OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne

[magicalarchaeologist]

WHO: OPEN to all Summoned in Thorne
WHAT: A party, info dump, and magic study session all rolled into one! Eat, drink, mingle -- make some friends!
WHEN: a couple days after the newest Summoned start appearing
WHERE: a ballroom in Castle Thorne

NOTES: This is an open mingle log where everyone can tag one another!

Rhy Maresh will have sent a written invitation to all Thornean newcomers within a couple of days of their arrival, inviting them to meet their fellow Summoned. Otherwise, there will be fliers posted in the dining area that anyone can see. If your character has CR with Rhy or Istredd (or Kell), you can assume they were told and got an in-person invite -- and you can even assume your character helped with setup if desired (decorations, helping set out food, etc.), since Rhy definitely needed the assistance. Up to you!

Istredd will also be hosting a group meditation to allow newcomers to access to the Horizon (and network). New Summoned who wish to learn how to step into the Horizon have an opportunity to have their connections to the Singularity activated. If preferred, they can also get one-on-one help from those who've been around for a bit. He will also discuss the magic in Abraxas and point them in the direction of teachers of magic, combat, or other things they may be interested in.


Banquet.

The large ballroom is bathed in warm, golden light from dozens of chandeliers above, reflecting off the gleaming inlaid floors and brass light fixtures along the walls. It is at once neatly sectioned, yet naturally open, allowing the length of the room to flow from one potential activity to another with ease.

In the center, a circular area has been left clear, and every half hour or so during the first half of the evening, two native Thornean (apprentice) mages come up to offer magic demonstrations -- mostly flashy elemental magic, adding sparks and atmosphere. If any of the Summoned who've been around longer wish to show off as well, they are welcome to do so.

Along the walls stand narrow refreshment tables, where one can serve oneself wine from large glass carafes. Hot tea is also available in a few flavors. (Though those who have been here a while may notice there are fewer carafes, and more expensive options for alcohol and refreshments are missing this time.) For those looking to eat, a large dining table has been set out toward the center of the room, with plates and utensils and large platters of food in the center -- nothing fancy, but perfectly serviceable, and arranged to look good even if the ingredients themselves aren't nearly as lavish as they have been in the past. Still, despite the impending war and tightened purse strings in the face of shortages, the kitchen has agreed to help welcome the newly Summoned as best as they can.

Both the handful of large tables and the smattering of small, taller tables for standing at are in full view of the demonstrations so the show can be enjoyed with food and drink, whatever your desire. Bright summer flowers garnish every table, freshening up the space.

Of course, there's plenty of space to stand and mingle, walk around, and see what everyone else is up to. In the back of the room, the folding screens offer a quieter area, for more private conversation and meditation as desired.

Magic Studies.

Behind the folding screens made of tall, carved wood in intricate patterns, there are a handful of low sofas and chaise lounges around a fireplace at the far side of the hall. This sectioned-off area has been enchanted to provide some insulation from the sound of the banquet beyond, and once you step inside, the quiet is like a gentle blanket settling over everyone who chooses to spend some time here.

This is the best place to ask questions in some semblance of privacy, to learn about your new home, and to receive guidance on entering the Horizon and using the so-called network of telepathic notes only the Summoned can send one another.

A mage named Istredd seems to be the one 'in charge' of this particular endeavor, but others who have been in Abraxas a while are likely also about, lending their assistance to those who are newly arrived and sharing thoughts on their experiences so far.

Just be careful -- even if the insulating enchantment is sturdy, there are still Thornean natives around, refilling refreshments outside and demonstrating their magic. You may want to be careful how candidly you discuss any displeasure toward Thorne or its crown, considering the Queen's notoriously explosive temper, and the rumors of the dungeons deep beneath the castle. It's hardly a secret, at this point: a conflict has been sparked, and the mood around the castle is a tense one, even amidst a celebration such as this.

(( ooc: Feel free to make your own top levels and tag around! This is meant to be an open mingle, with the above as mostly setting and flavor, so don't feel limited if you want your character to do their own magic demonstrations, for example, or even if your thread ends up moving outside the ballroom. Have fun!

It should be noted that if you would like to handwave your character's first experience to the Horizon, you can do so. It's a blanket permission from me / Istredd that he took your character there, helped them leave, and showed them how to go back in with their memory now.

This was written by Lena aka Rhy player! Contact me @ waftingcurtains with any questions otherwise just roll with it, friends. ))

Comments

banquet

[ordinar]

[Wilhelm wasn't sure if he would come tonight. He'd missed the last couple of these things, just because there was so much happening — inside his head, mostly, the sort of so much that shuts you away from everyone else. The thought of being on and meeting a bunch of new people all at once was exhausting.

It still is. But he attempts to be welcoming, if only because Rhy is one of the architects of this evening's festivities. So here he is, adopting the same strategy as Robin by lingering around the refreshment tables. Relief from his terminal awkwardness comes in the form of a familiar-ish face, leaning in close with a conspiratorial whisper. Floor girl, he remembers first. Her actual name hits a second later: Robin.]

You know nobody cares if we drink, right?

[schlick]

( playfully, and with no shortage of affection, she bumps wille's shoulder just like they're old friends, a semi-erratic gesture going out to the room at large. )

It's not about the drinking, it's about ... I don't know, the ambience?

( also, she has this itch to get absolutely wasted that borders on a need, which she's usually far too neurotic to feel, and — honestly? if someone's mom is going to have to hold her hair out of a toilet while she vomits she may as well just lay down and die, thank you very much. the honor is all wille's. )

[ordinar]

[Pushing a hand through his hair — not that this accomplishes anything, as it all flops right back in his eyes — he concedes with a sideways sort of nod.]

Yeah, okay. I see what you mean.

[The whole thing is...not so formal that he feels suffocated by some role he's expected to perform, but it's not exactly casual either. The stately ballroom surrounding them, populated almost entirely by adults — including a few whose opinion of him he really doesn't want to sabotage — doesn't inspire him to cut loose. Returning her shoulder bump, he lowers his voice.]

So where are we escaping to?

[schlick]

My room. ( like it's obvious. she also absolutely misses any implications that are involved with bringing a boy your age to your room, because — well. ) Shit, I have a roomie, though. She's over there.

( she points out natasha in the crowd, who looks — you know, very gorgeous, doing whatever it is she's doing. robin has really set herself up for failure over there, but it's besides the point. she turns on her heels to face wille more head on, making a funny expression — very bug-eyed, lips pursed. )

Unless Sir Wille knows a secret dungeon in the castle to stowaway in. Dost thou?

[ordinar]

[Her goofy expression gets a snicker out of him; her question, a shrug. He does know a few places that, while not exactly secret, are definitely private — but because they're restricted. He's already had a close call with the guards, and he'd rather not catch their attention for something as juvenile as this. Then his eyes light up with an idea.]

I might know a place. We'd just have to get something from my room first. Unless you like freezing your ass off.

[For fun, he'll leave their destination shrouded in a little bit of mystery. Wilhelm isn't considering the eyebrow-raising implications of taking a girl somewhere secluded either. All he's thinking is that he'd rather hang out one-on-one than pretend to be social at a party. He levels a flat look at Robin.]

I'm not shoving anything down my pants, though.

[Oh so casually shuffling closer to the bottles lined up on the table, he shrugs out of his jacket and folds it over his arm. Glancing around to make sure nobody's watching too closely, he swipes a bottle and swaddles it in the jacket. At once, he starts heading for the door.]

[schlick]

( she gives a shake of her head — no, i do not like freezing my ass off. only, wille's sly move with the jacket makes her grin as brightly as she ever has, enough that she has to slap a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing and blowing their cover over the whole thing. not that it's not still obvious giving their suspicious behavior — given how robin steps right up on him, hands gripping the side of his shirt at his waist, and anxiously encouraging him faster and faster.

less because they're going to be caught, and more because the second they're outside the door robin has to laugh, throwing her head back and clutching her stomach. it's just so teenagery, that it's probably the best she's felt since she got here. wiping the amused tears from her eyes, robin takes a few steps in one direction, waiting for wille to correct her path. )

That was so cool! It was like a spy movie. ( she laughs again. ) You're 007 and I'm, like, the nerdy sidekick that makes all the gadgets.

[ordinar]

[As they hasten toward the door, Wilhelm throws a glance back at where he last saw Rhy. Not that...he was charting his every movement all evening. He does feel a little bad for ditching the party, knowing how hard Rhy worked to organize it, but he thinks his showing up at all absolves him. He came, he grazed on the food, and he chatted with a few of the freshly summoned. Now he's making sure that one of them has a good time.

Once they spill out into the corridor, he collapses into laughter too. Wilhelm won't correct her assumption that he's cool, but he will redirect her with a gentle tug on her wrist.]

Yeah, we pretty much just pulled off the heist of the century.

[It feels good just to goof off — opportunities have been scarce lately, and shadowed by...everything. And it's not that he has nobody else to goof off with, but Robin feels like someone he could have known back home. Normality still clings to her in the way the scent of your house sticks to your clothes no matter where you go, and he misses normality.]