avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

Entry tags:

TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 3

{ QUICK NAV }
Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary

⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️

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 chilly 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 paralyzingly cold for a few seconds before you're approached by the Lady of the Lake beneath the water's surface. She puts a vial of a vibrant, glowing red Everwarm* potion to your character's lips. The icy water doesn't feel so icy once consumed and you'll be able to move your limbs enough to swim to shore on your own. She can't stick around to explain, she's got to get this to all the new arrivals! Many of which you'll see plopping in around you.

If you can't swim, a handful of helpful ice turtles will scoop you up from beneath and drop you off at the shore. When not helping people, the turtles are going around and hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals or pushing personal items to the beach near the new arrivals they smell like (belong to). If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. If anyone with Animal Magic asks the turtles, they will give the full spiel, but very slowly, and they like to get off topic and gossip about other turtles you've never heard of. 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.

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, a pair of earbuds, and a winter cloak** to everyone before getting them settled in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and give them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go.

These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. 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.

Everyone needs a little fun from time to time; the locals have put together the annual Snow Games. As with all things Avalonians plan, magic plays a part in the competition. There will be three separate tiers for characters to enter. Each Tier will have its predetermined track or ring, set up and ready to go.

A ⦿ Foot Races

three-legged race

B ⦿ Sled Races

magically driven sleds

C ⦿ Snow Chicken

Snow Chicken, Magic Vs Yeti Style... This competition will differ from the previous two; it is not a race to the finish line but instead a competition to be the last team standing! Participants will pair off and one person will climb on the shoulders of the other and try to wrestle their opponents off without getting knocked off themselves. The field is full of snow, with more coming from the sky. Your opponents will be Yeti. Try to stay on, Yeti are no slouches so teams will have to work together using their magic not only to stay put but to knock your big-footed opponents to the ground.

Just... be wary, these friendly yeti are surprisingly big on hugging as a form of congratulations. It's much more challenging to escape from a yeti's embrace than it is to knock one over.

Trumpets hail an announcement by the town crier in front of the castle. More than a few people pull out their phones to record it and post it to the AOL network for all to see.

"Hear ye, hear ye! Our noblest of lords, King Arthur of Camelot, will host a tournament on this January the 20th on castle grounds. All are welcome to participate in competitions to determine those most skilled in both the physical and magical arts. In preparation for the upcoming tournament, we are sending envoys to Celliwig. In Celliwig lies the Magic Mirror of the South, gifted to Camelot by the Fae, and a means to communicate with their royal court at will. It is a vastly important task in your journey to become magicians and to show your good will toward the fairies. Parts of the mirror's frame have been damaged. We will need those brave of soul and pure of heart to retrieve the crystals needed to repair the mirror. Those interested, the party leaves at dawn."

A ⦿ Brave of Soul

The first stop on the trip to restore Celliwig's Mirror is to a cave just north of Albion's White Cliffs. No longer a part of the cliffs themselves, this outcropping goes underground and to a dank, dark cave. It is the only place which a special prismatic crystal grows. The crystal itself is hidden deep in the cave, which can only be passed by passing into a zone in which magic cannot be used. Characters will enter the cave and must face an illusion of one of their greatest fears. Those frozen in fear will pass out and wake up outside of the cave with no crystal. Those who run will find themselves turned out of the cave as well. Only those who recognize and face that fear deep in their soul will find the path forward. The fear will turn into a small light spirit, which will smile and reveal to them the crystals they seek.

B ⦿ Pure of Heart

The second stop is past a shanty town and at the bridge north of it. The bridge itself is broken, only the ends in existence. The water itself is impassible, white rapids sweeping away anything that steps into it. Silver crystals are on the other side of the bridge, visible in an outcropping from where they are, but it appears there is no way around as magic does not work on the bridge. The only clue as to how to get across is a plaque in the dirt before the bridge.

"The pure of heart will form the bridge with a leap of faith."

Since everyone has gone as a group, it will be possible to see others walking over the water once one person figures it out. Though the clue may seem challenging, it is quite straight-forward. Characters who are pure of heart will find that if they believe in themselves, they will be able to step off the bridge and hardlight will form beneath their feet to allow them to step over the water. Those with ill intentions or those who are willing to harm others to get their way will slip into the rapid waters and may need to be saved by other characters. At least you're off the bridge, so magic will work to that end.

C ⦿ Celliwig, the Splendored Court

As the travelers leave the bridge, they turn toward the shanty town-- wood shacks and failing farms. Not a place anyone would want to visit. Those who try to run ahead will find that it disappears as if an illusion, and they will find nothing. Those who stick with the party will wait a fair distance away until the sun sets. Once the sun begins to fall beyond the horizon, the small town will begin to shimmer brilliant whites and colors-- a glamour hiding its true glory, a city made solely of crystals and glass: Celliwig, the Splendored Court. Though smaller than Camelot, every part of the city is beautiful and glistening. The population is small and it's very quiet and serene for a city. The people of the city don't seem keen on speaking to outsiders, and will typically scatter before anyone can really engage them. They seem humanoid in nature, but not entirely human. Even the animals around the city seem to be ethereal in nature, gliding more than walking.

The party is led to a hall at the center of the city-- the hall of mirrors. Those who have succeeded in obtaining crystals need to bring them and set them on a table placed before a mirror at the end of the hall, which appears to have a number of empty settings. It's unclear what happened to the mirror previously, but now it's necessary to restore it to garner the favor of the fae.

Once crystals have been delivered, people will be free to explore the quiet city, but it seems most of the city is closing shop while the visitors are around. There is a restaurant that will serve visitors food, though all of the dishes are of the molecular gastronomy variety. Alcoholic drinks seem to come in vapor form and flashes of light if ordered, but seem effective nonetheless. The local general store seems to be willing to sell supplies to weary travelers as well, but that's about it.

...That said the inn doesn't seem particularly keen on allowing visitors in strangely, so you're either going to be sleeping on the iridescent streets or camping just outside the city if you prefer the soft grass and the darkness of night. Just be aware, if you leave, you won't be able to get back into this mysterious city so easily.

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.
• Note that the third prompt in this TDM will have consequences on the game's progression. After the application round, a poll will be put up to see how many characters who are in the game, both new and old, are able to obtain the crystals from the Brave of Soul and Pure of Heart prompts.
• The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but may 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.

*This Everwarm does not count toward your potion collection for those who wish to take up potion brewing. You must obtain Everwarm from the Elphame Trader's to count.
**Jackets come in a variety of neutral colors, enchanted with a fit-adjustment spell that will adjust to your character's size.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh. Oh. From Allura's perspective, it's clear as crystal what's going on here. And she cannot help but smile at his distress.

"Well! It looks like you've made a friend. I'll leave you two be."

She turns to leave, and... oh. Right. She's still fairly close to the shore. The only route to get away from this man is to walk straight back into the water.

Well, it's an option worth considering, isn't it?

"What?! No! Talk to it or something!"

As he gets closer to her it clearly gets more aggressive, gnashing its long mandibles right at her.

"Wh— no, get away from me! I don't know the first thing about how to communicate with it! It likes you, so you talk to it!"

She's leaning far away from him, as far as she can without losing balance, while still holding both arms out to try and keep him at a distance. It's hardly ideal, since that leaves her poor fingers in pinching range. But what else can she do?

As soon as she gets out of this, she's going to go find a weapon.

Well, whatever this thing is, it doesn't seem hostile to him. In fact, it appears to be protecting him...

...Which gives Darin an idea.

The closer he gets to Allura, the more urgent the antlion's hisses become. So...

Darin just breaks into a run and starts chasing after Allura.

"What's wrong?! He clearly wants to say hello!"

"No! Are you out of your mind?! Stay back before it bites me!!"

And so she starts running along the shoreline of the lake, desperately trying to hold up her skirt so she doesn't trip on it, to escape this man and his big, angry insect. It's absolutely juvenile, but it's not like she's the instigator here. And she doesn't want to get bitten!

"Stop it!! Leave me alone!!"

"Not until you say something nice about us!"

He's flat out running after her now. Honestly, she doesn't need to say anything nice, but what else is he gonna ask of her? At this point, she clearly doesn't know where they are. The least he can do is get some self-satisfaction out of it.

"Come on! You can do it!"

Her tone is incredulous, if not downright offended by the suggested.

"I will do no such thing! Certainly not now — or ever!!" Which is sort of an extreme ultimatum, but desperate times call for desperate measures. "If you want compliments, you should start by not harassing people!!"

But she's not doing a good job of running away. The conversation is distracting her from dealing with a big problem: the heavy, soaking wet skirt that's weighing down her legs. And it's only growing heavier as it swings low and picks up sand off the ground.

So, it's really no surprise when she steps on it, and falls forward with a yelp of "Oh quiz—" She doesn't even get the curse out before her words are cut off by her face hitting the ground.

Wow, she went down hard.

Darin skids to a stop and exchanges glances with his antlion partner, who chirps in delight. As creepy as this thing was, maybe it wasn't so bad.

Darin saunters is way around the prone princess and drops to a squat right in front of her, resting his arms on his knees.

"Man...this really coulda been avoided if you weren't so stubborn and cranky. Feel like being more amenable now?"

The antlion chitters and chirps, wiggling excitedly.

"Me?!"

And with that, a hand shoots up to grab at the collar of his shirt.

"You're the one who started this! You were the one who threw a tantrum on the beach, and who started making demands of me! And now you think I'm going to be amenable?!"

"You didn't even tell me who you were. I still don't know who you are. A lot of this could have been avoided if you just told me if you were from here or not. Given who saved me under the water and the fact that you glided ashore o the back of a turtle, could you blame me for assuming this lake was just native to beautiful women?"

He takes her wrist and starts to pry her hand free.

"I didn't start anything that you weren't expressly willing to continue. But something tells me you're not in the business of sharing blame. Maybe it's your haughty attitude."

"... yes? Yes, I can blame you for making that assumption! I don't even look like the woman with the potions! And who has ever heard of a lake full of beautiful women, anyway?"

It's not as though that's much more unusual than a lake with one beautiful woman, but hey, who's counting?

"And I told you from the start that I didn't know any more than you did! How much more explicit do you need me to be?!" She snaps her hand back, trying to pull herself free from his grip.

He lets her go easily enough.

"Well, if you're going to start throwing blame around, you should at least be explicitly clear. Simply put, just because you think you look like someone who knows as much as I do, doesn't mean that's actually the case. Case in point, you've got weird ears that I've never seen before."

Well, whatever, if she doesn't know anything and she's throwing this much of a tantrum, she's likely more trouble than she's worth. He pushes himself up to his feet and turns around, looking around, not even bothering to offer a hand to help her.

"This isn't Alvale, that's for sure. I don't think Dromas is responsible..."

Oh. Oh, he did not.

She seems to rise from the ground like a zombie, a dark presence that practically radiates anger and hatred.

"Why are you dragging my ears into this? You're the one with tiny, stubby ears! And clearly they aren't working properly, because I told you I didn't know! Or maybe — just maybe — you need to learn to listen better!"

He doesn't appear to be listening.

"Maybe I'm on the Eastern Continent? But...how? Well, one way to find out..."

He turns on his heel.

"Hey, lady. Are you a beastman or a devilkin? Wait, let me guess!"

He pauses.

"...Beastman right?"

"Are your eyes and ears both broken?! I am neither beast nor man! I'm Altean!"

Which yes, she realizes likely doesn't mean anything to him. But why should she give him a nice explanation upfront? Let him stew over the mystery of what an Altean is.

"But I have to wonder if you're human, since I've yet to meet one that was so dense!"

"I don't know what that is."

He couldn't possibly look less bothered by her insult. In fact, he's not even looking at her. He's back to examining their surroundings.

"Regardless, I won't figure out anything if I stand around here."

Aaaaand he's off! Later, Allura!

"What, now you choose to listen to my advice?! Get back here and apologize, first!"

She's.

She's following him.

Allura, no. This won't resolve anything.

"What advice? You've been nothing but a pain since you washed up on shore."

He rubs the back of his head.

"I'm gonna call you Flotsam."

"Oh, how convenient of you to forget! I was the first one who said you ought to search around and see what you could find! But no, you thought it was more productive to press me for answers, instead!"

She is literally shaking her fist at him. It's that or she starts throwing things at him, so...

"Now take back what you said about my ears!"

"When you first arrive somewhere new, do you just ignore the first person you see in favor of sniffing around or do you ask the person who could have answers?"

He sticks his finger in his ear and grimmaces.

"Scratch that, I'm changing your nickname to 'Banshee.' And your ears are ridiculous. You look like a bat."

"I am going to pull your ears off your head! Why were you even asking me anything if you weren't going to listen to what I had to say?! Why didn't you leave me alone from the start?!"

She's just. Following him. Literally just a few steps behind him.

"Reeeeeaally not making a good argument against being a beastman, you know. Hell, as far as I know, being an Altoona could be the same thing what with those strange markings and monster ears."

He's literally just going to keep taking jabs at her until she leaves him alone.

And that's why this conversation could go on for a while, despite both of them having recently stated that they would rather the other person go away.

"Al-te-an! It's not difficult to say!" Can she actually grab one of those ears, and yank it until he listens to her? It's hard to judge, they're so short. "And there's nothing strange or monstrous about our features! In fact, these are considers points of pride and beauty for our race!"

"I'm sorry, did you say something? Someone's endless screeching blew out my ear drums."

He stops and wheels around.

"Why are you following me anyway?"

"Because I'm not about to allow you to say such things about me and then walk away as if nothing happened!!"

Because she won't let him have the last word.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject