[hirana kizumi]

biannual chuunin exams "home is behind, the world ahead" It's once again time for the biannual International Chuunin Exams! All villages have been invited to gather in the bustling merchant town of Akazaya for the Winter 1023 Chuunin Exams, hosted by Kumogakure! The exams is taking place alongside Kanashimi-Matsuri, the debut of Kaminari no Kuni's Grieving Festival, a celebration and national mourning of those tens of thousands lost during the Great Plague. Both in memory of those who have passed and in celebration of those who have lives still to live, the festival is an invitation for all of the world's shinobi villages to send their best and brightest genin to participate in the exams in order to show off their stuff! The festival will take place over the course of one week, while the exams themselves will be a one-day, all-day extravaganza intended to test the mettle of the world's youth. Food stalls, gambling halls, festival games, hot springs, theater performances, and more will be available for visiting shinobi to enjoy. To conclude the festival, the Land of Lightning invites Kanashimi-Matsuri's attendees to observe a memorial ceremony, in which those citizens of Lightning who have lost loved ones to the Plague will release candle boats onto the river in love and remembrance. Team leaders, instructors, and chaperones of a chuunin+ rank are welcome and invited to attend the festivities. Genin who are not participating are also welcome to spectate, but must accompany a chaperone from their village and receive OOC permission from their Village Leader to do so. Akazaya will be a neutral zone for the duration of the festival, heavily monitored by Kumogakure sensor shinobi in order to ensure a smooth, peaceful event. Fighting will be strictly prohibited outside of sanctioned events. The exams will be available to spectate both live and in various pubs and bars in Akazaya; the country has spared no expense in ensuring that the exams are broadcasted for all to enjoy. timeframe & guidelines ► Participants and spectators will be arriving in Akazaya no sooner than December 22nd, 1023. The exam itself will take place over the course of a single day on December 28th, 1023. Participants and spectators will generally be departing no later than January 2nd, 1024. All threads should take place in the week prior to exam day: any time between December 22nd and December 27th is fair game for liquid time. ► If you are a registered participant in the exams, please keep in mind that you will be disqualified if you do not meet the registration requirements by December 28th. If you are not a registered participant but you're still interested in spectating and/or RPing in Akazaya prior to the exams, please reach out to your Village Leader to confirm that you are permitted to travel to spectate. ► Combat is prohibited outside of sanctioned training grounds. Kumogakure has spared no effort in making sure the exams are safe and secure; ANBU operatives, sensors, and Yamamoto tremorsense shinobi are keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings. If conflict within a sanctioned training space escalated to a lethal degree, intervention will occur and medical assistance will be provided. If a conflict starts outside of a sanctioned training space, intervention will occur. General rule of thumb: play nice! Be sensible and respectful. Reach out to me directly on Discord @tacticianx or PM me on site if you have any questions or concerns. points of interest & lore ► It's winter! Though not nearly as cold as nations such as Yuki no Kuni, Kaminari no Kuni gets quite cold beginning in the month of November, and by the time the festival begins Akazaya has already seen the first of many snowfalls to come. ► Winter clothing is provided for participants hailing from warmer climes who may not have the necessary weather protection: jackets, scarves, boots, gloves, hats, and the like. Additional winter clothing is available for purchase in local shops, dyed in bright colors and crafted with the dense wool and downy feathers. ► A local inn has been reserved and paid for by Kaminari no Kuni in order to house the exam participants and their chaperones. Room assignments are grouped together by village of origin; Konohagakure shinobi are likely to be neighbored with Konohagakure shinobi, for example, though it is possible for a Konohagakure shinobi and Amegakure shinobi to both have rooms on the same floor. Each shinobi has their own room, though the dining and bathing spaces are communal. ► There is a public bathhouse and a plethora of dining options within walking distance if a participant wishes to attempt to avoid sharing space with their fellow shinobi. Hot springs are also quite popular in Akazaya, if one desires to indulge in a spot of relaxation. ► Spectators are responsible for their own housing and dining arrangements, though Akazaya boasts many inns at many different price points, and deals are available for spectators traveling together in groups. ► Though Akazaya is a relatively dense urban village, training yards have been constructed just beyond the boundaries of the village to give the genin space to train ahead of the exams. Training dummies and basic shinobi tools are available to borrow for training purposes. The training yards are supervised by Kumogakure shinobi and med-nin are on around-the-clock duty within the nearby medical tent in case of injury. The training yards are open and relatively public, so tourists and participants alike can peek in on training shinobi. ► If a shinobi wishes to train in private, the best space is likely to be further afield from the village, though any shinobi seeking to leave beyond the boundaries of the Akazaya proper and the surrounding training fields will need to be accompanied by a Kumogakure chaperone [implied NPC presence]. ► Food stalls have cropped up all over Akazaya for the festival! Yakisoba, takoyaki, okonomiyaki, ikayaki, karaage; taiyaki, kakigori, candyfloss, dragon's beard, chocolate-covered treats of all kinds; the food is bountiful, cheap, and good. Warm beverages such as hot sake, mulled wine, hot chocolate, spiced apple cider, and hot buttered rum are available to beat the chill while tourists enjoy the festival. ► The Kisei clan of Kusagakure has established a pop-up shop in Akazaya, offering an array of fine teas and coffee beverages from Nohara no Kuni. ► Local vendors sell souvenirs such as bottled mineral water from the local hot springs; Kumogakure-grade sunglasses; UV lotion; toy shuriken, kunai, and katanas; and other such goodies and collectibles. Those who are preparing for the final memorial ceremony are hard at work crafting candle boats; if there is someone you wish to memorialize, you are able to pay for one to be made in honor of your loved one. ► A dirty rumor has cropped up of some lowlife secretly peddling unauthorized pin-up posters of the Hachidaime Raikage, though this rumor has not been corroborated. If any information is found regarding the offender, you are encouraged to report it immediately to the local authorities. ► The legal age for drinking in Kaminari no Kuni is sixteen, but most of the country's bartenders tend to turn a blind eye for teenage shinobi, and this law is generally not enforced to any meaningful degree. A child twelve and under will likely struggle to be served alcohol, but a thirteen-year-old shinobi behaving sensibly isn't likely to encounter any issues. Bartenders and bouncers tend to keep a closer eye on underage drinkers and will cut them off sooner than their adult counterparts. Bars will be broadcasting the proceedings on exam day, though the technology isn't super modern and the A/V quality is liable to be fuzzy. ► A number of tattoo artists ply their trade in Akazaya, and are willing to do work on shinobi ages fifteen and up. They are, however, strict about checking ID, and will not tattoo anyone who seems to be inebriated. Tattoo work is expensive but high-quality. ► The legal age for gambling is also sixteen, though most dealers and bouncers will look the other way for shinobi ages thirteen and up. There is a large gambling hall in Akazaya where visitors can play dice and card games, and the local Yakuza is setting up a betting pool on the results of the exam. Participants are not allowed to bet on the results of the exam... but if they get someone else to bet for them, who would be the wiser?