"Now that our new home is in order, it is time for you to fetch a guardian for this realm. The Valde Bellum demands much of my attention which may create an opportunity for our enemies. To provide our home additional strength, you are to bring the oni Ritsu back to our realm so I may bind him and his strenth into my service. He resides at the top of Mt. Fuji. It is said that he is unbeatable in combat, but will submit to a foe more massive than himself. Do not disappoint me."
[How do you get to Japan? Do you bring your Anchors? Do you just send your Anchors? Also, I'm just going to assume that Jordan stays to guard the chancel unless otherwise stated. If no one posts by Friday I'll just continue the story.]
Ava presumes that the rest of her Familia has recieved the message she just heard and heads at once to the Realm's heart where she expects her Familia will meet to discuss a plan. As she was close by anyway she gets there first.
ReplyDeleteShe leans against her Icon in the Realm's heart, an elaborate glass drinking basin, and waits. The pitter-patter of water drops creeping over the edge sounds like the anxious tapping of fingers, reflecting Ava's excitement and anticipation, this being her Familia's first mission of real consequence outside Locus Sulaya.
***
"Well," says Ava after the others have arrived, "I suppose Tokyo is the obvious starting point. Our gate there lets out in the San'ya neighborhood, a slum in the Taito ward which is in the central northeast part of the city.
"I had been monitoring the thirst of the poor in that area for a month or so a while back so I may have the most familiarity with the place.
"My Japanese isn't the best but I'm eager to get started so unless any of you have objections I'll go on ahead and see if I can't manage to find us some transportation."
OOC: Here's a map of Tokyo. Mt. Fuji is close by, ~80 miles to the southwest of the city.
In the Realm's Heart, Jordan's icon is a flowering cactus that stands across the room from Ava's drinking basin. The cactus is fed by the constant dripping water from the basin.
ReplyDelete***
One of the cactus' flowers unfolds and from that flower Jordan speaks. "Good luck on this mission. I will have Latham increase security on the border and I will increase watches on our other gates. I will contact you Ava if there are signs of trouble."
Upon entering San'ya Ava is welcomed by the sounds of a quarrel in the street not too far away and breaking glass not too far up ahead in the alley she finds herself in. She sees that a stumbling vagrant has just dropped his bottle, which had made the sound. She thinks idly to herself that the last few times she has entered San'ya from Locus Sulaya there has been the sound of glass. Perhaps it had something to do with leaving the hourglass. Had it been every time? She would have to look into that at another time, but right now she had a mission, find transportation. It's quite late at night and Ava hears no cars about at this hour. As she walks down the alley toward the street she feels the first drop of a light rain shower hit her skin and almost as a reflex she sets up a thin perimeter of dryness about her. Where the alley meets the street there is a makeshift cardboard abode with a middle aged woman huddled inside. The woman looks up at Ava approaching and moves out to the edge of her living space.
ReplyDelete"Please madam, could you spare some change? I haven't had anything to eat or drink for two days," says the woman as she reaches out and grasps Ava's arm. When she does so the rain on the woman's hands is repelled and she feels the dryness of both her hand and Ava's arm. Clearly startled, the woman quickly pulls her hand back and Ava stops to stare at her. The woman mutters appologies and bows awkwardly as she backs away from Ava, fearful of this stranger whom the rain won't touch.
Feeling compassion for the woman Ava says, "You needn't be afraid. Come here, drink this." And she offers her a sip from the canteen at her side. Hesitating at first, the woman comes forward and drinks from the canteen.
[Ava performs a Ghost Miracle of Thirst to make the woman's thirst seem less severe.]
"See, much better. But I must go now. Be well." Ava gives a small polite bow, and she continues to the street to look for a vehicle.
She sees no cars out on the move, but does find an abandoned car with windows broken some ways down the street. It is clear that this car had not been driven in some time. Shifting her focus from the Prosaic to the Mythic world, Ava gazes at the old car spirit in front of her, whose shape is something between a large feline animal and the prosiac car she had seen before.
"It's time you woke up you old lout," says Ava as she strokes the car spirit's metalic fur and it's tired eyes look up and around.
[Ava performs a Lesser Creation of Thirst to make the car thirst to drive again.]
In both the Mythic and the Prosaic world, the car's engine begins to purr. 'Not great, but it should do for now at least,' thinks Ava to herself as she opens the car door and sits down in the driver seat.
Before getting into the car, Reynaud closes his eyes and focuses on the sounds around him. [Reynaud uses his Gift Hear Anywhere.] He can hear the beggar woman closing her cardboard home from the rain and begin to snore. He can can hear four children giggling as they run towards the grocery store to get out of the rain. After a few seconds Reynaud is quite sure no one is watching them and he nods to Meredith.
ReplyDeleteMeredith raises her hand and the shattered glass around the car begins to float and move; flowing like liquid to reform the windows of the car. [Meredith uses her Gift Estate Mastery Glass.] Not only is it unpleasant to drive in a car with broken windows, Meredith knows that they would risk causing dementia animus if Ava miraculously maintained a moisture barrier around the car.
When the windows are fixed, Ava dries the interior and the three Powers drive off to Mt. Fuji. [Ava uses her Gift Destroy Moisture.] Meredith, having seen a map recently of Japan, knows exactly how to navigate there. [Meredith uses an Aspect 2 miracle to remember perfectly something she has seen.]
***
Mt. Fuji is a majestic mountain. Its snowy top has been rounded by years of weathering. When you look into the Mythic World, Mt. Fuji appears as a massive slumbering spirit. Revered as a god in Shintoism, Mt. Fuji's spiritual presence is as large as, if not larger than, its Prosaic "body". The other spirits of the trees, rocks, animals, snow, etc actually live, play, laugh, and cry on the slumbering body of Mt. Fuji.
***
The drive up the mountain is uneventful. The dirt road is relatively stable and easy enough to drive on. About two-thirds up the mountain you come to your destination. You stop in front of a Shinto shrine. Set back from the shrine is a small wooden home. An old man is sweeping dirt and dust from the shrine. Using the Sight [Aspect 0 miracle] reveals that the man's soul burns brightly; a mortal with an Auctoritas. Meredith smells the fragrances of many flowers wafting from the old man. [Meredith uses an Aspect 1 miracle.] He does not look up as you stop your car.
Leaning against the side of the mountain and slightly embedded in the side is a 50 feet tall and 20 feet wide boulder. Wrapped around the boulder like a belt is a rope and from the rope hangs 20 prayer strips.
When you look into the Mythic World you see something quite different. Instead of a boulder, you see a 50 ft tall giant standing next to the mountain. He appears to be made of stone. He has four giant arms; two of them are folded across his chest and two of them are pushing on some sort of door or gate in the side of the mountain. He has blue eyes that burn like unearthly flames and huge tusk-like bottom teeth. You assume this is the oni Ritsu.
The rope with the prayer strips is hovering in the air and glowing with a soft golden light. It appears as though this rope keeps Ritsu bound to the that spot. The gate Ritsu is pushing against is outlined faintly by a red-orange glow. As you watch you see flames flare up from the edges of the door. Ritsu just smiles, unfolds his arms and slams his fists against the gate and says "You know that never works."
"What's inside the gate Ritsu?" Reynaud asks as he approaches the Oni. "You could replace me here and find out yourself." Ritsu says with a toothy grin. "That rope seems to think you belong here." Reynaud says with his own dry grin. "And sadly this rope and I disagree." Ritsu huffs as he puts more of his weight against the door. "I do not know why you are bound Ritsu, would you tell me your tale? We may be able to free you but the details of your imprisonment might be the key we need to do so," Reynaud says as he calmly seats himself on the ground. "My original nature was as a guardian," Ritsu growls, "and so some bastard decided I will serve as one again." Meredith, moving with an idle grace towards the Oni, begins to examine the rope with some care, while still managing to keep an ideal distance between herself and the Demon. "But what are you guarding?" She asks. "This damn gate!" He shouts as he slams a fist against it. Flames flare out the side in response. (Reynaud uses his gift to hear inside the gate, and he makes out the the distinct pace of some large, four legged beast.)
ReplyDeleteIt growls.
"Are you bound to the gate, or to keeping that creature kept inside?" Reynaud asks. "To this gate. Can you not read?" "I'm blind." Reynaud says dryly. The Oni just laughs maliciously.
Meredith turns back to Ava and Reynaud, "It's a complex binding spell. It's mortal magic, but the amount of strength it would take to do this binding would take either a Noble or a group of mortals several decades. The prayer strips bind Ritsu to that place, to the task of preventing the gate from being opened, and create a complex illusion around Ritsu to make him appear as if he's a rock. It seems as though both Ritsu himself and the magic work to create the illusion and that Ritsu may be able to pierce the illusion for small periods of time." The words pour forth, as if in silence the words had dammed up inside of her.
After a few moments, Ava speaks quietly. "Reynauld, what exactly is on the other side of the door?"
ReplyDelete"Some four legged being," Reynaud shrugs. Ava closes her eyes, raises a hand toward the door and looks as though she is drinking something. (Ava does a lesser divination of thirst to understand why the creature thirsts to escape, and to learn what the Oni thirsts for) Ava senses nothing at first, as she redoubles her efforts she begins to gasp. Her lips crack and her skin dries, such is her Thirst. As she concentrates she learns that the creature inside the door thirsts to burn to ashes all of Japan. She also discovers that Ritsu was a Guardian Kami, who became corrupted by Hell and warped into an Oni whose goal was to destroy those things he once guarded.
Flames pours through the cracks in the gate. Meridith chips a piece of cheap glass jewelry hanging from her neck. It becomes transparent and the shard goes flying under the gate (She uses her changing gift) Meredith looks through the glass and sees small cave carved out of the mountain or into the body of Mt. Fuji. The creature inside looks like a lion constructed of living flame. In the back of the cave is a small blue candle burning faintly.
Ava looks at Meredith, "Can see or hear a prosaic equivalent to what's behind the gate?"
Meredith smiles, "Of course, I can shift sight and look through the glass."
As Meredith watches the Lion engulfs itself in flames and as it roars they rush towards the gate. Surprisingly, most of the flames billow towards the gate and then fly back into the flame of the candle. While Meredith is describing these sights to Ava and Reynaud, she notices and mentions to them that the candle is clear in the mythic world, distinguishing it as something powerful.
The group sits in contemplation. Ava is the first to speak, "Ritsu thirsts to destroy that which he protects; that which he protects thirsts to destroy Japan, a couple of destructions could remedy the issue, would you think it wise?" Reynaud stands up suddenly, surprising his companions. "Please wait for a minute Ava, I've got a few more questions to ask." Reynaud walks quietly down the slope and bows politely when he gets to the old man outside the Shinto shrine.
After some time Reynaud returns from the Shinto shrine. "I've learned a little from the man at the shrine. His name is Gita. He knows we are 'special' and has presumably had dealings with Nobles before. He is part of an alchemist order called the Cleave of the Botanists. He is very old for a mortal, over a hundred years. The Ritsu was originally a guardian but was corrupted during the Fall and now seeks to destroy Japan. Were it not for the prayer strip a demonic figure would be before us. The prayer strip was not Gita's design but rather one of his predecessors. It binds the Ritsu and allows some of his former personality to combat his corrupted nature. Gita calls the creature on the other side of the gate 'Tsukeru' and describes it at as a fire-lion. To burn is it's nature, it is not really corrupted as Ritsu is, but it is angry at Japan for imprisoning it."
ReplyDeleteAva speaks up after Reynaud has finished, "I think removing the Ritsu's thirst to destroy should make him safe enough to handle at least until we can get back to the chancel. I can handle that with minimal effort. Jordan or Sulaya may be able to scour his corruption once we get there. It seems that this fire-lion Tsukeru could easily escape once we leave. I could destroy Tsukeru's thirst to burn Japan, but along with the destruction for Ritsu I would be left rather drained. Reynaud, might you create a blindness in the fire-lion to the existence of a way out of his prison? That should buy us enough time to secure Ritsu in our chancel and we can return to set up a more permanent solution here if needed."
[Ava performs destruction of thirst to destroy on Ritsu - 1 mp]
ReplyDelete[Ava performs creation of thirst to protect Ava and Familia on Ritsu - 0 mp]