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.

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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.

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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

[gordianknot]

[He blinks as if surprised by the forcefulness of her own response, meek and quiet as she is, then he smiles, listening to how fondly she speaks of her teacher, even defending his reputation. He really must be as good a teacher as she says, inspiring such loyalty.]

The boy always did have a knack for being straightforward where other mages would not be. Where does he teach? At the... [He scratches his head. What had he called that mage school he and Lancer's Master were from...?] --"Clock Tower", was it? Or has he moved on to another school?

[grayrave]

[ Gray colored a touch, knowing she'd probably been a touch off-color — But she wanted the man her master looked forward to seeing to not think poorly of him. Even their little bit of time together, teacher had become more. ]

Yes, the clock tower. [ A beat. ] ... He works very hard there.

[gordianknot]

I see. [His expression softens visibly.] Do not misunderstand. I am pleased. As one of my subjects, I would expect him to be only the finest of teachers, and to live according to my wishes. From what you have told me, he is striving to accomplish that.

[If he speaks insultingly, it's only out of affection, though of course there's no possible way she would know.]

As his king, I have my own duties towards him. Therefore, I will ensure his student is safely returned to him, and the calamity threatening all will be averted. Is that agreeable to you, Gray?

[grayrave]

[ The girl bit down on her lower lip, fingers curling into the sleeves of her cloak as she listened. She wondered if her teacher would feel proud hearing the man thought he was living the way he wanted him to — Most likely, she thought, he would say he had a long way to go.

She inhales and a part of her wants to say as much, but tucked it away ; Surely, that would be a talk for her teacher one day — And now, more than ever, she wanted to believe that would come. She's caught off-guard, instead, by the man's continuation — Blinks up at him from beneath the cloak. ]

I — [ A beat. ] I want nothing more to return by teacher and everyone's side. [ It's an honest answer, her continued attempt to be more honest. Haltingly she adds: ] For such an important person to go through all that... [ She does not say 'someone like me' as much as a part of her heart wants to.

Her head tilts, only just searching for the man's face with a tentative smile, hair-thin: ] ... When that day comes, could I tell him of that time together?

[gordianknot]

Of course! He must hear of the continuation of my legend. The tale will be a good one.

[He nods to himself. Saving all the worlds is a pretty big follow-up to his conquests and the grail war, after all. It's a shame not a single one of his companions is here to assist him with it, but at least Gray can bear witness.]

In exchange, I would like you to tell me stories of what Waver is like as a teacher.

[grayrave]

[ Her heart twinged -- If only he could be here than hear about it one day. This man obviously remembered her teacher. A miracle, in its own right, from all she knew. ]

[ She gave a short nod of agreement. ]

I can try, but I've only been his student for a little while... [Not like Flat or Svin. A beat. ] I hope that will be enough for such a grand tale...!

[gordianknot]

Surely it is enough for at least a few entertaining stories. Come!

[He gestures for her to sit and make herself comfortable, taking another drink of his wine. Spill the tea, Gray, he wants to hear it.]

[grayrave]

[ She hesitated a moment further -- perhaps less at him and the sudden utter, horrific realization she's never really been a story teller before. Only when Reines recounted things, she's not going to be an interesting one to a king. ]

[ She stepped further into the room, fingers twisting together as she thinks and decides after a moment: ]

... What kind of story would you like to hear?

[gordianknot]

Hmm... [He scratches his beard, thoughtful, then leans forward conspiratorially, as if they might be overheard.]

Do you have any funny stories, to start?

[grayrave]

Um...

[ A beat as she considered -- She doesn't find her master's actions very funny. She's usually exasperated by them if they're a touch too far. ]

Sometimes when we have to walk to far away places... He gets winded very easily and asks for breaks a lot. [ Another beat. ] ... It's every time.

[gordianknot]

[He lets out another room-shaking laugh. If he still had any reason to doubt she was telling the truth, such a silly little detail would be enough to dispel that.]

Hahaha! His lack of physical fortitude was rarely an issue for us in the war... [He pauses, as if remembering something, and looks slightly abashed when he adds,] Until Saber destroyed my chariot. Then, we had to make quite the long trek back into the city.

[grayrave]

R-really... Because teacher is always compla... [Complaining about having little power, she thinks, but stalled on her tongue as she processed the rest of his words. She thinks of the chariot she'd seen, undoubtedly a noble phantasm in its own right. According to her teacher, its appearance had changed.

A part of her wished she could see it now.] ... He must have not been very pleasant to walk back with.

[ If the quiet regard is said a touch knowingly, well, she'd probably be too emabarassed and apologetic if brought up. ]

[gordianknot]

[If she had finished that sentiment, he would have disagreed with it. He did have little power, so much so that Iskandar had to sustain himself on his own mana, at times. Yet in other ways, he was capable of being more powerful than any other Master they encountered.]

Oh, he certainly complained. Deep down, though, that was around the time he truly began to enjoy the thrill of conquest. Regardless of the inconvenience, it was a worthy battle.

[grayrave]

That...

[ She thinks of the man who too often speaks about how it's too much work and he doesn't want to get involved on the cases they solve. ]

... Doesn't sound like my teacher at all.

[ She also thinks of the man who became a Lord in his youth, if as much by circumstance as choice, and all that he has accomplished. And the people he's helped, her most specifically. ] But I think, Sir... Is also the kind of person... who is hardest on himself.

[gordianknot]

Hmm. [A lot can happen in the space of a few short years, and the Grail War, of course, was exceptional circumstances. There's no telling just how much he changed in that time, even if they're talking about the same person.]

If you overhear him berating himself for some nonsense or another, try this. [He mimics the gesture of flicking her on the forehead -- though, thankfully, doesn't actually do it.] He will know exactly what it means.

[grayrave]

[ Her eyes widen almost immediately and she gives a too quick shake of her head, cheeks coloring slightly. ]

I couldn't do something like that!

[ It'd be too embarassing. It's fine, she'll slap him one day when he gets too bad. ]

[gordianknot]

Ah, you're too soft-hearted to be a mage! What is he teaching you? [He smiles. Not that he minds it, really. Traditional mages tend to rub him the wrong way.]

He won't be angry with you. A king has a right to enact punishment upon his subjects, and you are merely acting on my behalf. There's no need to listen to his self-indulgent ramblings.

[grayrave]

That's -- Because I'm not a mage. [ So she doesn't understand everything or the way a mage behaves. She still thinks about how mages can have their children fight to the death for a magic crest. Or create someone like her. She shakes her head. ] That's why teacher simplifies things so even someone like me can understand.

[ She listens though, fingers twisting together, before giving a shake of her head: ] I understand... But I'm sorry, I just couldn't do that.

[ Just wait until the day she gets a canon update of slapping him then maybe she'll say something different.]

[gordianknot]

[He relents with a huff and a smile.] You respect him a great deal, so I won't demand it of you.

[Really, it's heartening that she does have such respect for him, but also disappointing, if only because he still seems to lack respect for himself. Iskandar did all he could for him in that regard, and now the rest of his life is his own. He can't interfere.]

There is another matter I would like to ask you about... You look very familiar to me, under that hood of yours. Is that a coincidence? [He very much doubts it, but he has to be sure.]

[grayrave]

I'm sorry.

[ Does she need to apologize again for it? Maybe not, but she feels like she must — it's not a situation she can imagine herself in. For as much as the past her thought poorly of her teacher and, in some respects, still chastised him — Without him she wouldn't be alive. ]

[ It's the further statement that caught her attention, earning stiffened shoulders and an impassive expression beneath the hood (the hood she thought was low enough down). She wavers, fingers halting at her chest. Beneath the cloak, she feels Add move, and squashes indecision. The next she pulled down the hood, the carbon copy of that 'coincidence'. ]

The village I was born into sought a certain king's revival.[ A beat. ] ... I was five when this body changed to the form of that person.

[gordianknot]

[It's hard to avoid noticing that face of hers, really, especially when he'd peeked to get a closer look at Add. Even a glimpse of a face he'd once crossed swords with in the Holy Grail War is enough to make an impression.

So when she pulls down the hood, he frowns -- not at her, but her circumstances.]

To be changed at such a young age, and to have no say in the matter... The King of Knights would not thank them for such a revival. She would be appalled.

[grayrave]

[ Her fingers hesitated at the edges of the hood, not once looking at the man while the hood was down. As quickly as it had came down, it went back up — Seemingly lower yet, as if to hide the way she bit down on her lower lip.

The King of Knights? She'd met her and turned away apologies that felt of sand in grain. How do you respond to someone you're destined to become one day — rather you wished to or not? An existence that was gray and liveless until... ]

I wouldn't know about anything like that... [ And she doesn't, really. Her village that had dropped to its knees in reverence was built from an era that wished that King's return. ] But please — [ "Look at me like that person." ] Know I am not yet that person.

[ Yet. ]

[gordianknot]

I know you are not.

[He reaches down to ruffle her hair -- or in this case, her hood -- though he's careful not to dislodge it, knowing as he does now why she prefers to keep herself hidden.]

And I would never wish such a sad fate upon you. [Her village might have all but worshipped King Arthur, but he can think of few people more sad than that girl-king, tormented forever by her past. He drops his hand back to his side, smiling gently at her.] You have value as you are, and if Waver is truly your teacher, he thinks so, too.

[grayrave]

[ A sad fate, huh? It's an inevitable one, after all. Every time she wields Add and releases the restraints, she feels that King overpowering her. It would be too easy to slip away one day —

She tugs at the corners of her hood in spite of his motion, fingers moving slowly to connect at the clasp of the fur coat. You have value as you are, he says and some part of her wants to cry; A memory that's cemented in this version of Gray's life. A man, mournful and smelling of cigars, asking for her to help him. ]

I know... My teacher has always said that he wouldn't survive if I wasn't by his side... [ Her fingers grip and ungrip the clasp before falling to her lap. ] But the reverse is just as true.

[ She's told him as such, though it's become more of a joke; An understanding in their relationship. ] But there is someone else he needs more than me.

[gordianknot]

And I would like nothing more than to walk among the living in our own world, just as I am able to here. But I don't know if that is possible. I am tethered here by a familiar, just as I once needed a Master to grant me form as a Servant.

[It's something he's given thought to, of course, but he doesn't yet have any answers. Presumably he'd just return to the Throne whence he came, when all is said and done here, so he won't make any extravagant promises to Gray. He already made enough unfounded claims in his lifetime to get into that habit again.]

As his king, what I must do is ensure our world is saved, so that he can continue to live. Those were my orders to him, so that is what he needs most from me.