Test Drive Meme 1

[labyrinthian_mods]

☙ Test Drive Meme

☙ Quest:

• Quest 0.1: Star Seekers
  An ex-adventurer named Ausan Leighey seeks a company of adventurers to investigate a star which fell into the Yggdrasil Labyrinth.
  
  According to the accounts of soldiers that have gone in before, the area the star supposedly fell is known to be full of sand dunes that shift about under you. They had turned back after finding the carcass of a creature, bones picked clean.
  
  What could have done that, you wonder, even as you're suiting up because money has to come from somewhere.
  
  It's ants. Giant, acid-spitting ants. Luckily for you, it's not the rainy season so all you have to deal with is the occasional scout that may accidentally walk into you, their advance heralded by those shifting sands. Not a problem at all, for a group. A bit of a problem for some going at it solo, so make the smart choice!
  
  Will you try to use those natural ant pheromones to get through without too much fighting? Or perhaps you're just in this for the levels! Either way (probably both involving ant guts), you'll find a chunk of star at the end of your journey, half-buried in the sand.



• Quest 0.2: Napier’s Request
  Every adventurer needs good equipment! The problem is...everything is so expensive! Complaining to the store owner does nothing. She’s only an NPC after all and like any RPG NPC’s her responses are limited.
  
  But when you went to the pub, you found she’s put in a Quest:
  
  Hey, I know a lot of people have weapons or armour they’re not using anymore and they’re probably just collecting dust. How wasteful! If one of you can go collect three pieces of old equipment and bring it to me I’ll trade you something good.
  
  Sounds easy enough! But the terms of the quest means you can’t trade in your own equipment...looks like it’s time to accost some of your fellow adventurers for stuff! Do you ask nicely? Do you try to trick them?
  
  Or maybe you see an opportunity with the quest and hold a yard sale of your own old equipment.

☙ Labyrinth Encounter:
Adventurers exploring the labyrinth may encounter all sorts of events...beware, your choices may have real consequences for yourself and others travelling with you.

Rounding a corner, there is an adorable squirrel-like creature. Unlike the other creatures of the labyrinth it seems to be friendly! It tries to approach, do you…

• A. Scare it away?
  Scare the squirrel away and it runs off with a squeak...and then there’s a rumble before a giant monster squirrel crashes through the trees to attack! Oh no! The squirrel called its mom!


• B. Allow it to approach?
  Allow the squirrel to approach and it rubs up against your arm then tries to climb you like a tree. Cute! And then it steals 5000 gold from your pocket! Or if you don’t have that then whatever money you had. Oh, no! What do you do?

☙The Town of Etria:
It's been a long day of squirrels, giant ants and bartering with a stranger for that old piece of bread in their pocket because that thing was definitely still labeled as "equipment" for reasons unknown to either of you. (And had a defense buff of +10? Why?!)
Now though, your pockets are heavier with either gold or equipment because you can't have both in this town. So for your next plan, do you go to…

• A. Guild
  Ah, home sweet home. The moment you open the door you're greeted by the delicious smell of free food and perhaps your members are home already? Bond, fight over who gets to use the bathroom and its never-ending supply of hot water first, and once you're no longer crusted in ant guts, it's time for dinner!



• B. Golden Deer Pub
  That gold is weighing you down a bit too much, huh? Well, the Golden Deer Pub has you covered. A small blackboard outside lists the daily specials:
  
  Fluffy mountain pie with a field salad, 600 gold
  Dry-roasted river gar with wild rice, 650 gold
  Grave hazelnut mooncake, 500 gold
  Water, 50 gold
  
  And, of course, the owner Fontayne being… himself, means that your order also comes with a side order of a joke. Dinner and a show! Hey, ever heard the joke about the FOE and the tree? You have? Want to hear it again? And then again? He's an NPC, they're not known for their imagination. Or free thought. At least the food, while expensive, is delicious and hey, you never know who you'll meet here. Maybe someone who has deeper pockets and won't mind covering your meal. Perhaps someone looking for more members for their guild, or to join a guild so they can finally stop sleeping in the corner of Napier's shop.



☙ Extra
Got something in mind? Want to play with the setting more? The sky's the limit, so feel free and make up your own prompts to play with!

Welcome to Labyrinthian’s first Test Drive Meme! Please check out the FAQ, extended FAQ and rules as you test your characters out. The setting is yours to play with, so be creative and have a good time with it!

An important date to remember is July 4, 2020 at 9pm EST is when Reserves will open and Applications will open on July 11, 2020 at 9pm EST. There will be reserves for this app round, so please make sure to have that in before you apply. As a side note, TDM threads are not canon, so please feel free to assume established CR for the sake of the TDM if it will make threading or showing off your character's voice easier.

If you have any questions about the TDM, feel free to ask us here. If there are any other questions, you can catch us via PM, the FAQ or the contact page. You are of course welcome to use prompts from the previous test drives as well. Thank you for your interest in Labyrinthian!

Comments

Very complicated.

[softheartedshizun]

[That meant nothing to him, and he couldn't even pinpoint what sort of world it might be. Oh well.]

Are you not familiar with the literary genre? Or, reincarnated in another world?

[It was such a popular trope!]

As for myself, I am Shen Qingqiu.

[softheartedshizun]

[Don't say something so overwhelmingly sad as a child!]

Even if you don't, it's this 'uncle's' job to do so anyway.

[mithrarin]

Okay, color Dust more confused. Wasn't a Guild supposed to be for people who dive into the Labyrinth? What's a kid doing here?

"I'm Dust," he said, half-reflexively. "I... just got an invite to join here."

[unwantedtwin]

Because she goes fighting things as a hobby...as to why that is that's a long story.

"Dust? That's an odd name." Manners, she's got them, except not really, no. She's not book smart by any means but she has the natural perceptiveness of a wild beast at times. So she keys in on that discomfort even though she doesn't know the source of it. "Didn't you want to join?"

[mithrarin]

No introduction in return? Well, that's a thing.

"I... was basically told I was in. I guess I didn't think it was a bad thing, since these guilds are for people who enter the Labyrinth, but -- well, I feel a little out of place here."

Honest enough, though it didn't touch on one or two other things, such as species.

[unwantedtwin]

Her upbringing has been a bit unconventional, to say the least. Let's say, especially in the last three years 'getting stronger so she could kill someone' is much higher on her priority list than 'learning manners'.

She tilts her head. "Here?" She puzzles through that for a moment. So he didn't mean this place as a whole then... "In this building? Why not?"

[mithrarin]

Dust could appreciate that, but then Dust came with at least some courtesy built-in. Which he hadn't lost, despite losing every scrap of strength he'd gained in his life and then some.

"I'm... not used to it, really. I barely know what to do. I have memories of living inside..." Jin's memories, not his own. "But nothing like this."

[unwantedtwin]

"Oh."

Honestly...she can understand that feeling. Her and her grandfather had travelled a lot. She'd slept at the side of a campfire more often than she had with a roof over her head. Except for that period of time before everything went to hell in a handbasket.

But it wasn't the indoors that bothered her so much as the feeling of being safe when she hadn't felt any such thing in three years.

So, after considering him a little, she reached out to grab his hand.

"Then let's go." She says and if allowed she'll pull him along...to a window? Her cultivation is sealed in this place but she's stronger than you'd expect a child her age to be.

[mithrarin]

Missing Fidget didn't help at all. If she were here, he'd be more comfortable, no matter the circumstance. But... well, she wasn't, and that was all there was to it.

"Go... where?" Physical contact wasn't something he was used to, but he also wasn't going to yank his hand away from a kid. Letting himself be led cost him nothing except a little discomfort, and he already had so much of that one more drop wasn't anything at all.

[unwantedtwin]

"Outside." She only lets go of him when she's close enough to push open the window. Is this even the first floor...? Well, regardless of what floor it is she still hops onto the window sill once she has it open. Then she turns back, one hand on the frame to balance herself and the other reaching back for him. She's small enough and the window wide enough that it could probably fit one more person on that sill. "We should go before anyone sees us."

...are you escaping from prison or something?

[mithrarin]

"Wait, hold on." Now he stopped, because this had taken a turn he hadn't expected. Not that going out the window was out of the question as a very general idea, but here and now? "You were here before me. If you wanted to escape, why were you waiting?"

[unwantedtwin]

"They told me I shouldn't go out by myself." Which sounded like bullshit but she was willing to wait until she found a better way to go about it. "But if we go together then I'm wouldn't be on my own."

[mithrarin]

A faint flicker of a smile crossed Dust's face. He might not do the whole 'eye contact' thing, but despite both that and his nonhuman appearance, he wasn't so hard to read.

"Wouldn't I have to stay with you forever, then?"

[unwantedtwin]

She huffed, looking put upon.

"When I'm taller people will stop bothering me about this." Because she's nine and nine year olds have strange understandings of How Things Work. "Are you coming or not?"

[mithrarin]

"Maybe. All right, I'll come with you for a bit. And once we see what's out there, we can decide on our next move."

Somehow he had a feeling he'd regret this.

Maybe...

[kiranerysds9]

[Nerys thinks about that for a moment.]

It's nice to meet you, Shen Qingqui. Is Shen your family or given name? No, I'm not familiar with that literary genre. I don't really like to read much. I understand what reincarnation is, even if I don't believe in it.

Are you crazy?!

[kiranerysds9]

[Nerys is just... stunned. Did A-Ting really just kick the mom squirrel in the head? Thankfully, the squirrel mother seems to be stunned as well. Whether that is from the kick in the head or the sheer audacity of the little girl is unclear.]

You might want to back away from her before she comes to her senses.

[Nerys keeps her gun at the ready, just in case.]

Nice to meat you! (Sorry, I had to go there.)

[kiranerysds9]

[Nerys smells the vegetables and meat. As she takes another bite of her cake, her smile broadens. This is really quite nice.]

Hello, Veronica. It's nice to meet you. I've learned that things aren't always what they seem. Your pie looks and smells delicious. I may have to get that next time. So, where are you from? I'm from the planet Bajor.

[Nerys says that as if it is self-explanatory. She is starting to worry that this good feeling cannot last for long.]

Quests are the best

[kiranerysds9]

[A woman with short brown hair and a very serious expression walks up to him. She crouches behind the sand dune as well, once she sees what is on the other side. She seems to have a knack for getting into trouble, or being around when other people are in trouble.]

Hi, my name's Kira Nerys. Can I help with whatever trouble you're in?

[She pulls out a gun, casually, as if she is used to doing so. That might be helpful, right?]

[unwantedtwin]

Are you saying following a girl around who would probably pick a fight with a bear isn't a good idea?

She smiles a little, looking rather pleased with herself. "Then let's go already." And that's all the warning anyone gets before she jumps out the window.

Re: Nice to meat you! (Sorry, I had to go there.)

[protectthecastle]

[Veronica's eyes follow that smile and her own smile warms. Nerys is happy so she can't help but be happy for her too.]

It's nice to meet you as well, Kira. I am from the kingdom of Zerestria. [Also what is name order??]

The pie does smell good, I wonder how it is made? It is so fluffy, how is that done? [Taking a bite, she takes a moment to savor it even if she's not sure she can actually name a single spice, vegetable or meat in it. Still, it's fun and new and she can't wait to try all the rest of the menu as well.

But the most important thing on her mind is actually:]

The planet Bajor, I see. [A pause after sounding like she knew what she was talking about.] What is a planet?

Sorry you're stuck with a feral child who hits first and asks questions later.

[unwantedtwin]

[She had been an impulsive child to begin with, and three years of living with the monster that had killed her grandfather--the man she had attempted to kill whenever she had the chance, who would often beat her to the point of broken bones didn't make her anymore likely to be cautious around more literal monsters.

But she's annoyed at how little damage that kick did relative to what she knows she could accomplish with cultivation.

Still, she hears the warning and follows through by leaping back, landing lightly on her feet and settling into another fighting stance. Her reflexes are really quite amazing.]

Tch. It's stronger than it looks.

[Or maybe she's just weaker here than she expected. Either way. She's annoyed about it.

Meanwhile the mom squirrel shakes its head to clear it, seemingly disoriented by the hit. This may be a good opportunity to run...though someone else would have to suggest it because someone who'd have the audacity to kick a monster in the head probably doesn't consider 'retreat' as her first course of action.]

[unwantedtwin]

[There's shock in her expression and, for a moment, her grip on his sleeve tightens.

Her denial that she needs to be protected was a reflexive one. She's strong enough to not need protection and yet...

It has also been some time since she's had anyone to protect her. And, well. She's not sure what to do about it so she looks down and just makes a vague sound of agreement.]

Mm.

[But she's now holding onto your sleeve so tightly someone would have to pry her fingers off to get her to let go. But now she's also curious...]

Is Uncle Shen a father?

Not bad

[kiranerysds9]

[The jump A-Ting makes impresses Nerys again. Although, she has already seen that the girl has skill. She suspects why A-Ting is annoyed, she would be annoyed as well. Seeing the mother squirrel creature recovering, she says...]

Perhaps we should run before the creature chases us. Come on. Let's go!

Where to begin?

[kiranerysds9]

[Nerys notices the use of her family name. She shows a flash of annoyance, but quells it.]

Actually, on my home world, we put the family name first. Nerys is my given name. I'd prefer it if you call me that... please... Veronica.

[Her attempt at diplomacy is sincere, if stilted.]

I'm glad you like the pie. I've no idea how it is made. I was never much of a cook. A planet or a world is what we are on now. You know what stars are? Surrounding each star are a number of planets or worlds. Some stars have more planets than others. Not all worlds are hospitable to beings like us, but some are. Is any of this making sense? I've no idea how much you know or don't know about space.