When the comforts of civilization begin to dull our senses, we must never forget that in the beginning, there was war. And war. And more war. Long before there were empires, there were humans consumed with greed and the hunger for power. Resources, territories, information—these were the forms of sustenance upon which we preyed. Today, we call such habits vices. Oh, how arrogant we have become! Are we not still impelled by those primordial emotions? Is the advent of war so far-fetched? But alas, for you to truly understand, we must dive deeper into this land’s half-forgotten past.
There was a time when might was the only law that humankind knew. Fearsome clans roamed throughout the land, seeking amenable grounds within which they could take root and opposing forces against whom they could test their mettle. Given the irregularity of nature’s bounty, certain regions appealed more than others, and dominion over such coveted territories became the spark that ignited the earliest inter-clan wars. These fierce, internecine affairs tended to conclude only when one side had decimated their competition into oblivion, and many clans of story were rendered extinct during this period.
The victors of war, having claimed their territories, often made truces with surrounding locals, offering protection in exchange for access to the yields of agriculture. Over time, certain communities emerged as more dominant than others, either due to numbers or sheer talent, and their rapid expansion would force smaller, neighboring communities to either collapse into their fold or be devastated. When the dust settled, humankind found itself divided into the five major territories that we are familiar with today. And was the bloodshed over? With our lands obtained and our bellies filled, were we finally content?
06/01/2023 June is for Juggin
We made it y’all, another month of OTA, and fresh off the press we have another promotion ready. Leaving behind the opening bonus sadly, we welcome the jugggggg! June is for juggin AKA working hard, so we are making it a double rewards month for every mission completed! Yes we said it's double rewards, now you all can really get into the thick of those builds if you work hard enough. And who knows what you might uncover in the process. AND all jobs are free to enroll no quest EXCEPT ANBU(Black Ops) roles.
Name: Escort Rank: C Repeatable: Yes Description: Our client, Mr. Dononoki is a tea fanatic and will go to outstanding lengths to find rare and delicious tea leaves outside of Konoha. High up on the mountains there is a special white tea leaf that makes for an excellent brew, but only grows every so often, thanks to Mr. Dononoki constantly plucking them from the earth. Objective: Assist Mr. Dononoki up the mountains and help him gather his leaves. Reward: 200 EXP and 25,000 Ryo
Trudging his way through the village gates and onwards to great unknown (Not really - he was pretty sure he could map the entire region of Hi no Kuni out from memory alone at this point), Yuurei gazes up at the sky. There was a familiar warmth to the air, a heaviness that typically coincided with a downpour, or a storm. It was somewhere in the region of 7:00AM, an early start by all means, but it seemed as if the sun hadn't got the memo just yet, and darkness hung in the air like an unwelcome shroud. '..Of all days he chooses today..' he thinks with a sigh. Having signed up to support Mr. Dononoki on his planned travels to the mountainous outcrops of the Noble Forest a week prior, the weather report had seemed to change its mind with each passing day, and had unfortunately settled on whatever this was. Whilst he wasn't particularly fond of bright sunshine, neither was he the biggest fan of rain. But storms - storms he could get behind. If it was going to pour down, at least make it interesting.
Continuing to walk ahead, he familiarised himself with the route that they were about to take, looking at a paper map held in front of him - laminated, of course, just in case it did in fact rain. The meeting point where he was to collect Mr. Dononoki wasn't all too far from where he was - about ten more minutes of walking. Then the rest of the route took them a strange way up what Yuurei knew to be one of the rockier approaches up the mountain Mr. Dononoki was intent on scaling. Whilst he'd only met the man once, he didn't put him down as the type to be a mountain goat - quite the opposite actually. But, perhaps looks could be decieving. Glancing once more at the route and taking note of the 'X marks the spot' on a paricular spot riddled with contour lines, he then folds it back and returns it to his pocket, stepping onward through the forestry. Though it wasn't hot to begin with, the air cooled somewhat as he entered the depth of the forestry, and the familiar scent of pine filled his nose.
So, the aim, as far as he'd been briefed, was just to help Mr. Dononoki up the mountain so that he could gather those highly sought-after tea leaves. When he really thought about it, it wasn't all that different to his continued support of Ms. Megume, exept instead just heading to the immediate outskits of Konohagakure, they had to trapes up some big ass mountain. But - it seemed to pay well, and he could definitely use the money. There were also some paralells between what they were gathering - aren't tea leaves just a different type of herb..? Maybe if you squint. Either way, he'd committed to helping the man on his trek, and who was he to give up now due to a little bit of bad weather? Drawing his hands out of his pockets, where they had previously been sat, he allowed them to hang at his sides. Utilising the tracker which was affixed to his left eye, he could see something up ahead, and could clearly discern it to be Mr. Dononoki - the balding spot at the top of his head and odd choice of clothing was something he could identify from a mile away.
It wasn't long until the two met, with Yuurei, naturally, towering over the petite man with all 6'1" of himself. Looking up at the golden-eyed Nara, the man, somewhere in his late 50's, grins as he picks up his nearby bag and slings it over his back. In fact - it wasn't quite a bag, but more of a ... barrel of sorts, albeit a small one. Either way, the way it hung on his bag made it hard not for Yuurei to stifle a laugh, as the man now with bag included was about as wide as he was short. Tilting his head, he moved to speak, gazing down at him as he adjusted the vessel now strapped to him. "Is there anything you need to do before we set off?" he asks, straight to the point. If there was one thing Yuurei was, it was professional, and he wasn't prepared to waste his time with irrelevant small talk when they could already be making their way up to the peak that held the fabled white tea leaves.
"Nothing - I have everything, do you?" Mr. Dononoki responds with a huff as he tightens the waist-belt, and Yuurei simply nods in response. He had packed light, though his herbalist bag was worn in case he did run in to any interesting plantlife on his way that he could harvest for his own purposes - it would be a waste to not keep an eye out for something if he was coming out all of this way. After all, what was he expected to do when Mr. Dononoki was harvesting his tea leaves? Whilst he enjoyed a good book, he ought to be more productive with his time. "Fantastic, young man! Then let's go - the hills await!" the man grins, slapping Yuurei affectionately on the back as he passes him on to the trail up ahead. Rolling his eyes, Yuurei sighs, and follows him up ahead..
"..And THAT is how my grandfather first found these tea-leaves on this very mountain that we're ascending - isn't that interesting?" the man puffs through his challenged chest. They hadn't actually made all that much of an incline but it was clear that he was unfit. Though, from the story that Yuurei had just learned about the leaves only becoming good for picking once every blue moon, he wasn't all that surprised that he was finding this difficult. '..Thrilling' he thinks in response, only to follow it up with a far more intrigued sounding "So these tea leaves - what about them makes them so special?" if there was one thing about Yuurei, it was that he knew how to play the game. Whilst such boring conversation usually would have only gained silence from him, he acknowledged that he'd be stuck with his man solidly for the next few hours, and the least he could do was humour him. He might even learn something.
"What makes them so special?-" he huffs, and suddenly, stops, taking a breather to answer the query. Yuurei sighs - he shouldn't have asked. "What makes them special m'boy is that they are used to create the most delicate, most beautiful, most delicious teas in Hi no Kuni... dare I say.." he pauses dramatically "..The world". Truth be told, whilst he had heard about the famed Dononoki tea shop within the village, he hadn't visited. He was pretty sure he'd had some at some family gatherings at the past - it was something that the older generation seemed to prefer - tea wasn't something that he busied himself with. But, it was nice to see the man have some confidence, it wasn't as if he had much else going for him. Continuing to walk up the steep hill, the man continues: "But you see, this particular variety that I use only comes in to season once every three years - I actually have -" a pause "- a waiting list of about forty-eight different customers in the village who have signed up years in advance for this special brew"'Really? A waiting list for... tea?
"Though mind you, harvesting the leaves is only the start of the journey.. beyond this it doesn't just turn in to tea m'boy - it goes through a long, long process of -" huff, puff "- Drying and -" puff, puff "- Grading and -" the steeper the incline became, the more laboured his breathing became, and the two found themselves at a standstill once more as Mr. Dononoki caught his breath once more. "...Mixing, there's far much more .... about tea-making than meets the eye." Yuurei leans to one side, his left arm raising to scratch the back of his neck. "Though I bet you and your generation - you likely think it just appears like that, in a bag, isn't that right, hohoho?". Though his face didn't show it, thoughts of 'My generation', what does 'my generation' have to do with anything?' reeled through Yuurei's head. "Oh really? That is a lot of steps. I didn't know tea-making had all those aspects to consider, that's very interesting Mr. Dononoki" he speaks in awe at the process that was just shared with him. Snaking his hand in to his pocket, he pulls out the map, and makes one quick - and deparate - check to see where they'd gotten to on their journey.
Glancing at his watch, Yuurei could tell that an hour or so had passed, and the incline remained as persistent as it ever had been. Of course, being in his prime and having climbed far worse terrains in search of various herbs in the past, this was no issue to Yuurei, who gracefully ascended the stony expanse of the mountain. For his companion, however.. things weren't quite as easy. Unfortunately for Yuurei, as his role was to escort Mr. Dononoki, it meant that he had to walk to the man's pace, which in his case, may have rivalled a slug. However, he could appreciate the fact that he was still going for it, despite his huffs and puffs and constant breaks. Clearly, this tea meant something important to him, and though they were slightly different, Yuurei figured that when he got that old - if he got that old, that he would also do his best to continue his passions. In that sense, he did have some respect for the man. He didn't seem like a quitter, or at least, not in his quest for these tea leaves.
"So for how long have you been travelling up these mountains in search of these particular tea leaves?" Yuurei inquires. Mr. Dononoki had previously elborated on the prologue of how his grandfather had taken a stroll up these mountains and come across the most wonderful leaves, but he failed to mention the sequel. Of course - small talk wasn't really his thing, but if it made time pass by quicker then he was more than happy to do it. 'It's all about building rapport, Yuurei - these people are our neighbours' came to mind - he could practically hear his father's voice at this very moment. "Me?" Mr. Dononoki almost seemed surprise by his question. "Why, since I was a young boy! I can remember each summer I would help my grandfather collect his tea leaves, why - just like you are today!" he pauses, and huffs a breath "- Except, well, we're not related. But, you get the point!" whilst adding that sentence on did absolutely nothing for the quality of the conversation, he clearly felt it important to add on. Just in case perhaps, for one moment Yuurei would consider him a long-lost relative or something.
However, as the man talked, explaining in further detail the exact routes that his grandfather would take him, and how his sister had been next in line to take the family business but had chosen a different career path instead, Yuurei was instead transfixed on something to the side of them, having heard rustling in the bushes surrounding them. A few paces behind Mr. Dononoki, Yuurei holds his long arm out towards him, and grabs on to his backpack, causing the man to flinch at the feeling of being pulled back. As if by magic then, just as he held the man back by the large tea-leaf carrying vessel on his back, ahead of them shot two large mountain goats, who ran across the path as if their life depended on it. "WHAAAGGHHHH!!" Yuurei, the Proud and Noble Konohagakure Shinobi (TM) that he was, watched on silently as they scaled the way to the right of them, unfazed, whilst Mr. Dononoki on the other hand seemed a bit winded by it all. Gently letting his bag go, Mr. Dononoki dusted himself off and turned to look at the black-haired man behind him, grinning ear to ear. "See, son, you always need to be prepared in these parts! But - the way they were running makes it sound like they were running from something much larger.. how's about we keeping going, eh?" he suggests, starting to trample his way up the hill once more. Yuurei conceded.
Combining with D-Level herb search for personal herb supply
CURRENT HERB SEARCH | Post 1
Vesm Rank: D Type: Herb Region: All except Snow and Iron Special: Takes up one (1) accessory slot. Description: This herb is a small stalky plant with no fancy adornments or even leaves that can grow to be one foot in length, but tends to lay along the ground, like a root. Its black color is what initially drew herbalists to it. It is said that potions made with this herb can affect one's eyesight. Cost: 500
Another hour passed, and whilst they didn't see any more rouge mountain goats - or fortunately anything larger to be concerned about - through the treeline Yuurei, a keen botanist himself, noticed the change in foliage the higher they got. As the breeze picked up around them as they scaled the mountain, the plantlife became more scarce, as it was made clearer that only the bravest of plants grew in this area. Perhaps also a reason that the leaves could only be harvested once every few years - Yuurei was sure that if he grew up as a young sapling in an envrionment like this then every day would be more survival than thrival. It was actually quite sad how after all that effort to produce beautiful leaves, they were pruned so callously. But - from the sounds of it, Mr. Dononoki's family had been working on these trees for decades, and surely will be for decades to come. There surely had to be some kind of genetic expectation from that which made them more used to such rituatls. Stepping forwards, rock by rock, Yuurei's pace slowed when he heard the old man GASP! at the sight of what came before then - a luscious selection of tea bushes, their leaves a vibrant green. They stood out like a sore thumb against the otherwise beige landscape around them - it was a surprise that no-one else came by them, but he suspected many wouldn't know what they were.
"Here they are!" he exclaims happily and jogs on. It was lucky for him that the land had seemed to flatten a little where the tea grew, meaning that he could traverse over to the plants easily and with little resistance. As Yuurei also came to a stop, he scanned the area with his tracker for any sign of other plantlife that he could inspect. Mr. Dononoki
"I'm going to have a little look around to see if I can find any herbs - call me if you need me"
For someone who was supposedly sent to escort the man, it certainly seemed like he called the shots. But, it was to no bother. The old man waved at him to signal that he was happy just snipping away at the abundance of tea leaves, as Yuurei began to roam around, passing through the tea plants that had hypnotised the man so.
Studying the rocky terrain around them, there was some semblance of plantlife, but nothing that stood out as being particularly colourful or pretty like the things that grew deeper in the vallies of Hi no Kuni. Yuurei had a good idea of what he might find up here - Vesm. A tough herm, moreso a root to compare with the other leafy products that he could find nestled between grasses and bushes. Vesm was trickier to find, as it lay low against the ground and favoured places where the sun shone stronger. It was almost symbolic that it would grow in areas like the mountaintop that he had - like the tea bushes that Mr. Dononoki loved, a plant that thrived through adversity. Though, it was clear that vesm, due to its root-like nature, camouflaged far better than the brightly coloured tea bushes, which made finding it bit of a challenge. It was, however, one that he was up for - gazing over at Mr. Dononoki, who was stil engrossed in collecting his tea-leaves and throwing them in to the large bucket that had previously been on his back, Yuurei figured he had enough time to spare.
Combining with D-Level herb search for personal herb supply
CURRENT HERB SEARCH | Post 2
Vesm Rank: D Type: Herb Region: All except Snow and Iron Special: Takes up one (1) accessory slot. Description: This herb is a small stalky plant with no fancy adornments or even leaves that can grow to be one foot in length, but tends to lay along the ground, like a root. Its black color is what initially drew herbalists to it. It is said that potions made with this herb can affect one's eyesight. Cost: 500
"Yuurei! This might be the best crop that I've seen in at least a decade! Look at the shine on these leaves!"
Gazing in Mr. Dononoki's general direction, he watches on as he holds up the leaf towards the sky, as if showing it to the heavens themselves. It was just as well that it hadn't rained yet during their journey, though the clouds above sure were showing off a particularly dark shade of gray. The humidity that had previously hung in the air lower down in the forest had seemed to clear a little, though the air still did have a certain heaviness to it - if they were lucky, it would rain all the way home and that would likely mean less conversation between the two of them. Moving his eyes back to his own mission at hand, the location of Vesm, his eyes scoured the floor below. Fortunately, given that there weren't all that many plants around here, whilst there was the odd exposed root here and there from a few of the more hardy mountain trees, they weren't all too common, and with exposed patches of earth that grass daren't grow on, it felt as if his quest would hopefully resolve itself.
It wasn't long until Yuurei found some suspiciously vesm looking outcrops on a patch of dirt, not too far away from the tea bushes that Mr. Dononoki was harvesting. Kneeling down and pulling his herbalist bag to his side, he takes out his tools to help extract and identify the roots before him. Whilst he hadn't been up this particular mountain, his mother had taken him around all kinds of rocky areas in Hi no Kuni, and her tution had taught him that they were often found in these desolate locations, masquerading as tree roots. As previously noted, the absence of trees made searching for Vesm in this area far easier than lower down in the forest. Cutting off a piece of the root and picking up to stare at it intently, Yuurei made note of its nodules and twists, comparing it against the image of the herb that he had in his head. It was no doubting it - this was definitely Vesm.
"I think, twenty more minutes and we'll be done here - you're not in a rush to get back, are you?
"Not at all, Mr. Dononoki, I'll be here as long as you need me to be" he insists as he carefully drops the piece within the herb-carrying vessel in his herbalist bag.
For once, Yuurei wasn't being sarcastic - though only because he clearly had something to gain from staying atop this mountain. Gazing down at his watch and then back at the roots before him, he continued studying away, discerning the pieces worth harvesting from the ones that still had some growing to do that wouldn't be able to create an exlixir of any kind. He had always been taught to leave the smaller herbs - harvest what's fruitful, and leave the rest to ensure he'd have a healthy harvest to return to next time - kind of like fishing. Not that he's ever fished in his life.
Combining with D-Level herb search for personal herb supply
CURRENT HERB SEARCH | Post 3
Vesm Rank: D Type: Herb Region: All except Snow and Iron Special: Takes up one (1) accessory slot. Description: This herb is a small stalky plant with no fancy adornments or even leaves that can grow to be one foot in length, but tends to lay along the ground, like a root. Its black color is what initially drew herbalists to it. It is said that potions made with this herb can affect one's eyesight. Cost: 500
..Tap, tap, tap..
As he kneeled, hands busy carefully snipping away at the roots in front of him, the feeling of large, wet raidrops started to fall on what part of his skin that was exposed. Gazing up at the sky, whilst he thought the sky had been dark previously, it had managed to exceed expectations on this occasion. Though it was only mid-day and their descent would see them return to Konohagakure in the mid-to-late afternoon, it seemed far later than that. But - fortunately for him, twenty minutes had passed all too fast and gazing over at the Vesm that he'd managed to collect, he was happy with what he'd achieved. Happy he was also sure Mr. Dononoki was, as he could hear him grunt to put on the now-full backpack of tea leaves, which he had now sealed the top of to keep the leaves from getting soaked, or escaping should he demonstrate some poor footwork on his way down the mountain. Closing his own herbalist bag and moving over to the old man - and taking a mental note to return to this spot in future, should he ever need more of the herb - he glances again at his bag, asking through the rain "Do you think you'll have enough to satisfy the waiting list that you've got?" how many had he said were waiting on this particular type of tea leaf? Forty-eight? Though herbs were his speciality, he wasn't sure exactly how many tea leaves actually went in to making a cup of tea - similar worlds, different materials.
"This -" he gestures, his arm reaching behind him to drum on the bag "- Should be enough for them, and then some. I'll need to return to get more as the leaves were plenty in season, but this will keep me busy for a while. Yuurei could have offered to store some himself in his own bag, but that would mean lowering the chances of him coming here on his mission in the future. Of course - not that he wanted to necessarily help Mr. Dononoki again, moreso that it gave him an excuse to come up and harvest more vesm. "Great - a successful trip, then" he says, though his tone was somewhat empty, devoid of the usual emotion that would come with words such as those. Though he couldn't say that the trip hadn't also been successful for himself, too. "What do you say we make our way down? This rain looks like it's only going to get heavier, and I'm going to need to put my best foot forwards on this descent!"
Watching as the man points towards the way they'd come, Yuurei turns on his heel to follow him.
In the hours that passed, the rain did fall down, and the conversation did also dampen in tune with its rhythmic landing on the ground beneath their feet. Whilst they didn't scale down the mountain as quickly as they had hoped, Mr. Dononoki, in his old age, was clearly concerned with not twisting his ankle and took each steeper descent slowly. Yuurei, who had since put on a jet-black cloak to keep his hair from getting wet, moved behind the short man like a shadow, though at times choosing slightly less perilous ways of descending than the other. Time passed and they soon found themselves on more familiar, grassy terrain, and they both knew it was on the straight and narrow now. Hunger gnawed at Yuurei, and he gazed down at his watch - a late lunch would be calling his name the moment he steps through the gates. What had previously been raindrops was now torrential, and it was a surprise that they remained somewhat dry beneath their cloaks, but at this point, knowing that their warm homes weren't too far away, even if they had gotten soaked it wouldn't have bothered them. The forestry, as dense as ever, led them home, and Yuurei couldn't want to get inside.