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[LP CYOA] Spiral
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
"Maeda-san, can you tell me more about that old friend you mentioned?"
Maeda peers at you, curious. “Why are you asking about that?”
“N-Nothing, I was just curious, since I reminded you of him.”
“And?”
“Well… if you didn’t outright mistake him for me, you must not have seen him in a long time; long enough for physical appearances to change drastically, and seeing as I think I should be around your age and not an elderly person, the only time for that to happen would be from childhood to adulthood so I am assuming that your friend, whoever he is, is a childhood friend of yours… who knows, he might be my twin?” You let out an awkward chuckle, attempting to signal the jokey nature of your comment, but Maeda does not seem to catch on.
She raises her eyebrows and says, “As far as I know, he was a single child. Well, yes, you are right. I haven’t seen him in... about twelve years, maybe thirteen, I think? I thought you might have been him because of your mannerisms – he was always slightly reticent with other people, and he had that quirk of pouring out his train of thought without a filter when trying to explain things – and also because there is a physical resemblance, but now that I look at you again…” Maeda gives you a dismissive shrug of her bare shoulders and a condescending look. “You’re too shabby to be him. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“Shabby… right…” you mumble, your hands working to smooth down your wrinkled clothes and messy hair. “He was from a rich family like you, wasn’t he, Maeda-san?”
“Rich family like mine?” She seems offended at the very thought. “Do you actually know who I am?”
“Maeda… Nami-san?”
“Yes, I am Maeda Nami... and?”
“And?”
“You have never heard of the Maeda family?” she asks in disbelief, when it becomes clear to her that you are not getting her hints.
You shake your head and ask innocently, “Isn’t it a rather… common name?”
“Common?” From her expression, you can tell that she would like for nothing more than to beat your face in with that skewer she has in hand. The word ‘common’ seems to be particularly triggering.
“Yes…” she says slowly, after breathing in deeply and closing her eyes, and counting to ten – all standard means of anger management. “It might be a rather… common name, and our family does not have the clout it once had, but we once stood at the pinnacle of this country. The Maeda family are the primary founders of the Kaimei zaibatsu. Does that sound familiar to you?”
Kaimei… the name is familiar. It used to be one of the largest zaibatsus in the country, though you seem to recall that it fell on some very hard times about a decade ago, and are now a shadow of their former power and influence. Still, they are not entirely gone; the last remnants of the clan still cling to whatever scraps they can get, surviving off the alliances they have made with the other powerful families that dwelt on that line between the underworld and the law-abiding, everyday society.
“Kaimei. Yes, I know of them.” Then, a fragment of memory, one that you are unsure is even your own, floats into your mind. “They… used to own a hospital around here, didn’t they?”
Maeda’s eyes widen in surprise. “Yes. How did you know that?”
“I-It’s probably something I, uh, read in some magazine,” you fidget. “Anyway, about that childhood friend of yours… so he wasn’t rich?”
“No, his family was rich, but I meant that they were definitely not on our level,” brags Maeda, before reluctantly adding a disclaimer. “Well… back then, anyway. They’re doing well for themselves now, while we… never mind.”
“Why did you lose contact with him, though? Was it because of what happened to your family’s fortunes?”
“No, that’s not it,” she says quietly. “It happened before all that. The last I heard of him, he went overseas for his studies. But that is none of your business, Shinoseki-san.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” you say again, observing Maeda. She seems oddly affected by this childhood friend. It is almost as if…
A sudden thought strikes you, and though the very idea of posing this question makes you sweat, you forge ahead anyway. Hopefully she will not react too badly. “Maeda-san… could it be that… he was your first love?”
It goes as you expect. Blushing. Stammering. The swish of the shiny, pointy skewer as it almost pokes your glasses off. “W-W-What are you saying? Watch your tongue, commoner!”
“Hey, is everything alright over there?” Mori calls out, his attention drawn by the commotion.
“I-It’s fine!” replies Maeda loudly. “Don’t worry!”
“Alright, if you say so.” Mori frowns – you can tell that he’ll be keeping an eye on the two of you from now on – and turns away, back to his investigation of the dining tables.
“M-Maeda-san? Could you please lower the skewer?” you ask fearfully, leaning away from the pointy end.
Thankfully, she does so without making a fuss, though the embarrassed anger in her glare refuses to subside. “I would like you to watch what you say in the future, Shinoseki-san. Shinichi is my fiancé now. Please don’t spew whatever rubbish comes into your mind without thinking it through. There will be consequences.”
“Taketatsu-san is your fiancé now? That could mean you have had another fiancé in the past, perhaps designated, since it is quite a common practice amongst families of your stature…” you mumble. “Perhaps your childhood fr-“
“Shinoseki-san, you are pissing me off. I mean it,” growls Maeda. Since she seems to be the sort that gets angrier the more embarrassed she becomes, you can only surmise that your half-spoken guess was correct.
“S-Sorry.” Looking at the ground, you apologize quickly and sincerely, before she really does cave your skull in.
Surprisingly, Maeda looks away, frowning bitterly when she hears your words. “Even the way he apologizes is…” she mutters under her breath. Folding her arms and letting out a loud huff, she says, “A-Anyway, don’t go around misunderstanding everything, you idiot. It isn’t like I came here because I heard a rumour that he was working here or anything, okay? I visited this place only because I was interested in Shinichi’s project. Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah, yes. Taketatsu-san’s project. But… did you only take an interest in it because he was your fiancé?”
“Of course not. It’s a project that could raise our family to even greater heights.” Given the depths they have fallen to at the moment, any marginally successful plan could achieve that, though.
“S-So you only took an interest in it because of your family? You don’t really care about Taketatsu-san’s work otherwise?”
“No, of course that isn’t it, stupid. Shinichi even gave a speech at the hall in this hospital recently, together with an employee from the European corporation that he is partnering with. My fiancé’s research is an important project on its own merit.“
“Well, it would be nice if your childhood friend, who studied overseas, turned out to be working on the important project that involves overseas cooperation too, I guess…” you mumble softly.
Maeda stops and stares at you, unable to tell whether you are being sarcastic or genuine.
You flinch under her glare and give her an awkward laugh to try and defuse the situation. “Sorry. L-Look, please don’t mind what I say at times… Me and my big mouth. Ahaha.”
It doesn’t seem to be working. “Shinoseki-san. Did you know that before I was 12, I had become a black belt in aikido, karate and judo, thanks to my family’s stringent training?” she smiles sweetly, cracking her knuckles.
“Alright, alright, break it up, you two.” Luckily for you, Mori swoops in for the rescue. The disgruntled Maeda steps aside, unhappy that she has been robbed of her chance to unleash her frustrations on you in a more physical manner. “We have spent enough time looking around here,” Mori says. “If we are going to move on, we should do so quickly.”
Sakimura and Uehara come over – the latter glances at you, and then Maeda. She seems to be wary of something, and quietly maintains her distance from the both of you. “So, Mori-ojisan, where are we going next?” asks Sakimura cheerfully.
“Yes, I have been thinking about that,” nods Mori. “We discussed the layout of the hospital with Tokigawa-kun earlier. He’s not here with us now, but I have a rough idea of where we are, and the places we can go.” Mori begins laying out what you can expect to find in the different blocks: the main building that you are in, the physiotherapy building, the specialist wards and the research building. Each of the blocks are connected by walkways on higher levels, though you could also access them through the basement complex or the garden courtyard.
***
02:50
A. There might be other important clues to be found in the main building…
B. The physiotherapy building might be a good place to start…
C. The specialist wards may yield some useful clues…
D. If Taketatsu was involved in any work here, there would be traces of it in the research building...
E. You keep quiet and let the others decide.
***
A. You suggest using the walkways to travel to the other buildings.
B. You suggest using the basement to travel to the other buildings.
C. You suggest using the courtyard to travel to the other buildings.
D. You keep quiet and let the others decide.
Maeda peers at you, curious. “Why are you asking about that?”
“N-Nothing, I was just curious, since I reminded you of him.”
“And?”
“Well… if you didn’t outright mistake him for me, you must not have seen him in a long time; long enough for physical appearances to change drastically, and seeing as I think I should be around your age and not an elderly person, the only time for that to happen would be from childhood to adulthood so I am assuming that your friend, whoever he is, is a childhood friend of yours… who knows, he might be my twin?” You let out an awkward chuckle, attempting to signal the jokey nature of your comment, but Maeda does not seem to catch on.
She raises her eyebrows and says, “As far as I know, he was a single child. Well, yes, you are right. I haven’t seen him in... about twelve years, maybe thirteen, I think? I thought you might have been him because of your mannerisms – he was always slightly reticent with other people, and he had that quirk of pouring out his train of thought without a filter when trying to explain things – and also because there is a physical resemblance, but now that I look at you again…” Maeda gives you a dismissive shrug of her bare shoulders and a condescending look. “You’re too shabby to be him. I’m not sure what I was thinking.”
“Shabby… right…” you mumble, your hands working to smooth down your wrinkled clothes and messy hair. “He was from a rich family like you, wasn’t he, Maeda-san?”
“Rich family like mine?” She seems offended at the very thought. “Do you actually know who I am?”
“Maeda… Nami-san?”
“Yes, I am Maeda Nami... and?”
“And?”
“You have never heard of the Maeda family?” she asks in disbelief, when it becomes clear to her that you are not getting her hints.
You shake your head and ask innocently, “Isn’t it a rather… common name?”
“Common?” From her expression, you can tell that she would like for nothing more than to beat your face in with that skewer she has in hand. The word ‘common’ seems to be particularly triggering.
“Yes…” she says slowly, after breathing in deeply and closing her eyes, and counting to ten – all standard means of anger management. “It might be a rather… common name, and our family does not have the clout it once had, but we once stood at the pinnacle of this country. The Maeda family are the primary founders of the Kaimei zaibatsu. Does that sound familiar to you?”
Kaimei… the name is familiar. It used to be one of the largest zaibatsus in the country, though you seem to recall that it fell on some very hard times about a decade ago, and are now a shadow of their former power and influence. Still, they are not entirely gone; the last remnants of the clan still cling to whatever scraps they can get, surviving off the alliances they have made with the other powerful families that dwelt on that line between the underworld and the law-abiding, everyday society.
“Kaimei. Yes, I know of them.” Then, a fragment of memory, one that you are unsure is even your own, floats into your mind. “They… used to own a hospital around here, didn’t they?”
Maeda’s eyes widen in surprise. “Yes. How did you know that?”
“I-It’s probably something I, uh, read in some magazine,” you fidget. “Anyway, about that childhood friend of yours… so he wasn’t rich?”
“No, his family was rich, but I meant that they were definitely not on our level,” brags Maeda, before reluctantly adding a disclaimer. “Well… back then, anyway. They’re doing well for themselves now, while we… never mind.”
“Why did you lose contact with him, though? Was it because of what happened to your family’s fortunes?”
“No, that’s not it,” she says quietly. “It happened before all that. The last I heard of him, he went overseas for his studies. But that is none of your business, Shinoseki-san.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” you say again, observing Maeda. She seems oddly affected by this childhood friend. It is almost as if…
A sudden thought strikes you, and though the very idea of posing this question makes you sweat, you forge ahead anyway. Hopefully she will not react too badly. “Maeda-san… could it be that… he was your first love?”
It goes as you expect. Blushing. Stammering. The swish of the shiny, pointy skewer as it almost pokes your glasses off. “W-W-What are you saying? Watch your tongue, commoner!”
“Hey, is everything alright over there?” Mori calls out, his attention drawn by the commotion.
“I-It’s fine!” replies Maeda loudly. “Don’t worry!”
“Alright, if you say so.” Mori frowns – you can tell that he’ll be keeping an eye on the two of you from now on – and turns away, back to his investigation of the dining tables.
“M-Maeda-san? Could you please lower the skewer?” you ask fearfully, leaning away from the pointy end.
Thankfully, she does so without making a fuss, though the embarrassed anger in her glare refuses to subside. “I would like you to watch what you say in the future, Shinoseki-san. Shinichi is my fiancé now. Please don’t spew whatever rubbish comes into your mind without thinking it through. There will be consequences.”
“Taketatsu-san is your fiancé now? That could mean you have had another fiancé in the past, perhaps designated, since it is quite a common practice amongst families of your stature…” you mumble. “Perhaps your childhood fr-“
“Shinoseki-san, you are pissing me off. I mean it,” growls Maeda. Since she seems to be the sort that gets angrier the more embarrassed she becomes, you can only surmise that your half-spoken guess was correct.
“S-Sorry.” Looking at the ground, you apologize quickly and sincerely, before she really does cave your skull in.
Surprisingly, Maeda looks away, frowning bitterly when she hears your words. “Even the way he apologizes is…” she mutters under her breath. Folding her arms and letting out a loud huff, she says, “A-Anyway, don’t go around misunderstanding everything, you idiot. It isn’t like I came here because I heard a rumour that he was working here or anything, okay? I visited this place only because I was interested in Shinichi’s project. Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah, yes. Taketatsu-san’s project. But… did you only take an interest in it because he was your fiancé?”
“Of course not. It’s a project that could raise our family to even greater heights.” Given the depths they have fallen to at the moment, any marginally successful plan could achieve that, though.
“S-So you only took an interest in it because of your family? You don’t really care about Taketatsu-san’s work otherwise?”
“No, of course that isn’t it, stupid. Shinichi even gave a speech at the hall in this hospital recently, together with an employee from the European corporation that he is partnering with. My fiancé’s research is an important project on its own merit.“
“Well, it would be nice if your childhood friend, who studied overseas, turned out to be working on the important project that involves overseas cooperation too, I guess…” you mumble softly.
Maeda stops and stares at you, unable to tell whether you are being sarcastic or genuine.
You flinch under her glare and give her an awkward laugh to try and defuse the situation. “Sorry. L-Look, please don’t mind what I say at times… Me and my big mouth. Ahaha.”
It doesn’t seem to be working. “Shinoseki-san. Did you know that before I was 12, I had become a black belt in aikido, karate and judo, thanks to my family’s stringent training?” she smiles sweetly, cracking her knuckles.
“Alright, alright, break it up, you two.” Luckily for you, Mori swoops in for the rescue. The disgruntled Maeda steps aside, unhappy that she has been robbed of her chance to unleash her frustrations on you in a more physical manner. “We have spent enough time looking around here,” Mori says. “If we are going to move on, we should do so quickly.”
Sakimura and Uehara come over – the latter glances at you, and then Maeda. She seems to be wary of something, and quietly maintains her distance from the both of you. “So, Mori-ojisan, where are we going next?” asks Sakimura cheerfully.
“Yes, I have been thinking about that,” nods Mori. “We discussed the layout of the hospital with Tokigawa-kun earlier. He’s not here with us now, but I have a rough idea of where we are, and the places we can go.” Mori begins laying out what you can expect to find in the different blocks: the main building that you are in, the physiotherapy building, the specialist wards and the research building. Each of the blocks are connected by walkways on higher levels, though you could also access them through the basement complex or the garden courtyard.
***
02:50
A. There might be other important clues to be found in the main building…
B. The physiotherapy building might be a good place to start…
C. The specialist wards may yield some useful clues…
D. If Taketatsu was involved in any work here, there would be traces of it in the research building...
E. You keep quiet and let the others decide.
***
A. You suggest using the walkways to travel to the other buildings.
B. You suggest using the basement to travel to the other buildings.
C. You suggest using the courtyard to travel to the other buildings.
D. You keep quiet and let the others decide.
Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
It looks like we stumbled upon something major here. Whatever it is these companies are doing, you can bet that what is happening right now is connected to them. It also appears to me that the final result was affected by another concurrent plot with the Witch and other supernatural stuff that may not be directly related to the Project.
I wonder, though, why the members of the very families that funded the Project turned out to be its victims. A creation devouring its creators? A removal of witnesses and/or competition by someone more cunning? An attempt at sabotage?
And we were one of the researchers, or at least the co-workers. The chances that we were the one who tipped off Mori and summoned Amanozaki to this hellhole just went up.
1D. I smell blood. I wonder if we can dig up enough dirt to make a breakthrough this night.
As for the choice of transportation, I don't trust the outside, and I am afraid of the basement for some reason. Might take a tried and true approach.
2A, I guess.
Well, that was one lucky guess, now here is another. Maeda knows that whatever her family is doing is wrong and wants (someone?) to stop them, even though it risks her well-being. She hopes Taketatsu would fail in his goal somehow, though she herself probably does not realize it yet and would deny it vehemently if anyone would be stupid enough to mention it aloud.
She sought us out on a whim thinking that we might throw a wrench in Taketatsu's plans, or become that wrench, or do something that would change the status quo because she isn't ready to do so herself and there is no logical reason to, since this seems to be the ticket back to the Olympus for the Maeda family.
If tipped just right, she might change her allegiances.
It is interesting that Uehara is avoiding us and Maeda. She probably has an idea of who we are by now, and I guess we didn't have a good reputation. Maybe we should speak to her next time we get the chance?
There is also Mori's comment about the altar and the implicit accusation that we have something to do with... that. I don't like these implications one bit.
I wonder, though, why the members of the very families that funded the Project turned out to be its victims. A creation devouring its creators? A removal of witnesses and/or competition by someone more cunning? An attempt at sabotage?
And we were one of the researchers, or at least the co-workers. The chances that we were the one who tipped off Mori and summoned Amanozaki to this hellhole just went up.
1D. I smell blood. I wonder if we can dig up enough dirt to make a breakthrough this night.
As for the choice of transportation, I don't trust the outside, and I am afraid of the basement for some reason. Might take a tried and true approach.
2A, I guess.
Huh.Nevill said:How likely would it be that the Shinohara family belongs to the Organization (I am stuggling hard not to call it 'Agency' by accident)? If the first Director was one of their own, why not the next one as well? Especially since Maeda seems to remember our visit from 13 yeards ago.
If we were there as Shinohara Seiji, could it be that there might have been a history of affection between us and Maeda? If we are about 25 years old now - which is yet unconfirmed, by the way - we would have been 12 by then. An age of first love and all that. It looks like she expected her 'Sei-chan' to come back right until the end.
If we are members of the same circle, could we have been in an arranged marriage with her? If we are dead, then it would fit the term 'ghost marriage' Amanozaki spoke about and explain Maeda's connection to us and this place.
Could she have wished for our return to save her from an unwanted marriage with Taketatsu? She clearly was not very enthusiastic about it.
Well, that was one lucky guess, now here is another. Maeda knows that whatever her family is doing is wrong and wants (someone?) to stop them, even though it risks her well-being. She hopes Taketatsu would fail in his goal somehow, though she herself probably does not realize it yet and would deny it vehemently if anyone would be stupid enough to mention it aloud.
She sought us out on a whim thinking that we might throw a wrench in Taketatsu's plans, or become that wrench, or do something that would change the status quo because she isn't ready to do so herself and there is no logical reason to, since this seems to be the ticket back to the Olympus for the Maeda family.
If tipped just right, she might change her allegiances.
It is interesting that Uehara is avoiding us and Maeda. She probably has an idea of who we are by now, and I guess we didn't have a good reputation. Maybe we should speak to her next time we get the chance?
There is also Mori's comment about the altar and the implicit accusation that we have something to do with... that. I don't like these implications one bit.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
track: courtyard
The cold air stings your face; a gentle breeze rustles the canopy of leaves, the red and green foliage shivering in mimicry of your own actions. The winding cobbled trails, lit by small electric lamps at regular intervals, have been swept clean of leaves. The courtyard of Ikei Hospital was a well-managed, neat circle of greenery amidst the sterile medical surroundings of the other buildings. The others had been agreeable to taking this path – it was the quickest, most direct way of getting to the research building, after all. Though Maeda had been glaring at you the moment that location was suggested, she had not spoken out against it either.
You wonder if there will be any earth-shattering revelations there. It would be good to know, provided that you could get there. You look up into the night sky, at the research building in the distance. Was the garden this big? You cannot be certain, but something about its dimensions and the distance you have travelled feels wrong to you. Perhaps I took the wrong path somewhere… that is possible, since you are alone at the moment. Somewhere, somehow, along the way, you had become separated from the others in this garden without noticing.
Calling out has yielded no response. Your voice seems to be swept away by the biting wind whenever you try. The garden is entirely silent. There is nothing to do but to continue to walk… but you had kept your eyes on the research building, moving in its general direction, for some time: it has not paid off, no matter how many shortcuts you take, how many shrubs you jump, and how many hedges you climb. You remain in the courtyard.
The trees.
Your gaze flashes up, towards a nearby trail. The trees lining that trail look slightly different from the others. It takes you a second to identify it: those are sakaki, a type of evergreen tree. Cleyera japonica. They are considered to be sacred trees – their branches are commonly used in traditional purification rituals.
***
A. Sakaki can also be used to create barriers or to draw spirits along a particular path. Understanding this, you follow the trail lined by the sacred trees: it seems to be the only path left to you.
B. The sakaki trees must mean something if they are grown along a particular trail only. Although you don’t understand their meaning, you follow the path marked out by the trees – with any luck, it will lead you to an exit of some sort.
***
As you follow the path, a high-pitched hum begins reverberating in your head. Softly at first, but growing with every tree you pass. You quicken your steps. The hair on the back of your neck stiffens; a prickly sensation runs down your spine. Your feet gradually slow down to a stop as the trail leads you to a small, open compound at the heart of the garden, fenced off by a ring of sakaki. There is a large, strange sakura tree in the center. It is crooked and bent; the branches bow so low to the ground that they are practically indistinguishable from roots. The multitude of petals adorning its twisted branches are a light pink, giving off an almost ethereal glow in the pale moonlight. Your limbs tingle as you approach the tree, your heart filled with an inexplicable feeling of apprehension. As you draw near, you notice that the branches have curved in such a way that they appear to form archways between them and the thick, knotted trunk. You circle the tree: there are twelve of these you can see, and…
You stop.
A pale, childlike face is peeking out at you from behind one of the archways.
A single blink washes it away from your sight, leaving you wondering if it wasn’t a trick of the moonlight. The shadows sway; the wind picks up again, rocking the warped branches softly. Shaking your head, you draw closer to the spot where you thought you saw something. Though – as expected – you find no one, you spot a piece of paper filled with writing, tucked in between the branches. Plucking it out with some apprehension, you unfold the note and begin to read it.
You look at the strange tree, wondering if the note’s contents are accurate or even close to the truth. The Juunimon… a tree that guards the way to the underworld. You have not heard of such an object of worship before, but the nature of folk religion meant that strange little practices would appear in every village, according to their own needs. This could be another of those examples.
***
03:30
A. If bodily fluids can work for a ritual of safe journey… well, you are unable to cry on demand, but…
1. Your bladder is feeling half full anyway. You unzip your pants and take a piss on the sacred tree.
2. You spit on it; saliva is the most you can afford to expend on this weird tree.
3. You bite your thumb and offer your blood to the tree.
4. You try to work up a sweat and rub yourself against the tree.
B. You perform the Ritual of Opening. It does not seem too difficult, with the instructions laid out in Matsui’s note. Revealing the realm of the dead could uncover even more clues to help you escape… if it even works, that is.
C. The Juunimon is a sacred tree. Trees are made of wood. Wood burns. You have a bottle of alcohol and a lighter. The answer is obvious. You burn the tree down.
D. You leave the compound the way you came, ignoring the Juunimon. There has to be another way out of this blasted courtyard.
The cold air stings your face; a gentle breeze rustles the canopy of leaves, the red and green foliage shivering in mimicry of your own actions. The winding cobbled trails, lit by small electric lamps at regular intervals, have been swept clean of leaves. The courtyard of Ikei Hospital was a well-managed, neat circle of greenery amidst the sterile medical surroundings of the other buildings. The others had been agreeable to taking this path – it was the quickest, most direct way of getting to the research building, after all. Though Maeda had been glaring at you the moment that location was suggested, she had not spoken out against it either.
You wonder if there will be any earth-shattering revelations there. It would be good to know, provided that you could get there. You look up into the night sky, at the research building in the distance. Was the garden this big? You cannot be certain, but something about its dimensions and the distance you have travelled feels wrong to you. Perhaps I took the wrong path somewhere… that is possible, since you are alone at the moment. Somewhere, somehow, along the way, you had become separated from the others in this garden without noticing.
Calling out has yielded no response. Your voice seems to be swept away by the biting wind whenever you try. The garden is entirely silent. There is nothing to do but to continue to walk… but you had kept your eyes on the research building, moving in its general direction, for some time: it has not paid off, no matter how many shortcuts you take, how many shrubs you jump, and how many hedges you climb. You remain in the courtyard.
The trees.
Your gaze flashes up, towards a nearby trail. The trees lining that trail look slightly different from the others. It takes you a second to identify it: those are sakaki, a type of evergreen tree. Cleyera japonica. They are considered to be sacred trees – their branches are commonly used in traditional purification rituals.
***
A. Sakaki can also be used to create barriers or to draw spirits along a particular path. Understanding this, you follow the trail lined by the sacred trees: it seems to be the only path left to you.
B. The sakaki trees must mean something if they are grown along a particular trail only. Although you don’t understand their meaning, you follow the path marked out by the trees – with any luck, it will lead you to an exit of some sort.
***
As you follow the path, a high-pitched hum begins reverberating in your head. Softly at first, but growing with every tree you pass. You quicken your steps. The hair on the back of your neck stiffens; a prickly sensation runs down your spine. Your feet gradually slow down to a stop as the trail leads you to a small, open compound at the heart of the garden, fenced off by a ring of sakaki. There is a large, strange sakura tree in the center. It is crooked and bent; the branches bow so low to the ground that they are practically indistinguishable from roots. The multitude of petals adorning its twisted branches are a light pink, giving off an almost ethereal glow in the pale moonlight. Your limbs tingle as you approach the tree, your heart filled with an inexplicable feeling of apprehension. As you draw near, you notice that the branches have curved in such a way that they appear to form archways between them and the thick, knotted trunk. You circle the tree: there are twelve of these you can see, and…
You stop.
A pale, childlike face is peeking out at you from behind one of the archways.
A single blink washes it away from your sight, leaving you wondering if it wasn’t a trick of the moonlight. The shadows sway; the wind picks up again, rocking the warped branches softly. Shaking your head, you draw closer to the spot where you thought you saw something. Though – as expected – you find no one, you spot a piece of paper filled with writing, tucked in between the branches. Plucking it out with some apprehension, you unfold the note and begin to read it.
You look at the strange tree, wondering if the note’s contents are accurate or even close to the truth. The Juunimon… a tree that guards the way to the underworld. You have not heard of such an object of worship before, but the nature of folk religion meant that strange little practices would appear in every village, according to their own needs. This could be another of those examples.
***
03:30
A. If bodily fluids can work for a ritual of safe journey… well, you are unable to cry on demand, but…
1. Your bladder is feeling half full anyway. You unzip your pants and take a piss on the sacred tree.
2. You spit on it; saliva is the most you can afford to expend on this weird tree.
3. You bite your thumb and offer your blood to the tree.
4. You try to work up a sweat and rub yourself against the tree.
B. You perform the Ritual of Opening. It does not seem too difficult, with the instructions laid out in Matsui’s note. Revealing the realm of the dead could uncover even more clues to help you escape… if it even works, that is.
C. The Juunimon is a sacred tree. Trees are made of wood. Wood burns. You have a bottle of alcohol and a lighter. The answer is obvious. You burn the tree down.
D. You leave the compound the way you came, ignoring the Juunimon. There has to be another way out of this blasted courtyard.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
1A
2a3>C
Performing creepy ancient rituals is bad, m'kay.
I think we should definitely not perform the ritual. I'm pretty sure the witch is the person dancing around the tree - ie, the chanter - and things don't seem that go well for said witch.
I say we just get by this thing with our blood, or else we burn it.
2a3>C
Performing creepy ancient rituals is bad, m'kay.
I think we should definitely not perform the ritual. I'm pretty sure the witch is the person dancing around the tree - ie, the chanter - and things don't seem that go well for said witch.
I say we just get by this thing with our blood, or else we burn it.
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Nevill
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2009
- Messages
- 11,211
Hmm.
treave, Juu-nimon and Juu-zo, is there a connection, or are the kanji different?
It looks like we have no more than 12 attempts at this, and the current one is our fourth. We are not making a good progress.
I wonder if the place where the tree stands marks the location at the crossroads in the real world that corresponds to the ritual in the first note we found. It seems to be located in the courtyard... or is it?
I guess now we know what the note was about:
I guess if the sakaki trees mark the only direction in which we can proceed, and they led us here, we will need to follow the rules of this place and ask for a blessing to get where we want to be. That means no sacrilege. That tree may be the only thing that stands between us and the army of the dead.
Or it may be the gate the army marched through. Who knows?
I would offer my blood, but I feel somewhat uneasy about the idea. I will lean on the side of caution, and go with B A4>A3.
It seems like there is a Witch, the one Amanozaki referred to. I wonder who the Maiden is, then. But why is the Witch from the chant called pitiable and miserable, while Amanozaki's Witch is the one who brings misery to others? Something does not quite fit.
It looks like we have no more than 12 attempts at this, and the current one is our fourth. We are not making a good progress.
I wonder if the place where the tree stands marks the location at the crossroads in the real world that corresponds to the ritual in the first note we found. It seems to be located in the courtyard... or is it?
I guess now we know what the note was about:
Though who scribbled the note and what they meant by it remains a mystery. Were they referring to our background?
I guess if the sakaki trees mark the only direction in which we can proceed, and they led us here, we will need to follow the rules of this place and ask for a blessing to get where we want to be. That means no sacrilege. That tree may be the only thing that stands between us and the army of the dead.
Or it may be the gate the army marched through. Who knows?
I would offer my blood, but I feel somewhat uneasy about the idea. I will lean on the side of caution, and go with B A4>A3.
It seems like there is a Witch, the one Amanozaki referred to. I wonder who the Maiden is, then. But why is the Witch from the chant called pitiable and miserable, while Amanozaki's Witch is the one who brings misery to others? Something does not quite fit.
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Kz3r0
Arcane
- Joined
- May 28, 2008
- Messages
- 27,017
Juu-nimon just means twelve gates
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Interesting. I forgot about that note.Hmm.
treave, Juu-nimon and Juu-zo, is there a connection, or are the kanji different?
It looks like we have no more than 12 attempts at this, and the current one is our fourth. We are not making a good progress.
I wonder if the place where the tree stands marks the location at the crossroads in the real world that corresponds to the ritual in the first note we found. It seems to be located in the courtyard... or is it?
I guess now we know what the note was about:
Though who scribbled the note and what they meant by it remains a mystery. Were they referring to our background?
I guess if the sakaki trees mark the only direction in which we can proceed, and they led us here, we will need to follow the rules of this place and ask for a blessing to get where we want to be. That means no sacrilege. That tree may be the only thing that stands between us and the army of the dead.
Or it may be the gate the army marched through. Who knows?
I would offer my blood, but I feel somewhat uneasy about the idea. I will lean on the side of caution, and go with B A4>A3.
It seems like there is a Witch, the one Amanozaki referred to. I wonder who the Maiden is, then. But why is the Witch from the chant called pitiable and misirable, while Amanozaki's Witch is the one who brings misery to others? Something does not quite fit.
Do you think it is referring to some kind of coded message in the ritual?
"Overlapping ______ cords?" I have no idea. Smarter codexers, attack!
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