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 recent important events that happened in Abraxas. They may have heard that the Summoned were invited to the Nether in October to help save the ailing dragons from extinction. Kyle and Rhy Maresh represented the Thorne Summoned in a negotiation with the Nether officials to exchange supplies for assistance with their navy. The dragons are alive and well, and the Draconae are very grateful.

Due to an announcement in November, the Summoned are invited to visit Borrel after Nocwich (the first weekend of the month) for the Maritime Fair. It is a three-day festival with lodging provided for the Summoned and a small stipend.



General.

With Rhy Maresth's blessing, Jill Warrick will be taking over his hosting duties on the celebration side of the mingle. Jill 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 Istredd, Jill, or Rhy, 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 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 and liquor from large glass carafes. Hot tea and a variety of warm drinks are also available in a few flavors. 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. Jill arranged for special refreshments to be offered in partnership with local businesses. Dante has also offered pizza for those who want something less traditional.

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. Everything is decorated in Thorne's local winter flowers, filling the space with pleasant smells and pretty atmosphere. There is 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.

Istredd is 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. Istredd recommends people visit his Horizon because he has a history of the Summoned and general helpful details written in there for anyone to see.

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. Your character can also know anything from the entries I linked to above that are in his library if you'd like to jump-start them into having information, or they can know none of it.

Thanks to Lena for originally designing this mingle every month, and Ammay for joining in on the fun now!))

Comments

[blackeyedprince]

Extensive experience.

[Kell doesn't plan to flaunt his previous involvement with those parties from their very start. It's detail, and in past now. Doesn't really matter. So he limits himself to a smile and a nod.]

This is the first time I'm not carrying anything here. It feels weird, almost like I'm missing something.

[He wasn't thinking so far as home. Thorne perfectly gives that gilded cage feel he's so used to, but he's far from criticizing it on castle grounds. That's just not safe.]

For worse places? No, not really. Here, there are a few nasty, and a few pretty nice.

Did you get a chance to visit Nocwich? It's one of the nicest.

[diametrically]

I'm sure Jill would appreciate the help cleaning up if you aren't the type to leave early.

[ It's said in jest, of course. There were more than enough hands - and magic - that would probably make the clean up far simpler. And perhaps too many hands would slow it down. Cassian at least planned on making himself useful though. It's not as if he had anything else to do after this except maybe return to his room and read the book that Istredd had given him that was tucked into the pocket of his robe. ]

I did. [ The city that was blanketed in eternal darkness felt more welcoming to him than Thorne had. ] Not that I had much coin to enjoy it with. [ And then wryly - ] Should I ask what one of the worst is or will that get me in trouble?

[blackeyedprince]

I have become one of late. So I guess my itch goes unfulfilled.

[Kell no longer has a room to return to here in the castle. By necessity he needs to leave earlier. Not that he's especially sad about it, cleaning afterwards was never his favorite.]

Yes, Oleuni Square is definitely better enjoyed while in possession of money to spend.

[His own is dwindling fast now that he no longer has his fancy teashop job. That he never considered fancy until he moved out.]

Probably not. There's not much worth telling about this place. Definitely not enough to ruin such a perfectly pleasant evening.

[diametrically]

Did the itch get replaced with rescuing Summoned from alleyways?

[ Cassian's lips quirk slightly, offering up a somewhat dry sounding joke at his own expense.

He's curious about these worse places, but he lets it lie instead. Knowing his luck, he'd find them eventually. There is something else he's been curious about however since encountering Kell the first time. ]

How did you get permission to live outside the castle?

[blackeyedprince]

So it seems. They do say you should change your hobbies from time to time.

[Kell appreciates the reference and the self-deprecating humor. He kind of admires people who can speak of their own troubles in such a light way. You've got to have nerve.]

I didn't. My brother did. He's the politically savvy one.

[Kell was quite sure it is not possible, but was not surprised that if anyone would pull this off, it would have been Rhy.]

Got himself appointed liaison, and I got to go as his assistant.

[Kell ends his small story in a bow with a flourish.]

He's just that good with people. Honestly, it's like magic.

[It's what Kell always told him whenever Rhy was frustrated with his lack of real magic talent back home. Now, he has both.]

[diametrically]

[ Cassian's eyebrows lift an inch, the flourish bringing a hint of warmth to his features.

He had yet to meet Kell's brother, but hearing that he was appointed liaison gives Cassian an impression about him already. He's always been quick to draw conclusions about smooth talkers in power that claimed to try and do good. To say he's cynical would be an accurate statement - but seeing as this is his brother that they're talking about, Cassian holds his tongue. ]

Everyone has their talents. [ Or rather, he mostly holds his tongue. ] Does being good with people run in the family then?

[blackeyedprince]

[Given Kell does not register the subtle change, or the miniscule pause before Cassian's superficially positive statement and the question that followed it, he practically answered it already. He just fails to realize it. Which, in itself, is evidence on the matter.]

It might as well, but I wouldn't know. I'm adopted, so whatever excellent family traits he might have inherited, those had no way to transfer to me.

[And there's no bigger blind spot for Kell that Rhy's good intentions. In his eyes, Rhy can do no wrong. Oh, he can fuck up, get them both -or the whole fucking country - in trouble. His good intentions might have disastrous consequences, but somehow Kell is always able to explain those away as not really being his fault. Even while he complains about the fall-out when it inevitably hits him.

So there's not a shred of criticism in his assessment, only a little bit of smugness when he replies. There are few things that only he can do.]

I have a few of my own, though.

[diametrically]

[ There are plenty of orphans across the galaxy, made by the hands of those in power. Some remained that way, while others more fortunate were able to find homes, families that loved them. Cassian couldn't assume that Kell's adoption had to do with similar circumstances but hearing that he had been adopted stirs the smallest amount of kinship with the young man in front of him. ] 

Sometimes you pick things up just being around people.
 
[ His own penchant for picking out ship parts, tinkering with them until they worked, had been thanks to his own adoptive father's deft hand and patience. The smugness doesn't go unnoticed, however, and keeps the warmth there in his expression. ] 

Like that display back in Nott? Did you learn that here? Or was that something from home? 

[ It only seemed like the natural question considering all of the Summoned's varying experiences with magic. ] 

[blackeyedprince]

Sometimes you do. [Until you actively try not to. Like he did.] I was told I'm especially difficult case. [Someone could argue that making his dislike of social gatherings and general awkwardness part of his dark, brooding and mysterious magician persona does require said people skills when intentional.]

Oh, that? Most of it was mine. Apart from the smoke wriggly things. Those I picked up here.

[Yes he means the smoke tentacles, but good luck having him ever use that word. Or vines. Both are out.]

Not exactly on purpose to be honest.

[diametrically]

[ Cassian's lips lift slightly at that. A difficult case knows another difficult case when they see it. What Kell says next however has him raising an eyebrow.

He knows nothing about how magic works, except for the fact that you're supposedly meant to read something out of a book and it should hypothetically work. But someone didn't just read a spell accidentally and be able to cast it. Right? ]

What, you mean by accident?

[blackeyedprince]

[Look, it's weird for him too, and he was born with his magic. Even as an Antari you don't just wake up one day with a skill you never had. All of his magic was already there, he just needed to learn how to use it.]

The most reasonable explanation I've heard is that it's caused by Singularity meddling.

[The other was it's the gods, and he personally hates this option. Even if it's probably more likely.]

We, as all of the Summoned, have a connection to it. So sometimes it messes with how magic works for us. In the best case scenario, it ends on a massive headache or a week of nightmares. [Yes, that's the good outcome.]

Anytime it can leave you with being able to do some magic you did not have or learn before and no knowledge you have it. Not until something triggers it. At least, that's how it worked for me.

[It's still took him quite some time to be able to conjure his smoke tentacles intentionally and not as a panic reaction to real or perceived threat. Even more to stop them when he doesn't want or need them.]

are we okay to wrap soon? 💕

[diametrically]

[ Kell's explanation stirs more annoyance than he probably intends to. What little magic Cassian had dabbled in hadn't been successful. If the Singularity had done anything to him without him noticing, surely it would have resulted in the light spell singing his eyebrows out instead of flickering immediately out because that would be just his luck. It's not his lack of proficiency with magic that annoys him however. 

It's the fact that something is trying to change his body against his will. It's a similar feeling to being "summoned" here against his will when he had nothing to offer this place with its ancient technology and reliance on magic. It's only years of practice that allow none of that annoyance to emerge. Wryness takes its place instead. ] 

More things to look forward to then. I'll let you know if I start growing horns. 

[ He reminds himself none of it is directed at the red head however. And for him to extend enough care to a stranger in the way he's had is something Cassian is grateful for. His lips lift slightly. ] 

I don't want to keep you. I'm sure you have other people to see. 

we can wrap on mine :)

[blackeyedprince]

I certainly wish you something more useful.

[Kell doesn't mind new skills dropped into his lap. What he does mind, and quite emphatically so, are the so called gods messing with his brain. But gods are another can of worms. One he doesn't plan to touch with a ten feet pole, unless he's forced. He likes to pretend he forgot they exist.

But he gets the subtle clue to move. Honestly, he should go find Rhy anyway. It's a bit worrying that he's not in the middle of the party.]

I will take my leave then. Come visit me if you're in Nott by any chance. We don't have fancy vines like here in the castle, but the local beer just as good.

[Rhy disagrees, but Rhy is not here, and Kell personally prefers beer.]