dragoncalled | Event Start: Renzu's Flock; Predator or Pray

There's a commotion by the ocean.

At dusk, a strange and unsteadily honored tradition begins to cause unrest within the city. It's nearing the end of a trade season, and the approach of winter brings with it a tenuous and uncomfortable truce of necessity. A small trading group of Beast Hunters dock their ships at Outer Nuren's pier, just within Dragon Bay. They have brought with them hides, trinkets, meat, fish, rare plants, magical items and caged common creatures from the wildlands beyond the city's walls. In turn, they seek fabric, clothing, lumber, weaponry, armor and food from Nuren's harvests. Most of the Beast Hunters have come to trade their goods, while others are there to relax for a week in the seedier Outer Nuren, where the citizens are less likely to bother them and they can pick their fights and conversations with little concern for the preaching of the devout or the judgement of the sheltered citizens in the city proper.

Beast Hunters are fond of tavern brawls and games of chance, though their regard for a scion's dragon, or any magical creatures, is visibly and openly one of disgust and discomfort. Despite this, many of the traveling traders enjoy sharing stories and will pass on tales of the fearsome and dangerous creatures they proudly boast to have killed or survived encounters with. There is open distrust or curiosity toward the scions and their worlds, but in general the Beast Hunters are a far more survivalist group of Remnants with a scattering of Touched. They're grim, rough around the edges and quick to violence and anger, but a bit of gold, flattery, charm or gambling can soothe most tempers.

For a few gold, a scion skilled at games of dice, chance, or drinking competitions might find a profit in Outer Nuren throughout the week, and curious souls could learn more about the world beyond the city walls. Including its dangers and potential treasures, stories of the Wastewalkers or wild magical creatures and lands, and boastful accounts of survival against horrible odds.

The Beast Hunters have a low opinion of the city citizens, calling them soft and worthless creatures who lean too heavily on their faith and security. Likewise, the citizens of Nuren have low opinions of the Beast Hunter's, calling them dangerous cut-throats and warning that they will gladly stab you in the back or poison your drink for a single gold coin or to steal the young and vulnerable dragons from their scions. Open scorn from both sides is apparent while the Beast Hunters linger in Outer Nuren, with fights both physical and magical breaking out. While the citizens may not venture far beyond Nuren's walls, they are practiced magic users and skilled fighters, albeit a bit less prone to fighting dirty.

By the end of the week, the Beast Hunters will have sold their goods, and will pack up their ships and leave, refusing passage to scions and citizens alike. Only Beast Hunters may sail aboard their vessels, and any stowaways will be thrown to the sea serpents and sharks.

Strange magical feats in the streets.

In stark contrast to the rough and rowdy Beast Hunters, another group has grown active in Upper Nuren, becoming very visible during the week. A group of Scholars of Renzu have returned to the city from a trip to Renzu's temple, and bring back with them more of the great Griffin's teachings and knowledge.

Throughout the week, the scholars try to get involved with the Scions. They offer to help the Scions understand and learn what their elemental alignment is, and how to use the ability they and their dragon now share. Several of the scholars hold daily 'classes' in the squares of Upper Nuren. Displays of elemental ability occur in the squares, along with discussions on how the different elements relate to and interact with one another.

In the evenings, the Lorekeepers of the group tell tales to small gatherings of young citizens and any interested Scions, teaching them about Renzu and occasionally delving into tales of Chelba, Benra, Mouros, and Lysheu.

A few scholars with powerful shield and healing magic offer to help Scions practice their magic, so that they can learn how to use their new abilities, and learn what to expect if their dragon decides to use their magic as well.

At the end of the week, when the Beast Hunters have sailed away, the scholars will still be present, but less visibly active away from the smaller temple of Renzu within the city.

And a fine feathered friend around every bend.

Osaaru's sparsely filled streets have begun to fill in with the sounds of life. Excited citizens, exploring scions and intrepid young dragons have to learn to live with one another in the city. The adjustment is easier for some than it is for others. None understand this better than the Great Griffin.

Renzu, the Great Griffin and Guardian of Knowledge, is a prominent and active guardian, revered and respected by a large portion of Nuren's population. The wisdom of the Great Beast is spoken of by any Scholar, Mage or devout citizen who mentions either of the Great Griffin's names. Though largely viewed as a gentle guide and known to be the Observer who watches over the city, there are occasions where the Great Beast takes a more direct approach.

As evening descends, a distant chime begins to fill the air. The darker the sky grows, the more the melody seems to grow, always faint but with new melodies whispering and intertwining their way through the winds that sweep as gentle breezes through the city streets and alleyways. The distant sounds create a melody of wind chimes accompanied by a faint song that seems to resemble the soft music of wind instruments. It fills the air for a week, always faint but present, and all who hear it are likely to feel a calming, peaceful emotion settle over them, that comes and goes over time.

With the winds and music, a flock of Griffins and Grifflings have entered the city, taking perches on buildings and walls. They play with or assist the citizens of Nuren and any scions who do not attempt to attack them. Grifflings race across rooftops in playful games of tag and chase, or engage young dragons in tag or hide and seek to sharpen their hunting skills. Griffins, some larger than lions in size, stroll through the streets, lending their backs to the pulling of wagons, or their wings to the creation of helpful currents.

With some dragons nearing an age of testing their wings, and other young hatchlings beginning to fill the city, Renzu decided to take the young creatures and their scions under wing and give them a first lesson in their new lives. Renzu's flock are there to help the young dragons with their first steps toward flight. Throughout the week they can be seen acrobatically soaring through the skies above Nuren or creating small controlled winds and gusts to lift young dragons and their scions into the air.

Gently approaching a Griffin may even see the creature allowing citizens or scions to ride on their backs, provided the person in question is respectful. Their powerful wings and large forms allow them to carry scions and their young dragons, or up to two people, on their backs. While they may be unable to ferry about larger creatures, they will gladly assist others where possible.

The citizens of Nuren caution against injuring or threatening Renzu's flock. Most will insist they are gentle and harmless creatures as long as no harm is done to them. Injuring or killing a Griffin or Griffling is severely frowned upon by the citizens, though a Beast Hunter or two might be willing to pay a high price for one. Any harm or threat scatters the flock, making them distrustful and even aggressive toward the attacking or threatening party. From then on, the Griffins and Grifflings will not allow the scion in question to approach them or others of the flock.

At the end of the week, Renzu's flock take wing, returning to the mountains they came from and leaving only a few scattered Grifflings playing in buildings and on the streets. With them goes the music, fading away on the gentle winds.

Notes

Please direct all questions to the Q&A on the plotting post.

Additionally there is a post on the OOC community for talking about upcoming wishes in the Tide of Wishes Here.

You are welcome to use this post to toss out open or closed starters and tag around, or to make your own posts within the community. Another post will go up for the Tide of Wishes, soon. In the meantime, there is an OOC post for you to leave your character's wishes, if you so choose, or to discuss them with others.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He makes no odd expression at the "most humans" comment, only answering:

"Supernatural, no." He abhors the thought of things that can't be explained by science; needs to pick them apart until he finds out why. There always has to be a grounded explanation. "Aliens, space travel? Sure, if you know where to look."

If you know how to see it.

"Space travel?" Raidou remembers General Munakata - or rather, the demon wearing his body - launching the Tai-Itsu satellite into space. He also remembers Gouto speaking to him for what he'd thought would be the final time as he and one of Raidou's demons had destroyed it. Aloud, he says, "I've only seen things launched into space; I didn't know there would be actual travel in the future."

"It's magnificent out there," he says, light in his eyes. "The expanse of... everything. I hope your world gets there, someday. Out into the stars."

He sounds wistful. He's grounded here, for an undetermined amount of time. He hopes it doesn't come anything close to his exile on Earth in his early life. Surely it shouldn't take that long to fix up the imbalance of Osaaru?

Raidou thinks about the Akarana Corridor, and some of the lost souls trapped there. "I think we're probably supposed to," he replies, "but my timeline is... abnormal... and I'm not sure how that might affect things."

"...What do you mean by 'abnormal'?" he asks, his shoulders tensing. He doesn't like how that sounds at all.

Raidou wonders if he should have refrained from mentioning it. "I don't know what the actual point of divergence was, but so far the Taisho Period has lasted for five years longer than it apparently should. There is, or was, a group that sent an agent to repair it, but the agent in question is Grigori Rasputin, and he seemed content to do absolutely nothing, which is presumably why it was still Taisho 20 when - when I was brought here."

He rolls the information through his mind.

Taisho Period. Japan. Earth.

But Rasputin? What kind of agent could Grigori Rasputin be? To repair something like that? And if the Taisho Period ran over by five years, shouldn't Rasputin be dead?

Maybe he's thinking too much on this. Maybe it isn't to repair the timeline, but to just... international relations? Something more... human?

"You're right," he manages, because he's supposed to actually be holding a conversation, "that is too long." How does he phrase the questions he has? "What was Rasputin expected to do? Who sent him?"

"I'm not sure who sent him; he never identified them and I never ran into anyone else from their organization, or at least none who identified themselves to me. I know he was sent from some point in the future, and I know his body was mechanical, which if nothing else would explain why he was so difficult for anyone to kill." Raidou's heard the stories, too.

"I do know that he flat-out abandoned his mission to fix things, both because I overheard him complaining about his superiors and because he later told me directly. Just how he was supposed to go about fixing the timeline when he was at least five years past the point of divergence is a mystery to me, since if the stories are true he should have been there for it the first time."

Mechanical Rasputin.

Huh.

Robo-Rasputin has a nice ring to it, he thinks. It's probably awfully rude and inaccurate though.

"Beats me. Meddling with time is one thing, but having people actively try to fix a timeline... that's... Unheard of, I suppose, in my universe." You know. Other than him. And the Time Agency, loathe as he is to think about. "Then again, in my universe, the Taisho Period lasted as long as it was meant to. Maybe those... supernatural elements you were talking about had some involvement. I don't know."

That pause before the word supernatural is... telling.

Raidou takes a moment to consider his suggestion. "The oldest of them have existed for eons, so I'm not sure it's that. If it was, they'd have to send someone to the point in the timeline when humanity emerged, if not earlier, which they don't seem to have done." He pauses. "There's also the fact that there's at least one timeline running more or less parallel to mine that also has a Taisho 20, and I'm not sure Rasputin's even shown up there. Which doesn't preclude this nameless group sending another operative, but given that that timeline also continues to exist, I have to wonder what their selection criteria are. Assuming they know about the parallel timeline, anyway."

Event Start: Renzu's Flock; Predator or Pray

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shit now I'm singing RA RA ROBO RASPUTIN what have I done

XD