January Training

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone
What: Information and Training
When: March 24th, 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 (God or Shinki), the name of the god they will represent (Gods) or the god they will serve (Shinki), and directions to the temple that will be their new home, regardless of role. During these initial meetings for Gods, paper and pens are provided as an unsubtle suggestion to take notes on the information they're given. For Shinki, there are stacks of informational pamphlets sitting out on a table inside the room, and which new shinki are offered as they are leaving the Meeting Hall.

Gods and Shinki alike are cordially invited to a training session beginning in early afternoon - several hours later - after they've had the chance to return to their homes, meet their new partners, and have their questions answered.

This time, it is implied that the Training Session will have a different purpose, so it is highly encouraged for ALL new gods and shinki to attend, no matter how long they have been in the Far Shore.



Divine Service

New gods are assigned a time to meet with an attendant in white robes with a chrysanthemum on their robes bearing a notepad. Gods can request a changed time slot, but they are not given an option to avoid the appointment entirely. Unless they are bullied into allowing multiple gods in one interview session, they insist on one god per time slot. All meetings take place in private rooms similar to those for New God and New Shinki meetings.

The interview consists of questioning the God's commitment to serving the needs of their followers, the Far Shore, and in turn Amaterasu herself. There is the matter of "A God's Actions Are Always Just" and The Gods' Greatest Secret as well, to see if the God believes these are true and important. Do they espouse these opinions to other Gods? Will they respond to a summons by Amaterasu to defend The Far Shore? (If prodded, the attendant will admit that they are in fact an Old God, despite wearing clothing similar to Amaterasu's shinki. They will claim it an honor to do a favor for Amaterasu during her preparations.)

The second round of questions are about their shinki. What vessel forms do they take, in order starting with Exemplar? How do you use them in combat? What sort of opponents have you faced with your shinki in vessel form - human, ayakashi, or other? Do you have any plans to personally train your shinki for battle ahead? For wielders of multiple shinki, when was the last time you used all of them working together?

They insist that all questions are answered. Afterwards, the God is dismissed.

(An OOC breakdown for you characters IC answers to the God Interview...)
On a scale of 1-10 with 1 being low and 10 being high, what is your commitment to serving the needs of...<blockquote><b>1. Your followers?</b> ## <b>2. The Far Shore?</b> ## <b>3. Amaterasu herself?</b> ##</blockquote><b>4. Do you believe that A God's Actions Are Always Just?</b> ... <b>5. Do you protect The Gods' Greatest Secret?</b> ... <b>6. Do other Gods know your opinions on the above matters?</b> ... <b>7. Will you respond to a summons by Amaterasu to defend The Far Shore?</b> ... <b>8. What vessel forms do your shinki take, in order starting with Exemplar?</b> ... <b>9. How do you use them in combat?</b> ... <b>10. What sort of opponents have you faced <i>with your shinki in vessel form</i> - human, ayakashi, or other?</b> ... <b>11. Do you have any plans to personally train your shinki for battle ahead?</b> ... <b>12. For wielders of multiple shinki, when was the last time you used all of them working together?</b> ...

Tempering the Vessel

Shinki are assigned time slots to meet with the white-robed shinki as well. While their sessions are shorter, the conversations are similar, and likewise held in private meeting rooms.

What is your vessel form? How many battles have you been in while in vessel form and what were your opponents? Do you have any opponents you would resist fighting alongside your God and fellow temple shinki? What have you done to increase your resilience while in vessel form? If you have other shinki at your temple, how often have you fought alongside them in vessel form? What spells do you know? Do you have any plans to further that training?

The shinki are then dismissed after all questions are answered.

(An OOC breakdown for you characters IC answers to the Shinki Interview...)
<b>1. What is your vessel form?</b> ... <b>2. How many battles have you been in <i>while in vessel form</i> and what were your opponents?</b> ... <b>3. Do you have any opponents you would resist fighting alongside your God and fellow temple shinki?</b> ... <b>4. What have you done to increase your resilience while in vessel form?</b> ... <b>5. If you have other shinki at your temple, how often have you fought alongside them in vessel form?</b> ... <b>6. What spells do you know?</b> ... <b>7. Do you have any plans to further that training?</b> ...

Shinki Training

A well-appointed dojo has been prepared for newcomers to practice their physical or magical arts. There are five or six white-robed shinki present, who will willingly answer any questions or instruct newcomers in the use of the borderline. They accompany their answers, or their lessons, with an explanation of what is expected of a shinki and the importance of teamwork with other shinki and with gods.

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. (Shinki characters who are interested in learning more about the borderlines or want to learn new shinki spells or songs may approach any of the training shinki for advice or instruction. Please remember to comment on the Shinki Spells page when your character begins to learn a new spell, excluding the borderline.)

Physical Training

While each month the Far Shore attendants try to adapt the physical training to the Near Shore's weather and holidays, the weather is fair and any festive impulses have been subdued. This time, Physical Training encourages pitting a God with one or all of their Shinki against another God with one or all of their Shinki. This is touted as a benefit to the Shinki, so the white-robed shinki make clear that certain Shinki need this training more than others. For example, the ones who answered their Interview questions saying they hadn't spent much time in their vessel form, or fought in many battles, or hadn't fought with their fellow Shinki much - if at all.

There are Old Gods (NPCs - not run by a mod) who can be targeted as opponents, allowing the temple residents to gel as one fighting unit. (OOC: So that your multi-person thread can be limited to as few players as possible, if you choose.)

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. Moreso than other Training Sessions, there is a wide array of international alcoholic options this time. If you've heard of it and you can get drunk by imbibing it, it's probably here in a bottle or glass. Guests can help themselves, settle in, chat, and make new friends.

The Old Gods in particular will begin to regale the crowd at the end of the afternoon with War Stories from the ages past, speaking of their great deeds they performed as prayers for their followers, miracles to convert the unbelieving, powerful ayakashi they fought, and other amazing feats, especially if they involved a shinki at their side - who it was and the form they took. After many Old Gods have spoken, they turn to the New Gods as if in challenge to tell better stories, mocking words exchanged that imply the New Gods could not possibly have done anything so impressive in their short time in the Far Shore.

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
• Answer Interview Questions
• Tell the truth - if you dare - or lie through your teeth... if you dare
• Tell War Stories
• Have fun~

Comments

[beyondtheblade]

[Tsubasa nods in response.] Of course. They said nothing about keeping it secret, after all. It was largely a quiz on ... honestly, our loyalty to what we are, to our followers, and to Amaterasu herself. Rather specifically.

Asking if we would be answer calls to defend this place. What our shinki are, what they can do...

[Her brow furrows.] Yet it was also not a shinki asking, even if they wore similar clothes we'd recognize as those belonging to Amaterasu's shinki.

[holygrailed]

[Loyalty, defense, who and what their shinki are. It's nothing too unexpected, but the interviewer is an interesting point.]

Really? Who were they if not a shinki?

[beyondtheblade]

It was an old god. Same as it is for these babbling up there today, or that challenged us earlier.

[She blows out a breath.]

They were simply dressed similar to Amaterasu’s shinki then. It is ... a little disconcerting.

[holygrailed]

Strange. Why would they ask an old god when there are so many shinki? Do you think they were using the gods to gauge loyalty?

[Without any knowledge of the secrets gods hide, it's the only conclusion Irisviel can lean to.]

Did your interviewer reveal which god they were?

[beyondtheblade]

[A frown.] No... I was irritated enough at that point, I gave them basic answers to the rest of it, and... left.

I am proud to say I'm normally able to keep my cool fairly well, but... Something about that left my blood boiling.

[Another annoyed breath.] But, they definitely want to know our loyalty. I am more worried for what.

[holygrailed]

Loyalty to who you are, to your followers, and to Amaterasu...

[Irisviel quietly repeats Tsubasa's words back to herself. Among the old, views on Amaterasu and the old gods are varied, leaning closer to the negative than even neutral or positive. That may speak more to the people she's talked to, but the events she's learned about speak more.]

I suppose the most obvious answer is they wish for all of us to fight for their cause. The mood and all the training points toward that. The enemy itself is likely the cult so many speak of. Yet... it all feels so wrong. Must so many fight?

[beyondtheblade]

[Her brow furrows.]

I am used to being the one to fight. That much does not bother me... But the same cannot be said for every single person here, can it?

[She pauses a moment.] Not that I was given the choice to back home, even if I do so now by choice, as I have the power to. Perhaps I am sensitive to that.

[holygrailed]

Those who can fight and those who cannot... though even those who cannot can still do something.

[Irisviel muses quietly, thinking of herself and everything seen at the festival. There are ways she can defend and fight, though it's not her nature. To heal, to defend, those are the things she can do, but her great inclination is toward a world where no one needs to fight.]

I think it is good to be sensitive to such things, especially when others clearly are not.

[beyondtheblade]

I would much rather no one need to, even if I know that isn't possible. In my world, the reason I still fight is so that I can hopefully one day have a world where I can help people with just my song...

But for now, I am one of the few who has the power to do so, and thus I do.

[A frown.] Here, there are a great many more who have the ability to fight, but I still feel that need.

Perhaps some things are harder to shake than I realized.

[holygrailed]

Do you think there's an active decision in how people are brought here?

[The amount of people who can fight isn't unnoticed. There's also the fact Tsubasa arrived so quickly after Chris's own arrival, though it could be chalked to coincidence.]

Perhaps not so much for shinki, but for gods?

[beyondtheblade]

[She muses a moment. That's actually a very good question.]

I am... not sure. If the decision was truly active, and they wanted the best of the best to act and succeed, and protect this place and our followers? I would believe they would pull in more of the same types of people together.

[She motions with her hand, towards wherever else Chris is in the area.] Yukine and I are apart of the same unit, and have been for over a year. Yet it is not just us. In fact, while I have always come to our organization's aid, my singing career takes me around the world, and day to day Yukine herself was more commonly paired with our mutual friend, Tachibana Hibiki. In fact, without Tachibana, our combined power is... far, far less than it would be with her.

[She looks a little sadder for a moment.] She is what you might call... our linchpin. [Both emotionally and in terms of their actual powers. Without their Hibiki, either her or Chris using their Superb Songs are far too dangerous prospects to even consider.

Still, she sighs.]

The point of that is, if they truly wanted us to succeed and had full control over it, there would be no reason to not pull at least Tachibana as well. I'm sure you could find that same story among many of the gods here. [Her brow furrows.] Alternately, they have control over it, and did not draw her in for the very reason we would be that much stronger.

[Grimace.] Which means I guess I do not really know.

[trustheart]

[Chris... actually sees the motion Tsubasa makes, and... waves? Kind of awkwardly, back at Tsubasa, smiling like a dork before turning back to the person she's talking to.

It's kind of cute, honestly.]