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!
hiryugaeshi: (no I won't stop being a smug shit)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-04-18 12:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ Guns just feel most unheroic to Kojirou, but he won't tell Kaito that. Magic weapons, for all their similarities, aren't Noble Phantasms. There's no reason they have to play by the same rules, but: ]

I'm fairly sure if you don't use a sword, you're going to be terrible at it.

[ That's probably true, isn't it? ]

But it doesn't need to have anything to do with swords specifically. The first lesson of any martial art is knowing how little you know.
houndumb: (014)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
How are they endangered?!

[Please see Exhibit A: the excessive amount of pandas currently squashing him, Exhibit B: the 20-30 or so tiny pandas currently rolling around the room and probably smacking each other with bamboo shoots or whatever tiny kung fu pandas establish the pecking order with, and also the zillion other fully-grown pandas that have probably given him a sound thrashing at some point for trying to bypass them.

Because he's him, you know. So now he's probably nursing a grudge, too, or at least a bruise or two.

So Nora swats the wayward teething cub a few more times, glares at Taiwan some more even as she starts her story, and then interrupts her entirely because:]

What kind of ninja name is Haruto? Never heard of him!

[She's from the human world, right, right. He's just going to be That One Annoying Kid, never mind his actual age. But hey, at least he's listening.]
topkong: gaelriz (38)

[personal profile] topkong 2016-04-18 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Good! Look, I'll jump out and get their attention. You should focus on snagging as many as you can.

[ Wukong looks up and around. Yeah, he'll just have to hope Juzumaru can do his job effectively. Otherwise, Wukong will be in a world of hard, stone-like feathers and bird crap and that's not okay. Unacceptable. ]

Three... two... one... here I go!

[ And he lets go and runs out, screaming wildly and screeching like the angriest monkey known to man, like one who had his precious banana stolen??? ]
hiryugaeshi: (break through me with force)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-04-18 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
I have no intention of eating bananas for the rest of my life.

[ Bananas and porridge. What a horrid way to live. No, Wukong, he's definitely not going to accept any food from you now. ]

It seems like we don't have the mana or the time to clear out the entire tower in one sitting. What say you grab as much of the materials as you can, while I cover you?

[ Because you know what Kojirou doesn't want to deal with? Bird poop stuck in monkey fur. That'll probably end up stinking up everything in the Airy and hotel for days. Days. ]
hiryugaeshi: (TSUBAME)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-04-18 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's definitely strong. Strong enough that Assassin doesn't want to face it head-on again, definitely not. He's thankful for the barrier here, the safety granted by Saber's magic weapon finally proving to be of some use after all. ]

It is, and a cornered rat with defend its home with great ferocity. But it is still a rat, surely we can take it down with our skills and wiles.

[ It would be a sad day when they can't outsmart a literal rat, no matter how big it is. Assassin parries a claw with his sword, keeping them safe for as long as possible, but he can't quite do any permanent damage despite his skills. The rat's hide is just too thick for that. ]

So, you are the king, and I am but a lowly swordsman. How should we get past this?

[ He has a few ideas, but he also wants to put Saber on the spot. Because it's fun. ]
drawmecute: (Sad Panda)

[personal profile] drawmecute 2016-04-18 02:05 am (UTC)(link)
I guess it is, if you're used to whole galaxies.

*Not that home felt like it, Toronto was a big bustling place. But Lola couldn't really wrap her head around stars and galaxies so she figured that made her a backwater.*

I don't know, I didn't really think I was special enough to be a here. I'm really athletic and energetic?

*Lola's not quite impressive, she's small and flighty... all she has going for her is when she started stretching she's clearly athletic. Beyond her range of motion, and leg muscles, not much to write home about.*
burnmydread: (i once ran away)

[personal profile] burnmydread 2016-04-18 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ He tilts his head slightly at that. Maybe because he pretty much accepts anything that's handed to him, especially when it's food. Minato isn't the type to be pushy, though, so he accepts her decline with a simple nod...

...before grabbing a few more drinks. As she said, he should spend his money for himself. And food is where most of it goes, anyway. ]


They're good to have on Mondays, at least.
drawmecute: (Sad Panda)

[personal profile] drawmecute 2016-04-18 02:14 am (UTC)(link)
I've never heard of Amberground either, so we're even on that?

*Lola's not the sharpest, but she's pretty capable at languages, learning Mandarin while speaking fluent Spanish, English, and enough French to get by. But Amberground didn't sound familiar, and it didn't sound right for any of the parts of the world she'd be unfamiliar with.*

I guess it's nice to meet you too. I... guess we don't have much choice. I'd rather have my phone to take pictures before we go out. But...
long_live_the_queen: (fucking stairs)

[personal profile] long_live_the_queen 2016-04-18 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Whatever Kaede landed on afterwards, it had way too many lumps to be the ground. That was an elbow digging into her spine, for instance. As dazed and short of breath as she was, that definitely encouraged her to move faster. Or at least roll away and off of the pile of limbs.

Also someone was touching her head stop immediately.
]
stagewhirl: (now...)

[personal profile] stagewhirl 2016-04-18 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[How awfully familiar of a certain "Doggie" back home... he wasn't exactly accommodating either. Arashi simply stares back, cheek resting in a now raised hand.]

You're right about one thing, but sleeping and recovering aren't always one in the same, you know!

I woke up early as anyone to see what I could help with, but I might've caught only seconds of the disaster outside before something was thrown at me! I swear there was a giant beast sending things flying that shouldn't be! [Heaven forbid this beautiful face were a casualty, but either the impressions of cage bars fade fast or there'd been a fantastic healer around to save it. Just thinking of it makes Arashi squirm, face in both hands by now. kyaaaa!] Even though I've ranked up I don't feel sturdy as I used to....

[So in a roundabout way... yes, a higher ranking hero'd been knocked out cold this morning.]

Doesn't it mean anything that I at least want to know what's left? It's embarrassing enough!
flawless_precision: (pic#10174191)

[personal profile] flawless_precision 2016-04-18 03:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Phasma certainly wouldn't have chosen her for the FN Stormtrooper program, and she wonders about the futility of her training attempts now, but she had to admit the situation left little alternative. At the very least the girl doesn't seem the lazy type, so there's that in her favor. Phasma begins warming up as well.]

Hm. Reconnaissance. At least, if you'd ended up under my command that's where I would have put you. [A tiny moot point that she would have done so expecting her to fail.]

[As for Phasma's build, she's very nearly a human tank. While she's a pretty standard unaltered non-Force sensitive everyday human, she's got a size on her and a decent cut of muscles that means business, and she knows how to stretch and move her body to warm up each cluster and tendon.]
cutiepanther: (61)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-04-18 03:26 am (UTC)(link)
It's so gross... [ Maki couldn't help but scream. She's never done anything like this, and certainly never had gotten covered in this... stuff. So she's more than a little grossed out. She also just happens to be a trained vocalist so the outcome was always going to be like this from the start. ]

W-We better not...

[ Looking around as he tries to get onto her feet, Maki notices something shining from behind them. It's the nests of the birds, and they are filled with all kinds of things aside from the expected twigs. Money, supplies, twinkets.. it's practically a goldmine here. ] Takeba-san! Look!
cutiepanther: (38)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-04-18 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ This is simply her way of the tsun, there's no way out of it now for Saber. She's simply been pulled into Maki's strong tsun current and she should just go with the flow to survive. ]

I-I do! I don't want you to waste your money on something you might not like! S-So it's only natural you should try mine!

[ She moves to pay for her drink, the bottle with a giant tomato on it with a cloudy sort of reddish white liquid inside that anyone with eyes would probably refrain from drinking... and then presents it to the other girl. ]
cutiepanther: (85)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-04-18 03:30 am (UTC)(link)
Kyaa!! [ Maki wasn't expecting that at all, tumbling back and landing with the other girl on top of her. Definitely not how she expected this day to start! ]

G-Get off of me!
drawmecute: (Accepting Friend)

[personal profile] drawmecute 2016-04-18 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
"You're really pale, but it works for you."

Lola didn't have much chance to work on her tan, fresh from a school year (and winter at that) before finding her way here. But she had some color to her skin. Not a lot, but she was fine, she had her entire look down for her current state.

"Well, as much as anything works with these uniforms..."
handle: optimisty (pic#9785924)

[personal profile] handle 2016-04-18 05:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sorey sheathes his sword, forcing laughter when he mentioned never doubting him. He was though, wasn't he?

Still, the important thing was that he was alright, and that they were out of danger for now. ]


I'm just glad that I could help! [ He puts his hands to his chest, looking over the monkey.

Wow... So it really did heal him! That sword was definitely amazing! But, he can definitely feel the effects of what he'd heard about before regarding mana. ]


Sorey. It's nice to meet you!
houndumb: (071)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
God... damn it...

[Ah, well, at least this one's recovered enough to run his mouth already. His head is still smarting enough that Nora doesn't really register the pat (which probably lands somewhere on his nose, honestly, the pile is messy enough); good thing, too, else he really might end up biting the hand while he's out of it. (... Again.)

Once Kaede rolls off, though, and he gets hit by the cool air and the rain? He sits up like a shot, not bothering to roll away properly (we're really sorry, Zelos) before he starts tugging at the collar still stuck halfway on his head. And yelling. Can never forget the yelling.]

What the hell are you people playing at, what the hell is this, get it off I've had enough of collars for--

[Someone... may want to stop him before he pulls it off and all their hard work is undone, oops. For the moment, it seems to be stuck fast on his hair. This is what you get for having three ridiculous ponytails on your head, Nora.]
handle: earthenring (Default)

LMAO

[personal profile] handle 2016-04-18 05:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Sorey can't help but give a breath of relief when Bolin holds onto him, keeping them both afloat and steady somewhat about the water. He'd definitely be a goner if it wasn't for this stranger. ]

Thanks. [ he looks to Bolin, offering a wary expression, yet he looked to him with some gratitude. ] I really owe you one.
accordance: all by <user name="feonixe"> (Default)

[personal profile] accordance 2016-04-18 05:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's not actually a lord, but it isn't time for him to clarify yet - especially when Juzumaru speaks of the same things as he usually does. ]

It is very rare that I find another who is like me. [ Even if they're of slightly different disciplines, but more on that later. ] We have been called here to help this world. There is much we can put ourselves to.
long_live_the_queen: (Close to a smile)

[personal profile] long_live_the_queen 2016-04-18 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
I don't have much of a choice.

[Ema's...offer makes her smile, though. And it's not even a cruel or otherwise weird smile, at least not completely. It still looks strange, gone in a moment, and like she's kind of forgotten how to. But it did exist! For a second!]

How generous of you.
buildyourworld: (...this can't be....)

[personal profile] buildyourworld 2016-04-18 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
Go be the good servant you are then, there's plenty to do everywhere else.

[ Tieria is just going to go through his training quietly. His movements are precise, sharp and efficient, without any extra swings. One thing for certain however, is that regardless of how good his form is, it definitely lacks the signature telltale sign of any known sword styles. Kojirou would, as a samurai, be able to tell that Tieria's swordplay is much more militaristic, used for it's practicality more than it's value as martial art. ]
glorifiedtrash: <user name="shooped" site="livejournal.com"> (Thankful to the starts that I have found)

[personal profile] glorifiedtrash 2016-04-18 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Can he just groan pathetically? That's a thing he's doing, yes. All this rolling and jumping about is really not helping after having a combined ~200lbs fall on him. Which is both a blessing and a worry because together they should be heavier, but details.

As much as he wouldn't mind taking a bit of a dirt nap right now he knows he can't. He's got to keep moving, keep being useful. Can't...fail them. At least, he doesn't want to fail these two who've appeared her so suddenly and unknowingly against their own will. Because-- Whatever, he just can't.

Sitting up slowly himself, he winces. Once he catches sight of what Nora's doing though he sits up an hell of a lot faster, reaching out to grab Nora's hand in an attempt to yank it away from the kid's latest bdsm accessory. And. Only anything in the area of "things worn on the body".]

Stop acting like a brat! [Okay? Okay. He calls it like he sees it!!! Speaking of he does look to Kaede.] Thanks. For caring about this dumb dog here. [that being Nora... Anyway, taking a breath! It's silly, how relieved he feels to see them in one piece. But really he truly does... So he doesn't bother hiding a kinder look than he usually wears.] You're new too, right?
buildyourworld: (right... as if)

[personal profile] buildyourworld 2016-04-18 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Be calm, you're not going to drown on my watch.

[ Once Sorey calms down considerably enough to pay attention, Tieria gives him the instruction on how to actually swim. It's not hard, honestly, it's just a matter of getting over the nerve of being thrown into the sea.

Well, it's a crash course, after all. ]
houndumb: (037)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
[His expression just keeps souring further the more she talks, and the more they keep walking in stupid exposition circles. God, they're literally doing the Kotomine exposition circle shit, how did this happen to him. For the moment, the ship deck is wide enough that he isn't backed into a corner yet, but he's focused enough on the verbal sparring that he's not watching his surroundings properly.

It's always a fault of his, not planning ahead -- living much too much in the moment.]

Sure, demons are limited! But humans are more limited. [It's less petulant than it once would have been, slightly less derogatory; shockingly, and against his will, he's learned a few things about humans. But not this one.] Me, though, I'm better than both. You've got no hope against me!

[Does he still think this is an actual fight....... well, maybe it is. In some sense.]

An' I never told you to call me Cerberus. They also call me Nora!

[Yes, his name is literally Stray, good job, demon army.]
houndumb: (028)

1/2

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 07:03 am (UTC)(link)
Hey! Listen to somebody when they're-- I said hey!!

[Ignoring Nora is the key to... making him stomp after you (splashing dubious water the whole way because he is nowhere near as classy as the drunk fashionable sword skipping along, are you sure you really thought this ignoring thing through) and yell even louder, just in case that'll help if he's talking to someone deaf, or just to make himself feel better.

It's probably the latter. As if he'd think of other people, especially when a rodent and a stranger wearing what amounts to dancing clothes have just soundly thrashed him and saved his ass, respectively. Honestly, they're about equal on the rage scale here.

The only reason he hasn't actually grabbed Jiroutachi to make him listen is thanks to the length of the blade he's carrying, which makes it much hard to maneuver around him in tunnels.]