TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ 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 slightly chilled 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 still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. 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. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. 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 earbuds 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 nip bottles. 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. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. 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. The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life. A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter. The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual. Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer. B ⦿ The Language of Flowers Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot. The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need. Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox. C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you. A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss. Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive) Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone) Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend) Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them) Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe) Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while) The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life! Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps. A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin' The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom! To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch! B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch! Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned! C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks. You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy! MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, 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 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

Thanatos | Hades

[inevitablerest]

i. Soaking in Your Arrival

[A dark shape holding a large scythe falls into the water with a large splash... and doesn't come back up again.

Why would a God of Death ever need to learn how to swim?

Luckily, such things have already been considered and a rescue doesn't take too long. Still, Thanatos has managed to choke down a good amount of salt water by the time he finally gets onto dry land. He doesn't really... move from where he's nudged onto the beach for a long while, just coughing and trying to breathe and looking little more than the understandable level of traumatised that one might expect from a person who has just been pulled out of their daily life and dumped into the ocean.

Eventually, he does come to his senses enough to look around, and reaches out to grab the scythe that one of the manatees had kindly brought up after rescuing him. Anyone observing could easily note that he needs to use it to stand, his hands white-knuckled on it as it sinks slightly into the sand at his feet.

This has to be a bad dream.

Except he doesn't sleep, and his brother wouldn't dare.]

ii. ⦿ The Red Spring - inn rooms

[Thanatos, the god of peaceful death, has been mortal for around half a day... and he hates it. The assigned room - which he finds, at least at first, to be blessedly unoccupied - provides at least a small amount of respite from what has so far been a very, very wearing day.

He leaves his scythe propped against the wall beside one of the beds before he drops face-down onto the pillows, curling his fingers into fabric almost like a child seeking comfort. It doesn't take long at all before he falls asleep.

The volume with which someone enters the room with him will understandably dictate how he wakes up... or if he wakes up at all.]

iii. ⦿ The Red Spring - training grounds

[Gods, and particularly Chthonic ones, never adapt well to change and Thanatos has never been any exception to this. However, he at least loosens his plans to sulk about this entire ordeal to go to the training grounds in order to find out more about what is happening.

'Kinetic magic', they tell him, and he doesn't understand at first until they tell him to try and move a small stone placed on a table and he almost takes someone's eye out with it. That's... something.

That's certainly something.

The day goes by with Thanatos barely moving from the training grounds at all, experimenting with his currently level of ability to lift and move objects. He does, occasionally, get a little too overzealous with his attempts. Sorry about that rock coming your way, you should probably duck.]

iv. wildcard

[Wildcard! Pick a different prompt or hit me up at hardtostarboard to hash something out.]

ii;

[festoso]

[Unfortunately for Thanatos, it's... Probably not going to be a peaceful awakening. Mitsuki doesn't so much open the door as crash through it, flinging it open with little care for whoever might be on the other side of the door.

Really, he was expecting it to be empty, and as soon as he sees it's not he starts to feel a little guilty. He freezes in the doorway, really, really hoping this guy isn't going to be mad.]

[inevitablerest]

[It is decidedly not a peaceful awakening, and Thanatos flinches back into consciousness with the uncomfortable vestiges of sleep still hanging on him the moment the door bangs into the wall.

His pale eyes fix immediately on the culprit, and it's only Mitsuki's relatively harmless appearance that keeps him from reaching for his scythe.]

... Is there something wrong with you? Or do you always show this level of inconsideration for others.

[festoso]

Sorry, sorry! It didn't seem like there was anybody any here...

[Which he knows isn't a good excuse, but! The room was quiet and who can blame him for being a bit overwhelmed and excited about everything that's happening?!

He walks to the bed opposite Thanatos', sitting down on it. The... rabbit? that follows after him is round and fluffy, and it hops into Mitsuki's lap.]

But we can still get off on a better foot, can't we? I'm Mitsuki! And this is... Well, it's not Kinako, but it looks a lot like Kinako so I don't know what else to call it...

[inevitablerest]

[It isn't any kind of excuse, let alone a good one. Thanatos doesn't grant it a reply, just stares levelly as if expecting something more acceptable.

He doesn't get it. Mortals are at least still predictable in that way. He observes the rabbit-like creature with muted curiosity, then flicks his attention quickly up to the boy's face again.]

Thanatos. [A first impression is named so for a reason, but he can be polite at least...] I'm sure you know I don't know what you're talking about.

Training Grounds

[morganknight]

[With all the speed and reflexes that a lifetime of hard training has endowed him with, Morgan snatches the rock out of midair.]

[Strangely, he doesn't even turn his attention from the barrel he's regarding. In fact, he seems to have not even registered that he'd caught the rock.]

[Nor is he letting it go, so if someone wants it back, they might have to get his attention.]

iii.

[floatsaway]

[Thanatos isn't the only one using the training grounds to practice their magic. Ochako only just learned to tap into the dormant elemental magic within her a few weeks ago, but it's still extremely unstable and not easy to call upon. Plus, when she does get it right, it's so utterly draining that she either feels lightheaded and woozy, or downright nauseous and about to puke (that one is a bit easier to deal with, considering it was the side effect of her quirk, back home). So, Ochako thought to get in a bit of practice.

Her white dire wolf is near her, though it seems that she's less inclined to help much when Ochako isn't in any actual danger. The large beast is curled up in a sunny spot, snoozing away as its partner trains...fruitlessly. Ochako is trying to create fire, but only manages a tiny crackle and pop of embers from her palms before they fizzle out, and she heaves a large sigh before rounding on her familiar.]

You know, maybe if you actually helped, this would go a lot smoo--

[THACK!! Too distracted to counter or dodge, the poor teenage girl is struck square between the eyes by the rock, and goes toppling over like a tree.

K.O.]

[inevitablerest]

[Thanatos, being the god of gentle death, does not often go about dealing harm to people. He leaves that to Ares, or to Keres, and takes the softer aspect of the inevitable end of mortality on to himself.

Thus, when he sees the stone he moved shift with too much force and hit an unsuspecting young woman directly in the forehead he is immediately struck by a sharp pang of guilt.]

Darkness. [He mutters to himself, and he stands to make his way carefully over to her (legs still somewhat weak after spending his entire existence not really needing to walk). Thanatos kneels beside her, entirely tentative as he touches her shoulder.]

... Madam?

[floatsaway]

[It's going to take a moment, but Ochako eventually does come to - with a bit of help from her familiar, who practically bathes her face in its large, wet tongue. She makes a disgruntled noise, shoving the large beast off and wiping her face, holding her now throbbing head as well. Oh, ow...very much ow. There's no blood, thankfully, but Ochako's going to have one killer bruise (or a goose egg sized bump) forming there over the next few hours.]

Oww...ow, my head... What happened?

[She's sitting up, squeezing her eyes shut against the dull ache at the forefront of her head...and a bit in the back as well. She did take a bit of a tumble there, too, honestly. Ochako is going to feel a bit sore tomorrow, for sure. Definitely going to need a relaxation day.]

[inevitablerest]

I...

[Thanatos is, in fact... incredibly embarrassed, but is hiding it effectively with a stern expression. When she sits up he supports her back with a very gentle touch, as if concerned she might come to further harm just by sitting there.

The familiar hasn't been a cause of concern for him yet. His own - a very large black dog - has been lying underneath the table he left it under since this ridiculousness began.]

I hit you with a rock. Accidentally.

[And blood and darkness, does he feel awkward saying it.]

i

[emet_sulk]

[ Another month, another fresh lot washed up on the shores of the beach. Emet-Selch makes his way down there, more out of morbid curiosity than any real desire to see if a familiar face has popped up. He doesn't exactly help anyone, instead picking his way across the sand that is now marred with the many footprints and drag marks of those who had come ashore.

And then he sees a young man, with a rather large scythe, struggling to stand. ]

Quite the unwieldy weapon you have there, boy.

[inevitablerest]

[All of this at once is... a lot. It's confusing, and terrifying, and with his nose and chest burning and goosebumps rising on his skin as the wind touches it, and the sun shining down so brightly, and the alien sensation of the ground against the soles of his bare feet...

Thanatos feels incredibly vulnerable.

But his eyes don't show it. When they dart to the man addressing him, they're as still and cold as ever.]

I expect it would be for most. [He replies levelly.] But I wouldn't think to judge anyone for lacking the ability to use it.

[emet_sulk]

[ He waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. ]

I've seen weapons almost as or even more ridiculous than yours. I meant no insult.

[ His eyes flit over the other man, taking in their demeanour, their garb, their posture and wondering what to make of them. They seem quite calm - a good thing, of course. Emet-Selch had quickly skirted those in more hysterics. ]

...There are carriages at the top of the cliff there. [ He points to the stairs leading up the cliff face. ] They will take you and everyone else to a place where you may settle in.

iii,

[netherfire]

( she almost laughs when the trainer says that she's been granted healing magic. it seems to go against everything she's believed to be, but that's quite alright by her. keeping those who have yet to lose their last thread of life alive is still part of a Food Soul's duty, after all.

there's no indication that Turducken is anything but quietly content as she makes her way to the training ground, nothing to suggest that the lack of her faithful spirits or her Tierran powers causes her disquiet.

nothing, that is, until a rock whistles through the air in her direction and smacks her clean in the side of the head. )

Uhn!

( her hat goes flying, but rather than look for it, Turducken's hand wraps tighter around the needle she carries with her, head whipping round to find the source. is someone looking to fight? or is this simply an accident?

well, there's only one other person in the direction the rock came from so, it must be this guy. )

What do you want?

[inevitablerest]

[He thinks he's given himself enough space for this. That is, to not be hitting random people around him with kinetically-charge projectiles. As it turns out, that is not at all the case and he draws some entirely unwanted attention in the form of a slightly-irritated looking young woman.]

It wasn't my intention to hit you. ... I apologise.

[The apology comes out in the tone of someone not entirely accustomed to having to make them, but genuinely enough. He watches her with pale, faintly curious eyes.]

Are you hurt?

[netherfire]

( he's a strange one, she thinks. but then, so is she. so are many of the most interesting souls you'll come across. )

... Thank you. ( an apology is always nice. she doesn't always get that from people who cause her to bleed.

oh! and speaking of that, her red eyes widen at his words, a lightbulb going off in her head as she presses her fingers to the site of impact. ow. well. she's seen plenty of healer Food Souls in her time to have an idea of how this works. much like her own magic back on Tierra, it's simply a case of channelling energy, correct? ) One moment.

( aaaand there! skin knitted back together. there's still a streak of blood down the side of her face, but she can wash that off later. )

I should thank you. You allowed me to practice.

i. this is perfect for them.

[verytired]

[ Know what sucks? When you're the god of sleep, and mid-nap you get woken up by icy cold water with only the clothes on your back. He had a scrolls tucked into his oversized robes which are long gone. Oh, well. No work, then. It's not like this place is Hades, anyway, right? It's much too cold, and much too bright. He's ushered to shore (he's either not a strong swimmer or just doesn't want to - it's hard to say from watching) and standing slouched on shore, he notices his brother.

He looks so useless. He shuffles to stand near him on shore as he works to stand up. He doesn't offer his hand... yet anyway. ]

Oh — [ it's like a hum ] What a nice surprise!

[inevitablerest]

[Mid-way through standing, his scythe planted on the ground (and it's so heavy, suddenly), Thanatos freezes on hearing his brother's voice. He looks up, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he pulls himself up to his feet--

--he's definitely not clinging to the scythe like it's the only thing keeping him upright--

and the first thing he does is give Hypnos a long, hard stare.]

Is this your doing?

[verytired]

My doing?

[ Sure, he could probably send someone to sleep and do this. If he wanted to, of course. And if he were messing with Thanatos, it was an option. It was pretty elaborate, though. He doesn't think they've recently gotten into a fight where he'd need to retaliate in such a way. He brings his hand to his chest, looking offended at the idea. ]

I'm not responsible for this. Are you saying you dream about me, dear brother?

[ It took him all of 30 seconds to start giving Thanatos crap. Welcome to the new world. ]

i

[suetekh]

[Hi, greek god. Meet an egyptian god who is also very, very concerned by all of this. This isn't his first time ending up in someplace he isn't expecting but the last time had still been home and this? This is not home at all. Much like Thanatos, Set is on the beach almost horrified by what's happening. He'd had his sword with him and he's clutching at it like it's his last lifeline.

As Set tries to catch his breath, soaked, he looks around. His mind is only going to the underword. This had to be the underworld? And he's been there before and it didn't look like this but it could be a trick. Probably because being played with has become something of a pastime for the god by now. Once he sees Thanatos who seems just as confused as he is, his eyes narrow. If Set were to be thinking a little harder, he'd realize this person is in the same situation he is but Set's never been known for his thinking.]

You. Tell me what is the meaning of taking the King of Egypt to the underworld? Where is my lord brother?

[Sorry Thanatos, this is probably a lot.]

[inevitablerest]

[Still visibly attempting to pull himself together (the loss of godly powers is no small thing to get used to), Thanatos doesn't notice the person making a beeline for him until they address him... and not in a way he much likes.

It is a lot. It's also irritating.]

Does something about my demeanour make you believe I have any more idea of what is going on here than you?

[Thanatos would gesture at himself if he dared take either hand from his scythe, but he trusts he doesn't need to in order to make his point - he looks just as soaked and out of place as the person accosting him.

Of course, he could be putting too much faith in the common sense of others, there...]

[suetekh]

[That is a very good point but Set is quick to come up with some explanation.]

There are no tricks that Thoth nor Apophis wouldn't pull. Your appearance mean nothing because I won't be made a—[And then he promptly sneezes and stares because he's a god and gods can sneeze but you sneeze when you want to and that was completely involuntary.

His eyes narrow again.]

What is going on?

iii

[colchismagecraft]

[The housecat-sized skeleton dragon making an alarmed noise came just a little too late for Caster to avoid a stone flying right at her! She was lucky the hood of her robes covered the top half of her face, or else that would have hit her eye directly rather than the fabric.

She turned an agitated glare to the man in question.]

Hmph...do be more careful.

[inevitablerest]

[It's awkward, and the large black dog by his feet is absolutely no help at all in any of this (but he does still occasionally pet it, because... just because). He follows the path of the small stone he loses control of and sees the inevitability of its trajectory long before it makes impact.

He's ready for any reaction he might get. The relatively calm one is welcome.]

I apologise. This is all very... new.

[colchismagecraft]

[She may be a volatile woman, but right now didn't see the point in blowing up at this stranger. Instead, she just folded her arms and looked him over. An interesting looking stranger, to be sure.]

...I take it that magic was not something you could call upon where you came from?