As much I would like to use some (mostly the WB mercantile guild), it seems the world's quite full as it is. As much as I'd like to evolve the world to new civilizations, since there's a good chance a good chunk of Kamigawa's mechanics will be thrown out, I'd want it to be recognizable as Kamigawa somehow. It's unrealistic with the time frame, but it also seems to WotC's way to do things as well. Plus, I'd like to explore how the original civilizations would have functioned when the structure of the world wasn't fundamentally out of wack. I pretty much only added UR pirates and GU Kaiju to cut off spirits from UR, and let green and blue have some more non-Spirit fatties (Since I didn't want to do as many fatty cycles, I could see red could still get dragons, black demons, and white theoretically Kirins. Part of the goal is also to slightly raise resonance, and Hydras and Sphinxes would mess with that. While green still gets nature spirits, they'd be in their non-angry forms. Black spirits would resemble the girl in *The Ring*. White Reito spirits would be in denial about their death and want to look as human as possible.).
Daichi/Setsuko/Eiji branchEiji recounts a recurring nightmare to Daichi, the Okina temple head monk. The child is frightened, but Daichi is more so. It is the same exact dream another child, Eri, had confided to him months ago before she mysteriously vanished. Doing his research, he finds that the temple the children mention in the dream sounds similar to the temple Fudaiju, which fell during the Kami War. The dream sounds like a call from the kami; so he sets up an expedition to bring Eiji to the lost temple.
Setsuko is a Matsu-Tribe orochi archer who is tracking kaiju roaming the Jukai forest. She spots a rock that the kaiju go out of their way to avoid. When she examines it closer, it turns out to be part of a bell. Her attention is soon diverted, as she sees the budoka party from Okina headed towards nearby ruins that the Matsu-Tribe had forbidden any to enter due to how many had died trying to explore them. She shoots a warning arrow and warns the monks of the danger. The monks dismiss her concerns and continue on their way. Setsuko heads to the rest of the Matsu-Tribe to discuss the issue.
The monks set up camp in an area near where they think Fudaiju is. In the morning, they wake to find a massive kudzu kami attacking them. Half of the party is choked to death before the rest can escape. The remaining continue on and eventually reach the temple. The remaining monks pass the young Eiji among themselves as they slowly get picked off by kami in the castle. The last monk finally reaches the inner sanctum of the temple when the crying Eiji steps of his back and calmly announces, "I await the other chosen." The last monk is then killed by a kumo.
Ayumi, the Last Visitor appears before the boy, but Eiji is shocked to see her sad. Ayumi says, "I hoped you wouldn't come. Years ago, when hate consumed my heart, I affirmed the judgment of my master O-Kagachi. In his anger, he wished the whole of Konda's mortal realm to be wiped out. I weighed the declaration for years before I sealed the decision and made it final. I would decide the two mortals to repopulate the lands corrupted by Konda's influence and place them here at Fudaiju. Afterwards, the realm would be cleansed. However, before it could be accomplished, the war ended, and my hate went with it as well. I must always choose the chosen, but they need not come to Fudaiju and your world need not end. I have asked my gentle friends to do horrid things in order to prevent the chosen from entering the temple, and it has delayed the judgment for hundreds of years." Ayumi noted the boy was crying, she comforted him saying, "Fear not; for no matter what, you are safe. Here, you will be provided for." (This is based off of
Ayumi's vignette.)
Setsuko heads to the Matsu-Tribe elders, who decide that she should head to the Kashi-Tribe and try to get them to convince the monks at Okina to stop their foolish endeavor. When she arrives at the Kashi-Tribe she lets slip that she had been tracking a kaiju. Upon reflection, she realizes that it was headed in a migratory route that would put take it toward Okina. The Kashi-Tribe and Setsuko then rush to Okina.
Kenta/Sharp-Eye branch (longer because the dialogue feels a touch more important for context here)
Kenta didn't realize he was succumbing to Dog Fever until it was too late to do anything other than yell at his wife and daughter to leave. The madness drove him to be a senseless killing machine and his wife died in her initial hesitation to his warning. His daughter barely escaped and was injured when the people of Ganzan were finally able to lock him up. The the last of the winter snow melted, the madness subsided. His neighors didn't blame him for killing his wife, but he could tell they did hold it against him that he didn't lock himself up before the madness fully took hold. In the mean time, he concerned himself with prepping his daughter for her coming of age ceremony. However, she had been hiding the severity of her injuries and died by autumn.
With no family and feeling estranged from his neighbors, Kenta left Ganzan to pursue the one thing left he knew he could do. He headed to Undaitake Temple in the heart of the Tendo Peaks, to train with the Yamabushi. There, they initially took him in, but noted a certain recklessness in his behavior. Before they would allow him to go on treks in the mountains, they took him aside. After questioning, they realized the full extent of Kenta's self-hatred. Sending him out into the wilderness wouldn't be sending him to a spiritual experience, it would be sending him to his death. With a heavy heart, they said he would need further training before the could be of help to him.
Kenta found his way to Sugi Hayashi, where the kitsune were kind and welcoming. He couldn't understand how they could be nice to such mess as he was. Eventually he started training with a kitsune named Sharp-Eye. After repeating it time and time again, Sharp-Eye's message started to sink in to Kenta: "Fighting isn't about proving oneself; fighting is about saving lives." Sharp-Eye one time jokingly added, "including our own," but it hit Kenta harder than the kitsune intended.
After a good spar, Kenta finally laughed. He looked at Sharp-Eye and sighed, "I finally feel like I could belong somewhere again."
Sharp-Eye coldly replied, "Remember, your home is Ganzan. You will need to return someday."
Misinterpreting, Kenta said, "I don't have any ties to there any more. I could live wherever I wanted." Kenta was confused when Sharp-Eye quickly left.
Sharp-Eye had gone to the village elder. The elder comforted him, "It is good to hear that Kenta laughed." However, he also reaffirmed, "But as you know, Sugi Hayashi welcomes all, but it is only home to kitsune. It is good to feel compassion for others and even call them your closest friends, but there always needs to be a place where you can seek the wisdom of those who have walked your path before. What human knows about stopping the chafing that comes with a brand new tail?" He sighed, "It hurts the heart, but if an outsider takes Sugi Hayashi as his home, in time, he will come to ask that we respect him enough not to talk about the things that make him uncomfortable. If we are forbidden to speak here, are we to have pink tails from here on?"
From then on, Sharp-Eye would refuse Kenta's friendly gestures after sparring, and instead go meditate. Kenta was saddened at first, and eventually started referring to Sharp-Eye as Sensei Sharp-Eye instead. Eventually, Kenta decided it was time to leave. On the day of his departure, the kitsune got message of the kaiju headed toward Okina. The village warriors quickly prepped and headed out. On the way, they passed a strolling Kenta. He asked, "Sensei, where are you headed?"
"There is a kaiju headed toward Okina; we are going to help defend it."
"Then, if you allow it, Sensei, I will go there with you."
"We will allow it. And you can drop the 'Sensei.'"
"I'm sorry, but I must refuse, Sensei."
When they reached Okina, they didn't yet see the kaiju. Then some oaks toppled over and a giant boar appeared. The monks and orochi at the temple stood in awe just as the kitsune around Kenta. It reminded him of the same hesitation his wife had. He looked at the mad eyes of the boar. It was a madness that felt familiar. It was his madness. At that he lost it. He charged at the beast, taking full swings and hitting it at every possible moment. The rest of the defenders took their shots, with Kenta as the distraction.
Eventually, the boar fell. Sharp-Eye was sad. Kenta hadn't fought to save lives. He had taken risky swings just to get in more of a blow. He was lucky the beast hadn't hit back as often as it could. Kenta had fallen back to having to prove himself. All their training was for nought.
Later, when the decision was made to go to Mikokoro, the kitsune boarded the ship. Kenta refused to board. THe village elder said, "Your soul still wanders, Kenta. Come with us to Mikokoro."
“No, I want to see my family,” he replied. “I’ll see to it that the ride has no surprises from the shore.”
Sharp-Eye asked the elder, “Tell Kenta what he’s doing is senseless, an unnecessary sacrifice.” The elder refused. Sharp-Eye yelled, “Defeating the opponent isn’t the only way to win, dimwit. We're going to just let it pass. There's no kaiju here.”
Kenta shook his head, and the boat left. The elder looked at Sharp-Eye and said, “It is his choice to make.” At that moment, Kenta ran to a a grove on the shore. A loud howl shook the boat, and a kaiju wolf stepped backwards from the grove into the water. It's attention wasn't on the boat, though. It circled its way to pounce back into the grove.
Chieko/Kaseto branchIt starts with Kazuo. At first, the teachers at Minamo (third campus) think he's just playing hooky. However, he can't be found, and there's no notice in the school portals that he left the grounds. All the sails were properly accounted for too. He should be there. The students were asking questions. The headmaster Chieko issued a statement, "Kazuo suddenly fell ill. He's recovering at his family home."
They checked the logs for the intra-school portals. Kazuo entered the portal to the west hall, but never arrived on the other side. That portal was used hundreds of times a day. She checked the portal. It was working fine. Kazuo was promising student; a rival might have tampered with the portal. She interviewed the students with the best grasp on the portal magic. There were no leads. Then it happened again. And again.
There was nothing wrong with the portals. Chieko scoured the libraries for texts that could help. In a passing moment, she recalled a scroll she read long ago that could help, but when she found the familiar scroll, she saw it was blank. This was serious. She put the school on alert. Then she had to do what she dreaded most. She told the parents.
Akagi, the port town nearby, was hit badly from a crab kaiju. They had even swallowed their pride and asked Minamo for help rebuilding. Chieko denied them anything. Her students came first, and all the school's resources were focused on finding them.
Chieko was running out of ideas. She asked the soratami to look for the missing students. They looked along their normal trade routes. She pushed for more, and they did a more detailed survey. She asked for more, and they covered all the mainland. It was getting past the point of good will. They told her that the students were gone. Unless they were in the middle of the sea, they no longer existed.
So to the middle of the sea she went. Luckily for her, she hit a strange island with crystal spires. She circled the island and only spotted a small wokou camp. Her students could easily take care of them, so she landed on the island to look inland.
When a slew of pirates confronted her, she teleported them to the other side of the island, "I don't have time for you now." Reading through all those portal spells really did prove useful.
In the center of the island, she couldn't actually believe what she saw. She had found the students. She said, "Come on, we need to get you back class."
Kazuo answered, "No, we need to get everyone here instead." Seeing that she was puzzled, Kazuo explained that an orb had shown the student's Ayumi's judgment was going to happen. Mikokoro was safe from the judgment, since it wasn't influenced by Konda's empire during the Kami War. Since one of Ayumi's chosen arrived at Fudaiju, the other was drawn even stronger to it, and would eventually force her way there. If she died, a replacement would immediately be chosen. The judgment would be delayed no more.
Huffing and puffing, the pirates finally crashed the party. Yajiro, the captain didn't see the point in helping, but the first mate, an ogre named Ryota finally convinced him. The children would stay on the island and help make an accommodations for the masses that were going to come in. Chieko would go to the mainland and try to convince the people to all head to Mikokoro, starting with getting word to the civilizations of Jukai, one of the most spread out regions. The pirates would help convince the sailors of Akagi to offer rides, then head to Sokenzan.
Chieko was worried. It was easier said than done. How could she convince people to pick up there lives and leave? When she reached Akagi, she was surprised to see the orochi Archmage Kaseto there. He said, "I know the world is coming to an end, and you have the answer to save my people." He explained he had received a cryptic message from an ancestor. He had been able to make out that there was danger, but not what was to be done. "With only that, a prophecy is useless."
Together they went to Okina, where they where surprised yet again to see the heads of Sugi Hayashi, the Kashi-Tribe and most of all the Matsu-Tribe with Daichi, the leader of Okina. They were told that they had just repelled a kaiju attack. Kaseto verified the intentions and the threat that Chieko described, quieting even Setsuko's suspicions toward her. Daichi confirmed that the other chosen was a girl named Eri, but he had no idea where she was. She was last seen months ago, running away deep into the Jukai. They might already be dead and not know it.
Tamiyo/Ajani/Eri/Shoichi branchEri hadn't been in Jukai long after she ran toward the place in her dreams. The soratami had seen her in the jungle in a part far too dangerous for children. When they picked her up, she was incomprehensible. They took her to Otawara and cared for her. They tried to get her to talk about her family, but all they could get her to say was, "It doesn't matter. I just want back in the depth of the woods." The soratami, thinking something horrible must have happened, kept her for psychological observation. Shoichi, one of the children of the soratami caretakers, had seen her and wanted her as a sister. When she came to, he tried to endear her to the life in clouds, ridiculing her desire to go back to the ground. Overall, she felt isolated and trapped.
One day Eri came across the soratami Tamiyo. Sensing something different about this soratami, something more earthy, she confided her current fear. "I've been having this recurring dream, but lately, it's been getting worse. I have to go to the sanctum in my dream, but I don't know why. It's eating at me."
Tamiyo answered, "That's how some dreams are. We can't fully understand all our actions in a dream, but when we're in them, they make sense."
Eri said, "But I'm awake. I need to go. It's like my body wants something, but my mind doesn't understand. It's like I don't have control of myself." Tamiyo paled.
"I know the feeling."
Eri cries, "And I know that if I follow through, everyone will die."
Tamiyo rubbed her back, "You can't know that."
Eri calmed down, "I do."
That night, Tamiyo looked through her scrolls to see if there was anything that could help. The closest she could find was a line about an mahotsuki long ago who was once cursed with power unbelievably strong, but cost her her sanity whenever she used it. She was with child and found away to remove the curse for the sake of her unborn child. Tamiyo would need a more detailed account to be able to make any use of it.
That night Ajani came to visit. Tamiyo kidded him about joining the Gatewatch.
The next day, Eri was taken aback by Ajani, but Nashi vouched for him. Tamiyo declared that she was going to find a way to help Eri. The girl wanted to come with. Ajani said he'd come too and watch over her. Tamiyo warned them that they were going to Numai. Eri said she knows not to gamble.
Tamiyo's investigation led her to a gang boss named Kichirou. She asked him where she could find a more detailed tale about the mahotsuki. The boss was more interested in hiring Ajani as an exotic dancer. Eventually after giving an explanation of the situation, the boss admitted that the best possible place he could think for it would be in the archive at Mirenshi, but that it was dangerous. Tamiyo said she could handle it, but refused to let Eri go with her. Ajani and Eri stayed with Kichirou.
At Mirenshi, Tamiyo used her magic to sneak past the ogres. In the archive, she found she was not alone. Tibalt had agreed to get a description of the spell for an ogre at Shinka, who hoped to recreate it and claim the top of the food chain there. In the ensuing tussle, Tamiyo didn't get the story and the two were loud enough that an alarm was raised.
The echoes of the alarm reached Numai, and Kichirou chuckled. "It sounds like something went wrong."
Ajani growled and asked, "Can I leave Eri here with you?" Kichirou made no promises. "Then where can she be safe?"
Kichirou thought for a second. "There's a meadow nearby, protected by kami. There no living thing can hurt her." He drew a map and gave it to Eri. Ajani rushed to Mirenshi to help Tamiyo and Eri went to the field.
The field was beautiful and surprisingly green for Takenuma. Eri didn't get to enjoy it for long, though.
Shirei, Shizo's Caretaker didn't care for mortals, and dragged her six feet under to provider fertilizer for his wildflowers.
After Ajani finished helping Tamiyo escape, he mentioned needing to pick up Eri from the field. Tamiyo quickly voiced her concern that he sent her to
Shizo, Death's Storehouse. They made their way back to Kichirou. He confirmed that she was sent to her death and that they should thank him, since she would no longer be able to fulfill the prophecy. Ajani and Tamiyo decide to head to Okina to tell them about Eri's fate before going back to Oboro.
Luckily, Shoichi had been following Eri the entire time. Using the clouds, he was able to dodge Shirei as he quickly eroded Eri's makeshift grave using wind magic. By shear luck he able to quickly grab her when she was uncovered dodge Shirei on his way back to the clouds.
At Okina, Tamiyo accidentally joined the meeting of leaders looking for Daichi to tell him the news. They were worried that Eri was at Fudaiju, but Tamiyo said that she had just died in Shizo. Then, Shoichi flew in with Eri confirming she was alive.
At the meeting, the leaders made plans and timelines for getting all their people to Mikokoro. Tamiyo and Ajani volunteered to warn the citizens of Takenuma and Towabara. Eri would go with Shoichi back to Otawara and the rest would regroup at Akagi to see the progress Yajiro had with the Sokenzan area, and Tamiyo and Ajani with Takenuma and Towabara. Tamiyo offered to transport Eri after all was said and done.
Takenuma prooved difficult for Ajani and Tamiyo. The ogres at Mirenshi weren't cooperative. They refused to leave until Tamiyo reminded them that the judgment was using the power of O-Kagashi (directed through Ayumi's guidance) that obliterated the most powerful oni of his day.
Numai was even harder. Kichirou wasn't willing to leave his wealth behind. It took an unexpected invasion from Eiganjo to drive them out. Luckily, the leader of Eiganjo, Kimiko, readily accepted the message and headed back to Eiganjo to clear out the Towabara. The Nezumi of Kitanosu were already in Numai, and while unable to convince the leader Stab-Tooth to leave, they easily convinced the rest of the rats.
The Soratami of Otawara readily left, but Shoichi was having a hard time controlling Eri. Once the flare went off in Mikokoro, Eri jumped off the clouds toward Jukai, no longer able to withstand the call of Fudaiju. Shoichi quickly caught her, but he knew she would tire him out if he flew her back to Oboro. He let her down in a field far from Jukai, but to his surprise, she started running at speed he had never seen before from a human; the call had consumed her and magically sped her up. It took all his strength to follow her, using wind magic to divert kami attacks near the temple. He finally caught her at the last door. Eri pleads that he leave, but he says, “Even if you resist moving another step, there’s no way I’ll be able to get far enough away before some kami gets you. I rather know you got there safely.” Eri cried as she entered the last chamber.
Nori/Stab-Tooth/Kimiko branchNori was the closest advisor to the Eiganjo Empress Kimiko. This is due to a lucky coincidence where Nori found a pen Kimiko lost, as well as similar views on how law is meant to help the people. In his jealousy, another of the court, Akihito, secretly slices's Nori's advisor outfit, and she looks sloppy in front of the Empress and the rest of the court. Nori is shamed and practically kicked out of the court. Akihito, pretending to be nice, sends her to Numai where he has put a price on her head.
Stab-Tooth, the leader of Kitanosu, kidnaps Nori before she is killed. He wants to find out if there's a way to leverage the situation to help out the starving nezumi in his village. When they are about to finish up a deal, the Mirenshi ogres come into Kitanosu looking for blood slaves. Unfortunately, as is Kitanosu custom, Stab-Tooth has to hand her over before he can offer any nezumi as slaves. In Mirenshi, she suffers horribly and dies.
Stab-Tooth, so close to prosperity, came up with a back-up plan. He asked the Okiba-Gang to retrieve Nori's body from the ogres once she finally bit it. Afterwards, he gets some nezumi necromancers to resurrect Nori as best they can. She is pretty much just a shell with her former intelligence, but none of her convictions or personality. She is bound to Stab-Tooth, and he orders her to get Eiganjo to wipe out Numai, so that the nezumi might steal the wealth of the Kamigawa Las Vegas.
Nori arrives back in Eiganjo shocking Akihito. She calls for justice against the sins of Numai and gathers a strong following. Kimiko strongly opposes the notion, as the idea seems to hurt the common people more than benefit. However, she notes that Nori isn't herself, and convinces herself that things too shameful for Nori to admit must have occurred. Worrying about others who suffer as such, she agrees to the war with Numai.
In the mean time, Nori kills Akihito, who had been sniffing around too much for her liking. The shell notes how she felt neither satisfaction nor revulsion from committing the act.
When the Eigan army reaches Numai, the Numai populace had all already fled. There they meet Ajani and Tamiyo, who tell them all to go Mikokoro in order to escape the lethal judgment from the kami. Kimiko agrees and heads back to Eiganjo to gather the people to leave.
After the Eigan army leave, the Kitanosu nezumi swoop in to steal the leftover wealth. Again, Ajani and Tamiyo explain the situation. The majority of the nezumi panic and head toward Mikokoro, but Stab-Tooth doesn't believe the pair. After the two leave, he is left alone in the city. He ransacks the city and builds himself a treasure trove and is later killed by the judgment. Nori, already dead, sits still in her room in Eiganjo forever more, since she can no longer fulfill the wishes of her master.
Yajiro/Ryota/Uji-Uji branch (longest branch because it was fun to write)
Ryota didn't know the term for it yet, but he was a ogre with a conscience. That made him strange in Shinka. One day, another ogre Iwao was playing another game of his. He tossed an akki into a pool of lava with sides so smooth the akki couldn't climb out. The he's see how long the akki could last before he melted. This time Iwao made Ryota sit through the entire process. "Look Ryota, the it's going to make record."
"Then why don't you pull him out and play again later. It's not good to waste your toys."
Iwao burst out in a laugh, "But then you miss the best part. I love the whistle sound of the air popping though its shell."
Ryota asked, "Does the record at least have a name?"
Iwao shook his head, "All that matters is the time."
Ryota asked the melting akki, "What's your name?"
The akki, surprised any ogre would ask that, replied, "Pami-Pumi." That was his last breath. His shell burst into flame.
Iwao hit the back of Ryota's head, "Idiot. Making it talk shortens the time. It could have lasted longer than three hours!" He dragged Ryota closer to the lava. "Or maybe I should throw you in?"
Ryota was sick of it. He was sick of everything. Ryota and Iwao were the runts of the Shinka litter, and now even Iwao was starting to pick on him. At least he hadn't started using the back ring that the others pierced him with.
He walked out of Shinka for the last time. When he turned back, he smashed the steps to gate. After all, what good are ogres for other than destruction?
He had no clue where to go. Mirenshi was just as bad if not worse than Shinka. Luckily, everywhere else made the choice for him. He was pretty much chased out of every town once he arrived. Everywhere except Akagi. However, not being chased out of town is only the first step of living somewhere. The second was finding occupation.
The first person to offer him a job was a "fisherman" named Yajiro. He offered him a place on his crew to help intimidate any unwanted "fishes" that happened to "flop" onto the ship. Having no idea what that entailed, Ryota accepted, thinking it silly to try to scare salmon. When he found out that it meant making sure no guards got onto the ship after a robbery, Ryota mentioned, "There are more legitimate ways to use a ship."
Yajiro replied, "If you're interested in those endeavors, then you're a better man than I am."
"I'm an ogre."
"I'm really not a high standard for morality."
Soon, Ryota became Yajiro's right hand man. Few of the other pirates cared enough to ensure everyone got their fair share, and Ryota made sure everything ran smoothly. Being a practical ogre as the bottom of the Shinka food chain, Ryota made a habit of taking trinkets Yajiro threw out as trash and polishing them up. His pride and joy was an old sword with a dragon head carving on the pommel. It even made a formidable weapon.
After a nasty Kaiju attack on Akagi, Yajiro fixated on a rumor about an island that the kaiju avoided. They searched high and low for the island, and, after three days (just about Yajiro's attention span for ventures without a monetary payout), finally found it. There, they built a base for themselves, never venturing far into the island.
One day, a well dressed woman appeared on shore. Not liking anyone trespassing on their island, they went to confront her. However, she quickly transported them to the other side of the island. The pirates quickly rushed toward the center of the island. Once they reached it, Yajiro asked the woman, "Why are you here?"
She answered pointing to the children behind her, "Looking for them."
Flabbergasted, Yajiro asked, "Why are there now children here, too?”
Chieko quickly explained the situation. "So, will you help?"
"Why would I want to do that, exactly?"
Ryota sighed, "If there's no people, there's not going to be enough to steal in the future. And the saki will run dry."
Yajiro pouted, "Alright, alright! What should we do?"
When the pirates and Chieko arrived at Akagi, they found the Sakura-Tribe leader Kaseto waiting for them. There they divided. Kaseto and Chieko would warn the Jukai region, and the pirates would cover Sokenzan, then work themselves back to Akagi.
On the path up the mountains, Ryota asked, "Captain, who should we contact first?"
Yajiro shivered, "Why did we agree to go to the mountains? Fishermen like the sea, not snow. We do not do snow."
Ryota sighed, "You said no to Takenuma."
Yajiro laughed, "I'm not on the best of terms with some of the bosses of Numai."
"And Towabara"
"Eiganjo's too stuffy. They'll have your head if you try to steal a pen."
"And Kamitaki"
"Spend time with more versions of Chieko? No thanks"
"So, where are we headed?"
"Let's try the akki."
Ryota laughed, "They can't pay attention that long. It might be the hardest group of this whole endeavor."
"Exactly, then we can give up on the whole thing, go back to Akagi and say that we tried."
However, the mission to the akki didn't go as planned. Yajiro stood in front of the assembly of akki and said, "If you don't leave the mountains and go to the island Mikokoro, you'll die or something."
The old akki oracle Uji-Uji walked up to Yajiro and said, "Okay. We'd been waiting."
The crowd sent a chorus of replies to Yajiro "Waiting is hard," "What took you so long?" "Do you have radishes?"
Uji-Uji coughed and the crowd went silent. "This is the time of no fun. This is the time of akki greatness. This is the time the akki will poke all with poking sticks!"
A wave of "It is as the oracle predicted!" rolled over the crowd.
Uji-Uji turned to Yajiro, "Is there anything you ask of us?"
Yajiro stumbled, "Uh, could you get everyone else in Sokenzan to go to Mikokoro?"
Uji-Uji bowed. "That we can do. Except Shinka."
"Why not Shinka?"
Uji-Uji glared at Yajiro, "Because the ogres of Shinka are pieces of poo."
And thus the akki herded the people of Sokenzan to Akagi. Those who didn't immediately agree were poked with sticks until they agreed. And everyone, goats and all, were rounded up from Sokenzan and even the outlying areas or Towabara and Takenuma. Except Shinka. Because the ogres of Shinka are pieces of poo.
On their way there, Ryota grumbled, "Oh, I hate Shinka."
Yajiro replied, "I hate Shinka, too! So do the akki. Why don't we just skip the whole place and head back to Akagi?"
Ryota answered, "Don't tempt me."
When they arrived, Iwao stood at the gate with shadows dripping from his eyes. "If it isn't the little runaway Ryota who's come to see me in my moment of greatness!"
"I'm not here to fight. I here to say piece and leave."
"Why should we listen to you?"
Ryota looked to see some of his most hated kin tremble bebore Iwao. Iwao was coughing up darkness and it was spilling out of his gullet. The darkness solidified slashing in every direction. Annoyed, Ryota pulled out his sword and started hacking at the shadowy claws. The sword glowed, and a dragon of light wrapped around Iwao, dissipating the darkness. The dragon disappeared just in time for Ryota's sword to chop off the ogre's head.
"I don't care if you listen. In fact, I want you to not listen. A long overdo judgment is coming and well deserved. I must say there is a boat waiting to safety, but I hope to the Sisters you don't take it. Pray to your oni and die like the piece of scum Iwao."
On the way to Mikokoro, Yajiro's ship is attacked by an octopus kaiju. The archer Setsuko aims at the beast's eyes while Ryota slashes at any tentacles that latch onto the ship. Ryota is saved from a swinging tentacle by a yamabushi ice ray. Meanwhile a catfish kaiju is jumping in the air trying to land on some of the escaping boats, but Minamo students practice their portal spells and make the fish land in empty water. A clever student tries to hit the octopus with the fish, but the octupus grabs the fish and throws it at one of the boats. A moonfolk ninja uses wind magic to send it back and takes a few swipes at it as well. Sharp-Eye jumps on one of the octopus's arms and slashes his way until he lands on Yajiro's ship. When he lands, he apologizes, "I'm sorry. That was a little reckless of me."
A tentacle grabs Ryota, and Setsuko bites it. The venom spreads quickly and drops the ogre. The fish tries to land on another boat, but a budoka punches it away. The Eigan archers use the chance to turn the fish into a living pin cushin. A nezumi shaman reanimates the dead prey it can spot from the holes in the fish, and the dead fish corpses in the kaiju's stomach try to free themselves through the holes. Uji-Uji pulls a few rocks from the sea floor to bump the octopus around. Eventually, the ships near Mikokoro and the kaiju swim away. Setsuko asks Ryota, "Is the sea always this dangeerous?"
When everyone settles onto Mikokoro, a kaiju greater than all the others seen rises from the water and heads to shore. The lizard is taller than the spires of Mikokoro and covers even the peaks of Sokenzan from the view of the island as it makes landfall. All stare in terror. Sensing the mood, Uji-Uji points to the red moon. "When the moon recovers from its sunburn, the judgment shall be over and it will be safe to go back home."
A chorus waves over the island, "As the oracle has foretold, so shall it be."
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). I'd decided to start easy with world building for a return set. Afterwards, I'd try out writing out an exploratory design document about intended mechanics and limited game play. There's a retcon going on with the setting (giving Kamigawa an ocean), but the reasoning is more for design reasons than just expanding flavor options. So that will be discussed more with the exploratory design (if I get there). I don't really intend to make the set, I just wanted to try the writing part of the beginning that coalesces ideas so that multiple people can work on it (instead of the ideas just being willy-nilly in my head).
: Tap target creature.
Tap up to one target creature. It doesn’t untap during its controller’s next untap step. Then, draw a card.
Search your library for a card with the same name as target permanent, reveal that card, put it into your hand, then shuffle your library.
You get an emblem with “Whenever a player casts a spell, you may copy it. If you do, you may choose new targets for the copy. (Copies of permanent spells enter the battlefield as tokens.)”
You gain 100 life.
You get an emblem with “At the beginning of your upkeep, you may put target card in a graveyard on top of its owner’s library.”
to your mana pool.
(