TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 7

[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 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, helping to rescue any wayward travelers who look like they're struggling in the water. This month's helpers are giant pillow jellies, a species of jellyfish that is capable of ballooning itself at the surface to create bouncy pads for characters to hop across to the shore, should they choose or not be able to swim. They come in a variety of bioluminescent colors, but do not seem to be very talkative even to animal magic users. Those who try may find themselves being ignored, even if they hear the jellies talking amongst themselves about this and that. 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. *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 special ear buds (the supplier was out of the regular ones) 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. After the new arrivals come in, they'll find that this month they came in on the middle of a rather tumultuous time... people are arguing and debating about a future decision to be made. King Arthur recently tried to negotiate with Celliwig's people to open the doors to Camelot, but they refused, and the people have been left with a decision: 1. attempt long-distance, slow wooing of Queen Elphame via the Elphame Traders of the next couple of months, 2. attempt to prove a balanced and deeper understanding of the need for both pure and impure hearts by suggesting an acceptance of trials from Celliwig, or 3. band together under Camelot's flag to invade Celliwig. Celliwig is a place of communication between Elphame and Camelot that bypasses the need for weeks of dangerous, often fatal travel, so the choice is very important in regards to how Camelot both presents itself to the fae people in the future. To that end, people with strong beliefs about particular choices have arranged gatherings to draw people in to hear their perspectives on what the choice should be. A ⦿ Honey Over Vinegar A wide variety of people have sided with this group, including the Elphame Traders, as cutting Celliwig off from them would mean a much harder journey each month to the city of Camelot. (Though commerce always does find a way.) This group is hosting a Tree-Picking Tournament! Of course, the trees to be picked are out in the farmlands, and members of the lobbying group will be giving people free one-use Farm Totems to get to the tournament. The trees in this grove are a little different than normal trees, however. For one, they don't bear fruit. This is Camelot's cookie orchard, composed of special fairy tree hybrids that grow a variety of sweet treats on their branches instead of fruits. There are your usual chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, but also little puff-like wedding cookies on bushes or checkboard cookies blossoming out of stems instead of flowers. There are even some trees that have clusters of miniature French macarons! The best part, at the end when you turn in your cookies for the count and get your participation prize (and bonus pamphlet about how slow and steady wins the race), you can totally keep and eat them, so be careful not to drop them! How you get them down from the tree is up to you, of course. Try some magic, or maybe just some regular old tree-shaking will do the trick.. just be careful you don't accidentally knock down any wasp nests. Those stings will hurt bad! B ⦿ A Balanced Approach The party of people who want to try to woo Celliwig over to smooth things over see this little political gathering with cookie-based bribery and quickly fashion their own event to make sure the fanfare isn't all for just the one idea. To gather people in to hear their side of the story, this group has decided to host a bug catching contest! Head out into those flower fields between Camelot and the Red Springs that are now thriving thanks to April's plentiful rains. Whether you use a net or figure out how to use your magic to get the bugs, it's how many you catch, not what kinds you catch that count-- so make it fast and make it plentiful! And at the end of the day, what you choose to do with your captured bugs is up to you. Crush them or free them, keep them or eat them, whatever it is you want to do... ultimately, all moral choices are valid, right? So let's go along with what Celliwig wants! Don't forget that May is the season of the frog, however, and you'll be in competition with a variety of sentient and wise members of the Frog Tribe, a group of bipedal frogs who live in the southernmost part of the lake and come up to the flowerfields to stick their tongues out for some delicious bug treats. They have no problem sticking their tongues right into your captured bug nest, hopping on heads to steal your catches, and do all kinds of crazy interferences like snipping belts and tonguing ankles to trip people. You may want someone to watch your back for this event, lest you get done in by a hopper. C ⦿ A Show of Strength The more war-hungry citizens of Camelot seek to go to war. This whole issue will be over if Celliwig itself isn't the one in charge of communication and it's just made directly between Elphame and Camelot, rather than having a mediator who refuses to mediate. They believe that a show of strength is the only way to solve this problem, and as such, they'll be demonstrating that the greatest rewards come from strength by organizing an expedition to a cave at the base of the Ash Mountains. Taking a path squarely between the Dusklight Woods and the edge of the Lands of Rot to the base of the Ash Mountains, this expedition will lead into a cave known as the Giant Cave. It's a pretty on-the-nose name, since it really is a big cave. One of the cool things about this cave is that it's filled with geodes. Those who have enough strength can use provided pickaxes and drills to dig up their own crystals and gold, both great for jewelry and enchanting. In particular, there is a large amount of: • Rose quartz: dark mages can make their love spells much more powerful and healers can use this to enhance spells that soothe anxieties and self-doubt • Amethyst: siphoners increase the potency of counter-curses and light mages will find this stone makes their hard light shields stronger than ever • Agate: strengthen cognitive abilities like post-cognition for a clearer picture of what happened by enhancing perception, and death mages will find they're able to extend their possession times by about 30 minutes by using an agate to stablize their aura • Moonstones: will increase navigation as a traveler's protection for kinetic users-- no longer will you risk tripping over a rock while going at enhanced speeds, or can be traded to fairies to potentially bring down a steep price to something more reasonable • Black tourmaline: a crystal that shields from opposition/negativity-- for technomancers and elementalists, this means that technology is more likely to side with them over another technomancer, or elementalists will find that when using opposing elements, theirs will come out stronger-- like water vs fire, electric vs rock, etc. • Hematite: can soothe blood, leaving it a good tool to enhance animal and blood magic-- animals may trust you more readily by having a calming effect on them, and blood mages may find that they heal more readily after using their abilities • Boji stone: alchemists will find that this is a good stabilizer for for particularly volatile potion combinations, and the properties of this stone leaves green mages to sense new types of plants they haven't yet encountered in passing, even if they're not looking at them It's not particularly a contest in this case-- you can keep and use what you want, and this show of strength has given you more power than ever, so why not consider the same concept for how to deal with our unneighborly neighbors in Celliwig? It may be sweaty business, but surely hitting some rocks will show you the value of strength! With the surprisingly tame day in the Giant Cave, one would think that the Ash Mountains were something of a safe place. No one really bothered the travelers, but that's because no one had been home at the time. as it turns out, the Giant Cave is home to a giant... douchebag of a minotaur. Not a giant, despite the name. His name is Simon and he doesn't like to share, and now that a bunch of people have gone and taken his rocks (he didn't even know there were crystals inside, nor does he do anything with them). Now he has to take his revenge, regardless of not knowing who actually took the crystals that were never really his to begin with, they just happened to be in rocks near where he sleeps. A ⦿ A Stone's Throw from Revenge The minotaur is a very instinctive creature, and his instincts say that the people of Camelot, the nearest settlement, are the ones who need to be punished for this. He uses his superhuman strength to drag huge rocks and boulders all the way to the north-east edge of Camelot, seemingly for no reason, until he's got practically a wall built. At which point he starts picking them up, spinning, and then vaulting the rocks into Camelot's buildings. You may find yourself inside of one of those buildings and scrambling to check if everyone and yourself is okay, or perhaps you're rushing out to stop the minotaur from throwing another. Either way, it's a sudden attack and you're going to have to act fast. Trying to attack the minotaur will be difficult, since it has superhman strength and durability, sharp horns atop its head, and can smell you coming from a mile away. Get creative, and stop the minotaur before it's too late! B ⦿ There's Safety in Numbers Once the minotaur's attacks stop, it flees to recover its wounds, promising it will come back to destroy Camelot once and for all. It's a time for reprieve and to help clean up the damage. Use your magic to help clean up broken buildings and structures, or heal and help others who were injured in the sudden, mostly unprovoked attack. Many of the uninjured citizens will be going around town and providing drinks, towels, and cups of noodles to those who are helping out. Because of the impending threat of the minotaur's return, it's recommended that otherworlder's use the (Recipe) Buddy System spell. The way they explain it, it's a spell designed to alert your buddy if you're in danger and lasts about an hour. The way it actually works is you must be touching your buddy in any way at all times for the next hour. Unfortunately, it seems like the volunteers sharing the recipe may have missed that it was created in a kindergarten class, not for adults. C ⦿ Gross Thankfully, the Buddy System wears off before the Minotaur is back for round two. When the Minotaur returns, the castle has since gathered forces to the edge of town to defend it from another attack. It's unclear where the Minotaur went to get healed, but whoever he went to apparently had some advice, however, and the instinctive minotaur gave into a different instinct for part two of his revenge. Rather than go right back to his pile of rocks, he instead travels the day to get to the southernmost part of Camelot and barrels into town unopposed, as most of the troupes are where they had thought he would come from again. After all, minotaurs are not known to be big thinkers. Instead of violently destroying this time, however, the minotaur instead heads straight to lowertown's well-- and takes a pee in it. It turns out, not only does he have a giant-- ahem, but he is a giant dick as well. Now the entire lowertown has to be evacuated due to contaminated water up to other areas of Camelot. Many people who live there are relocated to live in extra castle rooms. After all, Minotaur Urine is known to be incredibly potent and stinky. Mages who are able to handle the smell are asked to come help perform a ritual of water purification for the lowertown's water system. This ritual involves multiple groups of people performing synchronic magic, a magic type that requires you to be in perfect sync with your partner. Draw a special ritual circle with four candles at equidistant points. Chant a spell in sync with your partner, and blow a special powder made of ground jasper, charcoal, and rosemary into the center of the circle. It will be drawn into the candles' flames and with enough people doing this, all impurities will be removed from the lowertown's water and dissipate into the atmosphere. KEY POINTS New arrivals drop into the lake and have to climb up a cliff to the Rent a Ride, where they are given their device and some headphones and can retrieve their personal materials. They travel to Camelot, which is a multiple day journey, so they stop at the Red Springs along the way and stay at an inn there. There is a vote pending for Camelot and each side of the issue is trying to engage otherworlders to their side of the vote. The slow/steady approach is hosting a cookie harvesting tournament from a grove of cookie trees, the middleground group is hosting a bug-catching contest, and the group that wants war is hosting a mining expedition. The mining expedition aggros an asshole of a minotaur, who throws rocks at Camelot. Driven away, the townspeople try to help by distributing a spell called "Buddy System" which binds two people together, not realizing it was intended for kindergarteners. (Oops.) The minotaur returns and pees in the lowertown's water, so a ritual of water purification must be performed because it's gross and stinky. The minotaur is still at large. **** The above key points are a new feature we're going to start including on TDMs and Events. Since it's new, the format is still fluid, so please let us know if you have any feedback for this section here. It should just include brief summaries of each prompt to make parsing information easier and more accessible. The original prompts should still be read and referred to for complete information and details. **** 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. • A poll will go up a little later this week regarding the mentioned voting, which should be answered ICly by each character you play. The poll will remain open through the 15th so that newly accepted characters may also vote if they choose to. •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

daenerys targaryen | game of thrones

[munazaldrizesse]

ARRIVAL

a. wardrobe
[Crude name aside, Daenerys is wary of the wardrobe. Despite the fantastical nature of the world around her right now, her leeriness around magic has not been made to subside by anything yet. She reaches for the handle with trepidation, willing her hand steady with a breath before pulling it open. She understands that there are personal possessions within the wardrobe, but does not know what to expect. She pulls out first her family's sigil. A three-headed dragon pin similar to the one she's placed in her dress. Next, she finds a small stack of books and writings from her homeland she recognizes from among her wedding gifts.]

[Daenerys frowns as she steps away, realizing there is nothing more for her.]

This... This is it? [she says quietly to herself.]

[She dared not hope that her children would be here with her, but she'd hoped at the very least something more than symbols and words, but it's all she had. Her grip tightens slightly as she tries not to feel envy or frustration. It feels as though magic has betrayed her once more.]

b. caravan
[Daenerys smiles as the horse nudges her hand with its muzzle. Truthfully, she does not feel much like smiling after hearing the explanation that each of them has been touched with magic more than just collecting their belongings or even just arriving in this place. But she's determined to take the simple pleasure of admiring this beast and let the matter of magic settle in her mind at another time.]

[Daenerys glances over, seeing another nearby looking at the horse. She isn't sure if the other is skittish about the horse or the situation, but it seems they have just as much on their mind as anyone else.]

She's gentle, [she says by way of reassuring. Just in case the anxiety is about the horse after all.] Unless you are made of grass, I think you shall be okay to pet her.

BULLHEADED APPROACH

c. stone's throw
Help me with this!

[Dany has been trying to dig this person out for what feels like something trying to eke its way into forever. (She can only imagine it's worse for the person trapped. It probably feels impossible to them that she will ever free them completely.) The rubble is heavy and difficult to move. She can't lift any of it, relying purely on sliding and rolling what she can off. But now Dany has found a piece that's too heavy for her to do even that. Not that it's stopped her from trying. She grunts with the effort in trying to get the broken piece of stone to move, but she has no luck.]

[Thus, the barked command to help her with moving it. It's possible that even two people cannot move it, but she has to try. She just has to try.]

d. gross
[She's trying hard not to open her mouth. Dany's jaw is tight and she tries to get by with gestures and nods because speaking seems to only make the smell worse somehow. And it already inspires a very strong nausea that Daenerys doesn't think she's ever experienced before without being made worse.]

[To say she's starting to have some regrets about coming here is perhaps an understatement.]

[But she could not leave things be in the lowertown. If she and others didn't step in, it would continue to be uninhabitable. Setting down the satchel she brought to bring the necessary supplies, she passes along the candles to her partner silently. Her expression seems to be set in a permanent grimace at the odor around them.]

((feel free to riff off any of these prompts or wildcard it up if you've got other thoughts. if you need/want to run something by me, hmu either via PM or on plurk [rebreather]!))

c. stone's throw

[loyalbreed]

[ Lofty locks of blond upon his head, bounce as he moves with quickness upon him. He had passed by after losing hand of his sister when they both separated. The reunion not so sweet seeing as the circumstances were at hand. The womans voice moves him, reminding him well of his rank as a Knight. Reminding him well as his orders from Queen Guinevere himself: When a woman is in need of your help, you will abide by her wish. So here he hails, with no question or means to defy her. Hands move with ease, taking each rock and casting it aside as if it were nothing. ]

Mi'lady if it is too much for thy body, step aside give me air. I will have them freed in a moments time.

[munazaldrizesse]

[Daenerys hesitates to move out of the way as there is a moment she must wrestle with her pride versus what may be best for the victim of this minotaur's attack. It's more difficult than she would like to admit, but she despises this feeling of helplessness to such a degree that it is difficult for her to rise back to her feet and take a step back. But she takes her hands out of the way first and then moves back to let him work at a much faster pace than if she remained so close, pushing the rocks about. Her fingers curl into the fabric of her dress for a moment before relaxing.]

You have my thanks, Ser.

[loyalbreed]

[ It takes him a moment but he manages to see a hand, and concerned he looks over to the woman. Collecting herself away, conscious that the being here needs help. However, also that the woman needs to do something. Gawain calls for her. ]

Please find one of the healing mages, have them come over here. I will uncover the rest by the time you both come upon here.

[ The Knight states, and he continues with working the rocks off the person very carefully so as to not let them fall more upon them. ]

[munazaldrizesse]

I shall be quick, [Dany promises with a nod.]

[Whether it is because he asked rather than commanded, or simply just her firm dedication to the victim's well-being, her pride is not an issue this time. She is not insulted, nor does she concern herself too much with the use of magic in this instance. Daenerys turns quickly and sets off at a fast pace to try and locate someone with healing magic as quickly as possible.]

[She's gone for a few frustrating minutes. Or, at least, they are frustrating to her. The chaos this minotaur has thrown the city into has everyone pulled in so many different directions. Some wish to fight. Others are trying to pull themselves and others out of the rubble. And some seek to flee further into the city where they hope the minotaur might not be able to reach.]

[Some are brave. Most everyone is afraid. Daenerys wishes she could offer them the reassurances she once offered the enslaved peoples of Astapor, Yunkai, and Meereen, to embolden them. Her heart burns for her to unite them and push back the minotaur, but she recognizes it as an impossibility for her right now. She is little more than a young woman at best to people here, perhaps a foolish girl at worst. She is not their mother. They have little reason to believe her or to unite behind her.]

[Which is why she runs into some resistance from the first mage she finds. He says that he cannot be of assistance because he is already too busy treating so many. Daenerys does not plead with him and it does not help her cause any. However, a student of this mage steps forward. A shy, timid thing who seems petrified from all the noise and chaos, but one that Dany decides quickly shall do.]

Come, [she says to the other young woman,] I do not know the extent of their injuries, but they may yet be freed from the rubble by now.

[Daenerys leads her back as quickly as she can.]

[loyalbreed]

[ He is gladden to see her respond thusly, more gladden to know she is not a woman to falter before grimace around her. It is clear to him, she is no simple maiden whom hath not seen the horrors of war or death about her. Unaware of who she were, or the depth of this meaning. He takes it into account, having faith and assurance she would do promptly as he asked. Giving him full attention to the matter at hand.

It takes him about 20 minutes or so, each rock is tossed aside and he is calculative over what is done. However during this time his mind is full of remembrance due to the cries and efforts of those all around him. Memories that plaster his conscious. The rubble of rocks upon deaden bodies, people screams all around him - all the while he stood there unhelping. Relentless, staring down at the bodies of the dead. Uncaring, and unprovoked he stared upon countless dead people.

There once upon a singularity in Camelot from his past - much like this world they were in. An alternate Camelot. He had sufficed to say, committed genocide for the sake of his King. Yet here he was, in another false Camelot attempting to salvage lives he were ordered more or less to save. There was something ironic to be had of this moment, and he is wrought with thought. Despite the fact that these memories, should hold no meaning to his actions herein. Despite the fact that, he once a Servant of Chaldea. Once a Servant to his King. Once a servant to another King - were now once again.

A servant to what?

'Thank you...' The voice clamors softly, it is a woman he sees. The rubble is gone but her arms are broken and her face is wrought with so much blood. She certainly cannot see anything. There is a stare he gives, and leaning down he tells to her that help is on the way. Comforts her softly with his gentle voice, but he knows she will potentially not make it. Gawain does not move her, less he buries her in more pain.

After a moment - he is thankful though, the sounds of foot steps have come and he sees the woman from before along with another. ]

Please attend to her, I am uncertain that she will make it.

D. Gross

[patchricide]

It smells utterly rank, doesn't it?

[As disgusted as she is by the scenario, there's a greater disgust that's overshadowing Allura's perception of it: Disgust in herself.]

[Wasn't it two months ago that she had seen a magical face mask for sale at the traders'? She could have bought it. If it could help filter dusts from the air, it may very well have helped with this smell as well. And yet she had passed it up at the time, thinking that it didn't seem to be worth the cost.]

[Thus, here she is, toughing it out the hard way so that she might still lend her aid.]

Are you holding up all right? I might be able to help you handle the smell, if it's too much... but it would require some hypnosis. [If only she could cast it on herself!]

[munazaldrizesse]

[Dany is quick to answer, shaking her head.]

No, [she says.] that's alright.

[Even if the odor is overwhelming at times, she'd rather suffer the smell than have any magic worked upon her. It's only delaying the inevitable, she knows. Especially when one takes into account that she is here to do a spell herself. At some point, some spell will need to be cast upon her and she shall not have any say. But so long as it remains in her control, she'd rather not.]

[It was a bit of a curt response though, driven both by her opposition of having any spells cast upon her and not wanting to speak too much while it was still this strong. Daenerys tries to remedy that by continuing,]

Though I do not believe I shall forget the smell anytime soon.

[patchricide]

[Actually, Allura seems oddly understanding of the other woman's refusal, curt or not. When she responds, it's not brushed over — but her tone isn't one that tries to push or coerce.]

Well, the offer remains open if you should change your mind. I'm not certain if there's any cognitive spells that can remove existing memories &mdah; and if there are, I'm certainly not at the point where I could use them. The most I could do is try to alter your perception of the present.

[And she leaves it there. After all, she had cautioned that it would be through hypnosis, hadn't she? This isn't the first time that someone has seemed very uncomfortable with the thought of cognitive magic interfering with their mind.]

Let's try to get through this quickly, then. So that we might stand a chance of clearing it from our minds. ... and our clothes. [There's a brief look of dread on Allura's face as she considers it. Does she even know how to wash this kind of smell out? She's barely learned how to wash them for herself...]

[That can be tomorrow Allura's problem. They have some setting up to do.]

[munazaldrizesse]

[She offers a slight smile at the gentle offer, appreciative that she does not push for Dany to say yes. It speaks of the good nature of her intentions, hence why Daenerys can be appreciative of the offer despite her answer remaining the same.]

[As for the concern for clothes?]

[...Well, she had not really considered that the fabrics of their clothes would absorb this smell so fiercely as to require intervention beyond usual washing. But now that it's been said, Daenerys is uncertain why that never occurred to her. She pauses just a moment before shaking her head a little. Best not to dwell on it and allow that to similarly allow it to be a tomorrow problem. Though in Daenerys' case, she may not launder the clothes so much as burn them and see about replacing the garments.]

Get the candles in place, and I shall divide the powder so we have even amounts.

[Then hopefully they will see some improvement to the air quality here soon.]

[patchricide]

[She has a similar thought, and smiles.] Right. The ritual didn't specify when they needed to be lit, did it?

[Because if not, she'll absolutely get a few of those flames ready. And hey, don't these candles sometimes have wonderful scents? Her first step into a candle store had been drawn by the smell of flowers and fruit, so enticingly fragrant that she had thought it would be selling juices or candy.]

[But if these have any fragrance, it's utterly drowned out in the stench. She does try anyway, giving it a curious sniff, but not even the smell of the wax makes it through.]

[So, she wastes no more time in getting them positioned correctly, moving quickly but taking extra time to ensure accuracy. It might delay them a moment, but if it helps them get it right the first time, it'll be time well spent.]

[munazaldrizesse]

[Dany takes a brief moment to recall the instructions before answering because she wants to be certain she has it right. She wants the spell to be perfect not only because of just how overwhelmingly terrible the smell is at present, but because Daenerys knows she has a chance to help as a queen ought to help. Because that is what she is. Even without her people or lands.]

[As she takes that moment to think, she remembers the emphasis on their synchronicity. While it did not need to be inhumanly perfect reflections, they could not afford to be so much as a syllable off in their words and their movements truly needed to feel as though they were together. Her attention having been drawn so much in that particular aspect of instruction made her pay even more keen attention to the steps than she would have before.]

[Daenerys shakes her head slightly no. She resumes carefully splitting the powder.]

No, I do not recall lighting the candles as part of it. Only drawing the circle, the chant, and blowing the powder.

c

[shiliu]

[ His intent had been to race off in search of who or whatever is perpetrating these attacks, but the cry for help makes him hesitate. He turns. Its source is a lone woman, trying to push an enormous boulder out of the way.

Certainly, there must be someone trapped beneath.

He goes to her side immediately, using his strength and his kinetic magic to lift it. Despite his best efforts, however, he's only able to raise it up about a foot or so. Muscles straining and trembling, he shouts a command back at her: ]

Bring me something to wedge this, a smaller rock!

[munazaldrizesse]

[As much as Daenerys remains wary of the magic of this place, she is grateful for it now. No doubt that even between the two of them without the kinetic magic doing its work, the boulder would have remained exactly where it was.]

[There's no hesitation when he asks her to seek out another rock, the only acknowledgment of his request coming from her turning away to survey her options rather than offering him words or even a nod. She needs something that she can move on her own, but also something that should prove sturdy beneath the weight of the boulder. It narrows the options down tremendously, and she takes a few steps away to fetch the nearest one that seems to fit the bill. Despite knowing that she is likely going to feel it in the morning, she heaves the rock up off the ground and into her arms as quickly as she can to bring it to him.]

[shiliu]

[ The boulder starts to tremble in earnest, it’s really beyond his capacity to lift. He hangs on by sheer force of will, wishing (not for the first time) that he had a source of ziliujin to power his armor. His magic is strong, but it also drains him. Fortunately she manages to slide her smaller rock in place before his strength gives way.

Even so, there’s an ominous lack of response from the trapped person, even though the weight from them has been removed. ]

Can you…

[ He doesn’t have the breath to finish that sentence, instead gesturing weakly. She’s going to have to slip beneath and check on that person, otherwise he’s going to need a few moments to recover. ]

[munazaldrizesse]

[Now that is something Daenerys is a little more uncertain about. Even if she's not likely to find herself similarly pressed beneath the weight of rubble as this poor soul before them had, it's still claustrophobic beneath there. And there is still the chance that she could become stuck even if not crushed.]

[She looks to her companion as though she misunderstood him. But there really isn't much room for misunderstanding and so, she does not look to him for long before returning her gaze to the rubble once more. Asking her to walk into a raging inferno would be easier than asking her to do this. But they need to see who is trapped under there and if they are even conscious or alive.]

I can try.

[She pauses just long enough to take a breath and steel herself before beginning to slip in through the gap created by the boulder's removal. Daenerys takes it slow going in, some of which is driven by caution and some by anxiety. She's certain before proceeding too far that her movements are not going to disturb the rubble in such a way that more should fall. Once she sees the person trapped beneath, she sees their eyes are closed and they're sporting a nasty gash on their head. It's difficult to tell if consciousness is all they lack or if that blow had been enough to... ]

They were struck in the head!

[shiliu]

[ With more than half his life spent on the battlefield, the types of women Gu Yun encounters most often are mainly martial artists and physicians. In this disaster, he'd asked her to do this because she was the best person for the task: smaller than him, and thus more likely to fit in a cramped space. Also, out here, he's in the best position to hold the rubble if it starts to shift. ]

Get out of there!

[ The time she's spent finding the victim has been just enough for him to recover a little of his energy, so his voice has more strength. He doesn't ask her to check if the person is still breathing. This is another unfortunate reality of a battlefield: triage. Save those who can be saved, come back for the bodies of those who cannot. Someone with a blow to the head from falling masonry is unlikely to survive.

Another rock comes sailing past, striking a nearby building. The ground trembles. ]

b.

[gynvael]

[ His desire to witness the actual arrivals has him returning to the lake. First time he fell in, he'd felt far too shit to examine much in detail. Now that his wounds have healed, he wants to know what he can learn, if anything.

He lingers near the caravans, the same ones that picked him up last month. He counts a handful of new faces so far, watching them mill about the horses and carriages.

Geralt is, in fact, scrutinizing the mare with furrowed brows when the woman speaks to him: because she's not the only one talking. The horse is, too. Somehow. It isn't truly speech, but he's aware, on an instinctual level, that he understands it in a way he's not supposed to. Not even for someone who's spent as much time with horses as he has. It's uncomfortable.

He finally turns his attention to her. ]

Haven't turned myself into grass yet. Fortunately.

[ He pets the horse's nose, unwilling to explain why he'd hesitated. His tone suggests he's as wary of the magic granted to all of them as she is, though. ]

[munazaldrizesse]

[Daenerys has seen all sorts as she's traveled throughout Essos, but this man's appearance still is quite striking to her. From the contrast between his hair to his youthful features to the bold color of his eyes, Dany has never seen someone quite like him. But she knows better than to stare and does not allow her gaze to linger for too, too long before she speaks again.]

[There is a touch of relief in her expression to hear his tone, too. While everyone seems to be reeling from these changes, none seem quite as wary as herself. Even if she still trusts her own judgment on the matter, it is still very isolating in its own way.]

Yet? [she says, patting the mare's neck.] You still leave it as a possibility?

[gynvael]

[ If he notices her gaze lingering on him a few seconds too long, he neither comments nor blinks. As far as reactions towards him go, it's mild.

He lowers his hand. Both her clothes and accent isn't near as foreign as some folks here, which draws his attention. A little familiarity after all the strangeness is nice. ]

I'm open minded. [ He leans back against one of the carriages before offering a less dry response. ] A world entirely populated with mages seems less than usual.

[ It's less that the magic itself is suspicious than that it's been given to everyone, including him. He's not meant to be a mage. He hasn't shied away from learning—he knows better than to ignore it—but it isn't natural, not to him. It's far beyond the simple signs he normally uses. Combined with the loss of his senses, it's hard not to feel as if he'd been remade into something he never asked to be all over again. ]

[munazaldrizesse]

[The amused smile that appears in her eyes at his first remark does not quite make it to her lips, kept away by his sobering second.]

I do feel as though I have been dropped into a nursery story.

[Although she has not yet determined which sort of nursery story it will end up being. It could be one where unlike most things in life, and whatever villains present are meant with just ends while the heroes fade into the happy lives they fought so hard for. But it could also be like those meant to scare and frighten children into good behavior. Where the lessons are harsh and cruel for all involved, and no amount of goodness outweighs the mistake or poor decisions. Despite feeling as though she'd already learned the lesson of magic after it stole so much from her, Daenerys holds a small amount of fear in her heart that it shall be this way again.]

[She hesitates a moment before asking,]

...Have you experience with magic?

[gynvael]

[ Yeah, he gets that sense, too. It's like entering a sorcerer's illusion, one that never seems to fade. Might not be far off the mark. There's obviously some kind of power holding this world in place. ]

Using it? On occasion. [ He studies her, trying to read her wariness. ] I leave the spellcasting to others.

[ He's certainly used to being around it, though. It hums in the air with Yennefer, constantly—though she's a thought he tries to put out of his mind. It's been a awhile. There's no point in dwelling. ]

You?

caravan!

[moonspiracy]

[Even though Cassius doesn't mind to dip his toe into all things illogical from time to time, he fails to see what is logical about him using any sort of magic. He is a soldier and as far as he knows there's no proof that his body is able to generate magic and use it as such.

The look on his face might be quite calm, on the inside his mind is absolutely boggled. At this point he is gazing at the large creature, a horse, he knows and it seems the woman fussing over the animal has noticed him gazing.]

Hm.

[Cassius steps a little closer.]

There is no evidence of its kindess, nor am I made of grass. [Despite that, the urge to pet is there.] Yet, to touch the animal might provide the evidence needed. [But there are risks involved because yes, this moondweller is definitely analyzing the pros en cons of petting a horse. Very relevant.]

Hmm.

[Yes, he's doing it, he's putting his hand on the animal's nose.]

[munazaldrizesse]

[Daenerys tips her head slightly during his approach of the mare. She has no idea that he has never come across a beast such as this before, but to possess skepticism about them strikes her as odd all the same. In her world, one could spend their entire life behind city walls with little to one's name, horses were still an inevitable part of life. But once also taking in the fineness of his clothes and armor, too, it seems even more unusual that he should not have familiarity with conducting himself around a horse. He appears highborn to her, which means he should have received instruction on riding at some point in his youth regardless of his preference for or against it.]

[The mare, however, is less intrigued by this. She accepts the hand on her nose without fuss, remaining still even as Daenerys strokes her neck.]

...Do you not ride, Ser?

[moonspiracy]

[Cassius pets the horse slowly. The woman has been right, it is a rather gentle animal.]

I have no reason to ride anything at this moment. My legs suffice.

[He gazes at her for a few seconds.]

Do you?