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expiationmeme2023-02-27 01:04 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #2
Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes subtle 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.
BE OUR GUEST
You may possess any number of questioning thoughts as you traverse the blindingly white room and are dropped into a darkness beneath your feet, but perhaps those same thoughts will be replaced with an awe and curiosity as you come to. Expiation has you now and you have joined the ranks of the Chosen, a seemingly select number of individuals who have arrived with parchment either in-hand or near them, detailing physical and mental statistics in addition to a particular crime to which you have been accused.
How you choose to spend your time here is largely up to you...
IT'S A WINDMILL, NOT A GIANT
As you begin to acquaint yourself with the lay of the land about you, you'll find that not too far from where you've woken there's a rather grandiose tower windmill. Its blades rotate at a casual pace as it faces the ocean and its accompanying shoreline. It appears to be in relatively pristine condition, implying that it is cared for well and often, likely by the locals of the town of Aldrip, which can be easily spied from the elevated level of land upon which the windmill sits.
Outside of the main structure is a collection of wooden crates in various display. Some of these are closed. Some are open. If you observe for long enough, you'll eventually find that a few relatively muscular sorts arrive on the scene to retrieve some of these crates and take them back the distance toward the town that lingers at the base of the mountains. If you choose to inspect the crates, you'll find some of them filled with heavy canvas sacks that contain flour. If you choose to ask the town locals retrieving them about this, they will explain that the windmill companion you have woken near is just one of the many implements that the locals use to provide sustenance to dining tables, festivities, and more.
You have the option to help the locals carry crates back, potentially to curry some favour with them, or simply take some sacks of flour yourself. Crates require more than one person to carry due to the weight, but two able-bodied adults should be able to handle the job quite well. A sack of flour can generally be carried by one, but perhaps you'll find yourself needing some assistance anyway. Maybe ask one of the others who've woken up near you. It certainly seems you're not alone in this new endeavour.
WHERE ONLY THE BRAVE MAY GO
If windmills and manual labour aren't your thing, you may find yourself drawn to the seemingly mysterious cave at the foot of the mountains, not far from the windmill in question.
The locals refer to this cave as Lorentia. Jagged rocks poke out around the entrance and have been sculpted and shaped to resemble what appears to be the massive sharp-toothed mouth of a dragon. It is possible you may be momentarily stopped by one of said locals who will explain that the Lorentia Cave is a passage system that leads through the interior of the mountains, though due to some collapse of the inside, the passageway does not go in far and is currently blocked off for the safety of local citizenry. In other words, proceed with caution.
If you're still feeling brave and care to take a peek inside, by all means. No one's going to stop you.
The interior of Lorentia Cave consists of both narrow passageways and some larger, more cavernous like rooms. There are assorted mining implements scattered along the ground, propped up against the walls, and carts that are filled with various ores, rocks, crystals, and more. The locals of Aldrip use Lorentia Cave for largely mining purposes and many of the things that are retrieved can be used for the smithing forges, the crafting of weaponry, or fashioning into jewellery and other accessories that are sold locally and taken to other towns on the continent.
There are some crudely designed signs that note to take care and depict simple skull drawings, indicating that certain paths may be a little more dangerous to traverse than others. If you are especially lucky (or unlucky, as the case may be), you may even spot some skeletal remains from some less-than-fortunate souls who got caught in a dead-end path and simply never made it out again.
If you listen closely, sometimes you hear the flutter of wings and a distant roar. Maybe it's best not to linger...
NO SOMETHING FOR NOTHING
MAXWELL'S SILVER ROCK-HAMMER
The townsfolk are welcoming to newly-arrived, something that has largely been met with a fair amount of scepticism and wariness from prior arrivals. That said, they continue to be hospitable, eager to share stories and songs about their land, their people, and their traditions.
A jewelcrafter is displaying their work today, putting their various wares out for locals and members of the Chosen to admire, or perhaps to purchase. Part of their demonstration is opening geodes with rock-hammers and showing off the impressive inside of colour and masterful natural works of art gifted to them by the land's bounty. They may choose to speak a little on how they revere the land, the resources they've been given, and how all of this has been bestowed upon them by the very gracious Those Who Were There, a mysterious and seemingly celestial higher power.
For those who are interested, they have the opportunity to offer some assistance to the jewelcrafter by opening some geodes as well. There's plenty of rock-hammers to go around and the most recent retrieval from Lorentia Cave's mining appears to have been very successful. The jewelcrafter is so moved by the offer of help that he's more than happy to let those who aid him keep one opened geode for themselves at no cost.
Congratulations on your new piece of decor!
FORGING BONDS IN THE FIRES OF PASSION
If you were a brave soul who made visit to the Lorentia Cave and came back with some weapon or armour crafting materials (including skeletal remains), you'll find that the smithies of Aldrip are eager to do business and many of them enjoy their craft for the sake of being passionate about what they do.
They'll waste no time in starting the forge and should you have a specific piece in mind you are requesting, as long as they have the materials on hand, they'll even be willing to show you the general process from start to finish on a rough draft of the piece in question. If you're feeling especially keen to help, they may offer to let you work directly on your project, though they will express apprehension and a wary eye for those who fail to have prior experience with such gruelling tasks.
Once your piece is finished, you can either wear it immediately, learn the best way to maintain and keep your equipment, or put it out on public display to show the rest of Aldrip and its residents, new and old alike. If you choose to let the smithies keep your piece, they'll pay you the cost of the materials you've brought them, plus a small percentage markup depending on how much personal effort you put into the craftsmanship personally.
Better yet, you may have just come out of the situation with a permanent bond. The smithies have an appreciation for those who share similar interests and may be willing to provide future discounts to those who purchase their wares.
FEEDING THE MASSES
YOU'RE A REEL CATCH
Aldrip locals always have a need for food and with many Chosen having recently arrived, that need has increased exponentially, for now they have a larger number of mouths to keep fed and stomachs to keep happy. To help inspire this retrieval of food, Aldrip is hosting a fishing competition and anyone who's interested in participating may do so, provided that they follow the guidelines set in place.
All participants must use local fishing equipment and this will be provided by the various merchants in town free of charge, save for those who wish to keep their fishing tackle. All fish caught within the local rivers, ponds, and the nearby ocean are acceptable for submission. Citizens (local or Chosen) are forbidden from using magic or technology as a means to catch their quarry. Anyone found breaking these rules will be disqualified and will be fish'd (that is, they will have raw flopping fish thrown at them).
The winner of the competition is chosen by having caught the largest fish (determined by size and weight) and will be announced at the end of the competition. The applicable winner may keep their fishing tackle free of charge and have their winning fish cooked in the style of their choice by the locals, which can then be shared amongst the people if they so choose (a fantastic way to make friends). The winner will also have a mediocre fish sculpture awarded to them with their name chiselled into the details in honour of their glorious victory.
OOC Notes:
Both TDM participants and characters already in the game may participate in the fishing competition. Please use the designated comment if you wish to partake. On the 13th of March (after applications have closed for the cycle), the winner will be announced and drawn by RNG. We will announce who the winner is on this TDM post (in these notes), the moderator plurk, and the OOC community.
I'M A [X], NOT A FISHER
If you're not a fishing kind of individual yourself, there's still plenty for you to get involved with.
Aldrip has need of people who are capable of preparing meals, especially seafood. It is probable that many participants of the fishing competition will end up fishing up things that are not fish or eligible for submission, but still edible. These include crabs, lobsters, jellyfish, octopuses, clams, and other related sea life. If you have experience with cooking or simply want to help out, the Aldrip locals will welcome you with open arms and may even pay you for your assistance.
If cooking isn't your forte, you'll find that some of the Aldrip citizens enjoy a betting pool from time to time. If you have some coins or something else you don't mind putting up for gamble, you might just come out with the whole pot if you put your currency on the winning fisher. Anyone found to be attempting to rig the betting pool and competition, however, will be returned their bet. We don't take kindly to cheaters here.
At least not openly.
Fishing can be a sometimes dangerous pastime. You may find a fisher who has gotten themselves accidentally hooked on their line or perhaps when they were freeing a fish, the hook got lodged into their thumb. Aldrip welcomes those who have healing abilities to help assist those more unfortunate situations, so fishers can go back to casting out their lines to make the most of the competition. That said, there's nothing in it for potential healers, just the notion that you've done a good deed.
no subject
He raises an eyebrow, curious about her knowledge. He has never met her, and given her wonder about his body, he doubts she's ever encountered a wisp like him. But he can feel the magic in her touch, and there's something about her that strikes him as trustful; Enough that he's a little more open about his origins than he's been with anyone else yet. ]
I'm sure there's some that would call us fae. Our ancient name is Ardaya, but these days, most call us wisps.
no subject
the names are foreign to her, so it seems like he doesn't come from where she calls home. there's a brief moment of her puzzlement as she tries to decide how to go about this. she draws her energy from the plants around her -- but since he is one, how would that work? probably in much the same way, she supposes.
so she tries it. she takes from the energy of the grasses below her, sending it up through herself and into his hand. his skin starts to stitch itself together, faster than normal, and she jumps a little as the magic ricochets back at her when it heals all too quickly.]
I've never tried to heal someone like you before.
[she shakes her hands, which sting from the force of the rebound. the grass below her feet are faded, but not nearly as much as it would be if she had healed a gash on a human.]
If I took energy from you as well by mistake, sorry. I might not have been able to tell the difference when it was working through me. It should regenerate, like the grass below me will on its own.
[she motions to the patch underneath her feet that's yellow now, almost brown.]
no subject
While wisp's magic also come from the energy of the plants around them, he supposed they were used to being able to pull from energy other than wisps. But given this was her first time ever encountering someone like him, he wasn't surprised she didn't yet know how to decipher.
He might not turn yellow like the grass, but there is a moment where the magic that masked him as human flickered, his skin briefly appearing green, his hair changing from blonde to vines of white flowers. It stabilized as she finished the job, and he flexed his hand, which no longer had any sign of injury.]
Your magic is drawn from plants as well, I see. [It was obvious now that he witnessed it.]
And don't worry about taking any energy from me. You did me a favor. I'm just impressed you were able to heal me. [He was really taking a gamble, approaching her. And now he was definitely glad he did. Their magic had such similar sources. And honestly, if he stayed out in the sun for any length of time, he would quickly regenerate any energy she borrowed.]
no subject
My healing is. Herbaceous plants don't like to listen to me otherwise.
[that's Tyari's specialty. the reminder of her brother gives her a small lump in her throat -- though they've been separated for almost 80 years, the ability to not know how he's doing at all is going to bug her.
she puts her hands in her lap now, trying to get control of her emotions before the ground beneath them reacts in her distress. she couldn't think about them, not right now.]
At least I'm not the only non-human here.
no subject
He might be showing off, just a little, but he finds it fascinating that her powers reflected his own so similarly. He has so many questions he wants to ask her about the place she's from, wants to know more about her magic, but he can bide his time on those. He doesn't want to be rude and press her with questions when he's been extremely careful not to share much about his own.]
It's definitely a relief. Humanity... well, to put it nicely, we've always had a rocky relationship. [Rocky...geddit....he's so funny. But it's still the truth. He didn't hate humanity entirely, he welcomed any human that needed a home into his city, but there were definitely a lot of bad apples.]
no subject
but it seems like that's just how men are regardless of what they are, and she can't help but roll her eyes at the pun he's made. whether he tells her that it was on purpose or not, it was still corny.]
It doesn't matter who has magic or not, they all want the same thing. [she makes it sound like a really bad thing.] There's just one side that's blinded to knowledge from a species that's decided they deserve to pick and choose who experience it.
no subject
Or it was, until her rant about....well, what sounds like a power grab in her world. Hmm. Again, similar situations, which is finds even more interesting. It makes him wonder what she's been through to have such a stern opinion.]
There will always be someone who chooses to stay "blinded" and live a life of cruelty. It takes those that choose to open their eyes to what the world truly is to make a difference.
[Believe him, once...he hated humanity. He hated what humans had done to his home, his people. But it wasn't all humans, and it wasn't until he stood up and said no, it wasn't going to be like this, that he started to see most humans were like him, hurt by both sides, and just wanting peace.]
no subject
Until they die in the process.
[it's quiet, and she says it more to herself than anything. but she stands up, brushing her hands against her pants as she obviously starts to consider moving somewhere else.]
Is that all you needed tending to, then?
[subject change!]
no subject
If he had stood up then, would his wife still be alive? His daughter? He thought of all the lives that had been lost because of his inaction. It was a mistake he vowed to never make again.
But this is something he took a long time to come around to, and maybe Leanne just hadn't learned that lesson yet. He hoped she didn't have to learn it the way he did.
He isn't going to argue, especially with her very obvious subject change.]
That is. Thank you, again. [He offers a hand, this time for a handshake. He isn't sure if that's custom everywhere, but he's trying to be polite.] Name's Ven, by the way.
no subject
and besides, if she did, would that mean she'd lose Cody in the process?
she blinks when he speaks again, and nods.]
Leanne. And it's no problem...it's something that comes very easily to me. I'd rather help here than let people get sick and infected from something as silly as fishing.
no subject
It's been a while since I've gutted a fish. Don't worry, it won't happen again.
[But if he does face another injury, he's relieved to know he can look to Leanne for help.]
no subject
[even though he'd already said that it won't happen again -- but she's still kind of judgmental.
but then her expression softens just slightly.]
But...I would like to hear about your world, sometime.
no subject
He'll try to be careful. Try, being the key word.]
And I, yours. [He glances at another approaching that appears to have acquired an injury as well.]
Maybe next time?