TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 2

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's chilly waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you. If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. A ⦿ Trial and Icy Errors Winter has arrived in Avalon, and with it has come to a change in the weather. Puffs of breath precede sentences when outside, small fires fill braziers to allow people to stop and get warm for a moment between where they come from and where they are going. Snow has begun to fall; at first, it is the same, fluffy, white flakes many adventurers will have seen. However, as the day progresses, the snow begins to shimmer; it’s like a prismatic effect, a magical light catching against every little crystal and illuminating sparkling flakes, so vibrant it’s clear someone has enchanted the snow. Shortly after the change, there will be a text alert to all devices: Tired of the same old routine with your magic? Ready for a little something new? Come on out and have an old fashioned snowball fight with a magical twist. Be sure to practice your new powers and have fun! 😉 -Merlin Those who come outside to find the rainbow snow already being packed into neat balls by Camelot's citizens; go ahead and grab a basket full but remember, don’t just toss them. Let’s get magic with it! Different types of magic will have different effects on the enchanted snow: Use kinetic magic to toss three at once. Nevermind if they suddenly balloon inside and burst into a snow shower over your opponent, throw a couple more; some are bound to hit, right? Throw a little animal magic in there and morph a few into a bear or some other animal of your intent; sorry about his random dance attack, at least your opponent will be laughing too hard to throw a snowball at you. Try hiding them in a shield or cast an illusion with some light magic; better apologize when that goes sideways and the snow hardens, bursting into rainbow crystals at your opponent's feet. Team up with someone who has cognitive magic; they can telegraph you the plan without your opponents being any the wiser... except the snow seems to be picking up on it and sending those thoughts right to your opponent! Perhaps use this as an opportunity to learn control! Maybe you want to try using a little wind magic if you’re of the elemental class; watch out for the rainbow snow squall your perfectly lobbed snowballs will become. Healing magic is one you might not see coming-- enchanting a snowball with healing magic can result in positive mood enhancements. Give your enemies a blast of zen to lower their guard and make them an easy target! A dark magic user might think to add a little hex to their snowball; give themselves an edge... too bad, without practice, that hex might be a little too heavy and burst over the maker before it even leaves their hand! Hope you know how to fix it. Alchemists are welcome to change the shape of those snowballs. Maybe try and craft them into something a little more stealthy or projectile. Too bad that snow seems to want to turn into a batch of butterflies and be free... magic sure is tricky! But hey, they sure are pretty. In the end, it seems while adventurers will be able to get plenty of practice in, some of that practice is going to come from trying to stop the side effects of mixing their powers with the magic snow; welcome to your first lesson in control. If one is going to use magic in conjunction with already magically imbued things, they ought to know the right amount, seems Merlin wants you all to learn in a trial by snowball error. Those who practice their magic and participate in the snowball fight will be given hot chocolate, warm soup, fresh baked goods, or other treats to warm them up after their training is done. But don’t slack off! You’re like to find your hot chocolate spiced with pickle flavor, that warm treat suddenly turns to ice cream in your mouth. Avalonians want that practice to happen, and are willing to add some incentive... whether that means the carrot or the icicle. All throughout the City of Camelot is a buzz of excitement about the oncoming winter solstice on the 21st. Citizens will tell you of the winter solstice's importance in cleansing the flow of Avalon's magic each year and absorbing sunlight to increase its potency. In other words, the winter solstice generates a significant amount of magic if the proper ritual is followed, so the visitors from other worlds really should head on over to Albion's White Cliffs. A ⦿ The Darkness in the White Cliffs The first task that you'll experience during the ritual is asking the Cliff Beast's permission to enter the cliffs. Though they look wholly solid on the outside, these cliffs contain a veritable labyrinth of magical caves that weave in and out of the chalky cliffs. As there is danger within these walls, it is recommended no one go alone. The Cliff Beast will only open a door to the caves for parties of two or more who present him with a gift. The gift doesn't need to be something significant, just a show of courtesy-- a lovely rock or a seashell will do, placed at the base of the cliff. The only gifts he will outright reject are precious gems and metals. Honestly, they make him a little nauseous-- and you don't want to see a cliff beast nauseous. In fact, if you try it, the Cliff Beast will suddenly burst into a rockslide right near where the gem was left. Watch out! Once you gain entrance, you will find there is no light within the caves and the door seems to close behind you. Non-magical lights won't illuminate anything within these caves, so you will need to either navigate through the darkness or find a magical means to light your path. Be wary-- traveling in the dark will be a much safer journey if you can find your way through the caves and keep track of your companions. The reason there is no light are the bat-like creatures that eat energy like fire and electricity. With the magical light attracting them and nothing to consume, they'll be very aggressive and swarm anything emitting heat.. like an unsuspecting traveler. Make too much noise, and the Cliff Beast will spit you out back onto the sand and you'll have to start over. B ⦿ "For a greedy man, even his tomb is too small." Those who persist within the caves will eventually come upon a room whose ceiling glistens with bioluminiscent microbes that are too small for the bats to eat. These little glowing creatures create reflections in the room that show just what it contains-- glimmerings of precious gems, gold, and other treasure cover the walls and floor, save for a large flat stone altar in the center. There are many hand-crafted clay cups filled with what appears to be water. The side of the alter has a very simple message: "TAKE ONE CUP TO THE SPRING, LEAVE THE REST. SPILL NO DROP." Sure enough, this matches with the instructions you were given about the ritual: Take a cup of waters harvested by the Asrai, a fairy that lives within the walls of the cliffs that cultivates it every year to bring to the Red Springs for the Winter Solstice. There is no clear warning about what will happen if you take anything besides your one cup. However, characters who disobey this instruction and take any of the riches within the cave will initially experience severe symptoms such as magical blockage, an endless common cold, and food turning to ash in their mouth. They will experience dreams in which they are urged to return the treasure and a day later, advanced symptoms if it goes on for too long have been known to result in vomiting frogs and snakes, insomnia, speaking in tongues despite the translation spell, bleeding from the ears, and eventually death. C ⦿ Drink Up Those who listen and take the Asrai's cups to the Red Springs will notice while carrying the cups, all creatures and threats will leave you in peace. Neither rain nor snow will touch you, parting from your path in both the sky and on the ground. The effects will only last as long as you don't spill a single drop. The ritual can still be completed, but the protections only work if you don't spill-- otherwise you'll be fighting off weather, creatures, other people, and whatever else you encounter as the effects of a spilled cup will cause those around you to try to steal your cup without thought for your safety, even if they might not even think to do normally. Upon arriving at the Red Springs, a party of people there to guide those who have made the ritual's journey to a particular pool within the vicinity of the springs. Characters will be directed to take a sip, then pour the rest into the Spring alongside your peers, finally throwing the clay cup itself into the spring. Throughout the day, you will begin to feel strangely giddy, but it will pass. Nothing much will seem like it happens otherwise, but the guides assure you that you will understand on the night of the winter solstice when the ritual is complete and your body becomes a conduit to purify and rejuvenate Avalon's magic. For now, as thanks, the guides offer you one of the celebratory gifts they have to offer-- free drinks (this time of the age-appropriate alcoholic or sugary variety), a free night's stay at the Red Springs, a yule log, an escort, a Recipe: Snow Dance. (Effect: Snow Dance will cause small flurries to pick up where the spell is cast, resulting in decreased visibility. Only works if snow is already present, as it cannot generate elements.) The choice is yours. Pick one. MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. • If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but may contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ. *This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count. **Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

Comments

[betweentheseconds]

That one of the people in his path bolts, of all things, catches Zenos by surprise. Not much surprise, but enough to still his steps a moment, and to make him turn his head and watch as the man flees as though he feared for his life. "...hm." That's odd. That's notable. But not so notable that he should bother with any immediate pursuit. He has other goals, such as retrieving his sword, and obtaining one of those coats that are being handed out...

So it is later, much later, that Zenos has a chance to follow up on the mystery. For he has spotted a vaguely familiar looking figure soaking in the springs, when he was already intent on going and having himself a soak. He's actually a fan of the concept. He'd come to enjoy it, in his time in Doma, in as much as he enjoys anything.

Not wanting to immediately spook the spookable Miqo'te, he does not announce his arrival. He steps up to the spring, divests himself of his towel, sinks into the water... and then wastes no time making pointed eye contact with Felih.

"I trust you're in no mood for running?" He looks unamused. Which is to say, he looks how he normally looks, when not in the presence of the Warrior of Light.

[seasoflight]

Felih feels a chill run down his spine when he realizes who is in the springs with him, and talking to him, no less. He feels terrified and now very ice-cold, and his ears pin back before he swallows hard and tries to steel himself, forcing his ears forward,

"...not particularly," he mumbles. "The whole point of this place is to relax."

He doesn't know how to handle this situation. He is very afraid and out of his element. How does one handle their arch-enemy being naked in very close proximity in a place that he never would have expected to find the man? Hells.

"...I had not expected to see the prince of Garlemald in a hot spring."

What the fuck is he supposed to do here? He feels like this is a strange, strange nightmare.

[betweentheseconds]

It is certainly a situation that few would be equipped to handle! Zenos isn't particularly concerned about it one way or another, though. However anxious and stressed the Miqo'te man across from him looks, he is already feeling better for the hot water that he's soaking in. With a low grunt he rolls his shoulders and seems to actually relax, somewhat.

"And I'd not expected to find so many others that recognize 'the prince of Garlemald.'" Only somewhat. For all that his posture has eased and his eyes are half-lidded, he is still a large and menacing presence. "Do tell me if you have an interesting reason to have been fleeing from me." For he has heard some very boring reasons that others have fled from him or given him lip... He'd rather not hear more boring reasons.

[seasoflight]

This is... odd.

Zenos doesn't seem to recognize him, which is a massive relief, but that also leaves him confused as to how to answer. To tell the truth would no doubt get Zenos' interest, which is dangerous... but honestly, talking to him at all feels dangerous. This is a lose/lose situation, and Felih just sighs and lets himself sink more into the hot water.

This might as well happen. His life is already so gods-damned weird.

"Interesting, yes, but also likely disappointing to you, considering the nature of this place," Felih finally admits, with a sigh. "You do not recognize me, which says you are from a realm not my own. Amid the many worlds out there, there is one in which I am your enemy... and while normally I could face you, this realm has stripped me of my non-healing magics. And thus, fleeing."

This is a huge gamble. He just hopes it doesn't go badly for him.

[betweentheseconds]

Zenos takes in Felih's cringing and then Felih's answer... and he blinks. Blinks again. This slip of a Miqo'te is claiming that he's... really? His enemy? And not in the sense that just about anyone reasonable would put themselves in opposition to him, but...?

"What?" He sounds like he doesn't believe him. Tension returns to his shoulders, but he refuses to sit straighter and withdraw from the soothing heat of the spring, just on principle. "My enemy would not have fled when faced with me."

He's sure. He's very sure. He's incredibly sure of the particular image of the Warrior of Light that he has lovingly, carefully constructed.

[seasoflight]

Felih gives Zenos a look, suddenly quite incensed at the disbelief in Zenos' voice. That asshole. His eyes flash defiantly as his tail bristles- not that it's really noticeable, with him being soaked in the springs.

"In case you've forgotten, you'd nearly killed your enemy several times before you turned into a giant dragon and I defeated you. And then you had the audacity to take your own life and rob us of the satisfaction."

"Besides, when my talents lie mostly in magic, and I am suddenly bereft of it, of course I'd flee when seeing someone twice my size who has a history of attempting to murder me."

[betweentheseconds]

That he's taken some offense at all all says something about this Miqo'te's character, but not near enough to convince him that he's the Warrior of Light in a different guise. It's enough to make his eyebrows lift, though, when coupled with an honest-if-spare recounting of the times he and his enemy had clashed.

"So you claim to have walked the same steps as the man I know. And you claim to have been making a... tactical retreat." He'll be generous, if but briefly, for the situation is unusual. "What, then, do you plan to do about your lack of talents, now that a problem like myself has appeared?"

He knows what he is. He knows what he must represent. He knows that he is, quite frankly, a problem. He can be honest about it.

[seasoflight]

Felih huffs again at the doubt in Zenos' voice about that tactical retreat. So what? Felih knows when he can't win a battle, and he's not out to throw himself into suicidal bouts!

Still, the question posed just seems to make Felih more irate.

"Well, you're likely well-aware of the situation we're in, aren't you?" Felih grumbles. "Our worlds all on the brink of destruction unless we accomplish our goals here. So I imagine that you, devoted hunter that you are, would prefer our battleground not be destroyed before you can have your fun, and I would rather the world not end. So for now... we're at a stalemate, to get things back into order."

He pouts. "You seem quite unperturbed by the knowledge of your apparent death. Are you aware an Ascian is wearing your skin, in my realm?"

[betweentheseconds]

Zenos nods along absently. Yes, yes, he's quite aware that there are worlds that need saving... or at least aware that that's the pretense of them all being here. He has resolved to test the truth of it, somehow, but... those are thoughts for later. For now...

"I do indeed wish to restore what is broken, and return to my hunt." He shifts and sinks the slightest bit deeper into the water, letting out a long tension-releasing breath. "And you are, for all the familiarity that you may claim, not my prey." Which is a mystery and a disappointment all rolled into one. Perhaps it will come to make more sense in time.

"Ah." Felih's final question is not enough to disrupt his suddenly relaxed posture, however. He simply smiles. "An Ascian was wearing my skin. I've since corrected that troublesome problem. Have you not heard? Has the news not made it back to your ears? Or have you been so busy on other stars that you've spared no time to think of me?"

[seasoflight]

Felih sighs, and it's not quite relief, but... calm, nonetheless. If nothing else, Zenos does intend to ensure his hunt is secure, and Zenos does not see him has his prey, which makes him immediately relax just a little more. Now he can actually hope to enjoy the hot springs, sinking back in a little himself when he notices Zenos doing the same.

The last answer, however, makes Felih cock his head in confusion, and the puzzlement stays for a moment before he figures it out.

"Ah... the nonlinear nature of time strikes again," he muses aloud. "In my realm, not that much time has passed since your supposed death. News of your 'healthy return' to Garlemald has only just reached my ears. Perhaps your prey has already gone off to do their business- which means the you in my realm has not yet reclaimed his body."

"I must admit, I am surprised to hear that you actually managed to retake it. For your soul to somehow linger... how in the seven hells...?" he muses, eyeing the man curiously but cautiously. The mimicked Echo, the manufactured blessing- could it truly have awakened so powerfully in Zenos, of all people? Was the universe personally out to murder him? It certainly felt like it. "We had thought you actually dead and gone, considering the Ascian in your skin, but it appears you're now far more of a problem than previously anticipated..."

Another sigh as Felih slides into the water. "At least I can go back home with some warning of what is to come."

[betweentheseconds]

Many things are improved by a good soak in a hot spring. This moment is absolutely one of them, as far as Zenos is concerned.

"If there are truly different iterations of each star, why shouldn't some of them be on their own schedule?" He gives something of a shrug, only the slightest bit actually intrigued by the idea. Was this truly useful information? Would it matter? Would it bring him any closer to his goals, his joy? Absently, he raises a hand and pushes back some of his long hair, tucking it behind an ear.

"The Ascian fled when I made myself known. It was almost disappointingly easy. But if I am indeed further along this 'timeline' than you are, I may well have been made aware of truths that you are not yet privy to. Would you care to add those to your warning?" He poses his question very mildly, that faint thread of curiosity still running through the fabric of his current mood. What would a supposed Warrior of Light say? What would they want? And, mind wandering further and further afield, did his own remembered Warrior hold any of Felih's sort of softness within himself...?

[seasoflight]

Felih raises a brow at Zenos, hesitating a moment before he takes the bait.

"If such truths will help me protect the world and lives I consider precious, then of course I would," he replies after a moment, sighing and glancing away from the man. "I've been to more strange worlds than this one. The more I learn, the more I wonder about it all, about our own star, about the possibilities and what I should do... but it just makes me all the more determined to find a better way to bring peace and joy to our star."

He doubts Zenos could understand such a thing, but he says it anyway, because that's the conviction he holds in his heart. "I know not what your Warrior is like. Perhaps they took the mantle with pride, with honor. I had the mantle foisted upon me, and hells take me, I am unable to set it down."

After all, if he did not rise to the occasion, if he did not bear the hopes and dreams of a world, if he did not fight to the bitter end for justice, who would? Could he truly entrust the world to another?