boardmaster: (Default)
BOARDMASTER ([personal profile] boardmaster) wrote in [community profile] pawnstorm2016-09-07 10:15 am

intro ♚ september

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!
quaria: my scans. (when i am in this forest i feel timid)

her! and her name is "sexy lenalee"!!

[personal profile] quaria 2016-09-20 09:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ A good question... Setsuna would like to know why as well.

But ah, he was hoping that continuing the topic direction she wanted will help... When the girl displayed that shocked expression this time around, his concern grows further. And she was smiling so brightly a while ago, too...

Setsuna's eyes fall a little when she asks the next question, since it's not a very happy discussion. But he doesn't frown or anything at all, remaining expressionless as he looks somewhere. ]


Not really. The war is still on-going as you are aware. At times, Blanc won... At times, Noir won. The most recent battle was our victory.

[ "Our victory..." It's normally good news, but it also means another. It means that Noir is definitely angry and will likely strike again sooner or later. The fact that Setsuna is still in this world, fighting as a Hero... That's more than enough to tell that the war won't be ending anytime soon. ]
footfalls: (okay but like idgi)

SDKJFSLFD nO iT'S SETSUNA

[personal profile] footfalls 2016-09-25 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
[she thinks she can read between the lines there and even if her spirits sink, it's not so bad of a drop. it's not very different from her own world. she should be used to fighting in unending wars. she'll just go ahead and put on her brave face!!]

At least we have that. There's a war back in my world too, but victories don't happen very often. [a victory... it's more than something.] ...I don't know how much of a help I'll be here, but... I'll do my best.

[she has to say this out loud, because if she doesn't then she'll start thinking about how Unfair this all is and that's not very productive at aLL]
quaria: (you shake your head at them)

accept your cuteness, sexy lenalee!!

[personal profile] quaria 2016-09-26 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ They don't experience much victories? This girl must have come from a very dangerous world... He wonders if it's because their foes are abnormally strong, or if they're similar to Blanc — a nation that isn't equipped and prepared for war. It's why Blanc needs the Heroes. ]

Why? What kind of world is it?

[ Setsuna is curious about this, because he is someone who has strong feelings against war. He is someone who is raised to become a weapon against war, so even back at his own home... He's always been fighting against war like this. ]

And do not say that. I am certain that you will be able to. As long as you have the will, then you definitely will be able to. We are here as well.

[ There are many Heroes here, after all. All of them have been put in the same situation. They're all working together... So she didn't have to carry anything alone. ]
footfalls: (a flesh wound)

puts you out to sea....

[personal profile] footfalls 2016-10-03 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
["As long as you have the will, then you definitely will be able to."]

[Ah... Lenalee draws in a breath, and the smile she manages is more genuine than she's had since she first asked the question about the war.]


...You're right. Thank you.

[if someone like Setsuna who's been here for so much longer, and has actually fought in this world can say something like that... then, maybe there was hope for her after all. even if it hurts, even if the burden of fighting in this war might lie just as heavily on her shoulders.]

My world... it's not so different from this one, though we don't have anything like mana. But the war we fight is mostly a secret, and it's one where we don't fight against other humans.

[EXCEPT SOME HUMANS]
quaria: (「for a world as simple as this.」)

oh god this is so late, sorry :'c

[personal profile] quaria 2016-10-21 09:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ... Good. It seems she's finally truly smiling again. That expression suits her better. She's... cute, like this. ]

Not against other humans... [ And a world similar to Enprise. ] You fight against monsters, too?

[ "Too," is referring to Enprise and not his own world. Most things here in Enprise is relatively new to him. Magic, monsters, mana, and so on... ]

Whichever the case, that might be an advantage to you, as you are already somewhat familiar.
footfalls: (okay i don't really believe u)

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS LATE TO ME TBH

[personal profile] footfalls 2016-10-22 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[Lenalee had already resigned herself to the idea that fighting in this war would be drastically different, so hearing that it might not be surprises her.]

Are there monsters here too? [a little nervous, but putting off her real nerves in favor of hearing what kind of monsters they are... as long as they're not AKUMA] ...What are they like?