TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 11

[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 Atlantian Saury. Similar to Pacific Saury, these small fish don't have much lift power on their own... but contrary to their saltwater counterparts, Atlantian Saury are known for forming schools of thousands thick enough to lift a person right out of the water... as long as they aren't scared of a few fish flip-flopping out of the water and slapping them in the face with their tails. Animal mages will find they're very chatty, and very fast talkers, and very sensitive to each others' feelings. Insult one of them, and the whole school will start screaming and crying together. 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. In a deal with Camelot's farms, the drinks are honey-based-- mead, tea and honey, even healthy ginger shots with a dash of honey to take the edge off. (Naturally, virgin editions are available of any cocktails like the Bee's Knees 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: We return to Lestari to collect small creatures called fairy coins that look like stars, using a special bubble bar that allows flight but may have side effects such as truth-blurting or burping bubbles. Side quest: save some kids from some ancient giant bats. With the dangerous battle apparently waging on in the waters just off the coast of the island's west peninsula, the attempt to travel through Dinas Emrys is temporarily delayed. With Arthur back on his feet after a month of recovery, Merlin is working in the background on finding a way to get the travel party back on track. It's fine, since the autumn equinox is on the horizon anyway and there are a lot of preparations to be made. A ⦿ Fizzy Lifting Bar With the path to Lestari routed and still fresh, another caravan heads back up there, this time a group of Elphame Traders (sorry, they're sold out of goods, so you still can't buy again until the end of the month) who are assisting in the preparations. The Elphame Traders are paying anyone who makes the journey up there with them to head into a special place called a bubble bar that only opens up once a year, before the autumn solstice. At the bar, there are large tables with mideval-looking devices filled with vials of colorful liquids. The liquids are labeled with different flavors, like baked potato or bubblegum or something called gn'ooOOoo, which is reminisicent of the way that bumbleberry pie smells when you bake it but somehow doesn't taste like bumbleberry or pie. (It's a special kind of dwarven flavor.) It's no drug, don't worry-- it's magic. From the bottom of these wonderful flavors comes a tube and a replaceable mouthpiece (the traders will provide a disposable one for each person) and you're to take a deep breath in to feel the flavor overtake your whole being, then for about an hour afterward (you can refill as needed), you'll find yourself breathing out bubbles.. and flying. Have fun for a little while with this fizzy lifting bubble and get any hiccups (literal or figurative, as flavors can sometime change into something much weirder before changing back or can sometimes have the side effect of making you blurt out truths to the person you're talking to. The side effects will fade in time, even after multiple stops at the bar. B ⦿ Stars in Your Eyes Once you get past the initial side effects of the bubble bar, your temporary flight can be put to good use: gathering stars. More specifically, a special kind of living rock. They're about the size of a medium-length pinky finger nail and shaped like stars. Some people call them fairy coins, these tiny stars come in a variety of colors and fly around at the top of the caverns that contain Lestari. They do not glow and aren't visible from the ground, so you may not have even noticed them the first time you were there... especially since they're quick and tend to hibernate during the summer and wake up as fall approaches. Maybe try some of your magic out to catch them-- they're pretty indestructable, so you can use any magic at your disposal to try to catch them in jars to gather for the autumn equinox. Don't worry, they won't be harmed in the process! The Elphame Traders will explain they're kind of like magic batteries that have the ability to pass through veil and guide the dead from the underworld through Avalon and on to other worlds from the autumn equinox through the month of October. The variation in travel times is why so many cultures end up with their days of the dead passing near the world at similar, but not the exact same times. What they will emphasize is that there's a big gold prize for the person who catches the most of them.. so don't be lax in trying to compete to catch more than your neighbor! ..Just be careful not to catch them in your eyes, as they like to magically hide in reflective surfaces and can only be gotten out by telling a lie to someone you like.. a repulsive act that will scare them out of your eyes and make you a bit less, well, starry-eyed. C ⦿ Minor Side Quest Fairy coin eggs are laid deep within the rock, so don't worry about disrupting them-- they'll hatch for the next year once it cools down enough for winter and live through they life cycle uninterrupted by groundfolk interference. It's important to note because you will need to forage for something else while you're flying around up at the top of the cave. Well, not so much forage as get out of the rocks... it seems like during the first visit, someone brought their fairy chameleon familiar along with them and it crawled up into the ceiling to have a brood of baby chameleons. Unlike real chameleons, these magical reptiles will change colors to match literally anything they come in contact with, and as babies let out a rather pungent smell to scare away predators... And that happens to have woken up giant bats the size of people that have been flying around and scooping up pets and small children and taking them up into the rocks. While you've got that gift of flight, why don't you take a look around for some of the misplaced children and pets. The people of Lestari didn't even know those bats were up there, and they seem pretty primitive... even animal mages might find them speaking caveman-style and focused on nothing but base animal instincts. Oh, and they have 6-inch fangs and even bigger claws. Take a partner so you can fend off their captors while one of you takes care of the captive! SUMMARY:Those in Camelot help prep for the autumn equinox by gathering the ashes of the dead for a ritual to bind spirit guardians to characters via tattoo brands. Other volunteers act as personal genies for those willing to host guardians. Those close to Camelot will not be without preparations to make, whether they took the trip to Lestari and came back later or stayed the whole time. There are a couple of tasks that will take.. well, quite a few types of badasses. The first preparation involves the binding of ash to mages to create spirit guardians for the dead. While the fairy coins act like batteries for the magic that lets the dead pass through the veil, spirit guardians are needed to direct them to the correct worlds.. or in this case, to welcome them to Avalon and direct them back to the underworld safely. The universe outside of this is frozen in time and space, there's nowhere for them to go, and that means things could get dangerous when the solstice rolls by if things don't go as planned. Which means they need as many mages as possible to volunteer for this.. somewhat painful process. A ⦿ The Fighting Badass (CW: Undead creatures, destruction of remains) The first ingredient needed to raise spirit guardians is the ashes of the dead. Since they can't wait around for current ashes, a group of people will be sent out to the Land of Rot for monster-slaying. Capture an undead creature and bring back its remains to the giant cauldron roiling away all month in Camelot's town square. Be careful- undead creatures tend to pop back up even after you slay them more than once, and the trip takes more than a day, so you may have to spend all night waking up to make sure that your skeleton hasn't started crawling out of your backpack to gnaw on your arm. The remains will have to be burned in Camelot's crematorium until it turns to ash and can be placed in the cauldron, so you've got an arduous and tedious journey ahead of you. B ⦿ The Pain-Tolerant Badass (CW: Branding/tattoos) The next part of the preparation involves the removal of what appear to be pitch-black eggs that glow hot like coals from within the cauldron after it stirs in the ashes of the dead. Volunteers will be asked to act as hosts for the spirit guardians. Volunteers can lie face-down on special obsidian slabs that have been laid out around the cauldron. Others who are less brave are welcomed to use iron tongs to remove the eggs from the cauldron and place them on the backs of those who lay on the obsidian, then cast whatever magic they have on the eggs. This will cause them to crack and their insides to ooze out and sear a tattoo into the backs of the person they are placed upon. The designs are representative of some facet of the person they have bonded with. Though the process itself stings like only a burning hot tattoo can, after a couple of days, those who volunteered will find themselves immune to pain until the autumn equinox. C ⦿ The Caring Badass (CW: Consensual submission) The other two badasses have been through a lot, and no one can deny that the kind of person who can see someone go through things like that and be willing to be a shoulder to lean on is their own special level of badass. Anyone who isn't bearing a tattoo can volunteer to be a caretaker-- a special spellbound servant who is required to fulfill any need, like a personal genie, for a person with a tattoo for the duration of their shift (one day per person)! Those who take on this role are given special privileges for the rest of the month and can essentially get free meals from any restaurant in town for their sacrifice. It is voluntary to be spellbound for this position and none of the special priests around town are unclear about the terms-- anything needed means anything. Absolute refusal will result in the spell being broken to prevent non-consensual practices, but will unfortunately result in the person you are caretaking for losing their bond with the spirit guardian, resulting in return of pain reception and yield no reward in the equinox. This makes it important that guardian hosts don't push it to anything too abhorrent to their caretaker. Though you may not know each other to start, you'll undoubtedly come to trust each other by the end of the day and assure the spirit guardian it is in a place it belongs. 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

[menphina]

[ See that little wicked smirk creeping up her lips, Gaius? That's her reaction to his own, amusement in her expression as she sees his exasperation. He ought to take what he dishes out every run of praetorium, now! It's only right.

(Of course, the thought that that was a rather humiliating defeat for Gaius van Baelsar only strikes her after a bit, and while she won't say said defeat wasn't warranted, she still has enough sense to drop it-

Even if it is tempting to tell him she's just making sure they're not falling into a cobweb of lies by denying it...)

Thankfully, he keeps talking, and the more he does, the more her own expression becomes one of interest, and then-

Surprise.

As he continues on about this Warrior of Light- her, in some other existence, she feels surprised and unsure. That somewhere, she had worn the mantle and executed it to the same degree of success as the one she knew of in her own world?

Enough for the famous, and fearsome Black Wolf, an enemy to the lands she lived in, to be speaking of her in what was clear respect?

It does humble her a bit, and her ears lower as she slowly moves closer to him, until- slowly, enough to not cause herself discomfort, she sits herself next to him and watches his profile, tilting her head curiously at him. ]

... I'm relieved to hear it. Then- she was still in touch, from what you're saying...

[ Even in some hypothetical world that she isn't actually living, she worries about being apart from the people she loves.

But she watches him for a bit longer, before moving a hand to his arm, head tilting as she looks at him carefully. ]

I'm sorry it's not her, but me, here. All I've ever accomplished beyond mine own work and the battles I've fought and healed in is being able to carry four children on both arms and riding a chocobo. Don't ask why I had to do it that way. You try thinking of anything better when a goobbue is chasing you down after eating your wagon.

[ The mental image is quite funny to her now, especially knowing she wasn't in any danger but it was her children who were small enough to be at risk. That was the not-funny part.

Either way. ]

... how are you feeling? I may not be a Warrior of Light, but- if you'd be open to it, I'd like to know you as well. If it's not too painful for you.

[ She pointedly doesn't offer to leave him alone if it is. She's still her, and even if he is the former Black Wolf, he has neither power or support here yet, and she does.

She'd be a terrible matriarch if she didn't at least extend a helping hand. ]

I've a home here. Spare rooms and all. You can stay with us if you'd like. My partners live with me, too. And a friend. Don't worry, we've enough privacy. [ A wry smile. ] ... though I think you've had enough of a shock for a sun, aye? I just know I wouldn't want to be alone in a strange new world. Call it experience from the last ones I was in.

[ And with a squeeze to his shoulder- ]

What do you say, handsome? If I'm going to learn about the no-longer Black Wolf, then it's only fair you learn about the Radiant Matriarch who isn't a Warrior of Light, aye?

[ Because, that's logical! They have to adapt! ]

[forgarlemald]

[How is he feeling? She asks that like he can even give her an answer, while he still sits there struggling to sort out the whirl of conflicting emotions that still hangs over him even as he listens to her talk. Though it helps to listen to her, in the end; whatever version of her this may be, her voice is still just as grounding as it always has been. Though it still stings to hear her speak of another her, at least he still gets to hear her speak at all, the brief tale of her misfortunes with a goobbue even bringing a soft, if fleeting smile to his lips, there and gone again too quickly.]

[And when she mentions living with-]

Your partners?

[To Gaius' credit, at least any surprise in his voice is subdued, barely there as his pale gaze turns side-long to Megumi as he watches her settle down beside him. Because of course she would have partners, if she's already lived in this world for as long as she says. A woman as giving and compassionate as she is, he'd be far more shocked if she had been alone, and it's not as if he isn't aware of the nature of Miqo'te to take multiple partners at a time.]

[So why does it still feel like it's too tight to breathe?]

I... [And he should refuse the offer. If this world is anything like Sumarlok had been, he isn't going to be wanting for shelter, however pitiful a home those in charge may place him in. It wouldn't feel right to intrude, especially in the lives of whoever else lives with Megumi, when she doesn't even know him, but...]

[But perhaps he's still a little selfish after all, when it comes to her. Because after a couple of false starts, he lets his shoulders slump, appearing to think better of whatever protest was on his tongue as he nods.]

I'm not sure that I deserve such an offer yet. But I would be quite grateful nonetheless, if you are truly alright with the company.

It would only be for a short time. Once I have my footing here and am able to afford my own place to stay, I will pay you.

[menphina]

Hoy, none of that, do I look like I run an inn? Though I suppose I'd make a pretty innkeeper, but that's besides the point!!

[ Whatever his protest, she refuses to hear it. They already know and have understood that things are this way, and they just have to deal in the best way they can.

Which means— ]

No more sulking, Gaius Baelsar. You're here now, and you— we'll all get through this. Just help around the house where you can if you want to pay it back. Though— one of mine companions is a Scion. Thancred. I don't know if you know him, but he lives there too. Hope you both can get along, aye?

[ She doesn't know what their status is with Gaius, as it stands. ]

He's usually with my other, Jakurai. I met him in a world before arriving here... He's not from our star, and Jakurai's teammate Hifumi lives with us too. He lost his own partner here so I didn't want to let him be on his own.

[ That's a lot of information, but she gives it anyway. Anything to make him feel settled.

And to accept that his new normal may involve this. She gives his shoulder another squeeze. ]

I owe it to myself that got to know you to do this, too. So don't withdraw, aye? We're all doing our best, here.

[ Her gaze softens with a small, wry smile. ]

Now wipe that gloomy look off and go freshen up. Should have spare robes in this place. And we can go find something to eat!

[ Whatever the case is... she wants to bring some normalcy to those torn from their accepted realities.

This is a start. She isn't going to back away from it. Even with her fears and hesitations.

If it makes him look less pained when looking at her, it'll be worth it. She just hopes she's doing the right thing... for both their sakes. ]