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

[alchemists]

That's the first step.

[myblueskies]

Okay! Are you ready, Elfnein?

[Because he is about to throw it in the direction of the wind in three, two, one!]

[alchemists]

I'm ready, on the count of three throw it.

1, 2, 3!

[ Hopefully this time it works without falling back down instantly. ]

[myblueskies]

Okay! [He throws it up in the air and it spiral upwards.] Yes! Keep good hold, we don't want it to escape!

[He returns to her side, just in case it does try to run away again!]

[alchemists]

Now slowly release some of the string so it can gain a bit more speed and wind.

[ Of course she was holding the very end of the string, they didn't need it flying all away at once. ]

[myblueskies]

Okay! [Slowly, slowly, that is trickier than it might sound but he concentrates letting out a little bit of the string at a time. The kits soars higher. Romeo grinned at Elfnein.]

[alchemists]

It's working perfectly now.

[ Releasing a little bit of the string was the right choice, now that the kite was stable there wasn't anything to worry about. ]

[myblueskies]

It is! You're really smart Elfnein!

[She knew all sorts of things and sometimes when she talked Romeo didn't understand all the words she said. But she was also really nice and always made sure to explain things to him. Like this kite.]

It's really pretty! This is a really fun party!

[alchemists]

I was just reciting facts from a book, this is the first time I've tried to fly a kite myself. It's harder to put things into action when you just have the knowledge instead of experiencing it.

[ Elfnein had been trying to fix that slowly, doing more things like aiding Hibiki in her idol activities and supplying people with any sort of reading materials they needed. Being out in the world is harder then it looks but she's trying. ]

[myblueskies]

The first time? [She had remembered all that from a book? That was pretty impressive! He thought about what she said though, that it was harder to do things when you just had the knowledge. Even though Romeo loved reading and learning he liked doing things even more! He thought flying a kite was really fun and probably more fun than just reading about flying kites!]

If you ever read about anything you want to try for real you just got to say okay and then we can go and experience it! [A shinki's job was to help their god out with everything they wanted to do and keep their spirits up. That's what mister Tsuzuki had said after all. Romeo thought this definitely counted as something he could help with!]

[alchemists]

I'm very thankful that you'd be willing to go so far to help me experience more things.

[ Maria had tried to offer the same thing to her before, and the new people she's met have all tried to follow through on it as well. It was a feeling she hadn't really dealt with before. ]

To be honest I've only been able to see the outside world for a brief time, up until a few months ago I was just being used as a tool.

[myblueskies]

[Romeo smiled, he was her shinki and so it was his job to help her with everything, to keep her spirits up and be the best support he could be. But just as importantly he was her friend and his job as her friend was exactly the same! So it was doubly his job to help her!

He frowned when she explained about not having seen the outside world for very long and being used as a tool.] You were a tool? [Like a building tool? Or a farming tool? How could people be tools?]

[alchemists]

It's a bit hard to explain, but I was created as a spare body but I wasn't good enough.

[ Elfnein had a somewhat difficult life, just being created to be a spare, not being a perfect copy and rejected. The whole her creator Carol wanted to destroy the world and well none of it was good. ]

[myblueskies]

[Romeo's frown deepended. A spare body? How could she be a spare body? It doesn't make any sense.

But what makes even less sense and what makes Romeo mad and sad for her was that she wasn't good enough! Because of course she was good enough. She was really nice and kind and clever and it was really bad that she thought she wasn't good enough! Just like it was bad that she hadn't got to see much of the world!

He reached out to clasp her hand, making sure to keep control of the kite in his other hand.] I'm glad you're here now and not back where that happened! Because you are definitely a good god!