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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!
baka_jyanai: (fail and flail)

[personal profile] baka_jyanai 2016-04-19 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
-Somehow, Cirno never seems to actually fall behind. She's pretty fast, herself, it seems.-
baka_jyanai: (up your nose with a rubber hose)

[personal profile] baka_jyanai 2016-04-19 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, you're the one that pulled me down, lady! -Cirno huffed, but did make her way off of Maki, though none too gently.-
liberal_arts: (tear it all away)

[personal profile] liberal_arts 2016-04-19 03:16 am (UTC)(link)
I believe Blanc are our masters now. That is what I've decided, I suppose.
burnmydread: (far in mist)

[personal profile] burnmydread 2016-04-19 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ As long as no one has to scream for three episodes in order to do this, they should be just fine. Minato's voice is quiet enough as it is. He wouldn't last.

That way seems as good as any, since he's mostly wandering aimlessly. ]


Let's keep going, then.

[ He steps in that direction, the gentle splash of water sounding beneath his shoes. ]

This place looks pretty old.
showsnopiety: (I have no choice)

Oh yes. And if you do it fast, you get quicker results.

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
Sure.

[Lying. LYING THROUGH HER TEETH. But she is standing there with a shaking leg and a bruised ankle and she doesn't want to give in. Not easily.

She does manage a step. And another one. And-oh, there. Down she goes, she had too much weight on her ankle and she's down on her hands and knees.

...on a side note, it's great that these skirts have shorts under them. So that way you don't see the worst of a person, see something else, and then have to possibly wake up having nightmares days later.

Because she stole all of your candy as a consequence.]
showsnopiety: (I close my eyes)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
[Thankfully, Caren is not much of a screamer. Not unless she's in serious pain, and even then, that can be...well, depends on why.

But hey, now they're moving. They're moving, and she's walking beside him, keeping her hands limply by her sides. Better to keep it there, then to try and get all tense. She might cramp something.]


And run down. It might have been abandoned since the last war.

[What little she knows of the war is...there hasn't been one since Blanc broke free. And now...it has purpose again.]
showsnopiety: (it's like a little prayer)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 03:48 am (UTC)(link)
[....she needs buffer spells so she can get away from tiny fairies...or just a mount...

Why is she being followed by this loser. Annoyed, she shots back,]


Why are you following me? You can find someone else to bother.
showsnopiety: (I think I'm falling)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
[She's still so new that she is trying to find out everything she can. Everything about how mana works, how much she can draw upon. Everything that would be useful in the coming days ahead, and with the dungeons and war to come.

Which is why she is eager for a sparring partner. Perhaps there is a way to understand spells and how it can affect her and her environment.]


Other then the one I was given?

[There's a flicker there. Amusement, consideration, who's to say. But she moves to pick up the whip, where she lets it coil against the ground.]

This feels the most natural, out of all of the weapons I've practiced with.
showsnopiety: (like an angel sighing)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Caren was lucky that she had learned how her shawl worked. If it hadn't been for the dreams, she would have thought it mere fabric, relied on something else as she unlocked its secrets.

But now, here, she can do battle. But it will not take long, if she isn't careful. Not from the way One looks at her and seeks her blood. The fabric is but fabric, and stays that way, no more harmful than a towel.

One's reply is far more deadly. Caren does not seek to counter; a secret, a trickle of mana too soon, and she will become dependent on its ability. And a pawn should do no such thing.

At least, not Caren. No counter, no dodge but to drop swiftly down onto her knees, and to yank her shawl back, twisting away from One as she did so.She can still stand, and does so with determination in her golden eyes. She will not fall.

Not on the first blow.]
convictionary: (When out the corner of my eye)

Go back to bed. By now you probably need more pillow or something idefk

[personal profile] convictionary 2016-04-19 04:12 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not the one riding the rats, Squeaks!

[Just saying, asshole! And yes, he's getting splashed but that's okay, he's had worse, which says a great deal. They're moving too fast for him to effectively be able to slash at them with a consistent success rate, so guess who continues to be vulgar? He unleashes a small wind spell, which...basically splashes water back and this is the worst fight ever.]
houndumb: (079)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-19 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not a brat or a dog, damn you--

[Nora immediately starts struggling in Zelos' hold, but actually he's not getting much of anywhere; all his limbs are oddly jelly-like and don't really feel like his limbs, a little like you'd feel after swimming a few miles through a thunderstorm, falling off a cliff and landing in a mud puddle. Or like you'd feel after wrestling a really large, really annoying hellhound off your head and back into your headspace.

Ah, and then Kaede basically lands on his poor abused head. Again. Kaede, what is with you and trying to give him blunt force trauma to the skull, he's supposed to wear this collar, not Dragonball fuse with it.

It gets him struggling harder than ever, with even less effectiveness than before now that he's essentially been dogpiled (again).]

Ow, can you fucking stop, I'm going to have marks on my face!! I-- [somewhere under the fog of tiredness and sogginess and semi-panicked last-ditch fury he registers that something isn't right here; probably a lot of things aren't, but something...] What the hell, you're bleeding all over everything!

[So tactful....... but seriously, what are you people doing, he's not interested in wearing someone's insides OK??]
Edited 2016-04-19 04:55 (UTC)
glorifiedtrash: <user name="shooped" site="livejournal.com"> (Under the sheets and you're killing me)

[personal profile] glorifiedtrash 2016-04-19 05:36 am (UTC)(link)
[It seems he's not the only one who's tired. Something to keep in mind. But for now-- he lets go of Nora's hand. Slowly, but that's more due to care for his own injuries than reluctance. For the briefest moment his eyes wander down to look at the gouges in his skin and the red mingling with his hair and streaming down to swirl on the cobblestones thanks to the rain. It definitely hurts, but--]

Don't worry about it. [Carefully shrugging off his jacket he holds it out to Nora. It had been white. Now it's much less so. Also: wet. But it's what Zelos has so it'll have to do.] Just get me to my room, sparks.

[His eyes flick up to Kaede's face, something inquiring there.]

Come with us? I can fill you in on things.
Edited (Puts an actual word in there oops....) 2016-04-19 05:42 (UTC)
long_live_the_queen: (lookin kinda smug there)

[personal profile] long_live_the_queen 2016-04-19 05:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Kaede maintains what somehow ended up turning more into a clumsy headlock, far, far less trustful that the...thing that came out of the Cerberus was going to behave.]

Fine.

[Some of her latent grumpiness had returned!

Though her expression relaxes again when she sees her Carrier approaching; like the dutiful dog he resembles, he's dragging her axe with him! The entire thing. It's at least three times as tall as he is and he has to drag half of it against the ground but he's not letting that stop him!!
]

Naoki, put that down. You'll hurt your teeth.

[The dog wags his tail in acknowledgement, and proceeds to ignore the command until he's trotted over to his master's side and puts the weapon down.]
houndumb: (039)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-19 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
What the hell, I could've eaten you.

[Once all his limbs are free again, Nora immediately scoots a little away from Zelos, mostly to get out of the blood puddle and the general amount of water they've all managed to bring to the party; of course, Kaede is still trying to semi-strangle him, so he doesn't get very far. He's not a squeamish demon (if there's any such thing), but it's a little disconcerting when he can remember how that tasted.

So the mutinous look that gets directed at Zelos (because he's in his line of sight, mostly) and at the world at large is equal parts indignant, bewildered, and oozing with annoyance that has absolutely nowhere to go. Instead, he tugs rebelliously at the collar again where his fingers are jammed under it thanks to the girl on his head. Just in case.

Also doesn't take the jacket, even if he does freeze briefly and then curl up as a concession to the rain. If he pretends he didn't lose all his clothes somewhere then they can deal and it can keep for later. More importantly:]

What the hell do you want then? Where the hell is this? It doesn't look like the human world, so I'm warnin' you right now, I sent the last guy who tried to catch me packing!

[Never mind the current situation, or the persistent ache in his head from being headbutted, or literally anything, he's still got the energy to talk big. And probably attempt to look intimidating (and fail totally) despite being waterlogged and Kaede-logged and probably also blood-logged.]
convictionary: (I saw a pretty little thing approachin')

[personal profile] convictionary 2016-04-19 06:26 am (UTC)(link)
[gdit Bolin, this is why you don't have an entry on the nickname chart.]

You're cute. Happy?

[But okay, they're turning a corner and there appears to be a bunch of garbage cans. Guess who's going to dash behind them and shove them at their pursuers? So heroic. If he's got enough of a head start he's totally going to pick the lock of a door and they'll be breaking into a business and hiding in the back long enough for their pursuers to lose them.]
houndumb: (018)

1/2

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-19 06:54 am (UTC)(link)
[IT IS WHEN SHE'S THE ONE DOING IT. And look, if you're in the middle of a fight (Nora-vision), you're not supposed to suddenly start badtouching your opponent?! He will forever disagree with this strategy it's almost as bad as the time a girl started bawling on him when he won, only slightly less terrifying because he grew up with somebody who liked to mess with him like this.

Kind of.

The things you expect from Satan you wouldn't usually expect from a human, of all things.]

Why would I agree to anything you say?? [Some would say Nora needs to learn the art of concession, but he doesn't know the meaning of the word. That is to say, he stays in the circle and the argument because he can, but also because he chooses to. A minute difference, but it's there.] And I'd like to see whoever chose their own name when they were born, 'cause--
houndumb: (052)

2/2

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-19 06:57 am (UTC)(link)
[--annnnd he cuts himself off, because reflexes and sudden charges and trying to evade her... cloth? What the hell? He's already at a disadvantage since he has no idea what to expect, but her unorthodox weapon makes him flounder, too, just a little, and that's enough.]

GAAHHHKKK-- WHAT--

[Inability to breathe, he did not miss you whatsoever. Well, he definitely falls off his barrel at this rate, and then starts wrestling with the cloth(?). Somehow, in the midst of this, he still manages to bite out threats:]

I'M-- GOING-- TO-- MAKE-- YOU...!!
glorifiedtrash: <user name="sexiestdrummer" site="livejournal.com"> (What happened to us all)

[personal profile] glorifiedtrash 2016-04-19 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
[That's a pretty loaded question Nora can't possibly begin to understand the implications of. For the briefest moment he even ponders it which is rather unlike him. But it's no good. Moving into a crouch he puts his hands on his knees. From there he pushes himself up to standing, taking his time, not making a fuss about the pain or the blood. You know real manly man bullshit. Only when that's done does he drop his jacket over Nora's head. And then reaches down to pick the younger man up and sling Nora over his shoulder. THIS IS NOT HIS SMARTEST MOVE for the record.

But godamn he's not sitting out here bleeding to death for tantrums. Grunting with the strain of it all he holds out his hand to Kaede.]

Help me? We've got a set of stairs to climb.
showsnopiety: (I can feel your power)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-04-19 07:06 am (UTC)(link)
Make me....what, exactly?

[Fish pup: CAUGHT. He's wrestling with the cloth, which is fine. She doesn't have to run now. Just jog right up at him and...

Ever so gently place her foot in the middle of Nora's forehead to press him down onto the ground. If he resists too much, she'll give him a good hard choke.]


You lost Nora. Accept it gracefully. Or....

[She smirks down at him, both hands on his 'leash' now.]

Did you want me to neuter you? Snip snip.
memoryslain: ('neath the halo of a street lamp)

[personal profile] memoryslain 2016-04-19 07:14 am (UTC)(link)
[ Honestly, he doesn't mind it— he feels like his eyes should adjust eventually, even if they stay painful for a while. ]

Is it always this bright here? I think I just need a few moments to adjust. I wanted to see where this is.

[ But perhaps this person is right; Noir will push himself up and do his best to keep his head down, bringing his hands back up the moment they're free. Shame he didn't have his hat here; the brim would've helped tremendously.

He finally gets a look at the person who's stopped to help him, though, and he offers up a lopsided little smile. ]


I thank you for your assistance; I do hope I haven't interrupted your day.

[ And back up the stairs we go, into the blessed indoors. He might be closing that door they walk through with a little too much vigor. But he's visibly relieved and relaxes against the wall once he's closed it, slumping forward.

Looking up again, he tries to take in his savior's appearance. His eyes are still a bit wonky from the light change, but... A young... man? Very beautiful, at least. And purple eyes. Perhaps he's from Amberground as well; only Albisians like himself possessed those eyes. Usually also silver hair, but one of his parents may not have been an Albisian. ]


I'm sorry, are you from Amberground?
memoryslain: (people talking without speaking)

[personal profile] memoryslain 2016-04-19 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ The white dog under his arm seems to think it's a fun game when they run into another person down in these dank hallways, tail wagging and beating her owner's back with vigor. Noir turns to swing his bat at some of the lead rats, knocking them clear to the ceiling with the momentum and keeping a good buffer between the rats and whoever he may have gotten caught up in his mistake. It's the least he could do! ]

I'm sorry! Very, truly— ah—!

[ WHY IS HE SLOWING DOWN.... Noir stops on a heel and leaps back in front of him, giving him time to cast the spell and batting away any rats getting too close to the boy.

The spell shoots past him and knocks the entire front line of rats back, causing chaos among the ranks. That... That actually worked really well!! He's shocked for a split second until the other's voice draws him back and he moves to run once more. ]


Of- of course!

[ He'll still keep an eye on their rear in case the rats organize enough to keep following them, rounding the corner with ease and a hand between the boy's shoulderblades to ensure he stays a step ahead of Noir. The least he can do is protect this child he's caught up in his mess. ]

There! [ A room! Hopefully a clear room. Unlike the room that had sparked the rat's nest he'd stumbled right into. ]
Edited (I know how 2 code honest) 2016-04-21 21:16 (UTC)
memoryslain: ("silence like a cancer grows")

[personal profile] memoryslain 2016-04-19 07:31 am (UTC)(link)
[ Noir's more than familiar enough with chemical warfare to do as he's told, sucking in a large breath and tossing his carrier underhand behind the man with the bauble in hand, dropping to the ground to protect the dog from any shards of glass before scooping her right back up in the crook of one arm.

Gun in that hand, bat in the other, prepared to swing at any rodents leaping through the mist as he backs away carefully. No need to stir a draft and have the gas suck back after them. ]
houndumb: (086)

[personal profile] houndumb 2016-04-19 07:33 am (UTC)(link)
[So basically this job is now Taiwan vs. Nora cage match with roly-poly useless peanut gallery, only one of them is much too busy bootlegging famous literature and the other has too many balls of fur on him to even bother moving from his sprawl.

But even if he has to talk around panda butt Nora will heckle the heck out of this story, because?!]

What the hell kind of destructive spirit is a polka-dotted panda? Hey, are any of you polka-dotted? It's not dramatic at all.

[And now he's just poking tiny pandas for opinions with his foot, because splitting the audience and being totally mature is the way to go. One of the smaller pandas crawls up and asks in a stage whisper what endangered means, also. Good job, Taiwan. Nora just snorts. And then answers in the same stage whisper--]

How 'bout you ask her sometime, she just doesn't wanna admit she doesn't know what she's talking about, so she's talking about polka-dotted pandas.

[Totally mature.]
praises: (from the trace of his thinking)

[personal profile] praises 2016-04-19 07:47 am (UTC)(link)
That's new, I'll admit.

[ And Allelujah looks as though he means that, suppressing the instinct that draws out his wry smiles. Instead, he sheds his uniform jacket and ties it securely around his waist as a signal that he'll soon be ready to face off against it regardless.

Though he's opted to leave his magical weapon propped against the wall, wings clipped and dormant, he still goes for another shield.
]

Does this mean you dislike the one Blanc chose?
memoryslain: (people writing songs)

[personal profile] memoryslain 2016-04-19 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ Noir doesn't quite startle so much as his eyes flick up immediately to see who's speaking to him, head canting ever so slightly as he takes in this man's presence with peripheral vision. He won't be so straightforward as to give him a once-over!! That's just rude and unfriendly. ]

Oh, hello; I've just arrived here the other day, so I was hoping to get an idea of where this is. Most of these are maps, and others here are history books. I was only reading the more recent entries on them to see what the current state of the land may be since I didn't get a chance to really explore. I have yet to meet anyone that knows very much about this place either so this seemed the only step available to me. ...If nothing else, this land has a rich history. [ There's a hint of exasperation, brows raising in defeat. It's getting easier and easier to act as friendly as Gauche Suede had been in others' memories. ]

Were you researching something, as well?

[ He's open to conversation, at least! It's just a glance and a tip of the head, but he indicates that the other man can sit at the small table he's covered in books if he'd like to. ]