jigokulogs | May 2022 Mini Event

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May 2022 Mini Event

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As the Haniwa continue to pop up in the city and the turf war rages on, life goes on in the city.

1. SHUTEN CLAN

Remember the Isonade? Yeah, those guys. The surly shark-dudes who were no doubt involved in some black market smuggling along the banks of the Sanzu. They were too tough to fight off in order to figure out what they were up to, last time.

Well, Toraguma has caught wind of them now. Despite the ongoing turf war, he’s not about to lose out on an opportunity here! He wants his Shuten Clan operatives to scour the river looking for these guys. They will be a lot harder to find without the rabbits’ help, though. If you find them, you are to “inform them” that the Shuten Clan will be taking over their operation. If they have problems with that, well… you know what to do.

Don’t forget that they’re quite strong and that they aren’t too keen on giving up the information on their supply line without a fight. You’ll need to use teamwork to get what you need out of them.

Should you manage your way to their warehouse, you’ll find a fresh shipment of their products: specialized herbs, mineral-rich clay, and rarefied ore. None of these products can be found in the city naturally. The Isonade won’t dare name their primary buyer but they will let slip that all of this is being smuggled into the city from the outer Wastelands.

The Shuten Clan will demand their cut out of this operation, but you may get the impression that this is only one small piece of a much larger shadow creeping over the city…

Art by Alejandro Gonzalez Agudelo

2. SUTOKU ALLIANCE

The death and subsequent “rebirth” of the Daitengu has caused a considerable amount of chaos. Many of the subsidiary tribes have struggled under the weight of uncertainty during this debacle. The Daitengu has decided that an apology tour is owed. It’s good for the sake of the Alliance, after all.

Oh, but they’re not going to be doing it themselves. You, the Sutoku Lost Souls, will be fully responsible for it. ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა

Sutoku Souls are tasked with going to various businesses and tribe centers with an offering of gifts and deference to any and every group within the Alliance who will agree to meet with you. The gifts have been provided by the Daitengu, and are mainly snacks and coupons. Which will not be enough to please everyone. Some clans will demand more and some, in their rage, will try to take their anger out on you. You are an (lowly) ambassador right now, better to turn the other cheek.

This all boils down to be less of an apology tour and more of a bribe tour. What the Daitengu has provided won’t cover everything and you’re going to have to go out of pocket to truly placate the other clans. If you don’t have enough cash on hand, you may be asked to do various unpaid tasks and labors: washing dishes, scrubbing floors, cleaning windows, taking out the trash, serving kids’ birthday parties; any amount of the lowest work you can imagine.

It’s rough! But somebody’s gotta do it

3. DEPARTMENT OF THE ENMA

The chaos of the Night Parade has caused a resurgence of unaffiliated gangs popping up around Jigokucho. They can usually be found identifying themselves through the use of basic colors and mascots. They are made up almost entirely of violent youths with uncertain futures, who are lashing out at an uncaring world. The antics of the Daitengu, the accusations against the Enma, and the squabbling between Shuten and Tamamo is not inspiring their confidence nor loyalty.

In addition to this problem, the retrieval of the Haniwa is going poorly. Most residents are too uncomfortable to even touch the statues and their appearances don’t seem to be slowing down. There are too many for the Department to collect.

With an abundance of cursed objects in town, the petty gangs have decided this is an ample resource for them. They are using the Haniwa to harass the general public and against one another. They have weaponized the excess Haniwa and are using them as “curse bombs”, hurling them at both each other and the residents they want to intimidate. It’s getting nasty.

It’s the Department’s job to keep the Haniwa figures from falling into the wrong hands and to keep some semblance of order. The official orders from the Office of the Enma are directing all hands to converge against the youth gangs. Use any force necessary and retrieve those figurines.

4. TAMAMO CLAN

How inconvenient! In addition to the complications of the turf war, an extremely important time of the year has arrived for the Tamamo Clan.

It is time for the yearly visit of one of the clan’s greatest benefactors: the Tennin. These Celestial Immortals descend from the Heavenly Realms to spend time (and incredible amounts of money) in Hell’s Playground, Jigokucho. Hell simply offers the sort of delights you just can’t get in Heaven. Due to Tenkohime’s connections with them, the Celestials have had her host them for several years in a row now. She emphasizes how incredibly important it is to keep them happy.

The Celestials want entertainment and delights of every variety. It’s up to the Tamamo Clan’s Lost Souls to entertain them. Your entertainments can take many forms: keeping the Celestials company, putting on a performance, showing off your cooking and skills, tea ceremonies, and other exhibitions. Should you choose the carnal and kinky route for entertainments, know that you won’t be laying down with any Celestials themselves. Oh, no no no, they’re Heavenly, after all! This is still performance, so you may need a partner to help you out.

Keep in mind that the legends are true! The Celestials are deeply deeply fond of peaches. Both literal and metaphorical. 🍑

The Celestials love to chat and gossip, so keeping them entertained is also an excellent way to hear some interesting information. Tamamo artisans will likely learn that many Celestials openly trade with Tenkohime. In fact, the aphrodisiac goods that the Tamamos so famously deal in come, in large part, from the Celestials. Tamamo isn’t the only clan they do business with either. They also have connections within the Sutoku Alliance and are the land owners of several Alliance properties. They are considered one of the primary sources of capital in the real estate market.

Why would the Celestials want properties in a world they literally can’t live in? Doesn’t that just reek of capitalism.

5. TURF WAR (ALL FACTIONS)

The turf war between the Shuten and Tamamo clans is at a simmer right now. Which doesn’t mean that it’s over – not even close. Minor magical traps, similar to those found in the sewer, have been found in Shuten territory. Frustrated Shuten enforcers have been taking out their anger on anyone that so much as looks at them funny. Bars in both districts are regularly getting smashed up. Knife fights are breaking out in the streets. Cars known to belong to members of both clans turn up with slashed tires. There’s even rumors of hits being taken out on higher ranking members.

Watch your step if you’re out and about in either territory. Faction affiliation doesn’t matter when tensions are running high. What’s more, rumors are flying all over about which of the two warring clans is going to be the one to escalate the violence further.

Will tensions boil over at any moment? At what point does the Department of the Enma have to step in? Why haven’t they already?

It’s all getting too much to handle…

6. CURSED OBJECTS (ALL FACTIONS)

The presence of the Haniwa is having increasingly frightening effects. There are whispers about blood coming out of the walls and the floors in apartments, about black ooze pouring from faucets and coming up from storm drains. There are even whispers of terrible household hauntings.

These aren’t just rumors though. Bars are having to close early due to the presence of wailing ghosts inhabiting the toilet or blood pouring from the taps. People run screaming out of alleyways pursued by ghostly hands.

These curses and hauntings seem to be fairly localized; kept to one building or one block at a time. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much rhyme or reason as to when these accursed sightings will take effect.

Be careful out there! Who knows what could happen with so much terrible energy running rampant.

Welcome to the mini event!

If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
FOR THE PURPOSES OF REWARDS, since all of these prompts tie into the main plot in some way, we will count all qualified threads in this post as 2 point threads!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

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[He's been observing the location and the immediate area they're in. The complex's general atmosphere feels foreboding, whether that's attributed to the rundown appearance or otherwise remains to be seen. Norimune looks over when Eula calls out, and he smiles.]

Oh, no. I'm not scared at all

[Norimune put his fan away. A sign of him paying attention and taking this seriously. The haniwa's continuous effects are serious, and he find the gang members' decision to use them as weapons distasteful. Creative yes, but still distasteful.]

I won't be surprised if we find ourselves in combat. Or scenarios to make it easier to break the haniwa.

[A fight, or possible jumpscares.]

[ it is reassuring to have a senior as a partner for this task, tbh. at least norimune isn't all fight-happy anymore, now that he seems to have gotten all that mochi energy out of him. ]

Combat is fine, but if it leads to damaging the haniwa, I'd rather we avoid any direct confrontation as much as possible.

[ though in a constrictive space such as a "haunted" complex, she kinda doubts avoiding that kind of conflict either. ugh, this is another mark next to the department's name on her shitlist once she's finally free to dole out her vengeance.

and thus with no further ado, she leads the way towards the front door... only to find it locked. sighs, of course. ]

...Looks like we're going to have to find another way in.

[He glances around for another path. There should be a way around the building, and towards the back.]

There should be a backdoor for us to go through, unless we happen across an open window. Let's go, I think I spy a path.

[If they break through, that will alert the gang inside. It's best if they can preserve their element of surprise as much as possible.]

[ finally, someone who actually gets the assignment. eula follows her subordinate towards the back, where various debris and large furniture litter the alley. not enough to hide from eula's sharp eyes as she spies part of a window whose wooden barricade has been set aside. ]

Strange. [ she picks up the splintered wood with her gloved hand. ] Looks like someone had already broken in before us.

[Norimune checks their surroundings. There's some faint footprints, but they're too indistinct for them to tell.]

There's not enough clues here for us to tell.

[A fellow Enma member, or someone else from a different gang? Or perhaps a third party? Any of them can be the answer. He listens carefully, and slowly through the window. Nothing... yet.]

We'll just keep an eye out for them, until we can tell who they are.

[ a nod. she'll then do the honors of crawling into the open window, making sure her feet doesn't make any noise upon making contact with the floor before unlocking the nearby back door and quietly letting her senior in.

it's a sizeable abandoned kitchen. or sort-of abandoned; there's a couple of plates at the sink, with bits of food still attached to it. someone's been eating here, apparently. ]

No sign of the haniwa so far. [ just going to look into some nooks and crannies, making sure they're leaving no stone unturned while they're here. ] There are three floors in this building. On one hand we could split up to make investigations go much faster, but it might be dangerous. Could you handle it on your own?

[He enters through the back door, and proceed to quietly investigate their surroundings.

Upon hearing Eula's words, he thinks for a moment. Speed and easier to move around, or extra security. After he's done looking at his corner of the kitchen, he glance over at Eula.]

Yes, I can. If anything pops up, contact me over the phone no matter what. I'll do the same, too.

[The threat pose by the haniwa makes it a necessity.]

[ an affirmative nod. by now, she already knows how to use the phone for simple texts and calls. nothing she can't handle. ]

All right. I'll go investigate the rooftop and the third floor, then. Watch out for any other suspicious activity in the area.

[ and with that out of the way, she sneaks out of the kitchen and goes up the steps in a series of quiet click-clacks by her heels. hopefully it'll all be smooth sailing from here on out, but eula can't quit get rid of the feeling of foreboding inside her stomach as she makes her way up... ]

I'll take this floor and the next.

[With their areas decided, Norimune leaves after her, but turn towards a different direction. His boots are making soft, muffled foodsteps as he do. A small risk to have for his size.

So far, there's nothing on this floor. He expected this, with how relatively accessible it is. The higher floors would offer more security for the gang. After he finish his search, he goes up to the next floor.

Once he arrived there, he thought he sees something at the corner of his eyes. A flash of bright blue. He quickly look over, but there's nothing there. Norimune frowns, before continuing his search.

Hopefully, Eula is fine and found something.]

[ luckily, the rooftop has a couple of haniwa that were standing right on the ledge -- easy enough pickings for once. but ugh, she's so sick of taking care of these things at this point...

it looks like the place has been abandoned, however. but the aural hallucinations come on again as she holds the haniwa in her hands, eyes straining shut in an attempt to, well, shut everything out. she gets it, she's heard virtually everything the people of mondstadt had thrown at her, this doesn't bother her at all... but hearing them go on and on about her lineage is going to make her snap at some point.

okay. breathe in, and out. she might as well check on her senior now, but a flash of... something catches her eye, and she picks up her phone to ring norimune up. ring ring, senpai. ]

[He's been seeing the discomfortingly familiar colour more and more, but he haven't catch who or what it is. But he did find some haniwa in a closet.

Norimune have his phone on vibration. Once he feel the vibrations, he picks it up to answer it.]

Did you find something, Miss Eula?

Some haniwa in the rooftop. I guess whoever's been staying here has already jumped ship, in any case.

[ which is a good thing... usually. but eula can't help but think that she's being watched, so to make sure she's not the only one-- ]

Have you encountered anything strange down there so far? If not, we can go on our merry way before these things get to us again.

[Despite his own feelings, his work professionalism won over. His voice reflects it, serious and to the point.]

I found some haniwa in a closet. It can be either extras or newly appeared. I'm starting to notice something at the corner of my eyes.

[A beat.]

Miss Eula, if you see anything in bright blues, leave it be. Carry all the haniwa you can and leave.

What...?

[ so she's not the only one who's been seeing things. she's going back inside now, as she keeps herself in high alert of what's coming after them. ]

Do you know something about this, Mr. Norimune? If it's one person, it'd be better to subdue the threat now before they get affected by the haniwa as well.

You could say I've been seeing it sometimes.

[Every time he saw that flash of colour, he'd leave. But that's during his off-hours. This is work hours.

The possibility of that man being affected by the haniwa... The odds are there, regardless of his feelings. He head for the stairs, looking around carefully for that swordsman.]

Normally, I'd dismiss them as a simple illusion. But they're likely someone I know.

[Even if that man's an illusion, he could distract them and waste their time... Okita, or any of the Shinsengumi are skilled warriors.]

Are you coming down?

Of course I am. If you plan to fight this apparition, it'd be better if there are two heads than one.

[ making down the flight of steps now. ]

Who is this "someone", if you don't mind me asking?

A rather famous, genius swordsman I knew. His abilities are real, I suggest we don't engage with him.

[Both because he doesn't think Eula can handle him, and because of his own emotions for that man.

He'll eventually arrive at the steps, the same one Eula might descend from.]

[ oh, there he is. she'll put down her phone then. ]

Why not? You can't possibly be scared of a mere illusion, can you?

[ a mere illusion that takes form of a flash of blue light, almost reminiscent of lightning that seems to target for norimune's back-- ]

Me? Uhahaha, no. I'm simply watching out for you.

[It feels like someone's watching him, and he feel a sudden killing intent directed at him. His powers are weaker than before, but his sense as a swordsman remain sharp.

Norimune quickly turns around and unsheathed his blade to meet whoever's targeting him.]

... Oh?

[A familiar figure in light blue, holding a familiar looking blade. Kashuu Kiyomitsu, he knows that sword all too well.]

You're what--

[ she sees it too, a being with a sword. but they're the only ones alone in this building, right? an ambush wouldn't be too much of a strength to instigate at this point, but...

she grabs for norimune's arm. she's got to remind him that they're not here to fight. ]

Let's get out of here. Now.

—Right.

[It's just an illusion. It shouldn't follow (or physically harm) them. But his grip on his sword remain tight.]

Let's depart.

[Go, go, go. He starts to leave, quickly. Trying to ignore that presence behind them, that seemingly keen killing intent from them.]

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May 2022 Mini Event

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