{As a refresher, the first two days presented in full, it's not a long read, in this Quest you take the role of an old God of Fire and Blood who must find his way out of decline in a strange age of suffocating peace imposed from beyond. All you have left to your name is a shrine in poor repair and a single shrine maiden}
Day 1:
Surrounding the city of Edolin, that schizophrenic combination of old and new, traditional and foreign was a ring of twelve hills, legends say they're the corpses of monstrous oni, slain by the gods whose shrines now rest atop those hills. Yet no oni have revived in spite of many of the shrines having been abandoned by man and god both. Even if they did, the people of Edolin would look to the Gate-Tower that now dominated the centre of the city and think, 'if anything happens, the new gods will save us, we've a few reliable old ones too'. The Edoliners were a cityfolk who generally thought it was fine to put out fires rather than prevent them.
In one shrine, a god still dwelt, with only a single shrine maiden to his name, Gurn-Nir-Ataccos was lounging atop the only intact stone tori left in his shrine. The rest had only one or two rocks instead of the three rocks forming an arch painted red there was supposed to be. There used to be a stone circle of these tori, with the shrine of lacquered wood in the middle.
Gurn-Nir-Ataccos was also once known as Gurata to men, but to fellow gods, especially the twelve, he was known as Brother Pig. Lying on his back, hooves in the air. Gurata reflected that he had actually been called Brother Pig recently. Anger bubbled and his sword like tusks gleamed. That braggart, Brother Rooster came visit, no he was just there to gloat. The tori creaked in protest as Gurata rolled onto his side, sulking. It was undignified to have stuffed toys made of oneself, so what if Brother Rooster had gained even more followers. Snorting, he turned once more, stone crying out not in praise but pain.
Gurata bet that Rooster didn't have a single follower as good as his Fionko! The shrine maiden in question was attempting to sweep leaves. Her toga would flutter in the wind as she chased the dancing leaves with her broom. This was a classical Hibermato beauty! Sheer straight ginger hair like a waterfall of fire! Eyes like glittering coal! Silky skin pale as that Moon Hare's fur! Fionko slammed into a tree as partway through chasing leaves, she had closed her eyes and began to swing her broom wildly in the air. As she sat legs splayed out in an unladylike manner unbefitting of Hibermato Nadeshiko, she clutched her forehead, tears in the corners of her eyes. A personification of a Hibernese beauty should be elegant at all times, even when hitting into trees.
Letting out a sigh, Gurata commanded fire, and a healing heat spread across Fionko's forehead, preventing her transformation into a rhino. The young woman turned to Gurata and clasped her hands in praise, though as she bowed her head in thanks, she hit into the broom that was still between her hands.
All Gurata could do was shake his head at Fionko's antics, and that proved to be too much for the last intact tori to bear. With the sound of a kitsune breaking free, the stone between the two pillars split in twain, Gurata's eyes bulged as he hit the ground heavily, but being an old hand at showing godly manners, he was quickly on his hooves acting as if nothing had happened. It wasn't surprising that the Egypmans claimed that all gods came from the dreams of the catgods. Not that it was true mind you. Pure propaganda. Admittedly a large number of gods and demi-gods were related to Zeu-Ra, but that was because he was more like a horndog than a cat. Gurata didn't blame Anubades, the actual doghead, for staying in the Egypman underworld, what an embarrassing brother. Gurata snorted, comforting himself that he was less of an embarrassment than that distant god of Egyptaly.
"AHH that was the last tori! Where will my beloved god laze about now!? Oh! Have mercy great Gurn-Nir-Ataccos! I'm too weak to serve as a chair! I'd be crushed!"
Fionko began unintelligibly babbling about her life goals there was something about eighteen children for two opposing baseball teams and championships mixed in a mess of strange accomplishments. Gurata didn't have the heart to tell her that unless she had several sets of quintuplets, the ages would end up too far apart, such dreams were best left to a man with eighteen wives.
Standing amid the ruins of the final Tori, Gurata decided that he'd have eighteen wives.
In a feat of godly might, Gurata slapped his own head with a hoof.
All those thoughts about Zeu-Ra and Fionko's babbling must have curdled his brain.
"Fionko! My miko! It's time to restore the shrine and gain new followers!"
"My lord is taking things seriously finally! Praise be to Lord Rooster!"
Ignoring his miko's unintentional betrayal, Gurata looked at the sun.
The sun-chariot being pulled by sun-beetles chased by sun-wolves was pretty low in the sky. Night would be no good, who can get anything done when a collosal moon-hare is hanging in the sky laughing at you?
"We begin tomorrow! You know, since you've had a hard day, you can head back Fionko, you've still got nightshift at the convenience store right"
"Uh uh! With your blessing there's sure to be an accident that half spoils some stock so we have more offerings!"
"Ahem, that was a one time thing, I must have been hit by the Hare's madness, there won't be a second time. Accidents aren't my domain anyway"
He was a serious war god, of twelve oni he gutted each one, fought one alone to the death and landed the killing blow on five more! Why if anyone held grudges it'd be towards he and his might! Not just oni either! He used to handily beat up gods that acted up too!
Fionko looked at the tree she had hit, she looked at the pitiful fallen tori. Above all else, she looked confused.
"Yes my Lord!" she began uncertainly "I'll be sure to bring back some juicy offerings tomorrow there might even be watermelon or an expired one of those expensive foreign banana milkshake energy drinks you like!"
"Really?! Ahem, don't worry about that my Miko, take it easy during your shift, we've much to do tomorrow!"
Tomorrow was fine, wasn't it?
Day 2:
>Suspicious stance
>Clean your shrine, Pig
The morning vanished, a foul trick by a trickster god no doubt, still was there a need for Gurata to shift his bulk before Fionko appeared? Abruptly Gurata paused rubbing his back against a tree, which had thus far proved mildly fatal for it. SUSPICION entered the mind of the old god of fire and blood. Was he always so indolent?
He went to sleep after that fateful battle, sealing corrupt remains with his shrine, when he woke, the world had changed. Foreigners not from the world of Teriarth, had appeared and between their magitech and gods, they dominated the world, each Gate-Tower brought innovations and marvels like cars and video games and overpriced banana milkshake energy drinks, but each of those was also a symbol of conquest.
When he woke, the war against the invaders had already ended. There was nothing to fight for, a world at peace. The foreign outsiders didn't even rule harshly or forbid the worship of native gods. Their sole cruel demand was the consumption of their wonders, they didn't even mind if the natives made wonders from their wonders, and most people were more than content to do so. He was not always so indolent, but waking to such, to followers reduced to a few priestly families, to all these technologies and terms foreign...
Perhaps that explained it all. Yet...
There was an uneasy feeling a god shouldn't have... like opening a coffin and finding your peaceful silent face on the corpse, eyes closed in repose, a god could die, but never have coffin or corpse, only a fallen god would leave behind blighting remains.
If he didn't act now... would he just continue to slowly fade away?
So it was, that in the afternoon when Fionko had finished up at university and changed into the ceremonial raiment for Gurn-Nir-Ataccos, did she see her god pushing a stone from the remains of the tori into standing position. After a few false starts, Gurata had figured out that digging a bit of a pit for the stones first helped. Any pillars of tori had survived could be left where they were. Fionko was delighted at first to see Gurata up and about, but then she saw him frowning and looking oddly at the stone he had just stood. She almost fainted when Gurata opened his mouth and vomited shining ruby blood all over the stone.
"Nooo! I'm sorry for all those times I suggested you do something! Don't die my Lord!"
She began to make panicking noises as she rushed towards Gurata.
"Should I call Lady Sheep? What about Lady Rabbit? Oh I know, I'll call Lord Snake!"
Fionko had been carrying a big bag up the hill, as she let one hand go to fumble about for her phone, she tripped as sandals of any kind were not made for running and okobo geta, those odd wooden clog-sandals were worse in that regard.
With a despairing cry she fell right inside the sack of what was presumably offerings she had scrounged. Thigh socked legs flailed in the air in an unbecoming manner okobo clattering noisily as they hit the ground, Gurata was involuntarily reminded of the sight he saw once of a crane struggling to eat a frog, he'd seen plenty of cranes eating frogs, but never before had he seen a crane almost choke to death on a frog of all things. It wasn't even very big. The sight had understandably stuck with him all these years.
Weeping sounds came from the sack.
"Oh no, I'm suck! My lord needs help! Not like this!"
It was best to get her out before she got truly distraught. It was quite difficult to pull a young woman out of a sack without goring or covering with slobber when you're a pig, but thankfully Gurata was still a god so he managed.
Fionko sat disheveled, eyes closed, weeping as she rubbed them.
"Oh no, whatever will I do now, my Lord is dead!"
"Don't go killing me off!" Gurata objected.
Fionko shot up, almost hitting Gurata's snout.
"My Lord, you're alive! It's a miracle!"
She hugged his piggy nose. As Gurata shook her off he managed not to ask who she thought fished her out of the bag.
"Ah! My Lord! I brought..."
"Don't worry about that for now, climb onto my back and rest, knowing you, you overdid yourself collecting offerings. Come. Up"
Commanding her like a stern father, Fionko didn't raise objections, with uncharacteristic demurity she climbed up and curled up like a cat on her god's back.
"Don't be worried if I summon more blood, I've still an ocean of the stuff"
He had figured that it'd be good to imbue the stones he was standing. They used to be red anyway. It was cheaper to use divine blood than paint too. He could probably make a lot of mortal riches selling blood, but some lines weren't to be crossed, if a man shouldn't sell their dignity cheaply how much more a god.
As Gurata trundled about digging pits, standing stones and spitting blood, Fionko drifted off into slumber, a dream-like memory of holding two warm hands, long lost and gazing up at a grand snout that filled her vision, of mighty tusks. To that child, it was the strongest being she ever saw, and when those hands lifted her to see those dark eyes with only a mere hint of furnace... That hint was enough...
When she woke, the ludicrous chase in the sky had gotten low once more, but the shrine looked more noble, more divine. A ring of crimson standing stones. A red more real than blush of maiden or blood of man. The grass too had been tamed.
"Oh dear! How long did I sleep?"
"You can make it walking, no need to rush, but you'll need to go now"
"I'm so sorry my Lord!"
She pumped her fist. "Tomorrow I'll brush your back!"
With that, Gurata watched as she slowly disappeared down the hill. A phantom of leaving backs arose.
As the Moonhare rose, he mocked this and that, but no lunar laughter did he send Gurata.
Day 3:
>Easygoing Stance
>Make some soothing warming pads
Amid a ring of crimson standing stones made from the ruins of tori, a huge boar lounged indolent. After having gone all out in fixing up his shrine yesterday, Gurata was feeling it was fine to take things easy. A carefree, EASYGOING attitude had taken root in his heart. Just as well, since, for Gurata, he always found the creation of divine artefacts to be a bothersome activity. For reference, digging and beating up unfortunate ne'er-do-wells were his favourite activities in the past. In the present eating and drinking the strange new foods and beverages brought about by the outsiders had thoroughly conquered his heart. Not that he would admit to such.
He rolled on the ground, a little dissatisfied. It really just wasn't the same without a tori to lay his back on. Another reason to revive his standing among the mortals. If he had still the power to take humanoid form, it would still be a task he found distasteful, but it would be somewhat easier then.
First was the word.
He spoke not of war, for unrest had been subdued. Instead it was the warmth of comrades at rest, the smallest trickle of power from his Tengoku, his otherworld heaven.
By that throne, authority, by that domain the repose and reward of the faithful.
His hairs softly rippled as unseen hands drew forth a single strand each. Bending mighty head low, Gurata whispered to the grasses, commanding them to weave with the hairs, rejoice in their new purpose of comfort to the aching muscles of mortals.
Once again, amid the reduction of the presence, the glories of past came to mind. He had shed blood and flesh for the wounded, cooked in his own flame, bound corruption stained wounds with his hair. Never had Gurata been a grand healer, but surely those who fought in his name would rise again and again.
A godly sigh.
The fog of sloth lifted further. How were the faithful dead in his otherworld faring?
Did they feast and fight still, or in his fall, did they lapse into slumber.
He suspected slumber.
It was fine, he snorted, focusing on simple warming pads, with an EASYGOING attitude, the weight of past and present rolled off his porcine hide.
So did Fionko find her god watching over a small pile of petty charms. Wordless, she took out the ceremonial brush and began to smooth out the hairs disturbed by the plucking for talismans.
He closed his eyes, divine comforted by mortal hands. Yes, indeed he was much diminished, to be comforted by such, when normally these deeds were for the benefit of mortals, to take joy in service.
He opened his maw, ready to give instruction, to warn not to overwork, to push to give out the godcharms, but mouth closed again.
She would agree, and do otherwise, a child faithful and unfaithful.
Cracking open an eye, a charm floated for his inspection. A cute smiling pig adorned the little grass and hairstrand bag. The grass had been utterly transformed, made red as his blood and hair, more like cloth than vegetation too. Each strand of hair had been divided among multiple bags.
The mascot was fine right? A worried snort. He had based it off the style of some of the things Brother Rooster had shown, that and some of the products that Fionko had brought as offerings. Pigs are popular, Gurata pushed his doubts away, who could refuse such a lovely pig?
His artwork was lacking to the standard of a god, being the divine equivalent of a child's scribble, but to mortals it was a fine work beyond their ken, a cuteness and porcine impression that mortal couldn't reach.
"Just simple warming charms that will soothe the weary muscle and mind"
Fionko plucked one from the pile and held it against her god.
A rumbling chuckle came from him.
"Their power comes from me, so they cannot aid me, hold it to your forehead my miko"
Pouting a bit that her effort has borne no fruits, she did as Gurata asked.
"Oh wow, what a clear feeling! Right, gonna tell everyone they're love charms!"
How that followed was a total mystery.
"Do not, we'll get done for fraud, being imprisoned would be an unbearable humiliation"
"Oh yeah, that wouldn't be good, what if I just implied it? Let them misunderstand on their own?"
Gurata looked flatly at his miko, he rated her chances of deceiving anyone to be as high as the underworld.
"Do not, why are you fixated on love charms anyway"
"People are always buying them at the store! It's a really popular item, even if it says in tiny print that they just make you smell good and give a little courage"
Gurata decided not to think of what deity was scamming people. He had the uneasy feeling it could easily be one of the foreigner gods or a native.
"Look, we aren't selling these, just giving them away, not everyone is in love, but there's always sore muscles and exhaustion!"
"Huhuho! My Lord might be cold and lacking romance, but how wise he is! There's always loads of really tired people in suits and sleepless youths that come to the store! Their gratitude will be worth more than money!"
He did wonder sometimes, was she so cursed to balance out her beauty?
As Fionko begun busying herself babbling about world domination, Gurata began to put the charms away in the bag she had used to bring this day's offerings.
"Oh no, I was brushing for so long that I lost track of time! Goodbye my Lord!"
As she scurried off, Gurata breathed out a sigh that had the shadow of a sliver of a blessing of valour. Part of a part, an echo of times long gone, all in hope that she might avoid tripping and hurting herself.
As the Moonhare rose, he set aside some laughter for the idea of a god of war making some warming pads, but with how the god in question was feeling, he laughed too.
So, two gods shared a laugh under the night sky, above all else be it mortal or divine, the Moonhare liked those who could laugh at themselves...
What would you do tomorrow, O declined god of fire and blood?
There's three categories, STANCE, ACTION and EVENTS.
STANCE refers to the attitude your character will take towards matters of the day.
ACTION refers to a single thing your character will attempt in the day.
EVENTS are extra spice paid subscribers can toss into the story, they can make things better or worse, but sometimes they'll just be interesting or give further insight into a setting or character.
The difficulty of this Quest is AWAKE, neither cruelty or mercy is to be expected. There is no time limit as far as you are aware. To vote on a poll option, simply go to the poll and tap or click it, have a care, it's hair-trigger and can't be undone
STANCE
Joyous
It should be held in heart at all times, but should you always show it? Misery loves company, but more than just the miserable, just as there's those healed by joy, there's those burned.
Cautious
Surely this would always be a safe pick? Well, too much caution or even a reasonable amount can cause you to miss opportunities. To the brave go the spoils so they say.
Honesty
They say it's best policy, but there's a difference between lying by omission and keeping your gob shut. If nothing else, truth told at the wrong time can have the same result as a lie. Where truth is concerned destruction best have a meaning.
Reckless
Surely this would never be a good pick? Well, sometimes you gotta put your chips on the table and leap across to strangle your opponent. It's all about knowing when to charge forth.
Methodical
Never missing a step is good, but how many steps will you go like that?
ACTIONS
Descend from the Hill
You may no longer be able to take humanoid form, but what could be better than personally seeing to matters yourself!
Prepare Communion with the Moonhare
Afflicted with madness he may be, sarcastic and mocking, but his light softens the blow of night. With the right ritual, it's mostly safe for a god to talk with another god. That mortals still seek the knowledge of the Moonhare speaks of the madness of mortals. Unlike other occasions a ritual will make safe and give a little more sanity to a conversation with the Lunar Lord.
Visit Brother Snake for Advice
With his domains and wits maintaining his place in this changed world was trivial. He still resides on one of the hills, unlike some of your companions. You've never seen eye to eye, but he's always willing to help people. You just have to survive his venomous tongue.
Visit Brother Rooster's Old Shrine
One of the things he boasted about was his new shrine in the city, now that your own is looking a little respectable, you've half a mind to see what state his is in.
Brainstorm with Fionko
It's unlikely to result in anything useful given her lacking wits, but you could do a little planning with your favourite(read only) Miko. There was a few things Rooster boasted about and you still don't know what they are, other than they were supposed to be impressive.
Tomorrow is back to World on a Dish.
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