TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 10

[avalonmods]

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ SUMMARY: New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. 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 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 still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. 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 and a pair of ear buds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of 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 whole coconuts filled with tropical drinks and topped with tiny umbrellas. Strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas, margaritas, mai tais, and more... all frosty and in the spirit of keeping you cool during the sunny month of August. (Naturally, virgin editions are available for the underaged.) 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. SUMMARY: The first attempt at using the mounts to travel en-masse up to fae territory is filled with problems: mandrake sprouts caused by recent murders drumming up requests to dig them up, two titanic creatures face off in the lake and catch characters in a maelstrom, and a mysterious underwater town with a strange curse being good neighbors with a last minute save... at a slight risk: becoming a merperson, naga, or cecaelian for a little while. With communications with Elphame in Celliwig disrupted by specters and Arthur temporarily decommissioned, the Hall of Mirrors is temporarily off limits for cleansing rituals. Celliwig has encouraged people to return to Camelot for the time being, which is just as well with all the newcomers flooding in. Last month's new arrivals through the old guard got an introduction to the new aquatic mounts and there are now plenty of people versed in how to handle and work with the magical alpacapies, mossatees, and deinosuchus. As scout parties head out further, there are a few problems that they've run into that need a helping hand from Camelot's otherworldly population. A ⦿ A Mandraconian Task Just as volunteers are asked to bring supplies for the journey to fae territory, a series of grisly murders involving strung up corpses appears around town (see this month's quest, "Not-So-Good Morning" for more details), and the dripping blood and fluids of these corpses seeps into the ground to give birth to strange, leafy plants that sprout leaves in all directions at once. They're small, and the locals seem weary of them, but ultimately they're breaking up pathways and making them into trip hazards... the locals recognize these plants as mandrake root, which is known in different cultures for... very different things. The mandrake root is a cursed plant that screams in a way that curdles blood enough to kill small creatures if they're too close and make a grown person go deaf. The reason anyone would pull them up however... well, their magical properties are astounding. It is said that Joan of Arc carried one in her possession to give her the power to take control of her own fate. Some religions claim that it has the ability to restore a person's fertility, and before clever manufacturers started using the name for tomatoes, Islamic tradition called the "apples of the jinn" and cause strong bouts of lust. Needless to say, a good many people are cautious about pulling them up, but more than willing to offer a fair sum of money to a newcomer who can get them out of the ground. The cause of their sprouting may be tragic, but there's no way that you're going to make it through town center with trip supplies without getting pulled aside and asked to help harvest the mandrake roots for a pretty penny... or maybe you're interested yourself. Either way, it may behoove you to practice a little magic with a friend to try to get them up. B ⦿ Clash of the Titans Finally everyone has gotten going and a mixture of brave Camelot citizens, Celliwigians, and otherworlders have headed back to Albion's White Cliffs to take off with their mounts (and partners... you're going to have to ride with someone, there aren't enough mounts for everyone to get their own!) and things are going well. It's about two days into the waters of Lake Avalon that things start to send a chill down your spine. Back on land, even for the first two days there, the weather had been hot and sunny, a beautiful summery start to August, but as the party starts to approach the southern banks of Dinas Emrys, they see a gargantuan beast run at bewildering speeds off the land and straight across the surface of the lake. The creature appears to be some kind of centipede formed of black clouds and lightning that illuminates its exoskeleton from inside of its body in deep purple and blue hues. Each of its legs kicks up a titanic wave headed straight for the party of explorers as it charges towards its target, what appears to be a tsunami wave containing a dark, shadowy figure emerging at least twenty stories above the water. The only part of it that isn't black are the blank, soulless eyes. As the lightning bug monster charges what some may recognize as an umibozu, it crashes into the tsunami wave and all three fall asunder... which is bad news for the traveling party, as the waters are now extremely choppy and lighting up with charges of the centipede's lightning. The result? As the two monsters dive down below the water, a maelstrom forms in their path and starts sucking everyone down! C ⦿ Fresh Waters Anyone who manages to escape the maelstrom will find that their mounts aren't moving forward this time around and are heading back where they came from, even with lost supplies. You may find yourself having to switch mounts with others nearby or talking to a strange beachball on the back of the alpacapie that's carrying your ass back to the White Cliffs... Or if you weren't so lucky, you may find yourself waking up on a slightly different shore. An underwater shore. An underwater town, in fact. After the initial panic of realizing that you're not drowning when you wake up settles in, you'll realize that you seem to be able to breathe underwater just fine. In fact, the real panic is probably about to start when you realize that like the fine people of this town that saved you, you've been temporarily gifted gills and a bottom lower half of either a merperson, a naga, or a cecaelia. Your caretaker, a nurse of the local town, offers the explanation that the only way to save everyone from drowning was to pull them into their territory, which is cursed to turn them all into sea monsters. Not to worry though, as long as you leave before the sun sets on the third day, you'll turn back to normal just fine. ...Though, they're not really sure when that was or if they battle is over, so you should probably find your friends and any possessions you had with you and start heading toward the surface. Not too much time to explore this strange, underwater town... especially since you don't have much practice not having legs to get you up to the surface. Don't worry, if you don't make it out in time, the Lady of the Lake will come fetch you... though perhaps not in time, so you may need to spend some time back in Camelot seeking out someone to break a curse. SUMMARY:After the recent event, people need to recover and heal. So Camelot's castle opens its doors for an open house, a swap meet and poetry battle auction, and a healing circle ritual. Arthur is injured and recovering, and news has spread on social media about it. There are lots of well-wishers and gifts being sent to the castle... enough that there's just too much for Arthur to do anything with it. He needs time to recover and rest and not be bothered, and as such declares that all those who need it shall share in the wealth and generosity of those wishing him well. The abundance (Especially from guilty Celliwigians who didn't realize what was happening right under their own noses) results in a few things happening... A ⦿ Open House Camelot's castle halls open up to all those who would like to come. Invitations are sent and a feast is prepared. A huge table with all manner of foods from different cultures is prepared. The only thing they ask is that you stay out of the wing of the castle that Arthur is resting in, as he is not available right now. Try new foods made from recipes from all around the different worlds or invite yourself to use the castle's royal public baths, remodeled from more ancient styles to include cool things like old architecture mixing with jacuzzi jets and waterfall shower rooms. There's even a water slide. It's more a water park than anything... Explore the library (except for the forbidden section, which has a very powerful magical barrier preventing entry-- even trying to tamper with it could result in your character glowing colors by their mood as punishment for messing with the magic). Those are dangerous texts in there! There's even a live show with a magician! Which sounds lame, but he's more or less showing off his skills in tricks, knife skills, and has a mean comedy routine to go with it. He's even willing to teach lucky volunteers how to escape death-defying stunts... hopefully. You may want to bring a buddy for backup. Or perhaps you're more interested in heading out to explore the rose gardens or finding a place to stay for the evening... don't worry, if you've had too much to drink or simply tired yourself out, you're welcome to stay in one of the guest rooms during this open house celebration. B ⦿ Swap Meet Not interested in exploring the castle? Well perhaps you'll enjoy the open-market bazaar that seems to have set up in the courtyard. All kinds of oddities are being exchanged in the castle courtyard and you may just find something rare.. or maybe it's a piece of crap. It's hard to tell, and the chances of getting swindled are just as high as the chances of getting an antique masterpiece. There is an auction for those willing to pay more for authenticity, but auctions in Camelot go a little bit differently... to win art, you must first prove yourself worthy of art-- all bid submissions must be performed in stanza. Haikus, rap, short poems-- all are valid, as long as they follow the rules of your chosen form of poetry and express why your bid deserves the win. The last person to falter wins their right to pay their bid, with at least 10,000G upped with each poetic rebuttal. C ⦿ Healing Circle After Party It's good to take care of yourself with a little fun, but if you're still stressed, hurt, traumatized, mildly upset, hung over, or just want to feel better about yourself, consider joining in some of the local witches and wizards in a meditative healing ritual. Step one: Gather herbs from the castle gardens. They've got all kinds, but you're looking for things like yarrow, apple blossoms, cinnamon, and lemon balm. Once you've gathered your herbs, join in the silent meditation circle with an available partner. Anyone is fine, but once you've entered the circle with someone, it's very important that you do not make any noise. Silence is important, and as you burn each of your herbs with your partner, you'll find that the smoke forms a barrier that surrounds the two of you. Put your hands together, and focus on the source of your pain. You will share your emotions with the person you're performing the spell with. They will feel everything you feel in that moment, and be able to share the burden without having to speak of or share what caused this pain. With the pain lightened, you will find that the smoke lights up and dissipates up at the top. Whether or not you choose to share with your newfound partner... well, that's up to you, but they sure are going to know how you're feeling right now, and that definitely wasn't warned about when you were asked to join the healing circle. 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 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.

Comments

The Cat | Tamora Pierce's Tortall

[absentconstellation]

Open House - Library
A buffet of complex human foods holds very little interest for the Cat, though he did manage to steal an entire grilled fish when nobody was looking. The library, on the other hand, keeps him occupied for hours.

Having thoroughly browsed the stacks he has now filled an entire table with books about science, history, magic and politics. The top layer of books are all open, and now he sits between them reading intently. He avoids using magic as much as he can, reading all the visible pages before making a round turning pages with a paw.

Healing Circle After Party
The Cat himself is not in need of healing, but after a very waterlogged arrival he could certainly use the meditation. And being a cat, he can be especially helpful to anyone in need of calm.

The cinnamon and lemon balm lie in separate piles in front of him as he sits in an open space, his tail wrapped around his feet while only the tip flicks idly against the ground. There are no apple blossoms or yarrow. He collected the herbs with claws and teeth, and in an unknown Realm he didn't want to risk accidentally killing himself.

The event hosts don't bother the cat or move the herbs. They saw him collect them, and are wise enough to know how pointless it is to argue with a cat.

Open House - Library

[scriptwriter]

[Now Kotarou wasn't necessarily a bookworm, but he was never against head to the library to fetch a book or two. They seemed to have manga here, so he pondered on renting something out. Though his focus stops whenever he notices a black cat seemingly reading a table of books! Hello there. His interest has been very piqued! It was strange seeing a cat reading books, but he had to wonder if he was someone's familiar.]

Hey there, kitty! What are you doing here? Looking for classified ads in the fishing section?

[absentconstellation]

[ The Cat lifts his purple eyes to glance up at the boy with a look of utter disdain for such a ridiculous notion. Of course, it may be difficult to distinguish from the standard expression of any given cat.

By way of answer he simply meows. If the boy really wants to know what he's reading, he can just look for himself. ]

[scriptwriter]

I gotta wonder what a cat is doing alone here. Don't you have a master looking for you?

[Maybe a witch? Witches liked cats, didn't they? He could think of two people that would've fit that category. He's going to lean over the cat's shoulder to see what he was looking at. These books certainly seemed complicated... It couldn't had been more complicated than reading the Theory of Life, but Kotarou knew that he couldn't be reading all of these at once.]

[absentconstellation]

[ Another ridiculous notion. Cats do not have masters. Cats are masters. Of course, it's not the boy's fault. He is only human. The Cat graciously decides to spare the boy embarassment and overlook this particular foolishness. Instead he stands and moves over to the book on the forces that shape this world's land: tides, storms, and tectonic plates. He flicks his tail as he passes to that it thwaps the boy's nose. ]

[scriptwriter]

--Gyaaaaah?! My nose! Why are you so haughty-- ACHOO!

[He sneezes away from the cat's direction. He wasn't allergic, but that certainly tickled enough. Now he looks over to see the book that the cat was focused on. This definitely wasn't a normal kitty.]

Okay, so... You're really interested in geology. Actually, that's a decent subject to get into. Whenever I first came here, we had a few earthquakes. Then a minotaur attacked us. Compared to that, I'd say that things have been mostly peaceful.

[absentconstellation]

[ He looks up from his book with interest. Now there's a word he hasn't heard in a few centuries, from a land far west of his most recent escapades. Last he checked, there were no Tauros in the Mortal Realms. Do immortals walk these lands freely? If they do, he needs to be prepared for them. ]

Minotaur?

Library

[draigon]

Raihan's never seen a regular cat before. Cat-like Pokemon, sure, but not cats. This one he's seeing looks like... a Glameow? Maybe a Purrloin? Or the Alolan Pokemon, Litten? Yet it looks like none of those things.

A quick check with his Rotom lets him know that it isn't a Pokemon at all, much like every other animal-like being he's come across. Not a surprise at this point, but he can't help being a bit disappointed anyway.

Still, he knows better than to assume that the cat is some dim creature. Pokemon back in his world can be incredibly smart, and seeing them read a book in the Vault he guards isn't uncommon. Reading several books at the same time, though, is something of a sight, and Raihan sits beside the cat with a low, impressed whistle.

"That's a lot of books you're reading there," he remarks as he cracks open a lone book of his own, one that deals with the history of this place, if the title is anything to go by. "I can only focus on one at a time, otherwise I'd go mad."

Re: Library

[absentconstellation]

The Cat eyes the strange creature, ready to swat it away if it chooses to be bothersome. It has that overly-friendly look about it. The human seems to actually expect him to speak, which is unusual, but he sees no reason to disappoint.

"The content is not unfamiliar," he explains cooly, turning his attention back to the books while the Rotom is minding its own business. "I need only see where it differs from what I am accustomed to."

Re: Library

[draigon]

The Rotom, thankfully, keeps to itself, mostly because Raihan gives it a look that clearly tells it to behave. Raihan, meanwhile, responds to the cat's answer with a blink.

"Hm," is all Raihan supplies for the moment, more from surprise than anything. Smart Pokemon, he's used to. Ones that speak back to him? Completely new. Rotom is an exception, and there are ones out there that can use humans to speak to others, but it's still new enough to Raihan.

"Any differences so far, then?" He looks over the table of contents of the book, fingers sliding down the words to focus as he speaks.

[absentconstellation]

The Cat is too absorbed in his reading to notice the boy's surprise. He can focus on a lot at once, but there is a limit.

"Primarily the manner in which magic is worked. The details of history are different, of course, but on the grand scale of things humans are very predictable."

[draigon]

"Too true." Raihan gives something of a rueful chuckle at that. "I suppose that's the same no matter which world you're from."

There's a story in every region that's achingly similar. A person gathers like-minded people, believing only they can change the world in some way, either for the better or for the worse, and tries to conquer a powerful Pokemon to make it happen, to do their bidding.

No one ever learns from those stories. People really think they can control Pokemon who are powerful enough to destroy the world, and it's up to everyone else to pick up the pieces.

(But they are willing to pick up the pieces, and they help and support each other no matter how hard it gets. They work to better the lives of people and Pokemon alike, through ways that don't jeopardize one or the other. These are the people Raihan sees more often than not, even if the others are more memorable.)

[absentconstellation]

He finishes the pages he was reading (skimming, really) and sets about turning them all again.

"I have yet to find anything to suggest an explanation for the crisis this land is facing." He can think of a few, but none of them explain how he was brought here from the Divine Realms against his will.

healing circle

[themogget]

Mogget, too, did not at all enjoy the way he arrived here (and had been making that fact quite clear since he first shot out of the water yowling at the top of his lungs). Without prior experience in other worlds outside of his own he would have shown no interest in anything going on, but certain developments in his character push him to at least investigate this gathering.

Though, he hadn't made any effort to gather any herbs up. That hasn't stopped him being able to get hold of some, as a few passers-by have seen the cute white kitty waiting so patiently at the edge of the crowd and put some of their extra ones down in front of him.

Often, he doesn't need to say anything at all to manipulate humans into doing what he wants.

But he's been watching the black cat for several minutes with sharp, vivid green eyes, seeing a similar intelligence there to his own and wondering if it might be Kerrigor. A potential problem for him, if it is. He surmises, tentatively after some observation, that it is not Kerrigor... and thus this cat becomes the focus of a different kind of attention.

Casual curiosity.

Mogget abandons his spot and approaches, sitting down a few feet away and mirroring his position, curling his tail around his front paws.

[absentconstellation]

The Cat watches Mogget in return, his tail stilling as he considers. It's clear this new arrival is no more ordinary than the Cat himself. It bothers him that he can't tell exactly how he isn't ordinary. He feels half-blind and deaf.

The stranger shows no sign of aggression so far, so he blinks and lets out a brief meow in greeting.

[themogget]

Mogget blinks in turn, mirroring the other cat in a subconscious social behaviour. He does not, however, meow.

"Are you intelligent enough to speak?"

He talks. And when he does, it certainly isn't with any kind of human-sounding voice - Mogget's speech is a myriad of cat-sounds somehow twisted into words. Getting the important questions out of the way first.

[absentconstellation]

His whiskers twitch in amusement. When he answers, it's in the same strange manner.

"Intelligence has very little to do with the ability to speak." He's been around more than enough humans to attest to that.

[themogget]

Mogget reads that twitch of the whiskers and flicks his ears slightly as he lets out a noise that sounds close to a chuckle. Ah, yes. He knows humans too.

"Indeed not." But he's pleased. This cat smells like a cat - not a human pretending to be a cat - and he hasn't come across anything like this before. He has learned to find pleasure in certain surprises.

"You just became the most interesting individual here."

[absentconstellation]

The stranger isn't an immediate threat, at least. Without his normal abilities he has no desire to risk territorial fights. In his own world the People- animals- know what he is, and that he isn't a threat to them.

That reaction is interesting, though.

"And why is that?"

Healing Circle

[roseeclair]

It's been a while since Makoto's seen her circle's celestial black cat, so her eyes only widen a bit at seeing this cat sitting by himself with piles of herbs. Still, that nostalgia is strong, and Makoto approaches the lone cat, her own bundle of herbs not only containing all four of the recommended herbs but a few extras: a pink rosebud and a small oak sprig.

"Hey, little guy. Are you someone's familiar?"

[absentconstellation]

The Cat makes a sound suspiciously like a scoff, but his tail starts to wave more widely against the ground in approval of her approach. He chooses not to answer, instead eyeing the herbs she's picked. It's an interesting choice of extras, and he wonders if she means to use them in the spell.

[roseeclair]

Ah. She's been around Luna enough to know a cat-scoff when she hears one, and she puts up a free hand in apology.

"Okay, so not a familiar, sorry." At the eyeing towards the herbs... "Yeah, I'm participating in the ritual too. Need a partner still?"

[absentconstellation]

He considers her for a moment. She understands that he's intelligent, at least. It's usually easier to let humans accustom themselves to that before trying to hold a conversation.

He circles, giving himself more space in front of the herbs before he lies down, forelegs stretched comfortably in front of him. She may join him, if she likes.

[roseeclair]

She smiles as she sits down, taking that as a yes.

"Thanks. I'm Makoto, by the way."

Not that she fully expects him to speak back, but might as well be polite if he's smart enough to understand her.

[absentconstellation]

He nods, since it would be rude not to respond at all. She isn't a child talking at a pet, after all. There's no point in answering aloud, since he doesn't have a single name that humans can use.

He gets to his feet so that he can nudge the nearby stone bowl with his nose. This is where the herbs are to be burned, but. He can't actually do that part himself. His power here doesn't seem to include fire. It does include telekinesis, but why should he move the herbs if there's a human here with perfectly good hands to do the job?