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

[replican]

[ Words are something they can worry about later, once they're out of this place — and to be sure, Nier has plenty of questions of his own — but though his friend has been dragged in here like him, he appears to be well and unharmed, which is what is most important of all.

He offers a genuine smile of his own in return, and while Emil won't be able to see it, he'll be able to hear it in Nier's words. ]

Right! I'm on it!

[ Really, with the two of them working together, what do they have to fear?

One of his hands settles on Emil's back, both as a sign of reassurance, and as a gentle direction. Nier probably shouldn't have...ditched his weapon so quickly, when they'll inevitably need to fight their way out of here, but he's scarcely made it a few steps before the warden starts forward, a sneer on his face.

"So, feelin' chummy, are you? That's alright. We've got ways of makin' you fight."

The warden waves his hand, and behind them, a gate starts to creak open, the sound of something formidable coming form inside. ]

[inlutilis]

[ The weight of Nier's broad hand on his back bids Emil to straighten his spine, like he's poured a trickle of courage into him with a single gesture. There are plenty of questions to ask, and other speculations that Emil doesn't dare to, like whether and until how long from now will they be able to return to the people they love and free them — Kainé's stone prison, Yonah's capture — but for now, it's heartening to be by his side.

He stiffens up as he hears the warden's heavy steps, makes a soft noise of alarm at the threatening sounds on the other side of the rusty creaking of the gate. ]

I.... I have an idea!

[ Please never you mind that this very phrase often precedes a very bad idea, but this one will work out well, he hopes! Promise! Recalling the droning voice of the instructor at the training grounds earlier when he had grown frustrated by his lack of progress, Emil gestures, his fingertips tracing a circle straight ahead of him at eye level and closes his fist.

It wasn't that Emil was held back by being unable to see the instruction he was given. He has inside him the aptitude, a curse for a weapon. What they had done was terrible.... but they had only been trying their best against unfair odds. It was up to them now to make a blessing of a curse. The spark he needs is there, it only needs his intent to fuel it — Emil can still protect someone, he can do what he was made to do! ]

Please look away!

[ Since the flash of light when Emil opens his fist will be dazzling and brief, and may be enough to give them an edge against those whose eyes had been adapted to the dark beyond the gate. And the audience, but serves them right for enjoying this awful "show"! ]

[replican]

[ Still unused to the magic of this world, Nier isn't sure what to expect from Emil's outstretched fist, but he also trusts his friend implicitly, and so when the request is given, he doesn't hesitate to look away. From his peripheral vision, he can make out a great flash, and it's almost enough to pique his curiosity and glance over his shoulder, but he understands now what Emil's plan was. Those monsters have been waiting in the dark for who knows how long now — a little light will go a long way in buying them some time.

And so Nier doesn't waste it, deftly dashing to gather up his weapon from where he had dropped it, before wheeling around to face what has emerged from behind the gates. A few large, lumbering trolls are now reeling back, rubbing at their eyes, and while Nier might be missing Weiss' magic right now, an opening is an opening. He won't take it for granted. ]

On your right!

[ He calls out before he speeds past Emil, his great sword held in both hands at his side as he gains momentum, until he is close enough to arc it against the thick chests of the trolls, sending them tumbling backwards with bellows of pain. One is quick enough to react with its great club, swinging wildly in its blindness, but it's enough to force Nier back to Emil's side. ]

Light magic?

[ He can hazard a guess. ]

[inlutilis]

[ On Nier's warning, Emil tucks himself away to the left. He's already small, but he doesn't know the location and the noise of the crowd is disorienting. It's one thing if it's just the two of them clearing the old hallways, storage rooms, and research offices of Shades below the manor, he can't use his eyes to assist Nier without risking turning an innocent person to stone.

The best he can do, for now, is support him the best he can and avoid getting himself in harm's way. He flinches at the sound of hard metal slamming into the meat of something larger and bigger, the bellows are so much more different from the garbled chatter of Shades.

It's different without Weiss, without his magic and his often sharp tongue, but Nier is so strong and that's familiar enough. His heart trips a little when he returns and Emil nods quickly.

Pinwheeling an arm before he hurls a softly glowing ball of light towards the sound of a lumbering troll, he stumbles as he answers. ]

I don't really understand it either!

[ That ball of light does nothing but shine, but he's hoping the things attacking them don't know that, and all it's for is the chance at another opening. ]

[replican]

[ That makes two of them, then, but that's not really new for Nier. He doesn't know the ins and outs of magic here, and even with the Sealed Verses, he only understood how to use them, and less the why. But if it works, it works, and that's really all he cares about.

The troll, too, seem uncertain of the ball of light that Emil hurls at him, slowing his advance and bringing up an arm to shield his face from the brightness. It might not be petrification, but it's still enough to give Nier another shot at the monster. A swift takedown of their opponents might be enough to convince the warden they're too much trouble to keep imprisoned, but regardless of how they get out, Nier doesn't intend to stay here much longer.

Darting forward again, he swings his sword up and over his head, leaping with a heavy strike that hits the troll in the center of his chest, smashing right through his armor and slicing through skin and bone and dark blood. The creature howls, staggering backwards before it collapses onto the ground, and the crowd hollers in response.

Well, at least they're having a good time. ]

There's one more. Once it's down, we make a break for it.

[ His words are spoken to Emil, but whether or not the warden heard him, he doesn't care. They are getting out of here, no matter what. ]

[inlutilis]

[ That's not much more knowledge than Emil had, although he had the National Weapons Laboratory's records to go by. They were as blind as anyone else, all they had was money and the desperation to make it work somehow, seven candidates who were all too young to make it on their own, and a bunch of particles from another world to work with.

No one really knew what they were doing, except maybe Weiss. And even then.... ]

I'm sorry, I'd use my eyes, but—!

[ As if unwittingly reinforcing the implications of Emil's silence, the crowd roars with approval at the bloodshed. He doesn't think he'll ever understand why people could be so delighted to see others suffer, bleed, and die, but ruminating like that won't get them out of here any faster.

Even if it gets hard, his friends never dreamed of giving up, so he needs to try, too. For Kainé, locked in stone and waiting for him to have the power to set her free. Weiss, who might as well be petrified, lost to them in the same timeless stasis everyone else is in. ​]

You can beat it, Nier, I know you can! But I, I'm out of tricks it hasn't seen already! Except maybe—

[ It's evident that Emil tried something, because he gives his staff a small shake and there's a kind of crackle in the air, but nothing seems to happen except that lack of something seems to prompt a shake of his head. He just doesn't have the grasp of his magic yet! ]

It didn't work!

[replican]

[ The last thing Nier wants to do is put Emil in a situation where he feels like he has to use his eyes, and while the crowd gathered here might be a bunch of lowlifes, they don't deserve to be petrified just for being here. Even when Emil fails to produce magic, Nier is quick to shake his head and answer back. ]

It's okay! After fighting Shades, these things are nothing!

[ Sorry, trolls, but he's not impressed. Shades at least take a few more hits to knock down, and he's just getting started. The remaining troll at last makes the connection that his main opponent is protecting the other, and makes a lunge for Emil, but Nier is too quick, slash at its side beneath its thick arm.

The troll howls, and while it's not quite defeated, it falls to one knee and grasps at its bleeding side, affording Nier the chance to double back to Emil and grab for his shoulder, urging him to follow. ]

Come on, we're getting out of here!