abraxaslogs | OPEN MINGLE: 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!
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!

Rhy will have sent a written invitation to all Thornean newcomers within a couple 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 Rhy (or Kell), 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 he definitely 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.

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 with wine from large glass carafes. Hot tea is also available in a few flavors. (Though those who have been here a while may notice there are fewer carafes, and more expensive options for alcohol and refreshments are missing this time.) 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 -- nothing fancy, but perfectly serviceable, and arranged to look good even if the ingredients themselves aren't nearly as lavish as they have been in the past. Still, despite the impending war and tightened purse strings in the face of shortages, the kitchen has agreed to help welcome the newly Summoned as best as they can.

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. Bright summer flowers garnish every table, freshening up the space.

Of course, there's 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 patters, 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 insultation 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.

A mage named Istredd seems to be 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.

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!

If you have any questions, please PM this journal or catch me @ belleteyn on plurk! ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ elrond cocks his head in a beatific moment of naivety that he does not betray. ]

Would you be willing to elucidate? Time flows different for Elves, I'm afraid.

[Time flows differently for him, too, when he spent much of his existence trapped in a cage.] Oh, months. [He wants to retch thinking about it too much. It's too disturbing.] Half a year, thereabouts. The uh... the Singularity. It doesn't mess with time [yet. god, he hopes it doesn't start] but I suppose you could say it messes with us, for whatever reason. Sort of easy to derail any plans you might have for your life here.

[ elrond seemingly shrugs, much like a willow in the breeze. ]

I'm afraid I've yet to form concrete plans. I'm mostly starting to educate myself first and foremost.

I'd recommend being loose with those plans then when you do find a path, and be ready to be disappointed with the amount of knowledge Thorne is willing to give us. [Then a pointed, careful gaze, his voice quiet.] And be careful what you say around the place. Regardless how you feel about this it, now or later, they don't particularly appreciate talk against them. [Maybe now more than before, increasingly getting worse.]

[ so their lords and masters are a paranoid lot. that does make elrond's work more difficult, but not impossible. ]

I will be sure to watch my tongue. Or to keep it overly sweet if need be.

Ahhh, there you go. [He laughs and claps him on the shoulder.] You'll fit right in!

[ the touch startles for a moment, his eyes wide. ]

Is that all it takes? A sweet tongue and an easy smile?

For the moment [he clicks his tongue] until something else goes horribly wrong and they start a witch hunt. So, the strategies shift all the time, because honestly? Something is bound to fall apart, quick.

[The question is if it'll be from Thorne or Free Cities, or the elusive Solvunn.]

Has such an instance occurred?

[ it sounded as though the man was speaking from experience. ]

"We're at war." [He says it with the punctuation of air quotes, even though the gesture will mean nothing to Elrond.

He knows there's some risk to going this far into it, but now might be the best time. Under the guise of a party (the best time for politics) before anyone has any formed opinions. If Elrond took his words back to the officials, he'd just say he was getting a read on the new people. A sweet tongue and an easy smile.

Thorne might by thorny with Lucifer at the moment, but he's certain he can still sway them if it came to it.]

They want this war. They have their own agenda just like anyone else. They'll take whatever reason they can get, whether or not it's justified, whether or not the source has been verified.

[ elrond absorbs, thoughtful and silent. after a moment has passed, he asks, soft as rain. ]

What do you want?

[There's something impossibly grounding to realize that despite all the complications that have been thrown his way, many of them his own doing, his answer hasn't changed.] To survive.

[ a curious answer. it is not to live but to survive. ]

To what end?

[He blinks, looking genuinely perplexed.] What do you mean?

Survival in itself isn't a life. At best, it may be spite against those who wish against it.

But it lacks purpose. Growth. If you survive simply to be, then how are you different from a blade of grass or a pebbled stone?

Spite, right. [Now he wishes for that good Nocwich animal-blood wine.

Spite might be the most accurate thing, except. Ehhh.] Let's call the purpose a Work in Progress. [He's just going to streamroller over that.] What do you want? Or rather, what did you want, before you came here?

[ how convenient. the corners of his lips twitch slightly in amusement. ]

Survival. For my people.

[Ugh, survival for others.] And what's befallen your people? Another war, brewing over like this one? Famine? [He almost outright says extinction but thinks better of it.]

[ elrond hesitates briefly, thinking back to the information he uncovered before arriving at thorne. ]

Nothing, yet. Though a war may be drawing close.

Then it's the same as anywhere. Any world. I hate to break it to you [his tone suggests otherwise] but war is always drawing close. It's always going to be breathing at the back of your neck. It's [human nature, except the man isn't human, hm] the natural course of events.

[He smiles. And he was doing so well behaving through this conversation.] And instead you're here, with no way home.

[ elrond seemingly smiles, not the least bit put off. his expression may ring akin to unbearable, unyielding optimism but there is a twinkle in his eyes, bright and bold. ]

What a tragic set of circumstances. But I'm afraid you are mistaken. What you see as a snare is not a snare for myself.

Though I wish you luck with yours.

[He spreads his palms, sinking into an air of nonchalance, despite how much he wasn't expecting the barb to roll off the man.] I will admit that it is a fair problem. A constant trap and an ever-shifting cage.

Welcome to Thorne. [And that is, so close, to an actual "warm welcome" from Lucifer.]

[ elrond does a polite bow and his eyes seem kind. ]

Thank you for your welcome. And your advice. I can see it was dearly paid for.

OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject