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○東方宝天京　～ Treasure Castle Labyrinth.

 Backstory and character profiles (trial version).
　
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■0. Table of Contents
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 ■1. Backstory
 ■2. Character Profiles

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■1. Backstory
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A strange rumor had very recently spread throughout Gensokyo.

"I found a place where you can get tons of treasure!"
"I went in to look for treasure, but I started seein' things, and I lost all my valuables."
"If you enter that labyrinth, mysterious things will happen..."

...And so on. Nearly everyone was gossiping about a huge labyrinth full of treasure.

Reimu and Marisa began asking people where they found this supposed treasure,
and were surprised to hear that it was somewhere up in Heaven.
Normally, humans shouldn't have been able to get into Heaven; it was where
the Celestials lived, in a separate place from the world down on the ground.
The two of them talked to the humans in question, and discovered that they had all been
guided there by a "three-colored lantern," finding themselves lost before they knew it.
To search for someone who knew more about the lantern, Reimu went up to Heaven, and Marisa investigated the Human Village further.
Sanae had also gone to visit the Divine Spirit Mausoleum, but wasn't having much luck there.

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Reimu made her way to the Heaven of Scarlet Thought, where Tenshi could often be found.
She was sitting right there as usual-- and peering quizzically at the tricolor lantern
from the rumor, which was casually dangling from her hand.

Reimu: "Hey, I just wanted to ask you...
    Is that the lantern they're talking about down in the Human Village?"
Tenshi: "Huh? What? Oh, the three-colored things? Yeah, I heard about those! This is totally one of 'em, right?"
Reimu: "That so...?"
Tenshi: "Yeah, I found a whole bunch. Want me to drop 'em off at the shrine?"
Reimu: "If there's a chance I could make a profit with these... I'll definitely look into them."
Tenshi: "So, like. Do you wanna head out now, or what?"
Reimu: "Out where?"
Tenshi: "Out for a treasure hunt, of course!"

Reimu: "......."

Reimu: "...*sigh*. This is going to turn into a huge hassle, I know it. It always does."
Tenshi: "Geeze, you're always like this. It'll be fine, I swear! Especially with me coming along!"
Reimu: "Eh? You're coming too? Yech."
Tenshi: "No, really! It'll be great! If the treasure escaped from everyone who went out alone,
    all we have to do is head out as a team! Right?"

Reimu: "...."
Reimu: "Guess this is gonna be the same as usual, huh...?"

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Around the same time, Marisa visited the Mausoleum, figuring that she ought to let Miko know what's going on.
But for some reason, Miko simply said "I have no reason to get involved with that rumor,"
so Marisa shrugged and went to the Myouren Temple.

Marisa: "Yo, anyone home? Hello~o!"
Shou: "You again? Are you perhaps planning another burglary?"
Marisa: "Yeesh. Do you have somethin' against me...?"
Shou: "No, no. My apologies.
    We've had a strange run of financial fortune recently, and my powers have gotten terribly strong..."
Marisa: "--Woah, what the HECK!? Why's there so much faith swirlin' around ya?!"
Shou: "Because of my ability, perhaps...?"
Marisa: "Dang, there really is something weird goin' on."
Shou: "So, as you can see, I have to stay put here and deal with the side effects..."

Byakuren: "Oh, Miss Marisa. What brings you here today?"
Marisa: "'Ey, Hijiri. You've heard the rumors, right?"
Byakuren: "I believe so. You mean the rumors about the lanterns, yes?"
Marisa: "Yep. Glad you're so quick on the uptake."
Byakuren: "On top of that, whenever people come to worship Shou, their belongings end up gathering around her..."
Marisa: "So you're runnin' a get-rich-quick scheme?"
Byakuren: "Well, perhaps that's what Miss Reimu would assume."

Marisa: "......."

Marisa: "Ahh. I see. I totally mostly get whatcha' mean."
Marisa: "You're sayin' this is an incident, yeah?"
Byakuren: "I can't do much with Shou in her current state, so how about we work together?
    If Miss Miko won't do anything about this, then I will."
Marisa: "A'ight, but take it easy out there..."

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Meanwhile at the Divine Spirit Mausoleum, where progress was still slow...

Sanae: "And where exactly is this rumor spreading?"
Futo: "I know not! Yet the Crown Prince doth not move an inch...
    Just what could she be thinking...?"
Futo: "But what brings thee here, at any rate?"
Sanae: "Well, um~... I just sort of figured I'd stop by!
    Miss Reimu and Miss Marisa both went off to search for treasure, so..."
Futo: "Hm-hm-hm... ah! This must be...!"
Sanae: "This must be...?"
Futo: "An incident for us to resolve, surely!"

Sanae: "Ah-- AHHH! For real?! Are you sure?!
    I knew it! All this talk of treasure had to have an incident hiding behind it!"
Futo: "H-huh?! Er... yes, certainly! That must be it!
    (I merely said the first thing that came to mind, but oh well...)"
Sanae: "And Miss Miko must have some sort of important reason to be staying here, too."
Futo: "Y-yes, I suppose...
    No! Wait! If the Crown Prince stayeth here, then I must be the one to go!"
Sanae: "Uh... I have a bad feeling all of a sudden."
Futo: "Yes! That's it!
    Madam Sanae! Wouldst thou join me in investigating this mysterious labyrinth?"

Sanae: "......"

Sanae: "...What if I said no?"
Futo: "I shall accompany thee however far thou shalt go! Truly!"
Sanae: "This just sounds like the same as usual, in the end..."
Futo: "Dost thou knoweth the idiom, 'two are always better than one'?"
Sanae: "I've heard that before, but I'd hardly call it an idiom!"

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The three heroines each found a companion, each with their own objective in mind.
And so, they set out on an adventure in search of the treasure's hiding place.
It lay within the labyrinth, which almost seemed to become a glimmering galaxy as soon as one set foot inside.
The maze was host to many branching paths, but they all shared a single goal at the end.
Within the labyrinth, the three sets of footsteps marching ever deeper would become
an unknown... no, a unified path, and bring about truly wonderous events.

If each of the three set out alone, they'd inevitably get lost... so what would happen with six?
The wandering lamplight shines yet brighter. And when those powers become one, the lamplight will be released.


...That "wandering lamplight" will have to find its final destination very soon.


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■2. Character Profiles
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◇Player Side
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 ○Hakurei Shrine Maiden who Reflects Red and White
  Hakurei Reimu

  Species: Human
  Abilities: Mainly capable of flying in the sky


  The resident shrine maiden of the Hakurei Shrine.
  She's well-liked by just about everyone, but she herself doesn't have
  much interest in other people. (Same goes for her friend Marisa, though.)

  She's thoroughly fed up with rumors and urban legends, but she believes that solving the incident
  this time will be a prime opportunity for the Hakurei Shrine to cast off its unfortunate reputation
  as a "youkai shrine", bring in visitors just like any other regular shrine would, and make a huge profit.
  Thus, she sets off on an adventure with Tenshi in search of treasure.


 ○Celestial Mistress Clad in Seven Colors
  Hinanai Tenshi

  Species: Delinquent Celestial
  Abilities: Capable of manipulating the earth


  A celestial maiden from Bhava-agra.
  Despite thinking of herself as a high and noble being, she has the smell of your average human all over her.

  She's not particularly interested in the get-rich-quick schemes of Earth-dwellers, but since she's bored
  and she's gotten booted down to Earth a lot recently, she heads out to search for treasure with Reimu.
  According to her, "this sort of thing could be nice every once in a while!", but...?

  Secretly, she's hoping that they find some delicious gourmet food.


 ○Shining Star-Colored Magician
  Kirisame Marisa

  Species: Human
  Abilities: Capable of using magic


  An ordinary magician. Fairly strong, as humans go.
  She's obsessed with collecting things, and sometimes makes weird magic items.

  She heads out in search of the treasure's whereabouts with fellow magician Hijiri,
  but the only objective she has is to pocket any rare stuff they happen to find.
  She's also taking her newly-built Magic Slave out for a test run.


 ○Twinkling Milky-Way Sorcerer
  Hijiri Byakuren

  Species: Magician
  Abilities: Capable of using magic (specializing in magic that increases her physical abilities)


  A monk, and magician, residing in the Myouren Temple.
  Her exact religious affiliation is unclear, but for all intents and purposes, she's a Buddhist.

  Because Shou has been attracting a strange excess of faith, she's been collecting the tricolor lanterns
  that people have been sharing rumors about. She was actually in the middle of discussing the matter
  with Miko, but since Miko hasn't done anything yet, she decides to take matters into her own hands.


 ○Miraculous Wind Priestess Bathed in a Brief Light
  Sanae Kochiya

  Species: Human
  Abilities: Capable of causing miracles


  A shrine maiden who lives at the Moriya Shrine, atop the Youkai Mountain.
  There hasn't much been going on lately-- not even the shrine's usual rituals-- so she has a lot of free time.

  When she stopped by the Divine Spirit Mausoleum while investigating the rumors,
  Futo happened to tell some lies about how "this must be an incident!". She latches on to this,
  and figuring that she may as well get some exercise, casually decides to venture into the great labyrinth.


 ○Negative Legacy Bequeathed by the Ancient Nobles
  Mononobe no Futo

  Species: Human? (Taoist who self-identifies as a shikaisen)
  Abilities: Capable of manipulating feng shui


  A Tao practitioner, and member of the ancient Mononobe clan. Currently resides in the Divine Spirit Mausoleum.
  She's smart, but out of touch with history and most conversation topics, and frequently does misguided things.

  There's been no end to the strange rumors as of late (which is business as usual, honestly), but since Miko
  hasn't lifted a finger, she's begun to suspect that something peculiar is afoot. Sanae happens to visit right
  around then, so as usual, she decides to take credit for solving things and goads Sanae into coming along.


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◇Enemy Side
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 ○Stage 1 Boss
  The Goddess who Ties Together Bountiful Happiness
  Enishi Tsumugi
 
  Species: God
  Ability: Capable of weaving relationships together
 
  An extremely ordinary god.
  She's called Benzaiten by most people, but she herself doesn't
  grant any particularly large blessings or divine favors.
  She greets everyone with a cheery smile, and never leaves them with a bad impression.
 
  She has the ability to scoop up the invisible threads of people's relationships as they
  flow along, and literally tie them together. By doing so, she can bring about new events,
  or create points of contact between people who didn't know each other before.
  But her abilities can't control anything that happens beyond that point,
  so she just watches over them from afar.


 ○Stage 2 Boss
  The Spirit Butterfly that Became a Fantasy
  San Alkaloid

  Species: Choukeshin
  Ability: Capable of tying life and death together
 
  A rare youkai, who was reborn from a human soul into a butterfly, and now passes through the ages.
  She used to be a human from a very old era, but thanks to the many reincarnations she's passed through,
  as well as the various traditional stories people tell about butterflies, she gained the ability to
  tie the boundaries of life and death together. She's very dumb, though, so she doesn't know how to use it well.
 
  Her job is to guide the spirits of people's ancestors when they appear on Obon, let them interact with the
  living people, then return them to the spirit world. As such, she always appears in summer.
  Nobody really knows what she's doing during the other seasons.
  This makes her rather similar to the fairies of Gensokyo despite their different origins,
  so Reimu and co. mistook her for a regular old fairy.


 ○Stage 3 Boss
  Celestial Maiden Beloved by Oxygen
  Umishige no Seki
 
  Species: Celestial
  Ability: Capable of manipulating oxygen
 
  The administrator of Heaven's oasis region.
  She surpassed Nirvana and became a Celestial through sheer blood, sweat
  and tears, so her way of thinking is close to most humans, and unlike
  most other Celestials, she respects the humans who live down on the ground.
 
  She's always been swelteringly hot-headed, dutiful and rigidly obstinate. As such, she marched
  right on into the oasis region that nobody else would go near, and declared herself its manager.
 
  A massive network of ruins had recently been unearthed from the depths of the Heavenly Oasis,
  and she was greatly troubled by the sight of Earth-dwelling humans hurriedly fleeing soon after
  they entered. She used her ability to temporarily knock the would-be explorers unconscious,
  then borrowed the power of Gensokyo's sages to return them to the ground below.
  Fearful that more people would come to foolishly explore the ruins, she chased onlookers away
  by displaying her abilities, but when the Hakurei shrine maiden, another celestial, a pair of
  magicians, a living god and a Taoist came by, she decided to fight them herself to prove that
  they weren't just ordinary rubberneckers.
 
  Praying that these new visitors would be able to uncover the true nature of these mysterious
  ruins, she returned to her usual work of chasing away would-be gawkers.