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

[nopixiedust]

[Oh, if that's how it's going to be... Wendy works first on getting all of her pawns out of the way just so she can see what the other pieces are like in action properly.]

Chess matches being an idol?

[Or does she mean snooty rich person...]

[priforprince]

Being a genius.

[ Hibiki's knight rides into the fray, claiming one of Wendy's pawns. Behold: This is how you take a piece. ]

Its glorious history also does it no disfavors.

[nopixiedust]

[Oh, right, smart person game. Wendy experimentally tries to move a bishop, just to get it out there.]

There's a... glorious history behind a game?

[Somehow she doubts that... but, at the same time, she has the utmost faith in Hibiki to make something extravagant out of nothing. It's kind of her deal.]

[priforprince]

Any ancient game of strategy possesses a noble lineage.

[ She moved the bishop correctly! Hibiki is proud. Here is a pawn she's moving up mostly to free up spaces. ] Go claims a similar pedigree.

[nopixiedust]

[Wendy continues to move pieces, figuring out their movements and just what she can do. But in the meantime..]

So they're noble because they're smart?

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki permits Wendy the exploration, setting up her own pieces more for the long haul than claiming quick victories. ]

They test ability. Of course, the Romance of a strategy game mimicking great battles is also grand.

[ General Hibiki, Commander-in-Prief. What a wonderful thought. ]

[nopixiedust]

[To Wendy, it hardly really occurs to her that Hibiki might be going easy on her. She figures that the other is possibly just messing around, or not taking the game seriously. That's fine. It's a game in the end anyway, so why get worked up over it?]

I don't see how they could mimic great battles. I mean, not every fight has a queen involved, right?

[priforprince]

[ Oh, don't worry. When the time comes and her plan is in place, she shall crush you. That is how Shikyoin Hibiki honors this bout. ]

But they do all combine brawn with brains.

[ Here comes her other knight. ]

Mindless brutishness isn't worth recalling.

[nopixiedust]

[A little more assured in that she knows what the moves are, now, Wendy takes a moment to look over things before she moves a piece.]

I mean, it gets the job done, right? And sometimes people don't know what to do against simple plans. They overthink it.

[Sure, Wendy likes to think of herself as a little more cunning than that, and simple plans can be manipulated... but also sometimes they just barrel right through all the bullshit, which is pretty refreshing in her honest opinion.]

[priforprince]

Naturally, elegant simplicity is different.

[ If being direct is the intelligent choice, that eliminates the whole "brute" aesthetic. Fear not, Wendy. Your directness is sanctioned by the god Apollo!

The god Apollo also moves a pawn up to bait her shinki. ]

[nopixiedust]

I see.

[So, basically, it works when Hibiki says it works. That's what Wendy is getting from her, anyway. Still, as she tentatively moves a pawn of her own for a little confrontation, something occurs to her, and she glances up at Hibiki.]

Hey... Is it possible for a piece to go backwards? Because it just occurred to me, maybe someone could get their piece all the way to the other side of the board. If that happens, it would be kind of awkward to get rid of it...

[priforprince]

Not to fear.

[ Hibiki moves a piece, taking Wendy's pawn. ] Such pieces' efforts are rewarded by their becoming Queens. A tremendous rank up.

[ hibiki this isn't pripara that phrase means nothing ]

Check.

[ you also didn't explain that one, hibiki ]

[nopixiedust]

[That absolutely means nothing, but Wendy's a smart girl. She can piece together 'rank' and 'up', even if it doesn't have the same meaning, probably.]

Oh, that sounds really- Wait.

[Give her a second to frown at the board.]

...That means...?

[What. What does it mean. She can guess as she starts to piece together what's going on the board, but she is going to make her god use adult concepts like "proper explanations" if it kills her.]

[priforprince]

My victory is one move away.

[ She gestures to where her piece threatens Wendy's king. ]

Can you escape it?

[ There is a way. Otherwise, it would have been "mate". ]

[nopixiedust]

[Yeah, 'one move away' is still 'one move away'. Humming, she tilts her head from side to side, trying to see exactly what she can do here.]

Well, I'm not sure yet... but I'll let you know. [There's no reason to rush.] So it's only Queens that other pieces can become, huh?

[priforprince]

Knights, rooks, and bishops are options as well. [ Hibiki sits back to watch Wendy work. ] The Queen's overwhelming nature simply warranted special highlighting.

[nopixiedust]

Oh, I see. Well, I can see why she'd be so popular. But there are things even the Queen can't do, right?

[...Well, let her just move her king out of the way for now.]

Like what knights can do. If I'm remembering right, anyway.

[priforprince]

That's right.

[ Ah, she dodged it. ] Well done.

[ The more into the game she gets, the less she talks. Wendy is a fast learner. Hibiki will have to focus on the game. ]

[nopixiedust]

[A fast learner, but still a novice. It doesn't take too long after for her king to get captured, and Wendy leans back with her legs swinging idly.]

So that's how it works then. I guess now I know for the future.

[It's another game to play, after all. That's always good to have under her belt.]

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki nods. She's satisfied too, if for different reasons. ] A fine match, for your first. I look forward to your progress, like shine of a jewel emerging from ore.

[ Hibiki may like chess. Also something to know for the future. ]

[nopixiedust]

[It is, perhaps, a little obvious, but that's fine. It's good to know that Hibiki has more hobbies than being obnoxious and entertainment. Leaning away from the table, she swings her legs a little bit.]

We'll see! [When she's bored, maybe.] Have you found a lot of other people to play this game against?

[priforprince]

No one's seemed likely.

[ Which is snob for "I don't want to admit that I haven't looked".

It might not be so bad, however. If there were a worthy opponent against whom she could pit her genius. ]

[nopixiedust]

[That's probably just ego talking, which means it might be a little funny if she ever gets her ass kicked in a game. Wendy, after all, knows she's not at the level where she can really tell Hibiki's skill. So she hops off of the chair and onto her feet.]

Then I'll keep an eye out! Maybe there's someone who's really good but you just haven't met them yet. New people are showing up all the time.

[priforprince]

[ Hibiki looks out over the gathering: do tell, about the new people. ] Do so. Of course, other venues of reconnaissance can also be utilized.

[ SUDDEN RETCON-SLASH-FUTURE-PLAN: NEXT TIME THERE'S GAME NIGHT AT THE TRAINING LOG,

THERE'S A SPYGOAT STAKING OUT A CHESSBOARD

WATCHING. AND WAITING ]