#Act 1 — Entering Black Rope

Contents

"When you enter that forest, the first surprise is the silence. The second is how sweet that silence is."

Core References

- Required: Non-Combat Rules · Combat Flow

- Negotiation: Yoma Bestiary

- In this supplement: 11-00 · Black Rope Hell Guide · Chapter 2 NPC Catalog · Chapter 2 Yoma Bestiary — Faces of Black Rope

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#Scent — Texture of the Boundary

Half a round after leaving the domain, just as the iron-colored plain of Reviving Hell slips behind the eye, the air grows heavy. Heavy, but not cold — a close pressure, like wet cloth pressing down on the shoulders.

The body is the first thing to notice that the road is changing. Steps keep slowing. The destination is clear, but no one feels any urge to hurry. When the squad leader looks back, one squad member is staring quietly at something by the roadside. Asked what he is looking at, he slowly turns his head and answers, "Nothing." But his eyes are not the eyes he had a moment ago.

A forest appears. A forest none of you has seen before. A forest without trees. A forest where chains stand like trees.

Thick black iron chains grow from the ground and stretch toward the sky. Their height ranges from twice a person's height to five times it. Their thickness ranges from an arm to a waist. The chains are not perfectly vertical — they lean inward, just a little. As if they are ready to receive whoever looks at them.

The wind blows. The chains give a low clank. The sound is not unpleasant. It is more like a lullaby.

Standing at the forest entrance, you look at one another. No one says to enter first. But no one says to turn back, either. That is Black Rope's first gate — not hesitation, but the beginning of resignation.

Then footsteps come from deeper in the forest. Slow, soft. Someone walks out between the chains.

A woman. She is tall, and her face is pale. Hundreds of thin iron chains coil around her whole body, but they do not bind her. Rather, they flow down like a dress. She stops when she sees you. Then she smiles. A mother's smile.

"So it was you. The children who came this time."

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#Law — Act 1 Game Data

#Act Meta

#Barrier HP Changes

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#Encounters — Scene-by-Scene Progression

#Scene 1. Reviving Boundary — The Vanishing Iron Smell

• Location: Reviving Hell Flank Zone, the ridge leading toward Black Rope.
• Time: 1 round after the expedition departs (about 2~3 rounds by the internal flow of the Spirit Realm).

#Description

The iron smell thins. The iron filings underfoot gradually lessen, and dry dust begins to settle in their place. When you raise your head, a black horizon is visible far ahead — no one has to tell you that it is the forest of Black Rope.

The squad leader(PC) chooses.

#Check

If the party succeeds on a Geography check, Target Number 11, the GM reveals the following information.

• The entrance to Black Rope always opens toward the north. From any other direction, the forest is "closed" even if approached.
• There is always a "welcoming one" at the entrance. No one knows who it is.
• If someone remains inside the forest for 3 rounds or more, chains grow and wrap around their feet.

#Scene 2. Forest Entrance — Chain Trees

• Location: Black Rope Flank Zone. The boundary of the chain-tree forest.
• Time: Spirit Realm afternoon (Black Rope has no true sun, but it does have a flow of light and dark).

#Description

You reach the forest entrance. The chains are slowly growing right before your eyes. One finger joint per 1 round. Even as you watch, the tips of the chains visibly stretch upward. Fresh chains just emerged from the ground are soft and flexible. They harden as time passes.

Look at your feet. Small iron rings are scattered over the ground. If picked up, they give off a faint warmth in the hand. They are the seeds of young chains.

#GM Control — First Combat with "Growing Chains"

If a PC steps one more pace into the forest, three strands among the nearest chains suddenly grow quickly and reach toward the PC. It is not so much hostile as reflexive. The forest is "testing" its new guests.

Combat Setup: See Chapter 2 Yoma Bestiary — Faces of Black Rope.

• Enemy count: growing chain 3 strands.
• Difficulty: low (for 2nd-dan PCs).
• Purpose: learning combat. The goal is to show the PCs the chains' attack pattern — "coiling and pulling."

• Victory Condition: Cut all 3 strands of chain, or maintain counterattacks for at least 2 rounds.
• Defeat Condition: All PCs are wrapped in chains (extremely rare).

After the battle, the chains sag. Black liquid runs from the cut cross-sections, and as that liquid seeps into the ground, it becomes the seed of a new chain — in other words, this forest grows again even after it dies.

#Scene 3. Grip Mother Appears

• Location: Just inside the forest entrance, 100 paces in.
• Time: Immediately after the battle, or when entering by the detour.

#Description

As the PCs catch their breath after the battle, footsteps come from deeper in the forest. Slow, rhythmic. And walking out between the nearest chains is — Grip Mother.

Scent Description (GM reads aloud)

"She is not tall. Yet the field of vision is drawn around her. Her face is pale, but not old. Her eyes are deep, her mouth soft. Iron chains coil around her body — but it looks less as if she is wrapped in them and more as if she is wearing them. Like clothing. She raises one hand slightly, toward you. It is not a threat. It is a greeting."

#Opening Conversation

Grip Mother speaks first. Her voice is low and clear.

"So it was you. The children who came this time."

"It was a long road, wasn't it? You came through Reviving Hell. The smell of iron is still on you."

"I won't ask why you came to this forest. It would be rude to ask. Instead, I will only say this — this forest will not harm you. But if you begin to want to stay, the chains will grow."

At this point, the PCs choose one of the following.

#Grip Mother's Introduction

"I am called the mother of this forest. I left my name behind long ago, and now 'Grip Mother' is enough."

"I care for the children wrapped in this forest. The children who came to want to be wrapped."

"That is my work."

If a PC asks "Why do you care for them?":

"Why? ... I wonder. Because someone has to. And because I, too, was once wrapped. I know what it feels like to remain wrapped. Sometimes that feeling is pleasant, and sometimes it is frightening. So I stay beside them."

If a PC asks "Why don't you free them?", she does not answer for a long while. Then, softly:

"Do you think freeing them is right? ... Some children do not ask to be freed. Some children are more comfortable being bound. Do I have the right to decide that?"

This answer is the philosophy of Black Rope. The GM reads this answer aloud so every PC clearly hears it.

#Scene 4. First Negotiation — Ask for a Path, or Ask to Help?

• Location: Continues from Scene 3.
• Time: After the conversation begins.

#Choice Structure

Grip Mother's goodwill depends on what the PCs ask. The PCs choose among the following four.

#Negotiation Check

When the PCs raise the above questions politely and appropriately, make an Perception check 2d10 + Wisdom + Perception:

Apply the core non-combat checks rules.

#Negotiation Check Alternative

If the approach uses Negotiation(appeal or persuasion) instead of Perception:

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#Step-by-Step Progression Guide

#Step 1 — Boundary Travel (0.5~1 hours)

• Travel from Reviving Hell → Black Rope.
• Make 1 geography-lore check.
• Spend resources (food 1, herbs 1).
• Brief personal RP for each PC.

#Step 2 — Forest Entrance (0.5~1 hours)

• Growing chain combat.
• "Young iron ring" core material can be gathered (1~3 pieces).
• RP to share first impressions of what kind of place this forest is.

#Step 3 — Face-to-Face with Grip Mother (1~1.5 hours)

• Read Grip Mother's entrance aloud.
• Each PC reacts in RP.
• Opening conversation 2~3 exchanges.
• If the players enjoy an extended RP in this step, the GM allows time.

#Step 4 — First Negotiation (0.5~1 hours)

• Negotiation check.
• Grip Mother provides "guidance" or "information."
• End Act 1. Continue to Session 6(Act 2).

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#Success/Failure Branches

#Act 1 Success Conditions

Achieve 2 or more of the following.

• [ ] Complete the first negotiation with Grip Mother without hostility.
• [ ] No PC is wrapped in the growing-chain combat.
• [ ] Succeed on the geography-lore check at the forest entrance.
• [ ] Grip Mother's Affinity is +1 or higher.

#Act 1 Failure Conditions

• [ ] Preemptively attack Grip Mother → negotiation route fully locked.
• [ ] 1 or more PCs are wrapped by growing chains and delayed for 3 or more rounds.
• [ ] Act 1 remains incomplete because the session runs out of time → carry the latter part of Act 1 into Session 6.

#Midpoint Branches (Act 2 Entry Conditions)

• Friendly entry: Grip Mother accompanies them and guides them through the maze. The Act 2 moral dilemma becomes sharper.
• Neutral entry: Grip Mother only draws a map and withdraws. The party explores the Act 2 maze under its own power.
• Hostile entry: Grip Mother warns, "The forest will not accept you." Act 2 combat encounters +1.

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#GM Control

#Tone Management (Act 1 Focus)

The tone of Act 1 is "an uncomfortably kind mother." Grip Mother does not threaten the PCs, but her kindness makes them uneasy. The GM repeatedly uses the following presentation tools.

1. Lengthen the silence — Grip Mother does not answer questions immediately. She answers after at least 1 round of silence.
2. Emphasize eye contact — She makes eye contact with every PC once. Each time, describe "the feeling that a familiar face was reflected in her eyes."
3. Treat the chains as alive — Whenever she moves, one or two strands of chain on her body move on their own. Even when she does not control them.

#Pacing Management

Act 1 is a learning act. If it is too fast, Act 2 feels hollow. If it is too slow, the players tire. Target allocation:

#Barrier HP Event

If Barrier HP falls to 50 or lower during Session 5, the GM can insert the following emergency event.

• Onmyoji's Scream: The scream of the old onmyoji echoes inside the heads of the PCs in the Spirit Realm. "The domain is shaking. Hurry." After this presentation, on the next round PCs suffer damage -1 (loss of focus).
• Choice: The PCs choose whether to return to the domain immediately or complete Act 1 and then return. If they choose to return, Act 1 stops incomplete and resumes at the beginning of Session 6.

#Sando Influence

At the end of Act 1, apply Sando influence to each PC:

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#Act 1 End Checklist

Things the GM should confirm at session end.

• [ ] Record Grip Mother's Affinity (-2 ~ +2).
• [ ] Record each PC's Sando changes.
• [ ] Update Barrier HP (check at session end).
• [ ] Record the number of gathered "young iron rings" (reflected in Kokujo-ryu transmission conditions).
• [ ] Award PC experience. At mid 2nd dan, accumulate +1 experience (about 0.5 leeway before early 3rd dan).

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#Appendix A — Grip Mother Conversation Samples

A bundle of lines for the GM when portraying Grip Mother. Choose according to player tendencies.

#A.1 Response to Aggressive Players

"I know what you fear. I was the same. So I will not be angry."

"You may point a blade at me. I will not die — because this forest will not let me go. But before you swing, think just once. Is your blade truly aimed at me, or at something inside you?"

#A.2 Response to Curious Players

"You have so many questions. Each time you ask, your eyes brighten. Protect those eyes."

"If you know everything about this forest, this forest will no longer be a forest. It is courteous to leave some things unknown."

#A.3 Response to Compassionate Players

"You pity the bound children. That is a good heart."

"But before you pity them, ask just once — 'Does this child truly want to be freed?' If you free them without asking that question, it can become violence, not kindness."

#A.4 Response to Suspicious Players

"Do you think I am lying? Perhaps I am. Perhaps I am not."

"I tend to keep promises. But it changes depending on whom I promised. If I promise you, I will keep it to you. But if you promise me — you must keep it as well."

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#Appendix B — Growing Chain Combat Tactics Guide

#B.1 Chain's Basic Behavior Pattern

A "growing chain" has no intelligence. But it is reflexive. It acts in the following priority order.

1. Reaches toward the nearest PC.
2. If it succeeds in coiling, pulls (the PC toward itself).
3. After pulling, entangles (limits the PC's action for 1 round).
4. If the chain is severed, black liquid sprays from the split cross-section (slip on a failed Target Number 10 Finesse check in adjacent 1 square).

#B.2 Player-Facing Response Information

Information the PCs can gain through a geography-lore check or guidance from the onmyoji:

• Young chains(1m or less from the floor) cut easily — Disable or Unarmed Combat check, Target Number 8.
• Fully grown chains(2m or more) have hardened — use Disable, Unarmed Combat, or Sorcery at Target Number 13.
• If someone remains still near a chain for 1 round or more, it automatically attempts to coil.
• Fire has no effect on the chains. A chain is both metal and spiritual substance.
• Telekinetic spells are effective — see core Onmyoji Spells.

#B.3 GM Presentation Tips During Combat

• When the first chain coils, what that chain coils around murmurs the name of someone from the past. The GM chooses one PC's name and calls that name softly.
• When a chain is severed, the sound feels "like crying." It is less a sound of pain than a sound of sorrow.
• After the battle ends, small grass grows from the cut cross-section of the severed chain — this forest is an ecosystem.

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#Appendix C — Geography Information (Player-Facing)

Geography information that can be gained from conversation with Grip Mother.

#C.1 Overall Terrain of Black Rope

#C.2 Travel Time (Spirit Realm Standard)

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#Appendix D — Player Interview at Session End

Just before Act 1 ends, ask each PC the following questions once. The answers are reflected in the GM's preparation for the next session.

These questions are not mechanical. Ask them naturally, like the close of RP. "Before we end the session for a moment, what is your PC thinking as they leave this forest?" is enough.

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#Next Step

• Prepare to enter Act 2: Act 2 — The Restraint Maze
• Share with players: The next session is maze exploration. Foreshadow that there will be checks related to maps and sense of direction.
• GM record: Summarize Grip Mother's Affinity and the attitudes the PCs showed.

Act 1 is an act of meeting. Act 2 becomes an act of choice. How the meeting is remembered changes the weight of the choice.

Final GM Note: After Act 1 ends, ask each PC one sentence. "What did you feel in this forest?" Note the answer. In Act 4, this answer returns.