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

[angiften]

Please, Miles. I'm teaching.

[ Oh my god Miles you can't just imply that a Von Karma would need to learn something. Not even if you are one of the very few people who's been in a position to witness her ridiculously intense study habits and childhood accidents involving smacking herself in the face with a whip. No. Of course not. She's just naturally perfect and has never needed to study in her life.

She reaches into one of Gumshoe's giant pockets, pulling out and showing off a water bottle. With a clump of seaweed floating in it. ]

Behold! The loyal familiar of a true genius.

[ And the clump of seaweed uncurls into a ...tiny seaweed lady. Who proceeds to giggle, pressing her webbed seaweed hands against the glass where Franziska's thumb rests playfully. ]

[jurisprudence]

[Oh, it's a...hm. A seaweed...creature. Some sort of fantastical seaweed creature.

...Seaweed creature → seaweed → types of seaweed → kelp → kelp...ie?]

A kelpie, is it? How surprising. I would've envisioned something with larger teeth.

[Too late, he realizes that commentating on her familiar is only opening the door and inviting questions about his own, and there are plenty of people that he can outmaneuver with his dodgy sidestepping ways, but Franziska has never been one of them.

Shit.]

Show me, then. Certainly I would benefit from a demonstration of your knowledge.

[angiften]

Not quite, little brother.

[ Fortunately ('fortunately') she's a little more concerned with showing off her COOL FAMILIAR right now than she is with the idea that Miles must also have a familiar. She tuts, wagging a finger, and the tiny seaweed person puffs out her cheeks in anger, swelling and absorbing the water to become-

-a water bottle-shaped and sized lump of seaweed. Very scary. ]

You have the honour of observing one of the fabled maidens of the Rhine! A guardian to great treasures!

[ ...Franziska you grew up in the same household. You know he is aware of the work of Wagner. He's well aware that the Rhinemaidens are in fact childish little things who cause things to go wrong for themselves by being mean for no reason and make this everyone else's problem.

Honestly it's hard to tell if she's bluffing to get out of having to demonstrate her 'mastery' of magic or if she genuinely believes her own hype. ]

Are you still so certain that you want a demonstration?

[jurisprudence]

[And a song so compelling it leads men to drown, his inner narrative finishes automatically, as all of the implications of this particular familiar snap into clarity a moment later. Unsettling in how well it fits with Franziska, he muses as he regards the huffy little creature in the bottle. The appearance doesn't suit, but the temperament is precisely the same.]

Are you offering up a claim without hard evidence in support?

[He answers smoothly, turning the tone of the conversation from the unfamiliarity of magic and legend to footing they're both far familiar with — a courtroom debate.]

There are no rivers nearby. I'm sure I'll be fine.

[angiften]

Of course not! I simply thought it only fair to warn you.

[ Fuck. She wasn't expecting to be tested on this so soon. And she could just say that she's only been at this for a third of a day but she could also grab a handful of snow and just keep trying to bluff. ]

But very well. Prepare yourself!

[ And with a perfect overhand throw, she tosses a snowball at her brother. She's aiming for what feels like it ought to be a curse of temporary blindness. Or was this one the 'seeing everything upside down' curse? It's probably not the snowman makeout curse. Please don't let this be a snowman makeout curse. Please don't let this be a snowman makeout curse. ]

[jurisprudence]

[The throw itself isn't hard; they're not very far apart from each other, and she's not throwing for the sake of hitting him so much as just using the snowball as a vehicle to carry her supposed spell to him, so he's not altogether worried about the forthcoming impact even as the wad of snow sails toward the lapel of his coat. He feels it hit with a thump and a pfaff as it shatters and leaves half of its snow sticking to his black coat.

In the same instant, the world goes dark.

Blackout, his instincts howl initially, and he recoils back a step as a flash of unanticipated horror slams through him (and he thinks he hears something screech, thinks he feels an unexpected heat radiating against the side of his face, but that's something he'll have to focus on after he gets past this) — but with great determination, he forces himself to abandon panic and shove his thoughts back into a logical, rational structure, and analyzes the sudden darkness as best he can.

He closes his eyes and opens them again; no good; there's no discernible difference between one state or the other. He raises a hand and waves it in front of his face; no perception of motion. His other senses seem to be fine; he can hear fire crackling and snow crunching and Pess's soft panting as her tongue hangs out. He can feel the chill in the air and on his tongue. He can smell the cinnamon-spice-smoke of something burning and the faint distant scent of pine. He can —

...Why is he sensing fire nearby? And for that matter, there's something like the rushing of air — wingbeats?

...

Fuck.

He rubs a hand over his useless eyes, as much to shelter his expression behind his palm as to actually do anything with his vision, and scowls into his gloved palm.]

Yes, I see.

[...]

Or rather, I don't see. I hope that was your intention, and not some unfortunate side effect.

[After a moment, he feels a weight descend on one shoulder, and a pair of clawed talons carefully find purchase on one of the epaulettes of his jacket. There's heat radiating onto the side of his face and the back of his neck, never burning, but present.

That damned bird. It must've responded to his initial panic, summoning itself forth to defend him out of instinct, and now the cat — or rather, the phoenix — is decidedly out of the bag.]

[angiften]

...really, Miles Edgeworth?

[ She knows what a phoenix is. Of course she knows what a phoenix is. Even if she hadn't read up on every possible tangential topic surrounding the man she decided was now her temporary nemesis while she waited for her actual nemesis to get over himself and reappear, she would know. Any von Karma would make it their mission to know.

Papa would know. Papa would-

-well. That doesn't matter much anymore.

She looks down (up) at the bird on her brother's shoulder and then deliberately averts her eyes because gross. Disgusting. She does not need to know about her brother's nasty crush on a four with aspirational hair. ]

Of course it was my intention. The effects will fade once the chill of the snowball leaves you.

[ She says as if it's something she figured out on her own rather than something that someone explained to her about fifteen minutes ago. That does put Edgeworth with his warm bird buddy in a better place with regards to breaking the spell than that guy over there, still kissing a snowman. ]

[jurisprudence]

Glare back at it; perhaps you'll win. I would do it myself, but of course, that's not something available to me at the moment.

[The fact that his blindness is only temporary doesn't change the fact that he's still going to be testy as hell about it, both at Franziska for choosing this particular spell to begin with and at the spell in general for rendering him so comparatively helpless. Well, perhaps he can convince the damned bird to make itself useful for once and contribute some heat to the front of his coat. There's probably a cigarette lighter in his pockets somewhere, but it's not as though lighting it up and waving it blindly at his fabric coat is that brilliant of an idea, either.]

And it will be more productive than the face I'm sure you're making at me, at present.

[angiften]

I am not making a face at you. A von Karma does not make faces.

[ She says, making a face. But not at Edgeworth, if only because looking at him means looking at and thus acknowledging that bird. That infuriating bird, just sitting there as if it doesn't even care that it's a living representation of both of their failures.

She turns her attention to Pess instead, using her hands to get rough measurements of her size. This dog needs a cravat. ]

You are the one who requested a demonstration. [ Because maybe she should feel a little bad that she managed to spook her little brother into summoning... that. But why feel bad about something when you can blame someone else? ] It can't be helped that the maiden of the Rhine recognised my talent and saw fit to bless me with such terrible power.

[jurisprudence]

[A von Karma makes all sorts of faces, actually, and the problem with being temporarily blinded is that for a second, he can remember one of them with terrible clarity. His mentor had always seemed, on some level, to be a man graven in stone — perfect, impenetrable, unstoppable. That was why it hadn't seemed to matter much, whether he found an attorney to defend him or not. Why should it? With Manfred von Karma prosecuting, the end result would always be the same anyway.

This court finds the defendant, Mr. Miles Edgeworth, guilty.

A von Karma makes faces, all right. That one, he remembers. That one, he may never forget.]

Terrible power, indeed. You're only a short leap away from "all shall love me and despair."

[...wait]

...The amorous clod.

[He doesn't finish the thought with "was that you", because he doesn't have to. All the implication is already there, hanging at the end of his conclusion, unsaid.]