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

[cloakedinruins]

"There's a spell we can work together while you are in that form. Ayakashi are only vulnerable when god and shinki combine their powers together to Rend them. Blessed water will harm them as well but not put them at rest completely."

He let go of the warrior clothing and was back in his Professor persona as he took a seat on the couch. He wasn't sure what else he should be telling Da Qing or anything, though he was sure that Da Qing would soon get a feel for the place and be all over just like the cat that he was.

"You'll be my main shinki. Yeye can handle taking care of the building and gathering together matters we need addressing, but he is otherwise not complete enough to work with me. Then there's my boyfriend. He's a little special."

[thetopofthefoodchain]

"Ah so that is what the training is for." A spell they had to work on together. It seemed a complicated way to take down monsters. He looked at the pamphlet again and nodded, blinking as his god once again changed clothes. Was he having trouble deciding what he wanted to wear?

It was only right and proper that he was Shen Wei's main shinki and so he nodded, satisfied.

"I imagine he is for you to have chosen him. Have you been together for a long time?"

Da Qing had only just arrived but he had no idea how long his god had been here, never mind his boyfriend of his.

[cloakedinruins]

"Yes, though it is also useful to meet others and learn from them as well."

The pamphlets only went so far in explaining the various magics that the shinki and the gods can be exposed to. There were a ton of books on the subjects in the library, but books didn't cover some of the more practical pointers a person could get from others.

"Have we?"

Shen Wei paused as he felt that tightness in his chest, remembering the long wait for Zhao Yunlan followed by the short time of them together before everything else happened. He reached up to grasp the pendant before remembering that it was gone.

"No. I met him shortly after I came here so it's only been about a month."

[thetopofthefoodchain]

Da Qing just leaned forward watching him as his hand went up to his chest. His heart?

A new relationship then. Da Qing smiled. "You haven't been here too long then? You must like him a lot to be so close so quickly."

Shem Wei seems kind, has made him welcome and gave him fish. But he also seems stern and Da Qing tries to imagine the sort of person he would like.

Probably disciplined, perhaps scholarly. Quiet.

[cloakedinruins]

He dropped his hand and cleared his throat, looking away for a moment. Neither one of them had been here for too long, but already Yunlan seemed pretty attached and Shen Wei knew he was - always had been - attached to Yunlan. It was strange, but then again, maybe it was just down to them always been for each other no matter where they were.

Shen Wei nodded and finish his snack before tidying up the tea things.

"I'm not sure why I like him sometimes. He is such a flirt and can be reckless, but I do like the way his eyes light up when I start talking about science to him."

[thetopofthefoodchain]

Scholarly he knew it. Someone who liked science, whose eyes lit up when they were talked to about science.

"Are you a god of science as well as magic then?"

It seemed a slightly odd combination. Da Qing stood up and began helping clear up the tea things, stacking everything carefully.

[cloakedinruins]

Zhao Yunlan was the farthest thing from a scholarly person that Shen Wei could date. He just liked seeing Shen Wei get all worked up over his favorite subjects because they were both secretly saps.

"Me? Oh no, when I was living I taught Bio-engineering at Dragon City University."

[thetopofthefoodchain]

Bio-engineering. That sounds very complicated. [He made a separate pile for the tea cups, not wanting them to topple and smash. Smashing Shen Wei's tea cups on his first day would not do.] Is Dragon City nearby?