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

[song_of_ice]

[Somehow they didn't seem deterred, still laughing and eagerly collecting flowers to place on her head. Given that he knew when to accept defeat, he wasn't feeling inclined to help Jessica, enjoying the sight of her being attacked with countless flowers.]

You think so?

You might need to humor them until their guard goes down.

[assholic]

[Someone snuck one on her from behind, and she cursed, grabbing it and ripping it up, then holding the torn flowers up to the next handful of crowns aimed her way.]

You keep putting these on me and these'll go up your ass so far, you taste them. Cut it out.

[Jessica did not do merry. Particularly not when there was weird displacement crap going on. She had other things to worry about. Like what really was going on and if this was another coma dream or not. Felt a bit too real for that.

Jon got another scowl.]

They're all high on moon farts.

[song_of_ice]

[He couldn't say he blamed her for the reaction to the flowers. Children had given him the one he was wearing, and while he might have been more forceful with other adults, he couldn't insult the children...much to his chagrin.]

It seems like the war must have taken away whatever hope they had.

[He hadn't asked very much about this world or this war, it wasn't his fight...but it seemed he didn't have a choice but to help. Given the response though, he had to wonder what it was these people suffered to make them so euphoric to have some reinforcements.]

[assholic]

[Jessica wasn't particularly a fan of children. They were small, dirty, needy, and fragile. And usually making too much noise or getting into trouble. No, thank you.

She looked over at this new guy, someone who was being hailed as an outsider or new arrival like her, and she shrugged.]

Hope's usually just bullshit you tell yourself to ignore reality.

[song_of_ice]

[Fair point.

And here he thought he was the only one who could bring down a feast.]

Apparently that wolf was promising help for our worlds, so long as we help with this one.

[assholic]

[There was a reason Jessica didn't go to parties anymore. She drank at bars alone, or at her home alone, or at work. Alone. She was just not a 'fun' person. She shrugged again, reaching for a mug of something that smelled- yep, and tasted like alcohol. Good. That made this better.]

I'm not exactly in the habit of trusting talking animals. That's generally a sign you're losing your mind.

[song_of_ice]

This place isn't a sign of that?

[Wine, yes. That was how he managed to suffer through a number of feasts. Yet somehow finding someone who hated them more apparently lightened his mood more than wine ever could. Something about no longer being the most brooding person there.]

I'd say we lost our minds when we stepped into this realm.

[assholic]

The kind of shit I've seen, not exactly.

[Hey, aliens had invaded, Jon. She'd been inside the skeleton of a dragon. Shit had gone to weird places in her world. This was all starting to feel like her life was blurring together a bit.]

Hey, I woke up here. My subconscious apparently makes most of my bad life choices.

[Because according the the Priestess and the people she'd talked to, she'd opted to follow a giant talking wolf here. Apparently it had been sneaky and come to her in her sleep. Asshole.]

[song_of_ice]

[Again, fair point. He'd seen his fair share of strange things, magic that should make him a mad man, but somehow existed in his world.]

Aye, mine as well. I seem to always be pulled into a fight that isn't mine.

[A fight he didn't want really.]

I don't know if it's worth the help they claim they'll give us. I wish I could say or at least know what is being offered. More men? Magic?

[assholic]

You and me both.

[The last one had gotten someone killed, and she still felt the pangs of guilt from that one. So maybe she'd been drinking a bit more because of it. So what? Maybe she was reaching out to snag a cup of something hopefully alcoholic because of that unnecessary reminder. Big deal. She coped just fine.]

I don't think men or magic is going to help my world any. Hell, it's the dumbass guys that keep getting us into this shit. And magic? Don't even make me laugh. I'm not exactly a fan of Stark, but I'll pick his tech over that mystical woo-woo that involves having to seriously use the word 'resurrection'.