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lunaecalamitas2024-04-04 11:33 pm
promittere) wrote in 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.
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.
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.
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!
no subject
How much willpower are you putting into it? That's a big part of summoning them.
no subject
[There's a bit of a pout as he contemplates the result -- as though it's not really what he'd been hoping for (well, he sort-of-mostly did it on purpose, but it's true that his magic control here is lacking, so who knows what'll come out next at this rate...?). A snap of his fingers and the tiny broom gets de-summoned.
If there's one thing you can say for toy brooms it's that you can sweep them away quickly--
He seems deep in thought or concentration for a moment.]
Maybe the spirits are really picky about willpower here?? Doesn't it feel like asking a parent for an allowance...
no subject
[ SORRY.....
But jokes(?) aside, he hums in contemplation. ]
Think about what is driving you to summon it at all. Do you have a strong desire to use it?
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[He is not joking. He's dead serious. If this guy doesn't have parents, then maybe he understands Society instead, so they can change the subject. Be in awe of his smooth social skills (no).
He looks down at his palm and back up at Kurapika and cocks his head sort of like a mouse that's caught a whiff of cheese.]
Come to think of it, what were we summoning brooms for again?
no subject
Mainly because he's shocked by that question. ]
...For transportation.
[ Was he not paying any attention? ]
no subject
But since he doesn't know what a class rep is (though, granted, Cid is starting to wonder if the surprised face is about something or if it's just stuck like that), he probably also doesn't know that the most important part of being Mob Student A is only paying attention maybe 50% or 30% of the time.
Socializing in school is all about forcing each other to pay attention to the other 50% or 70%. That's what friends are for. Speaking of which:]
--Oh, right. Riding brooms for finding things, like a scavenger hunt. Hey, did the shortie ever say what we were supposed to be finding? Maybe we can just try climbing...
no subject
He said trinkets, but nothing specific. I imagine it's so that we don't find equivalent items elsewhere.
[ No cheating allowed. Alas. ]
no subject
So, what, did he throw a bunch of his jewelry out there? The guy's surprisingly stylish in his own way...
[Like, he thinks it's a little much! But it goes with the attitude! And maybe they can keep the jewelry after (optimism at its finest). But maybe that's the motivation he needs to...!
BOOMF. There's a bigger broom now. Actually, it's bigger than Cid is tall. The bristles are hitting the ceiling while the broom handle is maybe like a centimeter wide. Hey, it's better than the last attempt. It's more broom-shaped. And shinier, like he might have been thinking about jewels while making it. Ignore that part.]
Oh, it worked. Don't think I can ride this anywhere, but it's a start.
no subject
Kurapika nearly takes a step back at that bigger broom, his eyes widening slightly at its height. Well. Cid certainly delivered on making something bigger. ]
It's progress, definitely. It doesn't look bad either.
[ Aside from, you know, the fact that it's so thin. ]
A shame you'd probably snap it in half trying to ride it.
no subject
[He pokes at the handle of the broom and it bends in a rather unnatural way, probably because of the way it's stuck awkwardly against the ceiling and the floor.]
It helps to have motivation, though!
[Just don't ask about the motivation. Ahem.]
But y'know... can you make one? Maybe we can both fit on one broom... and it'll go faster...
[............... maybe he was here to mooch all along.]
no subject
And how does that help you, exactly? The purpose of the exercise is to learn how to use your broom.
no subject
Oh, it's totally helpful? For one, we can do reconnaissance on what the trinkets are and where they are, just in case we need to adjust our strategy!
Besides, I feel like I'll learn way more from seeing and experiencing a real wizard broom firsthand, instead of whatever this is? [pokes the broom again, it makes an alarming creaking noise] So... please?
[He'll even bow his head all nicely...!]
no subject
He can feel that he's been taken advantage of here, so he frowns as he summons his own broom. ]
Pro populus meus.
[ Into his hand pops a stick swirling with blues and yellows, bright scarlet bristles poking out at the very end of it. It's certainly eye-catching. ]
Just so you know, I'm still working on controlling it.
no subject
Instead he fluidly gets rid of the offending giant broom as soon as the new one pops into existence; now, if only his broom creation were as alacritous as his broom destruction.]
Ooh... You make it look so easy. It's even all color-coordinated.
[Pro populus meus.
"For my people." The incantation can really say a lot about a person; he remembers something like this from his forays into religious fanaticism, actually. Maybe this honor student is actually just a Catholic? It's something to keep an eye on, even if his broom is quite eye-catching.
He really doesn't want to have to deal with more weird missionaries. Cid instead makes sure his gaze is an admiring one, because it is a nice broom.]
But don't worry. I'm the tenacious type.
no subject
Kurapika simply frowns. ]
Really? I had no idea.
[ His tone is flat and full of thinly veiled sarcasm as he mounts his broom that just barely allows him to sit on it, threatening to buck under his hold.
He looks over at Cid. ]
Well? Hurry up.
no subject
[He will take all sarcastic statements as compliments because unfortunately, you can't tell him otherwise while on a flailing broom.
Anyway, apart from standing there being smug for a minute, he gives an emphatic nod and sort of... leaps onto the broom? Tries, anyway. Almost, almost misses, but he manages to snag Kurapika at the last minute and instantly stick to him like a leech. His hold is probably uncomfortable but is very secure.]
Wa-wa-wah-- You weren't kidding! This broom's got so much attitude!
[Just like its owner! It's like the dogs and their owners thing, huh. Cid lets the thing slap him around a bit, because that's part of the fun of this sort of magical study; but in the end, he always manages to stay on. RIP Kurapika, who is now part of the flotation device.]
no subject
You can loosen up your hold, you know.
[ For his sake, please! Though the broom eventually evens out, gently lifting up into the air as Kurapika heads for one of the rooftops. ]
no subject
[Oh, right, they never actually did intros so he has no idea what to call this guy. Eh, it'll keep for when he isn't busy adjusting to broom life. Cid does obligingly loosen his death grip and ridiculous riding posture (he probably looked like a frog doing splits but anyway); now that he's up here it's pretty fun.
Flying this way is interesting, and it's sort of like if he--]
--kind of like trying out somebody else's horse. Hmmm.
[What if he made himself useful. He wasn't planning on it, but it's not a bad thing to see if he can try concentrating magic in his eyes a little bit and other rudimentary techniques. He can just pass it off as eagle vision and see if it sticks.]
I think I seeeee... A glint over there??
no subject
[ Please, that's so different! Or at least, it is to Kurapika. So much so that he turns his head back to say more on that matter when Cid decides to be helpful.
Immediately he turns to look in front of himself again, looking to see if there's anything glinting nearby. ]
...Can you give me a direction?
no subject
[He thinks it's a good analogy, but perhaps it is a good thing they don't have the wherewithal to argue on the broom, whether about horses or anything else.
Cid nods and sort of lines up his arm with one eye..... and points to a nearby rooftop. He makes sure to point slightly left-of-center of where he saw the thing so that there can be plausible deniability. Small details like that are important.]
That one. I can't say it's not just the sun being really strong or some litter, but it's as good a place as any to start.
no subject
But Kurapika nods. ]
It's better than looking around with nothing to go on.
[ Even if this ends up being nothing to go on too, though attempts are better than nothing at all. So, Kurapika accelerates in that direction, and it's smooth sailing right until they get to the rooftop. He loses a bit of control, faltering right above the shingles, essentially dumping them both onto the rooftop. ]
no subject
[Cid rolls around a couple of times mostly for effect and because it really is his first time getting thrown off a broom. He sprawls on the roof and gives an exaggerated groan; the view is pretty nice down to the courtyard and above to the sky, though. He makes a note to come up here more often.]
Wow, you weren't kidding about it being bumpy, but at least a broom can't kick you in the head. I think. [raising a hand just in case the broom gets any ideas] Ahh, now that we're on the roof and I've gotten knocked around a bit it's hard to tell where things are.....
[They are probably right next to the spot, he's just being dramatic.]
no subject
You can collect yourself, then. I'll be looking around.
[ Which is exactly what he sets out to do. ]
no subject
It was definitely more than a slight drop but also Cid is an expert in falling as anyone who has learned any kind of martial art might be, so he is just unscathed. It may also be a product of horseback riding! It just might!!
Anyway, he totally takes Kurapika's offer to bum around a bit more. It's not like he'll go far anyway, and the breeze is nice. He does at least sit up after a moment, though.]
At least they're not so well-hidden they can't be seen from the air, but you have to get the sun just right... Got anything?
[I assume the trinket is either accessories or more clothes or maybe a mirror and not like. A dog toy or something.]
no subject
No, he actually catches a glint of something near Cid. ]
Actually, I see something near you.
[ From here, it looks like a small accessory of some kind. It definitely doesn't belong on a roof. ]
pika looks like a pika mouse in some of his icons and it compels me
crying.... would you believe these are all from the latest arc
the twinkification continues apace, but does it reach his abs
i sure hope not
note to self: amb... is invested... in pika's 8-pack...
NOOOOOOOOO
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