avalaughs | TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 21

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 21

	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

person riding horseback and looking at phone

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.

hot springs covered in steam

D ⦿ Light it Up

a magical lantern

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

glass sphere in forest

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.

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Felih winces slightly at the sudden intensity of the grip, but he adjusts his hold, lacing their fingers together before returning the squeeze.

"You likely remember more than you think," Felih murmurs. "This lamp draws on the unconscious as well, does it not...?" He follows his mate to the park, and he can't help the little smile on his lips. He can easily imagine Hades napping away in a place like this...

"It's peaceful here," he murmurs, before he takes more time to look around, to examine the flora and see if anything looks familiar to him. There's so much to take in, see what the world was like before. It's oddly familiar, in a way that unsettles him, but perhaps it's merely the strange contrast between this and the Tempest...

"Did we- did you... did Azem ever rest here, with you?"

"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."

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.

"No. Not until I accepted the title of Emet-Selch, then it seemed as though everyone had some 'urgent' matter to bring to my attention."

He says it tiredly, resting his chin on top of Felih's head. He idly strokes the other man's hair.

"Eventually I would feign sleep when I wished to avoid being bothered."

Felih's purr only grows a touch stronger when Emet sets to stroking his hair, and the proximity only encourages him to cuddle closer, half-on his mate's lap now as he relaxes and enjoys the peaceful surroundings the lamp has conjured.

"A popular man ever-in-demand for your reliability and skill, I imagine," he chirps, gently bunting the top of his head under his beloved's chin in an affectionate feline gesture. His tail curls up over both their laps as they sit, and he clearly intends to claim as much snuggle time with his mate as possible.

"Mm..."

And to think he had once thought such petty troubles the most arduous part of his day. He wishes that was all he had to deal with now. He wishes--

Ah, there's no point dwelling on such thoughts now.

"...Do you truly remember nothing?" The question is so quiet, only a miqo'te's sharp ears could pick it up. There's an unfathomable sadness behind it - a plea and desperation. Is being brought here still not enough?

Felih's ears droop when his mate pleas so softly, the sound of his voice breaking his heart.

"...I do, sometimes. When I dream. When I'm in places like this," he murmurs. "But I don't know how much is familiar because of memory, or... because I've seen places like it, in the Tempest."

"The more time I spend with you, the more I feel as if... I get closer. To remembering, somehow."

"If Hydaelyn hadn't always managed to claim you for Her own, I would have resurrected your memory in a heartbeat," he mutters, clutching Felih more tightly. "But then I would have to watch you die, over and over and over again."

How many times has he wished for this sort of peace and been denied it? Now he has it, at the end of everything, in death.

Lifting his gaze, he stares at his city's elegant spires and decides he will spend as long as he can here until the enchantment fades.

"She always did...?" Felih murmured, slightly awed by this fact. Still, he relaxes and melts against his beloved, into his arms, the soft purr kicking up again as he nuzzles into Hades' chest.

"Even so... I could still love you. Over and over... I feel as though it would be inevitable, with you. You, and Hythlodaeus, and Azem... aren't we all intertwined, to the end?"

The word we slips out unconsciously, and he continues to cuddle, seeming to relax more the tighter Hades holds him.

"I don't know about that," he mutters. But he gives Felih one last squeeze before loosening his arms.

"What else did you wish to see?"

"How about your abode?" Felih chirps hopefully, ears perking up at Hades. "I wonder what it must be like. Do you decorate, or leave it minimalistic? Does it have a nice view?" he asks, curious as ever, his tail aquiver behind him.

He leans forward and steals a quick kiss from Hades' lips.

"I want the whole tour, love."

"Ah..." He looks reluctant. Not because his room has anything embarrassing or shameful. Just...

Well, perhaps it doesn't matter now. He only has dim memories of it. Would it even appear here?.

"This way." He gets to his feet, offering a helping hand to Felih if needed. Then he leads the way to a section of the city which feels a lot more like it has been built as a recreational space. Hades enters one of the apartment buildings - unremarkable from the outside - and stands before a metallic door. It opens automatically for them. Felih will recognise the styke from the first such elevator he took at Achora Heights. A disembodied voice greets them.

"Good afternoon. Please state your desired floor."

"The top," Hades says.

Felih's ears briefly pin back when he notes the reluctance on his mate's countenance, hesitating. Perhaps it was no good...?

But Hades stands and offers him a hand up, which Felih gratefully accepts, ears perking up again when the other begins to lead the way. He doesn't let go of Hades' hand, however, lacing their fingers together and giving a gentle squeeze. The city is vacant, after all- why shouldn't he indulge in these small affections?

"Oh? The very top?" he chirps, eyes widening in awe. "The view must be incredible... how did you select this one? It never occurred to me, how the Ancients must have decided upon their homes... what priorities they had, compared to us."

"Well..." He trails off, trying to recall. It isn't a matter he has had to think about in a very long time. "Those with special needs are accommodated first. The remainder are randomly assigned so as to maintain fairness. It so happens that I was allocated a room on the topmost floor."

The lift slows. A gentle ping and the doors glide open, revealing a fairly ordinary hallway of doors no different from those on any other floor. The layouts of each room are also equal, so as not to encourage jealousy amongst one's fellows.

Hades halts before one of the doors. There are no privacy wards upon it in this illusory world, so he simply opens it and steps through. The room beyond is minimalist but homely, lit by warm light and decorated with sparse possessions. There are images on the wall of unknown vistas, small, exotic trinkets on the tables or counters from far-flung locations, and everything is kept as immaculately as Hades keeps their current home. The furniture is largely monotonous in colour, with only the minimal decor adding splashes of colour.

Felih listens, curious as ever, still as much of a sponge for information as he had been when they had first met. He had been sincere in asking Hades to teach him about the ancient world, and he's still clearly fascinated.

For now, however, it's the man's home that intrigues him. His ears perk up, tail aquiver in delight, and he finds himself beaming as he notes the myriad trinkets all over the place. "You kept them!" he exclaims, laughing brightly, "All the souvenirs!"

That's what they must have been, yes? Felih feels like they had to have been gifts from a certain wanderer. They stand out so much against the minimalist, tidy home.

He is taken aback by the outburst. "How did you--?" He sweeps his gaze across the room. It feels like he's walking into a stranger's place. He has lived so many different lives in so many different homes that this one no longer feels...his own. Ironically, it's that distance which shows him how starkly the souvenirs do stand out against the otherwise plain room.

"Oh..." He sighs. "Of course I kept them. Why would I not?"

Felih is still beaming, and he laughs again as he goes and starts looking around at the little trinkets all over the home. "I'm so glad," he chirps, tail wiggling, before spinning around to turn back towards Hades. "I just knew." It's just an informed guess, he tells himself. Just because he's technically more than half of Azem now, doesn't mean he... well.

He still remembers, sometimes. Little things. He always needed help, a prompt, a reminder... and this lamp is providing them plenty of memory to spark his own.

"If I was off wandering around," he says with a soft laugh, "Then I'd want to send you lots of things so you wouldn't forget about me. Things to make you think of me when I wasn't there. Seeing them here..." He feels a joy he can't quite explain just from an outside perspective. No doubt it comes from his love for Hades, which Azem no doubt also shared.

"It simply makes me feel happy. Like I've left a little mark here of my own."

"Even though the Azem I knew isn't you?"

He walks further in to join Felih. He can hardly recognise some of the trinkets lying around. Some have purposes which defy his memory.

"He was a rascal. He sent me so many odd things I could never find a use for..." Hades brushes a hand over the back of one of the seats. "Like mentor, like student, I suppose," he says with a sigh.

Felih's smile weakens slightly, but he nods. "Even though it wasn't... me," he murmurs. "Even across worlds and dimensions, our souls are the same, are they not? We've all ties to them... different though they may have been."

He peruses the myriad souvenirs littered around the abode, before he laughs softly and returns to Hades' side to cuddle against him. "Rascal, huh...? I'm not surprised... I wonder, is it simply a trait that lends itself to filling the seat of Azem...?"

"I do not know. I was most familiar with Venat and...her successor." He sniffs, putting an arm around Felih. "But a certain zealotry does seem to be a requirement for the seat. Above all else, they must have a desire for new experiences and empathy for others."

He points to an item with his other arm. "That one is a rock from a volcano they quelled. Its porous nature means it can float on water."

Surprise still sparks in Felih's chest every time Hades puts an arm around him, awed each and every time that the man would actually show him such affection. A part of him still feels painfully inadequate for the man, insufficient, a placeholder.

(Comfort creature-)

Nonetheless, the hold makes him relax and lean into his beloved, a purr starting up in his chest as he basks in the warmth and touch. His ears perk attentively, and he ends up smiling at the stone. "Porous volcanic stone... To quell a volcano seems stunning. It's a true force of nature, and I couldn't even imagine how to do such a thing if it was on the verge of eruption. How did they do it?"

His tail is already aquiver with curious delight, the Miqo'te insatiable as ever for knowledge. Felling beasts and armies feels tangible and real, but how does one stop a volcano? A hurricane? An earthquake? "It must have been some intriguing magic...!"

He harrumphs quietly. "'Twasn't even their magic, arguably. They convinced Hythlodaeus to give over one of Lahabrea's fire concepts - a being you know better as 'Ifrit'. Then they used the volcano's overflowing fire aether to give it form, and thence do battle to safely disperse the energy. A wild, reckless idea..."

One that he had no choice but to assist with, else the jaunt may have ended poorly. He doesn't remember much about his scolding but he does remember the smile upon Azem's face and the sooty scorch marks all over their robes.

Felih lights up at this revelation. "Oh! Then- then this is similar to how we restored aetherial balance to the Empty of the First!" he enthuses. "To use a creation- or in our case, a summoning of sorts- to contain the aether and then disperse it in a more controlled manner... a much, much finer idea than tackling it head-on!"

He laughs, bright-eyed and thrilled, chirping, "So Hythlodaeus helped Azem out with the plan... I'm not surprised at all. Nn, that reminds me of the volcano in Vylbrand... ah, now I want some of those grapes we helped to revive and restore..."

He crosses his arms, lips pursed. "The Final Days would have finished what the eruption was meant to start," he says eventually. "The seas have long since swallowed the island. If you want grapes grown on volcanic soil then simply go to Vylbrand."

...Wait.

"Did you just say you restored the Empty?"

"That's what I meant! We restored grapes on Vylbrand, too!" Felih chirps. "Apparently it makes a fine wine."

Hades' surprise, however, catches him off-guard. Had he truly neglected to tell his beloved about this?

...oops.

"Oh, ah... yes! We did! It looks rather beautiful, if you ask me. We started with a small region, but once that seed of balance and flow was achieved again, it's been steadily spreading further and further... we hope that one day, the remainder of the First will one day be fit for habitation and life again."

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TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 21

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