Hayazo

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

Luo Dai pursed his lips as tempers began to flare and accusations were wantonly tossed about. Calmly, he rose to his feet and directed his attention first to Pan Chao. "Perhaps you should let Ichiru have his say before lashing out against him. Although he did bring us here against our wills per se, you must admit that all of our interests are aligned, and we can certainly accomplish more working together than we could aimlessly wandering on our own." He hoped that Pan Chao hadn't alienated what could have been a vital ally by vandalizing the shrine, but Ichiru remained perfectly still as all this transpired, showing no signs of either offense or amusement.

Then, Luo Dai turned his attention to the group as a whole. The bird-dog-thing that was prancing about seemed to think herself a born leader, despite her demeanor suggesting otherwise. It was still far too early to decide a leader, and he could already see that a few of the egos on this team -- well, more like a conglomeration of people who hated Anjou -- would clash the moment the topic was brought up. "Let us try not to tread on one another's feet so long as we are together. It is readily clear that we are from many walks of life, and it will to us no good to attempt to change that. However, I do agree with one sentiment." Luo Dai turned to Ichiru. "It would be unwise to give an unfamiliar spirit our unconditional trust. For all we know, you could be an agent of Anjou sent to feed us false information and lead us to our doom."

Ichiru blinked. "Humans have such unruly imaginations... Very well. It seems I have no choice." He hopped down from the statue and walked in a slow circle, sizing up each member of the group, finally stopping when he reached Hongo. Then, he spoke in a shrill, raspy voice. "You don't even trust me enough to allow me to speak comfortably with you. I hope this will allay some of your concerns." With that, the little fox coughed and spat up a glass ball at the ronin's feet. "I apologize for the drool, but I wanted to keep it safe. This is my hoshi no tama. I will entrust it to you and ask only that you bring it back once Anjou is dead. Perhaps that will allay concerns."

Ichiru took few nervous steps away from his precious orb, seeming to assume that the ronin would understand the significance of what he just did. If not, perhaps their other kitsune companion could enlighten him. He let out a huff, and then returned to his position atop the statue, this time turning his attention to The Expendable. "Anjou has acquired quite a lot of power, but he is no god. I do believe that you stand a chance, but only if you first break his network of servants. Much of his power comes from others, and even if an individual somehow became stronger than him, they would not be stronger than the combined might of his armies. I can help you break this network, and make him vulnerable to your attack when the time comes. Now, would you like my guidance, or would you like to vandalize my shrine further?" He gave Pan Chao an irritated look, the first sign that he had been bothered by his childish antics.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Hayazo how does Ichiru know that Lieu Lei is a dragon?

@Blight Bug

A good question! ^_^ Perhaps one Lieu Lei ought to ask Ichiru...

Avalon Academy: The Confines of the Crown

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The Great Hall

@Gowi

As he spoke with Lyriel, Seldo got a better feel for her court demeanor, or rather lack thereof. She smiled more than most ladies would find proper, and she played with her hair in a childish fashion. Despite being in a room full of the most important youths in the realm, she was completely relaxed, not at all intimidated by the crowned prince of Forlonia. It was a rare trait to see in ladies, who often stood on ceremony even more so than the lords, but it raised a pertinent question: was it intentional, or unintentional? Relaxed manners could be a sign of a poor attitude and upbringing, or they could simply be a proper lady's preferred means of expression. Whichever was the case, Princess Lyriel had piqued Seldo's interest.

"I generally settle into new places well, and this does not seem to be an exception." Seldo said, allowing his tone and expression to transition from courteous to friendly. How would she react to that? Would she even notice? "The Conclave seems to have reasonable accommodations, though I will miss my wine with dinner." He spread his hands slightly and shrugged, as if to say, "It can't be helped." "My journey here was not nearly as long as yours, nor was it as long -- or cold -- as my trip to Aladore, so I suppose I can't complain about that. Ah, and speaking of Aladore, I was hoping to meet Princess Rhelissa, but I suppose we've missed each other in the crowd. The two of us spent a spell together a few years back, and I was glad to hear she would be attending as well. Meeting new faces is always enjoyable, but there's a certain amount of comfort in old friends, don't you agree?"

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

One by one, the "others" that the little fox had mentioned appeared, some with friendly greetings, some less so, and what a colorful collection of people -- if you could call a walking, talking pumpkin a person -- they were. Luo Dai gave each of the visitors a pleasant nod as they approached, but decided to follow the fox's example and wait until everyone was here to make an introduction. Well, that was until the young woman wielding a shockingly large axe appeared. He responded to her aggression with a pleasant smile. "I'm not sure who you are or where you're from," he said, "But I'm fairly certain you're making a mistake. If you're referring to the fox I think you're referring to, then we will likely be allies rather than enemies."

The little fox trotted out into the middle of the group, once again conveying raw meaning into the minds the travelers. Perhaps they would perceive it as a child's voice echoing in their heads speaking the language and dialect that was most clear to them. But, any who observed the fox would clearly see that he was not "speaking" per se. "He's right, young dragon. Nobody here is a friend of Anjou. In fact, I brought you all here for a very simple reason: you all want to kill Anjou. Besides, violence is not allowed in this place. If you drew your weapon I'd have to take it away."

The fox then turned to Hongo, the ronin who had been paying his respects at the shrine. "Please forgive them for their lack of formality. I'm sure most of them are confused and have many questions. I guess I'll start by answering the easiest one." He then hopped up on top of the fox statue in the center of the shrine and looked at all of the visitors. "My name is Ichiru, and this is Kado Shrine, a place between the mortal and spiritual planes. It is protected by the gods and Anjou has no influence here. I saw that your fates are all headed in the same direction, so I took the liberty of weaving them together by bringing you here. Maybe if you guys work together you won't all die when the time comes for you to storm Anjou's castle. But, there's a lot you'll have to do before that... For now, why don't you all take a moment to introduce yourselves. Then I'll answer any questions you may have and send you on your way."

Ichiru was then as still as the statue he stood upon as he waited for his guests to introduce themselves and then pose any questions. Luo Dai looked around and his new companions with a pleasant expression. "Well, it seems like Anjou has made quite an assortment of enemies. Perhaps karma will finally catch up to him. I am Luo Dai, and anyone who wants to bring the fox's rule to an end is a friend of mine." He took a moment to assess the people that had gathered here. There were two human men, both of which appeared to be very strong, and if the girl could actually wield that ax that she was holding, then she would be an asset as well. There were also a number of youkai that had joined them, including a kitsune. Apparently Anjou treated his own kind no better.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

Just waiting on @Zero Hex to make his intro and we can get this rolling.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@SodiumOkay, you're good to go.

@Banana You're good as long as by "wounds" you mean stabs and cuts and stuff. Also bear in mind that this is your character's blood, so I expect it to put a significant strain on him to use it.

Once these last three make their intro posts, we can move on.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Zero Hex Very nice! Mitsuyo is approved.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Banana I still think the healing sap is a bit to versatile. I would say, do away with healing illnesses, magical or otherwise, and instead make it a magic salve that, when applied to a wound accelerates healing and prevents infection. It could be used to treat cuts, burns, bruises, natural poisons, and the like. I'm going to have to say no to restoring lost body parts, whether they be lost limbs or lost eyes. I think this would make it a highly useful power without making it too versatile.

Reign of the Nine-Tailed Fox

@Sodium I feel like your character is a bit overpowered. She has all kinds of thieving rogue skills, but also has super-strength and can use heave weapons. I would say have your abilities focus on either the strength aspect or the stealth aspect. Likewise, the bag of holding is a bit much, so I'll say she'll have to carry her tools on her person. Also, try to find a more eastern looking dragon for the image.

@Banana Looks mostly good. I just need you to specify some limits on a couple of your abilities. I need you to put a concrete limitation on the Deathgrip more specific than "as long as he can." How long can he? How strong is he? Also, I want you to specify exactly what the healing sap can heal. I'll say no to a magical cure-all, as I like injuries to be meaningful. I would suggest picking a specific kind of injury it can heal, and even then require a great deal of exertion.

Everyone else, I'll give these two a day or so to get their characters in order, and then I'll move us along.

The Tales of Winding

And that is what happens when a cat sneaks into a rat's shop.