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

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Eh, you just needed a pointer in the right direction. [And someone who could break it down simply. Tossing it in the air, honestly...]

[myblueskies]

[He smiled at her again, happy that the kite was now flying.] I'm Romeo by the way, miss!

[sassywelshcatgirl]

The name's Nia. Nice to meet you...? [How did you properly introduce yourself to a kid anyway? That just seems weird...]

[myblueskies]

It's nice to meet you too! [Romeo clearly doesn't find it weird at all, he grins at her and looks back up to the kite.] Are you a shinki too? Or a god?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

I'm a shinki, same as you. [Really, this is a sad thing -- some poor kid dying and getting caught up in this mess.] Pretty new here too.

[myblueskies]

You are? [He blinks up at her with a smile.] I'm pretty new too so I don't know lots of people yet! Or many things. [His smile is a bit more sheepish.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Not sure you're missing much. Though there are a couple of good ones. [Nia says this more to herself than him, and a moment later realizes she'd done so and hurriedly plows on with more of a response. Forget that part!] You know, I hear you can remember things? That's what they tell me anyway.

[myblueskies]

[He looked at her with a small frown. Everyone he had met so far had been really nice and very helpful!

He tilted his head at her when she spoke. Remember things? He couldn't remember anything before he arrived here and when he thought about it he felt bad, like he didn't want to. Like it would be a bad thing to try and remember what it was like when he was alive.] Isn't it bad to remember things, miss?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

It's real bad if you try, is what they tell me. Push your head or go asking around and that's bad.

[Real bad, if she'd been told the accurate truth, but Nia isn't sure she's okay with spelling that out.]

But I'm told sometimes people just wake up with them, no harm done.

[myblueskies]

[He nodded, it was bad if you pushed your head to remember. That was the bad feeling, that he shouldn't think about things like that.

But people sometimes just woke up with memories?] They do? They remember things in their dreams?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

You know as much as I do now, kid. [Nia shrugs. She'd said what she'd been told, and that's all she had.] Hasn't happened to me.

[myblueskies]

Me neither! I'll ask Elfnein she might know, she's really smart and knows lots of stuff about everything!

[The kite wobbles a bit, tugging at the string and for a moment his focus goes back to it, working on making it not wobble anymore and soar like a bird once more.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

It's possible. The big question is, what will she actually tell you.

[Nia, don't fill kids with paranoia and cynicism...]

[myblueskies]

All sorts of things! She explained all about the things in the amusement park and her temple is a whole library! She has loads of books and really likes helping people learn things!

[The paranoia and cynicism don't even seem to register. Elfnein is the best teacher.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Didn't mention the memory thing though, did she. Or how about that shinki can apparently become gods?

[Nia don't try to be suspicious of ELFNEIN of all people]

[myblueskies]

Shinki can become gods? [He hadn't known that! But! That doesn't mean it's Elfnein's fault or that this lady could blame him for not knowing things!]

She's had lots and lots to tell me so it's not her fault if I don't know everything yet!

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Yeah, well, just think about what she chooses to tell you versus what you have to ask her, all right? [Nia's pretty sure this is a lost cause, but she doesn't want anyone to be used or taken advantage of. More so than is necessary by nature.]

[myblueskies]

She tells me lots of things before I even ask! [He frowns.] Does your god not tell you things, miss?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Eh, I barely know the guy. [She swipes her hand in front of her face, fingers curled, in a gesture with overt feline shades to it.] Didn't learn much from him, that's for sure.

[myblueskies]

You don't? [He tilted his head at her. He had gotten to know Elfnein really well, it seems strange that someone wouldn't know their god well.] Are you two not friends?

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Nah. [Nia shrugs, glancing off into the distance because she doesn't particularly want to make eye contact.] I don't like being a shinki at all, and he doesn't much like my attitude. Can't say I blame him, really.

[myblueskies]

[Romeo looked down from the kite to look at Nia with confusion on his face.] You don't like being a shinki, miss?

[He found that sad, that she didn't like what she was and that her and her got weren't friends.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

Yeah. Funny thing, I don't like being told I have to serve some god, be under his power, even turn into a weapon for him, or else. It's a raw deal and completely unfair!

[myblueskies]

He said you got to do what he told you or else? [Or else sounded quite scary. All the people Romeo had met so far had been really nice. He'd met shinki who were really kind and also lots of kind gods, not just Elfnein. It made him really sad that this girl had a god who was mean to her and tell her she was under his power or else.

He guessed if a god was mean they would be able to hurt their shinki or not give them food or make them work all the time. He was really glad that Elfnein was so nice to him but it made his heart hurt that this girl was sad about being a shinki. He was quiet for a moment looking up at the kite against the backdrop of the beautiful sky.]

If you ever need to go somewhere safe, if he's mad at you then you can come to Elfnein's library! She's a really nice god and she won't mind! [She said things like I think you belong here in this temple with me Romeo. Not You serve me and turn into a weapon for me or else.]

[sassywelshcatgirl]

What? No, no, he didn't say that! [Nia hurriedly waves her hands in front of her, like she's trying to brush that idea away as fast as possible.] I don't blame him for anything, he got sucked into this whole thing himself. We all did. I mean if you don't get named, you get eaten! No powers, no defense against the ayakashi. That kind of 'or else'. You have to serve someone. You have to let someone else control you. There's no one I'd be happy to have doing that.