[Hijikata didn't really want to visit Apkallun. The lake people were outstandingly kind to the outworlders, having saved and sheltered them last year and aided them in getting to Dinas Emrys this year, but after spending days on end with an octopus bottom twice he's kind of had enough! However the dangers of the lake eventually compel him to accompany the trek, even if he doesn't cut a very knightly figure with his lamp-equipped helmet and "fashionable" waterproof backpack to carry provisions and some magical items in.
Once in the underwater town it's only by chance that he notices the worn 'wanted' poster. After gathering more information on the Wispmera he quickly resolves to find it. He can't let a child-snatching monster terrorise these shy but gentle people! So he sets out, equipped with his swords (the belt they're tied to is the only part of his uniform he's still wearing in his current form, kept in place above his grey-greenish tentacles thanks to his lower body's girth) and his elemental- and death magic (who's to say that the mysterious creature isn't a ghost of some kind?).
Luckily he found a companion to go with him while the other guests enjoy the marketplace and the lake people's hospitality, because the area beyond the town's outskirts turns out to be dangerous. Hijikata ends up having to use his water magic to redirect a strong underwater current that would have swept him away otherwise, and on one or two occasions only his lightning magic is convincing enough to scare large fish with uncomfortably sharp teeth away.
It's after several hours of searching that the two adventurers finally spot an entity that matches the townsfolk's vague descriptions. They take cover in a kelp forest and observe the presumed enemy.]
It has a mermaid tail... or is that someone else's who's being digested by it?
[Creepy!! He has half a mind to take advantage of the creature not having noticed them yet and take it out by surprise. Attacking in an ambush isn't his normal modus operandi, but is it really worth the risk when this thing can paralyse people with its long tendrils? He doesn't want to end up as its next meal!]
2) The Ring of Disp(Hell) (Turnkey Tosted)
[Honestly, Hijikata didn't expect them to make such fast strides in their efforts to avert the calamity, but it seems that after the odyssey of finding the Fisher King and weakening Excalibur with his curse the trust between Camelot and Elphame solidified to the point where King Arthur and Queen Elphame (specifically the latter) felt able to lay all their cards on the table. They made great progress throughout summer, procuring the ouroboros' eggs and the phoenix' heart... so now only that mystical ring is left. Whatever the plan is for the items, he has no idea, but he feels the confidence all around him, and it has infected him too.
He practises the Dragonscale spell with restraint before the expedition, and while it makes him feel oddly heavy he also feels like his skin could withstand any kind of extreme temperature like this. On the day of the flight he's ready - even the supply shortage didn't affect him, given that he already had everything he needed and stuffed it into his Inventory-Slots-enhanced camping backpack. His latest encounters with dragons reduced his animosity to the point where he's content to ride on the red dragon's back along with his fellow adventurers.
The ascent of the volcano proves difficult and challenging, and Hijikata missteps more than once despite all care, having to save himself with his wind magic at last second. At least he's not the only one, and he ends up grabbing a couple of people before they can fall. Once they all reach the cavern a long rest is desperately needed.
When the adventurers are ready to proceed into the tunnels of the Labrinth y Brenin he hands out torches and magical fire - not an ideal light source in the already hot volcano, but unless the light mages are able to provide for everyone it'll have to do. As they pass a gap in the dark tunnels that lets them view the slow streams of lava far below he turns to wait for someone who paused before reentering the narrow passage.]
[No one could have been more delighted to see a mayonnaise stall open on the marketplace than Hijikata! He eagerly chats with the vendor, overlooking her puzzled face at his mention of mayonnaise fairies, and is more than ready to pay the high price for several jars... until the vendor invites him to first sample the different varieties she created. A moment later his yelling can be heard across the market.]
You!! What do you-- hic-- think you're doing?! This isn't-- hic-- mayonnaise!! It tastes like-- hic-- shit!! Are you trying to make a mockery of-- hic-- us mayonnaise lovers?! Huh?!
[This sure escalated quickly. He's shaking the fae by the collar and has already drawn his sword too... he may or may not be demanding seppuku as the only suitable punishment.]
B ⦿ Knight at the Museum
[Of course chaotic evil doesn't sleep, not even now that they're getting so close to being able to avert the calamity! Hijikata is pretty pissed off that some mages have nothing better to do than turn armours at the museum into mauling machines, so naturally he turns up there at dusk. Seeing another outworlder nearby he skips the pleasantries.]
I take it you're here for the knights too? What's your game plan? I'm not a siphoner, so...
[He pats the hilts of the swords at his belt (one long, two short). He clearly intends to brute-force his way through this.]
C ⦿ Shining Armor
[Malous in the heart of the foggy marshes isn't exactly Hijikata's favourite place on Avalon. The creatures that live in these swamps are so dangerous and creepy!! At the same time the mushroom fae that also dwell there greatly aided everyone in finding the missing Fisher King, and as usual he simply can't let the matter rest, so he sets out... admittedly without much of a concept of how to deal with the armour. His primary plan is to engage it in combat, be it by sword or by magic, blow it apart and seal each piece in a container before it can put itself back together. It's a pleasant surprise to run into a fellow quester all the way out here.]
You've got to be here for the armour as well. What's an armour doing in the marshes, anyway? It should've sunk at the first misstep!
[Well, Hijikata, maybe it was just careful! And with no body inside it doesn't make for an attractive prey for the creatures in the dark water.]
D ⦿ The Lost City
[Hijikata has a certain fondness for the Lady of the Lake, not least because she retrieved his sword for him when he lost it in the lake well over a year ago (never mind that she also put a spell on it... one of these days the first words spoken after someone is struck by the blade will be something weird, and then he'll realise). As such he tackles her ask of escorting the Atlanteans while they gather supplies outside of Atlantis, even though he has to enlist an alchemist friend's services first to attain the Potion of Underwater Breathing.
It's goddamn weird to be underwater in his normal human form (this time he's wearing the wetsuit he bought along with the mining-helmet-like thing that provides some light underwater), but at least he's not the only land-dweller who took on the job! As the Atlanteans harvest clams he and his fellow quester watch out for merrows.]
I've been underwater way too many times this year. Do you actually enjoy this?
[Otherwise why would anyone else have picked up this quest... unless they also want to please the Lady of the Lake, or are maybe interested in the mysteries of Atlantis?]
E ⦿ Jerry Jello (OOC: He's not actually doing the quest, but if anyone wants to meet teenage Hijikata, here's your chance!)
[Despite Hijikata's bitching about his many aquatic adventures he went ahead and commissioned another Potion of Underwater Breathing for the purpose of visiting the town of Bucca off the east coast of Avalon. Well over a year ago he helped exterminate a bunch of man-eating nudibranchs that endangered the town's peaceful eel naga population, and with the outworlders' return home appearing within reach now he wants to check up on those lake people one more time.
The people of Bucca are happy to see him again, and he spends several hours telling them about everything that happened (they got word of the big events, of course, but they're eager to hear the dramatic details first-hand from one of the brave foreigners!). He pretty much stays until shortly before the potion's effect wears off, and they see him off with many kind words. He's actually quite emotional as he swims back up to the surface... good thing he's in the water! He doesn't think much of the tiny glowing jellyfish swarm he passes by (he's in his wetsuit after all!), but one of them brushes against his face... and that's all it takes.
The day after anyone who knows him may be confused to see him in town looking much younger - 10 years, give or take -, wearing his uniform as usual (at least he didn't shrink out of it), long hair tied up in a ponytail. He looks pretty nonchalant about what happened, raising a hand in greeting.]
Before you ask, apparently a yellow jellyfish aged me down. It could've been worse; there are some really shitty effects you can catch from differently coloured ones.
F ⦿ The Forest Grove
[So the ruins of Celliwig have, at long last, been reclaimed by the dark mages of the fallen Splendoured Court... that old name probably doesn't apply anymore now, with the appearance of the place changed from bright structures of glass and crystal to that black diamond fortress towering over the ongoing rebuilding efforts. Hijikata is quiet for once, impressed by how profound the difference is. Untypically for him, he came here not to fight any light mages opposed to the changes, but rather to try and reason with them. He's not great at diplomacy, but the partial responsibility he feels for what happened almost a year ago sits deep. Seeing a fellow outworlder here is a relief.]
Of all the things that might've happened to this place I didn't see this coming. So their big talk about balance was pretty hypocritical in the end, huh?
[They went through so many trials to prove that they united light and darkness in them, only to now realise that Celliwig itself was tipped in favour of the light back then... but this is just the nature of people, isn't it?]
G ⦿ Wildcard
[OOC: Please feel free to rope him into any other quests, light web or dark web, if you need a partner or victim (he's a weredog, in case anyone is doing the Howl in Pain quest, but he won't go down easily... unless you trick him somehow)! Also feel free to PM me or hit up my plotting post.]
Toshirou Hijikata | Gintama (Primatica CRAU) | Current Charater
[Hijikata didn't really want to visit Apkallun. The lake people were outstandingly kind to the outworlders, having saved and sheltered them last year and aided them in getting to Dinas Emrys this year, but after spending days on end with an octopus bottom twice he's kind of had enough! However the dangers of the lake eventually compel him to accompany the trek, even if he doesn't cut a very knightly figure with his lamp-equipped helmet and "fashionable" waterproof backpack to carry provisions and some magical items in.
Once in the underwater town it's only by chance that he notices the worn 'wanted' poster. After gathering more information on the Wispmera he quickly resolves to find it. He can't let a child-snatching monster terrorise these shy but gentle people! So he sets out, equipped with his swords (the belt they're tied to is the only part of his uniform he's still wearing in his current form, kept in place above his grey-greenish tentacles thanks to his lower body's girth) and his elemental- and death magic (who's to say that the mysterious creature isn't a ghost of some kind?).
Luckily he found a companion to go with him while the other guests enjoy the marketplace and the lake people's hospitality, because the area beyond the town's outskirts turns out to be dangerous. Hijikata ends up having to use his water magic to redirect a strong underwater current that would have swept him away otherwise, and on one or two occasions only his lightning magic is convincing enough to scare large fish with uncomfortably sharp teeth away.
It's after several hours of searching that the two adventurers finally spot an entity that matches the townsfolk's vague descriptions. They take cover in a kelp forest and observe the presumed enemy.]
It has a mermaid tail... or is that someone else's who's being digested by it?
[Creepy!! He has half a mind to take advantage of the creature not having noticed them yet and take it out by surprise. Attacking in an ambush isn't his normal modus operandi, but is it really worth the risk when this thing can paralyse people with its long tendrils? He doesn't want to end up as its next meal!]
2) The Ring of Disp(Hell) (Turnkey Tosted)
[Honestly, Hijikata didn't expect them to make such fast strides in their efforts to avert the calamity, but it seems that after the odyssey of finding the Fisher King and weakening Excalibur with his curse the trust between Camelot and Elphame solidified to the point where King Arthur and Queen Elphame (specifically the latter) felt able to lay all their cards on the table. They made great progress throughout summer, procuring the ouroboros' eggs and the phoenix' heart... so now only that mystical ring is left. Whatever the plan is for the items, he has no idea, but he feels the confidence all around him, and it has infected him too.
He practises the Dragonscale spell with restraint before the expedition, and while it makes him feel oddly heavy he also feels like his skin could withstand any kind of extreme temperature like this. On the day of the flight he's ready - even the supply shortage didn't affect him, given that he already had everything he needed and stuffed it into his Inventory-Slots-enhanced camping backpack. His latest encounters with dragons reduced his animosity to the point where he's content to ride on the red dragon's back along with his fellow adventurers.
The ascent of the volcano proves difficult and challenging, and Hijikata missteps more than once despite all care, having to save himself with his wind magic at last second. At least he's not the only one, and he ends up grabbing a couple of people before they can fall. Once they all reach the cavern a long rest is desperately needed.
When the adventurers are ready to proceed into the tunnels of the Labrinth y Brenin he hands out torches and magical fire - not an ideal light source in the already hot volcano, but unless the light mages are able to provide for everyone it'll have to do. As they pass a gap in the dark tunnels that lets them view the slow streams of lava far below he turns to wait for someone who paused before reentering the narrow passage.]
Are you coming? You don't want to fall in there.
3) Quests
A ⦿ Holy Mayo War
[No one could have been more delighted to see a mayonnaise stall open on the marketplace than Hijikata! He eagerly chats with the vendor, overlooking her puzzled face at his mention of mayonnaise fairies, and is more than ready to pay the high price for several jars... until the vendor invites him to first sample the different varieties she created. A moment later his yelling can be heard across the market.]
You!! What do you-- hic-- think you're doing?! This isn't-- hic-- mayonnaise!! It tastes like-- hic-- shit!! Are you trying to make a mockery of-- hic-- us mayonnaise lovers?! Huh?!
[This sure escalated quickly. He's shaking the fae by the collar and has already drawn his sword too... he may or may not be demanding seppuku as the only suitable punishment.]
B ⦿ Knight at the Museum
[Of course chaotic evil doesn't sleep, not even now that they're getting so close to being able to avert the calamity! Hijikata is pretty pissed off that some mages have nothing better to do than turn armours at the museum into mauling machines, so naturally he turns up there at dusk. Seeing another outworlder nearby he skips the pleasantries.]
I take it you're here for the knights too? What's your game plan? I'm not a siphoner, so...
[He pats the hilts of the swords at his belt (one long, two short). He clearly intends to brute-force his way through this.]
C ⦿ Shining Armor
[Malous in the heart of the foggy marshes isn't exactly Hijikata's favourite place on Avalon. The creatures that live in these swamps are so dangerous and creepy!! At the same time the mushroom fae that also dwell there greatly aided everyone in finding the missing Fisher King, and as usual he simply can't let the matter rest, so he sets out... admittedly without much of a concept of how to deal with the armour. His primary plan is to engage it in combat, be it by sword or by magic, blow it apart and seal each piece in a container before it can put itself back together. It's a pleasant surprise to run into a fellow quester all the way out here.]
You've got to be here for the armour as well. What's an armour doing in the marshes, anyway? It should've sunk at the first misstep!
[Well, Hijikata, maybe it was just careful! And with no body inside it doesn't make for an attractive prey for the creatures in the dark water.]
D ⦿ The Lost City
[Hijikata has a certain fondness for the Lady of the Lake, not least because she retrieved his sword for him when he lost it in the lake well over a year ago (never mind that she also put a spell on it... one of these days the first words spoken after someone is struck by the blade will be something weird, and then he'll realise). As such he tackles her ask of escorting the Atlanteans while they gather supplies outside of Atlantis, even though he has to enlist an alchemist friend's services first to attain the Potion of Underwater Breathing.
It's goddamn weird to be underwater in his normal human form (this time he's wearing the wetsuit he bought along with the mining-helmet-like thing that provides some light underwater), but at least he's not the only land-dweller who took on the job! As the Atlanteans harvest clams he and his fellow quester watch out for merrows.]
I've been underwater way too many times this year. Do you actually enjoy this?
[Otherwise why would anyone else have picked up this quest... unless they also want to please the Lady of the Lake, or are maybe interested in the mysteries of Atlantis?]
E ⦿ Jerry Jello (OOC: He's not actually doing the quest, but if anyone wants to meet teenage Hijikata, here's your chance!)
[Despite Hijikata's bitching about his many aquatic adventures he went ahead and commissioned another Potion of Underwater Breathing for the purpose of visiting the town of Bucca off the east coast of Avalon. Well over a year ago he helped exterminate a bunch of man-eating nudibranchs that endangered the town's peaceful eel naga population, and with the outworlders' return home appearing within reach now he wants to check up on those lake people one more time.
The people of Bucca are happy to see him again, and he spends several hours telling them about everything that happened (they got word of the big events, of course, but they're eager to hear the dramatic details first-hand from one of the brave foreigners!). He pretty much stays until shortly before the potion's effect wears off, and they see him off with many kind words. He's actually quite emotional as he swims back up to the surface... good thing he's in the water! He doesn't think much of the tiny glowing jellyfish swarm he passes by (he's in his wetsuit after all!), but one of them brushes against his face... and that's all it takes.
The day after anyone who knows him may be confused to see him in town looking much younger - 10 years, give or take -, wearing his uniform as usual (at least he didn't shrink out of it), long hair tied up in a ponytail. He looks pretty nonchalant about what happened, raising a hand in greeting.]
Before you ask, apparently a yellow jellyfish aged me down. It could've been worse; there are some really shitty effects you can catch from differently coloured ones.
F ⦿ The Forest Grove
[So the ruins of Celliwig have, at long last, been reclaimed by the dark mages of the fallen Splendoured Court... that old name probably doesn't apply anymore now, with the appearance of the place changed from bright structures of glass and crystal to that black diamond fortress towering over the ongoing rebuilding efforts. Hijikata is quiet for once, impressed by how profound the difference is. Untypically for him, he came here not to fight any light mages opposed to the changes, but rather to try and reason with them. He's not great at diplomacy, but the partial responsibility he feels for what happened almost a year ago sits deep. Seeing a fellow outworlder here is a relief.]
Of all the things that might've happened to this place I didn't see this coming. So their big talk about balance was pretty hypocritical in the end, huh?
[They went through so many trials to prove that they united light and darkness in them, only to now realise that Celliwig itself was tipped in favour of the light back then... but this is just the nature of people, isn't it?]
G ⦿ Wildcard
[OOC: Please feel free to rope him into any other quests, light web or dark web, if you need a partner or victim (he's a weredog, in case anyone is doing the Howl in Pain quest, but he won't go down easily... unless you trick him somehow)! Also feel free to PM me or hit up my plotting post.]