PSL (private)

[perfectpower]

[It's a sleepy planet in the far off reaches of space, one that doesn't even have an official designation yet due to its recent discovery. The people of that planet haven't even developed wide-use electricity yet, much less space travel, so until recently they had been largely ignorant of the politics of space. Aeons, paths, the different factions, it's all very new to the residents of this world. And given their own internal politics, many are reluctant to embrace the stars.

On its own, this planet is rather unassuming. One large continent broken up into 5 distinct countries, along with several chains of islands spread out in the water. There are a few small religions worshipping various gods, but most people just respect the spirits of nature and have a healthy fear of the magic-users that live among them. Thanks to all the magic, technological advancements are slower than usual. Why develop lighting systems when someone can just summon a ball of light? Of course, 'slower' doesn't mean 'stopped'. Eventually this planet would have developed into a more modern society, given a few more centuries. But the sudden appearance of the IPC is sure to jumpstart that.

Why are the IPC here? Well at first it was just a small task force making contact with a previously-dark planet. They do probes like this often, trying to find out if there's anything useful on the planet or if the people are worth bringing into the modern galaxy. It was pretty close to being a write-off, just a stamp of "wait a couple centuries and see what they do", and the planet would have been left alone entirely. But on the last day of evaluation, one of the members of the task force made a discovery that shook the team to its core.

Mana stones.

They didn't know where they came from. Any witch or wizard who they talked to wouldn't reveal their sources for these stones. But mana stones were used to boost the magical ability of a witch or wizard, and to a frightening degree.

One of the task force members put a mana stone the size of their thumb into their ship's energy source. It powered the entire ship for a month.

The promise of a new, compact energy source is too tempting. How could the IPC not jump at this chance? After all, the only ones even using the mana stones were witches and wizards, and they were outnumbered by humans a thousand to one. Powerful as they may be, it would be easy to get the people of this backwater planet to make a deal that would benefit the IPC greatly.

Which is why, at the current time, Aventurine has been sent to this planet. For diplomatic purposes, of course, these things go better if a contract is signed and people agree willingly. Who else would be better to sweet-talk the king and the wizard-prince into making this deal than the IPC's very own gambler?]

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ok actual thread here

[perfectpower]

[Of course, the king and the prince aren't alone here. The Sage, the representative of a special group of wizards, is present as well. They seem much more nervous than the king and prince though, and they fidget with the hem of their coat as they wait for the meeting to start. Prince Arthur offers them a reassuring smile, and they smile nervously in return.

The king will be the one to make any final decisions probably, but it is the young prince that greets Aventurine, nodding his head in the man's direction. Despite being only 18, he's very polite and seems to know the ways of negotiations.]

"Thank you for coming all the way out to see us. It's an honor to host a guest from the stars."

[These aren't the only people present at the meeting though. While he isn't at the front greeting the IPC and Aventurine, Bradley is still lingering in the back of the grand hall. He's more of an observer than a participant for now, only brought in because the Sage feels better having a sharpshooter around in case anything goes wrong. And indeed, Bradley is packing heat: the large rifle resting casually on his shoulder isn't just for show. If things go to shit, he will defend the Prince and the Sage.

(What about the king? Eeeeh, Bradley doesn't care as much about that old fogie. He's on his own.)]

[perfectpower]

[In the course of a week, Aventurine has been able to meet all of the Sage's wizards and learn a bit about their inter-personal relationships. From young teens to men over 2,000 years old, it seems like wizards of all ages and experience levels have been pulled in to fight this 'Great Calamity'. And also in that time, Aventurine would have been able to learn at least the basics of the geopolitical structure of the world. The Sage's wizards have a home in the Central country, the Western country doesn't like that all of that power is consolidated into one country like that (especially when that country isn't their own). Northern and Southern don't feel strongly either way about this conflict: as long as the wizards continue to fight the Great Calamity, then they can live wherever they want to. The Southern country feels this way because they want to encourage cooperation among everyone, while the Northern country cares more about results than politice. And Eastern...well, as long as the wizards aren't in their country, they don't care what happens.

All of them are interested to meet Aventurine and learn of the IPC, but don't seem to think much of it beyond that. The consensus seems to be that having contact with people from space is amazing, but they don't think the IPC will be able to stop the Great Calamity or change their everyday lives in any meaningful way. Which probably means it will be easier to take advantage of them in the future, but that's a problem for later down the line. And there's a few keen eyes watching out for signs of trouble as well, so it won't be a complete cakewalk to take control of this world.

The main obstacle is that magic is just so versatile that it can be hard to plan around. In a week alone, Bradley has shown off how he can teleport objects to himself, how he can control the elements (specifically water one time, as he was putting out a fire one of the teenagers made accidentally while practicing magic), how he can change shape with magic (and he looks just as wild as a woman as he does as a man, interestingly enough), and how magic can be used to regulate body temperature no matter how hot or cold a location is. And, from how he talks about it, it's clear that every witch and wizard can do these things and much more. The limits seem to be in how creative a magic-user is. It's amazing, but it is also uneding.

But after a week of learning about the world and just experiencing everyday life, things change. One afternoon, shortly after lunch, Bradley is working in the courtyard with a couple of the teenage wizards, showing them how to freeze water into ice. Aventurine is welcome to watch, of course, but the class is cut short by the Sage running out in a hurry.]

"Bradley! There's been a sighting! Heathcliff and Cain are already headed that way, but they might need backup!"

[At those words, the two young teens start to look worried, but Bradley notices this and is quick to let out a confident laugh. They have nothing to fear as long as Bradley is here.]

About time! I almost thought they were gonna skip us this year.

[He pats the kids on their heads and tells them to go find the others. They both nod and scurry off, and Bradley looks to Aventurine with a grin.]

Looks like it's showtime. You ready to see your first Calamity monster?

[Ready or not, Bradley is already summoning a broom.]