November Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: February 21st, 2017
Where: Outside the Meeting Hall, the Far Shore
Summary: Training and informational sessions for newly arrived gods and shinki



Gods and shinki arriving at heaven's meeting hall are brought into small one-on-one meeting rooms as they appear, with a white-robed shinki offering them an explanation of their current role, the name of the god they will represent or the god they will serve, and directions to the temple that will be their new home.

They are cordially invited to a training session beginning in early afternoon, after they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.



Morning/On the Road

New gods and shinki are being packed off to their new temples for the morning to settle in and meet their partners -- this is also a good time to visit with new neighbors or explore the area! What does your new temple look like? Are you headed straight there, or taking the scenic route to get a better sense of your new surroundings? The Western District is still scarred from the aftereffects of a recent volcanic eruption and earthquake, with fissures in some of the roads and burn scars in the wild landscape. The volcanic ash, though, seems to be serving as fertilizer for vast swaths of unfamiliar and colorful wildflowers that line the roads despite the fact that the weather is late-February chilly.

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice their physical or magical arts. Outside, there are two impromptu target practice areas: one is for long-range weapons, with targets set up against hay bales at the other side of a wide, grassy area and a line drawn for the weapons' wielders to stand behind. The other is for borderlines, and a number of young children wearing short coats marked with Amaterasu's golden chrysanthemum on white are dashing around practicing their own borderlines against scary paper masks tied onto bushes or other haybales. The game seems to require a cutting borderline that will cut the mask without damaging the gardeners' hard work on the bushes.

Inside the dojo, there's room for several pairs to spar, and weapons are set up all along one wall, everything from polearms to rifles, chakrams to broadswords. They're all meant for practice, with edges dulled or padded to avoid any accidental deaths, but sparring partners will still have to be careful to avoid injury. Although there are many fewer white-robed shinki here than usual, except for the children, there is one adult shinki keeping an eye on things inside the dojo and one keeping an eye on things in the yard. They are willing to answer questions, help with borderlines or teach shinki new spells on request. Comment to the NPC REQUEST form to request a thread with one of them or if you have questions about handwaving an interaction.

Physical Training

The last vestiges of winter have melted away from most of the Heavens, but one section of the Meeting Hall grounds appears not to have gotten the message. Snow is piled waist or even shoulder high, the trees and bushes show no sign of fresh leaves, and an ornamental pool is frozen as hard as a rock, with the drifting shadows of koi barely visible under the thick ice. It's the perfect opportunity to play in the snow, and many of the shinki children are already taking advantage of it, sliding on the ice or throwing snowballs.

For those who brave the heavy snow, they may discover an an old woman in the center of the frozen area. She's wearing heavy white makeup and a straw coat, and humming cheerfully as she pounds rice into mochi. Anyone who finds her will be offered freshly made mochi and a cup of warm sake to fortify them for the snowball fights!

Rest and Refreshments

Gods and shinki who are finished with their training can step into a large room in the Meeting Hall that has been set up with comfortable cushions and low tables. Tea, liquor and a wide variety of savory dishes are available, with the drinks already set out on the tables and the savory dishes set up in chafing dishes on a buffet table along one wall. Guests can help themselves, settle in, chat, and make new friends. There's even a dessert table, well-stocked with plenty of chocolate, most of which seems to be mysteriously heart-shaped.

After eating, there are a variety of board and card games available for guests to play. From classic games like shogi, go and mahjong to more modern ones like Trivial Pursuit or Pictionary -- or Cards Against Humanity -- there's something for everyone.

In Summary:

• Get all the information you can handle
• Veteran new gods and shinki are welcome to volunteer showing the ropes
• Practice sparring or shinki magic
• Enjoy a buffet dinner and party games
• Have fun~

Comments

rnr

[kokuyoyo]

[Frankly, Chikusa was just looking for the nearest table which would require the least amount of movement but, hey, this works too. It's not as if he's going to be picky when he's this tired. So, with only the faintest acknowledgment in a nod, he immediately flops down besides her with his own plate piled high with whatever food he could pick up onto it.]

[He's not eating dinner tonight at Hakkai's. Just... in case he still has to do dishes.]

[Yet even as he picks at some sort of roll, he eyes her up and down.]

...You're new.

[holygrailed]

[With ridiculously long white hair, pale skin, and red eyes, Irisviel is one of the more distinctive new arrivals. She smiles and nods at his assessment, taking another sip of tea.]

That is correct. My name is Irisviel von Einzbern.

[kokuyoyo]

[Definitely distinctive... but, after being friends with Davesprite, Chikusa has found that it takes a lot to really catch his attention on the looks front. A lot of people end up paling in comparison to a teenager who's all orange, winged, sort of Casper ghostly from the waist down, and has a sword that's sticking out of the middle of his torso.]

[It's nothing against anyone else. That's just how Davesprite is.]

[No, it's more her newness that's interesting than her appearance, and Chikusa takes in that mouthful of a name.]

...So Iri.

[Chikusa, no, don't shorten people's names without permission.]

God?

[holygrailed]

[Iri was once what her husband called her, but with all memories of him gone, it's simply a sudden shortening of her name. Irisviel hums and turns the nickname over but smiling and accepting it. It's cute and much easier to say.]

I'm a shinki. I'm serving Berserker, the god Balor.

[kokuyoyo]

Oh.

Then you've probably gotten a useless day of this...

[Sure, it's not something like a sudden surge of vicious undead being unleashed upon an unsuspecting Near Shore, but, still. Chikusa isn't impressed from what little he saw of the 'training' when he came in trailing in the end.]

[holygrailed]

I've been told the training sessions are usually a little different.

[Even without talking to the shinki and gods that have been around longer, the few harried adults and the greater spread of children seems usual.]

[kokuyoyo]

They're usually more organized... and there are god lessons people can sneak into if they're not stupid about it.

[People who have absolutely snuck into meetings that are technically supposed to be Only For Gods: this fucker. It's become much easier since he's learned Umbra.]

Like this... I wonder if you'll last...

[holygrailed]

[Sneaking in to a meeting is less Irisviel's style, but it's good to know such meetings usually exist and that it's possible to get in with care. She'll have to let Berserker know about them.

At his cryptic statement, Irisviel turns her head.]

Oh? You make it sound so dire. Is it truly so dangerous that even one disorganized meeting is the end for the new arrivals?

[kokuyoyo]

I arrived and was immediately shoved to a festival, where a parade of violent animated corpses snuck in and attacked everyone.

[And with that, he shoves food into his mouth.]

[Never forget Zombie Parade.]

[holygrailed]

[Well now. Irisviel looks around at everyone gathered and eating.]

Well. A good thing we haven't been taken to a festival and everyone here is as alive as they can be while dead. Did the training that day prepare you for the challenge?

[kokuyoyo]

...Weren't you listening?

[He's glad he managed to get something to drink, or else he'd probably choke... After a sip, Chikusa eyes her from the side.]

I said 'immediately'. There was no training... or any explanation besides what my god gave me with what he knew.

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel acknowledges her mistake with a small hum and picks at a piece of chocolate.]

I'm sorry. That must have been very difficult on the first day. Were many people injured that day?

[Her hands lace together as she considers her current state. She can cast a borderline now, but running around in the snow left her easily winded, and she hasn't tried fighting yet.]

[kokuyoyo]

I imagine so... although it's not like I kept track.

[That day had truly been a busy one for him... With Axel having wanted to take things out on his own, Chikusa had been left running around, flitting from place to place, doing what meager things he could. If he hadn't learned a borderline at the last second to take down one of the larger possessed items...]

It was troublesome, having enemies that had to be dismantled like that...

[holygrailed]

Have they returned since then? Are there other threats to be aware of besides ayakashi?

[Or other gods and shinki. She's been warned, but even that warning was less a formal declaration and more a general note of caution. Her finger draws idle sigils on the table, meaningless without intent but words of defense all the same.]

[kokuyoyo]

Not yet...

[Which is almost suspicious in its own right, in his opinion. The corpses had been highly effective tools, more effective than using ayakashi or gods or anything else. An overwhelming mass of them, creatures that didn't stop until completely dismembered or burned to ash...]

[Was it because the supplies were limited? The magic was too complex? Was any kind of failure deemed an absolute?]

[It feels like he might never know, and that is annoying on its own.]

Anyway... You'll hear about them plenty enough from other people... including Amaterasu's lot... but that cult is being a pain...

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel is beginning to pick up Chikusa isn't the kind of person that says much. There's enough to seize upon though and she accepts the conversation may well be breadcrumbs of questions and answers.]

What cult? And are there problems with Amaterasu's people?

[kokuyoyo]

Amaterasu's people's problem is that they're idiots.

[Chikusa, no.]

[...Although he feels perfectly justified in saying this. After all, isn't it their fault that Sotero disappeared like that...? Stupid loud recklessness.]

Anyway... There's someone leaving cursed charms around shrines... and setting Amaterasu's temple on fire... and trying to apparently bring about new gods to replace the current ones.

Which I wouldn't care about if they weren't targeting us as much as Amaterasu's lot...

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel's hands still and fold together. The news is concerning, though she handles it with grace. Dangers within, dangers from the outside. If that's the case, it's then her duty to protect Berserker and Avenger the best to her ability.]

Bringing about new gods. Not those who arrived today, but others?

[kokuyoyo]

Mm. One who kidnapped people of the Far Shore for some sort of ritual.... and another one that set off a volcano.

[In other words, not ones that are harmless. Which is definitely annoying. If it has anything to do with new gods and shinki, well, he has no idea. There's nothing solid for it yet.]

[holygrailed]

That does explain how things look in the Western District.

[It looks better now after the weeks of work and effort, but the damage from the eruption is still very clear.]

Is the cult the reason things are so sparse today?

[kokuyoyo]

Who knows.

[Tipping his head back, Chikusa takes a drink and maintains eye contact with her.]

Heaven thinks they're better than all of us. So... they won't let us in on anything, even though we're the ones usually affected the most...

[holygrailed]

Then what is known is all experienced or discovered?

How much information is shared back with Heaven?

[kokuyoyo]

That's right... and I guess anyone can tell whatever they want to Heaven.

[Chikusa sure as hell hasn't, but he knows that plenty of other people aren't as against authority as he is, despite Heaven's many attempts to prove people it's useless.]

[holygrailed]

[Anyone can, but do they? A handful of opinions doesn't paint a picture of the full view of the community, but the strongest have pointed toward reliance on each other versus Heaven.]

Thank you for the information.

[She smiles at him.]

May I have your name?

[kokuyoyo]

[...Well, it's not as if he's apparently an unknown in Heaven anyway, considering even Shun is directing people to him as knowledgeable about spells. Chikusa takes another bite of his food before bothering to answer.]

Kakimoto Chikusa. [It's habit to introduce himself the Japanese way. And...] Exemplar to Cho Hakkai, Lie Tieguai.