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Welcome to the first Test Drive Meme for

escordvi! Anyone can participate in the test drive, regardless of invite eligibility. Just keep in mind that only those who have received invitations from the mods can actually reserve on August 25th and apply on September 1st. Our Interest Check can be found here.

For your toplevel, please include the following: Character Name | Canon | Armada Choice. If undecided, put "Undecided" for the Armada.

For everyone's convenience, TDM threads can be carried over in game if you wish! If you are still unsure which armada to place your character, you can play it a bit loose and vague in the TDM and make retroactive changes if you carryover the threads. We'll have more armada focused prompts in the opening log in September. The log itself is set to cover the next two weeks, until the end of the month. Characters will appear at random intervals during this time rather than all at once, so players have some more flexibility on how much more adjusted they are for someone else.

IMPORTANT REMINDER FOR MAGIC USERS!! All magic abilities will be "sealed" until characters get their tattoo from the Inkwave parlor in Eltrut. That means no magic on the starter ships before docking.

We do require TDM threads for samples for our application!

If you have any question about the TDM, comment here. If you have questions about the game in general, please comment to the Game Info.

TOPLEVEL DIRECTORY (Updated August 28)

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

There are two ships that serve as starting ships for each armada: Stormbringer for the Corsairs, and Royal Fortune for the Paladins. There are various ways new arrivals—or riftfarers as they will be called, among other creative names—will appear on or by these ships.

🚪 Random room. It could be empty, filled with crates or supplies; down in the hull where the livestock are kept; have the luck to awaken in a bed...or the misfortune of that bed already occupied; somewhere in the kitchens; in the bathroom—any room! Now let's hope the doors can open or someone may have to try and ask for help. Or jump through the porthole if there is one and it's above water.
⛵ On deck. If not in the ship itself, another possible spot to wake up to is somewhere on the maindeck. If they're lucky, they're on the deck itself. More unfortunate souls may find themselves caught in the sails or netting, the crow's nest, or on the top of the masts. Someone should be able to help, right? Or catch.
🌊 In the water. The most unlucky sods will find themselves appearing in mid-air just past the ship and plummeting straight into the water. Good news, there's always someone on the look out for such a thing and calls for help to throw a lifesaver get the rowboat will be made. Are there sharks? Well... ...Are there?

However the new riftfarers arrive, they will be poorly clothed, practically rags or loose uniforms depending on the ship. Fortunately, veteran crewmates will guide them, escorting them to a room with a strange typewriter in it. After typing their name, the typewriter will magically continue and type by itself at a fast pace until it dings and rolls out the paper. This paper will have the following information:

• Name and Shellphone ID (journalname)
• Armada (Corsair or Paladin, will match the starter ship)
• Cabin Number for their personal cabin on the starter ship
• Apartment Address for their personal address at their base armada location
• A basic map of the starting locations in Eltrut, including written directions (continued in the Eltrut section)
• A basic map of where they can find a chest with their original clothes and belongings (this will be different for every person and will be anywhere either on the starter ship or on Eltrut—players can be creative here).

After that, the crewmate will do their best to explain the basics of how they got here, what's going on, and what they'll need to do to live in Escordvi while they are here, giving them a small leather pouch with money. They will be reaching Eltrut soon, so the crewmate will suggest they look around, meet the others who have arrived. Even from their distance, they will be able to see the giant sea turtle that serves as Eltrut's leviathan.

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

After reaching the port of Eltrut, several birdfolk will appear and happily greet all the new arrivals from both starter ships. Here it doesn't matter which side they are affiliated with, as long as they keep those swords and weapons sheathed and not pointed at each other's throats. The birdfolk will even act as guides, showing them the main places they should visit and give them a visitor's map to help guide them.

🐚 Microshell. The first stop that is encouraged will be Microshell, the main store to acquire their own personal Shellphone. The paper they received on their starter ship will have their ID and the staff at the store will set them up, explaining how the device and the network works.
✒️ Inkwave, Tattoo Parlor. The next stop is Inkwave, a tattoo parlor run by a very burly but friendly octopus, Knistej. Here everyone receives their own unique magic tattoo, allowing anyone to cast specific single element spells and other magic. Note: tattoos are required before anyone will be able to use their original magical abilities.
📜 MANTA office. The final stop is the MANTA office, where all the request, mission, and task notices are posted. Each armada has their own branch office for armada specific notices as well. A great place to find jobs to earn some cash so they don't stay a hobo forever.

It's a lot to take in for sure, with the port city bustling with all walks of life. Not only do they have both armadas mingling with each other, there are different races and species from all over Escordvi gathered here. It's not just humans, which many riftfarers always seem to be surprised about. There are also plenty of veteran riftfarers who will gladly give some advice and even share stories of their world. Maybe some are familiar.

After finding their belongings, exploring the town, and meeting other people, being able to just sit back and enjoy a drink and warm meal will be in order. While there are plenty of places to choose from, the Minstrel and Cask will be the top recommended tavern for all newcomers to visit at least once. Great drinks, great food, and can learn a lot from the patrons or meet more people.

Of course, as expected of a highly popular tavern, it's not always peaceful. A man will ask travelers what they want to do with their life. Clearly drunk, he only accepts answers that hint at wanting to find riches. If told this he will give out a treasure map. But if told anything else, he'll put up a fight, hoping to deliver a black eye. Those who do receive the map will be sorely disappointed—it will lead them down a long, winding, circuitous path around town and end at a random outhouse, likely occupied and certainly stinking to high heavens. There's likely some kind of moral here, but at some point, others who have been duped will return to the tavern to sling their fists around.

Looks like another tavern brawl for the night.

QUESTS

For those who want to try their hand at some quests, there are a few that would do well for newcomers. Teaming up is of course encouraged, no matter what the affiliation. You can assume they acquired some kind of ship for the quests out at sea, either the starter ship or some other ship heading out there.

Spicy Squid Eating Challenge

Eltrut Port

There is a traveling food ship (think food truck but on the water) that has been going around challenging ships to their extraordinary Hornswaggle's Spicy Squid Eating Challenge. If participants can scarf down a prepared three-pound bowl of exceptionally spicy ghost pepper squid and rice, they will win their meal for free as well as a crate of dried spicy squid for their ship's stores. If participants fail, they will have to pay for the meal and the crate.

...Careful, are some of the squid tentacles still moving?

Coral Reef Snacks

Eltrut

Rumour has it that certain types of coral reefs contain unique properties that can make you more alluring to the one you desire, but no one is sure what the side effects are. Test this out by trying to crunch into chunks of coral reef pieces to see if there are any added effects on your body. Hopefully, they don't ruin your teeth in the meantime.

Oh, and you have to find the correct coral reef too! Red chunks seem to make you more affectionate towards others, while blue chunks seem to make you more volatile towards others. Eaters, beware!

Giant Sea Slugs

Starter Ships

Giant sea slugs tend to only attack ships if they feel threatened but are otherwise peaceful creatures. They're about the size of a large wild cat. They also secrete a slime that contains strong disinfectant properties. This thick slime is highly sought after for its ability to heal wounds cleanly, so kill them and collect as much slime as possible.

Killer Sharkgulls

Eltrut port and ships

Seagulls can be a pain to most ships. Yet, seagulls that have evolved to be violently carnivorous can be even worse. These new birds, effectively named sharkgulls, have been seen attacking ships and ports alike. They are big enough to eat small children in one gulp or will do their best to eat full-grown humans after they've ripped them to bite-sized shreds. Beware and kill them before they can kill you!

Siren's Serenade

Out at Sea

A merchant's ship has crashed upon an outcropping of rocks after being lured in by a group of rogue sirens. These captivating creatures possess the power to ensnare their prey with their enchanting voices, luring unsuspecting souls into the depths to meet the grim fate of drowning.

Search for the missing ship and help rescue the captive sailors before it's too late! You will be supplied with special earplugs to muffle out the siren's voices so be careful to keep your ears effectively plugged. You don't want to succumb to the siren's bloodlust yourself.

Any sailors or rescuers affected by the siren's song can be treated with a harpy's potion that can reverse the song's effect. Or tie up the afflicted for twenty-four hours to wait out the effects.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[This was confusing at- worst? Best? Reaper wasn't even sure at this point given the cook's attitude. Fear was still there, but almost could assume this may not have been the first time he'd ever been taken hostage to be questioned.

The hell was going on?]

Nice and helpful. [Spoken in a tone that may have given away he... didn't like it, didn't quite trust it.

"Confusion ain't strange given what happened here-" Reaper tightened his arm again for quiet.]

Helpful isn't too strange with enough fear, but this is new. What are you going on about?

["You ain't the first, and ain't gonna be the last. Riftfarers appear outta thin air a lot, either on the main ship or in the drink to be fished out by wh'ever's on deck."]

[ Truthfully, Astarion was going to let Reaper do all the talking, but with this knew knowledge (and this NPC's apparent willingness to give exposition) he really can't help himself). ]

"A lot"? How many are we talking?

["Hundreds? Maybe thousands over time, been goin' on for a long while."

... Could answer why the cook was offering this sort of helpfulness so readily, if true. On top of that it was quite the bit of information in such a little package with the implications it set.]

And any reason in particular we've had our things taken from us?

[He was not an easy man to get anything over on these days, after all—

"That just happens with Riftfarer folk. We ain't got anythin' to do with it, but there's a room I can take y'two to that'll give you what you need to get it back."

Suspiciously convenient.]

A room.

A room.

[ He echoes, the sarcasm so thick it's almost hysterical. Because really, this whole situation was so ridiculous. A ROOM with their stuff where they're just going to be nice to them. What does he look like, a fool??? ]

["It's got the typewriter in it. You just gotta type your name into it, it'll fill in the rest, give you a map leadin' to where your stuff got magic'd to. Like you got magic'd here." Oh, Reaper could feel the tensing of the cook from that. A sort of desperation edging into his tone as well, but the cook was being allowed to talk, see if he'd hang himself or not.

"This is Stormbringer- ship belongin' to the Corsair armada. Even them Paladin folk got a special typewriter room on the Royal Fortune for when Riftfarers end up belongin' with them instead of us. Just how it happens, the magic that swept you two here's the same."

Magic. Really?

Reaper tightened his hold to keep the cook from continuing on, head tipped enough to easily glance over Astarion's way.]

What do you make of that? Think he's being honest with us?

[He'd hunt down someone else if need be.]

[ Astarion is watching the conversation closely, but he doesn't see anything from their cook that suggests that he's lying. Besides, that kind of magic wasn't unheard of, just very rare. But having recently jumped between various planes himself he can't exactly deny that it happens. ]

Loathe as I am to trust it, it sounds like he's telling the truth. [ there's a pause and then ] And he did let us ransack his kitchen without immediately screaming for help.

True, true.

[Reaper could ease up on that near-chokehold he kept hold of, a little less of a threat to breaking the cook's neck with a sudden move as well with that. No full release, but it could be a start. Let in a little relief at least.

Could work with this.]

Then, given how helpful he's being, perhaps he should lead us to this 'typewriter room'.

["Ain't normally me, but I can."]

Well this turned out to be exceptionally boring. Lead on, I suppose.

[ He pockets the knife since he's clearly not going to be using it for helping out with the interrogation here. What a waste! ]

Honestly. Usually I get a little fun during this.

[The cook was finally allowed on his feet fully as Reaper moved a hand to secure his hood to be more in place, a slight huff that curled with a bit of black 'smoke' with the exhale of it. An itch under his skin that was more- what?

He still kept hold of the rope as he nudge the cook on to lead.]

Then again, usually those I get a hold of have some training.

It really isn't satisfying if they just fold.

[ It's okay boys maybe during all this piracy you'll find someone worth your while! ]

[At least the cook figures it's better to keep quiet while walking-]

It isn't, no. If true all of this was helpful, have a few knives if there is something a little more fun ahead.

[Pirate's life for them and perhaps doing a bit too well with it all. May as well go all in if stuck here.

His head tipped, keeping an eye on their surroundings as they were being led a bit further up. Still in the hull but- well. A room somewhere, hm.]

Still, it's a bit troubling isn't it.

Of course it's troubling! It would be troubling enough if this was just run-of-the-mill piracy. But piracy and portals that can drag people across planes?

[ He does not like it one bit! But what is he going to do, other than apparently attend orientation and hear more about this? At least they landed on a corsair ship and not the paladin ship. They probably wouldn't have taken as kindly to their instincts here. ]

Portals that apparently have been spitting people out here for long enough they've got a special name for them.

[Riftfarer. That was definitely a new one, and of course what was also troubling that they didn't seem to quite know the why's of it- or at least this guy didn't. Reaper was hoping that once they got somewhere ore information about that could be gathered.

At least he was good at that type of work—]

Enough to give anyone a headache. [That dry humored tone as the corner of his mouth twitched downwards briefly. Bothered him far more than he was letting on, better to keep that to himself.

A few more people could be seen milling about, the closer they were getting to this so-called typewriter room. Some eyes followed, while others just went about their business or laughed in passing.

Definitely not a first.]

I'm far more concerned about the nonchalance with all of this than the name.

[ It all just felt so expected. It's strange, feeling expected but even more so in this situation, where they're literally actively kidnapping a guy and he's just totally chill. ]

That's connected, I'd imagine. Its telling how often this may actually happen, knowing what's going on, if what we've gotten from our friend here is truthful.

[Friend used in such a tone as one may use to disguise some displeasure at it all, nose wrinkled a bit. Didn't have time for this nonsense, being out at sea and no idea where. An itch just under his skin, and the only sign of anything possibly wrong was the occasional curl of smoke-like shadow that curled from his form.

Still, had to go along and-

The cook stopped just outside of a room, gesturing to the open door- "This's it. Just go in, type in your name, and it does the rest."

He was going to get a headache out of this, he could feel it. There really was just a typewriter in there, nothing else.]

Well that somehow looks forebording.

[ Yeah Astarion is really lost when it comes to technology so he's just kind of staring at it, unsure what to do, if he indeed wanted to. ]

Only one way to find out, I suppose...

[ he's volunteering Reaper, see. ]

[Very low tech considering what he was used to, but- well.

Shoulders rolled before Reaper glanced Astarion's way, and then stepped into the room carefully. Very, very aware of the open space and

it was a very uneventful walk to the table where the typewriter was, leaning over a bit as he looked the thing over. Paper ready to go.

Type in your name, hm?]

I'm going to hunt down, and take out this entire crew, if some trickery comes of this. Or if nothing happens for that matter.

[Did type in something, hand moving away.

Typewriter came to life just like that, typing away and filling out the rest of the information as Reaper watched. Taking up the paper once it was finished, reading it over and

That was a map coming as well that he plucked up.]

Huh.

[ Astarion peers around his shoulder to watch this magic at work. I mean sure they have printing presses but this tiny typewriter is something new. Is there a fey in it?? How does it do this? ]

So what is it?

It's as our perfectly overly helpful friend here said. Apparently I've got a ship cabin here, which means you should as well, amongst a bit of other information.

[There was also what looked like it was supposedly some phone ID, and the address for an apartment somewhere on land if he had to guess.

His interest was more on the map; it was of the ship, leading somewhere deeper below decks somewhere around the area both of them had been in. A little luck, even if irritated over how close he might have come to is gear.

Reaper had tilted his head a bit so Astarion could peer, wasn't anything he felt the need to hide-]

You up to give it a try?

Huh.

[ He reads over Reaper's list. Nothing seems magically bad about it or anything. No cambion-written clauses cover the page with their trickery. So he goes over to the typewriter to type in his name. A little slow going, but determined!!!

And then ding he gets his paper read out. ]

Interesting.

[Huh was a pretty fitting reaction for this.

Stepped aside to give Astarion room while still looking over the map of the ship, tracing back a bit to where he could guess the area he had been in. Another walk past the chickens wouldn't be terrible, he supposed.]

I suppose this is something to help get us started in some little way. 'Free' room and board for the trouble of being shunted off here.

[Tone dry, because he certainly didn't believe anything would be free, but that was some other details they'd likely find out soon enough.]

Get a map for where your things are supposedly waiting for you?

Nothing in life is ever free.

[ This is so suspicious?? It's almost worse that they're being so low key about it, really.

But he does indeed have a map, which he looks over. ]

Could be a trap, but, admittedly, the reward would be worth it.

[ He's just now realizing he's in these hideous rags, this is mortifying!! ]

So many certainly enjoy that little catch with the word.

[Part of the crew now, were they? This could give some further weight to what the cook told the both of them, but there was still irritation he wasn't about to try and snuff out.

A hand smoothed down over his beard slowly.]

Could always be a trap. Rather have my gear all the same, and according to this my things are on this ship.

[Was dangerous without it, even if some of his abilities felt like they were smothered. Could feel them still there, but couldn't access them. More reason to be careful.]

We have some time to think about it before we get to shore, I suspect.

[ He's definitely going to go find his stuff, though, how can he not? ]

More than likely.

[The other map and paper were tucked into a pocket of those ragged pants, nose wrinkling just a little over it. Wasn't enjoying the fact that his face could be seen, but at least the damned shirt had a hood, he supposed. Small mercies.

So used to the weight of it and the rest of his gear.]

Might have to decide if playing nice is worth it or not in that time, too.

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

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