Test Drive #1

[felldenmods]

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.

Comments

Re: Heeeyy

[leg_with_heart]

Coming back to the Garrison after Alcarion was eaten by a Weblum. We were looking for more of thosa Altean piloted robeasts.

[Hunk decided that the less info he gave to complicate things, the better.]

OH, and Coran powered the Atlus with the crystal generated from when the Castle of Lions was compressed. That thing is seriously powerful. I mean, why wouldn't it be? It was the Castle of Lions!

[spaceforged]

[Shiro eyes go wide and he takes a step forward.] Hang on, slow down. Hunk, what happened to Olkarion? And Altean piloted...the colonists?

[He doesn't doubt Hunk's words. Hunk has always been straight forward and wouldn't joke about anything like this. He holds up a hand and frowns at how stiffly the right arm moves. He slips his left under it and jerks it up.]

Sorry, my arm hasn't worked right since I came through the portal. Seems like we might...be from different timeframes? How is that possible?

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk was aware that he had just given Shiro a lot of information, but having lived through it, it hadn't seemed like that much before he verbalized it.]

The Olkari got a chance to evacuate first, but the robeasts destroyed it. Haggar... Honerva, we found out was her real name. She went to the Altean colonies after Lotor disappeared. Those robeasts were more Altean than Galra.

[He frowns at Shiro's arm. The same had happened to Hunk's bayard when he'd arrived. Something about this place wasn't very tech friendly.]

Oh yeah, you were missing when we found that alternate universe! It different realities can happen, I guess it wouldn't be much of a stretch for people to be pulled from different points in a single time line...




((ooc: thanks for the spelling correction! I'd never seen Olkarion written out!))

[spaceforged]

[Screw looking collecting. He scrubs his face. It's a lot of information at once and sorting through it takes a few moments.] We suspected the colonists were taken but we should have thought about Haggar.

[He should have thought about it. There's no doubt in his mind who could be the leak. He had been when he'd been...himself but not.] ...there's not much we can do about it here. It's something we'll have to really consider when we go back.

[Shiro moves his right arm and crosses his arms and sighs.] I've talked to the local people. None of them have given me straight answers, not even the high priestess. If we're supposed to help them you'd think they'd give us decent intell.

((ooc: Any time! Glad to help.))

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk blinks.]

High priestess? That must have been what was behind those doors... [He speaks mostly aloud to himself rather than to Shiro.]

Hey Shiro, you think time stopped when we left, or are people freaking out because we suddenly walked away and never came back?

[spaceforged]

[He gives that a moment of thought, glancing to the waves crashing against the sandy beach. The taste of salt in the air and how clean everything feels reminds him of Earth.]

...I'm not sure. If I wasn't missing from your point in time then, it's possible it stopped? Or we're from different reflections of the same one? We could ask them and see what they say about it.

[It worries him. His grey eyes are darker as he leans more to his left side.] If it stopped, it's likely we could be returned to the point we left. Either way we can make this work out. Somehow. [Shiro forces all his worries down and smiles just a bit.]

We always do.

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk can sense Shiro's uncertainty, but having the leader present was at least enough to give him some comfort. He's no less worried, but at least there's a touch of hope.]

We have gotten out of some pretty tough scrapes. I can't even count the number of times we almost died in space.

Well, I could, but why would I do that to myself?

[spaceforged]

[Shiro's smile turns to a grin. Yes, they had almost died a lot. He'd went the extra mile and went there. Technically more than once. The thought makes his grin wider.]

And we'll put that energy towards figuring this place out. ...is your armor and equipment having any troubles?

[He tries to wave his right arm but there's that stiffness just like before. As if the signal from his brain to the arm is slow to be received. He needs his arm in working order. Hunk is an engineer and has always reliably let him know what's up. If it's more than just him, he'll know it.]

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk gives himself a once-over. His suit didn't appear to have any malformities and it didn't feel like anything was out of place. But he does remember the issues he was having before.]

The communicator in my helmet doesn't seem to work, but I'm not sure if it's broken or if the other paladins are just too far out of range. I haven't really gotten a chance to look at it just yet.

[He also summons his bayard, although it takes a tick or two longer to appear than usual.]

Also, my bayard won't transform either, which is pretty concerning, considering the fact that we're supposed to be joining some kind of war here.

[spaceforged]

My arm can't go that far from me. It's working at about four point six seconds slower than it should respond. If I needed to fight hand to hand I'd favor my left right now.

[He turns his arm but it moves slowly. There's no damage to it. No scuffs or breaks in the metal.]

I'd say it's operating at least efficiency than a standard arm. It's a little better than it was when I first arrived but...this place might be messing with all technology. Even the somewhat magical sort like your bayard and my arm.

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk is a bit relieved when Shiro mentions his arm's improvement since arrival, and he steps back a bit, attempting to transform his bayard once more. Still no luck, although when he'd summoned it, it came a tad faster than it had before.]

Shiro, I don't want to go to war with a broken bayard. That would be the worst idea.

[spaceforged]

Yes, it would be. [Shiro agrees, his voice quieter and his eyes on the bayard. He raises his arm up and notices a point of a second was shaved off. His eyes narrow. His face loses the worry as he swipes his hand in the air. A little faster. He turns his attention back to Hunk.]

Hunk. Try and summon your bayard three more times. I want to see something.

[leg_with_heart]

[Catching on, Hunk follows the captain's orders. As hypothesized, it does come a little quicker with each attempt.]

Alright!

[Relieved, he goes for a fourth, a fifth, a sixth time.]

We'll be back in shape in no time.

[spaceforged]

But we have to make sure to pace ourselves. We don’t want to burn ourselves out so soon.

[His mind is working and he glances again to the see and back the way he came. He had been claimed by a faction and Hunk might get claimed by the other. He won’t abandon his friend and comrade if that happens.

He’ll just find ways to get him messages. Safely.] If the Bayard is working like that. Your armor should within some time to be fully operational.

Still, later. If we can find the tools... [He trails off and looks down at his arm.] I’d like you to check my arm. Just in case.

[leg_with_heart]

[Hunk nods, putting a hold on his bayard testing for now.

[He had briefly thought about the idea that he and Shiro could end up in different factions, but he's suppressed it, willing himself to cross that bridge when he gets to it.

[Check the arm? A superior piece of tech built by one of the most brilliant humans he'd ever met, inspired by Altean technology and powered by a magic Altean crystal? In spite of the fact that he had learned a lot about Altean tech working with Coran on the castle of lions and was a pretty gifted engineer in his own right, Hunk is still honored.]

Sure thing, Shiro.

[spaceforged]

[He smiles, finally mentally stepping back from the worry and thousands of concerns whirling in his mind. They’ve discussed all they can. Further planning would have to wait until they have more facts and he has observed more of the day to day.]

We’ve gone over everything we can for now. It looks like we can come to this beach freely. It could be a good place for meetings and talking things out.

[And for relaxing if it’s neutral territory.]

It’s pretty. It’s been a while since we just enjoyed the sea like this, hasn’t it?

[leg_with_heart]

Yeah.

[Hunk stares out into the waves, nostalgic.]

I kinda wish everyone else could be here. [He rethinks them being here.]

Or, y'know, we were back home with them. As long as there's a cool breeze, cold water and hot sand.

And maybe a hot dog or two.