fellmemes | Test Drive #4

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, that's a good wish. Perhaps I should have asked the same.

[ he can join akechi in the emo corner. akechi seems to take this in good spirits, though. ]

A way back home. [ this is absolutely fake. ] I've been told that participating in this war would save everyone I care for.... but it's something I need to do sooner or later.

[ ... ]

Though I doubt it's something that will be granted.

[everyone knows that a friendship built upon carefully constructed, intricate lies is a great foundation. pull up a chair, they can commiserate and read books and talk about how much death as a concept sucks.]

I find it kinda hard to believe that someone can offer you a way to save everyone. At best, even if you try your hardest, there are always bound to be losses... personal or otherwise. Your suspicion is probably justified.

[Louis' own feelings about returning home are equally complicated.]

For the record- I've already died once. There wasn't someone waiting for me on the other end, like they write about in novels or scripture. If there is a Death, maybe cheating him is the best gift we can ask for.

[ but can they also talk about murder? that's akechi's favorite topic. ]

Yes, it does sound like something that's good to be true... "Help us, and everyone will be saved." It's a little manipulative even... don't you think?

[ but this guy seems smart. akechi nods along -- until the last bit, where his eyes widen. ]

You say you've died before? You don't seem like you're being hyperbolic... can I ask how it is that you're standing here?

[manipulation on a grander scale is something Louis is used to by now. regardless of playing by the rules of others or not, he tends to play along until it doesn't benefit himself to do so. their entire system of government was a farce set up to cage the revenants all in like animals, and yeah. this reeks of an unfortunate, familiar feeling.]

Promises made by anyone should always be met with a healthy level of scrutiny.

[despite Akechi's obvious surprise, Louis remains keeping everything as matter-of-fact as possible. hiding who- or what- he actually is doesn't seem to benefit much of anyone. if they reject him for it, that's on them. he will continue doing what needs to be done.]

Where I come from, the world was meeting its end. They call it "The Great Collapse." Horrors began appearing and destroying civilization as we know it. Revenants were created as a first response to that threat, but we created one so strong that she frenzied and lost herself. The second wave of revenants were raised to fight her. We're alive because we've been treated with a parasite that's attached itself to our hearts and our central nervous system.

[holy hell, that's a lot to take in at once, but Louis is known for his all too clinical approach to the apocalypse- at the core of it, he's still a scientist.]

[ meanwhile, akechi cooperates with shido believing he's the one pulling the strings -- completely unaware he's being effortlessly played. in his own mind, though, he's the mastermind. rimshot. ]

Yes, I'm in complete agreement. It seems that we think alike.

[ little does akechi know he would have been in the same club as louis in a few months. but he does appreciate the skepticism. this man clearly isn't a sheep like most of the others he's met are -- he thinks for himself. and he's not interested in being used by horrible adults. that's like, 1 point of approval. ]

[ but yeah, even for a guy from a world where the metaverse and cognitive versions exist, where he has his own mythological figure as a persona, this is pretty wild. almost too wild to make up. ]

So you are a Revenant, then? And you have a parasite forming a symbiotic connection with you, keeping you both alive...? Is that what I'm to understand?

[ just getting the facts ]

Test Drive #4

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