The Day of Thunder

[Sugri]

If something held Sugri back from answering his fear honestly, to himself as well as others, it would be unknown to mortal observers for, while his calligraphy is smooth and clear, the language is foreign to this land.

What was readily apparent was his skill with the bow as the arrow pierced no only the effigy's head but even found purchase in the scroll now concealed within.

(Know Thyself: D2, EA: Know Thyself - Awareness, VP for +1k1, 2 Raises called | 4k4 ⇒ 9 (TN: 20) - Fail

Name the Enemy: D2, EA: Name The Enemy - Intelligence/Calligraphy unskilled, VP for +1k1 | 4k4 ⇒ 26 (TN: 15) - Success - 1 Point

Defeat the Enemy: D2, EA: Defeat The Enemy - Archery/Reflexes, VP for +1k1, 4 Raises called | 8k5 ⇒ 36 (TN: 35) - Success - 5 points

Total: 6 Points )

[Makime]

Makime attended this...ritual. She still had her suspicions but perhaps trying to participate would at least help give her some focus.

It was easy enough to name her fears, they had been with her since Akodo had raised her to leadership: Failure. The burdens of leadership were, after all, intensely heavy and the weight would crush not only her but those she was entrusted to lead.

She wasn't exactly skilled at penmanship and made a mess of the writing attempt. She stuffed the paper in anyway.

When the time came to cut her fears, Makime found her heart was not in it. There was too much wrong with all this...how could some doll and a piece of paper hope to cleanse a mind. Maybe those unburdened with worldly concerns she mused.

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Purification Ritual: Raw Awareness to name her fear. | 2k2 ⇒ 13 (TN: 10) Passed 1 point
Purification Ritual: Intelligence Calligraphy to write it down | 3k3 ⇒ 7 (TN: 15) - Failed 0 points
Purification Ritual: Hit my fear with a sword. 3 Raises for class | 7k3 ⇒ 18 (TN: 30) - Failed 0 points

1 purification point total

[Anjing]

Anjing remains committed to honest to goodness giving this whole purification and self-reflection business an honest shot.
It wasn't quite what she'd imagined before coming here, but let nobody say she hadn't at least attempted it.

Name your fear. Where to start, time, old age, the passing of years? The death of her people or worse? Fear for her family?
The older she became the more thinly she felt spread.

Ultimately she chooses 'failure', it seemed to sum everything else up.
It also meant her greatest fear was not an option, perhaps that was vaguely comforting?

When the time comes to defeat her dummy, she takes great pleasure in knocking the head off with one swing.
Huh, maybe she did feel a little better? She nods at the fallen dummy who had sacrificed so much.


Purification of the Mind, Day 2 EA event.

Roll 1 - Know Thysef. Calling one raise for TN 15 | 3k3 ⇒ 16 (TN: 15)

2 points
Purification of the Mind, Day 2 EA event.

Roll 2 - Name The Enemy. Calling two raises for TN 25, spending a void point for a rank. | 5k4 ⇒ 37 (TN: 25)

3 points

Purification of the Mind, Day 2 EA event.

Roll 3 - Defeat the Enemy. Calling 3 raises for TN 30 | 7k4 ⇒ 41 (TN: 30)

4 points

(9 points total)

[Kaiu Tai]

Hmmph. As a ritual, the shape of it is understandable, symbolic. Tai's curious about preparation of the effigies, which ought to have some ritual involved before even getting this far, but she'll have to ask about them later.

For now...what does she fear? The nightmares of her children, her husband dying horribly, often at one another's hands...or hers...in madness? No, the fear for them is a strength. It lets her push past obstacles to fight for them. It isn't the fear that can still everything like a trickle of ice in the veins.

That's the dreams of watching, helpless. No voice to call on aid, or shout a warning. She nods to herself, sifting through paper slips for the one at the bottom of the pile. Those terrible scenarios are whispered to the paper, to the ink as it's mixed. She eschews a brush, dipping her finger into the ink and swiping the characters roughly onto the paper, already soggy with the neverending damp.

"Now to let you live to be killed, eh?" She doesn't peruse the effigies, simply letting instinct carry her to one. Stubby fingers skillfully thread it through the woven material. "Let this pass from me. Let it end in you."

There is no great finesse to her strike. It's just a simple spear. She envisions the bit of paper within the construct and aims for it, piercing the woven head...and perhaps the scrap of calligraphy, scattering the sticks and vines apart as she shakes her spear free of it.

**************************************
D2 EA: Know Thyself: TN 10 Awareness | 2k2 ⇒ 10 (TN: 10): 1 point

D2 EA: Name the Enemy-Int/Calligraphy, unskilled | 3k3 ⇒ 24 (TN: 15) 1 point

D2 EA: Defeat the Enemy- attack. Spears/Agility | 6k3 ⇒ 19 (TN: 15) 1 point

3 points total

[Matsu]

EA2 - Purification of the Mind - Roll 1 - Know Thyself (Awa 2, TN10) | 2k2 ⇒ 17 (TN: 10)

EA2 - Purification of the Mind - Roll 2 - Name the Enemy (int 2, Calligraphy 0, TN15) | 2k2 ⇒ 13 (TN: 15)

EA2 - Purification of the Mind - Roll 3 - Strike the Enemy (Agi 3, Kenjutsu 3, Katana Emphasis, TN15) | 6k3 ⇒ 29 (TN: 15)

Matsu arrived for the Purification ritual. Her eyes scanning over those gathered and the associated effigies. Listening to the headwoman, she followed the instructions.

Matsu had never doubted who she is. She is a child of destiny, the daughter of the Last Noriaki, and a woman who will strive to be the greatest example of what it means to be a samurai, whatever that will become.

Her handwriting was awful, and the word for Doubt was scrawled on the scroll, before haphazardly being placed on the effigy.

That inner focus and fire was set to the pure knowledge of her sword. While others were busy learning to write beautifully, she had studied the blade.

And while she didn't go for any flash or panache, her effigy was very neatly cut into three quick strikes, tho8gh the doll remained standing. The blade sheathed... and the effigy exploded into hay.

Outcome: 2 effigy points

[Kai]

Kai noted the villagers creating an effigy and thought about who or what made him tremble. Many thoughts came to mind as he started to create the straw man. Perhaps it was a mixture of his lack of sleep ant the pure thought of what he feared most coming into a real representation that made his writing what the effigy represented not even comprehensible. Kai took out his bow to shoot at his fear but he just hit a stray straw missing the full straw man.

I missed?... I knew I could have hit that thing how can I have missed?

The man seem annoyed.



D2 Event Know thyself Awareness fatigued | 4k4 ⇒ 32 (TN: 15)

Know thy enemy: Calligraphy autofail due to dice pool

D2 EA Event Defeat thy enemy Kyujutsu Reflex 2 raise+fatigued | 7k4 ⇒ 29 (TN: 30) lol

[Hiruma Naraku]

Something about the village really irked Naraku. There was a lot of small, circumstantial, evidence that perhaps painted an incorrect painting of the village; perhaps it really only was a quaint little hamlet. Naraku had seen in first hand what the influence of the Harbinger had done to other villages, so why would this be any different? Yet his gut told him that there was more to discover.

That feeling got stronger as he observed the crude wicker men that the villagers had assembled, cringing slightly as the headwoman said they would give form to their fears. He had been witness to a few, or rather the aftermath of a few, summoning rituals, so his eye scanned his wicker man with intent.

He stared at the wicker man for a few minutes, before closing his eyes and sighing in frustration. Was he being paranoid? Sora had told him that Name Magic revolved around giving form to a concept, was this perhaps a cultural interpretation that the descendant of those Isawa had left? He realized that whilst his wariness had helped him till then, it had also alienated most from around him. He had not been the only one to lose someone, nor would he be the last.

This is why you choose nine thunders...

If they were to win, they would have to leave that wariness behind; mankind had to unite and face this threat in unison. He chuckled as he realized he had been doing the ritual all along, retrieving a quill to continue with the cerimony.

"Mistrust"

He wrote the character with delicacy, although at one point it seemed that perhaps he had taken to little ink and the character would be ruined. He folded the paper three times and placed it inside the head of the effigy.

He stood before the effigy and inhaled deeply as he drew his sword. He closed his eyes, feeling Kanna's light guiding him. He opened his eyes and in one fluid movement sliced the effigy in twine.

"No more mistrust," he mumbled to himself as he sheathed his sword.
---
D2 EA | Lore: Corruption vs ? TN | 8k4 ⇒ 33

D2 EA | Know Thyself | 1CR | TN 15 | 3k3 ⇒ 21 (TN: 15)
2 purity points

D2 EA | Name the Enemy | 2CR | Void for Rank | TN 25 | 5k4 ⇒ 22 (TN: 25)
D2 EA | Name the Enemy | 2CR | LUCK REROLL | TN 25 | 5k4 ⇒ 43 (TN: 25) (Luck used for this session)
3 purity points

D2 EA | Strike the Enemy | 3CR | +1k1 Void | TN 30 | 9k5 ⇒ 57 (TN: 30) (Incorrectly didn't change Name the Enemy when copy-pasting)
4 purity points

9 purity points total

[Doji Hikaru]

Hikaru frowned. What did he fear?

No, seriously, what?

Many possibilities occurred to him. Hurts that he'd suffered. Fears left unspoken. And behind it all, a looming sense of... what? Hikaru frowned as he considered. When it came to him, the realization shook him. With unsteady hand, he wrote what he felt best represented his answer.

TIME

Still shaken, his strike was poor, and frowning darkly, Hikaru left the festival, silent and not looking back.

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D2 Event, Know Thyself, 2CR, VP spent | 4k4 ⇒ 27 (TN: 20)
D2 Event, Name the Enemy, 2CR, VP spent | 5k4 ⇒ 20 (TN: 25)
D2 Event, Defeat the Enemy, 2CR, FA stance | 8k4 ⇒ 18 (TN: 25)

[Akodo Kenji]

This was the kind of quaint little thing Kenji had been looking for when he had joined the festival yesterday, and he was humming pleasantly to himself as he moved to pick a wooden figure for himself, it was a stumpy little thing a bit short with a old kimono stuffed with hay to give it a rotund belly. He wasn't sure who made it, but in his opinion, they had done a pretty stellar job.

It took only a moment to pick his greatest fear, though writing it down took longer. He had never been the greatest student of calligraphy, but it seemed fairly important that he get this right. Failure. A few moments later he was stepping back, and offering the figure a small bow. And then it was done, he drew his Katana as he rose from the bow cutting the straw effigy neatly in two.

Now he'd just have to dispose of the body, that was part of this right?

Purification of the mind. Day 2 EA, Roll 1: Know Thyself Raw Awareness, one raise called tn 15 | 3k3 ⇒ 28 (TN: 15) 2 Effigy Points

Purification of the mind. Day 2 EA, Roll 2: Name the enemy, Calligraphy/intelligence, tn 15. Void for 1k1 | 4k4 ⇒ 16 (TN: 15) 1 Effigy Point

Purification of the mind. Day 2 EA, Roll 3: Defeat the enemy, Kenjutsu/Agility. Free raise from Akodo 1 +6 from akodo 2, 2 Called raises. , tn 25 | 8k4+6 ⇒ 31 (TN: 25) 4 Effigy Points

7 Points total

[Saru Ranmaru]

If there was one thing that Ranmaru knew, it was that fear was for women. He didn't really know how to best describe that in words however. Even on a good day he really wouldn't have been able to. And so, all he did was write "Fear" onto it and let that stand in.

When it came time to attack the effigy, he stifled a yawn. He walked forward and stuck his sword into where the heart would be. Simple, effective, but not flashy in the least. He could have done much better if some feminine force controlling him from afar had not stifled him.

---

D2 EA Roll 1: Awareness TN 15, 1 CR | 3k3 ⇒ 26 (TN: 15)

2 Effigy Points

D2 EA Roll 2: Calligraphy/Intelligence TN 20, Fatigue | 2k2 ⇒ 13 (TN: 20)

0 Effigy Points

D2 EA Roll 3: Kenjutsu/Agility TN 20, Fatigue | 8k3 ⇒ 36 (TN: 20)

1 Effigy Point

Total: 3 Effigy Points

[Haka Tae-soo]

This second ritual again seemed to have some things in common with themes present in the rituals of his people. But again, it had relevant differences - and those were enough to feel troubling.

Finding his fear was not exactly easy. There was a general feeling of uneasiness that made it hard to pinpoint one aspect. It took a while, but he finally settled on something.

Never seeing any of the others again. Placing Ha-yeong at risk. Coming here. The fear of having made a wrong choice was behind all of that, and when he noticed that it was easy to make a choice.

Writing was easy - even if he was sure the writing he was more used to would not be familiar to others. Some seemed to try to do better, make their writing artful. He just did what needed to be done - a few strokes with coal.

Hitting the effigy... that was strange. He was no stranger to hitting things, of course - it was needed to get some things done. Hunting, even fishing at times. And protecting himself and Ha-yeong, which had become much more of a concern since all the change as the year switched. But hitting one's fears like this... it had some ritualistic sense, but at the same time it felt like facing fear with violence. He could hear his Halmeoni's voice as he held his staff and swirled it around. The water's strength is freedom. Violence is chains. Do you want to be free or to be chained?.

It made him hesitate, but he took a deep breath, stepped from one side to the other, and went for a strike. Not a particularly hard or violent one - he just did it.

It hit. Somewhere close to what would be the effigy's heart. He kept there, looked at the thing that should be his fears for a moment. Did he feel better after this show? It was hard to tell.

He bowed, rather deeply, then took a step back.

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D2 EA - Event part 1 - Awa. 1 Raise called, TN 15 | 3k3 ⇒ 18 (TN: 15)
2 points

D2 EA - Event part 2 - Calligraphy/Int. TN 15 | 4k3 ⇒ 18 (TN: 15)
1 point

D2 EA - Event part 3 - Attack (Staves). 1 Raise, TN 20 | 6k3 ⇒ 31 (TN: 20)
2 points

Total 5 points

[Kaiu Takuma]

The fear of being a disappointment to his family, not following the to the Kaiu school like his brother loomed heavily on Takuma mind. He focused on the little doll thinking long and hard. He then wrote his big fear on the effigy with well precise strokes of the pen.

Then, the only thing left was to strike the effigy with his katana. He swung and missed the effigy. The one skill he was quite practiced, he had missed.

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Know Thyself: Purification of the Mind [D2, EA; Event] - Know Thyself: TN 10 Awareness roll + Fatigued | 3k3 ⇒ 19 (TN: 15)

1 Effigy Points

Name The Enemy: Purification of the Mind [D2, EA; Event] - Name The Enemy: TN 15 Intelligence/Calligraphy + Fatigued | 3k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: 20)

1 Effigy Points

Defeat The Enemy: Purification of the Mind [D2, EA; Event] - Defeat The Enemy: TN 15 Kenjutsu Attack roll + Fatigued | 6k3 ⇒ 18 (TN: 20)

0 Effigy Points
2 Effigy Points Total

[Canary]

[The event is closed.]

Hiruma Naraku, Anjing, Saru Shang, and Hantei Genji each get a Dreamstone!

Ryoshun Yukara, Otaku, and Wu Zhe, each get a draught that increases energy and vitality (+1k0 to Earth rolls for the next 4 hours after taking)!

Nanzi Ai and Akodo Kenji both get a draught to help with sleep (Guarantees a deep and restful sleep, even for those with Cursed by the Realm: Yume-do)!