The Day of Thunder

[Chuchu]

Chuchu does her best not to wander too far ahead of the humans she's leading. Earlier she'd chittered something about trying to find a tree with great Name, and the nezumi takes her time, leading them deep into the oldest parts of the forest.

It's when she spots the great drooping branches of an ancient weeping willow that Chuchu stops and points, cheeping excitedly. In a moment the child strips her clothes to rush forward towards the tree, diving into its roots to ... dig? Piles of dirt and thick roots are kicked out from under the tree's roots as she works her way through, quick and messy at first, and then on the second go through the tunnel she's making much more thoughtful to adjusting its size for human occupants. (Akutou is very gently asked to help clear the mess away from the tree.)

It's quite some time before the nezumi scampers back out, shaking herself free of dirt like a dog before she settles to sit on her cloak and make a paint-paste with a mortar and pestle. It starts purple but after a few minutes of heavy working fades to a pale lavender. Happily Chuchu stands to meet Akutou and Kumori; happily she asks them to lean down so she can paint sworls on their foreheads; and when that's done, the shaman paints lavender clouds over her riotous fur, taking the time to adorn each limb until she feels she's floating.

Once the paint's dried she dresses and starts the next preparations. Colored sand's laid down in a great spiral around the ancient tree whose center ends at the tunnel. Incense is placed at three corners of the path's outermost circle, creating a triangle around the spiral. The humans are given rattles and shown the rhythm with which to shake them (shh shh shh shsh shh shh shh shsh) and instructed to follow her footsteps, avoiding disturbing the sand until Chuchu does so herself. "Follow-follow," She emphasizes. Then each lights one of the cones of incense. As Chuchu lights the final one she blows out its little fire and holds out her hands, palms up, to ask the universe its blessing.

Bring forth Tomorrow for both our peoples. May our Names be so close our children play together and our mothers help each other. As I have dreamed the hand of a human holding mine, let us be one. Dream become reality.

As plumes of sweet-smelling smoke rise through the branches a tiny golden star falls into Chuchu's hands. Its glows bright as she brings it up to swallow, her wishes shining as they fall down her throat, still radiating momentarily from her belly and through her dress before dimming. And then she starts the Dance.

The shaman leads them down the spiral. She drums a hand-drum slowly as the others rattle, walking slow, steps even. After several minutes they stop at the tree. It's there Chuchu turns three times, quickly, her head dizzy with the movement of it before her drumming quickens, heartbeat fast, feet bringing her forward again up the spiral, turning in time to break the sand-boundary with her feet and tail until they reach the end. Now the beat grows frantic and her movement follows. Little feet kick the sand into shimmering clouds and she twirls and leaps back down the spiral, closer and closer to the root, the end, the place she came from and now must return to. The willow's branches stir as the incense billows out great clouds of smoke and the sand begins to glow. The last stretch is a zig-zagging run to the path. Follow-follow! And Chuchu barrels forward to run through the tunnel under the tree and out into the hazy Dreaming where Grandmother awaits.

Hopefully Grandmother likes the pickles she asked Akutou to bring along...

[D5LA] To Grandmother We Go - Name spell: Bless Name | 7k4 ⇒ 24 (TN: 10) SUCCESS

[D5LA] To Grandmother We Go - Dance w/ 2 raises + Name point + Bless spell active for re-roll | 7k4 ⇒ 38 (TN: 30) SUCCESS

[D5LA] To Grandmother We Go - Name spell: Importune Transcendent + 2 free raises from Dance + 4 called raises for 5 total questions + Bless Name active for failure re-roll | 7k4+10 ⇒ 26 (TN: 30) FAILURE, RE-ROLL ACTIVATED
[D5LA] To Grandmother We Go - Name spell: Importune Transcendent + 2 free raises from Dance + 4 called raises for 5 total questions + Bless Name active for failure re-roll | 7k4+10 ⇒ 31 (TN: 30) SUCCESSFUL RE-ROLL

8/12 spells
3/4 Name

5 questions can be asked of Grandmother. Further questions / rolls will required a Name Lore/Int roll I bee leaf.

[Otomo Akutou]

Ain't s' diff'rent fr'm diggin' out lime pits an' some o' the holes f'r pig-pickin's Akutou thinks as he sets to the tasks he's asked to do. Don't want th' Princess t' hafta do it, neither. She's worth more'n diggin' in th' dirt.

So he clears away debris, and he doffs his hat to accept the swirl of pint on his forehead. He dances, if awkwardly, with the rattle. He lights the incense. Ain't that much stranger'n some o' what th' Seppun priests do, he thinks, and he touches the small jar of pickles he's purloined into his sleeve. Old skills're still worth somethin'.

He catches a couple of the words Chuchu intones in her high voice. "Tomorrow" he recognizes, though he doesn't know it's import. "Name," he knows matters. "Dream," he grins to recall mangling.

Then the run to the willow, and the sand begins to shimmer, and he remembers to pull out the pickles.

Gotta get this recipe.

[Shiba Kumori]

Kumori had arrived at the predetermined time and place. The Nezumi had approached her with the idea and she had accepted on behalf of her family.

Akutou coming was a boon to her and the Empire at large. All the people of the world needed to stand together… And having the Nezumi aid in this fight filled her with hope.

She did what she was told and respectfully followed along as best she could…

Soon they would see what waited for them…

[Canary]

They emerge into a surreal landscape of floating islands with waterfalls flowing from them from seemingly nowhere. Far below them, the landscape flows and changes from plains to mountains to ocean and islands, never holding still for long. Far above, above the clouds, another landscape curves above them, with similarly shifting topography.

Kumori, Akuto, and Chuchu emerge through a cave into one of those islands. While they're standing in the river, their feet don't get wet as the water moves of its own volition to avoid their ankles... though it does playfully splash Chuchu with water that shift from teal to hot pink to purple as if flies through the air. A few feet away is a Nezumi glowing brightly. dressed in robes. Her fur is wavy and a shiny, almost metallic gold. There is also a bubble, showing a shifting scene, but more. A dream?

On other islands, they can see other Nezumi, and in the distance, the towering figure of Doji. They're arranged in a curve that the group can't see all of, but at the center is area where the clouds darken into thunderheads, the islands' foliage has died, and its waterfalls pour oily sludge into the blighted landscape below them.

The Nezumi turns slightly as they approach. "S'si'chuchu-per'i'per'i'thich. It has been a little while since your last visit. And you come with humans. How unusual."

[Otomo Akutou]

Akutou does not speak; he knows better.

He does, however, fully doff his hat and bow deeply to the gleaming Nezumi.

[Shiba Kumori]

The display of sights, sounds, and sensations filled Kumori with a sense of wonder. She gazed out at the floating islands… Such mastery over the dreamworld these Transcendents possessed.

She looked down to the water… colorful and amazing… and admired its flowing and beautiful freedom.

She reached out to call it to her within her mind… And a stream of the liquid rushed towards her and began encircling her in a fanciful and beautiful symphony of movement. She feels herself directing it as it flows around her, until she extends her hand back towards the river to watch it return back from whence it came.

Her gaze turns upwards… towards the being that speaks… and then towards the familiar figure far away.

————

D5, LA, Fluffy Lucid Dream Roll, VP | 5k5 ⇒ 31 (TN: 20)

[Otomo Akutou]

Akutou cannot help but see the marvel worked by the Princess, and so his hat remains off of him, held in his hand.

He does, however, notice a strange smell and an unpleasant one, not quite like that of rotting meat but something like it, maybe an infected wound just beginning to seep into the blood.

That me? he thinks. Thought I was bathin' on th' reg'lar while I's in town

[Chuchu]

The Nezumi turns slightly as they approach. "S'si'chuchu-per'i'per'i'thich. It has been a little while since your last visit. And you come with humans. How unusual."

"Grandmother!" The ratling scampers forward to hug the Transcendent, her tail wagging wildly. "Yes! This is the favored pup of the human Chief-of-Chiefs!" Chuchu pulls away to point at Kumori. "And her guard!" And she points at Akutou. The little shaman happily starts to run around the three, her excitement pouring off her in waves that shimmer the air. "Kumori-sama wants to ask questions!"

[Canary]

The Transcendant smiled and signaled one of the others at another island. Then she turned her attention fully to the humans. She cleared her throat a couple of times then spoke. Her voice had an odd resonance in both languages. "Hello, favored pup of human Chief-of-chiefs and her guard. Time is short-short to beat dream-of-evil or not. What you wish to know?"

[Shiba Kumori]

She looked around to the one that spoke and assumed that she then was talking to them all.

“I am Shiba Kumori… The Chief of your people… White Moonrise promised my father that you would help us in this fight against the darkness… I see now that you support my dear aunt… And, first… I thank you for all you have done from the bottom of my heart.”

She looked around again, “I first ask for assistance in the upcoming battle… How may we defeat this foe… and what can you offer to help us protect this realm… and the one where your nation lives?”

[Canary]

The being considered. "Hmm... You face big-big-evil-dream-of-many-shapes." She points out into the corrupt area they face. "Is whole thing in little-little body. Got strong-pure container right now. Soul strong, but body break down. Sword people hurt the body, is good-good. When Dream and land overlap, go beat up body. Need stong-strong Name, since it will be a dream. More than sharp stick. It need-need a body to go into land. Maybe gotta beat up fire lady, too. Then seal-seal hole. Put Dream Realm in Dream Realm."

"We seal-seal in here after you done. Gotta hold steady-steady until you done."

[Shiba Kumori]

Kumori listened carefully to the response. She did not have the greatest grasp of Nezumi language patterns, but one part of the response in particular drew her attention.

She paused to ask, “Do you know the body the darkness will enter when it goes into our land?”

[Otomo Akutou]

Great, Akutou thinks. Likely two fights, an' pluggin' th' hole on both sides.

Gonna be a helluva fight.

Dammit, what is that smell?

[Chuchu]

Dammit, what[/i] is that smell?

Seeing the adults are talking, Chuchu turns her attention to the Otomo. Sniffing Akutou, too, she's a little curious as to why he's so worried.

Her face scrunches up.

[Canary]

Kumori listened carefully to the response. She did not have the greatest grasp of Nezumi language patterns, but one part of the response in particular drew her attention.

She paused to ask, “Do you know the body the darkness will enter when it goes into our land?”

The Transcendant nodded. "Yes. Strong-pure thinky human. Visited Great-Great Empire many years ago. Pure-pure, but darkness pushes bounds. Strong-pure human meets Tomorrow soon, and darkness takes the body."

[Otomo Akutou]

Meets Tomorrow? Akutou thinks. And then he remembers what he knows. So whoever it is's gonna die.

But who went to th' Nezumi lands? There're several in town as did. Who's "strong-pure," though?

Oh, shit.

Shinsei.

Damn, that smell!

[Shiba Kumori]

Kumori turned to look at Akutou with concern as mutual understanding came to them at approximately the same time.

“We have been told by the woman who helped the Darkness prepare the rituals that the people there were intended to be sacrificed to provide some sort of power to the Champion… And the Harbinger said that she has contingencies in place for the final battle… Do you know how we would protect ourselves and the people from those contingencies?”

[Canary]

"Fire human fights in mind - turns some sharp-stick-humans and village-humans to killing village-humans," she said. "Minimize dying. One goes, still Darkness comes. Many go, Darkness gets stronger. More death, stronger Darkness, yes-yes?"

[Shiba Kumori]

“Yes.” She replied with a nod. “Save the people… hinder the Darkness.”

She looked up, “And what of the Harbinger… I know the Thunders will fight the Champion. But she is sure to enter the field as well… How do we defeat her?”

[Canary]

"She scared-scared. Better at fight with head than fight with sharp-sharp stick," she said. "She bring dreams to fight because she scared-scared. She got lots of fire so be careful-careful. Go down with sharp-sharp stick though; get shiny-shiny green rock for easier. Dreams go away then."