The story
Fiction and adapted settings written by Akitsora Gaming for this title, including invented dialogue and events. This is not a historical or folklore reference. The rules and specification tables define the gameplay and math.
A stick of binchotan is a kiln of hardwood, a fire that never goes out for two weeks, and a whole winter of nights the charcoal maker spends at the kiln mouth.
I. Loading the kiln
The cut hardwood is stood up in the kiln stick by stick and the mouth is sealed, leaving only a small vent. The fire creeps up from below, drying the wood little by little.
When the smoke changes colour, the charcoal maker says, it is time to close the vent.
II. Refining
In the last days the mouth is opened bit by bit; air rushes in and the charcoal glows white-hot. With a long kiln-mouth hook the maker rakes the glowing sticks out one by one.
Rake them right and the charcoal comes out hard — and the number on a falling ember ball is the weight of the spin (base game ×2 to ×20).
III. Opening the kiln
Gather 4 kiln-opening tags and the mouth swings wide, white-hot light filling the grading yard. Over the next 15 spins the multiplier keeps growing (×2 to ×500).
3 more tags add 5 more spins.
IV. Pale ash
The raked charcoal is buried at once in pale ash to smother and cool, leaving a white skin — white charcoal. The maker taps a stick, hears a clear metallic ring, and only then binds the bundle and brings it out.