intro ♚ april

[boardmaster]

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!

Comments

[quaria]

[ Sparkling milk bottles from the Airy! Setsuna would often carry a few to sate his thirst at any given time. He has a water canteen as well, but it's still filled... These would have to do.

When the girl thanks him, Setsuna acknowledges her with a small nod. He doesn't mind at all, so it's fine. They're comrades now, so they might as well try to get along. In the future, they'll likely end up working together again.

For the meantime, he'll get started with the "gardening" job. He starts skillfully cutting through the overgrown vines without making much of a mess. It helps that he is a Knight now; his enhanced strength has returned to him, allowing him to almost effortlessly take care of these tough vines. But once he reaches an area where he knows the essence would flow out of, he stops so he can look at her and give her a signal. ]

[rememberher]

[ Fancy! They will have a second life as gunk holders, no worries. It kind of looks like milk? Maybe?

She would be sure to label them.

Observing the older man, Lux frowned a bit. He really wasn't much of a talker, was he? Even small talk seemed to fall short. Hmm. She may have to try a different approach. Moving to collect the sap that flowed, the blond kept an eye on her work. ]

This will be pretty useful, I think. I've heard about soldiers using things like this to mend armor, tend wounds in a pinch... I'm sure that we can come up with a number of uses for it! What do you think?

[ Open-ended questions, the perfect conversation starter. ]

[quaria]

[ PLEASE DO... What a disaster for anyone to mistake it for actual milk. The girl is clever though, as that is exactly the best way to get Setsuna to talk. Because he was asked a question — specifically for his personal opinion, there's no way he'll be able to answer that without speaking.

As they continue to work, Setsuna considers how to answer. But the thoughts eventually come to him. ]

The Airy has a comprehensive library. It might be worthwhile to check alchemy books; I have learned much from simply reading since my arrival.

[rememberher]

[ 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..?

[quaria]

[ Setsuna nods to her first sentence in another silence. She already understands his suggestion well, so there's no further need for him to explain why. Because indeed, there's so much to learn about this unfamiliar world. There might be familiar plants or so, but there will also be those that only exist in this world. And as such, it's better to read books to find out relevant information with minimal effort.

When she introduces herself, he takes note to memorize her name. ]

... Setsuna F. Seiei.

[rememberher]

It's nice to meet you, Setsuna.

[ Achievement unlocked: Make a new friend

He may have been the quiet type, and it may be hard to keep a constant conversation going, but that wasn't going to deter Lux. She could talk enough for the both of them, if she had to. Her smile growing as they worked, she thought for a moment before finally speaking again. ]

Where are you from, Setsuna? What is your home like?

[ Let's swap stories, new friend. ]

[quaria]

[ Lux's next question causes an unseen dim within Setsuna's eyes. She thankfully can't see them, as he is facing away from her. So his answer is delayed, as he just finished cutting through the thick vines of this particular area. He takes a few steps, moving on to the next.

He continues there before responding once more. Apart from his skillful knife handling, it seems he has experience in taking care of plants. He knows where to run the blade through without making a mess. ]

... From Krugis, although more know it as Kurdistan. [ Something he found out during his stay in this world. ] Sorry, but I do not recall much of it.

[ He decides to lie about it, not feeling close enough to this girl to speak of the truth. It's also just... easier. It's easier to just not talk about it at all, and it aligns with his oath of secrecy. ]

[rememberher]

[ Why wasn't he answering right away? Tilting her head a bit, she watches him closely, curiosity mounting. She wasn't so socially inept to realize that she made a wrong step in this delicate dance, but it wasn't a question of how, but in what context that stayed with her. ]

You don't—

[ "Have to answer," was what she almost said, before being cut off. A rare frown crosses her face, and she puts a hand to her cheek. ]

That's...

[ Not somewhere she has actually heard of. Would it be rude to say that? Sure, many of them came from different worlds, and it was clear that he had no sort of hometown pride, but at the same time, she'd hit anyone who even remotely talked ill of her home. So instead, she chose her words carefully. ]

That's all right. We can talk about something else, then. They say that chatting while you work makes the time go by faster.

[quaria]

[ At this point of time, Setsuna is already used to meeting others not from Earth, especially considering they're on a faraway planet right now. He wouldn't be too surprised if Lux admits that she hasn't heard of it. But he is relieved that they're moving on to a new topic instead, as that will be for the best.

Lux only wanted to talk, so Setsuna doesn't blame her at all. It's not as if she knew that it's a bad topic for him, but at least now she knows. He nods to acknowledge her latter statement, indicating that he doesn't actually mind talking more if she wants to. ]

You are new. How is your adjustment coming along?

[ From his words, it's obvious that he's been here for a while. She might also notice that he's not wearing a Pawn badge on his uniform as well, instead a symbol of the Knight is in place. ]

[rememberher]

[ Admitting something like that was unideal in every sense of the word. It wasn't a matter of respect, but, rather, one of trust. She could work with the others who found themselves suddenly spirited away to this place, but admitting a lack of knowledge of a place seemed unwise, even if it was expected. ]

That's right.

[ She'll admit that much, at least. And his badge does not go unnoticed, even if she does not acknowledge it in words. She shows her respect in her tone. ]

It's interesting. This place is very different in some ways to my home, but in others not as much. I think the biggest adjustment has been learning the flora and fauna around here—I don't recognize any of it. I'm sure that I will have other questions later, once I get a chance to properly look around.