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Post by Shinwa on Jun 24, 2017 11:19:59 GMT 10
Shinwa shouts, "Stop, Nanashi! I got her!"
Still not sure if Tetsuko is going to to continue or go on, he flicks the button on the grappling gun to start pulling Tetsuko back towards the Camel.
If Nanashi stops, Shinwa's voice is calm, almost unnaturally so, as he continues. "Come on back, Hida-san. Don't think that's such a good place to be."
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Post by Hida Tetsuko on Jun 24, 2017 11:34:33 GMT 10
Tetsuko hears Shinwa's voice, but as if it is coming from far away. She lets the grappling hook move her, it was time to come in.
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Post by emeralddragon on Jun 25, 2017 0:30:29 GMT 10
As the situation calms down, the wall of water falls, and the Oracle spoke one more, "I was once Moshi Daisuke, and for this moment that name shall serve my purpose.
Understand, for every cryptic hint I give, they can give one, for every clear answer, they can give one, and for every action I take, they can take another. Thus, should you ask where that which you seek is, expect the answer to have little meaning. A revelation like that would give the Dark oracles way to much freedom." There is a slight smile, "Of course, my Master's counterpart fought, but such a powerful balancing action it is not my place to give unto you. The Dragon shall save that for when the world is on the edge of destruction."
He paused and looked back at the crystal, "Asahina Hana took this position upon slaying her predecessor, believing she would be able to limit the damage the Dark Oracle did. If anything remains of that honorable Shugenja, there is a chance she can help you, if you can free her from something far more difficult then simply ice. Alternatively, the right paperwork will influence all beings. Finding such a form is a task few Otomo would dare go looking for however. Or you could try a different avenue...such an event leaves signs, if you know where to look. A risky proposition, but one that is possible."
He sits down, "Remember you get a limited number of questions and a limited amount of time before you must go. And I too have a limited timeframe...this future I foresaw, and while its not the one I had hoped for, it is better then most of the alternatives...but it requires me to leave soon. We wouldn't want you trapped here due to a Nezumi choosing to save his people.
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 25, 2017 5:27:36 GMT 10
Shinwa reels back Hida Tetsuko using the grappling cable. Since she is cooperating, he doesn't have to rip her back quickly, but the cable is certainly insistent on moving her out of the danger zone. Thank the fortunes. Once she is again very close to the Camel, he stops the cable from pulling but refuses to release the grapple yet.
Listening to the Oracle's words carefully, he decides to summarize his understanding for the others, hopefully to help clarify the questions even if he doesn't ask his own yet.
"So, you are indeed the Oracle of Water, and you serve the Dragon of Water The shugenja in the ice is Asahina Hana. I don't think we know what she is, but that she slew the previous person who served in that position, sacrificing herself to control the damage of the Dark Oracle of Water. She is being punished for her actions by Jigoku, but Jigoku also wishes us to free her or kill you to be free to act. If we were able to free her, not just from ice but from the bonds of Jigoku, she might be willing and able to help us. Alternatively, there is a path to appeal for further information through means of the bureaucracy, for there are some who already know. At the very least, we can seek information on this Asahina, her training and her mission, to determine what she may have encountered and how. Or we could leave her and look for the traces of the event itself, though we may not know where to look. The event we seek, being, of course, the creation of the rift to Jigoku that we were sent to seek.
We each may ask one question and must ask them quickly. If the question is too general, your answer will be vague, because to be otherwise would offer the Dark Oracles too much corresponding power to intervene. There will be a time when the Water Dragon will be permitted to fight, because the Seogka has acted. But that will not happen until the world is on the edge of destruction.
And Kiru-san is coming soon to save us and his landing will cause us to be trapped here if we do not hurry. He certainly would not allow us to take anything tainted upon the Warren."
He pauses and thinks a little deeper. Then he adds. "I think.... If I am right and these things are true, and you speak true, Oracle, as I believe the stories demand you must, then there is a rift to Jigoku, and the Empire does stand on the brink of destruction. Which already answers the first question I was sent to seek. And that that rift is not here, for we would know to look for it here. Which partially answers the second question, which is where is the rift."
He looks over at the other three with him and looks suddenly very uncertain. "I...I....I must not.... You need to be the ones to ask. I can only ask Kiru-san's question."
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Post by Mirumoto Nanashi on Jun 25, 2017 6:21:26 GMT 10
Nanashi finds his footing enough to walk with the Crab.
He listens to Shinwa and rolls his eyes at the end.
"Where is the Jigoku rift?" He says simply and plainly.
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Post by M'thack-kir on Jun 27, 2017 10:00:33 GMT 10
(OOC: this is what I had asked Emerald to post. Happy for the visual effect of it planetside to take effect now instead, oh well. I can't stand not having added pc-pc drama) "Shinwa is in trouble!" Rik trills anxiously, becoming fully alert. "Hai. Not harmed yet. Let's keep it that way." Kiru utters a guttural squeak that lasts only the length of a heartbeat, and then his armour vanishes, leaving only the black body suit to keep his chest covered. At the same instant, so far away on the surface of the planet below, Shinwa suddenly finds himself wearing M'thack-kir's ashigaru armour plates, and they glow the sombre orange of a dying campfire. This might certainly be a surprise, but it isn't inherently uncomfortable, strangely enough. "Time to descend, ne?" Kiru suggests to Rik as he brings the ship to a bearing for entering atmosphere. Naturally, the shields need to be up, which means Kiru is forced to deactivate the cloaking device until The Warren is of a low enough altitude to the planet's icy surface. "Itsuki, wake-wake. Missing all the action!" Kiru calls on the comms to Itsuki's cabin. (OOC: Conjure Armour cast successfully. orokos.com/roll/528057# This armour provides no penalties, as it is only ashigaru plate, gives +3 to ArmourTN, and gives a whopping 5 damage reduction, including against radiant/kinetic attacks.)
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 27, 2017 12:28:19 GMT 10
Shinwa barely flinches to find himself dressed in such armor. Kiru must think I am in danger...He quietly presses the green button on the communicator to give the 'All Clear' signal to Kiru...as opposed to the red button and its corresponding 'Help' signal. But his relationship with the device has been....situational...at best, and he has been pressing his luck. Better for the Oracle to make known what he will so they could try to decide what to do from there...and for him to do it quickly. Shinwa listens to the answer the Oracle offers Nanashi.
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Post by emeralddragon on Jun 28, 2017 5:23:12 GMT 10
The Oracle smiles at Shinwa, looking slightly hopeful, "You did not understand it all, but you understood a lot. And you have a name, so if needs be and you wish to seek the second option, I do believe you know enough to see clearly." He paused for a moment as if considering how his further words could effect the balance, before he continued, "However the Kansen do not act with any desire to show kindness towards Asahina Hana. They desire what they always desire. Blood. If we sit here and talk, it is quite likely you will leave peacefully, and without need to give into what they offer.
If they can start a fight, any fight...." She shook her head, "This is not a place you want to fight upon."
As Nanashi asked his question, the Oracle's face fell, "He does not listen, and we cannot answer him again without creating imbalance. I pray the rest of you have studied either history or theology enough to know the constraints we operate under, or all will be lost. Still, he has asked and I will answer truthfully."
He bowed his head and spoke again, "The rift you seek is located on a world of awesome size, not touched by the light of Amaterasu. It is an invisible titan in space, one of countless others, however unlike all others this one is covered in hick black forests and jagged mountains and deep, turbulent oceans, all invisible from orbit due to its nature. Due to how that life lives. As such it is life when it should be dead, and thus the rift seeks to make it like all others of its kind, to let chaos consume that which requires perfect balance to remain.
It is far from the all consuming darkness that is at the heart of the Galaxy, and yet, closer than Rokugan is to it. Left alone it will drift between two stars too small and unimportant to be named, invisible and impossible or reach unless you already know where it is. For how does one spot what one cannot see, how does one find the invisible, how does one track kami that have never felt the warmth of a star, nor felt the grace of Tengoku. A small yellow light glows distantly, a tiny flicker of hope, a home once, but now long gone, and slowly getting further and further away."
He looks at the Dragon for a second, "I must admit curiosity. Only the Tortoise have a good map of outside the Empire, although that will likely change soon. Had I given you an exact location, how would you know what it means?"
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Post by Mirumoto Nanashi on Jun 28, 2017 6:26:22 GMT 10
Nanashi listens to the Oracles words.
As Nanashi asked his question, the Oracle's face fell, "He does not listen, and we cannot answer him again without creating imbalance. I pray the rest of you have studied either history or theology enough to know the constraints we operate under, or all will be lost. Still, he has asked and I will answer truthfully." At this Nanashi turns and gives a look to Shinwa to read Thanks Shinwa.
Nanashi shrugs. "I've found things on less information. I would have found a way."
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 28, 2017 6:30:35 GMT 10
"Too big a question...too specific an answer for the Oracle to be clear," Shinwa mutters softly to himself. However, he quickly takes from his pocket a small notebook of plastic sheets and a brush-tip pen, his constant companions, and notes down every word of the Oracle's response to Nanashi's question, just in case he forgets something.
"Tetsuko-san, Kaiden-san...if you are feeling quite yourself, and if you understood the Oracle's warning...Do you have a question to ask?"
He still seems troubled about something, but is more confident about recording the answers than asking directly. He shrugs at Nanashi's look, but doesn't meet his eyes. Maybe he just thinks that, at least in this, he can't make anything worse.
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Post by M'thack-kir on Jun 28, 2017 9:37:25 GMT 10
Most of his hour up, Kakashi turns around and flies back through the depths that are home to these disgusting creatures that almost certainly lack a sense of humour—such a waste of perfectly good tentacles. He knows his master's location has changed, for that is the nature of his contract, and so he adjusts his course to intercept The Warren as it presumably continues to descend. Shiba Itsuki bows to the centre of the bridge, eyes squinting from tiredness. As he sits down in front of the main console, he stifles a yawn. "Update, Senchou?" Kiru glances at Itsuki as he brings the ship into atmo. "Kakashi scouting the ocean, everyone else in danger. Time to fetch them. Warned Shinwa." Itsuki points at a light on the dashboard. "Shinwa-san seems to think he's okay, though." Kiru shakes his head and shrugs. "Rik still concerned, which means danger hasn't passed. Perhaps Shinwa not aware-aware." He realises something here, how he can possibly help more, and so he gives navigational command over to Itsuki and then begins to shimmy in his seat, chanting as he does so. This is a memory impossible to pluck from around him, and needs to be borrowed directly from the Field of Dreams. If they can't see it, it must be below them. With Kakashi.Seconds later, both Kiru and Shinwa see a ghostly white Nezumi (the first of its stark lack of colour Shinwa has seen) crouched over, gutting a fish, presumably by the shore, although there is none in the environment where they truly are. An instant later, the Nezumi disappears in a horrific tsunami, leaving nothing in its wake. "Activate cloak-cloak when Itsuki can, Itsuki." (OOC: Name Talent (Lore: Sea Monsters) cast, 1 raise to be done in a single round TN 20. 43, success. orokos.com/roll/529382#)Kiru begins to sob in his seat, tears streaming down his face. "Senchou, daijoubu?" "Focus-focus, Itsuki."
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Post by Hida Tetsuko on Jun 28, 2017 9:53:53 GMT 10
Tetsuko listens and then asks her question, one which she knows will matter to her clan. "Can the rift be contained?"
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 28, 2017 11:15:09 GMT 10
Shinwa, trying to keep track of the questions of the Oracle and taking notes, stays steady as his eyes stray to the vision to the left of the ghostly nezumi and its horrifying death. That last crash of the wave, and the flood of knowledge that comes with it, does raise a concern. Why would Kiru do this....Unless....Maybe the sea monsters we detected below the ice are beginning to move? Well...the Oracle did not have much time anyway. His expression darkens further at Tetuko's question, but he prepares to write the response, even if it is just one word.
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Post by emeralddragon on Jun 28, 2017 13:49:10 GMT 10
The response is instant as the Kansen around them all scream, causing several ice spires around them to come crashing to the ground.
"NO! They will come for you, they will devour you, they will consume you all." The wind flicks through the clearing and then all falls silent. The Oracle of Water, standing towards the middle of the clearing, glares at the Crab, "Are you so eager to go to Meido, Hida-san? You already know the answer and yet, surrounded by Kansen you ask that? What happened to the Original festering Pit? The Scorpion Pit? Amaterasu's Furnace? Why is your clan standing guard around planets now and why is the Kaiu Wall simply a tourist attraction?" The bitterness in the Oracle's voice is clear.
"Ask quickly. We have even less time then before."
((OOC: Roll Athletics/Reflexes, TN 20))
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Post by Shinwa on Jun 28, 2017 14:15:07 GMT 10
Shinwa's sharp voice cuts through the chaos. This may have all been a terrible mistake. Maybe acting was a mistake in and of itself. Maybe letting the great clan samurai make their own choices was a mistake too. Maybe it still is a mistake. But Shinwa has come to some sort of decision in this second, something he will have to live with. "Hida-sama, get in the Camel. Now." He releases the cable enough that she can do so. "Doji-sama," he orders. "Start the engine. And ask what you can do to rescue your clanmate Hana and bring her to safety and peace. It is your time to be the hero. Nanashi-san...Scout the path back. There may be sea monsters coming through the ice." The Camel bucks under the crashing ice. Shinwa barely avoids being thrown out, but makes it. [OOC: Athletics+Reflexes+Void = 23]
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