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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

It's funny how all it takes is one person like that.

[ Astarion looks down at his drink (which he hasn't touched, naturally), and thinks about Tav. They certainly sounded similar to this Hawke, at least in terms of charisma.

He doesn't want to tell Fenris about himself. He doesn't want to tell anyone about himself. But some part of him desperately longs to be seen. ]

I'm not in it to save the world.

Then don't. If the world depends on you alone to save it, then sounds like a bigger problem than you can handle.

[He says it bluntly, doesn't mince the words at all. If this man isn't in it to save the world there was nothing wrong with that. In fact he's seen men thinking they were going to save the world do something terrible and start a war.. put himself and others in harms way so they they have to all run from the closest place they called home.]

I have no illusions of such. If I can cripple the slave trade, then I will, but until such a time I will continue to kill every slaver I come across because the only good slaver is a dead one.

[He practically growls that last bit.]

Do what you can towards your own goals and those you care about, if you happen to save the world along the way, then.. [He shrugs.]

[ Astarion seems a little disappointed at Fenris's reply but he doesn't elaborate.

Instead, still nosy, still asking questions he shouldn't he asks: ]

Did you kill whoever did that to you?

[ He nods towards his scars. But it should be obvious. And almost as obvious is the question he doesn't ask but that he so clearly wants to: was it good? ]

[He notices it, but he doesn't say anything about it right now. What he said is what he stands by. But he realizes that perhaps it was meant to be something else instead of a confession.

Fenris is curious what else it could have been.]

Yes, I did. I stuck my hand in his chest and crushed his heart..

[There's a satisfaction there. But now he thinks he gets it.. gets that maybe, just maybe they are more similar than he was thinking... the man is an Elf--]

And who is it that you seek to kill? Or have you?

[ Astarion's red eyes are focused on Fenris now, hanging on his every word. The visual of it, the way Fenris paints it, is enough to take his breath away. It helps that it also feeds into his vampiric bloodlust as well.

Another hesitation. Stuck at the precipice between spilling his secrets to a stranger he just met or letting this opportunity pass him by. ]

I haven't killed him yet. [ he answer comes out backwards, the reply to the second question first. ] I don't even know if it's possible to. But...

[ it's on the tip of his tongue, this horrible forbidden secret that weighs him down. But there's no need to be afraid here, he tries to tell himself.

But anxiety wins for now and he settles on:]

I want to.

[Fenris feels pinned by that gaze, but doesn't flinch from it, instead meeting it the entire time he explained how he killed his former master.

Yet, when the subject shifts, he notices the way the man seems to teeter on the edge of something, how the words come out, and he knows. He knows that desire, that want.

He knows that they have something very unfortunate in common.

What Astarion is in it for.]

Then you should. [A pause.] It took years before the right moment came.. and the help of Hawke, but getting to watch the life leave my former master's eyes was worth all the running and hiding I had to do up til then.

[It goes unsaid, but it's clear that he hopes this for Astarion as well, the same satisfaction of the death of a former master at his hands.]

[ There's literally nothing in all the realms that Astarion wants more than that satisfaction. ]

We had just made it back to the City, before I was pulled here. I don't know if I'm glad to be outside of his influence or simply angry that I was so close and it got cut short.

[Fenris can imagine being that close only for Danarius to slip away. It happened once and he can still remember how angry it made him, how frustrated he had felt... the hatred in him burned that the rat has escaped him.]

And why must you be one or the other?

[He would be both. Without Hawke he would have had no hope of standing up against Danarius, yet--

He would rather be dead than under that man's influence once more.]

I just don't like it.

[ but most feelings are hard for him, so that's really the issue here. ]

Nor would I, if I were in your position.

[He takes another drink of his wine. He wouldn't like it, not one bit if he was that close, and then stolen away like this.]

Is it as common for Elves then as it is in mine?

[ It takes him a moment to remember they're talking about slavery at large and not vampiric masters.

Astarion shakes his head. ]

No. It's a practice that is frowned upon in most parts of Faerûn. With one rather notable exception, it tends to be evil creatures that indiscriminately capture whoever they can. Goblins, mindflayers, vampires...

[ fuck his life really. ]

But in the Underdark, the drow still actively enslave others. Sometimes other drow.

[ everyone just assumes are drow are like super evil, but his tone doesn't necessary imply that he does. He's met a few now, after all. ]

I'm not from the Underdark, to be clear. I was just...in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[There are a lot of words in there that make no sense to him. Mind flayer? Vampires? Under dark?

Was the Underdark like the deep roads? Or was it something else entirely.]

We have none of these.. mind flayers, vampires, drow or under dark. No, it is humans that enslave us.

[He shakes his head, how much easier it would be if it was evil monsters that did it and not evil humans. How easy they can blend in with those who are not, it can become difficult to decern who to hunt down.]

I see, you were not born into it then.. [That somehow makes it worse in some ways, to have once known freedom only for it to have been taken away..]

Oh, well drow are elves. But they live underground--in the Underdark. A large faction of them worship a spider.

[ and those are all the non-racist drow facts he knows! So he's gonna quit while he's ahead. But Fenris should know all about in fighting between elves. How you feel about them Dalish? And look there are good drow. He knows a few! It's just, you know. ]

Mindflayers are horrifying creatures that eat the brains of their victims. Their heads look like squids, with tentacles around their mouths. A person captured by a mindflayer usually gets turned into one, or their brain is harvested.

[ ha ha ha mindflayers no personal experiences there! ]

And vampires...

[ his tongue unconsciously swipes over one of his fangs. He's not even subtle on a good day and this is not a normal easy to have conversation ]

They are bloodthirsty creatures who have to sustain themselves by drinking the blood of the living. They desire power and control above all else. Also, they cannot step foot into the sun.

[ see this clarification is much better than thinking about how he was just pulled into this life but he does eventually address Fenris's comment. ]

You...were born into it?

[What kind of fucked up place does this guy come from?! All of that sounds horrifying. Why would anyone worship a spider? He's had to kill so many of those giant bugs.

To think that Xenk guy comes from the same place.]

Your vampires sound like hunger demons, though they have no weakness to the light that I know of. And we have the deep roads, which are underground and filled with monsters. I've not been much as I have no desire to go to such a place without cause.

[Then there is a pause as he debates how to answer that. He's a very honest man, so he does not think to lie, but does wonder how forthright he should be on the matter of his early life.]

I assume I was, yes.

It's funny how much of the world you end up seeing on adventures--intended or not.

[ it's not funny!!! He's so done going to dangerous awful places. Except every single one of those places is still preferable to his old life with his master so he's not really that mad about it.

Still, Astarion swallows thickly. He's not used to being honest so his first instinct is to lie but he tries to push past that. Tries to meet what he's being offered here, which is so obviously a difficult thing. So another moment of silence and then, ]

I don't remember much of my old life. A name, a job. [ he shakes his head ] I just remember dying. I'll never forget that.

[ haha whoops did he say the thing he wasn't supposed to ]

[The man was not wrong, he has seen more of the world than he thought to, and even more now after he's left his companions when they all fled Kirkwall. He's lived more of a life since them than he would have ever before.

The silence is heavy and thick but he waits it out, gives Astarion the time he needs to piece things together, to feel out what he is going to say. What he does say is shocking.

The man has died? He was clearly alive again, was it by magic? Or another foul reason like possession? He feels himself tense, trying to decern how the man can be here in front of him when he claims to have died.]

I cannot imagine it is something easily forgotten.

[Or was it a metaphorical death like when he got these markings and forgot everything of who he was, reborn from maddening pain.]

How is it you're alive?

While I was on the precipice of dying, a vampire "saved" me and turned me into his spawn.

[ Since Fenris doesn't know anything about vampires, that means he has to lay this all out for him. But given that he just put that out there between them, he knows it won't make any sense if he doesn't. ]

A vampire spawn is incapable of denying their master. It is stronger than any charm spell. The connection between them is absolute. And my master... [ his brow furrows as he looks down at his glass again, a dark cloud upon his face. None of this is easy to talk about, of course. ] He is a sadist. For two hundred years, I have been-- [ but he stops, that tense isn't quite right. he has to correct himself: ] I was nothing but a toy to him.

[ he takes a deep breath and seems to tell himself to get his shit together and when he looks back at Fenris it is with a resolve steeled by that very correction in language he'd had to give. ]

The particulars of what happened are a messy story that makes little sense even to someone from my world, but through a series of rather unfortunate--or fortunate, I suppose, from my perspective--events, I was whisked away from him and his influence. My companions and I were all infected by a strange magic, but that magic severed the connection I had with him. I could think on my own for the first time in two centuries, defy his orders and carve my own path. And, what's more, the magic allowed me to walk in the sun again.

[ a pause and then ]

I never could have denied him before. But this parasite might just be the gift I need to destroy him. If we solve our little magical problem before I have the opportunity, everything will go back to how it was. And I will be his, again.

[Fenris listens carefully, his hand tightening under the table into a fist the more he hears, his expression darkening - if his marking worked, they would be brilliant with his quiet rage. Because none of this rings false to his ears, no, it was more like a confession of secrets.

The particulars about vampires escapes him, so he does not fully understand aspects of this being transformed into a spawn, but Astarion does his best to inform him. If he knew more, he might be more wary of Astarion and his vampiric nature, worried he was taken over by a hunger demon, but as it is now, he only sees a man who's suffered at the hands of a would be master.

And for two hundred years? That feels like an unfeasible amount of time but Elves used to be long lived, he knows this, so perhaps they still are in other places, other worlds. Perhaps what stole the long lives of the elves in Thedas did not happen to in this Faerûn.

Still to be under the thumb of a sadist.. Fenris can relate to that, though his memory is much shorter of his time under Danarius.]

Then you must kill him before. [Matter of fact, but his tone is dark.] Even here, in this cage, you are more free than under that man's influence.

[A pause.] If there is a way that I can help you kill him, free you of him, you have it.

I know that, of course.

[ There's a "but." It's lingering so clearly in the air between them, waiting to be spoken. A series of complications that makes this even more difficult than the part he's already said, and on such a limited timeframe. ]

The thing about vampire spawn is, we have all the weaknesses of a vampire: the hunger, the inability to go in the sun, all these limitations, but none of the power. The only way to become a full vampire is if a spawn drinks the blood of their master, and it must be willingly given. When I kill him, I'll be sealing my fate.

[ There's a hint of desire there, a lust for power. But whether it seems from the desire to be truly and fully free or something deeper is unclear.

But this is easier than talking about the other piece: Astarion's fear. His fear that even he and his party, even as strong as they are, won't be able to defeat him. That they could end up there, all of them in his thrall, even with the tadpoles. No one in his party understands the depths of that man's power or his propensity for violence. What if they aren't enough?

Or worse, what if he, specifically, isn't enough, and he just falls on his knees in front of him and submits? ]

[Ah, so there was the piece that he was missing that makes this make more sense. A spawn is like the vampire but weaker, but can rise up to become the master--

Yet even as he sees the desire there, he likes to believe it's for freedom, wants to believe this man will not perpetuate the same violence he endured should he gain the power to do so. From what the man says he did not become a spawn willingly, he was tortured at the hands of a sadist for 200 years, yet doesn't seem broken. It is by that logic that even as he feels wary, his anger at the man's circumstances prevails.

And if it must be willingly given.. well, it was unlikely this master of his would do so. Why break the chains that might be the only thing keeping his pet from ripping out his throat? Danarius would have thought twice about leaving him behind if he knew Fenris' chains would be broken in his absence.

No, it seems to him that Astarion is still the victim here, not trying to become the next master but the desire for more than his current life allows is there. Be it for freedom or power.]

Then it is a fate to be sealed, if he's treated you so then the chances of him ever giving you his blood willingly is not to happen.

All you can do it take your freedom and kill him as you do so.

I know that, too.

[ Astarion feels drained from talking about this. He simply doesn't have the will to keep pursuing the topic, to talk about the rest of his fears with a stranger. In Fenris's words, it seems so simple. Kill him, just as Fenris had killed his master. And sure, in the abstract, the thought of it was good, but there were so many complications.

Even if there's nothing in the world he wants more. ]

I apologize, we've only just met, and I... [ he shakes his head as if realizing he's just done something deeply foolish ] this isn't much for a polite introduction.

I believe it is I who should apologize, I spoke as if I know your situation and do not. Forgive my assumptions.

[The "I know that" makes him realize that of course he knows his situation and the circumstances, what he can and cannot get out of it. How dangerous his master really is or is not. He knows he would get frustrated with someone for speaking as if they knew how dangerous Danarius was before facing the man.]

My offer to help, should it ever come to pass, is ever yours to call upon. I know not how dangerous the man you seek to kill is, but regardless, it is a danger I would gladly see if it would free you from his grasp.

[A pause, then a small smile.]

And I do admit, this is probably the most.. personal introduction I have had. But I do not mind it.

Well, if he ever shows up, you'll be the first I call, then.

[ The bravado is forced. Even the thought of his master showing up here clearly sets him ill at ease. But for all the thought is sobering, it is a good reminder. This place could pull anyone, theoretically. Even him.

But the truth is, he doesn't mind this so much, either. It's good to talk about it and better still to think about all the ways he might kill the man and gain his freedom. ]

It's good to hear from someone who understands.

[ And someone who was satisfied with their revenge. ]

Good.

[There's something to that word, something dangerous, like he would look forward to getting to rip the heart out of the chest of the man who enslaved Astarion. Something bloodthirsty and eager.

But he keeps his veneer of calm in place while they speak, only his voice giving away anything.]

As unfortunate as it is, yes, it would seem we are kindred in such ways. [There's a wry tilt to his mouth.]

You spoke of how long you were.. is your long life something of vampire making or are elves of your world still long lived?

It's unfortunate that this had to be the thing we had in common.

[ But there's a hope to his voice that he has not felt in many, many, many decades now. Hope that he might really be seen by someone else. ]

As a vampire spawn, I will live forever. Assuming, of course, a hunter doesn't put a stake through my heart. But elves can easily live to be 700 or more. You said "still"--did that change in your world?

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

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cw: slavery

oops probably should have warned that earlier... lets be real Fenris is a CW

Just two traumatized boys telling about their past

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Ok we are heading towards spoiler town now

WOO Spoilers!

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