The Day of Thunder

[Saru Shang]

Shang was a rather disturbing night, which was more than enough to put her on edge with her day. If that wasn't bad enough, apparently there was a fight with a monk that looked like Shinsei and there was all this rain she had to put up with? What was happening to this place? It was far too early to say that Shang was having a horrible day but the day wasn't presenting a good argument otherwise. She made her way to the steps of the Headwoman's house, bundled in a straw cloak and hat. Perhaps short of making her presence known, she awaiting for someone else who was equally curious.

[Wu Dai Lu]

"Houri answers the door. "Oh, good morning! Please, come in out of the rain," she said, stepping aside.

[Reiko Ohta]

Ohta had wanted to hear more ever since she'd spent that evening in this very house drinking barley tea, and she had met and accompanied Shang-san before accompanying her. She had a wicker umbrella, one she was glad she didn't have to share with the Saru considering it's small size.

When Chouri answered the door Ohta bowed deeply, perhaps deeper than necessary, but as a show of appreciation. Straightening up, she stepped under the eave of the house and turned, spinning her umbrella to get the water off of it. And let Shang in first.

[Saru Shang]

Shang bowed to Ohta when she caught out and was sure to bow in greeting when Chouri received them. If their hostess was going to be chipper, despite the circumstances around them, she figured she would do the same. "Good morning! Thank you very much for receiving us on such short notice! As you must already know, this one is Shang of the Saru and I'm accompanied by Ohta of the Reiko."

Before she could ramble on, she was sure to step inside so that everyone could put the rain behind them and under a solid roof. She patted herself off the dripping rain before removing her cloak and hat. "I hope you're doing well...there's been a lot of ramblings around the village but I'm glad to see that you seem to never sacrifice hospitality, Chouri-san."

[Wu Dai Lu]

Chouri smiled and bowed. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Saru-sama. And to see you again, Reiko-sama. I, as you know, am Chouri, the village headwoman."

She heads farther in. "Please, come sit by the hearth. You'll be dry in no time at all," she said, heading over. "Hospitality is a very important tradition for us. It would be shameful if I wasn't the first in line to offer it."

[Saru Shang]

Shang nodded and followed her lead to the hearth in question, finding a comfortable place to sit once they were there. "We have talked personally but you're more or less everywhere, so to speak. The festivals and gatherings do much to speak about you in volumes beyond simple things like an introduction. Needless to say, you're represented so well."

There was a pause before she looked around conspiratorily, but in a coy manner. "...just between you and I, I've talked a lot about you to my colleagues, indirectly. I'm just constantly so surprised that you've been able and willing to hold your festival, especially with so many of us here on short notice and the massive complications to the land. Honestly, such feats and management of this village cannot be overstated. Consider me awe-struck!"

[Wu Dai Lu]

Chouri turned a little red at the praise. "Well, thank you. It's been a challenge at times, but everyone has really come together to try and make you and your compatriots feel welcome." She sighed. "That's why you might notice some being treated a little... coldly in the next few days. They worked quite hard on last night's feast, so you can understand why they might be upset that some came and refused to touch the food they gathered to have enough for everyone."

She bowed to them. "I apologize if you experience any lack of courtesy in the next few days."

[Saru Shang]

"Refused to touch the food?" She said quizzically at first, giving a double glance at Ohta to see if she could confirm such a thing. "Well, I know that I've eaten everything that you've offered me, honourable hostess. But, I suppose I could see why some feel this way. We've come from all over the Kami Empire to meet at your wonderful village. Some with a strict purpose and others, like me, who just wandered into a less drawn part of the map by happenstance. We brought our new customs from all over the Empire and to be honest, I believe the last thing a few of us expected was to be a part of your festival. Surely, they're still trying to break out of the habit of filling themselves on meagre road rations or didn't want to convenience you."

"Not to mention, there's also the darkening clouds around the corner," she said in a hushed tone. "I'm sure almost everyone here has more on their mind than to celebrate as if everything was normal. They mean no offence, I'm sure. If I have to admit too, it's brought this dark cloud over my head when it comes to my creative progress and I find inspiration so hard at the present. This brings me to my need to seek out inspiration, from this place, this wonderful village."

[Wu Dai Lu]

"True... People are understandably worried, especially after those wolves," she said with a shake of her head. "What sort of inspiration are you looking for?"

[Reiko Ohta]

Ohta leaned her umbrella against the door frame on the inside, walking over to the invited fire and sitting down cross legged. She listened, and perked up her ears a little at the mention of the feast, but decided not to chime in despite Shang looking at her; Chouri and her had a conversation going, and THAT topic felt like derailing it if anything.

"There is a lot to discover here, inspiration wise, certainly."

[Saru Shang]

"Yes...the present is rather filled with a lot of frightening things. Frightening wolves, as you've mentioned. Conflicts, fights. Also, not to mention the strange sleeping experiences, too," she said, looking a bit grim momentarily as her mind wandered to the night before. That was something she found hard to push down her thoughts, despite the present circumstances.

"...but my focus on the past. I want to know more about the village. While I'm not much of a historian, not like Reiko-san here, I do like finding tales wherever they are found. I am made aware that you've kept records of the village even prior to its founding by the current settlers. There are a lot of fascinating aspects I still seek the answers to." She offered Chouri an eager smile on that thought.

[Wu Dai Lu]

"I have some records, but unfortunately, they're incomplete," she said as she got up, heading into the other room. There's a click of a lock and Chouri brought out several damaged scrolls of very old and delicate parchment. "It's been a challenge keeping these intact."

[Saru Shang]

Shang rose her brows at the sight of the parchment. "I believe the fact that you've been able to find them here after who knows how many years of neglect is quite a feat in itself! Do you know how old are they? These were from before you settled here a few years ago? I'm sure we could get some morsel of information out of them, likely Reiko-san might even decipher more so than I could. They might be beyond mundane repair...that said, I would imagine that if a shugenja could take a look at these, they might even restore them."

[Reiko Ohta]

"Or they could be copied of course."

Ohta made sure not to touch the scrolls immediately, sharp eyes scanning their age and condition and materials.

"But yes, they are likely beyond mundane repairs, from the looks of them. Repairs, even priest repairs, tend to be mending tears or restoring lost moisture, sometimes re-lettering smudged bits or fixing vandalism. These are just old, and brittle, from the looks of things. Trying to restore them would just damage them more."

[Saru Shang]

Shang frowned at that note and nodded. "I trust that you've seen such documents like this one before, so I'll take your word for it. Perhaps I was hoping for a remedy to the solution but perhaps wishful thinking on my part. Let's just focus on what we have in front of us now at least. Could we take a look, Chouri-san?"

[Wu Dai Lu]

"Going by the graveyard, they're likely around 40-60 years old," she responded, setting them out for them to look through. "Going by the script, the tribe here, the Kisaki, were related to the Isawa Tribe in some manner. I have my theories, but they're pure speculation."

[Saru Shang]

"Mm!" she murmured to herself in thought when she spoke of the graveyards. It was surely just something they were using as litmus rather than the idea that they dug through the graves to obtain these scrolls, right?

Shang smiled softly at Chouri, allowing Ohta to have the first read-through as she looked over the other woman's shoulder. "I personally like to think speculation is a woven tale made possible by some bits of the truth or past here and there. While it's not enough to fully commit as being fact, it should be just as entertaining as any tale. If you'll indulge me a little, what are your theories, Chouri-san?"

[Wu Dai Lu]

Well, they didn't show any signs of moisture, so it likely was just a comparison.

"I suspect they were heterodox Isawa researching the magic of the Nezumi. It bears some of the hallmarks of Name magic, the way it all works," she said. "If you've experienced any nightmares the last few nights, I apologize. It comes with it. It should ease tonight, though."

"They seem to have simply left around 40 years ago. Their Graves stopped appearing, and it doesn't look like they left in a rush."

[Reiko Ohta]

"No, I suppose it doesn't... though it does make me wonder; We certainly have a few people here over forty. Makes me wonder if any of them were ever over this way, know any rumors, or maybe were part of the Isawa themselves and know any folk tales of Name Magic outcasts."

[Saru Shang]

"Oh..." Shang said a first as she tried to bite back a frown. At the very least, she did mention the elephant in the room regarding what they were experiencing. "I confess that the topic of nezumi and Name magic is a bit out of my grasp but now that you've mentioned nightmares. Yes, I suppose I have experienced some rather disturbing nightmares and I don't think I'm in the minority here. Is this something that just typically affects everyone here? And here I was under the impression it was only the visitors..."

At least, that's what a certain Scorpion told her. She never questioned the locals until now.

"It would explain why there's some strange bridge in the dreams...It's surprising that you have tolerated something like that for so many years! Especially, with the strange surrounding environments too. We've been warned about the river and the forests aren't friendly in the slightest. I had assumed the previous tribe was nomadic and merely didn't come back. That said, if they were heterodox, I doubt they just changed their minds and found their way into the Isawa." She looked over to Ohta and the scroll. "Can you decipher or piece together their last entries?"

Player Edit: There's no Phoenix Clan!