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!
cutiepanther: (23)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-05-03 03:48 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Just wait til you hear her sing Saber! Maki is oh so very proud of that aspect of herself.

Perhaps less proud about how happy she is to pet the cute little lion, her lips slowly curling up into an overwhelming smile.

Except she just got praised didn't she? Time to tsun again.
] I'm sure other people will have an easier time than me, since they already know magic! But I'm not going to get left behind either!

[ Leaving her hand on the lion's head, she looks up to Saber questioningly. ] If you need anyone to study with...
baka_jyanai: (yeah whatever)

[personal profile] baka_jyanai 2016-05-03 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Who cares? I don't even know you. -Somewhere, a certain were-hataraku is screaming.-
burnmydread: (and we'll pray)

[personal profile] burnmydread 2016-05-03 07:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Nice legs are very important. Her next weapon should be some classy stockings. Minato will help her train if she wants. Because he's generous like that. ]

It's how my teammates wanted to receive orders.

[ Or at least those were his only options since he couldn't give Direct Commands. Alas. One installment too early for that. Souji has it easy. ]

We should keep moving.
cutiepanther: (74)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-05-03 07:35 pm (UTC)(link)
That's not a good reason to go around punching people!! You're acting like a brat!

[ Maki is so pent up right now. Pent up enough that someone's decided to interfere.

That someone being Diva, the panther, Maki's Carrier. Who appears from behind Maki's legs, baring it's teeth at the fairy. Should she think punch Maki is a good idea, she's going to get pounced.
]
baka_jyanai: (that just ain't right)

[personal profile] baka_jyanai 2016-05-03 07:58 pm (UTC)(link)
-Perhaps a bad move on Diva's part. As Cirno didn't respond with any amount of fear or apprehension. Instead she huffed, brushed the tip of her nose with her thumb, and... put up her fists.-

You wanna go, kitty? I'll knock you both out, just try me!
showsnopiety: (out of)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-05-03 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[She could just wear some classy stockings, or something just as pretty. She wouldn't mind if he helped her with the training either.]

You're a team leader then?

[He doesn't seem the type. But she shrugs, and starts moving forward. Time to kill more rats. Or lure them out for his leaderness.]
burnmydread: (i rush straight ahead)

[personal profile] burnmydread 2016-05-04 04:49 am (UTC)(link)
...

[ He'd light to say something meaningful, something to give her hope. Some reason to believe that such an atrocity couldn't be practiced against people who were whisked across space and time to fight a war that wasn't even theirs...!

But...no. ]


...I actually haven't asked.

[ He's missed a big glaring hole in his whole sob story. Like the actual reasoning behind it.

That's...probably a good idea, though. ]
drawmecute: (Baby I Got Your Flower)

[personal profile] drawmecute 2016-05-04 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
You must really have wanted to do this.

*Quickest logical path, right? A lifetime of work means a lifetime of determination.*
showsnopiety: (Everyone)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-05-04 05:41 am (UTC)(link)
[With a stranger, it may not be very controlled at all. Risk is taken, and she has little in the way to defend herself.

But then, she never had it, with the whip; its primary means of defence was offence. So that, ultimately, is what she has to do. For she would not be able to whip him in time, even enough for him to back off. The length is too much. But the handle...

Caren turns it about, and just as he's charging her with his shield, she makes to slam the handle down, onto his thigh. She fully expects to go flying, to fall and hurt. But that's all right. She's used to this. A few hurts go a long way for a practice session. ]
praises: (how loud this world must be)

[personal profile] praises 2016-05-04 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ He instantly realizes he's managed to gain the upper hand by bypassing the time it takes for the whip to fully execute an attack. Instead of using the breadth of the weapon to bodily greet her, his shield arm defers at the last second. His other arm rises, baring the flat of it to come against her downward swing. It stalls them both there, with him lunged beneath the curvature of how she'd intended to attack him.

A breath comes and goes, and Allelujah pushes her off with his arm, arcing the shield at her legs. There is time to move, and more than that, a rhythm, should she choose to accept it.
]
hoasen: (hmm?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-04 03:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[ANd here she learns he's probably good at being an instructor, recognising that so quickly.]

Yes, I usually use a long oar!
cutiepanther: (29)

[personal profile] cutiepanther 2016-05-04 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe, but the Carrier seems to feel the need to protect Maki, and threatening to punch her in the face is a pretty clear sign of aggression. ]

D-Diva! [ Maki exclaims, her hair puffing out slightly as she tries to calm her Carrier. ]

She's just a little kid!
hiryugaeshi: (TSUBAME)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-05-04 09:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I wonder what the bards would say about a swordsman who defeated the spirit of a sword itself?

[ Kojirou tries a few experimental strikes, an attempt to learn the limits of Jiroutachi more than anything. ]
hiryugaeshi: (really?)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-05-04 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Caster as a Master and Servant was, admittedly, quite different from Caster as a loving wife. Not that Kojirou would have any experience with the latter, but he certainly knew of it from the way Caster sneaked around her own Master trying to put forward her best face. ]

I also believe I have a fairly good eye for people, so you'll excuse me if we started off on a poor footing. It only seemed natural.

[ Because apparently, Caren's "being a shit" aura extended that far. ]
Edited 2016-05-04 21:31 (UTC)
hiryugaeshi: (TSUBAME)

[personal profile] hiryugaeshi 2016-05-04 10:06 pm (UTC)(link)
I suppose if I must.

[ Push it is then, PUSH LIKE A WOMAN IN LABOUR, PUSH, SABER ]
baka_jyanai: (NUH UH SON)

[personal profile] baka_jyanai 2016-05-04 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
I am NOT a little kid!! -She huffed, and looked about ready to swing at someone, anyone.-
convictionary: (I can't hold back)

[personal profile] convictionary 2016-05-05 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
Dunno. Never seen something like that before. [He's going to peer at the thing but not touch it. What the fuck. And then nod inwards because if they're caught slacking they'll...probably not have to deal with much, actually, why is he being responsible.

...

Unless Anakin started heading back in he's going to lean against the nearest sturdy object and immediately regret it as it seems to be slightly crumbly.]
sakeplz: (Off To Have A Sip)

Totally okay! I'll go ahead and wrap it up!

[personal profile] sakeplz 2016-05-05 02:21 am (UTC)(link)
So cruel.

[He pouts but sways on out to where people are moving, obviously heading toward the airship. It's not long before they're on board and headed to where the alcohol is.

At least he gets a drink before all of this. And two cute people to tease.

Today has turned out better than he realized.]
showsnopiety: (I think I'm falling)

[personal profile] showsnopiety 2016-05-05 09:02 am (UTC)(link)
[The loving wife is gross really. But she could respect Caster as a Servant. She was intelligent, ruthless, and skilled when it came to using her reserves.

And rather creepy with her obsession with Saber. But that aside.]


It's understandable. Neither of us are sweet by nature.

[She tips her head. She'll take that apology.]
sakeplz: (You Have Some Too!)

[personal profile] sakeplz 2016-05-05 10:43 am (UTC)(link)
Minus the part where you're here and people are using magic, right?
sakeplz: (Beautiful Bara)

[personal profile] sakeplz 2016-05-05 10:45 am (UTC)(link)
Depends on the spirit of the sword, I suppose.

[Despite all the alcohol in his system, he does move with a good flow. He blocks anything too close and shifts out of the way for the rest. Yet, he doesn't strike just yet. So he's either waiting or lazy.]
armorial: (pic#10133862)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-05-05 05:54 pm (UTC)(link)
It's going through! [ Yes, their efforts are rewarded and the giant rat has been forced out of the underground birth canal.

It is now up on the surface, even more disgusting in the light.
]

... It's quite unsightly.
armorial: (pic#10133861)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-05-05 06:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I do not blame you. Something like this would appear trivial for most people, but it's still worth understanding.

[ Only because Saber is poor, so she can't go buy better food all the time. She looks off to the side, looking over the milk shelf as if in contemplation. ]

Of course, do not burden yourself. [ SHE WILL ASK INSTEAD. As a knight and also the one curious, it is her responsibility.. ]
armorial: (pic#10135382)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-05-05 06:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She listens intently, nodding every once in a while to show that she's understanding each detail. It isn't hard to follow along, if anything, it's all comforting how similar it feels to their own world--for the most part. She listens intently on the happenings of previous months and the names of those in charge, appreciative of Henry's attention to detail and priorities.

It's only does he fall onto the last part.
]

... Yes. [ She looks over to her lion cub that has been hiding all this time around other objects. It's across the park watching them behind a bush. ]

A weapon to fight. [ So Sour. ] I would rather be given a normal sword.
armorial: (pic#10135382)

[personal profile] armorial 2016-05-05 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I remember. [ It's to indicate that she doesn't read about the Grail. ]

I, like many heroes of legend and history, sought the Holy Grail in a series of wars. [ Wow, she is hyping herself up, but she's talking in the context of her world where she is powerful! Even if she's a girl here and there, it doesn't change who she is. ]

It is but a far-off dream...