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

[ that's sexual harassment-

the absolute fucking audacity of this man. here he thought he was bad enough in text form, but in the flesh he seems to get even worse, if such a thing is even possible. and to think, they call him insufferable.

yeah, this is possibly worse. he's going to scoot over even further on his stool with a grimace, and if that was a window, he'd be drawing the curtain. he tucks his own brightly colored drink closer to his chest, debating on the pros and cons of smacking the other's drink over whilst he aggressively tugs out his phone. fuck, he hates having to make an effort to communicate. ]

first off im not afraid
youre just creepy as hell

[ creepy is being generous. ]

and second what
are all wizards stalkers or some shit

[ he is the insufferable murr... if only he had a business card to put that on.

yes, the reaction is what he expected: dosei trying to give himself more space. would he resort to leaping out a window if one had been there? that'd be pretty neat and almost a first--- for this place. sadly there is no escape right now as long as murr continues his slow advance, which has been halted as he should respond to those words.

no speaking but that's okay! murr can read and write. a very well trained wizard, he is. ]

We're not stalkers! We're just attracted to certain kinds of people, ya know?

[ and then he snickers. ]

And if you're not afraid, you shouldn't keep movin'! What, you think I'm gonna bite?

[ he could. he could bite. ]

[ it is a possibility. unfortunately, even he knows trying to escape from his duties wouldn't get him in tenkohime's good graces, so he would have preferred a better plan of escape provided he didn't get followed by some purple-haired creep.

he doesn't really get drunk, so it's tragic all the fruity alcoholic drinks in the world couldn't spare him from this.

he yanks his phone back just in case captain freak tries to touch it, quirking an eyebrow at 'not stalkers'. sounds incredibly fake to him, since he definitely has no desire for this guy in his space and yet, he's still here. ]

well go find someone else who isnt me

[ laugh it up, chucklefuck. ]

maybe
you probably got rabies or something

[ do NOT BITE HIM. just because this a kink friendly place doesn't mean he is!! ]

No, I think I like it right here.

[ he has no reason to try to grab dosei's phone when he's been great at answering his questions without a word. and honestly? he kind of likes that about this little guy? this little man? this funky little dude? ]

Rabies? Me? [ murr grins toothily. ] Of course not! I've never been rabid in my entire life!

[ and he downs his drink in one gulp, his cheeks turning pink as soon as he does it. ]

Whew! Strongest one I've ever had yet. [ he places his glass down and then knocks on the bar. ] Another one, please!

[ the barkeep is like. what ]

So tell me! You run into any other wizards yet? Hm? Hmmmmmm?

[ of course he does. of all the people to like him, it's captain catboy himself.

dosei quirks a slim brow at that, gaze flickering from murr's toothy grin up to his face at that. that is something he certainly does not believe, and probably never will. this is the face of a man with rabies, for sure.

( he's really one to talk ). ]

that is the biggest bullshit ive ever heard
you are def diseased

[ just chock full of illness, both of the mental variety and not.

he grimaces at that comment. that makes it pretty obvious, honestly. he wishes he could just shotgun this drink at this point, but a straw makes that very hard. ]

yeah and most of you are still freaks

[ wow, murr 'captain catboy' hart. he'll wear the hat proudly. ]

Oh? So not all of us are freaks? Ooooh, which one is it?

[ it's clearly not murr, who has enough awareness to know that he is probably number one on the Do Not list. this only makes him feel stronger, so. deal with it dosei. ]

It's probably Cain. Cain's still pretty young, ya know! Still has that kinda energy that's really fun to play with. Too bad he has a pretty mean hook.

[ and murr remembers it very well. that's one he won't bite because he didn't like the punch afterward. ]

Or is it someone else?

[ yeah the crown is a dunce cap. it's even got a little jingly bell on it

god, that was apparently one of the worst things to say. why is he so enthusiastic about it? has he considered dropping dead at the nearest convenience? dosei narrows his eyes further, and if he tries hard enough, maybe he'll be able to burn a hole straight through murr's head. ]

who the fuck is cain
dunno anybody named cain

[ he does, however, huff in what is almost a laugh. mean hook, huh. means he's been punched before- good. maybe this cain guy isn't so bad if he knows how to deck an idiot properly. ]

why would i tell you

You should meet him!

[ maybe he'll give dosei a smack of his own? one he can talk about himself! how lucky he'd be. ]

But you should tell me 'cause then... I can go bother them instead of you.

[ murr might be solely motivated by the amount of entertainment he can get out of someone, but he's also not dumb. and right now? he knows that he can get under dosei's skin. sadly he can't chomp physically, but he can chomp down in a non-violent way! ]

Isn't that what you want?~

[ dosei opts to look instead like he's swallowed a lemon at that, clearly not enthused at the idea of meeting yet another of these magic-slinging freaks of nature. god, the amount he's met already is more than enough for several decades, at least. ]

ive had enough of you freaks
hard pass

[ that, however, is a tantalizing offer. very, very tantalizing. the idea of this motherfucker leaving him alone to go terrorize someone else is a hard thing to ignore, and so dosei opts to stare at the near caustic color of his own drink for a few moments as he mulls it over.

...fuck it. might as well. ]

shylock
or something
not as bad as the others

[ it really does not occur to him what he's done. ]

[ nice. hopefully dosei gets to extend that amount of time very soon, if more wizards start piling in. then they can surround him and there will be no escape. no way in. no way out.

but as soon as he sees that name. he sees the words. murr's eyes widen. ]

Shylock! [ chuckle. ] Well, I already bother him a lot~ or rather, he loves and hates my company.

[ which is fine. very fine. ]

Not as bad as the others, though? Hmhmhm! I see... I see.

[ and this is when murr does hop his stool away from dosei. just a little. ]

You better be nice to him. Treat him well! 'cause if you don't, I don't care who you think you are. I'll stick to you until the end of this time, next time, every time. Okay?~

[ it's not a threat. well ok it's a threat. ]

[ absolutely fucking not. he's going to start grabbing wizard repellant (which is pepper spray and saltwater).

that earns a quirk of a brow, but he probably shouldn't find it surprising- all these bastards probably know one another and have weird ass wizard rituals or something during the full moon.

while he's grateful for the distance, finally, he doesn't really vibe with the fact he's being...threatened? apparently? for a minute, he just stares, eye twitching in irritation before he finally gives another silent scoff, tapping out a message without any sense of urgency. ]

yeah what the fuck ever
id just shank you or something if you tried

[ but fine. it's not like he dislikes shylock to begin with, so he at least won't dream of putting him 6 feet under like he does with someone else.

god, he needs another drink. ]

[ sounds like something nero needs to learn how to cook with, tbh.

yes. they do have weird wizard rituals in the middle of the night, and by that? murr has zoomies. sometimes he has vivid dreams and he can't stop moving his arms and legs. and the worst ritual of them all? it's when he acts like a totally normal person, entertaining those who might sit at shylock's bar while having a little drink of his own: milk. in a cup. wow. ]

Shank me? Oh, you mean like... with a knife or something?

[ that's cute. yes, come stab him. he wants it soooooo badly. ]

Good luck with that! Eheh, you're so cute.

[ and he means it! very cute. he still wants those cheeks btw he hasn't forgotten. ]

[ ok?? catboy??? we get it. you're a furry. you wanna fuck the moon. you need therapy. all that and more.

what is with all these wizards and having a weird obsession with being stabbed? it's not supposed to be something to be enthusiastic about. is masochism a requirement to cast spells or something.... ]

im not fucking cute

[ he is handsome, first and foremost, not that that's any of murr's business. ]

you said youd go fuck off
so fuck off
my drink will taste better without ur ugly mug here

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

August 2022 Event

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nero gets to live bc of timeline shenanigans ONLY

wtf

Re: wtf

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