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

ROUND 4 ACTIONS (RIGHT AYAKASHI)

[godsoffortune]

[beyondtheblade]

Rocketing from her own battle, Tsubasa comes streaking across the air upon seeing the monster leaping straight down towards her friend. It being in the air though, serves her fairly well enough.

She grips her Armed Gear, now back into its katana form, and lobs it with expert precision beneath the ayakashi as it sails through the air and lands. Just near Chris, in fact. She expects Chris by experience will know what's coming next, and should serve as a signal to her. The katana lands on its hilt, and before it even has a moment to tip over, transforms and grows. Wider, taller, becoming like a metal wall, a giant sword raising straight up into the air.

Or, straight up towards the underbelly of a downward falling ayakashi.

Her boosters ignite even stronger as she soars at it from behind, brandishing her shinki's katana vessel form to strike, crying out to all nearby. "REND IT!"

[towards_okeanos]

[Iskandar halts in the last moment before the metal wall shoots up in the air a hair width from him.]

A word of warning would be nice! [He spits out but probably not loud enough for Tsubasa to hear it. Especially in the heat of the battle.]

What's with those kids and their precision acrobatics?! [That extra comment is only for Satya.] Let's just end it

[He moves in to rend the beast with chakram as soon as he has the opportunity to strike. It is already weakened, it's mask shattered, either he or Tsubasa should succeed to rend it. Iskandar does not care who does it as long as it's done. Should they fail, an unlikely turn of events but one should prepare for every possibility, he knows he can leave Chris with Tsubasa.

His mind is already elsewhere. Among the clamour and chaos, he heard something. It changed his priorities immediately.

Waver.]

Satya, find him!

[But then a Bounded Field flares up and Iskandar smiles.]

Got you.

[trustheart]

Chris doesn't know anything about the Bounded Field, but her momentary terror is broken as she's shielded from the ayakashi's attack by Tsubasa's timely intervention. She uses the opportunity to try and boost backwards, by turning her rockets front facing and using their backfire to provide reverse thrust.

Then, she gets out from behind the cover of the Dragon's Scale sword and rolls to the side, strafing the ayakashi with shots from Luger's vessel form while also launching off a volley of precision guided missiles at the beast, while also using her marksmanship to avoid hitting Tsubasa or Iskandar.

After a scare like that, she wants to make sure the beast is put down.

[onedrinkwithme]

Aymeric has no idea what the hell just happened but if it gave them a split second to do what needs to be done. But strangely, he keeps Naegling at his side and grips the bracelet on his wrist, the one that is the vessel form of Sukomi, and points it towards the ayakashi.

"This ends now!" and he runs forward, muttering the familiar spell until he aims and slams the bracelet and wrist into the ayakashi, screaming the one word that activates: "REND!"

He's got enough HP to take a couple hits, he'll be fine. Probably if the other attacks don't hit him.