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BOARDMASTER ([personal profile] boardmaster) wrote in [community profile] pawnstorm2016-12-09 03:56 am

intro ♚ december

WELCOME TO POLGAR



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 My Anaconda Don’t
Brace yourselves, Heroes, for Prime Minister Teddy has a special announcement for you today. It’ll be delivered either via carrier or mechanical pigeon.

Woman?
Hello, Heroes! Hmm? Who am I? If I don’t tell you who you are, you’re calling the police? Ahaha, no need to be so hasty!
Thierry Toussaint
It’s me, Teddy! The prime minister.

This might be overwhelming for the new arrivals, but we need everyone’s help for this mission. Have you heard of the Alfersa? They’re a proud warrior race that live in Polgar. They’re said to be blessed by the goddess Gladia since they’re naturally strong, sensitive to mana, and skilled in combat. I guess they’re pretty much like our Knights? Without the magical talent, of course. We’re hoping they’ll lend us a hand in protecting Blanc.

The Alfersa are distrustful of men, so negotiations have been difficult… Now that the Gladia Games are underway, I’m hoping to meet some beautiful women—I mean, recruits! It’s a recruitment drive, after all! Right, Alex?

Alexandre Verdoni
Prime Minister, I don’t know what possessed you to think your ridiculous ideas will actually work, but please refrain from making a scene at the Games.
Thierry Toussaint
Ah, ah. [ waves a finger at ] It’s not Prime Minister. It’s Zeed Stun, an enigmatic beauty from the East! Alex, come with us!
Alexandre Verdoni
No. Please refrain from making transparent aliases undercover.

Heroes, the Alfersans have an extremely matriarchal society. The Prime Minister recommends that you follow his example to fall in their leader’s good graces, but I personally find it unnecessary. Stand tall, be proud, and may Gladia bless you on your journey.

Oh, and… dress light. Get some sunscreen.
You’ll be given time to prepare before heading out. This is when you decide if you’ll follow after PM Teddy’s example or not. He has provided a generous number of colorful dresses to choose from. Unsure of how to pull off a good look? Ask your fellow Heroes or the maids and butlers of Hall of Glory for assistance.

Once you’ve made it safely to Polgar, you’ll be greeted with a feast for the eyes. A procession appears to be underway with several nubile women dancing to the beat of drums. For every pause in the drumming, anklets fill the air with a sweet, chiming sound. Leading the parade are scantily-clad shrine maidens. Should you happen to stumble too close, you will be greeted with an icy stare. Waiting at the end of the road is the matriarch of the Alfersans…

Thierry Toussaint
O Gracious One, I am Zeed Stun. Today, I am here to show you the dance of my people—
???
You have a snake.
Thierry Toussaint
I’m sorry?
???
You have [ grabs between his legs ] a snake.
Thierry Toussaint
Guh!
???
[ in one fluid motion, the woman smears Teddy’s makeup off and makes him her personal footrest. for the first time since the Heroes’ arrival, she smiles. ]

… Oh, praise Gladia. So these are the Heroes She said I would meet. I am Diana Serpente, Queen of the Alfersa, Lady of the Serpents, and head priestess of Gladia’s temple. Gladia has been telling me all about you.

Ever since you put the soul of my ancestor to rest, I’ve been thinking of a way to repay you. After receiving this [ digs her heels into Teddy’s back ] pitiful man’s request, I should have known it all along… Lending you our strength was the answer.

Thierry Toussaint
Thank y—ugh!!
Diana Serpente
[ steps off Teddy… ]

However, we don’t help just anyone. What’s friendship… [ lifts the chin of the nearest female Hero ] without a little intimacy? The Gladia Games are underway. I invite you all to join us in the festivities! Before we fight, let us make merry in the name of Gladia!

As you walk around Polgar, you’ll lay eyes on the various shops, with those specialized in weapons and armor the most renowned and high quality of them all. Female Heroes are in luck as they will receive discounts. Male Heroes will have to pay the regular price regardless of what they look like. However, those who didn’t decide to look pretty for the occasion will find a much increased price tag. If you’re in desperate need of colle, these shops will let you polish and arrange their merchandise for a decent wage.

TWO It’s a Jungle Out There
As per tradition, everyone participating in the Gladia Games must hunt down the monsters near the city. It is believed that Gladia herself sends them a different beast each year. This year, giant spiders crawl dangerously close to Polgar’s outskirts. Bring parts of the spider back to the city as proof of your skill and valor. Those who kill fifteen or more spiders win ONE of these fabulous prizes: one high quality weapon or armor, their very own pet anaconda or a night with Teddy!

In the Polgarian jungles, the humid air is thick with blood. Ferns and heavy branches covered in thick moss make the area difficult to navigate. Reedy sunlight filters in through the trees. You have a feeling that you are being watched… In fact, venomous snakes might jump out of the underbrush! Should you get bitten, have another Hero heal or help you suck out the venom. But don’t get distracted; danger looms from above as well. Like in the forests between Caissa and Petrosian, leafy vines are prone to descending and embracing Heroes rather intimately.

Heroes who have paid a visit to Salamanca Temple back in the day might recognize the spider nests once they’ve found them. These arachnids the size of a car will leap very high into the air and scuttle between branches to camouflage themselves during the battle. Some might even spin a cocoon for you until they come back to snack on you later. Avoid getting bitten—their venom can render you numb and unintelligible.

Kill the spiders and take down the nests, but remember: no one wants a forest fire. Safety first!

THREE Light and Sweet, Hot and Heavy
The Alfersans will welcome you back once you return to Polgar and are happy to take the spider parts off your hands. You didn’t forget to bring them with you, did you?

The festivities are now in full swing! Heroes, hit the streets for the citywide party! Large trays with food are being passed around as Alfersans view the close sharing of food as an act of camaraderie. It is customary for men to feed the women by hand. Yes, with their fingers. Alfersans will also encourage Heroes to join their dances, and some will keep dancing in front of you until you agree. As it turns out, dancing together actually only means holding hands and taking a jovial stroll around the shrines. You should be light on your feet and stay in rhythm, but the ritual isn’t too difficult.

Dancing may be good for the soul but your feet can only carry you so long until you are tired. Why not check into one of the many resorts? Or check out the far more numerous high-class brothels? Or perhaps you’d rather spend a relaxing day at the hot springs, spas or restaurants? The hot springs in particular are quite special here, as they are heated by the kiss of molten hot magma, blessed by Gladia herself. They possess healing properties, yes, but more curiously, if you happen to soak in the warmth for too long, you may start to feel a bit… virile.

INFO Welcome!
Welcome to Crosscheck's Month intro log! Please remember to read the Arrival Info! For any further questions, please see the FAQ or reach us at the Contact Us page. Have fun!
anti_altruisms: (Myself most of all.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-12-13 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...well. If nothing else, Moon Cell Servants have the same, strange priorities as others he's known.

Suppressing a sigh, Archer slides the platter a little closer in the hopes that maybe (maybe!), they won't make a mess. He thought she needed help acclimating, but it seems she's doing that quite well on her own. ]


I wouldn't concern yourself with returning it.

[ Really. He is totally fine not getting what he is giving right now.

He picks up a piece of meat with his bare fingers and offers it to her. ]

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
You will find there is no such lead to follow, other than the beat of your own heart.

[Though Nero starts them off first, once she hits the center of the makeshift dancefloor.

Just as she described, it's... different. Far from the ballroom waltzes of grand castles or even the ever so courteous line dancing of familiar halls, it's tribal and fierce, stomping feet, flailing hands, sharp motions, yet Nero manages to make it look like an art form. She's a star in her own spotlight and it shows.

It would seem that to keep up here, Sansa will really need to let go and put that pride on full display.]
gwenhwyfar: (Ianotouta eternity!)

[personal profile] gwenhwyfar 2016-12-13 03:45 am (UTC)(link)
An artist before an Emperor. [ She muses. ] In what way?

[ She's also not sure whether or not to scoff or run with that sort statement. It's not exactly graceful or nobel to be arrogant. What she doesn't say that she doesn't want to deal with the unwanted attention much like- ]

Maybe. Perhaps. One day.

[ Melwas. ]

As sorely tempting as that is, I'm very happy with a good dinner and company.

[ There is that. ]
sealeted: (one thing more)

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
Yesh.

[She mumbles around the shrimp as best she can, then simply nods as she munches through it.]

Hm... I'm not sure where to begin, so starting with the most familiar points might be best. Like I said before, Dan Blackmore's Archer—our Second Round opponent, if what he says and what I remember match up with what you recall—is here, but aside from him, all other 'Masters' and 'Servants' you might meet here are from different worlds' Grail Wars. There's a Rin Tohsaka here who is not from the 2030s, though there's a definite resemblance. And aside from that small number, there other summoned Heroes of Blanc aren't Heroic Spirits or magi as we would know of them.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 03:47 am (UTC)(link)
[Thankfully for what remains of Archer's dignity, Nero doesn't make a theatrical affair of it; she just snatches up the meat with her teeth and chews politely, the civilized lady all in red. And because she honors her word, she lifts a kebab and offers it to Archer in return while making small talk.]

So, an Archer... that actually puts me at something of a disadvantage, as a Saber! Let us assure we remain on good terms.

[She's mentioning a potential life or death scenario and laughing about it. She's a little unhinged, but it seems this Servant has a good heart after all.]

How long have you been here? You look rather, ahem, grizzled. In more ways than one.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Nero just smiles mysteriously in response to her question, then laughs low:]

Oh? Then, I am good company...?

[Careful, Regina. Give Nero an inch and she'll take a mile.]

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
My abilities as a Heroic Spirit aren't what they used to be, sadly, but I did detect a certain presence...

[Unfortunately, because those abilities are so hindered, she couldn't be sure just who or what it was. It could be that person she mentioned from their own time, or someone else entirely. Maybe even more than one someone else, which doesn't sit well with her when she's in such dire straits.

Still, she thinks they can agree on one thing.]


A suggestion, Master, if I would. Let us pursue neutrality with these other parties. I can fight, but I have no desire to do so unnecessarily in my current state.
sealeted: (the pounding sound)

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
What?

[...oh. Oh.]

No, um... I'm friends with most of them now, actually. I mean... From my time point, I already won the Grail War, and my Servant at that point saved me from being deleted by the Grail and we left. I don't have any problem with any Master or Servant here. Actually... The Archer we faced is my roommate at a school for magic I attend here. We've gotten close.

...and.

[Oh boy.]

One of the Servants here is another world's version of the one I recall most clearly. My most recent Servant. His name is Gilgamesh.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
For what purpose would you ally with him? Isn't he a troublesome fellow...?

[Nero, please. You have literally no idea.]
anti_altruisms: (Chilling on a roof.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-12-13 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
[ There isn't very much of it left these days, but he knows to be thankful for small favors. He isn't really that hungry himself, at the moment, either, but so as to keep all of this fairly polite, he does accept the kebob when she offers it.

As he speaks, he offers her another bite. ]


Generally speaking, most Servants I've encountered have been willing to entertain a truce since the Holy Grail is not an issue here.

[ There's also the matter that they're technically human here; they're no longer bound, and the same rules don't apply. It's one of the better features of this place, he thinks.

As for being "grizzled"...well. He quirks a brow. ]


I arrived several months ago. [ And of course- ] I looked this way before I arrived.
sealeted: (I need not)

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
...the one here, or the one I first contracted with?

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
Like an elder?

[Well...]

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
In your case, I feel safe presuming that may very well apply to either.
sealeted: (the moon scene (it is a cruel dream))

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
...fair enough.

[She doesn't always separate the two nearly as much as she should, after all.]

Well, essentially, it was contracting with him or death, back in the Moon Cell. And then, after I managed to gain his acknowledgment and we won... we left... I ended up here. And the version of him here was the only shred of familiarity I had, so I worked to gain his regard as well. And... he's agreed to be... um, be my Servant? Sort of? But his Grail is different from ours. Apparently I have to sleep with him to make it stick.

[It sounds so shady, every time she tells somebody else that.]
anti_altruisms: (Is that right?)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-12-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
[ Nero, pls. ]

Is that a problem?

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Nero, after listening to that little spiel... has gone quiet all of a sudden? Or else she has taken a very particular and all-encompassing interest in their food, as she proceeds to stuff her face so full she couldn't possibly make any remarks on the subject, good or bad.

But having spent enough time around blonde tyrannical Servants, it should be quite obvious to Hakuno that Nero has become immediately jealous of this relationship.]

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:14 am (UTC)(link)
Absolutely not.

[Fanning her eyelashes.]

You are remarkably handsome for your age.
gwenhwyfar: (I am the crown of Gallia)

[personal profile] gwenhwyfar 2016-12-13 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
Better than what I've met so far.

[ Then she'll give half an inch. Because she'll never make anything easy when it comes to her. ]

For a Roman.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
[Somehow, that for a Roman bit makes her smile all the broader.]

Mine are a good people. I should hope to prove it to you soon enough.
sealeted: (such a long way)

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
[...oh dear.]

He's... weirdly set on it. I'm not his type of woman, given what I know about the Gilgamesh in the Moon Cell, so it's... it's...

[Bad tactic. She switches tracks.]

He has another Master here; one from his world, from a later point in time than he is. It isn't... if you really do want me as a Master, it isn't that there isn't a place for you. I've been desperate to know anything about you that I possibly could since I found out about you a few months ago.
anti_altruisms: (The sound of silence.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-12-13 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[ Uh huh. ]

If I do, it's because I never reached forty.

[ He's not that old - physically, anyway. ]

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
[Nero slams down her plate abruptly.]

It makes no difference.

[And, much like other blonde tyrannical Servants, what she says goes. She has made up her mind on the matter and, rather than waste time trashtalking or slinging at mud at someone she hasn't even met before, decides to carve her own path. As ever, as always. That was the way of Nero.]

Now, I expect appropriate quarters to be provided for me at once. The accomodations I've been assigned are sorely lacking for a peasant, let alone an Emperor.
sealeted: (I can hardly decide)

[personal profile] sealeted 2016-12-13 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
I'm not... entirely sure what I can do about that. Like I said, I mostly live with Archer at the school these days, and our room isn't very large or grand.

[It's actually better than a converted classroom, but that's not a very high bar.]

I have saved up some money, but most of it is being held for a business I've agreed to start up with another Hero.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:26 am (UTC)(link)
[...her face falls a little at that. She gingerly accepts more meat from him, but with her fingers.]

It was the same for me.

[personal profile] aurea 2016-12-13 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
[Dead-eyes.]

Are you saying I am not a priority for you?

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