jigokulogs | June 2022 Event

June 2022 Event

1. SWIMSUIT TROUBLES (1 POINT)

As the city goes through its daily motions, the heat bears down harder and harder while bringing out some increasingly overheated behavior from the local population. Summer is here and the natives are flocking to the shopping district: both as a respite from the scorching temperatures and to stock up on the needed supplies to beat the heat.

That means one noticeable problem: the bathing suits left on the racks aren’t the most fashionable at this point! Suits are scarce and what is left over are the skimpy, the oddly-patterned, a size too small, or all of the above. Then again, you are probably just feeling lucky you aren’t in the Shuten Clan, who have been provided their own precious supply of freshly laundered tiger stripe bikinis. And nothing else.

You may be able to borrow around within your own faction, where the pickings might not be so slim, but are still unlikely to match your personal style. Better hope you ran out to buy something nice when the Daitengu first announced the party.

2. BEACH GAMES (1 POINT)

The indoor beach facility that the Alliance has provided is extraordinary. It’s massive! It seems to extend to the size of an entire soccer field. With the combinations of Kappa tech and Tengu magic, the experience has been made as close to a natural one as anyone could ask for. The heat of the beach feels true to the real world, the sand is white and pure, and the waves rolling in and out are just like the mortal realm. Even the palm trees and beach scrub seem entirely authentic. The vibe is immaculate.

Each faction has their own area set up for meeting and mingling but everyone is welcome to let loose and interact among all the groups.

SHUTEN CLAN

The Shuten Clan has set up their beach fort with food and drinks. The drinks on offer are a particularly strong Oni beer and a few spirits (especially sake). These drinks have been mixed so that anyone who imbibes them will feel a heightened sense of competition and the need to prove themselves!

There are plenty of opportunities to show off:
Learning surfing with a few knowledgeable Oni.
Volleyball matches.
Shoulder chicken tournaments.
Beer pong.
Drinking contests that never seem to stop.
And friendly scuffles with some of the Shuten who are feeling more rowdy than usual.
In particular, the volleyball matches appear to be the Shuten Clan’s sport of choice. They’re taking these matches deathly serious. With all powers allowed in play, the game is truly deadly with how powerful, how fast, and how fierce those spikes and volleys are. Hold nothing back and leave it all in the ring!

Toraguma himself is here in his tiger striped best! He’s observing the games and taking note of which Shutens do well and which ones shame the clan with their defeat. He’ll give out rewards to those he thinks are exemplifying the pride of the clan. Don’t worry though, if you’re not up to snuff you won’t be punished; except with Toraguma’s obvious disappointment.

TAMAMO CLAN

The Tamamo Clan doesn't disappoint either. Their tiki bar is set up with a far greater variety in stock than the Shutens. Every drink seems to be made to that Lost Soul’s exact tastes. Watch out, this may compel you to pound them back more quickly than normal. The drinks will make you feel much closer to those around you — either in camaraderie, or something more intimate. The Tamamos have arranged a number of floats, inner tubes, and water wings lounging in the water. Enjoy your time together!

When you aren’t relaxing, the Tamamo Clan has also arranged huge buckets of water balloons and have filled their water guns. The instructions are clear: whether sniping from afar or going in on a full assault, go nuts. Especially against the Shutens. Lady Tenkohime herself has a high-caliber, sniper-grade water rifle with her at her lounge chair. She will occasionally pick some unlucky soul to fire off devastating rounds against. She is not soaking them in just water, of course. This is the Tamamo clan’s patented ‘perfume’, which inspires the most amorous feelings.

Finally, the Tamamo have also inspired a spicy wet t-shirt contest. It’s essentially a sexy beauty contest, but given the variety of bodies and hidden ‘talents’ tucked away under everyone’s clothes, it should prove interesting! Tenkohime has described the simple rules:
One must wear the provided white shirt and only that shirt.
The crowd will soak them down.
And the crowd will judge how well they pull it off.

SUTOKU CLAN

The Sutoku Clan has been given free reign on a fleet of jet skis and paddle boats; perfect for two. There are boogie boards and larger inner tubes ready to be attached to different jet skis. Just be careful, ok?

A large snack bar has been provided with cheerful yokai behind the counter ready and willing to serve up your heart’s desire. There are some strange candies towards the end of the bar, they taste a bit funny but once you eat one you’re compelled to have a few more. These sweets will give you the power to breathe underwater. What is the meaning of this power? Well, you’re in the Alliance, after all, you figure out what’s under the waves.

Sutoku games include things like kan jam and frisbees, but Sutoku Souls are also very much encouraged to participate in the Shuten Clan’s volleyball tournament. Much to Toraguma’s frustration, the Alliance has planted a Tengu referee who seems to really favor the Alliance players over his own. Use your powers liberally.

The Daitengu is in attendance with sunscreen marks on their mask, for some reason. They’re being a total busybody, as usual. They’re really taking the time to chat up Tenkohime and Toraguma, even if the two want to rip each other’s throats out. Could a resolution to the turf war be on the way? One can only hope!

ENMA DEPARTMENT

The Enma is instructing the members of the Department to volunteer (aka voluntold) for lifeguard duty. The shifts are short — it is ultimately a party — and participation will net you both free food and drink from any of the vendors, as well as license to let loose for the rest of the party! The fare provided by the Enma vendors is pretty staid, but it does fill you with the odd need to run down the beach shallows in slow motion. Not sure what that’s about.

There is one further task that is expected of the Enma Department: suikawari. It is a big deal and to be taken seriously! This is the Enma’s favorite beach activity and the only diversion that he cares about. Your guess is as good as anyone’s, but it’s probably because the game resembles a form of execution. Regardless! Every officer is expected to do at least one round of the game as a form of initiation to the Department itself. Captain Shiki hosts the game in the absence of the Enma. Someone should tell her to chill out with that whistle, though.

3. BONFIRE (1 POINT)

As the hosts of the event, the Sutoku Alliance has set up a massive bonfire as the sun begins to set and stars light up the magical sky. There’s a romantic feeling in the air. Things seem as chill as they ever could be, there are no Haniwa in sight! Things feel peaceful for the first time in a while.

A final happy hour is declared, with free libations for everyone to close out the night. It’s time to finish this party in style. For anyone particularly watchful, they may spy the extraordinary sight of Toraguma and Tenkohime together. Off in the shadows while the party rages on, they are sitting together and watching the waves roll in. What could they be discussing? It will remain a mystery, getting any closer to them would be a deadly mistake.

The evening closes without any major incidents. Nothing seems like it could spoil the mood. It almost feels too good to be true.

4. AND THEN... (2 POINTS)

As all the party goers change back into their clothes and exit the facility, there is a rumble of thunder over Jigokucho. The stars are quickly swallowed by a darkening sky and the ground shakes. A minor earthquake? That’s not unheard of but the sky above is looking threatening. Evil. Darkness washes out over the entire city, none of its many bright lights able to cut through. Something is wrong. Something is happening.

A warm rain begins to fall, spattering across you and your surroundings. It becomes quickly apparent that you are not doused with water, but with blood.

The silence is shattered suddenly when a scream cuts across the whole of Jigokucho. An accursed miasma pours out from every direction. Then you see them: the Haniwa. They are everywhere, gazing from every direction, pressing in. Something has gone terribly wrong.

Captain Shiki is the first to act. She makes a call to Kaigo no Bou, but what she hears is enough to freeze her in her tracks.

The containment center deep beneath the tower where the Haniwa were being stored has been compromised. All of the cursed energy that was stored there has leaked out into the city from below. The guards below are dead. No one is answering their radio. It is not just the containment center that has been compromised, but all of Kaigo no Bou.

Captain Shiki struggles to remain calm as she gives out orders. Her entire command structure has been decimated, but she has to keep these people safe. She urges everyone to seek shelter, immediately. Everyone needs to partner up and stick together.

None of the faction leaders present arguments and they enforce this ruling with their Souls. They direct everyone to make their way back to their home base. Shuten to the Arena, Tamamo to Mizukume, and Sutoku to Konoha. There, their faction leaders can protect them.

As for the Enma officers: they are on rescue duty. You will be heading out into the city to rescue as many people as possible from the nightmarish effects of the cursed energy on the city. Captain Shiki will act as their point of command at the indoor beach.

Good luck, everyone.

5. IN THE CURSED NIGHT (2 POINTS)

A rain of blood is sprinkling all around you. It pings off sign posts and garbage bins, it splatters wetly onto the concrete and your face. The scent is pungent and thick; spoiling. It is soaking in to your hair, your clothes, your skin. It is driving you mad: your pulse spinning, breathing short.

There are noises in the impenetrable darkness. Fox feet on the pavement, crow wings shifting on a perch, a stranger's cruel laughter. The dark energy that has swallowed you is bemused by your smallness, is lurking at the edges and waiting for the moment to strike. Hold tight to your fellows, lest in the darkness another hand be placed in yours. Do you know who you walk with? What you walk with?

The Haniwa are watching you from every surface; crowded together as one with their empty eye sockets and open mouths. Their dark eyes turn to follow where you go as you stumble through your nightmares and your delusions. They breathe in your suffering on the air.

Beware the onibi, they will lead you astray.
Beware the grasping hands in the trees.
Beware the whispers in the distance.
Beware the slope to the river.
Beware. Beware.

Welcome to the June event!

Art by astrono77153462
Special shoutout to vandalisto for coming up with the meat of this event; the beach party. They approached us with this as a player plot, and it was good enough that we made it into the full event for the month. Excellent work, Vandal!
If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
If your character participated in the volleyball games, see here! If they participated in the wet t-shirt contest, see here!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[In his earlier years, Sholmes believed that he worked better when he worked alone. But the passage of time and myriad experiences had proved the opposite was true; that it is bracing to have a companion for the sake of moral support or intellectual stimulation. Another set of hands, where only two would have failed him. When faced with the most complex of problems, he has no doubt this provided him an advantage, and to say that their current situation--the city itself swathed in a nightmare, drenched in blood--is not complicated would be... quite thoroughly incorrect.

It makes him restless, knowing that there is still a mystery to unearth near the vicinity of the tower -- doubly so that he cannot approach it safely, not on his own. Thus, he seeks out those similarly-minded to himself, those who must investigate instead of stand idly by and hope the storm blows over, and when he finds someone near Tamamo territory, having taken shelter under a store awning near headquarters, he cannot help but eavesdrop his conversation over the phone.

And then, eventually, interrupt-]

My good man! If you are to venture further into the city, trekking towards the tower itself, surely you do not mean to do so alone? They say dangerous endeavors are better taken with a detective in tow.

Edited 2022-06-12 22:35 (UTC)

[To be perfectly frank, when the man approaches him, Minato almost expects to be kicked out on his ear -- even as singleminded as he's been since all hell broke loose (evidence: he's still in his beach gear, flipflops and patterned shirt and all, signs that he didn't even stop to change besides grabbing his sword), the peculiar looks being thrown at a Shuten kid sheltering in the "enemy camp" aren't lost on him. So far, odd looks are all it's been, given the minor apocalypse engulfing the city, but he initially thinks his luck's run out, cutting the call:]

Sorry, sorry, I'll be on my way soon, I don't mean to--

[A pause, to mentally rewind what Sholmes said, re: the salient details of his own phone conversation.] --impose.

[His more blunt (rude baby) friends would scold the man for eavesdropping. Minato just looks hunted, like a kid caught out of curfew. And like a kid out of curfew, he's going to prevaricate.]

Y-you don't need to worry about me, I'm just going to meet a friend...

[Territory lines seem to be less defined when the apocalypse itself is pressing down upon the city. Though their circumstances are wretchedly dire, it has generated something exceedingly rare: cooperation between every faction, and Sholmes intends to take advantage of it where he will.

Namely, excessive cooperation where he may not have garnered any on a normal, non-blood-raining-from-the-sky-and-nightmares-creeping-along-the-alleys sort of day.]

Meet a friend out in the miasma, where the nightmares lurk? [He says it casually, with a knowing sort of grin. There's little to no shame exuded where eavesdropping is concerned.] Come now, as though such an adventure would be so casual. You expect to do a bit of investigation, don't you?

[Not for the first time, Minato thinks his life would be easier if he was surrounded by less nosy people. He relents, slumping a little against the pillar he's leaning on. (And leaving a truly grotesque stain from the "rain" that's soaked in his clothes, or it would be grotesque if the "rainwater" wasn't tracked all over the ground, the streets... Not for the first time he wonders how anyone in the city is going to sleep, if not roused by the chaos but from the smell.)]

I... You could call it that.

[He lowers his voice a little, though perhaps it's not entirely necessary; everyone sheltering from the unnatural storm has their own problems, right now.]

Kaigou no Bou should be the seat of Lord Enma's power, yet from how the captain was talking, it started from there. The Department was taking responsibility for the haniwa, I thought that meant they'd be... appeasing or calming whatever spirits are clinging to them. Either it didn't work, or they didn't do anything... it doesn't make sense.

[He stops, before actually vocally accusing the Enma of self-sabotage.]

I-I just wanted to see for myself.

[Sholmes is hardly in a much more presentable state. Where he has not tracked blood in via the soles of his shoes, it still stains the fabric of his fingerless gloves, wherever he deigns to touch. Yet with the whole city plastered in crimson, and certainly nothing anyone can do about it currently, smearing blood all over the shop is the least of the detective’s concerns.]

Or they lacked the ability—or the resources—to conjure up a solution before the situation could transition from bad to worse.

[Which seems the most likely. If they are to operate on the notion that their current situation was the result of sabotage, he has no doubt this was the actions of a few individuals, rather than an entire organization dragging their feet completely.]

Either way, your curiosities run parallel to mine, and I do hate sitting about, just waiting for something to transpire. As I said, let me accompany you. You’ll find my penchant for investigation second to none.

I suppose. It's just hard to believe something could be beyond the King of Hell's scope. When they started appearing, even one of the haniwa were making the more spiritually-sensitive of us flinch, let alone the hundreds of them they must have gathered. [Minato gives Sholmes a small smile and a nod -- he really wasn't looking forward to setting out on his own, even if he was resolved to.] Well -- I won't say no, I'm sure you have more expertise in the matter than...

[Hold on, hold on. A detective, the distinctive deerstalker's cap, English accent... That very intimidating European man with the Department of the Enma had made his opinion very clear...]

Excuse me, you're not Detective Herlock Sholmes, are you? [It seems for a second he's about to say something more complimentary, and maybe in another situation he would, but:] Er, my friend said you made him drink something weird.

[He's more than happy to partner up with another fellow, venturing out into the darkness. And it does not appear that this sudden recognition, coupled with a very dubious allegation, dampens his enthusiasm. Instead, Sholmes only takes a moment to recall, closing his eyes and sorting through the dregs of memory still holding onto dear life in the crevices of his mind.]

Did I?

[A lengthy pause. He snaps his fingers.]

Ah, yes, I do recall now! That backwater swill, sold by a black market merchant looking to turn a quick profit. Little more than a snake oil salesman, as they would say across the pond.

[He grins.]

Is he a friend of yours? The young man accompanying me, not the merchant, I mean. Either way, you are correct. I am indeed the great detective Herlock Sholmes, and it appears my reputation precedes me.

Ye-eeees, he is...

[At Sholmes' words, Minato's face goes through a series of, one might say, complicated expressions, from "Tama..." to "Hm. Maybe this isn't a good idea." to "W-well, if it was poisonous then surely he would've gotten sick in the last month?"]

[He clears his throat.]

Yes, um. My name's Minato Suizenji, we'd just met a lawyer who was acquainted with you. [And had words about Sholmes being an erratic genius...] B-besides that, you may be interested to know tales of your exploits are still crossing the pond, twenty years hence.

[W-where were they. Right.] Have you learned anything? I didn't want to bother the Enma captain, she looked like she'd bite your nose off for asking questions, right then...

[It's fine! He's alive, isn't he? The flux of uncertainty-to-acceptance passing the other's expression is noted, but overall discarded. The conversation moves on, so it must not be a sticking point at all.]

You are not the first to have mentioned the persistent nature of my stories. To hear it again inspires great pride, however, so I do welcome you pointing it out more than once!

[Pride in himself? His exploits? Iris, who writes them so masterfully? Maybe all of the above.]

Ah, so you've met Lord van Zieks, have you? He may be a serious, dour man, but he is indeed my main contact as to the goings-on within the Enma. Not that it has produced terribly helpful results in this instance. [Sorry van Zieks.] I've only managed to yield the notion that this whole debacle was the initial work of sabotage, and only because it was the very strong impression I received from the Captain herself.

She's not keen on theorizing with those outside the department during times like these, you see.

[The pride doesn't seem unwarranted at all -- the stories of his exploits aside, they would be the work of Sholmes' partner, right?]

Sabotage? [Who from? That's something that makes him figuratively sit up straight.]

I don't know if you're aware; a black market smuggling ring was disrupted last month.

[That's a much nicer way to put it, considering Shuten's enforcers were sent to try and take the business over, not stop it outright.]

I don't know how long they were operating, but at least since... the start of last month? A little earlier? That's when my friend saw them, anyway. Regardless... they were transporting shipments of clay into the city. I don't know for sure, but I'm told it's the same as the haniwa dolls are made from.

[Right, sabotage. The exciting bit of all of this, the part that makes him want to rush out in this blasted blood rain and swath of nightmares and investigate, frustrated by his stark inability to do so without grave consequences.]

Indeed. I had not known of their intentions at the time, but I had the pleasure of running into their operations not long after my initial arrival to Jigoku-cho. Based on what you say, though... Well, that there is a malevolent, outside party interested in causing the Enma harm--or perhaps the whole city--is a foregone conclusion. Were we able to track the shipment lines in reverse, then perhaps we could wring out a bit more useful data.

As it stands, that is impossible now. No, I am more interested in who's sabotaging buildings with strict security protocols and getting away with it. Had they been within the city for very long? Were they newly arrived? And more importantly, are there more?

Ah... if it's any consolation, I don't know how possible that would have been, even at the time. Some of ours tried to interrogate the smugglers about who or where their master was.

...they chose to die rather than say anything. [He looks away, the thought of it (both the methods, and the outcome) still sickening.]

[Focus. Even if something about the blood rain itself, not just the haniwa, makes it easier to slide back into dark thoughts and want to withdraw from the world.]

... Even if we've seen all they've done, it still speaks to how much influence they have. It must have been hundreds or thousands of haniwa that appeared overnight, and more replacing them every day... It can't just have been the isonade smugglers aiding them.

[So then, a dead-end lead. And a rather dire one, too, with dark implications; such is the case whenever someone would rather forfeit their life than divulge sensitive information.]

Certainly not. No, we may consider the isonade smugglers little more than the middle man, if even that. The supply runners, a connecting point into the city.

After all, it was quite curious how the haniwa would simply appear to multiply on their own, was it not? The work of an outside influence, or an attribute of the clay figures themselves? Both? One could speculate all day.

[That's a question he definitely has no answer for.]

I've always heard it said that, in mystery novels, it's bad form for the answer to be, "It's magic," and yet...

[And even then, in his experience, the supernatural either made itself known in specific, personalized ways, or was more akin to a natural disaster, compared to whatever had taken place here.]

That's -- that's why I wanted to see if anyone was still alive in Kaigou no Bou, even if only from a distance. Besides getting them out, they'd have seen everything as it was happening, wouldn't they? I understand the captain must have a thousand other concerns on her mind, but... if it's as bad in there as it is everywhere else, there isn't much time.

[He is quiet for a moment. Sholmes is not characteristically serious, at least not visibly so, but this dreadful nonsense of curses and blood rain has pulled that aspect out of the detective more often than what he is comfortable with.

He reaches up to adjust his cap again.]

Yes, resources have been spread thin for the Enma. Nothing for it, I suppose.

[Perhaps it sounds dismissive, but Sholmes does not want to linger on what they cannot change — it writhes beneath his skin, such things.]

In which case, I do not see the point in dallying. If you are ready, then let us make the trek out together and hope we may unearth something along the way. I assume you have no qualms against that?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

June 2022 Event

closed to minato. (plotting and venturing out)

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jesus I'm so sorry, tracking the event post wrecked my inbox and this tag got lost

you're good! obviously i'm fine with backtagging lol