The Lighthouse in the Forest

120-minute plan · 4 players · Explore changing places A lighthouse shines among the trees. Migrating birds circle it instead of finding their river, while its keeper insists the light saved a lost child. Content notice: Heights and migrating animals. Use the ground-level service cord instead of the platform if preferred; no animal injury occurs.

GM overview

This is a landscape navigation problem, not a battle with birds. The camp connects to the ranger hut, bird clearing and cache; the river overlook confirms east independently of the chart. The clearing reaches the beacon by a slow quiet path, while old search ribbons reveal a shorter cache-to-stair route. The mirror platform offers direct adjustment; the service cord at the stair offers an accessible ground-level alternative with an extra work turn. Finite lanterns can be spent on a complete replacement trail or on one guarded camp refuge. End with the flock’s direction and the actual travel service: fixed east beacon, slower lantern trail, or dark beacon with travellers waiting at camp.

What is really happening

Hessa lit the beacon during a successful child search. Its rotating mirror now imitates a river glint and traps the flock in a circle. The real river is east. A fixed eastward beam lets birds follow the real river while keeping a guide; extinguishing the beacon and marking the ranger trail also works but slows travellers.

Opening agreement and read-aloud

Agree on subjects to soften or skip. Each player names an ordinary skill and a reason to help. Evidence does not require a successful roll; uncertainty changes time, cost or obligations. Pax counts silver wings circling a beam between the trees. A returned child’s scarf hangs on the ranger sign. The search has ended; the great mirror is still searching.

Time and preparation

120 minutes: Compare the beacon with the walking trail Opening agreement: 10 minutes Read the chart and observe the birds: 25 minutes Explore the supply loop and ribbon shortcut: 25 minutes Lay the complete fixed-light route: 30 minutes Darken the beacon and guide a group: 20 minutes Closure and debrief: 10 minutes Use hut → camp → clearing → hollow → cache, discover ribbons, lay the trail at hollow, then cache → stair → clearing → camp. Three lamps allow an actual replacement service; the alternative platform branch uses rest plus an extra overlook visit. Starting information: Discover cards in play Starting state: Quiet work turns = 8; Fixed trail lanterns = 3; Real river bearing verified = false; Search ribbon shortcut found = false; Flock resting rhythm observed = false; Mirror hinge secured = false; Mirror lowered for service = false; Mirror fixed east = false; Three-lantern trail laid = false; Great lamp extinguished = false With 4 players: share the roles of mapper, evidence keeper, speaker and timekeeper.

If the group gets stuck

If the stair-to-platform edge is blocked, the lowered-mirror actions provide a full alternative at the stair. If fewer than three lanterns remain, do not claim a complete trail: choose the fixed mirror or camp-until-dawn. Both recovery choices allow birds to leave without chasing them.

Forest camp

Read aloud: Pax offers a seat to a traveller who has stopped following the wandering beam. GM: Camp is a safe waiting place. Final endings describe whether travellers can continue or must wait here.

Choice: Keep the fixed river guide

Ask: What rule will end the next search mode after a rescue? Requires: Mirror fixed east is true. Result: The flock departs and travellers keep a steady, useful beacon. Closure: One steady line to the river

Choice: Open the slower fixed-lantern trail

Ask: Who walks the first group along the three stations? Requires: Three-lantern trail laid is true and Great lamp extinguished is true. Result: The flock leaves and the ranger trail carries travellers slowly to the river. Closure: Three lights below the trees

Ranger hut

Read aloud: Demi weights the chart with pinecones. The north arrow points away from the lamp. GM: The chart gives three trail stations and the service-cord instructions. It suggests east, but visit the overlook to verify the river rather than treating the chart alone as proof.

Choice: Read the night route and service cord

Ask: What can a traveller follow after the beacon is dark? Requires: Available. Reveal Ranger trail chart Result: The replacement trail and ground-level mirror option are public.

Bird clearing

Read aloud: Rin raises one finger when wings settle, then another when the beam returns. GM: Observe a rest cycle to permit a quiet platform approach. The long stair route is always navigable, but direct mirror work waits for rest or uses the lowered service option.

Choice: Observe one quiet resting interval

Ask: Who will watch the flock while another works inside the rail? Requires: Available. Spend 1 Quiet work turns. Flock resting rhythm observed: true. Reveal Rin’s quiet counts Result: A calm platform approach is timed to the birds’ rest.

River overlook

Read aloud: The water keeps its silver line when the lighthouse turns away. The false line on the leaves vanishes. GM: Verify east for one turn. This is the landscape observation that makes the final mirror choice grounded.

Choice: Compare the real river with the moving glint

Ask: Point to the line that stays when the beacon turns away. Requires: Available. Spend 1 Quiet work turns. Real river bearing verified: true. Reveal Two silver lines Result: The group has an observed eastward bearing.

Beacon stair

Read aloud: Hessa holds the returned scarf. “It brought the child home. I did not notice it was keeping everyone else here.” GM: Lowering the mirror costs two turns and secures its hinge without platform access. The stair connects to clearing and overlook, so the party can circle the tower.

Choice: Use the service cord to lower and secure the mirror

Ask: Who calls the movement while Hessa handles the cord? Requires: Available. Spend 2 Quiet work turns. Mirror hinge secured: true; Mirror lowered for service: true Result: The mirror reaches a ground-level cradle, allowing the same adjustment without the platform.

Choice: Set EAST in the cradle and raise the fixed mirror

Ask: Who checks the fixed direction after Hessa raises it? Requires: Real river bearing verified is true and Mirror lowered for service is true. Spend 1 Quiet work turns. Mirror fixed east: true Result: The secured mirror rises on its eastward mark and the birds follow the river.

Choice: Extinguish the great lamp

Ask: Which service is ready for travellers once the turning beam is gone? Requires: Available. Great lamp extinguished: true Result: The false river disappears. Birds orient toward the real water; travellers need the fixed trail or camp shelter.

Mirror platform

Read aloud: A narrow band of reflected light runs across the leaves like water that never flows away. GM: With a rest observation, secure the hinge in one turn and align east in one more. Without platform access, lower and align from the stair.

Choice: Secure the hinge during the resting interval

Ask: Name the watcher and the hinge worker. Requires: Flock resting rhythm observed is true. Spend 1 Quiet work turns. Mirror hinge secured: true Result: The mirror is fixed under control inside the rail.

Choice: Fix the secured mirror on EAST

Ask: Confirm the beam joins the observed river line. Requires: Real river bearing verified is true and Mirror hinge secured is true. Spend 1 Quiet work turns. Mirror fixed east: true Result: The glint becomes a steady continuation of the real river. The flock begins to turn outward.

Lantern cache

Read aloud: The box lid carries three station symbols. A scarf-coloured ribbon disappears up a short path behind it. GM: Inspect to reveal the search-ribbon shortcut and placement card. The 90-minute route has two lamps because one is already with a departing patrol; that lamp cannot return tonight. The 120-minute route has all three. Laying the complete trail spends three actual lamps.

Choice: Trace the old search ribbons

Ask: Add the short path to the shared map and count the lamps. Requires: Available. Search ribbon shortcut found: true. Reveal Search ribbons and lamp hooks Result: A short cache-to-stair route is discovered.

Sheltered trail hollow

Read aloud: The wandering beam cannot reach this dip. A fixed lamp hook waits at an ordinary walking height. GM: Lay the three-lantern trail here as an abstract crew task covering the chart’s three stations. It costs two turns; the path loops back to camp through the cache.

Choice: Place all three fixed lanterns

Ask: Name the three stations from departure to river approach. Requires: Available. Spend 2 Quiet work turns; Spend 3 Fixed trail lanterns. Three-lantern trail laid: true Result: Each bend has its next fixed light. The trail is slower than the beacon route but continuous.

Connections and changing routes

Forest camp ↔ Ranger hut: Ranger path. Available. Ranger hut ↔ River overlook: Charted ridge. Available. River overlook ↔ Beacon stair: East descent. Available. Forest camp ↔ Bird clearing: Quiet woodland path. Available. Bird clearing ↔ Beacon stair: Long resting-bird trail. Available. Beacon stair ↔ Mirror platform: Railed stair. Available. Forest camp ↔ Lantern cache: Supply path. Available. Lantern cache ↔ Sheltered trail hollow: Marked lantern route. Available. Sheltered trail hollow ↔ Bird clearing: Lower trail. Available. Lantern cache ↔ Beacon stair: Discovered search-ribbon shortcut. Search ribbon shortcut found is true.

Pax — Camp watcher

Goal: Let the birds depart before their rest period. Offers: A safe camp and a direct observation of the circling flock. Will not accept: Will not send waiting travellers onto an unmarked dark trail. Voice: Give a count, then a direction.

Demi — Ranger

Goal: Keep a usable night route for travellers. Offers: The lamps currently at camp, a chart and staffed shelter. Will not accept: The full night trail needs all three stations, not a token lamp at the entrance. Voice: Ask what a traveller sees after the next bend.

Rin — Bird observer

Goal: Show where the real river lies without disturbing the flock. Offers: Rest rhythm and the river overlook. Will not accept: No chasing or startling birds to force a result. Voice: Pause to watch before speaking.

Hessa — Beacon keeper

Goal: Keep the search light’s benefit without trapping migration. Offers: Mirror access and a ground-level service cord. Will not accept: Hinge must be secured before alignment; she will extinguish rather than leave a loose mirror. Voice: Begin with the rescue she values, then accept evidence of the new cost.

Discovery card: Ranger trail chart

Give only when revealed in play. Three fixed-light stations: camp departure, sheltered hollow, river approach. The real river lies east. A complete night route requires all three stations; otherwise travellers wait at camp. Beacon service cord lowers the mirror to the stair. Player task: Budget lantern counters and compare a walking route with a fixed beacon. GM answer: All three lanterns support the alternative travel service; the service cord avoids the height route.

Discovery card: Two silver lines

Give only when revealed in play. River line: remains visible when the beacon turns away; runs east beyond the trees. Leaf line: appears only under the turning mirror. Draw an arrow from the tower toward the line that stays. Player task: Choose the bearing from observed landscape, not from the moving beam. GM answer: Fixing the beam east joins the real river glint and releases the flock.

Discovery card: Rin’s quiet counts

Give only when revealed in play. Beam over leaves: wings circle. Beam away: wings settle. During the settled interval, two people can reach the inside rail without passing under the flock. Mark one watcher and one hinge worker. Player task: Plan the quiet platform approach and assign two roles. GM answer: The rest knowledge permits the one-turn hinge action.

Discovery card: Search ribbons and lamp hooks

Give only when revealed in play. Scarf-coloured ribbons: cache → short wooded rise → beacon stair. The trail needs three lanterns. Count the lamps actually in the box; a lamp still with a patrol cannot be used here. Hooks on the ranger chart match the three symbols on the box lid. Player task: Add the discovered shortcut to the map and place each lantern on a station. GM answer: The shortcut connects supplies directly to Hessa; the lamp symbols enable the alternative trail.

State sheet

Quiet work turns: 8 (clock, minimum 0, maximum 8) Fixed trail lanterns: 3 (resource, minimum 0, maximum 3) Real river bearing verified: false (knowledge) Search ribbon shortcut found: false (knowledge) Flock resting rhythm observed: false (knowledge) Mirror hinge secured: false (flag) Mirror lowered for service: false (flag) Mirror fixed east: false (flag) Three-lantern trail laid: false (flag) Great lamp extinguished: false (flag)

Event: The flock’s long rest approaches

Trigger: Quiet work turns at most 2 Rin asks for a final decision. Two work turns can finish a prepared mirror or lay the lantern trail; camp shelter always remains.

At any place: Ask Hessa to darken the lamp and hold travellers at camp

How will the camp welcome those whose journey must wait? Requires: Available. Great lamp extinguished: true Hessa extinguishes the lamp by its service cord. Birds leave; travellers wait safely at camp until daylight.

Ending: One steady line to the river

Requires: Mirror fixed east is true The birds follow the joined silver line. Hessa keeps a fixed guide for travellers and posts a rule for ending future search rotations. Next: Demi and Rin review the search setting together before the next migration.

Ending: Three lights below the trees

Requires: Three-lantern trail laid is true and Great lamp extinguished is true The great beacon goes dark. Birds find the river, while travellers follow a slower but continuous chain of small fixed lights. Next: Assign a ranger to collect the finite lanterns after the last group arrives.

Ending: A quiet wait beneath the branches

Requires: Available The beacon is dark and the birds depart. Travellers share the camp until morning; no one claims the night route is open. Next: Hessa and Demi choose tomorrow’s permanent guide using the observed river bearing.