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

[holygrailed]

[Irisviel waits by the doorway as Wendy looks for the pamphlet, looking around the space. A group of shinki children pass by singing a song together, their voices rising and falling in a matched harmony. It's wonderful, and yet there's a sense of sadness as Irisviel watches them pass, looks toward Wendy's direction.

It's sad children died so young.]

[nopixiedust]

[It takes a little, but soon enough she's hopping out with a pamphlet being waved about in her hand.]

Found it! Here you go. Hopefully it clears up questions you have.

[holygrailed]

Thank you very much.

[She takes the pamphlet, surprised at how much information is on it. Not wanting to take up too much of Wendy's time, she skims over the main points.]

Oh, our gods feel our emotions?

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, but only the really strong ones. [Completely carefree, she skips over to find a bench that looks warm enough. In the sun, away from snow, all that.] So, unless you're a complete mess, your god probably won't feel the regular stuff!

I've never had any problem with it.

[This is because Wendy is a relatively calm and well adjusted person.]

[holygrailed]

[Did that mean Berserker felt her moments of happiness and wonder? It feels a little embarrassing to know now, but this could be good. If her god is a man who has discarded his emotions, then may she feel enough for the both of them.]

Do you and your god get along?

[Irisviel joins Wendy on the bench, continuing to read over the information, talking a little to herself.]

Ahh, I wouldn't want to blight Berserker... I see...

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, the three of us manage alright. Alex is pretty lowkey, which is good, considering Hibiki is the exact opposite. So it's fine, really.

[Casually, she swings her legs out back and forth.]

I guess that makes it easy to not really overwork them with any emotions of mine.

[holygrailed]

Oh, you're a nora? Ah, that's the word, right?

[There's no judgment in her voice, only seeking clarification.]

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, that's right. [She's not really expecting any problems, especially from a five minute old newbie... But, well, you never know with people. Wendy answers casually, even as she's ready for any negativity.] It seemed like the best thing to do, after I lost my first god within a month.

[holygrailed]

I'm sorry, that must have been difficult losing your god so soon.

[The sympathy is genuine.]

I understand why you took two gods then. Is that also why you started the shelter?

[nopixiedust]

Of course. Would you believe that no one had gotten anything started up before then? I mean- [She waves a hand dismissively.] Other new people like ourselves can't be blamed too much. We're all just scrambling to even get things together, and a lot of people don't think of the big picture when they're just trying to find a new place for themselves.

But honestly, Heaven... They definitely don't have an excuse for not pulling their heads out from- [..Okay so-] -their own temples.

[holygrailed]

I was told by a god the system of assignment was one that didn't happen before us, that shinki were named by gods finding stray souls. Perhaps the need of a shelter never occurred to them.

But that's no excuse to not see changing needs and make adjustments.

[There's a responsibility for the experienced to help the less experienced, Irisviel feels. That such a thing would be left up to a shinki who just lost her god feels unfair.]

I don't know how much I can do as I've only arrived, but do you need help at the shelter?

[nopixiedust]

Yeah, they're pretty stupid. [Let's not dance around the bush here.] I had to talk to Amaterasu just to get funding. Although maybe I wouldn't need it now...

[Even without Hibiki's bullshit, it seems like they've been getting a lot of money recently...]

Anyway, the most we need to do is help out with the cleaning and sometimes taking care of any ayakashi near the place.

[holygrailed]

[Wendy's bluntness is appreciated. It's a comfort to know people aren't afraid to speak their minds, even to a new arrival. It's far better knowing how people feel about those in charge and the situation at large than a polite glowing review.]

I do not know how much I can do against ayakashi, but I'm happy to help with cleaning. Where is the shelter at?

[nopixiedust]

It's at one of Amaterasu's places... You can get to it from here pretty easily, but since that's awkward... Oh.

[Right, she needs to remember this sort of thing.]

Do you know how to use those fancy phones they give people?

[Wendy didn't, so it's good to ask, in her opinion.]

[holygrailed]

I found one in my room at my temple and played with it a little, but I'm afraid I don't know how to use it that well. Are they intuitive?

[A few poorly taken pictures was the extent. Some of the labels did seem straight forward, but others were confusing.]

I left it in my room actually. It is something I should carry around?

[nopixiedust]

I thought they were a pain to learn, with far too much different stuff on them... But they're really handy, once you start to learn. Hold on, I'll get mine out so that you can learn.

[She's a sensible girl, after all. She has pockets.]

You'll want to carry yours around, since it lets you contact anyone in the Far Shoe, almost always. No need to worry about it being too bulky, or having wires, or anything like that. And everyone's numbers are already in it! Although... [She pauses, even as she taps her phone awake.] Well, all the gods have their god names in there instead of the names they'd rather go by. So I guess keep that in mind.

I think they're pretty useful. [She waves her phone around.] Especially since there was a serial killer, a little while back, here in the Far Shore. So that kind of thing can happen, although it hasn't been a problem since then.

[holygrailed]

[May some of the sensibility rub off on Irisviel as she begins building up her wardrobe. Or may she find a nice bag to carry her belongings in. Wendy's phone seems similar to the one she found in her room.]

Serial killer?

[Any other questions about the phone is completely disrupted by that little bomb of information.]

[nopixiedust]

Mhm. There was someone who murdered.... more than half a dozen gods and shinki, I think. A real scumbag.

[She pauses, finger lingering on top of the phone screen with her mouth slightly twisted at the edges.]

It didn't look like Heaven was going to do anything about it, so some others apparently hunted him down. I don't know exactly who was involved, besides a friend of mine who's pretty reliable about stuff like this.

[holygrailed]

Heaven did nothing?

[There's a firmness to her voice, a hint of calm anger. More than half a dozen gods and shinki killed and not a hint of help? It's more and more clearer the ones to count on are the ones brought here and not the ones in power.]

[nopixiedust]

[It's been a while since Wendy has gotten really worked up about this. There's so much else going on, after all, from the good to the bad.... but this? This is absolutely worth finding her old anger again from when she'd been arguing with Amaterasu, and her lips twist in a scowl.]

No! Apparently, they just expect individual gods to take care of themselves and their own homes. Of course when something is a problem for them, then they expect us all to just come over and help!

It's so stupid and self centered, I can't even believe it. And then they won't shut up about how we're not human anymore. Like that changes anything!

[holygrailed]

I see. That is unfortunate to hear.

[An understatement, but any more anger from her is pointless when she is so new.]

If Heaven will not help, can the others brought here be counted on to help in times of need? It seems to be the case, but I wish to make sure.

[nopixiedust]

Well... As much as they can be.

[Cooling off a little, Wendy sighs and waves her hand through the air.]

I mean, not everyone is prepared to fight things, or hunt down a criminal. As far as I can tell, people who end up here can be really anything. Some of them are really determined, and not scared of getting into a battle like that... but then, there are little kids like me around, you know? And I'm lucky. I'm pretty acrobatic, so I know I can keep myself safe.

[holygrailed]

[Wendy carries herself with a sense of maturity that it's easy to forget she's a child. If children had to fight here, what a shame that would be. Some protect others, some protect themselves, both are correct ways to take action.]

If everyone does their part in whatever way they can, it's enough. Adults should protect children anyway, though I'm thankful for everything you've told and shown me.

[nopixiedust]

Unfortunately, it's not like I can really rely on any adult to protect me at any given time... I mean, just going to the Near Shore is enough to get a stray ayakashi interested in you. They're there a lot, and they can be a real pain.

So the best thing to do is just spread information and make sure everyone can make a borderline, at the very least. It's what these gits should be doing.

[But clearly they've dropped the ball today, and Wendy sighs.]

Well, I always figured we'd be picking up the slack ourselves... All of these rich old gods don't really seem to understand what we're dealing with, and aren't always receptive to really listening. I mean, they'll listen, but then they'll think you should just instantly adjust. It's so absurd.

[holygrailed]

I wonder if they've forgotten what it is like to be new and uncertain? Though it seems things are different for the old gods.

[In time, Irisviel may learn how deep the differences between the old and new gods go. She'll also learn of their harder stances on how things should run.]

You mentioned there was a way to attack with borderlines too? Can you show me?