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.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

...Thanks. [He means it - and he'll remember Minato dropped the subject when he could have poked deeper into it. That'll certainly mean Something later down the line - Cloud Will Remember This.]

I was just cutting through the alley. Nothing special. I'd been working on the Daitengu's 'apology tour' and trying to get back to the apartments in the Sutoku's part of town. Next thing I know... [He shakes his head. He's not entirely about to recount it, at this point.]

But, no. I've seen it before, but not- it hasn't been visible to anyone else. Not once.

[(*Cloud Strife's data has been added to the ingame glossary.*)]

[Cloud's in Sutoku? Minato wonders if he should mention Tama, because if anyone has better knowledge than anyone about hallucinations intersecting with memory... but that feels like it would come off as presumptuous, even insulting. The topic of delusions and mental illness is taboo where he comes from; he's not been convinced yet that it might not be the case in other times and worlds. If they're in the same faction, they'll cross paths eventually.]

Apology-- ah, I see. You might not have heard, then, if you've been occupied: there's been stories about discontented people using those haniwa as... uh... as projectiles. If I had to guess, this might be... spreading their curses out more broadly.

It sounds like the Department's got their hands full. [He shrugs a little -- he might not ideologically agree with them, and also it's the Department's fault the stupid car chase even happened, but he feels bad for the lost souls having to do the cleanup.]

Projectiles? What, you mean like bombs?

[Cloud does manage to snap out of his funk a little bit. That does get his attention. Weaponized malevolence.]

...I don't think I was hit with one of those, but I guess some sort of strong curse could have been in that alleyway.

[...With the clear intonation being 'I'm not going back there if I can help it. Are you?']

This place is really starting to live up to being hell proper, ever since we got here...

[His weary sigh is all the confirmation you need to that first question. Shit's fucked, Cloud!! There be ghost bombs!!!]

Who can say? I don't pretend to have an affinity for these matters. Next to some of our talented neighbours, I'm just a human with speculations.

[Though on that note... Minato taps his chin, looking more serious than ever. ]

If the Department still can't corral the curses after this... I'm afraid things might get worse before it gets better. If-- ['you see that nightmare again'] --it does, have you any friends or familiar faces from home to help?

Probably still more than me, any hauntings I've known have had easy solutions. [Which is to say, he's never met a ghost he couldn't beat up. ...Maybe don't ask him about the train graveyard, Minato. Just - you are better off not knowing.]

...There's- [He makes a face, no, after today he's not gonna talk about him.] There's one. She's in Tamamo, though.

[Which, well, it should be obvious what he means by that - with the turf war ongoing, it'd be hard to get Aerith to cross turf borders if he needed her in the moment.]

Otherwise, I'm kind of on my own, here. [Which... isn't exactly true but it's true enough.]

[He gives Cloud a quizzical look at that -- what does easy solutions mean. spirits leaving because of strongly-worded complaints? casual insults?] It may not be so "easy". Someone I spoke with said the haniwa don't seem to contain what we'd consider ghosts, just... mindless malevolence.

...You too, then. [Well, that decides it -- it's not just about being prying into an almost-stranger's psyche, now, but about helping someone in a familiar situation.]

My friend and I were split up as well. I suppose I should be glad he isn't with me, though. He's in Sutoku with you, not involved in the... current conflict. His name's Mizumori Tama, if you've met him.

If they're physical enough to hit, I can deal with them. [ He shrugs, but then he stops. Leaving that thought abandoned and for you to wonder, Minato. ]

Wait...Tama? [ He blinks. He does know the name. ] ...Yeah, I've run into a few times. Kind of a weird guy. [ 'But not a bad one' is unstated, but not absent. ]

More reliable then I would give him credit for at first glance, though. He's your friend, then?

[...]

[Palms pressed together, eyebrow raised.]

You punch ghosts.

[Besides that... Minato's face softens at the topic of his friend. ]

He has that effect on people. Don't let first impressions fool you -- I'd trust him with my life. If-- this happens again, and neither me or your Tamamo friend are in reach, you could do worse than getting his help. [That's about as far as he's willing to say, so long as the haniwa remain a problem... which he's afraid they will.]

Well. Slash at them, really. But yeah. [ A beat. ] No sword, though, so, what can you do.

[ He gives a small little 'huh' of understanding about Tama, as Minato explains. It's a beat or two before he responds. ] Well, can't say I expected it, but if he's your recommendation, I'll keep it in mind. Not like this spirit stuff is my forte.

[ Aside from the ghost-swording, that is. ]

May 2022 Mini Event

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