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!
houndumb: (067)

2/2

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[But it also means that eventually Nora just literally goes to try and put his foot down on the trailing blade to halt his target's progress, because otherwise Jirou is probably going to sashay right through the convenient hole in the wall that he created and disappear into the ether.

And that's not acceptable, of course.]

I said, you can't expect to just steal somebody else's fight and leave!!
praises: (tender twists of logic)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
Time is... borrowed here, at best.

[ Or rather, the learning curve is quite steep, for those of them who've been newly conscripted. ]
houndumb: (021)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 07:21 am (UTC)(link)
[... Wukong, that's lewd. Is it furry if both participants in the sticking are furry? Who knows. More relevantly, Nora's now caught in the worst, stickiest and loudest sandwich he's been stuck in since... his arrival, probably. How do these things keep happening to him.....

He'd probably be inclined to blame his Carrier if he had the breath or the attention to spare for blameslinging.

As it is...]

That's... my... line!! [It isn't, really, since somehow he wound up on the outside of the sandwich this time and he's also distinctly and absolutely weaponless aside from the vines; but at least he's instinctively trying to tear himself away from both Wukong and the rat, and probably pulling out fur in the process.] Beat it... all you want... fuckin'... knock yourself out--

[He's helping. Sort of. By pounding on the rat's face in an attempt to help with disentangling them all, though all it's really doing at the moment is sending the rat into a further frenzy. This is really not going to end well considering the ceiling is still rumbling somewhere behind them.]

--But don't say I didn't warn you!!
Edited 2016-04-18 07:22 (UTC)
tsyoon: (dorkwithamask26)

[personal profile] tsyoon 2016-04-18 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ The rat snatches the berry out of Jae-ha's fingers with his little claws and sets about nibbling on it, getting distracted enough that he stops trying to skitter around Yoon's neck and so Yoon can properly set him back on the opposite shoulder from Song.

...is this his life now? His shoulders are a prime means of carrier transportation, apparently. ]


I- I see.

[ Yoon frowns too, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down. ]

But at least... if they're all together, they'll be okay.

[ Right?




Wait. ]


Hold on.

[ He looks up, staring at Jae-ha with big eyes. ]

You said it's been a month?
praises: (a heart taking root in your body)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 07:27 am (UTC)(link)
Do I even want to know what "Snackoos" are, in comparison to the aerodynamics of rice?

[ A question that is nearly rhetorical as he approaches, depositing (most of) the rice on a small square napkin sitting on the countertop with a tap of his fingers. Despite the greeting, he doesn't sit quite yet. ]

May I?
praises: (told with no trace of fear)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 07:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ Thankfully for the younger Hero's Carrier, the most Rosalind does is give a happy bark, her fur fluffing up around the thick gold band settled around her neck. New people! She wastes no time in bounding up to get her nose in or around everything that she can. Allelujah flashes an apologetic smile as he reaches up high for one of the larger vines. ]

You'll have to excuse her sense of adventure.

[ Giving the network of greenery a solid tug, he cranes his neck to try and get a feel for where most of it has settled. ]

I believe if we drain one of the main vines, the smaller ones will be easier to collect.
praises: on backwards motion? (should we really spend our velocities)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Allelujah takes pause, not entirely out of hesitation, but to consider the offer, if it can be called as such. Since he arrived, he's wondered about the physicality of mana. How its unique signature reacts to being tested by the virtue of basic movement. There have been many fights since his arrival, but precious few opportunities to train in a controlled environment between them. Shifting, Allelujah finds himself nodding in agreement. ]

All right, I'll go a round or two with you. [ With measured deliberation, he disarms himself of Malakim. ] Have you found a weapon you prefer?
showsnopiety: (I can feel your power)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-18 08:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Yup, they're totally doing the Kotomine exposition circle shit AND GUESS WHO STARTED IT. NOT. HER. She's watching where she's going, but she always has. No one else would ever do it for her.

Another gesture with her hand.]


Agree that both have their limits, neither superior than the other?

[She's rather calm about it, though she is mildly surprised as to...well, how almost matter of fact about it he is.]

Still...[She pauses. Her eyes widen briefly, and she starts laughing.]

Nora? You really are a cur!

[Yup, she studied Japanese well enough to know. Also, this is freaking hysterical, don't mind her.]
praises: (rising from this orbit)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 08:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ Now, he could be painfully altruistic and just dive in to help. But the longer this goes on, the more unpalatable it looks, and he realizes he's just going to have to think at a quicker rate than this kid can cause trouble at

— just as he blocks a new torrent of sap with his shield —

...yeah, he's already behind.
]

A blade!! To the underside!

[ Granted, to get at the underneath of this thing, he's either going to have to orchestrate a mid-wall barrel roll, or just take down the wall. One seems impossible, the other seems ill-advised. ]
praises: (more conclusive than any yes)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 08:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ Given the things he's seen in his short time among Blanc's forces, watching her hoist up cannonballs as easily as he does is... a little strange, yes, but no weirder than anything else. He supposes. Even as he takes a moment to consider it, not really watching how long he stares for.

Especially when coupled with that answer.
]

...ah, no. That answered my question. You're from that time period?

[ It's his best guess, considering whatever mechanism that brings them here doesn't seem to obey the laws of time. Or space. Or physics or reality in general, really. ]
praises: (these halos fail to glisten)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-18 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ There it is. ]

I take it you're used to advancements far beyond what we've been given here, then?

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 08:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ At first, she expects him to continue to work in silence, even after engaging him in conversation. When he does finally speak, however, a small smile plays on her lips. Oh good, this would be a bit easier than she thought.

Now to keep the conversation going. ]


Oh? I hadn't realized! That's a good idea, it might be interesting to see how something like that differs here compared to back home. I imagine it's quite different, judging from what I've seen so far, at least.

[ A beat. ]

My name is Luxanna. Luxanna Crownguard. [ Not that the family name made any difference here. Force of habit. ] Most people call me Lux. And you are..?

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ He had her until the last part. As soon as she began to smile, that expression quickly disappeared. Even if it was meant to be a joke—and one should never joke about committing any sort of crime—it was in bad taste.

Lux sighed, wrinkling her nose a bit in dissatisfaction. ]


I'm not sure that I can entirely agree with you, sir.

[ Her tone was dismissive, a deep frown settling on her face. ]

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Wow rude. She was enjoying his antics, and her laughter wasn't always explosive. She was just prone to random, somewhat loud giggle fits. It's a character flaw. Don't judge. ]

Huh?

[ Why was he still—ohhhhh. One last choked giggle held back with her hand, she did her best to not make the situation worse. She wasn't laughing outwardly at you, Wukong (not any more), she was laughing with you, on the inside!

Really, you brought it upon yourself. ]


Right, here.

[ Walking over and dodging the coconut-affixed arm, she tried to grab it. ]

Hold still, that isn't going to help. You're only going to hurt yourself.

[ And her, probably. ]

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 08:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ You really were a lazy git, weren't you? Lux sighs impatiently, waving a hand dismissively. Heaven forbid he walk the however many hundred yards and do the work himself. ]

Fine, fine. I don't care how you do it.

[ Impossible. ]
houndumb: (001)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
Ha! Make up your mind!

[Honestly, one minute she's saying don't try and the next she's totally challenging him, is this some kind of trap?? Or are girls just this mysterious-- It could almost make him hesitate, but nah. Nah. Backing away is always a cue for him to swarm in: give him an inch and he'll take a few miles and an express train.

That is to say, Natasha's lack of ability to act isn't a big deal simply because Nora is much better with being directly challenged than anything else. So now they're playing some kind of weird crabwalk game that Nora is probably losing, because she's very likely more fleet-footed than him...]

... And hold still!

[So he's just going to go right in and try to catch her instead.]

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 08:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ There's practicality, and there's being stubborn. Sorry Ema, it takes a lot more to deter her. ]

Then you already have a leg up on quite a few people here. Being strong and fighting for the right thing doesn't always have to mean physically fighting. There are some things that only scholars and academics can do, that other soldiers might not be able to.

We might not know all of the details yet— [ And yes, that bothered her quite a bit, but that information was irrelevant right now. ] but all we can do is take what we do know and apply it to the here and now. Maybe even applying a bit of your investigative expertise to our current situation.

[personal profile] rememberher 2016-04-18 09:03 am (UTC)(link)
[ Poro, being naturally skittish, jumps at the bark, squeaking and burrowing underneath a tarp. Sorry, even if you are being friendly, you still look like something that wants to eat him, which is 100% not good in his little carrier mind(?).

At least it gets a chuckle out of his owner. ]


That's all right. Poro, it's okay! She just wants to play!

[ Nope. Nope nope nope. This is his happy place right now, judging from the hesitant little whines. No scary foxes allowed. ]

Ah well, he'll get hungry eventually, then maybe we can try again.

[ Directing her attention back to what Allelujah was doing, she nodded gently before positioning the canteen underneath one of the thicker vines. ]

All right, let's try it. I'm ready when you are.
plumblossom: (❀ laughing)

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
Eh? Don't you want a tall man? Oh. Well, I guess an average guy is okay. As long as he can look after you and call you cute!

[ It's time for a sisterly hug. It's a tight one! ]
plumblossom: (pink 1 ❀ angry)

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ They aren't going to get the wrong idea, because it's absolutely right. ]

What did I do to you? I don't want to be dissected! Aren't I cute enough to be kept in a pure and pristine condition?

[ If he won't hold her tightly, she will. She clings onto the man for dear life as they rush down another alley. ]
houndumb: (038)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-18 09:18 am (UTC)(link)
[Excuse, she totally started it with her weird face-touching and things?? Nora backs up another step when she gestures, skittish, and his heel strikes a barrel this time; he starts to look down, freezes. That would give her an opening, so actually, have him literally hopping onto the barrel this time.

They do say get to higher ground, though who knows how well that applies here, or how deeply he's thinking into this when he's busy grinding his teeth at the girl still trying to back him into a corner. Of course, he could just move out of the circle entirely, but.]

Who would agree with that?! [HISSSss he looks more like a cat crouched on the barrel at this point, and he only puffs up more when she starts laughing because not this shit again.] STOP LAUGHING! There's nothing wrong with my name! And if there was it's the stupid Dark Liege Army's fault, so--

[If he had anything at hand besides more barrels he'd be throwing it at her. Actually, from the way he's shifting on his barrel, he may be considering the barrels, too.]

And quit calling me a dog!!

[Perhaps what's most impressive is that he knows what a cur is...]
plumblossom: (❀ ear to ear)

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:24 am (UTC)(link)
[ The Hall... The Hall of Glory? Ah, he must mean the public bath there. She hasn't stayed in Caissa long enough to be familiar with their housing complex. It makes her wonder just how much money and thought was put into this project.

Soon, she enters the bathing area wearing a bathing suit and a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. Even if her request was bold, she still has some shame! Shin-ah is a cute guy, but he probably thinks she's uncute for asking him...

Her face immediately brightens when she spots him. After greeting him with a wave, she takes a dip in the water herself. ]


Hehe, there are a lot of places like these back home! I like the ones in the mountains the most.
plumblossom: (❀ laughing)

1/2

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:45 am (UTC)(link)
Ahaha, no, silly! That was 200 years ago. Almost!
plumblossom: (❀ sunset)

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her laughter subsides when she notices the attention he's been giving her. It's not that this has never happened, but when it does, she can't help but feel self-conscious. ]

What are you staring at? [ She fidgets. ] Is there something on my face?
plumblossom: (❀ looking down)

[personal profile] plumblossom 2016-04-18 09:52 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah! I want to go back home... But getting to experience a wonderful place like this isn't so bad.

[ She chuckles, but she soon turns quiet. ]

It's too bad it's at war.