BOARDMASTER (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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pawnstorm2016-05-08 12:00 pm
boardmaster) wrote in pawnstorm2016-05-08 12:00 pm
Entry tags:
- !intro,
- !job,
- aigis (persona),
- aisha clanclan (outlaw star),
- akito/agito wanijima (air gear),
- allelujah haptism (mobile suit gundam 00,
- allen walker (d.grayman),
- anakin skywalker (star wars),
- arjuna (fate/),
- artoria pendragon (fate/),
- bolin (legend of korra),
- chloe (lacrimosa),
- cirno (touhou project),
- gaius (fire emblem: awakening),
- gilgamesh (fate/),
- hajime hinata (dangan ronpa 2),
- haruna (kantai collection),
- henry jekyll (fate/),
- ichigo hitofuri (touken ranbu),
- illidan stormrage (warcraft),
- irisviel von einzbern (fate/),
- jolyne kujo (jjba),
- juzumaru tsunetsugu (touken ranbu),
- kaede (elfen lied),
- kasen kanesada (touken ranbu),
- kojirou sasaki (fate/),
- lapis fathalla (original character),
- lola pacini (degrassi),
- luna (zero escape),
- makoto sako (devil survivor 2),
- minato arisato (persona),
- namazuo toushirou (touken ranbu),
- naruto uzumaki (naruto),
- natasha romanova (avengers academy),
- nobunaga oda (fate/),
- nora (nora),
- one (drakengard 3),
- patricia watson (skullgirls),
- sakura (fire emblem: fates),
- sakura haruno (naruto),
- sasuke uchiha (naruto),
- scathach (fate/),
- setsuna f. seiei (mobile suit gundam 00),
- shin-ah (akatsuki no yona),
- shinn asuka (mobile suit gundam seed),
- sion astal (lolheroes),
- souji seta (persona),
- vietnam (axis powers hetalia),
- wukong (league of legends),
- xander (fire emblem: fates),
- yukari takeba (persona)
intro ♚ may
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.
WARNING: Contains death and related graphic descriptions.
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 ♟ P.S. I Love You
It's a perfectly ordinary morning in Caissa. Enprise’s two suns peer over the horizon and smack into your face through the large bay window. At half past six in the morning, the floor nanny’s built-in alarm goes off and plays Prime Minister Teddy’s hit song Love Me Like Your Doughnuts. Once everyone in their rooms is up and awake, this mechanical pigeon announces that letters and small packages have been delivered to every Hero’s personal box in the mailroom. Yes, even you, Naked Newcomer! These letters are from the Heroes’ many fans all over Blanc. No matter who you are, there are small tokens of appreciation attached to the letters: these may include candies shaped like stars, chocolates with a surprise gooey center, or even a can of rainbow beans for those not fond of sweets.
Letters for veteran Heroes are full of praise and gratitude for the success of the naval battle at Graupera. New Heroes receive mail that express support towards their future endeavors as the Blanc military’s most formidable task force. That’s not all the letters contain, however; the citizens also plead for our Heroes’ help with new problems that have arisen in the fields surrounding Caissa. However, the details the letters provide are scant and vague. The fans seem more concerned with recent damage caused by some unknown entity. There is a 15-page narrative of how a man built this beautiful house for his lovely, sweet wife who did nothing wrong, but nothing about why the house is in shambles now. A market on the outskirts of Caissa lost 30,000 colle’s worth of food, but the writer neglects to explain what happened to the food. All you know is that this person stayed up all week taking inventory and now it has gone to waste.
Sharing letters with each other might give you a clue on where to start your investigations and figure out which areas were hit the hardest. Or you can talk about how cute your adoring fans are. One way or another, you’ll have to get tongues wagging to make any progress. Unfortunately, Blanc isn’t going to save itself and from the sound of it, this problem is bigger than expected...
Letters for veteran Heroes are full of praise and gratitude for the success of the naval battle at Graupera. New Heroes receive mail that express support towards their future endeavors as the Blanc military’s most formidable task force. That’s not all the letters contain, however; the citizens also plead for our Heroes’ help with new problems that have arisen in the fields surrounding Caissa. However, the details the letters provide are scant and vague. The fans seem more concerned with recent damage caused by some unknown entity. There is a 15-page narrative of how a man built this beautiful house for his lovely, sweet wife who did nothing wrong, but nothing about why the house is in shambles now. A market on the outskirts of Caissa lost 30,000 colle’s worth of food, but the writer neglects to explain what happened to the food. All you know is that this person stayed up all week taking inventory and now it has gone to waste.
Sharing letters with each other might give you a clue on where to start your investigations and figure out which areas were hit the hardest. Or you can talk about how cute your adoring fans are. One way or another, you’ll have to get tongues wagging to make any progress. Unfortunately, Blanc isn’t going to save itself and from the sound of it, this problem is bigger than expected...
TWO ♟ Distant Howling
After pooling information, the new objective is clear: to investigate the damages. The vast, vibrant fields around Caissa seem a good place to start. They are mostly empty, but here or there you will see some people from nearby smaller villages and farms. The villagers will admit to having seen threatening shadows move over the fields and having heard harsh, high-pitched howling. They are willing to point Heroes toward possible shadow sightings, but are otherwise reluctant to act as guides. They are simple townsfolk who wish to return to their quiet lifestyle.
You may come up with small settlements (e.g. villages, farms, inns, taverns, etc.) as they are considered minor locations.
Heroes will soon discover that some of the smaller villages have been burned down entirely. The smell of ash and charred wood is thick in the air, though some buildings are also smashed as as though by something large and heavy. Nearby trees which haven’t been uprooted or knocked over are scorched and their blackened branches crackle ominously in the breeze. There are large marks dug deep into the ground and—is that a cow? Heroes will find tagged fruit cows scattered everywhere, scared, confused and mooing sadly next to their dead fruit cow friends. Fruit cows are usually found in Gresser, how strange...
A couple of days’ worth of exploration may help you realize that whatever is terrorizing Blanc doesn’t only devour hapless animals. While trying to navigate the numerous backcountry roads and farmlands, Heroes may stumble upon some gruesome clues: a charred limb—or what’s left of it; teeth, half-eaten ribcages, melted jewelry, and other smaller bits; the less fortunate may actually trip over a corpse staring unseeingly into the sky. It has been gutted, half-roasted, and seems to have lain in the sun for some time; and if someone is brave enough to roll the body onto its stomach, they may discover claw marks on its back. The victim must have tried to flee from something.
The amount of damage grows the more our Heroes travel south. What could be awaiting them?
You may come up with small settlements (e.g. villages, farms, inns, taverns, etc.) as they are considered minor locations.
Heroes will soon discover that some of the smaller villages have been burned down entirely. The smell of ash and charred wood is thick in the air, though some buildings are also smashed as as though by something large and heavy. Nearby trees which haven’t been uprooted or knocked over are scorched and their blackened branches crackle ominously in the breeze. There are large marks dug deep into the ground and—is that a cow? Heroes will find tagged fruit cows scattered everywhere, scared, confused and mooing sadly next to their dead fruit cow friends. Fruit cows are usually found in Gresser, how strange...
A couple of days’ worth of exploration may help you realize that whatever is terrorizing Blanc doesn’t only devour hapless animals. While trying to navigate the numerous backcountry roads and farmlands, Heroes may stumble upon some gruesome clues: a charred limb—or what’s left of it; teeth, half-eaten ribcages, melted jewelry, and other smaller bits; the less fortunate may actually trip over a corpse staring unseeingly into the sky. It has been gutted, half-roasted, and seems to have lain in the sun for some time; and if someone is brave enough to roll the body onto its stomach, they may discover claw marks on its back. The victim must have tried to flee from something.
The amount of damage grows the more our Heroes travel south. What could be awaiting them?
THREE ♟ Breath of Fire
Let’s put the clues together. Fire? Check. Claw marks? Check. Large shadows seemingly from something flying overhead? Check and check. Congratulations, Blanc, you are suffering from a dragon plague.
It will take several days for the Heroes to locate the source of the rumors. The dragons seem to have taken up residence in the hilly area near Caissa, where the slopes grow steeper and then drop suddenly off into cliffs. The beasts are quite willing to greet guests warmly: there’s nothing like a burst of dragonfire and a deafening screech to brighten your day.
The only warning you’ll get before they launch themselves into the air and at Heroes is the sound of trees bursting beneath their claws. Beware: a single swipe can cause some serious damage and their fire breath, fast, frequent and garnished with the occasional, boiling hot drop of saliva, is nothing you want to stick around for. The dragons cannot be reasoned with, nor can they be tamed. A queen’s Charm magic WILL NOT work. Should someone try and reach out with their senses to see if the dragons are somehow hurting, they will only feel something alien and terrible.
Heroes aren't the only ones suffering under the dragons’ claws, unfortunately. Scattered around the area are a few small and isolated farms, and the animals and the farmers are easy prey and unlikely to flee in time. Heroes will want to intervene before the dragons can devour and destroy. If they are too late, they will need to provide support. Put out fires, heal the injured, catch panicked cows before they become pot roast! The dragons might be coming around for another attack, so it would be a good time to test barriers and other damage control skills.
To make matters worse, Blanc’s weather has decided that now is the perfect time for a hailstorm. It’s barely anything at first, beginning with small kernels the size of corn here and there to wet the grass and ruin your footing. Then it becomes much larger and greater in number. Dragons are not exempt from this hailhole: large enough pieces may rip holes in their wings! Heroes may want to use this to their advantage; additionally, casting ice and wind spells will suddenly become a lot easier, and the dragons will struggle to navigate in the stormy weather, forcing them to land more often. Better get up on that dragon’s back!
In the end, survivors of the dragon horde let out one last, collective shriek before they turn southward. The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning: the dragons have only been chased away. Their nest seems to be elsewhere and that is a worrying prospect. Dragons aren’t native to Blanc, which can only mean one thing…
Meanwhile, a new job opening has appeared at Gresser. At least you finally know what to do with all those fruit cows.
It will take several days for the Heroes to locate the source of the rumors. The dragons seem to have taken up residence in the hilly area near Caissa, where the slopes grow steeper and then drop suddenly off into cliffs. The beasts are quite willing to greet guests warmly: there’s nothing like a burst of dragonfire and a deafening screech to brighten your day.
The only warning you’ll get before they launch themselves into the air and at Heroes is the sound of trees bursting beneath their claws. Beware: a single swipe can cause some serious damage and their fire breath, fast, frequent and garnished with the occasional, boiling hot drop of saliva, is nothing you want to stick around for. The dragons cannot be reasoned with, nor can they be tamed. A queen’s Charm magic WILL NOT work. Should someone try and reach out with their senses to see if the dragons are somehow hurting, they will only feel something alien and terrible.
Heroes aren't the only ones suffering under the dragons’ claws, unfortunately. Scattered around the area are a few small and isolated farms, and the animals and the farmers are easy prey and unlikely to flee in time. Heroes will want to intervene before the dragons can devour and destroy. If they are too late, they will need to provide support. Put out fires, heal the injured, catch panicked cows before they become pot roast! The dragons might be coming around for another attack, so it would be a good time to test barriers and other damage control skills.
To make matters worse, Blanc’s weather has decided that now is the perfect time for a hailstorm. It’s barely anything at first, beginning with small kernels the size of corn here and there to wet the grass and ruin your footing. Then it becomes much larger and greater in number. Dragons are not exempt from this hailhole: large enough pieces may rip holes in their wings! Heroes may want to use this to their advantage; additionally, casting ice and wind spells will suddenly become a lot easier, and the dragons will struggle to navigate in the stormy weather, forcing them to land more often. Better get up on that dragon’s back!
In the end, survivors of the dragon horde let out one last, collective shriek before they turn southward. The battle has been won, but the war is just beginning: the dragons have only been chased away. Their nest seems to be elsewhere and that is a worrying prospect. Dragons aren’t native to Blanc, which can only mean one thing…
Meanwhile, a new job opening has appeared at Gresser. At least you finally know what to do with all those fruit cows.
INFO ♟ Welcome!
Welcome to Crosscheck's May intro log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!
Also by request, here are some Player Endorsements that may be of interest!
Heaven's Feel: Looking for something else to do? In the mood for more light-hearted mingling? Check out Heaven’s Feel, Caissa’s first heroic matchmaking service! Opening week is going on now.
Training Notice: This training notice is located on the bulletin board. You might want to take a look.
Also by request, here are some Player Endorsements that may be of interest!
Heaven's Feel: Looking for something else to do? In the mood for more light-hearted mingling? Check out Heaven’s Feel, Caissa’s first heroic matchmaking service! Opening week is going on now.
Training Notice: This training notice is located on the bulletin board. You might want to take a look.
no subject
U-Um. [ She looks... slightly relieved that he apparently recognizes her too, but still pretty much like she wants the ground to open up and swallow her whole. Why can't she ever make a calm and dignified first impression... or second impression, as the case may be. Even though she still isn't really sure how that's possible. ]
I-I think so. Y-You look so familiar... [ She trails off, debating whether to bring up that she knows his name or if that's just too strange to start with... eventually, she blurts out: ] Your name is A-Allen, isn't it?
no subject
...miss Sakura? [ It's ok Sakura, now Allen is goggling. How is that possible?? '
Wait he'd forgotten, there were weird dreams when he woke up and everything was fuzzy. Didn't they... weren't they fighting somewhere? And she'd been scared and he'd tried to reassure her.
Still blinking rapidly: ] How...?
[ HE'S GETTING THAT THIS PLACE IS STRANGE AND SORT OF FANTASTICAL FOR EVEN WHAT ALLEN IS USED TO, BUT
STILL ]
no subject
I-I don't know, but I'm really glad. [ She smiles shyly, her hands curling in the fabric of her skirt. ] You held my hand, remember?
[ That's the part that sticks out most to her... he made her feel safe when she was scared.
Maybe it's because she's used to weirder things... like dragon veins and pocket dimensions. Her stepmother had some clairvoyant powers and Sakura herself has sometimes sensed faraway danger thanks to being a shrine maiden... a little dream world really isn't that far-fetched to her.
Either way, she'll take what she can get. ]
no subject
Well, even if he can't explain it, Allen is used to... lots of unexplained things happening to him and that he just accepts as things that happen.
And this actually seems like... a really good one.
So he steps forward, shock melting away to the brightest sort of smile and lifted spirits. That's right. She'd seemed so nice—too nice for the place they'd been. But she'd helped him out too. Like a mage, given her spells—something he's ironically somewhat used to, given his Master had been a powerful one in addition to an Exorcist. But more importantly she's the first person he actually recognizes which is... absolutely the last thing he ever expected when he woke up here.
She's someone he fought with, and that means everything to Allen. ] Mn!
I'm glad too. [ If she's shy he's absolutely not, just the most genuine sort friendly certainty and cheer—like it's not their first time actual meeting and more like seeing a missed comrade. The winged golden golem that had been perched on his head flits off and loops around him in short flights, eyeing Sakura with curiosity as well. ]
I don't know how it's possible, but it's nice to see someone familiar. [ A vision of the future, maybe..? He's experienced stranger.. ]
Are you well?
no subject
For a moment, she's distracted by the little golden ball flying around him, her gaze following its looping trail with wide-eyed curiosity. She's never seen anything like it! Then again, she hasn't seen many of things here before, and she only just arrived... it's hard out here for a girl from medieval fantasy Japan. I-Is that his carrier?
(For his part, her carrier, a fluffy little hedgehog, is lazily perched on her shoulder, burrowed behind her hair. He does not seem to care for Allen.) ]
U-Um... [ She looks away, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. Well, not really... but he probably doesn't want to hear about her problems... and he'd probably think she's childish anyway, getting so upset about being separated from her family and friends.
In any case, she's a little better now that she has a friend! ]
I'm all right... wh-what about you?
1/2
Except Miss Sakura, for a moment there you looked absolutely not alright.
Is that what that looks like, when he does it?]2/2
...Alright I suppose. [ He won't pry or call her out if she doesn't want to say it out loud, how she actually feels.
But it doesn't mean he can't relate, either. ]
It's still a scary sort of situation, isn't it?
no subject
But a-ah... he figured it out anyway, didn't he? She's never been a very difficult person to read, as Takumi has told her many times before. Or it was just coincidence...? Either way, he hit the nail right on the head, and she glances down at her feet. ]
Y-Yes... It's hard being separated from everyone at home, even though the people here need our help.
[ Her heart goes out to everyone here, but... she just misses her home, and her family and retainers especially... she's never been on her own like this before. It's particularly weird to be walking around without Hana and Subaki on her heels, protecting her, looking out for her, keeping her company—they've been her constant companions for years, and now she doesn't know what to do without them.
(She'd noticed his hand before, but she's far too polite to say anything—she's even too polite to really wonder. It might look strange to others, but it's a part of him.) ]
1/2
He knows. He knows that so painfully well that... Well. He knew it before he woke up here. So much so that this is only a more surreal feeling around a very large deep, ache that's been there for months. The sort of one he can't let himself think about because it would hurt too much then.
Because even if Allen returns from this world to his he won't be able to return home. Not... right now at least.
Not ever, were he to acknowledge what he already knows on some level as the likely outcome but refuses to accept. Or dwell on. ] ...
2/2
Or maybe remembered something. ] Miss Sakura...
...is there something you like to do for fun?
Back home.
no subject
[ She looks surprised by the sudden question, her eyebrows shooting up and then slowly pulling together as she considers. (But Allen, why did you look so sad for a moment?) If she was being honest... well, she definitely can't be honest. She can't admit that she likes to dress up her dolls and eat sweets! He'll think she's so childish... ]
U-Um... I like to walk around the palace and l-look at the flowers... or r-read books...
[ Those are safe enough, right? And they're things she does enjoy doing... ]
no subject
It's curious, but he just smiles at that and gives a nod, silver eyes immediately brightening. ] When I'm feeling sad or anxious...
[ He looks up at the building around them. The mail room, the windows looking out over a breathtaking city that's so terribly foreign as much as it's beautiful. ]
...or when I'm far away from home and don't know when I'll see it again, it helps to think of fun things. The things I want to do when I'm home and can tell everyone "I'm back".
[ He turns back and nods to her in bright reassurance. ] That way, it doesn't seem so sad or anxious and home doesn't feel so far away. Because I'm thinking about the people I want to see and what I'll do when I'm with them again.
[ ... it hurts
It hurts so bad it makes his throat tighten like his own words might choke him. Like a charm...
Those words he's just said that he used to say so easily feel like reciting charm and it's all he can do to get them out now. Because for her sake, he thinks it'll help. Because he absolutely believes in what he's saying and that it's a good way to live and he just wants to help her.
But saying it also makes him realize it's... like he's standing on the other side of it now. Looking on something that no longer applies to him.
But he'll keep smiling all the brighter so she doesn't have to know that part. ]
1/2
I-I didn't think about it that way...
[ She looks up at him and his bright smile—but there's something that feels a little off about it to her, something that she can't quite put her finger on.
There's something missing from his advice too, she feels. The problem is, she doesn't really know what it is until she finds herself speaking softly, her hands clenched against her chest. ]
I-I think... i-it also helps to think of fun things here too. L-Like meeting new people... like you... and seeing new things. That way, I'm always thinking of things to look forward to, and I have something to tell everyone about when I go home... and I can say "I'm back!" with confidence.
no subject
U-Um... d-does that sound silly?
1/2
You know. He hadn't thought about it that way before, and his smile slips for a moment in mild awe..
Miss Sakura, you don't give yourself enough credit. ]
2/2
[ She might need to work on the confidence part, though... ] I think--
... I think I'd like to be able to say that too. [ More quietly, and while his smile becomes a little softer and maybe a little bittersweet. But with it perhaps a bit more him, too.
Grateful. ]
It'd be nice to have fun things to look forward to here.
[ Things maybe someday he could tell them at the Order, if he's ever able to go back there. ]
no subject
Y-Yes!
[ She's forgotten it herself, in her fear at arriving in a new place, surrounded by strangers... but now he's reminded her: she wants to be strong. As strong as her siblings, who never let anything keep them down. Strong enough to be able to make everyone at home proud of her, so maybe this is her chance—this situation... it's not very ideal, but she has to keep fighting so that she can go back and make a difference in the war, as a princess of Hoshido.
And maybe, along the way, she can make new friends and have fun too. The both of them can.
A small smile still lingering on her face, she looks down at her clasped hands and adds softly: ] Thank you...
[ She knows her thanks probably sounds a little out of the blue, but she's truly grateful to him all the same. She feels better about this place already. ]