abraxaslogs | Welcome to Thorne!

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Welcome to Thorne!

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.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ river has been to three of these welcome parties by now, the first being her own when she arrived several months ago. she sits curled into a ball on one of the couches, hugging her knees as she watches istredd and the others guiding newcomers into the horizon or talking to them about magic.

she doesn't look up when heather addresses her, a tired and weary gaze fixated across the room, but she answers clearly all the same. ]

One hundred and twenty-two days.

[ she's been counting. she remembers what it was like, when she first got here and struggled to believe what they were telling her. ]

Thought it was a trick. A lie. They're still liars - the mages, they're tricky.

[ oh, but maybe she's not supposed to talk about that here. river finally looks up to heather, seeming a bit worse for wear. it's been hard to sleep lately, with the storms getting worse. ]

The rest of it is real, though. You learn fast.

( there's a small smile on her at river's words, very quickly agreeing with the girl's assertion that the mages were liars. she hadn't yet really spoken to any of them but neither had her initial encounter been so forthcoming. and no one else that she'd spoken to yet had much of a differing opinion.

when the girl looks at her she sits carefully at the other end of the couch, not intruding but not wanting to feel awkward by still standing as they spoke )

How long did it take you to believe it was real?

( heather's pretty certain it had been when the library books had thrown themselves at her in disagreement from where she'd tried to sort them but it also hadn't been until she'd seen some of the displays tonight that she'd completely believed it. you needed to see it )

[ she doesn't mind heather joining her on the couch; instead, she forces herself to uncurl a little bit, letting her feet touch the ground as she contemplates her question for a few minutes. she saw a lot of fantastic things in that first month. when did she finally start to believe it? ]

At the end of the year, there were a lot of celebrations for the wintertide. There was a man.

[ she never did get urianger's name. but the memory makes her smile a little, a warmth in her chest as she recalls it vividly. ]

He told the story of the stars. Pulled them down from the sky and wove them into reality. There's - a lot of magic is flashy, some of it just is because everything here is magic.

[ even now that she's accepted it and started studying it, a part of her is still put out by this. she huffs softly. ]

But this felt real. Could just... feel it, in your chest. Like the beat of your heart.

[ that's what yennefer told her on that very first day at the welcome party. months later, river is finally starting to understand. ]

( there's a slight frown at the story, a lack of understanding and heather just assuming that the stars the girl meant were some magical appearance. definitely not the real stars. that sounded far more fantastical than magic did )

Feel it when you're using it or always?

( even though heather had accepted, had believed what she'd seen so far she hadn't felt anything. though apparently they were all connected to it, all capable of using it here. that's what someone had told her, a name she hadn't gathered in the library.

but even though one question is already in the air she asks a second, the newer one feeling more important )

In one hundred and twenty-two days... how long did it take before you used magic? Purposely trying to or studied it or... whichever answer works best.

[ it's good she offers a second question because river doesn't know how to answer the first. she isn't sure if what she always feels constitutes magic, but the chaos is there anyway. that honestly makes the second question hard to answer too, but at least there's something different river can share. ]

I started studying a little over a month ago. Haven't managed a spell yet, but they gave me this.

[ she picks up her tiny little purse and shows it to heather before reaching inside to pull out a book that's almost three times the size of the bag. even after having it for a while now, river still looks bright-eyed and enchanted by the wonder if it. she offers heather the book; it's about herbology and brewing potions. ]

I have a few other things too, like a cloak that's always warm and a memory you can hold in your hand. They just showed up in my room.

( river's not the only one amazed, heather watching rapt as the book slides easily out of the bag as if the sizes were not incorrect. she's a little stunned, and maybe that belief hadn't quite sunk in yet. she believed the words but seeing it--

but it had only been several days and expecting herself to not react felt foolish. maybe river's always enchantment by magic was right -- it was incredible )

I used a magic paintbrush. ( her voice is a little more distant as she takes the book, turning it over in her hands, distracted slightly from her story by her wonder ) I'd somehow gotten into an art class, I didn't realise it was magic until it started using different colours than I'd put on it.

( that had been her first experience. her first experience that she could understand, the library books had just been irritating. she looks back up from the book at her )

Is it potions that you're learning or a different spell?

( did people learn multiple things? could they choose? too many questions )

[ it's okay, river hasn't been here long enough for that effect to wear off yet. her eyes practically sparkle at the idea of a magic paintbrush; maybe she can look for one in the library later.

it's strange, how talking about this seems to help her wake up a little. studying magic may be newer to her, but it's something she's earnestly committing herself to. ]

This one is for potions but I'm taking as many classes as I can. Might be smarter to focus your energy in one place, though. Istredd says it's harder for us, starting from square zero. Lots of the Thorne kids are far ahead.

You don't seem to be focusing your energy.

( an observation, not a criticism, but when river had offered the advice and wasn't following it? something had clearly grabbed the girl to want to spread herself out. or maybe she just didn't know what to focus on yet )

I've heard that there are some people here that are already familiar with magic, though the magic they know is apparently very different to what is here.

( did having that starting point already help them too much? or did they not bother to learn what was here if they already had magic? )

I... honestly can't say I'd know where to start. ( she's not even thought about it yet. information and seeing has been her starting point, not trying to learn anything ) Other than the library.

[ river smiles, perhaps a bit cryptically. you don't seem to be focusing your energy; she has no idea. ]

I started in the library too. There's lots of different kinds of magic here, and that's without factoring in the infinite variables of the multiverse. It's a little wàng wò qī yuán - overwhelming, and bottomless. It's okay to dip your toes, and it's okay if you don't want to touch it.

[ after all, it took her several months to start trying, and heather only just got here. ]

I think the library's a lot of people's starting point.

( which made sense with the wealth of information available, though heather wasn't looking forward to it. libraries gave her headaches and how would you know which book to grab with so mant there? )

If the mages are liars is there someone good to talk to?

( she's had a couple of names already but everyone had a different recommendation for a different reason )

[ for a moment, she pauses as her gaze slides back over to istredd giving his lessons to the newcomers. river has disliked thorne's mages since she arrived and she hasn't kept this fact a secret, but yennefer is showing her how to be more discerning with her words. she can be cryptic in her own right, but hopefully the point is clear enough as she says: ]

The Summoned are nice. Most of them, at least.

[ she doesn't trust any of the mages from thorne. ]

Istredd and Yennefer are tutoring me. They're very good teachers. Smart and wise. Those two things don't always come together. They have classes every week...

[ and then she rattles off their regular course schedule with ease, showing what might be both over-dedication to her studies and a note of admiration for her mentors. she looks up to them and they are the only people she truly trusts in abraxas, along with cassian.

river turns back to heather with a smile. ]

Istredd has an entire library in his head, so he might be a good place to start if there's too many books to choose from.

( one day heather might learn the sensible fact of don't talk shit about the mages in public but not yet. there's too much to learn at once.

but river's giving her some useful information, backing istredd up as a person to talk to whilst giving her another name. yennefer isn't someone that's been mentioned to her yet but it's someone to check out. especially if they do classes. a schedule which was too much for her to take in but something to ask about )

What do you mean has a library in his head?

( she assumes that river means he's read a lot of books and remembers the details rather than his horizon. she had not poked around the horizon's after her brief trip in to access it )

Just how skilled is he?

He's a genius.

[ the answer comes fast, easy. river's face is bright and sincere as she practically beams at heather, the way any child might gush about their idol. ]

Both here and in his sphere. He's a very powerful mage. Made it easier for him to learn the magic in Abraxas and now he teaches everyone else too. It's not just knowledge but... strength, I think. The ability to protect ourselves and each other. He's a guardian.

[ she'd told him as much a while back. a custodian of people and things. river glances back over to istredd himself with a warmth in her eyes. ]

His library is in the Horizon, but he keeps it all under control in his mind. There are books from all across the 'verse and I'd wager good money he could tell you what's in the catalogue. If there's anything the Summoned have learned about Abraxas, it's probably there in his head. Like a steel trap - no one is breaking in or taking anything away from him. He gives it away by choice.

[ powerful magic and impenetrable mental defenses and a general knowledge of how the world works, then taking all of that to share with the people around him. he's just so cool! river hopes she can become more like istredd someday. ]

( heather follows river's gaze, clocking the guy that had taken her into the horizon and realises that yeah, it'd been pretty smooth. skills probably chalked that up. she'd have to find him later to actually talk with him )

--The books are physically there? It's not just knowledge that he's read?

( so heather doesn't have a good understanding of the horizon outside of accepting it as a 'mental space', so she finds the physical books part slightly hard to believe. but heather's also someone that needs to see things to help her believe them )

Have you seen them? Read them?

[ river hums and tilts her head a little as she contemplates this. ]

Maybe it's metaphysically there? Can hold it and touch it and it feels real, but it's all mental magic and doesn't exist in the physical plane. There's a lot of books, I'm not sure if he's read them all.

[ the information is there anyway - but she wouldn't really be surprised if he did, though. river would try if she was a more frequent patron. ]

We've gone together a few times. It's hard for me to get there by myself but he's a good guide. It's bùkěsīyì, very cool and fun.

( she needs a minute. if heather had thought that there was a lot of information already this was even more and she's really not sure she has a good frame of reference for it.

she exhales a breath, resisting the urge to bite a nail, instead fidgetting with her thumb a little )

I don't know if I'm more curious or maybe think I'm dreaming.

( she is curious and whilst she knows she's not dreaming it's the intent of it -- it doesn't quite feel real )

What about your place? ( not at all an obvious conversion switch ) I know everyone doesn't have a library in their head.

[ sorry heather, river is a huge nerd and all of this stuff is fascinating to her. and even then, it took a long time for her to swallow it too. she looks sympathetic and her expression sobers a bit. ]

I don't really have one.

[ it's still hard for her to get to the horizon, after all. she's spent most of her time in istredd's library rather than trying to build anything for herself. ]

It's easier for some people. It took a long time for me to believe any of this is real - not a dream, or a simulation. The Horizon makes me question it again, a little bit.

[ of course, that's not why it's hard for her to reach it, but river just shrugs. ]

There is somewhere I like to watch the sky, though. I guess you could call that my domain.

I understand that.

( whilst she doesn't quite smile her expression is a little reassuring, understanding )

I'd thought I was wrapping my head around being here and then I went into the Horizon and... it definitely didn't feel real.

( she's never taken drugs but that had been her first assumption for it all. and she hadn't liked that )

Is there a specific part of the sky? A familiar constellation or is it just the sky?

[ the horizon: a mass hallucination from a collective drug trip. she'd believe it. but heather's question gives river pause and she blinks curiously at her. ]

It's never "just" the sky. That's like saying the ocean is just water.

[ she seems earnest, almost incredulous in a way, as though the notion doesn't make any sense to her. they've been talking about magic this whole time but this is just simple science, and there is nothing river is more sure of than this. ]

The sky is infinite. An endless sea of stars, deeper than the human mind can comprehend. We travelled one hundred and twenty years to reach the White Sun from Earth-That-Was, and we still only saw a fraction of the known universe.

[ said as though the 'known' part itself is humorous. sorry if this is no less confusing than the info dump from before, heather, but river is bright and sincere when she smiles and looks to the ceiling as though envisioning the sky beyond. ]

Now we're in an alternate dimension where the multiverse coexists in a world made of magic. Whether it's here or in the Horizon - can you imagine what else might be out there?

( whilst she might have set river off into her tl;dr again this part heather enjoys more, she can follow it better and it leaves her with a little smile. river, she'll let you tl;dr about the stars any day you need it.

I've never thought about what else is, but you clearly have.

( in a tone that's a little curious, one that's absolutely going to invite her to tell her more if heather's question doesn't do that )

When you say you travelled from the White Sun to Earth-That-Was-- you've travelled in space? Across the stars?

( you personally )

[ it's all she thinks about some days, what else might be out past the atmosphere of abraxas. she imagines simon is there somewhere. it gives her hope that maybe she'll see him again one day. ]

We live in a spaceship. Her name is Serenity.

[ a similar note of pride there too, same as she had talking about istredd. she loves that ship. ]

The last person that stepped foot on Earth-That-Was died three hundred years before I was born. I've only ever seen her in pictures and holograms. But the stars are our distant neighbors as we travel the 'verse.

( there are a couple of assumptions that heather has from this.
[1] that river was born on serenity
[2] that there's potentially a chance that she's not human but she's not 100% on that one
[3] it had to be a very interesting life )

How many different planets have you seen? I assume you have, that you haven't just travelled the stars and not stopped anywhere.

( they'd at least need food and fuel, right? )

[ one out of three isn't bad for a first impression! river smiles and tilts her head as she thinks about this, clearly more comfortable talking about space than magic. ]

Seen is harder to answer. Serenity has a few windows and you can see lots of stuff in passing. The 'verse is big and not all of it is habitable.

[ not for a lack of trying. river looks down and kicks her feet a little as she keeps talking. ]

Visited is a little hard to answer too, because she's not always allowed to leave the ship when we stop somewhere. In total, I think it's... six planets and four moons. Approximately.

( she gives her a slightly sympathetic look )

You're young, you have a whole life to visit more planets.

( because that's clearly the reason why she might not always be allowed to leave the ship, especially if she was born there -- gotta keep the kids safe )

Though even six planets and four moons is five planets and four moons more than many people. ( she smiles ) Is there one that's most memorable? Positively memorable.

( she wants to hear the good stuff, not anything that would be memorable for weird and uncomfortable reasons even if it was the most memorable )

[ river stares at her feet in silence for moment; she's not sure if she'll have her whole life to do anything, because it stopped being hers and the liánméng will stop at nothing to get her back. that's the main reason she hasn't been allowed to leave the ship. ]

Positively memorable.

[ she really has to think about that. it takes a long moment of staring blankly, sorting through her sordid memories, before river speaks again in a soft tone. ]

Londinium. We went for a field trip in elementary school, visited a few of the museums.

[ for this, she finally lifts her head to smile at heather. ]

Got to see an interactive 3-D projection of Earth-That-Was. She was beautiful. The best of any planet or moon out there. Those that have seen it are lucky.

[ in her extremely biased opinion. ]

Welcome to Thorne!

magic studies!

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okay to wind down from here? c:

wrap 💕