promittere: (Default)
lunae calamitas mods ([personal profile] promittere) wrote in [community profile] lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm

if you say it's magic, then you're my wizard

WANING GIBBOUS OVERTURE
The seconds tick by, the elevator rattles. There's a soft, musical chime announcing your arrival before the elevator doors creak open, leaving you and a number of others in the courtyard of a stone manor. The manor is large, looming over the trees surrounding it, and the gardens are well maintained, rows of hedges and beds of blooming flowers as far as you can see. The doors linger open until you clear the threshold, as if waiting patiently for you. Dawdle too long and youโ€™ll feel a gentle push, nudging you out into the yard. The doors shut with more rattles and a cheerful ding!, and if you turn to look at it there's nothing to be seen behind you but the milling strangers.

Then there's a sting, mild at first. But soon, the spot where your sage's crest is starts to burn. It's as though you have been branded, and the searing heat clings to your skin. Should you look at your crest, you'll find it glows a faint red, like the dying embers of a fire, but given enough time it will cool to black and no longer hurt.

Once the pain fades, you notice is that the air around you feels distinctly different. It's hard to say exactly what makes it different, or how. It feels brittle, but malleable. That perhaps if you said or did the right thing, you could command reality to your liking—

The wind blows, stirring leaves and flowers, and that's when you notice there are two people in the courtyard that did not emerge from the elevator like everyone else. The taller of the two looks briefly shocked, before a warm smile blots it out, while the shorter of the two looks remarkably unimpressed—for as much as you can make out his expression under the large hat he wears. He glances at the taller man, the charms that hang from his hat clinking, and crosses his arm over his chest.

The taller man nods, turns to the group, and says, "Sorry. I know you were probably in the middle of something important. But...I need you. My name is Tatara Totsuka. I'm your sage, and you are my witches and wizards."

He looks up to the moon hanging in the sky, still pale and visible despite the light of day, and lays it all out for you: a wizard under the sage's guidance is supposed to fight off the Great Calamity—the moon—when it nears. But you are not meant to carry out this task. The original sage and twenty-one wizards suddenly vanished not long ago. No one knows what happened to them, or where they are. They aren't dead. They are gone.

That you are here, that there are so many of you, that you came from different worlds, means that this is a mistake. Something, somewhere, isn't right. Yet the world has decided to claim you in a frantic attempt to keep itself together.

This world is breaking. If you don't fix this, then you'll be stuck here fighting the Calamity yourselves.

When Tatara looks back down to the rest of you, there's a smile on his face, tinged with apology. "But I think it'll be okay. We'll figure this out... Right?"

The golden light of sunset is oddly cold. It settles over you not in a welcoming embrace, but in a possessive hold. There is a sinking feeling in your gut: whatever your home was before matters no longer. Welcome to a world on the brink of destruction—let's hope it's not for good.


The day begins to draw to a close. You're given the rest of the day to process Tatara's words and to familiarize yourselves with the manor. There are plenty of empty spaces in the manor with sparse furniture where you can rest and try to unwind, and hopefully get some sleep. Everything about today might be a lot to unpack, but surely you can at least relax and prepare for the next day.

The morning starts with the sound of bells. A cacophonous racket of them, ringing in your rooms, in your head, jolting you from whatever slumber you can grasp. The source seems to be a note, unassuming if not for the way it shakes with each toll of the bells, and the noise only stops when you read it.

"Go to the courtyard," it says, and if you try to ignore it the noise returns, growing louder and louder until your vision swims and you find yourself standing in the courtyard with everyone else—and the shorter of the two men from yesterday.

"Practice starts right now," he says, looking bored and just as unimpressed as he did yesterday. The sun has barely started over the horizon—it's early, almost absurdly so. "You need to learn magic sooner instead of later, unless you want to die like miserable worms. If you do, just quit now so we can replace you with someone useful."

His explanation on magic is brief—he explains that magic is a deal struck between caster and the spirits of the world, using a meaningful word or phrase to communicate your will to the as-of-yet unseen spirits of the world, who will respond to your desires and power your magic. A focus, an object of significant meaning, will help strengthen your ties to the land and direct the magic for your spells. If you have nothing that would work as a focus right now, he says, chances are the perfect thing will find you anyways.

While he looks unhappy to do so, he emphasizes that magic—as it works here—is all tied to your emotions and your convictions, and then he assigns you a challenge for the week. He wants you to come up with your incantation—the words you'll use to cast all of your magic—as well as find or draw forward your focus, with the final task being summoning a magic broom you'll use for transportation.
Threading out magic practice and ICly discovering your characters' magic words, manifesting their foci, and summoning their broom will count as three different jobs, and will be eligible for a set of rewards each. While not technically classified as a job this time around, this is a special circumstance. When you've accomplished any of these things, please submit them to the rewards page as a job submission.

If you're having trouble coming up with a focus or incantation, think about your answers for the first and third mandatory questions on your app! Your focus of choice does not have to be in your character's inventory—if what works best for them as a focus did not come with them, then they can focus and reach across universes to bring it here with them.

JOB BOARD
You may have just gotten here, but people across the continent still need the sage's wizards to do things for them. The job board will typically have 2 - 3 requests each event that can be turned in for rewards when completed.
Sugar delivery. Confectionery shops and pharmacies put in regular orders for wizard sugar to the manor, and despite the unusual circumstances, now is no different. Wizard sugar—sugar spontaneously created through a wizard's magic—is said to have restorative properties and said to bless those that consume it, so it's no wonder it's in high demand. It also happens to be one of the first things young wizards learn to do. So once you've perfected your sugar, go deliver it to the shops in Central capital and to the Southern merchants waiting for shipment near the Central tower.

The Southern merchants, in particular, seem rather anxious to receive as much sugar as possible, as soon as possible.

WANDERER TASKS
The wizards' new mentor knows that this must be an incredibly overwhelming experience, so he has a list of things that should help break down the process of learning and understanding magic. Or that's what he says, at least, but it feels like he's trying to make things more difficult...
Nobody is going to hold your hands for you, and the best way to learn is to understand the root cause of an issue. Use that paper being left around for something actually useful and do some research on the spirits of the countries you've been tasked to represent. I'll be expecting some actual thought out papers within the week.

For the idiots who can't research to save their lives, prove you can actually manage the bare minimum. There's a spot you can't reach without magic within the manor grounds—bring me one of the trinkets you find there.

For the even bigger idiots who are overconfident, come find me and we can spar. I won't go easy on you.

TATARA ACTIVITIES
Tatara knows things are tense and uncomfortable for his new wizards, so he'll offer up a few activities each event post to help them relax if things get too tough.
We're all new here, but we'll be friends before long, I know it! There's a table in the dining room with paper, pens, markers, glitter, and pins so we can all make name tags and get to know each other better. We'll go from strangers to neighbors to besties before you know it!

Oh, you should probably get a feel of the manor, too. This IS your new home, after all! And what better way than...hide and seek?! Sounds fun, right? I'd tell you MY favorite spot to hide, but then that wouldn't be fair!

I don't know how long we're going to be here, so it probably wouldn't hurt to settle in. Grab a friend or two and head to the market in the Central capital to stock up on whatever food you like and stuff for your room. May as well get comfortable!

OOC NOTES
๐ŸŒ™ Welcome to Lunae Calamitas's first event post! Yer a wizard, whether you like it or not.
๐ŸŒ™ While not technically jobs, ICly working out your character's focus, incantation, and broom are all separately eligible for rewards. Good luck on your basics, little wizards! You'll need them...
๐ŸŒ™ Your OOC plotting post is here! Please keep all your plotting on the plotting post, since not everyone uses discord or plurk.
๐ŸŒ™ The South will be going on their mission next week to get this party started. Keep an eye out, Southies!
lighthaus: (028)

[personal profile] lighthaus 2024-04-19 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
If all you have is brute strength in the Khun family, you'll be dead before you turn thirteen. Like you said, strength isn't everything, but real power is more than that.

[ a shrug. ]

Not that Khun Eduan cares about that either. He doesn't even attend the annual fights, they're organized by his wives to keep order in the family.
1145pm: (pic#16970046)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-04-19 04:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He smiles, somewhat thankful... It's hard to tell if that was intentional or not (sylvari bullyin). ]

All right.

[ Tatara smiles, genuine and beaming. ]

I might. But I'll try not to. Come to me if you need anything, okay?
1145pm: (pic#16970063)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-04-19 04:38 pm (UTC)(link)
It's nice to meet you, Uncle Kiryu.

[ He's uncle now. Sorry! He's always wanted an uncle.

Tatara tilts his head a little further, his eyes sharpening as he studies the older man. ]


Can I ask you something?
1145pm: (pic#17103101)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-04-19 04:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe they can talk about visions and the future and bad choices someday together. When they know each other a little better. ]

Yeah. I'll keep it in mind.

[ He's not seriously discounting Bruno's warnings, but he wants to think of him favorably more than anything else. ]

I'm glad you stopped by, Uncle Bruno.

[ sorry...... he needs to call him uncle or else he'll explode, ]
1145pm: (pic#17103120)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-04-19 04:46 pm (UTC)(link)
But you don't feel like that right now.

[ He studies Phil's face, taking in all that unhappiness. There must be the worry, yes. But if he doesn't feel those things, then... Maybe it's okay?

Genuinely, Tatara has no idea how any of this—how being ripped from worlds—works.

Phil can tell him no, of course. Tatara's just trying to help. ]
fellheart: (ะฝe'll ะผaฤธe yoฯ… anyั‚ะฝฮนng)

[personal profile] fellheart 2024-04-19 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
[ a sigh, in parts both genuinely amused and more wryly so. ]

You spend them so freely, and yet still you can be so earnest about it.

[ what a fascinating nature. uncharitable in opinion toward others, because he hears that deafening lack of response, and yet. Robin's eyes shutter for a prolonged moment, a blink that goes long, before the flicker of his gaze through the corner of his eyes finds Ginger once more. ]

You care too much for only a select few and little for anything else, you said before, but if this is your lack of care... then I wonder how those who actively spurn the world rate.
troublereduction: (pic#17028974)

[personal profile] troublereduction 2024-04-19 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maybe someone should, for all Day knows, but he doesn't feel like he's really one to talk when he showed up the first night covered in blood himself. ]

I can try callin' for one? [ Since Mika really does expect to get chewed out here. And...honestly, even though Mika isn't injured, it's clear to Day he isn't really okay either. ]
jorunna: (comet05)

sips some of the juice

[personal profile] jorunna 2024-04-19 06:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Comet has a damp towel to offer Ginger. It has healing magic imbued in it if needed! ]

A... Feeding frenzy...
impacter: (051)

[personal profile] impacter 2024-04-19 06:28 pm (UTC)(link)
Did I imply I wasn't human?

[Wow, first people calling him old and now people asking what he is? His ego sure is going through the ringer.]

That said, yes, I'm human. You're definitely not the first person to ask me that, though.
fallingsand: (86;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2024-04-19 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
The latter, absolutely the latter. Julieta can heal folks, Pepa can control the weather, and then all the kids are like... super strength or shapeshifting or talking to animals. It's a pretty random mix.
Edited 2024-04-19 18:49 (UTC)
fellheart: (gฮนve ะผe yoฯ…r eye)

[personal profile] fellheart 2024-04-19 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course not. No one willingly becomes a monster, even if some may later go on to embrace it after it is chosen for them.

[ monsters are made, whether by circumstance or others' actions, and if chosen it is by those who have little other recourse. ]

But denying yourself to the point where you lose yourself to it is hardly an improvement. If you're in control of yourself now, then you can act to manage it properly.

To that end, how much do you need regularly?
themanwhoerasedhisname: (1)

[personal profile] themanwhoerasedhisname 2024-04-19 06:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Questions usually go paired with booze but fine, go ahead. I'll let it slide.

[That definitely was a joke of some sort. He's dropping more of those these days]
fallingsand: (56;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2024-04-19 06:59 pm (UTC)(link)
[ There he goes. Bruno is startled by the speed at which Yodarha zooms off, boggling after him a second. ]

...huh, well, he's excitable...

[ Of course, the giant bowl he returns with earns a second boggling. Oh dear. Bruno will pour his own handful of sugar into the bowl. ]

Huh, that was fast. [ He didn't even have a chance to follow him to the kitchen! So speedy. ] I guess we should get the rest of this filled up, yeah?
fallingsand: (27;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2024-04-19 07:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Everyone needs to wear bells for poor Bruno's heart. Contact Mr. Tatara Sage to make a rule about this. ]

I dunno. That lil' guy seemed pretty intense about us getting something figured out. Which is weird? How can anyone that little and cute be so serious?

[ Wanderer is like a pouty kitten with a big hat, for real. ]
fallingsand: (17;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2024-04-19 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That sounds ominous. Why does that sound so ominous? ]

Uh, but wouldn't everyone with powers mean everyone can do more to, like, make things... better? 'cause that's what they're for?
fallingsand: (62;)

[personal profile] fallingsand 2024-04-19 07:15 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, yeah... it did. I guess. I dunno, maybe it isn't that bad if it means I can do somethin' useful with it now.

[ It's still uncomfortable, if only a little. He can hope that feeling fades with time. ]

Y'know, like, maybe we just look at it that way? As turning something bad into something good?
shadowkin: (DEF: the aho in ahoge)

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-04-19 07:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh snap, he wouldn't have clocked Malice as squeamish! It takes all kinds!!]
shadowkin: (012)

1/2

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-04-19 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh hey it's Mika!! When did he get here, since Cid didn't even see him leave nor get back in because blood and flailing healers is a pretty distracting time. He's been rifling in the cabinets for first aid kits, probably...... I don't know where the manor keeps them either.]

Isn't the guy with the hat one of the ones needing a first aid kit? Wouldn't he already--
shadowkin: (007)

2/3

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-04-19 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh wait. Hang on. Hang on hang on hang on.

Please hold for very nearly visible buffering animation happening over his head as he looks from Mika (bloody) to pileup (bloody) and healers (now also bloody). Back and forth! Back and forth!! Hm.

L O A D I N G. . . .]
shadowkin: (005)

3/3

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-04-19 07:31 pm (UTC)(link)
Dude. Just how hungry were you??

[And much more importantly:]

They're not going to turn into ghouls, right.
troublereduction: (pic#17020437)

[personal profile] troublereduction 2024-04-19 07:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Those two things ain't mutually exclusive, I can tell you that much.

[ Said in the knowing tone of someone who unfortunately has personal experience. ]
shortleash: (pic#17077610)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-04-19 07:42 pm (UTC)(link)
( Unfortunately, he doesn't disagree on either point, as much as he wants to be stubborn. He understands logic, and it leaves him frustrated with no outlet.

He's quiet, briefly. )


... I can get by on a tiny bit every three days.

( The same way a human can get by on a tiny snack once a day... they'd probably not feel great and they'd probably still be hungry, but it'll keep them up. )

A larger amount every day is what... other vampires always recommended. I don't know exactly how much, since I've never fed regularly, but... it shouldn't be a lot.
shadowkin: (Default)

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-04-19 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh. That's too bad.....

[Annnnd Maintenance Detective Cid hangs up his hat before he's even put it on his head! It's a record-breaking career of negative three minutes!! Granted, he's disappointed but he doesn't know how into this thing Tatara is so he's just like, I guess he forgot he had a camcorder when he got here and got walloped in the face with WIZARDS and MAGIC.

Normal people (sic) tend to do that, probably. He's more focused on the camcorder itself, even if it really isn't giving him much response. Maybe he'll need to figure out a way to really get into the battery and not just the camera itself. Targeted... mana stones... now he's muttering to himself when the battery gets popped out.]

It's really small... So if we're assuming the rest of this thing is okay, I probably just need to get this battery thing working again.

[Maybe what he really needs is a conduit instead of direct magic slapping???]

... Or we could shove a mana stone into the camera and see.
shortleash: (pic#17120974)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-04-19 07:51 pm (UTC)(link)
( He grimaces slightly at the first question, but it's somewhat offput because the next one confuses him. Must be a weird feature of how vampires work in his world...? Sounds awful. )

... No. Humans can... get fed on by vampires without it doing anything to them.

( Well, there can be a sense of shame, but... Other than that, )

As long as they recover from their injuries and blood loss, they'll be fine.
1145pm: (pic#16970053)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-04-19 07:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Tatara chuckles quietly at that. Is he right, then? He's right, right? ]

What kind of job did you have where you came from?

[ He shifts, bracelets clinking quietly, earring glinting softly in the light of the dining hall. His necklace is visible beneath the undone buttons of his shirt—he may not act like it, but this is someone who's lived at the fringes of society, too. ]

You can be honest with me.