The Chocolate Egg Factory

Loose Threads Easter Adventure

Request for Aid

The Company arrives at a Village in the middle of a valley, surrounded by a typically beautiful Enchanted Forest. The Village lays near to a mountain, from which comes a smoke as if it were a volcano or as if there were a chimney.

The village are made of garish colored, beautiful houses. It is noticeable the intense trade, as it’s near a river and to the path that leads to the Valley exit, from where caravans of merchants come and go, taking advantage of the village as a trading outpost among themselves without the need to go to the Near Kingdoms.

One curious thing the Company will notice is that you can’t find cocoa or chocolate anywhere in the Village. The villagers will explain that this is not normal, not at all, as the famous Easter Egg Chocolate Factory is in a burrow under the Egg Mountain (the mountain where they could see the chimney). The smoke from the top is small for the time of year, and many of the villagers miss the activity of the Rabbits, since many of the villagers are themselves chocolatiere that worked for the Easter Bunny at those times, many learned the craft with the Rabbits or even with Easter Bunny itself.

The characters will then be sought by one of the Egg Factory Rabbits, who will take them to it: they will realize that, despite the small proportions, they can walk normally through the Factory.

The factory is huge, carved into more than half of the Mountain internals: one of the Valley’s natural waterfalls has been pulled from its course to feed the watermill which supplies power to the machinery, and part of the water is used into the boilers for the Chocolate conching and for other needs.

However the Company can see that the Rabbits are flabebrgasted, but not because of activity, quite the opposite: the lack of activity is making them touchy of such anxiety!

Then they are taken to a room that looks like the Factory’s control room, where they see a Bit Rabbit, with snowy fur, albino eyes and a small pink button of a leathery nose at the tip of the muzzle. He wears clothes as if he was a human, in a way that resembles the Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit. However, the characters will find that he looks a bit sick: his long ears are floppy and the characters may notice that his chees are not pinkish, as it should be, but rather green, as if he had eaten something that made him gone queasy!

Problem

“You must know about the Easter Egg tradition: every year I travel all around the Kingdoms, hiding chocolate eggs during the Easter season. This year, however, I’m not feeling very well. I think someone put some kind of poison on my food that made me sick, and I will not get well enough until the time I shoud hide our chocolate eggs. And, if that were not enough, I discovered that someone stole my Cookbook and cutted my chocolate supply lines, by robbing the caravans! Who could be doing this, I don’t know, but I believe that would be someone really selfish, to want too much to have all my chocolate eggs only for himself.”

• Problem: Not only did the Easter Bunny fail to make eggs because of the raw material shortage, and he had the recipe cookbook stolen, but also something or someone managed to put him sick!
• Solution: Recover the Cookbook, get the raw material and ready the Easter eggs!

Investigation

The Egg Factory Rabbits will always mention the fact that since some days they no longer received any cocoa, chocolate, and other raw materials for the eggs, just in the most critical time for the chocolate eggs manufacturing. Even looking upon to merchants from villages, towns, and even nearby kingdoms, they have discovered that any supply that anything that can be used on Easter eggs is cut off, to the point that even chicken eggs are being stolen. There’s a shortage on chocolate all around!

They Rabbits will also mention that goblins thieves were seen in the nearby Forest, that is Enchanted Forest as everyone knows. Those goblins attack occasionally, but not with the intensity and panache they had recently.

In addition, one of the biggest oppositor of the Easter Bunny, Rumpelstiltskin, was recently seen in the middle of the Forest. Usually considered petty, no one knows which are their goals.

As for the Cookbook, some of the Egg Factory Rabbits were taking him to Mother Goose when they were attacked by the goblins thieves and it was stolen. If it was not the Easter Bunny disease and the chocolate shortage, they could still make the eggs, adjusting the recipes slowly until they found the spot. It would reduce the chocolate eggs variety, but it would be possible.

If someone asks if any of the Egg Factory Rabbits could take on the role of the Easter Bunny, they will show the difference in size: the Easter Bunny is the size of a child, while the Egg Factory Rabbit are much smaller, rabbit-sized.

They will say that there’s a desperated measure that has never been taken: when the Easter Bunny had undergone into this Mantle, there was created a way a human being could to pass through it, through the Enchanted Clothes, magical garments created by the Fairy Godmothers for the Rabbit as a Emergency solution. A person who put on the Clothes takes up the form and some of the skills of the Easter Bunny until the egg distribution is completed.

Of course there are clauses about who can use the Enchanted Clothes, and they are not with the Egg Factory, but are under the caring of one of the Fairy Godmothers who made them, Mirana, who lives in the middle of the Forest. She is considered one of the wisest of the Fairy Godmothers, and therefore one of the most powerful, and she’s able to see through people’s heart: she will not allow anyone to wear the Enchanted Clothes for selfish reasons, but can help those who are selfless.

About the Enchanted Forest, everyone will say that it is Home of all kind of creatures, good and bad, and that there are Hospitality Laws that must always be respected, at the risk of suffering all kinds of tricks and deceives, from only mildly humiliating to potentially fatal. In addition, disrespect for such norms marks those that make them as Unworthy (a Curse that can be put on the Seventh Aspect of a character). Every villager knows some of the Laws, but none knows them all, as they vary from creature to creature. However, any knowledge can be useful in this case.

In-Between: The Stranded Forest

The Enchanted Forest surrounding the Chocolate Factory and the nearby village is the source of all kinds of game and food for humans, as well as firewood to warm the winter chill. However, it is also home to good and bad creatures of all kinds, especially in the Hidden Locations where the Fairies meet. Animals of all kinds can be found here, and many magical creatures also live here, as well as witches and monastic sages and other creatures.

Aspects

• Home of Good and Bad Creatures
• Hidden Locations that should be respected
• The Hospitality Laws must always be respected

Monsters

• The Forest has many Wolves and similar predators, which have +2 to attack in pack and -2 to fight when alone;
• Trolls are creatures that live in the forest and eat basically anything but prefer fresh meat when they can get it. They are extremely strong, receiving +2 while attacking using their giant tacos, but at the same time they are very dumb, getting -2 when attempting any kind of smart strategy, including for defense.
• Goblins Thieves occasionally attack travelers, including the characters. They receive +2 when attacking in greater numbers or by ambushes. However, they are cowards who receive -2 as much as they need to attack alone or show courage!

Hazards

• The Paths and Leeways are a danger not by them, but by what happens when they do not follow them. If a character fails a test to follow the path (usually Fair (+2)), it can go into Hidden Locations where it should not be, and this can be a serious problem;
• The Hidden Locations are meeting and congregational points of several creatures that inhabit the Forest. Going into one of them uninvited violates Hospitality Laws, and some really evil creatures love to pick characters marked Unworthy or those who just get into their Hidden Locations to devour;
• Magical vines can grab people and drag them to other places, especially to Hidden Locations. An appropriate Fair (+2) roll is required to avoid being caught;
• A serious hazards for those who do not understand life in the Enchanted Forest involves the Hospitality Laws. Abusing or neglecting the Forest poeple is as dangerous as snake strik. If, at any time, the characters violate the Hospitality Laws, they will be marked with an Seventh Aspect, which they can not Invoke. It will require a really serious Test of Kindness for the characters to come back to be considered worthy of such Laws. Unworthy characters will not normally receive desafe haven in the Hidden Locations and will not even have access to its resources.

Denizens

• The Egg Factory Rabbits are Laborious, Orderly and Peaceful, being seem in the Forest seeking certain raw materials for the Chocolate Eggs. They are torn between Run Away when they are in danger and Defend people that are nearby when attacked. All of them has Good (+3) Athletics or better;
• The Forest’s Magical Creatures are Magical, Gossipy and Mischieveous , and are always torn between Observe what’s happening and Do something, using pranks and spells to help (or hinder) people lost. All of them has Good (+3) Magic (Geasa) or better;
• The Forest Foxes are Deceivous, Wise and Sneaky, being torn between observe, and thereby seeing how to act, and Get what they want, not worrying about tomorrow. They all have Good (+3) Deceive or better;
• The Owls that live in the woods are Wise, Perceptive and Deceivous , being torn between Keeping their knowledge to themselves and thereby gaining the advantage at the right time and Sharing it with the needy, helping people lost in the icy forests. All have Good (+3) Lore or better;
• The Trolls who live in the darkest parts of the Forest are Dumb, Stubborn and Bullies, being torn between Caring for their own and leaving others alone and Destroying everything in their bloodlust. All of them have Great (+4) Fight or better;
• The Villagers tend to be Orderly, hardworking and Wary, being torn between helping people lost in the woods and closing in on their hearts because they already have many problems themselves. All of them have Good (+3) Rapport or better;
• The Wolf Packs are often Cruel, Honored and Territorial, torn between Uphold their Territory and accepting what Nature gives them and just keeping outsiders away and taking all they can, not worrying about tomorrow. All of them has Good (+3) Stealth or better;
• The Forest Gnomes are Ingenious, Orderly and Magical, torn between Helping people of the forest and Caring their Own life, not taking more problems than they already have. All of them has Good (+3) Magic (any kind) or better;
• The Forest Goblins are Ingenious, Evil and Magical , always tending to take care of their own life, leaving the rest in peace, or Goes mischief against the others, putting them in trouble from which they can derive some benefit. All of them has Good (+3) Deceive or better;
• The Goblin Thieves are Cowards, Thieves and Numerous, torn between Stealing what they can get by hand and let the caravans go ahead more or less unharmed, or Looting and Kidnapping the Caravans, in order to profit the most on the caravans. All of them has Good (+3) Fight and Stealth or better;
• The Forest High Elves are Traditionalists, Arrogant and Magical , torn between Helping people against their biggest enemies and Don’t intervene, except when they go to the preservation of their forest. All of them have Exceptional (+5) Lore or Magic (any kind) or better;
• The Old Wise Men and Women of the Forest are Wise, Irreverent and Mystical , torn between to study more and more of their mystical arts and observe the Events and occasionally to become involved in them. All of them has Good (+3) Lore or better;
• The Fairy Godmothers are Stubborn, Wise and Creative , being torn between the role of Judges ,unquestioned entities who decide who is worthy or not of magic help, and caretakers ,mentors who may fail while offering support, rather than rewards and punishments. All of them have Exceptional (+5) Great Magic or better;
• The Hunters and Lumberjack are Traditionalists, Suspicious and Kind, being divided between Helping people who are lost in the Forest or otherwise in need and Caring for their own life, setting their traps or sharpening their tools. All of them gave Good (+3) Lore or Craft or better;
• The Accursed People are Cursed, Desperate and Worthy of Penance, being torn between begging for help from anyone who appears to be able to help and held hostage those who can help them and forcing them to do so, even under the danger of putting them under the same situation. All of them have Good (+3) Empathy or Communication or better;

Secrets

The Enchanted Forest is home of many mystical creatures who may need help. The Hospitality Laws are something to be taken very seriously. However, every situation where the characters help some of these creatures can grant the characters some help aftr. However, when characters violate the Laws, they may end up imprisoned, cursed, or even with their lives under risk!

In fact, there is a whole community of people who are Accursed, unable to return to their homes because of the curses imposed because their disregard for the Laws. The characters may wish to rescue some of them, but this will be complicated because of the powerful forces involved.

Snags

• The Doppelgäenger: one of the characters will see a clone of himself. This clone is known as Doppelgäenger, or Double, and can either be sent there by some kindly entity, and therefore ready to help the character, or be an evil entity that wants to kill the character and take his place. Many times, however, it will only appear for the original character, or when it is not present in the group;
• The Old Hag: An old woman lives alone in a house in the woods, and everyone thinks she is a Hag. If the characters try to attack her, she will defend herself and, if defeated, will curse the characters. Otherwise, she will be willing to help the characters, as she is an old friend of the Easter Bunny, and knows all about the Enchanted Clothes, including where Mirana is;
• The little girl: a girl lost in the Forest will ask the characters for help her to get through it safely and, with that, go to her grandmother’s house. She wears a red hood and carries a beautiful basket filled with delicious food. If the characters help her, they may fall into another quest, which can make them take too long. On the other hand, if they do not help her, they may find out that she was eventually devoured by a Wolf, and that will not make the Fairy Godmothers happy at all.
• The Trapped Goblin: A little Goblin is in trouble, after falling into the trap of a hunter. Although evil, this particular Goblin has a certain sense of honor: if he is saved, he can offer the characters some kind of Magical Help or Wish. However, he may be able to take advantage of this situation, even if he is at risk;
• The Man with the Donkey Head: This strange man with a donkey head was a Lumberjack who, unknowingly, violated the Hospitality Laws of some of the Forest Magical Creatures, and received as a penalty this humiliating transformation, being Unable to Speak, only Bray. If the characters make their way to understand what he wants and decide to help him, they might get some help in the future. However, if they end up leaving him behind, or worse, attacking him, there is a chance that the Fairy Godmothers will not like it at all and put a Curse on one or more of them, through Magical Transformations

Rumpelstiltskin and The Easter Rabbit Cookbook

The main key to the mystery involving the disappearance of chocolate loads to the Rabbit Egg Factory is Rumpelstiltskin.

This Goblin is one of the most selfish of all of them, to the point that even among these evil creatures he is considered an outcast. Intelligent and manipulative, not infrequently he has reached the point of using those of his own kind for his own goals.

Recently, he grew into the ambition of power over the Kingdoms near the Easter Rabbit Egg Factory. However, he realized that dominating all realms through force would be impossible. The Kingdoms are far more powerful than the Forest people. And even if he could get some of the Goblins to fight at his side, he would be crushed for sure.

Therefore, he would have to dominate them via cunning.

And it was when he found out about the Enchanted Clothes and began to formulate his scheme.

First, he ordered his Goblins Thieves to steal all Chocolate and other raw materials that the Rabbits from the Chocolate Egg Factory asked for: either from local caravans or from those in the distant Golden and Silk Road that crosses the Desert to the the Kingdoms of the East, he made sure that not a gram of chocolate reached anywhere in the Near Kingdoms and, indirectly, the Chocolate Egg Factory.

Then he put one of his Goblins, under disguise via his mystical illusions, inside the Egg Factory, that managed to steal Easter Bunny’s Magic Cookbook.

By reading it, he began to develop a kind of magical chocolate, extremely tasty, but which induces anyone who eats it to submit themselves to Rumpelstiltskin. Making those eggs and testing them on children he imprisoned and used as guinea pigs, the results were even better: the children themselves eventually became Goblins under their will.

At last, what he needs now is somehow steal the Enchanted Clothes. He knows that they are with Mirana the Fairy Godmother, but he doesn’t want to deal with her himself, because he knows Mirana is extremely powerful.

So he made his disguised goblin at the Egg Factory contaminate the Easter Bunny’s food and water with a light but long-lasting poison that would make him sick for a long time. Now he’s just waiting for someone unsuspecting to go to Mirana’s house for the Enchanted Clothes and get them, so he can steal them and and use them to become the “Easter Bunny” for long enough to spread his Magic Eggs and put everyone in the Valley under his will!

The Enchanted Clothes

Mirana, the Fairy Godmother, is the one behind the whole idea of ​​the Easter Bunny. After discovering about a certain human family that helped others through this ancient myth, she decided that she would offer them the option to continue this mission, making them enchanted creatures with very long life and the shape of the Easter Bunny.

For this, she worked with her friend, the Sugarplum Fairy, a magic similar to the Santa’s, where from time to time a person has the option to become the Easter Bunny, based on accepting the Easter Clause (similar to Christamassy Santa Clause) when wearing the Easter Bunny Enchanted Clothes and so taking his Mantle. Beside to the one that was used by the current Easter Bunny, there is a small-scale variant of the same Enchanted Clothes one she keeps for emergencies.

Mirana will be very rigid and severe to test those who wants to use the Enchanted Clothes: she knows the powers it gives and the doors that it opens, in every sense, since many of the Kingdoms follow the Easter Eggs traditions. But if you allow someone to wear the Enchanted Clothes, she will make clear the station that he now have.

The Enchanted Clothes look like a great Rabbit Costume, something like Alice in Wonderland’s White Rabbit Costume, with Checkered Jacket and White Pants, made from (and smelling of) rabbit fur. Once someone VOLUNTARILY dresses, he takes on the Mantle of the Easter Bunny. In the case of Enchanted Clothes with Mirana, the magic has a limited duration: until midnight after Easter. Only characters who volunteer and have no other spells, curses or promises under them (in short, those who have no Seventh Aspect) can take on the Easter Bunny’s Mantle (albeit temporarily). The only exception is if someone made a Promise to the Easter Bunny: that person can take the Mantle because it is considered a rewritting of the Seventh Aspect.

• The Easter Bunny’s Enchanted Clothes are the Clothes that enforces the Easter Bunny Mantle into those who wears it (at least temporarily, in the case of those with Mirana). He therefore offers the bearer all sorts of skills necessary to deliver the Chocolate Eggs in their proper place. It is created using the Nest’s Talismans rule.
  • The user receives Great (+4) Athletics and +2 in all tests related to Physical Prowess with the Legs, including jumpin, and can’t have any Aspect related to barriers of physical nature or tireness Forced or Hostile Invoked against him. If he already has Great (+4) Athletics (+4) or better, he gets +2 on all Athletics tests, cumulative with the Prowess bonuses.
  • The user receives Great (+4) Notice and +2 on all hearing, sight, or smell tests. If you already have Great (+4) Notice or better, you receive +2 on all Notice tests (cumulative with the hearing bonus)
  • The user is now recognized as the Easter Bunny (in the case of the clothes that are with Mirana, just during the Easter period). This becomes an Aspect on the character;
  • The Enchanted Clothes have a Protection Mechanism: if someone Unworthy try to put their hands on them, they automatically teleport to Mirana. In the case of those who are with her, it teleports itself as soon as, after Easter, the user decides to leave it behind, undressing it and placing it somewhere far away, such as at the foot of a tree or at the bend of a river.

NPCs

The Easter Bunny

• Description: A Rabbit that walks on both hind legs and wears a well-behaved tweed and linen outfit, the Easter Bunny is exactly as everyone imagines: slightly fatty in the belly region, with two huge hind legs, like his ears, albino eyes and a white muzzle finished in a pink button of nose. Despite this, he speaks quietly about his past. He is currently a little sick, so he can’t do hsi best job.
• Populations: Leader of the Egg Factory Rabbits (Laborious, Orderly, Peaceful); Forest’s Magical Creatures (Magical, Gossipy, Mischieveous); Villagers (Orderly, hardworking, Wary);
• Traits: Laborious, Peaceful, Magical, Orderly
• Agenda: He wants to discover who is behind all the things that happened to him and why this is happening
• Cost: A Promise will be enough to have the Easter Bunny at their side
• Skills: Superb (+5) Crafts, Lore ; Good (+3) Magic (Zaps)

Mirana, the Fairy Godmother

• Description: Similar to Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother, Mirana looks like an elderly lady with a kindly look and white hair, dressed in a lilac pastel hooded dress. His eyes, however, are wise and very deep;
• Populations: Forest’s Magical Creatures (Magical, Gossipy, Mischieveous); Fairy Godmothers (Stubborn, Wise, Creative)
• Traits: Magical, Wise
• Agenda: She take care that the secrets about the Easter Bunny are not revealed to anyone. In particular, the Enchanted Clothes are a great secret of the same
• Cost: A Promise to protect Easter Bunny’s Secret will make her work with the characters
• Skills: Fantastic (+6) Magic (Greater, Geasa) ; Superb (+5) Lore, Empathy, Provoke ; Great (+4) Magic (Zaps) ; Good (+3) for the Other Skills

Rumpelstiltskin the Goblin

• Description: Rumpelstiltskin has the appearance of any Goblin: elusive, low, full-bodied, face with a mischiveous smile and eyes with a greedy glow
• Populations: Forest’s Magical Creatures (Magical, Gossipy, Mischieveous); Leader of the Forest Goblins (Ingenious, Evil, Magical)
• Traits: Magical, Evil, Ingenious
• Agenda: He wants everything he can, being extremely stingy and selfish. He recently discovered how to use the Easter Bunny Magical Cookbook to create a chocolate that would allow him to dominate people and turn them into Goblins
• Cost: Characters may be forced to take the risk of sacrificing Progress or Vitality to defeat Rumpelstilstkin, as he knows much about the Company and can use this knowledge against them;
• Skills: Great (4) Magic (Geasa, Zap), Fight ; Good (+3) Lore, Provoke, Athletics ;

The Old Hag

• Description: The Old Hag appears to be an elderly woman with a wrikled face with half-pointed nose and worn-out teeth. In fact, however, she is one of the Fairy Princesses who live in the Forest as a test for travelers
• Populations: Forest High Elves (Traditionalists, Arrogant, Magical); Forest’s Magical Creatures (Magical, Gossipy, Mischieveous); Villagers (Orderly, hardworking, Wary); Old Wise Men and Women of the Forest (Wise, Irreverent, Mystical);
• Traits: Magic, Traditionalist, Orderly, Wise
• Agenda: She assumes the Old Hag Façade as a Kindness Test
• Cost: If they pass the Kindness Test, they will have your help. If they fail, however, they may be subject to a Transformation or Curse;
• Skills: Superb (+5) Magic (Great) ; Great (+4) Lore, Provoke ; Good (+3, in the form of High Fairy) or Mediocre (+0, in the form of Old Hag) Athletics ;

The Doppelgäenger

The Doppelgäenger does not have a normal set of stats: it assume the doubled character’s statistics as their one, with the following differences:

• High Concept changes to Protector Double;
• Seventh Aspect becomes the copied character’s High Concept;
• Tension is the same of the copied character, but Tension Track is zeroed;

If for some reason the original character dies or otherwise becomes unable to go forward, the Doppelgänger may fully assume its identity, but with the Tension changing to “Identity Crisis - “ followed by the original Tension. The forces are for Original (with Bonus in Override and Penalization in Defense ) and Double (with Bonus in Create Advantage and Penalization in Attack);

Doppelgäenger while populations are considered Solitary, Mysterious and Magical. They are torn between help people in danger by assuming their identity as a form of protection, and Stealing the identities of others, killing them in the process. Every Doppelgäenger has Good (+3) Empathy or better

The Man with the Donkey Head

This Man with Donkey Head has been treated by many to be one of the strange magical beasts that inhabit the Forest. However, he is actually a former Lumberjack who unknowingly knocked down a tree that was home of a Pixies community. They accursed him with a donkey head, but when they went to make him a complete donkey, the Fairy Godmothers intervened and told the Pixies that he already had enough punishment. He seeks redemption, trying to convince passerbys about who he is and if they can help him on lifting his curse.

• Description: A man wearing rags, with donkey’s head, hands and feet turned into donkey’s paws, up to the knees and elbows, where they are still human.
• Populations: Villagers (Orderly, hardworking, Wary); Hunters and Lumberjack (Traditionalists, Suspicious, Kind); Accursed People (Cursed, Desperate, Worthy of Penance)
• Traits: Kind, Hardworking, Cursed
• Agenda: all he wants is to get rid of his Curse, which becomes a Kindness Test for the characters to help him
• Cost: Helping him can put the characters on a collision course with the Forest’s Magical Creatures, potentially bringing a Curse to them. Not helping him, however, can put the characters in trouble with the Fairy Godmothers, including Mirana. Pleasing the two can demand some Promise or even a Sacrifice …
• Skills: Good (+3) Fight, Empathy, Craft