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

[frenchfried]

I've been searching for the one they call Balor. Are you he? [ speaking so formally was a stretch for her. she owed it to herself to remain reserved and not form any immediate impressions, but it's difficult for her as he is considerably more imposing when he's actually standing upright.

Avenger finds herself angling her head back a bit, annoyance briefly flickering across her features. someone could have warned her about that part. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ There's no preparing for such a spiky individual, really. Berserker merely nodded in response to the question. ]

I am Berserker, acting as Balor. [ A pause as he considered the woman before him. ] You must be my other shinki.

[ The implication that he had another that he'd already met and named. ]

If that's the case, come back to the temple with me.

[frenchfried]

I am. [ she confirms, with a little bit of surprise. Avenger isn't keen on the concept of teamwork, at her core, but it will just be another thing she will try to wrap her head around in the grand scheme of things. a grand scheme she doesn't have much of an opinion on one way or another.

still, Avenger won't get anywhere being obstinate right out of the gate. he looks like a strong individual, and speaks clearly. she can respect the no-nonsense way of doing things. she straightens up and takes a step back to give him room to show which direction they would be going. ]

Lead the way.

[ is she rude for not making a proper introduction right away? probably. but she's also thinking on the meaning of his name(s) and why the concept of one doesn't at all strike her as odd. there was "Ruler" after all... ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

Berserker wasn't bothered by rudeness or the perception thereof. If that's how she chooses to act, so be it -- it had no bearing on her value to him as a tool. He knew in his heart he could teleport to his temple, but it's a short walk and found it better to lead his shinki there.

What should I call you for now?

[ Until she's named, was the implication.

Giant's Grave came into view, disturbingly barren compared to the life around the area. Any plant life was dead and there were no animals on the grounds. ]

[frenchfried]

[ now that Avenger has made herself known to a few others, she was feeling more comfortable in her conscious decision to go by that name. though there was again that vague feeling of common ground between her and Berserker, it was something she had felt several times before and, by this point, could be just as common as a feeling of deja vu. like running into someone who smelled of the same sodden soil, the same fresh stream, the same dried blood.

in truth, she doesn't know him from Adam. ]

Call me Avenger. [ there is the briefest bit surprise as she critically examined the outside of the temple and its grounds. Avenger didn't really care if the place was lived-in or lifeless, but right now she could really go for some meager shelter from the cold. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

Avenger.

[ Berserker gave a nod of acknowledgement as he led her into the temple. While the interior was older, it was nicer than the exterior. And it was warm and oddly welcoming.

The entrance way was good enough, enough space for whatever her vessel form may be. He turned to Avenger and, without ceremony or pause, began the naming ritual. ]

My name is Balor. Grasping thy true name, I bind thee here. With borrowed name, I dub thee my servant. The name answers, the vessel to sound. I call thee as my divine instrument. The name, Ku. The vessel, Kai. Come, Kaiki!

[frenchfried]

[ she didn't have much time to look over the interior as Berserker started the ritual. Avenger had no idea what it would call for but there's something that both irks her and tugs at the inside of her mind at being referred to as a "servant". ]

Can't you call me something more like your knight, or sq-uwhat? [ as she could not interrupt the incantation, it chose instead to interrupt her by dissolving her physical form (and her weapons, thankfully) entirely and reforming her right in Berserker's grasp. it was unsettling, to say the least, with the way her awareness of herself narrowed into such a relatively small mass, yet her senses expanded to the entirety of the space around her.

when the dust has figuratively settled - or literally, in the case of the way this place looked unkempt - and the flag affixed to her lance-like standard unfurled in its full, dark glory, Avenger's voice resounded within her own consciousness and her God's all at once. ]

You could have warned me it would be like that!

[curruid_coinchenn]

[ A battle standard. At least her vessel form was less ... revealing than Irisviel's. It could prove very useful to him in a fight. Taking the pole in hand, he extends it outward, not taking into account how Avenger may experience that motion. ]

There was no point. It was easier to do the incantation.

[ Berserker made a sweeping motion with the spear-like flagpole. ]

You'll serve me well in this form.

[frenchfried]

[ it is less disorienting since the movement doesn't seem to translate as starkly as the transformation had. yes, her perspective shifts, but her senses cover such a broad range now that the changes in direction do not even obscure her "vision" as they ought to have.

it's. freeing? a strange notion, to be sure, but Avenger does feel a sense of exhilaration as it (she?) is being swung around. she'll get used to it fast. ]

Were you even briefed on what would happen? I wasn't. I'm tired of no one having the answers I seek.

[ of course she's still going to complain. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

Briefed? No. I just know the spell and was told who my shinki were. If I had answers for you, I would give them.

[ Another swing before bringing the pole upright. ]

Would you like me to return you to your normal form?

[frenchfried]

Let me get used to this a little while longer.

[ she isn't too sure she's ready to be transmogrified a second time so soon. ]

Speaking of answers... I met someone on my way to find you. Another woman who looked almost exactly like me. Right down to our armor. Our coloration was different but... the similarities were uncanny. Unsettling, even.

Do you know anything about that?

[ Avenger feared there would be no answer for that, either, but it's still something he ought to know about before it became a problem. if it became a problem. ]

[curruid_coinchenn]

As you wish.

[ Berserker knew the answer, but he couldn't speak it. It would be too much for his shinki to know the truth. But he can at least explain it in vague terms that wouldn't be enough to make her turn into an ayakashi. He owed her at least that much. ]

I am the same. There is a man here who looks very similar to me, enough to be mistaken for each other on first glance. So you are not alone.

[ That was all he could safely say. He decided it was best to change the subject. ]

Do you want to see the rest of the temple?