jigokulogs | August 2022 Event

August 2022 Event

MAIN NAVIGATION

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

Tenshi looked over at Haru for a moment. Empathy wasn't her strong point, but she was definitely picking up that the young woman seemed more ... affected by events like this. She was probably a pretty kind person deep down, wasn't she? "You're worried about the person who got kidnapped aren't you?" She grunted and stared in the direction of the departure.

"They'll be putting an effort into getting her back safe and sound. You might get the chance to help soon enough. And don't worry about the cops too much. They've got plenty. You're not wasting their time, at least certain not anymore than I am."

"Oh, I'm not too worried about any kind of police force. I'll cooperate, but only for the sake of that missing girl."

Haru wasn't fond of cops. Some? Some were okay. And others were corrupt and abusive of their power and didn't deserve to call themselves any kind of upright figure. She's withholding judgment for now, if just because she doesn't know too much about how the Enma faction operates yet.

"But I hope you're right... that I'll be able to help with locating her."

"Unfortunate it isn't Julieta doing the asking. She's... ok." She didn't mind her at all, really, though that might have been because she didn't actually talk to anyone else in the Enma faction. She wasn't really that fond of police either, though she had far less reasons than Haru had to dislike them. She just didn't like authority in general.

"If you need backup... well, you know me. I'm usually raring for a fight. It being a good cause is an added bonus." She shrugged. "I get the feeling that there's someone outside the city who's trying real hard to cause trouble. One set of pieces at a time. At first, I thought the Haniwa were it. Now I think this whole thing's still a lead up."

There was a moment of thought. "It's different from youkai. Youkai get pissed off. something happens. They get over it. They don't keep plotting like this. It feels... like it's actually a villain?" Was that how she'd put it? Well, in her eyes, most of the youkai back home weren't actually bad guys. They were just idiots and insensitive brutes who didn't appreciate her power and position and caused trouble. This was calculated and repeated.

Nobody in Gensokyo took that much time and effort in anything, not even Yukari.

"You mean like a mastermind of sorts? Someone or a group capable of commanding, planning and manipulating?"

Another thing she had experience with. And usually, as Haru had come to learn, there was usually a perceived mastermind, only for it then to be revealed that there was a mastermind behind the mastermind. Which was something she dearly hoped was not the case here.

"So do you believe... this is also a piece of something? That this isn't the end goal?"

It would make sense. Haru hadn't been here long enough to witness much, but this seemed more like a means than an end.

"Oh right, that's what they're called." So, Haru definitely had more familiarity with these things than Tenshi did. She did not know the 'for every Zemus, there is a Zeramis' rule of life when it came to masterminds. Just the word. She nodded quickly and looked upwards, thinking about that for a second.

"I don't know for sure, but the little I know is Enma announced that those dolls were because of Haniyasu. Thing is, Haniyasu no kami's a thing where I come from, though I've never met them. God of earth. Powerful, old kami. And if they're involved, and if they mean half the shit in this? Maybe there's two guys out there stirring up trouble, or there's just one big one in the background." she shrugged. "I mean, it's way before my time, but Susanoo certainly stirred up a lot of trouble in his day. Maybe this is just the beginning, and there's someone big moving things."

She grunted. "I just know when you start getting big kami mixed up in things, the game changes."

"Dolls...? Does this have anything to do with there being curses and it raining blood?" Aerith had gone into a little more detail about it and, quite frankly, it had sounded more like hell than what had Haru had experienced here so far. She was still learning about everything that had transpired, too concerned about perceived rudeness (for now) to bother any one person too much for details.

"I... would have to agree with you, of course. I think getting any kind of god involvement is going to be a problem." And it was what her contract was based on. One god interfering was bad enough. Then another had gotten involved and Haru could have been happy with gods deciding to leave humanity alone forever. If that really was the case here...

So much for hoping otherwise.

"So... Haniyasu's a god of the earth, Amatarasu's child. It' kind of tied in with the creation myth back home, and the youkai here are a lot like back home but not quite." She shrugged. "Since they had sway over clay and pottery? Maybe related. Enma announced it was them behind it at least. Not sure I completely trust them, but no reason to doubt this." For now it was just a name after all, and she hadn't done more than hear the name bandied about after the announcement.

"Youkai getting ticked off and causing a ruckus is something any fool with enough power can clean up. When gods get involved, dumb things like Moons disappearing happen." Look, that was a thing that happened. The rabbits on the moon were crazy, alright?

"I... see."

It was more pensive than dubious. Haru had no real reason to doubt that maybe moons could disappear quite easily if gods got involved. It was a fitting metaphor. But more concerning was that Tenshi spoke of it as if it had actually happened?

"Has that... happened before? The moon vanishing?"

Wasn't that a problem for gravity and oceans and the like??

"That was kind of a trick. They made an illusion to hide the moon, and there was sort of a fake, to hide the real moon." She rolled her eyes profoundly. "Lunarians can be really weird sometimes. I never understood it all that well. I suppose they could actually try to move the moon one day."

Yep. Well, it wasn't gone, gone, but close.

Haru nodded slowly, more than a little mystified. Why hide the moon in the first place? Was there a deeper reason for it or just a very dramatic prank? From the way she talked, Tenshi didn't seem to know the reason behind it either, beyond "Lunarians are weird."

"It seems... your experiences from before have more than adequately prepared you for a place like this, Tenshi-san. Or at least things might not seem as strange to you here?"

It had been this whole thing involving Eirin and Kaguya, none of which she'd actually paid attention to. Lunarians were crazy, after all. Tenshi could have a very simplified experience when it came to these things.

"Yeah, a little, though I definitely notice that the differences can trip me up from time to time." A shrug, and she frowned. "It's like I'm used to the idea of what we might have to deal with because youkai are basically the same, and when they get in a snit, they get in a snit. But the details are off. Like how those Haniwa were possessed by cursed energy instead of actual souls, like back home. Still, at least it feels familiar."

"I think having your knowledge is an incredible help, honestly." And Haru said it earnestly, fully believing in it. "Even if the details are off, it seems they at least share some similar traits and that gives us more information than anything."

She paused, thinking back. "I'm aware of youkai, though mostly just from stories. Gods, as well. And even so, there are probably hundreds of them I only vaguely know the names of."

"I like to think it helps me a fair bit. At the very least, it tells me things not to do with most youkai, since that's pretty much all the same. they're walking hang-ups." She laughed a little darkly and shook her head. Hangups were basically why they existed after all.

"The old stories miss the mark sometimes, but they give you the idea. Like how a bridge princess is the way she is because of jealousy, so don't make her more jealous." Fat chance with Parsee, but whatever.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

August 2022 Event

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject