thenearshore | we'll take the world back from the heart-attacked

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we'll take the world back from the heart-attacked

Who: Zelda and anyone who has been investigating the cult or is interested in learning about their activities.
When: December 21
Where: The Temple of Metis
What: Zelda holds a council to discuss the cult and get everyone on the same page regarding them and other related incidents.
Warnings: Cults generally aren't pleasant things. Please mark any threads with relevant warnings.

[The message goes out two days prior.

it has come to my attention that several among our number have been pursuing their own investigations regarding the organization responsible for the forest incident and their activities. as such, i would like to propose a gathering to share and discuss our findings as well as subsequent courses of action and, if necessary, potential defensive measures to ward against future strikes against us. to this end, the temple of metis will be open to all willing to participate in this sharing of information in two days time, with formal discussion beginning after noon.

as the bbs is not the most secure vector for distributing information, i would ask all recipients of this message to please pass it along to any interested parties that i myself might not be aware of.

thank you for your time,
zelda, princess of hyrule

p.s.; chikusa, i will have a new hat for you if you extend our deal to this meeting.

In summary, come to Metis Temple in two days ~~for an asskicking~~ if you wanna talk shit about cultists. Tell your friends.]

[The day comes and the dumb puzzle door that usually bars outsider entry into the temple's underground complex has mercifully been left open. Luminescent crystals light the way as visitors descend a stone spiral staircase that eventually opens up to the temple's main living area. A large dining table is the central focus and many chairs surround it, including some that were clearly brought from other spaces to accommodate a large group. Some couches off to the side have also been turned away from the fireplace that banishes winter's chill in order to provide further seating for those in attendance. A beanie sits unclaimed on one of the chairs. For refreshment, a kettle of tea is available in the kitchen, as well as a plate of festive sugar cookies. Store-bought, unfortunately for those who are picky about those kinds of things, because any attempts made by the temple's current residents to cook are met with utter and complete disaster.

Speaking of festive, the entirety of the temple's interior is currently covered in glitter, tinsel, and mistletoe. Dear Amaterasu, there is so much mistletoe, and you likely aren't leaving here without finding glitter still stuck to your person hours later. Zelda would really prefer if you would not point any of this out. Minako is just very... enthusiastic about the season, that's all. Be thankful she couldn't get a tree down here.

At a certain point in time, Zelda will formally call the meeting to begin, but until then everyone is free to mix and mingle at their leisure. Just... please don't ruin her house, okay.]

_{(ooc; so this is a free-for-all meeting to discuss various aspects of the metaplot! anyone and everyone is invited; you can just say your character learned about it from word of mouth if they don't know zelda that well or at all. and if you've got any other questions, you can reach me via pm or at jamizoid!)}

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[Zelda is seated at the head of the table, because of course she is. This whole thing is kind of nerve-wracking for her, being the first time she's ever presided over anything remotely resembling court, but she puts a brave face on regardless because no one needs to know about that fact. Fake it 'til you make it, and so on.

When the time comes, she stands, and draws attention to herself with the clinking of her spoon against her teacup.]

Excuse me, if I may have your attention, please.

Thank you all for coming here today. I understand that there might be some reluctance to share what has been learned about this organization for fear of those findings falling into the wrong hands, or because of resentment held towards the Heavens' bureaucracy, but it is my belief that remaining secretive even from each other will only serve to weaken us. We might not have been asked to take up the roles we currently occupy, but as this group seems to wish for nothing less than our complete destruction regardless of that fact, we will need every advantage we can get against them. That much, I hope we can all agree on.

That said, I would like to establish a few ground rules before we begin discussion proper. Namely, I shall reserve the right to remove anyone from the premises who proves themselves to be more of a disturbance than one providing productive commentary. I understand some of you may have some grievances with others that are in attendance, but within these walls I would ask that we attempt to remain civil with one another for the sake of our common goal.

[NOOOO FIGHTING. Violators of this rule will be teleported into the near-freezing canals just outside her temple.]

Now, then. [She sits, gesturing to the group as a whole.] Who would like to begin?

_{(ooc; rather than try to keep everything in one huge unmanageable thread, reply to this header with anything your character wants to bring up and then everyone can hop around discussions as necessary. think murdergame trial rules but without the time limit. threadhopping is both allowed and encouraged!)}

[For clarity's sake, use this top-level for all your assorted nonsensical chatterings that might not necessarily pertain to the metaplot. And be on the lookout for glitterbombs - you never know when a certain shinki might decide everyone is being a bit too serious for their own good...]

[Shun hasn't been to Zelda's temple before, so he's keeping a close eye on the surroundings of the area the meeting is being held in. It's kind of hard to see some of it under the sheer volume of decorations and glitter in here, though, and as such he's taken the cautious seating option.

That being sitting on a blue metal bird with flat, somewhat short wings that create a convenient platform. The bird's exhaust pipes are pointing at the ground, keeping it floating in a relatively static position, but it is drifting around a little bit, trying to scope out the area in a similar manner to how Shun is.

Maybe it'll come scope you out next.]

[ Lightening the mood is exactly the task Minako has decided to pick up today. She's not been here long enough to have any information about the serious situation they're discussing today, after all.. let alone something Zelda wouldn't know already. So she's decided to at least make sure people don't come here or leave here with a heavy or bad feeling due to the topic at hand. Besides, Zelda seems kind of tense about this whole "leading a super duper serious meeting" thing, and maybe she can help her goddess out by making sure everyone relaxes before it starts.

Granted, Minako's idea of "relaxing" is.. slightly more high-energy than most people's.

Once you've descended the staircase and entered the main area of the temple, you might find a girl quickly making her way over towards you wearing a reindeer headband and a red, round nose. She's the Rudolph. It's her. (And why yes, those are brightly flickering lights on the antlers. She'll turn it off when the meeting starts, but enjoy the personal disco for now.) ]

Welcooooome to the temple! What can I help you with until everyone's ready? Tea? Cookies? Finding the comfiest chair?

[ There's probably at least two or three more options in there, but she's rattling them off so quickly it's impossible to make them all out. ]

Or could it be.. [ She gasps dramatically, holding her hands over her mouth for a moment. ] .. the company of one of the cutest girls around until the meeting starts?!

[ The note said to come to the Temple of Metis for more information on nefarious cults, but it said nothing about a... Reindeer? ]

I...Huh?

[ Mordred fixes the red-nose girl with a confused stare before turning her attention to their surroundings. ]

Am I in the wrong place? Isn't this Princess Zelda's temple?

[ Is that a bird?

Ain's quite conspicuous, if only because his presence creates a vacuum where there is no glitter. The murk of his shadow trails on the floor behind him, but they are very clean for shadows - leaving no trace where they pass.

For now, he's lingering near the wall, just watching. Shun should be familiar with the way he's silently edging towards the youth - his way of approaching without being in the way. ]

[ I. butterspy ]

[ A purple butterfly is hiding in the copious decorations currently decking the halls. It's small, and inconspicuous, and perfectly-positioned to hear everyone's conversations. ]

[ II. pond, james pond ]

[ Just outside the meeting room, someone is standing with their body half in shadows, eyes closed as they listen to something being played into their purple headphones. These proved ineffective at drowning out sentence enders, but their Plutooth signal works just fine...

Arriving at the meeting before it's necessary wouldn't be smart. ]

[ III. goldpringer ]

It's all connected.

[ This pronouncement comes at a lull in the conversation. The doors blow open.

(Okay, they're pushed open by a pair of goat toys on wheels. These are the last two left mobile, and they're being used for nothing but very important duties.)

Shikyoin Hibiki stands in the door. Once she's sure all eyes are on her, she holds up a small plastic bag. ] The proof is in here.

[ They haven't started talking yet. For what purpose is Hibiki lurking out in this hallway already, then....? Ah, her life is so hard. Woe is she.

She'll assuage the storm in her heart by looking at herself in this tinsel. The multifaceted reflection of her own visage can surely never fail to calm her down....

Don't mind her. Just standing outside the happenin' room, absorbed in the decorations. It's all good. ]

[ Wow! You look kind of cute, Mordred. So Minako is a-okay with greeting her, only smiling wider despite the other's confusion. ]

Nope, you're ex-act-ly at the right place! [ She makes a wide gesture with her arm at the room behind her. ] The meeting's going to be here! That's what you're here for, right?

[ Otherwise she wouldn't have mentioned "the wrong place". ]

And I'm the shinki here at the temple! I'm new, so that's why you might not have seen me before.

[Ginia arrives at Zelda's temple with Caster and Archer, but due to stopping to admire the decorations in the temple, she doesn't descend the same time as them. She blinks as Minako rushes over to greet her, smiling graciously as she pulls out her phone and types up a message, holding the screen out so Minako can read when she's done.]

Tea and cookies sound great, thank you.

[People want information? Get ready for information. With a laptop set up in front of her, Ginia stands, nodding at Archer and waiting for the signal back he's ready translate for her. She steadies herself with a breath and begins to sign, Archer's smooth voice relaying her words for the sake of everyone that doesn't know sign language.]

[Blighted City]
As most of us are aware, on October 30th, an area of blight was placed within a Tokyo suburb late in the evening, draining the life of anyone caught in the area. Because of the similarity to the energy drain experienced by those captured by cultists and the forest, as well as a previous incident in April, Archer and I decided to investigate the area as a possible connection. Through pulling up surveillance footage, we found the following.

[Ginia starts a video and turns the laptop around for people to see. The footage is of assorted quality and clarity depending on the camera, a mixture of angles too, but there is a clear through-line; a number of people with backpacks moving through the suburb well before the hour of the blighted area, faces obscured with sunglasses, scarves, and even parasols. They form up in a rough circle around the area, don dark robes from their backpacks, and unfortunately none of the footage has any sound or is otherwise drowned out by street noise, but they appear to be talking or chanting. After fifteen minutes, based on the time stamps, they disperse.]

For anyone that would like any of the video footage and photos we have, please speak to Archer afterward.

[Spell Tags/Straw Dolls]
Moving to the forest itself, Archer and I have researched the spell tags and straw dolls, with insight from Shun and Hakkai, thank you, and determined the following things.

[Ginia pulls up a picture of two intact spell tags side by side.]

The spell tags are being individually written instead of copied due to the slight differences in writing. While fatigue will gradually vary handwriting, it'll still remain constant. The differences are closer to different people copying the same script.

While most of the writing and symbol are unidentifiable, a few characters have been identified; "forest," "barrier," "connection," and "heaven" to be exact, but they do not form any identifiable sentences or phrases.

Of the straw dolls [here, Ginia changes to a collage of pictures showing a step-by-step dissection of a straw doll], we found a spell paper folded around a maple leaf tucked into the head or torso. We have not been able to translate the spell paper or find significant meaning behind the maple leaf.

[Cultist Activity]
Of the cultists themselves, we were able to identify an individual within the group and make contact with him. Mitsui Ryou, part of the sales and marketing department at Kubo Advertising Company. His involvement with the cult stretches to around a year or more with regulars at the bar he frequents noting a change in mood and hints about how "things will be turning around soon."

He believes the cult will bring about a new religion that will dethrone the old gods and put gods who care about everyone in Heaven. Archer and I are keeping continued surveillance on him and his apartment.

[Votelli]
[Ginia pulls up another set of pictures on the laptop, this time of a young girl who looks around twelve, with long, tangled black hair, a muddy face and bare feet, and a thin sundress.]

Finally, while investigating Chichibu National Park for clues relating to the cultist, Nia and I came upon an individual known as Votelli. She is a god and claims responsibility for manipulating the forest, though also takes orders from a human man she refers to as "Sensei." By her own words, she is around ten years old and has always been under the care of Sensei. She is not allowed to leave the forest or have other company, and does not seem to know anything about the cult beyond having seen them. I believe she is the rogue god the Heavens are searching for, but I do not think we should take action against her.

[Her hands stop as if she wants to say more, but instead she bows her head.]

Once more, if anyone would like the video and pictures shown for themselves, please speak to Archer.

[ At first Minako seems a little surprised when Ginia suddenly starts taking out her phone - she's half-wondering if she's somehow being aggressively ignored here, but that'd be weird after the other smiling at her like that. Her surprise quickly fades once she notices the words on the screen though, and her smile reappears once she reads them. Got it, that must just be how she communicates.

In fact, for not rightfully freaking out at the appearance of sudden disco reindeer Minako, she even almost seems to sparkle with joy. ] So polite..! Thank you!

[ She starts turning a little, gesturing at Ginia to follow her as she starts moving further into the main area. ]

Come along, come along! [ It's only halfway through her starting to walk already that she realises she should probably keep on looking at the other in case Ginia wants to say something, and so she quickly does so. ] I'm here to make sure everyone is comfortable, so just tell me if there's anything at all you need or want! I'm like.. like a magical wish-granting fairy!

[Zelda leans forward to get a better look at the images of this supposed "Votelli." Of all the things Ginia has mentioned, it's the girl goddess that peaks her interest the most.]

Ten years... That would put her around the same age as Amaterasu's current incarnation. One has to wonder if that is mere coincidence...

[Judging by Zelda's tone, she is firmly in the camp of it not being so. Not that she has any proof, unfortunately.]

[Minako's attire is certainly flashy, but it's not so unusual for the season and upcoming holiday. It's cheery and says a lot about the person wearing the outfit. It also says more Minako rolls with the phone message and Ginia is eternally grateful for that. She falls in step alongside her, long strides smooth and casual. Of all the people she's met so far over the last two months, Minako is certainly one of the most energetic and delightful.

Used to walking and typing, Ginia only needs to give her phone the quickest glances, thumb swiping along the screen. However, fully aware most people aren't used to reading and walking and stopping every few steps can be a pain, Ginia chances from text to audio. A text-to-speech program reads her message out loud in a digitized alto voice.]

That's very kind of you. I'm Ginia. Are you a friend of Zelda's?

[Ain is extremely conspicuous, and the edging vacuum of presence eventually catches the attention of Tribute Lanius, the bird turning in that direction. Shun had already noticed the marks of someone there, but now that he's actually facing that way too, he just observes the area and then sighs slightly.]

Hiding in someone else's temple is bad form. [Especially someone like Zelda. Shun doesn't sound terribly bothered by it, but he'd probably attack someone on principle for trying to conceal themselves in his.]

Uh, yeah that's right. Guess I got here early.

[ Looks like things haven't started yet. Well, at least it seems like she's in the right place. Mordred looks back to Minako with a smile.]

So you're the Princess's shinki, huh? I expected someone a lot more somber.

[ Given Zelda's very measured demeanor she didn't think her shinki would be so cheerful. Mordred reaches out to gently honk on Minako's nose. ]

But what's with the getup? Didn't think Zelda was into festive uniforms.

[With her larger presentation done, Ginia switches back to talking through her phone to free up Archer for his own discussions and business. Of the old gods, there are quite a few young-appearing gods. She waves at Caster to get his attention.]

You were looking into Amatersau's and Ebisu's appearances and ages, weren't you?

[Ginia sighs and waits expectantly. She has faith in Hibiki, maybe more than most people, but she also knows Hibiki has a flair for the dramatic. At a time like this, drama is perhaps less appreciated than progress.]

[ Caster meant to sit and listen in silence, because it's Archer and Ginia who done the most of the work regarding the whole investigation. So being suddenly called to speak up surprises him. ]

From what I gathered, when Amaterasu appeared to the new gods for the first time, at the early months of this year, she was already a child. I don't think that her age is entirely indicative on for how long she was in this form. In general, I wasn't able to find anyone who would be here for longer than a year and remembered her differently.

[ Which would mean the new gods either started appearing very recently, or they don't tend to stay for too long ]

Votelli is also shinkiless, that "sensei" of her forbids her from naming one, claiming she's not ready yet.

[ Yup, he met her too. Sensei sounds either like an overly strict parent or like a controlling bastard ]

This plastic - [ Hibiki reaches into the bag with tweezers to retrieve two of the objects inside of it. One is a creased piece of paper on which symbols like those from the forest's spell papers have been written. The other, which Hibiki then removes from the paper wrapped around it, is a tiny mask made of streaky-multicolored plastic. There are two holes for the eyes and a tiny crescent mark for the mouth. ] - was found within a charm distributed by the cult in question. Such material also littered a ritual scene at the burnt-out department store.

[ She replaces the proof with equal care. ] Other such samples can surely be obtained from the other [ "inconveniences" is the word she wants to use, but it's not portentous enough ] disturbances.

[ A sniff. The smirk of a detective who has fit All The Pieces Together - or, more likely, a criminal catching someone else at the same game. ] All of your proofs can be linked similarly, I'd say.

[ if you needed further evidence that hibiki herself had waited to come through the door until she felt like it

it is also being supplied ]

I have tried to search the Heavens' library for information regarding Lady Amaterasu's current incarnation and appearance, though I was not able to find anything particularly noteworthy on that front. It would not be difficult to imagine that any mention of the Queen of Heaven's death and rebirth would be hidden away or stricken from the Heavens' records entirely for the sake of purging a moment of weakness in her authority from memory.

... However, we know from experience that the death of a god can lead to disasters related to that god's domain in the Near Shore.

[And boy, was that a rough lesson to learn. If there's anybody in attendance that wasn't here for that, Zelda's not about to be the one to enlighten them on the details.]

Going off that, I attempted to search for records of disasters that occurred approximately around the time of her reincarnation. Admittedly, my research also went off the assumption that her current incarnation is as old as she appears to be, and none of this can be considered conclusive evidence in the slightest. I found reports of major earthquakes in the nation of Japan every year between the years of 2003 and 2005, with generally more than one happening at the same time. But what I found particularly noteworthy was a report of a partial solar eclipse in the year 2004. Again, I will admit this is all circumstantial at this point, but I would be loath to ignore the correlation given what little we do know.

The organization we are contending with now seems to be especially resentful towards Lady Amaterasu. My current suspicion is that this organization was responsible for her assassination, and perhaps after seeing that it did not stick, went back to the drawing board to create a new god to replace the old whenever they tried again. Votelli might very well be one of those new gods if Mitsui Ryou's words to myself and Archer are to be believed.

[We've done it already. He had said, and seemed convinced. The new gods only need our faith now.]

[The disasters happened before her arrival, but she's heard about them through Shun's history write-up and about the gods involved through Chikusa. Ginia's hand tightens around her phone, keeping her attention on Zelda as she continues and absolutely not glancing Caster's way.]

It's circumstantial, but it's worth considering. It's possible Ebisu and his shinki might also have insight; they certainly seem willing to engage more so than the other old gods.

I would also agree Votelli is most likely a new god being supported by the cult. Whether she is aware and obfuscating information or truly in the dark remains to be seen, but I am willing to give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm far more curious who her caretaker is and/or who runs the higher levels of the cult.

[ Text-to-speech? That's still a pretty novel concept to someone who comes from a slightly pre-digital time, but at least it doesn't massively surprise her. If anything, she seems a little fascinated, like she's realising just how convenient that is.

Besides, she can't answer that question with anything other than a big smile. ]

Yes! [ Minako considers them friends, anyway. They sleep in the same temple! They're going to have a pajama party someday! Friends! ]

I'm her shinki too, actually. [ Like that's a secondary thing to the friendship, but still important enough to mention. ] Brand new since a week or two ago! My name's Minako, nice to meet you.

[ She doesn't really seem offended in any way by the "a lot more somber" remark. For one since Minako doesn't even really want to be somber, and also just because she thinks she and Zelda fit together well enough anyway. Even the nose honk just keeps her smiling. ]

It's for Christmas, of course!

[ It's said with the sort of tone that means Minako can't imagine all of these people not understanding something as important as Christmas spirit. ]

That's why I decorated the temple too. I wanted to show her how much fun Christmas can be! And since the meeting just happened to be around the same time, now everyone can enjoy it.

[ The moment Yona had heard there was a meeting about the happenings in the forest and the investigations into them, she had made time to come, even if she wasn't very familiar yet with those hosting it. She had a personal interest in this, of course, having been one of the ones taken, and she sits and listens quietly to all the information that had been gathered by those looking into it.

Afterwards, she can be found sitting in the meeting room, lost deeply in thought, but she's more than happy enough to speaks with anyone who approaches her, although she does look deeply troubled by all of this. ]

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we'll take the world back from the heart-attacked

MEETING

MINGLE

grumpy bird ota

open to all who are brave enough

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ota ♔ plz don't permanently destroy her new regain (the goats are a-ok)

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OTA - Blighted city, spell tags/straw dolls, cultist activity, Votelli

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votelli;

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III.The World Is Not Enough to handle Hibiki

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pri another day

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Yona | OTA