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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 does make note of what Aerith says, and he nods his head. The back of his hand brushing his hair as he stares over at the fields adjacent to them. But only for a moment, before he continues their adventure to the nearby village so that he can drop off the bag of flour from his shoulder with ease. His attention quickly turning back to Aerith now, quickly remembering the crate waiting for them.]
I do believe we have business with that crate. Are you ready?
no subject
[Just in case someone else does something stupid to make the whole lot of them look bad. It hasn't happened yet, it seems, but give it time...
When Astralin gestures to the crate, she turns just enough to eye it and her entire expression brightens up. She'd not thought he'd even want her help and she was just going to have to annoy him as company the entire way back. Maybe she just really likes the idea of being useful.]
I was born ready! This crate's history!
no subject
[At least Astralin can admit that he has paranoia, but there's something in his stomach that's telling him that something is just off about this place. Still, he's going to try and make the most of it for now, and with Aerith being so kind to him, he can't help but forget about it for the time being.
There's something charming about her expression brightening up, and the corner of his lips slowly curve into a friendly smile of it's own. A rare thing for him to do, all things considered.]
Good. If it gets too heavy, please let me know and I will accommodate.
[Unsurprisingly, just like the bag of flour earlier, he tightly grasps the side of the crate with one hand, and easily lifts it up with her help. The hand on the crate tight and firm, to ensure that she doesn't take too much of the weight. Not that he doesn't believe in her, or anything like that. He just didn't want her to feel like she had to use all of her strength to try and help him.]
no subject
[Again, at least they aren't being thrown in prisons and fed stale bread. Or not fed at all. She's thought it more than once, but things could be so much worse. The Chosen might not realise it, but they're pretty fortunate.
When she spots that smile, she feels her resilience strengthened. Smile, and the world smiles with you, goes the saying, which seems to be a newsletter that Aerith subscribes to universally. On the opposite side, she doesn't mind letting him take the brunt of the weight. For all she knows, he's just humouring her. He sure doesn't look like he needs her help, after all.
Doesn't mean she's not going to do her best. Which means, no complaints.]
We've got this. Don't worry about me. I'm gonna do my very best!
no subject
[He suffers from constant paranoia at this point, but he's gonna try and take everything in so he doesn't let it take hold of him once more. For now, all he could do was be thankful that no one has tried to kill him yet. He was in good company so the least he could do was relax for now.
Well, as relaxed as he could be while he's holding the crate. Which isn't heavy at all, as they start their short journey to the village again. It wasn't a far journey to say the least, and he was relaxed for the most part. His eyes focused on the road ahead of him, not being able to help but chuckle a bit at her enthusiasm. Finding it rather cute, to say the least, which is hard to come by.]
You indeed share the same qualities as my wife. She is quite the chipper one as well.
[A far cry from himself, really.]
Perhaps we could find some nourishment after we are finished here. One must keep up their energy, after all.
no subject
Mistakes are okay.
She grins from ear-to-ear. She's like his wife, is she? His wife must be a pretty cool person. Not that she'd expect anything different, honestly. He seems like a good guy. She might think that of many she's met, however, even people like Joel who are a little difficult to handle.]
Sounds like a good plan. You're probably hungry. There's lots of food here. I'll show you around.
no subject
[The last thing he wants to do is rely on her kindness. He didn't even have money from back home, as he never carries coin with him. Still, even if she does pay for him, he'll have to think of a way to pay her back. There wasn't any way that he'd let her go without him helping, or giving her something as payment.
Maybe a cow or chicken or something --]
Or perhaps the townsfolk are kind enough to give food for free as well?
no subject
[Aerith isn’t even willing to hear him say anything else to the contrary. She wants to help and she will help however she feels is necessary to do so. As per the usual, Aerith does as Aerith wishes.]
It’s also true that they’ll be nice enough to give some food for free to people who are newly-arrived. When I got here, they had a big festival going on, so everyone who arrived at the time probably ate more than their fill. Kind of a shame they’re not having another one, but I don’t exactly know when they’re doing their celebrations.
no subject
That is alright. I appreciate your kindness, Miss. I will just have to pay you in full when I am able to do so. If I am able to secure some farmlands at an early time, please expect to have a gift in turn.
[Astralin isn't going to forget this.]
I am Astralin, by the way. Astralin Turnont.
no subject
Nnnnnope. I’m not gonna take payment for this. Or probably for much of anything else. [Probably not. She’s just not good with that kind of thing. Is payment nice? Yes, probably. If she’s selling flowers. If she’s providing a service. But when it comes to helping out people who are, like her, not native to this world and just trying to make it by… Somehow accepting payment for that just feels wrong.
She feels like she’s had this conundrum before.]
But I guess I can do a trade. A name for a name, right? [Grinning brightly, it’s almost as if everything else about her brightens, too.] I’m Aerith. It’s nice to meet you! Now, let’s drop this off and get some food! No sense in making your stomach wait any longer than it already has!