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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
[ It's a surefire way to win a wyvern's affection, anyway. Still, if Ethlyn was going to bring up that damned piece of parchment, who's Claude not to follow that lead? ]
Anyway! Speaking of paper! What do you make of all that? Have you found out anything about it I may have missed? Because between you and me, I expect most sentencing to come with a short reprieve in a jail cell, not to be let loose to traipse about as we please.
no subject
You're right, it's very rude for a houseguest to turn up without a gift--not even a bottle of cheap wine. A deer sounds appropriate for a dragon.
[She brings up the parchment a lot--it's like a loose tooth that she has to poke at, no matter how much she knows it won't change it. But if hers was wrong, who's to say that others aren't suffering under a false accusation the way she is? And the longer life goes on like normal, the stranger it feels.]
It's the strangest form of imprisonment I've ever encountered, if that's what this is meant to be. I know that you can't rip the paper, or burn it. [she's tried.] And it's strange that for something that has so much information about me, it's accused me of something I can't possibly be held responsible for.
I'm not asking what your 'crime' is, and you don't have to answer if it's impertinent, but do you think your accusation is a fair one?
no subject
[ Claude won't pry. He can't, though he wishes to. If it were up to him, he'd go snooping around at everyone's accusations, just to get a feel for what this place deems an adequate offense to justify being spirited away from their duties and their homes. At least Ethlyn has given him enough context clues to take a stab at it. Something that happened, something that she did, that she cannot be held accountable for...
But he can't ask. Because if he asks, that opens himself up in return, and refusing to answer probably won't cast him in a favourable light. He appreciates that Ethlyn is gracious enough to lift that weight off his shoulders to begin with. ]
Well, at least more than one person thinks that this whole thing is ridiculous. [ He cocks one hip and rests his hand upon it. ] No, I don't think it's a fair one. And if it was, I would have preferred to be tried in my home, according to our own laws and customs.
[ Deception. Since when has that mattered, in the grand scheme of things? If deception was so great a crime, every leader of note and value would be locked away. ]
Honestly? It's all a bit vague.
no subject
It is, however, reassuring to hear someone else say that they don't feel like they've been justly accused of the crime on their parchment. She's spoken to too many people who say that there's merit in it.]
Vague... yes. [She sighs.] It says that we're being given time to prepare a defense, but not what any of that will be like. Whether we'll have some kind of legal advocate, or we'll have to argue for ourselves, or if it's going to be something crueler like trial by ordeal.
[Which is something that's used in Jugdral, but she personally sees it as a sign that a place is being run badly. It's certainly not something her father ever allowed in Chalphy, and it's not allowed in Leonster either.]
It takes a lot of nerve to take dozens of people out of their own homes and laws to accuse them of having committed crimes there. When it comes time to confront them, I'm going to have a few things to say on the subject of presumption.
no subject
[ He's not joking this time. He knows that he's been gifted with a silver tongue, and the crime he's been accused of is incredibly defensible. He doubts there's anyone in a position of power - let alone anyone at all - who isn't guilty of deception every now and then. What matters isn't the deception, but what the deception is for.
Besides, every hour that passes without answers is starting to make him itchy. He had left the Alliance in such a precarious position that he doesn't trust its ability to run itself for even a day in his absence without his carefully constructed deck of cards completely falling apart. ]
So, the rest of the people here. They don't particularly strike you as a bunch of murderers, knaves and criminals, right? Everyone I've spoken to here has been downright polite. You included.
[ She's a healer, for heavens sake. Yes, yes, he knows that every person here could be guilty of something horrific and that a polite veneer often hides something more sinister beneath it, but he has a hard time believing that to be true for each and every one of them. ]
no subject
I agree. Just on the face of it, I'm sure I could convince them that they've made a mistake.
And no, I haven't met many people who fit the definition of rogue and ruffian. For that matter, the locals don't treat us that way, either--they seem to have taken our arrival quite in stride, and don't seem to look on us with the kind of suspicion you would if a bunch of foreign criminals got dumped in the fields outside of town.
[Which... is fairly suspicious in of itself, now that she articulates it aloud.]
no subject
[ He's got his hands full as it is. There's injustice going on here, to be sure, but it has nothing to do with him. He's already dealing with one country's worth of unrest. This just has to be someone else's problem. ]
Though I guess that begs the question, what kind of people are here? Have you noticed any trends in the rotten bunch of criminals that we are?
no subject
But it's a reminder that she can't.]
Ah, well--[It's a stalling phrase so she can marshal her thoughts.] I have noticed that a lot of people seem to view this world as a step down from what they're used to. They're used to electric lights and refrigeration--and even moving from one world to another doesn't sound strange to them. I have to say that I found the idea quite shocking.
no subject
That's an odd reaction, isn't it? She seemed completely comfortable with him, eager to commiserate in their shared fate, up until he brought up wanting to return home. His realization of her reaction doesn't show on his face, but it's something he can't help but linger on; he has no need to microanalyze people here the way that he does back home, but old habits die hard. Who knows? It may come in handy one day.
A soft spot, perhaps. He hopes it has more to do with Ethlyn not wishing to return home than a mutual inability to do so ]
From one world to another? [ His brow furrows in confusion. ] Don't get me wrong, I'm interested in this whole electric light business too. But talking about being in a different world sounds like quite the leap to me.
no subject
Isn't it? My first thought was that we're standing on a different continent. Which I suppose we still are.
But it's hard to conceive of teleportation magics that are powerful enough to take people from around one star in the sky to another. I can't even imagine how much strength it would take to achieve that. Yet it seems to be true, nonetheless--I've met people here who are clearly from places wholly other.
no subject
I find that difficult to believe. The world is so different from country to country, let alone continent to continent. [ He stomps his feet, as though trying to convince himself he's still standing on solid ground. ] They say we're on an entirely different star?
no subject
[She shakes her head, though she smiles a little bit as Claude stamps his foot, as though to make sure the earth beneath him isn't going to move suddenly.]
If it were just one or two, I would dismiss it as pulling my leg, but they've all seemed to be in earnest, and there are too many for them all to be trying to deceive.
no subject
I don't like it. I'm not saying I don't believe you - [ she's not lying, certainly; Claude's a good judge of character and they've chatted enough for him to realize that she wouldn't try to lead a newcomer astray for no reason ] - but I don't like it. I feel as though we have enough on our plates without adding all of this different world stuff to it.
[ At another time, in another place, he would delight in it. His mind is naturally a hungry one, and there's so much he can learn from people from other cultures, let alone other worlds. But not here, trapped as he is, separated from his duty as he is. He has no time for frivolities like that. ]
Jugdral. That's the place you're from?
no subject
Maybe she's just amused because it's taking him a lot less time to accept the notion than it took her.]
You would think, wouldn't you? But I'm sure you'll get used to it--we're all in the same boat, and I think that helps.
[She nods to his question.]
Yes, I don't suppose you've heard of it? People in my world haven't made it to distant lands so easily, but perhaps someone from your continent has at least heard of our shores.
[It's a bit optimistic, but it's worth a shot.]
no subject
[ Not that he has any choice in the matter. ]
No, I haven't heard of it. But we don't know much about what lies beyond our continent. There's a whole world out there, but we know precious little about it... people are more concerned with figuring out their own stuff than getting on a boat and traveling to distant shores. What's it like, your home?
no subject
I'm not saying you have to like it. [In spite of the reminder of her own dark fate, there's still amusement in his high dudgeon--it could almost be called petulant.] But I don't think you'll have the energy to stomp around from dawn 'till dusk, shaking your fist at fate.
It's the same for us. Every so often some intrepid explorer will bring back tales of faraway lands, but so far there's been no official contact. [She smiles a little sadly when he asks about Jugdral.] Unfortunately, my home is going through hard times right now... a pointless war. But that doesn't mean it isn't a good place, overall--I live in a place called Leonster, between the mountains and the sea. It's very beautiful.