Foxside: The Temple of Inari 51

[Fenric]

The Temple is located in the city of Inside, at the corner of Cherry Blossom Street and Weeping Willow Drive, four blocks off of 27th Street. The address is:

Temple of Inari
6 Cherry Blossom Street
Inside, Nexus 00001-0001

You have entered the temple of Inari, in her capacity as the Goddess of Foxes.

You walk down an elegant white gravel pathway between full-grown pines. Stone lanterns provide a pure white light to the path, while casting elegant shadows among the trees.

At the end of the pathway, a bright red gate stands. A large fox carved from white alabaster gleams at each side of the gate. As you pass between the foxes and through the gate, you feel the presence of the goddess. Gentle and caring, but mischievous and lighthearted, you are never quite certain what will happen.

Past the exquisite formal gardens, you finally step into the pagoda itself. There, at the end of chamber is a raised dais. There rests a statue of a beautiful vulpine woman, flanked by two snow-white celestial foxes. Offerings of rice and incense stand before the statue.

In a niche off to the right side of the door sits a Fox-Cola vending machine. Next to the coin slot, the sign reads "10 cp".

To the left side of the door is a magic mirror. This mirror is actually a portal to Trog's Tavern.

Profile for Inari

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Alignment Chaotic Good
Primary Domains Good, Plant, Chaos, Healing
Secondary Domains Magic, Sun, Animal, Trickery, Knowledge, Water
Forbidden Domains Evil, Law, War, Death, Destruction
Priest Granted Powers
Rice Paddy Once per day. As Entangle, but the ground changes to knee-deep mud, and instead of creepers, mature rice plants twist and writhe to grapple anything in the area.
Sushi Bar Once per day. You create rice, fish, and sake. You can create enough to feed one medium sized creature for each two caster levels.
Summon Celestial Fox Special. You summon an image of Myobi (if you are a priestess) or Myobu (if you are a priest). The fox has HD equal to your level plus your wisdom bonus. In combat, the fox fights the same as a normal fox, but with appropriate bonuses for HD.

Inari is the goddess of rice: The plant itself. The cultivation of it. The products made from it. She has countless billions of worshipers spread across the various planes of existence. Foxes are her children. Inari created foxes to watch over the grain and eat the birds and rodents that would destroy the sacred plant. Kitsune are her especial messengers: sacred foxes endowed with the ability to take on human or elvish form. Inari is an agricultural and racial goddess. She is concerned predominantly with nurturing and growth. She is good, but it is the quiet good of the countryside rather than the formalized good of high society. We don't go on crusades. We don't try to win converts or convince people to change their beliefs. We don't really feel a conflict with "evil" beings at all, unless they threaten us directly. Finally, since rice is a critical component in many economies across the multiverse, she is revered as a goddess of wealth and prosperity as well.

The worship of Inari is mostly personal. The sanctuary is open for prayer and meditation as you feel led. There is a small ceremony at dawn every day, where the main sacred fires are lit. There is a celebration at the full of the moon each month, and a quiet time of prayer at the dark of the moon. There are major ceremonies and holidays at the times of rice planting, transplanting, and harvest. The fox festival is held at the time when the wild cousins give birth. We feed them a special treat made with rice wrapped in fried bean curds. Otherwise, the temple does not hold regular formal services.

Inari is not overly fond of ceremony: for it is not ceremony that will lead you to enlightenment.

All things have a spirit, and the spirit is in all things. But this perception is dulled by the impurities of physical life, and you fail to reach your true potential due to this. It is therefore in your best interest that you seek for purity in your emotions and your mind; for through that purity, your spirit may shine through. Ceremony is of limited value because the quest for purity begins and ends with your inner self. This is why the main altar generally houses a mirror, not a statue, on the altar.

The state of purity is difficult to explain, because it does not mean the same thing to everyone. Only by meditating on your spiritual state can you learn what things hinder you personally. An earnest, honest, open heart is needed for this. The goddess, who can read your very being, can help with this: but it is a private matter between you and her. Therefore we provide a quiet setting: a peaceful sanctuary free from distracting clutter, a quiet garden where you can relax your mind, a serene place where it is easier to distance your true self from your physical self and focus on what needs to be. One more thing: purity is not merely a matter of eliminating that which is "bad". It is also a task of strengthening which is "good". Your task may be to grow in an area of yourself that you have neglected, or imperfectly developed. Regardless of the details, when you know what needs to be done we provide the support, council, and assistance to help you do it.

Profile for Tamamo

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Alignment Chaotic Good
Primary Domains Good, Plant, Chaos, Healing, Shadow
Secondary Domains Magic, Animal, Trickery, Knowledge, Water
Forbidden Domains Evil, Law, War, Death, Destruction
Priest Granted Powers
Darkness Once per day.
Speak with Shadows You can speak with creatures from the Plane of Shadows
Sushi Bar Once per day. You create rice, fish, and sake. You can create enough to feed one medium sized creature for each two caster levels.
Summon Celestial Fox Special. You summon an image of one of the Ninetails. The fox has HD equal to your level plus your wisdom bonus. In combat, the fox fights the same as a normal fox, but with appropriate bonuses for HD.

<Work in Progress... please stand by>

Temple Facilities
Map

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Interior wide-angle shot

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Everything but the Sanctuary and Garden has Dimensional Lock. The entire facility is Hallowed as per the spell with the Bless effect. A permanent Flame Quench (the reversed form of the 2nd edition Fire Storm spell) is on in a quiescent form on all the buildings. It can be triggered by any full priest.

- Sanctuary: the main sanctuary has the altar. This is where you must pray to speak to the goddess directly. There is a general magic circle in the center of the room.

- Meditation Gardens: accessed through a door at the far end of the sanctuary. This is a standard zen garden with raked gravle, shady nooks, picturesque pines, stone lanterns, and small intricate bridges. An artifical stream hosts large koi, and a grand cherry tree resides on a picturesque island in the middle of a good sized pond.

- Priest's Quarters: accessed by going down the stairs "halfway down the sanctuary, to the right"

Priestly Ranks

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The relative power and abilities of priests are driven by their talent, learning, experience, and gifts. The rank of a priest can be recognized most quickly by looking at their robes: the combination of main color and trim uniquely identifies each rank. The following chart summarizes the current ranks.
Update: Each rank spans two D20 system experience levels instead of the former "three with an error".

Current Staff

Caroline Primerra (Fenric)
Helen Avery (firedaemon33)
Atore Tavlii (Recaiden)
Steven Linde (Lord Deathkeeper)

[Recaiden]

[Leaving the Morgue]

Is Tavlii, rather the worse for wear after all that happened at the compound.

She smiles to see that Caroline and Frederick made it back safely. Helen should be right behind her.
right?

"I've some bad new. The crew of the ship was killed by the demon before it confronted us. That's why they were so silent. We've brought their remains back, but"
Tavlii shrugs.

[Ionbound]

[Leaving the Morgue]

Helen is indeed behind Tavlii, looking much worse and says, "Indeed. Lady Tsukiko talked to me saying that they were taken care of. We should at least try to resurrect them."

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Frederick runs over to give Helen a hug

You're back! I was getting worried...

Caroline closes her eyes and shudders, then nods

Of course! We aren't going to leave them dead... unless they choose to not come back.

She immediately sends the acolytes to find the priests who can revive people. There should be a sixth rank, a fifth rank, and two fourth ranks around... though one of the fourths is away on a date.

[Recaiden]

[Leaving the Morgue]

Tavlii nods. "Of course we ask them back. That is not within our power yet though. We ask to be excused from for a moment."

[Lost_Deep]

Sanctuary

When people start being rounded up, Chesepeak comes along, asking what happened and whether she can help.

[Ionbound]

[Leaving the Morgue]

Helen is squeezed, and says, "You really don't want to be hugging me right now, Freddy...I'm covered in blood."

[Fenric]

[Elsewhere]

The acolytes nods

Can you resurrect people? We have had causalities brought in!

---

[Sanctuary]

Frederick chuckles

Now I'll need a bath, too.

Caroline sighs

Of course, Tavlii! You have been a tremendous help today, thank you so very much. I owe you my life...

Not right now, Freddie...

Helen, did Tsukiko say anything else?

[Lost_Deep]

Elsewhere

"Once a moon! And after a moon of being dead I can't bring people back anymore. It's a balancy thing. Balance is important!"

[Fenric]

Elsewhere

The acolyte tilts her head

They were killed earlier today. 11 of them

[Lost_Deep]

Elsewhere

Chesepeak is shocked and appalled. "Oh noooooooo" Chesepeak rushes ahead... somehow seeming to know where the corpses are without anyone telling her.

[Recaiden]

[Sanctuary]

Frederick chuckles

Now I'll need a bath, too.

Caroline sighs

Of course, Tavlii! You have been a tremendous help today, thank you so very much. I owe you my life...

Not right now, Freddie...

Helen, did Tsukiko say anything else?

Tavlii nods and vanishes, teleported away.

[Ionbound]

Helen nods and says, "Tsukiko told me to go to the Temple in the plane of shadow, and that I'd meet her father there. Can I go take a shower? I feel...Icky."

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

Caroline nods

Go wash up, Helen: you shouldn't be trying to perform the ressurections just yet anyway. And go keep her company, Frederick... it will help you both concentrate later.

Three of her subordinate priests have arrived... Felina is missing. The acolyte indicates that Chesepeak is coming.

Good... We need to do our best before we call for the Messengers to help.

[Lost_Deep]

Morgue

Chesepeak arrives at the morgue, but once here she slows down. She walks among the bodies, respectfully, looking at each one in turn. She doesn't actually raise anyone without supervision, presumably lost in thought or actually waiting for direction.

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

It is only a minute before Caroline leads three other priests in descending rank from herself down

Hello, Chesepeak! I am so very glad to see you.

What we need to do now is ask each person if the want to come back - not everyone does, you know, and then for the ones that do we need to resurrect them. I can do two... Jayla can do two, and Felar can do one.

[Lost_Deep]

Morgue

"I can bring one back. But... I might not remember how to do the asking. My memory is fuzzy." She looks at the bodies again. "But wounds on the bodies I can fix even if they aren't alive. That way, even if they don't come back, they don't have to be buried with holes in them."

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

Caroline nods

We can do the asking, that is not a problem. Why don't you start fixing the bodies while we go about collecting the answers.

[Lost_Deep]

Morgue

Chesepeak nods and sits down. She begins to emit a kind of pink, mist-like glow that will repair the corpses to their proper state. Any particularly mangled corpses will receive specific attention. The mist may also heal small cuts or bruises on the others in the room.

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

After a time, Caroline looks sad and directs the most junior priest toward four particular gurneys

Those have declined resurrection: they wish to rejoin their friends and families in the Celestial realms.

How do you argue against that? And yet... there is something sad...

We have seven wishing to return. Please honestly state your capacity for performing this service.

She looks around at the others

[Lost_Deep]

Morgue

"I may return a capable body to the living once a full moon, if the death was less than a moon ago," Chesepeak says, "So I can bring one back, but only one of this group."

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

Caroline nods

I can restore two of them.

Her sixth-rank subordinate bows

I can also restore two

The two younger priests bow as well

I can likewise perform the task one time
As can I

Caroline smiles

Then we have sufficient resource to do what is required. Please begin

[Lost_Deep]

Morgue

Chesepeak goes to one of the bodies that wishes to return, sits next to it, and opens her mouth. What comes out isn't a song, not really... more of a single, musical sound. It will take a few minutes, but the spirit of the body should be called back, and the body itself restored to life.

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

The others set about their work, and soon there is life where once was death. Verise and Rick not the least: and after profuse thanks to the priests the couple runs and embraces each other wordlessly.

---

Somewhere in the Celestial Realms

A sleepy Noriko blinks awake from a dream and pouts

I knew Nick was your boyfriend, Geneva! That Caroline was just teasing me!

but then her eyes fall shut again and she falls back asleep.

[Rebonack]

Hey look!

There's one of those weird pony things flying toward the temple carrying someone, her hooves hooked under the girl's arms.

What?

Sunder is a little pony.

Carrying someone on her back would be absurdly difficult. Especially someone who's out cold.

"Help!" Sunder yells as she slows for a landing, wincing at the feeling of air against the gash in her left wing. She gently sets Hikari down before dropping to the ground herself, closing her wing with a hiss of pain. "Someone help! My friend's hurt!"

And this?

This is one of those times when it's really fortunate that Sunder is loud.

As soon as Sunder lands a horrible feeling of wrongness and ill-ease falls over her. Any one who spots her will notice her fidgeting, her ears pinned back and her tail flicking. She seems pretty darn agitated.

And if any of the shadow foxes are around? They might be able to recognize the corrupted heart of a nightshade wearing living flesh. A living nightshade isn't exactly a common occurrence, but there's a reason why trying to resurrect a corpse that had been twisted into a nightshade is generally avoided. You just end up with an undead monster inside a breathing body.

[Fenric]

[Sanctuary]

The currently attending day-shift priest is here, dressed in sky blue with navy trim: third rank. She runs over to Hikari and attempts to cast Cure Critical Wounds: her most powerful healing spell, while praying

Holy Inari, Mother of Foxes, we call on you in our hour of need! Send aid for these who come to you.

And then, one of the nine-tails is here: black and silver furred with long blue-black hair. She is dressed in a demure robe of sparkling silver, and her dark blue eyes are kind and compassionate. There is an aura of comfort around her that calms the mind and soothes the soul, and her voice is gentle and melodious.

Be at peace.

[Ionbound]

Hikari stirs, then, when she sees Sunder, tries to roll away from the Pone, but ends up making half a roll, landing on her stomach, and coughing up another spurt of blood.

[Rebonack]

[Sanctuary]

Sunder doesn't look at peace.

She looks like she's act the exact opposite of peace.

As soon as the nine-tails appears she begins giving a rapid-fire account of what happened.

"There's some kind of demon or something possessing my friend! She had taken a chunk of my soul and she wouldn't give it back and and I was trying to pin her and get it back, you know, not hurting her or anything? And then she pulled her swords on me so I broke them and then she turned into this huge black monster that was, like, talking with her voice but not, do you know what I mean? I had to hit that demon thing pretty bucking hard to put it down and oh Gent I didn't kill, her did I?"

That all gets spouted out a breathless jumble.

And then the kid gets healed!

Sunder's ears snap upright when Hikari coughs, causing the pegasus to spin around to face her. Sunder's expression is equal parts worry, suspicion, and hope. "Is that really you, Hikari? Or am I still talking to that ugly troll?"

[Fenric]

[Morgue]

Everyone who's coming back is back, and disperses. The priests go off to rest and recover from reaction sickness. Nothing more to see here: move along.

---

[Sanctuary]

Tsukiko listens patiently to Sunder: Cure Critical Wounds may not fix everything, but Hikari should be out of immediate danger.

I see.

Then Hikari moves and coughs. Tsukiko turns to look at her

Do try again, Sari.

The priestess nods

Yes, Holy Tsukiko

and she casts the Cure Critical Wounds spell again. Tsukiko attempts to identify the nature of Hikari's affliction (not her wounds) - is she really possessed?

[Ionbound]

[Sanctuary]

Hikari blinks and says, "Oh holy Buddha...Kitsune...Clearly, I've died." However, unconsciously, she's feeling a lot better from the two spells.

As for detecting possession, Tsukiko won't detect any of the classic demon-y stuff. However, if she looks closely, she may notice that a Fragment of Hikari's personality, while still very much her, has split off and is acting separately from the rest of her consciousness.