INTROS + MONTHLIES

[trainmasters]

Who: newbies + everyone
When: Day 56, late morning
Where: The Aurora and surrounding area

[Yet again this morning, you get an announcement on your Chain:

WELCOME NEW HEROES

Newbies are waking up in their rooms, in pyjamas or in nondescript team-coloured underwear. As usual they get the basic welcome message, as well as a prompt to view the IC guide.

When you're done welcoming them, or while you're at it, you'll notice that while clocks say it's late morning, the sun has still not risen. As it was on the first Star, the sky remains dark and empty and the air somewhat cold. Not cold enough for the frost you see on the windows, though...

From a distance, the frost looks like a typical wintery pattern of ice, beautiful and delicate. But on inspection it's not frost at all -- it's a sugary mold climbing up the sides of the train and, outside the immediate clearing, growing in thick fuzzy patches on the trees and bushes.

Touching or inhaling this mold will cause your skin to start to crystallize painfully into sugar. Physical affection will heal you, but it'll also give you a psychic link to the person you touched. For a few hours you can sense eachothers emotions, and in some cases even share thoughts or memories.

The mold will last for the remainder of the OOC month, but who knows what else tomorrow will bring!]

Comments

[bowtiedbones]

There were some difficulties, but nothing out of the ordinary. It helped that her summoning coincided with Isildur's, and he is a complete specimen. But the soul itself is an amalgamation of soul remnants, so a good composite skeleton can work just fine.

[shintaiprotagonist]

[nods]

I feel certain that the necromancy you practice is different from what I know, but I've little basis for comparison, unfortunately. I'll be interested to learn more.

[bowtiedbones]

Oh, it almost definitely is! Everyone uses really different systems of magic here.

[shintaiprotagonist]

I suppose that only stands to reason.

[bowtiedbones]

It can be a little alarming sometimes. People keep doing spells in ways that would be super dangerous at home, but it's fine and normal for them. Right now I think I'm the only person that relies on arrays at all!

[shintaiprotagonist]

The term isn't familiar to me either, I'm afraid.

[bowtiedbones]

You'll see what it means!

[leading him into Thyme and into her room. technically it's still a bedroom, there's a little loft area to the right, but most of the room is a laboratory: there's wheeled storage and desks, polished concrete floors, and a necropsy table. and more than a few skeletons tucked away on shelves, disarticulated across a desk, or set in the middle of chalked symbols on the floor]

[shintaiprotagonist]

[he prowls around the perimeter of the room, not touching anything but examining everything, seeming fascinated with every detail]

A very fine workspace.

[bowtiedbones]

[the little skeleton takes off from her shoulder to go perch on a parrot playstand by one of the desks]

Thanks! It's a custom set-up.

[shintaiprotagonist]

If this is an example of what can be purchased as an upgrade, I will have to give the idea serious consideration.

[bowtiedbones]

It's one of many, many options.

[shintaiprotagonist]

Impressive.

[bowtiedbones]

I think some teams have pooled their sparks to get even bigger spaces, too.

[stepping over to one of the shelves and pulling open a drawers. there's a tray with a viper skeleton curled up on it.]

[shintaiprotagonist]

[watching with interest]

My team has not, at least as far as I've found. Though I've not yet explored our living space exhaustively.

[bowtiedbones]

[carrying the tray over to a clear space on the floor and setting it down. finds a piece of chalk and starts sketching numbers and symbols around it, all connected by perfect freehand circles.]

Have you met all your teammates?

[shintaiprotagonist]

Only one, the newest save myself.

[bowtiedbones]

So you still need to meet Randy and 80H! They're great.

[shintaiprotagonist]

I hope it won't be long, then.

[bowtiedbones]

They're very different people, but if you ever need any help, 80H knows a ton and you can count on Randy.

[shintaiprotagonist]

I'll keep that in mind. Though I hope that I'll keep my need for help to a minimum.

[peering interestedly at her diagram]

[bowtiedbones]

And remember you can't do bonds solo!

[it looks almost complete except for one large circle that isn't closed, and one smaller circle that isn't closed either. she points at the latter.]

Could you stand in this circle here? Just in case of accidental interference.

[shintaiprotagonist]

Of course.

[steps into it; if Eliza's paying close attention, she might notice his eyes take on a faint crystalline gleam as he instinctively activates his magesight, the better to watch her work]

[bowtiedbones]

[Eliza doesn't notice— but Lori does. there's a sudden sharp tapping noise from the skeleton rapping her beak on the perch, and Eliza gets up to go collect her familiar.

on returning, she adds a line of script around the circle he's standing in]

Be careful with that.

[shintaiprotagonist]

Is there danger in watching?

[bowtiedbones]

It's probably safe, but it's an unfamiliar magic to me. I have to keep track of all energies going in and out of the circle.