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]

[Ginia worries over Ayumu she worries whenever she goes into battle with anyone; enough to keep an eye on her if things turn for the worst but trusting she can handle herself. Her job is to clear the sigils, Ayumu's job is to handle the ayakashi. If she seems unprotected in a summery dress - it's a great look on her - that's not Ginia's concern.

Ebisu is a child occasionally in a jean kimono. Chris and Tsubasa fight in slightly armor bodysuits. From the accounts she's heard, Bishamon fights in a leather bikini, skirt, and jacket.

So a dress is fine.

Ginia slams a barrier in front of her as an eel-like ayakashi rises from the ground. As the ayakashi weaves back and forth, she splashes water on the sigil, using her boot to rub it into the markings. They spark as they crumble, but there's plenty more to go.]

[dredefulchilde]

Christ, that thing is ugly.

[As soon as Joscelin sees the giant bear ayakashi, he's filled with sudden, crippling doubt that flashes through the god-shinki connection. Can he do this? Can he really fight and heal Ayumu?

The doubt disappears and resolve takes its place. He has to. Joss clenches his incorporeal fist around the somehow still bleeding wound on his left palm and sets to work. He continues to dig his fingers into the wound as the first slashes stabs send the ayakashi's life energy surging into him, filling his reserves and threatening to heal the cut on his hand. He needs to keep it open and bleeding, but he also needs to be at full strength for what comes next.]

[kagenonadeshiko]

Isn't it? It's the ugliest one I've seen in a while.

[Her tone's cheerful enough as she darts in, out, and around the ayakashi almost as if she's dancing with the creature instead of bringing about its demise. She's used to going up against these things without protective wear; only Gojyo ever turned into armor. To compensate, she's developed her own particular fighting style utilizing her teleportation abilities as a goddess to evade attacks.

Like right now. The bear lets out a bestial roar and swipes hard at Ayumu only to find light lingering where she'd stood and oblivious to the new flare directly behind it. Spotting an opportunity to do so now, she begins the incantation to obliterate it from existence. Given its size, it might take more than one try so she might as well get that started now.

You who desecrate this Land of the Rising Sun!

[These fancy speeches feel even stupider when they're given in Italy but Ayumu perseveres, speaking quickly -]

With my advent, I, Vesta, lay waste with the Suki and expel thy vast defilement! Rend!

[unlucky7]

[The spell in combination with the sharpness of Joscelin's steely state slash deep into the ayakashi's unprotected back. Skin blackens and crumbles around the gaping wound as Joscelin cuts it open, but Ayumu is right; it'll need another rend.

Roaring, it turns and lashes out with its claws, lunging at them.]

[dredefulchilde]

[The bear isn’t just powerful, it’s—powerful. Joscelin can’t control the amount of raw energy surging into him and he has to dig his fingers into the wound on his palm to keep it open and bleeding while his body tries to heal it. He’s brimming with more than he could possibly consume, and usually this is about the time where he starts sending it back to his god, to keep her strength up. But not today. Not according to his plans.]

Just die already, you disgusting—Mum...Mistress! Behind you!]

[Not only is the bear lunging at them, the eel ayakashi are also surging around them and Ginia.]