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TDM: January
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aefenglom's test drive! All threads can be considered game canon, should you choose to do so; regardless of if you pick specific threads to remain canon to the game, the prompts and test drive itself will be. This will be touched on later in-game, so it's fairly important to note! Aside from that, here are some quick reminders:• Reserves Open Today! If you're interested in securing a spot, put one in! We accept applications without reserves too, of course. Reserves will expire three days before the end of the application period, on the 28th.With that taken care of...
• Applications Open The 24th! These will last until the end of the month, the 31st, with the intro log going up on February 1st. The application page can be found here. As a reminder, this will be our last uncapped application round!
• If you have any questions about the game or the world, please refer to the FAQ page; if you still have questions, feel free to ask them! For questions specific to the test drive, please ask them on the appropriate thread.
• For the purposes of the test drive, your character will have access to all magics taught by the Coven if they're a Witch, and as much of their shifted form as you'd like if they're a Monster. Feel free to play around and experiment with each!
• Test drive threads can be used as samples for your applications!
You feel like you're floating. Around you, colors and sounds and smells swirl as if trapped in a whirlpool, vibrancy and hue ever shifting. The more you watch them, the less solid they are; they only become clear out of the corner of your eye. The area around you begins to feel more solid as well, until your feet are on the ground, the wind brushes playfully against your face -
and you know one thing, and one thing alone: this is a dream, and an incredibly realistic one at that.
The Prehistoric Wilde
Thick summer heat hangs heavy over the uninfected landscape like a damp blanket, smothering. The jungle around you is thick and wet, full of the sounds of chittering animals and the high-pitched drone of insects. The flora and fauna are like nothing you've ever seen before, large and alien in colors and shapes, though they bear no signs of the Cwyld. Flowers the size of a man's head and brightly colored in rainbow hues curl their tendrils invitingly, and giant mosquitoes buzz through the air seeking a meal. You can barely see the glow of the twin moons through the thick canopy above. There are no signs of civilization - at least, not the civilization most will be used to; only the distant sound of the river, compelling you to follow its winding path. But will you go forward, or will you go back?
 Rumble in the Jungle Making headway through the jungle at night is a chore. The foliage grows thick and the humid heat is oppressive for even those who enjoy the warmth. There are no clear paths here, no easy way through. The canopy of the ancient trees far, far over your head is just as dense, but the faintest moonlight filters through the holes left by the huge leaves in stippling patterns across the musty forest floor. 'Large' seems to be the theme - lining whatever path you pick your way through, there are pitcher plants massive enough to swallow a grown man, with small animals and giant insects being digested down inside the sticky liquid that fills them. The flowers are as big as a man's head, and come in a rainbow of colors, their venomous tendrils curling toward signs of life. The trunks of some of the trees are as thick as houses, and shade the ground beneath them with leaves like umbrellas. The hand-sized mosquitoes thrive in the sticky heat and if not killed first, can make off with a full pint of blood from an unsuspecting person. At some point in your journey, the ground begins to rumble beneath your feet. The farther you go, the longer you walk, the more signs of life become visible: thick, winding trails of crushed foliage, huge, animalistic footprints in the mud. Luckily, to this world, you are small and insignificant, and may escape the notice of the local Monsters - the massive, prehistoric ancestors of today's Monsters. They seem like giants, colossal Titanoboa Nagas with hollow fangs like swords, towering Fauns with the lower halves of mammoths, sabertooth Turnskins, pterodactyl Harpies with leathery wings. Even the parts of them that resemble humans (and they have far fewer human-like parts than their modern counterparts) are larger than any actual human being. They operate primarily on instinct, made even stronger by the full moons above, and perceive the strange new creatures as threats - or food. Sticking to the river seems safest - at least until you run into megalodon Merrow, singing an alien, but alluring, song to draw in prey, or the apex predator of this prehistoric world - Dragons, bigger and scalier than the ones Mirrorbound may know, stopped to drink at the river. All other Monsters flee from the huge reptiles, lest they become food themselves. Luckily you can defend yourself with your new abilities, or your neat changes - you're small, but not totally helpless. Interesting to note... while all other Monster types are represented, there are no Fae or Chimeras in the Wilde here, and the Vampires are more like huge bat-monsters that traverse the jungle on all fours than humanoid bloodsuckers. |
 The Natives Going backward, away from the distant sounds of the sea and against the current of the river, leads you through dense jungle. How long have you traversed the landscape? Hours? Days? Time passes funny in dreams. Eventually the trees thin out, grow taller and less leafy, and the air becomes drier. Instead of loamy soil beneath your feet, you start to feel rocky, harder earth, and spot outcroppings of stone. The sun begins to rise, which makes it easier to spot people on the horizon, a little settlement coming to life in the morning, nestled where the river forks into two. They're much hardier than the familiar people of Aefenglom, sunburned and dressed in natural, rough fabrics. Their homes, if one can call them that, are shoddy little structures made of sticks and leaves and mud, pressed up against the sturdiness of the stone formations. And, when they spot strangers approaching their village, they scramble for their weapons - crude clubs, stone axes, even just large rocks snatched up off the ground. The translation magic works on them, thankfully. Their speech is halted and simple, but they get their point across. Tell them who you are, or they'll beat your brains in. Monsters might get their brains beat in anyway if they aren't careful, even though they're much smaller than the Monsters these humans are used to. And Witches? May the gods help you if you use magic in front of these terrified, unevolved people, lest they mistake you for a Fae (the word is whispered with fear and revulsion in their voices) and swarm you with simple iron tools. If you're an actual Fae, an obvious Fae? They'll whisk their children into their huts protectively and then run you right out of the village. Violently. The truly observant, or those who can see through illusions, among you may notice something strange, though. Some Fae actually seem to live among them, heavily cloaked in natural illusions, with the primitive humans none the wiser. There are just a few, but all of them look young, twelve or thirteen at the oldest, and they are all scared of their secret coming to light. Fae who get caught tend to be burned at the stake around here. |
 The Invaders Perhaps you chose to go forward, with the current and toward the distant sound of ocean waves, where the river pours into the sea. More long-time residents of Aefenglom may notice that the shoreline is familiarly-shaped, but wider, bigger, not yet worn down by thousands of years of erosion. There is no bustling Harbor, only the waves crashing on the rocks, small islands dotting the water near the shore. There is no Bright Wall - there is no city, even, only an expanse of beach transitioning gently into an idyllic grove dotted with gauzy, pointed tents, and a beautiful, gilded ship half sunk into the sandy earth. It seems safer than the jungle, at first - until you notice all the Fae. They're more insectoid than the ones many are familiar with, with big, glittering eyes and either bright, jewel-toned wings like dragonflies or butterflies, or delicate, leafy wings in greens and browns. They're also taller than modern, lesser Fae, though not by much, and they're thin and angular, standing on spindly limbs that barely seem able to hold them. Characters receive a warmer welcome here, by the band of true Fae that have made their camp in the grove, though the alien-looking beings have a tendency to treat them like toys, children, or both, cooing over their sizes and their magic. "Look at the little Monsters! Aren't they cute!" "We should make some of our own! And oh, the little humans have magic! Delightful!" It's hard to have a conversation with one - they're condescending at best, and at worst, flit off to another entertainment out of boredom while you're mid-sentence. And entertainments abound in their camp. They're served and tended to like emperors by collared humans - adults and young adults do the heavy labor, including pulling grand little chariots for transportation, though there are some highly-supervised human children running about fetching drinks and fanning their Fae masters with palm leaves. Farther out, a large, deep pit has been dug out of the earth, ringed by a waist-high barrier of logs, a few Fae gathering at the barrier and leaning over, talking in conversational, happy voices. Down below, Chimera gladiators fight for their amusement, while the Fae keep up running commentary, discussing each warrior's chances, new breeding prospects, interesting crossbreeds their fellows have come up with ("She's trying an Arachne and a Turnskin together, how delightful!"). Trying to disrupt the proceedings will only result in the Fae turning their magic on you - illusions and curses, nasty little tricks. Sit down, silly little ones! The fight is just getting good! Or maybe... Maybe they'll toss you into the pit to see what your chances are in battle. |
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He's realizing that he can't get them all. Hacking away as many as he can with the sword, Xichen makes a desperate attempt to even their odds by raising his off hand and focusing his energy into it. It's not what he's used to doing--the power is strange--but he draws in as much power as he can and thrusts his arm out to point toward a cluster of mosquitoes, sending a rain of sparks out toward them. At least it drives some of them back temporarily, but he will need help at this rate.]
They truly are persistent. And not smart enough to be afraid. Are you all right?
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I am, thanks to you. ...Are you all right?
[Even if she’s been in scarier positions, none of them have been what she would call battle, so it’s really only when he mentions their persistence that she realizes how many mosquitos have been flying in and what a difficult position he is in trying to defend from all sides. As admirably as he is doing on his own, she realizes that she should help.
Unfortunately, her entire experience with this new magic has been limited to freezing surfaces, which is not exactly useful against flying enemies. But she’s just going to have to try. Placing her fingers on the ground, she mumbles the phrase she’s been sticking with since her first accidental use, because, hey, it has been working:]
Help me give them the slip.
[Yes, it’s a pun. It was an accident. Almost delicate patterns of frost spreads across the brush from her towards one clump of the buzzing insects. When it reaches below them, she reaches out and — she couldn’t describe how she does it if asked outside this dream, but she closes her eyes and pushes. A pillar of ice begins to form, and then the left and right sides shoot out at an angle as the whole pillar continue to rise.
When she opens her eyes, there’s a very impressive sheet of an almost inverted triangle of ice, more than twice her (admittedly extremely short) height and almost as wide at the top. Unfortunately, her ability to form ice quickly could use some work. Some of the legs of a slower mosquito were now trapped in the ice, the insect droning ineffectively as it tried to beat its wings hard enough to pull itself out, but the rest had merely moved away from the forming ice. She’s...probably going to have to try something else, huh.....]
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[Leslie does seem capable enough to handle herself under these bizarre conditions they've found themselves in. She's staying down away from the buzzing insects and letting him cut away at them without fear of hitting her. He returns her smile with a subtle one of his own, taking a brief moment for gentle expression before he returns to driving away the insects. He can keep that up for a while, but eventually even Xichen is going to need rest and the number of hungry mosquitoes doesn't seem to be changing much.
Then the girl asks him for help and Xichen watches as frost impossibly begins for form around her. With a gesture, the cold seems to seep out on command. Her spell manages to creep up and freeze the insects closest to them, warding away the ones that are quick enough to retreat. Seeing the opening, Xichen sheaths his blade and crouches down.]
Please excuse me for this.
[Putting his arms beneath her, Xichen scoops Leslie up and begins running, fleeing the area with his new acquaintance an unfortunate passenger whether she's ready to be or not.]
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Oh!
[It also helps that her family, being all over two feet taller than her, tend to pick her up at a moment's notice and also making a hasty retreat isn't a bad idea anyway, so she quickly realized what was going on. If she can, she'll probably try to cling to some part of him that she doesn't think will get in the way (like maybe looping her arms over his shoulders) and hope to stay on this ride. (At least she weighs almost nothing.)]
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He carries her off without too much trouble. After a bit of adjustment from both of them to get a comfortable position, he can run even through the jungle. And for once fortune seems to be on their side--the mosquitoes don't follow. He slows once the humming of their wings finally fades away and he needs to catch his breath. Setting her back down, Xichen bows slightly.]
I apologize for being presumptuous. It was necessary. They would likely not have left even if we continued to kill them, so withdrawing was the safer option.
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I keep noting this, but it keeps being true.But she's trying to contribute to this escape attempt!!As she is set down and he bows, she shakes her head.]
No, it was a good idea! I'm glad you did. I don't have any experience with this kind of thing, so I would have no idea what is the right thing to do. You saved me. Thank you.
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I'm happy knowing you are safe, young miss. We might have been luckier if they were beasts. Insects don't have a good understanding of fear.
[But at least they made it out.]
That spell work you did earlier was impressive. Where did you learn such a thing?
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[She has to think about that question. This dream has been leaving her having trouble remembering exactly what happened beyond
the current threadmore recent events. But she can at least vaguely remember.]It was was an accident, the first time. I have some magic when I’m awake, but it’s not working here. I was thinking about how I wished I still had it when I was being chased and I said something about giving the monster the slip, and...something happened and froze a part of the river under its feet so that it did slip, literally speaking. I thought it might be that I can change things because it’s a dream, but I still can’t do anything with the magic I used to have, so I think I have ice magic here, for some reason.
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[It's pretty strong for something she didn't have practice with. Then again, if it were near her usual type of magic, maybe she was able to mold it into something familiar. This is definitely a puzzle. Xichen looks her over, as if just looking at Leslie will somehow reveal a clue as to what is going on. It doesn't immediately reveal anything enlightening.]
It wouldn't be strange to find out this dream is affecting us in such a way. After all, it isn't an ordinary dream. But that does seem specific. Do you have any idea why this place might have chosen to connect with you through ice, young miss?
[Maybe there's a message or a link? He's not sure.]
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...My usual magic is also on the cooler side of things? [Temperature-wise.] And I could reach out to restrict people’s movements with it as well? ...Or maybe it’s just because it’s winter. — Not here, but in the real world. They all seem fairly circumstantial, though.
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[She said that the magic wasn't the same and that she hasn't been able to use her normal abilities, but maybe there is something drawn to her anyway. A subconscious energy that exists in this dream that she is pulled toward. He thinks that the dream must have rules if they are still capable of doing anything. Otherwise, they would be completely powerless.]
The magic here must have a reason for coming to you. Perhaps it senses that you have power.
too bad I don’t actually know much about aefenglom magic but makes it up anyway
[She tries to think about it in more detail, which is difficult since a lot of detail is slipping from her mind as if she’s trying to hold onto a wet bar of soap by squeezing too hard. After a few moments, she continues.]
I think it feels...dead? Or, maybe not dead. It’s more like — if the magic I usually have is like a living creature, the magic here feels more like a plant. It’s like...like I can make it grow, but I have to put it on one of those — I don’t know what they’re called, but they’re like fences for plants to grow on. [The word she’s looking for is trellis, but she only knows them from staring out the window of the mansion she grew up in.] The words are like...it secures the fence in place better, but I can have one without them. But when I tried that, I froze my own feet into a block of ice.
[She’d been trying to raise a platform under her feet, but after a bit, the platform rose faster than her feet did.]
...I don’t know. I guess it might be something like that, though it’s strange that I can only use the new magic and not what I know better.
It's all good!
[It doesn't help them finding an immediate way to help her control it, but it's at least a sign that the magic seems to be connecting to her. And with time and practice, Xichen is sure they can solve the mystery. He nods, raising a hand to his chin as he considers what Leslie is saying about her last attempt.]
Perhaps our spiritual frequency is not compatible with this dream. It might be disrupting your usual energy, making it difficult to bloom because of environmental shock.
[Using her metaphor.]
But you have the ability to use this dream's magic, it seems. You just have to get used to it.
[Her accident certainly wasn't from a lack of power. And based on what he saw earlier, she does have a good basis for magic.]
How do you feel when you use it?
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[She wishes she had the opportunity for more than one lesson on magic before she ended up dreaming this (coming here??).]
When I use it...tired? It feels like I had to sprint across a large room. And, um. When I think about it, I felt a little colder. I thought it was just the air around me since I was using ice, but...I think it felt like I got a little cooler just before I made the ice. Not very much, though.
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[Xichen hums thoughtfully as he studies her, looking for some sign that might help him understand what magic the dream is granting Leslie and why. Nothing obvious jumps out at him, but he smiles anyway.]
Perhaps this is something that will serve you when you wake up. It feels unfamiliar now, but it probably just requires practice. You did well just now. It can only become easier with time.
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Thank you.
[That mention of when she wakes up reminds her that, oh yes, she's heard that people in this dream often wake up in...a city whose name she doesn't trust herself to even try to pronounce in her head.]
May I ask your name? In case we meet again outside this dream. [She curtsies.] My name is Leslie.
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I am Lan Xichen, sect leader of the Gusu Lan. If we meet again, may it be under calmer circumstances.