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

[ Yuri has certainly caught sight of Kimmuriel on the beach, mostly because he's been camped out under the shade himself for the greater part of the day. ]

We've also got poker cards.

[ He produces what might be a more familiar-looking deck of four suits, riffling through it. ]

What card games are you familiar with? If you're interested in hanafuda, we've got teachers here, though I must say they're quite merciless.

[ The kappa who have been instructing (and destroying) Yuri at hanafuda snicker at that. ]

I would expect no less. [ He glances at the kappa with a slight eyebrow raise, but he doesn't seem to disapprove.

When was the last time he played cards...he really doesn't remember. He prefers to do other, less social things with his free time, given he had so little of it. ]

I am familiar with poker cards, but I think I would like to try hanafuda. [ Another unfamiliar word he stumbles on, momentarily. ] The designs are intriguing. [ They're brightly patterned things, filled with pictures of flowers and animals, much unlike the plainer cards he's used to. ]

I am not certain what games you could play with them.

We've been playing Blood-Red Sakura. There's also Oni Koi-Koi, Yubikiri... [ If the names he lists off sound a bit on the nose, it's because they're hell's rendition of normal hanafuda games. ] We can play a round to demonstrate.

[ As the cards are dealt for a round of Blood-Red Sakura, the kappa next to Kimmuriel explains the rules. The game involves matching sets of cards for scoring, with the winner possessing the highest scoring sets at the end. However, once a set has been created, it can be stolen away from the player in a devilish twist. It wouldn't be hell's hanafuda if it didn't involve some trickery or deceit.

As might be expected, Yuri's cards get stolen more than others. The kappa don't go easy on him and rib him for bad plays, but there's also advice tucked in the commentary, and he manages a surprising capture or two that delight the kappa. After the round, he looks towards Kimmuriel. ]

What do you think? Want in on the next round?

[ He honestly doesn't know what a normal hanafuda game sounds like so this might as well happen.

He watches the game progress with his usual impassiveness, but his interest is displayed by the fact that he's actually bothering to watch and isn't just going back to his book. ]

It seems entertaining enough. [ He moves forward to sit closer and join the ring. The kappa might not know him as well as Yuri, but they do know him well enough that they're happy to accommodate him without too much fuss.

He hasn't played card games in a long time, much less learned a new one like this. As a result, early rounds are full of fumbles and mistakes, and though he doesn't seem to like being ribbed for them, he doesn't get more irritable or less impassive than he already is.

As the rounds progress, he improves at both keeping his cards and stealing others', enough to be something of a challenging opponent in his own right. Nothing super impressive, but still fairly competent.

It seems that he's mostly leaving Yuri alone when it comes to stealing sets from others, though... ]

[ Yuri definitely notices Kimmuriel has left his cards alone. In turn, he passes up Kimmuriel's cards - signaling a quiet alliance of sorts - and focuses his efforts on taking from the Kappa player with the weakest hand. Manuevering this way, perhaps neither of them will end up in last place this round.

The kappa getting his cards stolen pick up on the behavior after a while, calling it out after Yuri opted to take from him when other hands were available. ]

I don't know what you mean.

[ He feigns innocence. Unspoken alliances aren't against the rules. ]

[ They are notably not against the rules, and Kimmuriel has been sitting comfortably in that loophole for a few rounds already. He's pleased, in his own way, to see that Yuri has picked it up so quickly. ]

It is simply the whims of choice. [ He launches a mildly unsuccessful 'attack' against another player as if to prove his point, and then steals from their unfortunate joint target's hand in a way that leaves the kappa all but unable to recover for the round, a choice they vehemently protest.

Kimmuriel has a faint, mocking smile on his face. Truly, he's enjoying this. But he's keeping an eye on the progression of the sky, the artificial light slowly fading; he guesses, at least, that they'll be directed to leave soon enough. ]

Edited 2022-06-21 01:24 (UTC)

[ Catching onto the trick, the other players split their allegiances; half of them turn against Yuri and Kimmuriel, and half double down against their kappa friend. The final rounds take a turn for the vicious, and the game ends in gleeful betrayal, cries of dismay, and laughter. ]

Well played.

[ Yuri shares a smirk with Kimmuriel in the aftermath. There's hardly time to celebrate the victory, however. The cursed rain comes down and the last of the bonfire sizzles out with a hiss, sending them scuttling back to Sutoku territory with the help of Kimmuriel's portals.

It's this unique ability that leads Yuri to call the man out a week later. He stands outside the door of the kappa's temporary shelter, checking the wards obtained from the onmyouji.

Yuri tenses when he hears someone behind him, turning quickly towards the figure. The haunted nights have left him on edge. ]

[ Kimmuriel doesn't see a reason to delay an appointment, though he too is noticeably more worn than he was when this rain started. It's been a difficult week and things aren't getting much easier, though at least his searing headaches are more manageable when under the protection provided by the wards. ]

Strange magic, though I cannot argue with the effects. [ He presses a finger to a corner of a paper charm that seems in danger of peeling off before stepping out of the shadow provided by the door, umbrella in hand. ]

What do you require of me? [ He doesn't see a reason to indulge in much chitchat, either. ]

Good to see you in one piece.

[ Yuri greets him, but he too will cut the small talk short and get down to business. ]

Good news is we've secured a supply of wards, but distributing them is a hazard in this rain. So I thought we might cover ground faster with the aid of your portals.

[ Faster meant less time in the rain, which meant less chance of succumbing to the curse. ]

[ He nods, impassive as ever.

There's a faint approval for Yuri just getting right down to business. It's nice and practical. ]

How many locations, and how far? [ He unfolds and shakes out a paper map as he speaks; magic tablets are all very well and good, but some things he felt more comfortable using physical objects for. He's marked down the locations where he can make portals; for obvious reasons, most of them are clustered in Sutoku territory. ] I've my own limits, much as I would wish otherwise, so plotting a course seems the best way of doing this at speed.

Edited 2022-06-30 11:23 (UTC)

[ Yuri steps closer to look. As much as he finds the application on his phone handy, he appreciates the familiarity of a physical map to pore over. ]

We have enough for four shelters. If we avoid the tower, pick the locations that can accommodate the most people, and are close to a supply of food...

[ His finger draws a line away from Kaigo no Bou, and he points out locations around its perimeter - a gym, an auditorium, and two dormitories. Most, but not all, close to the existing portal marks on the map. While he's talking, the door to the warehouse swings open. ]

Oh, and I've called on some extra pairs of hands.

[ The kappa, some recognizable from the other day's card game, step out holding boxes of the protective enchantments. ]

[ He inclines his head in a slight nod of acknowledgement, but little more than that. ]

The location furthest away from any portal I can make is the one we should be warding first. [ While they're all as fresh as they're going to get in this terrible rain, it's better to tackle the higher-risk target, is his thinking. It would do them all no good to get caught out there, having depleted some of their resources already. ] That would be the auditorium, I believe.

Do you know aught about it? [ Other than it being secure enough to serve as a shelter. ]

It's newly built, so we don't have to worry about patching up the wear and tear of the building itself. The onmyouji say the wards work best placed within twelve feet of each other.

[ Which means they'll need no small number of wards to create a protective barrier around the building, but that's where the extra manpower comes in. ]

If we split up into groups, we can circle the building faster. There are two exits on either side. We'll shut one down and guard the other to let people and supplies through.

[ He listens carefully before nodding his agreement. It's a sound plan, and one he has no issue with. All they have to worry about, in theory, is getting everything done before something too affected by the rain to see sense comes to investigate.

He opens up his umbrella with a snap of fabric. ] If we are all ready, I see no reason to delay further.

[ He opens his portal under the relative dryness of an abandoned shopfront, its awning still intact if tattered. Not much isn't a mess around this area - between the Night Parade and the rain going on now, its owners appear to have abandoned it for the moment - but it provides shelter from the rain, and that's all they need.

He steps through, looking around, and sees no movement for now. Satisfied with his initial check of the area, he calls out to Yuri to start moving things through. ]

[ Yuri pulls on the plastic hood of his raincoat before stepping through the portal at Kimmuriel's signal. It's smooth going compared to the weightless sensation of being transported with a warp spell. The kappa follow suit quickly.

They're greeted by slimy rain pouring from the sky and running down the towering roof of the auditorium building. Yuri takes a box of wards from the kappa, and they split into two groups as planned. ]

We'll regroup on the other side. Be quick...but step carefully. [ He joins Kimmuriel's side, avoiding a nasty-looking puddle of blood. ] Never thought I'd miss the sun.

[ He has a smaller box of wards filled from one of the box-holding kappa in their group, given that strength is by no means his strong suit. The inconvenience irritates him somewhat, but it's better than total reliance in this case. The more ground they can cover quickly, the better. ]

It seems more attractive than this constant deluge, and I thought no force in the world could do that, [ Kimmuriel replies, glancing over at the human. He's a little surprised, to be honest. ] This plane is determined to prove me wrong, it seems.

You lived underground, then. [ Less of a question than a statement. He feels fairly confident in saying so.

He consults what information he was given mentally and begins to place wards at auspicious places, or at least the ones that are most accessible to him. He can work and talk at the same time, it's not an issue. ]

What gave it away?

[ Yuri chuckles at Kimmuriel's perceptive remark. There was a reason why beach weather didn't sit well with him, and why the kappa's plight had struck a chord.

He moves a few feet ahead to attach the wards where there are none. With a bit of teamwork, this'll be over quickly. He's not eager to be in the rain a minute more than necessary. ]

Living below comes with its host of troubles, but the weather isn't one of them. If it weren't for your portals, we'd be having an awful time out here.

The aversion to sunlight was one. But humans ever have their own reasons, so I was not completely certain. [ Yuri had approached the whole beach party differently from most; he'd noticed that much. But that could mean anything, though it certainly narrowed down the possibilities; it would be foolish to jump to such conclusions given limited information. ] Were you driven underground, or was it by choice?

I admit I did not expect to be putting them to such a use. [ He carries the box tucked awkwardly under an arm, umbrella in one hand, pulling wards out of the box with the other as he follows behind Yuri so he can place them appropriately. ] But if they still maintain their potency in this wretched rain, so much the better. At least, all this does not interfere with my abilities. [ Even if this rain gives him the worst migraine imaginable. ]

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June 2022 Event

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