pawnstorm | INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

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INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

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.

ONE ♟ Settling In

Welcome to Blanc! You wake up on one of the beds inside the Hall of Glory. You might still be feeling a little light-headed, but sudden dimensional travel will do that to a body. You could have sworn visions of a fantastic world flashed before your eyes not long ago: monsters, magic, and a mission to save the world. You can't quite recall much beyond the basics, but could this be it?

Save your questions for later! The room nannies are quick to urge Heroes into their uniforms (with their beaks if necessary) and to point them to the pick-up locations for their Blanc-issued Weapons and Carriers. Hopefully, nobody but the pigeon’s watching you change. On the other hand, maybe you're the type to turn every roommate into a new friend before you even step foot outside the room.

As you make your way down the halls, you might notice strangely familiar faces around you. But don’t linger too long to chat—the people in charge of the armory and the menagerie have gone through many Heroes before you, and still have many more to go after you. NPCs need meal breaks, too! If you don’t make a decision in time, the random Weapons and/or Carriers they pick for you can be just a little odd.

And if you’re hungry? No matter how rich you were in your homeworld, you’re penniless now until you earn some colle. Thankfully, the Hall of Glory provides free meals to Heroes and those associated with them! Sunday’s breakfast and lunch are bananalicious and seafood pasta. A friendly visiting scholar may have a word of advice for you: “Beware the dining hall on Mondays.”

But you’ll barely have time for lunch before guards come and round you up. “For the parade,” is the only reason they’ll give you.

TWO ♟ Welcome Celebrations

Trumpets sound, cymbals clang and the crowd roars as the parade gets underway! What’s all the fuss about? Well, you Heroes were sent by the gods to save Blanc, right? Of course they’d celebrate! Smiling and waving at the citizens of Caissa from your uniquely crafted float might be a chore, but hey, they love you. Are you really going to let them down, or lose the spotlight to the fellow Heroes sharing your float?

The reception after the Prime Minister’s speech is like some kind of idol session, with Caissa citizens coming up to shake hands and welcome the Heroes warmly. Some are even asking for autographs!

There’s a lot of things to do in festive and lively Caissa, even late into the night under a light fall of snow. Sparrow Town is all lit up, ready for another festival next week.

While some shops are closed for the holiday, others have buffet tables or are giving out free samples to the Heroes. The food stalls here are way better than the bizarre cafeteria menu at the Hall of Glory! Why waste the opportunity to finally gorge on real food? The shop owners have done their best to impress, showing off their local cuisines proudly along the city streets: from the local hamburger joint to the exotic L'adderan curries, you'll find a little of everything to whet your palate. Your growling stomach will likely thank you for the food. … Oh, wait. That wasn’t you? You think the fish sandwich on your plate just sang? Nonsense. That just means you had a marvelous piece of fish bread. Please remember to visit them again sometime when you have the colle, okay?

Various stalls with games and activities have also been set up. Maybe you can impress the crowd by nailing an apple with an arrow or by sacrificing your friend(s) at the water tanks! An unusual Go-style stall offers something like fish scooping, but be careful: touching the fish with your bare hands will leave you feeling funny… Wow, you’ve never seen that color before! But whatever it takes to impress the children, right?

Said children might try and get you to dance in the falling snow. Better not mess up, though, because everyone in Caissa seems to be watching.

THREE ♟ The Day After

Hopefully, you didn’t sleep too late after yesterday’s celebrations! Or maybe you slept badly, since it felt like something was watching you…

The free breakfast that awaits you at the dining hall is… something special. Please enjoy it to your heart’s content! Remember: no food fights, and leave no leftovers! Nothing will save you from the chef’s disapproving mustache swirl if you do!

If you want to make money (to get away from Monday’s Horrors), there are now jobs up for taking at the Hall of Glory and the Poisoned Pawn! If there’s nothing to your taste, check back again every so often. Something new might pop up!

Heroes not in the mood to be errand-runners (it’s understandable, you’re Heroes after all!) can hang out in the parlor, read in the library, or express yourself in one of the Hall’s many studios or other rooms.

If lying back and taking it slow isn’t your thing, you could train or spar! Being summoned to a new world takes a toll on the body, and some Heroes have lost abilities familiar to them. Besides, it’ll take a while to get used to your weapons. Some of them might even be disobedient, backfiring at worst and unresponsive at best. Try not to hit your fellow Heroes (including yourself), or you’ll either have to find enough Heroes to cast weak healing spells or carry the wounded to the infirmary. While the snow has been cleared overnight, it’s still very cold!

INFO ♟ Welcome!

Welcome to Crosscheck's grand opening log! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Okay... so that didn't go as planned. As he rolls over the back of his perceived captor, he grunts and lands on the floor in a half-somersault.

Now on the defensive, he holds back from lunging himself at the poor man a second time.

Only because staring up at him, all he gets is an eyeful of dangly bits. It's enough to make someone give into a pause. ]

Who the hell are you?!

[ And from high above him, Estinien is glaring down at him. Pointed ears, white hair, sharp blue eyes—it's a common look for an Elezen. This Hyur (what he believes Kazuma to be) shouldn't be shocked by his appearance. ]

I should be posing that question to you, whelp.

[ By his stern posture it's clear he doesn't care about his state of undress. In fact, he's only lamenting the fact that he doesn't know where his armour is because it's special—actually being naked is just a minor inconvenience. ]

[ Okay, so he doesn't exactly know what whelp is, but he doesn't like the sound of it. Pushes up from the floor, he takes a few steps back, creating minimal distance between the two of them in case he needs to charge again. ]

You're the one standing bare-ass naked in front of the bed I woke up in!

[ He's swinging an arm out in annoyance. LOOK. THE ENTIRE ROOM IS NAKED. His eyes are narrowing in suspicion. ]

I woke up in the same predicament as you did. Someone has made away with us and removed our items, or something similarly ridiculous.

[ He's officially done standing around him, and is yanking the sheet off of 'his' bed, wrapping it around his waist and is bending to look beneath the bed.

And growling to himself. ]

Damn them—where is my mail? If they think I am to wear their banner, they're sorry fools.

I don't even understand what you're saying anymore. [ Anyone else would feel stupid for attacking someone by mistake, but Kazuma is... well, he's pig-headed and also incapable of regret.

So he preoccupies himself by whirling around and scanning the room for anyone else who might be responsible for this (he's not going to read the letter on the bed, nobody's got time for that), which is when he spots the pigeon at the window sill.

He squints at it... ]

[ Estinien ignores him.

Until he figures out that his drachen mail isn't anywhere to be found, and whirls around in annoyance to find some other form of information. ]

What manner of bird is that?

[ Eorzean birds are. Usually bigger. And meaner. That one doesn't even look like it'll taste good. ]

How am I supposed to know?

[ He's not threatened by it, at least.

Once the bird is certain it is safe to come in, it hops from the sill and onto one of the beds, where one of the uniforms is folded. Chirping, it begins circling the uniform, wrinkling the fabric with its little toes. ]

What, is that for me? [ He points to himself, seemingly forgetting about the large man beside him. The uniform is actually for Estinien, but Kazuma is greedy and reaches out to snatch the clothes. The bird hops over to the next bed, where it sits on top of the next uniform.

As Kazuma begins pulling on the coat, it becomes obvious that it's a few sizes too large for him. ]

[ Estinien watches him grab it, but doesn't say anything at first. Honestly, he doesn' want to wear it. It's not Ishgardian, it's not even Eorzean, and he doesn't want to wear the insignia of someone who dares kidnap him.

...but the corner of his mouth turns up as he watches the whelp try to pull off wearing something sized for an Elezen. ]

Mayhap you'll find a kind kidnapper to size it for you. It should easily adjust for a shrimp.

[ Normally he doesn't make fun of Hyurans for their small sizes. Normally Hyurans don't jump on him naked, either. ]

[ HE DOESN'T CARE!! Sneering, he finishes pulling the coat on and folds it so that it hugs his body tighter. ]

Shut up. Least this way I don't have my junk hanging out for the world to see.

[ And now Estinien is nodding, as if Kazuma has finally said something that he fully agrees with. ]

Aye, the world is much better off now.

[ More or less agrees with. ]

Hey! Quit being a wise-ass. [ He rips the pillow from the bed beside him to whip it toward the larger man. He hopes he knocks him right in the damn smug face. ]

And where'd that bird go?! It's got something to do with this.

[ He could let the pillow glance off of his head without blinking. He even considers it when he sees the child (because yes, Kazuma is downgrading himself now, from whelp to child) pick it up to fling it at him.

Instead, he catches it in one hand and tosses it to the side, then crosses his arms and clucks his tongue against his teeth. ]

You believe a bird behind this? Unless the primals have managed to disguise themselves as less than extravagant animals I see no possible way for that to be true.

[ Well, he could realistically fit either of those titles. Not that he'd agree, but with the way he's crossing his arms and mockingly mirroring the other man's stance, he sure isn't doing himself any favours. Sulking, he looks off to the side. ]

Didn't you see it jump into the room for no reason? It's not like I think it dragged us in here and stripped off our clothes!

[ He's not the best at articulating his thought process, so he stops himself short by throwing his arms into the air and letting out a frustrated cry. He's not going to sit here and try to play detective -- he's an action man! ]

Fuck this! I'm outta here! I gotta get back home. [ Grabbing the pants off of the bed, he marches right for the door leading into the hall. With no ideas in mind. Just wants to find whoever is responsible for this so he can beat their ass into the ground. ]

[ For a long moment, Estinien thinks that outburst is nothing more than a tantrum. Which means he really doesn't think highly of it at all, and is about to grumble to the Fury about his luck at being held hostage (? He's still not entirely sure about that) with someone like this.

But "I gotta get back home," as crude as it was, strikes a chord with him.

He also needs to get back home. In fact, it's imperative that he do so. So while he does get angry, it's not really at Kazuma this time.

So whatever—whoever—is behind this isn't just inconveniencing him. He doesn't say anything as Kazuma leaves, but returns to glaring at the bedding beneath him.

...though now he's stuck being naked for awhile, so he might be a little miffed about that later. ]

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INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

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