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 you’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
🌙 Welcome to Lunae Calamitas's first event post! Yer a wizard, whether you like it or not.
🌙 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...
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Please keep all your plotting on the plotting post, since not everyone uses discord or plurk.
🌙 The South will be going on their mission next week to get this party started. Keep an eye out, Southies!
chronosynthesis: (❖ Signet of Humility)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2024-04-27 07:46 pm (UTC)(link)
... I'm sorry you have to bear such a burden. [He understands, when one's very nature can make them a monster.] But starving yourself is no solution. Especially not when the need is low enough you can avoid killing anyone to get it.
shortleash: (pic#17120974)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-04-27 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
( ...

He rubs just below an eye with his palm - not teary, not even wet-eyed, but maybe some part of him is, deep in there, too far down to bubble up to the surface. More than anything, he's exhausted by what it means to exist. )


... I guess.

( He exhales, relenting. Not happy, but knowing his petulance won't save himself, or anyone else, in the long run. )

... If there's anyone willing, I'll take only as much as I need. There's no point... if you end up blood-deprived anyway.
chronosynthesis: (❖ Deja Vu)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2024-04-27 09:12 pm (UTC)(link)
Of course. Happy to help. [He shifts back slightly to review the bandage work once more, humming with acceptance.

His gaze flickers to Mika briefly.]
I'm afraid I am not much of a healer otherwise, so I recommend letting someone else take a look at you just to speed up the recovery.
lustro: (009)

[personal profile] lustro 2024-04-27 11:12 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Huh?? ]

I think… that’s a marsh… pillow. No wait, mallow - marshmallow.
positivize: (pic#17104120)

[personal profile] positivize 2024-04-28 12:19 am (UTC)(link)
Not at the moment. I guess it might be possible through magic, but I wouldn't feel safe trying when I'm still a beginner. I mean, who knows if it might overheat or blow up?
dyingtohealyou: ([Smile] other side of the)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-04-28 01:19 am (UTC)(link)
Ohhh, so this is just a you thing.

[Grinning back at that glare.]
chronosynthesis: (❖ Temporal Enchanter)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2024-04-28 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
Hm, it is farther than I would be able to teleport even if my usual magic was working... but let me try.

[He draws his sword, pointing it up with focus.] Semper Anticus.

[And Syrlya teleports.

One foot forward.]
dadsandals: (yama52)

[personal profile] dadsandals 2024-04-28 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, you see...

I rolled a 12, which means that Yamato also manages to teleport with Syrlya.
]

Good night.

[ And there he goes, up towards the mysterious object in the sky, next to Syrlra. No, he's not freaking out because they're high up in the air, what are you talking about. ]

Uh.... H-haha...is this gonna be okay?
chronosynthesis: (❖ Deja Vu)

[personal profile] chronosynthesis 2024-04-28 03:22 am (UTC)(link)
You won't know until you ask. [He looks aside.] Though... perhaps not the ones who were recently injured. I am sure something can be worked out.

[Syrlya would offer, if not for the very obvious issue of "does not have animal blood".]
positivize: (pic#17104091)

[personal profile] positivize 2024-04-28 04:15 am (UTC)(link)
[The way he talks about himself seems so full of contradictions, with how he calls himself a monster in one breath and then argues for the living in the next. And while she won't pretend that people didn't get hurt here, she doesn't think it's as black and white as he's making it out to be.

Him or everyone else.

But they're also here--talking, communicating. Even if he isn't human, there's no doubt in her mind that she's speaking to another person. And when things involve another person, it's never that simple.]


It's not about putting your life over someone else's... It's about giving you the same chance as everyone else. You have the right to be here too... And if you won't believe that, then listen to the people who want to give you that chance.

[Maybe that's presumptuous, hell, even reckless to say when she's hardly checked in with everyone else about their opinions. Still, she wants to believe that the lack of hostility in the room is a good sign. Even if some might not be happy about the situation, she's hoping it means that no one's eager to jump to any impromptu executions either.]

If it happens again, then I'll stop you. But before that, let's focus on finding a solution so it won't happen again... Okay?
dyingtohealyou: ([Sweat] was transparent every day)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-04-28 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
...It can blow up?!
fullspbar: (16)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-04-28 05:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Huh. What. What?? That's distracting enough he momentarily forgets getting mauled, shooting Khun a bewildered look with drink in hand. What have you been doing, sir...

He's just gonna. Not address that. ]


You do you.

[ At least in that vein, they're the same; looking on the bright side isn't really his thing, either. ]

It's better than nothing, and alright for something homemade. [ He's being real...flavor's pretty decent. ] We just gotta make do, since we don't have much of a choice. If I had to choose, though, I could go for the ramen place back where I come from.

[ Interesting topic while he's...bleeding everywhere, but you know. ]
revengier: (104)

[personal profile] revengier 2024-04-28 05:46 am (UTC)(link)
Ah. You managed it.

[ He doesn't sound particularly surprised, though. Some people do better if they need an argument to counter, after all. ]
fullspbar: (96)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-04-28 08:33 am (UTC)(link)
[ Listen...he's practically a highschool dropout. He hasn't attended class in over a year. The idea of studying in any sort of capacity doesn't exactly thrill him, especially at the moment with his...circumstances.

Figures she doesn't know either. An aggravated sigh slips out, before he finally gives a begrudging nod. ]


Might as well get it over with.

[ So dramatic... ]

Pretty sure it has to be the second or first floor, at least. Wouldn't put a damn library that high up...

[ It's time for an adventure, he supposes. ]
fullspbar: (119)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-04-28 08:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ He has no idea at what point they started getting philosophical, but he's not sure he likes how easy the thoughts come, muddled as they are. This guy's got issues of his own, he thinks, that aren't any of Shinjiro's business-

But, maybe he's a bit grateful for the distraction. Just a bit.

Ginger gets up, and he thinks that's it, he can go back to the deafening silence. Not in any position to leave, he does seem surprised when the other man comes back, even moreso with a towel in hand.

There's a beat of silence, a suspicious stare, then he slowly takes it. ]


...Thanks, I guess.

[ But it's somewhat relieving, when he wipes the blood off his hands. It still feels stuck under his fingernails, clinging to his skin under his clothes, but this helps. ]
fullspbar: (86)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-04-28 08:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ Not that he's constantly picking a fight himself, but you doesn't have much of an option when you're being chomped like a fruit off the vine. Really, the bruises the other's gonna have on his face are mild in comparison to Shinji's neck looking like a kid failing to stick the straw in their capri sun. ]

The latter. [ A tug at his sleeve at he follows that glance to Tatara, grimacing at the way the cloth sticks to his skin. ] That idiot was way too worried for someone bleedin' out all over the damn floor.

[ He can't really be pissed at him for that, per-say, but a bit of self-preservation would have been nice. ]

I had to yank him off him. That should tell you enough.
fullspbar: (17)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-04-28 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
I don't got much of a sweet tooth. But you do you.

[ Snacks are alright here and there, but he's a voracious eater, so he'll stick to big meals. ]

Well, 's good you're not picky. Something tells me there's gonna be a big difference in types of cuisine around here...
dyingtohealyou: ([Sweat] my feeling of unease)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-04-28 09:32 am (UTC)(link)
We've got people from different worlds, apparently... who knows if there's even any overlap in dishes.

[Honestly just the whole "different worlds" part was wild enough, adding in "different tech/times," on top of that, so the thought of adjusting to completely different food is... less weird than the rest but still yet another layer of a big difference he's just got to figure out how to Be Okay with.]
jorunna: (comet14)

[personal profile] jorunna 2024-04-28 09:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hopefully it won't be too bad. Comet knows and likes some Japanese cuisine as a bonus. Not all of them (natto is a crime), but they liked homemade stuff. ]

Your welcome. I'll try my best.

[ They pull away the towel with a small smile. Sorry Shinji, you'll have to learn magic to fix your shirt and coat, unless you'd even think to replace them. But skin looks healed as they check, and they're satisfied. ]

Were you trying to protect Tatara? He's either unlucky or tried to intervene like it's a sage's job.

[ Being a sage in itself might just be unlucky... but so might might be being an Eastern Wizard! Perceiving Shinjiro/Castor's luck stat. ]
lighthaus: (4)

[personal profile] lighthaus 2024-04-28 04:54 pm (UTC)(link)
Hmm, I'll probably pass then.

[ that is not a way to sell your fellow chef shinji!

khun nods, ostensibly at the tomatoes but also at the rest of what's been said. ]


What's your favorite dish? Out of curiosity.

lighthaus: (1)

[personal profile] lighthaus 2024-04-28 04:58 pm (UTC)(link)
[ don't worry about it, it's Fine. ]

Saying it like that makes it sound like it's a request for a last meal, you know. [ it's amusing, which might be why khun finally takes it upon himself to cast a healing spell. it's the only one he's casted tonight since everyone else bleeding out is not his problem. ]
jokey: (GFoSweI)

[personal profile] jokey 2024-04-28 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
You're asking me to reveal my secrets?

[How does he phrase this...?]

In a word, "fantastical". I wouldn't rely on me too much on the battlefield, because all my best techniques came to me in my dreams.
jokey: (V5ifP9Q)

[personal profile] jokey 2024-04-28 05:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, that... that would be great.

[Maya? You're scaring him. He'll never hit on you again if you promise not to take to the tabloids and flame his ass in the Wizard Herald. On the subject of special someones waiting for him back home, Akira shakes his head.]

Not really, but who knows? Maybe love will find me in the magical world of... wherever this is. [Points at Maya,] But if it does, don't misrepresent the facts in your next article. Wizard love is pure and wholesome and nothing to gossip about.
annihilator: (➤ 58)

[personal profile] annihilator 2024-04-28 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Might as well, yeah? No sense in not workin' together.

[this is very funny considering all the norths.]
jorunna: (comet14)

[personal profile] jorunna 2024-04-28 10:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ WAIT IS THAT HOW THE GACHA WORKS TOO—

THAT'S SO MANY ROCKS TOO FOR DRESSED UP BLORBOS ]


Do you have a lot of stones to do that?