dagung | TDM: MARCH

Entry tags:

* tdm

TDM: MARCH

Test Drive: March

All threads can be considered game canon,

the prompts and test drive itself will be

• 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!

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Giant Worms - Witch

(The shardbinder is no stranger to underground caverns filled with assorted plant life and creepy insects. It's actually one of the less threatening places she's been, since they seem, at worst, territorial, and non-combative at best. While she saw no need to fight them, others may not have been so careful or pacifistic and wound up ensnared by that strange fluid. Miriam spent enough time around alchemists to know they could put the organ that produces them to good use, but if they're only protecting themselves and their eggs...

...It really depends if they're attacking someone.

If you've found yourself trapped in a slime cocoon, you'll soon notice a woman with crystals adorning her body like a stained glass window coming to your aid. You may not have enough time to gawk when she brings out a whip to break away chunks of your prison. The thunderous cracks of her swings echo throughout the cave with each swing.)

I'll have you out of there in just a moment! Do keep still, if you can; I assure you won't be harmed.

(She's mostly talking about the worms.)

Giant Worms – Dragon

(The changes were very drastic for Miriam, but she didn't have any time to gawk over the changes when trying to navigate through an unfamiliar environment. The humanoid dragon has scales that glimmer like diamonds, ranging from blues to purples to the occasional red. You might be walking in on her gutting a few of those large worms, rummaging through their organs before removing and giving one a gentle squeeze. It secretes the same slime used to trap prey and travelers who get to close.)

As I thought. Someone will have need for a binding agent...

Marketplace – Witch

(Okay, real talk here? Miriam's not used to monsters getting so close to her and not trying to kill her. So many of them insist on escorting and forming a pact with a “delicate flower” such as she. Her insistence that she can take care of herself instead drags the attention of a monster trio proud to show off their muscles and strengths. Their logic? A strong witch can have multiple monster partners, making her stronger as a result.

Honestly, it's not terrible logic, but Miriam isn't interested in making pacts at the moment. Too bad their eagerness is escalating the situation more than anything else.)

Please let me through. I will not ask you again.

Marketplace – Dragon

(There's a frustrated dragon woman huffing a cloud of frozen air while standing by the lake. Although she's been able to piece together enough information to figure out where this place even is, it wasn't without its frustrations. People refused to believe stories of her world or fairy-tale names like Johannes, even though they did point her towards a few known alchemists within the city. Didn't really help much. Don't mind the frustrated dragoness groaning and approaching you.)

Excuse me. Are you also not from this region? I'd like to compare notes, if you're not.

Wildcard

(I'm open to suggestion! Feel free to PM this journal or my plurk at

rikimaruhitori for any plotting you have in mind.)

Oh, wonderful. Another poor soul stuck making their way through the market square and getting themselves crowded by all-too-curious passerby. It was bad enough when the doctor herself was swamped with bickering onlookers, emphatically debating whether she was a witch or a 'monster'.

Well. If she could pass for either, she could do worse than leverage it at a time like this-- and especially in light of someone who was so self-evidently distinct from the other sorts of monsters and mages she'd spied thus far.

"There you are. I've been looking all over for you, you know. Ah, excuse us--"

With all the carefully affected cheerful poise and familiarity of a lifelong friend, the shark strode up alongside Miriam, taking hold of her wrist and dragging her clear through the monster bachelor blockade.

"--now, where was it you said you wanted to show me?"

Hopefully this stained-glass woman would glimpse the ruse's purpose easily enough.

The doctor's ruse works seamlessly. The other monsters don't question her claims and, much like others she's met, are content to decide on appearances alone. This leaves only Miriam to play her part.

"Oh...yes! I was told of a cafe that offers a wonderful selection of tea. You know I'm always interested in trying local blends for myself..."

The shardbinder keeps her head up high, fingers interlocked with the doctor's while offering the monster trio a small smile as she and the shark walk past them. There's a silent relief from not only getting away from that bundle of idiocy, but doing so without incident. Can't imagine it would look good for a foreigner to beat up a few locals on arrival.

Once they're a fair distance away from the trio, she offers a more audible sigh.

"Thank you very much for that. I nearly crammed my rejection through their skulls foot first."

And once the ruse proves successful, the smile drops from her face, replaced with a deadpan that somehow felt exasperated. "I wouldn't blame you. They're relentless. But those walking in pairs fail to attract much attention."

At least her disdain didn't extent to Miriam; or, at least, the doctor was content enough to continue holding her hand as they walked through the marketplace together. It also offered a better look at her new companion's more... unusual features. Jewelry, perhaps? They looked almost... embedded in her skin, yet her skin seemed strangely undisturbed.

"Though I can see how you draw a crowd. I've not seen those sorts of decorations before."

"Oh, these?"

Miriam glanced down at the shards. It was never a topic she enjoyed, but thankfully, most didn't know of Shardbinders or the curse they carried. She briefly holds the doctor's hand a little tighter, then loosens her grip.

"They're French adornments. Inspired by the stained glass windows of Notre Dame herself! It's a trend that started about...ten years ago, I'd say."

Technically not wrong, but the doctor's observation is astute. It seems like a strange form of artistic expression, melding jewels onto your skin, a process that's unlikely to be painless. On the other hand, similar body altering adornments do properly exist.

Either way, the lie shifted her attention from the averted conflict as much as their previous ruse, so Miriam's grateful for that, keeping her smile even through this topic.

"French."

French, Notre Dame... the bit about stained glass windows, she understood that much, but if the unfamiliar names were any indication, this mysterious woman wasn't from Ravnica. Yet nor, for that matter, did she seem comfortable enough to be a local...

This girl would have been a curious enough character to encounter even in an ordinary dream. But this was seeming more and more like no ordinary dream. And, unfortunately it only left the good doctor with even more questions.

"They fit flawlessly into the skin... they don't appear to pinch, there's no scarring at the sides. It's like your skin isn't damaged in the least. How did you manage that...?"

And someone would have need of a bath or a through rinsing at least.

[Don't get him wrong. He's impressed but, jeyzus that's a lot of worm guts he wouldn't want to be in.]

And what are you doing, and did you really have to be knee deep in worm insides???

(Her tail twitches at the questions, primarily after Miriam takes a moment to look over herself. This was not the cleanest extraction, she'll admit; at the very least, her claws passed their test; if they required extra care to avoid puncturing herself, they can at least play their part.)

I suppose not. I've never been afraid of getting my hands dirty...erm. So to speak.

(She draws a handkerchief to wipe her hands, then wraps it around the organ as best she can. This probably would've been cleaner if the worm's guts didn't spill out as much as she did, but it's all practice for her claws.)

To be honest, I've wanted a warm bath since I awoke, but such things are luxuries for a reason. Do forgive the...barbarous look I must have; survival instincts don't allot much time to such worries.

Uhuh.

[He raised a brow when she decided to keep the organ, whatever it was, with her. It might be important but not enough for him to do the same. Or if he had to, he'd try to be neater about it. Try.]

Well, there's a pool of water over yonder. If you move the algae, you can wash up a bit there if you'd like.

[He's seen a lot of gross and down right disturbing things in his time, but please become cleaner. The thought of worm body fluids on a person makes him shiver.]

[ The monsters seem to be about to insist again, but one of them goes ghostly pale in the face, and starts to slink off without another word, the others realizing why and soon quickly following, apologizing before dashing off. They didn't look at Miriam to find such reason for their expressions, but rather the person who had, rather silently, stepped up behind her, and made it appear as if the witch was... spoken for. Without saying anything.

The masked woman stepped out slightly. She wasn't a very tall woman, quite the opposite actually, but her figure, the darkness of it, the nature of her mask and her cloak, still cut into the fears of others pretty easily. She turned to Miriam, her expression difficult to read, no eyes shining beneath the darkness of the mask's slots... ]

More to the point... Monsters are eventually driven to madness without the energy of a witch to soothe them. [ Betraying her entire aesthetic, the voice was... gentle. Soft. And genuinely concerned, in a way. ]

Pay some thought to it, lass. There are many here who depend on this system.

(Miriam's reaction to her new companion is far more composed than the trio of monsters, offering the masked woman her attention while still keeping her guard up. With her words, she does look back to those who ran off and ponders.)

So it's not just a grasp for power, but a form of survival.

(She's far too familiar with monsters that attack and kill on sight, so if a few could stave off such feral instincts with a a pact, then who was she to deny them that chance?)

I heard a great many people stress this system's importance, but didn't think it such a priority over reconnaissance. If I'm to stay for an extended period, then there'll be no avoiding the subject.

(She nods and looks back to the other.)

You're more familiar than I. Is that to assume you've formed a bond of your own already?

... I haven't.

[ It was difficult, to say the least, for her to feel like taking that step. She didn't know anyone so well, here. Mikasa, Sora... it was hard to even call them friends so much as people she watched over occasionally. She'd made nothing that could be called "bonds" even by normal, human terms, much less magical, and all that entailed.

Burdening others with her ghosts was not something she was keen on. ]

The process makes one quite familiar with their bonded, I'm told. That can be... difficult, for some.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

TDM: MARCH

Miriam | Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night | Witch or dragon? Undecided. Prompts will specify.

Marketplace - Witch

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Giant Worms - Dragon

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marketplace - witch

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