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lunaecalamitas2024-06-13 05:00 pm
promittere) wrote in lunaecalamitas2024-06-13 05:00 pm
let the magic take control, it's there wherever you go
CADENZA DI FIRST QUARTER
On this bright and sunny morning, Sage Tatara and Mentor G'raha call a meeting. It's mandatory.
Once every wizard is gathered in the lounge, Tatara settles into one of the plush armchairs, clearly too big for him, but absent is any of his silly expressions that might make light of the difference in size here. Instead, with a serious hue in his coral eyes and neatly pressed lilac dress shirt, he looks like he means business.
"Now that the Western wizards are back, we need to share what we've learned with each other. I know some of you have been sharing information privately amongst yourselves, but I think it's time we put all the pieces we have together.
"Everyone encountered a moon stone on their missions, and I think the general consensus is that neutralizing these stones brings the old wizards back physically, somehow. But we haven't received any reports of any of them waking up yet."
That isn't to mention the sage, who still remains missing...ostensibly. They'll get to that in a second.
"If there's anything else you've learned that you think might be related to these things, or to our situation specifically, then speak up now."
When the conversation dies down, Tatara raises his hand to get his attention back on him and G'raha again.
"For the second order of business, I have good news and bad news."
His tone and expression are lighter this time.
"The good news is that we've found a ritual that can send everyone back. There are details we can work out in the meanwhile, especially if you've decided not to go back to your home world, but for now, we need to talk about the ritual itself.
"In order for the ritual to work, we will need rare materials from all over the world. I'll be posting the materials on the job board so you know where to look."
G'raha adds, "We'll need these materials by next week, before the full moon. There's a reason for that, but we'll touch on that in a moment."
Tatara glances at him and nods.
"The ritual is far too powerful for any of us to perform, so we'll have to wait until the old wizards wake up. But...I have a feeling we might be able to do something about that."
When Tatara stands, G'raha follows suit.
"There's one last thing I need to show you."
With a silent gesture, Tatara makes for the door of the lounge and expects everyone to follow. Yes, everyone.
Sage and mentor then lead everyone down the winding corridors of the manor, past an indiscreet door into a wing of the building that has remained relatively untouched. The lights here are off, but the chandeliers and sconces quietly flick on as they make their way down the dust-laden corridors.
Soon, all will notice that the halls they walk through are a mirror image of the residential section of the manor, except it seems no one has lived here for quite a while.
You're led up the stairs, where Tatara and G'raha stop before a door that is a mirror location to Tatara's room on the second floor. A faint energy pulses from inside, one belonging to a person unfamiliar to all.
After an exchanged glance, Tatara pushes open the door and G'raha steps inside. He gestures to the sight at the center of the room: there, on his knees, is a young man. His face is frozen, twisted in panic—in fact, all of him is frozen, and his image practically see-through, just scarcely flickering on the razor-thin edge of existence. He holds his fist high above his head, as though clinging, with dear life, to five faint ethereal threads—yellow, purple, blue, pink, and green—that float in the air above his head. The threads are just as faint as he is, fading before they reach the walls.
"This is the previous sage," Tatara says. "He appeared here a little before the Western wizards returned from their mission. I'm guessing whatever they did to the last moon fragment is related."
G'raha nods. "The sage's soul seems incomplete. Putting him back together may be the key to waking him, and the rest of the wizards, up. However—" he pauses, reaching to gently run a finger over the purple thread. It flickers faintly. "The energy in these threads is too faint to see where they lead. They do seem to grow in strength as we get closer to the full moon, though. It's likely we'll see what lies at the end of them when the time comes, next week."
"Next week," Tatara repeats. G'raha steps out of the room, and Tatara closes the door behind him. "We'll wake him up next week.
"But before that, we have materials to collect."
Once every wizard is gathered in the lounge, Tatara settles into one of the plush armchairs, clearly too big for him, but absent is any of his silly expressions that might make light of the difference in size here. Instead, with a serious hue in his coral eyes and neatly pressed lilac dress shirt, he looks like he means business.
"Now that the Western wizards are back, we need to share what we've learned with each other. I know some of you have been sharing information privately amongst yourselves, but I think it's time we put all the pieces we have together.
"Everyone encountered a moon stone on their missions, and I think the general consensus is that neutralizing these stones brings the old wizards back physically, somehow. But we haven't received any reports of any of them waking up yet."
That isn't to mention the sage, who still remains missing...ostensibly. They'll get to that in a second.
"If there's anything else you've learned that you think might be related to these things, or to our situation specifically, then speak up now."
For a summary of everything discussed in the meeting, please see this comment. Thank you Mauyn!
When the conversation dies down, Tatara raises his hand to get his attention back on him and G'raha again.
"For the second order of business, I have good news and bad news."
His tone and expression are lighter this time.
"The good news is that we've found a ritual that can send everyone back. There are details we can work out in the meanwhile, especially if you've decided not to go back to your home world, but for now, we need to talk about the ritual itself.
"In order for the ritual to work, we will need rare materials from all over the world. I'll be posting the materials on the job board so you know where to look."
G'raha adds, "We'll need these materials by next week, before the full moon. There's a reason for that, but we'll touch on that in a moment."
Tatara glances at him and nods.
"The ritual is far too powerful for any of us to perform, so we'll have to wait until the old wizards wake up. But...I have a feeling we might be able to do something about that."
When Tatara stands, G'raha follows suit.
"There's one last thing I need to show you."
With a silent gesture, Tatara makes for the door of the lounge and expects everyone to follow. Yes, everyone.
Sage and mentor then lead everyone down the winding corridors of the manor, past an indiscreet door into a wing of the building that has remained relatively untouched. The lights here are off, but the chandeliers and sconces quietly flick on as they make their way down the dust-laden corridors.
Soon, all will notice that the halls they walk through are a mirror image of the residential section of the manor, except it seems no one has lived here for quite a while.
You're led up the stairs, where Tatara and G'raha stop before a door that is a mirror location to Tatara's room on the second floor. A faint energy pulses from inside, one belonging to a person unfamiliar to all.
After an exchanged glance, Tatara pushes open the door and G'raha steps inside. He gestures to the sight at the center of the room: there, on his knees, is a young man. His face is frozen, twisted in panic—in fact, all of him is frozen, and his image practically see-through, just scarcely flickering on the razor-thin edge of existence. He holds his fist high above his head, as though clinging, with dear life, to five faint ethereal threads—yellow, purple, blue, pink, and green—that float in the air above his head. The threads are just as faint as he is, fading before they reach the walls.
"This is the previous sage," Tatara says. "He appeared here a little before the Western wizards returned from their mission. I'm guessing whatever they did to the last moon fragment is related."
G'raha nods. "The sage's soul seems incomplete. Putting him back together may be the key to waking him, and the rest of the wizards, up. However—" he pauses, reaching to gently run a finger over the purple thread. It flickers faintly. "The energy in these threads is too faint to see where they lead. They do seem to grow in strength as we get closer to the full moon, though. It's likely we'll see what lies at the end of them when the time comes, next week."
"Next week," Tatara repeats. G'raha steps out of the room, and Tatara closes the door behind him. "We'll wake him up next week.
"But before that, we have materials to collect."
JOB BOARD
An important note for these tasks is that they are time sensitive. At least one completed thread of each material must be submitted before 11:59 AM EDT, June 22 for the gathering of the materials to be considered successful. Now's the time to coordinate and work together.
Water from the Lost Oasis. Mesa was once a great city of commerce in the southern part of the Central country...the part of the country that is now a vast desert. The city was once lost to the sands, and though it is said to have recently emerged from its sandy grave, it is still rather difficult to find in the desert. It is very easy to get lost, even on broom, so be careful.
Either way, your task is to collect a bottle-ful of water from this barren oasis. Your only choices may be to commune with the spirits to have them to show you a phantasm of what the bustling city was like in its heyday, before it was destroyed, or to brute force dig your way to the ground water. Why here, when there are other oases in the desert? This is an ancient place of power, and the land is special.
The Central spirits here are very old and very picky—Northern wizards beware, as your presence may not be entirely welcome. Acting out may cause the spirits to lash out and cause sandstorms.
Either way, your task is to collect a bottle-ful of water from this barren oasis. Your only choices may be to commune with the spirits to have them to show you a phantasm of what the bustling city was like in its heyday, before it was destroyed, or to brute force dig your way to the ground water. Why here, when there are other oases in the desert? This is an ancient place of power, and the land is special.
The Central spirits here are very old and very picky—Northern wizards beware, as your presence may not be entirely welcome. Acting out may cause the spirits to lash out and cause sandstorms.
The Frozen Oz Root. Named after the world's most powerful wizard, the Oz flower is a brilliant crimson and deathly poisonous. It grows in the vast snowy plains of the North, but it is said to be exceedingly rare, despite how the color of the flower stands out so starkly against the white of the snow. Finding it will not be easy and you will need sharp, tireless eyes.
Despite how beautiful the flower is, that is not what we need. All of the flower's poison is housed in its roots, and we need the poison. However, the most important thing is that the roots remain frozen. Do not let it thaw. Once it thaws, the poison loses the quality we need for the ritual.
Despite how beautiful the flower is, that is not what we need. All of the flower's poison is housed in its roots, and we need the poison. However, the most important thing is that the roots remain frozen. Do not let it thaw. Once it thaws, the poison loses the quality we need for the ritual.
A Storm in a Bottle. It's the fickle quality of the spirits in the Valley of Storms that cause the eponymous storms. They're shy and sensitive, a lot like the Eastern wizards themselves, and don't require a lot of prodding to elicit any sort of reaction from them. Your job is to agitate the spirits in the valley just enough to cause a storm, and to catch that storm, lightning and thunder and rain and all, in a bottle for use in the ritual. Western wizards in particular will have an easy time stressing them out, but be careful not to push the sensitive spirits too far—the valley is also known as the Valley of the Lost for a reason (don't get trapped, please come home!).
In contrast, if you accidentally make the spirits happy, they might take the form of cats instead... Which is nice, but the manor isn't exactly aching for more cats. Just don't get too distracted playing with them if this happens, okay?
In contrast, if you accidentally make the spirits happy, they might take the form of cats instead... Which is nice, but the manor isn't exactly aching for more cats. Just don't get too distracted playing with them if this happens, okay?
Blood of the Last Monster. The Western military and word on the street will tell you that all of the magical monsters in the West have been slain, their mana stones harvested. But is that true, when there has been no word of the death of the mythical tarasque? The legend of the tarasque tells of a large, ancient beast with six bear paws for legs and a massive turtle shell on its back, who slumbers in the depths of a remote ravine among the mountains on the Western Country's northern border. You are to collect a vial of this ancient creature's blood. Nothing more, nothing less.
Be careful not to wake it, and be careful not to kill it. If awakened, there's no telling if anyone would be able to stop a creature of that size and caliber. And if killed, its mana stones would attract all the wrong kind of attention. Besides, doesn't the West still deserve to keep some of its native fauna, magical or otherwise?
Be careful not to wake it, and be careful not to kill it. If awakened, there's no telling if anyone would be able to stop a creature of that size and caliber. And if killed, its mana stones would attract all the wrong kind of attention. Besides, doesn't the West still deserve to keep some of its native fauna, magical or otherwise?
Pestilence Frog Mucus. Though once a plague-ridden bog, the Swamp of Pestilence is now home to a thriving, diverse, and healthy ecosystem. It's now also home to a very rare type of frog, its stunning green, yellow, and blue stripes eye-catching and attractive. However, this frog only emerges from the depths of the bog on a clear twilight after a day of rain in the rainy season...except the Southern rainy season isn't for another few months yet. You don't exactly have the time to wait until then, do you? You'll have to figure out a way to trick the frog into thinking it's the rainy season to lure it out, or dig it out by force... Either way, you'll need at least a vial's worth of this frog's mucus. Make sure the swamp water (or rain water, for that matter) doesn't contaminate it.
OOC NOTES
🌙 Welcome to your final final mingle! It's time to share info and get down to business.
🌙 How do you feel about the bonds you've forged thus far? Was it all worth it?
🌙 Pair guesses are now closed! Thank you and congratulations to all who found their pair!
🌙 A reminder that rewards close at 11:59 PM EDT, June 19, and that includes mission rewards. If you have not submitted rewards for your mission participation yet, then now's your last chance!
🌙 Speaking of time limits, if you missed it above, all materials must be submitted before the finale for the gathering to be considered a success. Plan your time and your threads wisely.
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here. Please note that this plotting post doubles as the sign-up for the finale and final encounter. Read it over carefully and fill out the form if you'd like todieplay.
🌙 Speaking of, what do you think is happening next week...?
KURAPIKA
The cold isn't exactly somewhere that is a wonderful place to be. Regardless it is where he finds himself once more or at all, bundled up all the same in dark furs. He has something like a magical spell as well to help with warmth.
Ah, he has missed squinting at snow for miles on end (not really) ]
...Back in the North once more. Sometimes I wonder if I might become ever the more inclined to becoming a popsicle sooner than later.
[ He's joking, ostensibly... ]
no subject
Shall I send a water spell towards you so you can find out?
[ A joke of his own, its humor debatable. ]
Supposedly we should be able to see this flower against the snow. Let’s hope my affliction doesn’t activate in the middle of our search.
[ what if i roll for it for funsies ]
no subject
[ Why is this joking around so shittily...the world will never find out!! ]
Perhaps it won't. Or at least, one can hope.
[ Can you imagine if Kurapika finds the flower and IMMEDIATELY gets blinded by his affliction before he can tell Jing Yuan where it is? That'd be icing (hah) on the cake. ]
no subject
[ No one ever let these two onstage for comedy night.
Anyway. ]
One of the blessings of it being random is that it's been about a week since I've had it happen. Of course... the downside is that I feel almost overdue for it.
[ The true joys of random, honestly.
Kurapika surveys the area, looking for anything that might stand out against the harsh white of their surroundings. Snow is nearly blinding to look at, so he pulls his sunglasses out from his pocket. ]
no subject
But hey if they had something like that, since Kurapika's involved, you could say it'd be...
...
Comedy Central. Eh? Eh??? ]
Perhaps it means that it has decided to calm down until it's resolved.
[ Jing Yuan's mostly optimistic nature strikes again! But, he does shake his head afterwards, because he has a feeling it is right to be wary of the fact it hasn't struck just yet again.
Anyway, time to nudge aside one bare shrub with one feetie to see if something is hiding behind it. ]
All the same, it is wise to be wary of it striking once more after such a long period of relief. Let us hope for the best but be ready just in case.
no subject
That sounds like a good plan to me.
[ It's all they can really do anyway. Summoning his chains, he pulls out one in particular with a heavy ball on the end. ]
This is my dowsing chain. I can use it to help us track down the general direction of what we're looking for.
[ Kurapika feeds a bit of magic into it, and it moves slightly, swinging towards the southeast (13). ]
It should be in that direction.
no subject
...Ah, that's quite helpful.
I hadn't known you could use your ability in such a manner.
[ Then, he begins to head towards the southeast.
Oh, by the way he is not walking on snow here. He is walking like just a few inches or something above it because he has his walk-on-air boots with him. If he's got the option to not trudge in the snow, he will take it... ]
no subject
[ He likes the people here too much to do that... ]
It was fairly easy to transfer my abilities into the system of magic used in this world, actually. [ He pauses. ] Outside of my Nen beast.
[ Anyway, he's going to be eyeing those shoes of Jing Yuan's as he trudges through the snow with his short little legs. ]
no subject
[ Given that it seems that Kurapika was surrounded by very sus people in general, to put it extremely lightly. ]
...Your Nen beast?
[ What is that supposed to be, even? Too bad he can't wiggle his toes here when Kurapika looks at his boots, and have it be visible because he would've. ]
Ah, have you also taken notice of my footwear? Quite stylish, no?
no subject
That's one word for it.
[ He's just bitter, don't listen to him Jing Yuan. ]
A Nen beast is a creature created from my own aura. [ ... ] Mine is a dolphin. I use it to analyze abilities I've stolen from other people, so I know what I'm doing when I equip it.
[ Because that's... another one of his skills. ]
no subject
Ah, is he jealous of his footwear? Mayhaps he can look into copying these boots somehow because they are fashion wear and Western wizards are better at it...as he's pondering that, he turns his attention back to the comments. ]
A dolphin sounds quite interesting, alongside those other capabilities. Copying abilities can make you quite formidable, after all.
Though, I wonder, can it also attack?
[ Imagine. Dolphin finslapping enemies stupid. They would be fin(ished) ]
no subject
[ So, like, it's pretty OP. ]
no subject
[ Super OP for sure. He can only imagine how many times it must have come in clutch.
Now he's squinting out for the spot of red amongst the white snow; it's only a matter of time, right? ]
no subject
Mm, it's come in handy quite a number of times.
[ And... oh. He thinks he sees something. ]
Is that a spot of red that way?
[ He points. ]
no subject
For teaching people certain lessons, yes?
[ And oh hey, the spot of red! Jing Yuan will make his way on over to it, immediately. There doesn't appear to be a hint of monster happening to hang around, fortunately, and it's in tact, so there's that too. ]
I'll go ahead and see if it is what we're looking for.
[ As he's going ahead to do that, some snowfall happens upon his hair, making him blink. Fortunately it doesn't keep him from narrowing the distance to reveal...
It's a shrimp!
... No just kidding, it's the plant. He'll scoop it up with his bare hands and hold it up triumphantly. ]
no subject
It's too bad he only catches a glimpse of Jing Yuan holding it up triumphantly before he starts to massage his temples. ]
Speaking of my affliction...
[ Guess what's decided to hit now? He at least seems able to manage it, however. ]
I assume that's what we're looking for?
no subject
Seriously speaking indeed of Kurapika's affliction, though, he is kind of wondering when somebody is going to pop up and announce they have a cure, because it can't be forever, right? Or so he hopes, even if it is manageable by now.
Such that it is... ]
Ah, right. What timing for it to act up, I suppose. But, I do have it now.
That said, I think we can afford to wait a little before we head back, and so it passes, no? I recall that the roots need to be kept perpetually frozen for a bit, so just hold on while I also conjure up a fitting spell.
[ Jing Yuan's specialty isn't ice, tending to favor warmer spells in a magical land such as this, but he has practiced it, such as he is able to cast something doable on the roots. He watches the ice form along the targeted area carefully. ]
no subject
Anyway. Kurapika nods, though he's still pressing his fingers to his left temple. ]
If you'd like for some help with that, I can spare a bit of my own magic too. It should only be a few minutes, at least...
[ Sometimes it lasts for a bit longer, but it usually isn't too terribly long before he's back to himself. ]