37 - A Call To Arms

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Help the Heavens go after the cultists' compound
When: April 1
Where: A converted farm on the rural edge of the Tokyo metro area
Summary: Between Amaterasu's shinki observing the known cultists, and the work that the new gods and shinki have done, a rural property that might be the cultists' compound has been identified!






After months of investigation, Amaterasu's shinki still haven't found the rebel gods she's searching for -- but, with the help of the new gods and shinki, following the cult has revealed their rural meeting place! It was once a farm, but has recently been rebuilt into a compound with a big central building, heavy concrete walls and plenty of outdoor spaces for ritual magic. The new gods, and some of the old, have been asked to descend to the Near Shore and find out everything they can about this mystery compound.

High Walls

It's not just concrete that protects the compound. The walls are engraved with magical symbols, and any god or shinki who gets too close to them finds themselves feeling increasingly sick, weak and repelled from the structure. Even flying over won't work. There's only one exception: when the front gates are opened to allow cultists, or scheduled deliveries, a careful few gods or shinki can sneak through without being blocked by the spell. How will they get in? Shadow a cultist? Pretend to be a pizza delivery driver? Or will they risk alerting the cultists by trying to break down some other part of the wall?

Booby Traps

The problems don't end when they get inside the compound. Dozens of cultists seem to live here -- or maybe they're just visiting for the weekend? Either way, there's a lot of people inside, and while most of them overlook the presence of Far Shore beings, that doesn't mean there's no danger. Magical booby-traps and seals are dotted around the grounds and throughout the big, sprawling, two-story manor at the end of the driveway. Some of them blight any god or shinki who triggers them. Others glue their feet to the ground, or make them instantly noticeable to any passing cultist, or weaken them by draining their energy away.

The traps have clearly been made by several different people, and some of them have weird senses of humor! Almost any effect might be inflicted on the unwary characters who stumble across a booby-trap, although most of them won't cause serious injury or death, and the effects wear off within a few minutes to a few hours after either they get away from the trap, or someone else helps them by destroying it.

The First Fight

Not every human cultist in the compound is blind to the presence of gods and shinki -- and with all the traps being triggered, it's just a matter of time before they're caught. The first warning that the cultists know they're being invaded is the piercing sound of a bell. The second is the appearance of lashing ayakashi tentacles that rise up from the ground all throughout the manor house. As the humans flee, the tentacles will wrap around any gods or shinki they can catch, trying to drag them further into the house and down. Although they can be cut and destroyed, the main body of the creature is out of reach: it lurks far below, in the building's basement, gnashing a massive, serrated octopus beak that's ready to rip apart and devour any souls who can't struggle free of its grip in time. Follow the spectral tentacles down to the beast's lair, and slay it before it can kill all the invaders!

Please comment to the First Fight thread below if your characters are trying to rend the ayakashi. Each character can only be in ONE First Fight thread. RNG will be used to determine which fighters manage to strike the final blow, but RNG will only select a single thread; players are free to negotiate how the final blow happens within that thread.

The Second Fight

As the octopus ayakashi dissolves, finally free from the magical bondage that forced it to guard the cultists' compound, a mysterious door is revealed set into the far wall of the manor basement. A strange glow emanates from within. Enter... if you dare!

To participate in the second fight, please comment to the Second Fight thread below with the character(s) who will be participating in your thread. A top-level with further details will go up on February 7.

In Summary:

• Investigate a cult compound
• Watch out for traps
• Battle a giant octopus
• Uncover a mystery
• Have fun~

Questions? Leave us a question on the OOC Plotting Post and we'll do our best to answer ASAP.

Comments

Booby trap

[replicatedform]

Wh—Are you okay?

[Yamanbagiri calls out to her, after seeing what just happened. He would rush over and help her, but he didn't know how this trap works.

Or how sensitive those wires are. Are they sensitive enough to trigger from his cloak, or only if there's enough force tugging on them?]

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex jumps--though not very far, turning slowly at the hooded? Caped? Figure. He sounded friendly at least. ]

I...I can't...get out..

[replicatedform]

[He looks at her current state, and nods.]

Got it. I'll come over.

[Very carefully though, so he wouldn't get caught up in it. Will he succeed, or accidentally trigger a wire?!]

[sing_for_me]

[ She felt but, but she was glad he was willing to help.

And then she hears a wire snap. Actually, it sounded more like a , 'twang'. She notices something moving from the three, her eyes widening. ]

Watch out!!

[ Was that an anvil falling towards him?! And why did was it making such a strange sound as it fell through the air? ]

[replicatedform]

[Hearing that strange sound after the "twang", he looks up and see the anvil?!

With a yelp, he runs out from underneath in time. The anvil lands quite heavily on the ground with a minor tremor, basically showing how heavy it is. However, in his rush to dodge it...

Twang.

... Another wire snap!?]

[sing_for_me]

[ He managed to dodge the anvil, but now he had to face...

Fwooop!

Pies?! ]

[replicatedform]

[Fortunately, pies aren't as heavy hitting as anvils.

Splat!

Unfortunately, he got a face full of pies and some of them went onto his cloak!?]

Ooph-!

[For a moment, he notice these actually taste rather nice. But wait, now's not the time to admire the trap maker's baking skill!]

Shit!

[At this stupid situation, not the pie! Those are perfectly nice, but anyway! After cursing, Yamanbagiri decided to just dash over towards Alex, regardless of how many wires he trigger. Just damn them all and just haul her out of here first!]

[sing_for_me]

[ With each wire something else would pop up; a bag of feathers being poured over him, sudden trap cage, three dogs released and quite hungry for some pie. They sure managed a few traps in the surrounding area. Whoever it was had a weird sense of humor. Alex was wondering whether it was worth it for the poor guy to go through all that. ]

[replicatedform]

[Before he reached her, those dogs manage to bite onto his cloak, pulling him backwards. He yelps in surprise, almost falling backwards.

And do something that's normally unthinkable for him.

He raise his hand and quickly throws off his cloak, letting it fly backward and the dogs get tangled up in the cake and feathers... uh, caked cloth. Between his discomfort and a comrade's safety, the decision is easy.

And reach Alex's side in time. Without his hood hiding it, this swordsman have a rather beautiful, handsome face. He hold out a hand to grab Alex.]

Let's get you out of there!

[sing_for_me]

[ With the dogs tearing apart the cloak, the feathers that were shaken off floated in the background behind the handsome man, adding an almost heavenly effect that compliment his looks.

Alex was torn between admiration and confusion at the scene unfolding before her. The reveal of a handsome hero, feathers fluttering like the appearance of an angel after the most ridiculous sequence of childish traps.

But hey, she’s getting out of here, isn’t she?

She reaches out and takes his hand, snapping back into reality. ]

[replicatedform]

[In the sheer rush and pumped full of adrenaline, as well as sheer spite for the traps, Yamanbagiri didn't pay much notice to how he appears. Just that he have to get her out.

He reach out, grasping her hand, and pull her out of her trap...!]

Let's go!

[sing_for_me]

[ Alex stumbles as she's pulled out, but steadies herself and manages to run along with him before anything else gets set off.

When they make it a safe distance, or so they hope, she needs to catch her breath, resting her hand against her knee. ]

Thank..thank..you..