fellmemes | Test Drive #1

Welcome to the August test drive—our first in

fellden! 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 are open and will continue to be until 11:59 PM UTC on Tuesday, August 20th; they are not necessary to apply! They're valid for the first four days of the application cycle.
✦ Applications will open at 12:01 AM UTC on the 21st, and remain open until 11:59 PM UTC on the 27th. 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 either arrived on their person or available in the Gods Wood. 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. (Apologies for missing including this on the initial test drive!)

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, 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! Flower crowns will be deposited upon your heads, 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.

THE SETTING STARS.
Unlike the Temple, your arrival to the Court of Stars is met with a rather somber greeting, however expressions are relieved, despite any emotional guard that may be up.

A gathering of knights, weary from a skirmish along the border they're returning from, pat you on the back and lead you through an open air courtyard. All the gathered people of the Emperor's Court look up from their tasks, giving the passing Otherworlders a knowing nod. There's gratitude in their eyes, but that's all the welcome you'll receive: your presence is appreciated, but growing an attachment is another heartache for those that care so deeply for their faction fellows. The silence is broken when a high-ranking member of the guard gives the proclamation: "Our heroes have arrived! Court defenders, world travelers! Help has come from the far lands to aid us in our battles for our Emperor, for all of Fellden!"

From there, the few knights that have not yet departed will lead you through the Court's castle, a brief tour of the most important areas (dining hall, housing wing, guard barracks, and the throne room) is given before they instruct you to rest, because the real excitement begins when the sun falls behind the horizon.

Left to drift, you can explore the castle, or venture out to the surrounding city as it prepares for the celebration the Starfolk have in store for the returned soldiers and, now, the new arrivals. You'll be invited to the party that spreads across the entire Court city, drawn into large circle dances, and will find that the locals become more at ease and welcoming the longer you spend with them.

WELCOME TO THE GODS WOOD.
Between one blink and the next, your eyesight has seemingly been stolen from you. Or, perhaps it’s more likely that something is covering your eyes? Yes, that’s definitely a blindfold tied around the back of your head, although quite the mystery as to how it came to be there. You vaguely remember a wolf that may or may not have spoken to you, but the blindfold is certainly a new addition to the situation.

Once removed, you’ll find yourself in the thick of the woods, with no path or directional indicators in sight. The moon is obscured by the tree line, and the stars above do nothing to light your path; seems like removing the blindfold wasn’t as helpful as you may have thought. As your eyes adjust to the darkness, it’s obvious that you are not alone in this; other people are removing their blindfolds just as you are, staring blearily into the dark of the forest with a similar lack of understanding to how they came to be here.

Thankfully, you’ll find some nearby travel packs with self-lighting torches, a few rations, and your faction-provided communicator. The compass, unfortunately, remains broken, which means you’ll have to find your way out of the woods without it. Hopefully your sense of direction is passable!

Whether you team up with others, or go your separate way is entirely up to you, but you must find your way out, and the fog rolling in is not going to be of any assistance. This is a Dropping, and the Gods Wood is not kind to loiterers.

DRAWN TO THE COASTLINE.
Needing an escape from the hectic energy that greeted you in your faction, an empathetic bystander pointed you in the direction of a nearby transport mirror, which you either stepped into without stating a destination, or didn't give one with enough clarity for the mirror to understand. Spitting you out on the beach just outside Kyst, it doesn't seem keen to let you back the way you came; temperamental teleportation magic.

As the largest trade city in all of Fellden, there is no shortage of things to do here! Shopping with what coin was hoisted upon you before your departure, mapping out the city itself to memorize the in's and out's, enjoying a drink on the house at a local tavern where you can get into a mean game of cards with some faction soldiers, or even meeting someone else that seems to have stumbled into this world just as you did. Perhaps you're more keen to the outdoors, rather than the bustle of a large city, wandering away from the city just far enough to find a stretch of pristine beach and inviting crystal clear waters of the ocean; the salty air fills your lungs while the rays of the midday sun are almost blinding against the swath of bright white sand that meets the crashing waves.

Regardless of what you decide to do, or where you end up, you're in the closest thing to No Man's Land you can get; enjoy your time fraternizing with the enemy, make some new friends in this neutral land, or stick with those from your own faction to get a lay of the land.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The shout definitely draws Sarah's attention. She's been out here enjoying the sound of the ocean to be honest. Not that New York lacked beaches but it definitely lacked not crowded ones.

She shakes her head gently, brows raised in clear curiosity.]

I'm afraid not. They aren't children, are they?

[She can't help but ask. She's a teacher after all and she has a soft spot for kids to boot.]

Not quite.

[ His answer is terse but not rude. ]

They're young but older than they seem.

[ If the hobbits are lost, then he means to find them but if they're still in Arda, then he's powerless. That thought alone worries Aragorn. The Nazgûl won't rest until they reclaim the ring. ]

Are you native to these lands?

[ He doubts it but he isn't certain. Some of the Moon Saviors blend in well with the locals. ]

I'm afraid not. You'll run into a whole lot of people who aren't though.

[She doesn't seem to mind the terseness. She turns to look back the way she had come from the city nearby.]

Where did you wake up? Or... well, come to, find yourself at, something like that. It wasn't here on the beach, right?

No, the Moon Temple.

[ He answers while surveying the horizon. There are a few ships out there but they're quite far. If the hobbits were here, he doubts they would brave the unknowns. That means they would have to be in Kyst somewhere. ]

What of you? [ He gaze rests upon the woman. ] Where did you awake?

[ Determind to make his way back towards the port city, he gestures for her to follow. ]

The Court of Stars.

[When he gestures she raises her brows up at that but then figures he must want to talk and walk at once. And frankly since she's a stranger here she'll take all the chatting she can get for now.]

It looks like we're on opposite sides. At least from what I understand so far.

[Which isn't a whole lot to be fair.]

It seems so. [ He gives the woman another glance. Even though they're supposed to be adversaries, Aragorn can't see her as a potential threat. ] But what are the Court of Stars? What does either faction want?

They seek to end the war but tell us nothing.

[ The frustration in his voice isn't directed at Sarah, but rather at the situation at hand. ]

This war is not of our choosing.

[Nor should it be.]

It's not.

[Sarah's tone is quite blunt. It's not a war they started and she certainly wasn't brought here to help in a war.]

Before you found yourself here, what did you see?

[She's trying to gauge is she's seen the same thing as everyone else here. At least one other woman had so it's safe to say someone else must have too.]

[The question causes Aragorn to pause. He comes to a slow halt as the wind whips at them both. Despite the tranquil beauty of the shore, the mood is ominous. It's the calm before the storm, a reminder that this moment of peace is bound to be disturbed.]

The bleakness of night. [He answers after much thought.] I was traveling with four others into the wilds...

[He pauses suddenly and pinches the bridge of his nose. For most of the day, the dull ache of a possible migraine plagued Aragorn, but he ignored it. Now that ache is becoming a bit sharper.]

I cannot recall.

[Sarah can't help but tilt her head skyward a moment as if she's looking for that brewing storm. Everything looks calm for now but that doesn't mean it's going to stay that way.

While her eyes are directed skyward though she replies almost softly:]

I saw a wolf. A very big one.

[Her expression is a calm, perhaps even a little somber.]

A wolf?

[Aragorn arches his brow in surprise, but suddenly the memories rush forward like a violent torrent. It was the dead of night. The hobbits we're sleeping soundly. A screech in the distance made Aragorn reach for his sword. He climbed over the tall grass and suddenly, a pair of bright eyes.]

I thought it was the Nazgûl.

[He mumbles under his breath.]

A Nazgûl?

[Her tone raises a little in question. Then she shakes her head some to herself.]

It wasn't to me at least. I don't know if maybe it comes in different forms though. I wouldn't exactly be shocked if it did.

[She heavily doubted what came to her was strictly a wolf after all. Anything that could travel between worlds or realms or whatever this place was in comparison to the Above and the Underground couldn't just be strictly one thing or another.]

It's more likely it was some type of fae. Or a spirit of some kind.

Test Drive #1

Drawn to the Coastline

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