TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 15

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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. It's a fast process, though they do take their time as they need to go around hitting the ice that keeps forming on the surface with their shells to keep the surface open for the falling arrivals. 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 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, with a special feature for warm winter drinks like hot apple toddy and butter beer. 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. 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.

 

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Last month, players were invited into the fae territories in Elphame for the first time for the Winter Solstice celebrations while King Arthur and Queen Elphame enter talks regarding the next steps toward saving the multiverse. In the meantime, a special camp hosted King Arthur's knights has been created on the riverbank just inside of the Forest of the Felled to act as a midway point for travelers going between the two points.

 

A ⦿ Snow More Cold
	The Forest Camp is quite a stunning outpost for Camelot. Given the snowy, cold weather, the campsites have been built with the knowledge of some of the snowier fae in mind and have resulted in what some are referring to as "Igloo Glamping." Artfully carved out group rooms, dining halls, and storage for supplies, and more have been carved out of snow to create a surprisingly warm solution to keeping safe as a Forest halfway point. Admittedly, it's not the your standard glamp-- but there are TVs, board games, and long fur-lined beds to keep you and four other people warm cuddled up together at night! There's also a snow port-a-potty that you probably don't want to face, but sometimes we face challenges in life. There are also a number of planned activities to keep people out of trouble while they stay.
...Or if they do get themselves into trouble, they can also end up in snow jail, a special igloo built with extremely tough ice stalagmites that will be hard to break out of until authorities can come pick you up and take you back to Camelot.

 

---

 

B ⦿ The Great Avalon Bake-Off
One of these activities is inspired by a surprising store of buried baking supplies like flour, sugar, butter, yeast, and eggs that was found in the forest. It's been there a long while, but it seems to have been protected through magical preservation, so there's really only one thing to do about it: a bake-off! It's a little tricky out in the snow, so outside of the igloos, a trench has been dug and all contestants have been given a campfire. Alchemists have helped by creating clay ovens in the snow for contestants to bake their culinary creations in. The most impressive confections (not just the top scorer) will earn a copy of (Spell) Thirst. This spell can make someone feel thirsty, even if they aren't.

 

---

 

C ⦿ Ingredient Hunt 2022
	The real trick is finding ingredients to make your confection something to stand out and come up on top of the contest, which you may need to wander into the Forest of the Felled to look for. There are a variety of winter berries able to be found, herbs and flowers buried under the snow if you can find them, and most importantly, a couple of truffle bushes from which chocolate and vanilla truffles can be harvested. There are quite a few tasty flavors to be found throughout the forest, and since it hasn't been repopulated yet due to the harsh winter, it's relatively safe to wander around no matter who you are. If you feel like you need protection though, maybe ask around camp to find someone who can fight for you.
Just be wary as there are a few ingredients you can find in the forest that may cause a few unintended side-effects to your taste-testers: Cider Berries: These berries appear to have a fiery glow coming from within. That is because they will temporary cause anyone who consumes them to breathe fire when they exhale for about 10 minutes straight... definitely a problem when you're living in an igloo. They have a great apple-y smell though! Strangler Figs: These fig trees grow around other plants and strangling them as if they were anacondas around prey. They produce the most brilliant looking and tasting figs, even in the winter time. Unfortunately, having been in Avalon long enough, they have absorbed magic into their roots and are now able to defend their fruit by creeping up anyone who touches them and trapping them in their grip. They cannot move while you are looking at them, so don't blink and hope you can outrun them. Little Leeks: These are very, very small leaks that seem to be hanging out in small vials found about an inch beneath the surface of the snow. They all seem to have different faces painted on the front of the vials, though the vials do seem to be a part of their body. The simple faces match the effect you'll get-- a crying face will result in your character having an uncontrollable sob fest, a happy face may make it seem like nothing phases them, some angry eyebrows on a frown could result in your character wanting to fight everyone in a fit of anger, and so on. The most tragic part is that these will continue effecting you until they are fully digested-- so it could take hours to stop bawling.

 

---

 

 

Back in Camelot and Elphame, trouble is brewing of a different variety.

 

A ⦿ Calls You Daddy
Strange eggs with even stranger tiny legs have started wandering into the city and making their way into peoples' homes. Inn rooms, houses, apartments, tents, tree trunks, igloos, even townships have found residents waking up with a tiny little egg snuggled up to their side to keep warm in the morning.  These eggs act just like babies too-- they cry when they need to be fed (they'll roll around in the food to absorb it), are extremely picky about their food (and each egg has its own unique palette), need to be cleaned after eating, and they need to be kept warm or they will perish.
One touch of an egg to direct skin will result in a parental instinct being imprinted upon whoever touches them, so you may find yourself wanting to care for this egg as much as it wants you to care for it. Eggs come in a variety of colors and designs and will seek out at least two parents, so you may find yourself in an unlikely relationship for the next week or so until they hatch...

 

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B ⦿ Aurora Bearealis
	After about a week, the eggs all seem to be antsier than before. Many of their legs disappear and their colors start to glow gently at night, as if some kind of strange nightlight. Eventually, the top of the egg will burst open and out of it will hatch a slightly oddly shaped bear creature, which looks almost like a living teddy bear. The bears themselves have strange glowing markings that match the outside of the egg that they used to be in, and when they step out, a mysterious flow of light comes out of them- like an aurora borealis. At this point, there are two real problems that have started: Touching the aurora borealis lights will also make you glow with aurora borealis lights for 48 hours. They are bears and they act like bears and they get into everything and fight everyone like bears, except their perceived parents.

 

---

 

 

C ⦿ Go on, Git. CW: Mentions of poaching, beheading in last paragraph.
	These fierce little aurora bears are causing destruction and pain in both Elphame and Camelot alike, so a decision has to be made: the bears need to be led by their parents and some fighters out to the nearest forest and set free to live in the wild, as they probably were intended to. Those in Camelot who release their bears there will find a heart-wrenching goodbye interrupted by a rather dramatic battle. The natural predator of aurora bears, the flaming lions known as Fogueria, have come out of the Land of Rot to hunt them down. I hope you brought someone with you to help save both you and your beary good friend from this flaming enemy. Fogueria cannot be defeated without using magic, so you've got your battle set out for you!
For those who have taken to Elphame, they are not faring much better. As it turns out, these little eggs have made quite the impression on some goblin poachers released from prison last month. These goblins are hunting down the newly released bears for capture to sell them as circus side-shows, food, and more to more devilish creatures. They love gold much more than they love anything else, except perhaps the fierce beast that accompanies their party to help them devour anyone who would try to stop them: a gashadokuro, a fierce skeletal demon formed of the bones of fallen travelers. It is known to bite off the heads of travelers and drinks blood. You'll have to defeat the whole party to ensure your newly released bears remain safe.

 

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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. 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

Venat | FFXIV | Light and Blood | RIDICULOUS ENDWALKER SPOILERS HEREIN

[heartofthestar]

A. The Fall and the Drift (Arrival)

[So, it is done. The last of her power spent. The last of her trust given. The last of her efforts exhausted. The last of her life's purpose, fulfilled.]

[Venat, at last, lets go, and sinks. Down into the aetherial sea, where she might drift for a moment, to simply embrace the pleasure of not being, or perhaps simply release herself entirely, a return far too long awaited. No matter what happens, she awaits its embrace--]

[But what she strikes is more of a lake than a sea, and certainly not full of aether. The sudden weight that heaves her down is not the Underworld's caress, but soaked and heavy robes. And far from peace and rest, her body reacts like anyone's would, kicking and thrashing till her head breaks the surface, and she gasps in air for the first proper time since the Sundering.]

[Before she can even react, a bottle is to her lips, a warmth tilted in by a smiling woman, and a cold she hadn't even registered fades from her limbs. Her body slows its movements, then stops entirely as her instinctive alarm fades and calm reasserts itself.]

[Arms splayed, drifting on her back in the lake, Venat looks up at the sky above with eyes more radiant than it.]

Am I truly not permitted to rest?

B. Of Magics and Creation (Training Grounds)

[Whether being here is intended as a punishment or a gift, she'll treat it as the latter. A duty to do, others to aid and be aided by, a world to explore, and the need to live much as those she'd damned to suffering -- poetic justice and a reminder of the delights of so long ago, all in one. None of this is Etheirys, so she must -- must put aside feelings of apathy and ennui, and remind herself that everything is new under this sun.]

[Including herself. And nowhere is this clearer than the curling last of blood held in her right hand, which she regards with faint unease. This is certainly a far cry from the magic she knew and embraced (which, she might add, lends a great deal of weight to the 'poetic justic and punishment' theories), and yet the weapon feels as natural to her as her proper sword did in turn.]

Well, then. Would anyone care for a match?

[The smile she turns on others is small, yet brilliant. Punishment or justice or whatsoever, it has been a very long time since she actually got to enjoy herself in a little fight. How delightful to not have creation itself as the stakes!]

C. Spirit of Azem.

[The wildcard option!]

Well I just had to throw a bunny at her (don't worry, I finished EW 8D) - A

[carrothopps]

[Judy popped up right beside the drifting woman with a gasp, not exactly registering that the person beside her was another being considering how much of a size difference they were. It wasn't also she grasped the woman's robes and felt the warmth of another body that she gasped and looked over to see just what, or who, she latched onto.]

Oh, I am so sorry! I just assumed- I-I mean... uh, nevermind. Um, are you alright, ma'am? Do you need help swimming to shore?

[She slipped into Officer Judy mode, letting her need to help others distract her from her own worries. Where was Nick? Just where was she? And what was this person? The voice led her to believe she was female, at least. But she was certainly no animal Judy had ever seen so she hoped she wasn't wrong and assumed incorrectly!]

[heartofthestar]

[...just... be glad she's made an appearance here at a size proper and proportional to the place and the people, and not the actual height of her form back in Elpis and before. The sudden tug on her robes shakes her from her reverie, her upper body jolting upwards as her legs sink and begin slowly kicking once more.]

[Goodness, it's a Loporrit! Except not, the differences are apparent after only a moment of regard, but nonetheless she can't help but make the conclusion.]

I am quite all right, thank you. Merely as adrift in my thoughts as I was on this lake... and not expecting company. Which shows how little attention I was paying.

[For now she notes that besides herself and this not-Loporrit lady, others too have come to splash about, in much the same situation.]

Mayhap reaching shore is the wisest course after all.

[carrothopps]

[She is a giant woman either way to Judy, but perhaps normal human size it definitely much better than the alternative.

Judy turned around to see the other falling people as well, ears drooping as she had yet to spot her partner and friend.]

Yeah, I think you're right. Maybe we'll find someone we know when we get there! Or at least someone who could give us the 411 one whatever just happened. I'm Judy, by the way.

[Honestly, if hadn't gotten very acquainted with the other districts in town, she probably would have thought she landed in Tundratown as some joke! But given she had yet to see any other animals and most of the people dropping out of the sky seemed much like this lady next to her, she was already certain this wasn't Zootopia at all or anywhere close to it for that matter.]

[heartofthestar]

I am...

[...Who is she, properly? Thousands upon thousands of years had given her one name in particular, with others to accompany it. But those days are gone now, and never to return, for mankind has found its way and its answer. She ought to be no one, and yet...]

Call me Venat, Judy. [That small smile shines no less brilliantly for its size. With a quick sweep of her arms, she strikes out for shore, encumbered by her robes yet determined to ignore them nonetheless.] Praytell, four hundreds and eleven what?

A. The fall and the drift

[pissoffbook]

None of us are.

[A dry voice answers the question and a woman with silvery-white hair adorned with a somewhat otherworldly looking flower, and yellow-grey eyes pops her head above the water next to the new arrival.]

Now get your ass ashore before you freeze it off. That potion won't last forever.

[heartofthestar]

[The shock of the girl's words strikes far deeper than the cold ever could. Not that she had never heard such language before -- oh, far to the contrary -- but directed at her? Not in ages, mayhap not ever since she'd retired from her post on the Council. So Venat does the only thing possible, and laughs, bright and warm and somehow alive despite everything.]

[It feels so good to laugh. After so many years... so very good to laugh.]

Well. I certainly cannot argue that point. Are we being guided to a particular place?

[pissoffbook]

[She is referring to the dream she keeps having, wanting to finally rest after getting her revenge on Grandma's mmurderer. A hand reaches out to her... and then disappears. It was something that happened in her past, she knows that much; and yet, she can't remember who the hell was reaching out to her. Whoever it was, gave her a reason to live. Which is why it annoys the shit out of her. She shakes it off when the woman starts laughing, though she's used to all kinds of reactions to her method of speech.]

There's a cliff, some carriages that will take you on your way to Camelot. You're the last arrival I've found so I'll take you there.

[Kainé comes out sometimes when the new arrivals show up to help drag their asses out of the lake. It gives her something to do when there's no quests to take on and until she gets a real job. Not that she knows when the hell that will happen.

It's not until they're on the lake's shore that she notices how tall the woman is.]

Holy shit you're tall!

[heartofthestar]

[Her fingers curl in front of her face, failing to hide her smile behind her loose fist.]

Perhaps not as tall as I once was.

[Oh, to maintain her height from auld here -- she'd be a giant among these folk, and far less comfortable for it. Whether she'd changed over the centuries, or the process of coming her had changed things, she'd been granted a gift to accommodate her own needs as well as others.]

Oh, much time and more has passed since I last had the pleasure of a good climb. I hope I still have the knack...

She doesn't have the bandages though.

[pissoffbook]

[Kainé stands at 5'7" in her heels, speaking of which, she's dressed in her usual attire; two serrated swords strapped to her back. Which is a stark contrast to the other woman's robes. Ironic considering she was talking about freezing one's ass off.]

Well, if you suck at it, there's this beast that lives in the cliff that'll reach out and grab you. I'm Kainé by the way.

A

[clevebro]

[Hi, hello, have a head pop up right next to hers, just a few centimeters away. Taking in a deep breath and whipping her face and soaked hair around to look at her surroundings. It was certainly a good thing that Cleveland is naturally buoyant!]

Ah... so cold!

[She's super used to cold waters, but still that doesn't mean she likes it! And knows that they can be super dangerous! Ah-- no wait, hang on.

There's a person next to her! She turns to face the woman fully, arms moving to wrap around her.]

H-hey, c'mon. If you're still alive you've gotta move your body.

[heartofthestar]

[Is she still alive? What a complicated question! But not so difficult to answer, when she can categorically say she has not returned to the star, is not adrift in the aetherial sea, and moreover is breathing and such forth. By some measures, she has not been this alive since the Sundering.]

I am alive, still! Merely surprised. Understandably so, I would think?

[With that, Venat's legs sink again, feet wheeling in slow circles to keep her floating despite the sodden tug of her robes.] But thank you for the concern.

[clevebro]

[Well thank goodness for that! And she was still conscious and lucid, even better! She still keeps by her to help the woman stay afloat and a little bit warmer than before.]

Ha... that's a relief.

[She sighs, still they probably wouldn't be if they stayed in the water like this.]

Mm, we should still make for land. I'm guessing you can swim alright.

[heartofthestar]

[Utterly unaware that she is being aided -- it has been a very, very long time since anyone moved to support her in this fashion, whether metaphorically or physically -- Venat nods her agreement, already looking around for a likely spot to pull themselves out of the lake. No sooner does she begin than she spots others in the distance, both on the shore and clambering up a cliff not far from it.]

That seems to be our destination. What could have caused so many people to suddenly appear here?

[clevebro]

I don't think it matters all that much right now. It would be better to focus on the current situation.

[It was said absently, instead focusing at the spot that was pointed out to her. It was difficult to judge distance from the water with your eyes alone. But if everyone else managed to make it then Cleveland was more than confident that she could as well. Right, hang on, she starts to push forward, arm still pressed close to Venat.]

Maybe that weird lady I saw in the water had something to do with it.

Of Magics and Creation (also up to date with EW!)

[lordofboners]

"A fight is it?" A rictus grin somehow manages to twist into a sneer as a hooded, muscular figure approaches, a staff topped with a ram's skull clutched in one clawed hand. A skull that now finds itself being pointed at Venat by its wielder.

"I accept your challenge!" Fortunately, Skeletor's true nemesis has yet to make an appearance, though he's certain He-Man is skulking about here somewhere, and stripped of the magical might he is accustomed to, he has to get real comfortable with his new powers, really fast. Otherwise he won't be able to bring his true power to bear in his inevitable confrontation with his true enemy!

"Rejoice in fear, for you are in the presence of the master of Snake Mountain, the Lord of Destruction...Skeletor! This match will be quick."

[heartofthestar]

Oh. Oh no. Venat knew she shouldn't laugh, she truly did, but -- she curled a hand in front of her mouth, shaking but not making any noise, before opening her eyes again.

"Mayhap it might. I cannot say I'm in practice." The lines she described in the air with the tip of her blood sword spoke otherwise, being straight and unwavering, but by her own standards she meant it well and true. "Are you a mage, then?"

Another A. Hi, sorry. (EW spoilers)

[endcaller]

(cw: Suicidal ideation)

[After collapsing away from the heart of Zodiark there were several things Fandaniel had planned on happening.

Flailing with shock at ice water against his skin is not one of them and drawing another breath certainly was not.

In his enraged panic he nearly sank but something, he'd swear they were turtles, carried him to shore.

Now he snarls and wrings the water from his robes as he thinks dark thoughts. Someone is responsible for this. Someone has robbed him of his glorious death. He will find them, tear out their--

Well, hold on.

When Venat he speaks he lifts he head and looks over at her. The sight of her is at once foreign and achingly familiar.]

My! You too? I'm sure you have a story I'm just dying to hear.

[heartofthestar]

[Well. Now this colors matters significantly. Have all the ones mankind calls Ascians now been kept from their rest in the aetherial sea? Will she find others here? ? After ferrying Emet-Selch's soul from shard to Source, she knows full well that nothing unusual had gripped it. Could this be a change wrought by the Endsong?]

Amon.

[To call him 'Fandaniel' would be to do him a discourtesy -- having that position thrust upon him truly seemed to be the source of far too many problems. Beyond which, he is not Fandaniel, not by her reckoning -- even if he was, in part or in whole, so very long ago, that identity now pales compared to who he was.]

As we've both failed to die properly, I'm not certain I can offer answers.

[endcaller]

[At the name "Amon" something lights up in his eyes, something that would almost be "joy" if any face he wore was capable of such an emotion.]

Ah, now she deigns to recognize me as an individual. Far too late for that, alas...

[He sways and dances through the shallows, stopping above her where he leans over sideways.]

But your failure to give me answers is an answer in itself. If you did not bring us here then who?

[heartofthestar]

The situation has changed by no small measure. [He is dead, she is dead; she is whole, he is not, at least as the unsundered would measure such things. The old titles have met their purpose, have they not? Let them fade.] I can claim no responsibility, nor knowledge, of our presence here. But I think it safe to say, judging by our surroundings...

[The woman in the lake. The others, slogging to shore or clambering up the staircase in the cliff. The signs of civilization above.]

We are expected.

[luciing]

[ A man dressed in robes of antiquity stands upon the training field with her. At her question, his head turns in her direction, and his gaze flits to the flicker of red at her fingertips.

His voice is a natural steel in tone, but there is no malice or judgement. ]

You will use blood?

[heartofthestar]

If I am to learn the uses of this magic, I must make the attempt, mustn't I? The other one I possess suits a shield more than a blade.

[With a moment of concentration and a little gesture of her hand, Venat bids a plane of light emerge, whereupon it shapes itself onto a circle on her other forearm to serve as said shield. This is easy, a natural extension of the creation magics she once employed; other mastery will come only with greater work and practice.]

[luciing]

[ The shield she summons shines like the sun. Such is the nature of this magic. He watches it for a moment, then elevates his gaze to her own. Is she new to the realm? Practice would be useful. ]

Very well, Bloodmage.

[ The training grounds have spare weaponry. He pulls a spear with a false tip for training off from a rack, turning it in hand. ]

Shall I throw, and you manipulate your magics to defend?

[heartofthestar]

[Venat spins the sword of blood lightly in her hand, not the least bit disquieted by its nature, nor the ease with which it moves. Which may be a problem, and she notes to herself that she truly must account for what she spends with this magic; her reservoir of aether for creation had been far larger than her reservoir of vitae, after all.]

By all means, strike. Though I admit to preferring offense, I shan't hesitate to practice defense as well.