Test Drive #3

[felldenmods]

Welcome to the November test drive! We're so excited to have you with us.

A few things of note:

✦ Test drive threads can be considered game-canon if you choose. They're essentially in a shared dreamscape and take place between your character leaving their world and arriving in the audience hall with their faction leader.
✦ Reserves will open at 12:01 AM UTC on December 1st, and continue to be until 11:59 PM UTC on December 7th. This is to reserve a character, not an application slot.
✦ Applications will open at 12:01 AM UTC on the 8th, and remain open until 11:59 PM UTC on the 15th, or until all application slots have been filled. Once Activity Check ends, we will have an application slot number available on the application page. The IC & OOC intro logs will be posted two days later.
✦ Questions? We have a FAQ that's chock full of good information! If they are test drive specific, we have a top level thread below that allows for OOC questions to be posted.
✦ The network is available to use! No matter where your character is, their compass arrived on their person. Please feel free to include a network post in your top-levels! Once opened, the compass will display instructions on use, such as using voice-commands to activate it. Usernames are your characters first name or their most common nickname.
✦ Below will be a header for OOC questions as well as a request for Fortuna if you risk having your fortune read in Kyst.
✦ Current players who participate in the test drive by tagging new players will be eligible for a secondary blessing in December.

All set? Perfect! Welcome to Fellden.

AS THE MOON RISES.♪ You’ll find yourself just outside the Temple doors, which will be locked if you try to open them. A little rude, keeping you out after bringing you all this way. The thing is, you can hear a lot of commotion in the distance, and smoke rising from the center of a district; you may want to check that out. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire! Except the smoke is not at all something to be concerned over. Instead, people are gathered near a large bonfire in the decorated city square, drinking and carousing, singing songs of celebration; Moon saviors have arrived! War winners! The residents of the city laugh and sing and dance in pairs throughout the square that's dusted with snow, grateful for those who have come to aid them. Their merriment doesn’t dwindle as the sun begins to set on the horizon, twin moons rising in its place. When you (and other new arrivals) are finally noticed by the revelers, do not expect to be left alone! Crowns and laurels of fir and juniper will be deposited upon your heads, seasonal fare of food and drink placed into your hands, while live musicians play loud enough for the dead to hear. You’ll be invited to dance, to drinking games, and offered food and flowers and other items of value. Some may cry when they look into your face, thanking you for becoming their champions during this long and exhaustive war. Hopefully you’re here to enjoy the festivities. Sneaking off is just fine, too, but don’t expect to be let go of quietly; the people of the Moon Temple are so happy to see you! Enjoy the celebration while it lasts long into the night. If you do manage to leave, a helpful citizen of the Temple will inform you of the nearby transport mirrors that will take you anywhere on the map, one of which they will provide to you.

THE SETTING STARS.♪ You'll find upon your arrival that the castle is not accepting visitors as they decorate the interior in preparation of the festive season that quickly approaches. Guards at the door will instead direct you to the center of the city where further preparations are being made. Venturing there, you'll be greeted either by those who are decorating for the evening's party that will enlist you to help, or perhaps you're a late arrival and the celebration has already begun! Festivities are in full swing in the Court of Stars. Starfolk have begun their celebrations of the new arrivals and the ushering in the season of the Winter Festival. Once hesitant, guarded, the Stars citizens now welcome new arrivals with open arms, celebrating their appearance with a deep gratitude. Large circles of dancers will pull you into the fray or pull you to dance one-on-one. Others will place bundles of cedar and juniper in your arms for decorating or perhaps learning to weave your own wreath to wear: some will even take pity, create it for you, and set the laurel upon the top of your head. You'll be invited to dance, drink, eat, and participate in the festivities through a snow dusted square. Even the soldiers will join, knocking shoulders and welcoming you to the Court of Stars. Whether you choose to remain for the festivities or wander off, one thing is certain: you are more than welcome in your new home. If you do manage to leave, a helpful citizen of the Court will inform you of the nearby transport mirrors that will take you anywhere on the map, one of which they will provide to you.

MARKETS OF THE COAST.♪ The coastal city of Kyst is abuzz for the holidays, some calm finally beginning to settle in after the rocky past few months. Newcomers will be welcomed with smiling faces from merchants as they look to try to sell their pricy but beautiful wares. Tavern owners and barkeeps will beckon with the promise of warm food and delightful drinks, a place by the fire, and stories of holidays of old. The air is rife with music and the smell of delicious baked goods. Perhaps you'll hear or smell something you recognize from your home; as Fellden is the beginning of all worlds, it wouldn't be an impossible likelihood! Those looking to help out might be coaxed to assist in decorating homes with laurels, garlands, berries, and other bright green, red, silver, and gold colors. Those who seem very eager to help might be recruited by shopkeepers to stand outside and try to get customers in to see their wares, to have a drink, or to rent a room. Anyone willing to do so even for a day will receive free food and drink for the duration of their assistance. And for the auspicious, some may notice a person who has set up a mild little stall in the back of town, sipping eggnog as she offers fortunes. "Fortunes for the new year, my friend," she tells any who approach her. She offers only a small smile. "A laurel for a card. Only one."

BEYOND THE CITIES.♪ In the distance from Kyst, a large forest looms, the Gods Wood imposing even from this distance. Should you travel there, everyone you encounter will urge you to be respectful while within the forest. There, people can be found visiting intricately decorated shrines, prepared for the upcoming holiday, while people leave seasonal offerings in the bowls and plates within the shrines. You're free to leave the crown you were given at your faction celebration, or perhaps something else that you've been granted since your arrival is better suited for your offering. Be mindful of your actions though; those that show disrespect will be forcibly removed from the Gods Wood by the trees. Best foot forward! If the forest is too intimidating, there appears to be a gathering at the nearby Lake Theta where the Festival of Aeons is taking place. You'll be drawn into the fold readily where people will inform you that it is a celebration of souls, both living and passed beyond the veil. You'll be taught how to make paper lanterns to be set into the sky when twilight falls, with further revelry coming after. Be prepared for a long night of celebration ahead of you as the dancing, music, and festivities last long into the night.

Comments

[pauldron]

Right.

[Griffon gets one more very unimpressed look, before she returns her attention to V as if the shadow bird isn't even there. She gestures off to the right with a jerk of her chin...and yep, that's one dark side alley alright.]

Courtyard's this way. Can you walk?

[summonere]

[ He nods, lifting his cane briefly in indication that he's prepared for moments like these. He can walk, it's just slow, which the demon is quick to point out, ]

Come on, V, pick up the pace!

Unless you're going to carry me, be quiet.

[ For some reason that retort actually shuts the bird up, maybe he also feels a bit self-conscious about how weak the both of them are. ]

[pauldron]

[There's some urgency to escape the crowd, but not so much as to rush him. Lightning falls into step behind him, which does have the benefit of shielding him from sight as the revelers return to where he was.

"Moon-savior?" Their voices call. That's odd. Where did he go?]

Keep walking.

[Don't stop, or then there'll really be an issue because they will most definitely not fall for that a second time. At least the courtyard's not far, and sure enough it's been pretty much abandoned, left empty and cold this far from the fires. The music is muted, the celebrations calmer out this way. It's a good place to sit and catch his breath, if he doesn't mind the chill.]

[summonere]

Why do they keep calling me moon-savior?

[ He is definitely a bit more breathless now; weak indeed. ]

[pauldron]

They call everyone that. They think we're here to save them from a war they've been fighting for years.

[Too many years. It's a long story, one she's still piecing together. Her eyes narrow and she steps up, taking him by an elbow. Dude, you are about to keel over aren't you?]

Come on. Sit down before you fall down.

[summonere]

I won't fall...

[ I mean, he might. But he's not keen to admit to that, so he just finishes making it to the seat. ]

I was... a bit busy with another problem, I don't know that I have the time for their war.

[pauldron]

[Well, he made it. Once his butt's down, Lightning crosses her arms over her chest. Will the travelling wolves ever actually explain this shit, or is always going to fall to the Otherworlders and their Leaders to explain.]

You don't have a choice. Once you're here, there's no way back. [Said so seriously she's either the best liar or not lying at all.] Welcome to Fellden. You just got conscripted.

[summonere]

That's... unfortunate.

[ Very troubling to him, in fact. Considering there was a demon intent on devouring the Human World and V himself was a temporary construct crumbling minute by minute... ]

I don't suppose there's any way to make my case?

[pauldron]

You could talk to the Priestess, but getting anything out of her's not going to happen.

[She doesn't give them what they want, just orders. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Her distaste is obvious enough; they all had things they were doing before they got here, and those are things that still need doing. Join the club, V.]

You're as stuck as the rest of us right now, and we've been here for months. [A loose shrug.] Better get used to it.

[summonere]

Months... That...

[ Is even more unfortunate. He exhales tiredly. ]

How many of you are there?

[pauldron]

A few dozen, scattered across two factions.

[With maybe a third still somehow in the wings. The situation is. Not the best, no. Still, they're in the trenches now. Better to just keep moving.]

You're in Moon territory. The Priestess rules from the Temple. [For the given value of rule given the circumstances.] She's the one who's supposed to call the shots, but she hasn't given marching orders yet. We're still waiting for those.

[summonere]

[ He extends his hand palm up to show the waning moon tattoo. ]

I guess that's what this is. Another pact.

[ Right now he only has the tattoos that indicate the foul-mouthed bird perched above. They're intricate black swirls across his upper arms and across his chest. ]

[pauldron]

Yeah. It is.

[They all have them. Pacts and promises, about as useless as the marks themselves have proven to be. She eyes the other marks on his arms, raising an eyebrow.]

Looks like this one's not your first. That for your bird?

[He called the chatty thing a Familiar. Does that mean a pact of it's own or is it just symbolic?]

[summonere]

[ He nods, and Griffon comes down to sit with him. For a whole minute he's not being a mouthy dickhead and is instead just investigating the new tattoo on his human. ]

Marked him up real good, didn't I, babe?

[ V elbows him, hard. ]

Stop it.

[pauldron]

[Well that minute sure ended quickly. Every time he opens that beak he's going to be a mouthy dickhead, isn't he?

What a thing to be bonded to.]

Did you know what you were getting into with that one?

[Or was it as unexpected as the one the Priestess gave him?]

[summonere]

It was... a necessity of the moment.

[ Griffon actually doesn't bother to argue with this. It was true. Maybe they kind of liked each other now (just don't ask them to admit it) but it had mostly been about survival at the time. ]

We were both weakened, and needed each other. There are... two more. Without them, we're all a bit lesser.

[pauldron]

[Without them, all are lesser. Sounds like the bond between Eidolon and l'Cie; two parts of a greater whole who can get by alone, but are better together. In his case, it's four. Three familiars and him? She sets the thought aside.]

They might come back. These sorts of things have ways of coming back to us here.

[Familiars. Pacts sworn in blood. Experience colors her tone, though she makes no effort to explain further yet. She eyes Griffon pensively.]

Though one seems like enough of a handful for you already.

[summonere]

Who are you calling fat!

[ The bird objects tot his handful comment, because he wasn't really listening to the conversation closely enough to pay attention to the context. V waves him off. ]

He is certainly the loudest of the three.

[ But not the most difficult. If he tried to actually tap into and control Nightmare... he could really hurt himself. He could only maintain the war machine for a short amount of time, but the mechanism from Hell was also his largest source of power and magic. ]

[pauldron]

Like I said. A handful.

[Head out of the clouds, Griffon. No time for screwing around down here. The song in the distance changes to something even more upbeat, a dance well underway if the laughter that echoes back to them is anything to go by. Normal for this sort of thing, but...]

I have to get back to patrol. Will you be alright by yourself?

[Not about to keel over, are you?]

[summonere]

Yes, thank you for your time.

[ He actually snatches Griffon down into his core, the bird disappearing into the palm of his hand, before he can say anything else rude. She'd done them a favor, and that was enough out of the demon. ]