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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

[ yes he's patting his pockets down now for all his knives and little tools and glad to see they're there.

He's a little more surprised to find a couple bandages where they'd been clawing at his neck and arms but his shirt is on and Alucard hasn't started asking personal questions so...that must be the extent of it. ]

"Holidays"? What about this seems like a holiday?

[ Alucard can get along just fine with his short sword, as Astarion mentioned before. Magic is an annoyance ( more than... ) in its absence, but he can get along without it in most scenarios, here and his London. ]

I was being facetious.

[ He allows, gracefully enough, to Astarion. ]

Is there no bread and circuses where you're from?

[ He's basically not going to acknowledge that he's been looking after Astarion all this time. He's not going to accept credit for taking care of him. He's not taking recognition for making sure he made it out of everything alive, to ascertain Astarion could hurt her when she wants.

Mostly, he's literally trying to give Astarion a way out of being awkward by talking about fantasy reality TV. Does Xenk even need him,though...? ]

[ well if Alucard doesn't want to acknowledge and Astarion doesn't want to thank him they're definitely just going to Not Talk About This. ]

I mean, sure, but...

[ There's all kinds of distractions, but he's more or less lost the thread of conversation here. He's still a little out of sorts and for all he doesn't want to talk about this bc he also feels a nagging sensation that he should.

So after a long moment of frustrated silence as he fights himself on that he finally lands on: ]

I didn't...hurt you, did I? When you were tying me up?

[ Astarion doesn't want the distraction. He's literally denying the epitome of distraction. The tip of Alucard's tongue flickers between his lips, eyes steadying in a way that makes it pretty obvious he's got a few secrets to guard. ]

No, you didn't hurt me. You tried, but you didn't really try, if that makes sense.

[ He reaches off to take up his own tin mug of water, sipping it. ]

You're a willful little bastard. Strong.

[ Affectionate. ]

I assume you have some practice with charms.

Edited 2023-08-25 15:55 (UTC)

[ Astarion can tell he's hiding something, but he can't quite tell what. He looks him over to see if there's any obvious marks. He doesn't his smell blood but he also can't smell much beyond his own blood and the seawater, which is dank.

Still, he manages to laugh a little at the compliment. A touch of nervousness to it. ]

I guess you could say that.

[ 200 years of being held to another man's will. But that was a charm he couldn't break after 24 hours. ]

My little adventuring party fought harpies once! They're not as nasty. At least their song you can snap out of.

[ there's a saving throw for it, unlike charm person you see. ]

Edited 2023-08-25 16:05 (UTC)

[ The only thing he's doing is downplaying how hard Astarion fought. It doesn't matter, because they'd gotten the man trussed up in the end. It wouldn't help to tell Astarion as much. He'd rather praise the fact he knew the man hadn't fought as hard as he could. So what he's said? It's not a lie.

The laugh earns an edge to Alucard's own lips, like he's working them both back to some sort of humor by centimeters. ]

Harpies. Saints, almost every day here is like a storybook.

[ He shakes his head a little. ]

I've actually seen a lot, you know. It's damned annoying to be learning something new almost every day since I arrived.

There's a harpy at the port, if you want to meet one. She's much less murderous. Runs a shop and everything!

[ just you wait for Astarion's big reveal that he's a vampire one day, Alucard. ]

Well, if it is any consolation, I'm still useless around water. All the arcane knowledge in the world wouldn't give me the right skill set for being a real pirate.

[ he's starting to relax a little now. Still deathly pale, but his normal colorful tone is returning. He's gesturing more as he speaks. Coming alive. ]

[ There's a soft huff over the edge of the mug as Astarion goes so far as to call himself useless as a swimmer. He's right, but even Alucard would never say it. He takes a few swallows of the cool drink. ]

The best pirates don't need to swim anyway. You could make a real run of it if you wanted to.

[ Likewise, he's leaning back in his seat. The white cat appears as if from nowhere, picking the way slowly along the shelves and making their way down. ]

[ Astarion acknowledges the cat and raises a hand to show her he doesn't plan to touch her. He gets it. ]

Hello, your majesty.

[ Queendom, right? Then back to Alucard ]

Ugh, I'm going to be getting the stink of seawater out of my hair for days.

[ Lavender eyes quickly catch the movement of the hand, wary, before the cat continues on. She steps over him on the bed, walking her way up his chest. ]

That's what you're worried about?

[ The sapphire winks beneath the trace of dried blood; apparently he hadn't given himself the same consideration as he did Astarion. A dark hand comes out to give the cat a scratch beneath the chin even while she stands right on the other man's sternum. ]

Dearest, how can you stand it? He smells like seawater on a boat...

[ He stills for the cat to give her her space. And keeps his promise, of course. He will simply admire her! ]

I'm serious! It's a lot of work for me to get ready in the morning.

[ like he has to look great without a reflection to help him and he has to get the stench of corpse off him he works very hard ]

Edited 2023-08-25 22:27 (UTC)

[ She will reward him by sitting right down on his chest while she receives her royal chinnies from Alucard. You're welcome. ]

I'm sure you must be exhausted when you finish tousling back this hair to look like you've just rolled out of bed.

[ The fingers of his free hand stroke a bit of white fringe back from Astarion's brow, guiding the length of it to sweep behind a pointed ear. ]

How do you even make it out every day? Is this the benefit of elves?

I've really perfected the look, haven't I?

[ well he's sure he looks frightful now from the drowning, but he finds he doesn't mind the touch. Perhaps he, like the cat sitting on him, is ok with some pets. ]

Elves only have to meditate for four hours a night for get a full rest.

[ ask and ye shall receive the d&d lore Alucard ]

[ With no visual cue to indicate Astarion hates it, Alucard takes the liberty of brushing aside the other places where hair clings to the man's face. ]

...It sounds awful. The best part of sleep is not having to reflect.

[ His brow furrows. ]

You never sleep?

[ he's glad for the assist really. Besides, he's got to stay still for the cat! Think of her! Though he does laugh at Alucard's comment about reflection. ]

It's not really a reflective state. But I do sleep sometimes.

[ mostly just to have nightmares, which sucks. He's not even a full vampire so he doesn't get the benefit of the restful sleep that they can do. ]

[ Alucard is secretly grateful for the excuse to fuss, so it works out for them both. ]

I was going to suggest you try, since you feel ill and it'd make the voyage pass faster. No one should have to suffer my company for long.

[ The cat has decided to settle down on Astarion's chest, pulsing with purrs as Alucard rubs a thumb between her eyes, which are now shut. ]

[ There's a short laugh at that too but he does make himself a little more comfortable on the mattress. The cat's purrs were insanely comforting but he's not going to admit that! ]

I don't understand you in the slightest. Why help me after everything?

[ There's a soft pause here, mostly seen in the way he's petting the cat, grey blue eyes considering the other man. ]

I like my hat...

So friendship is cheap but it's the sex that's the problem?

[ He hears it after it comes out of his mouth. Derisive. Pushing Alucard away for the sin of being nice. Still part of their banter from earlier but not quite right for this new space they find themselves in. Not right after everything Alcuard went through for him. ]

Sorry. It's a force of habit. You were kind to me so I inexplicably want to be mean to you.

[ at least he knows?? ]

[ Alucard just laughs, though, a wry thing. ]

I was a bastard before that, so I deserve it.

[ He hurt Astarion and the man has every right to be angry at him, no matter what he's said before. Alucard knows this. ]

I wasn't going to let you die just because you were trying to punish me for wronging you. Don't think I didn't notice you could have done worse, either.

Well I guess we're even, then.

[ he says this in a positive way, so he apparently approves. ]

I can be annoyed with you and not want to kill you. If I killed everyone who annoyed me, Baldur's Gate would easily have half the population.

So then you do understand, actually.

[ He resumes petting the puttering cat. ]

[ Astarion hums noncommittally ]

I suppose so.

[ then after a moment: ]

Stop pretending you're not tired and get some rest.

[ he's gotta go see if there's anything worth eating on the ship, you see ]

[ He huffs, softly. ]

Shove over, then.

[ He'll pick up the cat, who only gives a soft mew of protest, before beginning to slide right into bed beside Astarion. He hasn't gotten the memo that the other man intends to go somewhere else. ]

[ oh. Yeah. That was not part of the plan.

He moves over all the same and lays on his side so he can see him. He reaches up and touches the wound on his head, the dried blood. But his fingers stop before the sapphire. His fingers are gentle, in spite of his words. ]

You should have cleaned this up.

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

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Does this one need a spoiler tag actually maybe

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