Test Drive #4

[felldenmods]

Welcome to the January 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 February 1st, and continue to be until 11:59 PM UTC on February 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.
✦ We have added a Suitability section to the application. Check it out! We will be requiring this going forward as it not only helps players see if their character is a good fit for the game but it lets the mod team gather some ideas about direction for your character!
✦ 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 Death or its Attendants if you risk placing a coin in their offering bowl.
✦ As in December, a secondary blessing will be available in February to those that tag others on the TDM!

All set? Perfect! Welcome to Fellden.

AS THE MOON RISES. You’ll find yourself just outside the Temple gates, which will be locked if you try to open them. A little rude, keeping you out after bringing you all this way, and the more you try to look up at the Temple structure the more insistent guards become in pushing you down the pathway to somewhere else. 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! Chrysanthemums will be offered as brooches or corsages, food and drink placed into your hands, while live musicians play loud enough for the dead to hear — for this is a celebration dedicated to them. Several were lost in the battle held the previous weeks, and the Priestess has decreed a time of mourning through revelry. Spirits must be kept up, even in these dark times. 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 despite the pall that may hang over the town. 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 prepare the interior for a solemn remembrance of those lost. Guards at the door will instead direct you to the center of the city where most of Starfolk have gathered to say their goodbyes and reminisce of memories past. Venturing there, you'll be greeted either by those who are serving food and drink from nearby taverns, or those with drawn faces tired from battle. Or perhaps you're a late arrival and the worst of the exhaustion has left the city, now imbued with laughter and happier memories! Those loyal to the Court of Stars greet the newcomers with guarded gratitude in their eyes and wary hesitance. How many more of these Otherworlders will betray them, they wonder out loud. If you try and take a seat with a party or three, chances are the conversation will halt as soon as you grow near, and the longer you stay the more uncomfortable the gathered people become. Trust is not easily gained in the Court of Stars; broken now as it is, the natives of this world fear the worst for their Emperor. Will you help us, or will you hurt us, they ask, wanting to believe they still have a chance at surviving this exhaustive war. Whether you choose to remain for the remembrance or wander off, one thing is certain: things must turn around for the Stars soon. If you do manage to sneak off, a hopeful 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 with an extra amount of people who sought refuge here during the attack on the Moon Temple. Some calm had finally started to settle but now the foundation has once more been shaken. Newcomers will be welcomed with smiling faces from merchants as they look to try to sell their wares. Tavern owners and barkeeps will beckon with the promise of warm food and delightful drinks, a place by the fire, and information to help you find your bearings. The air is rife with the scent of the coastline, fishermen bringing in their haul from the day. Perhaps if you pay enough attention, 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 for something more exciting will find closer to the northern border of Kyst a rather curious bi-pedal cat bouncing on its back legs. It flags you down with a wave of its paw, asking excitedly if you'd like to flex your claws into a juicy quest. You're just the hunter for the job! Purr-fect in every way! Out in the wild lands there's a great beast in a deep river, and it's bothering all the people who live in the nearby town! They can't get fresh water or fish for their meals; it's furr-ightening! If you agree to help, the cat will explain that the creature is a Nokken that has been luring many a brave fisher to their untimely death. It must be removed either by force or by convincing it to leave! Help them, Hero-wan Kenobi, you're their meownly hope!

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, and leaving offerings for their passed. If you catch their eye, they will beg of you to pay respects as well, and press a gold coin into your palm. Offer a wish or a happy memory to who you miss and place the coin into Death's offering bowl and there's a chance someone will be there to speak with you. Be mindful of your actions though; those that show disrespect will be forcibly removed from the Gods Wood by the trees. If the forest is too intimidating, Terebellum is open for semester registration, and the grounds are even more regal with a light dusting of snow all around. Students of all branches of magic can be found exploring the campus and practicing their craft. If you're lucky, perhaps you can find a teacher who will explain what is offered here at the University. But ah, there's a catch! Tuition is extremely expensive, so you must impress your faction leaders if you wish to widen your breadth of knowledge within these walls!

Comments

[alienwear]

[ WOW, OK BOOMER!!!!! ]

Yeah, but now I have to think of something different! Ugh...

[ She rubs her chin and taps her foot impatiently. An awkward silence stretches onward while she contemplates, muttering to herself and humming under her breath as she reviews and rejects various different memories. ]

[mirrortide]

[And Lapis will wait. Patiently, even! She's kind of curious to see what kind of memory Peridot is going to offer the bowl.]

[merging]

Why don't you think it's right? We're the only ones who can. If we don't... the Jedi will be gone.

Or do you just mean it's not the right time? Because I get that.

[darkestbefore]

[ At the sound of a strange voice coming from behind the other girl, Yona's head drifts up to search for the source and spots... a floating box?? Eyes going wide, she stares in bewilderment a moment before... ]

...E-excuse me, is that your... box? Is it... talking?

[uglyponcho]

Definitely not the right time. Do you know who the Inquisitors used to be? Some of them were captured padawans and I've seen it. Seen how they Empire breaks them down until their hatred overcomes them. If they manage to capture the padawan's teacher, they force them to watch the entire process until it breaks them too.

...while the Empire is still around, that's an outcome I fear. Unintentionally creating more Inquisitors.

[darkestbefore]

[ She had taken a step back when he'd moved to kneel down, letting him take his place and not wanting to interrupt him.

When he glances up at her with that request, however, she doesn't hesitate. Even though she'd already placed her offering a short while before, she quickly moves to kneel with him once more, taking her place at his side.

Offering him a small, reassuring smile, she leans close, keeping her voice hushed and for his ears alone. ]

It's not actually that hard, honest. I'm sure some lands might have formal words and traditions, but my father always taught me that the gods love to listen to our words, our thoughts, our hopes. It's their nature, after all, to hear the pleas and the prayers of those they watch over. You can talk to them as you would anyone - respectfully, of course. What is it you'd like to let them know?

[darkestbefore]

[ There's a flicker of relief across her face when the stranger at her side agrees to help. She would have gone on regardless, but their chances are better if there's more than just her going to see about some swamp monster. She can fight, but she has no idea what she'd be going up against, or how effective her arrows might be, should it come to that.

She tips her head slightly in consideration of his return request, however, looking a little puzzled. ]

I'm not sure how dealing with a kidnapping swamp monster might remain 'subtle' but I'm open to suggestions?

[uglyponcho]

I guess the idea would be to reduce it to a one shot affair.

[An easy thing to say since he had no idea what the thing would look like. He's seen enough monsters in his day but he's never heard of....whatever it was called.]

If I can get in melee range without any issues, it'd be simple....depending on its size. That said, I'm also open to suggestions on the best way to approach this.

[darkestbefore]

[ Goodness. It felt like walking right into one of the very large trees surrounding them and for a moment, Yona had almost mistaken her for one, for all that she hadn't even budged when Yona had collided with her. Rubbing her nose because that had stung a bit, she glances up at the unfamiliar figure standing over her.

Wisely getting out of her way, she watches for a moment as the other girl steps forward and brushes her finger over the bowl, rather than making an offering of her own. A little puzzled but curious all the same, she watches her, hearing the softly murmured words. Not sure if they were meant for her or not, she answers all the same. ]

It does. But it's more than just age here... [ She glances around the clearing they stand in, gaze lingering on the thick press of trees and the hushed silence that seems to pervade this place. ] I don't know what gods dwell in these lands, but you can almost feel them here, can't you?

[darkestbefore]

[ His answer doesn't even surprise her, but it does make her smile, crooked and amused as she glances up to meet his gaze. Shaking her head fondly, she reaches out to lay her hand on his arm. ]

You can say no, you know. I'm not about to make you go with me.

[ Even though she knows that, in a way, she sort of is just by going herself. She doubts he'd let her wander off into danger without sticking close to her side and protecting her. None of them would. She's already missing the others, but at least having him here, at her side, is reassuring in its own way. Being in these strange lands, completely alone... it's a scary thought. ]

[merging]

The Inquisitors are gone.

[At least, he's assumed as much. They haven't appeared since Malachor and it's clear death's been the only thing to stop them.]

Even Vader hasn't bothered with us- with me in two years. Besides, if we're gonna go all ancient Jedi wisdom, fear leads to the dark side. Plus, I think if they wanted to make more they would've captured me a looooong time ago. But Palpatine didn't want me. Even though I almost turned on my own.

[darkestbefore]

[ She ducks her head for a moment, a flicker of grief in her gaze. ]

To the god of death? I asked him to watch over my father. And to the others... to watch over those I was separated from when I was brought to this place. I don't know if my prayers will reach, or that if any god that could hear them could affect things so far away but... I wanted to try all the same. I'm afraid they will worry too much when they find me gone.

[ Hak alone would raze heaven and earth to find her, and the others... well, they might actually be capable of it. ]

[botrayal]

[ Don't ask her questions in return!!! Even if it's a completely fair and valid one. A2's gaze flickers to Zero for a moment, before glancing back towards the coastline. She should just walk away...but after a moment she speaks again. ]

I am, too.

[ With the implied so don' t get in my way in the tone of her voice. Even if slaying sea creatures isn't exactly in her wheelhouse...whatever, she'll figure it out.

Without glancing back, she starts towards the shore. ]

wildcardish setting stars

[sweariff]

[Not all of the Court is as glittering and spotless as the castle at the center of it all. The outskirts of the city aren't sleazy like Acubens or old and worn like Kyst, but they aren't glamorous by any means, and they show their age — their wear, their tear, their signs of a better time that are now long gone. The same goes for the people who live there.

This tavern is a good example. Unlike the others situated closer to the castle that look so new you can still smell the fresh paint on the walls inside, this one is fairly decrepit with its unwashed windows, a roof that's been patched in several places, and signs of water damage on the faded walls inside. Beyond that new paint smell many of the newer taverns have, there's a cavalcade of savory, sweet scents that blend together from the kitchens and the tables — fresh meat pies taken served straight from the oven, spiced apple cider, burning pine from a crackling hearth. It's not the case with this one. It smells like sweat and cheap mead — it tastes like piss, but it's affordable and it gets the job done.

Several stools away from where Anna is seated at, Bigby sits leaned over a mug, bundled in a coat that's similar in style to that of what the woman across from him is wearing. He can smell the blood on her from a mile away, but he chooses not to comment on it. Not his business and all that. His smells a tiny bit better, like the forest — pine, snow, earth.

And fur. Warm fur.

Behind them, two Court natives stare at the two Otherworlders from their table, whispering indistinctly but glaring openly. One of them says something under his breath that sounds very much like ungrateful and another like waste of flesh. Like Anna and her scent, Bigby notices them but tries to ignore them.]

text; un: bigby

[sweariff]

i've never heard of anything like that happening before, ever, so i'm going to say no.

as for the first question, do you want the long story or the short one?

[botrayal]

[ I mean, he isn't wrong...and of the handful of times A2 has used Pod to fish, she had half-hoped a fish would just swallow him whole. It would have saved her a lot of aggravation. But despite her best efforts, she's grown a little...protective of the thing. Not because she cares, but because it's saved her ass a few times, and...she should return the favor.

It helps Pod's case that he managed to follow her to this world, too.

Before she turn down the stranger's idea, however, Pod chimes in with a helpful: ]

Affirmative. I am equipped to pose as a lure for underwater lifeforms in such circumstances.

He didn't ask you...

[ She grumbles to Pod, before glancing back at Louis. ]

We can try it. But if that thing swallows Pod whole, you get to dive in and pull him back out.

[mirrortide]

well i guess its good to know that cant happen here but i think ill take the scenic route when going around just for my own safety you know

im almost afraid to say long story but lets go with that i guess

[darkestbefore]

[ Most of the monsters Yona has fought before now have still been human, so this is something entirely new for her. But she nods at his suggestion, lips pressed into a firm line of determination. ]

I'm afraid I'd be of little help up close, but I can offer support from range. [ Her fingers tighten for a moment about the haft of the bow she has draped over her shoulder. ] I can at least keep it distracted for you to get close, or lure it into position for you, if that would help?

[botrayal]

[ The look A2 gives Lapis when she speaks up is one that definitely says she wasn't looking for unsolicited advice, but then her expression shifts for just a moment to something like curiosity. A2 has never seen a lifeform quite like this one before. Assessment: This lifeform is of unknown origin. Recommendation: Gather data about this lifeform, Pod tells her.

Which A2 promptly ignores as she crosses her arms, tipping her head back. So, she's looking for Nokken, too? Figures that cat wouldn't trust her to do the job on her own... ]

It's not going to come out unless we give it something to go for.

[ She pauses a moment, sighing to herself. ]

We need to bait it.

[mirrortide]

[Oh. The Robonoid speaks. That's kind of cute. But ultimately futile, because Lapis has a bigger Nokken fish to fry.]

Well, a human once told me that you need to bait something using something it wants? Like a worm or a dollar bill. [Is that helpful? Lapis thinks she's being helpful.]

... Though it seems to like murdering fishers, maybe we could get one of those?

[A terrible idea, really.]

[botrayal]

[ A2 isn't expecting a response to her words, but then again...she hadn't exactly spoken them quietly, or privately. Part of her wants nothing more than to tell this girl to go away, but...it would be disrespectful to what she had just gone through, and disrespectful to the purpose of this place. A2 won't put her own selfishness above that.

Much as making conversation isn't all that easy for her, either. ]

Yes.

[ She tilts her head back to glance at Yona, expression still tight at its corners. ]

They seem...tired.

[ Or maybe that's just her. ]

[notched]

[ She doesn't like him, almost immediately. He makes something burn in the back of her mind and she knows entirely too well what that sensation is. The dissonance between reality and between Insight. The smell of beast makes her mind race, and she drinks to try to quiet it. It's pointless though, this piss flavored mead is worthless compared to the intoxicating qualities of the blood.

All the mead does is make her feel slightly more reckless than she already did, and that's all. It doesn't calm. It doesn't quiet. She takes it out on the onlookers first, walking over to their table with a swagger she learned from the men she once hunted with. It's all performance, as it ever was, but she also has the bite to back up her aggressive stance, if pressed. ]

Everyone can hear your muttering, crows. [ She plants her hands loudly on their table and leans in, her tangled hair tumbling forward over her shoulders making a terrible curtain of intimacy for herself and those she intimidates. ] Go whisper somewhere else.

[ She can almost envision the last time they were all together in a tavern, being whispered at it's all their fault. She bares her teeth at the citizens, while inside there's nothing but a deep well of sorrow. No one knows that. What they see is the mangled leather coat that someone she loved burned to death wearing. They make a hasty retreat. She kicks their chairs in for them as they go and returns to her stool, where she stares at Bigby down the bar, hands folded contemplatively in front of her with little interest in the drink.

It's not subtle. She makes no attempt to pretend she isn't doing it. Her eyes are dark and round in a pale face, her gaze bottomless. ]

markets

[sweariff]

[The cat thing isn't picky with who it flags down, and it doesn't just settle for one Otherworlder. Bigby's in the middle of listening to its plight when it waves Elsa over, jumping up and down like she's a walking, talking ice cream cone. Oddly enough, none of this fazes him. Bipedal animals are about as extraordinary to him as peanut butter and jelly sandwichs or finding a penny on the street, and as far as cats go, this one is a fair bit nicer than the ones he's met. A little chatty and just a little too hung up on puns, but hey, he knows a mirror that speaks entirely in rhyme. Who's he to judge?

So he's content to remain silent and let the little animal do most of the talking, and apparently, the woman shares his sentiment. Glancing over at her with his arms folded across his chest, Bigby raises an eyebrow when she finally does speak, not out surprise but out of genuine consideration for what she's implying.]

Depending on how deep it is, there'd still be enough air for them to survive. Your body doesn't use as much oxygen when it's freezing anyway.

[He knows this from experience. Ancient history. Making the journey up to the North Wind's kingdom seven whole, infuriating times, hunting in the dead of winter, watching the air bubbles float up in deep, dark water as he lay at the bottom of a deep, dark lake—

He shakes his head.]

Freezing it is probably for the best. That way, it won't have a chance to attack first or try to run upstream.

[uglyponcho]

I don't know if you could say that with certainty. The galaxy is a big place and I can tell you for a fact that there are at least nine of them. I can account for two of them. Can you account for the other seven? All I'm saying is if fear leads to the dark side, complacency can put you in an even worse place.

Not that I'm in a place to lecture. I guess we all have our own problems.

[sweariff]

don't like mirrors?

[Also, hoo boy. This is going to take a while, but. Might as well get it out and be thorough.]

there was a battle recently, against the moon temple. our goal was to get in, deliver a blow to their home base, and get out.

it didn't go smoothly. people broke rank to help civilians and protect their friends if they were on the other side. there was even some internal sabotage. it was just a mess all around.