you opened your eyes, spreading it wide

[promittere]

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

Comments

[jorunna]

R-really? Thanks.

[ Do you think Tatara would let them take a trip to the Northern County early? But hearing that Ithaqua welcomes their presence is really nice... even if they don't want to keep them? How tricky. anyways, Comet shakes their head. ]

Not at all, it hasn't bothered me. I grew up in a place that was very quiet, so hearing the presence of others is nice. Sometimes I wonder what you and the Mentor are doing when my room's in between the both of yours, but that's your business. I rest just fine.

[ They enjoy the sound of nature too, like water, the wind... wildlife. You don't have those on the moon. It being a mostly isolated shrine didn't help. ]

[leewards]

I promise I'm merely doing things for my comfort in that room, heheh. [And he doesn't actually mean to be noisy... but it is simply how he operates. He's nocturnal, and he works. At the very least he hs furs in his room to muffle the sound.]

But you're in luck, all I have left is some sewing, and you needn't worry about noise while I so do.

[It's not as if he wears the stilts in his room, either. He just... has other things making noise like the clinking of jars, the scraping of furniture as he tries to rearrange the room properly, the thudding of heavy, but soft, items around. Nothing like the tapping of stilts like they do now.]

[jorunna]

[ It would be pretty funny to hear the stilts, but that makes sense! It's all just muffled by what makes up the walls to some extent. They didn't realize Ithaqua was really into decorating... But it's endearing. Now they're curious. ]

Can I see your room later? If that's okay with you.

[ ...Comet feels like maybe should put a bit more effort into their room. They did want to get a shelf and some books. ]

[leewards]

Mmh? [Now, why would they want that? There's not much for another person in his room because everything inside is for Ithaqua's personal comfort, there's no reason to be in there.

Then again... Comet is lucky that Ithaqua doesn't have any reason to deny them, either.]

Very well, but I don't see a reason for you to w--

[A sudden noise somewhere before them makes Ithaqua stop, then turn his head towards the source. Then tilt, attempting to see what's there in the darkness.]

Mmmh? We may not be alone. Let's save that talk for later.

[jorunna]

[ Maybe the interruption is a little welcome, if curiosity doesn't cut it for a reason. It's hit or miss, you can be too inquisitive for your own good... but non of the things they've learned has bothered them, even from someone like Ithaqua. Or perhaps they mean trouble? Hmm.

Comet's eyes follow Ithaqua's. ]

Over there?

[ They cannot see it, but they'll set aside their little thoughts. It seems like it's that only one, trying to sense what it can be. Drifting shadows... in darkness. That's impossible, so. ]

You might be in luck for some hunting.

[leewards]

I'll consider myself the happiest man on earth in this moment~ [With that, his stance changes. Previously, he stood upright properly, immense height and all. But now, he crouches, bends his knees, hunches his shoulders, makes himself look like a massive cat on the prowl.

Then he raises his axe, murmurs his words, and summons a column of wind that pushes everything he's looking at in his direction.]

If you're concerned, worry not-- I'm fairly strong.

[Not a promise, more of a boast over the howling of the wind.]

[jorunna]

[ There's a joy and fascination in watching someone enjoy what they do. Comet watches on curiously, chin cradled in both their hands. The shadows are seemingly caught in wind, caught off guard. ]

No concerns here— and you won't have to worry about me either.

[ Comet floats out of the way to not get caught in any movements— the axe is looks like it could make a wide swing. In their hand, they hold what looks like a folding fan, except made with small knives of magic or faint light. There might be a shadow or two that escaped the wind, they'll take care of those in case. ]

[leewards]

Excellent~ [Ithaqua never hunted with another person before arriving here, but he's quite glad that he doesn't need to be responsible for any of them. Especially Comet, who may just be surprisingly strong despite their stature. Out the corner of his eye, he keeps an eye on them, watching what their magic is like.

Light however, is not what he's expecting.

(Light magic exists??)

Ithaqua takes a swing with his axe... but deliberately misses just to watch Comet work again.]

[jorunna]

[ Oh! Comet didn't expect Itahqua to miss, but perhaps the shadows got lucky with their own less than physical forms. Comet wouldn't want to interfere, but perhaps some help is in order. ]

Here.

[ Light magic would almost be correct given their background in shrine-style purification, but the "light" that makes it is too probably too weak for that classification, the dark tones of night pass through it, seemingly like frosted glass. Plucking one of the knives out of their set like a petal, they throw it at the feet of the shadows. Or at least, what would be their feet? They got lucky, it was focused on Ithaqua's axe. As they're vulnerable in more ways than one like this (to magic and Ithaqua's attacks), the dark figure sways to try and get get away from it. But the knife pins them down like it's made of lead. ]

This one is mine, I guess.

[ They don't like taking someone's kill, it feels rude... But a downward flick of the fan, and the shadow crumples over like it's being pushed to the floor before dissipating from two hits of magic. ]

[leewards]

Heheh! [He's gotten what he wanted to see, and now Ithaqua takes this seriously-- as seriously as he tends to be in the midst of battle, anyway.] It certainly is yours.

[And Ithaqua will turn his attention to the other shadows creeping up, but are deterred by Comet's magic and Ithaqua's lantern.

Ithaqua strides forward and lowers his arms, but has no intention of stopping-- rather, he has both hands on his axe, and he's preparing for a massive upward swing. He wants to make sure that his prey won't be able to run too far when he does so, and when he actually makes the swing, twisting his body like so? He laughs, almost cackles, with glee.]

[jorunna]

[ In the case for the both of them, having some ability to replicate the skills they have back where they're from is nice. Comet is hesitant to use anything with the normal elements, but gravity magic? That's their actual little specialty aside from healing. ]

Hehe... I guess we both should do a bit of hunting then.

[ The enthusiasm is a little infectious... Unlike Ithaqua, Comet is mostly quiet, with only the sounds of their knives being flung at the shadows. For a bit of fun, any of the those knocked around by Ithaqua are quickly slammed to the ground. When they do have something to say, it's about the... amount of shadowy figures they see now? ]

There are more?

[leewards]

Aah~ [Ithaqua looks, and with his abilities in the dark, being able to see is no issue at all. What he does find is personally disappointing to him because there are few shadows left after Comet and Ithaqua have dealt with the first wave, though perhaps some people would consider that lucky instead. (18)]

A shame, I would have liked a little more of a workout.

[but he'll take what he can get.]

Are you ready?

[jorunna]

Would something more... Active be preferred?

[ They are not much of a threat to either of them, in all honesty. Understandably they dause fear in the residents, but they are not easily dispeled by physical means, which surely they've tried. It's a wizard's kind of job. ]

I'm ready. These take a bit to gather up is all.

[ One by one, unfortunately. Maybe Comet'll get up close to be a bit more practical, since there's only a few now, ambling about. ]

[leewards]

Well, I don't consider this much of a hunt. [Brutally honest, because a proper hunt would make him move faster, force him to use everything at his disposal... and end in blood and fear.

This encounter is sorely lacking in both due to the nature of their targets.]

I like a target that can make me work to seal their demise!

[As he says that, he takes a great but fast swing with his axe, full of his icy magic, and laughs as the shadows split underneath it.]

[jorunna]

C[ omets laughs a little at the honesty. Not one out of nervousness, since the fight doesn't feel like a threat. They got the assignment, these things are weak to magic. ]

I think you should have a proper kind of hunt, then! Until then, let's just just take out what we feel is enough.

[ This is an act of playfulness(?) on their part, but with their blades held the way they do it...

They're smacking a shadow in Ithaqua's direction like a bat to a ball. The gravity magic can work the other way, so they've decided it should fly a little. ]

[leewards]

[Ithaqua accepts the offering with a downward swing, cleaving the shadow in half before it dissipates. In turn, he pulls a shadow away from Comet with a wave of his arms, and then gives them a nod.

You're welcome!]

[jorunna]

[ ((that is the funniest html flub i've done in a while, the C just escaping brackets...))

The nods get a smile! They appreciate it, since the shadows would try to go for the small fellow? They would swarm in numbers apparently, if the two would let 'em. The answer is no. Get swatted and cleaved, idiots. ]