4432/TINDER: Kaeruhime's Shrine

TINDER: Kaeruhime's Shrine
Date of Scene:	16 August 2016
Location:	Spring
Synopsis:	Rhapsody, Yang Xiao Long and Kirika investigate the Grotto Shrine in Namamura, to try and determine why the Shrines could not connect ... and discover a murder.
Cast of Characters:	272, 325, Yang Xiao Long, 481, 385

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Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    NAMAMURA, JAPAN

    This is a valley formed in the caldera of an massive, but extinct volcano, long since tamed by frog-kami Kaeruhime, if Yunomi's tales were to be beleived. The main natural shrine, and the head of the 'shrine network' was behind one of the cascades at the caldera's North-East side, hidden amongst bassalt and granite cliffsides and through a thick part of the forest. There are steps leading down the cliff - narrow, meant for careful and revenant human feet.

    THe opening was in a cave, its face guarded by what ordinarily would be an intact, white straw rope marking the area as sacred, whre the grotto within would be home to Namamura's own Kaeruhime-sama, the protecting kami.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
It was a place that Rhapsody had only seen from the sky. It was a day a long while back, where she wanted to help but instead stood down at the urgence of someone she truly cared about. Namamura was still a beautiful place to behold, but with its people gone, something didn't feel right to the Guildmaster. Still, after last night's difficulty with the Nexus, Ryxinel -insisted- a chance to visit the site in person to attempt to figure out what had happened. He had pondered if it was simply incompatibility between the magic types, or perhaps something to do with the area, possibly more blue then green, and then on and on his ramblings would go, trying to logic out all along the way.

The trio, Sidonia included, were being transported by a massive creature known as a Stratozeppelid. Thankfully it was a much SMALLER one that was carrying their transport to Namamura. As it nears the location of the shrine, it would also start to descend to drop off its passengers.

Yes. Rizix is driving. He is a goblin of MANY talents.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang's here. Somewhere.

    In fact, she's climbing those narrow steps, reverent and careful as intended. Remnant isn't a very spiritual world, despite, or because of the fact that every warrior there uses their own Soul as a shield, but that doesn't mean she can't respect the traditions of other worlds. She arrives around about the same time everyone else does, uncharacteristically quiet and reserved. There's no grin, little bounce to her step, and a very hard and focussed cast to her lilac eyes.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika had been hoping for a relaxed evening at Dun Realtai when her presence was requested by the guild specifically. It was curious, Kirika hadn't known Yunomi that well that her guild would contract her on short notice, but that was enough for her to be concerned and answer the call.

    She's also never rode a stra...stra...

    Strato...oh hell. She's never ridden on one of these flying things to a mission before, today is full of firsts for the kitsune. "How much further are we?" She asks over the roar of wind, before her question is answered as the creature begins to land. Kirika opts to be first off the transport for security, and leaps over the side, gracefully landing on the ground with sword in hand.

    She'll approach the cave mouth, insisting on protecting the others as she does so.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Ordinarily, Namamura feels magical, the birdsong seems a little more together, the sunlight a little brighter, a little warmer... but even as dusk starts to fall there is nothing.

    Even the waterfall that typically bubbles up from the grotto is lazy, brackish water dripping down and leaving ugly, green stains against the wall. Indeed, something was very, very wrong here.

    Yunomi herself had not arrived, insisting on working through and making sure everything was safe for presentation day.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    After Kirika steps off the Zeppleid, the dragons step off as well, and then Rizix turns the beast back to the sky until needed. Rhapsody moves to the cave entrance first, though Ryxinel is clearly taking in every little detail, jotting everything down in a notebook that he had brought along. He's the first that notices the different 'feel' to a place that should have seemed pristine. Sidonia brings up the rear, making sure nothing else would endanger anyone, though Yang would be welcomed should she arrive after the group.

    Rhapsody simply looks confused as she goes. Even from the air, this place had looked far more bright, energetic, even mystical. Now? Something felt like it was missing. "Is it because no one is here, now..?" Should she have built the district? Should the people have came home? What was wrong here???

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "It's quiet here." says Yang, coming up to join the group. "Too quiet. I don't like this." She reflexively deploys her Gauntlets. "This feels like an area infested with Grimm... stay close."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "Should there be?" Kirika asks Rhapsody, looking confused and wary as she keeps a hand on her sword's hilt. She nods to Yang, before she tightens formation with the Huntress in training. Her ears remain perked and ready for threats, wherever they lurk.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    TClouds are beginning to move in, and there is the distant sound of a summer storm, the rumble of thunder as the winds turn cold.

    However, the place seems... empty. Even the trees seem to be tired, moving their creaking boughs in the wind with the groans of old men as the wind pushes them. The open cave of the grotto has no more barrier, its straw rope having long since dropped away, trampled by feet unremembered.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    "There was, once. Then someone stole the world out from under them. When it happened, I had the Izzet League construct the Namamura district inside our borders so they could have a home," Rhapsody explains as the group moves forward. "I seem to remember the world being left by them, but... now that I think about it, I never asked why they didn't come back,". Now she's wondering about that as much as why the land seemed in such a state.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "I see." It explains that colony of spider-people in the tunnels, Kirika thinks. She remembers that little misunderstanding well enough to bring a bit of embarrassment, with her almost slaughtering refugees over a mistake like that.

    It's all the more reason for the fox to not make the same mistake again. She wanders towards the cave, heading in directly as she hunches over. "Remain close."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "The Aura of this place is weak... it's... Soul is almost completely gone." observes Yang as she walks closer to the cave entry. "I can feel it... It's like a Creature of Grimm, a void, but this one isn't malevolent."

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    It is dark in the cavern, aside from the little light that the summer's evening brings in through the curtain of brackish water. There's a steady drip, drip, drip of water inside, echoing through the grotto.

    There is also a smell. Sickly sweet, chemical, rotting. A mix of a riverbed, low in the heat of summer with the sink of sewage and heavy duty chemical cleaners, burning to the eyes and nose.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    At first it may seem pleasant, but after a moment when the rest of the scent gets to her, Rhapsody cringes a little. "This doesn't seem right at all.." A -lot- more scribbling goes into Ryxinel's notebook as the group moves forward, all eyes trying to take in whatever details they can.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "It smells like something died in here. Rotted to the bones then someone just dumped a whole vat of disinfectant in and called it good." states Yang in a deadpan, eyes weeping a little from the acrid stank.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "Indeed." Kirika could tell that much with just a whiff, and she cringes with disgust at the stench. Ugh, this place doesn't at all feel appealing. All the more reason it'd be perfect if some nasty came out of nowhere.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    THere is no nasty as far as they can see, which beyond the little circle of light from the mouth of the cave... isn't far. The darkness here seems supernatural, as if ashamed, hiding something. The smell doesn't get any better with exposure, but nothing comes out to try and attack them.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang grunts as Rhapsody quickens her pace. The Huntress follows suit... then tries something. "Hello? Is anyone here?" Her voice calling out into the darkness. THere's supposed to be something here, right? Maybe it's afraid of them, or thinks they're hostile. "We're friends of YUnomi."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika follows Rhapsody without hesitation, keeping pace with the dragon. She too is sick of this slow game, so here she goes following Yang and Rhaps. "Show yourself!" She commands, voice full of authority.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    After a few more steps, the Guildmaster seems to have had enough with the slow pace and moves forward at a faster pace. Impaitent? Maybe, but Rhapsody wanted to get to the bottom of this, and that meant seeing the shrine. The shrine in the Namamura district didn't look this bad, not a bit! Was she imagining it? Ignoring it? Did nothing come through the portal besides light? Nothing was adding up and the suspense was starting to get to her. Sidonia jogs to catch up. Ryxinel doesn't seem to notice and has flipped pages in his notebook at least 3 times since they entered the cave. He does, however, notice the increasing dark and calls a bit of red mana to to toss a flickering flame into the air just above him. It wouldn't keep up with the others, however..

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Once the flame is up in the air, it's plain to see that something was very, very wrong.

    Yunomi had once described the kami's grotto as a peaceful serene place, its crystaline waters gifted with healing properties with lilypads set with water lilies that smelled sweet and koi that shone like gems, the parents of sick children would ask the priests and keepers of the shrine for cups of water from this place to heal fevers.

    She was not describing this grotto.

    It is polluted. Black sludge has replaced the crystaline waters, a pollutant that nothing could grow through. Flies buz where koi fish had floated to the top of the sludge, bloated from rot. Maggots wandered along corrupted scales.

    And the steady drip of water is oily residue, coming down from the ceiling.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "Yyyyyep. This is a thing." says Yang as the grotto lights up and reveals its dark secrets. "What could have caused this?"

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    There is a box to the far end, on the other side of the sludgepit. Ceremonial rope is stripped from the wall and left in tatters around it, but there doesn't seem to be a way to cross.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    A frown forms, very quickly, as Rhapsody gets an idea, "I guess the Saiyans may have left their mark behind," she growls, voice full of venom. Sure, they left, but she's feeling that they left a scar behind that may be far too deep to take care of. "Ryxinel..?" she calls, snapping the red dragon out of his note-taking stupor. The moment he spots the sludge he's quick to move over, touch at, actually inhale at, and then pull out something akin to a magical tricorder to see what he can figure out.

"This is -awful-.." obvious statement, but he probably hadn't heard anything that was said a moment ago. Sidonia is simply taking in everything, peering across the pit at what lays on the other side. Squint.

    "Should I fly across for that?"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika shakes her head. The poor shrine must've been razed to the ground during this world's conquest. "Nnngh." She approaches the water, kneeling to get a close look at the dead fish with a frown.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    THe fish has been dead for a while, at least several days. Maggots are squirming about on its corpse. A fly lands, twitching this way and that.

    This place is positively devoid of magic. A hole. Where as the outside had a dying soul, this place had nothing. No feeling, no spirit to it. How this place could be a shrine -- let alone the home of a minor god -- would be a mystery.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    For the moment, Ryxinel keeps trying to analyze the strange sludge that's dripping down from above. When Sidonia points out the box, the guildmaster glances over too. "Maybe.. do either of you have a way over?"

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "I cannot cross water unless I swam but..." Kirika frowns, looking at the water before she shrugs a shoulder to Rhapsody.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "I could probably throw one of you... but I'm not sure you'd reach. I could probably use Ember Celica to launch /myself/ over." offers Yang, approaching the edge of the 'water', then looking slowly up to gauge the distance.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    "Hmmm..." Kirika decides after a pause. "Yang, toss me." She tells the huntress, without any hesitation. Yes, this is a logical decision for a fox.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
This gets a bewildered look out of the sisters. Ryxinel, again, is so deep in his analyzing that he probably didn't hear any of it..

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang looks over at Kirika, then nods. "Alright." she holds out her right arm for the fox to grab. "Going to have to spin up. Hold tight."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Without hesitation, Kirika wanders over and grabs Yang's arm firmly, before she braces for the throw. "WHen you are ready."

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang nods to the fox, then looks to the dragons. "Stand back."

    She then starts firing Celica, beginning to spin and gaining speed rapidly as the kinetic blasts ring out in the grotto. She signals to Kirika to let go at a specific point at the apex of the speeed she can gain, which should send the fox in a clean arc over to the box.

    Should.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The sludge is a combonation of rotting biological materials, bereft of their magical properties. It's blood, rotting lillypads and water lilies, polluted, blood and flesh, festering and left to rot here. Formaldahyde, bleach, noxious fumes that are stronger on the other side, where the wind can't provide releif.

    THe box is a simple wooden box, it's unlocked.

    There is also what looks like a rusting, metal pin, about six feet above the box. There is something hanging from it.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    WHEE

    Kirika sticks the landing, even fi she's pretty covered in sludge. Wiping herself clean, the fox grumbles while her tail swishes off mud and other unfortunate stuff. Kirika approaches the box, and she prods it with the tip of her sword before she tries to open it, prepared to leap out of the way of the pin in case it's a trap.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    "If this is any indication, this place has been like this for a while. I'm not sure this is the fault of the Saiyans, Rhapsody.."

The guildmaster sighs, well that's a dead end. She turns to watch Kirika get thrown over the pit. "Anything in the box?"

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The place has been like this for a while. The pin, which has something hanging from it, is not dislodged from its wall above the box.

    THe box, when opened, is empty, save for a piece of paper, folded into the shape of a frog, Origami style.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika takes the frog, and begins to carefully unfold it, frowning with confusion. "What could this be...?"

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Inside the folded frog there are dried flower petals; the might have been pink at one time, but they have yellowed with age, and stir even with the slightest of breaths.

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika returns, making a great leap as she returns to the others. "There is nothing I can imagine being worth much here, whoever attacked this place left nothing behind." She comments sadly, shaking her head.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
"What is it?" Rhapsody calls out, wondering what Kirika has found over on the otherside of the pool. Ryxinel is trying to scan some other things now, but isn't sure what to really do at this point. Deciding to take a second look after Kirika comes back, Sidonia sprouts her wings, and then glides across to take a look for herself. Once across, the dragon peers at the pin and whatever it is that's attached to it.. "Mm.."

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The pin is plain iron, cold iron, rusting from the moisture.

    Hanging from the iron, as if it was peirced through the eye...

    Is the skull of a frog.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    Considering what Sidonia knows about Namamura, and you can believe she researched it thanks to the Saiyans, this comes as a shock. It actually causes her to swallow a breath of frustration, "You don't deserve to still have that there," she rumbles before -carefully- trying to remove the iron pin.

The other two dragons are oblivious for the moment, but Rhapsody can recognize her sister's irritation, veiled as it is. They're still siblings. "Sidonia.. what's wrong?"

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    "I'll go check the entrance... just in case something decides to sneak up on us." says Yang, turning on her heel and stalking away from the group, heading to the grotto entrance again.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    THe iron pin is slid from its hole in the wall. As it comes out, rust and more brackish water falls atop the chest... by the time the pin is drawn out, it's almost two feet long -- only four inches was outside the wall. The frog's skull is delicate, thin bone trembling in Sidonia's hand.

    The enterance has gotten colder. The wind's beginning to pick up, but the chemical, rotting smell dissipates quickly once past the entrance.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
The pin is given a long, stern, glare by the azure dragon before she -carefully- makes her way back across the pit. When Rhapsody sets eyes on it, and the pin, she can easily put the clues together. Even Ryxinel quietly puts his tools away, saying only: "That solves that.." lowly.

A rough breath is taken, and Rhapsody quietly turns for the exit, "The shrine is dead, for lack of a better term," she explains to anyone that needed it. "Damn blazes, the Jumpstart may not have worked cause there was no energy to begin with.."

Kirika (481) has posed:
    Kirika gives a mournful look, kneeling seiza style as she prays for the spirits of who lived here, if they're even still residing in this place anyways. Nothing more is left for the kitsune to say, all she can do is mourn.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    The grotto remains dead. Its contents rotting, its magic dissipated entirely. IN a matter of weeks, even the flies will cease to visit, and all that will be left is a stain in the cavern's basin.

    OUtside, the trees are creaking and groaning like old men. The wind has picked up, and become colder as rain is beginning to fall, covering stone, human, fox, dragons, and all creatures in its chilled embrace.

Yang Xiao Long has posed:
    Yang mutes her radio. Yunomi's voice coming from it just brings a bitter sting to the blonde brawlers eyes... and in a fit of pique she slams her fist into one side of the grotto entrance, blasting a chunk of stone free with a bestial, wordless roar.

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    What did that piece of rock ever do to y ou, Yang?

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    THE SPACE BETWEEN THE SPIRES -- the IZZET SECTOR, RAVNICA

    Yunomi is already there. She's in her brownish work clothes, looking concerned. She's pacing, on the supports. Over her shoulder buzzes the little Izzet drone, beeping in concern as Yunomi paces... she's not even pacing in the air. She's on the platform between the spires, pacing, a half-eaten bagel in her hand.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
    The Zeppleid can't be seen long before it reaches the span. When it settles into place, Rhapsody steps off, wordlessly, along with Ryxinel. The others would be allowed to disembark before Sidonia follows with a -very- somber look. It's matched by her siblings due to what she has cupped in her hands. It appears to be a frog's skull that has been gone for a very, very long time. The cold iron pin that was stuck in the skull, however, is not revealed. She was not going to bring a murder weapon with her. It was .... somewhere else. Her expression says everything as she removes her hand from the other,

        "I.. I'm sorry.."

Yunomi Stadler (272) has posed:
    Yunomi steps forward as the Zeppleid makes its landing on the span, and Yunomi strides forward. "Rh-Guildmasters --" she greets them simply, concern in her voice. "What's so important that it cuoldn't... it couldn't..." she begins.

    And Yunomi feels a cold rush down her spine. She stops in her tracks. She looks at Sidonia. She looks at Rhapsody and Ryxinel.

    And hesitantly, she reaches out for the skull, and then she whispers:

    "No."

    Her eyes well up with tears, Her hands shake. She can't bring herself to accept it. Her eyes close and the mage with the soft round ears and the fluffy tail feels her stomach twist and her legs turn to water as she drops to the span, clutching at her chest.

Rhapsody (325) has posed:
At the span, the trio would likely stay nearby until urging Yunomi at least to her room, at which point the family would probably stay together as long as is needed. If anyone wanted to stay nearby, they would not be turned away.

Yuna Kagurazaka (385) has posed:
Yuna isn't as fast getting to the Space Between the Spires as she would have liked to be, so she arrives just after the three dragon siblings disembark from the airship - the Zeppleid. It takes her precious moments longer to close the distance ... and before she gets there, she sees, not so much the skull, but the impact which it has on her tanuki friend.

"Yunomi ..." whispers Yuna, quickly walking up and trying to hug her furry friend close, cradling Yunomi's head to her chest. There's nothing she can really do except offer comfort, but she's going to do all she can for *that* sake - she won't leave a friend alone in her grief if she can help it.