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

[voktys]

⟪ how can she be sure? ⟫

It is possible, this I know.

⟪ and has she not practiced her art for years beyond count? the lord of light may grant such things, in all its curses and blessings. ⟫

He cares not if you wish to live or if you wish to die. You are simply not yet done.

⟪ words like daggers, if stannis' death is true. all the more she must say them. ⟫

Your fury proves me right.

⟪ there are things he feels the need to do. not wise things, some of them, but it's a hint of hope to offer. one that is not war. ⟫

[song_of_ice]

[He couldn't deny what she said. He didn't feel done and didn't want to be. His sister needed him and Ramsay Snow had to be removed from Winterfell. He wanted to lead his forces against the Long Night, no matter how impossible the odds and to fight for the living.

He wanted to see Ghost again, running across the wintry expanse and feel the ache in his muscles after a long day of training. He wanted to run circles around the Iron Bank and match wits against Stannis again. All of these little things that he'd taken for granted.

He wanted it back and he wanted to believe the Red Woman.]

Did you see me in your flames? [Why else would she have this belief that it might be possible?] What would this cost? Another sacrifice?

[voktys]

I last saw Stannis in the flames before he left the Wall. After that, I saw you.

⟪ as ever, she offers truths close to her only on the chance that they may sway someone to her thoughts. for the rest of his questions, she needs a moment. not long, but long enough for him to know that the magic of it must not be a habitual one. or else one she is not comfortable speaking. ⟫

It is known when the time comes. But the Lord of Light does not trade life for life. He grants it when one's duty is not done, takes it once it is. That I have felt.

[song_of_ice]

It could be because we died. [First Stannis and then him. It seemed like a cruel jest from her god. Why bother showing two men that could be instrumental in fighting the Dead only for them to be killed in the end? It only made him angrier, feeling as he did when he was first placed with the Stewards. None of this was fair.] Why not bring him back before me?

[He didn't know what was between the two, but there was talk at the Wall. Even Ramsay Snow made insinuations. It seemed impossible that she would not want to find Stannis and bring him back.]

I keep the Old Gods, does that not matter to him?

[voktys]

So many questions, Jon Snow.

⟪ it is not a taunt, nor does it ring with the dull ache that, for once, is not caused by magic. it strikes her that this all may be easier with ghost present, and then sheifeels foolish for it. ghost is a catalyst, ghost is needed for the bond he has with jon, for the power she had offered to show him in a joining.

not for the simple comfort of scratching him behind his great white wolf's ear. ⟫

If I could bring him back, I would.

⟪ no talk of god, nor of him as her champion. just a truth. whether she feels as if she owes it to him, or if she hopes it will ease some trust of her into him, even she can't say. ⟫

When I first met him, he believed in no god at all, not false nor true. Why a man so removed from faith? Why you? Why not one of the hundreds of thousands of Essosi men who visit the temples – even if it is just to seek out the pleasure slaves, at least they have seen some shape of R'hllor.

⟪ for once, in a mixture of grief and frustration, she almost seems to have lost touch with her serenity, but it returns quickly enough. ⟫

Because he wills it. This is your answer. Have you not learned a lesson of life in your pain, your death? Will you not cherish it all the more now? I have told you this before: it is the heart that matters. And it learns from agony more than it does from all else.

[song_of_ice]

[The wolf was elsewhere, hunting in the woods and on his own as he often was. Jon had left Ghost to do what he wished, for a moment uncomfortable and uneasy next to his wolf. The bond remained the same, but that link was stronger than before and it made his body feel almost...smaller to his spirit. Ghost would find him in time.

He feels a tinge of guilt for his anger, that he's been directing it so long at her. It was hard to put aside, roiling through him until he could almost feel hackles raising. If he looked in the glass, would he see wolf's teeth bared? Would red eyes staring back at him.

His fist clenched and unclenched again, the pain reminding him that he was not suffering a wolf-dream. This was his body, his senses, no one else's.]

I don't know what I learned. Nothing makes sense to me anymore and I- [He can't speak of the anger, the ferocity of his emotions or the darkness that seems to lurk in him. There was at least a war here he could throw himself into, it would at least be an outlet for the wild instincts that seemed to be calling to him.] I am not the same man I was anymore.

[voktys]

That is what it is to be touched by God.

⟪ stannis, too, had felt it, after renly's death. she had done what was within her means to restore some manner of rest to him, but r'hllor worked tireless within his mind. ⟫

It will never be what it was before. Embrace it, there is power in it like no other.

[song_of_ice]

I keep the Old Gods. Yours might have something to do with my future, but I haven't forgotten that I am of the blood of the First Men.

[It had been one of the only reasons he had refused Stannis' offer. He couldn't turn away from what he was and who his family believed in.]

If your god means to use me, he must already knows that.

[voktys]

False gods who have watched you bleed out, indifferent. Without the Lord of Light, there will be no future, no matter whose blood runs in your veins.

⟪ and she is convinced of this. as ever, no matter the losses, she remains a priestess. ⟫

What else must he do to convince you?

[song_of_ice]

Yet I have the wolf dreams, the connection to Ghost. I don't need proof from them that they are with me. I need only look at my wolf.

[As uneasy as he feels with Ghost at the moment, death proved how deep that bond with.]

You say your god means for us to battle the dead. An ally is necessary, even if we keep different ways.

[The Freefolk showed that much.]

[voktys]

And yet you could throw me farther than you would ever trust me.

⟪ that was a lie. not the matter of his lack of faith in her, that was evident enough. the other part, though: many have tried attacks on her, none successful enough to matter. ⟫

[song_of_ice]

I know better than to try and throw you, my lady.

[Which is the closest to a joke he's coming right now.]

I have better sense, I think.

[voktys]

⟪ it is close enough to a jest to catch her lightly off her guard, and she hides her smile just barely. ⟫

Fair enough.

⟪ she tilts her head. ⟫

Without the queen and without the king, I am no lady.

[song_of_ice]

Then I must not be the Lord Commander anymore...or a bastard.

[Was it a compliment he was trying to offer? If it was, his face remained stoic.

He certainly wasn't Lord Commander. His death saw to that.]

What do you make of this place?

[voktys]

Fates can change that way.

⟪ which is a point he hits precisely when he asks of their current... overall predicament. ⟫

There are immense powers at work here. Greater than the Wall, greater than Asshai. And clever, too, to brand their possessions.

⟪ her own tattoo is a small, full moon on her left ring finger. ⟫

[song_of_ice]

[He lifts his hand to show his moon tattoo that took up much of his hand. It was as if the Priestess was looking to quiet any argument or protest he might have by making his mark glaringly obvious.]

Have you seen the Priestess yet?

[voktys]

⟪ she reaches forward, nearly touching his mark –- he can feel the feverish heat of her, though she does not, in fact, touch him in the end. ⟫

No. ⟪ a frown. ⟫ Were this a Red Temple, the circumstances of our seeing of her would be telling of our own rank.

⟪ after all, all the rest seem to eagerly celebrate them as saviours. ⟫