TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 13

[avalonmods]

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*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  KERPLUNK, SPLASH!  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.

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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… I'm not asking you to make lifelong friends or lifelong roommates. Just until we get this situation sorted. If you do end up making lifelong friends? Great! All the better. Anyway, that's all from me. Catch you on Insta.``

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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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! 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.

 

---

 

 

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.

 

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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.

 

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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. Everyone is able to have a smooth trip the rest of the day, though are asked to return to camp by dark for safety. After last time, who knows what else may come out at night. Everyone is provided with a thinly-stretched stew and some rustic bread for dinner. It’s after people begin to fall to sleep that things start to get unfortunate again. Most of the wards and traps are impossible to differentiate the details of, so an unwitting party accidentally released a pack of sleep-paralysis demons that had been trapped in the forest long before it became known as the Forest of the Felled.
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!

 

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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.)

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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• 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. • 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. • If you have feedback about the layout still, click here to give it! Be constructive, mods are people too and don't appreciate rude comments.

 

Comments

[facebite]

[Susie's a little disappointed they're being forced to stop at an inn for the night before she's gotten a chance to see anything -- by contrast to Noelle, she's raring for her next adventure, even if this one winds up being with some new faces instead of her friends, so she was more than ready to head straight to the city and look around.

With more energy and adrenaline than she knows what to do with, she'd been stretching her legs and exploring the inn and the surrounding area before she turns in for the evening, which is when she hears a familiar voice amongst the new arrivals.]

Noelle! [She's startled, turning to spot her.] You're here too?!

[icedream]

[The surprise was definitely mutual- her face lighting up in tired relief as she realised she wasn't mistaken.

She's just tilting her head to try and work out if Susie had gotten drenched in the bay, too.]

Yes- I just got here. This place is so strange, isn't it?

...I still don't really know what it even is.

[A small, sheepish smile. Another dream. It must be, if Susie were here too... right? Another surreal dream.

Maybe she was the one who hadn't woken up in the library yet.]

[facebite]

[Susie had managed to get a dry change of clothes from the shit box (still faded and ripped like everything else she tends to wear, though) but the evidence of her getting drenched in the bay is there from her still-drying mane of hair.]

Me neither, but it's pretty cool, right? I even made a new friend already. Come on, boy!

[A pair of menacing, glowing red eyes emerge from the shadows down the hall, and a huge hellhound with a spiked collar trots up to Susie, staring at Noelle. She pats the dog on the back.]

He keeps following me around for, uh, some reason. [...She didn't listen to the spiel about familiars at all.]

[icedream]

[Even with her newfound confidence, there was still a yelp of nervousness as the menacing hellhound made his appearance. That was...well about what she'd expect for Susie.]

H-hello-! Eep...good boy... It looks like he likes you?

[Was that- the guides spoke about familiars, didn't they?]

[facebite]

Of course he likes me! We wrestled on the beach and now we're best buds. I dunno his name, so I keep calling him Dogzilla.

[The hellhound walks up to Noelle, sniffing her, before his tail begins to wag.]

[icedream]

[Dogzilla...that was enough to make Noelle giggle. Yup. Entirely what she'd come to expect- The giggling was a little more nervous as he came over, but she took a deep breath and held a cold, shaky hand out to him to sniff.]

Hehe... yup, he suits you, too...

[She's still a little soggy though, sorry Dogzilla, the rudeword-Box only had a spare Christmas jumper for her to wear. But it had her watch, much to her relief. Noelle would take running around in damp clothes over realising the watch was still gone.]

[facebite]

[The dog headbutts her hand affectionately to ask for pets, and she'll find his fur is supernaturally warm, although not to the point of being too hot. More like a big furry hellfire heater. Susie has noticed she's shaking, too, so she frowns, worried.]

Uh, Noelle... You look like shit. You should go to your room and get warm.

[... She does have a room, right?]

[icedream]

[Good doggo, have some pets! And really, it was a relief to feel the warmth of his fur on her fingers.

...And then it struck her what Susie had said.

A brief flash of panic that she looked awful in front of her crush ran through her head- closely followed by another one as she realised she'd not got a room yet. What if they'd run out of rooms??]

Gosh- um- I actually just got here so. I. I should.

...Do you have a room already??

[That last question complete with the feeling of her heart jumping into her throat.]

[facebite]

Damn, you're so cold you're stammering? Come on.

[Yes, it's definitely the cold and nothing else, right...? Thinking nothing of it beyond that, Susie leads her to her room, her familiar in tow. She just got here so there's not much to note besides a bag of her belongings dumped at the foot of the bed, and her trusty axe propped against a wall.]

Home sweet home... For tonight, anyway. Kinda weird how people keep-- [She's about to make a joke that people keep giving her rooms, but she remembers Noelle thinks the Dark World is all a dream, so that's a joke best left unmade. She scratches the back of her head and laughs awkwardly.]

Uh, never mind! Anyway, there's a shower through there, some food in the mini-fridge, and we even get a TV. Pretty sweet, right?

[icedream]

[Noelle most definitely did not want to clarify what that faltering in her voice meant, so was more than happy to let Susie assume it was just the cold! For now, she'll follow her upstairs, eyes going a little wide as sh saw that axe.

Susie...used an axe in that weird dream, didn't she? Of course she'd pick something like that up here, she knew an axe would suit her!]

It is a nice room, it does have everything- ah-

[It was as she went to put her own belongings down that she realised the obvious issue here.

There was only one bed.]

I hope you don't mind me imposing...!

[facebite]

Uh, no? If I minded I wouldn't have brought you here, duh. Stay as long as you want.

[Susie still doesn't get why Noelle is so flustered... at least not until she realises she's looking at the bed.]

Oh, huh. Guess I'll need some extra pillows and sheets. Make yourself at home while I grab some.

[She goes to head for reception, while her hellhound yawns and curls up at the foot of the bed.]

[icedream]

Yes! Okay, thank you...!

[She was going to be sharing a bed with Susie. She was going to be sharing a bed with Susie...!!

Frightening though this dream was, it was a vast improvement on the last one! She was sure that her cheeks had gone bright red!

Well, once Susie had left the room, she opened the window- reaching out to let the cold winter air wash over her. To cool down her cheeks, she told herself, and to let the snowy owl that had been following her silently fly into the room. It took perch on the head of the bed, tilting it's head to examine their dwellings.]

[facebite]

[Susie returns a few minutes later with an armful of extra blankets and pillows... and she promptly bursts Noelle's bedsharing dreams by dumping them all on the floor, and arranging them into something vaguely resembling a comfortable place to sleep.]

There. You can have the bed, and I'll sleep over here. [Then she feels a chill from the open window, and looks over.]

What's with the bird?

[icedream]

[Noelle quickly shut the window in a daze- and it was only then she saw the blankets and pillows get dumped on the floor.

Wait...that meant, Susie wouldn't...?]

Oh- um, are you sure? Gosh it sure feels mean to make you sleep on the floor-

[She'd gotten distinctly more confident during her time in the Dark World, but even she wasn't bold enough to ask outright to share with her.

The question gave her something else to focus on, though.]

It's- he's- been following me since I got here-

['He'. Yes, it was a 'he', wasn't it? At least, that's the thought that came to her as she watched the owl start to preen himself.]

[facebite]

Like Dogzilla? Huh.

[Speaking of which, the big dog is padding over and immediately laying down in the blanket nest Susie had just made.]

Hey, no hogging the blankets! [She nudges the dog with her boot, and the beast just yawns and puts his head on his massive paws, indifferent.] Tch. What a pain in the ass...

[icedream]

Yes- although I haven't named him yet.

[Oh! Her heart leapt right up into her throat again as she watched ultimate wingman Dogzilla settle himself right on the blankets Susie'd just brought up!

This was her chance.]

...Maybe. Maybe we should. Let him keep them.

[Please say her hands weren't shaking...just ask, Noelle, you can do it! Deep breath! She took a seat on the bed and just blurted out all at once- ]

There'splentyofroomheresomaybe

[facebite]

[Susie is so preoccupied with glaring at her familiar, she almost misses when Noelle speaks, and looks over her shoulder in puzzlement.]

Huh? Did you say something?

[icedream]

Eep...

[Scary glare... but gosh, what timing for Susie for not to be paying attention!!

But she couldn't find her words. Oh no, oh no this was the worst situation-! And to make matters worse, she could practically hear a mocking hoot from her familiar behind her.

So, instead, she shifted to one side of the bed, and sheepishly patted the spot next to her, hoping that would be enough!]

[facebite]

Thanks.

[She moves to sit on the bed, saying pointedly to the dog,] At least someone knows how to share.

[Said dog is still indifferent, so she just rolls her eyes and turns her attention back to Noelle.]

Y'know, before I showed up here, Kris's mom let me have a sleepover at their place. I guess this is kinda the same thing, right?

[icedream]

A sleepover... yes, it does feel a little like that, doesn't it?

[She, too, was taking a moment to give her familiar a flustered look. Was it her imagination, or was her familiar amused at her expense??]

[facebite]

Woulda been cooler if Kris and the others were here, but this is still fun. They'll just have to deal with missing out! Losers.

[She kicks off her boots and flops back on the bed, letting out a loud, dinosaur-ish yawn, before she opens an eye again to peek at Noelle.]

Did you, uh, get warmed up yet? [Kinda seems like the opposite considering Noelle had kept a window open... Maybe it's some kind of weird reindeer thing.]

[icedream]

My hands are still a little cold, but it's much warmer here than outside, isn't it?

[Just rubbing her hands together...although Susie's comment did make her think. Was it terrible that she was happier that it was her and Susie alone together? It wouldn't be the same if Kris or Berdly were-

She found herself squeezing her fingers tight as she forced that thought to the back of her mind- quick, something to change the subject-]

...Oh! Did you find anything in that - ahem - interestingly named box on the cliff, Susie?

[She couldn't bring herself to say 'shit box'.]

[facebite]

You mean the shit box?

[Of course, Susie will just go ahead and say it. Her eyes travel to her axe still propped against the wall and she grimaces and sits up-- oh crap. Maybe she should have hidden it, but she didn't think that far ahead.]

Uhhhh... Nothing special. [Absolutely nothing to see here. In plain view. Nope.]