comment:
claimedby: Xavid
name: The Way the World Works
body: |
  === Questions ==

  You're in the Place Without Recourse.  That means you're an Isn't.
  You're not real!  There's some contradicition in your nature
  that prevents you from affecting the world around you.  Even if the
  gates of the Place Without Recourse were wide open, you couldn't
  leave, not really.

  When you got here, Ii Ma whispered a Question in your ear.  That
  Question's what made you an Isn't! Your Question's on your character
  sheet, in **bold**.  If you can find and recognize one of the answers for your
  question, you'll become an Is, and you're free to leave
  this Place.  (If you so choose.)

  ``One of the Answers?'' you ask?  Yes, each Question has two
  Answers that can meet it.  Either Answer will make you
  an Is if you accept it.  Does which answer you use matter?
  Probably!

  === Answers ==

  People are always looking for answers.  But you're looking for Answers!  (That's with a
  big `A'.)  They're a little weird:
  they're like things you know, but here they're physical
  objects, like pebbles.  You can hold
  them or put them in your pocket.  You can give them to
  your friends, or trade them like Pokémon!  If you give someone an Answer,
  you still remember what it said, but you don't have it any more.  Most
  importantly, you can't use it!
  You might start with one, but it's probably not useful
  to you.  You might expect that the Answers people start with are mostly about
  them, but sometimes things are strange.

  Each Answer has a symbol and a color.  Having Answers can
  be useful by itself, but having multiple Answers with the same symbol?
  That's pretty cool!\footnote{Not particularly //useful// or anything.  
  But I'll think you're cool.}

  Some Answers, it's pretty clear what they mean.  Or at least, what
  they might mean to someone else.  Others, who knows?  But each
  Answer means something to someone.  Answers can answer Questions,
  even if they don't make much sense on their own.  If you think you
  have an Answer for your question, you can test it against your heart
  and the chains of this place.  Give your answer to Ii Ma.  If it
  answers your Question, Ii Ma will give it back, and a path leading
  from this place will open inside of you.  If not, you'll wake up
  somewhere else, see the sunless darkness of the sky, and say "How
  beautiful."\footnote{If Ii Ma is particularly irate, you may
  end up with boils or hives.} 
  In this case, the Answer is lost in vain. Thus, you
  probably only want to check answers that make sense.  As much as
  anything makes sense!

  Just because an Answer is true doesn't mean you accept it.  You can
  always look for the other Answer.  If you do accept a heart-true
  Answer, put a star of that color on your Badge to show that
  you're an Is, and write your name by that color on the Acceptance
  Sheet near Ii Ma.  Does the color matter?  Probably!

  === Elements ==

  Elements are bits of firmament from the Place Without Recourse.  Or
  maybe they're bits of potential.  They're more like
  ideas than actual things: a Lion Element is less bulky and much less
  likely to devour you than an actual lion.  But they're still
  physical objects, like Answers or sandwiches; you can trade them
  freely.  Actors use Elements
  when they put on shows, and Judges use them to rebuild
  this world.  (Everyone is either an Actor or a Judge.)

  Each Element has one of five terrain types: ocean, desert, mountain,
  swamp, or forest.  This is the type of terrain that gets created
  when the Element is used in a show.

  Some Elements have something they support, like "Magic" or "Fear".
  This has something to do with the effect on the Place if an element
  gets used.

  === Quests ==

  When the Place Without Recourse started falling apart, it revealed
  all sorts of little tucked-away places you wouldn't expect.  These
  are Isn'ts, just like you.  They're not real!  They're all folded up
  and you can't get inside.  But if this realm gets enough
  structure, they could become Ises.

  Each Quest has an arrangement
  of map tiles that can open it; you need a key or special ability to look
  at the back of the quest to see how to open it.  If you look at the
  back of a Isn't Quest
  and and then see a matching arrangement on the Map (right over there in the 
  \MapRoom{}), you can unfold the Quest,
  making it an Is.\footnote{Judges create the map, so you may wish to
  prevail upon them to provide assistance.}  Once a quest's an Is, it stays that way.  (Even this Place
  doesn't have //that// much churn.)

  Is Quests have something cool hidden inside, like a Treasure.
  You can't just take it, though. That'd be boring.  You have to earn it!  It
  will have a list of conditions: things you must do, 
  things you must have, things you must be.  If you, with
  any friends with you, meet all of these?  You take the Treasure.

  Before you go on a quest, you have to agree on a leader.  The leader
  decides who gets what if you succeed.  If there's more than one thing, 
  each of you can only get one.  If there's
  excess, give the rest to a GM.

  When you complete a quest,
  mark Completed on the unfolded sign.

  === Woglies ==

  Woglies devour the integrity of the world. They are shaped like a
  torus and have two winky eyes. Inside a wogly it's empty.

  Woglies can devour the integrity of a quest location.  This makes
  the quest difficult!  If there are woglies on your quest, you need 
  to get rid of them before you can complete the quest.

  If you give it something else to devour, maybe it will go away!
  That'd probably be good for this place's integrity.  Each wogly
  will specify what sort of element it might want to devour.  If you 
  feed a wogly such an element, take it down and give it to a GM.

  === Treasures ==

  Treasures are a special type of item that's obviously interesting.
  Most of them have a cool ability!
  They're represented by a little card.  If you're carrying a
  treasure, you have to carry it obviously, so that people can see
  what you're holding.  They're just too cool to hide!  If you drop one, put it 
  where people can see it.

  You can't carry more than one treasure at a time.  They repel each
  other, like magnetic monopoles!

  Treasures start off as Ises, since they come from Is Locations.
  That's probably good if you want to show it off to your parents!
  But it's possible that a treasure could be an Isn't.  If a treasure
  has a colored star on it, it's clearly an Isn't.\footnote{This is
  the exact opposite of stars on name badges; sorry!}  If you take it
  home with you, it might burn up in the sunlight or fall into a
  million pieces.  It still works here, though; fictional swords
  cut just fine!

  === Violence ==

  There is no combat mechanic.  That doesn't mean no one ever fights!
  People kill each other all the time here.
  But, when you die, you wake up, see the sunrise, and say, ``How
  beautiful.''  Of course, there isn't a sun any more, so say whatever
  you want.  The point is: feel free to roleplay
  violence, it doesn't accomplish anything.

  === Meta ==

  The GMs are unfortunately unable to record game from all angles at
  once.  If you see something you think we should know about, please
  let us know.  Feedback helps us grow!

  Game is unauthorized fanfic of the writings of Jenna Katerin 
  Moran.\footnote{i.e., by the Qwik Club}
  Much inspiration and quotes are due to her.  Hitherby Dragons
  material, if you find any sense in it, should not be considered
  to be this game's truth.  See more at
  http://imago.hitherby.com/ and http://books.hitherby.com/.
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