INTRO ♚ FEBRUARY

[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.

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!

Comments

[babbylon]

I fight because I must.

[When his eyes open again, they are vivid, alert, much sharper than before. They are eyes of one who hunts, and was hunted in turn. They are eyes that have killed, eyes that have targeted and by targeted by others. While it was true that Gilgamesh could be a very lazy King, he was no less a Servant than his kin, no less shackled to the battlefield than the ones he claimed to rule over.

Setsuna may have met royalty before, but none like Gilgamesh—none who wore the armor of a being born to do battle, endlessly, for as long as they were bound to a higher power. A hero-king that fought as well as ruled. This was indeed the Gilgamesh of legend, who built the walls of Uruk with his bare hands and so defended it much the same way.

And in this moment, he speaks as Setsuna does: distant, cold, and worn at the edges by ceaseless bloodshed.]

I fight because I am compelled; because it gives me life; because it gives me purpose. I fought before you were born and I will fight long after you are dead. I fought at the beginning of the world and I will fight at its end. I fight forever, because that is the way of my world, of any world, for all eternity.

[Gilgamesh pulls his hand back with the faintest of grins. It is a little sad, a little faraway. Acknowledging the endlessness of his own existence.]

So another war has begun. So humanity fails to learn from its sins. I, Gilgamesh, will act as that agent of order, until everything comes to a close.

[quaria]

[ Respectable and fearful at the same time. Yet underneath that layer lies loneliness. Such is the fate of warriors who will not recognize tomorrow. Setsuna's eyes momentarily shed sympathy. ... He felt so, as he used to feel that way. It was prior to achieving his current state. He used to be in such a mess. If it weren't for his allies, his Princess, he wouldn't be the person he is today. He would've continued to be a sad excuse of a boy who lived and fought blindly. All for damn nothing. But he's moved past that.

This person, however... It seems his majesty Gilgamesh extends beyond his imagination. What exactly happened for this ancient King to be saying such things? In Setsuna's world, his story is over. It's been so long that it feels like a fairy tale now. But to hear this person's story before him completely disintegrates the history books that he's read in the past. It's as if the book has never closed at all. A life in fighting... He realizes that. He believes in that. They fight because their wishes can only be attained through such methods. When one desires peace, they must fight for peace. At least, that's what he used to think. It isn't enough to simply say so now. ... He's a completely different person from now and then. ]

King. Do you say those words from your own will, or from someone else's will?

[ "Because I am compelled...", "Because it gives me purpose..." It feels something is holding this person back. The sensation can only grow after he notices the hint of sadness behind that fake grin. He shifts his seating position, properly facing the man now.

He wants him to be honest, but he knows he can't compel such a thing. He's free to lie about it, but he believes he'll be able to see through such a farce. His large, curious eyes aim for the ones across him. ... There's so much more to that untold story. ]

[babbylon]

[The path of the King was a lonely one. The King must isolate himself. The King must stand apart. The King must rule above and beyond his subjects. The King employs no such vassal, no confidant, no soldier and no knight to do his bidding. He acts only in his own stead, by his own power, from his own will.

In life, that had been the truth. Since then, much had changed. Much hadn't. Setsuna seeks an answer that Gilgamesh has explicitly avoided, not out of any sense of embarrassment or shame, but because it would embroil him needlessly. He had been gauging the conversation, poking at his interest, yet never too much. If he so desired, he could walk away right now. If he so desired, they would never have to speak again. His walls could remain untouched. He could continue walking along his own path, with Gilgamesh left far behind.

But because he asks, Gilgamesh assumes that it is intentional, that he is trying to understand. And despite himself, he's drawn in by those eyes—eyes that tell a story he wants to hear, too. Picking at him has been a fun challenge; he won't give up now if there's more promised around the bend.]

I died long ago and passed on as a Heroic Spirit.

[That, in itself, sums up everything. But he goes on.]

A sacred artifact known as the Holy Grail bound me to its power and incited an endless war, between Masters and Servants. The winner of this war may be granted one wish, any wish, that their heart desires. Though I may be killed, I am returned to life again and again through this cycle.

[It's an uncomfortable situation, to be sure, and Gilgamesh retreats to his tea, letting Setsuna digest it. It's an indirect answer to his question, that of course it wasn't from his own will, that he had none to speak of now, but not even Gilgamesh acknowledged that on any direct level. Rather, he opposed it, with every fiber of his being.

Gilgamesh slams his cup down with a little more force than necessary and that may also speak volumes to his feelings.]

I am ever in control of myself and my own destiny. My will is absolute. But the reality of the Grail holds true for us all.

[quaria]

[ Heroic Spirit? Holy Grail? These are terms that Setsuna has never heard of before. Listening to the explanation, he can only piece out the basics... It's still hard to comprehend, but he believes he has a grasp of the gist. It appears that this so-called Holy Grail has enough worth to be fought over, by these people called Masters and Servants. But what's a Heroic Spirit, exactly? Judging from the context, this King's position sounds more like a Servant than a Master. Perhaps... that is the reason. Although he's fighting with his will, he's bound by the rules of his world.

That is... too sad. From how it is, the rest of his kind falls under the same fate. Why does it have to be that way? All for one wish, everyone is constantly hurting each other repetitively. The thought makes Setsuna's head turn away, closing his eyes as he thought of this. It's repulsive. Who had the right to control anyone's life like this? Was there a way to free the Heroic Spirits...? These are questions he'd like to ask, but doesn't anymore. He had no right to. ... He didn't have a place in a world that he doesn't even hail from. In that same vein, he had no right to say anything.

All but one set of words. ]

... I'm sorry.

[babbylon]

I'm not.

[His reply comes quick and confident, as if all that melancholy hadn't preceded it. Gilgamesh doesn't look sad, or upset, or anything like bothered by what he's described, like he'd just reported the weather or something similarly mundane. He stares straight ahead and he does so unwaveringly, as befit a King.]

What could I possibly feel sorry for? My rule now reaches eternal. I enjoy the pleasures of the modern world. And even if I have left the sands of Uruk far behind me, my future stretches endlessly ahead. I am the great King, Gilgamesh, peerless, resplendent, everlasting and true.

[He neglects to mention the stagnation of that modern world; his wishes to cleanse everything anew; his boredom, his despair. If Gilgamesh lies, it is buried deep within those words. Yet it's nearly impossible to tell, as this was the surest face of his charisma brought to bear. He swells with pride. And he encourages Setsuna to indulge in that with him. He instills courage and strength by the virtue of his presence and that impenetrable ego. This was Gilgamesh. This was the truth of his character.]

Lend me not your sympathy. Honor me with your faith. For I will show it to you, Setsuna—what it really means to be a Hero.

[On a whim, Gilgamesh has decided. So it will come to pass.]

[quaria]

[ There isn't an answer right away. Is that how it really is? Gilgamesh is satisfied with an eternal life of fighting. Maybe that's the case for him, but how do the others from his world feel? There's surely a suffering side from an eternal war. Setsuna keeps his eyes closed for a while longer, as if honoring the ones those which passed. His words extend not only to this King, but all those who were involved in the bloodbath. Once he finished that silent prayer, he reopens his eyes faintly. He's back to staring at the steaming mug of milk.

This time, he takes his turn to drink. After listening to the King's feelings, Setsuna accepts it for what it is. If that's how he feels, he'll respect it. They all have reasons to fight... What ever it may be, it is what helps them live on. To move their feet and keep running. To swing their arms and keep surviving. He feels a little more soothed out after feeling that warm milk run through his throat, so he sighs in silence. Soundlessly. ]

And I, you... I too will continue fighting for what I believe in.

[ He'll look forward to it: How this ancient King defines a "Hero." While, he too, will show his own definition of it. He doesn't actually believe that he's worthy to be called one, now or ever; but the title he now holds in this world will continue carrying a blank meaning until he takes up his sword once more.

He is not a Hero, nor will he ever claim to be. He will simply continue being himself. ]

[babbylon]

[A great deal of tension seems to lift from the air then. Gilgamesh has explained himself and made no excuses for it; Setsuna abides it and, as far as he can see, processes it in his own way, files it somewhere else for future reference. That is good enough for now. One could not fully describe a Servant's plight in a single sitting. Simply because of who and what he was, Setsuna would never be able to grasp just what made the situation so despairing, and that is also fine. Gilgamesh does not want sympathy and does not expect understanding. Such was the lonely path of the King.

Coyness now seeps into his expression as he leans forward on his arm. Perhaps not immediately evident to someone severely lacking in social graces, but the words that follow carry a subtle hint of flirtation to them. Those eyes of his are really something.]

I would ask after you, for equivalency's sake, but I suspect you'd prove tight-lipped.

[He has a name, a face, some vague particulars, though not much else. What made him tick? What made him passionate? What made him happy and what made him sad? Those were things he couldn't really clarify through conversation alone. They'd have to spend some time together first.

Thankfully, Gilgamesh can appreciate a hearty chase, especially when the prey's unsuspecting. Let the hunt begin.]

[quaria]

[ That is true. But Setsuna does nothing to confirm or deny. He returns a gaze at the way the King leans closer, though remains unaffected. Perhaps the meaning of the King's expression flies over his head, but it's not as if that matters to him even if he knew.

He looks down again, down to that half-consumed milk. He decides to completely finish the drink, setting it down, and finally standing back up. He didn't get all the answers he wanted... But it's a start. He's more aware now after this conversation. That's more than enough for him.

Reaching for his weapon, he steps away from the table. Before that, he nods respectfully as if to dismiss himself. ]

I appreciate the time you have given.

[ And although he didn't say it, he'll be sure to return the favor one day. ]

[babbylon]

[Ah, of course. Such a sensitive thing, he notes, both to touch and to dialogue. Gilgamesh watches him stand and makes no move to stop him, nodding in return and leaning back in his seat. This shop had proven to be rather cozy, so he didn't mind sticking around. He wasn't exactly eager to go out into the cold again.

He lifts his tea to his lips and bids Setsuna farewell in that faraway tongue he'd employed earlier, as a sign of faint respect. A mutual bond between them.]

Good luck.

[He doesn't feel the need to tack on see you again soon. That was all but obvious.]