Welcome to Gaia! ::

Not far from the mysterious castle's gates, a figure in white sat, meditating. She was humanoid in form, with long white hair and whom wore white robes trimmed with blue ribbons. Her name was Kazuhima Paz, a self-made Tengu Priestess and ex-guardswoman. She was often one to lend her wisdom and strength to those who sought for it, within the Tengu Village and beyond.

Recently a few of her followers have expressed growing concerns over the strange castle that appeared on the mountainside recently. Wanting to quell their worries, Kazuhima decided to take it upon herself to venture into the castle, and discover once and for all the mysteries its walls hold.

It was dusk, and the sun was just beginning to set behind the trees. The horrible sounds of carnage would begin soon. Kazuhima sat patiently on her knees, awaiting for the right time to enter the castle.

Honokadrifted through the skies, looking down at the castle she had heard about recently. Indeed, it was something worth mentioning, and the fighting in front seemed interesting. "I wonder what's up with this castle?" She asked herself, quietly. Below she noticed a white figure near the castle's gates. "Well well." Honoka said. She then flew towards the white figure, slowling down as she approached her. Honoka still remained floating as she arrived at the white girl. "What brings you here, priestess? Was the curiosity too much for your tengu up bringing?" She asked the girl with a wink, teasing her about how tengus were.

Honoka stepped on to the ground. "Well, other than that, do you know anything about this castle? Or that fighting going on?" She asked the girl. She did notice Hanalli's yelling, but she decided to let her do what she wished.

Hanalli did not wonder why they passed through them or even why no one was home, but she was just curious in the end. So she floated forward to see the inside.
"I wonder who lives here?" she continued to float down the halls without any major problems, just gazing and looking around. Her own little aura was bright enough to see her as clear as day.

Nahumar was curious about what he was seeing from afar. He mostly took in the sight but kept his eye on the group talking to one another. He would find his chance to find out what this was as soon as they go in, if they did anyways. So he continued to keep a low profile for the time.

((This is my first time hosting an Incident, so my apologies if it doesn't hold up to expectations! sweatdrop ))


"Ah, wait--!" Kaz called after the small Youkai, but alas, she was already gone.

Inside, the castle bore large rooms with high ceilings. It was indeed incredibly dark, save for an errant ghostly fire or two. The rooms were furnished with extravagant decoration, gold trim inlaid into the walls, and every surface seemed to have been marble, once polished to a mirror sheen, but now covered with centuries of dust. Two prominent figures could be seen adorning multiple decorations, paintings and edifices, always side-by-side. One was a woman in white, with long hair whose color ranged many a spectrum, while another woman, clad in black, stood nearby, her hair a midnight blue.
An odd occurrence could be noted within the halls, however; both scorch marks and patches of hardened ice were present on the walls and floors, and seemed to have been caused recently.


Kaz furrowed her brow as she watched the small Youkai disappear into the castle. Either she didn't want to heed her advice, or the the entity didn't care.
She watched silently as Honoka performed her magic. The light was a welcome change, as Kaz had forgotten to bring a source of light of her own.

"Thank you, stranger. Your help would be appreciated, but I do not expect you to risk your life for me." Kaz reached up to brush her bangs from her face, though her overly-long sleeves refused to reveal her hands. "My name is Kazuhima Paz. I am a priestess of my village. To whom do I owe my company?"


Meanwhile, more armored soldiers clamored and headed towards the front gate, but soon, the humanoid insects began to break the soldier's lines and push into the castle, forcing the soldiers to retreat further in.

Nahumar, watching from the shadows and following the group so far, listened on the conversation. From what it sounded like, it did not concern him at all...but when he realized Hanalli went into the castle he had to make his presence known.
"You are planning to go inside as well?" he slowly merged from the ground in his jacket of all things to present himself.
"Let me go with you. My sister somehow went inside and I do not like the look of this place." he did not tell him his name just yet, wishing to tag along to help Hanalli if she was in any danger. He wondered if they would let him come as well or just try to shove him aside for how he appeared.


((This part is purely for comedy again but with some actual incite))
I think it's time to explain a bit about Nahumar and his shell!"
"What?"
"Oh, I forgot to mention this to you. Though you are pretty powerful in Gensokyo and your body lies somewhere underneath...you must be careful when entering a location that is either Separate, Parallel, Alternate or of a different plane."
"Explain."
"Your mortal shell is connected through the tendons of your main body. If we separate the shell from your grasp, you would have to manipulate it through magic. During such times, you are only able to use half of your power and your illusions are not as potent as one would believe."
"In short: If I enter that castle...I become weaker?"
"Exactly!"
"WAIT! How are you even explaining this to everyone?!"
((---))

Hanalli continues to fly through the castle, just enjoying her time flying around and seeing the new place.

Honoka raised a brow as she noticed a newcomer come, forcing Kazuhima to cut herself off. She nodded along with all of Kaz's answers. "No need to worry, Kaz." Honoka said to the priestess. "This land holds many powers, and I'm sure she can fend for herself." Honoka said. "But, nevertheless, we should still try to get to her before some sort of harm does befall her." Honoka then proceeded into the castle, following the man and Kaz as they traversed the great stone building.

Honoka crossed her arms as the group traveled. "Self proclaimed? Couldn't that be seen as a bad thing?" Honoka asked. "Well, maybe you could take up a godless shrine just to make your title look authentic, like that Hakurei maiden, her shrine seems kind of empty..." Honoka told the priestess. A thought then popped into her head after she had spoken. "Oh my, I completely forgot to introduce myself to our newcomer." The goddess said. "My name is Honoka Yasu, good sir, a goddess of light and happiness. What might your name be?" She asked the man.

Kazuhima nearly stopped in her tracks. "A... bad thing? ...I suppose, to some it might. I never meant to impose myself on real monks and priests, I only..." Realizing her pause, Kaz continued onwards. "A lot of people need help, right? And people look up to priests and religious figures for guidance... I guess I thought if I presented myself among their kind, then I could continue to help and protect people on my own, Youkai and Human alike. Priests are known to benefit those they serve; an ex swordswoman could be seen as merely a mercenary, looking to be a blade for hire. I'd rather my motives remain unquestioned."

As they ventured deeper, more of the insect-like beings invaded the halls, pushing past them and the golden knights they fought. It wasn't long before the halls were left barren, save for the odd spirit or two reliving their final moments in agony. Kaz listened to her companions' brief exchange, and then glanced at Nahumar from the corner of her eye. "The Youkai of... Fear and Joy? I had believed those to be only legends. I suppose I have no reason to either doubt or believe you. Ah, and my name is Kazuhima Paz."


The beings Hanalli spied were a number of soldiers, going about their duties swiftly and with precision. Another soldier stood out among the rest, the one who had been attempting to order the others around. As Kazuhima had mentioned to her group, the soldiers didn't seem to be able to respond to outside stimuli, something which their commander failed to realize.
The one who attempted to command the spirits was yet another soldier clad in white-gold armor and shield, with patches of ice forming around the plates to create a sort of secondary armor. They looked a tall, crystalline figure, whose ice-encased armor would shimmer in the light Hanalli produced. A single, large horn could be seen on display on the figure's helmet. It glowed slightly with residual magic.
"Soldiers! The enemy is breathing down our necks, and I will not tolerate this pathetic show of respect for the chain of command! FALL. INTO. RANK!"