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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.
be our guest!
Mlynar stands out all on his own, of course, but it's the response that the locals give him as he walks past that really catches the sky pirate's attention. He stands with a foot propped against one of the crates he'd been expecting, giving the other man a wry, sympathetic smile.]
They'll warm up, I've no doubt. They're rather transactional, I've found.
[Perhaps a bit moreso with someone like Mlynar, who stands out more than most, but the path forward seems to be the same for the lot of them, regardless of what they look like. Unfortunately, Balthier's usual assets have only gotten him so far.]
A smile might help, if you can muster it.
Re: be our guest!
Ah, of course. Trust is earned, rather than expected, I suppose. It’s dispiriting to get this kind of reception though. Still, a smile? I suppose a demonstration will make the point better.
[Mlynar’s smile is… an attempt, at least. While his lips curved upward, there’s a certain menace that to it. It was a forced smile, with his lips stretched tight and his eyes squinted awkwardly. This is clearly not a man who smiles very often. If anything, it almost makes him look more intimidating.]
Not great, right? When I traveled as a knight, I was once mistaken as a bandit because of it.
[This was made even more painful by the fact that his old mercenary companion, Toland, had actually been a bandit before joining him. He was never allowed to live that traumatizing experience down.]
resurrects myself
[Well, that is a problem, isn't it?]
I suppose I see what you mean. A respectable effort, to be sure, but perhaps not the right message, after all.
[It had certainly been worth a try, at any rate. There are other ways to earn trust, at least, though with such an intimidating demeanor, Balthier suspects this man might have to work a touch harder at it than most, at least to start with.]
You may well have to earn a bit of good will the old-fashioned way— exhausting, I know.
[He makes a face, his nose wrinkling slightly as though he has no taste for such an approach, himself.]
no subject
In other words, work. This is agreeable enough- daily labour is not too different from ordinary life in Kazimierz. I cannot complain.
[The Kuranta knight looks around the area, remembering all the crates and sacks that filled this place. The upcoming job was pretty obvious, when taking it into consideration.]
I doubt that this place has much use for my usual clerical work- so I suppose it’s transportation. If so, you’ll find that a Kuranta’s strength can carry these items easily enough. That, or drive off would-be bandits.
no subject
[Balthier echoes him with a weary grimace, shaking his head in a disapproving manner. Yes, that does seem to be the way of things here, but he can't say it's his preferred method.]
I'm told it pays off in the long run— though I confess to not being the patient sort. It sounds as though you know your strengths, at the very least, and quite literally, at that.
[He knows better than to judge a book by it's cover, but this man does have the build of someone who knows how to put muscle to good use.]
Now, driving off bandits— that bit almost sounds fun, doesn't it?
no subject
Carrying one of those crates shouldn’t be too difficult for me. Still, it seems like there’s no shortage of people volunteering to do that. Besides, you are right…
[The menacing smile is back again. He’d spent so long being a professional corporate type, that going back to his knightly roots and pushing back brigands felt like a reward of its own.]
Teaching those who would steal from the vulnerable a lesson seems like it would be fulfilling work. If you would like to make a collaborative matter of it, I would not be opposed.
no subject
[Of course, he'd been thinking the very same thing, and there's a flicker of eagerness in his gaze as he removes his foot from the crate it had been propped against. This sounds much more entertaining, and will certainly do something to earn them that good will that appears to be so very needed around here.]
I imagine between the two of us, we'd make short work of them. The natives would most certainly be grateful.
[Besides, moving cargo isn't terribly high on his list of things to do. There are plenty of others taking care of that particular business, anyway.]
The name's Balthier.
[He'll hold a hand out to shake, brightly-colored rings and all.]
no subject
[God help him. Why is he trying to seem personable? Is it this weird man, with his fine-looking garb and overly elegant rings? Młynar has to admit, the attitude is pretty infectious, and he’s happy enough to grasp the man’s hand in his own and shake it. He has to be careful though- humans are so fragile, they’re liable to break from the smallest amount of pressure.]
Still, I can’t say I know much about how to track bandits. I hunted pirates once, but that was at the direction of another- I was more of a blunt instrument to be thrown at the enemy.
[He grabs one of the crates with superhuman strength while saying this, holding it with a single hand and balancing it awkwardly on his shoulder for emphasis. He wouldn’t use the cargo they were trying to protect as a projectile, but he's trying to make a point.]
no subject
[The idea of it sounds vaguely familiar to him, though he can't remember ever seeing one back in Ivalice— still, the idea of it makes a sort of sense. Must be quite useful, or could be, depending on the sort of business one was in.
They probably wouldn't see much use in his line of work.
He shakes the other man's hand firmly, his brows quirking upwards as he goes on to explain.]
Ah— hunted pirates, you say?
[Considering the ease with which he lifts that crate, Balthier can only imagine he was quite effective as a blunt instrument, as well.
Hmm.]
no subject
Pirates of a sort. They called themselves the Seaborn, frightful beings that made pacts with a collective consciousness hidden within the ocean. All the cruelty of pirates, with gruesome mutations and tentacles to make them even more frightening.
[All of its is said in a rather matter of fact way. The Seaborn are just another existential threat among many in the world of Terra. It’s honestly a wonder that normal people can even survive there.]
Normal bandits are inconsequential by comparison.