expiationmeme | TEST DRIVE MEME #3

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TEST DRIVE MEME #3

TEST DRIVE MEME #3

Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and some horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Characters already in the game, however, are free to use TDM prompts in their own catch-alls and logs. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.

New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs (with the stated limitations).

You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.

info | world

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN...

BRAVE NEW WORLD (ARRIVALS)

After receiving the paper with your sentence, the whole world quickly becomes dark and you find yourself falling through what seems to be an infinite void. You lose track of time after a while, but as soon as your focus seems to waver, your vision clears and you find yourself resting rather unceremoniously in a pile of seeds used for chicken feed.

Once you make your way out of the grain silo (and we of the moderator team wish you good luck in finding a fun way out of it), you may find that several other people have been dropped into the world just like you have. Some are disoriented, others are panicked, and others yet are simply angry about being brought somewhere against their will. Amidst the chaos of new arrivals to the world of Expiation, the newcomers will find that there are some people in the crowd who seem a little more familiar with what’s going on.

These people will tell you that you find yourself in a strange new world, and that it’s best to make your way to a nearby town called Aldrip to get settled down there. It’s a few hours by foot away from this area, but it’s the only place in the nearby area that can accommodate newcomers like you.

WE LIKE TO PARTY (WE LIKE, WE LIKE TO PARTY)

Recently, many Chosen have emerged victorious from a hard-fought battle, taking out a gargantuan creature that threatened to suck the energy from the whole area surrounding Aldrip if it had not been stopped. Such efforts do not go unrecognised, and in the aftermath, the locals all decided to band together to celebrate their saviours’ heroics. Nothing less than a village-wide party and parade would be fitting for such an occasion.

This is an undertaking that will likely take a significant amount of effort. While the locals wanted to make this into a surprise, many of them lack skills to put the thing together properly. Chosen who want to get involved in the preparation process can put their organisation and culinary skills to the test to create fixtures and food for the event. Better yet, your efforts over the past months have improved supply routes into Aldrip, meaning that the food shortage has passed, and you’ll have just about anything your heart desires for the occasion.

Alternatively, you can choose to enjoy the spoils of your efforts! Once the day of the party arrives, Aldrip will erupt into a full-scale celebration, and all Chosen are encouraged to party as hard as possible. Good food, good drinks and good times will be in no short supply for the occasion. Additionally, those who took to the front lines in the previous event will be revered as heroes and likely spoiled rotten.

THIS IS HOW YOU GET ANTS

PLEASE PARTY RESPONSIBLY

It’s no understatement to say that some of the Chosen like to party hard- and that’s quite alright! A few days ago, the people of Aldrip had already set aside a few rooms in the inn to act as an infirmary for those who had been injured during the battle with the Branded. It took little effort for them to expand this project into a full medical wing for those who would undoubtedly be acting irresponsibly during the festivities.

It’s up to you to decide what circumstances brought you here. Perhaps you were injured in the previous battle, and have been stuck in bed as you recover from your wounds. Maybe you had just a little too much to drink, and you decided to come by while you collect yourself. Regardless of what your reason for being there may be, the people of Aldrip have guaranteed that you will receive the best of care.

With that said, the place is terminally understaffed. Aldrip’s locals will certainly appreciate any assistance they can get- even if your character might not have the best training or bedside manner. Medicine can’t be that hard- what’s the worst that can happen?

MR. MAGNIFI'S MAGNIFICENT MIXTURES

Once word of the upcoming celebration spread, several individuals from outside town came in to offer their services or goods in Aldrip. One such individual came into town riding on a rickety cart with the words “Miraculous Magnifi’s Medicine! Guaranteed to heal what ails ye!” emblazoned in gold on its side. The thing smells a bit off, with a strong chemical scent coming from the back, but the moustachioed man who emerges from the back assures you that all of his “mixes are made with meticulous ministrations!”

Those who buy and consume the potion might find themselves feeling strange over the next few days as symptoms emerge. Some people wake up to find that their hair has taken on a rainbow of colours during the night, that rats cuddle up to them for no reason, or that their irises have been replaced with strange spiral shapes. Feel free to come up with inventive but harmless side effects for the miracle elixir- it’s meant for some good fun.

They’re strange symptoms for sure, and certainly not the advertised cure-all. However, Magnifi is already gone by the next dawn, meaning that no one can get a refund. Thankfully, the symptoms will go away after a few days, but the chaos that ensues in the meanwhile will certainly make for some fun stories.

IT'S NOT OVER

♪♫ LET IT GROW ♫♪ ► (FUTURE EVENT TIE-IN)

The party celebrating the dread beast’s defeat can be heard from miles outside of Aldrip, but the situation is not quite yet resolved. Much of the once-lush forest outside of Aldrip had its life force absorbed from it, leaving little more than profaned ground and an overwhelming scent of rot. Worse yet, there are reports that some of the beast’s severed golden tendrils have taken on a life of their own, creating snake-monsters that threaten the local wildlife.

However, the monsters are not the only new arrivals in Pessiria Forest. Those who go to investigate the area will find that fairy-like creatures have gathered in the profaned land and are trying their best to help bring the area back to its former glory. At first, they seem to keep their distance or ignore you entirely, but after determining that you mean well, they inform you that they can temporarily bless the Chosen with the power to make full-sized plants burst forth from the seeds they plant into the ground.

It’s still going to be hard work. Even with the power to bring plants to life, planting seeds in the miles of dead forest will likely take a very long time. Still, these strange fairies could use the help, and tough jobs can be better if you bring a little help from your own friends. (Or enemies. No one’s going to judge you for who you bring.)

WHAT'S THAT MYSTERIOUS LAUGHING SOUND?

The process of regrowing the devastated part of Pessiria forest is well underway, but the process does not go entirely smoothly. Partway through the process, locals start to report that they can hear a strange girl laughing in the forest in the middle of the night, but no one seems able to track down its source. Curious Chosen can patrol around the forest at night to try and figure out the mystery.

Those who are particularly sharp-eyed might see a faint spectre of a little girl wearing a straw hat dancing about, but she never seems to stay in sight for more than a few seconds. One blink is all it takes for her to vanish.

You probably won’t be able to catch this strange spectre, but it’s become something of a game among the villagers to go looking for her anyways. Some say that seeing her is a sign of good luck, and wave to her before she disappears. Others say that if you see her while holding hands, it will bless you with a lifetime of good love. Almost all of these assertions are probably nonsense- but what will you do about it?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He bows politely in return. 'Expiation'... That is certainly no land that he's ever heard of, even after familiarising himself with modern maps. At the mention of parchment though, he voices a soft, 'Oh!' and digs into a pocket.

"You mean this?" He pauses upon seeing the words written there again though. He'd temporarily forgotten it with his preoccupation about helping to hunt down the strange, tendril creatures.

[ Your crime is being a monster in the guise of a man. ]

Maybe that's something he shouldn't show a stranger upon first meeting.

A monster in the guise of a man. Ethlyn stared at the parchment, and then she studied the young man. He didn't look like a monster to her, unless his guise really was that good. And she didn't think a monster would be calling himself a paladin and fighting monstrous creatures right after he arrived, either.

"The accusations aren't always right," she said firmly. "Mine isn't. So don't take it as a fact... you don't look monstrous to me."

He laughs sheepishly, quickly tucking the parchment away. He can't deny that the thought still sometimes crosses his mind, but she doesn't need to know that his so-called 'crime' isn't as far off the mark as it sounds. William knows that to an average person he could seem quite monstrous indeed, but that simply means he needs to be far more mindful of others.

Perhaps this, too, is one of the many trials he has to overcome in order to fulfil his vow to Gracefeel.

"Thanks... I think. So does that mean everyone here has been accused of some sort of crime?"

It occurs to him that perhaps he should actually be a bit more concerned about this if so. Has he been brought to some kind of prison planet??

Ethlyn nodded, and took out her own piece of parchment to demonstrate. "Everyone who arrives here in this strange way, yes. Mine, for instance, accuses me of the crimes of my birthplace." The crimes of the Grannvale Empire was what it said specifically, beneath her name. "But it's wrong, unless they mean that anyone born there is to be held responsible for its misdeeds. I fought against its conquests. That's why I advise people not to take it too much to heart, even if they think their own accusations have merit."

He's surprised at her willingness to share her own 'crime'. His eyes drop to the words written there before he can stop himself and glimpses the words before he manages to skitter them away. The crimes of the Grannvale Empire...whatever that means.

Surely a single person can't be held accountable for the crimes of an entire nation, he tells himself firmly. And Ethlyn seems nice enough. There surely must be a mistake.

"A nation is the sum of its people. I suppose if you were its leader then there might be some weight to the accusation..." William quickly raises his hands to forestall an objection which might come. "Ah - not that I'm agreeing with what it says. I think it's wrong to judge the people for the deeds of their government. At least, I would hate for anyone I lead to be treated badly because of a poor decision I made."

Ethlyn smiled and shook her head. "Don't worry--I'm not offended. As it happens, I wasn't the leader--there were others who took advantage of our king's frailty, but my family was never one to exploit another's weakness that way." She felt nothing for sympathy for old King Azmur--the loss of his son and his great age made him easy prey to manipulation; she didn't blame him for believing the lies that had been fed to him about her brother and father.

So if William was a monster in human guise, well, that didn't mean much in her view. She had met people here with animal features, people who described themselves openly as gods, abilities entirely different than what she knew, and expertise in inventions that hadn't even been dreamed of in her homeland. "So what you're accused of could mean anything--the personal biases of our accusers, or an ill-informed opinion. And we have more than one person living here who isn't quite human."

His gaze takes on a sympathetic cast as she explains. He has been fortunate to not run into any of that kind of political manoeuvring so far (maybe he should thank Menel's quick wits and skill with negotiation for that) but with how tricky it is already to manage his fiefdom, Torch Port, he can see how quickly a situation might spiral out of someone's hands.

"Well..." He looks faintly embarrassed now. "It isn't as literal as that for me. I'm just really, really strong." A pause. He drops his eyes to his feet. "I went berserk once and slew an entire army of demons on my own because a friend of mine nearly died."

He's not proud of that moment.

Oh. Really strong? That hardly sounded like a monster, just someone who trained a lot--

--except when he went on to say that he'd killed an army of things that sounded much more powerful than humans. No one person could take on an army.

"That does sound... uncommonly strong," she said, aware of her awkwardness. She cleared her throat. "I can see how it would be frightening to know that you have the capacity for that. But if they were demons--is that something to be ashamed of?"

He gives a little self-deprecating laugh and waves his hand.

"Well, no, I'm not ashamed of it - at least not any more. If you like, we can talk more as we head back to town?"

Not ashamed but certainly very aware of how different he is to others.

"Yes, that's a good idea," said Ethlyn with a smile. "You must be hungry after all that monster-fighting." Even if he wasn't, it would be more comfortable to acquaint him with everything over a meal.

She took Venture's reins in her hands, not mounting so that she would stay on a more even level of conversation with William. "I was in the first group of outlanders to arrive here, so I'm quite well-acquainted with the place and its ways. You certainly aren't the only person who can claim an--uncommon level of fighting prowess."

One of the first, she says? Wonderful, he couldn't have found a better guide.

He falls in easily by her side as they walk. But he does keep a steady grip on his weapons in case they're surprised by another of those strange creatures. "I wouldn't say no to a meal," he says, smiling in return. "This world doesn't really feel like a prison. Can you tell me anything more about it? The people who welcomed me seemed like ordinary people rather than prisoners."

No matter how many times it happened, it always struck Ethlyn with surprise when the other Chosen began describing themselves and each other as prisoners. It was technically true. Most of them were being taken from a life they could and ought to return to.

"No, it's quite pleasant," she said, hoping the little flicker of emotion that had passed over her face wasn't too obvious. "Most of the people you'll meet in town already lived here before we arrived. They seem to have taken our appearance very much in stride--as far as they're concerned, we've been put here by their gods."

So far, Ethlyn hadn't seen any evidence of the gods or their favor, but the townsfolk were just as enthusiastic several months into sharing their home with otherworldly visitors. "You'll be able to pick out other newcomers easily enough. We tend to stand out, for one reason and another. And most will be happy to commiserate about being imprisoned in a strange land with no warning."

"Hmm... So their gods are the ones keeping us here."

He doesn't notice her slip in expression, preoccupied as he is with his musing. "I suppose I'm impressed in a way. To take someone away from another world and bring them here must be quite a feat." He laughs a little. "I didn't even die this time! I think."

"This time?"

Venture protested with a huff at the unexpected tug on his bridle as Ethlyn stopped short. This time there was no hiding her expression. "Have you--did you die, before coming here?" she said. And why did he make it sound like something that had happened more than once?

"Oh. Um--" William scrambles to correct himself. "I just meant that I've had near-death experiences before! Did I mention I fought off an Echo of a god? I nearly did die when I got bitten by one of the snakes they summoned. If I hadn't sworn my life to Gracefeel then, I would have passed on to my next one."

Did he, now. That was a terribly frantic effort to backtrack. Ethlyn regarded him for a moment as she decided how she wanted to respond. She could press him on it and share her own story--not the whole of it, but the fact of the aftermath. But that would mean talking about it... and she didn't want to take away from his disorientation and newness with her sad tale.

Still, she didn't want him to feel as though he would be alone in such an experience. "It sounds like you were narrowly saved--a miracle," she said with a smile, resuming her walk back towards Aldrip. "But there are people here--not everyone, but a few--who did pass away before their arrival. You wouldn't have been the only one."

She tried to ignore her heart beating faster as she said that, and at the horribly anodyne phrase passed away, as though her end had been anything so peaceful.

He fixes his gaze on the town starting to peak out in-between the gaps in the trees. He hadn't told anyone outside of his undead family about his origins. He had (understandably) assumed that the information wouldn't be taken well - if anyone believed him in the first place. But if Ethlyn says that it isn't unusual for people here to have died before their arrival, then...

"I...have some vague memories of my previous life," he eventually admits. He continues to stare forward, hoping he's right in judging that she won't suddenly become hysterical.

No hysterics from Ethlyn; since the age of twelve she's known that she is not a person who has time for them.

So when William talked of his previous life, she didn't gasp or harshly demand an explanation--but she did give him a look for surprise, and noted the way that his gaze was determinedly fixed ahead of him.

"As in..." she began, uncertain how to phrase it. "...Resurrection from death?"

She knew that the holy artifact of Edda could bring back those with a strong life-force... had something like that been done for William?

"No..." His brow furrows as he tries to think of a way to explain that even she can understand. He knows, intrinsically somehow, that the concept makes sense to him but he's keenly aware that the two worlds he knows operate with different belief systems. "It's rebirth. My goddess is the one who guided my soul to the world I was reborn into. I don't know if it is because of Her that I have faint memories of my previous life, but when I met her again underneath that sea of stars..."

He knew. He had just known somehow that Gracefeel had guided him through that place once before.

"Mm... So, when we die, our souls are supposed to head to the next world and be reborn. Gracefeel is the one who guides all of them to their next lives. She guided me from my previous world to the one I currently live in."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TEST DRIVE MEME #3

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I'M SORRY I SOMEHOW FORGOT TO REPLY

IT HAPPENS TO ALL OF US DW

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