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

[R&R]

[holygrailed]

[With waist-length snow white hair, pale skin, and red eyes, Irisviel pauses when she sees someone else with similar features. She smiles warmly at him and inclines her head toward him. There's a light urge to want to know if they're perhaps related, but the slight thought throws up a deep feeling of dread.]

Yes, it is. It makes for a very exciting first day.

[vaporlike]

[If the same writer created you, are you siblings?

This seems like an opportunity he shouldn't pass up, so Lin Xue Ya gestures for her to sit down. Even if it's just for a brief conversation, there's much to be gained from getting to know all of his fellow new arrivals as best he can. Or at least the ones who most catch his attention. He's a busy man, after all.]

Has it been very exciting for you as well? I feel as if there's so much to do that I'll never be finished.

[holygrailed]

[The last thing Lin Xue Ya needs is the Holy Grail.]

[Irisviel happily sits across from him, setting the small plate of food and cup of tea on the table.]

I've already met so many interesting people today. The walk through the districts was quite nice too. The landscapes are quite lovely, even in the Western District.

[vaporlike]

I must admit that I was far more interested in the people than I was in the landscape.

[He saw enough to know that it's going to take some work to understand and remember the geography of this place, especially if it's true that temples appear and disappear as needed, but it seems that he'll have plenty of time to figure it all out.]

It's not often you have the opportunity to meet people from so many different places. Or least that's been the case in my own life.

[holygrailed]

Everyone here has been kind so far. It's very nice.

[Not to say the place is perfect and that getting pulled here is right, but she takes it in stride, accepting her current situation. It's a chance to do good, to help people, to make the world better. Ironic then considering her assignment of god.]

Are you a god?

[vaporlike]

So it appears. An unexpected promotion, to be sure.

[That's about as modest as he'll be about it.]

And you?

[He can hazard a guess, but he'd much rather ask questions and see what sort of answers he gets.]

[holygrailed]

I'm a shinki to Berserker. My name is Irisviel von Einzbern.

[A slight bow of her head accompanies her words.]

[vaporlike]

Pleased to meet you, Irisviel.

[But that raises the question of how to introduce himself. His name doesn't carry the same infamy here, but there seems to be a bit attached to the god he's meant to represent. It would be a little silly to hide both, so perhaps he should use one or the other as it suits his purposes.]

I am Lin Xue Ya.

[He doesn't quite bow, but he at least inclines his head enough that it could be mistaken for one.]

And I must admit I'm a little curious about your god. Is that a given name or the name of the god this place assigned them to represent?

[holygrailed]

Pleased to meet you as well.

[Irisviel sips her tea, a small frown forming. Alas, it's already cooled more than she would like.]

He is here as the god Balor. Berserker is the name he has given me.

[She knows of a third name for him, but that one feels too personal to give. He is Balor, he is Berserker, any other names can only be his to give as he wishes.]

[vaporlike]

I see.

[The name that he's given her? That indicates there must be another one. Very interesting.]

I wondered myself what name to give, but it seems I'm far less cautious than the god you serve! Or perhaps rather than caution, he wishes to be intimidating?

[Though he certainly knows quite a few people who have names that clearly define them. Those names are far more elegantly phrased, however.]

[holygrailed]

[Less cautious or more honest? Berserker is Berserker, Irisviel does not question why he wishes to go as such.]

Perhaps, though I have seen nothing but calm from him. Is there a name you would prefer to go by?

[vaporlike]

No, it's just that there are so many to choose from!

[And he'll leave it at that.]

So I simply gave the one I've had the longest.

[holygrailed]

Oh my, does someone need so many names? It seems it would be awfully confusing.

[But that's perhaps the point. She only has the one name--ah, no, that's not right. Irisviel looks at the kanji stamped plainly on the back of her right hand. There's another name now.]

And now you have one more to the list as you're a god.

[vaporlike]

More than one, I'm sure! I'm sure no one really needs more than one name, but there are those of us who acquire them despite that, gods especially so.

[He would imagine Loki has quite a few, which he's going to have to learn as soon as he can.]

But for now, "Lin Xue Ya" is all I'll expect anyone to remember.

[holygrailed]

I'll be sure to remember that.

[Despite how cold her tea is, Irisviel finishes it and sets the cup aside, dailty dabbing her mouth with a napkin.]

Have you met any interesting people? Do you have a shinki?

[vaporlike]

I've met quite a few! Though with so many people assembled together, I haven't had much time to get to know them very well.

[And he's spent quite a bit of his time observing people from afar. He sees no reason to rush things, considering there's quite a bit of business he needs to take care of before he can get to work doing what he does best. If he even chooses to take the same path. After all, he's never been a god before.]

The same goes for my shinki, I suppose. As I understand it, if there aren't enough shinki like yourself available to be assigned to gods, there are substitutes that are offered instead. That's the situation I've found myself in, unfortunately. The young lady they placed with me seems pleasant enough, but I have little else to say about her.

[And though he won't admit it, he actually prefers it this way.]

[holygrailed]

Oh, I heard from someone else there were a different kind of shinki. Soulless, was the word I believe.

[It's a strange distinction to consider, soulless versus souled. It's a way to ensure a god is not without a shinki, but strange it happens in the first place. Especially when according to Ebisu, gods were never assigned shinki but named their own from wandering souls.]

I wonder what causes the difference?

[vaporlike]

I would assume they're magical constructs of some sort, considering "soulless" is a very strange name to call something that is essentially only a soul in the first place.

[Considering how unusual the whole concept seems, there must be someone who's looked into the whole situation. Though considering how things seem to be run here, it might be difficult to find that person and find out what they know.]

I'd be quite interested to know more about the process that goes into making them.

[holygrailed]

[Made. With memories, the idea of magical constructs would resonate more. Instead, it's more a curious idea.]

Perhaps the older gods have an idea? I met one of them earlier, Ebisu. He knew a lot and was willing to share information.

[Sorry, Ebisu.]

[vaporlike]

Is that so? Perhaps I shall have to see what they have to say...

[He rarely takes the direct approach, so he actually has little intention of actually asking, but it's something to keep in mind.]

But now really isn't the time for that sort of thing. It's not really talk for a banquet.

[holygrailed]

I am afraid I'll have to defer the next topic to you then. I have no memories of banquets or the etiquette associated with them, nor do I have many opinions with memories so new.

[Though not all is forgotten; simply buried deep down. Save for the soulless shinki, no one is truly a blank slate.]

[vaporlike]

No opinions? My, what a terrible thought! What can a person be without their opinions?

[It's a little bit of a cruel thing to say, but it's not like that has ever stopped him before if he thinks something he wants to put out there is particularly insightful by his own standards.]

[holygrailed]

I said I don't have many opinions, not no opinions. For example, the food is very good Yet what am I comparing the food too when I can't remember eating prior? Is the food good because this is my first experience or do I have a forgotten baseline already?