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

2.

[intoner]

[Zero would've preferred to go after the Nokken alone honestly, but after getting wrapped into this party one way or another, she just can't bother with the effort of protesting it. The silence, awkward or not, has been a blessing in her opinion. Of course, just as she's thinking that, someone has to go and ruin it. Thanks for nothing!!

Although it's admittedly kind of interesting. She'd only spared a glance once or twice at him—given that everything here's weird, there's not much that really sticks out as being all that strange—but if he wants to give an explanation no one asked for, why not.]

Huh. I guess there's no reason why something like that couldn't be in multiple worlds. [Dying and getting brought back to life via parasite?? SAME HAT.]

[coagulant]

[if he was supposed to apologize for breaking the ice, it never happens. and while it does appear that the girl near him would rather be left alone, he has his own set of interests in understanding their predicaments. it's obvious that the both of them are biologically engineered to set them apart from the rest of humanity. parasitic flower, meet parasitic heart.]

The flower in your eye, then.

[captain obvious over here, pointing out... well, the obvious.

he's spent so long researching how to keep the BOR parasite at bay, investigating how to produce more blood beads for consumption that it's almost impossible to imagine there are other sympathetic lifeforms out there that like to mingle with their hosts at a molecular level.]

Maybe when this is all done, we can compare notes. I would've taken the Nokken on myself, but it seems that these guys are ready to throw their lives away faster than I could get there myself.

[he doesn't want them to die, after all. not that he knows what a Nokken is, but by reports of what he's heard around town, sending normal people to clean up after the mess it's left in its wake seems like a death march.]

[intoner]

[shrugging] It's not really all that interesting, but sure I guess.

[More like it's plenty interesting, but that's what happens when you're living the post-canon life. The details aren't all that important to her anymore. It gives her something to do at least, and that's really the only reason she's here in the first place.]

How noble of you. [Although that comes out very flat.] Honestly though, you'd think with how this thing's been killing people all over, they would've gotten some other Otherworlder or whatever to take care of it.

[coagulant]

[he gets that she's downplaying her own circumstances, but Louis is already pretty invested. if things were different back home, he was on track in university towards a career in research. his mind's always been wired to understand the world around him, especially anomalies. so she might say that she's not interesting at all, but he can't agree less. but more than that, he's doesn't press on the topic or outright argue that point. after all, revenants were created as a counter measure to the horrors. no, Queen. rather, both, depending on who you ask.]

Thanks, I try my best. [it's met with a certain level of monotony on its own. it seems their style of dryness might be compatibility at its finest.]

There's a war going on here. The problems of the few aren't heard by a government who's too invested in slaughtering the other side. If it falls on us to protect people, then so be it.

[he watches a regular townsfolk, who's rather unnerved, as he tries to hold a sword and jumps at every slight sound.]

Besides... who are we to take away their pride? This is their hometown, after all.

[intoner]

Pride's not worth much if you're dead. [She says it with a shrug, although it's not like she doesn't understand the sentiment. Once upon a time, her pride was one of the few things she had. These days, not so much.] But I guess governments are the same everywhere. The people in charge couldn't give two shits about anyone else.

[There's not much judgment in her voice though, just the bland frankness that comes with stating facts. Those with power, no matter how they dress it up, pursue their own desires—in this case, war, evidently—while everyone else is left to fend for themselves. For better or worse, it's what she's used to.]

[coagulant]

You're right. No one is buried holding onto their dignity.

[even if revenants don't get burial ceremonies. ashes to ashes, and all. he's lost countless people he had known at one point, but it gets harder and harder to remember them the more times he dies and comes back. that's what his life is meant for, after all.

that said, he should pitch her a side hustle. it's always done him well in times of strife and conflict. he managed to find the middle path, researching and adventuring the world to understand a way to make it better and stop the conflict altogether. he pauses. figures he needs to suss her own opinions out a little more before opening up. Louis is, at the core, an extremely guarded person.]

What do you make of it?

Do you think anything will come out of this war or is there something deeper going on? Something we can't see with our eyes.

[intoner]

If there isn't something else going on, I'll be shocked. [People with purely good, selfless intentions like helping others?? Impossible tbh.] Besides, their whole pitch here is that by winning a war, we save the entire world along with all of ours. How's killing the people who live here supposed to help the place out?

[Sure she agreed to this, but that doesn't mean she thinks it makes all that much sense. Having to make some kind of sacrifice in order to prevent something worse—she can relate to that easily enough. When it seems like the other side more or less just wants the same thing though? Not so much.]