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

They are interesting.

[She tends to think guns are a pale alternative to firebending, but she'll acknowledge she may be biased- and she admittedly hasn't actually seen them in action yet.]

Those are the skills of a soldier, yet you certainly don't act like one.

That's 'cause I was gonna open up a dojo in my hometown once upon a time back when all I cared about was sword fightin'.

[ which is literally a whole lifetime ago now, at this point, but ryouma still remembers everything like it was yesterday. ]

Then one day, everything changed when the black ships showed up, and it was impossible to look back after that! Swords can't do a thing against a warship. Probably for the best, 'cause I'm not real cut out t' be a soldier anyway.

You might be surprised what can take down a warship, with enough determination and cleverness.

[... She made it a little too obvious that she was speaking from experience. Aaaaand changing the subject.]

So what would you say you're cut out to be?

Edited (Wow that sentence was a mess) 2022-08-17 02:08 (UTC)

Oh?

[ he's sort of curious, but then she's asked the next question, and he doesn't have very long to ponder it because he has something else to occupy his thoughts. ]

Ah, well—... [ he snickers a little. ] This guy I that used t' drive me nuts used t' call me a pirate as an insult. But I was always kinda proud of it because I didn't mind bein' a pirate if it meant I got the job done. That seems even more true 'round here, so I guess that's what I am.

[ it doesn't matter that he's saying this proudly to someone who is a cop now. he's joking. probably(?) ]

Kinda pathetic, seein' as I haven't even gotten my hands on a ship of my own yet!

[Don't worry, Ryouma, she's only interested in enforcing the law when it's strategically beneficial to her- and frankly, making an enemy of Ryouma sounds like a bad move to her, given how connected he clearly is.]

I'm not sure how much good a ship would do in a major city like this anyway.

[She's trying to work out how what being a pirate even refers to, in this case. She's fairly certain he's not marauding trade vessels, which is what the word means to her, so- well, whatever. She'd suss it out herself at some point.]

You seem to be doing well enough for yourself without one.

Y' seen that big ol' river runnin' through it? Sure, I dabbled in combat a little, but my Kaientai was a shippin' and tradin' company first and foremost.

[ and that's exactly the sort of business he'd like to get into around here again. he's been scoping things out and trying to figure out how to get his foot in the door for awhile. ]

Hehe, I'd be a pretty lousy businessman if I couldn't do business without a ship on hand. Actually, I was in that exact position once, way back when. Nobody needs a rerun, especially me!

[It made sense, of course. The river was already a shipping route. It was also a lot of potential danger, too much so to seem worth the cost to her. But then, apparently this guy really liked ships, and he clearly wasn't put off by threats to his life, considering recent events.

She also has no idea what a 'rerun' is, but- well. Probably not important.]

As long as you're that 'shipping and trading' isn't in stolen goods. I'd hate to have to arrest you one day. For being a pirate.

[She sounds like she might actually be joking, though it's... hard to tell with her. If she is, she's incredibly awkward at it.]

Aw, 'course not! Wouldn't wanna end up gettin' arrested, 'cause somethin' tells me you're probably pretty good at your job...

[ you can totally trust this face. it might be awkward but so is he, to a point, so if anything he assumes it's meant to be a threat. good thing he handles those by... flattering people? it's one form of strategy. ]

[She's not sure if he was also joking or not. If not- well, flattery will get you everywhere. If he was- well, he played along with her own joke, that's a better response than she usually gets.

Either way, there's only one correct response.]

I haven't had any complaints from criminals so far.

[And then she... laughs? At least it sounds like it's supposed to be a laugh. If you described laughter to somebody who had never actually heard it before and then they tried to replicate it based on that description, this is what it would sound like.

It's... bad.]

[ oh. there's awkward and there's —... hmm. she could use a little work, but who doesn't? ~~ryouma might have a gift for understatement.~~ ]

Sounds like somebody's buckin' for a promotion.

[ hopefully everyone azula arrested is alive and well and thinking about what they've done. this is the reality he chooses. his mind goes there since he knows people who definitely got tortured in prison, so unsure if awkward or joking about police brutality. as one does??? it's FINE. ]

I'm just here t' enjoy the fruits of my labour, get real drunk, and maybe make some new connections. Boss' orders! Gotta have a little fun, I guess.

[ no one here has an average concept of what fun is. ]

[She picks up on the uncomfortable reaction, and it immediately sours her mood. The awkward smile fades from her face. Why was she still so bad at this-

Still, at least he wasn't acting like she'd sprouted a second head and tried to immediately leave. Even the observation about the promotion- uncomfortably accurate as it is- didn't seem particularly... hostile.

She'll take it. Though she's not going to mention the promotion thing.]

I find myself in the same position. Mandatory rest and relaxation, it seems.

[...Why does mandatory rest and relaxation always seem to involve humiliating and tedious social interactions? She'll never know. Not that she's really been doing much resting or relaxing since she got here, but hey, she could pretend, right?]

But I'm sure I've kept you from yours long enough.

[ listen, some of the people ryouma enjoys the most won't even try to awkwardly laugh, they'll just yell at him, so he is deterred not at all by the shift. ]

Mandatory, huh? That just means if ya ain't havin' fun yet, ya ain't finished!

[ he laughs as he's sharing this great bit of tosa wisdom. usually more drinking is implied in what's not yet finished. ]

My work keeps me holed up in my office more often than I'd like, so gettin' out and spendin' time around other people is what I like best! That's what gets me fired up! How 'bout you?

[...despite her otherwise tightly-controlled composure, that draws a moment of surprise that shows on her face despite herself.

First, because he didn't seem to want her to go away, which is surprising on its own, but second, because she... doesn't actually have an answer to that question. She doesn't spend her free time on 'fun,' she hasn't since she was a child. Fun was an incidental side effect of overcoming obstacles, of meeting goals, defeating enemies and crushing rivals. Everything had been about victory, power, self-improvement, her Father's designs... and then the asylum, and then the search, and then... here.

Which seems like it might give people here an unflattering impression. Better not.]

I don't get out much socially in my spare time, I prefer more solitary hobbies.

[What does she do with her free time? Studying technology, no. Martial arts, no. firebending- she's not telling him about firebending, even if it did constitute a hobby. Her regular exercise regimen...

Actually, wait.]

I do a lot of freerunning.

[Freerunning, that's what they called it here. It... isn't something she does recreationally, it's just to hone her athleticism, situational awareness, and reflexes, but some people do it for fun, it counts. Right? Of course right.]

"Freerunning", huh?

[ he takes care to pronounce this well because it's a new concept for him, so he better get it right. ]

What's that exactly? I've never heard of it!

[ but he's interested! and azula has his undivided attention despite where they are right now. ]

[...oh, uh. Well, she had really hoped that would-

Well, at least he was taking an interest? Which is... novel in its own right. Okay. This was almost beginning to resemble a normal conversation, which is both gratifying and slightly suspicious at the same time.]

It's an athletic discipline. Using acrobatics and athleticism to move around an environment in creative ways, turning what would be obstacles into assets. It's... satisfying.

[Also very useful for staying mobile and distant in a fight and chasing or fleeing from enemies, if your preferred form of combat was throwing pure fire around, which was why she actually did it. But then she'd be right back to not having any hobbies.]

It's easier if you're already athletic, of course.

[...was that explanation too long? Was it boring? Ugh, the last thing she needed to do was start rambling like Uncle.]

Hehe, what a perfect word for somethin'! I really like that! 'Cause instead of lookin' ahead at a path full of stumblin' blocks, ya can see the obstacles makin' things interestin'. An adventure wouldn't be much fun without some twists and turns!

[ if he had to guess, he suspects azula may not see it the same way, but he says it anyway. she should enjoy things! it sure is a normal conversation they're having, at least as far as he's concerned. ryouma likes to get to know people! ]

That how they do things where ya come from then?

I wouldn't say it's how they do things, but it's certainly how I do things.

[She's obviously fairly proud of it. Many benders trained to be athletic, but she spent more time perfecting and honing her acrobatic abilities and reflexes than any other firebender she knew- and she only knew of one non-bender that-

And she wasn't thinking about her right now.]

It not only hones your physical abilities, it also makes you more perceptive. You learn to see how obstacles can be opportunities, you're more aware of your surroundings...

[... and she was obviously talking about it as a training exercise rather than a recreational activity again.]

And it's relaxing.

[...better.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

August 2022 Event

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This tag needs to come with an apology in advance.

she is cringe but she is free!!

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