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

[unlucky7]

Makes the fact nora are ostracized all the more bullshit.

[But now isn't the time to gripe about the ways of Heaven. It's not as if there's anything they can do to change the way things work or even mindsets. The ones willing to accept nora as a part of their temple already do, anyone else will need the time to decide things on their own terms.]

How are you feeling about all this? Cutting ties and cleaning up the messes left behind. Personally, I think it's about damn time Heaven takes full action, though if it were as simple as severing ties and making them forget things...

[Well, couldn't they have done that on their own? Maybe there's a lot more they could have done on their own. Ginia looks as a teenager matching her target's general description begins walking toward the convenience store, but she walks past without slowing down or looking their way.]

Guess I wonder if a lot could have gone differently sooner.

[revolutionfalcon]

That was stupid from the start. [Shun doesn't personally take on nora, but he feels like having a strong ideological stance against them is pretty stupid. Granted, he (perhaps luckily) hasn't gotten into a lot of conversations about that among the new gods.

He doesn't feel strongly enough about it to continue the line of thought, so he leads into the next subject easily enough.] I'm taking the generous interpretation that they've realised this needs to be done as a whole to end this ridiculous conflict quickly, and hopefully set the ground for more work together in the future. Naive of me, maybe, but they made too many mistakes in ignoring our warnings to completely turn tail on them in time for this.

[As for the actual effectiveness of it...] This seems about as final as it can get without killing people, and for the most part it's the ones in charge that seemed to deserve that.

[unlucky7]

Personally, I still wonder about Takeru and if we aren't better removing him entirely.

[Is severing a link with him enough or will the feelings that led him toward the actions he took eventually come up again? Ginia knows she doesn't have the time to watch his moves personally and maybe things can be different a second time around.

Or maybe they're doomed to repeat what's forgotten. Ginia mulls a bit, a frown settling in. It's clear she's not thinking entirely on the cult.]

Well, I'm not going to move against him.

[Her signs are a little small, an absent reflection more than a comment. She's pretty sure Chris and Tsubasa would understand, Ebisu and the others there less so. Besides, Suijin did say no harm would come to them and she's not interested in making an enemy out of one of Amaterasu's advisors.

A teenager on a bicycle rides up to the store. Her hair is hidden partially by the helmet, but she's wearing the store's uniform. Ginia tilts her head toward her as the employee walks her back toward the side of the store where the bike racks are.]

Let's get this over with.

[revolutionfalcon]

Don't think we have much choice but to spare him without turning the kid gods back into rogues. [While Shun is definitely no fan of "Sensei" either, Votelli hadn't seemed to want him dead, and Sotero had definitely wanted his so-called parents to stay alive. In that case, it's difficult to kill them without causing all sorts of problems if it's found out who did it.

For now, though, Shun continues keeping an eye on the street, though he nods slightly at her indication to begin.] Keep an eye out for the other one, if we're mostly doing this with mine.

[He sets Kotori's vessel form away in his belt for now so he can focus on having a bit more finesse with the axe, dropping down to street level as he moves to follow her behind the store, preferring to remain unseen for now in case she happens to be one of the lucky ones who's more spiritually perceptive.]

[unlucky7]

[The cultist isn't paying any attention to them as she locks up her bike, stopping to check her phone. Ginia moves her position so she can keep an eye on anyone approaching the store from the front as well as keep an eye on the situation. Hopefully things go smoothly enough she won't need to throw down a borderline to block off the teen.

The teenager is texting on her phone in an unhurried way, catching up on messages she received while biking over. Even when Shun is several feet away, she doesn't take notice of him.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun's been through a couple of cultists by this point, so he eyes the point he knows the "string" should be, something faintly visible to the both of them at the right angle, leading out from her back a little before disappearing. Since she's distracted by her texting at the moment, Shun takes the opportunity to get closer, creeping around the side and moving towards her at a quick, but silent pace.

She tenses up just before he reaches her, as if she might've just sensed the presence of something but not quite enough to register a person behind her. However, by that point, Shun's close enough to swing his axe, and the string breaks, flutters and disappears as the girl blinks for a moment and looks around.

After a moment, she shakes her head and goes back to her phone as if nothing happened.]

[unlucky7]

[Sometimes things are that easy. The teenager pockets her phone and walks around to enter through the front of the store, not even sparing Shun or Ginia a second glance. Whether there's an effect is hard to tell and they don't have time to follow her and find out. If the line is broken, it's broken, and all they can hope is things work out well for her.

Ginia watches the teen enter the store, peering inside the store to see if there's anyone in there matching the description of Shun's target. There's the other employee and a man in his 20s browsing the magazines, but no one else.]

Should have let us sever links sooner.

[Ginia signs dryly as Shun comes back around. Then again, they might not have gotten all the information they have now and Sotero and Votelli might still be enemies.

A few minutes later, a tall woman with a large purse slung over her shoulder approaches the store. Sunglasses cover her eyes, but she's wearing earrings, a silk scarf tied around her neck, and a few gold accent bracelets. Her hair is pulled back in a partial French braid, the rest left to hang freely.]

There's a fashionable look. That your target?

[revolutionfalcon]

That'd mean they'd have to tell us it was an option. [Shun says that somewhat dryly, keeping an eye on the teen as well. There's no visible change, but he's pretty sure that was the point of this whole exercise; disbanding the cultists without anyone being the wiser in the end.

When he hears someone else approaching - those bracelets aren't quiet - Shun's head turns rather sharply. He surveys the woman briefly before inclining his head a bit, holding the axe ready again.]

Matches the kind of thing I could see through the window of her hotel room. It'd be better to deal with her before she gets inside.

[With the teen having been freshly severed, she probably doesn't need the quick reminder of something weird going on, and it's a lot harder to maneuver something like a poleaxe inside a store.]

[unlucky7]

[Time to be a distraction then. Ginia pulls her phone out of her pocket and puts on the most apologetic and gentle expression as she crosses into the path of the cultist, focusing on making herself as noticeable as possible. It's very easy playing the part of the lost, clueless tourist as she asks for directions through her phone. The woman seems mildly annoyed by the interruption, but gamely helps out. Focused on Ginia's phone, she doesn't notice Shun or his poleaxe at all.]

[revolutionfalcon]

[Well, at least some of the cultists follow their own logic and are decent to other humans. Shun takes the opportunity while Ginia keeps her distracted, picking out the sign of the thread again and making sure the woman is still preoccupied with giving directions before he swings the blade down, severing the second thread. It might be visible pulling taut in the air for a moment before it simply breaks under the blade and vanishes.]

[unlucky7]

[Ginia looks over the woman's shoulder as the thread snaps. She smiles and thanks the woman for her help, buying Shun a few seconds to move away before she walks out of range herself, looping back to see what happens next.

The encounter already falling to the back of her mind, the cultist begins walking toward the convenience store again. She stops, frowning as she tries to remember what she was coming here for. Seemingly remembering, she walks in again, picking up a magazine, a bottle of water, and a sandwich.

Outside, Ginia peers into the shop and watches the transaction between the two cultists, smiling a bit when it's nothing no more than a rote transaction. She keeps to herself as the cultist leaves with her bags and walks onward.]

I wish them well. Whatever happiness they were finding in the cult, I hope they find it elsewhere. [Ginia's head tilts and her smile twists slightly.] Is that too soft to say?

[revolutionfalcon]

[Shun backs off rather promptly, since even with the assumption that most people won't be able to spot them without them drawing attention to themselves, the poleaxe is large enough to be something of a concern. He watches the woman go with a careful eye, but it seems like the interaction inside the shop is entirely normal, and he lets out a breath as if of relief. If it's just the cultists who made bad decisions on where to put their loyalty, he doesn't really want to be pushed to have to do worse.

Ginia's question gets a slight shrug out of Shun, though between reading her signs, he's watching the woman until she gets out of sight again.] It'd mean less problems for us if they found fulfilment elsewhere, so you could call it pragmatic, in a way. I'm hoping that if they genuinely wanted something better for themselves and the world, they're going to actually act on that in a way that isn't risking everything around them.

[unlucky7]

[Ginia nods, looking at the direction the older cultist left in. Everyone has to fight their personal problems and find support and help where they can. Gods and shinki can help, but they're not a cure-all either.]

Got more on your list or plan on hitting something else?

[revolutionfalcon]

There's one or two more in this area I was planning to look into before I move on. I don't want to spend too much time in one place considering how many people are covering this, but I want to make sure it's all been dealt with.

[No gaps, no mistakes this time. They've already been doing this song and dance for long enough that he just wants it fixed by this point.]

[unlucky7]

I hear you. Too far and too late to not see things through ourselves. She was the last of my list here. I'm heading to Hawaii next, Ebisu has a shrine in a more remote area and there's reports of unusual plant death at a national park nearby.

[Ginia lifts her shoulder, the bag shifting slightly.]

If there's a circle, I figure I can clear the ayakashi at least.

[revolutionfalcon]

I've got a circle to deal with later, but I wanted to take care of this first since it's a hell of a trip out of the way. [The far northeastern corner of Iceland is not exactly the most convenient place to take a field trip out to, especially considering the nearest populated area to where he's headed is a fishing village made up of maybe a handful of buildings.]

We'll see how it goes. Hopefully I can get rid of the damn thing more effectively than when I first discovered it.

[unlucky7]

I'd offer to help, but I'll probably be tied up enough in Hawaii. Got some other people to check on too, heard a few are hitting Europe. Always did want to see Europe.

[There's a slight smile, but alas, no time for sightseeing. Maybe another day.]

Still, if you need help, text me. I got enough gods I can catch a teleport from one of them. Otherwise take care out there. You and your shinki.

[revolutionfalcon]

I'm bringing my whole temple anyway, we should have enough hands between us. [Chinatsu and four shinki from this world is probably enough to handle it, even if three are soulless. Cleaning up something like that shouldn't need anything too out of their skillset.]

You as well. We don't need anyone getting too reckless when all this is finally about to come to an end.

[unlucky7]

[With Chinatsu, Kotori, and three soulless shinki, it's a full wrecking crew. Ginia worries loosely about their safety, but trusts they'll be fine.]

I'll keep a clear head. Wouldn't want to miss whatever is next.

[Whether it's a party, another problem, or saying goodbye, Ginia wants to see it through. The cult almost killed her once, they won't get another chance.

She waves lightly before bounding off to the nearest usable shrine.]