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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.

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I'd hope you wouldn't, I'd scarcely be able to keep all these compliments to myself!

[Looked like his basic bitch 'elf probably' guess was right. Baldur's Gate, was it? Now that's a familiar name if he ever heard one. Lucky tavern indeed, though the nature of that luck was still yet to be determined. After all, it wasn't exactly unheard of for the brigand captain to have his fair run of shitty luck.]

Baldur's Gate, did you say? No, I can't imagine that sprawling jewel of a city would fit on anything short of a dragon, giant or no. Though it's hardly fantastical anymore once one experiences it for too long. I've personally found the fantasy quite lacking, starting with the unwelcome costume change.

I can't imagine a man such as yourself would be caught dead in these rags back at Baldur's Gate.

Oh, gods, no, can you imagine?

[ For a moment, the flirting demeanor is gone because he is just so glad to talk to someone from home (that could be a big mistake) and because he desperately wants to complain about these stupid clothes. He's fortunate enough that the collar is high enough to cover his bite marks, but that's literally the only thing that the clothes have going for them. ]

I'd be laughed all the way out of the city! My reputation might never recover.

[ He sighs dramatically. Here he is, having to wear these terrible rags. His life is truly the worst! He is in all other respects simply A Regular Normal Guy! Please believe him that this is the worst thing he's ever endured.

Having now gotten that out of his system and having gotten confirmation that they're both from the same place, he slides back into the much more comfortable tone of flirting. Present clothing be damned. ]

You're used to wearing better, too. I can see it in the way you carry yourself. Even these rags can't hide the beauty underneath. [ He's about to say something lowkey racist about Menzoberranzan but he thinks better of it! Good for him! ] You have a confidence about you. Paint a picture for me, will you? What does Jarlaxle wear on a good day?

Edited (html betrayed) 2023-08-20 01:25 (UTC)

Oh without any effort I can! Gawking, staring, whispers behind your back at every opportunity. And that's just if your footwear is out of date. You may as well have the pox dressed as a pauper. It's plain to see you've never had to suffer long in anything short of high fashion, frankly dressing you in this should be considered a crime unto itself.

[Yes, he may have still been playing the flattery game, but there was a burning torch of sincerity in there. Clothing was so important, after all! He may have been projecting just a tad in stating it should be a crime to be dressed like this, while he vented earlier on his own the sting of the insult still remained. It was so good to find someone like minded, really.

The smile he gave Astarion was at once both brilliant and hooded, clearly comfortable with being the object of compliments.]

You already have me, there's no need to try reaching for extra points. But I'm terrible at pretending to be humble and you certainly deserve nothing short of authenticity from me. It would take a day to fully describe the whole of what was stolen from me, I'll have to settle for the highlights. A piwafwi, multicolored and shimmering, noblemen's boots made of soft leather, silver buckles of course, a wide brimmed hat with a decorative plume tucked into its band, an eyepatch and countless other trinkets. I was extremely fond of the eyepatch and hat, you'd think out of everything they'd see fit to leave me with those.

I'd fit in perfectly.

[Yeah still mad big mad but burying it about as deep as he could manage, even if the smile turned just a bit sharp as he brought up their theft again.]

Perhaps not a typical outfit among most drow, but what's the fun in wearing what everyone else has on, hm?

[He'd dumped plenty of information into that, he was well aware. Not just out of vain irritation though that still factored in. There was an interest to see if anything garnered any specific reactions.]

[ Astarion listens. Not because he has to and not even because he's pretending, but because he wants to. Clothes are important. A language all of their own in any locale, but especially in cities like Baldur's Gate. The clothes maketh the man, or so they say. Astarion knew how to dress up for nobles and down for the Blushing Mermaid. He knew what made him look harmless and what made him look like a threat. He'd kept up with two hundred years of changing fashions. The whos who of Baldur's Gate were finnicky and quick to move on to new trends. But he'd kept up.

He'd had to.

It was a double-edged sword. These were things he liked. He liked playing dress up, and he liked feeling beautiful, and he liked flirting. But they were also things he did because he had to. It made for uneasy memories.

What doesn't make for uneasy memories, however, is focusing on the image of a brightly dressed drow, parading through the streets like he was the gods' very gift to the city. He smiles in spite of himself. What's the fun of wearing what everyone else has on, indeed. Their travels to the Underdark had certainly demonstrated the uniformity of drow clothing. And Tav kept handing off pieces they'd taken from bodies to him, but he had to admit the bonuses to stealth were rather nice.

Perhaps Jarlaxle was a bard. Perhaps the hat was a hat of disguise. It was certainly amusing to try and put it altogether, to imagine what each of these items might be. Jarlaxle seemed like the type to be happy at the center of attention. That's a trait that's easy for Astarion to recognize, usually finding himself in the same position. ]

Marvelous.

[ The word is breathed out, delight heavy. Like he wants to see this spectacle. A balm, against their otherwise bitter circumstances. ]

I appreciate you indulging me. [ and the comment about having him, but he'll save that one for later. ] A pity I can't see it in person.

[Oh it was always nothing short of a spectacle. One that he was uniquely privileged to enjoy. Most male drow in Menzoberranzan could only dream of getting away with half the shit Jarlaxle did, and that was just by way out an outfit. Thus the pleasure of wearing it all was just all the sweeter, a glaring, multicolored beacon of chaotic freedom that only the truly stupid or insane would try to snuff out. And it was just so nice to bring all this up and not get a certain level of disinterest in return from his audience. Not that he felt any level of shame in annoying his typical companion with talks of fashion and its dire importance, just like he felt no shame in holding them both up every morning as he spent a full hour making sure he was pretty enough to leave the inn room.

But it was still so nice to find a kindred soul.]

Thank you, you've no idea how lovely it is to find someone who agrees with me. It truly was a sight to behold.

[His voice dipped slightly as he fussed with his drink.]

Now, who's to say you can't? I have no reason to believe they've been simply wiped out from existence after all, unless you've heard something different. I, for one, am an optimistic sort.

And as fine as it would be to see you in less, I would be just as pleased to see what you deem worthy enough to grace you. Something fine enough to fill a kings ransom, I could only imagine. I'm personally of a mind to right a few egregious wrongs here, you're simply not whole without your whole attire.

So what do you propose? We team up with nothing but our good looks to follow the trail to our clothing? Talk our way out of it when we meet a goblin trying to make off with my shiny knives?

[ Though, if anyone could talk a goblin out of a fight, it was starting to seem like the two of them could do it. Besides, nothing is impossible on a nat20!

It occurs to him that he must be quite hungry. The compliments make him feel...well, a certain way. Hearing Jarlaxle use the word grace, as if his body were deserving of nothing else. As if his body were deserving.

Astarion looks down at the untouched glass of brady and plays with it for a moment, trying to center his thoughts. He's supposed to be getting information. But between the two of them it seems like they have little to give beyond idle flirting.

Of course, yes, that's all it is. Jarlaxle is probably just doing the same thing to him--flirting to get to information. The words are window dressing. They're meaningless.

He needs to focus. ]

They did give me a map earlier.

[ he pulls it out. No, this is not the outhouse map (thank god), it's a map from orientation. It marks a large general area on the beach. ]

Allegedly, if they are to be believed, my effects might be somewhere around here. But that's assuming it isn't actually just an ambush, or that someone else hasn't gotten there first. I'd be a poor fool to simply walk to my death after having survived the ship.

In a place packed to bursting with drunk and lonely sailors? I'd be surprised if we didn't also get someone elses clothing for keepsakes, and a whole keg full of free drinks.

[He peered at the map, just idly leaning that way until his shoulder rested lightly against Astarion's, sipping his drink as he did so.]

I see we both received the same information then... Oh most assuredly, it would be far too easy to just hand out maps to any old fresh faced fool here and then wait for them by the beach. And in such a sizeable area to boot.

What is interesting however, is that these spots aren't uniform.

[A bit of rummaging turned up his own map, with a gesture towards a different part marked on the paper.]

If nothing else, its something to ponder, these aren't all just idle copies of each other. I wonder if amid our lot of drunken, lonely sailors, we might find ourselves a wholesome hero with a penchant for digging.

Or at the very least, a drunken fool who I could sell a bridge in the Mere of Dead Men to. Both I've found are equally useful!

[ The touch makes his insides flutter, though he can't quite place if it's in a good way or a bad way. A little bit of both, perhaps. But he doesn't show it. It is an easy thing for him to act relaxed; to stay calm in the face of these unbidden feelings.

He looks over at Jarlaxle's map in kind. As he moves his hand over to trace the circle, he purposefully drags it along Jarlaxle's own hand, a ghost of a touch that is innocent enough to have been an accident, just like the way Jarlaxle ever-so-innocently touched his shoulder. Like looking into a mirror, if he could see a reflection. ]

Why, there's an idea! Shall I go bat my lashes at one and ask them "pretty please"? I can play a rather good damsel in distress, you know.

[The motion didn't seem to provoke too much. But the drow's eyes did wander to his company, over the hand that hand brushed over his. The easy smile that had been on his face throughout the entire conversation seemed for a brief moment to be just a touch warmer than it was prior.]

Well if not you, then surely I. Between the two of us, someone will surely feel compelled to go on a little walk on the beach. Honestly I don't see how anyone could resist, and if they've only the brawn to give and lack in any other department, well... They were probably going to pass out drunk somewhere eventually anyway.

What better place than the beach? We'll have our clothes, and they'll have the honor of having met us.

I'll all for it. Let us go fetch ourselves some brawny men and make our way to the beach.

[ What a sentence. But having said it, he retrieves his map and pockets it again so he can scan the room. Drunk, stupid, and big. A dime a dozen in this place. He just had to pick one that looked like they had an eye for elf twinks.

Soon enough he catches someone staring. He looks back over at Jarlaxle, gives him a nice pat on the shoulder. ]

Hook, line, and sinker. [ yes, this would be easy! A flawless plan! And thus in thanks, he'll give Jarlaxle some of that sweet flirting treatment: ] See you soon, darling.

Sounds like a recipe for an exciting evening to me! If you've practiced wide eyed looks of earnest, innocent helplessness, that ought to smother any drunken inklings of foul play, but I'm sure I need not tell you that.

[Oh and he did it so quickly too! He flashed Astarion a grin, sharp, bright and encouraging.]

I'll look forward to seeing you, properly this time. Tonight, if I can be as lucky as you, my friend.

[Judging by at least one or two faces in the crowd, his own fishing trip as it were looked like it might soon be just as successful. He moved to stand up as well, finishing the last of his drink with a quick pull before offering Astarion a swift and elegant little bow.]

I'll keep my eyes out for you.

[And he meant it too, the other man was very interesting after all. And he loved himself a little mystery to unravel.]

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STARTER SHIPS: ORIENTATION

ELTRUT: FIRST GLIMPSE

QUESTS

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