We return to Kinshicho for the broadcast. By the time the group enters, it's already begun, with the monitors showing Fujiwara, Skins, Merkabah, and Lucifer in the war room. Lucifer applauds the hunters for slaying Shesha, and all four leaders agree that the time is night to take the fight to the Powers' doorstep - it's time for an all-out Hunter invasion of Tsukiji Konganji!
Nanashi: About damn time. I can't wait to put the boot in those angels after, too.
The broadcast concludes, but not before Fujiwara gives a personal shout-out to the Kinshichu hunters. Sweet. Nozomi goes off to chat with other Hunters about what we missed... and Asahi is sad. Gaston's anti-friendship speech from before, including personally insulting her as Nanashi's useless hanger-on, really got to her. You can comfort her for Peace points, or say something so mean for Anarchy points that I couldn't bear to say it even on my Anarchy run.
Jack Frost: That was just the writers go-ho-ing out of their way to be big dicks, ho.
Nanashi: I have no idea what that meant. Anyway, got the quest. Time to crash Krishna's party! It's so strange... when I started out hunting I hated demons for what they were doing to humans, but now I think I'm almost friends with mine... I do wonder what they talk about when they're in my phone, though...
Poltergeist: Segue!
(Pan down to NANASHI'S PHONE. Camera zooms into the screen, past generic blue digit-y stuff you always see in movies when the camera goes inside a computer, and down into a large open space where ALL NANASHI'S DEMONS, bar DAGDA, are gathered...)
Brigid: And you're sure my father won't hear us in here?
Dis: He shouldn't; I took it upon myself to mute this room...
Brigit: This better work; as I understand it he controls this device, and I dinnae think he'd even spare me if we were discovered...
Melchom: Alright, alright, can everyone hear me? Good. Let this all-staff meeting of Nanashi's Phone Incorporated Demon Removal and Fetchquest Doing-
Goblin: We voted that name down!
Melchom: Shut up. -come to order. First order of business, I believe you've all met Ares and Brigid, but we've found some even more new faces in Shibuya so everyone, kindly stand up and introduce yourselves if you haven't already!
Character notes: The great leader of the Kunitsukami, who for some reason is the second-weakest of them in this game. He sculpted the physical features of the Japanese archipelago personally, and was known for the tales of his friendship with the Hare of Inaba and the tiny Sukuna-Hikona. Take-Minakata is his son, and when Minakata was defeated by Mikazuchi the Kunitsu yielded to the authority of the Amatsu. Gets Phys and healing skills of all things.
Personality notes: A noble god with a fun side to him
Character notes: The daughters of the demoness Lilith in apocryphal Jewish scripture. They are seductresses who seduce men and kill children, draining the life from their sexual conquests. Gets Wins and ailment skills, including, of course, Sexy Dance.
Personality notes: Fun, flirty party girl.
Character notes: The winter form of the iconic Japanese yokai, Kappa. It's said that in winter, the Kappa leave their lakes and rivers and migrate to the mountains, where they grow lots of hair and become Yamawaro. Oddly, the generic Kappa has made few appearances in SMT. Phys and buff specialist.
Personality notes: Always drops from the sky right before he says anything for no apparent reason.
Character notes: The young form of the Celtic demigod Cu Chulainn. He was called this before he defeated a vicious guard dog, the Hound of Chulainn, with his bare hands and took its place. He would later train (amongst... other things) with the warrior queen Scathach and become Ireland's greatest hero. Phys specialist, complete with Charge; very handy.
Personality notes: Punk kid with a heart of gold.
Character notes: The grand, life-giving sun god of Inca lore. He was the son of the head god Viracocha or Pachacamac and husband to the moon goddess Quilla. He was the patron of the Inca royal house, which was said to be directly descended from him. He's equally proficient in both Fire and Ice, and gets Pleromas for both.
Personality notes: A grand, dignified personage.
Character notes: A golden rooster that sits at the top of the Norse world tree, Yggdrasil. He perches on the beak of the great eagle Hresvelgr and constantly emits light that surrounds the tree. He will crow, along with two other divine roosters, when Ragnarok is nigh. Elec specialist.
Personality notes: Crows a lot, considering the end of the world is all around us.
Character notes: The Big Bad Evil Guy of Irish lore, Balor was king of the Fomorians, the wicked gods that ruled Ireland prior to the Tuatha de Danann. His greatest weapon was his right eye, which killed anyone that looked directly at it instantly, thus he was called Balor of the Evil Eye. He was finally killed by the sun god Lugh with a stone right through said eye; ow. Fire and Dark specialist.
Personality notes: Pompous blowhard who constantly gives himself grandiose titles.
Character notes: Japanese goddess of love and marriage, she's in charge of mediating disputes; her name more or less means "Princess of bringing things together." She was the arbitrator of the ill-fated conflict between the head gods Izanagi and Izanami after the latter had become the spiteful goddess of death. Like most "nice" goddesses, she's a healer.
Personality notes: Always tries to keep a lid on intra-team tensions.
Character notes: The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, an urban legend originating in the town of Mattoon, Illinois, where people reported that harmful gases were being pumped through their windows by unknown assailants. It remains unknown if there was such a person, or if it was simply a mass hysteria. Naturally, he uses his gases here to inflict Bind, Sick, and Poison on your foes!
Personality notes: Nigh-unintelligible through his mask.
Character notes: A stronger subclass of Preta in Buddhist lore. Enkus are the damned souls of greedy people just like Pretas are, and have the ability to breathe fire, which they spit at the insects they are condemned to eat. Fire specialist, natch.
Personality notes: Talks like an old-fashioned gangster.
Character notes: A Great Marquis of Hell in the Goetia; when invoked he is best known for teaching his summoner astronomy, but he has other abilities as well, including the ability to turn foes into friends. He'd be really helpful resolving those situations common in SMT games where your ex-friends want your head on a pike, ne? Fire-user.
Personality notes: Very distinguished demonic noble.
Character notes: An evil dragon of Mesopotamian lore, son of the primal gods Tiamat and Apsu. When Apsu died, Tiamat married Kingu, because mythology loves an incest story for whatever reason. She'd intended to elevate him to the position of king of the gods, but the war god Marduk killed him and then her. Like Into, he gets spells of elements that are normally opposed to one another: Elec and Wind.
Personality notes: Pretty generic angry dragon, but gets really embarrassed when people bring up the incest issue.
Character notes: A rather remote Assyrian star god representing the planet Saturn, who would likely not be a blip on the radar were he not mentioned in the Bible as a god the Israelites are forbidden from worshipping. Also a really annoying boss in Nocturne. Dark and buff specialist.
Personality notes: Switches his vowels around.
Character notes: A prominent Yokai of Japanese lore, Nue are thunder-bringing creatures much like Raiju but significantly more malevolent. They're said to have a human face, a tiger's body, and a live snake for a tail, and to stalk the Emperor of Japan while he sleeps. Elec specialist.
Personality notes: Snarling, hungry beast with little intelligence.
Character notes: A rare Native American demon, Shiwanna are cloud spirits of the Zuni, a Puebloan people of the Southwest US. They are the spirits of dead humans, and inhabit giant underwater mountains that normal humans can't see. You may have heard of Kachinas, their more famous counterparts among the Hopi. He's the first demon with Purple Smoke, a randomly-hitting Phys move that inflicts Panic.
Personality notes: Spiritual guru type.
Incubus: Holy- some seriously big names have joined up; Inti! Balor! Heh. Big.
Take-Minakata: F-father Okuninushi-sama! I am honored that you would come to serve alongside me one more! And I regret to inform you that I failed to pin the KICK ME sign on Mikazuchi; that's hard with no arms.
Okuninushi: Be calm, son; try to live in the moment. And we'll have our revenge eventually.
Brigid: Ah. Balor. Joy. If I were nae desperate to discover what's wrong with my father I'd hesitate to work with... you.
Balor: BA HA HA HA HA HA! DOTH THE PUNY TUATHA DE GODDESS COWER IN FEAR OF MY WONDERFUL SELF?
Lilim: Heeeeeeeeeey y'allllllllll, how about we make this meeting a bit more interesting, huh? Ever drunk beer outta somebody's-
Melchom: That's about enough of that now. Second order of business... the minutes from last meeting, which my dutiful ADC Tangata Manu has faithfully transcribed... (looks down at sheet) backwards.
Tangata Manu: yrroS!
Melchom: Well you're cleaning Kanbari's room tonight. Alright, screw it, we all know why we're here, don't we? we need to discuss just WHAT'S been going on here. Thoth?
Thoth: Mhm. Well now, I'm sure we've all sensed it. Somethin's seriously outta whack with the order of things, and everyone - humans, demons, gods, whatever - is gettin' pulled in. This whole thing with the Divine Powers... that ain't how it was supposed to go. Else it'd be in my book, yes sir.
Brigid: I'm sure my father's intervention in this conflict took us all by surprise. Things were building toward a rather obvious conclusion - that boy, Flynn, slaying the angel and demon leaders, but now he's been removed from the board - and by own father the Lord Dagda, has caused it.
Ogun: And this child, Nanashi - I thought Flynn having such willpower and levels of Magnetite at his age was impressive. But mon, little Nanashi has comparable levels and he's even younger! That's normally indicative of a great destiny - but two such people in one place? That's practically unheard of.
Fortuna: That strange old man in the wheelchair seems to know something about this. Here's the strange part, though - even a skilled medium such as myself can't read his aura.
Setanta: Really, is that even possible? Like, that's gotta mean he's either super, infinitesimally weak, or-
Fortuna: Yes. The opposite. I'm sure most of us sensed the power of the Creator God when he subsumed us... but this man has nothing?
Brigid: And on the subject of the Creator God... admittedly this is only a theory, but I have a guess for the reason as to my father's behavior. He never forgave me, nor Grandmother Danu, for the fact that we merged ourselves with members of the Judaic pantheon to protect the Tuatha De. We saved our own lives and those of our worshippers... but he saw it as degrading ourselves. He swore tae destroy the Creator God for destroying his family, and some of the things he has said as of late... could he have actually found a way tae do that?
Power: Destroy the Creator... preposterous. Can't be done. I'll admit, though, I have my concerns as well. This alliance between Lord Merkabah and that fell beast Lucifer... I should be revolted, but for some reason it makes a modicum of sense. I have no idea why; there's a gap in my mind, as though I've forgotten something, or someone, very important that justifies this alliance.
Momunofu: Angels suck.
Zhen: Wanna buy a drink? Heh heh...
Mithras: Well, what do you suggest we do, Melchom? Also why does a pathetic little slip like you get to lead the meetings anyway?
Melchom: Because I do the books. I'm the reason we're still afloat. Can you do the books? I thought not. Nyeh. Anyway I'm not sure what we can do now. I think we simply have to press on with our journey with young Nanashi. This seems like one of those 'gradual revelation' things for some reason...
Jack Frost: That's 'cause we're in a vi-
Pyro Jack: You don't just say-her things like that! That's not funny-ho!
Melchom: Any additional questions, comments, concerns?
Churel: Motion to take a sip of your brains, cutie? I bet you've got biiiiiiiiig sexy braaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiins.
Melchom: Motion denied.
Baphomet: Motion to get thing thing off my head?
Chupacabra: Deliiiiiiiiiiiiiiicious gooooooooooooooaaaaaat, yes?
Melchom: Motion not my problem. Alright, as it seems like nobody has anything actually interesting to say, meeting adjourned.
Dybbuk: Wow man, you sure talk a lot. Wanna buy some completely authentic non-bootleg Ox Bezoars for your vocal cords?
Melchom: '"Vocal cords?" We're aggregates of human thought; what does that even MEAN? Brigid, any sign of your father
Brigid: We seem to have fooled him. Good thing, too, as I very much don't like what he's ben saying. If he succeeds at corrupting the Nanashi child, this could well be the end for all of us...
