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!

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Comments

[cutiepanther]

[ For Maki, she's pretty sure being abducted and stripped should be like her worst fear, given that she's the daughter of a super rich family. Luckily she's more than a little removed from that kind of mindset.

Though, that doesn't make this situation any easier to handle. No, this is all wrong, especially given that everyone else seems as confused as her. None of them are familiar faces, certainly not any of her friends. But, as much as she might be angry, scared, confused, or any number of emotions, she knows she can't just freak out forever. Not to mention all of them are handling it in a way more mature manner, even if some of them ARE STILL KINDA NAKED TOO.

She's pretty sure this is not how she expected to see a naked boy for the first time. Not that such a thing even interested her... ]

I-I didn't expect to wake up in some strange place at all, much less with three... [ She tries to explain herself, but eventually cedes to their more calm approach. ] Just don't look and I'll get dressed! And no peeking!!

[ She's putting most of her attention at Mikazuki for daring to look back, as she scrambles to find underwear, having let the poor mechanical bird go. ]

[justhief]

[At least everyone is starting to come around. Lupin gestures to Mikazuki to turn around, at least until Maki is clothed.

Lupin himself doesn't mind being admired, but at a more appropriate time.]

We won't, at least I won't.

[He can't guarantee for the others, but Lupin is a gentleman.]

[carptricks]

[had the situation not been so frantic, what with the mysterious kidnapping and waking up naked in a strange bed thing, Kaito might've let his stupid and playful teenage boy side show a little bit more. but even a trouble-making teen like him had a sense of timing, and now was definitely not the time to get himself clonked over the head with blunt objects]

[he finishes buttoning up his jacket, lets out a deep sigh, and slumps his back against the side of the bed. he isn't moving from this spot until Maki gives the okay]

. . . sooooo. [he speaks up again after a few moments of silence]

Considering we all seem to be in the exact same situation, it might be a good idea to introduce ourselves, yeah?

[munechika]

[ Oh, right. The young lady is still dressing up so he turns back around, fumbling with the buttons of the jacket. He only tilts his head slightly in acknowledgment of Kaito's suggestion without looking around.

It's a bit rude introducing one's self without facing each other but desperate times call for desperate measures or whatever. ]

Mikazuki Munechika, a sword forged during the Heian period. [ Aha! He gets the buttons fixed finally — except they're all placed in incorrect slots. ] My pleasure to meet you all despite our current predicament.

[cutiepanther]

[ There's some minor part of her that can be thankful that these boys have at least some manner of courtesy, but she would have liked to have gone a lot longer in her life before she ever ended up naked in front of a group of boys. Maybe never actually, if she could have helped it.

And yet, it seems like that's merely wishful thinking at this point. Luckily, as an idol with a good amount of live performance experience under her belt, she's pretty good at getting dressed fast. Socks, skirt, and uniform top all go on in a flash, but only after she fluffs that mane of bright red hair out of the collar, does she speak again. ]

You can turn around now. All of you. I'm dressed. [ For a girl in her second year of high school, she doesn't seem to have much trouble telling others what to do. Though there is a hint of embarrassment still in her voice. ]

I'm Maki Nishikino. My parents run the Nishikino hospital in Akihabara. I'm part of a school idol group, but I don't have clue why I'm here.

[ She introduces herself easily enough, even as she twirls her hair with one finger, before she turns her attention on Mikazuki with shock. ] Did you just say you're a sword?!