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abraxaslogs2023-06-07 04:48 pm
magicalarchaeologist) wrote in abraxaslogs2023-06-07 04:48 pm
OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne!
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! New characters may hear some gossip and chatter about a few recent important events that happened in Abraxas. This includes many of the Summoned being kidnapped by a cult and experimented on months ago, including a surprise escape on a giant turtle, and very recently peculiar lights on the outskirts of Thorne. There is a new Summoned Conclave with three people from each faction who can represent and advocate for the Summoned. In their first act, they got permission for some Summoned (ooc: Level 3 Influence) to carry weapons on them.
General.
Banquet.
Magic Studies.
(( 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.
Most of this was written by Lena aka Rhy player! Have fun! ))
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! New characters may hear some gossip and chatter about a few recent important events that happened in Abraxas. This includes many of the Summoned being kidnapped by a cult and experimented on months ago, including a surprise escape on a giant turtle, and very recently peculiar lights on the outskirts of Thorne. There is a new Summoned Conclave with three people from each faction who can represent and advocate for the Summoned. In their first act, they got permission for some Summoned (ooc: Level 3 Influence) to carry weapons on them.
General.
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, Kell, or Istredd, 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 they 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.
Most of this was written by Lena aka Rhy player! Have fun! ))
no subject
My people have always known about that world. [ Earth. A version of it. ] We dreamed of it like paradise.
[ Abraxas is beautiful, but nothing compares to the first time he stepped through the Great Gate and arrived in Nayeshi: the colors, the smells, the air itself. He smiles to himself, closing his eyes for a moment at the memory, once lost to himself not so long ago. ]
no subject
What was so special about it?
[ Istredd never really considered going to other worlds. The Conjunction involved that, but that was a thousand years ago, and he thought that they had all formed into one. He finds exploring Abraxas absolutely fascinating so he can see why it would be hard to resist jumping spheres if that was something a person could do. ]
Was your sphere worse off?
no subject
My world is... damaged, I think. [ That's the best way to describe it. ] By war and weapons... [ Istredd might sense he really doesn't want to get too deep into that particular topic out here as he trails off, the nature of said 'weapons'. ]
There are places where nothing grows anymore. There's not so much variety in the beasts or plantlife - large domesticated animals like cattle mostly died off some generations ago. [ They've substituted with other domesticated beasts, smaller ones that people in other cultures keep as pets. He never mentions this to other people. He shrugs, though. ]
I was kept decently fed and warm at the monastery. [ In case Istredd thinks to feel sorry for him. He was in a better position than others, all things considered (he believes).
Now he closes his eyes again, pausing in what he's doing with the dishes and glasses. ]
Even here, though - everything tastes brighter, it was almost painful the first time took a bite of a strawberry. [ He smiles to himself. ] The air isn't so thin, either. And the nights get so dark, the stars seem so bright...
[ Everything is more. ]
no subject
This sounds closer to what would happen if a true calamity hit a sphere. The damage it would do overall, possibly in a permanent and lethal way. Kyle moves quickly to assure that he was lucky compared to others, and it reminds Istredd of how he insisted on the same when telling Lucifer about his past. ]
It gives you a finer appreciation of the world around you. Details many of us might take for granted.
[ Istredd has been to harder places, but he was also fed and warm at the school, and always kept the same while working on Brotherhood jobs. He had financial support and he's genuinely never been good at stopping and smelling the roses. Or eating a strawberry, in this case. ]
This sphere is very vivid to me. I'm sure it's the magic, but the variety of places and people too.
[ This is not the kind of thing he minds being overheard, they're not spilling secrets after all. Istredd's never felt so much powerful magic around him, it almost makes him feel drunk on it at times. He prefers his own Chaos but at any time he can simply reach out and feel the native magic pouring through him too. Enough that he's glad the Brotherhood can't get here and take it. ]
There is ... not a lot of hope in our sphere. It's a bleak land. Not to the extent yours is, but it doesn't feel like this. Or like this 'Earth' everyone speaks of.
[ Most people just survive as best as they can, live simple or complicated lives, and then die, often not even because of anything they've done depending on where they live. Yennefer used to tease him about seeing the world heroically or romantically, and when he was young, he did. ]
no subject
He dreamed all his life of escaping there, with Rousma. He had almost accomplished it. If he just hadn't gotten distracted -
- but it would've meant killing John, something he would've absolutely done back then. It was orders. It was what the Kahlil was meant for.
He lost his memory. He lost Rousma. But maybe, maybe Basawar was better for his mistake. ]
Your world is also... damaged.
[ He doesn't add the inflection of a question, even though that's what it is. He's heard bits and pieces of the history from both Geralt and Istredd. So many months ago he talked with Istredd for the first time about other worlds, the similarities they hold. The powerful weapons so many of them seem to have, and the misuse of them by mortal men. ]
no subject
[ Perhaps before that point, it was a beautiful place. Everything Istredd has learned probably says more that it was like a normal world, sometimes in conflict, the elven clans had their own issues, but nothing like it is now. It was probably a younger land, no one could have foreseen what was coming. ]
Imagine if all of our worlds were smashed together, and it was your sphere's people against mine for a limited amount of land and resources. The sphere was not built for it, not meant for it. I've seen more ruins than places of beauty that are left now.
[ It's not that there are none, but he sees far more graves of history gone. The elves nearly genocided, all their palaces broken and destroyed, and while cities and castles have been made or risen up, there will always be something that feels lost. Dying. Istredd doesn't know how long the planet will survive, but it must be a shadow of what it was, a shadow of what all of them were, separately. ]
It's not a surprise those of us from there have found reasons to thrive here.