godsoffortune: (Default)
The Far Shore Mods ([personal profile] godsoffortune) wrote in [community profile] thenearshore2018-08-17 02:23 am

August Training

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: January 6th, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore / the Ryukyu Islands
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are, should they allow it, guided to the rear of the Meeting Hall, where a traditionally styled dojo and training ground have been made available for the day. The gods and shinki are free to take their time during this day to learn about the details of their new life from Amaterasu's shinki or from more experienced god and shinki volunteers.




Meeting Hall


God Training

    Newly arrived gods are escorted into a small meeting room, with tatami floors and a stage at the front of the room where the speaker stands. A minor deity is giving the speech, and none of the white-robed shinki enter. Paper and pens are provided to all the attendees as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given.

    The speaker delivers her welcome speech in the monotone of someone who's practiced it far too often. Hopefully no one's feeling sleepy! She adds that gods should be cautious of anyone on the Near Shore who might ask to use their shrines to visit the Heavens, and should instruct their shinki to be cautious as well. There is an unrecognized god who the Heavens believe to be attacking them. Newly arrived gods are encouraged to discuss the information with each other and ask questions of more experienced gods, as well as instructed to guide their new shinki appropriately. They are allowed to remain in the room as long as they wish, should they want to discuss questions with each other or with more experienced gods who are here to help out.


Shinki Training

    Various shinki in the white-and-gold of Amaterasu's hosuehold are stationed around the dojo, passing out informational pamphlets that have been freshly printed. They will be happy to answer any questions or instruct the newcomers in the use of the borderline. They also accompany their answers, or lessons, with an explanation of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods. Shinki are encouraged to work together to practice what they've learned and discuss their perspectives. Each of the shinki is wearing a brightly-colored sticky name tag reading HELLO, MY NAME IS ________, and all of their names appear to end with the syllable "mei."

    A variety of weapons are available in the dojo for shinki and their gods to practice with, and a row of straw targets are set up along one wall. Outside, in an area carefully roped off with red ribbons, are six animated training dummies, also made of straw and dressed in plain cotton jackets and trousers. They will immediately engage anyone who enters the area marked with the ribbon, but will not pursue opponents outside it. A white-robed shinki nearby keeps a sharp eye on the animated dummies, and will intervene if anyone tries to destroy one. The white-robed shinki appears to be a particular expert in magic, and will occasionally offer to help out anyone who's practicing a spell more challenging than the Borderline, especially if they look quite lost. His nametag reads HELLO, MY NAME IS SABIMEI. (To interact with Sabimei, please comment on the "NPC REQUEST" thread below! If you prefer, you may also handwave his assistance or advice with your character learning spells.)


Physical Training

    Two of the white-robed shinki, whose nametags mark them as Toumei and Kimei, are standing off to one side of the training area near a pair of large, curtained tents. They each have an enormous wicker basket full of clean, folded beach towels, and a rack of what appear to be wetsuits and swimsuits in a variety of styles and sizes. Once suited and toweled, new and veteran residents of the Heavens alike will be handed a pretty white-and-gold cockade that can be pinned to their suit or tied around their wrist by its ribbons, and either Toumei or Kimei will escort them to a beautiful, but rocky, Near Shore beach. Tropical plants, palm trees and high grasses surround the area, and although the sounds of cars are audible from a road not too far away, the only sign of human presence on this beach is an ancient, rotting fishing boat pulled up well past the high tide mark.

    It's quite chilly, with a brisk sea breeze, but there's room to run up and down the beach, a net set up for beach volleyball, younger shinki building sand castles, and showers for the brave souls who venture into the water. The surf is impressive today, so swimmers will get the chance for some serious exercise. There's also the chance to climb through the wreck of the old fishing boat; inside, piles of old seaweed and drifting sand host curious crabs, and a curious explorer could even find treasure... although nothing more valuable than large seashells, old one-yen or five-yen coins, and bits of weathered sea glass.


Rest and Refreshments

    When sunset comes -- early, at this time of year -- the shinki bring giant picnic-sized bento boxes with five or seven layers of carefully packed foods, and pile wood for bonfires that leap with flames edged blue-green from the salt. The bento boxes contain a wide variety of traditional foods, many in the style of traditional New Year's dishes: sweet potato and chestnut, slivered carrot and burdock, whole fish, toasted mochi, sliced lotus root and more. A fireworks display starts over the ocean once full night falls, fountains and bursts in every color imaginable, some so ornate that it's hard to believe they're not helped along by a touch of magic. The display lasts half an hour.

    After the last fireworks, the shinki will guide everyone back to the Meeting Hall to return to their homes. The wind is getting chillier, and gods or shinki who stay too much past the firework display will notice the tiny, creeping forms of glowing ayakashi no larger than a fist, looking like little jellyfish on land. They don't seem hostile; instead, they're fixated on the boat, and will climb on it and settle onto the rigging and wood of the boat, chirping quietly to themselves and snuggling in so that the whole boat seems to glow with an unearthly blue-white light. They can be fought and defeated, but if attacked, will fight back: and be careful! Those jellyfish tentacles spread blight instead of stinging, and they're longer than they look.




In Summary:
  • Get all the information you can handle
  • Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
  • Get in some training at a beach (isn't it winter?!)
  • Relax and watch the fireworks
  • Have fun~
mithrarin: (dust to dust)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-19 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[No. Maria definitely wouldn't take the joke this far if she ever made it in the first place.]

[Dust needs every last scrap of willpower he has to betray nothing, make no reaction, offer no clue that this is wrong. Because if he does, that could cause her harm. So he locks everything away with all the mental force he has to muster, and if an unnatural stillness briefly passes over him -- well, he can't react any less than that. He just can't.]


Just... remembering how it was, my first month or two.

[And if his voice is soft and intense, well, he's like that anyway, right?]

Your body will remember what it's used to. You're seeing that now. The rest... isn't too complicated.

Sorry. I should introduce myself. I'm Dust.
declamando: (compliment)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-20 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[That response strikes Maria as somewhat unconvincing, but at the same time, she doesn't know this person. It's not really her business to pry into the matters of others if they want to keep them personal, and she has enough of her own worries right now.

So she shrugs a little and smiles, seemingly fairly at ease and in control despite the situation.]
Maria Cadenzavna Eve. And I'm starting to guess that it's not so complicated - it seems like the biggest problem is working through everything to figure out what it is you can and can't do. It'll be a little annoying, but I'm guessing time isn't something we have a shortage of here.

[No reason to be complacent, but it does mean she should be able to thoroughly investigate the possibilities.]
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-20 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hey, he isn't lying. He is thinking of that first rough period... and a friend who helped him through it.]

[Time for him to return the favor, it seems. Not that he ever wanted to repay the debt that way, but... He closes his eyes tight, since she can't see that, and when he opens them he thinks he has the strength for this.]


Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about it. You'll find out more things, over and over, as you go through here. Things you instinctively know because you remember language and terms, and things you don't know because you don't know the terms for them. Things you can do that pop up where you never expect, out of nowhere. At the same time, you'll be developing new skills, too, like Borderlines. And you're entirely right that you have a lot of time.
declamando: (accepting)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-21 05:50 am (UTC)(link)
Well, that's a useful start, then. [At least she doesn't have to fuss over the complete basics, just figure out what it is she can do beyond that. Hopefully she'll have chances to do that outside of just this as well.]

I wanted to get my other physical abilities pinned down before I started training in the borderline myself, but I suppose I'll see how things go today. I definitely don't want to leave it for too long.

[It seems like something that would be quite important for any shinki to have at their disposal, so she's not inclined to leave it until she's forced to learn it. At the same time, she also wants a fairly complete image of her capabilities.]
mithrarin: (frown)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-21 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't blame you for that. [He feels the same way to begin with, and... well, he wonders how much subconscious impression Maria's time as a god has left on her. If any at all. This -- this isn't something he wanted to think about, let alone have the chance to find answers to...] I tend to forget I can use them, myself, but actually Borderlines are much more effective against ayakashi than anything else we can do.

[Wait. Damn it.]

You heard about ayakashi, right?

[At least if he makes assumptions about what she knows, it only sounds like he's forgotten how many things there are to learn...]
declamando: (bitterness)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-23 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
Of course. I read the leaflet they gave out. [She gestures to her folded-up coat - the corner of the pamphlet is just visible sticking out of an inner pocket.] I haven't seen any yet, but I'm sure they won't be hard to figure out when I do.

[She feels like she shouldn't have any trouble identifying that sort of thing, for one reason or another. There's a certain confidence there that she's not going to question too much.]

You can only actually defeat them alongside your god, right? But if a borderline can keep them away from people in the meantime then that's just as important, strategically speaking.
mithrarin: (look away)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-23 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[That offers no solid clue, though if he had to guess he'd lean on the side of her not remembering anything subconsciously. That's for the best... it'll keep her from any awkward questions or troubles that shinki shouldn't touch.]

[...though on the other hand, she hadn't found his appearance strange. Should he read anything into that or not?]


Right. Sometimes you can hurt an ayakashi bad enough to drive it away, but that's never a guarantee. Also, you can still use Borderlines in your vessel form, which makes them all the more versatile. But I know it's a lot to learn and get up to speed with right away.
declamando: (what now)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-24 10:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Maria considers his words - she's not sure when she might need to use it in her vessel form, or when her vessel form might need to be used at all, so it's useful to know.]

Are there any other things that can hurt ayakashi? Or is it just borderlines or a god and shinki working together? [She got that much out of the pamphlet, at least, but if there's anything she should be looking into in the interim, it could help cover her.]

I'm sure I'll figure it out before too long, even if the first day is a bit overwhelming.
mithrarin: (look away)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-24 05:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Any normal thing will hurt them. Just not anywhere as much as Borderlines. I've held off a couple just with my sword and a lot of persistence. [Borderlins might have been easier, but... Dust just forgets them. He's the Sen-Mithrarin, not the Shinki-Mithrarin.] But only a god and a shinki working together can destroy them.

...That isn't precisely true, but the other situation is so niche I don't want to overwhelm you. I'll tell you more about it later when you're settled in and can understand the terms a little better, I promise.
declamando: (accepting)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-25 10:49 am (UTC)(link)
That's a little bit easier, then... [Maria's tone is somewhat thoughtful. Even if they can't be touched, surely it shouldn't be too hard to use a weapon to hold them off, if it turns out she's reasonably proficient in something other than just hand-to-hand.]

I suppose it's probably better to focus on the obvious for right now, though I'll expect you to keep to that promise. It sounds like a borderline is certainly the best option for defense anyway.

[A physical shield isn't anything like as practical.]
mithrarin: (frown)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-25 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I'll keep my promise to you. [That's one of those things Dust says with even more quiet intensity than normal. But he tends to sound like that, so he figures Maria won't think anything special of it. (Forgetting, of course, that Maria doesn't remember him enough to know he tends to sound like that.)]

Borderlines have the advantage of not needing physical strength. They rely on your willpower and focus. Most ayakashi won't be able to break that, even for your average shinki. But physical defense works too. So long as the ayakashi don't touch your skin, they don't blight you.
declamando: (rallying)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-26 12:49 pm (UTC)(link)
So basically, don't fistfight them and it should be fine. [Maria sounds faintly amused by that, though it does present the issue that she's going to need to figure out what else she's proficient at quite quickly. Then again, it's not like there's any shortage of weapons here to test.]

Hopefully I won't have too much trouble with them, then. I haven't had any reason to test my willpower and focus yet, but I wouldn't think I'm particularly weak in them either.

[Or more like she hopes she wouldn't be. She has no reason to doubt herself yet, after all.]
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-27 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
You can fistfight them. Wear gloves that cover your hands completely. Make sure they're tough so they don't tear.

[As opposed to Dust, who keeps everything BUT his hands covered, because he needs the more reliable grip on his sword that you just can't get through a layer.]

I don't think you lack in anything. You -- you seem pretty disciplined and capable, you didn't get those skills of yours without practice and hard work, which take willpower and focus.
declamando: (amused)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-27 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
Well, yes, but that might be a bit impractical. [Taking gloves everywhere on the off chance she might need to fight an ayakashi is overall not as useful an idea as simply taking a weapon everywhere for the same purpose.

His particular reaction to her statement has her looking faintly amused, though.]
You sound quite sure of that. But I suppose we'll see before too long, won't we? Once I get myself figured out a little more.
mithrarin: (frown)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-27 02:14 pm (UTC)(link)
Call it a hunch. I'm used to fighting, so I pick up on these things. [Which is true even if it has nothing to do with why he thinks those things of Maria.] But I hope we have the luxury. Things have been much too quiet, lately...
declamando: (bitterness)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-28 07:08 am (UTC)(link)
Is it usually not so quiet? [Maria's definitely frowning a little at that. She doesn't like the idea that things might be risky for the others here more often than not.] Could you tell me a little more about what's been going on recently?
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-28 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[Dust lets out a soft laugh.] For a while, it seemed like everywhere we went, ayakashi appeared. But since we dropped a whole lot of them when they made a major attack on the Near Shore, they haven't really showed up in numbers that I know of. I think that'll pick up again in time, but for now... Well, you can take the opportunity to get settled.
declamando: (deep thought)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-29 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
Well, I suppose that part is a good sign. [It's not as much information as she would have liked, but it still does give her a vague idea that things have been going on.] Are there major incidents like that very often, or are they more of a rarity?
mithrarin: (outstretched hand)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-29 03:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Not that big. Not that bad. That was -- something else entirely, in as long as I've been here. [Even Kaede had gotten involved, which... well, Dust couldn't say if that had ever happened before. He'd never seen one of the old gods or shinki step forward to make an effort like that.]

But there are always ayakashi, if you look for them.
declamando: (huh)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-30 05:38 am (UTC)(link)
[She supposes that's reassuring in some way, though it does beg the question of if there's now a precedent for incidents of that size, whether there'll be more of them in future.]

So mostly it's a matter of just keeping vigilant about what's around normally rather than waiting for large-scale attacks. I'll try to keep that part in mind.
mithrarin: (look away)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-30 03:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Right. You'll see some incidentally just as you go through your daily business, or chase some down when you answer prayers. But for the most part, fighting won't be an everyday thing.

You should handle that just fine though. [Enough people here will be her friend once again, or never consider themselves to have stopped, that she'll be welcomed and happy here. As much as anyone can be.]
declamando: (Default)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-08-31 07:46 am (UTC)(link)
That's good to hear, at least. [For some reason, the idea that fighting isn't going to be an everyday occurrence feels like a considerable weight off her shoulders. It's not something she feels she should be thinking too hard about, though.]

It's more information to work with than I had before, so thank you.
mithrarin: (look away)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-08-31 02:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[As glad as he is to help Maria, this isn't how he'd want to do it. He can't really accept the thanks, but he can hope that she can adapt quickly and effectively.]

There's... a lot to take in. But you have the time to do it. Between me and others and your god, you should get all the most critical stuff today. The rest will come through when it needs to.
declamando: (accepting)

[personal profile] declamando 2018-09-01 11:36 am (UTC)(link)
I've already learnt a lot today, so you're right about that. It might take me a while to really think about it all, but I'd rather know it in advance then be surprised by it later.

[Things like disappearances, attitudes towards nora, shinki roles and powers...it's a considerable amount to take in, even if Maria can't quite describe it as overwhelming. The abundant strangeness is comfortable in some way.]
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2018-09-01 03:53 pm (UTC)(link)
It's going to happen. [Rueful but amused acknowledgment that even he, for all his desire and urgent need to help, can't tell her everything.] Just because there's so much to think of, some of it won't come up till it needs to. That's... not an easy thing to handle sometimes.

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