intro ♚ october

[boardmaster]

WELCOME TO CAPABLANCA

We’ve all had those dreams: you wake up on a table, to blurry, ominous images and the certainty that you are absolutely buck-naked in a room full of strangers. This is not quite it.

Instead, you come awake to the sun on your face. The soft burble of water nearby. The hustle and bustle of a busy street and the faint, fortifying smell of bread. You open your eyes and there’s no one there at your bedside, but there is what appears to be the end of the world happening just beyond your window.

There’s a crack in the world across the sky, the “sun” is the totally unnatural light spilling from that crack straight into your eyes, and someone’s left a neatly pressed and folded uniform at the foot of the bed that isn’t yours. Somewhere in the room, there’s a strange clatter like beads, the click of claws on the floor.

Something’s in here with you.

Also, you are naked.

ONE ♟ Déjà Vu Up in this Clue

Did you enjoy your time in the Kingdom of Gammon, Heroes? Blanc knows that you've been working hard on the international front, and they've never been prouder, but it's time to come home! Your work in Blanc is far from over, after all. Blanc wishes they could offer you a better welcome, for those returning from Gammon and those who just woke up in the Hall of Glory naked in their beds, as Heroes only have bad news to come home to. This time, it’s the coastal town of Capablanca that needs your help.

Some may recall the mysterious disappearances that happened not too long ago, and by the looks of it, the kidnappings apparently haven’t stopped. Although the number of disappearances isn't nearly as drastic as it was before, the townspeople are especially alarmed by the disappearance of Eric Caruana, the mayor's beloved son. After his disappearance, others began going missing as well, and Blanc needs the Heroes on this case before things that any worse! Upon arrival in Capablanca, the Heroes are met by Mayor Pierre Caruana, who looks like he's seen better days, and his butler, Charles.

Pierre Caruana My son has always been reckless, but never had he been away from home for so long. Not without saying a word. His wedding has been postponed because of this… but that isn’t important right now. Charles, please entertain our guests while I get them some refreshments. And… tell them what they need to know. [ dramatically sweeps across the room and retires to the back of the mansion ]

Charles Oh, but I can— do it… [ SIGHS ] I’m sorry about the master. After his wife died ten years ago, his son is all he has left. We can only imagine how distraught he is. He’s probably at the bar, drinking his sorrows away… That’s why we were hoping you would help us in our search. The young master is the adventurous sort, but he’s also not the type to worry his father. It's a miracle the D'Amore family hasn't called the wedding off. No one in Capablanca has seen him since Delphine… I just pray he comes home safely. [ tugs on the moon pendant he wears around his neck ] Don’t be a fool, Eric... —Ah! Um, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Investigating around the city with the help of the reticent Detective Bleu, you'll be able to observe ONE of the following clues, which may prove to be helpful to help solve the case. Work together with other Heroes to obtain information on-site, and share clues whenever possible!

Dreading the thought of walking around all of Capablanca alone, colleless and mountless? Not to worry: the mayor has arranged for group caravans to accompany Heroes as they travel and conduct their investigations. If Heroes prefer to investigate in smaller groups (or alone, you lone wolf, you), they may also borrow a mount of their choice from the city's stables. This mount will have to be returned after the day is over, so don't get too attached! Lastly, veteran Heroes with mounts of their own are welcome and encouraged to offer newbies rides. You were once in their position! Give them a hand, would you?

TWO ♟ Sharing over Herring

After a long week of investigating and gathering as much information as you can, Heroes will be asked to report to mayor Pierre Caruana's villa by dusk with their findings. When you arrive, you'll also be greeted by a familiar sight, waving cheerily at the Heroes from the mayor's side.

	Thierry Toussaint Heeeey, over here! [ gives each Hero a conchiglia la la ] Today must have been busy for everyone. Thank you for your hard work! Oh? That look in your eyes... I feel like you’ve found something that can help us.
	Pierre Caruana I am eager to listen to anything you may have found. But first, please, follow me, Heroes.

The mayor will lead you towards the shore, and eventually, to cross the Bridge of Perenne and reach Graupera. The great hall of the House of Solare has been set up for the Heroes. There are many luxurious couches and hammocks to rest your tired body on, and soft acoustic music fills the air. There is also a large table at the middle of the room with various dishes unique to Capablanca. Heroes may dine on dishes such as grilled lobster and tuna, ravioli with tomato sauce, crab gnocchi with white wine cream sauce, warm goat cheese salad, and various high-end wines.

During dinner, both Teddy and mayor Pierre Caruana will be making the rounds, listening to any information the Heroes are willing to share. If you haven't already, now is also a great time to discuss your clues with other Heroes and try to put together a bigger picture. Before the rest of the staff come in with desserts, the mayor asks everyone for their attention.

	Pierre Caruana There appears to be... substantial evidence that Merilorn Forest is connected to the recent disappearances, including my son. I don’t believe he’s lost. I… think that he might be hiding from us. As we all know, entering the forest won’t be without difficulty, so I don’t believe he wandered that far, but…
	Thierry Toussaint Our people looking into the matter. [ gives the Heroes a reassuring smile ] We’ll take it from here. If there are any updates on the case, we’ll be sure to notify you.

THREE ♟ Leaf it to the Pros

While the disappearance of the Capablancan citizens is definitely a tragedy that needs to be solved, life continues to go on for the town. It's Calendi, and that means taking advantage of the changing seasons to earn a few extra colle. Or perhaps you just feel like doing something else in between investigations. Either way, stop killing time and start killing game! Chefs in Capablanca will pay top dollar for wild game, including elusive and vicious magical animals.

To make your job harder, the animals are capable of basic elemental magic, and will use it to defend themselves. Ducks are able to attack using water magic, foxes make use of wind, and rodents (such as rabbits and squirrels) use earth magic. It's actually quite difficult to discern what animal is in season right now, as a clever rabbit and a persistent duck seem to be fond of tearing down “rabbit season” and “duck season” posters around town and replacing them with the other.

If hunting wild game isn't your style, the chefs are also interested in acquiring fresh autumnal fruits and vegetables such as apples, pumpkins, squash, and sweet potato. You may either gather these in the wild, or harvest them from a farmer's field for a small cut of the commission.

Lastly, Bel Petto Beach happens to be Capablanca's pride and joy, and citizens would be very angry to see their shores littered with fallen leaves! Help sweep leaves off the sand and away from the ocean, where they tend to blow whenever there is a strong wind.

INFO ♟ Welcome!

Welcome to Crosscheck's October intro log! Please remember to read the Arrival Info! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!

Don't forget to vote for a Ranked Uniform Design, your character will be wearing one of these in the future! Voting will close on 10th October.

Comments

William Twining | Open

[notsolomon]

I, Clue 1
[Naturally the first step in an investigation was to look into the place and time when the person disappeared. So William's been interviewing various locals and has been getting an interesting picture of what might very well be pure bullshit.

Three mergoats, really? But, already a number of options are floating through William's mind. Perhaps the mergoats' friends wanted revenge and came after him? Or some lady impressed by his valor turned his head and caused him to run out on his wedding. William really isn't ruling out that most of this isn't wedding related jitters. People have done such for stupider reasons.

The only thing he is at a loss about is the carnival, since he wasn't in this world back then. He'd heard a bit about it, but perhaps it was time to get a better picture of it.

But as he goes through his investigations, he's going to continue speaking with people and conferring with his fellow heroes, asking higher ranked ones what they have found, or if they were at the carnival.]

II
[This meal is very not!Italian, which makes no sense, because an alternate world shouldn't be totally not!Italian like this. But it's good food at least and William considers it a decent payment for the running around he's done this week. Not that he hasn't enjoyed investigating. As a future arbitrator of the law, this part of the process has been very exciting.

So he's going to turn to you sometime during the evening.]

So did you find anything interesting? I still think he might have just ran out on his wedding, though if so, he probably had a good reason, since I can't see leaving all of this behind for some fickle mood.

[If it's not talking about the case, William might just be making small talk with you too.]

III
[It's the most menial of jobs, gathering fruits and vegetables, but William does need a break from the investigation. So he's decided that's going to focus on picking apples, since it involves less dirt and less killing things.

He's focusing on trees he can find in the wild, so that he can earn more money and experience a bit more of the land's scenary. Occasionally a branch is a bit out of reach though, so he has to jump up towards it. Or he'll send his carrier, the fairy Artemesia up to the higher branches. This method is highly efficient, especially with you, his apple basket carrier in tow. He'd have only been able to carry two if it was just himself otherwise.]

We just need to fill one more basket it seems.

[He's actually in a good mood, despite all the work.]

Wildcard
[Alter any of the above scenarios or throw your own at me! I'm open to anything, though if you're unsure, you can pm me!]

II.

[fatedking]

[Akashi has been enjoying the hospitality of this city for quite a while, though he must admit there are "dark sides" that resides on this mysterious place. The disappearance of the Mayor's son definitely won't help making this place better. He finds a little clue but still cannot connect the dots together and that is when William shows up with his question. Perhaps...]

Oh? What makes you come into that conclusion?

[This is different from an open discussion table. Akashi will try bait him to reveal his cards before he gives out his own.]

[notsolomon]

It all just seems too cliche. Man disappears before his wedding, during a major festival. Of course foul play cannot be ruled out...

[After all that carnival tidbit did sound pretty suspicious in.]

But if he did run out on his wedding, it would have to be for a good reason. He's risking a very comfortable lifestyle as well as a lot of popularity.

[fatedking]

[Cliche. Exactly like what Akashi thinks it is. He would like to know if this guy runs into some hints though...]

Makes sense. Have you discover any suspicious or unnatural things around the city? Might lead to the "why".

[notsolomon]

Just that apparently he had been in the area where the carnival was held. But since the carnival was a dungeon, he shouldn't have been able to enter it.

[Still it sounded very strange though, this whole business.]

Also that he beat up three mergoats and made quite the heroic spectacle of himself. So maybe there is a motive there.

ii

[evidentiary]

You're correct. I doubt it was fickle at all.

[ kirigiri replies, idly watching other heroes go in for the snacks and such as she stands near the wall, arms crossed. the detective then proceeds to oh-so-helpfully fail to elaborate on her inferences.

but yeah, she's pretty sure the guy had a damn good reason. and she has suspicions as to what those reasons might be. ]

[notsolomon]

People with far better lives than his have disappeared for more foolish reasons, but it doesn't seem to fit. And popularity can be a double edged sword...

[Granted, it did seem like the guy had a bit of a way with women, at least those he rescued, but that meant nothing on it's own. Plenty of men in his position would have been happy to have their cow and the milk...]

What are your thoughts on it?

[evidentiary]

Besides having other reasons not to go through with the wedding...

[ just saying ]

It sounds like Eric lived a much more adventurous life than his father believed. One strong possibility is that he was trying to solve the issue with the forest...there's evidence towards that already.

[notsolomon]

Oh?

[He raised an eyebrow as he thought on it.]

What particular evidence? Though I wouldn't be surprised. What I gathered made it sound like he was one of those people with a hero complex.

III

[wantnotneed]

Then I want to do fill that one! Just lugging the basket around gets boring really fast, you know. [ Even if it's for the name of efficiency. Her fox carrier is having an awfully hard time resisting the temptation to eat some fruits from the basket as it trots on the ground. ]

Taking a break would be nice for you anyway, wouldn't it?

[notsolomon]

Oh that's fine then.

[He probably was due to switch things up. He normally would't make a girl do too much physical labor, but if she was asking...]

If you need to though, just tell Artemesia to reach anything you can't.

[He nodded to the fairy, who was currently sitting on one of the lower tree branches.]

[wantnotneed]

Of course, of course. [ She doesn't stray too far and sets a basket under one of the flimsier trees and shakes it. It gets some fruits down, but not all of them. She throws her small fox carrier where the other fruits should be and it starts doing its work of getting them down.

It would be much better to have Artemesia do the work, but the feeling of moving around feels nice. She starts shaking the tree again and some fruits roll out of the basket and near William's feet. ]

[notsolomon]

[It is nice to have a break. Stretching like that gets a bit difficult after a while.

Though now he's thinking that he should ask something that's been on his mind since he first spoke with this girl.]

What did you say your name was? Mammon?

i;

[geneolgian]

A carnival in Petrosian?

[ He presses his hand to his mouth for a few moments before responding. ]

Oh! Do you mean that carnival dungeon?

[ ...And then he pulls a face, because dungeons are more trouble than they're worth and he was thoroughly embarrassed and humiliated (just another day in the life of Yew, tbh). ]

Well, I was there with two others, so what do you want to know?

[notsolomon]

Yes. That carnival. Since he disappeared around that time, I figure that it would be good to figure out exactly what role that may have played in it, if any.

[He notices Yew's face and frowns.]

Was it that bad?

[Hadn't their own dungeon experience been something though?]

But general details. What was going when it appeared and such.

[geneolgian]

Alright. Normally, around that time of year, the famous Liefste Carnival would be held, but it was canceled this year because of financial constraints and missing people reports in the area. Instead, a carnival-themed dungeon appeared, and we were sent to investigate that and find the missing people, who ended up being in the circus tent at the end.

Actually, I have a more comprehensive report right...here...

[ With little flourish, he brings out his diary, and hands it to William, but not before flipping to the pages he deems relevant.

One is a detailed journal summary of the setting and events of the carnival, albeit with possibly a little embellishment.

The other is not a section in particular so much as different enemy entries spread across different categories in his bestiary, including the carnival boss.

(He's keeping a bit of an eye on William though, to make sure he doesn't poke around in the bosses section of the bestiary aside from the carnival boss's entry, since that stuff is more...personal. The drawings are pretty eye-catching though, so they're hard to miss.) ]

It wasn't too terrible, all things considered.

[notsolomon]

[William read through the diary, intrigued. Somehow the image of a dungeon inspired something a bit more literal in one's mind. A dank and dark place where human misery was present, not a carnival... though that could also be said to be a source of human misery in it's own way, enchanted or not.

William hands the book back after a moment, satisfied.]

Hmm, interesting. I don't know if it directly had anything to do with man's disappearance, though it might have at least distracted people from the circumstances of it.

What have you learned of it?

[geneolgian]

[ Yew takes his diary back and carefully places it back in his bag, satisfied that there was no prying involved. ]

I haven't found anything involving the missing man himself, but I did find out something concerning about his butler.

[ He'll assume that William just wants him to spill the beans instead of playing "oh guess what I heard" "what did you hear". ]

He's apparently had some suspicious habits as of late, mostly traveling to Merilorn Forest. Of course, I went there to investigate and...the woods seem to be rotting.

[ Which is concerning, to say the least. ]

[notsolomon]

[It is tempting to pry, especially when the book is so well put together. But he can politely put aside his curiosity for once and focus on the immediate matter at hand.]

The butler huh. That's a bit typical, though it could be nothing at all.

[Servants were in a position of high trust, which meant they were also privy to their Master's secrets. So they were often the first to be suspected, sometimes unfairly. But every avenue had to be explored.]

Do you think he was investigating the illness in the forest or involved somehow?

[Either involved in the disappearance of his master or working on his behalf. It was hard to say at this point.]

[geneolgian]

I...I want to give him the benefit of the doubt for now and say he was investigating the illness. If he was involved in his master's disappearance, then he wouldn't be so worried, would he? It could be an act, of course, but...I believe that the bond between a servant and a master isn't so easily broken.

[ Maybe he's projecting, but the servants at the Geneolgia estate were all nothing short of kind and wonderful. Of course, that was their job, but considering how distant his actual family was, Alfred and the other servants felt much more like family to him. Of course, that loyalty could be twisted in other ways if the master so wished, but...he likes to believe the best in people.

Alternatively, it could be that Eric ordered him to make him go missing, but Charles mentioned that "he's not the type to worry his father", so Eric might have either never asked him to make it seem like he'd gone missing, or the situation is more serious than they'd thought (well, more serious than a string of missing-persons cases is, somehow).

They really do need to tackle this from every avenue. Charles the butler still seems to be withholding information regarding what exactly he's doing in the forest, so. ]

[notsolomon]

Mmmm, I actually agree with you there. I merely bring up the possibility to be thorough.

[He couldn't help but think of Kevin right now. His House Steward, who may have originally came into his life with ulterior motives, but had always made William his top priority. Kevin who had destroyed him many lifetimes ago, but had saved him in this life...

It was hard to not feel sentimental, so William shook his head, thinking on the question in full.]

I think it is better to look at it from the angle of why a servant might lie about such a thing? It could be to protect his missing master. To protect his interests or his reputation. Possibly something that could not be mentioned to his Father. Which would make it a very serious matter indeed.

[geneolgian]

Serious indeed. Something bigger might be at stake.

[ ...But they don't have enough information pieced together to figure out the bigger picture at the moment. He crosses his arms and lets out a small sigh. ]

At any rate, I hope my journal entries were helpful.

[notsolomon]

It's hard to see all the connections at this point.

[It's all so confusing right now and after a moment, William let's his shoulders relax.]

They were. Both helpful and enjoyable to read. I enjoy looking at that sort of thing.

[geneolgian]

Journal entries? Do you make it a habit to read people's personal thoughts on paper...?

[ Some of these entries are Personal(tm)... ]

[notsolomon]

No of course not!

[He's no voyeur, how dare!]

But anything that a person is willing to share is a different matter.