( TDM | #4 )

[spellbindmods]

IMPORTANT: The weekly update post will go up later than usual tonight to give time for any other barrier quest responses to come in. Nothing major will be affecting how old players respond to newbies on this post, so tag away! Threads here do count for September bonus AC for old players.

TDMs can be used for anyone interested in the game and/or testing out a new muse.

Test Drive samples are encouraged to be used for your application sample, though they are NOT a requirement.

Feel free to use one prompt, multiple prompts or make up your own!

These threads can be considered game canon upon game opening if you so choose.

Telepathy and magic can be used at any point in time on the TDM, from Prompt A to your wildcard prompt. A specific prompt exists, however, that makes sure all characters have an equal chance to use this mechanic within the TDM. You're encouraged to have characters use telepathy and their magic accidentally or even purposefully on any TDM prompt.

If you aren't set on your character's power yet or want to try out a few, you're still able to use the test drive. Maybe your character is a late bloomer and hasn't fully unlocked their intuitive drive yet. In the case of multiple powers, only prompts that contain the power you choose for your application will count as potential game canon threads.

While only one character can be apped or reserved during a cycle, feel free to post with more than one character if you like! This is for those who are uncertain of their first choice or who would like to try out different characters within the setting.

IMPORTANT: This world is low-frequency. No canon powers or abilities are allowed! Also check out the setting information for more info about what the hub island looks like and what can be found there.

You blink and that's all it takes. At first the picture doesn't come in clear, like you're waiting for a screen to fully load -- more aptly, it's like you're waiting for a camera to focus so you can find image clarity. Before you happened to rapidly close your eyes and open them, your life was normal...well, normal for you, anyway. Fighting an alien, making a quesadilla, dying. And then that blurry picture suddenly takes over. There's a lot to take in here -- you feel weird, your surroundings are weird. Everything is just weird. For starters, there's that new piece of jewelry inserted in the space above your chest. That certainly wasn't there before you opened your eyes. A ▢ Your character's first experience here will be waking up in a forest. Specifically, located here. It's up to them to traverse and try to figure out where they are, whether they make it to the beach or the main house area. If this new little signet catches their interest, fiddling with it will result in a bit of a neural vibration in everyone else with telepathy. Nothing painful; it's actually quite pleasant. But if they do decide to play with this new jewelry, they're likely to find some seasoned telepaths (aka old coven members) in their brain space, wondering that's up. A2 ▢ Alternatively, new coven members are notorious for being bad at telepathy from the jump. Their panicked reation to this journey or confused mental state may send out some network messages that maybe they didn't realize they were sending out. Or, maybe what's pushing them over the edge are all the other voices already doing exactly that in their brain. B ▢ Unlike the previous coven members who found themselves on the hub, new recruits won't find as many supplies randomly in the forest they're suddenly in. However, like old coven members, they will come across some wild boars that aren't too happy to see the humans have returned to their stomping ground. Your character may also come across a boar with babies in tow, which means that they're even more likely to be aggressive. If your character has useful magic within them somewhere, now may be a good time to discover how to use it...? C ▢ Whether you've braved a boar encounter or avoided one entirely, there's a lot to do and see in the forest, as well as other areas of the hub! Well, "do" is debatable. But! Coven members before them have discovered some pretty nifty locations that can be stumbled upon, from a phallic fertility shrine to tree homes and passageways.

If you eventually make it out of the forest and aren't devoured by a boar, you'll eventually come upon your new base camp. Someone (Genette) will be there with your introductory letter and a brief description of magic you now have. If you didn't discover it earlier...surprise! One thing of comfort might be that you aren't alone in this journey. There are other coven members here, fresh back from a journey to another world. If your character wants to get the lay of the land or understand what's going on a little better, they may want to hit up some of these folk for information. There's a large, gold, floating caravan hanging around next to a bonfire, and there's a back gate open that reveals something of a space pocket containing lots of different things. Luckily for new characters, the Palai from the previous world didn't want them to go hungry...which also means they'll be inundated with shrimp to eat. Hopefully they like shellfish! D ▢ Many of the old bloods in the coven can be found hanging around this area. Of course, a few of them have gone off on their own to do whatever it is they do, but since they just got back this is a good place to hang out if a new character wants to see a familiar face, ask questions or steal someone's belongings. You never know! E ▢ This will also be the place where they're given their first provisions. In a woven knapsack, they'll find a bag of cooked shrimp, a set of clothes (you pick the style) that may not fit, a toothbrush, and three other random objects -- dealer's choice! It's very likely that your character got something useful in there, but it's also likely you got something that your character would never use in a million years, or that doesn't fit. Time to start trading! F ▢ Finally, there's always the chance for your character to explore the big mansion next to the beach area. Actually, they may be asked to lend a hand. Everyone is tasked with unloading supplies from the caravan to the front foyer of the mansion, and there are quite a few trips to be mad. Or, alternatively, your character can slack off and play in the game room that they have. How good is your character at pool?

If you're much more of a loner and don't want to follow the flow of things, there are of course other locations that you should probably check out. Travel to your heart's content and find something new...but there are two other points of interest you may want to discover. G ▢ There's that bathhouse that's nearby, for starters. Your character won't encounter any snapping crabs, like last time, though the water for some reason isn't as hot as it once was. Whatever was previously heating the bathhouse seems to have died out, so there aren't any steamy, comfortable pools to take a dip in. There are, however, acrid waters with pond scum floating on the surface. The showers also spew out a greenish liquid, so any hope your character had at having a relaxing bath is gone. However, the lack of heat and many closed off rooms can make for some nice alone time. H ▢ Your character may want to claim a beach house while they're at it. Some characters have disappeared from the coven over time, and some of these few may have left their belongings before departing. This makes it hard to tell what huts are free and which need to be cleared out. Might as well play roulette and see if you picked one that doesn't have an owner or not. (For the sake of the prompt, you might want to choose the former, just saying). I ▢ Wildcard prompt. Go nuts and utilize your own creativity within the setting. This can mean striking out on your own or utilizing a certain location in a different way. The world is your oyster!

GAME NAVIGATION

Comments

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley doesn't fall off the edge but she does go far enough to submerges herself almost entirely under the water, leaving only the very top of her head visible from the surface. She stays under there for a while, trying to feel for any sign of Nerifes, before giving up and wading back to shore. She wrings out most of the water in her clothes - one of the nice things about having Ferines clothes again, people who know how to make clothes work with water - and starts heading out again, still twisting her head this way and that on the off chance she could find something.

Unfortunately for Geir, while Shirley's managed to get most of the water out of her clothing she hasn't managed to get rid of *all* of it. So as Shirley passes by a curious rock formation, she's still dripping water from her dress every few seconds...]

[rootandbranch]

[Geir is already fully above the sand, the scaly length of him draped alongside the beach at the shoreline where he was anxiously waiting for Shirley to emerge again. doesn't this human need to breathe? he's actually started wading into the water a little by the time she emerges and starts wringing her dress out, though that was only with his front feet. there's still quite a bit of him on the beach to be mistaken for rocks.

only Shirley's preoccupation could have possibly let her walk past him. so while she can certainly still find something, it may be more than she bargained for.]

Hey!

[the word is very direct and might seem almost accusing; Geir was worried, in spite of himself.]

Are you okay? You were in there a really long time!

[when Shirley's eyes track who's talking to her, she sees something perhaps unexpected: a narrow snakelike face above the place where the waves are breaking, Geir's head turned back over his shoulder to look at her… and behind it and beside her, a LOT of dragon.]

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley is, in fact, very preoccupied with Nerifes' absene and very much under the assumption that she's alone. So when she hears an unfamiliar voice calling out to her from very nearby...she screams. It's a short scream, just long enough for her to jump back and get a look at Geir, but that definitely happened.]

Who--who are you?

[...Oh. That's a dragon. That's a very big dragon, big enough to throw Shirley even further off-kilter than she already was.]

A monster?!

[Shirley, don't call people who are concerned about you monsters.]

[rootandbranch]

[oddly enough, the dragon does not seem at all discomfited about being called a monster. in fact, he's not -- monster would be one of the first few words that came to mind if you asked Geir to describe himself. for his whole life he's been a legendary creature, nothing approaching human and trapped under earth and sea, fated to rise and bring about the end of days: why not just call a spade a spade?

the more important thing here is this weird girl who was trying to drown herself.]

Yeah, sure, I'm a monster, but how were you breathing in there? I thought humans didn't have gills. You scared me!

[hearsthesea]

[??? Shirley's never seen a monster concerned with humans before, besides that galf Moses had. Not that she has a lot of interaction with monsters, but...well.

She touches her hand to her neck at the mention of gills, even though she really doesn't have any. Now she's feeling decidedly self-conscious.]

Y-you don't really need gills. Just, um...I'm not sure what you need?

[Biology is one of the many things Shirley's education was lacking in.]

[rootandbranch]

Okay, I'll take your word for it. You're positive you're all right, then?

[Geir relaxes, since she really doesn't seem hurt. he doesn't really understand how she was breathing without trouble -- it's against any experience that he has with humans -- but there are a lot of people in the coven with abilities he's never heard of before. this must be one more of the same.

it occurs to him that she seems unusually flustered and panicked about the whole situation, though. that isn't the first time he's seen that kind of reaction... he's been with the coven long enough to come across those who Qri draws in willy-nilly for a day or two before. is she scared of this place, or is she scared of him? it could be either or both.]

...I haven't seen you here before. Did you just get here?

[hearsthesea]

[Shirley figures the dragon is asking because she's just that obvious about her confusion, probably. Great. Well, it's not like he'd be wrong anyway. She's quiet for a moment, debating with herself how much to tell him, and opts for being careful - not too much just yet.]

Yes, I did. And yes, I'm all right. Can you tell me what this place is?

[rootandbranch]

Um, this is the Hub island. You probably don't know what that is, because... well, no one does.

[great-- she's a new arrival. Geir certainly doesn't mind trying to explain, but he's also aware he's not the best at it, and he looks down at Shirley in consternation. why is Qri grabbing yet more people? has she realized that the ones she's kidnapped already aren't bringing her all of the magical objects they've picked up for her benefit, or is she running low on energy, or is something else going on...?]

We all got taken from whatever worlds we came from and put here by Qri. She's some kind of witch. There are things we're supposed to be doing for her, but she doesn't actually talk to us, so it all feels sort of up in the air if you ask me.

[hearsthesea]

What?

[That explains why she can't feel Nerifes' presence anywhere. Why she can't find anyone else she was with, too. Which means...she's alone.

And that's her cue to think about literally anything else.]

That's, um...Qri sounds like a very powerful witch. How is that even possible?

[rootandbranch]

I don't know.

[Geir would gladly provide Shirley with the (hopefully distracting) explanation of the metaphysics of the setting to her, but he has no idea. no one in his family, at least as far as he knows, has the kind of summoning power that Qri seems to, or claims to be maintaining all the worlds. he's extremely unsure how that could all possibly work.]

Supposedly, she can eat all different kinds of energy, and she's doing something to help the worlds stay alive. But I have no idea what, or how, or why. I wish I could tell you!

[hearsthesea]

Helping the worlds stay alive.

[That would make her even stronger than Nerifes - though it would figure, to be able to take an awakened Merines from it.]

I...see. And how do you know that if she doesn't talk to you?

[rootandbranch]

She brought two people here more than a year ago, Genette and Brie -- and she does talk to Genette. She told Genette to explain everything to us because it's harder for her to talk to all of us more. If you find Genette, she'll tell you anything I'm forgetting, and she's had a lot more practice than me.

[he swishes his tail; that part never gets less frustrating to explain. "why doesn't Qri talk to you? how do you know that anyone isn't lying?" great questions, new people! ask some more! we're all waiting for the answers too!]

A lot of people really don't like that, but there's not much we can do about it, honestly. It's possible Qri's lying about everything except being powerful. I wish I could tell you! Anyway, that's the best I can do with what we've gotten.

[hearsthesea]

What a strange person.

[An understatement, of course, but Shirley's at a loss for what else to say. She doesn't think the dragon is lying (and isn't that still a strange thought to assess), so the next course of action would be to find Genette.]

Thank you. And where might I find this Genette?

[rootandbranch]

She's usually hanging around the base camp or the weird old hall. I can guide you there if you want.

[Geir hesitates. this strange girl seems tense and upset, and there are several glaringly obvious reasons why she would be. he can't help with the obvious ones, like being kidnapped and put to work collecting magic for some bizarre, unseen space witch, but if her guide is part of what's adding to her stress, he can at least try to show that he's not one of the things to be nervous of.]

I'm, um, Geir, by the way. I'm sorry if I scared you at first. I just wasn't sure what you were doing in there!

[he wasn't doing anything nearly so scary as she was, really! but humans are like that, in his experience.]

[hearsthesea]

[She's not sure why the dragon is apologizing, but he seems like a decent sort contrary to the monsters on the Legacy. Helpful, too - although Shirley's not sure whether to take him up on his offer. She feels a little more confident seeking out answers with company, but...it's not like they're friends, either. And she isn't sure if they ought to be or not. She stalls for a second, for lack of a decision.]

It's all right. Thank you for your concern, but I'm all right.

[And then she hesitates, glancing off into the distance for a moment. Shirley is not very all right, and her uncertai/nty betrays her. Now that she's gone and said that she has to live up to it, though, so she steels herself and tries to play things off like the cool and determined Merines she ought to be.]

I'll be fine looking for Genette on my own. However, I would be thankful if you could give me directions.

[rootandbranch]

[Geir gestures with one wing in the direction of the coven's base camp, but he still can't help but be a bit concerned for the new arrival. whenever he sees someone show up without anyone from their own world to keep them company, he wonders how he would have reacted if he'd been pulled away from Vern when Qri grabbed him... it wouldn't have been pretty, to say the least. Geir's not sure if he would have tried to destroy the place he arrived, or gone to hide in a paroxysm of terror far worse than Shirley's uncertainty, or both. it's not a fun transition to make.]

It's that way, but it's a bit of a walk...

[he doesn't want to intrude, but he doesn't want to leave her on her own, either... what to do? then, in a flash, he sees what solution could answer both purposes.]

I'm flying that way myself! I could carry you that far and put you down, or you can just follow my silhouette in the sky, if you want. Up to you.

[he doesn't think she'll let him carry her, but he might be surprised -- and even if she doesn't, he has excellent eyesight. he'll be able to keep an eye on her till she gets where she's going.]