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avalaughs2021-10-01 12:05 am
TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 12
 | QUICK NAV: ⚔️️ Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary |
⚔️️ View Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ |
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A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival |
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The Lady of the Lake seems busy this time around, having cast the spell to draw in the new arrivals and bailed, but the Rent-a-Ride at the top of the cliffs seems to be the only place around to go. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs or getting acquainted with their new familiars. There’s no railing, be careful! Should you fall, a mysterious sand hand will 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 atop 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,” referring to a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's inventory. It’s enchanted by Merlin to recover possessions and pets from the lake before they become waterlogged. Before Archimedes can give his usual spiel, a special voice message is sent to everyone’s brand new phones. ``Merlin here. Welcome to Avalon! I usually don't greet newcomers like this, but I wanted to make you aware of the situation we have here in Camelot. Refugees from places called Celliwig and Lestari are now living in Camelot, so we're a bit tight on space. It would be great if you could find yourself roommates when you get to Camelot. The Caravan ride is a great place to get to know to people. Built-in mini-bars to break the ice and all… |
The man leading the caravan rolls his eyes and just expresses “There you have it,” before getting everyone going in modernized carriages pulled by horses. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless. The carts have a smart thermostat, the promised mini-bar, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, @avalononline (AOL), to chat with others, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, including how to use the phone). Just be careful-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. | |
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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. Newcomers get free inn rooms for their one night stay on the way to Camelot, containing two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and movies.
Don't want to relax in the room? Take a dip in the communal hot spring. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly. 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! |
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A ⦿ Sleeping Struggles | |
| True to Merlin's word, the inn of Camelot is a little crowded. There are efforts to fit the inn with new furniture to help out the smaller rooms by bolstering them with bunks, but it takes a while to make a sturdy bed without mass production facilities. One particularly creative mage from Lestari came up with and is teaching a special spell called Recipe: Magnetic Lull, a spell that can be used to magnetize objects for about 4 hours at a time. The idea is to use it on a spot on the floor and a sheet with the same polarity so that the sheet floats above the floor. It's a nifty little spell for people who don't move much in their sleep! |
Unfortunately, for those who move about, it's a little unstable so getting too close to the edge could topple you to the floor. Heavy sleepers are just as apt to have problems since the timing is very precise-- don't wake up to renew your spell before the 4-hour mark and you'll end up slamming into the ground. Another tricky part of casting the spell is making sure you aim only for what you need... a little magnetism can go a long way when you can cast it on just about anything. (It is highly recommended you put any metal weapons in locked storage while using.) Be very careful or you may just find yourself or any other number of accidental objects magnetized! | |
B ⦿ Don't Break Me, Breakfast | |
For the less polarized people, the inn is offering upgraded breakfast to anyone willing to simply share a bed, the most cost-effective means of saving space. Though their usual continental breakfast is temporarily suspended due to a need to ration, they are delivering portioned breakfasts to each room at precisely 7:30am each morning. Those who don't share a bed will get a mystery muffin and an apple. Mystery muffins are the kitchen's attempt to make their ingredients go a little further and may contain odd flavors or magical effects that last about 30 minutes. The first week's features are:
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Those who are willing to share a bed with another will receive the upgraded breakfast of scrambled eggs, mixed non-magic fruit, and go'oat milk. Yes, go'oat milk. It's a special blend of oats they've been magically preserving in their basement for emergencies. It'll give you energy for the whole day! Side effects may include jitteriness and slightly decreased inhibitions due to feeling like you're ready to GO!! But that's definitely better than the mystery muffins. ...Maybe you should check if Camelot's castle has any rooms left? | |
C ⦿ Not Quite a Puppy Parade | |
| Humans and faekind aren't the only refugees from Celliwig and Lestari. Blessedly, a large number of pets were rescued during Camelot's efforts… but unfortunately, that doesn't always mean that those pets made it out with their pet parents along with them. In the town square, there are fence posts put up with light magic to create little pens for a number of pets. It's a pet adoption fair hosted by some Celliwig animal lovers who wanted to do their part to help everyone find their new temporary (or hopefully forever) home. |
Popular pets of Lestari include capybara, chickens, compsognathus, and a variety of fae frogs. The chickens seem to be going fast, with food shortages being a concern on a lot of peoples' minds right now with only Camelot's stores being available for three cities. Those who have the eggs have the money... but you couldn't ask for a better pet than the overly friendly capybara! The fae frogs are an excellent choice, however, as they tend to be capable of intelligent speech and though they tend to condescend, they're willing to help correct poor magic techniques to help you improve a little faster if you can get past the attitude problem. …And yes, we are going to glaze over the compies. They're considered an "advanced pet-owner" choice and don't seem to be very popular, but you’re welcome to try your hand with the tiny, hungry dinos if you don’t mind losing a finger or two. Take a look around, play with any of the pets that you want, and help catch any that run off. Maybe you'll find your new forever friend? | |
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| Stressed out about the close quarters and odd ongoings in the city? Not to worry, there are tasks at hand for those who want to get out in the wild as well. With the sudden loss of Celliwig and the barriers being taken down that were shielding the river from crossing specters, the Forest of the Felled needs to be cleaned up. |
A ⦿ River Rapid Rumba | |
It's not a short journey from Camelot to the Forest of the Felled, particularly for everyone. Though there is an easy path at the Pure of Heart Bridge, it is a bridge that is quite clear about those who can cross it-- the pure of heart. The naiads control the waters of the river, and there are more than a few present in this one. They are both a loving and a jealous folk, so the key to getting across with ease is to either seduce or befriend one.
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Naiads love beautiful people, both inside and out, so show them an act of kindness and you will not need to do anything physical. They will value your friendship as beauty and will allow you to pass. If you are not the type, consider taking off your shirt or showing some dance talents that work the rear. If neither form of beauty befits your character, one who does have their affections may try to flirt with someone else on your behalf. A jealous naiad will redirect all the rapids around them in an attack and leave low water levels for those to sneak behind them whilst she is distracted. How the distraction team makes it out of that mess is on them. | |
B ⦿ Forest of the Fachan | |
| Past the rapids (if you made it), the forest itself is too quiet, and the wind is too loud, whistling through the trees and a myriad of wards and ties and tricks that were once used to seal the spirits into the Forest of the Felled. Empty of death now, the forest only seems to be home to bugs, squirrels, and other small creatures that help the trees propagate. The biggest landmark now is the sleeping stone giant that sits in a self-made clearing in the center of the forest. It is visible even from the southernmost point where the party enters and begins heading north-east, removing wards, candles, scraps of fabric, ropes and twine binding trees together, and all other manner of implements used to trap spirits. The trip itself is relatively quiet until the sun starts to set. Then, once in a while when you close your eyes, you feel like there's something staring back at you from within your own eyelids. |
It chitters and laughs in your head loudly enough that you aren't sure if you heard it in your ears or your imagination, and then it's seemingly gone (to someone else). After the third time it happens, the voice will sing-song "No more dead, no more live, no more singing by my side. Break the quiet, make some noise," and then suddenly, in a deeper, more rugged voice "Ï̶͚̰̭̟̈́̆͝'̴̡̙͙͖͆͛l̸̻̾̈́̒l̶̗͈̔͊̒̀ ̸̭̉ͅb̴̮̍̓è̷̺͇̪̽̊̅ ̴̨̪̭͘b̵̪̞̉ṙ̸̭̳̼͓̊͠͝e̷̦͈̞͐̀͂a̵̙̟̘̾̀̀k̴̘̩͚͊̊̍i̴̳̥͒̚ͅň̷͈g̸̛̳̅̀ ̴̛͎m̴͈͆̇y̵͖̰͉͛̅̀͜͝ ̸͙̈́n̵͕̫̓͑̏̿e̷̬̤̎̌̈̈́w̴̛͎͛ ̵̫̘͑̄̈̈͜t̸͙̂ȍ̸͈́̄y̶̹̿̆̎͝s̷̯̀͜͠.̴̦͚̯͍̉͘" The sun, appropriately, is setting at this point, and the party seems to somehow start getting separated. A strange stench, like rotten flesh seems to fill the air. With only two or three people left in an area, the creature will finally appear, wielding a barbed flail, with rotten apples hanging off of each of the barbs. It has one leg, one arm, one eye, and its skin appears like potato skin save for a tuft of black hair atop its head. Its wide mouth bears bloody, pointed teeth. The faint of heart have been known to be frozen in fear or drop dead of a heart attack simply from seeing it. It laughs in your head before it swings its flail, launching an attack. It's time to fight the fachan, an unseelie fae who had adapted to feasting on the spirits of the Forest of the Felled and is now hungry and ready to devastate any living thing that wanders into the forest. | |
C ⦿ Campfire Stories | |
| Someone is sure to defeat the fachan one way or the other, and once that is out of the way (or you were lucky enough to have someone slay it before it even found you), the forest is finally back to just the creepsome wind. Everyone left is able to find each other and set up a tight-knit camp at the foot of the stone giant and with wires wrapped around the area to alert them if any... non-dead residents of the forest come a'knocking. Unfortunately, it's discovered that during the attacks a lot of the supplies were lost. This would be as far as anyone would make it, so it would be best to head back to Camelot to restock for now. But that is for morning. It's far too late now, so pull up, get your ration of tater soup, and share your favorite spooky story to get in the mood for the season. The truly scary part of the evening is over, it's good to have a laugh at whatever kind of hokey nonsense everyone can come up with! |
• This post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads and may start their own logs off-post, 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 usually present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. This month's has some changes based on current events, please read carefully. 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. |
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Yes, and sorry, sometimes I get too used to the environment in Chaldea. Would you prefer I called you Saber instead?
no subject
I would lean towards that, I suppose. Unless we're in company where it might be confusing. I'm hardly hiding it, but... [ well. if anyone gets what she's trying to say it'd be another servant, right? ]
Barkeep! Wine, if you will!
no subject
Saber, then. I haven't seen another Saber around here...Heard talk of one, but I haven't seen them myself.
[ The bartender returns with a bottle of wine that looks like it's been sitting behind the bar for a decade or more, dusty with a peeling label. The liquid inside is red and cloudy -- potentially wine. A pair of glasses accompanies the now decorked bottle; the bartender disappears back to where he'd been standing before either of them can say a word. ]
You're welcome to as much of that as you like.
[ "Because I'm not drinking it." ]
no subject
she pours herself a glass, gently swishing the cloudy wine just... as a thing to do. unconcerned, she takes a sip. pauses, the corner of her mouth dipping down, then sips again. ]
I have tasted worse. [ though perhaps not in this life. still, it will do. just for proof, she sips at it once again before letting it rest in her hand. some of the pride and puffed up confidence begins to deflate, as she just... allows herself to settle in. all of this has been trying, to put it mildly. ] My thanks, Rider.
no subject
[ Because that "wine" looks borderline undrinkable. If Nero's happy with it, though, he'll leave it there.
Ryouma leans in a little closer to her, dropping his voice lower. ]
Ah, I supposed it's only fair that I know who you are that I do you the same favor. My True Name is Sakamoto Ryouma.
[ Not that it means anything to her, more than likely. ]
no subject
and look. they did some weird shit to wine in her lifetime, this is fine in comparison to some she's had. quiet and somewhat conspiratorial is a doable tone for her right now, especially with her current mood—and even if the dive isn't especially loud or crowded, she rummages through her pockets for a flip-top pill bottle while muttering to herself, before shaking two out and downing them with a mouthful of wine.
it's just, like, avalon tylenol. it's cool. ]
Japanese, then. I see. There were many Japanese wizards [ she says wizards, not magi— ] participating in the War, my Praetor among them, but if Japanese Servants fought, I never encountered them... an interesting first. Well met, Rider.
no subject
As for her comment, he laughs and gives a slightly dismissive wave. ]
I'm not that interesting, to be honest. [ He doesn't like drawing attention to his exploits. ] What Servants are you familiar with, if I may ask? If you know any of their True Names, that is.
no subject
Hmmm... Francis Drake, Robin Hood, Nursery Rhyme, Lu Bu, Cu Chulainn, Li Shuwen, Vlad III, Gawain, Elizabeth Bathory, Hans Christian Andersen, Buddha. A motley bunch.
no subject
I bet Lady Drake is something to see in a Grail War, isn't she? Does she live up to her legend?
[ Yes, he knows her in Chaldea, but Chaldea is different than a Grail War. Let him have this! ]
no subject
She was far from our most difficult match in the War, but she was formidable. Our arena was a galleon's deck, the sort she might have sailed on... and I barely withstood the might of her Noble Phantasm. The cannon barrage of the Golden Hind was something to behold! I suppose the Fates must have smiled on my Praetor and I. But at close range, she stood no chance.
no subject
Whatever the case, he's quite happy about Nero regaling him with the tale, even without her usual theatrics. He looks a bit like a small child who's just been told a daring tale of adventure for a bedtime story. ]
Wow, that really sounds like quite a fight! You and your Master must be an amazing team to have prevailed against her.
[ A beat and then he calms down a little bit. ]
...You miss them, don't you?
no subject
then he asks that. nero nods after a moment, smile becoming a bit more joyless as she takes a long draft of her wine. she finishes the glass, and pours another. ]
... Indeed. It is as if a piece of myself were torn away. I love her as I never thought I could love anyone. [ not a selfish love, not one that burns and demands everything in return. not an abstract and impersonal love, either. just... devotion, with no real expectation of reward. and despite all odds, she had been met with unconditional acceptance and love in return. ]
no subject
I miss someone like that, too. Oryou...is my Noble Phantasm, but we share a Spirit Origin. She didn't come here with me. [ Literally missing a piece of himself. He raises his glass. ] How about we drink to them, hm? Celebrate their memories instead of mourning their absence.
no subject
Yes, let us do just that, Rider. I cannot speak for your Oryou, but my own wife would surely find me silly for moping so. [ she raises her own glass. ] To absent loves, and the joy they still bring.
no subject
Well said. Oryou would...probably hit me and tell me to stop being useless. [ He laughs. ] She's very blunt like that, no patience for unnecessary politeness.
[ His words are warm and fond, like those are the best qualities to be found in a person. ]
She'd be so mad at me for sitting around like a sad sack.
no subject
My Praetor... Hakuno, that is to say, wouldn't get angry with me. But I find that she worries. My more melancholy spells tend to upset her nearly as much as they do me.
no subject
[ His own Master is like that, too. Mage society favored those who were cruel and ruthless, but in practice, those sorts of Masters never fared well. A partnership is almost always more effective. ]
Oryou, well, she's not human, so she has ... interesting ways of showing she cares. If she really likes you, she'll share her frogs with you. Actual frogs...Even if you politely decline. [ He chuckles. ] It's the little things you end up missing the most, I think.
no subject
[ even though she says that... it troubles her, at times, to realize she remembers none of those little things about any of her past spouses. not claudia octavia, nor even statilia or sporus or pythagoras or poppaea—how could that be? had her addled mind leached those memories, as with so many other things? or... her first wife had been a loveless match, one of her mother's chess moves, but poppaea and the others... she had loved them, or so she had thought. especially poppaea. their acting against her mother's wishes, the birth and loss of their daughter, everything between them, but she still couldn't—
had she understood love at all in life?
nero catches herself falling silent, and startles back to attention, eyes meeting rider's. ]
An odd habit, but... charming in its way, I'm sure. You're lucky to have one another. I wonder if my Praetor would be so taken with me if I gave her frogs? [ she huffs a quiet laugh. ] She finds it amusing to put her chin on top of my head, when we're close. She fidgets with her cuffs when she is nervous. She is so... deceptively ordinary. But she's done the impossible many times over, and she takes me as I am.
no subject
May as well order another drink. ]
And you're lucky to have each other, as well. I wouldn't wish for it, but maybe she'll show up here. I'd love to meet her myself and see what kind of team you are firsthand.
[ He leans back with a little sigh and a wistful little smile. ]
Oryou has this habit of licking any little wound I got -- her saliva can heal almost anything, but she'd do it regardless of the setting. [ He laughs. ] She just does what she wants when she wants...Fierce and loyal and ready to fight anyone for any reason, even if I'd really rather she didn't.
[ They're sharing a drink called loneliness but it's better than drinking alone. ]
no subject
[ the night is young, ryouma, and nero's moods are mercurial on the best of days. there's still a chance of that. ]
My Praetor is the same way. I always tell her to stay behind me, but she rushes in just as I do... It's a wonder we've made it this far. [ there's an edge of haughty dismissal to those last words at first, but it fades as she goes on, leaving a wistful smile on her face. she downs half of her glass of bad wine, topping it off from the bottle again. she slumps somewhat on her side of the booth. ]
I would like to meet your Oryou as well. You sound like an odd match, but... a good one. It is clear there's love between you—a blessing, for two so bound together.
[ she can just as easily imagine those entangled spirit origins being a curse for certain figures. ]
no subject
[ Mostly because that would be a mess if they didn't work so well together. He looks a little sad for a moment; not having her floating behind him constantly is still something he's getting used to.
The answer to his sorrows is, of course, more drinks. This is a bad idea as his carefully controlled accent starts to slip further and further with each drink. ]
Now I wonder if th' two of 'em'd get along. [ A little chuckle. ] That's...a silly thought t' have, ain't it?