Hijikata Toshirou (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
mayoninofukucho) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
isleofavalon2022-03-09 11:50 pm
mayoninofukucho) wrote in isleofavalon2022-03-09 11:50 pm
March Adventures
WHO: Hijikata and... YOU?
WHAT: Hanging out with his ghosts (and perhaps a visitor?) and questing!
WHEN: Throughout the first half-ish of March
WHERE: Forest of the Felled, Ash Mountains, Nicnevin
WARNINGS: Past fatal injury descriptions (including that burned ghost from last time) in Prompt 1, violence against the undead in Prompt 2A, violence against anthropophagi in Prompt 2B!
1) Back Home
[After the siege last month Hijikata spent about a week at Rinea's place in Camelot City to recover from the after-effects of Augusto's curse and the draining ritual Morganna asked them all to perform, but as soon as the new month arrived he convinced her that he was well enough to head home. He knew there was much repair work to be done in the city, plus the preparation of the farms north of the city and around at least one of the new townships, but he desperately needed to get away from it all for a little while - not so much because of the people, but because he was internally grappling with his first-hand experience of the illness that killed the woman he loved back home.
Now he's back at the outskirts of the Forest of the Felled, and at least on this evening his gloomy thoughts are dispersing as he spends time with his ghost subordinates (not all of them; one division is in Camelot City while the other one has a night off). Life has been returning to the forest now that it's free of vengeful ghosts and the dark season is drawing to a close, from young plants to the colourful prism tweeter birds that migrated here. Hijikata made a small campfire halfway between the hut and the bridge, his two pet compsognathuses are running around and playing after devouring a whole lot of cat food (he can't be arsed to buy them expensive meat from the butcher anymore), and the ghosts are working on their spirit magic. Tonight is an important occasion since several of them want to implement a permanent appearance change spell after much practice.
Everybody watches as they do their best, and Hijikata feels deep satisfaction and gratitude as he sees each of them succeed. Ugly flesh wounds disappear from a young man's form, the gaping cleft between an elder spectre's neck and shoulder closes up, and the young woman Hijikata only knew as a charred, blackened body that always drew a ghostly cloud of smoke behind her gets her skin and features restored. Their comrades are happy for them and congratulate them, and Hijikata pours more beer into the fire to vaporise and raises his own mayonnaise-filled Bottomless Mug.]
Well done! You've all been working hard to protect the living here on Avalon, but don't forget to look after yourselves, too.
[Leading the currently 20 ghosts has been a veritable full-time job in which he doesn't only need to give them orders but also also listen to their concerns, complaints, worries and fears, resolve any conflicts they can't resolve among themselves, encourage and try to comfort them when they're in a crisis... that's what makes a good Commander, isn't it? He can only hope that he's been doing right by them. Seeing them happy now, floating around and mingling around the small fire, chatting and laughing and practising smaller magical feats, he feels like he has.
It's a remote area, but if anyone finds their way across the Bridge of the Pure of Heart they'll be welcome to join in, even if they can't see his subordinates.]
2) Quests
A ⦿ Our Neighbour Growboro (foritsmypower)
[2 months ago Hijikata and Shoto took care of their first official quest as knight and squire, and it was a great success - apparently they both are so adept at hiding their emotions, and so fast and brash in their way of attacking, that they easily subdued the dangerous enemy before any cognitive magic attack could be levelled at them.
This time they decided to tackle the matter of the undead creatures loitering in the ruins of the southernmost mountain and scaring off the benevolent forest spirits. By now Hijikata managed to procure some gear to protect him from the daylight, so he currently looks like a mix of a motorcyclist, a ninja, a special operations soldier, and a knight (since he's still wearing his chainmail-enforced cloak on top of the double-layered full-coverage suit). He's grateful he was able to procure the outfit; coming here at night would have made the fight much harder for him and Shoto. Naturally he filled his squire in on his predicament.]
Ugh... I think I can already smell them, even with this helmet on. It's got to be zombies, maybe skeletons too. Let's put them back in the ground where they belong.
[Unless Shoto has other ideas about that - luring the undead away from this location shouldn't be too difficult.]
B ⦿ Knight Quest (forluciing)
[Last year Hijikata and Somnus tried to investigate the mysterious anthropophagi quest and whether it resulted in any such creatures actually being summoned to Avalon, but their search left them in a dead end... until now.
As soon as Hijikata learns what the latest knight quest entails he loses no time contacting Somnus. He's very relieved to find the other man back among the living after he perished during the siege - it seems that he found a competent necromancer. Part of Hijikata thinks that he really should start studying up on that discipline of death magic, but another part of him simply doesn't want to meddle in reviving the dead and puppeteering corpses around. It feels like a slippery slope, somehow.
With Somnus' agreement to come along on the quest the two of them soon find themselves on the way to the mountains. It's a two-day journey, so Hijikata provided a horse for Somnus (he brought his Black Star for himself) and brought camping gear in his huge inventory-slot-enhanced backpack. Again he's totally sun-protected behind layers of black specialty clothing, plus the helmet with a dark-tinted face shield. He disclosed his predicament to his companion, of course; this kind of outfit begs an explanation.
After the long journey they dismount at the foot of the Lotus Pod Mountain. Hijikata unfolds the map he's been given of the devastated settlement's location.]
It shouldn't be too hard to find. At least it's not inside one of the caves. Now we can only hope that those bastards haven't moved on to the next place yet. I'd say we first try to confirm that, then we can decide when and how we want to attack.
[He already let Somnus know of his other predicament, too - his weredog affliction. Last night when they slept in their tent the moon wasn't quite full enough yet, but this coming night it will be. Whether they wait until then, attack in two waves, or use the night to hunt down any escapees, his enhanced strength and speed might come in handy.]
C ⦿ Secret Knight Quest (for positive CR - please see note at the bottom!)
[It's been a long time - just over a year - since Hijikata last spoke with King Arthur one-to-one, but he's been acting as a knight in his service ever since he gained the title, loyally protecting his kingdom, enforcing his orders, and looking after his people to the best of his abilities (... okay, so he meddled with some sketchy business here and there, but only to stop it!) And now the king has entrusted him with a special task.
Usually Hijikata is happy to work with just about anyone going on the same quest as him, but this time he had to carefully choose his companion - and even this trusted person wasn't allowed to learn the truth behind this mission. Hijikata found it hard to lie, but there's just too much at stake, for everyone involved. If nothing else he'll be the only one who can be held accountable if they are caught (which, naturally, he's hoping to avoid). Nicnevin Castle lies before them in the moonlight.]
Alright. Should we go over the plan once more?
[OOC: If you'd like any additional prompts and/or would like to do the secret knight quest with Hijikata please feel free to hit me up on my plotting post (in the latter case it's because he'll tailor a different lie depending on who goes with him)! PMing me is fine too. If more than one person would like to do the secret knight quest please be aware that only one mission will have a chance of succeeding! Also here are Hijikata's permissions.]
WHAT: Hanging out with his ghosts (and perhaps a visitor?) and questing!
WHEN: Throughout the first half-ish of March
WHERE: Forest of the Felled, Ash Mountains, Nicnevin
WARNINGS: Past fatal injury descriptions (including that burned ghost from last time) in Prompt 1, violence against the undead in Prompt 2A, violence against anthropophagi in Prompt 2B!
1) Back Home
[After the siege last month Hijikata spent about a week at Rinea's place in Camelot City to recover from the after-effects of Augusto's curse and the draining ritual Morganna asked them all to perform, but as soon as the new month arrived he convinced her that he was well enough to head home. He knew there was much repair work to be done in the city, plus the preparation of the farms north of the city and around at least one of the new townships, but he desperately needed to get away from it all for a little while - not so much because of the people, but because he was internally grappling with his first-hand experience of the illness that killed the woman he loved back home.
Now he's back at the outskirts of the Forest of the Felled, and at least on this evening his gloomy thoughts are dispersing as he spends time with his ghost subordinates (not all of them; one division is in Camelot City while the other one has a night off). Life has been returning to the forest now that it's free of vengeful ghosts and the dark season is drawing to a close, from young plants to the colourful prism tweeter birds that migrated here. Hijikata made a small campfire halfway between the hut and the bridge, his two pet compsognathuses are running around and playing after devouring a whole lot of cat food (he can't be arsed to buy them expensive meat from the butcher anymore), and the ghosts are working on their spirit magic. Tonight is an important occasion since several of them want to implement a permanent appearance change spell after much practice.
Everybody watches as they do their best, and Hijikata feels deep satisfaction and gratitude as he sees each of them succeed. Ugly flesh wounds disappear from a young man's form, the gaping cleft between an elder spectre's neck and shoulder closes up, and the young woman Hijikata only knew as a charred, blackened body that always drew a ghostly cloud of smoke behind her gets her skin and features restored. Their comrades are happy for them and congratulate them, and Hijikata pours more beer into the fire to vaporise and raises his own mayonnaise-filled Bottomless Mug.]
Well done! You've all been working hard to protect the living here on Avalon, but don't forget to look after yourselves, too.
[Leading the currently 20 ghosts has been a veritable full-time job in which he doesn't only need to give them orders but also also listen to their concerns, complaints, worries and fears, resolve any conflicts they can't resolve among themselves, encourage and try to comfort them when they're in a crisis... that's what makes a good Commander, isn't it? He can only hope that he's been doing right by them. Seeing them happy now, floating around and mingling around the small fire, chatting and laughing and practising smaller magical feats, he feels like he has.
It's a remote area, but if anyone finds their way across the Bridge of the Pure of Heart they'll be welcome to join in, even if they can't see his subordinates.]
2) Quests
A ⦿ Our Neighbour Growboro (for
itsmypower)[2 months ago Hijikata and Shoto took care of their first official quest as knight and squire, and it was a great success - apparently they both are so adept at hiding their emotions, and so fast and brash in their way of attacking, that they easily subdued the dangerous enemy before any cognitive magic attack could be levelled at them.
This time they decided to tackle the matter of the undead creatures loitering in the ruins of the southernmost mountain and scaring off the benevolent forest spirits. By now Hijikata managed to procure some gear to protect him from the daylight, so he currently looks like a mix of a motorcyclist, a ninja, a special operations soldier, and a knight (since he's still wearing his chainmail-enforced cloak on top of the double-layered full-coverage suit). He's grateful he was able to procure the outfit; coming here at night would have made the fight much harder for him and Shoto. Naturally he filled his squire in on his predicament.]
Ugh... I think I can already smell them, even with this helmet on. It's got to be zombies, maybe skeletons too. Let's put them back in the ground where they belong.
[Unless Shoto has other ideas about that - luring the undead away from this location shouldn't be too difficult.]
B ⦿ Knight Quest (for
luciing) [Last year Hijikata and Somnus tried to investigate the mysterious anthropophagi quest and whether it resulted in any such creatures actually being summoned to Avalon, but their search left them in a dead end... until now.
As soon as Hijikata learns what the latest knight quest entails he loses no time contacting Somnus. He's very relieved to find the other man back among the living after he perished during the siege - it seems that he found a competent necromancer. Part of Hijikata thinks that he really should start studying up on that discipline of death magic, but another part of him simply doesn't want to meddle in reviving the dead and puppeteering corpses around. It feels like a slippery slope, somehow.
With Somnus' agreement to come along on the quest the two of them soon find themselves on the way to the mountains. It's a two-day journey, so Hijikata provided a horse for Somnus (he brought his Black Star for himself) and brought camping gear in his huge inventory-slot-enhanced backpack. Again he's totally sun-protected behind layers of black specialty clothing, plus the helmet with a dark-tinted face shield. He disclosed his predicament to his companion, of course; this kind of outfit begs an explanation.
After the long journey they dismount at the foot of the Lotus Pod Mountain. Hijikata unfolds the map he's been given of the devastated settlement's location.]
It shouldn't be too hard to find. At least it's not inside one of the caves. Now we can only hope that those bastards haven't moved on to the next place yet. I'd say we first try to confirm that, then we can decide when and how we want to attack.
[He already let Somnus know of his other predicament, too - his weredog affliction. Last night when they slept in their tent the moon wasn't quite full enough yet, but this coming night it will be. Whether they wait until then, attack in two waves, or use the night to hunt down any escapees, his enhanced strength and speed might come in handy.]
C ⦿ Secret Knight Quest (for positive CR - please see note at the bottom!)
[It's been a long time - just over a year - since Hijikata last spoke with King Arthur one-to-one, but he's been acting as a knight in his service ever since he gained the title, loyally protecting his kingdom, enforcing his orders, and looking after his people to the best of his abilities (... okay, so he meddled with some sketchy business here and there, but only to stop it!) And now the king has entrusted him with a special task.
Usually Hijikata is happy to work with just about anyone going on the same quest as him, but this time he had to carefully choose his companion - and even this trusted person wasn't allowed to learn the truth behind this mission. Hijikata found it hard to lie, but there's just too much at stake, for everyone involved. If nothing else he'll be the only one who can be held accountable if they are caught (which, naturally, he's hoping to avoid). Nicnevin Castle lies before them in the moonlight.]
Alright. Should we go over the plan once more?
[OOC: If you'd like any additional prompts and/or would like to do the secret knight quest with Hijikata please feel free to hit me up on my plotting post (in the latter case it's because he'll tailor a different lie depending on who goes with him)! PMing me is fine too. If more than one person would like to do the secret knight quest please be aware that only one mission will have a chance of succeeding! Also here are Hijikata's permissions.]
no subject
Pretty sure, yeah. We're vastly outnumbered, and they've probably had thousands of more years than us to perfect their magic.
[Still, he also doesn't like sneaking around. It's not the way to the samurai! But if they're caught they'll be in hot water, and the sword might be brought away and hidden elsewhere, lowering the king's chances of getting it back even further. He studies the plan he made based on both their familiars' report. Being smallish birds they were able to gather plenty of information, which a larger, flashier creature might not have been able to.]
We're in the right place; this is the tree that reaches the castle wall. From there we'll take the first door to the left; that's the side entrance that leads to the wing housing the queen's collections. The artifact we're looking for is in the this room.
[He taps it on the paper. He took a phone photo of it as backup, just in case, but right now this is more practical.]
Ideally nobody will even notice we were ever there, but let's go through our equipment once more just in case we need it. I've got my Familiar Fusion, Time Top, Magic Mask, Raindropper, Countercurse Potion, Deadpool Juice, Dreamer's Draft, From the Void, and assorted totems.
[Come to think...]
If we need to make a quick exit a conventional totem may be too slow to burn, so do you by any chance know if I can take you along with Toto's Totem?
[He never tried to use it together with another person. Maybe it'll transport them both to his home if he holds on to Horus? He certainly can't just risk trying it out and leaving him behind here.]
no subject
[ A god trumps fairies, as far as he's concerned. But Horus is hardly his godly self. Still, despite the pouting, he sighs in resignation. ]
You have so many toys. I have alchemy and ready-made circles for use. [ He holds up a small notebook in which he's drawn some common ones he may need. ] Ready for jamming door locks, creating swords, raising walls, portcullis stone traps, spikes, and my favorite: completely dissolving a ceiling into particles to bury your enemy as if swallowed by the desert sands.
[ He will 100% seduce and sleep with the fairy queen if Hijikata needs a distraction. He hums softly. ]
Do you have a means to get back here? We can test it before we go if so. If not, I shall simply trust you and find my own way out should it fail.
no subject
If I totem'd back home now I'd have to travel all the way back here from the Land of Maidens; that's the closest location I've got regular totems for. So we can't afford a test run. Let's hope it doesn't come to us being separated, but if it does happen use this.
[He hands him a Camelot totem. He didn't tell Horus that this is a quest or anything he's doing in his function as a knight - sure, he claimed that the "cursed" sword needs to be handed over to the authorities to be stabilised, but this is officially a rogue mission. If worse comes to worst he absolutely will totem-travel out of here with the artifact, and if Horus gets questioned King Arthur won't be incriminated. He puts on the helmet and heads over to the tree. He planned to simply climb it, but...]
Given your portfolio could you make this a little easier by any chance?
[He vaguely recalls that alchemists can't manipulate living material, but is that really true? And even if so, perhaps Horus can simply turn part of the castle wall into a staircase for a moment.]
no subject
Thank you for the pre-rescue, Mister Knight.
[ He's never used a totem before, but it cant be that hard. He suspects that Hijikata wants him to the manipulate the tree, but the tree is a living being. The material within it is connected to the rest of the tree- breakin the bonds in one area could affect the health of the whole tree, so even if Horus could find a way to use living material, he wouldn't tear down the center of fairy society. The solution can't be worse than the problem to begin with, and thus he's intent on them not becoming worse than whatever curse is upon that sword.
That said, there are other ways to get up a tree. Horus moves a little ways toward some stone and pulls out something to write with, drawing an intricate circle as his familiar, Pt, comes down to watch him from his shoulder. She's learning the circle so she can help next time, and he's checking with her on if it's the correct alteration for the specifications he wants in whispers.
In the end, what he ends up with is something similar to a grapple hook and a rope made of dead reeds pulled up from the water, solidly bound together. ]
Do you think it's long enough?
[ Or strong enough, or if Hijikata knows how to climb a rope? ]
no subject
Yeah, this looks good.
[This certainly makes it easier! Once the hook is securely lodged between some branches they can both climb up into the foliage. It's takes a good amount of strength, but luckily they're both in very decent shape! From the tree's crown they can advance pretty close to the castle wall, and after ensuring that no watchmen are nearby Hijikata simply sprints across the thick branch that reaches so close to the battlements and jumps across. He quickly hides, but after a few moment pass without any reaction he motions for Horus to follow.
Arashi told him that, as far as he could tell, during the night most guards are positioned at the outer entrances and patrolling along the battlements, so once they're inside it should technically get easier... but nothing is ever guaranteed, is it? Hijikata certainly isn't putting it past the fae queen to have put up additional traps and alarms.]
no subject
It's a discipline that's reflected in the way he very carefully watches and replicates Hijikata's path once Hijikata gives the all clear. He's got the high ground, he has a better view for safety than Horus does, after all.
Horus gestures at the guards once he's up with Hijikata and makes a gesture with his hand across his neck, then tilts his head and makes a sleeping, hands-folded gesture. Kill or knock them out? ]
no subject
no subject
He smiles and asks how their day has been quietly-- it's too obvious for either of them to need to report an invasion. Either of them on his side, they run toward him, he lets loose his wings, which slap them both in the head with the force of coming out. They're much firmer than a fairy's wings and be sheer weight of the feathers, pack quite a punch.
He gestures for Hijikata to come forth and help drag them into hiding. He whispers to Hijikata. ]
Do you think we can steal their clothes and sneak in? I've always wanted to try that.
no subject
Dressing up as guards wasn't in my plan, but hell, why not? You took them out so neatly, let's improvise.
[Time to strip the unfortunate fae down to their underwear and don those uniforms! Hopefully the outfits fit at least halfway decently. If they come with hats or helmets that's increase their chances of passing from afar (Hijikata suspects that the guards probably all know each other). He gags and ties the unconscious guards with concerningly routined movements.]
If there are no others in sight once we go back out let's take our chances and just enter the wing through the kitchen. It should be empty at this time at night.