pawnstorm | intro ♚ may

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intro ♚ may

WELCOME TO Caissa

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.

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...

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?

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.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Be happy that he isn't swatting angrily at the head instead to get the smoldering, small flames out. ]

Why burn everything for its feeding ground? Marking of territory against other dragons? The food it could eat is beyond recognition so could that mean its digestive track-- [ Thunderland continues to murmur to himself before taking out a small telescope from his pocket. He tucks the telescope under his chin as a ribbon is produced seconds later to tie it roughly around the body of the scope. ]

Ah, it could be a god but they are only such if they act... or is it power and idea that elevates anything? [ He lifts the spyglass before the white ribbon abruptly changes color to a dark red. ] Fire? Fire against fire, then?

If we both survive, that is what you were saying, hm? [ He isn't a Bee but has admired the job that they did. He always did. Lifting the handheld telescope up to look through it, pointing toward the dragon. ] Well, then ... we may have to start running.

[ He says this as a blast of fire explodes out the end of the scope toward the dragon. Of course, he is still not well-versed in using mana -- what he deems as heart -- in this manner. He is already collapsing down to his knees even as the end of the attack is fading off. ] That was your chance to run...

[ ??!!

Is he some kind of scientist? Muttering to himself like that... Wait, had he been studying these creatures...? But when Thunderland fires and it brings him to his knees...

Sir, are you alright?! ]

And leave you behind? [ No.

That's not something Allen does. And when the dragon snarls in response to taking Thunderland's attack in—more enraged than pained because it was fire, its own lifeblood very nearly—and he hears it begin to breath deep as it rears back..

He dips and scoops an arm around the older man, if possible helping put one of the other's around his own shoulders so he help him back up to his feet. ] I'm not planning—

[ fireball! ]

—to run! [ Except right now to get them out of the way. The Pawn bodily hauling the Bishop if he has to (and kind of oddly easily for someone seeming so slender of build) and really right now he can't give a damn that you want him to save himself. ]

I'm not attempting to be heroic as--

[ It seems he won't be able to get as many sentences out as he would like with the dragon already seemingly angered at his attempt to fight it with fire. ~~GG, Thunderland~~. His eye widens as he has a moment when he freezes for a second too long.

But, his arm is pulled onto the young man's shoulder as he's starting to be pulled away to safety. What? That is enough to bring pause as he looks over the body and did not think it would be possible to actually move him. The idea of possibly picking up the lad and carrying him off to safety came to mind, but what if the dragon followed -- and yet, it seems he need not worry about such things as he's being rescued. Again. ]

Why is it that you refuse to listen to your elders?!

[ About that...

He grins a bit sheepishly. Apologetically. ]

It's nothing personal... [ Or agist. He just has situations where he's very shounen hero, ok. And has been fighting, training, performing in the circus, or doing godawful physical labor while trying not to die since.. literally his first memory. He's more like a very compact acrobat of solid muscle than a teenager.

But mostly he has a bad habit of not listening when people tell him not to bother ~~or think first about himself~~. ]

Yes, it isn't... you do not yet know who I am. [ This young man is going to get a bit of an earful when they are safely away. Thunderland cannot help but let the feeling of angered disappointment radiate off of him as he is being dragged -- but really, how is the body doing this? It isn't something that Heroes can do. A trait for Pawns that he did not inherit? ]

Ah... I'd already would like to dissect you.

[ excuse him what

Allen stumbles a bit for a moment before remembering they should probably keep moving. At least to somewhere where they can regroup, or perhaps the dragon won't follow them if it was just defending that field. ] 'Di--'

--Pardon?? [ Surely he didn't hear that right...... ]

[ He stumbles with the young man. At the very least, he's able to stop himself from falling. Breathing out a small sigh, he wonders what the look and pause was for in the first place! ]

I find it interesting that you were able to keep your frame the way that it looks now. It doesn't look like it has much muscle mass and yet you're able to carry me easily. From the way that you are moving, it isn't something that has been granted to you from the Pawn ability. Even I didn't realize I had abilities gifted to me thanks to being a Pawn, so this means that this is something that you already had. If that's the case... that makes you interesting. [ The long-winded explanation probably would sound better if occasionally he did not stop to huff and pant or just take long pauses between his sentences. Mana use is really something ... ]

[ "Doesn't look like you have much muscle mass..."

ow ]

I guess I've been doing this kind of thing for a long time... [ It's said with a bit of a wincing grin. Is now really the time to be wondering about that? ~~Also that doesn't explain... before... ...did you really say 'dissect'???~~

There's an outraged roar behind them and the sound of wingbeats as the dragon takes to the air, but it echoes enough that they probably have enough distance to catch their breath. Even if he can help support the taller man it is still a bit much... ]

Here— [ There's a dip in the terrain to a small creek. They can keep the bank at their backs maybe and have a little some cover. Or at least some embankment for shelter if the dragon comes back. ]

You guess? [ A huff. Like that is an answer. ]

Let's see... we have to get away, right? [ A pawn and an inexperienced Bishop won't be able to do much. So, what is it that he can do? His eye widens as he realizes what he can do. He reaches to find a loose stick and a part of dirt that's free. ] Let's see what's around here... [ It's using more mana but -- he should be able to draw a small map to find where they should go, right? ]

[ 'Get away'... ] ...

[ Allen doesn't really answer that, pressing his lips together and becoming quiet instead, keeping an eye skyward while he catches his breath.

He has... absolutely zero intentions of doing that, Thunderland. Zero. ]

[ Thunderland, however, distracts him from that when he reaches for the stick. ]

What are you doing? [ It's curious, peering to see what the older man is doing. Drawing on the ground to see what's around...? How does that work? ]

[ A skill gifted to him by becoming a Bishop. To be able to scan the area, to be able to draw what he's seen and may not fully remember but know, he is able to draw out a small map of the surrounding area. His shoulders immediately drop as he feels himself becoming that much more tired -- at least his years spent with anatomy drawings has allowed for a rather decent looking map. ]

There... we can figure out what to do if we can get to safety, right?

[ Oh—it's a map?

That's actually pretty impressive and he leans over to see. ]

You were able to do that from memory? [ That seems like something only Lavi would have been able to d— ]

[ He stops a little suddenly to suddenly, well... Look at the stranger he tackled out of the way without really paying attention to what he looked like.

eyepatch

hair

eyepatch

hair

stupidly tall

o h god. It's like Lavi got old and grey. And somehow almost dignified. ~~Creepy.~~ ]

...sorry, what was your name again...?

Edited 2016-05-19 06:43 (UTC)

[ This is something normally Bees do. To make maps, to find new routes, to discover the shape of Amberground that the poor and the privileged did not know. Thunderland shakes his head. ] No, maps in my world have already been mostly created by those before me... this is something that I've acquired here. Though, I suppose I may have been able to do it before. [ An odd statement, he realizes but-- ]

Doctor Thunderland Junior. [ He repeats before drawing close to look at the young man's face. ] Are you all right? [ Says the person who looks feverish and weak. But he's already attempting to take the young man's arm to check his blood pressure. ] Be silent for a minute.

[ !! ]

Are you? [ But he does relent and falls quiet, letting the man take his arm (although a bit grudgingly because he's fine, just catching his breath and a little singed). Although depending on what arm Thunderland grabbed he might be a little more tense or not. Given that the left one, while mostly hidden under the coat of his uniform, is wine-red and most certainly not human, a black cross somewhere between etched and embedded in the back of his wrist. Like smooth leather to the touch and plating on his fingers hardened like horn; like living gauntlet.

And probably really hard to feel a pulse through.

~~He really wishes the uniform had come with gloves.~~ And will just watch as Thunderland checks on him with a somewhat uneasy expression. ] ...

Edited 2016-05-19 16:26 (UTC)

What the--

[ He tilts his head as he sees now that the young man doesn't have a human hand. Turning it over his own, he blinks at the red shade. The toughness of it is surprising. Could this be related to his strength? His eye immediately widen as he starts to pull up the sleeve to look at the arm, pulling it up so that he could get a better look at it. ] This is -- this is nothing that I've seen before. [ Even pressing his index and middle finger against the wrist, he can't feel a pulse. But it is most likely there, but -- ]

I knew it... I absolutely want to dissect you.

[ WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR ARE YOU ]

That won't be necessary!! [ SHOULD HE BE RUNNING FROM THE DRAGON OR YOU. GOOD GOD. He doesn't mean to be rude but please, he tries to pull his hand back so he can raise them both up in a polite cease and desist. ]

I can't even use it anymore! I was just born like this! [ maybe

god

you know he hadn't thought about it lately, but he isn't even sure of THAT anymore... ]

Don't tell me what will and won't be necessary! [ He, at least, allows the young man to pull his arm back. This isn't really the time or place for him to be able to dissect the young man. ]

Why can't you use your arm? You're born that way? [ Holding his chin, he wonders what that means as he looks over the map. Thunderland feels emotionally renewed in seeing such an odd specimen. Physically, he's still exhausted. But he, at least, is able to figure out what he can do. ] To get to a safer location, we should head down this stream... there should be a cave close-by.

[ Allen rubs his left wrist reflexively~~, nursing it,~~ and eyeballs Thunderland a little skeptically. Are you really a Hero like him. ]

I think I'll be alright staying here... [ Excuse you, he's not going to strange caves with strangers who want to dissect him and his Innocence, inactive that it is or not. He's headstrong, not stupid. ]

Do you want to get roasted? [ He straightens his back a little to get into the young man's face now. ] We can't just continue to stay here.

[ Excuse you! ]

[ ...!! ~~eep~~

Allen doesn't squirm, but—his back is pressed pretty flat against the embankment. ]

How far is it? [ Personal space... ]

[ Grr! ]

From the map and what I scanned... shouldn't be more than a few feet... [ He says as there is another rush of fire overhead. Turning, he looks toward the waters and steam seems to come off of it. Ah. ]

We should get going, then... [ Time to try to hold onto the young man's arm to drag him when he's using it more as a crutch to walk. ]

[ The flames igniting the canopy overhead to smolder are reason enough for Allen, especially when they're followed by the heavy wingbeats of the dragon and its searching roar. Almost like it's trying to flush them out. ]

Let's... [ Crutch he'll be then, misgivings aside. Kind of creepy and weird seeming that you might be, Doctor, he's also not about to leave you out here and will help support him until they get to the cave.

But it doesn't mean he can't be a little grudging about it. ~~What did he get himself into.~~ ]

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