The Day of Thunder

[Hiruma Naraku]

Naraku paced towards the river's edge, stopping a few steps in front of the rushing waters. He inhaled the fresh morning air, the peacefulness of the moment, the almost ominous atmosphere that surrounded the quaint little village in the middle of nowhere.

He eyed the waters before him, the waters that the locals had warned him about; don't drink the water, those that do will surely lose their memories. He smirked at the thought of forgetting everything, of allowing past burdens to simply fade away. "Weak thoughts," he chastised himself before removing an empty vial from his pouch. He knelt and let the vial fill with the water of the river. He would find a use for this water.

[Saru Shang]

As Naraku was filling up his vial, Shang would wander out to the river after the morning ceremony to get more of a lay of the land. She narrowed her eyes momentarily to see the man there and try to get an idea of what he was doing. Shaking her head, she tsked a few times to get his attention before calling out to him as she approached closer. "Didn't you hear what they've been telling us? Don't drink the water, good sir," she would tell him.

[Ryoshun Yukara]

After a time, one of the trees in the mist became ambulatory, and revealed the thin shape was actually a young woman. Her bisento tapped her path forward, and her cats-eyes regarded Naraku as if his presence were as expected as the rising sun in the dawn.

She seemed ready to speak, but then another interjected, and she offered only "they say it is bad for the mind."

[Hiruma Naraku]

Naraku was in the process of analyzing the vial when his concentration was interrupted by yet another Dragon lordling. He eyed the woman with suspicion and quickly pocketed the vial. "Then thankfully for me that my hands do not have mouths," he retorted sans any emotion. "Or perhaps they have and by handling the vial I have forgotten that fact." He raises his bandaged hands, "I guess we will never know."

His eyes dart to yet another person arriving, this time the missing Bat lordling. Guess Anjing was right after all.

[Ryoshun Yukara]

"I do not believe they have mouths, Crab man. You are ok."

Yukara offered, soothingly, as if talking someone off a cliff.

"I am sure you are fine, though I would advise against drinking the water if you get thirsty, lovely though it looks."

After a pause.

"I am Yukara. Ryoshun Yukara. No mouth hands for me, either."

She held them up, showing her palms and causing her prayer beads to jangle as she did, the noise distracting her momentarily.

[Saru Shang]

Shang grimaced at that thought from the Crab, "So I see...I have to hope that isn't the case, considering that must be rather inconvenient and something that's a bit horrifying when it comes to imagery. A very evocative picture, however. It makes me wonder if that's a fable that's been told around these parts? An analogy of sorts? Or a figurative sentiment that manifests itself into the real? The hungry grasp that consumes all that it touches. What does that say about someone? However, if you are afflicted, perhaps you seek a remedy as soon as possible."

She gave a glance to the other woman and gave her a bow of acknowledgement. Since introductions were given, she figured that she should give her own too. "Shang of the Saru, here."

[Hiruma Naraku]

He sighed at their answers and wondered if the fact he was a Crab weighted on their inability to understand that he could know what he was doing. "A ghastly visage, I'll make sure to remove my bandages to double check that theory," he said dryly. "I am Naraku of the Hiruma. Can I offer you a drink?" he joked and motioned to the stream.

[Saru Shang]

Shang held up a hand to show that she would decline the offer with a small chuckle. "Oh, no. I think I can fetch my own water from the river, thank you very much. Supposedly, there is some water to drink in the village but I can't say that water exactly is on top of my thoughts after hearing so much about it in town. Do you suppose they have something else around here? Nectar? Wine? Milk, even? But I digress, I was curious what you were doing there if not drinking from the river."

She glanced momentarily at Yukara to bring up a point she mentioned not too long ago. "...Bad for the mind? That's probably far more details than I heard around the warning. Does anyone know anything more about that? So strange to situate a town around here, especially around water that can't be touched! Do you suppose that everyone forgot about why it was making people forget too?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

A Scorpion wandered toward the river. Like the others, he'd heard the warnings. Perhaps he was curious, perhaps he was coming to poke fun at superstition. It's difficult to tell with the mask covering much of his face.

Seeing others gathered, and seeing they bore some manner of heraldry, he straightened up and decided not to skulk so much as he might usually.

He didn't interrupt them, however, and first inspected the river as the others had, on his own. He did offer them a bow in greeting, however.

[Sukuna]

A bit curious from the rumors of bad things happening from drinking out of the river, Sukuna is brought to the river in question. She gazes over the waters without noticing the others as she follows against up the bank. Whatever was doing this had to be closer to the source, right? Whether it be some kind of toxic chemical or spiritual misalignment there had to be a source.

That’s when she heard the Dragon and the Crab talking. She approached them both, giving a bit of a bow. “Ah, excuse me. I have come to some knowledge of why this village exists here from the headwoman, if you were so curious. Sorry if i overheard your conversation some.”

[Saru Shang]

For a place that had something that they weren't supposed to make use of, it seemed like it was a rather popular spot. Shang did find herself momentarily glancing around the area to see if she had inadvertently stumbled on Shinsei's next public 'performance' but it was perhaps the river itself that provided enough of a talking point to be a source of curiosity. Nevertheless, she bowed politely in greeting as the others approached, "Good morning! Shang of the Saru."

"To be honest, I was a little content to dwell on the possibility and the deeper meaning behind this undrinkable river. If no one had immediate answers, I was going to dwell on the hypothetical," she tittered softly. "But answers are better than none, especially when it comes to something so important as drinking water."

[Sukuna]

“Ah. Introductions. I should have introduced myself first, I suppose. I apologize.” The oddly flustered monk bows her head in said apology. “Sukuna, a monk.”

“Though, I know little about the river itself, I do know that the headwoman had resided here a bit before the along ruins of a tribe that had a settlement here. She believes that they may have been… Heterodox Isawa that were interested in Name magic. I admit I am not the most knowledgeable on the abilities of the blessed, but she did say it’s magic that is of Nezumi origin. As for the village settling here, so there were already structures that could be repurposed from those that settled here before.”

Sukuna takes a breath and pauses before speaking yet again. “As for this river, I want to see if there’s a point of contact with some kind of impurity. Toxins from minerals leaking into the river or a spiritual misalignment of some sort.”

[Hiruma Naraku]

"Water that erases memories is not a sufficiently interesting topic?" Naraku shrugs and turns to look at the river. "Let's just say it is a gut feeling. The air of this place feels strange," he turns back to the Dragon. "But that isn't news. I'd say there's enough samurai here to make most courts feel empty."

He turns to the new arrivals, one of the Scorpions and a woman - perhaps a peasant?, that trickle into this impromptu meeting. His eyes widen as the woman introduces herself and speaks about the story of the place. He frowns at the mention of heterodox Isawa; a coven of arrogant witches more likely. "That is incredibly helpful," he says without a hint of sarcasm. Perhaps the toxins could be amplified with his blood?

[Bayushi Norikage]

Norikage was sniffing the river water, it didn't seem too strange. Well, no matter. He stood up, hearing the conversation turn to ruins, to history, to even more suspect matters.

Well, here we go.

"Apologies for butting in, name is Bayushi Norikage, of the Scorpion clan." He offered the others a bow. "I'd heard drinking the water makes you feel hazy, but it's a superstition that it makes you lose your memory." His mask shifted slightly on one side, as if he might be giving a half-smile. "Sake can do the same thing, you know."

[Ryoshun Yukara]

Yukara's thoughts had been quite supplanted by ongoing discussion, so she glanced at the water again, to see if it appeared particularly menacing.

It didn't... not anymore than other water.

She stepped a few paces further from the bank and glanced back at the gathering.

"I find Sake only detrimental when consumed in great quantities - perhaps this water is similar? Not that I feel particularly eager to test it - my memories may not all be pleasant, but they are mine. I shouldn't like to lose them."

[Saru Shang]

Shang placed a hand on her chin and nodded slowly to the information shared by Sakuna. Admittedly, the topic of magic had gone over her head on the matter, the intangible elements that she was more familiar with were more philosophical than anything else. "Ah, it makes me wonder what happened in the past to have the previous inhabitants leave everything behind so that another village could take its place. Settlements are spurting everywhere and where they are making use of what was old. Not that I fault them, especially being so remote! But yes, it is also most peculiar that we've been brought here, considering this isn't the grandest of settlements, all impressive setting aside. "

"If this was the case, do you think they have been bottling the water here and calling it sake?" She asked out in the open and after a beat added in. "...Has anyone tried the town sake?"

[Bayushi Norikage]

"I have little interest to try, though I doubt I will spurn the hospitality when the time comes", Norikage answered. "Something feels wrong here, not specifically here, but this town. Shinsei drew people here, is that right?" He chuckled. "I honestly didn't get the invitation, I've simply been following someone else for my own amusement."

[Ryoshun Yukara]

"Rock-Sensei told me to come here. He... knew things. Things only a wise man should know."

Yukara scowled, faintly, and then added, "Supposedly there are answers here, though I have yet to find them. You weren't following me, I hope..."

[Hiruma Naraku]

"Many reasons why they would leave. The food ran out, they were chased away by another tribe, they decided to move to another place or they simply died out," he shrugs. "Many times the explications are rather mundane."

[Bayushi Norikage]

"I see...and, no you weren't the one I accompanied, but I don't think it would have been an unpleasant trip", he answered Yukara.

Norikage nodded along to the Hiruma's take. "Or something scared them away."