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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

I. Arrival

A. Now...
[Man, the couch in the Noceda basement got a lot lumpier this morning. And harder. And splintery-er. And smells like sea water and is suddenly a bunch of barrels wait wha-

Gus cracks a single eye open, only for them both to fly open when he realizes he has no idea where he is and even less idea how he would have got there. It sure looks like the cargo hold of a ship, but that cannot possibly be right.

Unless…

Gus tears out of the hold, covering one eye as if it were hurt. Later, he might realize that only seeing out of one eye didn’t change anything Something’s clearly gone wrong with his illusion powers again, but he won’t know for certain until he sees the telltale blue glow in his eyes.]

Mirror, mirror, where’s the bathroom mirror…

[Feeling along the wall is just not working for some reason. Hopefully he can find his friends and they can help him figure this out because this isn’t helping his anxiety.]

B. ...And Later
[OK, he’s not at the Noceda’s. That’s fine. That’s OK. Whatever. He can deal.

...He can’t deal. He was so close to going back home, to finding his dad and helping his friends get back to their families, and now he’s on the open sea about to discover once and for all if he gets seasick and not much else. He can’t even use his illusions. He feels useless.

When he’s this frustrated, the only thing he can do is just...lay down on the floor, put his face in his hands and groan. Because that’s so much more useful says the little voice in the back of his head, and yeah, it’s right, but Gus has decided he’s going to have this.

He tried to be out of the way as best he could, but there’s only so many places you can go on a ship. Right now he’s tucked against the wall by the door of the hold he woke up in (He’s a little afraid the ship might list and topple crates on him or he’d go in.) Please don’t trip over him.]

II. Inkwave

It’s just a human tattoo. It’s just a human tattoo. You can do this, Augustus, nothing bad’s going to happen.

[Someday getting your body permanently marked with a magical brand is going to mean something to Gus other than suffering and tyranny and the death of everything he loves...but that’s a long way off in the future. Right now, Gus has to pace in front of the tattoo shop and get himself psyched.

Up. Psyched up. Not out. He’s got no choice, not if he wants his illusion powers back. And his illusion powers are awesome and great and totally worth it. Also: all he has to defend himself until he can learn to swing something sharp at people’s knees. The weapons on people’s belts suggests he may need to and you know what they say: When on the Titan’s Feet, kick who the Feet dwellers kick.

...He’s still not walking into the parlor.]

III. Giant Sea Slugs

I don’t like this. Why do we need to kill these to get their slime? Like...it’s slime! Slime is supposed to ooze out, that’s slime’s whole thing!

[Sorry, you just happened to get stuck with a kid who thinks killing is wrong and isn’t shy about voicing it. His friend did more or less exactly this with a different kind of monster also undeserving of death and she didn’t have to kill it so why wouldn’t it work for him?]

IIII. Wildcard

((PM me or hit me up on plurk at

Caligraphunky to plot additional things. I’m easy, I’ll accept pretty much anyone’s friend request. BTW if you think Gus is a little young, well, not wrong, but his entire character arc is about how he had to mature way too fast so I think it’s worth giving a shot. Also also I’ll match format.))

Edited 2023-08-18 22:55 (UTC)

[ Rikku's first few hours on the ship are...weird? Hopefully they can get to town soon, being cramped in here is definitely a downgrade from the skies. She'd like some clothes that don't look chewed up, maybe a full meal...

She's daydreaming about everything she might find in town when she almost trips over a boy. Whoops. She jumps back, apologetic, and lowers her voice. ]

Hey, you okay? Are you getting seasick or something?

[Gus lowers his hands, letting them slide down his face until they come to rest in his lap. Does he look tired? He feels tired. Maybe not physically but in his soul.]

Oh man, I wish it was seasickness. I would kill for a bout of seasickness right now! That'd be so much easier!

[Lots of wide dramatic hand gestures accompany that statement.]

Oh? Yeah, I guess it's kinda complicated.

[ The blonde just plops herself into sitting on the floor. Sure, why not. ]

I'm Rikku. I'd say it's nice to meet you, but...we'd both rather be somewhere else, yeah?

Heh, yeah, "complicated" is the right word.

[Gus holds out his hand for her to shake. He actually has no idea if they do that here or where she's from, but, well, he'll find out.]

Gus. That means you're also not from this realm, right?

Nope! Just crashed in a closet with some mops.

[ She shakes his hand enthusiastically, all smiles. ]

Here's hoping we can sort this out and go home quick. Whatever we have to fight, I'll find a way.

[Her smiling makes it easier for him to smile, and he manages a chuckle at the thought of her in a tangle of mops, even though Gus can't help a little bit of sadness from haunting his face.]

I hope so. I...kinda left a lot of important stuff at home. And I'm useless without magic. And I'm not a great swimmer! It's all stacking up against me!

...Hey, maybe we can still work this out!

[ She...doesn't really know more than he does, but optimism's kind of her job. ]

I'm a great swimmer! We'll just make sure you don't go overboard, and I'll come if the worst happens, okay? But it won't. And in my experience there's always a way to fight through without magic, you just have to...use your head?

[ She tilts her head and smiles hopefully. ]

[ The same thought had occurred to Alucard, but he'd taken the task on knowing it probably wouldn't be something everyone could stomach. That also meant more of a profit. ]

It could be that enough of them will weigh down the ship. At best, that would slow our course. At worst? Are you familiar with the word capsize?

[ Alucard's tone is instructional. ]

What do you suppose we should do instead?

[ He asks, even as he flicks one of the creatures free of his short sword into one of the pails. This time, he does seem to be inviting a discussion. ]

OK, I know what capsize means, dude. Where I come from the oceans boil.

[Gus considers this, lips pressed into a hard line. He looks a little queasy watching the dead creature slide down the side of the pail.]

How much difference does it make? These things are 80% slime as it is!

[Does he sound kinda grumpy? Because he is kinda grumpy. But he's still thinking.]

OK...creatures usually use slime for getting around, so maybe all we have to do is scare them bad enough and they'll drop all their slime at once! What do you think scares these things?

[ He arches his brows at that, a sapphire gem above one of them twinkling. Interesting tidbit there; he's found himself more fascinated with others' worlds than he ever thought he might be. ]

What makes you think they have any feelings at all?

[ Alucard will challenge him. The next slug he comes up to he'll swat on the rear with the end of his blade as if he's monitoring some sort of grill instead. ]

Is it because they've got faces?

[Gus's own brows arch up in surprise. What kind of a question is that!?]

Uh, yeah? Everything has feelings! Even the kind of demons without faces have feelings!

[...He's pretty sure, at least. He hasn't met all the faceless kind of demons on the Boiling Isles, but he can be aghast on their behalf.]

And even if they didn't, it's not right to come into their home and kill them just because you don't understand them!

[Yeah, maybe a nerve has been touched a little bit. Or a large bit. His tone makes it clear he's speaking from some personal experience.]

They're not in their home. They're on our ship.

[ Children are so refreshingly easy to read. Alucard, for his own part, seems patient and unmoved by the chastisement. The slug he just swatted doesn't seem any more eager to scoot along than before, or maybe it just can't go any faster. ]

What if we came to understand they'd just as soon do the same to you if they could?

Pardon me, young man. Are you alright?

[He could at last tell there was some large amount of distress with the pacing, but it seemed to be better to ask and also, well. A small attempt to help draw him out of those thoughts, even if only a little, that had him pacing and speaking to himself in the first place.

Not that Turo hadn't been lingering around the shop himself, indecisive still.]

Nope!

[He's too tired and too wired to be anything but honest right now.]

I know that getting this tattoo is how I get my magic back and all but the last time someone tried to make me do something like this it was because they wanted to take my magic away! And then it turned out to be a big plot to to kill me and all my friends and family and I'm just tired of all of this and-

[Oh. Whoops.]

And I shouldn't be dumping that on you. Sorry.

[Ah. Well.

Made sense, with as much of it that he understood. It sounded like a terrible amount of—]

You have been holding onto all of that tightly, perhaps it is better out than in. It does sound like a very good reason to be apprehensive about getting one. Especially given what it's purpose is for here. Just similar enough that it strikes too close.

[He looked back towards the door of the shop for a moment.]

Would it help if someone went in with you?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

« test sail »

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

Gus Porter | The Owl House | Undecided

I.b., and later...

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