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! New characters may hear some gossip and chatter about a few recent important events that happened in Abraxas. Just in June, the Summoned were welcomed into the Feywilds where they met the Fey. The Fey have been separated from the rest of the continent a long time so it was a big deal. They may hear that months ago many Summoned were kidnapped by a cult and are still recovering. Lastly they would hear about strange rifts that started appearing with mostly harmless animals coming through. Some of those animals were familiar.



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! ))

Comments

these hands can heal

[sleepfan]

[Linhardt isn't interested in the flashy demonstrations that are being performed by Thorne's natives - elemental magic isn't difficult or particularly impressive, it just looks like it is. His interest in the other Summoned depends directly on whether or not what they are doing tickles his intellectual curiosity.

Elrond's class does, but Linhardt is content to be half-awake in the back, taking notes as the man talks (in a tone that threatens to lull Linhardt all the way to sleep given how exhausted he always is).

He's definitely a straggler. Why should he get up? He's comfortable. Linhardt rubs his eyes and looks up at Elrond.]

Yes. I have questions if you have time.

[Linhardt holds up a sheet of parchment that has... a lot of questions written on it.]

[politicians]

[ oh my. elrond glances at the parchment, a crooked twist to his lips. ]

I'm afraid I would need far more time than I have to address all of these. Perhaps you could narrow it down for me?

[sleepfan]

[That's a fair point. Linhardt would like to monopolize the other man's time, but he hates when people ask him too many stupid questions and don't respect his time. He frowns in concentration, drawing a finger down the row of questions and dismissing ones that he could probably research in other ways. There are only two questions that Linhardt deems of immediate importance and that would be difficult to answer in other ways.]

I can. If you could tell me the answers to the following questions, I would be pleased.

Firstly, have you found that your knowledge of flora from your home world translates well to working in Abraxas?

Secondly, how many healers are there amongst the Summoned in Thorne?

[Is he going to need to do things, or are there enough other healers that they'll take care of everyone? Linhardt isn't going to watch people suffer, but he is more of a researcher than a practitioner, so if there are enough other people around to handle the actual tending to people part, that would suit him just fine.]

[politicians]

Most of it does, save for a few exceptions. And study can reveal decent substitutes.

[ athelas would be a huge boon and if elrond could, he would grow it himself, but alas, it is beyond his power. for now, the rest of his power comes to bear within other herbs. ]

And I'm afraid I am the only one I know of. Istredd may possess some healing magic, but his focus does not lie there.

[sleepfan]

Do you have notes? May I see them?

[His magic had failed him on first arriving here, and some of it is proving to be difficult. It would not be a poor idea to learn more about other options. And there may be connections between the worlds of the Summoned and Abraxas - the worlds might share something in common.

Thirty seconds prior, Linhardt would have thought that nothing would distract him. He would have been incorrect.

"I'm afraid I am the only one I know of."]

Do you know all the Summoned in Thorne? It can't only be the two of us. That is absurd.

[politicians]

[ two? elrond blinks, surprised. ]

I have some notes in my room. I would be happy to share them with you.

How do you heal others? If you do not mind me asking.

[sleepfan]

I would like to see them. At your earliest convenience, of course.

[If the other man is working on something, that comes first.]

I use healing magic. Spells, primarily, though sometimes I combine them with physical or medicinal treatments. There are problems that direct magic is not well suited for, particularly recurring problems or older injuries that have already healed incorrectly. My healing magic involves using one's own will and energy to allow the patient's body to heal itself.

[politicians]

[ ah, spells. even now, elrond doesn't know how to feel about that sort of magic. he learns it, accepts and has started practicing it as much as other mages on thorne, but it never seems to settle into his skin comfortably. as if his own innate "magic" rebels against the very thought.

but that is neither here nor there. ]/small>

Fascinating. And how do you direct your will and energy if I may ask? Is it a spoken word or an artifact of power?

[sleepfan]

Directing my will comes naturally to me - some people in my world are born with natural magical gifts. I have one for healing magic.

[Linhardt has never understood why other people have such complicated relationships with their Crests. His is quite pleasant: it helps him to help people. Even if it might be why he's tired all the time - Linhardt isn't certain. He doesn't know how to explain directing magical will. It's like explaining how he sees. Or walks. He just does.]

Our healing magic uses a combination of words and magical sigils - objects of power may be used to boost the effects, but the spell's words act as a focal point for the will of the caster: You need to create a sigil to direct where and what you want your energy to do and then use the word to feed your energy through the sigil and into the other person. The bridge is necessary because touching another person's energy directly may have adverse effects.

[Unless you're taking their life energy for yourself.]

Simple healing can be done without a sigil, but for more complex situations, it's not recommended. The sigil is the fence and the word is the latch. It creates and enforces boundaries: A great deal of healing magic is intuitive and changes based on the person you're treating. Without boundaries, attempts go poorly.

Your healing seems to be more focused on considering the properties of natural substances and the properties of the injury and matching them appropriately? Are you growing medicinal plants? Have you tried to create more effective versions?

[politicians]

I have a small garden here. Otherwise I make do with what is grown or sold in Thorne.

[ money. something elrond has never had to consider before. coming to abraxas required quite a learning curve at first for an elf. it takes him a moment to absorb all that new information. sigils and crests . . . human magic seemed so bound to the confines. ]

My healing draws upon the natural world. Because we are always in tandem. The world and ourselves. While effectiveness matters a great deal, I will not put one above the other.

[sleepfan]

May I see it? I will not touch or interfere with your plants.

[Linhardt will only observe them. Violating stupid social rules is one thing, disrespecting someone's work and materials is unacceptable. If he wants to be welcomed, he needs to be respectful.]

I do not understand.

I believe I somewhat understand your meaning about being in tandem; there are undeniable links between us and the world around us. The boundaries between us are not as clear as one might expect and it is true that life energy doesn't strictly stay within its bodily confines. It does mix with others'.

I do not understand why efficiency and this relationship would be in conflict, or why you would opt not to save more people if you are able.

[politicians]

[ elrond hums, considering his next words delicately. ]

Let me ask then. Has your world crossed lines in the sand in the name of efficiency?

[sleepfan]

Yes.

[Linhardt doesn't need to think about his answer at all, giving Elrond an immediate answer. There's more emphasis on the word than he's placed on anything else in the discussion so far, though his tone still lacks much in the way of emotional affect.]

I understand the need to not place efficiency over all other values. At the same time, I have seen what happens when only the potential down sides to a development are considered. Neither produces positive results: A focus on improvement and efficiency at the cost of moral considerations leads to treating people and the natural world as though they were no different from ink wells: Resources to be managed or expended depending on cost-benefit analyses.

At the same time, if one does not work to advance or allow for new techniques and resources, what of all the people who die but could have been saved?

If it is wrong to harm someone in the pursuit of efficiency or due to some theoretical 'greater cause', then surely it is also wrong to declare that one's own moral principles are so absolute they necessitate the death of others: The loved ones feel the loss the same whether someone is sacrificed to gain data or to assauge the moral feelings of their superiors.

[politicians]

[ elrond listens to this, enraptured and pleased. sometimes, men do surprise him. as they have been surprising him since he got here. that being said, his voice remains gently and steady. ]

In my case, it is a little more than a moral failing. I am an elf. I tend to wood and leaf as much as I would tend to any person. I recognize that the race of Men see it differently, but I cannot.

[sleepfan]

That is not a moral failing - it is a different perspective.

[Linhardt does prioritize people over plants and animals, but that is not a universal decision even among the healers he knows - Marianne would have made different decisions.]

Particularly if your magical senses extend to plant life - I knew a woman with a gift for relating to animals, and seeing them hurt pained her as much as seeing a human hurt would. It would be a moral failing if you did not think it through or if you acted only to feel virtuous.

Do you think all attempts to modify plants are harmful? There are many examples of synergies in the natural world that benefit both parties: Did you know that there are certain types of ants that co-exist with aphids? Flowering plants and bees also help one another.

[If this man - elf - Linhardt corrects himself - can 'tend' to plants, what does that mean precisely?]

Can you heal the natural world? If a place were...wrong. Would that be within your capabilities to fix?

[politicians]

[ elrond hesitates for a moment, thinking it over. some of the vernacular and pattern of thoughts men have still escape him now and then. elves are not one for practicalities and it is a world elrond himself is partially submerged in. ]

Yes. I suppose it would be. In regards to nature, we are attuned. We feel it strongly.

[sleepfan]

[The hesitation is obvious and it’s interesting to look at it from the point of view of the person not doing the hesitating. Linhardt looks at a painting on the wall, giving Elrond time to collect his thoughts and waiting patiently.]

There is a place where I am from that is…damaged. It is wrong. Nothing can grow there, and spending time there is damaging to both people and animals.

Even if I could extinguish the perpetual fires, I would not know how to begin to nurture life, but it would be a shame to leave it in such a state if it could be repaired.

[politicians]

[ elrond sighs softly. ]

I am afraid without seeing it for myself, there is very little help I can offer you.

[sleepfan]

I understand.

I will learn from you, if you are amenable. Perhaps I will make progress. Perhaps not.

[Learning is its own reward and goal, and now Linhardt is intrigued by Elrond's connection to the natural world.]

Do you retain your connection in Abraxas?

[politicians]

[ elrond inclines his head politely, a smile playing on his lips. ]

Of course. You are most welcome.

And yes, I do. My connection is innate. A part of my very being, so to speak.