Intro Log || The City That Never Sleeps

[melodiesmods]

Characters: All the "Heroes of Light" (only new characters can start threads).
Where: Trano Golsaucia, Aqures Ixen, Airships.
When: The 5th of May. The new Heroes of Light will awaken early in the morning.
Summary: The new Heroes of Light awaken in the Temple of Wind next to Trano Golsaucia, and they are informed by their assigned Moogles of what the situation and what their destinies are. This a log for them to react to the situation, meet each other and be welcomed by the former batches of Heroes of Light.
Warning: N/A

Where you were or what you were doing— It does not really matter. Not any more. Within a split second, the world around you collapses. Reality twists and shatters... Or maybe you are the one who is collapsing and shattering away from reality as you know it. No matter what the answer is, it will only take a few seconds for you to find yourself sinking into a void, your world vanishing into the distance. There is nothing but darkness as far as the eye can see. Even you feel different: all the powers you might once have had are now gone. It is silent, cold and before long it feels as though life itself is slipping out of you...

And at this very moment, when it looks as though nothing but a never-ending void awaits you, a red Crystal forms before you. In this void, its warmth compels you to grab it. Upon doing so, you can hear a soft, soothing voice speaking:


"Wake up."

Soon, the void itself vanishes and is replaced by a gentle breeze. Had it all been nothing more than a dream? The soothing voice repeats its call once more, but is soon replaced by a much less graceful "Wake up, Kupo!" Hand clutched on your Crystal, the call of the Moogle may finally bring you back to your senses. But you are no longer in your world, nor in the void. You are before the Crystal of Wind, in the Temple located right outside of a city called Trano Golsaucia. At this point, you may realize the breeze originates from the massive green Crystal floating nearby. As if it wasn't strange enough, your clothes have changed as well. They are now a reflection of the Jobs you are wielding.

Last but not least, you are surrounded by Moogles, small and fluffy creatures. They look pretty tired, but they will be more than happy to tell you everything you want to know. They shall tell you about your 'destiny' as a Hero of Light and about what awaits you. Or at least, they will tell you everything they do know, which isn't much in the end.

There are quite a few people around you as well. For the most part, they are people like you-- All clothed in their Job garbs and most likely wondering what is happening. There are also some other Humans, Tarutaru and Hypello in the room, but unlike you they don't have a Crystal, nor do they have a Moogle following them. If addressed, they will say they are the Guardians of the Crystal of Wind and will confirm everything the Moogle said. They will reveal they found you unconscious around the Crystal a couples hours ago, and immediately contacted the Moogles and the government of Aqures Ixen.

If asked about it, both the Moogles and Guardians will explain that Heroes of Light have already appeared in this world within the past year, and they all are in a city called Aqures Ixen. It's the first time Heroes have appeared in this temple. In fact, you probably should go to Aqures Ixen as well. The Moogle will tell you this is where your house is and where the other Heroes will be able to help you. Thankfully, should you decide to take your sweet time to get there, the other Heroes may just come to you.


The Other Heroes
— Anytime —
And indeed, thanks to the efficiency of Mognet and Shoopuf Airline it does not take long for the other Heroes to come around. You may meet them in Trano Golsaucia or in Aqures Ixen, or maybe even in one of the Airships going back and forth between the two cities. They are those who arrived in this world months ago and they have gone through quite a lot. You may have imagined heroic and charismatic figures when your Moogle told you there were other Heroes of Light in this world. You may have imagined persons with fearsome powers when they told you how they recklessly attacked the Heran Empire to free their friends a few months ago. And most importantly, you may have imagined them as people who would have the answers to your, doubtlessly, numerous questions.

If so, you may be up for a complete and utter disappointment. Still, for the most part they know more than you on the situation and may be more than happy to fill you in, especially if your Moogle didn't tell you much.


Trano Golsaucia
— Anytime —
Should you leave the Temple of Wind and head south, you will reach Trano Golsaucia. It's a gigantic city covered with snow-- To make it simple, this city is a gigantic amusement park. It is the most popular place in this world and of course, there are plenty of people all around. Thankfully, other Heroes of Light are easy to spot: they are the only ones who are followed by a Moogle and holding a Crystal.

And there is quite a lot to be done in this city. Maybe you could stop by the Triple Triad Center to begin a successful career in card games, or maybe you could buy a ticket at the Blitzball Stadium to support your favorite team. If you're the kind of person who relies on luck, you may have more fun gambling in the Casino or betting on your favorite Chocobo in the Chocobo Races. If you're more of a person who enjoys simpler games, maybe you could try one of the numerous carnival-style mini-games found in the city, such as the shooting stand or the treasure chest game.

If you'd like more details regarding all the attractions and games available in Trano Golsaucia, you can find everything here! Of course, all of this requires money and odds are that you may not have a single Gil yet. If your Moogle is nice though, maybe you could ask him or her to loan you some Gil...


Airships
— Every Four Hours —
Upon reaching Trano Golsaucia, you will also have the right to board an Airship. Exceptionally, there is an Airship available every four hours, all because of your arrival so that Heroes of Light can meet each other and go to Aqures Ixen with ease.

The flight itself should take between four to six hours as it will travel from one city to the other on route. This is nothing special for the denizens of this world, but for you it may be quite the experience if you never boarded a plane or any flying contraptions before. The service is nothing special, but there are some light refreshments offered free of charge. Note that most of the employees on Airships are Hypello.


Aqures Ixen
— After an Airship Trip —
Upon arriving in Aqures Ixen, the first thing you will see is the Airship Port in the 12th District. Following that, no doubt your eyes will find the Castle of Aqures Ixen, a classic yet refined structure standing in the city. From there on, characters are free to visit the city-- There are no attractions in this city, but there are scientific buildings, another Blitzball Stadium and even an Observatory serving as base for the Heroes of Light. If you'd like more details regarding all that is available in Aqures Ixen, you can find everything here!

Or maybe -and perhaps inevitably!- you could visit your new house in the 11th or 14th District, and get to know your new neighbors and housemate. It's been a long day, so you could use some sleep. Hopefully your neighbors are people you will get along with...

Comments

A

[forlornlyorn]

Clothes were more than a little concerning. For Aerich's part, his traditional blouse, skirt and vambraces had been replaced with a warrior's armor. Yet it wasn't until he heard the human speak that he put much thought into it. Yes, it'd been ingrained in his thinking that more metal always made one more vulnerable in battle, with the prevalence of sorcery, so it was a practical concern -- but before that he had to reconcile with himself that he could actually move about.

That said, he could look to the woman with mute amusement for that last exclamation. "A book, you say? That is a fine priority."

[tacticallyminded]

Robin looked when someone spoke to her, glancing towards the man. She didn't recognize him -- hardly a new state of affairs here -- but she nodded, once, and kept her sigh to a small one. "It had several of my notes. I'd hoped to use them, but..." She shook her head. "No helping it."

She looked him over; telling people apart could be hard, given the changes in their wardrobes after they arrived.

"You're a newcomer here, too, then?" she asked.

[forlornlyorn]

A slight bow for her, intended as polite acknowledgement. The transition had been jarring, but he'd hate to let his manners slip.

"So I am," he answered. "And I might suggest it is not entirely unwelcome to learn a new thing or two, as difficult as it is to take in."

A pause for a beat, as Aerich considered briefly how notes might have been put to use in the situation. He had, himself, studied notes on how a lyorn might travel the Paths of the Dead.

"Forgive me if I am too bold, but I am given to wonder: Are these notes regarding the navigation of other realms?"

[tacticallyminded]

"Ah," Robin said with a slow blink, "no, I am afraid not."

But it would have been useful, she thought. She looked at him for a moment, tilting her head to the side, before she shook her head. "Notes on a strategy that I was hoping to use on campaign," she said. She sighed. "Reconstructing them will be--ah, well, given the circumstances..."

She looked back at the crystal of wind. "...a little irrelevant at present."

[forlornlyorn]

"There may be some truth in that," he agreed. "For a moment or two, at the least."

But then, a moment might be rather long if Aerich was allowed to measure it. For the moment, he would be content to fold hands and simply follow Robin's gaze. Leaving a campaign behind would likely be a source of anxiety -- he was glad his arrival, or the crumbling of reality as he knew it, or however else this had happened, didn't involve an interruption.

Better not to rub salt in a fresh wound by asking for more about it.

"If I have heard correctly, another campaign is presented," he said. "It has the sound of a worthy cause, at least."

[tacticallyminded]

"It seems our new world has its fair share of troubles," Robin said. She had only talked to a few, but she had some idea of what they faced thanks to her Moogle. It was still all quite vague, though; more information would be necessary.

"So I'm inclined to agree," she said. "We'll need to provide assistance, from the sound of it. They've provided a means, too."

She tugged on her Scholar's robes to demonstrate what she meant. They gave them these Jobs, though not without cost. "Ah, I'm Robin," she said, before she walked closer. She extended a hand, for a handshake. "I was a tactician in my world."

[forlornlyorn]

"It is a fine uniform they have selected for you," he said, considering her hand briefly, and finally reaching to grasp it, squeezing only lightly. It just wasn't his typical style.

Robin's perspective struck him as well-reasoned, and better, it seemed just. Strictly speaking, there was no true obligation to help this world, but it would hardly reflect well on anyone to stand aside. With introductions -- that was different. His claim on typical names had grown somewhat questionable with recent events.

"A pleasure, Robin. No doubt your skills are much needed. As for myself -- well, I am Temma, Duke Arylle, Count Bramoor, and so on." If his absence from the Empire would void his claim on the titles, he realized, with the Empire's bureaucracy it would be some centuries before anyone else would be able to take them up regardless. "Speaking to my skills, I would pretend to have a tolerable skill with a blade. " That was as much resume as he would voice.

[tacticallyminded]

"Ah, a nobleman, then!" Robin exclaimed, with a nod. She knew of them, of course; she had fought alongside several Ylissean nobles in the war. She fought for royalty, too, and she knew their ties to the nobles well enough. The titles didn't faze her, even if she wondered much the same as him. Would they be there when he got back?

Would anything?

"You'll be familiar with matters of administration and conflict, then, too," she said with a moment more of consideration. Her expression turned more serious, then; battle was never something to smile at. "From what I've heard, that may be useful. I've heard mention of a war."

[forlornlyorn]

A small smile grew for both her lack of hesitation and the suggestion of how he could help. The Empire had been going through a lengthy period of chaos, and it was a point of pride that Arylle had kept some semblance of safety and order throughout. He gave a shrug, meant to convey that she was right, but it would not be modest for him to speak of it at length.

His opinions of war, on the other hand, were more neutral. Oh, certainly, it was better to avoid it or bring it to as swift and clean an end as possible. But being bosom friends with a dzur required an understanding of why someone might be eager for opponents. Glory for Aerich was found in serving, but that wasn't true for everyone.

"I should be glad to lend myself to a good cause. Only, as an old friend would say, cha! A tactician will surely be simpler to integrate. You perceive, a foreign perspective on tactics may shake a battlefield, while a foreign administrator may simply twist the normal work that keeps a supply of arms and soldiers flowing. Administration, I think, rarely benefits from renovations."

[tacticallyminded]

"Mm, perhaps," Robin said, "but I think you may be surprised. Take a look around, your grace." She spent enough time with Chrom -- and with the armed forces of Ylisse -- to learn the titles and addresses of the nobility there, even if the Shepherds rarely used them. When she addressed nobles outside of that unit, though, she needed to know how to speak to them properly.

"There's quite a few of us. Their administrative systems will already need to be renovated, especially as we're not the first ones here," she said. "You never know when your talents may come into play. But..."

The corners of her mouth quirked up into a smile. "Your skill with a sword, I think, will definitely be useful."

[forlornlyorn]

"That is well observed," he murmured. A sharp mind and good etiquette made Aerich suspect this tactician had occupied a position of prestige, rather than some mercenary army or another.

"There are, too, merits to the current system." This took a conversational tone: there was no interest in arguing so much as continuing what he considered an interesting dialogue. "Consider the moogles which rendezvous with us here. To have prepared and assigned representatives for each summoned individual suggests an uncommon level of organization in a desperate time."

Aerich would defer on the comment regarding swordplay, except to observe, "I may need to seek some lessons regarding play. Weapon aside, the armor that has been selected for me is somewhat curious. My understanding has always been that an excess of metal leaves one especially susceptible to sorcerous attacks."

[tacticallyminded]

"I wondered about that, too," Robin said, "and it makes sense. It also suggests that we'll be here for the long haul, such as it is. They're providing us with aides who serve a function beyond an introduction to the world and the problem. Otherwise, there would only need to be a few of them." She glanced momentarily over her shoulder, back at Marc, before she looked back at Aerich.

She smiled. It felt good to break down what they saw; apply her tactician's mind to the situation, rather than be tempted towards panic.

She considered for a moment, thinking of the knights she knew and how they adapted strategies for them. It was certainly true, from all that she had seen. "I think we'll all need lessons," she said. "Our abilities are changed. But, I believe you're right. On my world, armor did little to hold off a well-timed and well-placed spell."

[forlornlyorn]

"Any other beings, I might have suggested it would be more efficient to conscript them as heroes rather than turn to foreigners. But desire to serve aside..." Aerich's words trailed off into a shrug, watching the moogles. They didn't seem to be the first choice for fighting material, and with his mindset, saying so might as well be calling a duck a duck.

The moogle trailing him did blow out a breath in exasperation, but otherwise mirrored the shrug when he noticed Aerich's look.

With no protest from Grimando, Aerich simply carried on to Robin's next point, nodding his agreement. "It is a curious thing, to find one's knowledge so drastically altered. At least there appears to be some constants between our experiences."

[tacticallyminded]

"Indeed," Robin said. "But I can see the reasoning behind that, too." She glanced sideways at him. "Whatever force is behind bringing us here can make our powers 'native' to be sure that we can be effective, but don't present a threat to the established order. If there's countless worlds--"

It seemed likely. "--then there's countless unintended effects we could have. At least, that's what seems most likely to me."