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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

[Is it good or bad that Cid doesn't notice much about her tension? Or rather, he just assumes it's her being tense around like usual, but his attention is also on the phones.]

Let's see, I was looking at it just now... Aha, here!

[Using his phone, he shows her the icon with the messenger app and taps on it, opening up. And once she follows, he'll point to the TO: field.]

See here, this is where you put in the ID of you're sending the message to. Need to add people to your Contact list... ...I'll show you later. But I'll send a message—"garudas" was it?

[An amused grin even if he kind of dislikes his own.

Anyway, probably faster than she can keep up, he's typing her ID into his own phone, types something quickly on his screen, and ding! She'll see his message appear on her phone.]

Its cid brilliant innit

Edited 2023-08-24 21:52 (UTC)

[It takes her a while to follow along, but she finds the messenger icon soon enough and gives it a tap, surprised when it opens up a brand-new screen. And it's definitely much faster than she can keep up because she's just pressing the G (and can't find the A) when it suddenly DINGS, and she's so startled by the sound and the vibration that she fumbles with her phone, almost dropping it.]

What was that—!?

[He just laughs at her reaction.]

That's how it knows you have a message. Go on, tap here.

[He'll point to the new notification.]

[She taps, perhaps harder than she's supposed to because it takes two taps for her to finally open the message and read it.

"Its cid brilliant innit"

She scoffs quietly, but her exasperation is short-lived, fading into a touch of awe and a lot of confusion as she reads it.

Then, looks to him, to his phone, then back to hers.]

How did you do that?

[A grin as he leans in just a little closer so he can point at the bottom of her screen.]

See this here? If you tap that, the thing with the letters—keyboard, was it?—will appear.

[He'll do this step by step now.]

[And lo and behold, there it is... It had somehow disappeared when he opened the message for her, and now she's left staring at all of the letters jumbled up together again with no rhyme or reason... She taps into the "reply" box, and then slowly begins to type letter by letter, her brow furrowing in deep focus.

...

s

t

u]

—fuck.

[But she accidentally hits the send key and Cid's phone will ding with a new message.]

[And he's going to look and—

Snort.]

Should I take a guess at what you were trying to tell me?

[She's not even going to humour him with an answer to a question as she furiously taps her finger on the screen.]

How do I get rid of it?

[HOW DOES SHE UNSEND]

[..........Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.]

Not sure if you can.

[He's going to try tapping on the message on his phone and see a few options, one of which says "Delete."]

Guess I could do that, but I think I'll keep it.

Wait, how did you—

[And in an effort to try it on her own phone, she ends up sending a small reaction beneath his message:

💗

and now she is screaming on the inside.]

Edited 2023-08-25 02:29 (UTC)

[And he also sees it on his end...

....

Pffffffffft!

He really tried not to laugh, and he's really trying not to, but even as he presses his hand against his mouth, his shoulders are shaking and she can hear that chuckling.

Oh Benna. Sweet Benna. What is he going to do with you—]

[Oh, she hears that chuckling and sees how much he is trying to stifle it, and it's going to earn him a good swat on the arm for it.]

Focus, Cidolfus!

[Not on the stupid little heart that she somehow added to his stupid little message. Now how does she get rid of that!?

She's going to try and try, pressing whatever button isn't a letter. Ah, what does this 😊 button do?]

What the fuck—

[Why are there all these faces on her screen now?]

[HE'S TRYING SO HARD BUT IT'S TOO FUCKING FUNNY. The swat only makes it worse, and the laugh he tried to hold in finally escapes.]

Sorry...let's...let's see.

[Trying, but he still has that stupid grin as he looks at her screen.]

So many different pictures... Well let's see if you do this.

[And he's going to just tap on her screen the 🥰 one and oh look at that it pops up on his screen. Oh this is going to be fascinating as he's going to try it on his while she's probably losing it and sends one right back: 😘

Oh this is hilarious and he's back to shaking in laughter.]

[She is absolutely fucking losing it right now. All she was trying to do was erase that stupid heart, and instead—]

Stop tha—What is that?

[Benedikta brings the phone right up near her face to get a good look at it, and she almost throws it across the room again when she sees—]

Is that a kissing face!? Cidolfus!

[She gets to her feet and calls out to the nearest attendant.]

You! I demand a new phone!

[HERS IS BROKEN. TAINTED.

Meanwhile, she has no idea that her thumb is still brushing up against the screen as she holds it at her side, and she'll end up sending Cid a string of them.

🤗😏😴😒😪😛]

Edited 2023-08-25 03:30 (UTC)

[And he's getting all of them, ding after ding—except he can't see them because he's practically doubled over laughing.]

What, I think it's fun!

[OF COURSE HE WOULD HE HAS NOTHING TO LOSE ABOUT THEM.

And unfortunately for Benedikta, she won't be able to get a new phone.]

What do you mean, I can't— [She slumps back down into her seat.] Useless.

[And when she lifts her phone to look at it again, she expects the worst, and oh it is so much worse than that. That string of faces that she's just sent to Cidolfus unknowingly all stare at her. Watch her. Taunt her. Forever and ever.]

We are finished with that.

[Now stop laughing and take this seriously!!!]

What else do I need to know?

[How to close the app would be a good start, but she doesn't dare click on anything else here lest she send him more kissy faces for him to blackmail her with later.]

Edited 2023-08-25 04:11 (UTC)

[Oh he hasn't had a laugh like that in a long time, that was rich. But he'll at least have regained his composure, clearing his throat a few times that does nothing to hide his smile.]

Guess from here can learn how to add people.

[And he's going to once again get up in her personal space to lean over and tap on his ID to actually add it to her contacts. Heh, first one, too.]

Then you just tap this thing that looks like an arrow to back out of it.

[She is a bristling mess, like a bird with her feathers ruffled all out of sorts, when he leans in again. She does lean back, only just so that their shoulders do not touch again, and she stares at him in utter disbelief because the balls on this man...

But she watches what he is doing closely enough... close enough, at least, that she can see what he's doing, and she presses that back button when he tells her to.

Only to realize just a second too late what he had just done.]

... You added yourself?

[Really, Cidolfus?]

Why not?

[A cheeky grin as he waves his phone.]

Added you, too.

[She narrows her eyes at the phone, and then at him. She's going to have to figure out how to get rid of that later, too.]

And? We use that to... "call" each other too, was it?

[See? She listened. A little bit.]

[Good luck, sweetheart, this is staying forever.]

Guess we should try that while we're here. Think it's that symbol?

[He doesn't touch it, but he does point to the strange picture that the staffer had shown them before. Like a weird looking... U? C? Parantheses? (The phone button.)]

[...

She stares at the symbol with wariness as her finger hovers just above it, like if she presses it, it will set off a trap.

....]

Might as well.

[And so, she clicks it and waits with bated breath. She's so going to regret this, isn't she?]

[She might, or might not. It will be Cid who is startled by the sudden music the plays on the device, his turn to almost drop it as he stares at it.]

Bloody hell...

[But that surprise passes quickly as he sees two options. Green and red button.

And if he remembers right, it's the green button, so he taps that and....

....Well the music stopped and—oh right, hold it up to his ear right?]

Was it like this?

[He has it upside down, but they'll figure it out eventually.]

[Even she is alarmed by the abrupt music that plays from it, and she stares at it with widened eyes before it... stops...

And now she watches him, mimicking his movements with her own as she verrrry sloooowly lifts the shellphone to her ear exactly the same as he does (yes, even upside down).]

Now what? We are supposed to talk? [And not even a second later:] I don't hear anything.

Same... Wait, could be too close to each other so can't tell, one mo'.

[And for once Cid will stand up and give her some space, moving a few steps away so still can talk to each other normally without shouting, but should be far enough so he can hear through the device.]

What about now?

[She might be able to catch a slight muffled sound from the other side of her phone.]

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

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