pawnstorm | intro ♚ april

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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!

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[ Why would you ever expect normal birds. Normal birds don't need heroes to show up and beat them up, don't be ridiculous Wukong. You should at least expect a raptor camp. ~~Too bad they don't drop gold.~~ ]

I wouldn't call them pests. They were most beautiful creatures, but they were quick, and sensitive to small changes in the air. It was impossible to strike them down, which is why I had to do it.

[ Swallows. He means swallows. But he also doesn't really mean swallows, because apparently they were tougher than dragons. Ancient birds were weird and probably magic. ]

So don't worry, it would be really unfortunate if you needed one hero for one bird, don't you think? We'll be more than enough to chase them off.

[ Actually, Kojirou will be more than enough to chase them off is what he means. He has no idea how good Wukong even is at fighting, and it doesn't really matter to the Assassin. ]

... wait, so because it was impossible to take them down, you had to do it? You have something against animals?

[ Wukong is going to have a Word with Kojirou after all of this, regardless of his status as a samurai and 'honorable' dude. He's already a little on edge with this guy's arrogance! That's Wukong's schtick, what the heck... ]

Trust me. I don't think there's been a job yet that didn't require more than one person taking on a challenge... for a reason, too.

[ Because the job has to be done right! With teamwork! As heroes! ]

Anyway. After you, hm?

[ Monkey see, monkey do. ]

When an insurmountable wall stands in your way, isn't it tempting to give it a try anyway? Besides, I had nothing better to do.

[ People usually don't achieve the impossible just because they were bored, but let's just say the man who would eventually be called Sasaki Kojirou was far from ordinary. ]

Try to keep up, and don't step in anything.

[ Sure footing is important, and dodging bird poop will probably end up the hardest part of this mission. The giant birds themselves though? He steps forward with utmost confidence, and an angered gull swoops down at him in response to his continued intrusion into their territory.

So his blade flashes upwards, a single precise arc that crashes straight into the thinnest part of the gull's neck. If it were an ordinary bird, it would already have fallen to the ground in two pieces, but it seems he was not prepared for their hardened skins and only manages to knock it aside, still whole. ]

Hm. Armoured, then? I'll have to use a bit more force it seems.

[ He's just talking to himself there, don't mind him. ]

[ Wukong really wishes his master was here to teach this guy a lesson in measured efforts and having the right mentality approaching problems, like this whole pest removal situation. Gritting his teeth, he follows with staff in front of him, ready to get rid of a few birds...

The poop is probably the most gross part, floor stained white and gray with speckles of... something. Observation being the most key factor in his training (and something that he felt he needed to do; perhaps it was the rank assignment meeting that he dimly felt was important), the monkey sat and watched as the armor plating repelled the fatal attack. ]

... like steel, huh? So that means...

[ ... slashing, bladed weapons would be ineffective. Of course. Well, this is why Wukong accompanied the swordsman, right?

With a gull flying straight toward him, he rears back with hands wrapped around the base. He's going to have to really nail this one! Channeling his mana, he swings as hard as he can as the bird approaches and---

--- well, that'd be a home run if the bird didn't completely shatter into pieces. Not just the feathers, too... ]

[ A sleeve comes up to cover Kojirou's face as bits of bird fly everywhere. That's more than a bit gross, but it's to be expected. Blood and guts are an unfortunate part of hunting. ]

So it seems you can fight.

[ Kojirou's almost impressed. Almost. A monkey that can speak and use a weapon at all should be cause for surprise in itself, but he's just difficult to please.

He doesn't change his footing, having found a spot that wasn't covered in albatross crap it would take a lot for him to give it up, but he does change his weapon. The steel sword is gone, replaced by a long wooden sword. This one is magic, so it doesn't run the risk of chipping. ]

I should prove myself too, then.

[ More gulls are coming, but Kojirou's hardly phased. There's no need for his weapon's ability here, but a big swing with supernatural strength isn't exactly free of mana, the Laundry Pole braining any bird that dares come close.

They don't explode, thankfully. Kojirou's not that kind of strongman, but a wooden sword is more than enough to give a bird a deadly concussion. ]

Of course I can fight! What'd you expect, a song and dance?

[ Another bird! This one, smaller and quicker, and Wukong can't reach it in time. It blows by him, sending a few rocky feathers into his face--- which definitely don't feel very nice at all. Grunting, he wipes his nose and mouth; there's definitely some crap on those feathers and this is not okay. ]

Look, you're gonna need to get a few more out of here. The big ones I can handle, but for some reason... the quicker ones, they elude me.

[ Perhaps if he was back at home, the nimbleness in his movements and swings would be more obvious. But with the strength he found himself with, he felt more like a gorilla than a monkey a times--- this being one of them.

Thankfully, the fattest pigeon comes along and he smashes that into bits too. +1 for the ego, -50 because he couldn't catch up with a fastbird. ]

The heck is that? A dowel?

Surely then you would be the punkiest monkey that ever popped.

[ A singing and dancing monkey? Who's ever heard of that? Apart from everyone who's read Journey to the West, but never mind that. ]

The swiftest of birds cannot be caught simply by being fast, not with human speed at least. They're tricky things, birds. They can feel the subtle changes in the air and dodge approaching danger without even having to see it.

[ Take it from someone who dedicated a huge chunk of his life to hitting swallows. He knows birds, but that's also why he knows how to hunt them. ]

So if a single arc cannot reach them, how about a second within the space of the same breath?

[ He swings his Laundry Pole at the fastbird, and as expected it dodges. It dodges, but just dodging isn't enough. In the fraction of a second when it has committed to a new direction, a burst of mana runs through the magic weapon, and a branch sprouts from the wooden sword, extending its reach at an impossible angle and catching the bird mid-turn.

Once hit and falling out of the air, it merely takes another strike to its small head to take it out for good. Their skin is as stone, but they're still hollow-boned birds. ]

And that, is how you catch one with a Laundry Pole. I'd prefer having a third arc to trap them for good, but we have to make do with what we have.

[ A punky monkey, ready to pop? That'd be a pretty rad thing. Just as cool as the branch extending out and snatching the bird. Huh, that's pretty neat. ]

I think you give birds too much credit...!

[ Birds may be fast and sensitive to the tiniest changes of air, but Wukong's neither of those things and just can't give a damn. Guess it's time to try his new weapon out!

Sliding the staff back into his tail, which is the most dependable holster and sheath he's ever had for a weapon (because he never really had one in the first place), the banana is revealed. One bird doesn't hesitate to dive toward what looks to be a delicious fruit, ready to be stolen and peel used for its nest...

... and Wukong hurls it right at the feathered menace, whose beak opens as it prepares to eat it and---

THUNK!

The banana, hard as stone, crushes the bird's face. Both the bird and the projectile, falling to the ground. ]

... wow, that's not what I was expecting.

[ He's just staring at what he just did. When did food become a weapon? ]

You haven't seen the birds I've seen, then.

[ Honestly, nobody's seen the birds he's seen. He says he wanted to kill some swallows, but no matter how fast swallows are, they don't need the rules of physics to be broken to kill! And how can someone whose claim to fame is killing swallows take down dragons so easily? Who knows?

But there's time to ponder Kojirou's odd origins some other time. He looks at the banana flying through the air, beaning the bird quite messily, and... ]

Remind me never to accept food from you. I rather like my teeth.

[ They're nice teeth. ]

Probably not, but you haven't seen the ones I've met either!

[ The big cryo-phoenix that could basically never die and the bird that could carry a woman to deliver a flurry of arrows and sadness. Wukong didn't dislike either of them, but man... annoying. More of the second than the first, who made a better discussion partner than Demacia's Wings. ]

Teeth are overrated. Just don't eat anything that you need to chew.

[ An albatross dives at Wukong, and with his mana relatively spent, he's barely able to deflect the heavy bird--- catching him off guard, he hits the ground.

Gross. He almost fell in poop. ]

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. ]

Maybe you should reconsider. Bananas are the best, just like me.

[ Careful to avoid the crap, he gets back to his feet while putting his staff back into his tail's grip as well as slipping the bananarang somewhere secure. Though he wouldn't outright admit it, Wukong definitely didn't account for two weapons that relied on his mana being used.

And he definitely wouldn't ask Kojirou to share at this moment, if he's so squeamish about a little poop. Wukong DID try his best to not get any on him, but it's inevitable. A nice, hot bath would easily remedy the solution.

What doesn't a bath fix, though? ]

Fine. Better do a good job, because I don't feel like picking a bunch of feathers and beaks out of my skin if things don't go well.

[ And he starts grabbing as many of the stolen things as possible, gathering them and stuffing them into pockets and any empty space that he can. ]

[ Poop sticking to fur is a horror show, is what it is. Kojirou has no intention of getting anywhere close to it if he can help it at all. But... it looks like he'll have to get some crap and guts on his boots, unfortunately. ]

Don't worry about it, these birds won't get the chance to touch you.

[ Since it's time for the final push, there's no need for Kojirou to worry about how much mana he has left, is there? The Laundry Pole is raised, and branches burst out and spread in every direction, turning the wooden sword into something far more like a wooden web, a network of wood that cuts through the air and shields Wukong from incoming diving birds.

And just in time, too, because there are a lot of diving birds. ]

But I suggest you move quickly, they fully expanded Laundry Pole won't last long.

[ Oh. So it WAS a Laundry Pole that the swordsman(???) wielded! Hey, at least Wukong was apt enough to recognize it. Wonder if he could use it later to dry his many uniforms? Probably not. That'd be rude... or something.

He starts dropping things down the stairs, hoping that nothing gets broken as loud thumps echo back up into the air. Clearly, the birds are onto their tricks as they continue to hurl themselves into the branching barrier above them both. Doubling his efforts, he's gotten as much as he can so he calls out: ]

Hey! Let's get outta here!

[ And he peaces the heck out, though in a rather unfortunate way--- slipping on the bird's refuse and tumbling down and down and... ]

I'm okay...

[ It's a laundry pole with an edge. Both useful in housekeeping and beating the crap out of things! Or perhaps wooden poles are just inherently versatile?

Kojirou follows after Wukong. There's no time to carefully plan out his movements, so he's, with much disgust, cutting a straight line straight to the exit, despite everything on the ground in their way. He'll definitely have to get new boots, now.

The sword-barrier shrinks back into the main body of the magic weapon as he hops into the stairwell, slamming the door behind him as a bird goes splat against it. They're safe, for now. ]

How's the merchandise, though?

[ Wukong says he's okay. Kojirou's not going to question it. ]

[ Lying on top of a pile of random things is Wukong, who has decided the best place to fall was definitely all of the heavy, pointy things. He did a great job! ]

... I already said I'm okay.

[ Look, there's nothing more precious than the monkey who sacrificed his body to make sure everything went well! Hopefully Kojirou will tell everyone he knows about the Legend of the Monkey King and his Journey to the Bottom of the Stairs. ]

Anyway. [ And he kicks up and off of the pile, arms outstretched. ] There's some ammunition, odd tools, and a few coins. Not sure if any of this is really salvageable, but I guess we should take what we've got and have someone else confirm it.

[ Scratching his brow, Wu hums in thought. ]

... mana can really twist nature if left unchecked, huh.

Even broken metal can be smelted down and turned into something useful again. I'm sure it's better than nothing. These tools were made for very small hands, though.

[ Kojirou picks up a tiny hammer with two fingers, wondering what could possibly have used it. Dwarves? Was this fortress secretly built by a race of fairies? Who knows? He'll pocket one, though. ]

Phantasmal beasts come in all forms, merely large birds which are like stone is hardly the strangest thing I've seen today.

[ For example, there's a talking monkey right in front of him. ]

[ Well, if Kojirou is taking a tool, Wukong will pocket one too. Whatever use he could get out of it is probably limited. It's better than a shirt that says 'I went to Graupera and all I got was this Lousy, Unusable Tool'. The coins are tempting to take as well, but it all probably goes toward their combined war efforts anyway. ]

Oh? So what IS the strangest thing you've seen today, swordsman?

[ He's got enough in the tank to give you the banana, Kojirou. ]

[ SHUT UP ]

[ If he's going to investigate a strange race of tiny builders, he needs proof of a race of tiny builders! Also, it'll make a nice paperweight. Or if he ever decides to build ships in bottles, maybe. ]

There was a giant rat that refused to die with its head cut off, I suppose that would be stranger. But the strangest is definitely a talking monkey.

[ COME AT ME BRUH ]

[ Blink. Blink blink. ]

Really? Then, I guess your world must be pretty boring.

[ His tail twitches as he narrows his eyes at Kojirou. ]

Tell me! Have you ever gotten your ass handed to you by a talking monkey? I bet it'd make for a good story.

Really now? My world is filled with strangeness and legends, but talking monkeys are strange anywhere.

[ He knows a bear, though. And technically he knows of a monkey, from the Journey to the West, but he's never met that particular Wukong. ]

And those legends haven't quite managed to as you say, "hand my ass" to me, but you're welcome to try whenever you want.

Only strange if you can't wrap your head around it.

[ Bears are dumb. Monkeys are where it's at. Maybe not THAT Wukong, because this one is much more furry and... therefore... better???

Shut up. ]

I'll take you up on that offer when we're somewhere safer and not participating in a war... which may be a while. But I promise you'll learn what's it like to be beaten by something strange.

[ And his size-shifting weapon. :^) ]

No, strange is strange.

[ What would Voli say, Wukong? What would Voli say? ]

But if calling you strange is what it takes to get a worthy challenge, then I suppose it's worth doing a bit more, then?

[ HE'LL WAIT FOR YOU, WUKONG. ]

[ Wukong has no answer. He points at his eyes, then at Kojirou's. After all, he now has a secret weapon to use against the swordsman! Why not be a little arrogant.

And then he gathers up as many things as he can, and carries them off.

also bears suck ]

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intro ♚ april

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