![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
avalonmods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
avalaughs2021-10-31 09:14 pm
TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 13
| QUICK NAV: |
⚔️️ View Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ | |
| |
*Mod note: I know this graphic is super ugly, but I ran out of time to make it pretty so it’s pretty much just for function right now. Don’t @ me about it, I know. | |
| |
A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival You and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's waters. After plunging into the Bay, the rush of water fills your ears and soaks into every crevice of your body. You may find it hard to find a clear spot on the surface, as surrounding you are hundreds of fairy vallela, floating like tiny sailboats on the top of the water. These vallela will surround you and begin to push up underneath, then slowly float you about three feet above the surface of the lake and carry you gently to shore... unless you thrash around or move too much, that is. Then they’ll drop you right back in the water, so be careful! | |
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 currently 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. | |
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. 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! |
|
|
King Arthur and the Queen of the Fairies have come to an agreement- if Camelot and the otherworlders cleanse the Forest of the Felled, removing all traps and wards that were placed up by humans of the past, they will be permitted safe passage into Elphame and invited to their Winter Solstice celebrations. The path to success in this task isn’t a smooth one. |
A ⦿ Not Seeing is Believing | |
| After the initial failed venture into the Forest of the Felled due to the Fachan destroying resources, a new expedition was planned. All those willing to help are welcome to come along with the party, led by King Arthur and Glewlwyd.. but the party itself isn’t quite as welcome after the tricks pulled on the naiads last time. The naiads have summoned a basilisk that is slithering up and down the river, guarding it from passers.
Thankfully, Avalon basilisks are more along the lines of Medusa snakes than instant-death. If you catch their eye, you’ll find yourself instantly paralyzed. |
It’s probably a good thing that there are many people around that it’s leaving people frozen where they are instead of eating right away… but in case you haven’t charged ahead out of orders, the party will be distributing blindfolds. The snake won’t try to eat the unparalyzed but crossing a river without your vision is no easy feat—it’s recommended you find at least one or two people to hold hands with, or perhaps travel up to the Pure of Heart Bridge if you think you can make it across. There’s always the option of fighting it, but a single bite from this creature would be fatal even if you manage not to give it a glance. | |
B ⦿ A Cure on Cloud Nine | |
As with any mission, there are casualties. Those who survived their encounter with the basilisk far outnumber those who don’t, but there are plenty who unfortunately fell to its paralysis. It’s up to those who didn’t to save them. Thankfully, Arthur has the greatest wizard of all time on speed dial and is able to call up a consult about what they need to make a cure for the basilisk’s paralysis. In a stroke of luck, the flower necessary to make the medicine does grow in the Forest of the Felled last he checked. It hasn’t been seen in years since the forest has been virtually inaccessible, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t still be growing there. |
|
The flower is called a Nimbus flower. It’s short, but the petals are wide and seem to flow out like gray clouds that end in a silvery blue lining at the tip. Au natural, they are known to cause euphoria and hallucinations when touched with bare skin, so gloves are handed out to pick them to any who don’t have them already. The effects fade away when heated, so cooked and mashed into a paste is the easiest way to administer them. However, that means finding and retrieving them first… a difficult task, as it seems that the various booby traps within the forest are blocking the way. Find your way through nets, log traps, snare traps, magical rope and vine binding traps, and just about any kind of booby trap you can think of (feel free to get creative) for both magical and regular creatures and you might be able to make your way to the flower field they grow in! Only then can you return and save your allies from becoming one of the forest’s felled. | |
C ⦿ Paralysis, Paralysis, and Paralysis Again | |
| With the basilisk episode behind everyone, everyone is set into small groups or pairs and given a sector to patrol and clean up. For the most part it goes smoothly, save for a few curious fae who followed the party in causing mischief here and there. Ultimately, they understand that everyone is here to benefit Avalon, so they don’t cause too much harm. |
This demon sits on a sleeping person’s chest and enters their mind, filling them with inescapable nightmares as the demon feeds off of their positive thoughts and emotions, slowly sucking out all feelings of love, happiness, and self-worth. Even if they wake up, they’ll find they are unable to move. Insomniacs and cognitive mages are going to be the best weapon against these creatures—insomniacs can attack the demons from the outside and guard cognitive mages who can dreamwalk into the sleeping victim’s dreams and convince them they’re only dreaming and to wake up. Some of the NPC insomniacs get together to perform a ritual to allow cognitive mages to cast others into dreams as well, so go quickly and help those trapped in nightmares of their own design! | |
|
If you're not the type to wander off into the forest and want other ways to help, no worries! There are plenty of tasks to be done back in Camelot and the nearby areas that are much safer. Ish! |
A ⦿ The Floor is Lava | |
With the city of Camelot being overcrowded still, but many things having at least been stabilized and worked out temporarily, attentions have turned to building projects to get the people of Celliwig and Lestari their own space back. Nobles have been tasked with governing townships of these refugees and creating new homes.. but to that end, people need to help create those homes first!
Various building sites near but just outside Camelot or the Celliwig ruins have been set up, but the best tactic seems to be to have crews work on them one at a time, so most people |
|
are at the same initial one, just outside of Camelot. Unfortunately, some idiot saw all the construction potential as a platforming opportunity and cast what can only be described as a “The Floor is Lava” spell, after the children’s game.. but much more realistic. It doesn’t seem to affect the buildings or furniture, but it’s hot as hell and people are trapped on half-built foundations because no one’s quite sure what it’ll do if you fall into it. Each building seems to have a set-up candle circle to keep the game going though, so hop from platform to platform, using furniture, beams, ropes, or anything else you can manage to get across to get to these locations, break the circle, and free buildings from the lava. And DON’T fall! (Though if you do, don’t worry- though it looks like you explode in a fiery twister to those around you, it just teleports you outside of the play area.) | |
B ⦿ Hungry for More | |
| With only Camelot’s farms left in tact, there’s not quite enough food left to go around with Celliwig and Lestari refugees having mouths to feed through the winter as well. This has lead to another type of project that people have really been working toward in Camelot… creating more food.
In fact, there are a number of spells and potion recipes going around on TikTok based on experimental cloning magic.
One of the most viral videos has resulted in a potion based on the Cereus de Anima flower that uses an extract you can order online to make your own potions and “dopplegang” your food. |
As with many popular TikTok trends, it’s not the best idea and has landed some people in dire need of help. #DoppleDinner is the tag to use if you’ve run into unexpected trouble using the potion:
· accidentally creating a temporary clone of yourself · accidentally creating endlessly replicating food that fills up the entire room until you can’t manage to get out of the door · food that seems to animate and turns around and try to eat the caster
Those seem to be some of the biggest problems this potion has created… or if you’re not caught up in the trend, you might be one of the rescuers going around to help people get out of their own doppledanger. | |
C ⦿ Magical Flu Season | |
| Unfortunately, flu season happens just as much in the magic realm as it does in the regular realm. People are starting to get sick all around Camelot, especially with the more condensed population making it easier and easier to spread disease.
One such disease is the magical flu—a variation of the flu that has a rather alarming change of symptoms from the original. Headaches, chills, sweating, sniffles, and coughs? Sure. The magical flu passes up the grosser excretions though, and instead many mages find themselves excreting magic unexpectedly. |
Uncontrollable, accident casting is running rampant with those infected, and it’s causing a lot of problems. The only cure is a good healer, so you’d better hope you can hold in that sneeze on the way to see a doctor… or else you might end up casting whatever magic you’ve landed with on anyone around you. | |
• All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, as the events within are considered game canon. |
Hessian-Lobo | fgo
He’d since dried off after drudging himself out of the lack. The Hessian stopped to survey the area, no Lobo, he couldn’t feel the wolf though. Somewhere nearby, along with the feint presence of Griffin still embedded in himself. Of course he was no longer a servant, and possibly no longer a spirit in general. He felt alive… but still lacked his head.
That was troubling.
Slowly the Headless Horseman makes his way through the lakeside mist. His shadowy, wraith-like form silently moving, no sound being made or heard. Predator-like, less like a man and more like something other. Searching for the wolf, searching for their scythes… searching for something else.
II – Now Gather Round While I Elucidate
They had since left the caravan behind after getting an idea of what had occurred. The Horseman mounted up on the King of Currumpaw, his now familiar and rode off. Even in their current state the Rider knew and felt the need to get away from others that radiated from the wolf. It was late now, and they were nearing Camelot. The sun had long since set on them as they wandered down the road.
They know where to go, even if they themselves don’t wish to go there. It was important that they did.
The Horseman held the twin blades in his hands as they wandered down the long, dark road. Just as silent as when they first left the caravan.
II – Ghosts Are Bad The One that’s Cursed is The Headless Horseman He’s the Worst (Basililsk)
Well, this was cute. The Horseman seemed amused? It was difficult to tell due to the lack of a head, but the man’s shoulders seem to shake not with fear, but with mirth. No head means no eye contact, means no paralysis. There probably couldn’t be a worse matchup for the poor snake.
One scythe lashes out to catch the snake off guard as it lunged for another person. Lobo in the meantime lunged to dig his large fangs into the reptile’s side. Congrats, you now have the worst of the spooks on your side.
III – Demons Take One Look and Groan and Hit The Road for Parts Unknown (Sleep Demons)
Yes, another amusing sight for the rider. Demons that had begun to terrorize the campers. He’d shacked up away from the group initially, only to be drawn by the moans and screams by the sleepers like a moth to flame. A scythe flashed out and sliced off a demon’s head.
His large figure hung over the lifeless body of the demon, and that of the sleeper. His shoulders shaking with mirth once more. Though this time something more deep and guttural sounding echoed from him… a laugh. A grotesque, twisted attempt of a laugh. As best as he could manage without a mouth or much of a throat.
Close by Lobo was on the prowl. The large wolf now ready to clean up the mess that its rider makes.
IV – He’s Out Lookin’ for a Head to Swap
He wandered through the streets of the city on top of Lobo in the late afternoon. They were both tired by now. Something that neither had felt for some time, the Hessian, perhaps more so than Lobo, felt semi-elated to feel life being breathed into him. Even without his head, and with that whip of flame occasionally flickering from the stump of his neck.
The grumble of their stomachs was loud, belying their silent approach down the city streets. People giving them a very wide berth. Not that either minded; in fact they preferred it. Of course, their precense would probably cause more than a little distress for any who might see them.
[WILDCARD]
[ooc: I’m pretty much just voicetesting (ha!) him right now. But if you don’t see anything you like here feel free to either let me know or simply start something else up wholesale and I’ll do my best to follow along.]
IV
On the other hand, she still likes snacking, and she's been taking advantage of the past couple of months in Avalon to look up cute little cafes and bakeries and other little hole-in-the-wall eateries that don't exist after the end of the world. She emerges from a little French-style bakery with a loaf of bread, a couple of meat buns, and a precariously-balanced box of day-old pastries.
With her burdens, she sees the crowd parting, but not why. It doesn't bother her, though; of course she just casually walks out without worry, and even takes a couple of steps forward before she sees--oh.
Surprise?!
She can't dramatically point when her arms are full, but she does almost drop the box of pastries, staring.
"You...?!"
no subject
Maybe, he still needs to get a head after all.
Anyway, that smell! He lets Lobo take him towards it, leading them through the parting crowds until they came upon a shock of red hair... and an armful of food! Their stomachs grumble again in unison, ignoring their master's obvious, dramatic shock.
They get that a lot. Yes, it is they!
With Lobo now leaning down to let out a huff of warm, dog breath at her before nosing at the food in her arms. The Hessian in the mean time dismounted himself and wandered closer, keeping a familiar hand on the large wolf's neck before digging out his phone and quickly typing into it. Then holds it up for her to see, granted they were both crowding around her. Or all three, if she considered the embedded spirit of Griffith to be part of the posse. Of course the Invisible Man doesn't really do much. But he's still a valued member of the team, even if he was kind of absorbed into the Rider....
"You have no clue how hard it was to find you."
Thank goodness for modern technology!
no subject
Ritsuka's shoulders relax when they recognize her; after the hullabaloo with Izou, she's always been a little cautious about it. But these are definitely "her" duo, and she laughs as she offers one of the meat buns to Lobo. It's probably safe for a wolf to eat, right? And if he doesn't like it, she's willing to do some last-minute shopping. A few people are staring from the sidelines, but she mostly ignores it. Surely they're just jealous that she gets to be friendly with the giant wolf and the headless guy.
"I didn't even know you guys were here--when did you arrive? I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
Next month, for sure, she's going to keep a better idea on the caravans that come into Camelot; it's not like there's been a flood of familiar faces, but she keeps being taken by surprise. And even if things don't operate here the same way they do back home... the least she can do, in a nod to her role as Master, is be there to greet anyone who arrives.
For now, though--"You wanna grab food or something? There's nothing that really compares to the kitchen staff in Chaldea, but there's a lot more variety."
no subject
Anyway, familiar-Lobo goes ahead omnomnoms on that delicious meat bun. Salivating and everything, letting out a pleased growl to go along with it. Quite clearly the big guy was pleased by this offering. See Guda, this is why you're his favorite human right here. Proper, gosh-darn respect!
The rider taps into his phone again.
"Just a day ago. We split from the others for obvious reasons." Reasons no doubt dealing with their general dislike for others, namely Lobo's. And to avoid having to potentially fight off, or more likely frighten off, everyone else. It would be a real pain to have a mob chase after you, or be bothered by curious on lookers.
There would be more heads than just Izou's that would go missing before dawn.
"I wouldn't say no. Were riding most of the night."
On cue the Hessian's stomach grumbles loudly at the thought of food. He was really going to have to get accustomed to these things again.
no subject
Ritsuka waits until Lobo has finished the first bun before she offers the second, and then to the Hessian, she says, "We can probably find somewhere that'll let us do a take-out kind of thing. I've got a camp set up right now--uh, it's a long story, but--it's not so bad. Unless you guys want to actually do a sit-down in a restaurant..."
All things considered, though, she doubts it. And she doesn't particularly want to risk the chance that a curious onlooker might become a brave one, who thinks the best thing to do is question or worse. Ritsuka might not care that much about her reputation, but nor does she want to put either wolf or rider in the position of being harassed. She can see a couple starting to edge closer--either emboldened by her presence, or possibly hoping to find an opening to pick a fight.
"I can definitely pay, though, so my treat."