OPEN MINGLE: Welcome to Thorne

[londonbound]

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! ))

Comments

[ushiri]

[ Kahlil was able to create a cursed knife, so his own rituals involving blood still have some power.

He pulls in a deep breath, glancing around the room. More people are starting to file in. As much as he wants to start a metaphorical measuring contest, this is probably not the smartest place too do it. ]

I think we should compare some more notes later. Your domain, or mine?

[blackeyedprince]

[They need to talk. They can't do this now, nor here. That part is obvious. If it was only for him, he'd drop out of the stupid banquet this instant. But it's Rhy's banquet. That alone would make it important enough to make other things wait.]

Either, is fine.

[Kell looks around. Seeing nobody in their direct vicinity, he risks a crooked smile.]

It seems we have more in common than you'd expect for people from different places. I've never asked, how it's like? That place you come from?

[There has never been a reason to ask, but now Kell is itching to ask a lot more. Question that can't be asked here. A story about one's home seems harmless enough.]

[ushiri]

[ He considers the question. Kahlil had spent his first month or so here implying to people that he'd been from Nayeshi. Earth. It isn't a lie, at least now he knows that - he had been in Nayeshi for many, many years.

But Kell means the place his powers come from. Basawar. ]

It's... been through upheaval for many years now. Magic isn't common there. Most of the teachings have been lost or destroyed. [ A pause. ] There's much, much less of everything there, compared to places like Abraxas.

[ He doesn't know how to describe it to someone else, a world where even the air feels thinner, where animals considered pets in other worlds are a main source of food because most larger farm animals are near extinct. ]

[blackeyedprince]

[Not the safest of topics, it appears, but there's no easy way to politely backtrack from it now.]

Must be difficult growing up with magic there. What happened?

[Kell can imagine. He knows a world mostly devoid of magic. World without colour. Like a pale dessicated leaf. A shade of what it once was. Its people, like ghosts with hollow eyes, willing to maim and kill for the smallest drop of magic. World that envied the vibrancy of his own, with cold and vicious hunger. A terrifying place.]

[ushiri]

[ He shakes his head again. ]

I was found as a child and given training - this was before everything was completely lost. My people were... complicated.

[ It's the sanitized explanation. He's only admitted to a handful of other Summoned his thoughts on the Payshmura and what they did. Whether they may have deserved their own destruction. His lips purse for a second, then he turns the question around. ]

Rhy hasn't told me much about his upbringing, or your world.

[ In spite of the other ways they've been intimate. He's curious. ]

[blackeyedprince]

We grew up in affluence, but it also meant that while we didn't not lack in material things, we were pretty much destined for a very specific path. Our future was determined from the start with not much say from us. Rhy handled his own a lot better than I did mine.

[Kell isn't always so cagey about details. Most of the people won't care than back home they're royalty. Here, it doesn't matter. It shouldn't matter. But he can feel there's much hidden behind that carefully phrased statement. Complicated. He could say the same about himself.]

Not that it means a lot here. Our world is one where magic is abundant. It's not available to everyone. So there are similarities. As are differences. I find many things here odd.