The Day of Thunder

Some of the villagers weren’t fully convinced of the samurai’s intentions toward them, and the new world that they’ve been promised all this time seems like the much better deal. On top of that, the Harbinger is calling them, drawing the group to the market. Distracted by protecting the villagers from the effigies, they’ve already gathered in the Market.

The Harbinger is at the center of a circle of 11 people, her arms spread wide. She’s singing. It’s a voice you’ve heard before, at the festival. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9_ZpqfqHFI

“Wandering heart, clouds above
Rain begins to fall down
My bitter tears flowing out, they never dry up
I let the words of a curse be my deliverance

These ancient words like a hymn of reclamation
Not even death will escape them

How to center these troubled thoughts? I pray
Can the future bring calm to the sea? I beg

It's time for salvation to finally come
I feel this rage, and I'm feelin' it strong
This weeping and wailing has gone far too long
Nothing left but to yеll! Yeah! Yeah!
I know you feel it too so keep on singin' this song
Even whеn they abuse us, we'll keep singin' along
We'll start another big bang when we all sing as one
United, we're fightin', bring 'em down with our song of ruin.”

Cups manifest in the hands of each villager as they sing along.

“We will rejoice when we get the freedom promised
The freedom so many die for

When there's nowhere to run we must find hope
Left forgotten within the light, there it glows

Keep making this music 'til you breath your last
We dream but never lose sight of the past
Illuminate hope and forget all the rest
Nothing left but to yell, yeah, yeah

It's time for salvation to finally come
I feel this rage, and I'm feelin' it strong
This weeping and wailing has gone far too long
Nothing left but to yell! Yeah! Yeah!
I know you feel it too so keep on singin' this song
Even when they abuse us, we'll keep singin' along
We'll start another big bang when we all sing as one
United, we're fightin', bring 'em down with our song of ruin.”

They start to lift the cups. You only have a moment to intervene before they drink whatever is inside. The Harbinger herself smirks as you and says, “Good luck…!” before disappearing.

Rules: The samurai must intervene to prevent the villagers from drinking whatever the Harbinger has given. Make any one Skill roll in this thread, TN 30. Each success prevents one villager from drinking. The group must reach 11 successes to stop all of them. If one of the villagers either succeeds or is killed, this will empower the Champion of Jigoku. Additional rolls may be used after the initial 11 successes to talk them down, which will increase the percentage of villagers empowering Doji. Please post your rolls and descriptions of what you are doing in this thread.

Chu is one of the first to notice -- and one of the first to act. She raises a paw to speak an incomprehensible language, changing the Name of the liquid in one cup to Purifying Water.

"Please don't do this to yourselves!"

[D7EA Event] Protect the Villagers from themselves: Name Lore + Name point to change drink to water | 10k4 ⇒ 39 (TN: 30) SUCCESS! 1 villager saved :3

Tadaka shapes the world around him. The cup is a fragile thing. Something that is easily broken. He then moves in close to the villager without being noticed. When he gets close enough, he shouts in a loud commanding voice, "STOP!"

What he said didn't matter. The villager didn't even register what was said until it was too late. What mattered was the surprise of the villager who dropped the fragile cup, breaking it.

(And Sakkaku strikes again - 93% odds... but at least I don't have to check for bloodlust, I suppose.)

Speed was more important than tact in a matter like this so, against his better judgement, Sugri launches an arrow towards the hand of one of the cultists hoping to do minimal collateral damage.

It seems his worry was for not as the cultist moves at the last possible moment as fingers have already released arrow and it flies through empty air where a cup once was.

(D7, LM: Protect the Villagers From Themselves - Archery/Reflexes, VP For +1k1, Armor Piercing arrow taking low for damage | 9k5 ⇒ 29 (TN: 30) - Fail)

The strange singing drew Kumori’s attention through the chaos.

She arrived just in time to see the Harbinger finish and disappear…

Seeing the cups… and not knowing anything else than needing to stop the people…

She dashed forward and tackled a villager and knocked the liquid out onto the ground.

————

D7 EA, Stop the Villagers, Jiujutsu, Tech, Lucid | 8k5 ⇒ 39 (TN: 30)

Lucid Dream for Agility Boost:

D7 EA, Stop the Villagers, Lucid Dreaming | 4k4 ⇒ 28 (TN: 20)

Sora moved like he did in his dreams, a terrifying fluidity- and the names on his armor and daubed onto his skin seemed to glow faintly, like moonlight through mist.

His sword flicked out, and almost delicately split a cup open, spilling the liquid onto the ground.




[Lucid Dreaming TN 20 to jack up agility by +1 | 4k4 ⇒ 26 (TN: 20)

Agility/Kenjutsu to split a cup, Lucid, And Just Generally Carrying On Cranky | 10k5 ⇒ 52 (TN: 30)

Even removing the highest die would still leave this a success. Not going to bother removing one at random.]

Yumi was a hunter. Yumi was shadow. Yumi was a wanderer. Yumi was a friend. Yumi was many things, in many contexts, but beyond all she was the name that she chose for herself.

Yumi was a bow.

"Earth steady my arm. Water clear my eye. Fire incite my action. Air quicken my hand. May all that which is bound guide my shot," she intones, and releases.

An arrow sails out from a discreet location amid the ritual striking one of the bottles straight out of the hands of one of the villagers.
There were other threats present around, and Yumi would not remain long enough to allow herself to be consumed by them. With but a whisper she would disappear.
---
Day 7, EA: Kyujutsu/Reflexes, Void +1k1 | 10k6 ⇒ 38 (TN: 30)

(Yumi emphasis applied.)

Villager saved.

"I'll get you back, evil woman!" Ranmaru shouted, shaking his fist. As he did so, he got a brilliant idea by looking at his bulging bicep. He slicked back his hair and walked towards the villagers. "Why continue to serve such a pathetic creature who would not stand by you at her so-called hour of victory? It is because she is afraid... of this:"

And then he flexed. His pecs bounced at his command as he walked around. Through the force of sheer mesmerization, he intended on keeping the villager from drinking! He would not even need to grab the cup with his massive hand.

---

D7 EA Save a villager with ATHLETICS / STRENGTH TN 30 | 7k4 ⇒ 37 (TN: 30)

Kai's voice rose, firm and powerful, covering some of the Harbinger's song. She had been learning fast since she had come into this realm. And, in the past days, what she has got the most experience with was the art of stringing words together so sentences were more than the sum of their parts, so they acquired their own melody, so they could become an edge slicing through the hardness of one's heart and make them change their way.

"At the dawn of time, when all creatures were made, there was a mistake. After giving a mouth to all creatures that were to have a mouth, the driving forces of the universe found themselves with one extraneous set, a pair of lips and many teeth that had no purpose.

But, as what has been made cannot be unmade, the mouth just took life like any other creature. A beast that was only a mouth, unable to see, move, act.

All it could do was eat, eternally hungry for nothing could feel the emptiness that was its body.

And talk. Talk it could. And talk it would. All in service of satiating the hunger that would never be satisfied.

For it had no legs to go after its preys, it would make its words into lures that would drive them close of their own will. For it had no arms to grab them, it would make them so persuasive they would jump on their own between its teeth.

How was such magic possible? How could simple words drive any creature into such trap? The answer is darkness. The beast has hidden itself in the most obscure cave, so to dissimulate how miserable it actually was. It would lie about anything and everything, but mostly it would lie about itself. It would say it had the biggest arms and the strongest legs, that death by its teeth was ineluctable, that not jumping was just making your sufferings go on for longer.

But bring even the tiniest bit of light into the cave, a ray of sunlight, a small candle, and all lies crumble. The beast is revealed in all its powerlessness.

The sun is shining right now. The mouth was so hungry it had to leave the protection of its cave, telling its preys to keep their eyes at the ground for it was so magnificent their eyes would not recover from such a sight.

But give it just a glimpse, and the truth will be undeniable. There's nothing here but a poor, hungry, broken creature of hate and lies."

---

D7EA | Trying to defeat the narrative with a better narrative | Because why not?
TN30 Perform: Storytelling/Awareness | 5k3 ⇒ 37 (TN: 30)

Ai tried her best but even that was not good enough, still she had tried. The villager drank the kool-aid.

OOC: Lucid Dreaming | 3k3 ⇒ 10 (TN: 20) and Lucid Dreaming | 10k3 ⇒ 29 (TN: 30)

Suddenly, Akutou is there. Standing right behind a villager--one of the ones playing dice a few nights back.

"Come on, son," he says, quietly, ominously. "You're better'n this. An' this's a shitty bar, anyway."

~~~~~
Stealth Roll 55, https://sakkaku.org/r/12493
+1 Success

"Ahh, the old "drink in the corruption" play. I can't say I've never been tempted myself."

Reo drawls. His bow is still out from fighting the effigies. He had practice of late kneecapping someone who was fighting him. This time, it's a matter of shooting the bowl out of their hands. Only...this time it goes into the man's chest.

"Whoops"

D7 Protect the Villagers from themselves EA - TN 30 - Kyujutsu/Reflexes - +5 from DosT school | 9k4+5 ⇒ 29 (TN: 30)

(OOC: Of course Sakkaku)

After taking care of the effigy monstrosity, Shang was fresh out of useable arrows and there were still villagers in harm's way! However, not all problems were taken care of with might and brawn! If the Harbinger was going to use song to enchant these villagers to do its bidding, it was only clear that Shang should use the same technique to break that spell!

She thought on the spot and tried to conjure an epic or a lesson to best do this. However, perhaps the simplest ways were best and she decided that it was perhaps an easy jingle that would speak the loudest with these humble villagers!

Her own song went a little like this...

To stop those monsters, one-two-three,
Here's a fresh new way that's trouble-free,
It's got Saru Shang's guarantee!

You can almost call this a Togashi-Kami decree!

Just don't drink! Just don't drink!
Just don't drink! Just don't drink!
Just don't drink! Just don't drink!

Day 7 - Early Afternoon, Protect the Villagers from Themselves!: +1k1 from Void (1/4) | 8k5 ⇒ 37 (TN: 30) Performance: Singing/Awareness used, to be clear!
Villager saved!

"Hey, don't you know how dangerous that is?!" Satsuki tried to explain to one of the villagers to stop them from drinking the kool-aid. It didn't have much effect.

--------

D7 EA. Protect the Villagers from Themselves! Spellcraft/Intelligence. +1k0 Nadare's Insight. | 10k4 ⇒ 28 (TN: 30)

Fail

Current count is 9 out of 11 villagers saved?

Saru Shang wrote: ↑

Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:17 pm

After taking care of the effigy monstrosity, Shang was fresh out of useable arrows and there were still villagers in harm's way! However, not all problems were taken care of with might and brawn! If the Harbinger was going to use song to enchant these villagers to do its bidding, it was only clear that Shang should use the same technique to break that spell!

She thought on the spot and tried to conjure an epic or a lesson to best do this. However, perhaps the simplest ways were best and she decided that it was perhaps an easy jingle that would speak the loudest with these humble villagers!

Her own song went a little like this...

To stop those monsters, one-two-three,
Here's a fresh new way that's trouble-free,
It's got Saru Shang's guarantee!

You can almost call this a Togashi-Kami decree!

Just don't drink! Just don't drink!
Just don't drink! Just don't drink!
Just don't drink! Just don't drink!

Day 7 - Early Afternoon, Protect the Villagers from Themselves!: +1k1 from Void (1/4) | 8k5 ⇒ 37 (TN: 30) Performance: Singing/Awareness used, to be clear!
Villager saved!

Of course, what made a jingle even better? Instrumental accompaniment! And so, as Shang sang, Hikaru accompanied her on the flute. It was cheery and jazzy, and made Hikaru die a little inside. This was hardly deep art...

-----------------------------------------------------

Protect Villagers from themselves, Flute/Agi, VP1k1 | 8k5 ⇒ 41 (TN: 30)

10 saved

Noting the commotion, the Harbinger's song and the situation, Norikage acted decisively as many others did. HIs sword was out in the flash and he knocked the up from the victim's hand without cutting them.

"This isn't the way", he said, hoping the action would startle other villagers to turn away from the enemy.


Lucid Dream to buff agility TN 20: 24

Agility/Kenjutsu to precisely knock the drink away, TN 30: 44

+1 villager saved

As the villagers began to raise the cups to drink, everything seemed to move in slow motion for Yoshitsune Ayako. As if viewing herself from a long distance, she saw herself step between two of the villagers, slowly raising her hands to knock each of their cups aside. The teacups began to fall, the poison spilling in slow motion towards the ground.

Then suddenly everything sped up to normal speed again. The teacups clattered to the ground, the villagers looking at Ayako in shock.

“I’m so clumsy!” Ayako said with a small smile. “Sorry about that! But I don’t think you want to drink that stuff, anyway.”

—
7EA Protect villagers from themselves, Reflexes/Defense, Void Point for +1k1, 1 called raise to try to rescue two villagers, armor penalty TN40 | 10k5 ⇒ 40 (TN: 40) succeeds!

Edit: dropped highest die from this roll based on the Lucid Dreaming ruling; it still succeeds

Kai tried to help the Villagers but instead of helping he scared the villager to drink.


//D6 EA Protect the Villagers from themselves Stealth Agi | 10k4 ⇒ 27 (TN: 30)

Although it seemed most of the 11 had stood down, Kyosei had little faith that the Harbinger would be stood down. Instead, he took the more intellectual tact of explaining how the ritual they had been involved with was not a good one, but one that would weaken the Champions of Humanity, and would raise up the power of the armies of Chaos. He did remember to keep things at a more simple level, and compare them to the other rituals he knew of from other small villages, and what they had previously done this week. It seemed to help.

__________

Success at a 35.

Chu will help further by using her shamanic power to show the villagers through the Dreaming around them both the concepts Kyosei is explaining and the consequences of the success of Yume-Jigoku...

[D7EA] Protect the Villagers From Themselves, further persuasion roll -- Name Lore to show the concepts Kyosei is explaining in the dreaming around them + the consequences of what will happen if the human champions lose | 9k3 ⇒ 43 (TN: 30) SUCCESS!