promittere: (Default)
lunae calamitas mods ([personal profile] promittere) wrote in [community profile] lunaecalamitas2024-04-18 11:41 pm

you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

THIRD QUARTER ALLEGRO
While our newly-arrived wizards have been settling in, learning their magic, and getting to know one another, the sage and their mentor have been busy with a different kind of work behind the scenes—bureaucratic work. It hasn't been particularly exciting, but it has paid off.

Because now, the world is ready to receive them.

Put on your finest clothes, because Granvelle Castle invites you to a welcome ball in your honor.

Didn't bring any fine clothes with you? No need to worry—specially chosen tailors from Central Capital have been commissioned to take care of you, and they will be visiting the manor to get you gussied up in the fashion of your choice for the day (by this, we mean feel free to pick whatever fancy clothes you want for the ball).

As the sun sets on the designated day, all the residents of the manor make their way to the castle. Granvelle Castle stands proud in Central Capital, its lights a beacon in the darkening city, and its doors open to outsiders for the first time in weeks. Upon arrival they're greeted by brightly lit halls, welcoming staff, and a grand ballroom, windows flung open to let in the spring breeze and pale moonlight. Everyone and everything seems determined to make this a cheerful affair, despite the underlying sense of dread and tension.

Live music fills the air, played the greatest musicians in the world. There are some larger ensembles, solo acts; some pieces are of more traditional folk dances, while some are slower, and some are upbeat and avant-garde. Regardless, the floor is open for dancing—grab a buddy and dance the night away!

Lining one wall is a long banquet table, filled with plenty of food and drink, both alcoholic and non to sate the new arrivals. The hors d'oeuvres and small plates comprise an array of delicacies from around the world, with everything from savory lobster bites to the sweetest portions of tres leches you have ever tasted. It seems someone has also put in a specific request for Japanese food—a part of the banquet table has been set aside specifically for Japanese dishes, and this includes small portions of ramen. There also seems to be a plate on the far end of the table filled with lovingly stacked pieces of charcoal... Is that meant to be food?

You aren't the only ones in attendance tonight. Representatives and dignitaries from around the world are also present—they have quite a lot to say about the unusual situation, and they are most curious about these otherworldly individuals tasked with fending off the moon under their national banners. The most dignitaries are from Central, West, and East, while there do seem to be a few representatives from the less populated North and South. Those from Central, West, and South in general seem to be the most social, while the rest are more reserved. There are also a few of the castle staff that seem (begrudgingly) willing to speak with the new wizards. Most are here to chat and mingle—lend them an ear, you may learn something new...

For those tired of socializing, the ballroom opens out onto a breezy, spacious balcony. It looks out over the main thoroughfare leading to the main castle entrance, and the nighttime lights of the Central capital twinkle in the near distance. For those that would rather take a breather, there is a small patio table and a couple of chairs. Despite the waxing moon in the sky, it is a very nice evening.

If you would like to have a chat with an NPC, then please respond to this comment. NPCs will be assigned randomly if no preference is given. While everyone has something valuable to say, they're not giving potentially sensitive info out for free—let's hope your diplomatic skills are up to snuff. We're doing our best to give everyone meaningful conversations, so please bear with us!

JOB BOARD
Rejuvenation. Thanks to your Southern friends' hard work, the South has been saved from a potentially devastating crop failure, and these fledgling towns can continue to grow as they're meant to! Give them a pat on the back and a round of applause.

But the South is not without its scars. While the root cause has been taken care of, the damage has been done. A town's wheat field has been partially destroyed—help them tear out the blackened, dead wheat, till and fertilize the soil, and replant what can be replanted. The City of Clouds, the most prosperous of the Southern settlements, have also offered extra tools, hands, and seeds to help set the town back on the path to recovery. Transport these supplies to the town. Let's hope your broom skills are up to snuff too, because it's a long ride.

Shadows in the night. The residents of the Central capital have recently been reporting eerie sightings after sundown: shadowy figures lurking in corners, the constant feeling of being watched, and, in some extreme cases, these shadowy figures attacking when traveling alone at night. Many reports seem to indicate an odd concentration of these creepy figures lurking around the Granvelle Castle moat, as though trying to find a way into the castle. Residents are understandably frightened and unnerved and cannot go about their nightly business—beat back what shadows you find and make the streets safer for the Central capital residents.

While physical attacks don't seem to do much against them, they dissipate rather easily under magic. Try not to wear yourself to the bone, though—there are a lot of them.

Escorting nobility. The Eastern Blanchett noble family have called an important meeting, inviting nobles and others of import from across the Eastern Country. However, their castle lies beyond Sherwood Forest, a very large, dense, and deep wood—while a fine natural defense for the Blanchett family, it's a bit of trouble for those looking to visit. While the Blanchett's own forest guard is absent, it is your job to safely escort these nobles to the Blanchett abode, and back out. But be careful: lurking in the shadows amongst the trees are all sorts of territorial predators like bears and wolves, not to mention the magical beasts that sneak up on unsuspecting prey. You may come across a brigand or bandit or two, since the forest is a near perfect hiding place for illegal activity. And please—try not to get lost.

Typical of any Easterner, the nobles are reluctant to make much small talk and are a bit suspicious of the new wizards, but they are otherwise pleasant and will generally comply with most requests.

WANDERER TASKS
Can you go a week without ruining food or the pots and pans? Stop being so wasteful and learn how to cook or stop trying.

Learn how to use magic to repair things. Again, if you're going to keep ruining the kitchen at least learn how to put it back together.

TATARA ACTIVITIES
I need milk. I'm trying to perfect latte foam art, but I haven't really gotten the hang of it yet... I used up all the milk (oops, sorry!), so I need more. Actually, could you grab me other kinds of milk while you're at it? I want to experiment! I'm sure other markets in the farther reaches of the world will have weirder milk... Please!

We should start a veggie garden! Or an herb garden? Doesn't matter! I found a nice sunny patch of grass in the training forest—we could dig up that spot, right? Help me get it set up! I need people to dig, and till... Oh! We need seeds to plant, too! Please and thank you~

OOC NOTES
🌙 Welcome to your second event post! Get out your snazzy outfits. It's time to party.
🌙 As you grow into your magic, your character might start realizing they can differentiate between everyone's magic. Everyone has a unique signature, and you may be able to start sensing who cast what, where. Someone put a magical seal on the kitchen door? Smells like Shinjiro's magic. Akira had some of Solomon's sugar? You can sense that, too!
🌙 As you start getting past the basics, your character might realize they have a much easier time with certain kinds of magic over others. For North, this will be offensive and attack spells; for East, this will be intricate seals and curses; for West, this will be manipulative magic like illusions and transformation; for South, this will be healing, purification, and protection. Central? A little bit of everything. Read up on your country if you need a refresher!
🌙 It's been peaceful at home in the manor thus far, hasn't it? Do you think that will last?
🌙 Your OOC plotting post is here! Remember to keep all wider plotting contained to the OOC post, since not everyone checks plurk or discord frequently.
🌙 Our next group to go on their mission is Central. Be ready, heroes...
dyingtohealyou: ([Think] I can't be seen)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-05-01 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
[Still going to put in just enough speed to keep the lead.]

Five or six? ...It wasn't really until the experiment ended that I realized how messed up everything really is, though.
leewards: (008)

[personal profile] leewards 2024-05-01 07:41 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, I shall definitely not disappoint. [A lot of confidence, from someone who has never danced with a partner before. But without confidence, where would Ithaqua be?

Against a wall, allowing the world to pass him by.]


Since you're unable to put your hands on my shoulders, I'll allow them on my hips or arms, heheh.
shadowkin: (003)

we're so cooked🗣️🗣️🔥🔥or maybe that's just the cooking skills of everyone involved

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-05-01 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
Soup.........

[Conveying his dubiousness in one word.... it doesn't look like too much of an issue, but between ambushing moon rocks and secret moon dust happening back to back he really wonders if putting this in their (it's their now) mouths is going to result in some kind of backlash.

Well, at least it would be more interesting than vegetable soup.

He has not even been offered soup but he nevertheless continues.]

With no protein......
Edited 2024-05-01 07:45 (UTC)
shortleash: (pic#17120973)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-01 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
( :/ trying to speed up again... )

... Yeah. You don't really get it when you're a kid.

I wonder if being taken advantage of is all right so long as you don't realize it.
dyingtohealyou: ([Look] You could say I'm)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-05-01 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
[Speeding up in return.]

Oh, I realized it.

I just didn't care.
meanspirited: (pic#17134447)

[personal profile] meanspirited 2024-05-01 07:55 am (UTC)(link)
[He watches Bruno flop across the roof, not looking terribly impressed.]

Because not a lot of people bother trying to follow me up.

[He's an edgy loner, Bruno! That's just how he is!]
shortleash: (pic#17103573)

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-01 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
( ? )

... Why?

( ...... speeds up, )
jorunna: (comet15)

[personal profile] jorunna 2024-05-01 08:08 am (UTC)(link)
If you get used to it, there's nothing wrong with that. You've been very helpful.

[ That unease... Hm. In a very quiet voice and getting in a little closer, Comet will ask C. Robin: ]

Do they think we're dangerous, or is there some other thing they're worried about...?
Edited 2024-05-01 08:09 (UTC)
dyingtohealyou: ([Strain] remembers that day)

cw: a bit of suicidal ideation

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-05-01 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
Because from the moment I saw her, I knew I'd do anything to save her.

[He speeds up, too. He can angst and race at the same time.]

As long as I could still see her smile, it didn't matter how much pain I went through, or how many times they had to put me back together again. Even when they first decided to stop the experiment, I ran past them to try to heal her even more.

[...And then he'd collapsed, comatose for three whole weeks.]

For a long time, I thought... if I'd died so she could live, maybe I would've been happier that way.

[If he hadn't been a failure, not strong enough to heal her completely, his very body giving out long before she could recover.]
shadowkin: (013)

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-05-01 08:12 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, now this dance is in peril of turning into ring around the riceball, is this really what they've come to. Cid, for one, plans on finishing his snack -- but he also doesn't bother to dig his heels in or anything, because dealing with their overexuberant leader for a while is preferable to dealing with Noble #27 or Wizard #15 (he should know the names of his fellow manor dwellers by now, but it's a toss-up).

So Tatara, Cid and the hapless riceball all roll onto the dance floor at once. Somebody's really expensive shoes are going to get covered in rice grains, but that's on them for being pretentious and wearing dark colors.]

I'll have you know I only know how to do the boring existing dances. I'm not really much of a dancer. You could say I'm just here for the food.

[And the intel, sort of? Kind of? And the glitz, even if it's a pity he can't get a closer look at all this nice jewelry and accessories... at any rate.]

If you want improvised dance, you'd better prepare your toes.

[Said entirely seriously.]
shadowkin: (Default)

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-05-01 08:24 am (UTC)(link)
Ohhh. Landlocked but good at seafood, you say? That's pretty impressive.

[Like, he's serious about this!! Like, if she has the confidence to appeal to a Japanese seafarer's palate (she doesn't know this) or that of a provincial noble who's hunted just about everything land, sea and air has to offer (she also doesn't know this), then Central's supply logistics must be something indeed. They might even rival Mitsugoshi.

Maybe he could learn all of this from a single bite of lobster. Either way, he gets lobster, so it's a win-win situation.

Monch.]

'Specially since there's not much going on over by the ocean anyway? I'm used to seeing all kinds of bustling harbors, but it didn't seem like there were that many people out on the water.

[And no wizards! The ocean is too strong.]
Edited 2024-05-01 08:24 (UTC)
dyingtohealyou: ([Smile] my body; words)

[personal profile] dyingtohealyou 2024-05-01 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
Noted.

It's not as good as a southern wizard could do for you, buuuut...

[He'll reach out, gentle - cast his strongest (still weak) healing spell, providing a warm and gentle sensation not unlike fresh, clear water meant to soothe and cleanse one's wound, though in this case he's hoping to encourage the flesh to heal a little faster and stop itching so much as it does so.]
shadowkin: (002)

[personal profile] shadowkin 2024-05-01 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
Even. Like, you did the whole scream-and-leap thing, I totally thought I was about to get cursed, even though I was here first.

[He absolutely did not think that. It's also dubious who was even here first but that's actually a question for the ages. Who even knows.

Cid is just here to wildly spin a yarn instead of really working. He's done his duty for the day and he's just here to heckle, probably. Poke. Poke. Wow, these plants are really dead, which may be a good thing at the end of the day.]

Hmhmm, I remember the one guy saying something about the rock and plants feeding off of each other but in a messed up way. [magic overload strikes again] But it's more wizardly around here. Does that mean your magic lost to moon dust?
shortleash: (pic#17072497)

cw: a bit of suicidal ideation

[personal profile] shortleash 2024-05-01 09:58 am (UTC)(link)
( Those words sound heavy in his stomach, familiar; things he would say about Yuu, if given excuse to articulate.

It feels weird to hear it from someone else - someone whose life is so fragile; moreso, because this is why it is.

(Ahito can keep his lead for now, Mika isn't so good at angst and race multitasking.) )


... Do you still feel that way?
discomposer: (ʏᴜsᴜᴋᴇ ᴋᴀᴛᴏ)

[personal profile] discomposer 2024-05-01 10:04 am (UTC)(link)
Curiosity~? Oh, lemme guess, lemme guess! What binds me - it's gotta be music, right?

[ He's approaching and not at all worried about it. He'll accept candy from strangers so why would this bother him! ]
serenesinker: kickin' back! (relaxed)

[personal profile] serenesinker 2024-05-01 10:23 am (UTC)(link)
[Truth be told, Tatara's reaction strokes Yodarha's ego a bit. But as a veteran instructor, he knows not to let that overtake him.]

I imagined how things felt back home. The way the wind feels on my skin when I'm standing on the deck of the Grancypher, for example. And then I tried to imagine that runnin' across my swords, but faster! Then I recreated a sword technique that I came up with and ta-da! Windy slashes in wizard form!
serenesinker: say what now??? (surprised flabbergasted)

[personal profile] serenesinker 2024-05-01 10:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Yodarha sighs.]

You're probably right. Some places just can't grow complex plants well...

[Then an idea slams into his consciousness like a lightning bolt hitting a steel rod.]

...but what if we bring other places here? We can make large planters using soil from other places in the world and bring 'em over!
Edited 2024-05-01 10:35 (UTC)
fullspbar: (53)

[personal profile] fullspbar 2024-05-01 11:09 am (UTC)(link)
I.
[ As expected of most East Wizards, Shinjiro certainly was not excited about the prospect of giant social gatherings. Dressing up is not exactly his favorite activity, nor does being the center of attention appeal to him whatsoever. But there's no option to opt out, so here he is, dressed up as meagerly as possible. Without that beanie to shadow his eyes, he at least seems somewhat less intimidating.

You can find him hanging near the balcony, leaning against the wall and peering out onto the floor with an obvious disgruntled look about him. He's not a dancer nor a socializer, so he's notably staying far, faraway from any fancily-dressed dignitaries. If you feel like chatting up a grumpy wallflower, however, he might oblige.

And when not off on his own in some secluded corner, Shinjiro can be found at the banquet table, although notably near all the Japanese foodstuffs. While he's nibbling here and there, he seems more intent on examining it, an intense look in his eyes as they rake over all the options. If you come close enough, you might even hear him mumbling to himself- ]


What'd they use to substitute this...?

[ The staff nearby almost seem nervous of his critical gaze, but they'll look away if noticed. Don't worry about it. ]



II.
[ Shinjiro Aragaki is, notably, rarely ever up early. The early birds will have never seen him, and even in moments he is up at that time, he's not in a hurry to leave his room anytime soon. Some people have a consistent sleep schedule, and he certainly isn't one of them....Today, however, is an exception.

There's a sweet smell from the kitchen, in the early morning, and anyone who dares to approach will be met with the faint sound of pans sizzling and plates clattering. A peek in the door, and you'll be met with Shinjiro's back; a large bowl of batter on one side of the stove, and a small stack of pancakes on the other. While he's in the process of carefully flipping another one, he'll have noticed your presence, which is why his head turns in acknowledgement-

Those circles under his eyes are...especially dark. Almost like he didn't even sleep at all, but it doesn't stop him from grunting out a sort-of greeting. ]


If you wanna use the stove, you're gonna have to wait. 'S gonna take me a bit.

Edited 2024-05-01 11:13 (UTC)
1145pm: (pic#16970050)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-05-01 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
Ooooh...

[ Tatara stands up straighter, opening his arms. He can feel the soft spring breeze on his skin, and he can picture what it must have been that Yodarha imagined when he cast his spell.

It's so cool...

He opens his eyes. ]


Hey, could you do it again? [ He points to another hedge in the distance. ] Could you cut it into...an ice cream cone, or something?
1145pm: (pic#17142952)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-05-01 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hmm. A fair point in general.

Like the air, Ahito pushes Tatara, and Tatara simply dissipates around him, floating. He is doing his job, but if Ahito doesn't see that even after telling him, then there isn't much we can do about it. In his mind, things always work out, one way or another. This will too, even if they're still fumbling in the dark for answers. Someone will find Arthur, someone will piece together what happened, and they'll fix this whole mess.

But he gets it. Not everyone likes the way he takes life. ]


To be honest, whether we succeed isn't my goal. We just need to survive long enough to smooth this over. Buuut... [ His tone takes a sing-songy quality, and he shrugs. ]

It sounds like you want success. Then let's prepare for a worst case scenario.

[ He flicks a finger upward, towards the sky. It's midday, so it's not visible anymore, but the calamity is still there, whether they like it or not. ]

You're fighting the Great Calamity in a few months' time. If you're not strong enough to beat it back by then, then you're dead.

[ He stares up at him. ]

Which means you should be training or sourcing mana stones instead of arguing with me.
1145pm: (pic#16970064)

[personal profile] 1145pm 2024-05-01 11:16 am (UTC)(link)
Ewww...

[ He gives a dramatic little sigh. Maybe the fried chicken can just be on the side, instead. ]

Fine! I'll give you the best foam chicken you've ever seen!