intro ♚ may

[boardmaster]

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.

Comments

Nobunaga Oda | Fate/

[ateaist]

one.

[Settling in fairly well all things considered, Nobunaga is the very picture of someone right at home already. She emerges from her room in the given uniform, opting instead for pants over the skirt and donning the hat if only for her love of hats. It isn't her own uniform (which she'd made herself, adding an extra layer of personal fondness to it) but it's a fine substitute in the meantime.

With the received letter still in one hand, she approaches whoever she comes across, priority being given to those in uniform as well. Ultimately though, if she's not engaged with someone already, the next person she sees is being stopped and having the letter briefly flashed in front of them regardless of their attire.]

Have you heard anything about this? Something about a destroyed house and missing stock. I'd thought mention of the cause would be of more importance, but all I'm seeing so far is a fair amount of sob story...

two.

[Nobunaga's freshly arrived to the scene of a destroyed settlement, otherwise abandoned now except for anyone else trying to investigate the scene. She'd asked specifically to be shown where the commotion had come from so she could look into the site itself; a source was the best place to start.]

You there. [Yes, looking to the source of that voice will confirm you're the one being called to.] I'm going to investigate. Come with me.

[In the event you're either taken aback by some small stranger trying to give orders (granted, she does carry herself very well in giving them, despite her stature) or perhaps more likely going to ignore her, don't think she won't approach and pull some arms to get people following. She's set herself on this.]

two

[babbylon]

[You are pulling on the grand arm of the King of Heroes, Nobunaga. Do mind yourself.

Gilgamesh huffs a little in contempt, shaking off the short woman and fixing her with a glare. He was investigating well enough on his own, thank you very much, he didn't need some uppity dwarf bellowing orders in his ear. So he bellows right back and makes it clear just who the commander of this operation is:]

You dare accost a King?! Know your place!

[Unfortunately, Gilgamesh doesn't know hers. She seemed vaguely familiar, and yet...]

[ateaist]

[Surprisingly, the outburst isn't met with surprise or even irritation. Rather she meets it with the expression of someone who's used to it, re positioning herself with a step or two to stand in front of him instead, arms by her side.]

There's no need to be so sour, King of Heroes. You'll find I'm good company.

[babbylon]

[What a sassy little thing. Emphasis on little. Gilgamesh bends at the waist to survey her, eye to eye. She's pretty, he'll give her that... but she's also pretty annoying, insisting as she does and getting in his way. He just lets off laughter, loose and disbelieving.]

Are you? I find it to be in such short supply these days.

[Never heard that one before, have you, Nobu? Now you can get used to hearing it a lot, because if you're good company then he's the absolute best you could ask for.]

two

[armorial]

[ Saber doesn't say anything, nor question someone as small as Nobunaga to command her--it's not like she doesn't have a choice? Either way, there's a silent nod, waiting for her to lead the way. For now, Saber is only taking in all the destruction, a little solemn at the sight. ]

Where shall we start first? [ She has some ideas, but a second opinion is always welcomed. It's not like the villagers are all too helpful, but she doesn't blame them. ]

[ateaist]

Very good. Then we're off towards those buildings there. [She points, only to add:] ...well, rather, what's left of them.

[She starts walking towards remains of the former houses through damaged scenery, taking note as they're going along; the marks in the ground made it evident that whatever passed through was big, along with the way the trees were disturbed in the distance.

Either way, what's mostly evident about the remains she'd pointed out as they get closer are the burn marks. Much like Saber she has her own ideas, but she keeps quiet on them for now. Instead she steps onto the debris and ash, crouching to poke through it. Of course, much of what she picks up simply falls apart easily.]

Burnt beyond repair. [And with that, looks over her shoulder to her companion.] What do you make of it?

two

[dogtrainer]

( This is the part where Scathach should have questioned this, but she's naturally well-behaving (read: doesn't give two shits) and the lancer is just going along with the mayhem. For now. )

There is no need to pull me around, Archer.

( H...ello from Scatty, Nobu? )

What do you have in mind?

[ateaist]

What else? We're going to investigate.

[If she's willing to follow then Nobu is more than willing to let her go, at least. She continues onwards towards the center of the destruction, expecting to be followed.]

Especially with how welcome familiar faces are becoming to me, Lancer. It's getting tiring not being recognised.

1

[liberal_arts]

Well they may not know the cause, hence calling on the Heroes, yes? -It seemed to make sense to him.- Even so, we shouldn't take what little info we have for granted.

I've not heard anything besides what's here. We'll need to go there ourselves in order to get more information.

[ateaist]

Hm...I suppose you're right, lad.

[She half-turns away from him, yet Nobunaga remains where she stands with no apparent intention of moving anywhere.]

Don't misunderstand! Even this demon's heart of mine can bleed for the people, certainly. But unless this was written in some particularly gripping prose, cliff notes would have been appreciated.

2

[unguilty]

[ For what its worth, Arjuna arrived on the said burned settlement around two hours ago and he immediately tried to find any traces of living-- Only to find little to no survivor around the place.

He was about to go to the more secluded spot of the place when there was a small (maybe a bit too small) yet familiar arm reaching his elbow. In fact, Arjuna looks a bit surprised at the sight of the other Archer for a moment before his face returns to its usual calm gaze. ]

The Demon King of the Sixth Realm herself. [ He gives an acknowledging nod immediately. ] I didn't expect to encounter you here.

[ateaist]

[Neither did she, really; but it was nice enough that when he'd spotted her, he'd recognised her. If she seems in better spirits than usual, that's pretty much the reason for it; it's why she releases his arm quickly enough.]

This site has been torn apart by the claws of beasts and burned to such an extent...did you think such a Hell to be anything but fitting for a devil, Archer? Ufufu...

[He's got a chuuni friend back at least.]

It's good to see an ally, however. It seems we've quite the group here.

2

[tsunetsugu]

[ Juzumaru is determined to find the cause of all this as well. So he merely nods his head in agreement before stepping forward towards here. ]

I would gladly assist you in this. I haven't learned anything from word of mouth, so I suppose going to the source will be our best bet.

[ateaist]

Fufu...how cooperative. [read: obedient...] Come along then. We'll make something of this yet.

[Not that it's particularly difficult to see what the culprit was, unless you've never encountered a dragon before; fortunately, she had encountered and fought a lot of them since joining chaldea, so piecing it together wouldn't be terribly difficult.

She leads Juzumaru onward, stopping at a large scar in the ground; that is, a massive claw mark.]

What do you make of this, lad?

one!

[hoasen]

[Someone's settling in fast. She's not a familiar face, so considering the dreams she's been having, Vietnam can assume that this person is new. She first addresses this newcomer with a polite nod of her head.

This information though--]

I read this in one of the letters too. With how frequently it's coming up, I am thinking that it is quite important, but I have no clue myself.

[ateaist]

Indeed...even the greatest of us- [her, she means] -would struggle to identify the culprit with only this to go by.

[Even so, she holds the letter out in front of her and flicks it once or twice with her other hand.]

It isn't even particularly well written. A shame, considering the nature of the problem; heartfelt and sincere, it would certainly make for something good.

2!!

[dualitea]

[ It's not difficult to recognize Nobunaga's voice. Henry's pretty much a pushover so he's immediately startled to stand at attention. There's a map still open in his hand while he walks over. ]

Archer? Y-yes, I can come.

[ Edward's pretty much sitting in the back of his mind much like a slightly disgruntled cat, so that's that... ]

1/2

[ateaist]

[Another servant and one she recognises to boot. Surely she's pleased about this?]

Oh. It's the boring one...

[ateaist]

Wahahaha! Well, no matter. An ally is an ally.

[Sorry Henry; there isn't even much time to think on it or say something, because she walks over to him and gives him a hearty slap on the back, sweeping her other arm out towards the scene as if it isn't really terrible and maybe she shouldn't be laughing.]

Now tell me, what have you learned so far?

One

[sky_sharkling]

[He's part-way through tying his eyepatch on over his right eye before being distracted by the woman. There's something familiar about her. Like they met her at some point. Or Agito did. Maybe?

Oh right, question] No, there was nothing about what was actually doing the damage in the letters I got. [He finishes tying the patch on and picks up the letters on his lap, flicking through them] Just lots and lots of damage mentions. I don't think whoever wrote these letters actually knows what caused the damage.

[Or they're so flustered they forgot to. Either or]

[ateaist]

I see...then we've to figure this all out. Well no matter; I'm certain once we've seen the issues firsthand, figuring it out will be no big task.

[But he does seem awfully familiar...not to mention this is the first person she's met who she's taller than. Nobunaga walks towards him and leans a little closer, rubbing a hand against her chin in thought.]

Say, lad...we haven't met before have we?

one

[showsnopiety]

[And here Caren had been hoping she would have a quiet walk in the hall. Between this, the fan fiction, love letters and the like, they have enough paper to start a cozy little bon fire.

Which she might light. Where the statues and paintings are. It'd be cozy.

In either case, Caren's eyes lift to the small woman, and take Nobunaga in. She was currently in uniform, but mostly because she had been planning to take another spin in the practice ring.]

To most it would be, but they are appealing to strangers for aid. It's likely that it's both a method to entice, and to gather empathy for their situation.

[She says it all very calmly, as she makes to step around. Sorry Oda, things to see, other things to smash.]

[ateaist]

I figured as such...well, far be it from me to ignore them. The prospect of danger stirs this demon's heart of mine greatly...

[That voice sure isn't getting further away as she's walking, though. Unfortunately Nobunaga Oda Has Joined The Party! without asking first, as is a King's way. Rude and obnoxious. She follows alongside Caren without missing a beat.]

one

[hymnals]

[ Adra's carrying a basket of croissaints, each one folded with a piece of chocolate in the middle, each one hot and piping and smelling of sweet, fresh bread. He pauses when Nobu addresses him (whoa, she's even shorter than he is? Refreshing), frowning slightly. ]

Sob story? These people are frightened and suffering. I doubt they have the presence of mind to craft their pleas to your specific liking.

[ateaist]

[They do smell good, don't they? So good, in fact, that she completely ignores what he's said and leans closer to him.

Suspiciously in the direction the basket is in.

No, it's not suspicious at all, actually. That's what she's leaning towards and she's not trying to hide it at all.]

Say now lad, what's a woman got to do to talk you out of those? You've reminded me I haven't eaten yet.

[Or has she.]