The Sutra of Pale Leaves, The Bridge Maiden Part 2

The Sutra Ends?

Not quite. We’re almost there, dear reader. This post is about the scenario that’s designed to be the culmination of the Sutra of Pale Leaves campaign for Call of Cthulhu. But it’s not the last scenario. There is one more to go. It’s called the Fixer and I’ll deal with that one next time. If you’re interested in the rest of the posts on this subject, check them out here.

The Bridge Maiden, Part 2 is, guess what, the continuation of the Bridge Maiden, Part 1. You come here to the dice pool for all the hottest insights, dear reader. The intro section tells you that you should run this as the last scenario in your campaign also. As I mentioned in these posts before, you’re informed early on that you can run the scenarios of this campaign in any order, but obviously, if you try running the Bridge Maiden Part 2 before Part 1, it’s not going to make a whole lot of sense. I would contend that the only two scenarios you really have to play to make an, admittedly very short, campaign are these two. None of the events of the other scenarios are central to the main plot of the Sutra of Pale Leaves. Honestly, even the events of the first part are basically surplus to requirements. More on that later.

Make way for SPOILERS below!

Who and What is the Bridge Maiden?

“Who” is a relatively easy question to answer, thankfully. In a very real sense, the Hashihime or Bridge Maiden, is embodied by Umezono Kaho, the NPC from Part 1 who probably employed the investigators to find her brother. Unfortunately, her brother had been transformed by the power of the Sutra, into a pale, subterranean, tentacular creature, but he was basically an asshole so whatever. However, after the events of that scenario, Kaho disappeared. No matter what the PCs did, there was no way to find her. During that time, she had become more and more assimilated into the Association of Pale Leaves (APL.) Not only that, but she has become the vessel for the entity known as Hashihime, as had her ancient ancestor, the great warrior-woman, Gozen Tomoe.

“What” is a bit more difficult. As the Hashihime, Kaho will be the one to guide the Prince of Pale Leaves from his home in Carcosa, across a magical bridge to Earth. This is achieved through the performance of a ritual. It’s not fully clear to me how this all works, though. We know that Gozen was an adherent of the Prince but I don’t know why only she, or her ancestors, have the ability to act as escort. We are told that it’s part of the ritual, but not why. We don’t have many other details about the ritual either, to be honest. But that’s because the PCs will not be able to stop it from beginning. So, let’s move on.

Beginnings

It’s at least a year since the events of Part 1. The investigators might have forgotten that Kaho ghosted them after they found/killed/escaped the clutches of her brother. But something comes up that leads them back to her. As usual, you can use the investigators’ confidants to get them involved, but there are no explicit hooks provided in this scenario as there are in the others we’ve looked at so far. Instead, we have a few bullet points describing ways to bring in the PCs without the intervention of the confidants. Honestly, I’m not sure why that is. After a year, I think it would be great to have a solid narrative hook to utilise to re-introduce them to this case. Especially as it’s not really even the same case! Part 1 revolved around the disappearance of Kaho’s brother, Minoru. Her relation to the Bridge Maiden and the APL is entirely tangential to it.

Except for one important detail. The Mandala of the Divine Eye was the artwork/sign/magic that allowed the APL to identify Kaho, through the thoughts and memories of her brother. Minoru had taken it to his lair beneath Tokyo in Part 1. It’s quite possible the investigators found it when they tracked him there. If they didn’t manage to do that, never fear! It has plot armour, so they will have been given it by one of their ever useful confidants who got their hands on it after it washed out of a storm drain. Either way, the PCs will, hopefully, want to examine it. Otherwise the beginning section of the scenario, “Interval: Examine the Mandala,” will be rendered useless and their progress through the rest of Part 2 will be drastically stymied. Yes, that’s correct, we’re starting with an interval. A bold move indeed. In this interval they will, with any luck, learn a great deal about the plans of the APL through regular old studying. But, if they’re really lucky, they’ll also experience a vision of the future, the coming of the Prince of Pale Leaves himself to our world as its new sovereign. They will also learn about the robbery in which the Sutra was stolen and a lot more about the Sutra itself. This is potentially weeks of Library Use rolls and social skills to investigate. Don’t get me wrong, I think this sort of thing is important to a Call of Cthulhu scenario. In fact, I think a lot of other scenarios in this campaign do not allow for enough Library Use. But it’s not exactly an in media res beginning, is it?

Actual Beginnings

So, 9 pages into the scenario, we get to the actual start, with a section call “Start: Pedestrian Paradise.” In this section the PCs finally hit the streets and get out of the dusty libraries and backrooms. This is where we get back to one of the themes of the previous part, the fashion industry in 1980s Tokyo. In fact, this part is far more linked to fashion than the first part. Kaho has been using her designs to influence the youth of the city and the country by integrating elements of the Sutra into her designs. It uses flower motifs and the brand is called Blume. Its set in the evocative neighbourhood of Harajuku, which was coming into its own in the ‘80s as a hub for youth and fashion, the likes of which, its fair to say, Japan had never seen before.

As the investigators try to question the groups of young people in the streets, they realise that there is something wrong here. The various groups, all wearing Kaho’s designs, tend to move as one, even going so far as to surround some poor girl menacingly, and acting like some sort of crazed flash-mob. All she had done was dropped her ice-cream on one of them! The mob are almost dancing at first, as though choreographed, but if the PCs intervene in anyway, the whole crowd will turn on them and attack.

This is more like it! This is the way I like to start a scenario. But, unfortunately, it comes only after weeks of in-game time while the PCs hit the books.

Leads

Following the flash-mob frenzy, the investigators are expected to follow some bread-crumbs. These lead to locations such as the design studio, Blume, where they might encounter one of Kaho’s employees with some answers for them, and a hypnotic motivational poster that’s forcing the staff to work absurdly long hours to fulfil the company’s goals. If only tearing a poster off the wall were enough to cure that particular illness in Japanese society. One of the disappointments in this scenario is that it doesn’t lean further into this particular theme. I think Part 1 does so quite well, though with other themes, as does Wonderland and Fanfic. But this scenario has a more urgent feeling to it (except during the ponderous starting interval.) It’s trying to wrap things up. So let’s move on.

The Association of Pale Leaves

They’ll eventually receive an invitation to the launch party of Kaho’s new brand. Her co-mastermind, according to the invitation, is a man named, simply, Prince. Nope, not the Purple One, the Pale one. And they’re having a big party in a warehouse on a wharf in the city. This is to be the location of the ritual during which they will summon a Bridge of Light linking our world to Carcosa, allowing the Prince to cross over. That, of course, is where the big finale will be.

But before then, they might just want to investigate the offices of their nemeses, the APL. Truly this could be an “into the belly of the beast” moment in this scenario. They might actually have been invited there by the leader of the APL, Ōhiro Kimitaka, who could have given them one of his business cards in an earlier and entirely optional encounter. In the text, this encounter is described as “dangerous.” In reality, it is nothing of the sort. The most dangerous thing that might come out of it is to push the plot forward. Which begs the question, “why make the encounter optional in the first place?” Of course, there’s always the possibility that the PCs might attack him. You never know what they might do, after all. But it’s unlikely and he is heavily guarded.

Speaking of Ōhiro, I am not convinced by this guy’s villainy at all. Only within the Keeper-facing backstory has he proven himself to be ruthless and single-minded in the pursuit of his goals, which include bringing the Pale Prince to Earth. He Is, if anything, a slightly tragic figure. He can never realise his other goal, which is to become one with the Prince like everyone else exposed to the Sutra. Due to some neurological damage he suffered in World War II, he is “unsuitable.” Obviously, what he wants is unfavourable to the rest of humanity, but we never get to see him do anything particularly heinous in the course of the campaign at all. However, in one potential ending for this scenario, he begs the Prince to take him with him back to Carcosa. In answer, the Prince picks him up, defying all logic and physics, folds him like origami and pops him in his pocket, while Ōhiro screams in either despair or ecstasy. And that’s good.

OK, back to the APL HQ. During their time in this location there is a chance they will not only encounter Kaho, finally, but also uncover a great many answers as to what the heck is going on. They might even be able to recover the original copy of the Sutra. All of this is great, but is also fraught with danger. Obviously there are many opportunities for the investigators to gain more Exposure Points, thus drawing them closer to being taken over by the Prince themselves. They could be discovered and detained until the ritual. They might even risk death if they go up against some of the Courtiers of the Pale Prince. Hopefully not though. If you had a TPK before getting to the finale, that would be a real shame.

Finale

“Spectacle” is the word I would use to describe the ending of this scenario and, I suppose, the whole campaign. This feels appropriate. Most of the scenarios have ended that way, Fanfic on top of Tokyo Tower, Dream Eater in a fight to the death in the dreamscape, The Pallid Masks of Tokyo in the otherworldly Château Carcosa/psychaitric hospital. Also, this one involves, for the first time, the incursion of the Prince of Pale Leaves himself into our world. It should be huge. He doesn’t strike me as an understated kind of bloke.

So this is what we have. After the investigators have milled around in the warehouse party for a short while, it’ll be time for the event/ritual. Everyone goes out to the wharf where construction has begun on the real-life Port of Tokyo Connector Bridge, aka the Rainbow Bridge. I like this intersection of the mundane and the mythical in the real-world, crossed with the events in this campaign. This is a really good example of it. Anyway, As everyone arrives, a great, winding bridge of solid light appears at the end of the unfinished, physical bridge as fireworks burst and fall above. Beyond, Tokyo disappears and Carcosa appears.

What a vision, what a reveal. This feels like a proper culmination to this long series of scenarios. The way is open and the Prince appears in a parade led by Kaho, now in her role as Hashihime, the Bridge Maiden. Carcosa threatens to overlay itself on Tokyo, and, eventually, the whole of the Earth. Only the investigators stand between their world and utter erasure. Big stakes! Surely they’ll throw everything they have at this threat!

There are several options to do this. They can take out Kaho in one way or another. Without her, the ritual will fail and the Prince will be forced back into Carcosa, closing the portal behind him. They could try ramming the Prince’s car off the bridge (there are lots of large construction vehicles handy), they could even do a suicide run on the bridge with a helicopter.

Endings

We have three potential endings this time. The worst is really the worst.

0. Symphony in Yellow (Failure) – If they don’t defeat the Prince, the Bridge Maiden or disrupt the ritual, the entire world will fall to the Prince and will merge with Carcosa.
1. Pre-emptive Strike (Best Defense Ending) – Its possible the PCs did some questionable, “the ends justify the means” type shit to disrupt the ritual. So, they might just end up in prison, safe in the knowledge that it was in a worthy cause.
2. The Once and Future King (Triumphant Ending) – The investigators come out completely on top, having disrupted the ritual and destroyed the Bridge of Light. The APL might rise again, but, for now, it has been defeated.

Conclusion

There are things I like about this scenario. I like the actual start with the Pedestrian Paradise. I like the thematic elements like the mandala making the workers work harder and longer. I love the finale. It’s over the top and you might even argue that it is less than fitting for a Cthulhu game, but it works for me, especially as the culmination of the entire campaign.

On the other hand, I am not a fan of the interval to begin the scenario. I also don’t like the lack of additional thematic elements or the lack of action from one of the main villains of the piece.

But, as with all of my reviews of these Sutra of Pale Leaves scenarios, I haven’t played them. I don’t know how they might work at the table. I make a lot of suppositions and assumptions. They are educated guesses really. So, please do bear that in mind when you read them.

As I mentioned at the start, there is actually one last scenario in Carcosa Manifest. It is somewhat different in flavour, format and content, but it is related, nonetheless. If you have been following along, dear reader, you probably have a good idea of my overall impression of these books, the scenarios and the campaign. But I will go into it in more depth at the end of the next post.