29 - Autumn Leaves

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Uncover the remaining secrets of the mysterious forest.
When: Nov 29 - 30
Where: Chichibu National Park & the Central District
Summary: A heavily forested wilderness area in Chichibu National Park is attracting dangerous numbers of ayakashi, and Heaven's forces suspect that this might be the mortal forest that was connected to the Heavens in order to kidnap gods and shinki a few weeks ago.






Walk in the Woods

On the morning of the 29th, Heaven's messenger doves drop off small folded cards at the doors of every temple. The cards read,


We believe that we have identified the location on the Near Shore where the human accomplices were working. As it is a large area, we offer you this information, in case you are able to assist us in searching for clues to the identity of the culprit. Please investigate with caution: there are reports of ayakashi in the area.


Attached is a map to a large national park in the Kanto region, with a section of the park cross-hatched in red pen. Anyone who goes to investigate the marked area will discover that it is heavily forested and contains about a mountain and a half; the ground is steep, muddy with autumn rain, and slick with dead leaves, though some red and orange colors are still grimly clinging to the branches overhead. Watch your step! The supernatural menace seems to have faded, but the purely natural hazards can do almost as much damage.

Heaven's forces, wearing white short jackets with gold chrysanthemum emblems over much more sensible jeans and hiking boots, can be seen here and there throughout the forest, searching for clues themselves. If somebody gets in a real jam, they might be willing to lend a hand.

Mysterious Trees

Towards the center of the cross-hatched area, investigators may begin to see some familiar signs. Are those bits of torn-down spell papers still fluttering from nails driven into the trees? Vines and tree branches cut and broken by the hostage rescuers breaking through? Footprints, torn bits of black hooded cloaks... there are clues aplenty here.

There's something else, too: a mysterious presence still seems to haunt the forest. The trees might not move when anyone's watching, but it seems like they're in slightly different positions every time you look away and back. And what was that flicker of movement in the underbrush? Is there still someone here?!

Comment on the NPC REQUEST/CLUE SEARCH thread below to request specific details, or to go hunting for that mysterious presence.

Ayakashi Attacks

There's more than one mysterious presence in these trees... and some of them are definitely not friendly. The forest's aura is unsettling and creepy enough to partially mask their approach, but ayakashi of all types and sizes seem to have been drawn here. Some wind along tree branches or soar through the air on fleshy, wide-spread wings. Others crawl or even burrow in the ground.

And all of them are excited at the possibility of a divine meal. Look out!

Autumn Leaf Viewing

An area of the Central District planted with maple along a stone-walled canal has been decorated with hanging lanterns, comfortable spread mats and cushions, and an abundance of delicious food and drink on the afternoon of the 30th. Everyone is invited: new gods and old, those who helped investigate the Near Shore forest and those who didn't. For those who did investigate, though, one or two of the white-robed shinki who are helping with the party preparations and enjoying the food and drink themselves will take the opportunity to pull them aside and ask about their findings.

The party includes games as well as food and drink. Kites, poetry games, tag, hide-and-seek, card games and dice games are going on all over. There's even some determined board game and mahjong players who have brought their favorite game to the outdoor venue and are setting up on mats with immense care.

At one edge of the landscaped area where the party is being held, the ground slopes up, and is planted with a riot of bright gold, white and rust-red chrysanthemums. Like the ones that bloomed everywhere a few months ago, these flowers exude a sense of peace, confidence and security to anyone nearby, and especially those who pick the blooms to wear in their hair or their buttonhole.

In Summary:

• Investigate a wild forest
• Watch out for nasty trees
• Exorcise an ayakashi infestation
• Enjoy some hard-earned relaxation
• Have fun~

Comments

ii

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[The skittering erupts into a thrashing, as wind leaves into the air, leaving both an ayakashi and a ninja trying to swat rotting vegetation off their respective faces. The latter had been slowly stalking the former at the same time as the former was slowly stalking Midorima, and both of them have come off the worse for it.]

[But Edge recovers first, thanks in large part to his mask preventing fall foliage from getting into his mouth, and he hurriedly hurls the knife in his hand directly into the ayakashi's body.] Watch out!

[veteran_king]

[ The quick response uncovers an ayakashi along with its stalker, but the revealation leaves him with more questions than answers and before he can voice a single one the other moves, throwing a knife at the ayakashi which in turns stirs the creature in action and it an instant it hurls down straight at him. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[All that training and exercise finally comes in useful, as Edge remembers he has a tool available to him that isn't 'hit it with a sword' or 'awesome ninjutsu'.]

Line!

[As his gesture, the wall springs up in front of the spirit, which bonks comically off of it.]

[veteran_king]

[ Midorima falls back - both from sheer surprise at being attacked and the wall that suddenly sprouts up in front of him - but not before he throws a hand out to defend himself only for his wind to again hit a wall.

The ayakashi crashes against it, falling back from the sheer force of it while Midorima looks on, shocked by the entire affair. It'll take him a few moments to figure out what's happening so have a befuddled look. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[This is rapidly getting out of hand, so Edge resorts to an emergency trick: he flicks one hand forward. A conjured dagger flickers out to stab into the ayakashi's shadow, and the moment it impacts the creature freezes in place, paralyzed by the shadowbinding.]

That'll hold it for a second. [Edge lets the Borderline fall, the better to let his words carry over.] Are you okay?

[veteran_king]

[ By now, Midorima is back on his feet and marvelling at the spell. He's surprised it could hold back the ayakashi (can you tell he hasn't fought any yet?) but more so by his abilities. He didn't realize shinki's could be that powerful (what was wrong with his???) ]

I'm fine.

[ He moves back, letting the professional take center stage. He knows when to fall back. ]

Thank you for trapping it.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[It works. It does the job, and in this case, the job is 'buy them a moment to get it together. The dagger is already quivering, dissolving down its hilt. Once the blade goes...]

It's not going to last. Either we make ourselves scarce or we hit it hard enough to seek other prey.

[The choice is wind-guy's. Edge can fight or run as needed, and is prepared to employ both. Without his god, he's got no recourse but those two choices. Not for the first or last time, he curses the rules of heaven and hell -- whichever this is.]

[veteran_king]

[ Midorima isn't someone who engages in unavoidable fights without a reason. However, he feels obligated to put the monster down in case it attacks someone else. Except, his shinki is kind of useless at the moment and he would prefer he gain more practice before he calls on him for such tasks. ]

We can't leave it out here to attack someone else, nanodayo.

We'll trap it and have someone rend it.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Still feels like we're passing it off doing that, but it's not like we're given much choice. If we weaken it a little, I can put up a Borderline to hold it down.

[Edge draws both his swords in one smooth motion, raising them up in a guard position. Not that he'll complain if the guy here just unloads some awesome trick that saves him the trouble of melee -- but if he could do that, he wouldn't have just been blasting wind at the thing, right?]

[veteran_king]

[ Midorima nods and turns to face the creature as a rush of wind picks up behind him. ]

Very well.

[ He raises his hand and a gust of wind starts up from the west. There's no sound but soon enough a red wagon bursts from the bushes landing neatly at his side, while aided by the wind. ]

I took the liberty of bottling a few bottles [ there's a dozen water bottles there... ] of holy water for such an occasion.

[ They can't rend it with holy water, but the blessed water was still a better weapon than his shinki at the moment, so Midorima brought it with him. ]

We'll immobilize it with it.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Bottling holy water is sensible and good tactics. Edge thoroughly approves!]

[...but the rest has him staring, though his mask hides how slack his jaw is. Luckily the ayakashi is only just now shaking off the paralysis, or he'd be a sitting duck.]

I have many questions.

[veteran_king]

[ Midorima is used to having his motives questioned and the staring is all too familiar that he barely acknowledges it. ]

I suggest you save them for after the fight, nanodayo.

[ Even as he speaks the last, the bottles are rising in the air. ]

What do you need to me to do?

[onehandsomeslickninja]

Oh yeah, I get that part -- can you throw them? Do those bottles shatter?

[For him. Edge, trained in throwing pretty much anything he can get his hands on, could smash one on a rock and get its contents pretty much where he wanted it, but he's trying to do the Borderline.]

[The dagger dissolved, the ayakashi breaks free. In an instant, it lunges at the tasty shinki who had bound it -- Edge, of course, does not stick around to be eaten, hurriedly dodging.]

[veteran_king]

They do. And I can. [ They're glass mason jars after all. ] But littering is against the law, so I will be removing the lids instead.

[ Thankfully, they're mostly there for decoration since he didn't actually tighten them which proves to be a super effective time saving strategy when the ayakashi suddenly attacks. Midorima meets it head one - figuratively speaking, of course - meeting the creature with a whirlwind that soon turns into an isolated mini tornado. It doesn't stop the ayakashi like before when he concentrated the wind into a single blast, and while the tornado has some force behind it's not strong enough to stop the ayakshi from persuing the nearby shinki.

Luckily, the god has other plans. While Edge takes up most of its attention with his attacks, Midorima can focus on those mason jars. Half a dozen jars, now lid-less, fly above the storm to drop their contents into the storm turning the mini tornado into a mini hurricane that burns the ayakashi with every turn. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Edge does indeed keep it busy; both his swords flick into it, more defense to put it off-guard and keep it at arm's length rather than actual aggression. Agile dodges and quick parries keep him unblighted save for a scratch or two, no real disaster there. Once the surging wall of wet wind erupts into full force around it, he flicks out another shadowbind, pinning the creature in the vortex so it can't escape.]

As soon as that wears off, I'll close it up! Don't know what that will do with your wind, so be ready!

[veteran_king]

[ Midorima nods while pushing up his glasses as he spreads his feet, taking a strong stand. Whatever happens, he'll be-- ]

Ready.

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Tossing one blade up into the air, Edge stabs out a hand with two fingers extended, whirling it in a quick circle.]

Line!

[The borderline erupts around the ayakashi, locking it in a cylinder of force. It struggles against the walls, but not with such strength as to make Edge's concentration falter.]

Got it!

[He snatches his sword out of the air as it descends, just to put a cap on things.]

[veteran_king]

[ The cylinder closes up and the wind continues to circulate, trapped inside the cage along with the ayakashi. Midorima keeps it spinning, the water striking the creature like invisible bullets. ]

[onehandsomeslickninja]

[Edge watches with a look of satisfaction for a little while, but then it quickly fades as the ayakashi endures the assault, as ayakashi do. It might not be in condition to cause anyone harm for a while once they finish with it, but ultimately, it wins by virtue of surviving.]

Hey, I don't suppose you can get a shinki here to help out? I hate just leaving the thing alive.