Akane got a bird's eye view of the entire court. From her position, she could safely and discreetly witness the meeting.
The guard looking to Aeon pretended to know what he was talking about, and nodded, letting him and Duk pass.
Nergui: [success]
Meanwhile, by the castle gates, Nergüi saw many citizens ahead of him in the crowd absentmindedly looking at their lower-numbered tags. But the guards were now breaking up the crowd to have people wait within domiciles while the head representative in front of the gate called out numbers. As more guards appeared, Nergüi's window opportunity would soon close.
Inside,
All the noble class of Fa-Ten is in attendance, with several of the king’s advisors as well as a samurai lord sitting down on an elevated platform in front of everyone. A man on the stage then steps up, raising his arms as the crowd hushes.
((For sake of streamlining, in certain instances such as this I will roll your DC check for you, as this is a case of simple memory/study checking.
Tama & Tun Si: Contextual automatic success
Akane: [dice=20]+6= failure
Duk: [dice=20]+8= success
Aeon: [dice=20]+6= success
Duk and Aeon recognize the two most prominent figures onstage as:
Lao Kune Do, one of the king’s top advisors.
The samurai lord is known as Yusuke Kusanagi, the most prominent Hoshidonese figure in Fa-Rei affairs.
“Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Kune Do continues, "No doubt you have many questions about the current phenomena occurring above us.. we assure you that we have addressed this and are planning action. What is to be said here must not be gossiped about outside these walls. We cannot afford a panic.”
Several nobles call out in confusion, demanding answers. The advisor continues:
“I will call for one of this city’s top historians. Nam Il Park, please rise and come up.”
The audience silences as Nam Il gets up and meekly heads towards the stage. In his arms are several old scrolls. He bows to the advisors and looks up to his fellow nobles.
“Yes, uhm.. we don’t know for certain yet what it is exactly that’s causing the phenomenon, but.. it isn’t something that we haven’t prepared for. This exact event was actually predicted, about 500 years ago..”
Nam Il rolls down a scroll.
“By, Dabunraki..”
The nobles in the audience burst in murmurs.
Aeon, Tama & Duk: Contextual automatic success
Tun Si: [dice=20]+6= failure
Akane: [dice=20]+6= success
Akane, in her long life, has heard tales of Dabunraki,
A legendary swordsman from 500 years ago, considered a hero of the Fa-Rei kingdom for his many deeds and considered unmatched by his swordsmanship even to this day. It is said that he was the one who turned the tide of the war that would result in the formation of the Fa-Rei kingdom, and sacrificed himself in the decisive battle of the war.
“This is.. what it is written that Dabunraki said, before the court of the palace of the original capital city, Shion-Pa..
‘On the night of blood stars, you will know that I will return by the end of the moon cycle. The edge of my blade will embrace every living thing in this kingdom, and I will leave behind only a sea of blood and bones.”
A brief silence is stopped by an uproar by the nobles. Some of the younger nobles refuse to believe that Dabunraki said such a thing, while the greater majority demand action by the kingdom.
Through the chaos you hear that the end of the moon cycle means the end of the month. There is only 30 days until Dabunraki is supposedly returning.
A diplomat from Rhasmapatra speaks up,
“I was given a message before this meeting; this is happening everywhere.. Several of the other nations, including my own, have prepared for this possible event.. the borders along the Fa-Rei nation are being blocked as we speak!”
A nobleman shouts, “You’re quarantining us!? How could you!?”
The diplomat responds, “We must think of the safety of our own nations, what if Dabunraki were to attack use for helping you!?”
“Dabunraki is of Rhasmapatran descent! You should be held responsible for this!”
The audience continues to shout at each other in a near frenzy.
Nam Il looks around nervously, then turns to the gong set up on stage. He raises the stick to hit the gong, but trips over a sitting advisor, crashing into the legs holding up the gong as it hits the ground with a smash louder than it would have been were it hit. The room is silenced.
Nam Il regains his composure and looks around.
“L-listen, fellow men and women.. A-as I said, we have planned for this.. there are options for defending the nation. After Dabunraki spoke those words, he disappeared, and he hasn’t been seen since. The Fa-Rei kingdom worked with the world’s greatest warriors and scholars of the time, colleagues of Dabunraki.. Mahmoud Zerani, Inusuke the Butcher, to name some.. There are artifacts in this world that many say have been brought down from Heaven itself.. they are known as the Five Instruments of Nirvana, and it is said that when they are together they command an energy potent enough to even make the immortal, mortal.”
The samurai lord Kusanagi stands up.
“The Fa-Rei kingdom in possession of one of the five Instruments of Nirvana. And we have recently discovered what we believe to be the locations of the other four. They are, however, in very dangerous territory, hidden within ancient ruins that are inhabited by monsters.”
A noble calls out, “Send the military to fetch them!” More nobles agree. The samurai lord responds, “No, a large unit is too slow and noticeable. There might also be forces at work that seek to assist Dabunraki. We need to be fast and discreet. We need the military to remain active, so we will send out small, specialized units of capable adventurers, four in total, and each will head out to a designated location to retrieve the artifact. Each team will have a representative of the Fa-Rei kingdom escorting them, as well as a leader, of whom must be approved by the advisory.”
The advisor Lao clears his throat.
“Understand that this is a dangerous mission. Death is possible. The adventurers who go must be capable of handling themselves, and bringing back an Instrument of Nirvana undamaged. We need volunteers.”
A noble interrupts, “This is madness, how do we even know Dabunraki is still alive? It’s been 500 years!”
The samurai lord Kusanagi retorts, “Look at the night sky above you, nobleman! What more proof of something awry do you need!?”
The noble hushes up as the advisor urges the crowd.
“Who will rise to defend the kingdom?”
A samurai lord stands up.
“I, samurai lord Ryu Hibiki, volunteer to lead one of the teams! I will choose an adequate unit to accompany me!”
Lt. Ling rises.
“I am Lieutenant Nya Ling of the Fa-Ten police department. I volunteer to lead one of the teams.”
A slender monk stands up.
“I, Sung Chan of the Northern Foot academy, volunteer to lead one of the teams. I will bring my star pupil along, aside from other individuals.”
The audience is silent.
“We need one more volunteer!” the advisor exclaims. Still the nobles look at each other, and no one rises.
[rand=379188270885762123902983651085974381701089397787464482995319926413]