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

[eikonology]

[ though he knows that being joshua's first shield was clive's first and perhaps most defining duty, it seems to be the sort of thing that shouldn't matter any longer. joshua won't survive origin-- he's not even entirely certain that clive will. and here, joshua's title means even less than it does at home. they're simply brothers, nothing more. even so, he knows that's not how clive views it, especially since the events of phoenix gate. .. he's never asked clive about what it was like for him back then, and he's never talked about it himself, either. does his brother.. remember? had he watched ifrit lose control through the eikon's eyes? does he remember feather and flame between his teeth, or joshua's blood filling his mouth?

he prays every night that he doesn't, that for clive's sanity, his mind blocked those memories out forever.

he takes a shaky breath, just in time to spot the shine of jill's eyes. helpless adoration wells up in his chest, feeling too big for his body for a few breathless moments, and he lifts his hands to cup her face, tenderly smudging away the moisture at the corners of her eyes. ] Oh Jill, don't-- don't ever apologize to me for anything you feel. [ he curls his arms around her shoulders, hugging her to him again, finding his magic and bringing warmth and healing to the surface of his skin, making it as soothing as he can. there's so little he can do to help her, to help clive--even the phoenix can't heal the heart in this way--but he can give her this much, at least.

he presses his lips to her crown, sighing a little into her hair. ] As do I. He was already in such pain even before.

[glaciare]

( Jill does not expect any of them to return to her. That is perhaps the cruelest part of Clive's reputation as a poor liar -- knowing that his promise to return was going to be one he broke; the only thing that would keep Clive from keeping it would be his death, and she knows that that is where they're headed. She wants nothing more than to welcome the three of them back, to hug all of them in the Hideaway and let the tears fall once more. This time of relief, of joy.

But Jill has not survived this long by indulging in fantasies. She will pray, and enjoy the time she has been given here with them all.

Joshua's kindness threatens to break the dam of her emotions, the ones she can't bear to bring to rest on Clive's shoulders for fear he would take yet another burden on, this one needlessly. But the warmth he radiates -- simply because he's Joshua or perhaps because he is the phoenix -- has a way of easing her worries, her sadness. Like Clive, in that way, though while Clive is the banked warmth of a hearth, Joshua is bright and burning as a flame.

The brothers of fire indeed. )

I'm just glad that you're here. ( She says, reaching up to touch his cheek in open fondness. ) There's plenty I wish to show you, once you're more settled. Dion has yet to take me up on my invitation to learn the native magic, but with you on my side--

( They can surely work on him together. )