Pregame

To help players getting into character we are setting up a small pregame between 30th March and 1st April. This is by no means compulsory and if you don’t feel like taking part in the D0 you are free to ignore it.

How does it work then?

Pre-game roleplay takes place during Nebuta Matsuri. While the festival stars in the early hours of the day and lasts until midnight, we ask that you only post in two of the available time slots, both to avoid getting overwhelmed and to allow slower pace of posting early on.

To take part to the pre-game, simply create a thread on this forum, picking any of the free time slots or join an existing thread. As per our general rules regarding locations, no two threads can take place at the same time slot. Do not create a thread for a time slot that is already taken.

Do note that no dice rolling is allowed in pregame threads. Aim to wrap-up your pregame threads before 2nd of April as the pregame forum will be closed as the actual game starts.

Don't make me grumpy during the pregame.

Pregame Forum starts March 30th when I wake up.

World of Dreams Nebuta Matsuri

Worlf of Dreams Nebuta Festival" or simply "Nebuta" is a Scorpion winter festival that takes place across World of Dreams during the month of Tiger. The festival attracts the many tourists from Scorpion space with the high and the might often often arriving early to secure comfortable lodgings for the occasion. The festival celebrates Scorpion heroes of the old - mythical figures whose names still spoken, their deeds stuff of legends. Lasting from early morning to the midnight, the festival grinds most traffic to a halt as locals take to the streets, wearing yukata and jinbei as they dance to the music blasted through the loud hailers normally used to convey news and propaganda. Many of the large businesses located in the city will send out small electric carts decorated with company logos, the crew handing out sweet and potent amazake to the crowds. Other carts hand out fried mochi in small cups or on wooden skewers, the local companies using the festival as an opportunity to earn the good will of the population. Many of the smaller eateries and sake houses join the festivities in a similar fashion, staff often handing out vouchers and discount coupons to anyone willing to grab one.

"Nebuta" refers to several floats of a brave Scorpion heroes of the past that are carried through the center of the city, while dancers, both heimin and samurai, gather around them, chanting 'Irasshai, irasshai' to welcome all the onlookers to join the celebration. Every now and then, someone shouts out the name of one of the heroes, the shout turning into a prayer-like chant, with crowds joining the make-shift prayer for a moment, until another name is called out. Names such as 'Bayushi Paneki', 'Bayushi Shoju', 'Bayushi Riozu', 'Soshi Hanae', 'Yogo Gozohime' and 'Shosuro Aroru' can be heard echoing in the streets, floats depicting these legendary heroes shuffling around the commercial districts. Alcohol flows freely, with many pouring some of the sake on the floats themselves as if to offer drinks to the long dead samurai. Other carts sell candied applies and dango dyed in red and blacks. Fried squids, laced with potent spices, are served on skewers alongside takoyaki pastries stuffed with creme and red bean paste. Even as the crowds celebrate, the black-clad Scorpion security forces keep an eye on the procession, ensuring that the celebrations never get out of hand.