october mid-month event

[stellafortunamods]

October Mid-Month Event
Welcome to Teyvat - a vast magical world of adventure.
Two weeks after the Travelers arrive in Inazuma, the conflict between the Shogunate and the Sangonomiya Resistance begin to intensify. At Forneus' behest, you venture west to survey the battlegrounds and consider your next move.

Heading west from Narukami Island will bring you to Kannazuka, the location of the Mikage Furnace. This furnace uses the power of the Tatarigami to produce high-quality swords for the Shogunate. However, sabotage by members of the Resistance have led to the furnace becoming unstable. The Shogunate's soldiers and the Shrine Maidens have set up camp on the island, but the two factions cannot decide on how to address the problem. That's where you come in. Unfettered by the chains of bureaucracy, you can act as you wish. Venture into the Furnace and stabilize it before it blows the island away.

Yashiori Island lies even further west. Its position means that it is currently the middle ground where the Shogunate and the Resistance skirmish. However, the fighting has died down due to torrential rain that blankets the island, as well as the intense Electro energy within Musoujin Gorge. Once, this island was the battlefield between the Raiden Shogun and Orobashi, with the latter defeated and sealed. However, someone broke its seals during the civil war, and the lingering resentment of the Serpent has possessed soldiers on the island, turning them violent.

Once again, a stalemate that can only be broken from the outside. This isn't anything new now, is it?

State of the World

The Sangonomiya Resistance have declared civil war on the Shogunate after the establishment of the Vision Hunt Decree. As you travel through Inazuma, you will eventually meet them, as well as their leader. It becomes evident that the two sides are locked in equal balance, and that the civil war does nothing good for anyone... which is why the overseer of the Narukami Shrine has asked you to come. You are unbound by any destiny, and thus able to tip the scales. But to do that, you will need a complete picture of the situation, and to solve problems that no one is willing to face.

No one has seen the Shogun out in public for quite a while. It seems that only a sufficiently grave danger will provoke her from within her castle. The enemy of eternity is change, and you are just that.

Questions about this event can be asked below!

Comments

[drewthetower]

Shrine

[Honestly, August is only like. Half listening to whatever it is the overseer of the shrine is saying about being able to tip the scales. Even if he was interested in fighting a civil war (he's not), it's not like he'd actually need to get both sides of the store. The Shogun is clearly off her rocker. The Resistance doesn't have to be good people or whatever to be right.

August is literally the antithesis of what's just bog-standard social conservatism in a funny hat (as far as he can tell, anyway). It's kind of funny that anyone might think otherwise.

Eventually the overseer finishes and August...settles down a bit away from the entrance to the shrine, finds a flat rock, and starts messing with his tarot deck. Julian perches on his shoulder, giving August the look of a Very Weird Fortuneteller.

That is kind of the point, and if someone stops and asks for a divination...well, August isn't going to say no to money he gets that isn't reliant on him trying to fight shit.]

Yashinori Island

[Excuse August, he's leaning against a tree and laughing his ass off at the poor guy who approached asking for help purifying the island and fixing the seals.]

No, no, it's not you, dude, I get it, the situation is fucked. It's just this is the single funniest fucking thing anyone has ever asked me to handle. I literally cannot help you here. Literally, I am physically incapable of helping anyone purify anything. I'd probably break out into hives or some shit.

[God, where's Alexandre or Clara when he wants them? This is hilarious.]

Wildcard...ish

[August can be found hopping around the other islands a bit, finding a place to work on his commissions, and at one point at the shrine, to a shrine maiden:]

So if I reverse these characters, will that tell people that I super can't help with any purification anything? Or, like, is there a color or something I can wear for that?

[Yeah, he's still losing it over that.]

Yashinori Island

[whiteshroud]

[You know...while Jun can understand turning down a job because it's out of your skillset, laughing in the face of someone in trouble is a little much. Even for Jun.

And so, he'll clear his throat. ]

If you can't purify anything, then how about you help escort me to where we need to go? Seals are something of a specialty for me.

[Does Jun actually require a real escort? No. But does he want to drag this guy? Yes.]

[drewthetower]

[Look, if Jun knew why August was laughing--

He gives Jun a Look when he suggests August-as-escort but also eh, why not. He needs to talk to the guy.]

Alright. Lead on.

[whiteshroud]

[He'd still find it rude.

He just give a bright smile back.]

Thank you!

[He'll talk to the man a bit longer to get directions. Seems like the first seal isn't far from here, but it'll still mean going into the unnaturally stormy weather. When he's done he'll pull away and nod at August.]

This way.

[And with that, he starts walking out into the stormy weather]

[drewthetower]

[Maybe, but he'd get it.

August follows, stepping around a puddle]

God, I hope he didn't take that personally.

[whiteshroud]

[Jun gives him a Look]

You mean the part where he went for help with his island being ravaged by a civil war and the curse of a dead god, and you laughed in his face?

No, not at all. I'm sure he took it very well.

[drewthetower]

[. . .]

Okay, when you phrase it like that, I was a total jackass. It's just...really, really funny getting asked to purify something.

shrine

[higanbana]

[Ris is doing what she does best, kind of creeping around in the shadows and keeping her distance from everything while just trying to watch and take everything in.

And all of that was... quite a bit to try to take in. So for now, she's just milling about and trying to get a handle on everything. Until August catches her eye, that is.

She's off to August's side, peering over to see his cards. She doesn't want to get close enough to agitate the bird, but that may not be possible to avoid.]

Are you some sort of diviner?

[drewthetower]

[Julian isn't bothered by the weird girl. His human is a weird boy.]

Not with the temple. I do this at home, though, and I haven't been wrong yet.

[higanbana]

[Oh, good. Because Ris will 100% lose a fight against a bird.]

No, I did not assume as much. You do not particularly look as if you belong here among them.

[Sure, he did... kind of try... with the whole modified-yukata thing, but it's still modified.]

Can you show me what a reading is like? I have always found the concept fascinating.

[One of many things she's read about, but never been able to see up close...]

[drewthetower]

[Look, he just wanted to not stand out like certain other people.

But August shrugs and nods, gesturing for the girl to sit.]

Anything in particular you want me to look at or just a general sort of "state of being" deal? And full disclosure, I don't do most of the regular sort of tarot layouts other people do.

[higanbana]

[She does, folding her legs beneath her and her hands on her lap like a prim and proper young lady.]

Oh, just a general state of being is perfectly fine. And that is perfectly fine... I admit I would not know the standard layouts anyway.

I know more of the cards' general existence and usage. Mas— [...No. She doesn't owe that man that respect here.] The books I read back where I came from never covered very much.

[drewthetower]

Okay, then I'm just going to do a regular past-present-future. Pretty generic, and I don't need to ask a bunch of questions to know what I'm looking for.

[He starts to shuffle and cut the deck.]

Name? Age?

Shrine

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow's watching August with his deck for a moment before he decides to wander over. ]

That's tarot, isn't it?

[ His tone is conversational, friendly. ]

[drewthetower]

[August nods as Julian flies over to inspect the new guy.]

Mhm. Want a reading?

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow glances over at Julian and nods towards the bird before he turns his attention back to August. ]

Haha. Sure, why not? Could be interesting.

[ He doesn't put much stock in tarot but that doesn't mean it isn't fun anyway. ]

[drewthetower]

Regular past-present-future sorta deal or do you want something specific?

[bad_crowmance]

[ Crow considers that for a moment. ]

Let's just go with the regular deal for now.

[drewthetower]

Okay, age, name, and are you human or something else?

[He gestures for Crow to sit and get comfortable. Julian is still watching him carefully.]

shrine

[hangfire]

[Ah. It's the crow man.

Despite the fact that he does not want a repeat of their first meeting, the sight of someone with a set of divination cards with a crow perched on their shoulder twists Lutha's chest with unfortunate nostalgia. So he slows as he looks back over his shoulder, hand tucked against his hip.]

...You do divination?

[drewthetower]

[Not even looking up, not even when Julian fluffs his feathers up to look bigger:]

Ayup. Never wrong.

[hangfire]

[He keeps his posture still, eyes flicking to the bird as it turns into a feathery puffball. Sighing, Lutha lifts his hand well away from his gun.

You live today, bird.]

Bold statement. What's your fee?

[drewthetower]

[...well, he asked. If he's paying, August will do a proper reading and not a spite one.]

Three hundred.

[hangfire]

[Damn. Underselling himself, how sad.

Staying wary of the bird, he drops to a seat in from of August, thumbing out a handful of mora from what he has on his person.]

200. The rest when it's done.

I'll double if you're as good as you claim.

[drewthetower]

Fair enough.

[He takes the money and starts to shuffle his cards.]

Just a three-card past present future thing, and don't get mad at me when the cards say something you don't like. They do that. Got it?