intro ♚ september

[boardmaster]

WELCOME TO Grantebrycge

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 ♟ Video Killed The Radio Star

Rise and shine, Heroes. It seems that today is filled with good fortune as the morning is very uneventful, aside from the monthly arrival of new comrades. This is the perfect time to grab your weapon, Carrier and uniform and use your time to look around Caissa. While exploring or catching up on the latest gossip, you might blow past the delivery carriages outside of the Hall of Glory, but you certainly won’t be missing the steampunk televisions and vending machines which will be set up around noon time by your lovely maids and butlers! The TVs are placed in every single bedroom as well as leisure rooms so you can enjoy your daily fix of popular cooking show Inferno Kitchen, primetime Cheoksan drama Summer Cantata or the Gammonian hit series Sport of Crowns! The vending machines can be found in the hallways and contain snacks and drinks such as canned mackin’ cheese (or as Noirs like to call it, Lovekraft Supper), Pooky, Cpt. Pepperoni, Mountin' Do, or Eight Up. You are free to come up with your own TV show or vending machine food items.

Thierry Toussaint My dearest Heroes! I hope today finds you well, and for once I bring good news! [ he laughs a little sheepishly. he’s dressed less formally than in previous somber declarations and his hair looks windblown, like he ran here ] As you well know, our recent victories and mostly importantly, a successful alliance with Gammon has brought no small amount of blessings: we have more resources, better manpower, and the invaluable help of our Gammonian colleagues not just in war, but also in advancing our civilization! And so it is my pleasure to unveil our new and improved broadcast technology— [ a pause, where he winks ] —do I look clearer to you? It’s a little harder to tell from this end, I’m afraid. You’ll be able to receive better, brighter and more varied content from our country’s talented producers. Oh… [ another, longer pause. teddy looks offscreen and then laughs ] I’m not getting paid for this, I promise. I don’t need any other motivation to be excited for my country, do I? In addition to the television programs, we will be helping with the release of newly developed vending machine technology that brings fresh and healthy snacks to the streets of our capital, and hopefully, beyond. It would be nice to have one for my office. I’ve mentioned our Gammonian friends, haven’t I? And I’ve saved the best for last: as a token of the friendship between our countries and all that we can do for each other, Gammon has assisted us in completing Platform 40— … 42 and 5/8ths, an instantaneous portal between our very own Caissa and Cochrane. I look forward to even more cultural and commercial exchange from all the way across the Rokirovka Ocean! And ah, speaking of exchange—the Platform has been completed just in time for you, dear Heroes. Gammon has actually extended another invitation to you: as national and international icons and users of magic, they would like you to visit their school of magecraft, Pigeonsblood, in Grant— Grant… [ … ] You will be able to reach the school easily through the Platform! Pigeonsblood’s Headmaster has assured me that you would be a great inspiration to their incoming class of aspiring mages; I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity. Gammon’s knowledge and mastery of magic, as you may have seen during your previous visits, is nothing to take lightly! And if you like what you see, I’m told Gammon would be happy to sponsor classes for Heroes at the school. I’m sure they want to keep the inspiration flowing, hm? Thank you once again, all of you, for making such wonderful things possible. I’m sure your achievements will continue to open doors, both metaphorically and literally, for Blanc and for yourselves.

Meet up with your chums, old and new, and head over to Caissa’s train station. Once there, locating the Platform 42 and 5/8ths is an easy feat. There are two guards standing watch and they will stop curious civilians from sneaking past them. They will only let Heroes use the Platform and as such require proof of identification. A Hero’s uniform, rank badge or a passport identifying yourself as such should do the trick. As the platform functions as one of Gammon’s checkpoints, you will need to pay a small fee of 200 colle to pass. Should you be a new arrival, the Prime Minister will suddenly show up and pay the fee.

Where’s the portal, you might ask? Take a deep breath, walk through the wall between the guards and you’ll find yourself in Cochrane! Heroes might experience some sudden vertigo or a near insatiable hunger for pork. Very minor side effects vary from person to person.

In order to reach Grantebrycge, Heroes must travel from Cochrane to Friedgood and then a little ways further. They are free to make this journey by foot, mount or train. Directions to Grantebrycge are vague but you can’t miss the landmark of the Great Face Cliff, a monument depicting the faces of the towns’s founding members. Poobin and Cemron seem especially stern as they glare down at anyone who dares to visit.

TWO ♟ Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!

Upon entering Grantebrycge, Heroes will be immediately be ambushed by swarms of eager students from Pigeonsblood’s welcoming committee. This committee consists of upperclassmen from each of the Four Branches - Achroite, Prehnite, Bixbite, and Citrine, and they are dressed in uniforms in their Branch color (pictured here in the Bixbite red). Officially, they’re here to help you learn more about Pigeonsblood, give you a tour of the campus, and show you what each Branch can offer you so that you can make an educated decision about which to enroll in. Unofficially, they’re there to try to talk you into enrolling into their particular Branch and some will ramble on about how their Branch is the best while others fight amongst each other to try to get your attention.

Once the tour is finished, the committee will lead Heroes to the administration building. There, they’ll part with you to attend to other duties, leaving you with a reminder to head to the center plaza in an hour for the freshman orientation party. Heroes can enroll in classes if they so choose and have made a decision as to which Branch is the best for them. It’s recommended as it’s free, courtesy of Gammon. If they enroll in classes, they will receive their class schedule, a permit for a uniform, and a key to their dorm room. Head to the university shops later to have them take your measurements!

NOTE: The rooming and class schedule are up to player discretion. If there is an official mission the professors will allow an absence - Heroes can’t save the world if they’re worrying about their GPA, after all!

For those who choose to not enroll in Pigeonsblood, they can explore the campus some more, but either way make sure to head down to the central plaza before the party!

THREE ♟ The Part Where They Rope You in with Free Food

Stepping into the center plaza puts you in the middle of excited back-to-school buzz. Several event booths line the plaza, all eager to get your attention. Some will try to recruit you to their school club. Others are simply there to provide information, such as maps of the school and information about the Four Branches. Still others get even more specific, headed by banners marked “THE TOTAL IDIOT'S GUIDE TO A SUCCESSFUL ACADEMY LIFE” and “GUIDE TO HAPPINESS: HOW TO NOT DIE DURING EXAMS”. A few generous booths will provide you with free food like “Splotted Richard” or “Bangers and Mash” to fill your tummy, as well as school merchandise, such as Branch-specific pens, face paint, flyswatters, and other bits of merchandise.

If those don't get your attention, the freshmen running your way definitely will. They're beyond excited to see a Hero among their ranks, and approach you eagerly, yelling things such as, “Did you enroll? Let's do our best together!”, “You're my inspiration! I hope we're classmates!” and “Please let me know if you need a tutor! I wouldn't mind…” Thankfully, their enthusiasm is brought to a stop by the welcoming committee, who make their way to the center plaza and hush the excited freshmen. After a heartwarming speech about youth and school spirit, the committee flashes their new classmates a bright smile and finishes with: “And now, it's time for some fun!”

What do they mean by fun? The freshmen are more than eager to demonstrate! Aside from the fun offered at the various booths, there are many magic games to partake in. There's “Splash Tag,” where players must use water magic in lieu of touch to play tag, “Air Races,” in which racers use psionic, gravity, or wind magic to boost their movement, “Hot Potato,” in which the temperature of the potato is increased with each pass until it explodes on the loser, and Illusion-based Pictionary.

A few steps away from the commotion, near where the welcoming committee made their speech, is a tall bulletin board. Various flyers are posted here-- club announcements, dating ads, tutoring offers, and of course, Pigeonsblood help wanted ads.

INFO ♟ Welcome!

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

Remember to check out the uniform contest for ranked Heroes!

Comments

[loudmouths]

[ likewise, keigo had been dreading the entire experience from the moment he woke up. nothing good ever came from waking up naked... and he was right. first the whole ... weapon thing shoved on him (which was conveniently hidden away in his jacket at the moment) and now... an ... animal? keigo never had a pet before and he wasn't in a hurry to get one, either, so being given a bird of all things was hard to accept. at least it wasn't a stagbeetle or hermit crab...

speaking of crabs, keigo was in the midst of walking along with said ... bird, happily perched on his shoulder, when he caught the sound of a familiar voice in the air. though he could no longer sense his presence, keigo knew who it was without a second guess. it had to be ichigo! but finding him among all the other people was...

...well, not as difficult as one might thing. keigo could spot ichigo from a mile away and sure enough, he saw him talking with... a... bear? a rabbit? what the heck was that? and it kicked him?! was kon here, too?! did he get a new body?? no, that couldn't be... ]

Ichigo!~!

[ whatever the case was, keigo was darting up to ichigo with an excited expression, but he wasn't going in for the usual tackle. maybe he was tired... or maybe he was just a little too stressed to be himself. he certainly looked happy, at least. ]

Ichigo, you're he...re...

[ ...actually, this felt very deja vu. didn't they do this before? or something similar... ]

Oh~ho! So, this is Ichigo! ♪I~chi~go♪ ♪he~llo♪!

[ ...yes, enjoy the little bird singing on keigo's shoulder, ichigo. ]

[moonfangs]

[So, situation check. He has a new pet/companion/communication device, it looks like one of Rukia's crappy drawings come to life, and it just kicked him in the face. Now, Ichigo's stuck between staring in disbelief at the little monster and wanting to reach over, grab it by the scruff of the neck, find the nearest window and give it a good, hard toss toward the-]

Huh? Oh, Keigo, hey.

[He spares his friend a look before turning back to look at Bearit... then double-takes. Wait, Keigo? Why is Keigo here, and more importantly, why isn't surprising him more that Keigo is here? It feels like he's seen him before, which is preposterous considering Ichigo can trace every step he's taken since waking up in this place and his old buddy isn't in a one of those memories, but he still feels like they've spoken very recently.]

Uh. Yeah, I'm here, and...

[Uh. Okay, he's going to wait until Mr. Squawky up there settles down, that's quite the songbird that Keigo's found himself, there. At least its chattering gives him time to think and remember brief flashes of memories that couldn't possibly be real.

And meanwhile, Bearit is settling in for a grooming session. Kicking his mastery don't faze him at all.]

[loudmouths]

[ keigo seemed to be just as confused as ichigo was, if not more so. the deja vu feeling was one thing, but the lack of real... surprise to see ichigo there with him was far more jarring than he'd gave it credit for. chika's little song was short-lived, at least, though vaguely keigo felt his lower eyelid twitch in mild irritation for the interruption. ]

S-sorry, this... thing--

[ he made a vague hand gesture to the bird that was now preening its feathers. ]

--is really chatty.

[ no small wonder that keigo ended up with it, huh? ]

Anyway, um. Wh-when... when did you get here?

[ yeah, there was definitely something strange going on. keigo could vaguely remember something going on between them at some point; a conversation about ... what was it? back home, maybe? but that ended up giving keigo more questions than real answers. he certainly looked confused as he brought his hand up to his chin, frowning as he tried to collect his thoughts properly. ]

[moonfangs]

[Chatty is better than violent, Ichigo almost remarks, but for once he decides to bite back a snippy remark and keep things serious. This is so strange, he remembers talking to Keigo, here, in a place he's never been in an encounter that couldn't have been. It's almost like he dreamed it while he was lying there naked in bed, but how does that work?]

It's... pretty, at least?

[Yeah. Great casual small talk there, buddy. Don't even bring up the elephant in the room, or how Keigo seems oddly restrained for seeing him in this bizarre situation.]

Just now. Woke up here and did what the bird told me. [If only because he couldn't figure out anything else to do and he wanted so many answers.] They told me to get a weapon and a carrier, and... now I don't know what I'm doing.

[Time to frown while he stands up and brushes himself off. He's out of instructions, it's just 'figure it out, hero' now as far as he knows, and now there's a new mystery to worry about, too.]

What about you? Did they just drop you in here, too?

[loudmouths]

[ keigo's eyes flicked up to focus on ichigo's face at that remark about chika's... prettiness. yes, that was what keigo wanted... something pretty following him around. he decided against yelling about it for the time being, letting his eyes convey his annoyance before he stared back down at the ground once more.

the more he tried to think about what had happened, the more uncertain he became. were they messing with his memories? were they making him believe certain things? he wouldn't have been surprised; the way he woke up in the place wasn't the most comforting...

at any rate, he sighs and shifts his posture, crossing his arms over his chest as he listened to ichigo explain himself. so... it was pretty much the same for him... ]

...so... same as me... The same situation happened with me. They shoved me off to get a weapon and a Carrier. So, we're in the same boat, it seems.

[ keigo's lips pursed. he looked ... vaguely amused, really. he even laughed, albeit softly and bordering on sarcastic. ]

Can't remember a time when you and I were on even footing...

[moonfangs]

[Keigo being here should be freaking him out more than it is, even discounting the serious feeling of deja vu, but he has to look at this from an objective point of view. He has no powers, Keigo has no powers, no one friggin here has any power except what they've learned while they were here. They're both armed(ish) with the same tools, they're on the same level, excepting their different amounts of experience in combat.

Really, they haven't been this close in effectiveness since the day Ichigo saw a strange, short girl in a black robe hanging out in his bedroom.]

Yeah. Yeah, that's right, I came out here, got my crap, and now...

[He glances over toward Bearit, who seems quite happy to be temporarily ignored and is busy preening himself. Fan-freakin'-tastic, he's got himself a primadonna critter to take care of, a bizarre sword, and at least one friend stuck right here with him.]

Kind of like the old days... [Sorta. A lot weirder, but when weird is par for the course, you stop counting it as weird.] This ain't a bunch of bullies and morons, though. You ready to get up into it?

[Don't let him down, buddy. Ichigo needs all the reliable friends he can get around here, and he doesn't even know why they need these weapons yet.]

[loudmouths]

[ really, keigo himself should have been freaking out more in general; he wasn't like ichigo, after all. he didn't have adventures into different realms of existence, didn't fight impossible things, and though keigo was all too aware of the places ichigo had been to, that didn't mean he was wholly accepting of them. this whole situation they were in now should have had keigo panicking.

but he wasn't. sure, he was uneasy, but his panicking had been short-lived. maybe because ichigo was there, but even before he knew that for a fact, keigo had been eerily calm.

maybe he was braver than he thought he was.

either way, keigo was drawn in by ichigo's tone of voice. the expectant way he asked him that question brought a jolt of nervousness to his chest. he'd... never really been in a situation like this before, much less with ichigo actually relying on his performance. it was terrifying. ichigo was the last person he wanted to let down.

so. that meant he had to tap back into that determination and recklessness that had him raising a sword against aizen. he'd had hoped he'd never have to address that side of himself again.

after a brief silence, keigo sucked in a soft breath and sighed, giving ichigo a determined look. probably the most serious he'd looked in months. ]

Yeah. I won't let you down.

[moonfangs]

[Yes. Good. That's what Ichigo wants to hear, even if he doesn't completely believe Keigo is as calm as he looks. Considering he, himself, is putting on a brave face and is more than a little perturbed underneath it all, he can't imagine how he feels about it. Of course, he might be underestimating him, but years upon years of Keigo's panicking and flailing after life (unfairly, at times) dumps on him do leave their mark.

Nevermind any misgivings, though. Until proven wrong, Ichigo is taking him at his word, and he gives him a firm nod in response. Then, he softens up some. No need to be all grim, all the time, when they could both use a little cheer and encouragement. This is a Big Deal, staying optimistic and not throwing both of themselves into despair is probably one of the best ideas Ichigo has had all day, and it's been a long, long day.]

Good. We'll watch each other's backs out there, you, me, and... Inoue?

[Wait, how does he know she's here? He's positive he hasn't run into her since he woke up. It would make sense that she came with him, she was right there when he passed out back in Soul Society, but he just feels so certain she's here. Like they already met up, talked, and everything. Cue a baffled expression on his face, wide eyes followed up with a furrowed brow, then a shrewd look Keigo's way.]

Hey, are you remembering weird things? Stuff that ain't possible?

[loudmouths]

[ whether or not ichigo believed in keigo's facade wasn't exactly a problem keigo was thinking to address. keigo himself was having a hard time believing it, after all. the lack of confidence he had in himself would catch up to him eventually, but for now, it was easy to pretend. it gave him a reason to improve himself, at any rate; he wouldn't want to make a liar of himself or let ichigo down.

keigo was content to just take what ichigo had said and move right along, at least until he caught that confusion in the inflection of his voice. he blinked, initially confused by... ichigo's confusion. why wouldn't they be watching each other's backs? well, it was a short-lived thought; it was soon clear that ichigo wasn't worried about that at all.

the true source of his confusion called back to the bizarre thoughts and memories keigo had been struggling with since he'd woken up. that ichigo was questioning him about them so directly had keigo more than a little unsettled. he grimaced then, after a brief pause, nodded. ]

...Y-yeah. Like very ... very strong deja-vu.

[moonfangs]

[Very strong deja-vu, that was a great way to put it. It's not even as if Ichigo remembers the actual content of the conversations he's half-remembering with the two of them, or the locations, or any kinds of details whatsoever. It's just that feeling he's got that he's run into Keigo before, and that Orihime is there, somewhere, and that they've already covered a lot of ground since they'd arrived here.]

I can almost remember...

[It's right there, on the edge of his mind, but no matter how hard he furrows his brow and squints his eyes, the only thing he gets are the vaguest feelings. The frustration coming off him is so strong it's almost palpable in the air, but after a few moments, he pushes himself to not stress over it. With all the stupid crap that's happened here so far, having memories blanked or fake ones inserted doesn't exactly shock him.]

...It's probably nothing. You got your weapon and, uh. Bird. Do you have any idea what we're supposed to be doing now?