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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She raises her eyebrows in silent doubt. A hero..that sounds more like a word substitute. But she really doesn't care too much. Or at least, not as much as she should.]

Very well. Perhaps my sword could whet your appetite.

[She has her doubts, but she has her means. Her body is a lure, and if she needed to kill or subdue him...so be it.

Some habitual thoughts die hard.

Caren turned away, and after a quick glance over, she made her selection. A katana would be a good idea, but the rapier feels better in her hand.]

Will this do?

It'll come closer, at least.

[ It's okay, Caren. Kojirou doubts her ability too. They can doubt together.

He looks over the rapier and nods, drawing his wooden sword with a smooth, practised motion. He can't teach her nearly as much when they're using different types of swords, but that's fine. He wants his opponents at their best. ]

Now, feel free to attack.

[ He's not going to bother putting up a stance, sword hanging loosely in his hand. ]

[Just a couple of doubting doubters. It's the real reason they'll get along so great really.

She inhales slowly, positions her feet. It's more or less mimicry as to what she'll do here. An arm positioned behind her back, feet ready and then....

A forward thrust with the sword. She's testing, and truly it's a beginners move. He'll likely slap it aside, but at least she'll have learned something.]

[ That's not a strike that can really ever reach Kojirou. A flick of his own sword, and Caren's attack is easily deflected wide left. But at least it's an attack. ]

Where should I even start? A straightforward strike like that is only ever acceptable if you're so confident in your superior strength that you can abandon technique.

[ Trust him, he's met his fair share of warriors with straightforward skills that were turned aside by his blade. They were strong, and fast, but they couldn't break past him. ]

But if you're copying someone, at least you're doing it well enough that you won't break your own wrists if you get blocked.

[ Faint praise, but she's a beginner, what was she expecting? ]

[She grimaces, but she brings her sword back up, back in what she thinks is a ready position. At least, from what she has seen. She might do better with the katana after all but...that would almost make it feel as if he's winning.]

I am copying someone. A fencer. I watched them on television once.

[She isn't flushing from his praise, neither angry nor flattered. She's determined to see this through.]

You might want to invest in a better teacher than infomercials. [ If only he could watch infomercials in his spare time, but no, watching the leaves fall as he sat on that stairwell was all he could do. ]

Otherwise you'll really hurt yourself.

[ Kojirou swings his wooden sword at Caren, but halfway through switches to a thrust straight at her chest. A feint, if you will, intended to show the difference between them. ]

I'm surprised you know what an infomercial is. But no.

[She hissed through her teeth, and stepped backwards, smacking his wooden sword against his. Show off.]

That's why I'm learning from you, aren't I? To do better than mere mimicry.

You'd be surprised at the things we know about.

[ Servants are summoned with all the information necessary to survive in whatever age they're brought into, so they don't think a television is some kind of devil box. But wait, why would she be surprised at his knowledge? Does she know something about him?

Kojirou looks at Caren again with new eyes, but no. He definitely has no idea who she is. Never met her. ]

Very well. It'll take you ten years to get to my level, and that's if you have exceptional talent, but I'll beat enough skill to survive the wars here into you.

It's more that you've yet to be exposed to a television.

[Right, they do know everything about the world around them so they can adjust and battle accordingly. It's really quite a marvel what popular culture and history can be infused into a spirit. One would think they would know new ways to kill to go with it, but perhaps that would be too much to ask-and they would rely on weapons not their own.

Caren stares back at him, impassive, as if she hasn't hinted, and mentioned she knew who, and what, Kojirou was. Instead, she keeps her blade in ready position.]

I'm ready when you are.

You seem to know a lot about me, but I've never met you. How strange.

[ Kojirou raises his sword, not bothering to drop the banter. He's very confident in his ability to beat Caren here, especially as long as she intends to keep her weapon ability a secret. ]

I'll take some answers as payment for my training.

[ Honestly, beating people up for practice is all the payment he needs. Teaching is better training than wailing on a practice dummy after all, and his primary motivation is getting better and finding worthwhile challenges, but he won't tell Caren that as he swings his sword at her. ]

How odd. Someone knowing all sorts about a fake could never happen.

[It's just idle chit chatting, really. She has no plan on showing him her weapon-he's already seen her hand, in a way. He just hasn't realized it.

But that doesn't stop her from smiling slightly as she steps aside, and attempts the feint and thrust that he did before. What was that about mimicry again? Not doing it? Yeah, she's kinda...trying to do it.]

Ask away. I can't pay you until I hear the questions.

[ "A fake." Kojirou hasn't even revealed his name, how could she know that it's not the one he was born with? He's a fake hero, a fake Servant who once unleashed simply forgot to be thrown back into obscurity, it's not a terrible secret, but nobody should know that. ]

Who are you? If you were a martial artist, I'd try to figure you out through your swordplay, but you're not.

[ He parries the incoming thrust easily. His swordplay isn't so poor that it can be copied well by seeing it once, but perhaps he should be flattered that she's trying to imitate him? He did say it's a bad habit, but teaching is supposed to impress his form upon his students, right? ]

You'll have to try that thrust another thousand times before you stand a chance of striking me from the front.

We're playing with your weapon, not mine.

[She slowly smiles. It's far too fun, toying with him like this. He may best her with a sword any day, but words are her playground.

Her sword parried, she starts to circle around him, rapier in front of her. Maybe this wasn't a terrible choice of hers after all. It's light enough that she can hold this for hours if need be.]

As for who I am...I suppose you want an introduction? My name is Caren Ortensia.

I told you to pick the weapon you were most comfortable with.

[ Kojirou turns to make sure he's always facing Caren, bringing down his sword a few times just to check that she's paying attention. He's not trying to kill her, so he won't use everything he has, but there's no point going so easy that his student can get through things half-heartedly. ]

Your name isn't important, Caren Ortensia. What matters is what you do. How do you know who I am, who Servants are?

[ And why are you being so difficult? ... But he won't say that out loud. ]

And you chose swords. If I chose what I was most comfortable with, how much would I learn?

[ She parries, using her hips and her legs to give herself balance and power to block his strikes, Caren make a few forays to the side. It's nothing to a swordsman like himself, but it is better than simply circling him around and around. It's far less spider like.]

The name might have meant something to you. But what I am is more than one thing. And I know you in more than one way.

[But she Adds with a sniff,]

Not in the personal sense of course. We had no reason to meet.

A proper fighter needs experience against weapons of all kinds, don't you think?

[ Kojirou shrugs. Caren hasn't had the snot beaten out of her yet, which is probably to her credit, but it will be a long, long time before she's on his level. ]

So, how do you know who I am, then? I have the time to listen to all the ways.

[ He's going to train her hard, after all. ]

If I didn't agree, I wouldn't be doing this.

[Just putting it out there. She was a little surprised she hadn't fallen at this point, but she chalked it up to her previous fighting experience. But she would, eventually. She was, after all, an amateur.]

You wont beat me to the ground until you know?

[She smirks, amused at the thought.]

Reports, naturally. I had a variety of sources to consult when it cane to you and others.

You would probably have trouble giving any information while beaten up, so I'll refrain.

[ That's not the only reason, but it is definitely one of them. But if Caren wants to be taken to the ground so much, then Kojirou has no problems forcing the issue. Leveraging her next attack so she overbalances herself and becomes easy to trip sounds like fun.

So he'll do that. ]

Sources. The only people who know about me are the Servants and Masters of Chaldea and Fuyuki. You weren't at Chaldea, so I'll assume you're from Fuyuki, but I'd fought every Servant there and you weren't there with any of them.

[ Did that make her Archer or Lancer's Master? They were the ones who showed up alone, after all... ]

How generous of you.

[Ah, that's a bit of force. She has to stop her circling to jump back, and offer a thrust to the face, then to the side, to the hip. Just to see how he'll counter such attacks, desperate as they are to regain the balance of her feet.]

How do you know I wasn't in Chaldea? Who do you think I am?

[It's a game to her, even as they continue to toy with one another. She wants to see how far she can push him before he gives up or demands more, one way or the other.]

[ Kojirou dodges the thrust by leaning to the side, then pins the sword to the ground with his own when she tries to strike lower. His movements would be infuriating to someone with more training, not following any orthodox school of swordplay but whatever "feels" right. Kojirou would say such orthodoxies merely open oneself up to becoming predictable, and that would be deadly in a drawn out fight. ]

I know you weren't. You're not a Servant, a Servant could fight better.

[ Except Shakespeare and Andersen, probably. But the Casters not meant for fighting would know that much, and adapt their styles accordingly. They wouldn't bother learning how to work their way around a sword instead of the enchantments they're so suited to.

And there were only three humans in Chaldea. The Master, Dr Roman, and the shield girl. The woman in front of him was clearly none of them. ]

So you're from Fuyuki, but that was a large city. How could I possibly work my way through the entire list of Masters and their associates?

Unless they were Caster, or perhaps Assassin. Oh, wait.

[She offers him a sweet smile, even as she attempts to pull her sword up, and away from his. This doesn't really feel like a lesson. Then again, she's not good about answering his questions either.

Why? No real reason. Mostly because she can.]

But, if I am from Fuyuki, there is only the process of elimination. Or, Occum's razor.

You may be a vixen, but you're no Caster. [ As far as he's concerned, all female Casters are vixens. Except Medea Lily. Blame the ones he's met, they're all weird.

Kojirou lets Caren tug on her sword a couple of times before letting go, almost too suddenly. He wants to see how well she recovers, or if she falls on her ass for putting too much force behind freeing her weapon. ]

You don't seem to have the temperament of a Master either, but then again, I don't have the temperament of a Servant.

[ Masters are usually... hungrier. People don't accept the call of a Holy Grail War without good reason. But there are always exceptions, so he can't rule that out just yet. ]

I'm not sure if I should be amused or insulted.

[Ah. She falters, takes a few steps back, could have fallen-but she twists around like a cat, before going back to the ready position.

Though...his words are rather amusing.]

Servants and Masters come in all shapes and sizes. Some become what they are due to need, rather than desire.

[It is a hint, though a vague one. But he's sort of right in that he's not exactly a typical Servant. (Is there such a thing? Who knows.)]

Take it how you wish.

[ Vixens. They were beautiful creatures, sure, but they also tended to have a highly unpleasant side. Underhanded tactics, backstabbing as a matter of course, and being rather rude. Those were his criteria. Would Caren consider the jab at her personality a particularly grave insult? From what Kojirou has seen of her, probably not. ]

Are you saying you're a Master, then? You weren't Saber's, Berserker's, Caster's, or mine, so that leaves Archer, Lancer, Rider, and that frustrating golden one.

[ He's fought every Servant trying to climb those steps to Ryudou Temple, so he knows his Servants, and he's met a number of their Masters for that reason. So which was she? It feels like he's both getting closer and further to the truth now. ]

[It's not an insult or a compliment. She has been called worse and better things, but truly it did not matter. If anything, she would compliment him, or shark at how astute he is.

She attempts to feint a strike, wanting to draw him out, maybe over extend himself. It's unlikely to occur, but its still good practice.]

So we've eliminated half. It's a start.

[Not much of one is implied, but she doesn't say it outright.]

So, gatekeeper. Let us see what you know. Which of these Servants is my reflection?

[She is guiding to and away from the truth. Because nothing gives her greater pleasure then his frustration. At least right now.]

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