TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 8

[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 ⚔️️ SUMMARY: 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. 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. (Though.. given how hot and muggy the weather is this first week, maybe you might want to ask him to toss you right back into the lake where the waters are still cool.) *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 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. SUMMARY: Merlin has a Plan B in case Camelot failed the trials: raise a sunken ship and offer it to the Elphame Traders on their way out in exchange for permission to travel their waters. Characters prepare for ritual magic to raise a sunken ship and travel underwater at the empty Camelot docks to gather ritual ingredients for it. After they've done all they can, Merlin sets up a little beach party with a bit of master magic for anyone who came along for the trip. After arriving, people may have heard about recent events-- the people of Camelot voted against war and to instead accept the trials of the people of Celliwig. The trials are now concluded, and a good number of people are emotionally exhausted and taking time to recover. Word from Celliwig has not yet arrived, but across multiple social media platforms, including AOL, there are clips of Merlin's cryptic addendum to Arthur's announcement along with notes that the meeting date was delayed a couple of days due to the awful weather and a need to rest after how bleak the trials were to some people. With people down and out, it won't hurt to have the new arrivals pitch in and learn a thing or two. "Lucky me, we've got a decent group. Celliwig's out of our hands now, but what isn't is a back-up plan. Vote was close enough I figured we'd have enough people to get a head start. Celliwig is closer and much less dangerous to deal with, we'd be able to communicate much faster with the faeries' queendom. They're not big on internet. Big followers of the Old Ways. T-L-D-R, we can't just text the queen and ask if drop-bys are on the table. We'd never make it past the leviathans without permission, so here's the plan: There is a... fixer-upper of a vessel sunken about a hundred yards from shore tossed out from Bermuda. We tried to build docks here forever ago, but you can guess the Bermuda triangle spitting out stuff in the lake all the time didn't go great. We just keep it up for visitors now, but there's plenty to explore in the immediate area that we can magic back into business." A ⦿ Shipwreckers He goes on to explain that the fairies value items that were once lost and refound, so step one is exploring the shipwreck with fellow magic users to find what amounts to a scavenger hunt list of items from the ship. He sets everyone off with a quick spell that essentially transforms their clothing into swimsuits that best fit their preferences and personality-- that means no one's going to get a swimsuit that makes them horribly uncomfortable, he's not harassing anyone. After that, magicians will be directed to use their magic to get down to the ship. It's not as convenient as underwater breathing and not as easily sustainable, but there's definitely different ways to go about it. Light magic users will find they can create a forcefield above the surface of the water and go under the water, though they may run out of oxygen quickly. Elemental users can find they can create a similar bubble by pushing water out of the way, though may run into the same diminishing air without a more advanced elemental user already in the game who can pull oxygen out of the water or an alchemist who can create chemical reactions to generate oxygen. Animal mages may be able to convince local lake life to help push bubbles along, and healers will be instrumental in healing oxygen deprivation if anyone stays under too long! (Note: If two characters can't create a bubble, you can put in a third NPC to do the bubble while your characters handle other roles during the search.) No matter what, make sure you bring someone who can watch your back. Rumors have it that the Fuath are harassing anything that comes near the area. Fuath are intangible spirits that may present as giant humanoids at about 8-9 feet each, but with the mane and tail of a yellow horse, with no noses and keen eyes. They hold grudges against anyone who takes advantage of their surroundings, even if not their own, and will come to attempt to throw those who try to take from the ships and flying through the air to land somewhere else in the water. Be very cautious about using names around the Fuath, as though they do not speak in human tongue, they have a particular ability to draw people and animals in using names that makes them very difficult to escape once you've been found. They've been known to turn familiars against their partners. They can be deterred, dissipated through attack to buy you time, but they'll keep coming so get in and out of the ship as fast as you can and definitely stick to more combat-heavy magics like dark and cognitive mages! *Note: These magics are all examples of ways to use primary magic, but feel free to get creative with your character's magic if you think of something else! B ⦿ Hoist the Flags Once all the ingredients are gathered, the ritual is underway! With the mementos from the ship, swim to a protective circle formed at the top of the water by Merlin that will keep the Fuath out. There, you need to take whatever item you gathered from the ship and try to find someone with a similar item. This "sister" item will allow you to pull the essence of the item up from the ship. It takes a load of people to raise a whole ship, but pouring your magic into the item and chanting the spell will cause the ship to resurface and restore itself to its original state before the crash, using residual memories from all the different items on the ship. Of course, finding a partner with a matching item while swimming around could be a challenge, especially if you don't get along-- it may take a while for everyone to get on the same page. It certainly won't clean up all the algae and kelp and wayward flopping fish, it brings the ship back to a livable state.. and a much cooler, more explorable one. Get a quick exploration of the ship and help clean up some of the lake slime before Merlin flags over the traders. Or goof around until then, and learn a sick free spell called (Recipe) Cool Firework: create a rocket firework from your fingertips. Make sure you're aiming it into the sky when you cast this spell, or Merlin will set off a Camelot totem right beneath your feet. No sinking the ship when they just got it up. The fireworks will attract the Elphame Traders, who are leaving the day after they close up shop to head back to Elphame, before the set out to leave. Merlin negotiates offering the ship to them as an offering for Queen Elphame to give them permission to travel in the Elphame territory. At that point, the ship is pulled into the docks and Camelot citizens are ushered out for the fae traders to take over the ship. C ⦿ Beach Episode Once everything's said and done it.. really only took a couple of hours, so the whole group is done around 4pm. There's plenty of time left for dinner and a good time at the beach a short walk away from the docks and the sun doesn't go down until around 9pm. Before Merlin leaves everyone to themselves, he conjures up a buffet-style table with loads of fresh food and drink, watermelons and bats for smashing. The swimsuits provided earlier wear off at midnight, though you'll probably want to leave before then since it still gets chilly in the evening, especially if you're all wet from playing with the chest full of waterguns or the beach balls distributed around the beach. The docks are nearby, so feel free to call your friends over to come hang out with you, even if they didn't help. It's a beach party, enjoy it! SUMMARY: Unseelie faeries and unseemly humans have teamed up to kidnap a small number of otherworlders in the chaos of the trials to fight in an underground fight ring. Play as a victim or be part of the squad to put an end to it if you're more good-leaning, or villains can choose to participate as audience and pay for "gifts" to be given to their favorite fighters during matches. CW: These prompts contain kidnapping, illegal and forced fighting, and inhumane treatment of fighters. Just because people are tired doesn't mean that the world stops for them... crime certainly doesn't. Throughout the start of the month, people are going missing. Exactly what's happening.. well, finding the truth out about that is going to depend on your perspective. A ⦿ Cursed Kidnapees Kidnapping victims will find themselves suddenly blinded by a spell, and then chloroformed by a floating cloth pressed against their face. (Smart kidnappers don't touch their victims if they have magic, you know!) When they wake up, they'll find themselves in a dungeon with at least a dozen other people. There's definitely not room to lay down, and sitting down as you had been propped up immediately starts you with a potentially uncomfortable view. Don't worry, someone's peeks in from a window at the top of the room-- an extremely handsome-looking man with long, wavy hair and pupils slitted like a cat's. "Let's see.. You two, you'll be the first fight of the night. Winner gets dinner, gyahaha!" It's a fighting ring. You've been kidnapped into a fighting ring and there's no obvious escape! Fight against fellow captives and monsters for your dinner and to buy time to figure out what you're going to do... At least you start hand to hand, so there's nothing lethal... right? (See Audience for more details.) B ⦿ Audacious Audience Maybe you're a less scrupulous sort and saw an invitation to this event hidden on the dark web, or got invited by a particularly sketchy friend. Either way, you've got cage-side seats close enough to chat with either fellow audience members or interact with the cage fighters. As a bonus point, audience members can spend some of their G on betting or on purchasing "boons" for their favorite fighters, such as weapons or enhancement spells. They can also bid against other audience members for special sabotages that make it harder to fight-- foot weights, strange masks, roller skates, hinderance hexes.. get creative with it! It's the biggest fight show that you can interact with your wallet... newbies may find it's a very lucrative way to make a pretty penny very fast. (As always, remember to communicate with anyone you're helping/sabotaging so you don't go past anyone's OOC comfort level.) C ⦿ Roaring Rescuers Thankfully, the fae who want nothing more than to sow discord and the greedy humans who joined in their venture are a bit disorganized. Even the beginning-level heroes among us will be able to track them down and topple them with a little bar hopping to gather information from the locals. Eventually, one of them will give up having overheard some "scary looking fellows" talking about which of the patrons of the bar looked like they'd be good in a fight before getting extra hush-hush. Follow all the leads, and you'll find yourself at an outlying, smaller-scale castle with a dungeon tower and an underground fighting ring built beneath its floors. Sneak in and unlock individual fighter dungeon doors while the fights are providing a wealth of distraction. Maybe you'll find a grateful Fogueria who casts a temporary fire-immunity spell on you to allow you to do ride them into battle to bust up the fight going on right now. There's definitely gratitude going on, regardless of moral compass, and you may find gifts of food and drink (non-alcoholic if you're not old enough) placed at your door over the next week for your deeds. 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. • We are testing out formats for key points displays, to be voted on for player preference based on what seems to work best for the most people. The other options were used here (end of post summary format) and here (start of post preview format). The format featured on this post is the last option, which will provide small summaries under the banner of each prompt set. A poll will be put up before the next event to see which format will be used going forward, so please keep in the back of your mind which seems most comfortable/makes the content more easily accessible. •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

[starshower]

[Tifa gives the ball a decent serve back into the water, and she returns the players' gratitude with a wave before turning to the man who's just joined her. The dolphin is long gone by now, probably swimming to go bother some other innocent divers, but she pays it no mind. From the sounds of it, their familiars are more than capable of taking care of themselves in their absence.

She wipes the sand from her hands, brushing them against her pristine white sarong and lets them rest on her hips.]

Not that.

[She can be social when she wants to be, but... something about it doesn't feel right to her. She looks sociable enough, with her smile.]

Just a lot to take in, you know? [In more ways than one. She sets her gaze out to the horizon.] Haven't seen the beach in a long time. Wanted to stop and admire it.

[theleadingman]

Mm— I can hardly disagree with you there.

[His eyelids lower a moment as he dips his head in assent, then turns his gaze out towards the water. He's had a small handful of months to try and adjust to the way things operate here, himself, but even so, it still feels foreign. He doesn't know that it will ever feel like a place he belongs, not with everything he had left behind— the same as so many others.]

Lovely though the scenery here may be, it isn't quite enough to offset all that you've suddenly been asked to accept, I would imagine.

[It had been the same for him— continued to be, in many ways.]

Certainly a view worth admiring, however. I haven't had occasion to visit such a place for some time, myself, at least not with the intent of relaxation.

[starshower]

Seems like that's all they want us to do now.

[The food, the games, the beach and nice weather. It almost feels too good to be true, but he speaks the words that she'd been thinking. Nothing is ever too good to be true, and it's usually a front for something else. Or maybe that's just her more pragmatic side screaming at her not to trust what she sees, especially after everything she's already seen.

She's sure not to get too comfortable enjoying it. Not until she can confirm her suspicions are wrong.]

Never been world hopping before, but it's kinda funny to think about... how we can all still find so much in common between them. [Like being able to enjoy the way the sun is starting to throw shades of violet and orange into a pristine blue sky.] Have you had the chance to relax a little bit around here?

[theleadingman]

[He lets out a low chuckle, his chin dipping momentarily as he shakes his head, though his gaze remains on the water.]

Not as such, no, though some of that may be my own doing. I've never cared much for idleness.

[Even if what he likes to keep busy doing is, quite frequently, only in his own interest— or it used to be. That's not quite the default anymore, but it's been easy enough to fall back into old habits here, especially without any of his companions present.]

If you're the sort that likes to keep yourself occupied, you'll do well enough, and you may well find there are more common points between worlds than you yet realized.

[starshower]

Good to know.

[Tifa is that sort of person, and she knows it. If it weren't for the others in Avalanche trying to take care of her all the time, she might have worked herself to exhaustion most days. Even so, it helps when she starts getting too far into her own head.

She dips her toes into the water as another wave laps in.]

What kinds of things? Nothing as simple as beaches and skies? Or else you wouldn't be bringing it up.

[theleadingman]

Well, those, of course, and we can't forget trees or mountains— terribly common, all of them.

[His smile pulls to one side, his words laced with a playful sarcasm, though he sets that aside before offering what follows.]

Points of connection will certainly vary, but many worlds seem to share races or certain flavors of magic. There is even another that claims to have some version of a country reminiscent of my own origin, name and all, though their history is just different enough that I am certain they are not the same. It makes one wonder how many parallels may truly exist.

[starshower]

Could've fooled me. On the trees and mountains, I mean.

[Tifa laughs, although she can feel a weight tightening in her chest.

Something about different versions of different worlds... Here come the theories again, racing through her head uninvited. Parallels... All that. It's something she's wondered about since she arrived. Something she's afraid they've had something to do with in defeating the Whispers. It's unsettling, but she's been able to ignore it so far.]

Wasn't expecting to hear a world existing in a whole other one, though. That must've been some conversation. Makes me wonder if anyone's heard of mine, but I doubt it.

[She lets her head hang, staring at her feet under the water. She doesn't want to talk about it, so she's quick to move on.]

Anyway. Guess I've still got a lot to learn, but a name sounds like a good place to start.

[His name, she means, and she makes as much known by peering up at him through her lashes with a pointed smile.]

[theleadingman]

I suppose at this juncture, anything is possible. I would not have thought for anyone from a world not my own to have any familiarity with Ivalice, and yet more then one individual has spoken to me about both Ivalice and the fall of Dalmasca, places that resemble those I know, but aren't quite identical.

[Then, of course, there's the matter of moogles and viera, with the former being wildly different— Lulu and Mogsby had only borne the barest resemblance to one another— and the latter nearly the same, Green Word and all. He's spent more than his fair share of nights thinking about the possibilities. He has notes.

His gaze quickly moves from the horizon to study her as she drops her chin. The temptation to ask about her world is there, naturally, but he quickly thinks better of it. He can recognize when someone doesn't want to discuss something, knowing that feeling full well himself.]

Balthier. [He bends at the waist to offer her a bit of a bow as he turns to face her, returning her smile in kind.] May I venture to ask yours, then?

[starshower]

[Her eyes round out with surprise when he introduces himself with a bow, and her more playful side can't help but return the gesture with a bow of her head.]

Tifa.

[Even more playful than her is her familiar, who appears from the shallow water in a splash between the two of them, showing herself off in a spin and chirp before diving back in and spraying the two of them in the process. She hardly has time to shield her face, but it wouldn't have done much to help her anyway, because her front is soaked from head to toe.

She'd be frustrated about having just been able to dry off if it weren't for the creature always trying to boost her mood. It's as if she can sense when she's getting too lost.]

Sorry... [She says to Balthier through a laugh.] She loves the attention...!

[theleadingman]

[Though he quickly throws an arm up to defend himself from the incoming spray, it does little to actually block any of the water heading their way— though fortunately, after a moment of surprise, he does laugh. It's a warm, rich sound, and he reaches up to card his fingers through his hair to flick some of the water out of it, shaking his head to rid himself of any excess.]

The playful sort, I see. No harm done— unlike my unceremonious arrival in this place, at least this time I'm dressed for it.

[Swimwear is made to get wet, and the rest of him is... well. It's just skin.]

Nearly ruined a perfectly good vest on that first day. Had to pay far too much for a proper cleaning.

[starshower]

Ahhh. Got dumped into the lake, too? Heard that was how everyone was getting here.

[Tifa reaches a hand out for the dolphin to boop its nose against, and it breaks just far enough through the shallow water to do so before swimming away again, far out into the deeper ocean to do whatever it is dolphins do.]

Were there at least any swimming friends to help you out?

[She lucked out in that the dolphin was there waiting for her. She thought it was just another one in the [wild, but she'd followed Tifa home... somehow.]

[theleadingman]

Not quite as helpful as I imagine yours might have been, but I certainly managed.

[Her dolphin seems a fair bit more personable than those... mossatees, or whatever it was they were called. He and Lightning had both struggled a bit thanks to their over-enthusiasm, though the animals certainly meant well.]

It would have been nice if the moogles waiting on the shore had been of assistance before I'd reached the sand, no lasting harm was done, despite all efforts. It sounds as though they've refined the process with regards to gathering people's personal effects; perhaps they'll be able to improve the method of arrival itself before too long, even if it's too late to help us.