[hr][hr][img]https://i.imgur.com/wMWGSyI.png[/img][hr][hr]Notice: [@A Lowly Wretch][@pantothenic][@YummyYummy][@Wolfieh][@McKennaJ71][@Suicharte][@Ti][hr][hr]
[color=8FBC8F]Thin Air has ended and, with it has concluded what would appear to be the day's dramatic centerpiece. The muggy, overcast sky that has been held back only through the efforts of the Zenos finally opens up and a warm tentative drizzle begins. A small and nondescript paper advertisement, written in a neat, swirling hand, hunkers under the little shelter on the noticeboard by Balthazar Square. It includes the following message:

[color=ffdead][i]If you’re reading this, an opportunity awaits you. I have lost an item of great value: left in a spot that I can only vaguely recall back near my hometown of Mdara on Djamant. The search will likely be long and arduous, but whosoever recovers it for me shall be handsomely rewarded. Those who do not will still receive compensation. You will not need to dress for rain.
[right]- Jocasta Re[/right][/i][/color]
The message has been up since the previous evening and anybody who is going to respond to it will either follow its summons or not at this point. There is a further notice that Jocasta would like people to meet her close to the Arch of Lunatics at Moli’s Emporium near Mudville. The time given is 2:00 HO. A small group gathers. It includes some of her closest friends along with others who she does not know particularly well. 

When the group starts to gather, many of them recognize each other and begin to chat. The Trials are entering their final phase and many of their teams are in good position for a top ten finish and the rich rewards entailed. Some even occupy a coveted top five spot. A few familiar with Temporal Magic notice a surge of its particular type of energy some hundred yards distant. It isn't a minute more before Jocasta herself appears: a small white and gold angel juxtaposed against the browns and greys of a damp and soggy day. There is nary a speck of mud to sully her clothes and, presently, the rain seems to tail off. Nonetheless, she is living a sartorially dangerous life at present, and specks of mud stain her gloves and the lower reaches of her dress before long. She makes a sour face, but doesn't hold it for long as she scans the faces of the recent arrivals. Among them she finds some of her closest confidantes in Zarina and Yalen, friends like Kaspar and Trypano, and newer faces like Niallus, Marlijn, and the yasoi Ashon. She takes a moment to greet them each, and make introductiosn with the three who she doesn't really know.

[color=ffdead]"Follow me if you're interested,"[/color] she says simply, flashing a small smile of welcome and motioning for them to follow. The ground is awful and she only manages to traverse it with the help of the Gift. [color=ffdead]"So, it's a jewellery piece,"[/color] she announces after a bit, twisting to regard them. [color=ffdead]"For those of you who know anything about tethered 'refuges', you'll know why I can't remember the details. We all get a nice chemical memory wipe upon entry, and everything before that point is hazy."[/color] They wind through the fairgrounds. The Roseball pitch from yesterday is still up and will be until the end of the week. Some of the locals are using it, their play a good deal more skilled and less powerful than that of the students. [color=ffdead]"I'll remember it when I see it, though."[/color] Jocasta furrows her brow. [color=ffdead]"That, I know for certain: these kinds of things can trigger memories, and I'd like to know a bit more about who I am. I also remember there was a sense of urgency, foreboding. I hid it up in a prickly pear cactus near Bajja Misħuta  - the Cursed Bay - in an awful hurry."[/color] They're in an area near some supply sheds and there is another surge of magic. A portal opens. [color=ffdead]"Temporal Magic,"[/color] she remarks to the few who aren't in the know. [color=ffdead]"I'm good with it and I don't know how or why. I'll open the portal up every hour for about a minute for the next six hours. If you're not back by then, I'll try to come and get you."[/color] She flashes a weary look. [color=ffdead]"Don't make me come and get you,"[/color] she warns. [color=ffdead]"Anyhow, the good part's this: recover the piece for me and don't raise every red flag that I've got about your motivations and I'll teach you Temporal. For everyone else, it's one magus and, if you wanna learn and I like you, you can pay. A girl's gotta keep food on the table, right?"[/color] 

With that, a swirling portal of light and energy opens and, through it, people catch glimpses of a rocky and idyllic seashore in some semiarid place. In the distance, a small castle on a peninsula guards the brilliant azure waters and a grounded shipwreck thrusts its bow out of the water and onto a gull-covered islet. There are cacti scattered about among the rocks, shrubs, and wildflowers and they can almost hear the bleating of the birds, the smell of salt and seaweed, and feel the cool ocean breeze and warm sun on their skin. [color=ffdead]"Shune's clarity and Reshta's fortune, friends."[/color][/color]

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[color=a9a9a9][list][*]A listing of all active side missions may be found [url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/12_Zm5OZePrFIEkvhaIGAmYgg9NqnOblcif5eCWdW3Sc/edit?usp=sharing]here[/url].
[*]A thread will be opened up on discord for this storyline to progress once all participants have confirmed.
[*]You may confirm your participation by reacting to this post. If you have any questions, you'll have two days to post them on the forum.[/list][/color]
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