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

[dienw]

[ it would be too much to say just how the burden that crushed artoria pendragon had weighed on her, in turn. how it had pained her to think of that other girl who sacrificed everything and was sacrificed in the end.

still, they couldn't dance around the issue of those connections in proper human history forever, could they? even if she was entirely her own being, an existence apart from artoria pendragon, she would just be seen as... a reflection of her. an offshoot, the way that being manifested in a world with neither a human civilization or the red dragon.

it wasn't the whole picture—not even close. what she'd done at the end confirmed that for certain. ]

It's... kind of weird to think about her having a real family, [ she admits, smile faltering a bit. ] but I'm glad you have that chance here. It seems like she's happy, too. And I want to try your baking, Gareth! [ her gaze casts downwards. it's strange. it's snowing, but the howling wind is gone. there's no lone star shining through the storm.

it's peaceful. ]

She's in her relationship. Do you have anyone?

[beaumains]

[ Gareth had been just ready to leap at the chance to gleefully offer to bake Artoria as much as she could eat, when that next question caught her off guard enough for her to stumble slightly. Which was a little silly, right? After all, she'd just mentioned her uncle's romance... ]

N-no, that... I haven't really put any thought to it...

[ Half a lie. She'd put a lot of thought to it, especially recently, but not... in the shape of feeling herself want to actively court anyone. It seemed to more just come out of her, pour from her in moments of loneliness. An acceptance of the fact that she would likely never see Lyonesse again... ]

[dienw]

[ it struck artoria, not for the first time, that she couldn't pierce the fog to see truth anymore. her fairy eyes were sealed. another quirk of this place, she guessed, but...

still. something about that gives her pause. ]

... So, um. You and Lyonesse, right? You were... [ it's awkward, and she glances away, fidgeting a little with the ribbons on chastiefol. quickly: ]

We don't have to talk about it, if you don't want to.

[beaumains]

No, it's... it's fine, my lady...

[ She'd learned keeping all of those thoughts in her own chest didn't really help anyone, ultimately, least of all herself. And whether it was her resemblance to her king, or something else, she'd felt... comfortable with Artoria, enough to feel like she could speak about Lyonesse, at least, in more than just effusively talking about how wonderful she was... ]

We were in love... I'd rescued her from the Red Knight in the mission to prove myself worthy of knighthood, and we just sort of... became infatuated with one another. The bloom of young romance, two souls eager and unreserved to just be in one another's company...

And...

[ She let out a sigh. ]

How much... do you know my history? Not the Gareth you knew, but my own?

[dienw]

[ it was all something that had more chance to blossom than anything artoria herself had ever experienced, and it was a lovely notion, despite all. she caught herself with a somewhat wistful smile as she listened. finally, when gareth asked the question, she considered. ]

I... don't know much about that. [ she knew, generally, what happened to proper human history's camelot. but as much insight as she had into artoria pendragon, it wasn't as if she had her memories. she hardly even had the complete picture. she had little more than scattered, fuzzy snapshots of that other girl's life, with her only way of filling the gaps being a bone-deep instinctive sense of certain things granted by the nature of her mission. ]

[beaumains]

I... figured as much. [ After all, it sounded as if, despite working alongside her Master, this Artoria wasn't part of Chaldea, or even the Throne of Heroes properly. She wouldn't have access to the records, even if she'd wanted to read them... ]

Lyonesse and I were not... together for very long... before my part in that history ended.

[ Suddenly. Violently. With no dignity or honor... only blood, and Gawain left behind to mourn. ]

[dienw]

[ ah. of course. artoria nodded, slowly, clutching chastiefol a little closer to herself. a sudden stop as it all began to fall apart. that youthful love and happiness snatched away in an instant.

she never had a chance for what she'd had the occasional fanciful thought about in her own life, there was never time, and there was never going to be time, but... that sudden loss and having your time with someone suddenly ripped away was something the child of prophecy was unavoidably familiar with. ]

... I didn't tell you about Knocknarea, right?

[beaumains]

You did not... but I've ears to listen to any amount you'd be willing to tell, of course.

[ Gareth had been vague about her own end of things, but mostly because she had plenty of faith that Artoria could piece things together well enough without her having to be anymore grim about things. She had a feeling, of course, if Artoria was bringing up this other person... the story wasn't any less tragic. ]

[dienw]

[ artoria nodded at that, managing a slight smile at gareth. ]

Let's head inside first. [ at this point, they were close enough that they'd just be practically hovering around near the igloo if they held up any further. ] Better to finally get out of the snow and relax, right?

[beaumains]

Agreed. [ Gareth's smile appeared again, softly, a stray sunbeam. She nodded, shuffling forward to hold open the thickly padded curtain that served as the main "door" of the igloo. Despite the ice, it was remarkably cozy within... ]

[dienw]

[ despite herself, after everything that's happened tonight, artoria can't resist the urge to just. throw herself forward onto the long fur bed, lifting her arms up and practically rolling from one end to the other like a log. she lets out a relieved sigh as the warmth and comfort of it all begins to counteract the violence and cold from earlier.

she knows they were having a conversation, just. give her a minute. ]

Oh, that's better...!

[beaumains]

[ Gareth can't help a bright giggle in response to Artoria plopping onto the bed like that. The girl was already pretty endearing, in a way that further seemed to draw distinction between herself and Gareth's uncle. It was making the whole thing easier and easier, to be sure, to just kind of roll with. This Artoria wasn't so gallant and noble, she was...

She was cute. Really cute. ]

It really is nice! Well better than I could have expected... [ Gareth took about setting her armor back into its packing, peeling away some of her layers, as well as her boots, before joining Artoria on the opposite bed. ]

[dienw]

[ the blades she'd strapped on were already dropped off with kinetic magic, her staff against the wall. artoria sat up, pulling her gloves off, followed by her shoes. even through the black hose she wore, the outlines of her feet weren't quite right. fairy or not, she was missing a few toes. she set the shoes aside and pulled off her hat, pairing up her gloves, putting them in the cap and placing those as well. ]

So, ah... [ she crossed her legs, turning to face gareth as they sat. that ecstatic, relieved expression had faded into something more thoughtful. ]

I was about to tell you about Knocknarea.

[beaumains]

You were... [ Back to this, she supposed. But it was fine. She'd shared some of her own pain, after all, but more than that... She knew Artoria could use someone to listen. ]

As much as you're able to tell... no need to open up anything you'd rather not.

[dienw]

[ she managed a little grateful smile at gareth not wanting to push. ]

No, um... it's okay. It's all done, anyway. [ artoria closed her eyes, scrubbing a hand through her hair. ] She was the head of the King's Clan, from Edinburgh. The Lostbelt's Medb. We met one of the only times I was allowed to leave Tintagel before I started my pilgrimage. The fairies in the village made me join this silly princess pageant in Gloucester, as a test. Knocknarea was... [ she shook her head. ] we weren't like you and Lyonesse. There was never a chance, and... something like that couldn't have happened for me, anyway.

[beaumains]

[ Medb... she'd seen her, that queen from the emerald island, but hadn't really spoken to her. She definitely had a certain aura about her... she had to wonder how similar she was to this Lostbelt version of her.

But to hear the rest of Artoria's story... She felt her chest tighten. ]

And yet... part of it's the same, isn't it? Just like with me... you have this feeling... that your memories are where they'll remain.

[ Lyonesse being in the Throne of Heroes was unlikely, much less that she'd ever be summoned to Chaldea. Knocknarea, as a person from a Lostbelt, seemed pretty unlikely, too...

Gareth reached, gingerly at first, for Artoria's hand. ][ ]

[dienw]

[ artoria just nodded, after a second, meeting gareth's hand halfway. she gripped it with a force that surprised even her, as if she needed the lifeline. ]

Right. And I... knew Britain had to end, I was going to end it, but I thought... [ she closed her eyes. ] After Morgan fell, Knocknarea was going to be her successor. I stepped aside for her, and... she could have kept it going, for a little while. The same way Morgan did. And then I could have gone and finished my job... and it could have all just gone away, like it was any other day. It would have been... peaceful. People could have left with Chaldea, they were able to leave—!

[ she caught herself growing upset as she thought more about it, desperation and horror rising back up in her voice, and took a deep breath, trying to get back on track. ]

[beaumains]

[ Gareth could feel it. Not just the physical intensity of her grip but everything that came with it, coursed through those fingers. She had to wonder if this was how it had been for anyone who had listened to her talk of her last moments, of staring down a Lancelot that didn't recognize her face...

It was that familiarity that Gareth couldn't ignore. What had her doing more than simply taking Artoria's hand, but drawing her in, wrapping an arm around the other's shoulder, pulling her close and within the warmth of her embrace.

She didn't know what to say... how could she? No one really knew what to say to her about her own end, either, about all the regrets she'd left behind. It was never words that comforted her, in that darkness...

It was the presence of others, the warmth of connection. A hand, rubbing in her hair... just as her own was doing for Artoria in that moment. ]

[dienw]

[ oh.

artoria hadn't expected that.

after a beat, she threw her arms around her in return, allowing gareth to just... hold her. it was something she had so, so rarely been afforded, and never like this. she wasn't sure if it had ever been allowed to her back in britain, before coming to this avalon.

she felt herself tear up, turning her head slightly as she began to sob into gareth's shoulder, trying to get her breathing under control. these genuine connections were so rare, and nearly alien. being treated with tenderness of any kind was almost impossible to understand. ]

[beaumains]

It's okay... it's okay to let it out...

[ Gareth whispered, quietly, just cradling Artoria there, absorbing those tears into her blouse, just holding her as tenderly as she could manage but still providing some grip, some anchor to hold the girl in place, to buoy her against the tide.

This sort of thing was okay, wasn't it? This small, selfish indulgence, to just let oneself feel their own pain, acknowledge the hurt within... even on her part, it was a little selfish, to be the one offering the comfort at all.

But that was fine. It was going to be okay. ]

[dienw]

[ artoria gripped her almost like a lifeline, tears continuing to steadily stream as she anchored herself there. these wounds were all too fresh, and there had been no time to stop and allow any of it to fully sink in. ]

They... they killed her, during the coronation, I couldn't... I held her while she...! [ her voice broke, and she gripped fistfuls of the back of gareth's blouse. ]

[beaumains]

[ The circumstances seemed tragic, but it was less the literal events of the matter that meant anything to Gareth and more the very real pain she felt in Artoria's grip, heard tremoring in her voice, the ache of something this girl had held to, unable to face for fear of losing the path ahead of her...

Her embrace tightened... it felt like she needed it. She was her anchor, in that moment. ]