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! If your character is interested, they can go help out in Nott instead/afterward!
WHEN: After the new people arrive
WHERE: A ballroom in Castle Thorne and at Nott (pre and post worse storms)

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 would have heard that recently the Summoned were invited to Ikorr, the land of the vampires, for their annual decadent party. While there, a heist went down involving a chef name Marcellus who stole an important Ikorr artifact. After catching the man, the Lunae showed up to demand the artifact so they could destroy it. The Summoned supported keeping it with the Ikorr and not destroying it, causing some trouble with the Luna.

Over the course of the night, a strange being was playing with the Summoned, and when they left, they had a vision of a god who said "You are Awaited." Shortly afterward, the Singularity started reacting to something unknown and caused lightning to appear in the sky and winds to pick up severely. There has been damage to all of Thorne but more specifically Nott. Please note at the bottom of this log that there are two prompts for Nott that you can take part in, one when it's just the winds and one when people have to flee the worse storms.



General.

Jill Warrick and Istredd are the hosts of this celebration. Jill will have sent a written invitation to all Thornean newcomers after 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 or Jill, 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.

Nott Pre-Storm

Newcomers may be made aware that there are particularly harsh winds happening at the moment and that Nott, a poor fisherman city, has been in particular damaged by this. Istredd will announce at the ballroom that anyone who wishes to pitch in to help Nott would be welcomed, and there is a portal going there. He says that there are ships who never made it back and most of the ones left are damaged and need patching up. They have been working on fixing up an old hospital that could use physical labor on it and people to move anyone injured by the storms into there for extra help. Newcomers do not need to volunteer for this and can enjoy the party without it, but this is an option!

Nott Post-Storm

Shortly after the ballroom and the request for assistance, the weather in Nott takes a turn for the worst. Lightning now strikes the ground, and heavy rains have led to flooding. Conditions have grown from troublesome to outright dangerous. While the Summoned can be there at the time when things turn, they will be forced to leave back through the portals, although they will be assured the guards can handle what's coming. They will not have a choice or be able to go back. You can use this for their reactions to the disaster and any feelings they may have!

(( 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.))

Comments

sansa stark | the high priestess

[theladyofwinterfell]

( banquet )

Having gotten so much help from Istredd when she first arrived, Sansa felt it only fair to help him with the preparations for the banquet when he'd told her there would be another. More new people coming, all in a group - it seems so much like when she arrived and she wonders if it always happens this way. It is strange if it does but they are, in fact, summoned.

Eschewing her usual black for a dress in deep purple instead, once the preparations are done, Sansa finds herself a cup of wine and takes a break, leaning her back against the wall since no one seems to be looking at her at the moment. When someone approaches, she straightens, and offers them a smile.

"You saw nothing. It would be improper for me to lean against a wall."

( Pre-Storm )

Sansa has gotten used to spending more time in Nott since she first arrived and while she never goes without an escort (said escort being Jon), she does like to help others and let them know that there is someone willing to do kindness on their behalf. Even if it isn't always appreciated in a vocal way, Sansa feels good doing it.

The wind is lashing against them and Sansa wishes she'd thought to braid her hair before going through the portal to help because her hair is whipping around her wildly. She cannot do physical labor but she helps with the injured, trying to guide them to safety so she can patch their injuries quickly before things turn for the worse.

"Come with me," she says to another Summoned. "There's more people who need our help and I cannot do it alone."

( Post-Storm )

When the weather gets truly dangerous, Sansa is more than happy to go back through the portal back to the castle. The lightning and rain is much different than any storm she's ever experienced at Winterfell and once she's back to safety, she pushes her hair out of her face and just gasps for breath for a moment to compose herself.

Perhaps the Stormlands have storms like these but Winterfell does not. She can handle a blizzard or even an ice storm but the lightning over Nott had been truly frightening.

"Do you think they'll be all right?" she asks someone beside her.

banquet

[sophos]

Annabeth is hovering near the wall herself, though not out of a need for a break so much as she was distracted by following the pattern of the lights along it. They were placed so neatly, it brightens the room in such a way that it has to be designed as such. Once she realizes there is in fact a person nearby, however, she changes her plan and just walks up to her instead, as much as she is fascinated by the design. She is ready to mingle! That's why she's here! She just gets beat to the starter.

She wrinkles her nose, expression puzzled but in an amicable way. "Is that a rule here? No resting? Loitering?" She pauses. "Leaning?"

It's mostly a teasing question. But also... not entirely. Royal rules could be weird and arbitrary.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"No, there is no rule. I am simply a woman of some stature back home and if someone caught me idle it would probably reflect poorly upon me. Of course, I could also probably do what I want. I just like to pick my battles."

Sansa has always had good manners and becoming queen had only amplified those; there is no way she would let one of her liege lords catch her unawares. In Thorne, however, she is mostly anonymous.

"Are you one of the new arrivals?"

[sophos]

She nods a little, in some understanding, even if she can't relate. Annabeth was right that this young woman isn't local, so maybe she's picking up on the signs more than she realized. That's a win for her. "In that case, your secret's safe with me."

Not that she even has anyone to tell at the moment, save Percy.

"Was it that obvious?" She asks it in a way that implies she knows it's probably very obvious. But the whole point of this party seems aimed at helping those aforementioned new arrivals, so she's not about to shy away from it. "I take it that means you're an older arrival."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Not by much. I have been here for a few moons now," Sansa explains. "You are among the second group of arrivals I have seen come here since I arrived. There seems to be a pattern to it, the way we are summoned. I imagine it must be more efficient to bring a group all at once than stragglers here and there."

The pattern is evident to her now and it seems like this will be a continual thing - welcoming the new, mourning the lost.

"I have failed to introduce myself. I am Lady Sansa Stark, late of Winterfell and now of Thorne."

[sophos]

She hums noncommittally. "I've been getting the sense that some people have been here for even longer than that too. What's the pattern? Groups like this?"

It does seem like she found herself in a big bunch of arrivals. She's just glad Percy was among them. She supposes it wouldn't make sense either to have a party if it were only one or two people.

"Annabeth Chase. I don't have any titles, so just Annabeth is fine." She pauses for a second, wondering if she should follow suit. "Of New York." There, nailed it. "Nice to meet you."

[theladyofwinterfell]

“Annabeth, then. I suppose simply Sansa is in order so we are dispensing with titles entirely. And yes, the arrivals are always in large groups like this. They’re never just one or two people at a time.”

Sansa thinks it’s important to be as watchful here as she would be in Westeros and she takes note of even the smallest things. This is far from a small thing.

“Is New York a place where magic is common? Thorne puts an emphasis on it. I have been taking lessons since I’ve come here but I am not nearly as good at it as some people are.”

banquet

[spiritread]

Jinora can't help but take the banquet with a sense of wonder. It's not because she hasn't been to her own fair share - no they did hold a wedding on Air Temple Island fairly recently and the Air Bender family were still treated as something akin to upperclass - but it's all very different. Especially the food and it takes a little bit to figure out which were vegetarian options (save the obvious).

She'd had something, then, and moved to skirt away from the other mingling people with the literal movement of a leaf in the wind, never once losing balance of herself or the food. That when she stops a short distance away to a tall woman she smiles reflexively, friendly.

Then she pauses as the other moves and speaks.

"Why would it be improper?" She returns, with genuine curiosity and confusion. Such a thing doesn't really make sense to her - but maybe there's something she's not seeing.

[theladyofwinterfell]

“Oh, simply that it would be poor manners for me back home. Thorne has no such laws against leaning against the wall should one find themselves tired.”

Sansa smiles at it because it is sort of silly but she has the manners of a woman raised at court even if she wasn’t raised in Thorne’s court.

“I helped to set up the banquet for the new arrivals and it was a bit more physical effort than I expected it to be.”

[spiritread]

Jinora listens even as her brows furrow at the idea. The way the older female expresses it, it sounds like wherever she's from such a thing is a law. She can't help but worry about what that would be like for Lin's work day, as chief of police, with all of the reports that would come into it.

"It's a good thing you're here and not there then," Jinora remarks gently, not unkindly, "because you shouldn't worry about things like that if you're tired. You should be able to take care of yourself."

Because that's what that is about more than anything, right? She considers a moment longer before offering her some of her plate. "Here, you can have what you want. Or I can go get you something else...?"

[theladyofwinterfell]

The offer surprises her but Sansa imagines that it shouldn't, that people are generally kind and not cruel, but learning to trust again has been a slow thing. It's only polite to take when offered, however, so she takes a bit of cheese and is happy to see that it's good.

"It is only that I am meant...to be perfect at home. Weaknesses are not something I can afford to show. Here it is different. I am not the important person I am back home. It's freeing, in a way."

[spiritread]

Satisfied that the other picks up a piece, Jinora pulls her plate back and looks more quizzical at the idea. Maybe it really is that politics play a limited role in her mindset - which is funny, given she is the future leader of a nation. Her father even is one, playing a hand in Republic City... but Air Nomads have always been a little different.

"I wouldn't call taking time to enjoy and see what you helped build a weakness," she offers, without malice or accusation, "and I'm sure anyone else here wouldn't either. They should be saying thank you; So, thank you."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Well, this feast is to welcome those of you who are new. I am glad that you feel suitably welcomed. I have forgotten my manners, though. My name is Sansa Stark," she says, giving the other girl a smile. It seems strange to smile so much but it is easier to smile here in Thorne than it had been in Winterfell. She always feels so much lighter and unburdened.

"And it is my pleasure to meet you and make you welcome."

Post-storm

[northerndragon]

He considers the question.

"As much as they ever are. Which is to say, no, some of them won't be."

He sounds tired. If Nott and Castle Thorne were the same city, he thinks the people of Nott would be more like to riot -- although not in this weather. Later, when the recovery comes too slow. As for himself, he's seen worse... at Hardhome.

At least his ribs aren't broken.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"I worry," Sansa says. "I suppose it is the leader in me that does so. These aren't necessarily my people, the people of the North, but I feel duty toward them nonetheless and I want to ensure their safety."

Jon is correct, though, and in spite of their preparations both lives and property will be lost. It always is. All they can do is hope for the best and be prepared for the worst.

[northerndragon]

A blank shake of his head.

"We can't ensure their safety. Not from the weather, not any more than we can be sure to save the old men of the North from a long, hard winter. We can only do as much as we can."

He cracks a mirthless smile and adds, "At least it's only the weather here. Wind and storms are bad enough, but they're better than wights."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"If we had to fight the dead on top of vicious storms I feel that even though you and I would be uniquely qualified for such a thing, it would bring back memories we would rather not have," Sansa says.

"Worrying for a threat that has not yet arrived upon your doorstep is harrowing enough. I cannot imagine fighting one for myself."

It is a lie; Sansa has fought the dead and seen them but she is protecting Jon from a future he doesn't know about. He deserves that much.

i was moving during this event, my knowledge of it is hella vaguer than Jon's would be 😅

[northerndragon]

He tips his head to the side.

"The dead have risen here, but not in great numbers. Back when there was trouble with the heralds... about a year and a half past, if I remember right. They were not so hard to put back in their graves as the ones the Night King commands."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Thank the Old Gods for that," Sansa says. "From what you have told us - what the Wildlings have told us - those commanded by him are not so easily slain and we will need far more dragonglass than we'll ever have at Winterfell along with our steel."

A half truth. Jon gets the dragonglass and more besides. Sansa despises lying to him because he is her brother, her truest companion here in Thorne, but she must so that she can protect him.

"We must make our magic stronger if we hope to keep Nott and the others safe from everything that might happen. It seems to be our best weapon."

pre-storm

[funbreaker]

Thancred has been making near-daily trips to Nott in order to help out the local populace, and while he doesn't have much in the way of magic that he can pull on, he is more than willing to offer his manual labor. Whether it's by repairing boats, moving supplies around, or building reinforcements, he keeps busy. Some even offer him coin for his trouble, and he goes back and forth on whether to take it. Now that Urianger has left, keeping up with rent for the flat is going to be a more difficult task, and he's been going back and forth on whether he should just move back into the castle.

When he steps through the portal this time, the wind almost bowls him over. He digs his heels in to maintain his balance as the wind whips around, though still picks up on the fact that Sansa is close at hand and addressing him.

She truly doesn't need to say anything more than that. With a nod, he steps over to her. "Lead the way, I'll be right behind you."

He knows that Sansa usually makes this trip with Jon, but he's happy to act as a replacement, assuming that Jon is elsewhere at the moment.

[theladyofwinterfell]

Sansa doesn't trust many people here but she feels that she can trust Thancred so it at least takes a bit of pressure off Jon. The wind is stiff, as stiff as any storm at Winterfell, and she's a bit staggered by it as well.

"We need to get people indoors as soon as possible. They'll get hurt otherwise." There's others who are tying down boats and closing shutters against the wind but Sansa knows these aren't her strengths. There are some children nearby and she bends a bit to speak to the eldest.

"Take your brother and sister inside," she says. "Others will deal with the property. Are you able to get home from here or do you need help?"

[funbreaker]

It's true that finding shelter is the first item on a long list of things that will need to be done to ensure everyone here remains safe. They'll need food and medical supplies as well, and Thancred is willing to brave the rough winds in order to courier care packages around to various domiciles.

For now, though, ensuring that children make it back home to their parents or guardians takes priority over all else.

Thancred hangs back slightly as Sansa speaks to the children, not wanting to overwhelm them. She seems to be good with children, which certainly helps given the stressful situation.

The eldest, a girl, looks up at her with steely eyes. "I know the way," she insists, "but..." She pauses and looks at her two younger siblings, who are cowering together. "I'm worried they'll get knocked over and hurt on the way."

She may not be wrong. They're small and these winds are ferocious. Thancred takes a step forward and nods. "We can help."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"We are taller and stronger. We shall help you." Sansa assumes that Thancred will. It is her suspicion that he does those things and if her intuition is wrong, it will be swiftly corrected in the next moments. She doesn't think so; he had helped her investigate the theft a while ago.

Sansa takes the hand of one of the smaller children, holding it tight, and looks back to Thancred.

"Should they need to be carried, I cannot do it, but I will hold this one tight to me if the wind grows too strong."

[funbreaker]

"That's all right," Thancred shoots back to Sansa as she approaches the third child, the smallest of them, and takes a moment to crouch in front of him. "I'm going to carry you, if that's all right. It will make it easier to get you home swiftly and safely."

The boy sniffles and seems to be unable to find a response, too shy or too scared, but Thancred simply smiles and reaches out to ruffle his hair.

"All will be well, I promise you." And with that he reaches out to draw the boy into his arms, as if he weighed nothing, before he stands once more.

With that, he nods to the eldest child. "Lead the way."

[theladyofwinterfell]

Nott isn't a terribly big place but it still is large enough to have a few streets to wend their way through and with the wind stiff and the children scared, it is a longer trip than Sansa would expect it to be normally. The eldest seems to try and put on a brave face and Sansa compliments them, telling them that they're good and strong. A gust of wind presses her back against Sansa and they stagger a bit together.

"Just take it slowly," she says. "We will get there in plenty of time even with the winds, all right? Everything will be well. Thancred is a warrior. He won't let anything happen to us."

It is a platitude she gives without looking into it too deeply; they ought to believe in someone and Thancred is right there.