pawnstorm | 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

Then so be it.

[ The Intoner briefly raises a hand, sending her carrier off to the side where it can avoid being harmed in any manner. Although the Holy Dragon didn't like it when One bossed him around, he would stand by her on any decision. His well meaning and gentle demeanor were truly the opposite of One's. But she had learned enough to know that he was valuable to her. Not just for communication, but also in battle should he see it some day. For now, he will remain ever on the sidelines.

The second eldest Songstress jerked her chakram out of the ground, the point tearing through the stone work. The heavy weapon sliced through the air, chain clinking with the movement. She caught it on its way up, letting it rest up by her shoulder. From here she began to calculate her next moves. She could run forward, releasing the weapon above her head, and, upon wrapping her fingers around the chain, swing it above her head. It would be easy to start directing the weapon lower and lower.

It would, however, be best to wait to reveal the mana draining power the weapon held. ]

The moment you can no longer stand, this match will be over.

[She barely spared a glance for the holy dragon sulking to the side. Her eyes were on One now, and she started to move, slowly, as if to circle her opponent.

Unless it was by sheer dumb luck on both of their sides, One was not wrong in her assessment. Until Caren could no longer stand. Not One. She's clearly the veteran, and the weapon familiar by ease she stands with it.

Caren will likely end up beaten to the ground. That's fine. It won't be the first time.]

Very well.

[Caren lets her shawl go between her hands, holding the fabric between herself and One. A moments choice, and she transfers her grip from both hands to her left, before closing the distance and flicking out the cloth. No mana within it yet; it's more of a risk to see what One's reaction will be.]

[ Crimson eyes narrow as Caren draws nearer, watching the movement of her hands, and then the shawl itself. It was, like any other weapon, more than meets the eye, she was sure. And what power did it hold? That was the real question.

She knew everything there was to know about her weapon - or at least she could claim she did. Her true weapon was similar to this chakram. The one that had skidded away from her in her final moments before she died with the parasite inside of her. But that was old news, history. For now the Intoner shifted her stance when Caren struck, turning away from the blow. She brought her arm down in an arc, hold on her weapon changing with it. The blade turned from it's initial upright position to sideways as she moved, blade brushing against Caren's shawl. The Intoner turned her body inward with the movement.

She didn't remain in that position for long. No, she moved forward with a quick step and threw the chakram outward. The three foot wide blade sliced through the air, chain snapping forward with it. ]

[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.]

[ Watcher's Love sliced through the air, the light reflecting off the steel edge, the white lotus blossoms carved into it's surface. It moves with One, or perhaps she moves with it, turning with it, as if it were just a tool in her dance. She was a dancer, after all. Her movements graceful and swift. Slender fingers curled around the four foot long chain, cuff pressing into the soft meat of her hand. She directed the chakram back with a tug.

She drew back a step as the weapon jerked back toward her. With practiced ease she caught one of the sharp edges, the blade digging in to her padded glove. Pressing in to the grove she had made. She was unsure if the weapons could turn on their owners, but she wasn't in the mood to find out.

Her gaze moved over Caren, selecting the next place to attack. The first blow had been just a test, to see how fast she could react, and how she would react. To know her enemy. ]

[It was a beautiful weapon. It's a war dance, something that Caren could readily admire, even in the midst of battle. But...in a twist, she sees that the woman is experienced.

And that there is a limit to her range.

With a twist, she raises, and her shawl is twisted and snapped above her head. This time, she moves in, into One's range as she could easily wound her-kill her even, by accident.

But it is time to use the weight of Sin. A twist of her wrist, and the end of the long red cloth seemed to sag, weighty now as she snapped cloth and directed towards One's arm. It would likely be countered but...she could only try.]

[ Crimson eyes narrowed, watching Caren's movements. Focusing on her weapon. She could almost pick up on the pulse of mana coming from the other woman, but seeing the weighty sag of her weapon told her more than enough. One jumped back, lifting her chakram with her movement. The sharp steely blade, supposedly carved out of dragon bone, caught the light. She swung the weapon downward, aiming for the white haired woman's shoulder.

She had done so before, to another. To her brother. Had caught him off guard and nearly sliced straight through his shoulder.

And he forgave her. But would Caren forgive such an act of violence? ]

[She was not One's brother; she was not as compassionate as some could, or were, in comparison to those who were here.

Especially when it came to war and sparring. Caren had no plans to lose her arm. She dipped, and bobbed away sharply from the edge. Barely. She could feel her sleeve catch, and fabric tear.

Ah.

Her wrist snapped her cloth backwards, and her hands bring the shawl up, into both hands as a shield. But no mana. Not yet. She doesn't have the mana to waste.]

intro ♚ april

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