Some rumours say they are remarkably similar to birds from other worlds, including a Phoenix planet, and some researchers have wondered if ancient links might link these species.
Visitors are invited to take a paintball gun and ride a Taihou as fast as possible through thick forest, then a section of flooded woods with muddy ground while looking out for “poachers” - Sanctuary staff holding large wooden boards depicting violent-looking thugs attacking sad-faced animals.
To participate, you make two rolls for racing, and may try to shoot a Poacher along the way if you want to:
Red Bird Redemption
To reach the highest Speed possible during the race, make two Agility/ Horsemanship rolls at TNs of 20 and 25, for the dry and flooded parts of the course. You may call one Raise to use Willpower instead of Agility, and/or one Raise to use Animal Handling or Driving instead of Horsemanship.
You may also call Raises to race even faster - if you succeed, add 5 to your Speed for each Raise successfully called.
After each roll, if you succeed, you add the result of your roll to your Speed, as well as any additional Speed from Raises.
If you fail, add only half the result of your roll to your Speed as you lose too much time in that part of the course.
Piercing Poachers
If you decide to shoot a poacher, your Speed is reduced by 5 as you take your eyes off the way, or by 15 if you fail as you regain your balance.
To attempt a shot, roll Hojutsu or Kyujutsu/ Reflexes vs TN 30. This counts as an Attack Roll during the first round of a combat. You may call one Raise to use Perception or Void instead of Agility, and/or one Raise to use Investigation instead of a Weapon Skill. If you use Investigation, the roll doesn’t count as an Attack Roll.
You may also call Raises for better shots. Each 2 Raises called grant you 2 additional Rebirth Points.
Cowboy Beep-beep Points
At the end of the event, divide your Speed by 10 (rounding up). You gain a number of Rebirth points equal to the result minus 2.
You also gain 2 Rebirth Points if you hit a Poacher, plus 2 Rebirth Points for each 2 Raises called on your shots.
Example: Soshi Bonii rolled 30 and 20 for her Red Bird Redemption rolls and hit a poacher along the way. Her Speed is 30 (success vs TN 20) + 10 (failure vs TN 25) - 5 (successful shot) = 35. Dividing her Speed by 10, she gets (3 minus 2) = 1 Rebirth Point. She also gains 2 Rebirth Points for hitting a poacher, for a total of 3 Rebirth Points.
Event 5 - Tunnel Vision
One of the glass tunnels embracing the underground part of the Rainbow Pangolin enclosure is especially dark this evening. Coming closer, you hear muffled steps and pants, and see a few sparkles from among the crowd. As you approach, the Sanctuary staff explain what the event is about. The visitors are invited to experience the world in a way similar to the underground armored mammals. Participants must cross the tunnel in the pitch darkness, interrupted only by rare sightings of one of the Rainbow Pangolins venturing closer to the glass or a gleam of the “food” cards some staff are holding, as they avoid “predators” - Sanctuary staff positioned at a number of places along the tunnel - and try to capture shiny “food” cards.
Find your way or Avoid Capture
To Find your Way through the tunnel, you must make two rolls, at TNs 20 and 25. For each roll, you can use Investigation or Meditation/ Perception or Void. Each successful Raise called in a roll to Find your Way gives you an Edge, which you may use in your roll to Avoid Capture or to Capture Food.
If you fail one of these rolls, you may try to Avoid Capture as you move too close to a 'predator'. To do so, roll Stealth/ Agility or Reflexes to escape unnoticed, or Jiujutsu/ Strength or Willpower to push back, at a TN of 25. These Jiujutsu rolls are NOT considered attacks, and this use of Stealth does NOT count as a low skill for the purposes of losing honour. You may use one or more Edges gained from raises to Find your Way to gain an equal number of Free Raises on this roll. If you succeed, you wriggle free and manage to finish making your way through the tunnel.
If you fail both rolls to Find your Way, or if you fail the roll to Avoid Capture, you end up 'predated' and cannot proceed further through the tunnel.
Capture Food
If you succeed in at least one roll to Find your Way, you spot a shiny ‘food’ card in the pocket of an ‘animal’ as you proceed through the tunnel. To ‘hunt’, roll Sleight of Hand/ Agility or Athletics/ Strength vs TN 25. If you roll Sleight of Hand, you may call one Raise to use Awareness instead of Agility. You may also use one or more Edges gained from raises to Find your Way to gain an equal number of Free Raises on this roll. Note that this use of Sleight of Hand does NOT count as using a low skill for the purposes of losing honour.
If you succeed, you get the card, which gives you 2 Rebirth Points and you can keep as a souvenir (it is shiny and shows a pretty painting of one of the Sanctuary's beasts!). You may also call Raises (or use Free Raises) to capture a particularly beautiful card, granting you 1 extra Rebirth Point per successful Raise.
Tunnel Vision Points
You gain 1 Rebirth Point for each success in rolls to Find your Way. Note that while Avoiding Capture allows you to continue and reach the end of the tunnel, it does NOT grant Rebirth Points.
You gain 1 Rebirth Point if you managed to make your your way to the end of the tunnel (by Finding your Way twice or Avoiding Capture).
You also gain 2 Rebirth Points, plus 1 for each successful Raise, if you successfully Capture Food, even if you didn't reach the end of the tunnel.
Tsukune Festival Results
At the end of the festival, you receive gifts depending on the results of your participation:
0 or 1 Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you for your participation in this year’s festival.
2 - 3 Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you for your participation in this year’s festival and a small-sized plushie of one of the Sanctuary’s beasts or a simple T-shirt (see below).
4 - 5 Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you heartily for your participation in this year’s festival, and a medium-sized plushie of one of the Sanctuary’s beasts or a communicator shell (see below). Your photo is featured in the Photo Book for this year’s festival, and you gain +0.1 Glory as a result of your participation in the festival.
6 - 7 Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you heartily for your participation in this year’s festival and a medium-sized plushie of one of the Sanctuary’s beasts or a communicator shell (see below). Your photo is featured in this year’s Photo Book, including a picture of your participation in one of the events or a picture you took during the Night Walk, and you gain a free copy of the Photo Book. You gain +0.2 Glory as a result of your participation in the festival.
8 - 9 Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you heartily for your memorable participation in this year’s festival, a large-sized plushie or a holographic fabric T-shirt, and a communicator shell (see below). A large photo in this year’s Photo Book, covering a whole page, shows your participation in one of the events or a picture you took during the Night Walk, and you gain a free copy of the Photo Book. You gain +0.3 Glory as a result of your participation in the festival, and a gift card valued at 1 koku.
10+ Rebirth Points: You receive a card thanking you heartily for your memorable participation in this year’s festival, a large-sized plushie or a holographic fabric T-shirt, and a communicator shell (see below). The cover of this year’s Photo Book features a photo of your participation in one of the events or a picture you took during the Night Walk, and you gain a free copy of the Photo Book. You gain +0.5 Glory as a result of your participation in the festival, and a gift card valued at 3 koku.
The characters with the most Rebirth points in each event (including Rebirth Points for Night Walk photos) also gain +0.1 Glory each; photos and a text describing their participation in that event are also featured in this year’s Photo Book.
Special offers in the gift shop and stalls during the festival
Beasts of the Grounds Gummies - 2 zeni
Beasts of the Aerie Gummies - 2 zeni
Beasts of the Depths Gummies - 2 zeni
Simple T-Shirt featuring one of the Sanctuary's animals - 2 bu
Simple T-Shirt featuring the Fortune Tsukune - 2 bu
Plastic netsuke of the Fortune Tsukune - 2 bu
Plastic keychain (for keys or communicator shell) featuring one of the sanctuary’s animals - 2 bu
Small-sized plushie (5” or 13cm) of one of the Sanctuary's animals - 2 bu
Medium-sized plushie (10” or 25 cm) of one of the Sanctuary's animals - 3 bu
Communicator shell featuring the Fortune Tsukune or one of the sanctuary’s animals - 3 bu
Tsukune Sanctuary Beasts plastic toy set - 3 bu
Tsukune Festival Photo Book (delivered or retrievable in 1 business day) - 3 bu
Tsukune Sanctuary Beasts cast-iron toy set, not painted - 1 koku
Stone-carved, hand-painted netsuke of the Fortune Tsukune - 1 koku
Large-sized, festival edition plushie (3’ or 90 cm) of one of the Sanctuary's animals - 1 koku
Holographic fabric T-shirt featuring one of the Sanctuary's animals - 1 koku
Holographic fabric T-shirt featuring the Fortune Tsukune - 1 koku
Tsukune Sanctuary Beasts cast-iron toy set, hand-painted - 2 koku
"The ancient fauna of the World of Dreams", by Yogo Hanawa - 2 koku (provides +2 to Lore rolls related to the topic)
"The Conservation Sanctuary theological movement", by Soshi Miyo - 2 koku (provides +2 to Lore rolls related to the topic)
Large guide on the beasts of the Tsukune Sanctuary - 2 koku (provides +2 to Lore rolls related to the topic)
"The life and world of Spiny Drakes"*, by Yogo Hanawa and Soshi Kioku - 2 koku (provides +2 to Lore: Biology and Animal Handling with Spine Drakes)