boardmaster: (Default)
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!
tsyoon: (dorkwithamask42)

[personal profile] tsyoon 2016-04-14 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ Yoon looks down in confusion, and starts when he sees the weird fluffball he hadn't noticed, quickly taking a step away from it. ]

What the heck is that?!

[ Weirdest rodent he's ever seen... ]

2A

[personal profile] theskyenceguy 2016-04-14 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Ema, without means for tugging and yanking the vines away without getting tangled up or covered in sap, had decided to focus her efforts on repairing and patching the holes in in the walls. this means she can be found crouched on the ground in front of one such hole, one hand swinging the hammer down against iron nails to affix the new wood into place]

[her ears pick up on the sound of Kaede shifting and binding her hands while she rests on the lump of rubble, and the detective's gaze flickers up from her work and towards the redhead. and, of course. . . her attention is immediately drawn towards those bandaged hands]


Ouch. Those look like some pretty nasty burns.

[she says, bluntly but not without earnest concern]

You may need more than just gauze to take care of them.
tsyoon: (when was Macy's having that sale again)

[personal profile] tsyoon 2016-04-14 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nodding in thanks, Yoon takes that as invitation to step closer, and peers at the weapon in the person's hand. ]

I haven't had a chance to read up on magic very much yet.

I thought you didn't need a weapon to do a spell. Does it depend on the magic-- or the weapon?
carptricks: (is never as it seems)

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-14 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
[. . .]

[. . .]

[he was pushing too far. not even Kaito, the biggest troublemaker in Ekoda High School class 2-B, had that much of a death wish. he holds up his hands, palms facing forward, and waves them at her frantically]


Joking, joking! I was joking! 'Course people can't boil water with their eyes. Geez. . . [yes. maybe that will save him from her icy stares]

But why were you staring at the pool in the first place, anyway? That is kind of a weird thing to do.
tsyoon: (u know those shoes don't match right)

[personal profile] tsyoon 2016-04-14 02:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ A nod, almost thanks, before he gets into it. ]

Do you know what the relationship is between the words you have to speak and the spell? Are they always something specific for a specific kind of magic, or does it depend on the person?

I wasn't able to find many resources on the ship.

[ It's frustrating, feeling like he doesn't understand anything-- knowing he doesn't understand anything. He needs to learn. Honestly, he really wants to, and he likes learning, but with everything else being unknown too, it's all just mixing together for a frustrating and slightly frightening experience. ]
mithrarin: (grr)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-14 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
True, but they're not exactly the most fearsome foes. Let's see how we do.

[The hand he'd gathered into a fist, he clenches tight, tendons flexing beneath the fur. Wind is easy; earth, however, is not. He has to completely change what he's doing.]

[By the time the first rat scurries into view, he has the spell prepared. With wind, he'd make a swift cutting gesture with his hand, but this spell requires a slow, measured descent of his fist. As he makes the motion, shards of stone coalesce around the rat, then collapse inwards to form a central whole that incidentally smashes the rat quite nicely.]

[One down.]
showsnopiety: (I'll take you there)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-14 02:51 am (UTC)(link)
That depends on what man you refer to. If you would call one a man at all.

[It could be Gilgamesh or Kirei, though if the aura in the air is anything to go by...she means the latter. Of course she hates him, and in turn despises her.

It's almost enough to give her a small smile. Enjoying herself, just like he would.]


You wouldn't remember me. When I came to Fuyuki, there was a time anomly. I did what I could to end it.

[She inclines her head.]

But it is a pleasure, Saber. I'm sure we will fight well together.
mithrarin: (frown)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-14 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
I'll tell you what I do, and see if it will work. For earth, instead of just letting my mana out... I compress it. It doesn't emerge from my palm, I am concentrating it in my fist.

[He isn't as good at this by far; it isn't natural, it doesn't come to him easily. But he lifts his hand, clenches it into a tight fist, and concentrates, his hand faintly trembling from the strain of his muscles and tendons.]
mithrarin: (hold onto your hat)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-14 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Cool. You were using ice. Ice is cool.
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-14 03:09 am (UTC)(link)
It's like that, except don't channel it into your weapon. Channel it outside yourself.

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-04-14 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Lightly teasing:]

Just Gilgamesh will do. Truth be told, I am not much of an Archer any longer.

[Despite the bow on his back they'd given him, which he was just learning how to use again. The class name carried a certain weight with it he could no longer carry, not with the seemingly permanent loss of his Gate. If anything, it reminded him of what he would never be again, and that stung more than she intended.

At her suggestion, he goes to fish his sword out of the now stilled corpse. As if reading her mind, he explains further.]


I am, as of now, at a higher "rank" than you. This affords me greater strength and more powerful spells.

[With a disgusting shlick, Gilgamesh draws the blade out of the bird's heart, then sheaths it back at his side.]

Befriend those ranked individuals, if you can. Not even the King of Knights can do all that much with just a goblet in her hands.
mithrarin: (smile)

[personal profile] mithrarin 2016-04-14 03:13 am (UTC)(link)
I've been practicing. And... increasing my rank, apparently. [Dust brushes the Queen insignia on his uniform a little self-consciously.] You've got a useful weapon, and just as much ability to use magic, so if you work at it you'll find your own strengths.
armorial: (pic#10133794)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ You are a smart man, Kaito. That is the best choice (if not the only choice). Saber lays off him, now back to her regular self. Actually, her face is the same, but there's less... hostility. ]

I was entertaining the thought of learning to swim. [ Yes, there's a nod. ] Nothing more.
carptricks: (to fall asleep)

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-14 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Aha.

[well, okay. that made way more sense than his joke about boiling water with a glare did]

Y'know, I think I saw Commander Lisbrand offering "swimming lessons" earlier.

["swimming lessons" because he wasn't sure he could call what Lisbrand had been doing "swimming lessons." little does he know that poor Saber was a victim of Lisbrand's tough love method of teaching]
showsnopiety: (In the midnight hour)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-14 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
My own source was someone who has been here for a few months. The ship was more of a gambling resource if nothing else.

[She blows out a breath, and she holds out her hand. She channels mana, and lo, out comes a small star of light, hovering over her palm.]

It's focus and willpower; the way a person may focus varies, hence the unique gestures and phrases. It has to be something that will focus you into doing that specific spell.

So I've been given to understand.
armorial: (pic#10133771)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's as if he summons dark clouds, because the air once again runs dry. It is gloomy and dark on this end as Saber squints at him, then over to the plank nearby. There is an exasperated sigh. ]

Yes. I am well aware. [ She is an obvious victim, but doesn't say it. It's already heavily implied. ]
showsnopiety: (In the midnight hour)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-14 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
Concentrating....but what do you want the earth spell to do?

[She doesn't know if the concentration of fist will work for her. But there is a phrase that does pop into her mind, for all she holds it back.]
carptricks: (In mine)

[personal profile] carptricks 2016-04-14 03:36 am (UTC)(link)
[keep working yourself deeper into that hole of bad first impressions, Kuroba. she doesn't need to say it; he can read it on her face]

. . .

Lisbrand can be a li'l. . . pushy. [pushy was one word for it, sure]

If you don't learn well under her methodology, then it sounds like you've just gotta find a better teacher.
showsnopiety: (it's like a little prayer)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-14 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[She finds herself gently on her feet, and she steps back, letting the mana link dwindle and stop. As it is, she's uncertain how her mana flow will be. Then again, she needs but a trickle to ensure that it would work the way she wants it, if not for a long duration.

He's dribbling all sorts of sentiments though...if the Gods are horrors, she wants to drink it in and enjoy the sight. Enjoy it right before she kills them. If it's possible.

Most likely she will.]


Naturally I will. A moment. And-

[She holds up a finger as she turns away, to pick up her Sinner's Shawl-]

Unless you're planning to play dodge and weave, please land. You're wasting mana that either of us could use later.
armorial: (pic#5238726)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ Is he lecturing her? She doesn't like how this is going, but she listens. Gilgamesh does have experience in this world, being that of a higher rank and also wielding two weapons along with an arsenal of spells. While she doesn't mind power gaps of any kind, the reminder is starting to annoy her. She doesn't say anything... Cause he's right. About everything. Her eyes follow him as she pulls his sword out of the fat bird.

It's a little hard for her to say his true name, he has always been Archer to her, but she respects his wishes. Though he asks of her such a thing, she doesn't consider being called anything aside from Saber. It kind of grew on her. She moves her chalice in her hand, making the water swerve inside it.

All she has is this goblet.
] I will heed your advice.

Let us head back... Gilgamesh. There is much to do. [ She did it!! She'll start their descent down the tower, leading first. In the front is where she always belongs. ]
buildyourworld: (Be careful!)

[personal profile] buildyourworld 2016-04-14 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
[ He slows down a little to allow her breathing room but not for long so it would help her pace her stamina and endurance, even if he doesn't outright tells her. If she notices, good for her. If not, well, her body will learn it anyway.

Her question however, gets a simple brush off. ]


Home.

[ Changing the topic now, Taiwan. He doesn't talk about his life. ]

Think, start countering. Let your body do the dodging.
armorial: (pic#10133793)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 03:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ The rat is unmoving--Saber is pleased. It is rather... large. Larger than expected. The barrier starts disintegrating piece by piece as water refills in her chalice. It's still up long enough to block two more rats that come in and tackle the barrier, almost shaking it in place. ]

They are also rather large... Do you have enough time? [ She's not sure if the barrier will last, but the rats are furiously scratching at the shell, trying their hardest to get in and have a bite at them. ]
armorial: (pic#10133765)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ She doesn't specify which man. In the end, she thinks it's not worth the clarity. She feels almost similarly to both Kirei and Gilgamesh, so... Anyway, wot the fok did u say m8? The time anomaly gets a perplexed look out of Saber. She shouldn't be surprised... They come from such a twisted world.

She recollects herself with a small nod.
] We are fellow Heroes with the same objective now. I look forward to the time where I can fight alongside you.

[ Even if though she has her doubts. ]

... Were you here for milk as well, Caren? [ A better, lighter topic. ]
long_live_the_queen: (are you talking about my hat)

[personal profile] long_live_the_queen 2016-04-14 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
[She pauses, staring at him for an inordinately long time. If there was such a thing as a piercing stare, that might have come close.

Mostly it was just the glare of a particularly aloof and judgmental and generally sulky cat.
]

Which one do you know?

[Whatever it was, it was...most likely better than a cantrip pieced together from watching others out of the corner of her eyes.]
armorial: (pic#5238746)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-04-14 04:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's too late for him to go back at this point. there is no save file in roleplay world. ]

I can't say her learning approach is effective. [ Harsh words are out!! Even though harsh, her words are chosen carefully. ] But, yes, perhaps looking for a capable mentor is ideal.

However, I am not sure where to look. [ Talking about this in general is already taxing. Also pool=swimmers. ]