TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 16

[avalonmods]

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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.

---

Those who listened to the Fae Queen last time have made it clear to her who is going to trust her when they are given the chance willingly and who is going to defy her. Was it a fair system that only measured trust and wasn't swayed by peoples' ability to figure out her riddles? No, certainly not. Fairies don't care, nor have they done much to give the impression that they don't care about the trivialities of human subtleties. But there is a new batch coming in, and before she shares the information she promised, she needs to see where upon her line they lie. I beckon thee to wither's tree, Where widows often cry, A poisoned place of death's embrace North selkie's weary eye. You seek the prick whose corpse makes rot, And rot begot those life forgot, 'Fore the questing beast slips by. The riddle is presented to all in the form of a dream with a magical compelling not to forget the words, nor to ignore them. There do seem to be two main parties forming based on clues within the riddle, resulting in different possible adventures and proof-of-completion items.

A ⦿ The Dragon's Graveyard CW: Undead, facing mortality
	Welcome to the Land of Rot! Home of banshees (crying widows!?), where nothing living can really survive except things like zombies, skeleton warriors, and so on. Get past all that to the northernmost area of the Land of Rot (or, where is the northernmost now after the collapse of the Ash Mountain took out part of it) and you'll find The Dragon's Graveyard. It's not a traditional cemetery, but the land seems to have been landscaped into an open pit mine. It's clearly not active, leaving huge bones and fossils of skeletons sticking out of the walls. There's a lot of dried blood dying the dirt a copper-y color, and it's unclear what happened in this portion of the Land of Rot, but it clearly wasn't pleasant. Draconic Wraiths run freely around the Dragon's Graveyard-- the unsettled beasts created from the mass slaughter of dragons during the age of dragon slaying.
With the world having been rocked by the death of a dragon for the first time in centuries, despite it being within the rules of this world, they are particularly vicious and unwilling to spare any lives. They cannot be touched by physical weapons and can only be fought with magic. However, if they run through your character, they will immediately plunge into a hypothermic state and will need an immediate healer to undo the damage or a siphoner to remove the Wraith's curse and stop the damage from getting worse. Going three days without a healer or siphoner will result in your character dying! What's more, your character will see a vision of their own death in the future upon the moment of contact.   They do seem to be guarding something at the center of the pit: a broken ceremonial sword with dried blood on it. Perhaps this is the "prick" the queen meant? The sword itself seems immensely heavy and impossible to carry on your own, so bring it back as a group effort and decide where it should go. A bit of asking around and someone will be able to identify this as a sword called "Clarent."

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B ⦿ Well, Sssssshit CW: Graverobbing, buried alive adjacent, snakes
The Forest of the Fisher King seems to be another popular interpretation of the riddle. After all, the "prick whose corpse makes rot" could definitely refer to the Fisher King, whose body is rumored to be buried within the forest. I hear that guy's whole story is that his wife stabbed him in the leg with the holy lance because he cheated on her and she didn't want him to be able to die or have kids ever again- definite prick! The low-down on this place is that it's an enchanted forest with plants that release drug-like magic spores that cause euphoria, rapid (15-20 minute) memory loss, a desire to stay and become a part of the forest, and general submissiveness with anything except attempts to get them to leave (which will be met with violent resistance). Why this? Because the forest plants themselves survive by slowly devouring anyone who wanders in by making them want to stay! Oh, and don't forget the Titan Pelicans that can swallow you whole too. Just about anything in the Forest of the Fisher King will try to eat you.
Turns out, if you manage to get past the spores and get your friends free of it to go deep enough in, even the ground itself will try to swallow you up! Quick sand only takes moments to try to pull you under. Better hope you came with a friend to pull you out. The more you resist, the more likely it is to kill you! Though, everything in the forest is dead or thriving off of death anyway, and with a stroke of luck you'll see a snake slither right down in (or maybe you stopped by the Archivist before you wandered in single brain cell first). A deep, painfully-held breath should be able to hold you long enough to sink down to the bottom, which seems to pull you faster down the less you resist it. Faster, and faster, until it spits you out (unfortunately covered in mud) into an underground tomb. The only thing you'll find here is what appears to be an ornate tomb containing the corpse of the Fisher King and pits of poisonous snakes to capture graverobbers... and a strange creature whose head is a serpent, front legs are like a giraffe, spots of a cheetah, hind legs of two different creatures, tail of a lion, spits acid-- well, sssshit. If you're planning on getting this "prick" out of here, you better get past it before it comes at you-- and it comes faster than most people can run. Get to robbing that grave and run!

---

For those who are less adventurous, don't worry. There are ways to test their dedication and trust as well. Before the parties leave for their determined destinations, everyone is sent a lock from the fairy queen with a simple note: Slice your sobriquet upon this seal, Secure our sprouting solidarity. Shackle it at the stockade. Sing sayonara to the key.

A ⦿ Trust Trinkets
There's no explanation as to what it will do attached, so it boils down to choosing whether or not to trust the fairy queen. Very, very simple. Well, if you can figure out which stockade it's referring to. As it turns out, in Nicnevin there is a bridge that crosses the shores of its moat that can only be seen by those who have been granted permission by the fairy queen. Etching a name into the lock, be it real or nickname or initials, will automatically transport you to the start of it. It contains myriad locks attached to it, and there are thousands of keys glittering in the water beneath them. The key to the lock is cursed- failure to discard it in the river will result in a curse falling upon your character. Your character broke an agreement with the fairy queen by taking the key with them despite accepting her invitation and instructions by taking the lock to her bridge and now they must pay the price.
Now they will find that they are unable to open or enter any door without getting someone else to give them an invitation through it. This curse will remain until they find a siphoner to remove it... so you definitely may have some immediate struggles in this new world!

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B ⦿ Pretty Pleases
	Don't know a siphoner? Don't you worry, there's a wizard right there in Nicnevin who can help you out! The half-fairy, half-vampire wizard, Speculoo-- master of the dark, dark, evil artes! An escapee from the fae prison, he'll be approaching anyone who seems to have been cursed by the fairy queen to offer them the deal of a lifetime. Speculoo offers them a potion black as tar and tells them to drink up. Drink the potion and Speculoo will explode into a poof of dust and let out a maniacal cackle-- a pixie! Seriously, you thought you could bamboozle the fairy queen just like that? The pixie's potion will cause you to be unable to resist commands from any person as long as they say "please." Time to teach you some manners!
Either live with this curse, or offer your name to the fairy queen to have her remove it. Don't trust her and try to skate past her punishment right under her nose and you'll find yourself with little choice but to.

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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. • There will be an associated poll to determine where the sword and the Fisher King end up posted on the 7th alongside apps. Once your character is in the game, or if your current character is participating, please vote in it. We will update this bullet with the link once it is live. • If your character has to give their name to the fairy queen, please comment here so we're aware after you are accepted!

Comments

Lance | Voltron: Legendary Defender | Healing + Light | Lioness

[icyhotpaladin]

Arrival - Training Grounds



Sooo... how exactly am I suppose to practice healing?

[Lance sort of understood where his familiar was getting at, coming to the training grounds like this. People got hurt and would need patching up. But he also didn't actually know the first thing about healing. He might have gotten Altean markings, but he was no Altean. That certainly sent a pang in his chest, but he moved past it to focus on both his familiar and, potentially, anyone who would need his assistance?]

And how come I didn't get any cool offensive abilities? C'mon, I was a paladin!

Well, you aren't one now, dear. Besides, your second ability is Light. I'm sure you will be able to use that to your advantage.

Like shooting lasers?

No. It's more for defensive than offense, but you're used to protecting others so that should be a no brainer, right?

...yeah, okay, fair, so-

[Ah, looks like someone got hurt! Lance trotted over.]

Hey, you okay? That looked like a nasty fall! You need any help?

Red Springs



Yo, this is nice...

[Lance sank into the waters with a sigh of bliss. His lioness familiar already made herself comfortable on a large rock on the outer edge, tail languidly swishing in the water. She purred in agreement, even if she wasn't in the water proper.]

I can see why people would come here, especially after training.

You didn't exactly break a sweat, dear.

Wh-hey! I still used up a lot of magic helpin' people out!

[She merely chuckled and Lance harumphed a little, giving her a light splash of the water in retaliation.]

Wildcard

[Let me know if you want to do something else, nothing really caught my eye enough to make a prompt for it but I can definitely do a specific starter if you'd like!

Also, he's from the end of S8, but pre-epilogue. So just after the Lions left.]

Training Grounds

[bakudan_bambino]

[Gokudera spends a good deal of time on the training grounds, and usually he’s trying to combine his magic (elemental and light) with dynamite. Not just a single stick of it, but there are piles, fuses, complex traps and set-ups rigged to go off.

It’s dangerous. Someone could get hurt. But when things go wrong, he’s building up his light magic stamina by containing active explosions. Lance will likely feel the ground shake as well as catch sight of Gokudera being sent a good distance from the blast. He’s… okay?

Maybe not.

When Lance approaches, the silver-haired teen is coughing, lightly scorched, and his ears are ringing. He can’t hear very well at the moment, and so when some stranger is offering to help, he’s glaring and confused.]

WHAT?!

HAng on…

[He’s trying to stand so he can take stock of whether he’s sustained injury, but then staggers.]

Fuck off!

[It is not safe to be around him.]

[icyhotpaladin]

Bro, you're the one who exploded himself! Geez, you're worse than Keith...

[He doesn't fuck off, he steps closer instead to try and make sure the guy doesn't fall on his ass again.]

Just sit down before you hurt yourself worse.

[bakudan_bambino]

I know I did! I don’t need you to tell me what’s obvious!

[Gokudera sits back down, but doesn’t seem pleased to do so. He’s looking about, trying to find out which bombs didn’t go off.]

What are you wandering around the training grounds for? It’s dangerous!

[Clearly.]

[icyhotpaladin]

Apparently I do if you're gonna be all weird about it!

[At least the guy finally sat down. Geez Louise! He sighed and then held his hand out to get that healing magic going. It was a little slow going since he was new to this, but it was working.]

You do know training grounds usually have some sort of medic on the side for exactly this reason, right? It's not that weird that I'm here.

[bakudan_bambino]

How is it weird that I want space when there are active explosions on the field?!

[He gets that he could be seriously hurt. But so could this guy!]

And if you get blown up, how are you supposed to help anyone?

[At worst, Gokudera has a few scrapes. He has old scars from burns and cuts, a discolored stripe of flesh about his neck to suggest something hot enough to burn had been wrapped around it. The damage from these explosions is not severe.]

[icyhotpaladin]

Because you have active explosions in a public area, dumbass!

[He sighed irritably as he healed.]

Been there, done that. I was a paladin, I know how to navigate an active area. If I didn't, I wouldn't have made it over here without getting hurt. Duh. Now shut up and let me heal you, then you can go on your merry way exploding yourself again to your hearts content.

[bakudan_bambino]

I specifically chose this space in the training grounds for the explosives so no one would approach!

[Gokudera glares. He has never actually gotten along well with any healer he’s met. Mostly because he has an issue with anyone tending to him in any capacity. It hurts his pride.

Regardless, he does shut up. Talking to this guy is not going to help him make his light barriers stronger. He’s just some former paladin turned healer.]

Fine.

[icyhotpaladin]

I mean, you make things go boom, you really think no one's gonna get curious?

[He couldn't help but snort a little, sounding more amused than anything else at this point.

He's only a beginner healer though, so he does what he thinks is the best he can do for now since he hadn't had much time to practice yet. The guy didn't look too beat up anyway.]

Aaaaand, there ya go. Hopefully that was enough.

o hai

[tempredmental]

Yeah, I'm fine. [Keith sat up from where he'd fallen, having been working on a new animal transformation that he hadn't tried before. It had been harder to hold on to, and considering he'd been in the air... yeah... it had kind of hurt. He worked at his right shoulder a bit as he sat there-

Wait...

Was that-?]

[tempredmental]

Lance?

[Okay, this was a first. He'd been through a few ups and downs recently in regards to people from home, but... he hadn't seen Lance, yet.]

O hai der

[icyhotpaladin]

Wh-KEITH?!

[He literally just saw Keith like a couple days ago when the Lions decided to take off, on a search Lance figured. He didn't let himself hope too much but...

He shook his head and laughed, bending down to rest his hand on that hurt shoulder to let the healing magic flow.]

Never thought I'd see that day you fell on your ass like that. What were you trying to do?

[tempredmental]

[Keith winced a bit, but quickly figured out what Lance was doing, so he didn't pull away.]

Practice. It was a transformation I hadn't tried before, and I lost it mid-air. I've been having trouble focusing lately.

[Honestly, Keith liked turning into animals that could fly. It was kind of becoming a thing.]

When did you get... here...? [Up close, though, he noticed those Altean marks. But, Lance's ears were still human. What the heck? Keith kind of stared for a second as his question sort of trailed off at the surprise.]

[icyhotpaladin]

Oh c'mon, you got transformation powers? All I got was healing and light.

[Why does Keith always get the cool stuff? Even to this day, that was so unfair!! At least he's no longer petty about it like he used to be. Although he was a little oblivious to the staring.]

A few days ago. I probably should have used that AOL thing, huh? Is anyone else here?

[Okay, now he's noticing the staring. He let go of Keith's shoulder and tilted his head.]

What?

[tempredmental]

[Keith frowned a bit and shook his head as he flexed his fingers a little. He'd have to take it easy on that arm for a few days, probably.]

Not anymore... [His tone was a bit flat as he said it, like he was avoiding his feelings on that particular fact. Instead, he narrowed his eyes a little as Lance asked him what he'd been staring at.]

When did you get Altean markings? [He looked legitimately confused.] You didn't have those before I ended up here. [Was he finally not the one from furthest in the future?]

[icyhotpaladin]

Anymore? Who was here?

[Lance also looks legitimately confused.]

Uh... you were there when I got them. We all were? How do you forget Allura making that call?

[Lance would be mad right now if Keith wasn't the type to joke about this. Did he hit his head or something?]

[tempredmental]

[Uuuhhh... No, Keith definitely looked genuinely confused. He fleetingly thought that this was probably what all the others felt like around him when they were here before taking a deep breath.]

Let's do the easy one first, and I guess that'll kind of work it's way into your second question.

[Keith sighed and got up off the ground, his familiar coming to join him as he did. Lance might recognize it from the cat-like race they'd escorted through the nebula to a new planet. It was a miniature version (about the size of a squirrel) of their flying serpent mounts, in a brick red color. It hovered over Keith's other shoulder for a moment before settling down and gently wrapping its tail around his neck for balance.]

C'mon... we'll head back to the Springs and talk on the way.

Training grounds

[saxsongs]

[Ren can't help put overhear Lance talking to his familiar. He smiles, since it's rather nostalgic. This was where he discovered his healing magic, after all.]

Healing magic can be practiced in quite a few ways. One of them is giving boosts to people. Strenght, defense... even boost someone's vitality.

[Ren is followed by a small fox with fairy wings on her back. She seems curious about Lance and his familiar but stays at a respectful distance.]

[icyhotpaladin]

[Lance glanced over when he heard the guy approach, humming in thought a little at the extra information. The lioness nodded appreciatively, keeping her own distance from the other familiar for now as well.]

Sounds like buffs in Monsters and Mana, which honestly make sense now that I think about it. Every great RPG has those wizards and mages who could do stuff like that, so I guess it's good to know I'm just a straight healer. [Pause. And then he frowned.] Okay but how do I do the buffs?

[saxsongs]

Monsters and Mana...? Ah, is that a version of 'Dungeons and Dragons'? [Different worlds seemed to have different names for the game. It was quite interesting.]

Usually it requires touching your target and thinking about the buff you're giving. You can definitely practice on me, if you wish. I'd be happy to help.

[icyhotpaladin]

"Dungeons and Dragons?" Oh, that actually sounds neat! Is it a tabletop RPG, then?

[Someone's excited.]

So I just... think about you getting stronger and you get stronger by giving you the magic touch.

[ [x] doubt.

He's just squinting in suspicion at this. Not that he believes that this guy is trying to pull a fast one, he seemed genuine enough. But the explanation was a little... it just seemed too easy?]

[saxsongs]

Yep. I've not played it a lot, but it's fun. You get to design your own characters and you follow a story the Dungeon Master has made up. Or there can be a pre-written story too, if I remember right.

[As he said, he hasn't played it much.]

It's as easy as that. What else do you think magic entails...? Though later you can also learn to do it without touching anyone.

[He hums with a specific 'vitality boost' in mind to give some energy to people around him. So Lance should be feeling himself getting more energetic.]

[icyhotpaladin]

Yeah, that sounds just like Monsters and Mana! Well, I dunno about the pre-written story part. When we were able to play it, we just followed the story that was being created.

[Lance hummed in thought. It really did sound too easy, but he also wasn't normally a healer or anything like that. So, was he really in any position to question something like-...

Oh!]

Ooooh, I get it. I get it. I see you. [He laughed, feeling a little bit like he had a bit too much coffee now though. Minus the jitters.] Okay, okay, let me try.

[Since he was new at this, he reached out to rest a hand on Ren's shoulder and tried to think about something similar, giving the energy back maybe?]

[saxsongs]

I guess the same game has different names in different worlds.

[It was best to show with an actual example and it seems he got it pretty well.

The magic is not as strong as Ren's, obviously, but he can feel it. Ren smiles, feeling like some of the energy he used just now came back to him. It's a nice, warm feeling.]

Yep... just like that. You'll get stronger when you practice. Did you feel different when you used your magic? Remember that feeling.

[icyhotpaladin]

Sounds about right with that sorta thing.

[Shiro with a Scandinavian accent was a thing, after all. Or, wait, Sven, right?]

That's super cool! Yeah, I kinda did. I've never used magic before so that's certainly a trip.