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

[pure_radiantics]

[ Her reactions with her soulless shinki friend are much slower. As a result, out of self-preservation, she slams a borderline down on top of the spot that the creature is breaching. It ends up such that the ayakashi chomps upwards on the borderline, biting down on it and getting stuck there while also kind of tearing its mouth apart from the force of its motion coming out of the ground.

It's not enough to destroy the ayakashi, but it's enough to hamper it, and that gives Kairi a second chance to do what she she'd planned to do in the first place.

She snaps the ribbon on top of the ayakashi's head in a whipping sort of motion. ]

Joy! Rend!

[ Sure enough, the white light appears from the ribbon and slices through the ayakashi. ]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex slumps against a tree in relief when the ayakashi disappears. A lot of the younger ones here sure were capable. ]

Sorry..my shinki isn't with me at the moment..I thought I'd at least be able to hold them off.

[ She pauses, catching herself ink hat she really wanted to say. ]

Thank you.

[pure_radiantics]

It's okay.

[ Kairi hugs the ribbon-stick close to her chest now that the danger has passed, and approaches Alex. ]

It's scary being separated from our partners like this sometimes, isn't it?

[ She nods sadly once in understanding. ]

Do you need any holy water?

[sing_for_me]

Yes--but I can wait till I get back to the temple. Please, save it for yourself.

[ She can handle this much. If anything, the bite was more painful than the blight itself, though still tolerable. ]

But um...separated from your partner...?

[ Alex glances at what Kairi was holding. That was certainly a shinki, wasn't it?]

[pure_radiantics]

[ Kairi looks to where Alex is staring. ]

Oh! No, this is Joy, she's not my partner - I'm still a shinki after all. ... Joy, revert please?

[ The young woman appears next to Kairi, but she gives Alex a hopeful smile. ]

See? Joy's a soulless shinki who helps me out sometimes when Hajime can't be around. It's safer, right? This way I'm not afraid of ayakashi as much anymore. That's why I was willing to give up my holy water. A long-range weapon like Joy's vessel form keeps me away from them too!

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex didn't even try to hide her surprise ]

H-hang on, shinki can do that? They can use other shinki to rend? How..!

[ This definitely changed things a bit. If this was possible, that means if Kaden's with another shinki, he would have more options against an ayakashi. ]

[pure_radiantics]

I'm not sure, but... I don't know if it works for any shinki, actually.

[ Then again, she realizes, she hasn't actually tried, but she can explain: ]

I think Joy's special. Or maybe it's something about soulless shinki? It's definitely not the kind of connection with Joy that I've had with my gods and how other gods have described their bond with their shinki. I can't feel how she feels or get any kind of power surge from her. You know, that sort of thing. I guess I'd be willing to try with another shinki, though, if they'd let me. I had to actually pretend to name Joy before she changed into her vessel form for me.

[ Which was a whole interesting story on its own, just not relevant to any two shinki vs. shinki and soulless. ]

[sing_for_me]

How..did you learn to do that? Or think to do that?

[ It seemed so black and white that only gods could do it. Not that she thought this was a bad thing, but it would have been nice to know sooner. Maybe then she wouldn't have worried so much about her shinki if they had such options available. She was a mix of confused, but also impressed. ]

I'm sorry..I don't mean to dump all these questions. I really appreciate what you did for me. And I think it's amazing that you can. Just..I hadn't heard of it before..

[pure_radiantics]

[ She smirks a little. ]

Forrest and I were in trouble. I was trying anything I could to protect him... but I'm a shinki, not a god. I couldn't protect him unless he named me, and we've agreed we don't want that. So... I asked for a soulless shinki's help. I thought she'd go to Forrest automatically, since he was the only god around. I never expected... this.

[ But she looks up into Alex's eyes again. ]

You're right though that I hadn't heard of it before either. Now all I want to do is make sure I know what's going on before I start spreading lies about how it works, just by accident and not being aware enough. So far I haven't found any restrictions on how Joy and I work together.

[sing_for_me]

It's...incredible that you thought of that. [ She..was used to battles, wasn't she? ]

I understand. I won't say anything if that's the case. But I may ask around..if that's alright with you?

[ She didn't want to get her in any trouble. ]

Wrap for me, or close to it

[pure_radiantics]

I don't mind. I've reached the point where I need to talk to more people about this. The more information we have the better, now that I don't think it's dangerous - inherently dangerous, I mean - for a shinki to ask for help like this. There's not some kind of... reaction that shocks or hurts when you do it or anything like that.

If I hurt myself experimenting like this, that's one thing, but I'd hate it for someone else to get hurt because I suggested something dangerous that I didn't think was dangerous, you know? ... Sorry, it's just really important to me.

[ Because that had happened to her before. ]