jigokulogs | August 2022 Event

August 2022 Event

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Toraguma and Tenkohime were not exaggerating when they said that Sai no Kawara was bound to attract extraordinarily deep pockets. The Celestials are already familiar to the Lost Souls, but among the crowds of customers are humans and yokai of wealth that can only be calculated in the billions, and even trillions. Powerful executives have come out to play, the sort of power brokers that almost exist beyond faction politics, the tier who makes the most money out of the city's dealings.

The event has an air of class that is far beyond what the average Lost Soul will have ever imagined…

1. GAMBLING PROBLEM (1 POINT)

The main event comes in the form of the games. This is where the Shuten Clan shines, as they offer up a plethora of gambling opportunities for the rich and powerful to partake in. There might be a Lost Soul or two at the tables, if they're feeling particularly lucky. Buy-in to a game isn't cheap, but if you're low on cash, you can substitute a handful of stellar Stardust to the pot.

Western games like Poker, Blackjack, and Roulette share space with Eastern standards like Cee-lo and Cho-han. Shuten Clan dealers have been training hard for this moment. They have learned to cheat on behalf of the House to scrape as much from these high rollers as they can. Those Shuten attendants who win big for the House will be duly compensated for their fine efforts.

If you're very clever, or very lucky, you might just be able to secure quite a payout for yourself as a player too. Just don't get caught pulling any funny business. The Shuten Clan bouncers have also been training quite thoroughly for this event. If you're not one of the fabulously wealthy tycoons, the bouncers have little incentive to play nice with you.

Should fighting break out, there is an arena onsite. Bets are flying there, too. Are you willing to wager your own pretty face?

2. PLEASURE PALACE (1 POINT)

Tenkohime wasn't exaggerating when she called her turf in the newly renovated underground a palace. The attendants at the Palace of Sai greet their wealthy clientele warmly, and they have a host of wondrous and rare delights to offer. As a rare treat, the Lost Souls are encouraged to indulge in this decadence. If the prices make you choke, remember that a little bit of Stardust will go a long way this season.

Food and drinks are of the highest quality. Delicacies from across Japan and the world abroad have been prepared, including many dishes not even of the Earth as you might know it. Particular favorites from the drinks menu are:
Side Cars that have been made with cognac from a 300,000 yen bottle.
Platinum Passions that have been made with L’esprit de Courvoisier; 800,000 yen per bottle.
Eightfold Blessing is a captivating and aromatic mix considered to be Tenkohime's very own specialty. It grants the vigor to fulfill any desire; 1,000,000 yen a glass.
The pricey and fabulous drinks are just an encouragement. The Tamamo's best trained consorts are ready to offer their private services, usually in pairs. They have some Tanabata wishes of their own, and want to make them come true through their talents and skills. Not every encounter is sexual, some consorts simply wish to spend time with their clients and make them feel like the most important person in the world today. With the big price tags on their hours, the customer might very well be.

In addition to expensive meals, sex, and company, the Tamamo Clan also offers theater and performances. They have contracted with the highest caliber performers in the city, even those on loan from other factions. Dancers, musicians, and entertainers of all varieties are waiting in the wings to put on a show.

3. GOSSIP (1 POINT)

One of the performances gracing the stage in the Palace of Sai may seem familiar! The band Moonday played at the food truck festival last month. As it turns out, the lead singer -- a wolf girl named Ringo-chan -- is the daughter of one of the wealthiest executives within the Alliance's network of finance kings; Kaberou. She's run away from her restrictive life to rough it with her band. Big money is riding on convincing her to come home. There's another rumor floating around that the pirates attacking the supply lines have been putting pressure on Kaberou. Is he securing buyers for these pirated goods?

Rumors are flying: the kind of rumors that can bring riches or ruin. The Daitengu has commanded their people to keep their ears open. Do they happen upon a juicy lead? Do they find a way to reconnect Kaberou with his estranged daughter? Do they discover more about the pirates? Do tell, do tell!

Even the staff of the Enma Department will find lips much looser than usual around them. When you're this rich, you think you're above the standards of the law. There's plenty of conversation that might be of interest to the Department. In particular, one name does keep coming up...

It comes up when discussing Kaberou's dealings with these pirates, and how much of a wrench his daughter's negligence to the life has been for his business. It's spoken of in hushed tones, even by the Celestials. It is an ominous name: "Iron Bear"

4. TANABATA (2 POINTS)

The grand opening of the underground is the centerpiece of an otherwise familiar Tanabata celebration. Using the accumulated Stardust, the Tamamo Clan's onmyouji have collaborated with Kappa engineers and the Shuten Clan's resident blacksmith to create a truly wonderful spectacle for the festival.

Despite Sai no Kawara existing underground, the overhead sky is full of brilliant stars on display. It is a one-to-one recreation of the cosmic tapestry of the Milky Way streaking through the sky like the astral river from the Tanabata legend.

The stars Vega and Altair, also known as Orihime and Hikoboshi, are highlighted in the tapestry. They take form and dance together above everyone, they encourage the feelings of love to fill the air. Romantic love, platonic love, familial love: it doesn't matter. This is the product of peace, hard work, and cooperation. This is the dream of the Daitengu and their lieutenants. Dance to the music. Drink your fill. This is a celebration of love, and there's so much love here, for everyone.

Attendees are encouraged to write their wishes on the colorful talismans distributed. Bamboo trees decorate the central square, waiting to be draped with wishes. Even if you are not familiar with Tanabata, it will be easy to pick up on the ritual. The magic in the air tonight is incredibly strong, these wishes might even come true.

5. "WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE" (2 POINTS)

Late into the evening, the Daitengu takes to the stage. They welcome everyone and hope that they have had a good night. Toraguma and Tenkohime flank them, and each says a few words to the crowd. Then, Sutoku lieutenant Sakamoto is called up to the stage for the moment of truth.

Toraguma, regretfully, announces that Sakamoto has made good on his promises. The holes in their supply lines have been uncovered found, the black market is becoming less of a bleed on their finances, and the road to finding out who -- or what -- is causing the disruption is becoming clearer. The great oni will always honor a promise kept, and reaches out his hand to shake Sakamoto's in a gesture of gratitude.

The timing, as usual, is a little dramatic.

A group of shadowy figures wearing rough-spun gear storm the stage. Several of them snatch Ringo-chan from where she is waiting to perform and drag her away. Another lunges at Sakamoto with a make-shift sword of crude metal. Just before the blade can cut Sakamoto, the would-be assassin is stopped by Toraguma. With their wrist snatched and broken, the assassin screams out:

"We come on behalf of the Iron Bear, and we know who you are!"

In his rage and fury, Toraguma breaks the assassin's neck, slamming him down to the stage. He dies within moments, while the rest of the attackers flee. They've kidnapped Ringo-chan.

Sai no Kawara is quickly flooded with armed and armored officers of the Enma Department. They instruct everyone to remain calm. No one panic. The Enma himself has arrived, and he is going to start questioning everyone about what just happened. Who is the Iron Bear? What in hell do they want? It's time for some answers.

Well… As far as parties in Jigoku-cho go… this one could have been worse, yeah?

Welcome to the August event!

Art in the final prompt by Yang Tuo
If you have any questions about event content, please ask them here!
Each prompt is labeled for it's value in terms of qualifying threads for Rewards.
If your character is in the Shuten Clan and cheating on behalf of the house, find out how well they pulled it off by posting here! Those that do well will get a special bonus from Toraguma.
If your character is trying any of the games of chance, find out how they paid out here!
If your character put on a performance at the Palace of Sai's stage, find out how the crowd reacted here! Regardless of clan affiliation, those that do well will be rewarded by Tenkohime!
For results on the gossip floating around the festival, post here!
For Department members, if your character is going to interrogate NPC festival goers, let us know here and we can post some more specific results!
TANABATA WISHES! POST THEM HERE!
If you have questions about the game itself, please check out the premise, FAQ, and rules pages.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Poker is a classy game but also a rather unforgivable. Judging from the sour expression of the men seated at Dante's table, they're not particularly thrilled about losing their entire income and then some to the devil slayer. It is rather difficult for anyone to call Dante's bluff, especially since he has such an excellent understanding of the game itself. However, there's a chance that Dante's current winning streak isn't just all pure skill.

Toraguma made it rather clear that everyone in the Shuten family needs to earn their stripes. Even though Dante is a higher-ranking goon, he still needs to earn his place in the family. So even though Dante really doesn't want to be here, he's doing his part for the clan. That's why he's more than willing to cheat if need be. After all, he's trying to catch up to Majima here in terms of stars.]

Sorry about this, gentlemen.

[He states with a laugh as he brings all the chips over towards him.]

But seems Lady Luck likes to play favorites~!

[Yeah, right. Something fishy is going on at this table and Dante is at the center of it. He was about to close up shop here until he catches a glimpse of the spiky-haired blond watching him from the crowd. Dante arches his brow in recognition before suddenly offering the snarky blond a cheeky grin.]

Yo, spiky! Wanna try your luck?

[ Well, shit. That's what he gets for sticking out like a sore thumb.

Still, this was an opportunity. He'd only run into Dante once, and he hadn't exactly gotten a chance to take the measure of Shuten's officer. Now that he had climbed the ranks a bit himself, it only made sense he was going to have mingle with the other officers. And he'd been hesitant to interact more with Shuten for... a few reasons. Not just because of Sephiroth, but because he knew that their boss has fought with him and found he was a pretty impressive guy. You had to be a little careful, with that kind of rep. ]

[ He walks up, quietly giving Dante a look, before he slides down at one of the remaining seats at the table. ]

Sure. Deal me in. I'm only in for a few hands, though. So don't expect to take me to the cleaners.

[ He throws out the bait. It's a challenge. He knows Dante's cleaning up here, so his game plan is obvious. Letting the man he knows the game is only 'fair', to Cloud. ]

[If it wasn't for the bizarre hairstyle and bright blue eyes, Dante would've never seen him. However, Cloud is Cloud and he's now getting roped into a game with the Shuten's very own "Poker Ace". This is a completely unexpected meeting between the two, especially since the first one didn't go exactly well. Dante isn't the type to hold grudges but he kinda does sometimes. Just sometimes.]

Already practicing your pull-out game, huh?

[He teases with a smirk as he starts to shuffle the cards. Not at all batting an eye out his crude little joke.]

Don't worry, spiky. I'm sure you'll keep me interested.

[After shuffling the cards briefly, he starts to deal them out with all the unnecessary gusto of a true card shark. They're going to start with five cards, and then a round of bets. They'll be able to improve their hands by trading as many as three cards for three new cards from the deck. This is your standard game. No tricks just yet, just a lot of bluffing.]

Just figured I should let you know to keep your expectations low.

[ It's a cool-headed reply, not rising to Dante's risque bait, as Cloud checks the cards dealt in front of him. It's true that their first meeting wasn't exactly on the best of terms. And Cloud doesn't plan to begrudge Dante that, but he also isn't exactly going to forget the near-fight the two of them got into, either. ]

[ The game was a good way to get an eye for Dante in his more... 'natural' environment. Cloud didn't expect to win big, and in fact wouldn't have been surprised if Dante cleaned him up, here. For Cloud, information was the reward.

Dante probably felt the same.

When the betting round comes around to Cloud, he simply keeps eye contact with Dante and pushes his call into the pot. The 'safer' option of playing out his hand. ]

So, you get trained up when you arrived here, or were you a dealer before you ended up in hell? [ It's small talk, but it was worthwhile small talk. ]

Edited 2022-08-15 21:37 (UTC)

[Not taking the bait, huh? This little fishy is smart but Dante is smarter. If he can't bait this fellow into a pissing contest, then he'll try something else. He knows it's possible to get under Cloud's skin. That's all thanks to their disastrous introduction. However, Dante isn't too certain how far he wants to take things. After all, Cloud is a friend of Aerith's.]

Why do I get the feeling you're low-ballin' me, spike? [He mutters once he locks eyes on Cloud.] C'mon, I can tell you know a little bit of something.

[Despite Toraguma giving everyone in the clan a brief rundown, Dante is one of the few who's actually good at Poker. He places his bet high for now but Dante knows better than to go too high. That might look suspicious.]

A little bit of column A and column B. [He answers with a little smirk.] Let's just say I tend to frequent a lot of bars where lonely guys go to socialize.

[That's half-true. Dante picked up on playing Poker after frequently some of Red Grave City's finest bars. It took him awhile to learn the game as a fresh-faced teenager turned mercenary but eventually he did.]

What about you?

Got to be careful playing in the water when you know there's sharks in it, Red.

[ He shrugs a bit, his voice low. Continuing to give Dante a stubbornly neutral expression, his eyes bright but focused. He looks at his hand, and pushes in a call to Dante's raise, silently. ]

Military man, so I've played a few games. You know how it is. Gambling lives, gambling paychecks. It's about the same at the end of the day.

[ When the first round of draws are up, Cloud slides two cards from his hand Dante's way. ]

Didn't exactly get anything as nice as casino detail when I was in service, though. So casual play's about all I got backing me up, here.

What I can say? I’ve always been a bit reckless.

[These two men are polar opposites of each other, aren’t they? You have Cloud who’s the stern military by-the-books type of guy and here’s Dante your above-average oversized goofball with a penchant for trouble. Under normal circumstances, there’s no reason why these two would cross each other's paths but Jigoku-cho is anything but a normal experience.

Now that Cloud has “call” his “raise”, they both now have the same amount of skin in the game. They’re just about even in bets, which is a good thing. Dante plans on raising the ante even higher but that really depends on his hand.

Now that the first round of betting is done, Dante takes the role of the dealer here and “burns” the top card on the deck. He then places three cards face-up on the table, which is called the “flop”. These are going to be their community cards.

The current flop are “four of hearts, four of spades, and six of hearts.”]

You already think you got this won, Jarhead? [Dante questions with a bit of a smirk.] No second thoughts?

Edited 2022-08-16 18:53 (UTC)

[ Cloud watches the flop hit. He hasn't looked at his hand since he checked it the first time. He knows what he has, and that's enough. He looks at Dante, challenging him directly. Cloud can be emotional, but that doesn't mean he's easy to read. His eyebrow arches just slightly, vanishing into his spiky bangs as he looks at Dante. ]

Hard to say, silver fox. Can't ever know what you're getting into until you see the full picture.

[ There's a back and forth with them, carefully considered barbs. He knows Dante's getting a rise out of him, and he's trying to prod Dante a bit, while trying not to rise too much to the challenge.

When the bets come around to him, he calls - he isn't going to raise, but he's staying in the game. Again, another safe move. ]

[Dante is moderately surprised when Cloud doesn't raise the bet further. 'He's really playing it safe, huh?' He thinks as he regards the pint-sized soldier with a look of intrigue. Instead of this being a braggadocious bet between two would-be rivals, this is becoming more of a game of strategy between two life-long adversaries.]

The only people who see the whole picture are the ones who step outside the frame.

[He retorts in return while mentally deciding on his next move. He could "bet" a little bit more into this wager but that is risky.]

So that begs question---

[He questions while deciding to toss caution to the wind and "raise" the bet again. It's a dangerous move, but Dante likes playing on the edge. He takes the deck and flips over the Turn to reveal a ten of clubs.]

Do you see the full picture yet?

[ Cloud sees Dante raise, and then sees the ten of clubs. His eyebrow raises. It's hard to tell whether Dante is playing with a good hand or with total junk. That alone is interesting — Dante forces people to play by his pace, either by goading or by taking risks. It's a very force-of-personality kind of swagger he'd expect from someone high on the Shuten ladder. Maybe there was something to Shuten's Red Devil beyond the swagger and being armed to the teeth. ]

[ The bet comes back around to Cloud, and Dante asks him that question. Does he see the full picture? Well. Honesty is the best policy. ]

Nope.

[ Despite saying that, Cloud pushes his chips into the pot to match Dante's risky bet - another call. Instead of safety, though, it's more like he's trading evenly with Dante. They're both getting a measure of the other. ]

But I'm sure going to. And you never learn the full picture without getting burned along the way, right?

[ Dante gets a small confident smirk for his trouble. And while he didn't bait Cloud into acting recklessly, he's getting to see a side of the mercenary man, all the same. ]

[ It's really hard to tell what sort of hand Dante is playing with, especially since contrary to popular belief--the chances of getting a royal flush is slim to none. Dante is just winging it right now. He's doing whatever he can to keep this game interesting even if his current playmate is a snore. Cloud is playing it too safe for his liking. It's a bit aggravating since the blond seems determined to hide away behind his little non-existent strategy. This is less of a game of poker and more like a game of cat and mouse and guess what? Dante isn't playing the role of the mouse. ]

You know, things might go a bit easier if you just asked. [ He mutters while curling his gloved hand under his chin. ] But I take it that you're the kind of fella who likes doing things the hard way.

[ That much is apparent. Cloud seems to be the type to always the hardest road to follow rather than easier and more scenic path. That amuses Dante somewhat, especially since he used to be the same. He arches his brow a little when Cloud pushes his chips forward. He half-expected the youth to fold by now but Cloud surprises him again. ]

You're stubborn. [ He mutters in surprisingly admonishing tone. ] That's a good trait and all, but you're a bit too stubborn.

[ Without much ado, these contenders move into the final round of bets called the River. The second Dante reveals a 10 of hearts, he can't help but smirk. ]

Okay, spike! Let's see what you're made of, I bet.

[ He pushes his chips forward with such confidence. Maybe this card shark has a winning hand. ]

Edited 2022-08-21 22:29 (UTC)

[ Cloud's eyes dart to the River, and then up to Dante, his gaze focused. He hrms a bit as Dante tries to admonish him on his play. ]

Certainly sounds like you have experience with too much stubbornness.

[ Honestly, he's also been a bit surprised by Dante — the man had seemed hotheaded at first impression, but here at the table he was playing just the opposite. He watches the bets go round again, but this time, when it's his turn, he pushes more chips in then Dante. ]

Raise.

[ He's sticking to his guns on how much he's willing to burn on a few games of poker, but, push comes to shove, Cloud isn't one who backs down easily. ]

[Another "raise", huh? Dante reclines in his chair and lets out a thoughtful hum as he regards his opponent. Cloud is bold in his own way. He likes to play it safe usually but the soldier has a brash streak. That's good to know since that means the two of them aren't so different after all.]

Let's just say I know someone who's twice as stubborn as you on a good day.

[He absentmindedly mentions while thinking about both his twin brother and his nephew. Honestly, he thinks Nero is a little more stubborn than Vergil and him. He would have to be to put up with them.]

Alright, that's it. Show me what you got, I call!

[ Here comes the moment of truth, a six of diamond and a six of spades. That's a "Full House", babe. ]

I guess they'd have to be, from what I've heard about you.

[ Cloud snorts — Dante's aside mention of home relations something he'll file away for later, when he needs it. All that said, he watches the showdown happen, and his shoulders shrug as an easy smile plays across his face in defeat. ]

[ He throws down his cards. Pair of Jacks. Two pair, with the pair of Jacks being nominally enough to swing over anyone who was using the community cards to build a hand, but soundly trounced by Dante's full house. He doesn't seem too upset. ]

Should have tried to push you out sooner, but I get the feeling it wouldn't have worked. [ The river card screwed his chances, at the end. ] But that's just the way it goes.

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August 2022 Event

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