41 - Cultist Arc Finale

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
When: June 2nd 2017
Where: Mostly the Near Shore
What: Tracking down cultists to remove them as threats to Heaven, erase as much of their presence from the Near Shore as possible, and consequences of such







With it being made clear that the cult's influence was scattered throughout not just Japan but spread far and wide, the gods of the Far Shore have been asked to assemble in the same place where Conclaves normally happen. Bishamonten is assigned the task of rallying the old gods, while Orihime is given the same duty for the new gods. Essentially, the old gods will be working in Japan and the new gods elsewhere. Both Bishamonten and Orihime have a long list of individuals and their last known locations with vague descriptions, collected by those who went out hunting them on Heavens' behalf when everyone was last gathered. ("A Different Sort of Hunt")

Orihime gathers the new gods at her home along the river. Outside her small abode, there are several soulless shinki pulled from their temple. Ostensibly, they are to help any new gods who don't have a shinki available to create the Cutting ties or Rend effects, but no one is there to stop a shinki from commanding them as well.

Orihime will direct the gods to many places in the Scandinavian countries of Europe, south as far as Italy, west to the United Kingdom, and east as far as Belarus and Ukraine. Meanwhile, another contingent is sent to Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the South Pacific / Oceania islands around there. There's even some scattered across the Americas - north in Alaska and the Yukon as far south as Chile and Argentia. Getting to any region requires the permission of a Near Shore god with a local shrine there to teleport, or a much more mundane plane trip.

Since this is all taking place over an extended period of time - roughly 48 hours - new gods are welcome to jump around the regions at their own choosing, not restricted to just one place.

Cutting Ties

Tracking down the cultists won't be easy. Some of their last known locations just confirmed their home addresses, work addresses, school addresses, etc. It's not like there's a GPS on them! However, with the address being specific to a city and country, along with a description of the person involved, it's possible to track down the rank-and-file cultists in these places beyond Japan. Many of them you won't even need to speak to, just find them and use a shinki to cut the string of fate that binds them to their cult activities, spell knowledge, and awareness of Heaven.

It's possible to run into other gods and shinki, though! Especially in major hubs of regular human activity, the cult was able to thus recruit more people to their causes. Maybe you can team up, swap information based on who you're looking for, that sort of thing.

Blight Circles

Where the human cultist recruits favored larger cities, their blight circles are much farther into countrysides - where they were less likely to be disturbed while the cultists crafted them. These circles are fairly simple in their lasting impressions: spellwork in a large circle on the ground, dead or dying flora for double the diameter of such a circle, and powerful ayakashi drawn to their vicinity. Strike down the ayakashi gathering there, purify the area if you can with magic or holy water, and physically break the circle's symbols. Particularly large blight circles might have been crafted near a Vent, increasing the likelihood of powerful ayakashi being there.

The larger and more powerful an ayakashi, the more Rend attacks it will take to bring them down. Maybe you can survive a long battle with one, or maybe you work together as a team with another god / soulless-wield shinki? The choice is up to you!

Cult Hubs

In the true cultural capitals of the world, there is a single Cult Hub - a physical building that was under the governance of a higher cultist official, where spellwork training and other informational sessions took place. Note that these hubs are not always the capitals of their countries, as with New York City or Los Angeles, Toronto or Munich, Sydney or Quezon City. The physical structures where cultists met have a wealth of inventory to look through and either dispose of or use in future efforts for the Heavens. It might not be glamorous work, but it could offer surprising rewards.

Event Bonus:
A thread of 10+ comments earns a character a random item that would have been stored at the cult hub. As with other missions involving "random item" rewards, players can give the mods 3 choices for review and we'll reply with a comment about any choice which might be too powerful / not suitable, or players can ask for the mods to give them 2-3 random items and pick only one as their reward.

Between Scenes / Afterward

As everyone returns to the Far Shore between their major efforts on the Near Shore, recovering from the battles, enlisting backup, or simply looking for another assignment from Orihime, you might still bump into one another, particularly around Orihime's home or down the river in either direction. Feel free to use this as a kind of catchall space or a place to look for healing, food, and sleep with your fellows from the Far Shore.

Alternatively, this could all happen when the last assignments have been handed out and people start to disperse back to their own temples.

Event Bonus: Gift Baskets!

For Gods and Shinki alike, Orihime will provide a gift basket to each and every character, customized as much as possible. This will include, among other things, an article of clothing with a wondrous power unlike any she's made before. Players can request what these items are OOCly, kind of like book requests in the library, but we hope it can to be something you as a player truly feel like is a reward to your character for having come this far.

To claim this reward, simply reply to the Orihime OOC comment below with your desired item and its ability to begin the discussion. Remember: Orihime would avoid granting items that help in battle; rather they're meant to enhance the character's everyday life, make their hobbies easier or more fun, that sort of thing. Example abilities might include: hover-style flight, lite elemental resistance, green-thumb plant growth boost, etc. - they're just tied to the item.

An IC week after the event, gift baskets will be delivered, along with an Epilogue announcement on the BBS.

Event Bonus (all prompts):
A thread of 10+ comments will gain 150 followers / 15 exp per thread.



In Summary:

• Travel the world
• Hunt down the last vestiges of the cult's influences
• Get goodies
• Await the epilogue announcement
• Have fun~

Comments

Hibiki Shikyoin ♔ Going Rogue In The Far Shore And Japan ♔ Open-ish

[priforprince]

[ A Genius's Five Seconds And The Common Man's Five Seconds Are Different ]

[ Were you assigned to work with Hibiki? That is a true tragedy. Because she's, ah, late showing up to wherever on the planet she's supposed to be. So late, that it likely behooves you to go looking for her.



....It's not hard. She's in her temple. Typing...something....on her laptop.

With such urgency that she has not noticed you yet. You might have to make a scene. ]

[ Cutting Ties - actual cutting locked to Wendy and/or D2; ota for being caught in the act ]

Hm.

[ Beneath this tree, an unsuspecting person ambles by, checking something on their cell phone. Hiding behind the tree - a spygoat, watching.

Several trees back - a shadow dotted with the brilliant red of casablanca lilies. Who has just nodded and pressed a button on their tablet.

The spygoat, nervous but mostly maa-xcited to be part of a Great Heist, begins rolling towards the person. The goat is carrying a small piece of cardstock atop a silver platter, suspended above themselves.

Except....well, there is this tree. Spygoats and tree roots don't mix.

The goat goes tail over horns! The card goes flying!

Right, perhaps, towards, someone else.... ]

[ Bonus: Now Then, Promise That You'll Always Heed Me ]

[ The location: the headquarters of the Fujisaki corporation. The mood: confusion. A few of the higher-ups, upon whom people depend for instruction, don't appear to be their usual selves. They're discombobulated. There's only one person left who seems to know what's going on, and they've sequestered themselves in their office as they try to figure all this out.

Into the building strides: a young businessprince in a suit that cost more than the entire reception desk. With a companion. (That's you!)

They approach the receptionist with a bright smile. ] Hey. You're working hard today.

[ "Ah! Yes, ah...sir...?....do you have an appointment....?" ]



Naturally. With destiny. And you.

[ A purple rose is produced from within that suit, offered to the young woman. She takes it, too surprised by the gesture to notice the businessprince unclipping her ID card from her front pocket.

A very special smile is smiled. ] Take it in celebration. For the dawning of a glorious, never-setting sun.

Five seconds

[unlucky7]

[At least when it comes to all people assigned to work with Hibiki, Ginia takes it all in stride. When she doesn't spot Hibiki at Orihime's home, she texts the god asking for her location. When Hibiki fails to respond, Ginia goes with the most logical location and heads toward the temple.

Standing behind Hibiki, Ginia leans over to see what has her so focused. Not her fault if Hibiki didn't notice or hear her come in. She knocked, she swears.]

[priforprince]

Refreshments, hm? Leave them here.

[ Hibiki can sense there’s someone behind her but not, apparently, the difference between a spygoat and a shinki. Should a genius distinguish?

It seems she’s got news featuring the keyword “Fujisaki” up in one window and some code in the other. The latter commands most of her attention - and her typing.

It’s a password-guessing bot. ]

[unlucky7]

[Fujisaki. Interesting. There's a name and company connection Ginia has never been able to figure out. Given their connection to two events, it's not a common coincidence, but there's no apparent lead either.

Ginia taps her phone against her hand, studying the proceedings before she types and plays her message.]

I'm not your servant, Hibiki.

[Getting that fact out of the way first.]

What do you know about the Fujisaki company?

1/2

[priforprince]

Pffft!

[ AMBUSHED?!

And right when she’d drained this teacup! ]

2/2

[priforprince]

[ .....But it’s just Ginia, so that’s fine. Hibiki resumes her typing once a spygoat is done bumping a cloth on a stick against the computer screen.

In fact, Ginia’s question has merit. ] They’re a nuisance incapable of choosing their associates wisely.

[ Type type. Dramatic striking of the Enter key. ] Therefore.....

[ A new news story pops up. Really, though, it’s more a rumor on a blogging site - that several bigwigs are showing up discombobulated or going MIA.

Hibiki opens the article and copies a name. ]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia looks at the article, mouth thinning. Perhaps some links are already being severed or people are going on the run?]

I've heard a little about the company. The department store and poisoned chocolate, I believe.

[Her attention falls toward the focused god as she works.]

What's your interest in them?

[priforprince]

Unresolved business, primarily.

[ Hibiki, why are you opening up the Fujisaki webmail page. Hibiki. ]

An offer I made while investigating the department store was refused. Such an anomaly won’t repeat itself.

[ In other words - the magnificent God of Fortune is playing hooky to satisfy a grudge. But this is beyond critique.

Everything a god does is just. ]

[unlucky7]

What kind of offer?

[Sure, they're playing hooky, but now Ginia is interested in this. It could benefit them in the long run too, whatever Hibiki is planning. Or it could benefit Hibiki only, who knows.

Should she warn her temple? Business is their domain and changes do have a way of affecting them. But what's another wave of prayers when they're already hit with so many?]

[priforprince]

I’m purchasing the company.

[ No hesitation. No remorse. No shame. As she sits here reading someone else’s internal emails. ]

[unlucky7]

[Yeah, that... that is the sort of thing she should let her temple know about. If nothing else it's delicious gossip everyone will love along with a heads up on possible changes.

Naturally, Ginia does nothing to discourage this idea. Not that Hibiki has reason to listen to her (beyond accepting the advice of a friend).]

What are you going to do with the company?

[priforprince]

...You’re inquisitive today.

[ She doesn’t mind. But it appears to be worth noting.

She needs to do something while all this data copies from someone else’s computer to her own, after all. ]

[unlucky7]

I've wondered for awhile what connection the company might have to the cult. Never been able to find anything more than the incidents the company were related in, and even then it was people acting within the company without their knowledge.

[At least where the department store was involved.]

Also I do serve a god of commerce. Changes in the business world fall under our general concern. If you have any sweeping changed planned, a heads up would be helpful. We're already very busy as it is.

[But that is a courtesy, not a requirement.]

[priforprince]

[ Ah. A dutiful and curious shinki. Hibiki cannot object to such motives. ]

Have no fear. [ She looks up from the in-progress transfer, a holier-than-thou(-than-usual) expression on her face. ] A company’s everyday operations hold little attraction to me. Leaving it to the remaining employees is best.

[ And therefore, what she will do. Her player translates this particular Hibiki phrase somewhat clunkily, but the trade-off is getting to frequently employ the word “best.” What could be a more Hibiki word than that?!

Beep beep, says the computer. Hibiki now owns a copy of the company intranet. Including the staff directory. And panicked messages detailing who’s become very confused, and who has mysteriously made a run for it upon hearing this news.

She won’t fail to track down the necessary contacts this time. ]

[unlucky7]

[That's good news for the business world, Ginia supposes. Changes in ownership happen all the time without too much effect on the existing employees. Barring anyone who might get ties cut, there shouldn't be any mass panic as people look for new jobs.

She leans over Hibiki's shoulder a little more, catching a quick glimpse of some of the messages and names.]

We're supposed to work together on tracking some people down. I could help you tracking down some of the people at Fujisaki.

1/2

[priforprince]

You’ll assist me....?

[ Ginia is her f...fffr....fkugfmgfdjfd.....Hibiki trusts Ginia. But people volunteering to do things for her, without an order, still has the power to surprise her. And make her thoughtful, for half a second. ]

2/2

[priforprince]

[ But only half a second. ]

Then, I’ll take you up on your offer for you.

[ Because letting you do her a favor is itself a favor to you, of course. Not everyone can say they receive these opportunities.

Hibiki assembles a document with names & addresses, then sends it to a printer.....which rolls into the room on goat-back, in short order. ] That copy is yours.

cutting ties

[nopixiedust]

[Well. She knew that whole nonsense wouldn't go well. Some things, you need actual legs for. Annoyed at it all, Wendy sighs and drops out of her spot where she was waiting up in the tree branches. As someone used to daring acrobatics, she lands and rises smoothly, just in time to snatch the card out of the air.]

[...And then whirls around to fling it like a fucking throwing knife right at the back of the unsuspecting person's head.]

[THERE. That should do it.]

[priforprince]

[ KA-SHUNK! Like a shuriken, the card hits the cultist (for who else would merit personal attention from a god?) point-first. It flutters to the ground as they yelp in dismay, grabbing and rubbing the back of their head. What the....

Seeing the card, they pick it up. And sound the message out, confused.

“Presently, I shall come to steal your crimes.....?”

This is perfect timing for the masked individual to teleport behind the person and whoosh their cape over their prey, holding them in place with one hand while extending the other. ]

Now!

[ This isn’t a very dashing stage - they’ll whisk their quarry away first - but a dramatic leap into action contains the most impact. Leaving Wendy untransformed to assist with transport is the most elegant option, as well.

The spygoat whirs from its position on the ground. Um.....Could it get help, real fast, before you maaaa-bduct that person? ]

[nopixiedust]

[Wendy swears to god that being Hibiki's shinki is truly a trial sometimes. Whirling around for some real good momentum, she kicks the robot goat upwards and uses her landing to twirl and twist over to Hibiki.]

[It's hard to say if that kind of action is elegant or crude, but Wendy has done it either way.]

Here!

[priforprince]

[ Phantom Thief Genius whispers in the person’s ear. ] Pardon.

[ With the person supported between themselves and Wendy, Genius leaps into the sky, trusting Wendy shall be able to match the motion. They nod at a nearby rooftop: that will do. ]

When the wings that soar in the sky unfurl - appearing in the darkness, a single Casablanca lily!

[ Shall we land? Better, shall we do a somersault as we do so? ] My name is - Phantom Thief Genius!

[ Wendy, should she have a moniker in mind, is free to chime in here as well. The world’s a stage. ]

[nopixiedust]

[Really, it's a good thing that shinki are able to defy gravity like this, because that means Wendy really can keep up with some leaps and hops, all without having to use her wire.]

[No somersault from her end, but she does give an impressive spin and sticks that leggy out real good.]

Pixie Thief Beauty!

[Or maybe sensible thief babysitter, the jury is out on her exact name.]

[priforprince]

[ Excellent employment of leggy. An exemplary shinki in all regards.

Genius sweeps their arm out to the side, palm out. ] Today, we’ve come to plunder your past. Come, Bulleki!

[ Now, how does one....? Focus, and then sever, correct? ]

[nopixiedust]

[Yeah, she knows she is.]

[Spinning to Hibiki's palm in a flurry of light and glitter, Wendy metaphorically- spiritually?- taps her foot.]

Should I just go for it like an ayakashi?

[priforprince]

All formalities have been observed!

[ So that’s a yes. Phantom Thief Genius flicks their hand out to toss the top at the thread they’re....totally winging sensing, but they’re a god and an ad-libber. If this doesn’t work, they’ll move to intercept the top and try something else.

But this will work. Because it was their idea! ]