escordvi | « test sail »

Entry tags:

« test sail »

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

OOC: Spoilers ahoy!

Shellphone
[ Midadol's absolutely enchanted by the Shellphone and you'll be hard pressed to pry her away from it. ]

👏👏👏 Look at all this then! 👏👏👏

So all you rift faring folk, is this as new to you or are you from some place where it's all commonplace? Where are you from? What sorts of technologies might you have? If there's anything at all we might be able to make use of, best we start thinking about collaboration sooner than later!

Tavern
a.
[ Settled in at a small table at the tavern, Midadol's gotten herself a small meal and a cold pint at hand but they're mostly forgotten. Well, perhaps the drink isn't entirely ignored, but she's largely absorbed in her Shellphone. The sheer freedom of communication is fascinating.

It's getting a bit busier, and there's an extra chair at her table. She'll not complain for the company, but she might be just a bit slow to look up and greet whoever has joined her. ]

b.
[ Mid's been a university student for years, so tt's not her first tavern brawl. She knows quite what to do here when the some roaringly drunk dupe comes back to confront the fellow trying to rope folks into some mess. Priorities, in order: grab her pint and get clear.

She does offer an encouraging whoop as the probable-scammer takes a particularly solid knock to the jaw. ] Show 'em what for!

[ But then she's scrambling when it starts to break out into a proper brawl, the crowd erupting into a tumult. It can't be a surprise that her ale is spilled when she bumps into someone on her way out, and she'll try to duck around them with a laughing apology.

With any luck, it wasn't someone that'll take too much offense. ]

Wildcard [ No end of options! Wanna run into Mid in some other way? Aboard the Stormbringer before coming into port, she'll be nosing around the ship and chattering at crew members to try to get properly up to speed. Something in Eltrut? Quests?! I'm up for a lot, you can just make something up or hit me up at

dynamicrange. ]

[On the flip side, Jill is wholly confused by this shellphone thing. She's heard of a shell, but a phone? That word sounds like gibberish to her, even more so when the two are put together. Things only get worse when the device is shoved into her hand at the shop along with a nicely packaged tutorial that means nothing to her. But a few days of trial and error and Jill has at least figured out how to get messages out and in on the thing, albeit the capslock and punctuation functions still escape her.]

new very new im used to writing letters on parchment

what are those yellow things

[Gods, looking at the words appearing on the screen makes her feel like she's never had a tutor in her life.]

Edited (typooooos) 2023-08-20 01:54 (UTC)

[ Mid has adapted with full enthusiasm, and she'll drag everyone with her into appreciating the magitech novelties. There's no escape. ]

🖐️ Clever, innit? 👀 Better than using parchment for certain, no blotching your ink at the last moment.

is that a hand and eyes why are they on this thing what are they used for

apologies i have a great many questions about this shell thing but i do not want to burden you with them we have nothing like this where i am from

[And they won't for a few more centuries, sadly. Technology takes time.]

😃 I think it's just a bit of personality. 🌊 There's all sorts of other symbols if you go looking for them.

Best way to learn something new is to take it apart and put it back together, but second is asking questions. Don't you worry none about being a burden, particularly not when we're figuring this all out.

you seem to have found your way around easily enough to have your words look proper i read mine and feel like a small child

i have been taught that one must begin with a capital letter but i cannot seem to do so if you have a moment to tell me how i would greatly appreciate it

I figure if you push all the buttons in all combinations, you'll pick it right up, aye?

Look for the ⬆️ and give her a tap. There's a key right near it that gets you your punctuation, too.

[There's no immediate reply because Jill is actually following instructions, finding exactly what she's been searching for which is both wonderful and distressing for she finds the common punctuation marks and then some. Why is there an a inside of a circle? What do the four lines intersecting each other in a square like shape mean? This might as well be pieces of a foreign language.]

Like this?

Oh, thank you. This looks so much better. Far easier to read as well. I must apologize for having you suffer through my previous writings.

Edited 2023-08-23 15:16 (UTC)

Look at that then! Always satisfying to start to get the hang of things.

There's more than enough to keep us all busy trying to understand it, so we'll be doing fantastic as long as folk share what they do sort out. Return the favor for me some time!

I will try. I can't really guarantee that I'd be able to show you anything new here since you seem like the kind of person to catch on quicker than most.

I'm Jill, by the way.

It's the effort that's all anyone's got to ask for. That's what'll get us somewhere with the interesting technology they've handed us.

Name's Midadol. What next I ought to figure is how to make it so I can just display my own name, but no luck on that front yet.

Midadol?

[That is not a common name and it would explain how this other person managed to learn the shellphone so quickly, but without a face to put the name to, Jill doesn't want to jump to conclusions without asking an important question first.]

Are you related to a Cid Telamon?

[ Well, that’s certainly an illuminating question, narrowing down any number of Jills across any number of worlds to one in particular. Mid might have just hollered at her shellphone, ignoring the fact that she makes just a bit of a scene.

Okay, there’s no might. That’s exactly what she did. She sends the messages rapidly one after the other, a single sentence each. ]

Greagor’s tits!

I’d not even introduced myself if you hadn’t been all proper like about it!!!

Imagine, we could have just gone our own ways never the wiser!

Madness!

(no subject)

tilfrosset - 2023-09-06 23:03 (UTC) - Expand

[Mid is not the only one who has been utterly fascinated by the device. Something so compact and powerful enough to send communication to others with just a few taps of his fingers!? Using a stolas was already novel, but this beats having to use ink and paper any day. And Cid personally wanted to take one apart so he could study the inside— But he had to find one first...

In any case, he's heading back over to the store, see if they have any they wouldn't mind letting him borrow. Unfortunately he's looking down at his screen, still exploring the various "apps" and whatnot, so he's not paying attention when he bumps into someone.]

Ach, sorry lass, wasn't paying attention to...

[But his voice will fade when he actually looks to see who he bumped into, his eyes widening at the face he sees before him.

A face who has clearly grown in five years.

For an adult, it's barely noticeable. But for a teenager, it's like night and day and he could barely stop her name from escaping him.]

...Mid?

[ Mid stumbles a step at the collision, but she's hardly bothered by the fact that someone's run into her. Especially given it is as much her fault as it was his what with how she'd had her eyes on the brightly colored screen of the shellphone. It's his voice that rivets her full attention, and her fingers tighten on her phone.

Sometimes she'd liked to think about what it'd be like to see him again. Daydreams of what it'd have been like if he'd never really died. Like she'd just been away at university a little too long. They'd catch up and he'd be so proud of her work and how much she'd accomplished. It wasn't the sort of thought you ever admitted to anybody, of course, but it snuck up on her in lonely moments.

She'd never let it slow her down any. Even now, it's full speed ahead. ]

Dad! [ There ought to be more hesitation, but she's in a whole foreign world so there's no reason to make sense of it. She just blurts the first thing that comes to mind, moving in for a hug without a second thought, ] Didn't expect this none today, did you?

[ If he did, she'd definitely have even more questions. ]

[He's already having a mix of various feelings from just seeing her, but feeling her hug him—

How long had it been? And how much longer would it have been for her? He didn't have many, but he did have a few regrets about going the way he did. And one of them was not giving Mid the proper farewell she deserved.

So when his arms wrap around her, it's filled with warmth and a tightness that's usually not expressed between them. Oh sure, he's given her the fun bear hugs and picked her up and spun her around when she was younger or whenever she returned from studying, but this one is different.]

Aye, this place has been throwin' me one bloody surprise after another.

[Yet even so, his voice is filled with the usual laugh and cheer, still happy to see her despite it all.]

Now, let me get a good look at you, eh? You were, what, this big before?

[He'll only pull away just enough so he can get a proper look before jokingly holding his hand about as high as his waist. Because no matter what sadness or remorse he may be feeling, he won't burden her with that. No, he'll be his usual self, making jokes instead.]

[ It wouldn't do no one any good if they were all caught up with too much sentimentality. Outwardly, at least, because that's her dad with his arms around her. Whatever brought this impossible circumstance out, it's something she'd never thought she'd have again and she's still not entirely sure how to sort through it all.

His quick, ready humor makes it easier for her to keep composure. There's a brightness to her eyes, a dampness she blinks back, but no more than that. She steps back instead of clinging like some part of her might want to, movements decisive, and claps a hand on his shoulder. ]

I weren't! [ It's so easy to protest, cheerfully indignant. ] What makes you so sure you didn't get shorter, eh? As likely as anything if you ask me.

I'd have to file a complaint about these rifts if that were true. My height was one of my finer points.

[He likes being on the taller side, thanks. Easier to see over people and all that—

And he's going to prove that point by placing a hand over her head, gently ruffling it.]

Still shorter than me.

[ Ducking her head, a broad smile crosses her face. There's a quiet hurt she's carried for years that, for the moment, is eased--not fixed in any particular way, maybe more stunned by the turn of circumstances. There's so much she wants to say, but instead she just laughs. ]

Well, looks as if you still got your sass all in order, too. [ She shifts her weight as if to move out of the flow of foot traffic, but her attention is clearly more on him than their surroundings. ] I scarcely know where we start with all this now!

And yours has grown with you.

[A fonder smile, one touch with a hint of sadness and regret as he once again realizes how much he's missed in her life.

But eesh, it is getting busy, isn't it?]

I say we start by going somewhere quieter, eh? I want to hear everything you've been up to.

[It's something he'd always say and ask whenever she came back home, always curious and wondering what she's been doing in Kanver. But now...there's a heavier weight to it, if unintended.]

Edited (I JUST NOTICED I FORGOT ICON) 2023-09-06 02:07 (UTC)

[ Look, Mid isn't the only person who really doesn't want to deal with a full on brawl. Cloud had been minding his business. Getting a drink and something to eat. And now all of this is starting. Sometimes people really are just a pain..

It's Cloud that Mid bumps into and she's not quite getting away. Because he's gripping - lightly at least - at her arm before she can make a getaway.

Not what it seems though. Because Cloud is actually pulling her out of the way of some guy flying across the tavern. ]

Watch it. Don't drop your guard.

Edited 2023-08-20 15:16 (UTC)

[ Alarm at being grabbed is quickly replaced with gratitude, and she whistles as the random tavern-dweller crashes in the ground past them. Looking to her temporary new best friend, she does rather the opposite of staying wary. Should she be taking more care? Absolutely, it's not like she's a fighter in any proper sense of the word. ]

But you're doing a better job of it than I am! [ It's absolutely shameless, yes, but there she is beckoning him to come with her towards the exit. ] C'mon, you can be on me guard.

Only because some people aren't paying attention.

[ If you can't fight then why are you egging on the crowd? C'mon, be sensible here. Someone will eventually drag you into the fight if you pick a side. At least that's Cloud's take on it.

But well. It's not like. He can just, you know. Leave her be either. Cloud should. Absolutely should. And yet here he is, taking off right behind her. ]

Erm...

[ This is her, trying to be polite, to interject but not startle the other into acknowledging her presence.

It doesn't seem to work.

Rem clears her throat, then speaks up again. ] Excuse me, is this seat taken?

[ Listen. She doesn't want to be a bother, but there are two things preventing her from seeking out another space: first, there is no other room beside the table that this blonde young woman has already claimed; second, that the stranger seems to be glued to her shellphone is actually, in of itself, curious! What could possibly be so captivating? A funny picture of people falling into the sea, perhaps? Or maybe that of a cute sea slug? ]

[With any luck (absolutely fuck all, in this case), that someone is none other than Benedikta Harman. She feels the bump and hears the spilling of ale before she sees the culprit whose splashed the entire side of her leather with it. She'd been on her way out, the place too noisy and rowdy for her tastes when the fight broke out over Gods know what, and ugh, she had very nearly made it all the way to the door, too.

So there's a curse, a shout, and a whip of her hands, spraying ale right back at Mid as she shakes some of it off.

Before she can get very far in her escape, however, she'll sidestep into Mid's way, trapping her between Benedikta and the wall, and it's only then that she realizes she's just a girl. Though, that does nothing to soften the sharpness in her expression as she stares down at the tankard in her hands.]

You should be more careful, lest you wind up like the rest of them.

[It's then that a larger man comes reeling backwards from a solid blow to his face, tumbling with the two of them right in his trajectory—]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

« test sail »

STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

Midadol Telamon | FF16 | Corsair

» shellphone

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

wildcard+shellphones

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Tavern - b

no subject

no subject

Tavern - a

tavern, b!