WEEK 4 CYOA: Shinobu, Futaba, Rin

[guestservices]

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[battling]

[The group wakes up in a dining hall. At first glance, it looks like it could be part of some fancy European castle. The sound of cooking is coming from an different room, but all the doors leading out of the dining hall are currently closed. From the group's vantage point, it's difficult to tell if they're locked or not. Above them, there's a sectioned off hallway with a fancy, ornate railing. The red curtains are drawn back from the windows. It's easy to tell that the time is right on the cusp of sundown. The moon isn't visible yet.

Before you start exploring, there are two long, ornate tables. There are twenty one seats and arranged on the tables, at every seat, an artifact the group can pick from: a scepter with a red orb at the top, a grimoire, a western style sword, a lantern, a female doll, a male doll, a crystal skull, a suitcase, Bradley's rifle, an ornate mirror, an oversized scythe, a pocket watch, a set of ornate cutlery (Rin can recognize these as Nero's), a smoking pipe, a ring with a red jewel, a sewing box, a fancy birdcage, a fancy orb, a quill, a key, and a jar filled with herbs.

Choose one.

You will know when you pick one up, you may not take another.

You may discuss among yourselves.]

[wisterin]

[ the camp had break-ins and not cyoas, so this is a slightly different experience for shinobu even though she's heard about them. it doesn't take long after waking for her to piece it all together. her concern and her alarm spike tremendously, especially once she realizes she has none of her inventory.

HER SWORD. she casts a look around. ]

Are you two all right?

[ the artifacts can wait for now. ]

[technocool]

Did someone get the license plate of that car.........?

[ ugh. more unsanctioned naps.

it doesn't take too long for futaba to work her way back to functioning and looking around just makes her pale drastically. oh boy!! just what she wanted this week!!!!! good thing she has a hat to yank on while she internally screams a little.

.............. wait a hat? ]

[aono]

[Well. This is great. I'll have a fit check for Rin later because I need to find the perfect witchy outfit for him but he has a hat and he's looking around.]

I think I'm okay. But we're in for a hell of a time, aren't we?

[The items...he's looking at that cutlery. If they get to keep this shit, having knives to cook with would be nice...]

[wisterin]

[ she tests her mobility in her new outfit. it'll do. she hopes the floppy hat won't get in the way of her visibility. ]

I'd be more surprised if we weren't. Futaba-chan, do you need another moment?

[ she looks at the table. ]

I suppose we have to choose one to move on.

[ (shinobu voice) but what if i break mira's cyoa from the start and choose nothing?

i'm kidding ]

[technocool]

I'm good!

[ she's already up and swishing in her new clothes, apparently unbothered by the change. funny what you get used to sometimes, huh? she toddles over to the table full of stuff, humming and hawing over each one. ]

Think we can just choose whatever or play it smart?

[ re: the key, the lantern, etc. she's eying the scepter like it'd be a great whacking tool ]

[aono]

[I mean. Rin is just straight-up grabbing the cutlery set, so.]

Look at how we're dressed, we're probably getting magic. It's fine.

[Give him cooking fire yesssss]

[wisterin]

It's better to play it smart. We don't know what any of it means, even it is magic.

[ she is going for the jar of herbs. ]

We don't know that it's magic, but that does look like Bradley-san's rifle. I don't know how magic works in his world.

[technocool]

Something, something, fire?

[ she sounds unsure about this. but wowee, magic! in that case, she's picking up the key but also squinting at it dubiously ]

If you don't unlock all locked doors what even is the point?

[battling]

[Now that you've touched your magical artifact for this magical fun time, you are filled with some knowledge of how they work. Everyone can now summon, banish, and change the size of their chosen artifacts at will. They can also be thrown around with no issue. They cannot break. They are also able to summon, banish, and fly a broom. The previous things will not require an invocation, but everything else will.

Due to the way magic works here they are able to do anything they are able to think of, as long as they're able to see it happening clearly enough. Each of these items is associated with a wizard.

Cutlery: Roll advantage on multi-hit attacks (all attacks with the cutlery). Your invocation is Adnodus Omnis.

Jar: Roll advantage on healing. Your invocation is Ortonik Sealsispilce.

Key: Roll advantage suppressing strength. Your invocation is Forsettao Meiuvat.

A young man in a suit bustles in. He seems both out of breath and slightly frazzled.]

This is where you've been? As Sage's wizards you really need to make an appearance at the party!

[He starts shuffling all of you into the hallway. Indeed, there are many people here, nobility, soldiers, all people in fancy dress. Some of them seem happier to see you than others. Some won't meet your eye. Many of them have glasses of something fancy, and there are some waiters with platters of food milling about.

Nobody else is dressed like them.]

[aono]

[Rin will remember this and promptly forget (no)

But he has his cutlery and his wizard-y shit and is going to the party! The awkward looks are nothing new for him so he will just ignore everyone giving him shifty eyes and go looking for food.

He is. Not questioning why everyone is dressed up nicely but they have wizard robes. RPG logic, he figures. He is familiar with the isekai genre, he'll roll with this. But he will ask someone who looks like they're happy to see them a question:]

So what's the party for?

[wisterin]

I'm sorry.

[ who is this man? and are they underdressed? she is noticing those looks and keeping note.

to the frazzled man ushering them: ]

Do we need to change?

[ what's a sage's wizard ]

[technocool]

[ ooooh no it's time to become one with the background. where is her handy invisibility spell??? she just shuffles behind the other two for now and lets them Deal With People.

:sparkle: this is not the wizard you are looking for :sparkle: ]

[battling]

[Rin has walked up to a young socialite, who immediately smiles at him, and waves down a waiter. What he asked hits her late, because it's such a strange ask. She looks a bit puzzled.]

What do you mean? It's for surviving the Great Calamity this year. This whole party is for you. [The three of you, presumably.]

[The young man stays near Shinobu until she seems ready to mingle with the other guests.] Not at all, these clothes were chosen for you already.

[Roll for invisibility.]

[aono]

Oh, right! Well, uh, thanks for the party?

[He's out here asking stupid questions, this is exactly why he rolled a 4 on invisibility.]

[wisterin]

[ what is the great calamity?

okay, she can smile and pretend. fake it until you make it. ]

I see. How long is this party supposed to last? Is there anyone you think I should avoid?

[technocool]

[ futaba and her 6 is not even remotely invisible. pay no mind to the awkward shuffle away from where they entered the room to like. a corner.

maybe if she's lucky she can dive under a table????????? ]

[battling]

[She gives him a polite smile. You know, the kind of smile that somebody gives you when they think you're a little dumb?] Of course.

[Another person tsks, and says, out loud, with his whole chest-] Typical wizards, not appreciating anything we do for them. [There's a bit of murmuring among the crowd. The sentiment seems shared with quite a few.]

[The frazzled man looks through the book he has in his hands.] It should last until midnight.

[There are a few tables around, but she is absolutely getting some weird looks for doing this.]

[aono]

[Honestly that's a look he gets a lot so he just smiles and goes with it. Back to the party! Talking with people who are happy to see him, ignoring those who are grumpy. (though he'll keep an eye out on those ones complaining out loud for now, they seem like they might be trouble.)]

[wisterin]

All right. Thank you.

[ she will go mingle now.

if shinobu surveys the room and takes note of who seems happy to see them and who doesn't, are they any particular kinds of people who like them more than others?

ie. nobles seem to have less good will for wizards or what have you ]

[technocool]

[ the shit talking from legit strangers is triggering, alas. it's fine she'll just make 'my lens fell out!' excuses if anyone even remotely uuuuuuh's in her direction while she quietly panics.

if she looks pale enough maybe someone will take pity on her? ]

[battling]

[The good news for Futaba is that the people with a distaste for wizards will not approach her. The frazzled man does approach her.] Are you alright? Should we go into the dining room, Miss Futaba?

[For Shinobu and Rin, there doesn't seem to be a pattern to the people who dislike wizards. Some nobles and some commoners think they wield too much power, they're too mysterious, they cannot be trusted. Some nobles and commoners don't seem particularly bothered by them, and some like them.

With a 17, Rin learns the Great Calamity is the moon, and that it attacks every year. This year's attack seemed particularly brutal, but nobody's really sure of why that was. The people who don't trust the wizards believe it's the wizards doing. They think the Sage's wizards didn't fight hard enough. That's why there's been so much more destruction than usual.

The people who do trust the wizards believe that it just happens sometimes. They don't have full access to the historical records (nobody seems to).

With a 11, Shinobu learns that the Great Calamity is the moon, and this is a yearly attack. This year's attack seemed particularly brutal, but nobody is sure of the cause.]

[aono]

[The enemy is the moon??? What the fuck. And Rin is starting to get irritated at the naysayers. In fact, after a few more times of people mouthing off about it, Rin is going to go up to some old fuck who's talking shit.]

Oi! If you've got so many complaints, then how about you do it next year huh?

[wisterin]

[ Shinobu was about to go over to Futaba to help her until the frazzled man steps in. She hopes this frazzled man will actually take good care of her and not take her to the dining room to be vored. She'll check in a few minutes, if Futaba chooses to go.

She tucks that info about the moon away. This is fine. For now, without going too far, she's going to try to take a better look at this party.

Are there any kind of decorations that stand out? Are there any other people that are getting attention? Is there any kind of hint of a main event for this party outside the Sage's wizards as special guests?

Normally, she'd try to keep Rin from starting too big of a fight, but she thinks this could get more information. Don't go off the rails, Rin. ]

[technocool]

[ thank u kind but frazzled npc man. ]

Yeah, sure. It's kinda loud in here.

[ she will at least turn to check with Shinobu before attempting to toddle off. look at her use teamwork. rin will get an exasperated look for not even taking ten minutes before starting but you do you, buddy. just don't set the place on fire.

time to see if she can be nosy without the judgemental jiiiiii's from strangers ]