TDM: MARCH

[faileas]

Test Drive: March

Welcome to 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 character, put one in! This time around, reserves will expire after the first 48 hours of applications being opened. Those first 48 hours will be open to those who have reserves only, so we recommend placing one. It will not guarantee you a spot, but it will guarantee you can post your app immediately when they open.
• Applications Open The 24th! There will be a cap of 30 applications accepted this round, and apps will close whenever we've reached that cap. If there are slots left after the reserves-only period, apps will open to those without reserves. The application page can be found here.
• 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!



With that taken care of...

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 Underground

Take a moment. Let your eyes adjust to the dark, your ears to echoing silence, but for the steady drip of condensation down the stone walls that surround you. The tunnels down here are wide, the ceilings high, but they are dim, devoid of sunlight and breeze. The only light, in fact, comes from the shards of softly-glowing shards of quartz lining the ground and the bio-luminescent algae that smears the stone in long, blue veins, pulsing gently, pushing breathable air into the otherwise-stale passageways. The air is damp, but the temperature is moderate - almost comfortable. The tunnels fork off and meander from where you are, some narrowing and some widening, but none seem to lead you to the surface, no matter how long you wander. Is it a trick of the light, that the algae glows a little brighter, pulses a little quicker, when you head in a particular direction? It's hard to sort your senses so deep underground, far from the world above where things make sense. Hopefully you've found a friend by now.

The Crystal Cavern Many of the tunnels, both wide and narrow, lead to the same place: a massive chamber hewn out of the stone by time, and the drip-drip of water from the ceiling into the central lake. Perhaps you came out toward the bottom, and the ceiling is a thousand feet above you, or maybe you came out toward the top, and the lake is a thousand feet below. There are a hundred or more holes in the sloping stone walls that lead to more tunnels, and something like natural steps down from most of them. In a way, it resembles a beehive, this room acting as a central hub of sorts. This is also the first place you find signs of life. Short, tough little tufts of grass growing from the thin soil, bone white in color, having long abandoned photosynthesis and chlorophyll. More of the glowing algae. Small, skittering insects - beetles, grubs and worms. The occasional albino rat, much larger and louder than rats have any right to be. Ruffled and capped fungi growing on the wet rock like parasites, some as large as a grown man. Blind, slimy cave fish wriggling around in the still waters of the lake. And milling around the great stone cavern, slurping up the glowing algae that covers the rocks and grows in lacy sheets across the water, are dozens of great beasts, bigger than horses. Shaped like worms, but with dozens and dozens of stubby, fleshy legs, these creatures are huge, with velvety, multi-colored hides, and though their antennae wave in curiosity when approached, they don't seem aggressive. At least, as long as you avoid the big silk-wrapped bundles stuck to the walls and ground all over the cavern. These are their egg sacs, and if their young are threatened, they'll quickly shoot jets of viscous slime, a quick drying adhesive, that can slow and trap even the strongest adult. If you find yourself in a sticky situation, you better hope someone can wrench you loose - the worms seem content to eat algae, until they've caught prey. Each worm has a long, hooked, chitinous blade concealed within its fleshy jaws to tear and shred, and a nightmarish round mouth full of multiple rows of teeth. Navigate carefully. There at the bottom of the lake, where it feeds into an underground stream that leads down another wide tunnel, there are a few small rowboats, some missing oars, certainly not enough for everyone. You'll have to share if you want to get out of here. Or you can keep hanging out with the giant wormipedes.

The Procession As you proceed down the stream by boat, the lighting grows just a little brighter, seeming a little more purposeful in how the glowing algae is planted, how the softly glowing crystals are placed. You start seeing a new type of moss, greyish-green and growing in ragged sheets from the ceiling of the tunnel. Watch your head - it's near impossible to cut through this stuff should you get tangled. For a while, you only hear the soft splashing of the gentle stream, but then... there is a flash of torch light, up ahead. The boat ahead is longer than the one you use, better kept, and full of people - three Monsters, all whose forms are based on creatures that thrive underground, in pieces of armor, holding spears, and one very elderly Witch woman, seated in the middle, wrinkled hands folded primly in her lap. Her milky gaze stares straight ahead, with something soft and proud in the set of her face. One of the Monsters holds the torch, the other rows the boat, and the third settles down next to her; they speak in hushed voices, with little smiles. After a while, the rowing Monster slows the boat, before they can bump into a thick, heavy, impenetrable curtain of grayish-green moss that stretches across the whole tunnel, blocking the way, like a gate. The other two help the woman to her feet, and guide her toward the front of the boat - and the curtain of moss. She reaches out for it blindly, and they help her step onto the edge. There is something almost ritual or reverent about the movements, the way they regard the Witch as she touches the curtain of moss... and is wrapped into it quickly, swallowed up, absorbed. After twenty minutes of gentle pulsing, the lump that used to be the Witch is no more, and the whole of the moss pulses with light and magic. The Monsters watch this whole process vigilantly, and once the lights die down, they continue on. The moss parts to allow the boat through, brushing against the Monsters but not swallowing them. The procession happens a few more times, in separate boats, with separate victims - but all are very, very elderly, and seem proud, even happy to meet their fates. Trying to follow them further after the ritual will have the same thing happen for your boat - the moss will part, and brush over those in the boat without causing harm. If you happen to be infected with the Cwyld, however... you might meet the same fate as the old woman, with the moss reaching and grabbing for you. The procession can be stopped, but drawing attention will draw the ire of the Monster guards, and, strangely, the victims themselves, who will fly into a distressed rage at the interruption.

The Marketplace Beyond the veil of moss lies... civilization? The cavern is enormous, big enough to contain a city at least as big as Aefenglom, if not larger, though the population at a glance seems to be much smaller. Twenty thousand people, perhaps, give or take. Buildings have been carved out of huge stone spires, or formed by draping cloth around and between the natural stalactites and stalagmites. Monsters tend to be quite tall or bulky, possessing obvious physical strength, while Witches and humans tend to be shorter than in Aefenglom. They all mingle on the streets together, with no immediately obvious class difference. Since there is no weather to dress for, some don't bother to dress at all, though humans at least tend to wear flowy silks or simple clothes made from wormipede hides. The streets are wide and the buildings far-spaced, and many get around on the backs of those worm creatures, having made them saddles and reins. The stream ends in a lake right next to a marketplace, with many small boats docked on its pebbled shores. The stalls sell all kinds of goods: clothing made from fine silk and worm hide or rat fur, skewered meat (It's bug.), weapons, armor, jewelry made from chunks of beautiful stone. Your arrival is bound to cause a stir though, so keep your head down, and maybe it's time to snatch a disguise from one of the clothing stalls. Monster guards, occasionally flanked by Witches, patrol the streets and keep the peace, and stopping to talk to anyone will make one thing clear: they are not at all used to outsiders. They won't believe a word you say about being from above ground, and they've never heard of your world or Aefenglom. You're nomads from the tunnels, right? Of course, don't be ridiculous, you can't fool them with tall tales! At least they're usually willing to talk - briefly, of course, everyone is very busy down here, it's morning and many will be heading to tend to the herd soon. Those who are subtle and pointed in their questions can learn a lot about the vast but also small civilization below the surface of the world. Strength is valued here - the stronger the Monster or more powerful the Witch, the higher their rank in society, and the closer they live to the center, largest spires of stone. Monster-Witch Bonded pairs are the be-all-end-all, and often wear matching wrist-guards or pendants proudly. Pretending to be Bonded to another will put many of the natives at ease, though Monster-Monster pairs get snide comments about how you have to team up to find a good Witch, and Witch-Witch pairs will get odd looks and assume you both have a very strong Monster partner somewhere. It must be quite rare for Witches to go un-bonded here, and any who pass through without an obvious partner may be propositioned by young Monsters showing off their various talents. Unbonded Monsters may be nudged in the direction of any strange, unbonded Witches - usually fellow Mirrorbound - in a poor attempt at matchmaking. Those poor unbonded Witches need protection, right? Or so the locals think. It's too bad trying to go any farther than the Marketplace will get you stopped by guards and turned back, however. They don't allow nomads into the inner city.

Comments

[anbu]

[That's an uncomfortable gaze, due to the fact it feels a shade away from pure bloodlust. Tension comes over Itachi's body, similar to how he'd felt when he awoke and encountered the creature in the earlier cavern, but now he suffers from the heavy weight of exhaustion. Still, he looks back at the other man as one might stare down another wild animal. Anticipating some attack to be defended against.

... It doesn't come, and instead Jongdae speaks to him, friendly and somewhat scattered. Itachi's eyes narrow into dark slits. He ignores the native at their side.]

Something is wrong with you.

[Which, when stated such a way, gives the sense he's outright insulting Jongdae. He isn't, though the native makes a startled sound of offense and gapes at Itachi.]

What is it?

[No social grace afforded here, unfortunately.]

[itsjiaheng]

[ he kinda hates how vividly aware of some things he gets when it's like this. he can see the changing body language but he gets more information than that; an accelerating pulse, the subtle scent when nerves make a person feel those 'pin pricks' of sweat. he eyes the native again because they're just so loud and presses the heels of his hands against his eyes for a few seconds. ]

I'm a vampire. So.. it comes with the territory, I guess..?

[ he lowers his hands but he's fidgety, getting them down to his sides for only a moment before he moves again. it's very easy to assume everyone just knows about all sorts of monster things, having never met anyone newer to all this strangeness yet. ]

I'm actually pretty responsible though! I'm only like this right now because I woke up like this.

[ he chews on a thumbnail idly, at least having the decency to look reasonably apologetic about it. he might run around unbonded despite plenty of suggestions not to but he'd never let himself starve if he had a choice! ]

[anbu]

[A vampire... another monster, then, of a different breed than those he's seen ranging the streets, and more subtle in its presentation. His eyes linger on the pointed ears, then the pallid skin, then at last the strangely colored eyes. This eye contact only lasts for a brief moment. Without Sharingan, there's no reason to maintain the look - and it's uncomfortable to admit to how unnatural it feels not to use his ability when he's faced with strangers (read: potential threats). As though he's stripped bare somehow.

Sasuke is also a vampire, however, and he's learned enough about their nature to guess plainly what this means.]

You're craving blood, then.

[By pretty responsible Itachi assumes this isn't usually a problem.]

How do you typically feed?

[Just... ignoring their matchmaker for now, although they seem satisfied by the interaction so far, smiling and nodding along. There's even a quick interruption of Hey, if you need blood, get it from this witch! which causes Itachi to frown in their direction.]

[itsjiaheng]

Oh.., wow, good.. [ he lets out a sigh of relief. ] I just really hate having to explain it. It's real hard to walk things back to a less weird place in the conversation once the blood thing's out, you know?

[ he's about to answer itachi's question when he's interrupted, his mouth falling open in shock that anyone would make a suggestion like that so casually. or maybe things like getting your blood from people directly is just not that big a deal for other people?? who knows? ]

Uh—.. that's not—.. I don't even know his name!

[ it's a good thing jongdae doesn't really blush anymore because it would be screamingly obvious how embarrassed he is. he just gets to try and keep it off his face instead. that amounts to him looking like he's in pain and it can't entirely be blamed on the fact that he's hungry. ]

I was gonna see if there's any to buy around here. I was on my way but then—..

[ he jerks his chin towards the lovely matchmaker. ]

[anbu]

[Perhaps to this villager, it isn't a huge ordeal to share blood with someone who might share a bond, but the same cannot be said for himself.]

My brother is also a vampire.

[To explain why he knows as much, thus far. It's still a strange sentence. Itachi has not entirely processed the information on his younger brother's current physical state.]

It does appear to be a market. They must have some available. Come with me.

[Though he has no intention of sharing his own blood with a hungry vampire, there is some risk to leaving this individual to starve on the street, so he'll look around too. Besides, it will allow him to learn more information about the area with the additional benefit of a 'cover'. Itachi turns and walks off, ignoring the gobsmacked matchmaker left in his wake.]

[itsjiaheng]

Really? So then you get it..

[ and in saying that it's unclear what he means by it. the looking at someone like food and the bloodsucking? actual experience with why sharing blood could be totally awkward between strangers? either way he seems content with whatever sort of reassurance this gives him.

it's a second or two before he manages to parse the next suggestion to go with on this little quest because he'd already accepted that they'd probably just part ways and let this weirdness dissolve into dreamspace. but no. ]

Wha—.. okay? Okay, we're walking..

[ he could've tried to construct some kind of protest but ultimately he doesn't see the point. it's probably better this way, considering the alternative is navigating the crowds blind and hungry. he has to walk a little faster than he might normally just to keep up given his shorter stride (something to grumble about later), but he does his best to attempt to make this casual. ]

Ah, yeah. I probably wouldn't trust me either after that..

[anbu]

[Yes, we're walking. Itachi seems unbothered by that reaction, content to drag along a willing participant (however one defines willing) in his pursuit to escape the shore and its nosy natives. Once they've begun to move, he does adjust to match the pace of the other man, even if it requires slowing somewhat.]

... It isn't a matter of trust. [Well. Partially untrue, but there's a more logical reason.] Blood loss is a weakening state, one I cannot risk.

[He has a genetic illness which has led him to quite a lot of blood loss in the past, so... he needs all he can get. Though Itachi has felt fine in this shared dream thus far, he can't assure that will last.]

Tell me more of the conditions of your vampirism. What was the transition like? How long did it take?