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

[promittere]

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!

» NAVIGATION

Comments

[fellheart]

elevator ride arrival

[ not the halls of plegia castle, not the dragon's table. there's at least one possibility that flits briefly into mind before quickly being discarded, because who would dare be so brazen as to attempt to abduct him with any manner of warp spell? and moreover, who would actually manage it, give his resistance to such magic if performed without a willing target?

so whatever this is, it is a feat beyond a simple mortal trick. especially considering how outlandish and mismatched some of the others in the room seem. really now...

he doesn't quite hiss when the brand carves itself onto his skin— somewhere covered up by the layers of dark clothing he's wearing, but the location of the burn has him swallowing down the beginnings of a derisive scoff; what, did some entity out there think it would be funny or ironic for there to be a matched set, as it were? pity the other half's long gone now.

anyway, before, during, and after the explanations are all given, robin will be at the periphery of their impromptu gathering, reserved and evaluating. if it appears he's examining you and sizing you up, watching your reactions to the goings-on... yes he is, and not bothering to disguise it in the least. he is not, it seems, inclined to start the conversation first. ]

there are better times to take a nap than the morning, you know,

[ he has no intention of slacking or simply sleeping in, mind, considering he has no want to stay here and be forcefully claimed by a fate and a world that doesn't belong to him, but also, his idea of progress is holing up with a pile of books somewhere.

not being magically hauled unceremoniously to the courtyard for ... basic communion with spirits at the crack of dawn, apparently. this probably colors his mood for the following lesson and all interactions following, but he does take in and acknowledge the words spoken, sharp and attentive, and... well. ]

The foci used here must be tokens of some significance to us, do they? How very ... convenient, for those of our number who still cling to such things.

[ as for those of them who don't really possess much in the way of worldly possessions, much less ones with any particular sentimental value or importance attached, and don't care much to change that... hm.

what are they supposed to do, suddenly decide that a random pen or glove or brooch is now of the utmost importance to them? somehow he doubts it's that simple. ]

training........ not quite galvanized...

i.
[ their 'mentor' does have a point, because if they've been cut off from what they were capable of before in this new world and have to relearn and adjust to whatever mechanisms are present here, then better to do so sooner rather than later. if others would rather put it off, it's not his business to correct the failings of worms. ensure your own position is sound, first.

which might be easier said than done, because as he makes an idle attempt at a spell he knows quite familiarly... there's no doubt in his bearing, nothing less than full assurance as he declares the words in a language unfamiliar to any present, and in response lightning heeds his call, tracing out the form of a jagged, flickering 'blade' in his hand...

and yet he seems dissatisfied. with a shake of his head and a sigh, he lets the magic dissipate. ]

... The spirits of this world resonate best with a language that isn't the Ancient Language that I'm familiar with, don't they.

[ it's better than nothing, but this kind of showing is also not remotely up to his standards. on the one hand, problem probably identified. on the other, actually doing something about it... ]

ii.
[ he's in the library, as is the natural habitat of nerds. he's got so many books around him, as is the natural state of nerds. unfortunately for him, language barriers are real and they are menacing the non-Earth natives resident in the manor at this very moment. it's him, he's not an earthian.

he appears to have sorted some of his collection by language based on what he can glean of repeated words and which ones do and don't use the same ones, but that's... really only kind of a start... which he seems fully aware of, huffing out a breath as he works. ]

Honestly, why did these sages utilize such different writing systems... Different cultures and worlds, or is one form just a more archaic script...?

[ ... he's like, probably comparing japanese and some romance language here.

offer help? laugh at his struggles? bother him? ask him why he's actually putting this much effort into it?

(it's because he's shit at backing down from a challenge, and that's what these books and the language barrier present in them are now. a challenge. rip.) ]

wildcard!

[ you know what this is, this is the anything goes slot! hit me up on plotting, slide into my dms, or just throw something of your own at me and we'll see where we can take things! ]

foci!

[lustro]

And you don’t?

[ Ginger hasn’t found his own focus yet. It’s hard to think about himself in any way but negative right now (always) and that certainly isn’t helping him learn magic any. ]

[fellheart]

The things I carry serve practical uses, and nothing more. Certainly nothing quite so grand as what they're looking for, unless this place's definition of 'significant' differs from the one I'm familiar with.

[ and who knows, maybe it does. but regardless, this is what their starting point is, given the explanation they were given. ]

[lustro]

Well, everyone is different, right?

[ Unfortunately. ]

So I assume it depends on what you consider “good enough.” I don’t know if it needs to go deeper than that. Some people… [ He considers his words before continuing. ]… don’t really feel much.

Foci

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

If they expected to use something I own as this focus thing, they should have brought me along with it.

[Kiryu knows many here arrived with items on them, yet Kiryu had nothing! He's empty-handed, and therefore no focus. Too bad]

[fellheart]

He did say that that supposedly, something would probably end up finding us if we didn't have anything appropriate...

I don't know. Doesn't that sound a little contrived?

[ what might happen in a week for something they randomly find within that time to be considered significant enough to them for this? ]

[themanwhoerasedhisname]

Nothing comes to you that easily. It's not like you'll wave your hand-- [Which he demonstrates, and a piece of paper appears on it] --ah.

[He looks at the contents]

...I think I found my focus.

[Well that was easy! Contrived as all hell but if it works, it works]

arrival (here-ish)?

[lighthaus]

[ listening to whatever's being said is only half of the actual conversations going on at any gathering, really. that might be why as soon as robin's gaze flicks over in the direction of khun, he's met near instantly with a flat blue stare back.

hello there.

khun says nothing, the rest of his posture casual, both hands in his pockets and seemingly relaxed. his eyes though, tell another story. but for now he doesn't approach, but robin has been Noticed. there'll be time for introductions later, eh? ]

[fellheart]

[ the Noticing is in turn Noticed. hello, we sure are aware of each other here, aren't we?

truly, there will apparently be time for introductions and then some, considering the tasks this sage of theirs seems to have set for them...

in any case, if khun wants to approach him in the manor somewhere at any time after the meet and greet, robin won't turn him away. likewise, if khun wants to leave it be, robin also won't seek him out. ]

[lighthaus]

[ any time is about a day later or so, but they've been busy. khun will walk over with a wave and friendly smile, a complete 180 from the glance he gave robin the other day. ]

Hey there!

training........ not quite galvanized... (i);

[foresightis2020]

It seems so. Or...perhaps, you simply have not found the right group of spirits that do resonate with such a language?

[ Thinking outside of the box never hurts.

In fact, it is a crucial part of strategy. Buuuut, it really could also just be Occam's Razor, which would be rather unfortunate, really. ]

[fellheart]

If I ever do, then they might have had to travel a long ways indeed, considering we've been told that this is a world entirely different from any of ours.

[ if one doesn't disbelieve their hosts, in any case, but for the time being it isn't as if playing skeptic actually nets them anything of use. ]

[foresightis2020]

Yes, this world is certainly different from my own.

[ Jing Yuan simply says, already noting the differences from the Xianzhou Alliance; it is sincerely like night and day in certain respects, including technology level. ]

Well, there's more than enough time to essentially get a hang of things, hm?

foci

[revengier]

It's quite the task when we're all still reeling from being taken from our homes, isn't it?

[ How can he even think about what he finds sentimental right now, when he's so focused on going back home? ]

But you really don't have anything on you that you could consider using?

[fellheart]

My tome and sword are but tools; useful ones, perhaps, but I'd hardly feel more for them than I would the boots on my feet.

[ robin might not necessarily be in a rush to go home, but he certainly has no desire to be drafted to fight someone else's wars for them. pity that for now, cooperation while they learn more seems the best way forward. ]

It is what the tome is meant for, though. [ serving as an amplifier for channeling magic, that is. ] Perhaps I should be attempting to ascribe more value to it now, since we're in this situation?

[ can you manufacture the kind of significance needed on demand. ]

training-ii

[discomposer]

Huh~? I know some of this stuff is archaic, but isn't that just plain Japanese?

[ And not even anything that he thinks is that hard to read, like some kind of old poetic way of talking. It's maybe a bit old fashioned, but Leo can understand what he's looking at, anyway...?

...Why's in the library when he doesn't care about studying? He's looking for fictional books. Help. ]

[fellheart]

[ completely seriously: ]

I don't know what 'Japanese' is.

training ii, but being completely fucking useless

[shadowkin]

[He is also in the library, but for the most part can be found snoring loudly without any real attempt to look at the books. His book pile is maybe like, one or two books, but perhaps it's for the best that he's not hogging any useful books away from the actual studious nerds in here.

After all, every library needs that one annoying fella that you can't quite kick out because he's just sort of there, but you still kind of want to kick him. Feel free to kick him at any point.]

Hrmhrm?? [yawn] Isn't it kinda like us? I'm guessin' the Sages are like, everybody here that got clapped together into this whole... moon... thing.

[He pauses to yawn again and make vague gestures that don't look like anything. Maybe like he's trying to conduct a very tiny orchestra on the tabletop.]

Not that I've found anything in Midgar's writing. Guess I'm the pioneer...

[fellheart]

Well, are are supposedly all from different worlds. Statistically speaking it's probably surprising enough that several of us actually understand the writings left behind here.

[ like playing the dimensional lottery ... really though, what is it with the multiple people here who can read things like 'english' or 'japanese.' do realms based on that particular world just outnumber the ones based on others? ]

There must have been a pattern to the Sages prior to this, though. Otherwise, why bother writing anything down at all if one's successors shouldn't be expected to be able to read it?

foci!

[positivize]

I'm not sure "convenient" is the word I'd choose... it'd be one thing if we had a heads up before we got pulled here, but having all of this dumped on us now doesn't really make it easier.

[Sure, there are a couple potential items that come to mind, but none of them are with her, so is she just stuck playing scavenger hunt?]

[fellheart]

True. It almost makes one wonder what the ... recruitment drive, so to speak, might have looked like had there been any. Why, out of all of the people that might exist across all of our worlds and then some, were we the ones summoned by whatever ritual they used?

They clearly weren't aiming for mages of already existing strength, or people who were prepared for it.

foci

[troublereduction]

And you're saying you ain't one of them?

[ Half-rhetorical, since he doubts this guy would have brought it up if it weren't the case. ]

[fellheart]

I am.

[ it's easy enough to answer, anyway. he has no reason to hide these particular facts. ]

I don't count many things among my belongings, and what I do possess all serves more practical purpose than sentimental.

foci

[shortleash]

( Mikaela shrugs. )

If it's a flexible definition, I might try to use my sword. ( The one at his hip; his hand rests on the rapier's hilt, idly. ) It's not like it's special to me. But it's reliable. That might be enough.

( That sounds a little lukewarm. But Mika seems to be in a similar boat as his neighbor: no particular sentimental attachments to much of anything. Finding his weapon something constant and dependable seems close enough, even if its origins displease him.

But maybe that would work acceptably enough for those of them short on heartfelt feeling. )

[fellheart]

I seem to find myself in a similar position. I have a tome that ... serves me in practical usage only, and a sword that's more of the same.

[ maybe in hands other than his the tome would represent something that he would rather not remember, but in his hands, it's inconsequential. of course his destiny belongs to him. that is his truth: he is fate, the inevitable conclusion that awaits.

(there was no other way, no running from it. this purpose was his to choose.) ]

We might have to make it be enough, if we take our hosts at their word.

[ drafted to save a world from its impending destruction, an apparently recurring calamity, while being as good as without any of the more... esoteric skills they might have had previous. ]