Kaishaba Trails

[Gohan]

Land of Water Citadel




The Kaishaba citadel within the Land of Water is a short distance away from the nation’s capitol of Mashimizu. The building resides fairly close to the nearby main harbor closest to the capitol and has a small boat dock and housing building next to it. The building is built so that even if the ocean erodes the ground from underneath most of the building that it would is still able to stand upon a large stone platform that it is built upon. The common tasks of the members who stay in this area and the citadel are much more balanced than most of the other citadels, taking no single area of their services more than another. They help protect and provide boats for travelers traveling across the ocean, they hold events for the nearby capitol, and commonly help the boat hands that work at the docks nearby.

He was finally here, at the Kaishaba Citadel. He had waited for this moment for years and was utterly clueless about what he was supposed to do now. Having spent the past year or so trying to get permission to leave his village, he had totally forgotten to research the religion's policies and such. He had simply enjoyed spending time here during his incorporeal travels. After standing around in awe for a good thirty minutes, Hatsu decided to get a move on and walk up the steps towards the entrance.

He was given a lesson (in another thread) and was told to "Go on inside and learn more about our religion. We'll have an official talk to you when the time is right."

Hatsu made his way inside and waited around the busy entrance area for this so called official.

[The Creator]

Water Citadel of Kaishaba
In the Last Days of Winter

Ah, the modest Citadel of Kaishaba. Even exorbitant donations from those who choose to pay their way out of following the path of charity reflect off the modest stone walls and find their way into the pockets of those who truly need it. The busy lobby was filled with travelers, tourists, zealots, crusaders, and pilgrims of the like. You find your own pilgrimage leading you towards one of the many acolytes who have given their whole life to Kaishaba.

There are several of them, robed in white in the likeness of the white coats of Araqiel's Helpers, who greet all who have entered. They wear nothing else; other than what appear to be inquisitors or bestowers of justice with wicked looking maces upon thick, leather belts.

The lobby gives way to three alcoves, four if one was to count the entrance to the Citadel, where, if wandered into, reveal specific rooms for several purposes which the church wields in its selfless service to the needy.

Oh, if only it weren't so busy! You find yourself surrounded by those who have reached all the available acolytes ahead of you. Perhaps you could wait in line or check out some of the other rooms the citadel has to offer.

((If you have any questions or concerns, PM me. Skill rolls are available upon request and sometimes I will point on when checks are necessary to continue with the story or to add a little to the area, etc. Rolls will be done in this thread until I get access to the staff roll thread. Hope you enjoy your trials!))

[Gohan]

---
Okay! I have 0 skills so if I need to pass a skill roll for a trial I'm willing to train those up in another thread.
Thanks for gm'ing this btw!
---

Hatsu would soon notice that there were quite a few lines with most of them leading to white robed individuals. None were free at the moment, so he would wait patiently in the nearest line until it was his turn to speak with one. Once the person ahead of himself had been greeted, Hatsu would speak.

"Hello, I once visited this place several years ago, and although I didn't learn much, I do remember how at peace I felt here. I want to join your faith through any means necessary."

There really wasn't much else he was prepared to say. He wasn't about to bring up the fact that he had already wandered around the citadel in his vapor form several years ago. He had seen many newcomers go on tasks during his time spent here, but he had no idea what the details were.

[The Creator]

Water Citadel of Kaishaba
In the Last Days of Winter

As you patiently waited, you would unfortunately not be able to tell much of your surroundings and fellow pilgrims, but, nevertheless, you eventually were helped.

A short man, perhaps 5 and a half feet or so, would bow to you and welcome you to the citadel. He was shaved bald and wore a thick, walrus-like mustache under his nose that hid his upper lip. He was old and his face was showing it: his complexion was not what it used to be, his jaw drooped, his lips were pale and cracked.

"It is blessed," he began, although he did not yet give his name, "that you have found such a path of righteousness in your heart." He bowed again, his robe nearly sweeping the floor, before he spoke softly and soothingly. "Of course, there are many who make a pilgrimage to our great citadels to pursue peace within themselves and for the world." He waved his hand, motioning for another white-robed acolyte to come and meet you, before speaking again.

"I will introduce you to brother Ezequiel who knows more than I. He may be able to answer any of your questions." By then, Ezequiel was upon you. He was taller than his bald friend and had short, straight, blonde hair. He had blue eyes that sat behind round-rimmed spectacles. He appeared to be young. He too wore the white robes of the Following.

"This man," the bald acolyte said, "wishes to make the journey into our faith."

"Praise Araqiel, friend. I am Ezequiel. I will guide you on this path if you so choose to take it. But come, let us go to a quieter place." Bowing, the bald man left you to help with another waiting in the lobby. Ezequiel would lead you into an alcove on the right, if looking at the room from the entrance, where several other white-robed men and women talked with men and women who seemed to need more attention than what the lobby seemed to allow.

He sat down on a white bench and invited you to sit across from him.

"Now, friend, I may answer any questions you might have. I must warn you, however, that the path of Kaishaba is a hard road, yet it is fruitful. Do you still wish to go through these trials?"

[Gohan]

After Hatsu spoke, he was quickly passed off to a man named Ezequiel who was better suited to help. He suggested they move out of the business and led the Genin to to a quiet area over to the right. This place looked a little more peaceful and definitely less crowded. The two made their way towards a pair of white benches and took seats across from each other.

"I don't really have any questions," Hatsu replied, "I will do whatever necessary to go through any trials necessary. I am prepared to give up my life for Araqiel!"

[The Creator]

Ezequiel could not help but smile at the man's enthusiasm for Araqiel. It was not unusual for those interested in the faith to come and seek entrance into their order but to do so without any questions what so ever was true piety!

"Excellent!" Ezequiel proclaimed with a smile. "For one to prove himself worthy of Kaishaba, he must go through a series of trials," he began, standing back up and leading Hatsu out of the room, "in the ancient days, I would pray to Araqiel to ask for guidance on choosing your first trial. In today's world, our top correspondents with Araqiel are the high devotees, the Atae, who we will now consult for your first trial.

If you followed closely, Ezequiel would lead you through a surprisingly confusing series of turns, twists, and deep hallways. Surely the citadel had not looked so big from outside! Nevertheless, Ezequiel moved deftly through the labyrinth and eventually knocked on a sliding door in the back of the Citadel.

"Come in." Came a voice from the other room. Ezequiel would look at you.

"Inside is brother Samuel. He will give you your first trial. I will wait for you outside." He said, opening the door and ushering you in.

Inside was a dark room lit by nothing but white candles that glowed weakly in the dark. Brother Samuel sat in the middle cross-legged, facing the door. He was a large man, even sitting down, with Dark skin and a large, bald head. He had bright, hazel eyes that seemed to pierce through you. He opened his arms in greeting to you.

"Sit," he offered, sweeping his right arm in a spot directly in front of him.

"May Araqiel guide your path this evening. I am Samuel. Are you prepared to take your first trial?" He waited patiently, but something in those eyes made you not want to waste his time.

[Gohan]

Hatsu was glad his eagerness was not misplaced. It seemed as though Ezequiel was happy to see such a motivated young man! The Genin smiled at the man’s reaction and would follow him to the Atae to receive his first assignment. The trip was much longer than he expected, bringing him through what had to be secret passageways. Hatsu had a detailed map of the Citadel and even that didn’t have the labyrinth marked on there.

“Thank you for guiding me,” Hatsu would say with a smile and a slight bow before stepping inside the room. Inside, he saw a pretty intimidating bald man who was, for lack of a better word, a badass. Everything about this guy told Hatsu to inch away slowly and run for the hills, but he held his position out of fear. It was about fifteen seconds after he had been told to sit that he regained control of his body and stepped awkwardly towards the chair and sat down.

“Ummm, yes I am!” Hatsu said a bit too loudly. He secretly hoped that he wasn’t going to get violated. There were way too many religions that did that nowadays.

[The Creator]

Samuel would listen as you gave your response, but the hesitation that you betrayed with your words earned you a sharp eye from the Atae. In any case, he was satisfied that you had accepted the trial. Grunting in a satisfactory tone, he would look at you as he spoke about the trial.

"Araqiel has spoken about many evils in this world which are our duty to end. In your lifetime, from here on out, these will eventually fall onto your shoulders, as well as ours'. The first trial is to see how well you can bear that burden upon you." He said, his deep voice booming through the room. "There is a Kraken here to the north that is disrupting the fishing boats off the coast but," he hesitated as he eyed you, "I am not sure that you are quite up for a monumental task such as that." And it was probably a good thing at that, what a fight a Kraken would give you!

"There is a village to the northwest of here, perhaps a day or two away, who is currently being harassed by an Ogre family by the name of Kaput. We have been lucky enough to deal with a friendly family, however, so harassing is the worst of their transgressions so far. We fear, however, that things might escalate if something is not done soon. The ninja village will only retaliate if the Ogres end life but we would like to think we could keep that from happening."

He continued, wondering if you were still interested in the trial.

"You may use whichever means that you deem necessary. However, if you are truly wishing to become Kaishaba, you will adhere to the passive creed that we take: no violence if you can help it. If you succeed in your mission, it will be the last time you can use the tools that you carry." he said, speaking of the "Charity" aspect of the Kaishaba faith, "So I recommend you get all the use out of them that you can."

He stood up, and suddenly you realized how tall he was. He looked almost like a giant and an observant (skill check) shinobi would recognize he was jotenbrud. He bowed to you.

"You will go alone, but Ezequiel will see you out." he said, and if all was well and you accepted, Ezequiel would congratulate you on your first Kaishaba assignment and show you out the door.

((From here you can go ahead and start walking. You can skip to the final day of travel, if you'd like, and I can pick up on your entering the village. Also, try to keep it PG13 buddy.))

[Gohan]

(I could have meant violated spiritually! but ok)

"Thank you for the opportunity," Hatsu would reply, feeling a lot more sure of himself. He would exit the room, escorted out of the citadel, and start his journey to this town. Hatsu would make sure to retrieve the maps and power poles he had left at the entrance.

Now for his journey. He hadn't been given any specifics, just that there was a town to the north west that would take about two days to get to. Luckily, the Genin was prepared for such an event and pulled out his nifty maps. There was one that specifically detailed the regions around the citadel and it was easy to spot the location of the village on the map. Compass in hand, Hatsu would set out towards the village.

Hatsu's pace wasn't all that fast, but he did arrive within two days. He was well rested and eager to solve this Ogre problem. From what he gathered, some Ogre family was harassing a village and it was his job to make them stop without using violence. That seemed fair enough, since he only had like one offensive attack!

Hatsu would stand at the entrance of the village, waiting for something noticeable to happen because his observation skills were piss poor.

[The Creator]

After some traveling, you found the town without much further problem. The village was not large, perhaps about 40 buildings total, with the only two storied building in the center of the village: apparently the city hall. What surrounded it, on the main road, were a number of shops, traders, and other buildings that kept the village up and running. Surrounding them, almost placed haphazardly, were the houses of the villagers. It would not take much to notice a plume of thick, gray smoke coming from the other side of the village. Villagers, which you would immediately see upon arrival, would be looking towards it nervously, muttering to themselves or those nearby.

If you decided to walk through the village you would earn strange looks. The village did not get visitors very often and the only help they had asked for regarding the problem was the ninja village some many miles away. It was unknown to them that Araqiel had seen their plights and had sent this future acolyte to assist!

Would you investigate the smoke? Would you ask around town? Would you head to the city hall? Or perhaps you would try something else entirely! Many paths lay before you, and you could only hope the one you chose would be the path that Araqiel had laid out for you.

[Gohan]

Hatsu would soon enough see smoke rising in the distance. He didn’t think much of it at first, why should he? In his few years among humans he had seen many kinds of fires. Some were lit for cooking, celebrations, etc. He decided to go check it out to see what the occasion was, since he didn’t really see any ogres. Perhaps he would ask a villager about it!

Several minutes later, Hatsu would come across some inhabitants of the village who were all looking towards the fire. Having little experience with human facial expressions, he wouldn’t think that anything out of the ordinary. Maybe there’s something special going on… The Genin picked up his pace, weaving in between of the many villagers who watched the smoke get larger. Realizing that the roads were a bit too crowded for his liking, Hatsu took to the rooftops of the buildings as he headed towards the smoke.

[The Creator]

The villagers gasped at your climbing atop the rooftops. Some of them, in outfits that gave them the appearance of peace officers, would yell at you and shake their fist in your direction. For all they knew, you were a wanderer who had just rolled in from the wilderness and could pose a threat to the village. In any case, it was not long before the peace officers of the village would attempt to intercept you on the rooftops.

You could run from them, if you wish, whereupon the following would happen, though unbeknown to Hatsu until he decided to run: they would label you as a threat to the village after you attempted to escape their peace officers and the mission would become much more difficult for you. Perhaps three of them would trail you on the rooftops, though they would be unable to catch you until you descended, with more swarming around the bases of the roofs from which you lept.

You could stop and surrender yourself to the guards, who would thus take your weapons and escort you to the two-storied building, their city hall, for questioning. The locals would give you worse looks than ever for now you were not only a wanderer but a queer wanderer, and villagers did not trust queer wanderers.

[Gohan]

Almost as if someone had been waiting for Hatsu to do something out of the ordinary, peace officers would start chasing him. Not that he’d notice this of course; he only knew that something was up because people in the streets started running towards him as if his presence had spurred them to take action. It was a good five minutes before he realized the villagers were shouting angrily at him, and not cheering him on. He then glanced over his shoulder to see three uniformed humans aptly chasing him on the rooftops.

The shinobi sighed and focused. He did not like the nuances of humans and he certainly didn’t trust their customs. It was no wonder they were having trouble with ogers; they couldn’t even handle another humanoid! Within a few seconds, his form burst into a vapor-like substance that expanded until he reached a good six meters in height. He stood so his center would be behind a rather sturdy looking chimney as he addressed the villagers.

“Greetings,” Hatsu would shout in a booming voice which he hoped would quell all the noise, “I have been sent here by the great citadel of Kaishaba to investigate a disturbance concerning a family of ogers. As you can see, I am but a spirit which has assumed the human form in order to carry out the great Araqiel’s will. If I have not sated your curiosity, state how I might gain your favor.”

Hatsu looked around, knowing that his new form probably didn’t sit well with his audience. But what did he care? All life was the same in his eyes and he wouldn’t give humans the benefit of the doubt. Hell, the villagers might be the ones who wronged the ogers for all he knew.

[The Creator]

The panting peace officers would gasp as you changed into your wind form. The villagers, who's attention you had already raptly held, burst into a frenzy of screams and shouts when they witnessed your transformation.

"Demon!" one yelled, a man's voice.
"Witch-Doctor!" another yelled, a woman's voice.

Clearly this was a village that was not used to the exploits of chakra and their wielders. Your booming voice, which seemed to originate from the winds themselves, was the last straw for most villagers. Many turned and fled, gasping in fear, or sometimes screaming, but others stayed to hear your spiel.

Only few, perhaps 3 or 4, recognized the religion which you hailed from. The others' lack of recognition made the words sound alien to their ears. They did, however, retaliate to your mention of the ogre problem. A few hailed you as a savior, those that recognized the Kaishaba faith, while most murmered about how, yes the problem needed to be solved, but they were still skeptical of you.

The peace officers reluctantly approached your wind form as you finished your speech.

"Everyone calm down," one of them proclaimed, "the situation is under control." The villagers, however, lingered and were unimpressed.

"Uh..excuse me! Being of the Sky! We accept your offer to aide us in our problem. If you mean it, the ogres can be found to the north! We don't wish for any more harm upon our village!" Still skeptical, the guards held their weapons towards you. None of them were chakra molders and so they would be unable to hurt you in this form, should you decide that they were a nuisance.

((If you travel north, we'll begin with a 30% chance of finding, with a +5% with every roll for "clues".))

[Gohan]

As expected, most of the villagers didn't seem all that convinced that Hatsu was here to help mediate an issue. He was thankful, that nobody tried to attack him though! Soon enough, one of the peace officers would address him and explain that the ogres could be found to the north. I wonder what was up with that fire, Hatsu would think to himself as he nodded to the officer and started walking north. It seemed to be a big deal, then everyone seemed to forget about it.

Hatsu was no good at tracking, but with his enhanced size, he would hopefully be able to see out into the distance a little easier. Thankfully, his maps showed several places that might be ideal for a beast's housing such as caves, large forest clearings, etc. The Genin would begin by searching in those areas since the villagers hadn't been very specific. He would also look for clues along the ground, such as giant footprints which, hopefully, would be easy to notice from this vantage point.

[The Creator]

The townspeople were happy to see you go; many of them feared the powers that they beheld just moments before and thus when you left they sighed relief. Had you investigated the fire, you would have seen the Burgher of the city, along with his associates, burning what appeared to be a house ravaged by the ogres. But that path was not taken, and now you shot forth into the north, hoping to find the home of these creatures.

Unfortunately, it was not a fruitful effort. You found little other than isolated snapped twigs that did not seem to correlate into any traceable pattern. You did find, however, what seemed to be a rusted blade, caked in a thick, black blood, surrounded by flies whose buzzing brought you to find it in the first place.

The blade was in poor condition and perhaps it hid a clue but without any discernible clues as to who it belonged to or what it was used against, it probably left you in the dark.

((You did not find the ogres.
Roll Proof
Chance being kicked up to 35%))

[Gohan]

Hatsu made his way around the area and eventually came across a bunch of bugs that were congregating en mass. Ogres are smelly right? This might be it! Sadly, it was just some twigs and a discarded blade. It was no wonder why it had been abandoned, having been in such poor shape. It looked to covered in blood too, which meant that it had probably been used recently to kill something. Hatsu guessed the blade belonged to one of the ogres, or some kind of bamf that lived among them.

The Genin would take notice that the twigs were broken and would assume that someone had stepped on them. Hatsu would continue traveling past the branches and blade, feeling as though whatever left the blade had gone back.

[The Creator]

((Did not find narutoforumrp.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=51&thread=104300&post=932508))

Your search would not greet you with any results. You did, however, find a clearing in which there appeared to be trees snapped, as if some great storm had been too forceful for nature, and strewn about the ground.

Maybe you were getting closer, perhaps you were getting further away. Would you keep your faith in your new religion, or would you begin to have doubts?
((Chance improved to 40%))

[Gohan]

Several more searching attempts failed and Hatsu found himself resting and looking out towards what looked like crushed vegetation. This looked oddly familiar to how the branches were crushed earlier that day and the neophyte felt he was getting closer. It almost looked as though something had broken through the trees to make passage. Whether this was true or not, Hatsu didn’t really care. He was a patient person and he knew if it was meant to be, he would come across the ogres sooner or later. He just hoped he wouldn’t get his head lopped off in the process.

[The Creator]

((Found them, for better or worse. narutoforumrp.proboards.com/post/932526/thread))

Your patience proved to be just the edge needed. Without losing your cool, your tact and guile allowed you to see through the trees to spot four ogres, each more disgusting than the last. They were the Kaput family: Yorg, Lob, Ter, and Penniworth. You did not know their names although their looks were distinctive.

Yorg was the tallest, standing at 10 feet tall, and perhaps somewhere around 500 pounds. He had a large, rounded belly protruding from a stained, white shirt that seemed so tight it was as if it was painted on him. He wore no pants, and his green legs were blubbery and as thick as tree trunks.

Lob was shorter, at 8 feet tall, and wore no clothing. He was the same puke green color as his brother Yorg and wore a braided ponytail, which was black, tangled, and knotted, which fell to his shoulderblades. You would find him with his right index finger up his nose.

Ter was noticeable because his shade of skin color was a reddish, almost a copper-like red. He stood at 8 feet tall like his brother Lob and was bald. He wore no clothing, leaving you to believe that Yorg was the only one that believed in any sort of clothing.

Finally there was Penniworth, a seven foot tall ogre who wore a monocle over his right eye. He was the same color as his other two brothers but was shorter than all the rest. All four of them seemed to have blunt weapons next to them, as they were sitting in a circle, apparently discussing their favorite meals.

"Put man-mean in a man-meat porridge, I tell you, an' that's the best treat." Yorg declared.
"You're mad if you don't think smoked man-meat with raspberries isn't the best man-meat there is." protested Ter
"You both are loony. Raw man-meat holds the most flavor. Else you muck it up!" said Lob.
"I prefer my man-meat slathered in slug dung." piped Penniworth.