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

[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.”

[sophos]

"I'm not a noble or anything." Annabeth supposes the gods sometimes get addressed as Lord or Lady, but that feels different. She nods along as Sansa explains. "If it takes a lot of effort to pull us in, it wouldn't make sense to waste it on only a smaller number."

Though now she wonders if it's similar in the other territories she's heard about too.

"I wouldn't say common. I can't really do anything like they teach here. But I wouldn't stress, any kind of learning takes time. Does magic exist where you're from?"

[theladyofwinterfell]

"It does but it's very rare and not anything I would bother with. It's dangerous," Sansa says. "Only the red priests from across the sea practice it and they do things with sacrifices that I would rather not think about. The magic here is much different and requires no such sacrifice of people or animals."

Sansa prefers it that way. While the Red Priestess had helped them in battle, she thinks she'd have preferred another type of help.

[sophos]

She pauses, briefly, before commiserating. "There's really ancient magic back home that uses sacrifice too. I'm not particularly invested in that one."

Considering Gaea had wanted to use her as a sacrifice, Annabeth is really disinclined towards the practice.

"No sacrifices in this world is a plus. Where do you get your lessons here from?"

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Various people teach them. Istredd knows much about magic and so does a woman called Yennefer. Sometimes groups of Summoned gather together simply to practice it. That is what I have been doing. Should you have more complicated questions, however, those are the two I would recommend speaking to."

Sansa knows Istredd, at least, and he had been kind to her when he instructed her how to enter the Horizon. She finds that place a haven because it is a perfect Winterfell with no strife or stress.

"Anyone could learn it quicker than I do, I am certain. I think I am too practical."

[sophos]

Istredd is a name she's heard, but Yennefer is a new one, and she files it away accordingly. "Thanks. I'll have to see if I can talk to them eventually too."

A group lesson... she'll have to feel more comfortable with the basics before that, but Annabeth knows that's her own personal drive to not make a fool of herself.

"Practicality seems more like it would make learning easier, especially if you're approaching it with a clearer head."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Being practical might not be very romantic but it has served me better than any sort of frivolity or beauty," Sansa says. If only she'd been practical as a young girl! She supposes every young girl is as empty headed as she had been but still, there are many mistakes she would correct now.

"My goal is to learn useful magic and not necessarily pretty magic. If they are both at the same time, however, then there is nothing wrong with that."

[sophos]

"I like to think it's always served me pretty well too, so you're in good, practical company." Logic and rationale are some of her favorite things!

Her own childhood mistakes were born out of very flawed, faulty logic, but there's still... some semblance of trying to be practical in there, even with a skewed perspective. Perhaps that's just her mother's fault.

"I'm not really interesting in magic for the flash of it either - unless the situation calls for it. It's never been on my radar before, so I've got a lot of thinking to do about what I'd like to do with it here."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"We could work on it together, perhaps. I am yet a novice but it seems our goals are aligned in some manner," Sansa says. She doesn't often open up to someone so quickly but Annabeth seems to have a good head on her shoulders and that is something she can appreciate.

"If our magic is practical, then perhaps we can help others without having to worry about making it terribly pretty."

[sophos]

She grins, faintly. "Not a bad idea. It's probably good to have someone to practice with."

And she is admittedly more inclined to choose working with someone closer to her age than a full on adult - Sansa doesn't seem too much older than she is. Force of habit, given how poorly many of them have treated her in the past.

"Are you... opposed to it being pretty?" She wasn't going to ask, but given Sansa brought it twice now, Annabeth can't help but be curious.

[theladyofwinterfell]

"No, I am not. I just value the practical over the aesthetic. Pretty is for dresses," Sansa says, laughing a bit.

"I am a seamstress, or sort of one, and I take pride in making those things pretty at least. So far as magic, I think it need not be flashy should it serve its purpose. I come from a place where we have been through war for a long while. Practicality is my mindset at most times."

[sophos]

"I recently discovered how to weave." It's not entirely related, but Sansa says she's a seamstress, and Annabeth's brain goes for a brief tangent on sewing and fabric and needles that takes her to her apparently inherent skill for weaving.

"I can follow your logic there, though. And we've already established I'm just as here for the practical magic as you are. Thanks for explaining, and offering to work together towards it. I'm still getting my bearings about this whole place in general - but I'll definitely come to you when I'm really ready for magic."

[theladyofwinterfell]

"Please do. If we can find a loom here, as well, come to me about weaving as well. I am not good with it myself so it would be something new to learn."

Sansa thinks having a variety of things to make and sell would probably be for the best and weaving could assist her in that.

[sophos]

"It was.... surprisingly easy." But she has a built in bias, thanks to her mother, so that might not be a fair assessment. "But I can try to help, assuming looms even exist here."

She smiles, faintly. "I'll look for you at the magic lessons."