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.
Hidden deep within Nōberu no Mori lies the Nara clan cemetery - a well-tended plot dedicated to the lost lives of Nara clan-members. Whilst the cemetery is hidden deep within the forestry, it is surrounded by tall, spiked metal fencing, to try and keep unwelcome visitors out. Considered a sacred place for members of the clan, what's unique about this cemetery is even though it is based in Hi no Kuni and is mostly considered as the resting place of any fallen Nara from the region, the cemetery welcomes its brethren from all walks of life, no matter how far their kind had travelled. Because of this, though political tensions may rise and fall, the cemetery is a no man's land where those who enter are joined only for the respect for their passed relatives. Any kind of combat is disallowed, and for this reason, the Hi no Kuni-based Nara have ensured that two guards are present at any given time to keep the peace.
Whilst the cemetary doesn't house any standalone buildings of its own, it lies in the shadow of a long worn-down church. With its windows having long since smashed in and parts of the wall having crumbled away to time, nature has taken it back as its own. Ivy creeps up its walls, desperately attempting to climb past the trees to capture any sunlight it can get, and amongst the rubble grow wildflowers. The flowers, which change each year depending on what's carried with the wind, grow of their own accord and thrive within the church's hallowed walls. It's said that this once was a hub for Nara activity, but with many members having moved to other regions, as time passed, the usage and upkeep of this building also dimmed, rendering it the skeleton of its former self that it is today.
Location guidelines
If you aren't from the Nara clan, then you will need to complete the equivalent of a D-Rank mission to locate the cemetery in the expanse of Nōberu no Mori. This does not need GM moderation to achieve success.
Following the above, anyone may enter this thread and pay their respects to the dead. Please clearly state your intentions with appropriate 'Enter' and 'Exit' posts.
Violence will not be tolerated within the cemetery. All NPCs are on high alert for such behavior and will attempt to stop any fighting.
As this is a peaceful site, this thread is non-death enabled, which is ironic, because it's a cemetery.
NPCs
Protecting the site and ensuring that no ruckus is being caused, the Nara family has guards on rotation to ensure this. Whilst they have a rotating cast, these are well-seasoned Nara clans people equivalent to jounin-rank, and typically those who have retired from an active shinobi lifestyle who are now volunteering their time at their ancestor's resting place as a way of giving back to their community. Whilst they do not typically interact with visitors to the site, they are trained to disengage any kind of combat that occurs at the cemetery by any means necessary. Being as diverse as the flora and fauna of Hi no Kuni itself, they come with a range of different unique abilities, though their connection stands in their abilities to mold shadows to their will and their use of Kagura-Shingan to detect any unwelcome guests.
One guard stays watch at any given time and can often be found at the entrance of the cemetery to identify those who enter, though they do at times also monitor the rest of the cemetary as part of their daily routine.
A selection of the more commonly seen guards can be viewed below.
Name | Nara, Shiyomi Age | 37 Appearance & Personality| Shiyomi, though nearing her 40s, is fortunate to look a few years her junior. With long, flowing black hair and gently tanned skin from spending so much time outside, she doesn't look too dissimilar to her fellow Nara clans people. Her eyes are a dark shade of brown and could be considered as being almost black. She looks quite casual to compared to the other people typically on rotating guarding the cemetery, though isn't seen without her flak jacket and pouches to hold her accessories, just in case it's required. All things considered, she's quite short, measuring only 5'3", making her one of the shortest guards on the watch.
Polite and talkative, Shiyomi is a favorite of visitors to the cemetery due to her glowing personality and kind nature. But - when your colleagues are absolute grumps, is that really that hard to achieve? Despite coming across as a very gentle-hearted person, Shiyomi is very spiritual, and believes the Cemetary to be a most holy resting site for her fallen Nara relatives. Because of this reason, when faced with combat she comes across as a completely different person as if someone had flipped a switch. She has been known to scare even the most steely of shinobi - and when she's not needing to stop any unwelcome visitors, she can often be found roaming the cemetery in search of cats. Specialisms | Ninjutsu Slots | Nara, Katon, Raiton
Name | Nara-Suzumoto, Raizen Age | 51 Appearance & Personality| The most threatening looking of the guards, Raizen is also the current longest-serving guard, despite only being at the cemetery part time due to his commitments as a medic to Konohagakure. Despite this, he enjoys his time volunteering at the cemetery, as it means that he can often visit the gravesite of his young child, Haru, who unfortunately passed away at 3 years old. Silent and stalwart, he doesn't make much conversation and even when engaged with it, typically chooses not to converse longer than what's required by his role. Despite this, a softer side can often be seen, as when not guarding the gates of the cemetery or checking the perimeter, he can be found tending to various graves around the plot, making sure that weeds aren't overgrown and that they look respectful.
Raizen stands at a towering 6'5", with the width and muscle to match. Though his days serving as a shinobi running around the world are long gone, his body shows the scars from his youth, the most prominent being a slice running across his forehead. He has ear-length black hair, the color being very in keeping with the dominant traits of the Nara family, and has dark blue eyes. His chin is decorated with black stubble - the type that makes you question whether it's a result of an intentional shave or just poor self-care. He wears traditional garb, though not without including spaces for any equipment required by his role.
Name | Nara, Kageshi Age | 42 Appearance & Personality| Kageshi, though getting on a little at 42 years old, was considered a very handsome man in his youth, and as he grew older the attraction has remained, but now is considered as more of a 'daddy' than a 'baddie'. He stands at approx. 5'11" and as a result, slightly shorter than his comrades, but has beautiful facial features to compensate. Quite lean, he has shoulder-length black hair, and dark brown eyes. His skin is quite pale despite the amount of time that he spends basking in the sun (a result of applying copious amounts of sunscreen), and similar to the other guards who protect the area, he wears respectful traditional garb.
He's happy to make conversation with people who come to visit the gravesites, though due to now being in a fully committed relationship with his wife (who packs his lunches when he's on shift at the cemetery), he makes a point of not being as open to any young women who try it on with him. Otherwise, he's quite a friendly man despite the resting bitch face which can sometimes be seen on his face, and enjoys nothing more than listening to birdsong. With a specialty in inton, his purpose is to ensure that potential threats to the harmony of the cemetery are incapacitated, and supports his colleagues by manipulating the minds of those with ill intent.
With his bag filled with all manner of herbalist equipment, Yuurei moved onwards through Nōberu no Mori, heading towards the Nara clan cemetary where both his mother, and earlier generations had found their eternal peace - whatever that meant. It was a relatively fresh day, though with the time being only shortly having passed 7:30AM, the morning still had a crispness to it which would undoubtedly be taken over by the heat of the day in a few short hours. His feet traversed the forestry, crunching lightly over the dew that spread itself across the floor. For him, it was a common pilgrimage, and his feet almost seemed to have their own accord, drawing him closer and closer to the cemetary hidden within the trees.
It wasn't long until he reached it, met with the familiar sight of the guards which protected the area. He could have made a joke about knowing them on a first-name basis, but the reality was that he was likely related to most of them, and had seen them at different clan events in the past. Such is that they knew exactly why he was there, and knew that he was best left undisturbed. Shiyomi watched as he drew close and directed a smile towards him, to which Yuurei responded to with a somewhat forced smile of his own.
Passing through the cemetary gates, he made a beeline towards one of the several gravesetones that littered the area, making sure not to tread on any of their immediate plots - whilst not a spiritual person per se, he didn't want to risk being haunted by the ghosts of his ancestors. Approaching a particular headstone with the name Nara, Yui etched on its surface, he pauses and takes a moment to simply take in the day. The chill in the air, the sound of the breeze rustling against the trees above and the serenade of the birds who resided in them. Kneeling down, he takes a seat on the grass next to the grave, and pulls a myriad of items out of his bag, including his mortar and pestle, a variety of vials, and a small container which housed the Herbs he'd spent the past week collecting. It wasn't your average herbalist workstation, but made him feel at peace with both himself and the world that they resided in.
Removing one piece of Prin [D-Rank] from his herb container, he then proceeded to empty it in to the heavy mortar to his side. Thin fingers grasped the pestle and begin to work at the herb, crushing it down and slowly secreting chakra from his finger-tips to support with the process. It wasn't long until the green leaf had become liquified. For this particular concoction, Yuurei didn't add any additional properties to the final outcome. Whilst he was accumstom to the taste of many different herbs, Prin was quite nice, if not a bit like toothpaste. Likewise, because he planned on using this himself, he didn't need to apply any qualities to hide its nature.
{Techniques Used} Attempting to make 1 vial of D-Ranked 'Elixir of Agility' - Post 1 of 2 (Herb to gas)
Passive |
Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Passive / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: - As the beginning of all herbalism, the user is taught to understand the basics of tracking and picking herbs, as well as using them in various situations. Through this training, they are able to produce some of the most beneficial and harmful elixirs known to the shinobi world. In effect, this technique opens up the entire herbalist tree to the user.
Note: The rank of the outcome elixir is determined by the rank of the herb used. Likewise, the rank the elixir is going to be will determine how many posts it takes for the herbalist to concoct it (for both herb to liquid and liquid to gas) as well as how many properties it can contain. 'D' rank takes 1 posts and can be given 1 property. 'C' rank takes 2 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'B' rank takes 4 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'A' rank takes 5 posts and can be given 4 properties. 'S' rank takes 10 posts and can be given 5 properties.
Properties are counted in slots, and each elixir the herbalist concocts will be different; this means you must keep track of what properties each one has in your bio. Additionally, each slot is taken up by a property, not by a property type. So if an herbalist stacks 4 Nagatsudzuki (Long Lasting) properties onto an 'S' rank elixir, they only have 1 slot open for another property.
Active |
Yakusou Henkan (Herb Conversion) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Supplementary / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: Mid, Low upkeep This technique is what allows an herbalist to turn the herbs they found into a liquid elixir. After putting an herb into the mortar, they focus chakra into the pestal and begin to grind the herb. The chakra resonates with the herb's chemical bonds, turning it into a liquid over time.
Note: How long it takes for an herb to be converted into a liquid follows the rules of Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery). Only 1 herb can be converted at a time with this technique; 1 herb produces 1 ounce of liquid.
Yuurei counted down the minutes as he continued to ground down the now very liquid-like herb, waiting for the telltale signs of the mixture for the precise time that he should up the ante and change his approach in order to turn that very same liquid to a gaseous form. Naturally, being quite good at what he did, the time soon came and Yuurei fed a little more chakra in to his hands as he continued to whirl the herb around in the mortar. To someone unfamiliar with herbalism and its different processes, this might have looked very .. odd. As if injected with some kind of energy potion, Yuurei's wrist suddenly began to grind down at the herb with far more energy than before - the next step was much more intense than the first, and even with the support from his chakra to ensure the success of this process, his wrist still felt sore.
Distracting himself from the faint ache that grew in his hand, he looked over at his mother's grave, and at the flowers that decorated it. They were tulips - a suitably-fitting spring flower which she had loved when she was alive. 'When she was alive' even thinking about it was still odd, even after all of these years. He wasn't certain who had placed these down and arranged them by her headstone, but he could hazard a guess and presume it was his father and a potentially a relative. Whilst Yuurei himself preferred to come out here by himself, his father was far more sociable with paying his respects, and typically came with an auntie or uncle. In more than one ways, they were both very different people.
The whirlwind happening in the mortar continued to intensify, before that familiar minty smell burst from its confines. There were definitely less appetizing elixirs around. Identifying it as being time for the last step of the process, Yuurei gently came to a halt and releasd the grasp of chakra from the pestle he was holdin, reaching to his side to grab an empty vial to dash the contents of the mortar in to. Ensuring every last bit was contained, he then pressed down firmly on the cap to ensure that nothing would escape, and looked down at the empty remanants of the mortar. One down - one more to go.
{Techniques Used}Attempting to make 1 vial of D-Ranked 'Elixir of Agility' - Post 2 of 2 (Herb to gas)
Passive |
Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Passive / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: - As the beginning of all herbalism, the user is taught to understand the basics of tracking and picking herbs, as well as using them in various situations. Through this training, they are able to produce some of the most beneficial and harmful elixirs known to the shinobi world. In effect, this technique opens up the entire herbalist tree to the user.
Note: The rank of the outcome elixir is determined by the rank of the herb used. Likewise, the rank the elixir is going to be will determine how many posts it takes for the herbalist to concoct it (for both herb to liquid and liquid to gas) as well as how many properties it can contain. 'D' rank takes 1 posts and can be given 1 property. 'C' rank takes 2 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'B' rank takes 4 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'A' rank takes 5 posts and can be given 4 properties. 'S' rank takes 10 posts and can be given 5 properties.
Properties are counted in slots, and each elixir the herbalist concocts will be different; this means you must keep track of what properties each one has in your bio. Additionally, each slot is taken up by a property, not by a property type. So if an herbalist stacks 4 Nagatsudzuki (Long Lasting) properties onto an 'S' rank elixir, they only have 1 slot open for another property.
Active |
Ekitai Henkan (Liquid Conversion) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Supplementary / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: Mid, Low upkeep This technique is what allows an herbalist to turn the liquid they have produced into a gas. While the liquid is in the mortar, they focus chakra into the pestal and begin whipping it at a fenzied pace. The chakra resonates with the liquid's chemical bonds, making them unstable over time. When the process is complete, the herbalist must quickly put the liquid back into the vial, because exposure to air after this process is complete will turn it into a gas.
Note: How long it takes for a liquid to be converted into a gas follows the rules of Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery). Only 1 ounce of liquid can be converted at a time with this technique; 1 ounce of liquid, when exposed to air, produces 1 meter diameter of gas. At the end of this technique's process, if the herbalist does not put the liquid into a vial within one turn, it will turn into a gas. Likewise, when a vial is broken or uncapped, the liquid's agitated bonds are exposed to air and it will turn into its gaseous state.
Following the last vial being sealed and returned to his bag, Yuurei turned to look at his collection of herbs. He still had a few left that he needed to use. Given that what he currently had was all Prin of the same quality, there was no need to spend time cleaning the pestle and mortar. Pulling another scrap of Prin from the bag and placing it in the mortar, the process began once more, with Yuurei feeding a very small amount of chakra through his palms to the pestle as he ground down the herb. Herbalism, as exciting as the different elixirs to be, was unfortunately quite a repetative process and one had to find ways of making it interesting. For Yuurei, reflecting was how he best spent the time, reels of his mother teaching him how to process herbs running through his head like an old tape recording.
Slowly but surely, and with each turn of his wrist, the herb continued to grind down and he started to smell the very telling scent that it released from being put under so much pressure. He'd often heard of Prin being used in dishes where mint was unavailable - especially in some of those fancier establishmenst within Konohagakure. It wasn't something that he'd personally tried, but part of him wished that it wasn't true on account of the fact that he didn't want the culinary industry staking out his favourite herb growing spots in the region. There were far more useful things that you could do with them beyond tempt a palate.
The resistance against the pestle he was holding steadily began to wane as the herb became more and more liquid-like in state. It wouldn't be long now until the next step. But for now, he continued to work away at the Prin, staring in to the hypnotic void of the mortar as it light marble sides began to stain with green liquid. Owning a herbalist's respirator, he found having certain gaseous elixirs pre-loaded was very beneficial when needed most in battle. It was just a case of having the most useful vials to hand - only once in the past he'd been caught out and needed to quickly re-load in the heat of battle.
{Techniques Used}Attempting to make 1 vial of D-Ranked 'Elixir of Agility' - Post 1 of 2 (Herb to gas)
Passive |
Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Passive / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: - As the beginning of all herbalism, the user is taught to understand the basics of tracking and picking herbs, as well as using them in various situations. Through this training, they are able to produce some of the most beneficial and harmful elixirs known to the shinobi world. In effect, this technique opens up the entire herbalist tree to the user.
Note: The rank of the outcome elixir is determined by the rank of the herb used. Likewise, the rank the elixir is going to be will determine how many posts it takes for the herbalist to concoct it (for both herb to liquid and liquid to gas) as well as how many properties it can contain. 'D' rank takes 1 posts and can be given 1 property. 'C' rank takes 2 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'B' rank takes 4 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'A' rank takes 5 posts and can be given 4 properties. 'S' rank takes 10 posts and can be given 5 properties.
Properties are counted in slots, and each elixir the herbalist concocts will be different; this means you must keep track of what properties each one has in your bio. Additionally, each slot is taken up by a property, not by a property type. So if an herbalist stacks 4 Nagatsudzuki (Long Lasting) properties onto an 'S' rank elixir, they only have 1 slot open for another property.
Active |
Yakusou Henkan (Herb Conversion) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Supplementary / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: Mid, Low upkeep This technique is what allows an herbalist to turn the herbs they found into a liquid elixir. After putting an herb into the mortar, they focus chakra into the pestal and begin to grind the herb. The chakra resonates with the herb's chemical bonds, turning it into a liquid over time.
Note: How long it takes for an herb to be converted into a liquid follows the rules of Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery). Only 1 herb can be converted at a time with this technique; 1 herb produces 1 ounce of liquid.
The familiar pressure having lifted from the mortar - Yuurei paced himself to begin the next step of the herb manipulation process. Feeding a little bit more chakra to his hand, the blender-like process began once more as his movements sped up to further crush the Prin within the mortar before him. Many times he had wondered if he could create a device that could automatically run the process by itself, but though he was an intelligent man, inventing wasn't quite his forte as a shinobi. But - a machine would sure make this process a whole lot faster. Resigning this to a drawback of the immense potential that their abilities could unlock, he signs, continuing to ground away as if his life depended on it. It wasn't as if he was in a rush, but equally, he had other things that he wanted to achieve with his day beyond just make these two gases.
That same familiar toothpaste scent began to fill the nearby area as the herb's state changed from liquid to gas, and the moment it hit his nose once more, Yuurei again halted his movements and put the pestle back in the mortar, and moved to grab a vial from his herbalist bag. Opening the top of the vial, he then worked to move the contents of the mortar in to the vessel, sealing it and giving it a ceremoneous tap with his fingers as he watched its contents whirl inside. Grabbing some tissue from his bag, he gave the mortar a cursory once-over to clean it lightly, before packing it in his bag.
Removing the initial vial he'd created, he also grabbed out of his bag the respirator, and began to hook both vials up to the accessory so that it was ready to go for his next adventure. The convenience of having two slots was very useful, knowing that he had two hits at his disposal at any time. A few careful clicks and all was done. Placing the respirator back at his bag and taking a curosry look on the ground to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything, Yuurei stands up, and looks at the grave before him for a few more minutes, before taking his exit from the cemetary, and heading back to the village.
{Techniques Used}Attempting to make 1 vial of D-Ranked 'Elixir of Agility' - Post 2 of 2 (Herb to gas)
Herbalist's respirator fitted with [2] D-Rank 'Elixir of Agility'
Passive |
Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Passive / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: - As the beginning of all herbalism, the user is taught to understand the basics of tracking and picking herbs, as well as using them in various situations. Through this training, they are able to produce some of the most beneficial and harmful elixirs known to the shinobi world. In effect, this technique opens up the entire herbalist tree to the user.
Note: The rank of the outcome elixir is determined by the rank of the herb used. Likewise, the rank the elixir is going to be will determine how many posts it takes for the herbalist to concoct it (for both herb to liquid and liquid to gas) as well as how many properties it can contain. 'D' rank takes 1 posts and can be given 1 property. 'C' rank takes 2 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'B' rank takes 4 posts and can be given 3 properties. 'A' rank takes 5 posts and can be given 4 properties. 'S' rank takes 10 posts and can be given 5 properties.
Properties are counted in slots, and each elixir the herbalist concocts will be different; this means you must keep track of what properties each one has in your bio. Additionally, each slot is taken up by a property, not by a property type. So if an herbalist stacks 4 Nagatsudzuki (Long Lasting) properties onto an 'S' rank elixir, they only have 1 slot open for another property.
Active |
Ekitai Henkan (Liquid Conversion) Rank: S Range: Close (0m ~ 5m) Type: Supplementary / Yakusoushi Hijutsu Handseals: - Chakra Consumption: Mid, Low upkeep This technique is what allows an herbalist to turn the liquid they have produced into a gas. While the liquid is in the mortar, they focus chakra into the pestal and begin whipping it at a fenzied pace. The chakra resonates with the liquid's chemical bonds, making them unstable over time. When the process is complete, the herbalist must quickly put the liquid back into the vial, because exposure to air after this process is complete will turn it into a gas.
Note: How long it takes for a liquid to be converted into a gas follows the rules of Yakusou Shuutoku (Herb Mastery). Only 1 ounce of liquid can be converted at a time with this technique; 1 ounce of liquid, when exposed to air, produces 1 meter diameter of gas. At the end of this technique's process, if the herbalist does not put the liquid into a vial within one turn, it will turn into a gas. Likewise, when a vial is broken or uncapped, the liquid's agitated bonds are exposed to air and it will turn into its gaseous state.