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BOARDMASTER ([personal profile] boardmaster) wrote in [community profile] pawnstorm2016-04-09 04:30 am

intro ♚ april

WELCOME TO GRAUPERA



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 CAPABLANCA & AIRY
As much as Blanc’s capital welcomes its Heroes, new arrivals such as yourself won’t have much time to settle. Get dressed and pick up your weapon and Carrier, because sometime in the afternoon, all floor nannies and Carriers will broadcast an announcement by Commander Lisbrand. She delivers a brief greeting to their new members, but gets straight to the point: they will be headed for Capablanca and the open sea beyond, in order to restore the fortress of Graupera for battle with Noir looming on the horizon. All new Heroes are expected to report to the Airy at the Caissa aeroport on the 8th along with their seniors.

On the morning of the 11th, Airy alights on Graupera, an island about two hours away from Capablanca by ferry. From here, you can either help the navy with Graupera repairs or assist in Verdoni’s investigations and head for Capablanca proper. Heroes will be staying in the (in)famous Hotel Caruana: they say you can check in anytime you like, but you can never truly leave. Nobody will quite meet your eyes or tell you what it means.

Wherever you are, the Airy will remain parked at Graupera.

TWO GRAUPERA, CAPABLANCA SEA FORT
What was once a heavily fortified island rests a ways off the coast of Capablanca; it looks a little too much like one of the thunderclouds slowly swarming on the horizon. Graupera has seen many battles and withstood the ebb and flow of wars. Formerly the city’s first line of defense until it was abandoned after the Reclamation, its dilapidated condition is the current bane of the Blanc navy. Blanc needs to bring it back to its former glory before it can face a single warship, much less Noir’s fleet of magical cannons. Blanc’s government has no doubt Heroes will do a fine job at returning the fortress to its former glory!

A ♙ The great stone and iron wall facing the wide open ocean has seen better days and is full of holes overgrown with stubborn clinging vines; cannonballs used a lifetime ago litter the grounds. The vines are extremely thick and may tangle the careless beyond hope of escape, not to mention filled with a pungent sap that will seep into your clothes and hair for days. It makes a great adhesive, though? Conveniently, parts of the wall are strewn across the floor, so at least some of the cannon holes can be repaired with enough improvisation, desperation and a bit of spit. The rest need new material provided by our helpful Heroes in Option C. Furthermore, the lingering damage from a previous attack and old age have turned the floorboards weak and unstable. The wood creaks ominously beneath the mass of even a single average-sized person, so watch your step.

B ♟ You might want to get your weapon before you descend into the dank depths beneath the castle. Once you make it down the steep, slippery stairs, you’ll be meeting the gigantic, hostile rats that infest the castle cellar from top to bottom. It looks like magical residue from long-ago battles has seeped into both the foundation and its inhabitants. The cellars have become a huge warren filled with strange mana currents, and sometimes flooded with water. If you're going to start an extermination campaign, you may want to recall the magical residue: chopping off a rat’s head and limbs will barely slow it down. It will keep going for hours unless you either lop off all its limbs or pierce its heart.

If you manage to make it all the way up into the castle’s two intact towers (the other two are half-collapsed), the uppermost levels are utterly covered in bird crap. You’ll be encountering the kings of this castle: the unusually large, grey-feathered sea birds that have taken up residence here. Albatrosses, gulls, pelicans, even sand pipers: they all share nesting and pooping space here. The feathers of each bird seem to have taken on stone-like properties not unlike the castle’s walls. They’re extremely ferocious and protective of their nests, which are filled with all kinds of things: twigs, shiny things, coin money, Option C’s supplies, feathers of all kinds, and some completely ordinary tools that seem too small for human hands, and much older than anything else in the place save for the walls. If you look closely, you might be able to see a few baby rats scattered in amongst the eggs and the peeping chicks. They’re being fed, too.

You’re meant to be moving the birds out of the place, but you might have enough trouble just moving their offal.

C ♙ Don’t feel like dealing with pest control? No problem! Blanc will need materials for rebuilding and other supplies for the coming battle! Everyone knows how important it is for the fortress to remain standing, so Heroes will be provided with gadgets and weaponry that should make it difficult for enemies to penetrate the walls yet again. Word has spread that the Heroes are transporting valuable goods, though, so you might have to fend off the occasional hopeful man or annoying mouse (rat) who wishes to borrow much-needed material.

Of course, all this rebuilding will be for naught if you are not prepared to defend the stronghold! Ammunition such as cannonballs, bullets and arrows needs to be transported to Graupera en masse, pronto. Equally important essentials include first aid supplies and enough non-perishable food and water to last a small army (you) a month or two. You wouldn’t want to have to scavenge for rat meat.

No one knows just how long this battle is going to last.

THREE Training
It’s time for you landlubbers to learn how to swim! Commander Lisbrand won’t be tolerating any sinking stones on her task force. The upcoming battle will be fought on the sea so your instructor, one of Blanc’s many fine captains (when she isn’t intoxicated), will make every single individual who hesitates at the sight of the open ocean walk the plank. She’ll even give you a helpful kick if necessary! Once that’s over, she will show you how to steer a ship. However, wandering eyes that land anywhere on the inebriated captain’s assets will be swiftly and spectacularly dealt a large bottle of the harbor’s best swill right where it hurts.

Blanc has also provided training dummies dressed suspiciously like prominent figures of the Othellian underworld. Now might be a good time to branch out and learn about your affinities. Heroes who have recently been promoted in Rank might want to set some time aside for getting used to their new abilities, too. Power and responsibility come hand in hand, after all!

INFO Welcome!
Welcome to Crosscheck's April intro log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!
mithrarin: (look away)

B

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
I wish that counted for much.

[The view just makes Dust standoffish, his arms folded as the breeze tugs his cloak and tail towards the stern. Can he even see the view from beneath that hat?]

[Probably, since he's facing that direction.]


It'd be easier to appreciate in different circumstances.
mithrarin: (whoa hold on)

3

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
The clonk of bottle against head made Dust wince slightly beneath his hat, one hand held up as if to ward off the image.

"I -- don't think she appreciated your wandering eyes."
mithrarin: (whoa hold on)

2b

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
...Is that your weapon at work, or did you actually pick up magic that fast?

[Whatever she's doing, it's impressive, he'll admit. But HOW impressive depends on her answer.]

[personal profile] theskyenceguy 2016-04-12 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
1. Target practice

[she didn't ask for this]

[well. . . let's be honest. did anyone ask for this? probably not, but Ema feels like she especially didn't ask for this. it's entirely too much for a woman of science to absorb all at once. waking up (naked) in a room with a strange man, being told she was chosen to fight in a war she knew nothing about, being ushered into choosing a weapon (??!?!) and a pet with little time to contemplate her choices, and then being herded onto a giant flashy airship? yeah. yeeeeeah]

[Ema really didn't ask for this]

[which is why she can be found slouched in her seat near one of the Airy bars, a plate of fried rice and a drink seated in front of her. a pudgy blue badger is curled up in her lap-- snoring, judging from the low wheezing sounds it makes with each breath. Ema sits with her cheek resting in the palm of one hand, shoulders slumped, a straw hanging out of her mouth as she scowls at anyone who passes by her. and the other hand?]

[is busy flicking balls of sticky rice at said passerbys. one of those passerbys may be you. let's hope you enjoy a helping of RICE TO THE FACE]


2-B. Pest control

Ooooh, no you don't! Don't even think about it! I'm warning you, use the bathroom outside, not on top of my head!

[anyone else who had made it to the bird dung encrusted towers will hear this woman yelling at the sea birds circling the air above her head. she's aiming her scientific weapon in their direction, although she holds it a bit awkwardly, like she isn't exactly familiar with how it works. the birds squawk and screech and drop stone feathers around her feet-- each one that plummets through the air lands on the ground with a plunk and causes the woman to flinch in surprise]

[she doesn't have this. she doesn't have this at all]


I can't believe this. . . ugh! Why did I have to get assigned pest control, of all things?

[and she isn't too happy about not having this, either]

Wildcard.

[if you'd like to do something specific feel free to ping me at [plurk.com profile] rogueclass!]
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
Guess you found the key that works for you.

[Dust smiles, pleased to see her achieve it -- and daring to hope that maybe he'd done well to teach her. That would be a nice thought.]

Light, though... I wonder what that could be.

1

[personal profile] theskyenceguy 2016-04-12 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
[it just so happens that the person Jirou bumps into is a prickly, displeased detective who doesn't like people suddenly invading her personal space. accidental bumps and nudges she could forgive, but a drunkard leaning into her with a laugh and a playful exclamation about his clumsiness?]

[nnnnnnope]

[she immediately shoves a hand in Jirou's face and attempts to push him away. somewhere in the back of her mind she feels a small twinge of familiarity, but that gets pushed aside in favor of her trying to maintain her own dignity]


Do I look like a walking stick or an arm rest to you?
Edited 2016-04-12 02:12 (UTC)
armorial: (pic#10133890)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ damn those are some deep words goldie. it's gotta be true when being away from a priest makes you cleaner.

She worries for her comrades even if they're big manchildren. There's relief and dismay when she hears his voice. Why is she even worrying about the man? Right, she has a fucking defensive cup. Either way, for this moment, they need each other as much as she doesn't like it. The bird picks itself up in an uncoordinated fashion, scrapping off dried droppings and letting it fly in the air.
]

I--[ That is the dumbest thing she has heard today, but there is no time for her reply. The bird notices her first since she's closest. Gilgamesh bolted off a couple seconds ago. There's little delay in the second attack. There's another quick dive, but it's meant to snatch. It doesn't go into flirt, but there are many flecks that go into the air from its attack.

Luckily, she barely evades and starts running left. Not because she thinks Gilgamesh's plan will work, but because there's nothing else she can do. The bird gets back onto its feet, talons piercing through the layers of feces. The layers crumble a bit under its grip and it starts to collect large amounts.
]

Careful! [ Yes, this is where it's going to start gliding over to Gilgamesh to drop its board of dried poop. It may be poop but it is heavy, okay. Probably not enough to kill someone, but leave a bruise. Badly. It's preparing to nest on the King of Heroes after it circles around his area to drop its hail of dried feces. Saber is making her way as fast as she can.

I'm not even sure why we're here.
]
showsnopiety: (In the midnight hour)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-12 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Light?

[She opens her eyes and the light diminishes slightly. But it is curious.]

Is there no light affinity, or fire?
armorial: (pic#10133791)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
Yata? What is wrong? Are you all right? [ She'll kneel down, towel in one arm and offers her free hand to help him up. ]

... Nothing has happened to me. [ She... She doesn't understand why he's reacting this way. ]
armorial: (pic#10133774)

assuuunaaaa

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ She couldn't evade in time because she was so into this dairy business, so when Asuna bumps into her, she fumbles with her grail. The water flies into the air and her eyes widen...

It drops on both of them, leaving them both wet. And I guess the milk bottle plushie will also be a victim.
]

My apologies. [ She tries to pick up her grail. It's literally making a puddle and it grows larger as seconds pass. Now that that's under control. ] Are you all right?

[ She turns to Asuna--okay, she moves around to see Asuna with concern. It's just water, but she has tried the water before to see what it does. It does not do good things. ]

B

[personal profile] theskyenceguy 2016-04-12 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[Ema sticks out on the Airy like a sore thumb, dressed in her bright white heroic garb. it isn't difficult to spot her leaning against the Airy railing, staring dully at the horizon. Lux's bright smile is at odds with this woman's gloomy frown, though the comment about the view gets her to lift her head and regard her fellow hero with curiosity]

I suppose so, if you're into that kind of thing.

[she folds her arms and rests her chin against them, one foot tapping the ground lightly]

Though I don't know how anyone in our predicament manages to enjoy it.
mithrarin: (hold onto your hat)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
That doesn't look like fire. But I'll admit I'm not a complete study of magic. Most of what I've picked up has been intuitive, with a little reading to support it. [Good enough that they'd declared he's a caster by nature, he guesses.]
armorial: (pic#5238723)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's some silence as she looks over to the board, then back at him. This man is considerably kind... And she hasn't felt ridiculed yet. All-in-all, she is in a good mood. ] Thank you.

[ She scrutinizes the board a bit, looking at it in different angles. ] It's rather flimsy, isn't it? Like a raft...

[ She has her doubts. ]
showsnopiety: (In the midnight hour)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-12 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
...I see. So, perhaps it could be light. Are there no...holy or unholy affinities?

[He new more than she did, so she'll have to rely on him until they find books. Which there are none of around here.]

Or could it be a combination of elements?
mithrarin: (smile)

2B

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
Because it needs to be done.

[As a Ranked-up hero, he probably could have skipped this duty, but why? He's not too good for this. People need help. So Dust's along for the ride, stepping up the stairs with his staff in hand.]
carptricks: (When we walk)

1B

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-12 02:30 am (UTC)(link)
Wha--

[the yelp of surprise Kaito lets out as Taiwan crashes into him echoes against the walls of the alleyway. the force of the collision sends him stumbling, but somehow, he manages to avoid crashing face first into the ground]

What the heck. . . [ah. wait a minute. one look from the new girl to the menacing thugs who were quickly approaching them both is all he needs in order to understand what is going on here. damn it, and he was trying to keep his involvement with the Capablanca underground limited to when he was in disguise. . . ah. well]

[time to put some of those heroic skills to work]


'M fine! You look like you're in a bit of a pinch, though.

[a flicks of his wrist, and suddenly he's spinning a yo-yo at his side as he turns to face the men Taiwan was fighting. wait, a yo-yo???]

Need a li'l bit of help?
armorial: (pic#10133768)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
I imagine you're talking about magic of this world... Unfortunately, I haven't yet. [ She was hoping to be given more time to learn about everything, but had to find her way to the dock to board. She has maybe tried her grail a couple of times, but there's so much you can practice with throwing water. She's also not a caster type--she reconsiders her priorities now.

Anyway, she gestures over to the steps. They should start their descent.
]

I can feel that my mana is not what it used to be, so I will do my best to manage. If you can sweep the enemy, I can give you time to cast any spells you have. [ A nod. They're just rats, so she doesn't think they'll need a lot. ]

You may also call me Saber. [ It would be weird not to know her comrade's name vice versa. ]
rollin: by me (misc | behind)

[personal profile] rollin 2016-04-12 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
Eh? O-oh. Uh. [ He probably looks like a tool, so he pushes himself up. Without her help. ] It's nothing. I'm fine!

[ But if she was a guy, teaching her would be a whole lot easier... He wouldn't be looking away, for example. ]

You should warm up... before you get in.
armorial: (pic#10133860)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ She's quiet, watching him after he gestures her to follow him. There's some doubt and suspicion, but she doesn't feel any danger. After a couple of seconds, she tags along and follows rather closely to him, almost like a ghost. Yes, a ghost into the milk shop.

Also, it would be blasphemy to drink from the Holy Grail.
]

Are you planning to make a purchase? [ She's not sure what's the notion. Why is he asking her to follow him? She is only a stranger... She takes in the whole shop either way, looking at the intricacies and detail. ]

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-04-12 02:41 am (UTC)(link)
[We're here because plot. Always because plot, Saber. Never forget this.

Alright, so his plan was proving... less than brilliant. And even appeared to be worsening things, but not to worry! He's got an even bigger and better plan! No, really. He actually had stopped running while it had pursued Saber, giving him time to cast another spell, this one which intended to bind:]


I call upon you most divine, Chains of Heaven! Intertwine!

[Wasn't that just the most pleasant incantation to roll off the tongue? Though he does not have Enkidu here, Gilgamesh conjures something quite like it out of thin air, golden chains that burst forth and mean to entrap the bird. At first, the targeting proves a bit off, and only manages to trip it up. But after a moment or so, he tangles the wings. It won't hold for very long, but perhaps it will be just long enough to send it packing.

Gilgamesh, meanwhile—suave little devil that he is—catches Saber by the wrist and plants their feet together in place. Here is where they make their stand.]


Focus all of your mana and form the barrier!

[They're going to need it. The bird fights its bindings fiercely, and Gilgamesh was still only a novice with this magic.]
armorial: (pic#10133861)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-12 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ HOW CHARMING. Assassin has always been an admirable man even if he's merely a nobody, basically. Either way, she's glad it's him who she's partnered up with. I guess. Maybe. She just thinks it could be worse. Either way, they descend down the steps to meet the dark cellars. It's quiet, but she hears a scurry. The movements sound heavier than she would have expected? Well, they're oversized rats. ]

It looks like they know we're here. [ The sound of scurrying multiplies in mere seconds and it gets louder. The two of them has only taken a couple of steps forward into the undergrounds, but a mob is already curious of their new visitors. Curious enough for one oversized rodent to launch itself at Assassin's face.

Saber instinctively blocks it with the sword he had given her, but that doesn't stop the catapult of rats. They just continue to pounce and fly into the air to attack his face. It's already too late for her to use her barrier, so she tries her best to smack the ones thrown at her and him. She can't get all of them though.
]

Their numbers are many...
carptricks: (And it's magic)

3

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-12 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
[the change in his badge (from Pawn to Bishop) had given Kaito a wider range of new abilities, most of which he had yet to truly explore thanks to how busy his investigations in Capablanca had kept him. but when he finally manages to hit a down period, he immediately hits the training grounds, intent on discovering the extent of what he could do. besides, target practice with his new firearm was a must, regardless of how confident he was in his gun wielding abilities already]

[he's in the middle of reloading his weapon with another round of bullets when Assassin's voice reaches his ears. it's familiar-- of course it's familiar, Kaito had an ear for voices-- and he glances up just in time to recognize the man who had helped him escape from those two thugs earlier on in the month. a man who was now judging people's abilities with a sword. yeah, that unimpressed tone in Assassin's words also didn't escape Kaito's notice]

[well, it was bound to have happened sooner or later. Kaito has no plans on revealing that he was the mysterious cloaked figure Assassin had ran into that day, but he sees no harm in approaching his fellow hero and starting up casual conversation. right?]


Y'know, if you keep judging people's abilities like that, you're gonna start giving people inferiority complexes.

[he teases, and the voice he speaks with is notably different than the one he used back in the alleyway. gotta preserve his anonymity, here]
mithrarin: (look away)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
...To be honest, I'm not certain I understand the concepts at all.

[Dust has no religion, no concept of a greater being and an energy that is pure or blasphemous. He vaguely understands the Flameless Light exists. Confronted directly with this confusion, all he can do is look away.]

Sorry. I'm not so good with the theory.
mithrarin: (outstretched hand)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-12 02:49 am (UTC)(link)
Dust.

[Welcome to Team Noun Names, Saber.]

This will work just fine. I should be doing some practicing of my own, with magic.

[He lifts one hand from his staff, then draws it into a fist, demonstratively.]

If you protect me, I can get it done.
carptricks: (To my motion fatigue)

III

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-12 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
[ah. . . well. now this certainly was a unique sight, wasn't it? it's not every day you come across someone staring so passionately at a pool, of all things]

. . .

'M not sure it's really possible to boil water just by staring at it.

[Kaito plz, she's very clearly not trying to boil water with her determined gaze!1]

But hey! I'll give you effort for trying?

[he may be picking on her. just a little bit]
Edited 2016-04-12 02:51 (UTC)