40 - May Event: Mystic Messengers' Mark

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
When: May 15th
Where: Votelli's Forest
What: The boar and deer population of Japan has boomed in recent years as hunters age and people move away from rural areas. The people have called upon the gods to help with this "pest" issue.







All over Heaven, gods receive invitations stamped with the chrysanthemum of Amaterasu. Each and every god has been invited to join the old gods on an old-fashioned hunt to do something about the boar and deer populations on the Near Shore. Votelli's forest has been chosen as the location of this sacred hunt, as it offers an expansive landscape for the sport as well as opens up the opportunity for many of the gods - both old and new - to speak to Votelli herself face to face. Other activities are planned for those who do not wish to hunt, such as an archery contest and a demonstration of Takagari - the Japanese art of falconry.

Face to Face

Votelli and Sotero wait in the forest with whoever will join them before slowly, cautiously exiting. They don't fight anyone who wants to stand in front of them as they appear before the Heavens for the first time, but they feel compelled to step in front eventually. There, all in attendance can see them for who they really are: very young gods.

Votelli appears between 12 and 14, a lithe teenage girl. Historically very timid and easily spooked, she has found a certain measure of confidence... while still holding tight to Sotero's hand. She wears newer, finer clothing compared to her first outing, provided to her by her friends. Her hair is just as long and black, though. Those who saw the goddess fighting in the Cultist Compound might mistake Votelli for her young sister. And Sotero their younger brother.

For Sotero looks 10 - but a lanky, tall boy who in reality acts much closer to 6 years old. Normally very brash, petulant, and loud... he stays close to Votelli and doesn't resist holding her hand. His expression is not playful or sly this time, but very focused - putting on a brave face like he might very well have to protect Votelli instead of the other way around.

Suijin is the one speaking for the Heavens. "We have been told that the two of you wish formal acceptance into Takamagahara. Is this true?"

Votelli speaks first: "It is." Then she tugs gently on Sotero's hand. "... Yeah. It is," he eventually echoes.

Suijin lifts her broad hat. "Do you renounce all allegiances to the cultists who created you? If so - name them."

Votelli nods. "I do. ... His name is Imai Takeru." Sotero looks worried, turning to Votelli. "But they're my mom and dad!" He turns back to Suijin. "You'll hurt them if I tell you!"

Suijin shakes her head. "Only gods of calamity kill humans. We will sever their ties to you. They may continue to live in peace if they never again use the kind of magic that created you." Sotero looks unconvinced, at which point Suijin looks a little frustrated. "I expect a name before you are granted formal entrance to Takamagahara, but perhaps another name will suffice as a peace offering between us - an act of faith until all of these human spellcasters are discovered."

Sotero gulps, while Votelli holds him a little closer.

Suijin speaks again, with a more commanding tone: "Rogue God Sotero - name the one in the Heavens who allowed you entrance into our domain. Name the traitor and we will know your true intentions."

(Prompt continues as one thread below, allowing for characters to interject before Sotero speaks again.)

Event Bonus:
3+ comments in this thread gains 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.

Face to Face (Before/After)

Before: Prior to the above prompt, if any characters would like to provide words of encouragement or solidarity, that can be threaded out individually! We will provide a top level each for Votelli and Sotero with a "Before" subject line.

After: Since the above thread will resolve somewhat peacefully, Sotero and Votelli will be around to speak with characters individually during the bento lunch. We will provide a top level each for Votelli and Sotero with an "After" subject line.

Event Bonus:
3+ comments in a thread with either Votelli or Sotero gains 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.

Gathering for the Hunt

The hunt starts early in the day, but not so early that the gathered gods can't enjoy a handmade bento lunch before getting started. Each god and shinki who arrive will find themselves in a clearing at the edge of the forest, rolling green surrounded by the lush backdrop of thick vegetation holding the prey of today's hunt. Blankets are spread over the grass in inviting splashes of color and tables are set up with stacks of bentos, a variety of foods and snacks and drinks available for any craving or preference, no matter how varied or strange.

Those who were here and involved in the Hungry Forest event might also find the setting very familiar. And perhaps a little unsettling, if they'd been among those kidnapped and held captive within its depths. Although today the expanse of thick trees and shadowy underbrush seems like just a normal forest, lacking the draining effects and other dangers it had once harbored.

Before anyone ventures beyond the clearing, the hosting gods and shinki are careful to explain the nature of today's hunt and also warn the newer gods and shinki about which of the beasts are fair game and which are not - namely the more tame sika deer, considered sacred to several of the gods and often seen as their messengers. The other creatures in the forest, however - the herds of roaming deer and the wild breeds of boar - are all fair game to the hunters, and in fact, there's already contests and wagers popping up on who will bring in the biggest trophy.

There are even rumors of one especially large and clever boar thought to dwell within the deepest reaches of the forest, rarely seen but of particular bane to hunters and trackers who have sought it many times over the years. It has avoided all pursuit, however, and its renown only grows with each passing year. Will this hunt finally uncover the elusive creature of legend?

Event Bonus:
A thread of 10+ comments gains 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.
Saving a sika deer from being killed gains an additional 250 followers / 25 exp per thread.

Ready Aim Fire

The clearing at the edge of the forest had been well prepared for hosting the Heavenly Host, both as a base camp for those entering into the forest in pursuit of their prey but also to entertain those left behind or not participating in the hunt itself. Those who remain outside the confines of the forest will find an assembled archery range for the non-hunters to still get some practice in or perhaps learn from one of the more experienced archers.

Contests take place throughout the day - some are distance based, each one with a varying range of difficulty depending on your level of expertise. Others have the range set up for challenges of field archery, adding in the difficulty of foliage or wooded areas and making aiming and targeting considerably more difficult. Some of the targets are even enchanted to move, hide, or dodge, creating some of the most challenging conquests for only the most dedicated of marksmen.

On the far side of the clearing - a very safe distance away from where any stray arrows might drift - several of the older gods remain behind to show off the art of takagari, or Japanese falconry. Once a sport restricted to nobles, warriors and samurai, many of the traditions and methods once practiced in the ancient days of Japan have been lost to history, but the finer details have clearly been preserved here among its gods. While the old gods hosting this practice remain in the background to watch over the proceedings (and keeping their favorite birds with them and out of stranger's hands), anyone is welcomed to approach the rest of the hawks and birds of prey, give hunting with them a try, or perhaps watch one of the experts in action.

Event Bonus:
A thread of 10+ comments gains 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.
Participants in a head-to-head Archery or Falconry challenge gains an additional 250 followers / 25 exp per thread.

The Great Hunt

The forest is quiet, other than the call of birds and the scurrying of smaller wildlife as the hunters enter. The ground is thick with tracks to be investigated by anyone with a discerning eye. Those who know what they're looking for will find thickly-layered paths made by deer, boar and other beasts of the forest who have wandered familiar trails into the undergrowth. Following these paths will find many hunters some easy targets, as the forest is lush with wildlife and the herds have swelled in recent years to the point of overpopulation. It will be rarer for hunters not to spot their prey the deeper in they go, but as the day wears on, it does seem to be getting more and more difficult to find those herds of deer and boar...

The deeper into the forest one ventures, the thinner and more scattered these tracks become. The deer paths seem to veer off before the forest grows to its thickest and should hunters keep pressing deeper, they'll eventually find that even the boar tracks start turning scarce. The call of birds becomes quieter and more elusive. The thick shadow of trees overhead makes the forest seem darker and closing in around you. Even the very air around you seems hushed and tense as if the very forest itself is watching your progress.

Not all the creatures avoid the depths of this forest, however. Approaching the heart of the forest, there does seem to still be at least one creature who frequents it, although the tracks are much more massive and sunk deep in the dirt as if pressed there by a great weight. Some of them are scraped and smeared as if that weight was dragged a time or two. Was the great beast that lurked here injured?

If good luck is with you (or perhaps that is bad luck?), you might be alerted by the sound of underbrush rustling nearby. But what bursts out... could it be the massive boar of legend or is it something more sinister? For there are several dark ayakashi that have also been lurking in the depths of this forest of late, hunting for prey of their own, their forms distorted and rotting and their eyes red and crazed - all the eyes that have now spread out across their blighted forms, that is. Should they spot you, they will give an enraged roar and charge, frenzied and driven mad from Blight. Hope you came prepared to be the hunter or the hunted.

Event Bonus:
A thread of 10+ comments gains 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.
Defeating a blighted ayakashi animal gains an additional 250 followers / 25 exp per thread.

A Different Sort of Hunt

For those not interested in partaking in 'the Great Outdoors', there is a different sort of hunt available to those with more experience hunting targets on two legs instead of four. The Counselors, their shinki, and Amaterasu's white-robed shinki emblazoned with their chrysanthemums... they all make it clear earlier in the day that they're still hunting down the last remnants of cultists free out in Japan and the world beyond, tracking down the locations of where the remnants are hiding out. For those willing to join this second hunt - whether they needed "warming up" hunting the deer and boar or not - the Counselors will make their research available - clues, whispers, addresses, IDs... whatever they could gather up until today.

Several of Takamagahara's own gods and shinki are out doing the footwork needed to round up the numbers of those that remain at large and any of the new gods and shinki who would rather lend their aid to this cause will be welcomed. Track down any remaining leads you have or get a location of a potential compound or blighted areas from the Hunt's hosts to go look into for yourselves - The Heavens want all remaining cultist members found and accounted for and are putting forth every effort to see this accomplished.

OOCly: Players are encouraged to select locations for compounds or heavy concentrations of cultists within Japan and outside it as well. Many locations in Australia, Europe, etc. have been named in previous Missions as places where blight circles have been located. Any of these - and other places - are places the Cult could have spread to. Next month, these will all become locations where Finale actions can take place. "Check in" with where your character(s) are going, but you don't need mod permission!

Event Bonus:
A thread of 10+ comments will gain 100 followers / 10 exp per thread.
Cultist hub of activity discovered and reported back gains an additional 250 followers / 25 exp per thread.

In Summary:

• Join the old gods on a hunt
• Enjoy the meal and activities
• Speak to Votelli or Sotero
• Participate in the hunt - whether your prey be two-legged or four
• Fight the giant boar ayakashi
• Have fun~

Comments

[reloves]

[ Listen, Minako can't fully approve of tying to bed shenanigans, but at the same time also can't totally disapprove of it. So she'll just say nothing about it. Do what you must if the time where it's necessary comes, Chikusa.

Instead she focuses on the latter part-- ]

No. [ Pause. ] .. Kind of?

[ Excuse you, she's trying to keep up her pride here! No one can sneak up on the Mighty Protector Warrior Minako Aino!! Even though he totally did. And she totally looked surprised when he did. ]

I also meant it in general though! I mean, just compare the two of us.. there's a huge difference, right?

[kokuyoyo]

....Yeah.

[He can't really argue with her there. Much like Ken, he can tell that they're as different as sun and rain, and she has the hair color to match. Reaching up, he slides his glasses further up his nose... which isn't very far.]

...I can't imagine having that much energy... In general or with other people.

[reloves]

Hmm, and I also can't imagine having your kind of energy instead.. It'd probably make me look really sad. [ Since that's exactly what Minako is like when she's super broken up about something. She's sure gotten to experience a lot of that recently while Zelda was asleep.

For a moment she seems to muse on it, but then a realisation hits her. She glances over to Chikusa, her expression slightly startled. ]

Ah, not that I mean to say anything about you with that though! I think the way you act really suits you.. It's what makes you Chikusa!

[kokuyoyo]

....Thanks...?

[Is him being 'Chikusa' a good thing, or...? Well, she's still around for now. He guesses that's the only answer he'll have.]

...It's mostly just being tired all the time. [Pausing, he leans over to investigate the bark on a tree. Those claw marks seem Ken-ish enough...] Have you ever felt like that...?

[reloves]

Tired?

[ The question isn't very confusing, but that's not why she's echoing the word. It's more just that she never chalked up the kind of very Chikusa-y behaviour Chikusa exhibited as being due to tiredness. She just thought it was all natural.. ]

Hmm.. I mean, I guess? Hasn't everyone? [ Granted, Minako is energetic much more than she's ever tired. ] I guess it depends on what kind of feeling tired it is.

[kokuyoyo]

...I guess there are kinds of tired...

[A physical exhaustion is pretty different from the basic sleepiness a human feels when they've been up for too long. Chikusa tries to think on the differences while still guiding her through the forest.]

I guess... When you can't think of something to do, or don't want to do things? That... kind of tired?

[reloves]

[ She hums for a moment. ]

I don't think I've ever felt that kind of tired before. Sure, there's been plenty of times when I didn't feel like doing something. [ Like chores, mostly. And homework back when she was alive, she figures, although she doesn't have any particular memories of that left from her life. ] But.. during those moments I just go and find something else to do. I actually think I feel weirder when I don't have something to do.

[kokuyoyo]

...Huh.

[Somehow, he's not really surprised, and he reaches up to push his glasses up along the bridge of his nose. Even if he's not surprised, it's still... sort of frustrating.]

Ken's the same way... which I guess is why I'm looking for him. He hates not doing anything... And this sort of thing is what he loves doing.

[reloves]

Well, then at least someone is enjoying all of this! [ Minako likes energetic activities, sure, but she's not really into the killing animals part of this hunting thing. Trying to find Ken to make sure he's returned safely to Chikusa feels like a way more fun idea of a hunt to her. ]

Not to mention he's got someone looking out for him. Ahh, you guys are so lucky! And cute.

[kokuyoyo]

He is a dog...

[Although, faintly, he wonders if anyone else actually really understands how true this is, even on just a behavioral level. Maybe he needs to put another video on the network. It's been a long time since he's showed anyone Ken chasing after a ball, or being gross about the dead things the nekomata brought him.]

[...Eh, he'll think about it.]

[For now, he puts that to the side in favor of slowly tilting his head to the side at her next point.]

...Someone has to. Or else...

[They'd probably be dead. Chikusa manages to refrain himself from saying that, however, remembering Kairi's reaction to the idea that he died a second time. Honestly, there's a lot he could probably say on that whole thing... but he should probably not talk to Minako about it.]

[Change of plans. Which is characterized by Chikusa trailing off and not saying anything for another whole minute, like a jackass.]

...Have you tried dating again?

[Nailed it.]

[reloves]

[ Thankfully this isn't the worst situation to have some silence going on. Minako is usually really quick to break up silences before they become awkward, but it's less awkward when Chikusa is just being his quiet self and Minako is doing her best to look around as they walk through the forest. She's so focused on the looking around part that she hardly even realises just for how long they've been silent until Chikusa speaks up again.

.. and what a thing to speak up about. It just had to be the most awkward topic possible for her, huh. Thankfully Minako is an expert at just laughing the awkward things away the best she can. ]

Haha, what made you think about that? [ Her answer, though, is honest. Mostly. ] Nope, I haven't though. I'm not really planning on it either.

[kokuyoyo]

...Oh.

That's fine.

..I just thought if you weren't having luck with boys, maybe you should try being a lesbian. [SURE A THING HE JUST SAID] I mean I'm gay.... so it's worked out for me...

...But if you're not interested, that's fine too. [He steps over an upturned root and pauses to eye it critically, just in case he can see clawmarks or something on it.] There's other stuff to do.

[reloves]

[ Chikusa's answer is so at total contrast with what Minako was thinking about the question that for a moment she looks totally surprised, but then lets out a breath she didn't realise she was holding in and lightly laughs instead. ]

Oh no, I-- I'm not making fun of you, I promise! I just didn't see that coming at all!

[ She shakes her head, trying to get her expression back to something slightly more neutral. ]

I already like both. Boys and girls, I mean. I just like everyone! [ It's just that for some reason it's always the boys going off and turning into monsters or personally cursing her entire love life. Rude. ] I think I'd probably end up having the same problem though even if I liked a girl right now.

[kokuyoyo]

...Oh. Huh. Sounds... like a pain in the ass.

[And thus something Chikusa is fairly certain he has no particular skills to help with. Still, he stares at her for a second longer.]

[...He's kind of been lacking people who've stuck around for a while now. Which was fine, before he ever knew he wanted anything besides Ken.]

...Need... help?

[The awkwardness is about as obvious in his voice as it is in the rest of him, his body tilting a little to the side.]

[reloves]

Help?

[ There's something about the awkwardness he says it with that actually makes the offer mean a lot more to her. It shows he's probably not good at this sort of thing - or maybe just totally unused to it, really - but he's still offering anyway.

And it makes things easier. Minako can never ask for help, even when she needs it, but it's a lot easier to accept if it's being offered to her first. ]

I don't know if much about that problem can be helped for now. [ Since it probably involves memories she doesn't have, and can't suddenly remember. ] But.. I could use a friend who can come over and watch movies with me for fun sometimes?

[ Especially now the mood in the temple is still fairly low with Zelda's mood not being the best. Minako is too much of an extrovert to just keep to herself in that awkward mood. ]

[kokuyoyo]

[While it's undoubtedly selfish, he can't help but feel a little relief that he doesn't have to do... you know. An emotional heart to heart. That's out of his wheelhouse. But watching movies? Easy.]

Sure.. and Ken can have some time with Hakkai-sama, now that he's back in the house.

[It'll all work out fine.... probably. With that settled, he gets on the move again.]

Besides... Ken is bad at movies. I tried to take him to one for our first date once... He could barely sit still.

[reloves]

That's not too surprising. [ Minako may slowly be seeing a bit more just why Ken is that much of a dog, even if she doesn't have nearly the complete image that Chikusa has just yet. But he sure seems.. very active. Extremely active. ] You know, considering he ran off like that here too.

[ Which is the very reason they're wandering around in the woods like this to begin with. ]

Do you maybe think he's looking for you right now too? Surely he'd want to come back to you sooner or later, right?

[kokuyoyo]

Nope.

[Wow that sure is an immediate answer. Adjusting his glasses, he listens for any sounds of nearby chaos. That's usually a good way to figure out where Ken is. But things are quiet so far...]

He's been really pent up lately, so I'm going to have to drag him back home, probably. [For a split second, Chikusa actually makes a face, nose wrinkling.] I'll have to spray him off with a hose...