TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 21

[avalonmods]

	QUICK NAV: ⚔️️ Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary
⚔️️ View Top-Levels Only ⚔️ IMPORTANT NOTE: The calamity is visible in the north area of the sky from all locations as of February's event. There is currently no sun or moon visible, making the world in a persistent state of dusk for now.

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. The water is cold, but not enough that you can't handle it on your own. The Lady of the Lake is nearby, and normally the mossatees would still be helping this time of year... but it seems like they haven't shown up. Instead, a very helpful band of octopi have joined the cause. They range in size, from large enough to scoop three characters out of the water with their plethora of wriggling tentacles... to a band of tiny,
palm-sized baby octopi working together to try to heave a single person out of the water. No matter which you get, they all seem to have unique personalities, but animal mages may note that as a species, they all seem to think of the otherworlders as fun little playthings. These little otherworlders are so funny. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. 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. 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 and rain. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console. 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.

---

 

D ⦿ Light it Up
	With the sun and moon temporarily gone, some fae have put forward a solution to fight the dusk off for a little while. They have made special lanterns holding a spell which, when powered up with any kind of magic, activates a small energy field large enough to comfortably fit up to five people. This field takes its form straight from the magic-providing person’s mind - so whether they're feeling homesick or just really want to be stuck in a deserted island for a while, the lantern will make it happen! Naturally, all of it is an illusion so nothing is actually real... but it feels very real, especially to the person providing the magic. The lantern will not make illusions of other humans or animals - just places, buildings, and flora - and those taking part will be able to move around and explore… but be careful not to get too excited, or you might just end up moving your real body and knocking another person out of the illusion, or falling out of it yourself to a very disorienting awakening.
If you don’t mind being crowded together, the energy field could squeeze in up to ten people, but the risks of someone being nudged out accidentally go up as more people enter. After that, anyone else who tries to step in - invited or not - will find themselves repelled by an invisible wall around the outside of the illusion. There is, however, a time limit on this. While the spell can last up to twelve hours, it's advised that the lantern isn't used for more than a few hours at a time. If this guidance isn’t followed, it’s possible that after the lantern is deactivated the people who took part will keep seeing the illusory scenery around them for some time afterwards. If a person uses the lantern for the whole twelve hours, the illusion will continue for up to three days in the form of intrusive, imaginary objects and buildings that only they can see, or even faint shades of people from their own worlds.

---

 

 

E ⦿ Getting More Familiar
With Elphame and Camelot in better relations than ever thanks to the efforts of Otherworlders, Queen Elphame and King Arthur are working closely together to accomplish the next step of her plan, despite some tension about her not sharing what she intended to do with the Fisher King from the get-go. But they're talking now, and the place that everyone needs to go next is a place only familiars can reach. The first thing that needs doing is a little bit of magic practice before anyone can go on the full mission. This will be much easier for those who have been here longer, bonded with their familiars longer, but will certainly not be impossible for those who have just arrived. Team up with another person to help balance
your brand new and unstable magics to accomplish what amounts to changing bodies with your familiar. Form a circle with another person and both of your familiars at equidistant points on the circle. Your familiar should be to your right. In the center of the circle, a bowl filled with a strong alcohol, enough to cover a chunk of malachite (a stone of transformation, associated with the heart and throat), vervain (to purify the spell of interfering spirits and offer protection, as well as assist in astral connection), purple coneflower (increases ritual powers by calling upon local deities), and violet (dedication and loyalty, to hold steady the bond between familiar and mage). Both mages in the circle should take the deepest breath they can and hold that breath, hold each other's palms up facing each other, and light the bowl on fire. It's important that you hold your breath for as long as you can, because malachite is toxic when exposed to liquid and will be released into the air during the spell. As the spell casts, a light will glow from your chest, up to your throat, and at the moment when you can no longer hold your breath and have to let it out, your soul will exit your body along with that breath. The protective qualities of the vervain will have kicked in by this point, and the fire of the bowl will go out. All four souls will swirl over the bowl slowly, like a turning galaxy, for a few moments, until they burst out and the souls find their way to their new host: yours in your familiar's body and your familiar's in yours. Result can be unpredictable if you step outside of the lines with this spell, depending on which part you mess up, so players should feel free to come up with their own mishaps based on what each of the above ingredients for the spell are should they wish to go that route. Once you've managed to become your familiar (and your familiar you... good luck with that), you need to practice being your familiar. Get the hang of moving, the hang of your familiar's characteristics, voice (or lack thereof), and how to function as them. Exactly how to do that will be a personalized experience based on what your familiar is, so there's no clear means to practice... which means it's a good time to send you on a softball, but useful quest to practice before the real thing! Each of you who have done this should head into the Brocéliande and look for silver flowers that look like daffodils. Within them are drops of what appear to be water, but those drops are actually enchanted glass spheres only visible to familiars. Be careful- the silver daffodils are guarded by skunk-like spirits that spray knock-out gas, then they will drag you to a random location in the forest. You really could get lost very easily, but don't come back without your sphere! Those will be super important for bringing back the sun and moon soon.

---

 

• 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 as long as the characters are currently in or join the game during the application period. If new players do not want their TDM to be considered canon, they should state as much on the OOC intro once accepted. • Both current members and potential new characters can post to this TDM log. Anyone may reply to any threads or start top-levels. Whichever you prefer! •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. This particular one is a little different. 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

[mayoninofukucho]

That small hole-in-the-wall place? That's where I go usually when I'm in this part of town. So much for the enrichment of branching out!

[He takes another sip while he ponders where he's seen her before... oh, right! On AOL. Of course.]

You run the parcours gym here, right?

[He honestly doesn't have much interest in the sport - why run around aimlessly when he can spend his energy on targeted errands and investigations? -, but he's all the more intrigued by what people see in it and whether the Camelotians are taking to it.]

How's business? I'd assume it's mostly kinetic mages who come to practice?

wink wonk~

[groundzeroes]

[Rei's confident leering is pretty overbearing in normal circumstances. Tsumugi's unfortunate susceptibility to the cologne only makes his sleazy smile pull even wider. Nice, the fey traders' product works even better than the sample they showed him!!!!!!!]

Not comfortable? Me? C'mon. I'm made of stronger stuff than that. [He winks, like it's a joke.]

Why don't you pick one out? [Leaning on the booth like this is unnecessary, but it's just too fun to loom over Tsumugi.] If it's good I'll tip extra.

[mayoninofukucho]

[Good on Izumi to accompany Mamori... Hijikata is glad that plenty of people immediately looked out for her. Say what you want, they have a decent community here! No compare with the dipshits on Edo who'd probably have tried to dump the responsibility on their neighbours (or, in doubt, on his Shinsengumi)! And fate clearly rewarded her with that gyphon bond.]

I went to the mountains with Zidane, so I partnered with a harpy. She's...

[There's a long pause as he looks at the lip balms rather than at Izumi.]

She's good back-up. She knows a lot about the other creatures here; that came in handy during the ritual.

...

You know what, maybe I'll buy one of these balms after all. Anything to stay in her good graces.

[Do harpies have flavour preferences? Probably not. He'll just take whichever one.]

[mayoninofukucho]

[He nods, walking on as swiftly as he can on the stilt-like wooden shoes. Damn, no wonder Arashi never runs! But at least he's not entirely unused to it; he's worn similar (if lower) sandals before back home.]

Tsumugi... your name rings a bell.

[Where has he heard it? Probably on AOL, but what was the context..? Oh, right--!]

Wasn't it you who took over Aerith's flower shop? Shoto works with you, doesn't he? I'm Hijikata, from the knights. I don't know if Shoto told you, but he's my squire.

[He really didn't mean that as a brag, but he can't help the pride from seeping into his voice.]

This body here usually belongs to my familiar Arashi.

[viatorious]

"If you think you have the stomach for it. Your... Associate, Elidibus, turned tail and fled the moment he chanced to look upon my borrowed body." A pointed barb, and his hand grips the tsuka of the katana all the tighter. He spoils for a fight. Hungers for it. As if it would prove some point against the maker of his lineage and nation.

All the same, cold blue eyes, so different from Solus and Varis both, gaze across the peaceful landscape. He had never known this kind of peace. The beauty of Garlemald long vanished before his birth. Disappeared in the flames of a slowly kindled civil war between his father and his grand-uncle.

In truth he had never really known the man standing before him. A distant ruler, always at arm's length. Emperor, rather than familial figure. There is so much he could say to the man- mock him, for the fact that his legacy lays in tatters. That this peaceful facade has been twisted and warped and made into a living thing. That his grandson became an Eikon. That his god lays dead at the hands of the Warrior of Light. That Garlemald burned in the final days. That his last living heir is called "viator", a traitor to his empire's people. That he had become the monster that had devoured their nation and gorged upon its anguish to set the final scene.

And all the same, does any of it really matter? The past is the past, and there is only the present, even if they are stuck here in this distant dream by some summoned magics.
Were it his own dream, it would be of fire, and screaming, and death, much as it had been in the final days of Garlemald.

[kiss_it_better]

As I said, it's not in the best state so the colours are a little muted and it's not very lively, most of the time.

[Still, he remembers...] During the New Year, [Or rather, sixteen days after the new year, during Gu Yun's birthday.] The first time we were in the capital, we had decorated the iron puppets, painted rouge on their faces and gave them fans to dance with.

[Though most of his impressions all revolved around Gu Yun.]

[emet_sulk]

"They were away more often than not."

Even as he says it, he knows it's a deflection. He clears his throat and fixes his gaze on a tree. "But...sometimes, yes."

More often it would be Hythlodaeus who lay beside him when he woke from his naps. Rarely, oh so rarely, he would wake and find two warm bodies either side. The memory of it casts a gloomy pall over him and he gives himself a shake, letting go of Felih's hand to stride over to the tree. Without preamble, he takes a seat on the grass with his back against the trunk.

"Let's sit for a few moments."

[emet_sulk]

He chuckles dryly. "Actually, none of those creatures are native. They are all the product of one of our greatest creators, the late Lahabrea. He excelled in phantomology, the creation of unknown beasts."

He comes to the spiral structure that the other man points out however, gazing at it wistfully. "This, however - this was simply the symbol of our seat of learning and creation: Akademia Anyder. The shell from which the waters of knowledge were said to flow."

[reloves]

[ Gosh, those two truly are so sappy.. Not that Minako has much of a right to speak there, since she is super sappy as well, and her girlfriend perhaps even more so, but still. She's pretty sure this is gushy by regular people standards. For sure.

She's still smiling though. Minako likes gushy. And there's no way she wouldn't help out an important friend like Tsumugi, no matter whether that means battling a monster or just giving him love advice. ]

You don't have to do something big then.

[ Though she gets the appeal. From very personal experience.

On the other hand - she knows Tsumugi is a very different type of person. ]

He knows what you're like. He loves you for you. [ That's got to be so true, if not just from what she's heard from Kazunari. That guy never wastes a moment to gush about Tsumugi, right. ] So don't you think he'd love it the most if you did something that was truly.. you know, like you? Something small, yet precious!

[ For the record: she's not calling you short, okay.

She means a small gesture! ]

[seasoflight]

Felih follows obediently, and settles down next to him against the tree, a tiny purr kicking up in his chest as he leans against his beloved's side.

"Did folk ever bother you for sleeping out here?" he asks with a soft laugh, looking out over the park before him. But after that, he falls silent, content to just rest and cuddle, tilting his head against Hades' arm.

[currysseur]

( She does believe that the majority of people here are decent. Or at least, motivated enough by the desire to keep their worlds alive that they'll play nice. And sometimes that can lead to real change, right? )

She sounds very intelligent.

( Izumi has never met a harpy. But really, where was she going to meet one? Unless someone had a familiar, anyway.

Hm. Well. If he's going to buy a lipbalm... Izumi looks at her stash and plucks one out. It should do nothing but boost his mood, if she's picked the right one, because she's not going to play Hijikata with something that could cause embarrassment or worse.

Not deliberately, anyway. )

Here. This should give you a boost of happiness!

[emet_sulk]

He huffs - it's almost resigned. He hadn't spent much time with his firstborn's line after their untimely death, unable to stomach looking at them when they reminded him so much of his son. He hadn't cared to know Zenos after the boy was born and had cared even less about Zenos' growth - all that had mattered to him was whether his attempts at finding another way to rejoin the shards were successful. Perhaps in so doing he had inadvertently created a monster but...so what? It served to destabilise the empire, just as he had intended for their original plans.

"Fine. But I've no wish to mar this memory with bloodied steel. I need to fetch my weapon in any case."

[chatwithdeath]

Sumatra, hm?

[She had to say, it'd been a while since someone had been able to make a comparable roast. Not the strongest she's ever had either, but perfectly serviceable.]

Yes, I'll have a cup.

[readytolearn]

[Elsa honestly expected this to just be a kiss across the counter. Izumi sitting on the counter and being so gentle with her... yeah that wasn't what she was expecting at all. Hoping...... maybe... but not expecting, definitely. It was such a sweet and gentle kiss and Izumi's lips were so soft. The feeling made her completely forget the lip balm, which did make her feel more upbeat, but there were definitely other, much stronger feelings there present.

And the butterflies in her stomach. They were going wild. This moment was much better than she ever thought it would be. As a first kiss... it was definitely top tier.

She definitely doesn't mind Izumi lingering and she wouldn't mind if she stayed even longer. Thoughts that she quickly tries to put out since it's probably the lip balm effect that makes her want more. Yes. The lip balm.

Was she ... supposed to say something to this though? She's not sure. It's kind of awkward and she's unsure how to act in a situation like this.]

Uhm... I can definitely feel the effect of the lip balm.

[tantailizing]

Yup! Even faster than me sometimes!

[That's not even mentioning the magic boost they both got. Zidane's eyes brighten at the mention of a slingshot.]

Hell yea! Haven't used one for years, but I can't be that rusty, right?

[Besides, hitting the broadside of a horse? How hard could that be?]

[currysseur]

( Sure. It's the lip balm. That must be what it is for Izumi too, right? After all, she's been at this all day. Maybe it's just... build up? )

R-right? They're potent!

( Help.

And, before Izumi knows what's coming out of her mouth, she finds herself adding; )

Um, if you want to try one of the other effects, I'm happy to demonstrate!

( ... What just came out of her mouth.

help )

you know

[fellsound]

( Century Egg heard about this quest, thanks to reading it off the questboard, but he didn't quite expect to hear Tsumugi's voice as he passed a booth. He's working here?

Huh. )

I can... donate.

( It's a good cause, so it's fine to just give some money, right? )

[tsumtsuki]

[ To be fair, he doesn't feel like he'd be this level of gushy with just anyone? He loved his first partner, sure, but he can't picture himself ever going to these lengths for her. This is all Kazunari's influence on him - all him being changed for the better by the people around him.

But she still makes a good point. So... ] Then, would you be willing to hear what I've thought about? If I want to plan smaller, then I'll need to narrow things down a bit... [ Aha...ha...ha................ ]

[mayoninofukucho]

[As usual this is a lot to take in. Emet-Selch's world - and his kind - are really far removed from Hijikata's, and while that isn't news to him at this point (hell, even his first-hand experience of the other man's native powers a year and a half ago already showed him their extent) he still can't stop marveling.]

So he created new species to populate your world with..? Or just for fun?

[He can hardly imagine these god-like beings doing anything "just for fun", but who knows, maybe Lahabrea had more of a whimsical nature than Emet-Selch! He simply accepts the explanation of the spiral, though he kind of struggles to see a shell in it. Well, perhaps that was a metaphor - at this point he'd feel stupid for having to re-inquire about every little thing!]

[mayoninofukucho]

[Bless her... his harpy friend wouldn't have let him live it down if he gave her a present with weird side effects and his mun is going to let him have this. He pays and pockets the balm.]

If you went with Mamori-chan that means you've got a gryphon partner now, right? What are those like?

[Despite his assortment of mounts he can't help but still feel a little envious... those gryphons looked seriously majestic!]

[mayoninofukucho]

If you've ever been good at it you're definitely better than me.

[Has he ever used a slingshot? He can't remember. He was actually a very well-behaved child, and while he got up to some stunts as a teenager trying to survive on his own he certainly didn't come out of it as a master slingshooter.

If it weren't for the goddamn darkness hanging over the whole island the ride along the river would be enjoyable, but as it is he's glad when they're well past its spring and the outline of the bridge between Camelot's farmlands and the wilderness leading up to the White Cliffs comes into view in the distance. While it's still far away he already slows his horse down to a trot.]

I guess we'll have to go a good bit further up the river. It'd make no sense for them to offer people rides across right by the bridge... unless they're trying to get them to do it just for fun, but the locals wouldn't be that gullible, I hope.

[He shouldn't be too sure about that. After all how many people would regularly want to cross the river further north, where the Dusklight Woods begin on the Camelot side? Anyone headed for Atys or Elphame would have crossed over sooner. As as if on cue a warbly voice calls out to them from the water.]

Oh, Sir, you should not underestimate the need. One bridge, so far out in the fields, away from the farmhouses... that costs the people time.

[whosaysdajare]

[ There's probably more syrups than milk in this. That mix won't bring anyone to the yard.

In that case, instead of Kate, why does Sasara take another—tiny, careful—sip...? Of course he only spits about again. But that confirms that it really. tastes. Awful!! ]

Eugh... Ain't it some sorta prank, ya think!?

[reloves]

[ It's not exactly the kind of impression she expected, that much is true.

.. on the other hand, it clearly seems to be an important memory to the other.. so who would Minako be to question that, really? So she just takes in the other's words with a small nod and a smile on her face. ]

Then.. let's go see that place!

[ She raises the lantern as she says it, its light already starting to glow brighter. Apparently it managed to get an idea about the place the other wanted to see from his description.. ]

Are you ready for it?

[ Hey, at least she's being - relatively - polite enough to ask that first, rather than plunge the two of them into the illusion without warning. ]

[reloves]

Of course, of course.

[ Minako easily agrees. ]

Should we go sit down? [ Because she can feel that maybe it'll take a little bit for Tsumugi to lay out his ideas and for them to go over them together.. She's like a love consultant at work now, that means she can't just leave things half-finished! ] I'll listen to anything you've thought up already.

[readytolearn]

[Was... was she just suggesting they'd kiss more...? Elsa feels her cheeks turn red a little bit. More than a little bit.

When did her heart start beating so fast?]

Oh... I do have some extra gold, so I could donate more for more samples?

[It's for a good cause, too... That's what it was for! Definitely not just for the pleasure of kissing.


... maybe a little bit just for the pleasure of kissing.]