abraxaslogs | ( open ) an informal family dinner

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( open ) an informal family dinner

Who: the summoned of cadens
When: beginning of august
Where: the sarstina inn and tavern
What: the welcome committee (sam wilson, hilda, jesper) has come back together again for another cadens welcome event! everyone might remember the last event and this one will be much of the same. Including, but not limited to, another invite by hilda! | sam art credit!
Warnings: will update as needed!

THE DINNER

Just as before, this is kicked off with Hilda's invitation, and if any of the Summoned come by Sarstina's that evening, they will find it set up a little differently than usual, but very similar to last time.

There is a long table set up near the bar that has a whole party-spread, a ye-old-southern-party kind of set-up, if you will. There are dips, charcuterie plates, sandwiches, drinks, a pastry/dessert bar and almost anything else that Sam could get his hands on. It is all, of course, limited by what’s available in Cadens, but thankfully he’s been here long enough to figure his way around the food options. Behind the bar is Mag (because no one else is getting their hands on the alcohol stash, thank you very much) and she will serve whoever it is that comes up to ask for a drink and will refuse any sort of payment - it appears someone is covering the tab tonight.

The rest of the tavern is set up for a party, with tables and chairs scattered around, a stage set up in the corner, and a decently sized space in front of the stage for dancing if the night gets to that point. There may or may not be some live music later in the evening, no promises have been made, but if anyone else wants to get up on the stage they are more than welcome.

Nadine has been kind enough to provide little apothecary bags filled with a mild sleeping tonic and things to help settle the nerves that new (and old) Summoned can take with them. There’s a table near the door and by the bar that have these bags in wicker baskets with a small sign that reads: Visit Salves and Stitches for all your medical needs!

The vibes are definitely low-key and casual – come get an ale, come eat some food, and if you're new there is a very good chance you'll end up (gently and in the most friendly way) cornered by either Sam, Hilda, Jesper, or any of the other Summoned. They are here to help answer questions and give a bit more background on what the hell is going on. And also let you know about the deal that has been going with Mag and the Inn for almost two years now. Aka, if you're looking for a room, there is one here for you in exchange for work. You can leave whenever you have a job, or you can stay as long as you like. It’s all about helping Summoned get more settled, and as long as you’re good at taking instruction and picking up after yourself, Mag hasn’t had any issues. Not a bad gig, right?

And if being social isn't your thing, or you’re just not the party kind of person, the Welcome Committee understands. But also, really, who is going to turn down free drinks and free food? The Cities work on coin and commerce, so turning down a free meal isn’t really the smartest thing. Plus - there’s alcohol. And the food is pretty damn good.

OOC INFO

- this is a totally open post! There will be some TL’s below from the Committee Members, but otherwise, have fun, meet some people, and put up a TL of your own! there are various places to run into people around the tavern, and if you find someone who is willing to help you into the Horizon (Sam is happy to help, but he’s helping Host), Sam's been letting people know they can use his room upstairs.

- the only Rule is there will be no fighting. You want to duke it out? Take it somewhere else. There will not be warnings or second chances, so don't be an ass. Summoned have lived in this Inn since they were all portaled here ages go, this is their home. and if ANYONE is seen giving Mag a hard time, there are a few people here who will not hesitate and who are not afraid of squaring up. Also, you cause problems, and you will not be invited back :)

- The whole purpose of the Welcome Committee is going to be going overboard to be welcoming, especially to new faces. Even if your character didn't see the big invitation, feel free to have them invited by word of mouth, or chased down by any of the members. Some Summoned may have also checked the barracks for any new Summoned to bring them into town.

- Mag is an NPC who you can read a little more about in the NPC section of the Cadens setting page. Feel free to have her come in and out of your tags as needed!

THE INN

Magmara (or Mag) has run the inn for years and has been a familiar face in that neighborhood as a woman who always made ends meet, almost in spite of the way she took care of her friends and neighbors above all else. Most weren't always sure how she managed to run the place on her own, but she made due, though she always seemed a bit overwhelmed and exhausted. When the Summoned arrived in the Cadens through that first portal, Sam managed to stumble in and make quick friends with Mag. In exchange for manual labor, fixing up and cleaning up the inn, as well as whatever other various tasks Mag needed to be done around, Sam would be given free room and board (a deal she now offers to any Summoned that arrives in the city for as long as they need it).

The inn itself is 4 floors tall, with the top three floors making up the 15 or so rooms (around five rooms per floor), and the entire bottom floor reserved for the restaurant area. The tavern makes up the entire first floor and is a large open floorplan, with a small stage in the corner, a walled-off area for the decently sized kitchen, and a large wooden bar where Mag does all her business for both the inn and tavern (where can almost always be found standing behind). It serves drinks of some variety (though not nearly as large a selection as some of the more well-known taverns) and some food (usually a single, large meal that will be served to the tenants and whoever comes in throughout the night for a moderate price). It can be busy some evenings, but in general tends to keep a more 'dive-bar' kind of feel, filled with more locals and regulars than a casual dinner-going crowd.

The rooms themselves vary from fairly simple, single-bed inn-style rooms with a small bathroom and little else, up to a two 'bedroom' suite style with small kitchenettes and spaces for sitting rooms. Each bedroom has its own small bathroom for the tenants, with cleaning, washing, and chores left to those who live there. What used to be more of a working inn now serves as a kind of boarding house for newly arrived Summoned (or simply those who won't leave), and Mag has found herself quite okay with that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Oh no. Finn already likes Sam, he can instantly tell that he's the good sort, but oh no. He looks down at his plate like he isn't totally sure what to do with it anymore. Can he even eat this much? They're going to find out, he knows that much.

But he smiles back while Sam shakes his hand because, as mentioned earlier, he's the good sort. ]

You could say that. Been around for a few days now.

And you've been here for a hot minute, from what I hear. [ Directly from Sam. ] I'm guessing you're not the only one.

[ at this point it's a challenge, one that finn better rise to meet. sam will be watching, after all (so no pressure).

but no, really, it is fine. the food is just one way that sam finds his way into these conversation, one way he opens things up for what a lot of people need some leading into. the questions, yes, but the connection even more so. ]

Few days, damn. I'm usually more on the ball than that. [ there's something very slightly self-deprecating in his words, but sam moves passed it quickly. ]

No, I'm not the only one. And I guess we're going on...two years now? There aren't nearly as many as there used to be, but a few here in Cadens, some in other factions. You'll probably meet them- either in the Horizon or Nocwich, depending.

[ To be fair to Sam, Finn had kept largely to himself, wanting to get a foothold on his own situation before networking more, so to speak. And he's about to say as much, but the subject sort of presents itself in a different way suddenly. ]

Oh, I've been to Nocwich. Didn't stay long, but I wanted to see if some of those rumors were true.

[ And most of them had been. From what he could tell, they maybe all were. Point is, it proved that this isn't any planet he's heard of before, not even remotely. ]

People go to the Horizon regularly, though?

[ oh, sam figured. there are quite a few summoned who come around wanting to do much of the same - have their time alone, get their feet under them. he doesn't blame them, especially if they have any survival instincts about them, but there's a sense that sam himself takes it as a kind of...not challenge, exactly, but like he sets a higher bar for himself.

no one is going to fall through the cracks on his watch - if he has his way, at least.

still, finn says i've been and sam nods. ] That's the best place to meet; neutral territory, some great food. Spooky, kinda, but travel's hard enough around this place so being able to see people from other factions is worth it.

[ sam makes a point to get out there almost every time the portal opens, if he's got the chance. but that restlessness under his skin isn't really any better for it. the feeling of still, in their own way, being trapped - no matter how much he might try to work within the system.

but finn's new, he doesn't need to worry about that yet. ]

Pretty regularly, yeah, depending on who you ask. It's pretty neat, and real nice for communication purposes. Also, if you're into all that... [ how does sam want to refer to this...he gestures with his tankard. ] Magic, imagination, that sort of thing- a lot of Summoned like having the chance to really play with it.

[ Spooky is one word for Nocwich, definitely. Food had been pretty good, too. Still, he had only distantly considered it a good meeting place for people in the other factions, too tied up in learning the area itself more than anything.

After this little gathering, he's begun to wonder if that had been the right course of action. Home is distant and probably going to be distant for awhile longer. Might as well make some allies and hunker down a little. Settle in for the long haul.

He kinda hates that thought, though. ]

I'd love to see the Horizon, actually. It sounds... [ fake ] interesting. Kept hearing about how dangerous it and the Singularity were, though. Thought I needed to prepare more.

[ But speaking of the real reason he wants to go there- ]

Have you played with it? All of this magic they talk about?

[ that isn't all that surprising - where things are these days, how much is accessible and how much isn't, he could see how in a lot of ways it'd get really overwhelming. part of him is glad that the way the information had come about at first had been delayed, slow enough for them all to really get a handle on it. he knows for the newcomers, now, it's like trying to catch up on an entire semester in school when you hadn't even wanted to enroll in the first place.

it's kind of half the reason this little dinner meeting has started up, after all. even if it's mean for sam to feel glad that at least they're working.

he nods. ] Well- I can take you if you want, it doesn't take much, but as far as being dangerous... that's more complicated. The Singularity, yes. Dangerous, powerful, lots of magic, also may or may not be a sentient being that's connecting this universe to every other possible multiverse, and also is the reason we're here and have our magical abilities. The Horizon... it's effective, and useful, and a magical space that we're all mentally connected to and can sometimes provide a really subconscious view into other's brains. So yeah, it's probably dangerous in some way, but I wouldn't compare it to the Singularity.

[ sam shrugs - in his line of work, you get used to deciding which dangerous you want to handle and which you'll hold off for another time. ]

Sorta, yeah. When you've been here as long as I have it's kind of hard to avoid it. And for someone who's never really played with that or had that before, it's kind of sweet.

[ There are so many pieces of information tucked away in this that Finn wants to ask way too many questions about. Naturally, he begins by narrowing things down to immediate, probable threats to himself or others. And that's- Well-

There's a pause, Finn blinking twice in that time. ]

... Sentient?

[ You can't just gloss over that, man! But he shakes himself and tries to find a track to get on. ]

Okay, wait. Is the Singularity one of those Gods people have been talking about then? And if it's aware and people are connected to the Horizon- Has anyone tried talking to it before?

[ Stop him. He's forming an extremely terrible idea. ]

[ the worst part about all of this is that finn could keep asking questions, all of them, just because he feels like it. it's kind of half the reason sam's hosting these kinds of meetings.

but it's the focus on the sentient part that has sam nodding, a kind of yeah...it's as crazy as it sounds, i know written across his face. ]

I am not the person to be asking about Gods, sorry kid, but I don't think they're the same. It's more that...I don't know for sure, but there have been enough Summoned who have been close enough to the thing to feel its intentions. Want, hunger, need- it's got a hell of a lot of power to it, so we can't really be surprised that it's gonna have interests of its own. [ a beat, and then a small smile. ]

Kind of- if you want to know more about the Singularity, though, there are other people who know more than I do. Stephen Strange, for one. He's technically over in Thorne, but I can take you by his Horizon domain. He's...more informed than I am about all this magic stuff.

[ Want, hunger, need- Finn likes none of those things in relation to a being with this much power. Thankfully, a little bit of his self-preservation instincts are kicking in, wondering if maybe it's a bad idea to attempt connecting with it.

But he does nod. Slowly at first while the words sink in but it's an affirmative regardless. ]

Yeah, I'd like to meet him. Haven't been to the Horizon yet, anyway, but... I might- [ On second thought, maybe he should keep the Force to himself for now, especially with the intentions he's thinking about. ] I'd be happy to learn more about it if it means we could get home sooner.

[ sam likes survival instincts. he likes them even more so when they're connected with possibly not trying to directly connect with something that has proven to literally fry locals into dust. but hey- unless finn mentions any of these things, sam's not gonna know that's what he's thinking.

yet. that's what getting to know the kid is for. don't worry, finn - you're not in the clear quite yet when it comes to avoiding sam's Dad Energy. ]

Oh- do you need someone to take you in? It's...well, it can be pretty crazy, to be honest. But it's helpful in more ways than it's not- communication is the biggest one. But yeah- if you need someone, I'm here. It can be... [ sam pauses for a moment, thinks back to the first time he entered, the couple of years before. ] It can be a lot, the first time, but every time after that it gets easier.

[ Perhaps it's a good thing that Finn also doesn't know what Sam's thinking. If he had so much as an inkling that this being has done something like that in the past, he'd be all the more ready to confront the thing.

For the moment, he just perks up with a smile. ]

I might take you up on that. Don't really feel ready for it yet. Sort of taking everything one at a time right now. [ Thankfully. ]

Does sound like a great way to communicate with the others, though. You guys are able to host meetings like this in there?

[ so yes, definitely a very good thing finn hasn't learned about that. he should at least wait a couple of months before diving headfirst into what is probably the most dangerous circle of land on this entire planet.

one step at a time, kiddo. one step at a time. ]

I'm not going anywhere, so whenever you're ready. [ and its said with a tone that is mostly light, easy and casual - but there is something else under that. something that may or may not give the impression that sam uh. really doesn't think he's going anywhere. not after how long he's been around, after all.

finn's question pulls a kind of laugh out of sam. ] Yeah- we've had a few. Most have been at my place- had a couple of town halls, hosted a couple of holidays there, that sorta thing. Nothing's really set in stone but we're definitely keen on keeping everyone as connected as we can. We're not really good with how uh- separate these factions are keeping us.

[ A part of Finn is sane. He hears something about the most dangerous circle of land on the planet and he has half a mind to be on the other side of the globe, if not off the planet entirely. The rest of him, that "hero" side who's secretly an adrenaline junky that doesn't know what to do if his life isn't in immediate danger- That guy wants to do the diving in headfirst thing.

He's smart until he isn't. That's Finn in a nutshell. ]

I'm not really good with it either. [ And his smile threatens to tug into a frown. ] Two years is a long time. I'm glad to hear you guys have found ways to stay together.

[ Finn suddenly really wants to get involved, try to help people stay hopeful. Even if it's futile. But if you only believe in the sun when you see it, you'll never make it through the night... He wishes Organa were here. ]

[ good, finn should stay sane. it'll also help keep sam sane at the same time. two for the price of one, right? especially since there are way too many others around here who want to go directly into the thick of things. and sam is left chasing after them over and over again.

smart until he isn't, sam can handle. he's much of the same himself.

sam nods. ] We're working with what we can for now, while trying to make it all better. And it is getting better, so. Who knows what'll be next.

[ there's some level of pride in his words, but nothing really about him. he's a big fan of the group experience, of the fact there are a lot of them working for the same goal. that he can work with, and that he'll always hold onto. ]

I'll keep you in the loop for next time, too. That way you can get some face time with the other Summoned. You might have friends out there, too. You never know.

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( open ) an informal family dinner

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