The Day of Thunder

[Togashi Satsuki]

Satsuki had done her best to spread word of mouth of who she wanted to talk to, as well as specific requests for materials. Those she wanted to talk to and the specific items she needed were directed toward her corner of the camp, where a ward was set up to keep out any evil presences.

For those able to stop by, she went into details of what they could do to prepare for the Day of Thunder and what would be needed of those who could help.

[Kaijarisuigyo]

Kai dropped from a tree and on her feet, as she apparently always found a way of showing up by dropping from a tree.

"I'm not sure I've got it all. You want to summon the Four Guardians of old?

Well, the other three technically. As I'm already here."

[Ryoshun Nao]

"That's an interesting idea." Nao said as she approached. "That some of us might represent the Guardians."

[Hiruma Naraku]

Naraku made his way to the meeting point, pleased to see Kai already there. He offered a cordial greeting to the other two.

"See? I told you we'd found your calling Kai," he smiles at the ronin.

He seems different, as if he had been unburdened or relieved of something that weighted him down.

[Saru Shang]

And here Shang thought that her art going to be for her own leisure, maybe with some historical relevance down the line, but nothing world-saving. It seemed that she might have found her purpose here after all. Suppose her focus wasn't supposed to be on the 7 or 9 Thunders but 4 Guardians instead? People they could actually select, rather than wait for some divine intervention or whatever wisdom Shinsei would bring from the mountains. "Needless to say, I am eager to help here and lend my skills wherever possible."

[Kaijarisuigyo]

Naraku made his way to the meeting point, pleased to see Kai already there. He offered a cordial greeting to the other two.

"See? I told you we'd found your calling Kai," he smiles at the ronin.

He seems different, as if he had been unburdened or relieved of something that weighted him down.

"Probably. But which role I'm going to play remain to be seen. Sometimes, the best person to play Bird is not Bird, but Spider covered in feathers. As a representative of the old guard, I wouldn't be so surprised to end up taking up the mantle of Tortoise in this endeavor."

[Isawa Kyosei]

After caring for his pony, feeding and watering it, Kyosei returned to the camp, to see a gathering occurring. A curious man, he wandered closer to listen and learn. As he got closer, he gave a general bow to the group as a whole.

[Togashi Satsuki]

"The strength of the guardians will help the anchor points, the story will hopefully bring legend to life - that the Thunders are victorious," Satsuki explained. "It's... similar, to something I've been working on alongside my father the past years. Not quite the same, but similar enough to be familiar enough to work this out."

"Since we are utilizing a part of the dream-realm's powers for this, the insight of the Nezumi shaman visiting will be most helpful."

[Kaijarisuigyo]

"Ah, the opposable thumb rat who I keep hearing about, but is never to be seen. Definitely a good idea. Should grant not only a better anchor within the dream, but also within the past we're trying to reach. Nezumi already had a civilization, and dreams, at a time humans and monkeys were still indistinguishable and even Tiger was young. They might even stretch back one cycle earlier, when Tiger was just a tiger, and there were other guardians.

Still, even the first Nezumi to have ever dreamed is too young to remember the Black Tortoise of the North as anything less than ancient. Tiger is from the beginning of this era, when the animals you know of already existed, and the first humans had just become conscious enough to dream. Tortoise is from a time when nothing walked on the land or flew in the sky, born from the dreams of the civilizations who then lived within the depths of the oceans.

They speak slowly and little. Their every movements are reminiscing of the movements of the planet itself: Sluggish yet inexorable. They have fought the darkness several times in the past, and are the only being I've ever heard of to have lived through a defeat in such battle, biding their time for 1,000 years, coming back for the next fight and helping the new legends of light win it.

Of the Four, there are the symbol of Permanence, of Eternity."

---

[going to use basically every little excuse I have to lore drop directly there, as to not add extra delays]

[Haka Tae-soo]

Satsuki had stopped by the tent by the river to tell Tae-soo what they'd found out about the scroll after he first heard of it the previous morning, and she'd asked him to be there. He was still somewhat wary of the camp with all these people around, but it seemed like this was key to helping the river, and the land, so he wouldn't deny her request because of reluctance.

At least some of those he now had seen a few times in the camp had helped raise some of the mistrust he'd learnt to feel more or less as an instinct, too.

Whether or not to bring Ha-yeong with him was still an issue, though... but the stories about what the monk did the day before were too fresh on his mind.

So, in the end, both tribal youngsters were there.

(OOC: Please quote if approaching! Will keep an eye on the thread in general for the info at any rate)

[Kaiu Tai]

As someone drops from the trees, Tai looks up quizzically from her seat on the ground, lap covered in a strip of leather as protection against the stone in her lap being tapped and chipped into shape. There'd be a hint of grain and space at the ends for symbols of the guardians and their elements. The tricky part would be the design for the joins that could be easily slotted together, locked with a simple dowel and easily separated when the time came. They'd need to be very careful carving those parts.

"The strength of the guardians will help the anchor points, the story will hopefully bring legend to life - that the Thunders are victorious," Satsuki explained. "It's... similar, to something I've been working on alongside my father the past years. Not quite the same, but similar enough to be familiar enough to work this out."

"Since we are utilizing a part of the dream-realm's powers for this, the insight of the Nezumi shaman visiting will be most helpful."

"hmm Chuchu? If nothing else, she'll be very eager to help, yes. But since she's here to offer help only her folk seem to have on offer." She shrugs. "Certainly couldn't hurt."

snip

So this whole thing is a cycle? We're stuck constantly keepin' that realm from overrunnin' this one?" She sighs. "Wasn't bad enough that Tengoku's children dropped here and immediately decided to take charge. Why is this realm so special that everyone else has portals here and tries to take over? Or are all of 'em like this? Fightin' with champions and the like every so often...and this turtle just watchin' all of it?"


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D5 LM: Crafting stone, remembering to spend void this time around | 7k4 ⇒ 26 (TN: 25)

[Togashi Satsuki]

So this whole thing is a cycle? We're stuck constantly keepin' that realm from overrunnin' this one?" She sighs. "Wasn't bad enough that Tengoku's children dropped here and immediately decided to take charge. Why is this realm so special that everyone else has portals here and tries to take over? Or are all of 'em like this? Fightin' with champions and the like every so often...and this turtle just watchin' all of it?"

"Kind of..." Satsuki pondered it for a moment as she wondered how to best explain what she had learned.

"Ningen-do, our realm, is like the... center of all the realms. It connects to all the others in a way the others do not." Using the blunt end of a brush, she started drawing in the dirt to illustrate what she mean. Ningen-do placed in the center, and other hubs around it like spokes on a wheel.

"Tengoku and Jigoku oppose eachother, as one is the epitome of purity, goodness, and order - and the other corruption, evil, and chaos." Thus they were placed on opposite side. "If Jigoku would ever want to reach Tengoku, Ningen-do is one of the few ways to it. And... wait, I'm getting off the path now."

Satsuki cleared her throat. "But yes, from what I understand, as the seasons in a year cycle, so do the realms - and at the end of a cycle, Jigoku rises to try to claim its influence on Ningen-do, to corrupt it fully. From what I've heard from the Ratlings in the south, they say that the glory days of their empire began after its defeat, marking their greatness. Perhaps it will be so now, now that humans are the ones this realm is putting their faith in."

[Ryoshun Nao]

"Mortals, and humans in particular, carry great potential. That's what the Harbinger said." Nao had been sitting quietly. "That's why Jigoku is so interested. For all the power it offers, it really wants more for itself."

"I've been wondering about the cycles since the earth kami in the graveyard mentioned them." she added. "The first markers set there were placed after the last cycle."

[Togashi Satsuki]

"Mortals, and humans in particular, carry great potential. That's what the Harbinger said." Nao had been sitting quietly. "That's why Jigoku is so interested. For all the power it offers, it really wants more for itself."

"I've been wondering about the cycles since the earth kami in the graveyard mentioned them." she added. "The first markers set there were placed after the last cycle."

"That is a very long time ago." So long ago in fact that humans had no recordings of it. The Rats probably did, but they had no access to those right here.

"This village certainly is odd with its mix of new and old..."

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai nods slowly, marking out a line to work at. "Has the village had people here all that time? That graveyard seemed too small."

"Suppose I can see somethin' to people havin' potential to work with...and sounds like the rats beforehand? And on and on...wonder how much the mountains could tell if you had the time to listen to it all."

[Ryoshun Nao]

"I couldn't understand the symbols on those markers, but the kami said human remains had been buried there." she explained. "The markers also seemed to be grouped, as if they represent distinct eras. But, there are far, far too few. Even the more most recent graves are too few for a village with so many people. I think people have gathered here several times over the centuries, but only a few remained each time."

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai taps her stone. "I wonder if they did anythin' like this to seal the realms apart? Did they leave watchers to make sure it stuck...and they just slowly died off?"

[Ryoshun Nao]

"I think that may be the case." she nodded.

Nao had been working on something since she first arrived. She had brought over 4 buckets. One filled with water. One with dirt. One was empty. And, as they were speaking, she lit a fire in the last.

The kindling used burned quickly. She waited a to let much of it burn to ash and float away. She cut herself then, and offered her blood to the flame, asking it to take a new form. It refused and she quickly added more fuel so she could try again. Sated by the second offering, the fire acquiesced. It grew dark and became substantial, taking a liquid form. The bucket now held dark red ink that seemed to glow like embers.

She repeated the ritual with the water next. It accepted her request readily. It wasn't a significant change and water adapted quickly. It became a rich indigo ink that continually rippled with black swirls.

Earth transformed into a steel grey ink with white crystalline flecks,

And, air condensed into a deep green ink, lace with a myrthful blue.

- - -
And So Four Scrolls Were Made [D5, Late Morning. INVITE ONLY], Casting Transmute, Fire ML2, Affinity, 2 CR to make Fire Ink | 7k3 ⇒ 19 (TN: 20)
And So Four Scrolls Were Made [D5, Late Morning. INVITE ONLY], Casting Transmute, Fire ML2, Affinity, 2 CR to make Fire Ink, 2nd attempt | 7k3 ⇒ 32 (TN: 20)
And So Four Scrolls Were Made [D5, Late Morning. INVITE ONLY], Casting Transmute, Water ML2, Deficiency, 2 CR to make Water Ink, VP for +1k1 | 6k4 ⇒ 57 (TN: 20)
And So Four Scrolls Were Made [D5, Late Morning. INVITE ONLY], Casting Transmute, Earth ML2, 2 CR to make Earth Ink | 6k3 ⇒ 45 (TN: 20)
And So Four Scrolls Were Made [D5, Late Morning. INVITE ONLY], Casting Transmute, Air ML2, 2 CR to make Air Ink | 6k3 ⇒ 24 (TN: 20)
10 wounds taken

[Isawa Kyosei]

On seeing another working with stone, Kyosei returned to his wagon for a few moments, then returned with his own, very nice and complete, stone working tools. He noted the pattern she was making, and began trying to follow it his self.

Then, he stopped, and dropped a quick little prayer to the stones around, to find the one most likely to be willing to help with this project. This possibly looked quite odd to the others, as his hands seemed to merge with the ground for a few moments, before he pulled them free. The Earth spirits directed him to a couple on the side of the nearby tree that were best suited, and he pulled them out of the ground with a little effort.

Then, he began to work them. It was not the faster progress of the other stoneworker. He studied each stone carefully, then ran the file or slid the chisel along it, to get maximum effect for his effort. He continued to listen.

When the ink was created, a process he found fascinating, the dug into one of his pouches, and pulled out a finger of jade. Offering it, he said "Perhaps grind this into the ink? Might increase it's efficacy."

He didn't offer the obsidian. It wasn't as good as jade, and splintered, rather than grinding into powder.

[Kaijarisuigyo]

So this whole thing is a cycle? We're stuck constantly keepin' that realm from overrunnin' this one?" She sighs. "Wasn't bad enough that Tengoku's children dropped here and immediately decided to take charge. Why is this realm so special that everyone else has portals here and tries to take over? Or are all of 'em like this? Fightin' with champions and the like every so often...and this turtle just watchin' all of it?"

"And we have to eat every day so we don't die. Existence is a constant, repetitive, fight against oblivion. The universe began empty and is naturally inclined to become empty again. Same way hot tea left on its own will only turn colder, not hotter.

The exact mechanisms under which the cosmos operates eludes me. But yes, there is no true peace in life, only respites in the constant struggle to be. And, at one point, no matter what we do, it ends. Even the greater spirits you call gods are not eternal.

Now, is the story any less beautiful because it has to end one day? You birth children into the world knowing full well they will die one way, that they will have to face their own painful hardships. Because being able to exist, even for an ephemeral moment, even against the very will of the universe, is the greatest gift there is.

I'm getting quite metaphysical here. Maybe in the end I'm nor the down to earth Tiger or the ancient Tortoise, but instead the excessively mystical Azure Dragon.

Who, unsurprisingly, is a dragon. And one thing that hasn't changed through time is how puzzling dragons can be.

Heck, I'm not even sure they are one dragon. They might be several actually. In a few tales, there are two of them acting in concert, one blue, one yellow.

That's the thing with Dragon. Nothing is either straightforward about them. They come and go as they please. They always seem to be playing a greater game the rules of only they know. The Heavenly Dragons you are familiar with may or may not be an aspect of the Azure. Or the other way around. It's all very confusing, even by dream logic.

Probably because there's no creature who's as close to the raw substance of dream. A pure spirit even among the spirits. Light having taken form to fight back the incarnated darkness.

The key words here would be... Power. Mystery. Goodness.

Though, on the later, it's goodness at the scale of a cosmos, not necessarily at the scale of a given individual. Utopia justifies the means kind of stuff."

When the ink was created, a process he found fascinating, the dug into one of his pouches, and pulled out a finger of jade. Offering it, he said "Perhaps grind this into the ink? Might increase it's efficacy."

"I know nothing about how to craft things that work in the physical world. I'm from a realm where you could catch the sun in your pawns at dawn because it looked small on the horizon and thus was small. I'm slowly getting better at the rules of this one, but still at the step where anything I build crumble because I forgot to put in the nails required to keep everything together.

So, no idea what components would actually make a good ink with which to make a nice looking drawing.

On the symbolical level though, yes, having fragments of the light that break the darkness inside the puddle from which the beasts will be born anew, like stars illuminating the deep night before dawn, sounds pretty good."

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