boardmaster: (Default)
BOARDMASTER ([personal profile] boardmaster) wrote in [community profile] pawnstorm2016-05-08 12:00 pm

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.
hoasen: (unbreakable)

3?!

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-09 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
[He looks...familiar. But she's not sure if she mention that when there are dragons all around.]

Come on! Let's go help the town then!

[Whoever he's talking to.]
sky_shark: (Hmm?)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-09 06:49 am (UTC)(link)
[One-sided conversation interrupted! Commence glaring. Except oh hey she's...sort of familiar. In a way. He can't place where exactly but there's definitely recognition of some sort he's going to have to think on.

'Please?'

Now there's two people nagging at him. Agito can't win]
Fuck. Fine. I don't see how it'll help with the beasts still around, but whatever.
hoasen: (FATALITY)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-09 03:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[She remembers that glare, but it wasn't directed to her last time. Or at least...what a strange feeling, thinking it's so familiar.

Hmm.]


The others can handle the beasts for now. We can back them up after we try to stop the fires and send the injured to the healers.

... [She can't believe she's about to say this but--] And...herd the cows.
sky_shark: (Waiting)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-09 11:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[People, ugh. He hates dealing with people, but at the same time like hell is he letting Akito out in this situation. It's way too dangerous]

Probably better to leave the dumb cows out where they are, the dragons might go after them instead of the people. [He's examining the town now. Getting people to healing and managing the fires...that makes sense at least. He sighs and moves to start heading down there]

Who the hell are you anyway? I feel like I know you. [He shouldn't, but then that's happening a lot for some reason. He doesn't like it]
hoasen: (do you need this?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-11 03:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[If only she knew that Agito was so protective of his other self. Although this is something to discover in due time.

In any case, whatever strange feeling she has about this person, she feels like she can trust him?]


It's quite unfortunate, but you're right. I wish we could save them all, but the people do take precedence.

[She starts to make her way into the town with him.]

My name is Vietnam. You know...I feel like I know you too. What should I call you?
sky_shark: (Hmm?)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-12 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Good, she agrees with him. Knowing his luck, he was half expecting a bleeding heart like Akito, who wanted to save everything possible. He can handle this.

One thing he is not going to get used to anytime soon is walking. After spending pretty much all his life riding everywhere, having to not use the weapon they'd been given due to mana drain was a pain. Oh well, better to walk down there and save the mana for emergencies]


Vietnam? Isn't that a country? [Weird name. Weird situation. It fits] My name's Agito.
hoasen: (waves)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-12 02:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's okay, she's practical. While she would've preferred that they saved the cows too (for reasons of them being living things, a farmer's livelihood, and to just waste nothing), sometimes, things just can't be avoided.

Good thing she's used to walking. What she needs to get used to is her powers, that could helped them. Although, now she thought about it, that feeling she had like she knew him before? It was like she was already good at being a rook. Oh well.]


Yes, Vietnam, just like the country. [He doesn't press, so she doesn't say more!] It is nice to meet you, Agito. Formally, anyway, despite circumstances.
sky_shark: ([Akito&Agito] Light and dark)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-13 09:14 am (UTC)(link)
[Unfortunately for Agito, he doesn't get the rank memory, though he does feel there was a lot more magic being flung around then he would've expected. Weird]

Huh. [He doesn't press either, because in all honesty, he doesn't care. Agito just chalks it up to some people naming their kids weird things] Yeah, yeah. You can save all that kind of thing for someone who cares. I don't need all that pleasantry shit. [Just in case she's getting any ideas about being 'friends' or whatever. Agito doesn't need more people close to him that can hurt him again. Allies are fine]
hoasen: (hmm?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-13 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
[Soon, she might even be able to tell him more about the powers. Although, she doesn't remember exactly what he was.

And so she doesn't explain more than that, since he just seems to accept it. Although his bluntness was definitely new. She doesn't give it much thought since they're in battle.]
Then we'll skip it. We're pressed for time, no? [Also, she doesn't care, but would still like to be friends. Vietnam is polite, yes, but she's not pushy unless she has to be. Agito hasn't given her reason to be.]
sky_shark: ([Riding] Run)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-13 09:49 am (UTC)(link)
[One day, one day]

Yeah. [Onwards!

As it...starts to hail. Okay then]
This world is fucking weird.
hoasen: (netflix and what??)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-17 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ONE DAY--well, the weather already is making a mess of things.]

It...yes I am not sure how this weather works. But! Perhaps this will help with the fires, so we can find the people first!
sky_shark: (See it's simple)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-20 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
It might. It's help with the dragons at any rate. [Excuse him for a second, he's going to snicker at the poor creature that just lost control and crashed somewhere past the town]

People first then. [This is going to suck, ugh. Why does he have to handle people]
hoasen: (sight)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-05-22 06:46 am (UTC)(link)
[She looks at what he's just noticed...and it definitely is helping already.] The results are already showing.

Ah, there! [And there's a group of children huddling by some crates. Not a good idea.]
sky_shark: (Idiot...)

[personal profile] sky_shark 2016-05-23 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[The less dragons, the better.

Children why are you sitting by crates. You can hear the unimpressed in his voice as he heads over to them]
Tch. Hey, short-stuffs. When you want to hide from dragons, don't do it near the flammable shit. [All it took was a fireball after all]