jigokulogs | 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Majima keeps his eyes on the water, but he's also contemplating the vibrations that he can 'hear'; what is traveling through the ground under his feet and activating the snake's senses. If the Isonades are not actively in the water, they may be in the tunnels nearby awaiting a shipment time. The takes a drag from his cigarette, slow and thoughtful and still 'listening'. Rokurou's weight on the ground next to him isn't as heavy as what he expects from a group of sharks, it's easy to filter out. ]

Drinks? Yeah, sure we can. My treat.

[ Drinking, smoking, fighting. All important yakuza past times that Majima knows well. ]

Keep an eye out for anythin' they might've trampled going back an' forth from the shore.

[ Satisfied with the promise of both fights and drinks, Rokurou switches gears to focus on the hunt. He sniffs the air—but his senses aren't quite as sharp as they normally are, scents difficult to discern, especially with water running so close. No matter. ]

On it.

[ He searches along the ground, studying the natural pattern of the grass; where the trails form from use, what seems normal, what does. It's moisture that glistens on a bed of blades that have been flattened in smooth unison that makes him stop. Squatting, he brushes his fingertips over a few bent pieces, then giving another sniff. ]

Could be something.

[ Hard to say for sure when you have youkai of all sizes running around, but whatever went this way, toward a rusty staggering lean of buildings that have seen better days close to the water. With the direction that the press seems to go, ]

Mmm... that way, I think. [ still crouched, he looks up to Majima, ] Yeah?

[ He's not at all a tracking expert, a total city boy, but they do know the kind of thing that they're looking for. Giant sharks aren't stealthy, all they have going for them is the sheer amount of riverbed there is to search. He turns his attention when Rokurou calls for it. He crouches down alongside him, not to look at the bent grass but to bring any potential vibrations from the ground closer to the rest of his body. In Hakagemachi he had ended up down in the mud of that flooded city, listening for cultists. It's not such a damn mess here, he can reasonably lean forward on his hands to get an even better feel. He holds that pose for a moment, gives any nearby sharks the chance to stomp around in boredom while they're waiting.

There is some solid thump-thump-bump-thumping going on somewhere nearby. A couple sets of feet at least. ]

Let's take a look, there's something big nearby.

[ He dusts off his hands and stubs out his cigarette on the bottom of his shoe, stuffing the crumpled thing back in the pack because littering is too rude even for him. ]

Stay relaxed, or they'll come at us just for gettin' th'jump on 'em

[ Sounds like they're on the right track after all. Rokurou pushes up and rubs beneath his nose, ]

You got it, boss.

[ Wait, should he call Majima boss, or is that solely reserved for Toraguma? His clan back home had very similar dynamics to the clans here, but he'd been extremely high up on the totem pole there. Being the equivalent to canon fodder is new for him. And, honestly, kinda fun. Some of the terms are different, though

Ah, well. He can hit yakuza class later. He does as the older man bids, remaining quite restrained as they head toward that something big nearby. There's no fun if they spook off their prey.

For big guys they're pretty quiet. Rokurou tilts his head, watching on as they work. There are a few boxes his eyes scan over; they're unmarked, so there's no guessing what's inside. He glances back to Majima with a short nod. Badder cop number two, ready and waiting. ]

[ Well, Majima doesn't correct him. He's really not in to policing how people address him and for the moment he is the ranking lieutenant, he is the boss of this outing.

He strolls up casually towards the rusting shacks. He glances in a filthy window, squinting through the gloom. He can kind of see some shadows moving around and when he puts his hand on the metal, its vibrating pretty heavily under his hand with their footstops: stomp-stomp-stomp.

He nods thoughtfully, glancing around for the doorway with his hands relaxed in his pockets. Not this side, so they make their way through overgrown grass and industrial detritus: old tires, rusting metal beams, broken glass, and a bucket with a few fresh cigarette butts. Majima motions to that with the silver tip of his shoe. That's a good sign that someone's been loitering around over here.

There's a gravel courtyard with a few of these storage sheds, all the sliding doors pointed inwards towards it. Probably a good spot to load all the shit up and then take it down into the tunnels from here. The sliding doorways are rusty as shit, it's going to be loud opening up. ]

Give that a good solid push for me.

[ And he'll arrange himself so their shark friends see him first. ]

[ Rokurou scans their surroundings as they move, sharp gaze moving from broken shards to dirt-crusted hubcaps. Not just in case of an ambush, though that's certainly a reason—he's never been here before. The space is dilapidated and abandoned ... or someone really wants it to come off that way. He nods when Majima gestures toward the scatter of burnt cigarettes and ashes.

The stale smell tickles his nose.

Yeah, real fresh.

The courtyard is interesting, piquing more curiosity, but there's no time to explore. A flash of adrenaline prickles across his skin, raw instinct that they're on the precipice of something kicking to life right before they reach the shitty sliding door. After cracking his neck, the daemon sets his hands on the handle with a grin. No, the rust won't allow them a quiet entrance—so may as well make it flashy, right?

Rokurou digs his heel into the ground with a soft oompha and does as ordered, really putting his weight into giving that good solid push. The door opens with a BANG!!!, tinny screech echoing through the yard. One of the smaller Isonade jerk in surprise, cords running along its thick muscles tensing. The others are calmer as they turn beady eyes in the direction of the noise.

Meaty fists ball as two step forward, pissed, and one of them turns to cover the supply.

The gruff question that resounds from the behind the jagged teeth of the biggest shark is pretty clear: Who the fuck're you, and how d'you wanna die? ]

[ There's a certain drawling way that yakuza talk to each other, a slurred contempt rather than taking the time to speak with deference and clarity. Majima strikes it up as he exhales from his cigarette and introduces himself, ]

Majima Goro. Came down t'inspect your stock. Orders of th'Shuten Clan.

[ His smile comes armed with snake's fangs. His statements tell them clearly what they need to know: who he is, that he knows about their operation, and who's sent him.

Some dullard shark inquires: How'd he know about that? Someone a little smarter might have played dumb to the whole thing. ]

Ya big fish ain't real subtle. An' we think we can do a better job than you.

[ Rightfully objected: Not without a supplier. ]

That's right... Not without a supplier. So, spill.

May 2022 Mini Event

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