look at me, i'm the wound you tried to hide

[promittere]

ANDANTE ALLA WANING CRESCENT

Another day dawns for the Sage's wizards. It's been a month, now, since arriving in this world and being given a task nobody seems to fully understand—though after the jobs the Southern and Central wizards have taken on, it seems like it might just be possible after all.

And it seems like there's another task for the wizards, from the Eastern nation. However, unlike the other requests the Sage has been fielding, this task is far too big for five wizards alone. This is a task everyone will need to help tackle, whether they like it or not. Those that aren't particularly altruistic will still be whisked together by Tatara and Lazuli both, and they may still find the journey...illuminating. Answers to what happened to the original wizards may be just within reach.

Traveling via the elevator at the manor is familiar to some of you, at least, Lazuli setting a mana stone into the control not a surprise in a the slightest. The fact all of you can, somehow, fit in the elevator comfortably may be a surprise, but it's best not to dwell on it too much. You'll be staying at the City of Rain, Lazuli tells you with the air of someone reading you a court sentence, but you've been tasked with clearing up the site of some sort of disaster. He doesn't have much information beyond that—a fact that seems to greatly annoy him—and he warns you not to break any of the City of Rain's laws well before you're out of the elevator.

Which that shouldn't be too difficult, right? Right...?

Perhaps not, as the rules of the city are extreme. There are certain areas which forbid socialization and talking entirely, some areas where only talking to strangers is forbidden, only a handful of businesses allow chatter of any sort, and the list goes on. The most pressing law of all, though, is very simple: no use of any sort of magic within city limits. Do your best to follow the rules because breaking them will result in an arrest, and do you really want Lazuli and Tatara bailing you out? With the rules laid out and lodging sorted, Lazuli ushers you to the site you're tasked with dealing with. You will have downtime to explore the city, though, as it's expected to take several days to clear things up.

The site is a terrible, terrible mess. In what must have once been a peaceful patch of wilderness, there now sits a terrible gouge in the earth, several meters deep and twice as wide across, hollowed by what must have been a powerful force. The dirt is gray and sandy, dead in the manner the Southern wizards will recognize. Plants on the edges of the crater are dry and withered and splintered and broken. Permeating the air is a lingering dread, one both Southern and Central wizards will immediately recognize...

But it is clear now, now that your magic is considerably stronger, that the spirits are agitated by the disturbance in the fabric of magic. Dark clouds hang low over the site, and low thunder rumbles in the constant threat of a storm that will never come. The spirits' agitation, coupled with the dread hanging in the air, will feel uncomfortable, and perhaps leave the more sensitive of the bunch feeling on edge. This is not something that can will resolve on its own, so your most important task is to calm the spirits. That means doing the things they like: playing music, dancing, praying, telling stories, wearing fanciful and whimsical clothes to soothe their temperaments.

Your second most important task is to clear out monsters. The unusual energy in the air is attractive to beasts magical in nature—they slink out of their hiding places in the deep wilderness to the area, and their presence is threatening the humans who regularly use the nearby routes for trade and to commute. Kill them, take their mana stones for yourself. Win-win.

The third task is general clean-up. Remove the dead plants from the earth, remove the broken trees and any natural debris that might prove to be a hindrance. Characters are more than welcome to search inside the crater for any hint or clue as to what might have caused this strange explosion, but they'll find the site picked clean, earth having fallen into cavities where there might have been larger objects present at one point...like someone was here to clear out any evidence.

JOB BOARD

Reinforcement. Peace in Granvelle Castle has been restored. A liveliness and energy has returned to the castle and the surrounding parts of the city that hasn't been seen in nearly a month. Thank your Central friends for their hard work!

Their issues aren't quite resolved, however. The castle is asking for help in creating and then reinforcing a magical barrier around the castle. The barrier is a bit bigger than what one wizard alone is capable of at this point, so band together to create and reinforce what parts you can. Perhaps it's not a bad idea to use your own hair or blood as a conduit.

The type of barrier is specific, however—they want one that masks magical signatures. If you step inside, you'll feel a faint, but powerful presence within... What are they guarding?

Recycling. The Eastern country is known for its expertise in all things mechanical, particularly when it comes to clockwork. While not as bombastic or flashy as Western technology, the use of magic and mana stones being deeply frowned upon and rejected, Eastern artisans can create truly fantastical things just with gears and cogs and a bit of know-how... But, of course, sometimes it's better to scrap something and create something new than let the old items waste away, so some Eastern craftsman have asked for help gathering clockwork automatons and other creations in order to melt it all back down. Some of them seem a bit nervous and harried, but it's an easy enough job to scrap automatons and cart junk around.

Monster hunting. The few settlements in the North have been sending in frantic request after frantic request. There has been a disturbing increase in monster activity in the North, and the native Northern wizards are as unreliable as ever. They need your help in thinning the numbers, and that's all they really ask for—you can keep all the mana stones you earn.

For those of you who haven't been to the North yet, the weather is harsh, no matter the season. Protection on oneself to survive the negative degrees is crucial; make sure your magic is up to snuff enough to keep yourself at least room temperature. And using your magic to battle on top of that? This isn't going to be an easy job, not at your level. Be cautious, and good luck.

Mana areas & amulets. You've been here for a month now, and living in an unfamiliar place, alongside unfamiliar people, using unfamiliar magic must be wearing you down. Isn't it? In that case, it's time for the last piece of your wizardhood puzzle: your mana area.

Mana areas are spots where wizards feel most at peace with themselves, most whole, and a place where they can refill on the emotional load they've been chipping away at for their magic. It can be a specific location, or a conditional circumstance. Find more detail on the magic page. Your task—given to you by your sage and your mentor—is to traverse the continent, find your mana area, and recharge your batteries, so to speak. While there, make an amulet to take back with you, like a portable battery.

WANDERER TASKS

Listen to the spirits.

You've been here long enough that it's time to see if you can actually communicate with the spirits who've laid claim on you and have been empowering your spells. Try your listen and see if you can hear what they have to say to you.

OOC Note: For those attempting this task, ping one of the mods and roll a dice! Based on the dice roll, your character will get a little tidbit from the spirits... Or they might not hear anything yet, but they can always dedicate themselves to their studies and try again after leveling up!

TATARA ACTIVITIES

Don't make promises.

If you've made a promise, don't break it.

If you break a promise, you'll lose your magic. And I don't know if I can help you anymore or send you home if that happens. I'm sorry this is so late. But please...be careful.

OOC NOTES

🌙 Welcome to your third event! Everyone's lasted a month, congratulations! Keep working on your magic, keep forging those bonds.
🌙 As your characters settle into the world, they might find themselves irresistibly drawn to crowds, to music, to dancing. It's hard to resist the allure of a gathering, and it's hard to keep yourself from swaying to music when it fills your ears, no matter what sort of person you used to be. You're changing...
🌙 As we enter the second month, we are announcing a deadline for finding your pairs. This will be Friday, June 14 at 11:59 PM EDT. Remember, you may submit a guess at any time, and there is no penalty for getting a guess wrong, so long as you have a thread to back up your guess and consent from your partner. The pair page is here.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting on this post, as not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Next up for missions is East. Let's hope they don't have to talk to anyone for this one.

» NAVIGATION

Comments

return of the easts

[dadsandals]

[ Hello, wizard fam. The Easties are back, and have arrived at the manor on broom!

They are in a very interesting state. All of them are very wet and soggy – Yamato, Shinji, and Phil are shirtless. Like, really shirtless with small cuts across their torsos.

Ginger looks like a sad, wet puppy who's also carrying a feverish (but awake) Mika in his arms.

Shirtless Shinji is rather grumpy, more than usual. Yamato is also very exhausted. Both are sniffling and sneezing.

Phil looks like he's about to pass out.

Approach? ]

[troublereduction]

[ Day has the look of someone who has questions but knows this isn't the time to be asking them, so the first order of business: summoning towels and holding them out for them.

...Also getting ready to catch Phil, because Mela's tits, he looks awful. ]

[dadsandals]

Thanks.

[ He's taking a towel, thank you very much. WHEW. ]

We're fine, mostly. I don't need healing this time.

[lustro]

[ Physically, Ginger looks to be in healthier shape than the rest, but he looks - sad, distracted. It takes him a moment to realize Day's holding out towels. And even then, a moment more to realize it's Day holding out towels. Oh. A faint smile makes its way to his lips. ]

Hey. Thanks.

[dyingtohealyou]

[>Approach.]

What happened-?

[I'm ok with all easties tagging but he is for sure poking at Shinji and Mika (so by extension Ginger) but my inbox is empty and my arms are wide giv tags even if you aren't one of those folks ty.]

[shortleash]

( Mika seems kind of bleary and zzz, but he vaguely opens his eyes as he hears Ahito's voice, though belated. )

... Meteorite...

[lustro]

[ What didn't?

He's tired, but Ahito gets a nod when he approaches. Mika gets dibs on Ahito first, so Ginger waits until their conversation is over before saying: ]

A very foolish human decided some dangerous moonstones would be perfect for his creations. He lost his life, the love of his creations if he ever had it, and put an entire city in danger.

[annihilator]

[Oh, hey guys, looks like your mission went... Well. It sure Went, didn't it. Anyway, it's not like Malice has been worked up waiting for you guys to come back so he's quick to arrive or anything, don't worry about it.

Anyway, he's obviously going to be seeking out Yamato, but he will gladly help any of the others who need a hand!]

...So uh, I'm gonna guess y'all could use some help with the healers?

[...don't just volunteer them, malice...]

[dadsandals]

I'm good.

[ The cuts aren't that deep! He'll be fine. Hello, Malice. Achoo. ]

I'd like to go to bed, more than anything.

[shortleash]

( Mika's clothes are kind of damaged and bloody, like he did take some kind of notable damage, but he himself looks fine... like he healed it. So Mika is fine letting everyone else get their healies - they need it more - but, vaguely, he'll say: )

... If there's someone...

( Subconsciously, he runs his tongue along his fangs, probably invoking his meaning better than his words could. His body healed up his injuries, so... he's been thorsty... unfortunately... And the state he's in makes it much less bearable - when normally he'd just quietly trundle along with his hunger until the next scheduled feeding time. )

[lustro]

Yeah, for the others, please.

[ He's Fine. Not catching a cold or anything. Just minor stuff. ]

Feels like every time we're in trouble, you show up to help. Thanks.

[jorunna]

[ >>Approach.

Days got the towels covered, Comet can offer healing. ]

Any concerns besides your injuries, let me know now.

[ They'll summon up some cushions for the Easties to sit on as they get healed. ]

[shortleash]

( Mika's clothes seem kind of - damaged? a bloody? but Mika himself seems fine.

Blearily, he lifts a hand to kind of gesture vaguely to - everyone not him - and then drops it. Help them pls... )

[lustro]

... Comet... Could you help me practice healing spells?

[ Because this mission has shown Ginger that None Easties can do proper healing. ]

[fallingsand]

[ Approach?

Yes.

Tentatively.

Keeping a distance, just a little, a tiny bit, don't worry about it, haha... ha... ]

Ah, you... you all look like crap, what the heck? [ Thanks for the insightful comment, Bruno. Seriously, though, besides that, he gets to the real reason he's hesitating from going right up to them. ] There. There weren't ghosts again, were there?

[ please no more possessions, his heart can't take it ]

[shortleash]

... Try robots...

( lmao... )

[lustro]

[ God, no. Ginger's afraid of ghosts, so thank god that wasn't the East mission. ]

Ha... How do you feel about... selfish human scientists with killer robots?

[foresightis2020]

[ Hrm, well. Jing Yuan sees that people are thankfully taking care of certain others who look most certainly a little worse off.

His main concern/interest is Grumpy Shinji. So he approaches him first; hopefully the guy has taken a towel or something despite his shirtless (mis)adventures. A pity he didn't have time to make tea and soup, but he can save that for later. ]

I'd ask if you'd had fun, but...it seems that isn't the case at all, hm? [ Ha ha. Except no one's laughing. ] You didn't sustain too many wounds, did you? How did everything pan out with everyone working together?

[ In between and/or after that, who knows with everything timing wise, he will also quickly check-in on Ginger/Mika, who are still imperative to check in on. ]

How are you two? I see Mika's state is unfortunate...so, what kind of threat was responsible for it?

[ If need-be he will not hesitate to offer blood as needed like before, but you know. Anyway, Phil appears to be handled by Day (though if he wishes to say something to Jing Yuan, he will answer), and then there is Yamato who he is more familiar with. So he turns towards him and ask: ]

How are you? No one touched anything they shouldn't, did they?

[shortleash]

( Jing Yuan is definitely free to offer blood - all offers will pitch into a pretty deep well of hunger right now. There's a sense of Wanderer's magic on him (the same magic that's been on him since his second frenzy), which, at least, prevents a frenzy. )

... Don't go near a raw moonstone unprotected...

( how tf did collodi do it hellow... )

[lustro]

[ Ginger reluctantly holds his tongue as Jing Yuan assists Mika, though his fingers possessively dig into skin. They flinch loose when he realizes what he's doing; this is no time to be acting like that - especially if Jing Yuan is not a threat. He's help. This is... help.

(He still hates it.)

Even then, he needs some time to settle his thoughts before responding. ]

A human. And when that human messed up and created moon-loving automatons, well... you can see how well that went for everyone.

[divineth]

[Urianger walks up and accepts that this is just his life now-- But no, he'll be around to offer healing where it's needed, as well as...

With a flourish of his hands, he has some plain shirts for the, well, shirtless. Where'd those come from? Magic. Anyway, he'll hand them out to those who are upright enough to take one.]

Prithee- [a pause] Please, take one.

[He'll also be listening in on whatever information is being shared.]

[lustro]

[ Okay, Urianger manages to get a tired chuckle from him. ]

I like prithee better.

[ He declines the shirt, however. He doesn't need one. ]

[fellheart]

[ anyway

robin isn't first on the scene despite probably catching the easts flying in because it was his turn on the wizard roof. no, he'll let the closer knit and fussier among them filter in first before he, too, makes his way down.

and while he's not going to be one of those who rushes to offer towels, shirts, healing ... as he approaches he does affect the ambient air. not dramatically, that would be more counterproductive than anything, but it's there in the faint hints of the desert, a slight bit of aridity, the phantom sensation of a warm breeze on the skin. not an excess heat, but a steady if subtle warmth. ]

My, but the lot of you look half drowned. You must have rushed back here quite quickly if you haven't any chance to dry off ... or find any replacement clothing for yourselves.

[ like damn, look what the cat dragged in. ]

[mirristry]

[Phil looks like death warmed over, to be quite honest, soaked and pale and so unsteady on his feet that he seems in danger of pitching over with every step. Still, he's managing to remain upright... that is, until he halts abruptly and his eyes go wide, clamping a hand over his mouth as a sudden coughing fit wracks his body. Except it doesn't stop, only gets worse until his entire body is shaking from the force of it, a single trickle of crimson leaking out from between his fingers even as his legs threaten to finally give out on him completely.

It's a good thing Day is there to catch him, because yeah, he's dropping like a rock a split second later.]

[chronosynthesis]

Oh dear. [Syrlya comes down the stairs slightly later and finds everyone much more drowned than he anticipated. He will, with polite distance, check basically all of them for injuries and focus.] Did you all fly back in the rain? Tell me what you need.