october mingle

[stellafortunamods]

October Mingle
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
The Miko of the Grand Narukami Shrine has arranged for your passage out of Ritou and into the Inazuma islands at large. The nation has been gripped by an oppressive atmosphere ever since the enactment of the Vision Hunt Decree, and only someone unyoked by the Electro Archon can hope to break this stalemate.

Konda Village sits on the outskirts of Inazuma city. A pillar of its community now seeks to move out after losing his Vision. A samurai employed by the Shogunate is being accosted of hiding rations by his neighbours, and he has no recollection of ever dealing in such matters. Forgetting something seems to be the thread that links every former Vision holder's story together, yet their tragedies differ greatly in circumstance. Is the loss of a Vision truly so profound? If so, then why did the gods deliver such a poisoned gift to their people?

A mysterious priestess approaches you with a sincere request - Kazari seeks your aid in purifying the Thunder Sakura around Inazuma, as well as the Sacred Sakura on Mount Yougou. She tells you that these trees absorb the evil from the very land, but cannot dispel it without outside intervention. Here's where you come in: you need to dispel the sealing sigils around the holy trees, so that the filth accumulated within their roots can take form and then be swiftly cut down.

The seals, the trees, and Kazari herself are relics from the olden days - the mystical Inazuma, where kitsune and tengu lived and worked alongside humans and their god. But those days have since ended, and all that is left is a stifling eternity.

State of the World

The Land of Eternity is not without failings. By pursuing 'Eternity' and closing the doors of her nation, the Raiden Shogun has only made the lives of her people more difficult. Exploring the country may give you some clues as to how you can break her enforced stasis. You must first understand the situation of the nation, and then find the natives who also wish to change their world.


Please direct all questions to October's OOC post!

Comments

[stellafortunamods]

[ Forneus' office can be reached through a glowing door outside of the Kamisato Estate. You may find him walking around the island, whether in the city or on the plains. He might also be seen speaking with the overseer of the Grand Narukami Shrine, though the details of their conversation seem to be magically muddled from eavesdroppers. ]

[higanbana]

[Ris is more than a bit hesitant to approach Forneus. Her previous "employer" had very strict rules on when she was allowed to speak, if ever, and while her feelings towards Forneus at present are far more positive — how could she hate the one that freed her? — she's still uncertain on how to proceed.

Eventually, though, she manages to call out to him when she sees him wandering the city, raising her voice as much as she can manage to catch his attention while fiddling with the skirt of her dress.]

...Master Forneus? May I trouble you with an inquiry?

[bad_crowmance]

[ It's about time Crow got around to having a.... chat with Forneus. He takes a long moment to regard the glowing door in front of him before he gives a it a firm knock. ]

[nefilim]

[Forneus may have been enjoying a nice stroll around the city, minding his own business, before there's an insistent tug on the back of his kimono. Considering her usual habit of mandhandling him, this is relatively tame - mostly because they're in the middle of a city.

Can Ana ever greet him like a normal person? No, absolutely not.]

"Charon"? Really?

[Hi Forneus.]

Ris Bancroft | Original | Hydro

[higanbana]

I. it follows

[It's bad enough that the city's atmosphere is so oppressive, but to top it all off... ever get the feeling that you're being watched?

What's weird is that it's not even during any quest-related activities that the feeling will pop up. It's just while travelers are going about their usual day-to-day activities.

And while at first, they won't be able to pick out what it is, eventually it'll occur to them that no matter where they go, they keep seeing the same small, blonde girl in the crowd. And it seems like every time they catch sight of her, she very suddenly finds something else very interesting.

That's not conspicuous behavior or anything. Engage?]

II. one giant leap for riskind

[For other travelers, going out and exploring the surroundings has probably become just par for the course for a normal day in Teyvat.

So it's probably pretty strange to see Ris standing more or less still at the rough border of where civilization ends and the wilderness begins. Paying closer attention will note her fidgeting with some aspect of her clothing, staring out into the open land with a distinct apprehension in her eyes.

It's just so much...]

III. purpose

[After working through some of her initial issues, Ris can be found a short distance from one of the sakura trees the group has been asked to help purify. It's a quiet spot, and it seems she was hoping to be alone, at least for a moment.

She's looking down at the Vision she's cupping in her palms, her brows knitted together slightly.]

...Tell me. Am I free, now, or have you simply made my bindings less obvious?

[She's speaking mostly to herself, so one would have to be pretty close by or have remarkable hearing in order to pick up what she's saying. She does not sound at all happy right now.]

IV. wildcard

[Have another idea? Just send a tag, or reach out to needlemouse or needlemouse#1681 on Discord if you want to plot something out!]

II

[fiddlestick]

[He didn't recognize this girl, but she certainly didn't seem like a local either. Perhaps she was another person recruited to help out, Elliot concludes. A person who seems...a little overwhelmed. Which boy, Elliot knows that feeling, so he'll try to approach]

Hey, you feeling okay?

purpose

[evilisnotatoy]

That depends on you, doesn't it?

['Sup, new girl. Hope your startle reflex isn't too drastic, because there's a white-haired lady (or at least what appears to be one) sitting a bit off to your side, just out of striking range.]

it follows! (i'm sorry she's mean)

[poisontippedcure]

[Though she would have preferred not to, Rose has developed a sense for watching her back out of necessity. She knows she's being followed, and at first she assumes the person following her is harmless.]

[But that doesn't make her any less nervous, surprisingly. Once she realizes that the same light-haired girl has been following her throughout the city, she'll make her approach. Her arms are crossed and she's frowning.]

Is there something I can help you with?

I

[codeprometheus]

[ It's not too difficult for Louis to notice her, though it's by no means a fault of her own. It's simply because she still smells like a human, and Revenants are very sensitive to prey.

Louis has been tempering his hunting instinct, so he's able to stay in the city without posing a danger to other people. He notices the same girl around him after a while, and her red eyes are a rare sight in this place. Just like his own. ]

Hey, do you need something?

[ He's quiet, honest but polite, and hopefully she wouldn't feel like running away from him instantly. ]

II

[nefilim]

[There's someone else about to cross this border, and while she's dressed in the local attire, the black wings on her back certainly tilt her towards being one of the travellers. Though when she notices Ris just standing there, Ana stops - glancing from where she's a few steps ahead of her.

Huh, the girl is another one with red eyes... It gets Ana's own to narrow, but not much besides that.]

If you keep staring, you're gonna psych yourself out.

i

[cranelike]

(In comparison, Tsurumaru seems to fit in into Inazuma. At least, he carries himself as if he belongs here and to be fair, his attire certainly helps him blend in a little more. If you act like you belong, no one will doubt you. He's confident and cool as he checks out the wares but he's ever mindful of his shadow...)

Are you trying to surprise me?

III. Purpose

[justicefang]

[When one has better than human senses even a whisper can be heard. Shirou doesn't raise his head from where he's been standing in the shadows. He steps out of them now, making his approach known.]

That depends entirely on you. Did you accept when asked to come here?

[She had to have or she wouldn't be here. He continues.] Then here are least, choices are made by you and you alone.

iii.

[fortuna_tenax]

( well. that's a question and a half right there, and not something jinx is sure she should have been privy to- and yet, she was, and it resonates in a way. )

... Take it you came here from a bad situation?

[sufferean]

I. the helper monkey's sorrow

[It hurts, seeing how the people who have lost their Visions are suffering. Rean's tried to at least talk to all of them, with little in the way of success.]

There has to be something...

[His voice is twinged with desperation, his hand unconsciously drifting over the spot in his clothing where he's currently tucked his own Vision out of sight.]

We can't just let them suffer like this. Being so lost... it has to be miserable.

[...He sounds a bit like he knows the feeling.]

II. thunderous blooms

[Rean is a lot of things, but a brilliant puzzle solver is not necessarily one of those things.

A giant nerd, however, is, and Rean can be found nearby one of the seals on one of the sakura trees, inspecting the small monument and taking in every detail of its construction.]

These things are beautiful...

[Someone please get him back on track, he's gone full weeb.]

III. wildcard

[Have another idea? Just send a tag, or reach out to needlemouse or needlemouse#1681 on Discord if you want to plot something out!]

Helper Monkey's Sorrow

[whiteshroud]

[So this is the price of Visions, he finds himself thinking as they investigated the different people. Witnessing each one and their plight, it made a piece of the puzzle clink together in his mind, a picture forming that'd long been unanswered. And honestly...it wasn't a good picture.

He spent most of the mission quiet. Only deciding to speak up when they are out of earshot of the locals. ]

...I don't think we can. Not without getting their Visions back.

Number 2: Electric Weebaloo

[evilisnotatoy]

[Sooga will help with getting Rean back on track... in a moment.]

It's not unlike something my ancestors might have made... I wonder what causes cultural similarities across worlds like this?

2

[drewthetower]

Which, the tree or the shrine?

[Because yes, August agrees. August also very promptly got himself something a bit more local to wear (and then promptly modified it so it's not really a yukata anymore but hey, whatever).]

I!

[poisontippedcure]

[Rose has never been one for ambition, all of her power has come incidentally, but she can at least feel pity for the people of Inazuma. To have one's purpose stolen seems awful, and she can understand why Rean would want to help.]

[But at the same time, she's not sure what can be done. Even if they get their visions back, would it truly solve the problem?]

I imagine it is awful. But if we get their visions back, is there any guarantee they would return to their old selves?

i.

[fortuna_tenax]

What can we really do though? Will returning a Vision really fix anything?

( and- if the travelers lose theirs... will they end up like this too? she's already got enough magic poisoning her soul- she didn't want this, too. )

... Once you break something, you can't really fix it. Not entirely. Just... getting them to something close to whole may have to be enough.

Jun Kohinata | Geo | OTA

[whiteshroud]

I. Stolen Visions
[Jun has never been the best as navigating emotional situations, so while interacting with these lost souls, he hangs back- mostly observing. It's rather curious, how losing their vision seems to cut away a piece of them. It gives a lot of implications of what a Vision is, and it's not what he previously first thought.

Once they are away from the locals, he'll speak up]

Well, that wasn't pleasant. [Understatement] What do you think?

II. Cleansing Ritual.
[A cleansing ritual huh? Well, that seems simple enough. He heads to one of the shrines alongside another person. These places certainly look beautiful but...]

Be on your guard, this place has very high levels of electro energy.

[In other words, there could be some real trouble]

III. Wildcard
[Got another prompt for me? Hit me up!]

II

[poisontippedcure]

[As a White Mage, Rose is extremely familiar with the idea of “Cleansing Rites.” Though the people of Gridania never referred to it in such opaque terms, it’s effectively what she was doing each time she purified a spirit.]

[But something here feels off. Likely, a large amount of negative energy has accumulated, making this area far more dangerous to actually cleanse. Jun is correct. They need to be on their guard.]

I agree. The less time we spend here, the better.

I

[codeprometheus]

[ Inazuma seems oddly similar to Japan in the past. He's been feeling like he was transported back in time to Earth's past in some ways. The magic definitely sets it apart, though. ]

I've heard that Visions are given in response to someone's strong wishes or desperation. If taking them away makes their owners listless and depressed, then the Vision might be holding some part of their soul.

II

[nefilim]

Well, something lurking about would make this a little more exciting.

[She's only a little bit of a fight freak, only a little bit. She should be careful about using her vision too... Explosions are all well and good, but not when they're caught in it.]

Sooo, what is it we need to do? Something about sealing sigils?

stolen visions

[cranelike]

(Interesting, Tsurumaru thinks, watching those who have lost their Visions. He'd wondered about his own for some time-- after all, wasn't it said that these visions were a response to their wishes or something? But Tsurumaru is every cool and calm, even when faced with something like this so when Jun asks him what he thinks, he flips the question...)

What do you think, Jun-kun?

(Isn't that why he's asking? To figure out his own thoughts and feelings on the matter?)

louis amamiya | code vein

[codeprometheus]

resting beneath the trees

[ Louis set out to complete part of the Cleansing Ritual at Kazari's request. Combat is something he's much more proficient in compared to talking things out with humans, so he opted to head out as soon as possible. One of the Thunder Sakura is found within Chinju Forest, so he's here along with a partner so that the ritual can be performed.

It has been a long trek here from Konda Village, so he's found a large rock to take a seat on and rest for a while. Having a light lunch in a mystical-looking forest might be a memorable outing, though he doesn't have too long to take in the view before a tanuki makes off with one of his items. ]

Give it back! That's not a toy!

[ The tanuki has stolen a large teardrop shaped crystal, glowing red in the twilight of the forest. Was he meaning to eat that? What is it anyway? ]


back with the humans again

[ Just like in Liyue, he prefers to keep to himself than mingle with the locals. However, Inazuma is proving to be very similar to Japan in his home world - at least, a past version of it. Walking through the Grand Narukami Shrine reminds him greatly of the Old World. Perhaps his father visited a place like this. ]

This seems familiar... [ He remarks to whoever has come to the shrine with him ]


wildcard

[ hit me with something and i'll roll with it! ]

the shrine

[evilisnotatoy]

[Sooga is, per usual in any populated areas of Inazuma, taking the shape of a woman that sticks out a little less than his walking landmark of a true form. For him, this entire excursion has been... strange. Like nostalgia, yet without any particular comfort to it.]

Agreed. It reminds me most strongly of what my clan has built around the Pit.

[It clearly does not occur to Sooga that it might sound weird and ominous to just offhand mention something called "the Pit".]