lunaecalamitas | 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...

» NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is that why you signed up for this job? You do look pretty prepared for this.

[The guns. She's talking about the guns.]

That, and it's better practice than trying to find some dusty old tome hiding in the library for info.

Hahaha, does that mean I'd sooner find you out and about instead of burying your nose in a book?

[Or is it just that this library's books suck in particular!!]

Is there something wrong with that?

[Rowdy boys need to get the zooms out of their system.]

[Another small giggle escapes her.]

Not at all! I know some students who'd probably agree with you... and there are some things you can't learn without practical experience.

Right. I take my education very seriously.

[*Citation needed serial sleeper through class.]

[This smells a little like bullshit but hey, as long as he's doing what he wants to do.]

Oh, really? Then what magic have you been studying recently?

[It's getting darker as the caravan travels deeper into the forest, but nothing immediately threatening has popped up yet, so they can probably afford to figure out where they're both at before something comes and tries to eat someone's face.]

Healing and offensive magic.

[You know.

The polar opposite ones. But also very good in case of an attack, not that that's going to happen!]

Oh hey, same!

[Although arguably everyone's been getting some practice at healing because of how everyone's blood seems to hate staying inside their own bodies, but.]

I've also been working on curses, but I still haven't gotten the hang of those yet... It's a lot faster to just blast things away instead!

I'll say.

What have you been trying to achieve with curses?

I'm mostly focusing on incapacitation. Like putting them to sleep, or giving them a runny nose! I'm not interested in spells that would hurt someone in the long run.

A sleep spell's a good idea. Besides, messing with longterm curses would probably get messy.

Have you seen some nasty ones before? It's not something I've had to deal with much before coming here.

[Outside of weird rumors and certain demons, anyway.]

Nothing too nasty at least. But there was a cursed harmonica that got people stuck together - anyone who touched it, or someone already touching it.

That sounds more like someone's idea of a prank, if you ask me. Did the caster have a sense of humor?

[Or maybe they just hated the idea of people having non-awkward bathroom excursions??]

Not quite. The original owner was a magic user who loved playing harmonica, but his magic stole a bit of his sound every time he played. He was good enough to draw big crowds, but... towards the end of his life he was rendered completely silent, including any attempt to play harmonica.

It seems his desire for one last performance stuck to the harmonica itself long after he passed away, so getting people stuck to it was just its way of gathering a crowd for one last, magical song.

[Oh, that's... a sadder story than she expected.]

So his dream lived on after he was gone... Even though it was magic that took it away from him to begin with. [There's a certain bitter irony in that, but it's also touching in a way, as if the sounds that were taken from him in life were preserved in that harmonica.]

Do these kinds of things happen often in your world?

I wouldn't say often, but it's always possible. Especially when a magic user's involved.

I suppose it's hard to predict that sort of thing, huh. I wonder what he would've thought if he knew that would be the outcome...

[Would he be happy that there were people who understood his dream, or would he be sad at inconveniencing others after he passed?]

...Say, have you ever wondered if you'd leave anything like that behind?

I don't expect to.

[He doesn't even have to think on that one.]

you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

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