TEST DRIVE MEME | #01

[triumvirmod]

Test-Drive-Meme #01

Welcome to our first ever TDM! This is open to all players looking to join our game or simply have some fun. Play on this TDM does not equate to intent or obligation to apply to join. Players on this TDM should follow all game rules and Characters should meet all game suitability standards per our FAQ. TDM threads are considered game canon for characters who join! The Moon Pact is in power for the full duration of this TDM, putting Sun Pact characters as in service. Moon Pact bindings are presently glittering silver and Sun Pact bindings are unpolished brass. Pact and Class can both be freely player assigned and swapped at will for the purpose of the TDM.

Overseer, Awaken and Conquer

CW: Descriptions of dubiously consensual touch, choking, hallucinations, falling.

The Hands that Grasp

Consciousness wanes. From calm oblivion reaches a pair of elegant hands. Fingertips caress, trailing physical form, mapping curves and divots. Some dark or desperate compulsion leans into the comfort of this touch. The hands dig in. Clasping tight at the neck and pull downward. Down and down, through unclear space, through unclear time. Your character awakens with a start. Where they last felt those hands grasping into them, a collar now rests. Prying does not budge the solid metal, which is either of silver or of brass. Before their eyes is a pane of stained glass. Inscribed in a language all can read are the words Overseer, Awaken and Conquer.

The Glass Coffins

Overseers awaken, contained within a coffin of ornate, metal framework and glass. For some, a light push will cause the lid to swing open. For others, the enclosure may stick or prove too heavy to budge. Breaking free is an option, though mysteriously, the glass fully repairs itself within minutes of sustaining damage. Other Overseers may be present throughout the hallways, willing and able to aid in opening stubborn coffins. That is, should their unlucky inhabitants be able to get their attention through the sound dampening barrier. Overseers continually awaken, either individually or in batches, throughout the month. This will last until the day of the upcoming solstice.

The Gilded Cradle

Innumerable rows of glass coffins line the interior of a grand cathedral tower. Somehow, the name of this stained glass spire is imprinted in the mind of all Overseers. This is known as the Gilded Cradle within Absentia. Where or what is Absentia? How did they arrive here? Why are they here? The answers to such questions remain unknown. These names are as far as the foreign memory serves Overseers. The foggy corridors spiral downward, a staircase connecting floor after floor of largely unopened coffins. Many have glass too hazy to see within. The hallways are heavy with the scent of lavender tinged magic and lightning storm ozone, made visible as a thick haze in the air. Through this fog, Overseers may notice one another or they may see phantoms running by. People familiar to them. Chasing after these figments is a foolish endeavor, they will pick up speed into the thick of the fog. There, they will disappear. This can leave unsuspecting Overseers teetering on the topmost edge of a stairwell or allow their momentum to throw them over the central railing. A fall to the Cradle's ground floor isn't enough to kill an Overseer turns out, but it will injure. Beginning your journey battered is merely an added misfortune.

The Castle Constructs

When Overseers leave the Gilded Cradle, they find they're trapped within an abandoned castle. While exploring they find no other living creatures other than fellow Overseers. Throughout the halls and rooms of the castle rest Constructs. These figures are shells of either iron or brass, with a variety of gargoyle-like appearances. They stand with their wings tucked around their bodies. Littered throughout the location, their placements can often clue in to their former duties as the Castle attendants. These Constructs remain completely inert until two Overseers of the same Pact pass by. Iron Constructs react to pairs of Moon Pact members, while Brass Constructs come alive near pairs of Sun Pact members. When awakened, they unfurl and stand to a height ranging from around three-to-six foot tall. The Constructs promptly begin to carry out butler-like duties, as if they were long ago set to a schedule of operation. When presented with a task they can no longer seem to accomplish, they merely pantomime the action before moving onward. (These NPCs can be player controlled and are non-hostile unless attacked first.)

Locked In

CW: Survival themes, food insecurity, exchanging sex for goods and services.

The Kitchen

The kitchen of Absentia is vast, meant to accommodate for a castle population in the hundreds. Long abandoned, any food reserves have turned to dust or rot. All that remains are a series of strange machines, humming with dull magic. Only operable by the castles resident Constructs, hungry Overseers would be advantaged to activate the inactive Constructs scattered nearby. Once occupying the kitchen, Constructs are more likely to provide a meager serving of food to Overseers who have used magic recently or who hold Influence. (Characters playing this TDM with no canon powers may presume they hold (1) Influence for this and subsequent prompts.)

The Hall of Overseers

To the west of the Gilded Cradle there lies a long, rectangular housing structure, framing a vast courtyard. Rain from the storm overhead patters down constantly. Rooms for Overseers line the open air hallways overlooking the nature within the central outdoor space. At this time, those of the Moon Pact enjoy the lower floors of the indoor sections, with luxurious accommodations. These include private rooms with a fireplace, claw foot baths with clean running water, a variety of furniture, and a plush bed. The upper level indoor rooms are for the Overseers presently in service, the Sun Pact. These rooms are all shared and scarcely furnished. Hammocks and bunk beds are provided to house three or four Overseers per cramped room. These upper location hallways have shared bathroom spaces and no private amenities provided. Overseer names are engraved upon the door frame of their assigned rooms. There is no access given to rooms without this engraving. Overseers need to be invited in to rooms they do not own or share. (Rooms are fully self assigned by Players and can change freely between threads. Pact is likewise self assigned, but should match the room type described above. Moon Pact characters are free to invite Sun Pact characters into their rooms, and visa-versa.)

The Hands that Feed

As Overseers settle in, they find resources are thin and accessible castle space highly limited. There is no exit from the castle at this time. Trying to fly out over the top of Hall of Overseers courtyard results in perpetually being turned around by the Storm until exhausted. Overseers who try to smash windows or break through the architecture find their magic or strength immediately drained. Teleportation leads back to where one attempted to leave from. The trap feels inescapable. This inevitably creates an air of frustration and futility within the awakened Overseer ranks. All there is to do is to make do.

➤Attentive characters will discover quickly that Constructs bring extra rations as room service to those in Power. This at first appears exclusive to the Moon Pact within the Hall of Overseers. The Constructs do this when Overseers have sex in the luxury of the lower floor rooms. However, the Constructs range of understanding is a bit impaired, so fucking in the courtyard also works to call food and drink, regardless of Pact alignment.

➤For those seeking a more direct approach to acquiring extra rations, there's always robbery. The Constructs are not highly fortified. Their routes from the kitchen to the Hall of Overseers are easy enough to intercept. They do resist Overseers who attempt to steal from them, defending the food if attacked. Overseers who damage Constructs find they simply curl back into their wings, where they become both immobile and invulnerable from further damage. They will repair themselves in time and do not... appear... to hold a grudge. The Overseers whose meals were hijacked might, though.

The Courtyard

The courtyard at the center of the Hall of Overseers is a public space with five distinct sections. At the center, there is an ornate fountain that serves as the most reliable, public spot for clean drinking water. The fountain depicts the three Classes, though all of them are partially destroyed. The Ruler has their hands broken off, the Dragon is missing its head, and the pegasus shaped Herald has a hole in its chest. Grimly, the water flows from each of these missing pieces into the pool below. This space is open and visible to all, especially from the higher rooms of the Hall. This central location serves well as a social hub and meet up point for Overseers to congregate, though it is perpetually raining here.

➤Heralds and Dragons experience their first urge to transform within the Courtyard. They are able to resist it, if their willpower is sufficiently high, but the compulsion is strong. Dragons feel a need to shed their skin, to fly and be free. There is not much room for multiple, large dragons to do either of these things. Mind your wings! Heralds begin to feel territorial, wishing to reinvigorate the long dead space. Heralds are able to terraform within the confines of garden planters as they see fit, but they may find them destroyed by Dragons or usurped by other Heralds. Miniature territory disputes may serve as practice for times ahead. Rulers can hear mysterious whispers throughout the Courtyard, but especially nearby the fountain. If they acknowledge these whispers aloud, they will get a response. Those Rulers who listen closely can hear the mocking words "you're not leaving this time."

The other four quadrants surrounding the central fountain are overgrown and wild, contrasting the initially desolate central area. These spaces are each themed to a different season; spring, summer, fall, and winter. Once Overseers enter one of the gated in spaces, the area within appears larger than the outside barrier suggests. The temperature varies wildly between each, though the Storm over head remains consistent. Each contains a singular hideaway which the Constructs will bring food to. These shield Overseers from outside view, but may turn out to be in hot demand. Mind yourselves if trying to sneak into one of these spots for privacy, they may already be taken! (Each hideaway may be customized at player discretion to suit their threads. A single piece of furniture for leisure may be present, like a lounge or hammock. Some ideas for natural spaces would be hidden behind a waterfall, beneath a canopy of trees, a frosty cave, or an alcove hidden by fallen leaves.)

Grief Hath Mates

Class Scenarios

Note: The following prompts are available for all Players, though abilities should always match up with a character's present Class! Class for characters on the TDM can change between threads, but should not change mid-thread. This fully locks down upon acceptance to the game. Characters are presently "unstable" in their Pact and Class assignments, so all threads can remain canon, even if they contradict Pact or Class assigned later on. Any changes made to shared setting environments below are temporary, so feel free to play with destructive and creation powers as specified.

RULERS

➤Rulers who attempt to speak to the Constructs will find they are reacted to in a way the Dragons and Heralds are not. Constructs do not speak back, but they are more attentive towards Rulers regardless of their Influence level. If asked where something is, Constructs will dutifully guide the Ruler to the location in question if it exists. Sometimes, Constructs will open up previously locked doors. None of these lead outside, but they offer some new clues to how the castle once operated in the past. Rulers can open up additional rooms to explore such as a drawing room, a music room, a wine cellar, and a smoking room. These rooms all have basic supplies for their given activity, including aged wine and cigars in the latter two respectively. Rulers with clever tongues or manipulative sensibilities can convince the Constructs to leave them “in charge” of a room. This grants the Ruler a key to the door they can leverage as they please. (Players can play their Ruler as if they hold exclusive control of a room, but this is not imposed TDM-wide. Multiple Rulers can each claim the same type room, no player actually holds full IC/OOC control.)

DRAGONS

➤Dragons are going to be the first to snap under such cramped conditions. Their natural urges are to spread out and fly, not be stuck within a castle. The more volatile Dragons will find their natural instinct is to go Berserk. Berserk mode can be engaged in either their humanoid or Dragon form, though Dragons can only transform at this time within the confines of the Courtyard. If Dragons are causing trouble in the Courtyard, luring or forcing them out of the Courtyard at large forces a Dragon to return to their humanoid form. Getting in fights may not be productive, but it might provide some enrichment to Overseers wishing to challenge each other or keep the peace. (Reminder: Dragons, regardless of form, are especially durable and may prove difficult to subdue! Rulers are best suited to this task, given they have a natural advantage over Dragons. Heralds can make their own attempts, it is simply more risky for them given how fragile they are.) Dragons of more even temperaments can make themselves productive by using relevant elemental magic around the castle. The castle interior is lit only by the dull glow of the sun or moon, which are often dulled by the cloud cover overhead. Providing temperature control or lighting could be a great ease to their own mental state, as well as benefit their fellow Overseers.

HERALDS

➤While cooked rice, dried meat, and pickled vegetables are largely what is being provided, there is a distinct lack of fruit or alcohol coming out of the kitchen. Heralds may find themselves especially desperate for these. Within the courtyard only, they can flex their newly found Class abilities to rapidly influence nature. Heralds may find themselves having vivid daydreams about their favorite fresh fruits from home. These fantasies manifest, growing the imagined fruits from nearby vines, bushes, and trees. This can happen deliberately or entirely by accident. However, due to the imperfect nature of both memory and imagination, these fruits are never fully accurate recreations. The taste and quality of the fruit end up heavily influenced by a Herald’s own subjective experience and are prone to exaggeration. Any fruit from any world is allowed, these simply cannot cause any magical effects. Devious Heralds which imagine poisonous fruits can injure, but not kill fellow Overseers. Such produce can be used to make alcohol by those with the knowledge and wherewithal to do so. Any manner of food is in demand and Heralds have this to provide. Replenishing energy though sex is always an option to help produce more or better resources of this kind.

OOC Info

What happens next?

On the 21st of June, the Pacts will turn over. For the IC duration of the TDM, the Moon Pact are in power. Those assigned to the Sun Pact will start the game off proper as the faction in power. Characters who are accepted into the game will be freed from the confines of the castle. The game will greet new players with a Mingle Event and Network Introduction Post, once all applications are processed. The storm will pull back at the start of July, allowing even further world exploration and Territory claims. Our first plot event will focus on discovering the threat that the Lost Souls of this world can present.

Can I reserve my character before applying?

If you want to claim a character spot in advance of applications opening, our Reserves Page opens on the 10th of June, through to the 15th. This is not required for application, but highly recommended even for original or obscure characters. Reserving provides an instant-pass through 1st month game Activity Check! It also provides Moderation with an idea of incoming player numbers!

How do I apply to join the game?

Head over to our Application Page. These open up on June 15th and close on the 20th. The game officially opens on the 21st of June, barring any unexpected delays.

Is there an OOC space I can discuss potential plans?

Take a look at our Enable-me-Please for OOC discussions and plotting!

(CODE)

Comments

[bloodypath]

There's almost a challenge in her response, that superficial praise for a paltry test. This woman's calculating look doesn't even faze him. She was no Regent Volkhard von Arundel.

"They do not impede me, and they bring me enough food not to starve. Stationary dull ones come to life when I am in the vicinity of another banded in silver. I can't say I've been let into any cellars."

[subversions]

"I promise you that the cellar was a surprise but perhaps they'll consider you if you are more specific. They may even have a second cellar around here with how large our surroundings are." Yep, she's trying to wheedle under his skin for the moment, though it's followed by a genuinely thoughtful frown.

"If it were only a matter of those wearing silver..." Here she taps on her own collar, thinner than his own but no less than a leash. "I might believe that to be the key. But if you aren't receiving the same benefit, then I needn't tell you something else is differentiating us." He's dressed relatively finely, though Medea doubts he has a very high station, much less that of an Emperor. While that could be the case, it would imply several of them are nobles or in some position of authority, and the probability of that seems a little too ridiculous.

Something does come to mind, though, but she holds off from asking just yet. Instead, she offers: "What are the other similarities between the whole of us as..." Medea almost rolls her eyes. "...as 'Overseers'?"

[bloodypath]

Hubert scoffs quietly. "Have you had many interactions with our fellow captives? What can you truly call a similarity with what's been crawling out of those coffins as if those shapes and beings were natural?"

He shakes his head. "Some of us are changed, yes, but more alarming is some of the ones that aren't." Which is to say: he met Ranni.

...hmm. He did meet Ranni, another favored by the golems. He falls quiet, observing Medea. "You weren't changed, were you?"

[subversions]

With what's been crawling out of those coffins, not who. An interesting way of putting it. And when he speaks of who hasn't, that's clearly another jab.

Her eyes briefly look as if she is gazing past Hubert, though she isn't; it wouldn't do to miscount anything or anyone that could be a threat. No, she's considering something else. The answer is simple, however: "I've not gained or lost anything to my understanding. Nothing has changed." Has she tried disrobing to look? No. But her body answers as it always has and Psyche...

...Psyche would not switch with her. Not now. Her thumb brushes over her index finger, as if searching for something. "You have, though." Those metal creatures haven't responded to him but they have to her.

[bloodypath]

"I have."

There's no harm in giving away that, not when it's already been pieced together. Hubert unclasps his hands from behind his back to cross them across his chest.

"So, that's the hidden hierarchy within the silve-banded and the brass-banded: the unchanged and the changed." Hubert releases a long breath through his nose. "Our captors seem quite keen on their games."

[subversions]

"It's certainly a part of it. Some of those changes seem consistent." The slit-pupiled eyes, for one. As for the others... Those have far fewer in common, seemingly no rhyme or reason. And that will be part of the difficulty to discern.

Regardless: "One piece of my confusion remains the strangeness of the castle." People making attempts to jump out of windows notwithstanding... That there is injury but nothing like death after such a trial is lucky for them, of course, but that leaves her with plenty to consider if anyone here becomes an enemy. What a morose though, though, one she doesn't share. Instead, a pivot. "Some doors move. Others cannot be opened even with the help of the metal guardians."

And still, that pales in comparison to the next. "How we were brought here at all is my concern." Medea doubts this is a dream; it lacks the usual teeth of her own. Injuries remain, all of them are hungry. Time passes. "Placed in coffins, forced into unconsciousness."

[bloodypath]

"And somehow after being removed from our environs, collared in the process, without disturbing our slumber or singing our clothing or skin."

While looking Medea's general direction, his gaze slips into something most distant, glaring at a force he had no description or image for.

"I am no smith, but I know enough of metalwork to know such is an arduous task. And to coordinate an abduction on this scale..." He shakes his head. "The forces of magic at work are tremendous."

[subversions]

Hubert says aloud what her thoughts have been caught on. Magic. The lift of Medea's brows are faint, not so much to appear alarmed but certainly to capture her interest...and pieces of her that have been unsettled since her apparent capture.

"You believe it to be magic." It should be a question but it isn't. The people of the Vasilios Empire do not use such a word; it means nothing, as they've never seen such a thing. What the pope has done, what Psyche has done, what Eros expects to do... No one calls that magic. Its name is only 'divinity.' Something sharpens in her gaze. This man is not from Vasilios.

"What is the name of the city you come from?"

[bloodypath]

There it is, that subtle shift in stance between predators, the difference between wariness, indifference, or dangerous. Hubert's gaze refocuses on the woman's, meeting her without flinching.

"Enbarr. And you hail from...?"

[subversions]

She knows that gaze. It's the same one that haunts her through the palace, simply in another color. It dogs her steps and threatens all that she has. And it is also the same sort of gaze she finds in the mirror every morning.

"Vasilios." Enbarr is no city or nation she is aware of. It does not exist across the sea. And so the truth is laid bare. "You are not of my home and I am not of yours."

If he is speaking the truth — and he may not be, but there is no reason to make up such a foolish lie; if he was attempting to deceive her, if he belonged to Eros, he would give a name she knew — then this is no longer a simple kidnapping. Magic may be the right word for it.

[bloodypath]

The word is unfamiliar to him in turn. He couldn't say with confidence that no such place existed in Dagda, but there wasn't a territory by that name in Fodlan, and he was certain there was no major city by that name in Sreng, Almyra, or Morfis.

Strangers in strange circumstances, bound by a common enemy, then. Hubert's arms uncross to hang by his sides.

"Indeed not. Perhaps we should be flattered by the effort our captors have placed in such a grand scheme." But for what purpose? What gain did it serve to warp his body like this?

[subversions]

"And who else they have brought here. The glass on too many coffins was obfuscated." She must have died, she thought. There were people to look for and none of them to be found, including someone who deserved to be in the ground or better, to be scattered to the wind and forgotten. "It begs the question of why."

Destabilization, she assumes. She's the one holding the Empire together temporarily; with Eros 'ill' and she disappeared, the Pope can only hold things together for so long. And unless both of them are among the coffins, bringing her alone... Medea's heart skips a beat to consider Psyche in there, or Helio. There is still no real proof that they aren't dead, but then...why change someone physically whose heart no longer beats? "They've taken great care to preserve us in the ways they wish. We aren't walking corpses for their whim."

So it's something about them or about whatever capabilities they possess that determined their worth.

[bloodypath]

Hubert hums a thoughtful note. "They've left us a vague command, yet taken great pains to entrap us."

The thought again touches his mind that this might be a game to see how long it takes them to turn on each other like starving rats. Whether there was a greater scheme that was yet to unfold, or that this was a bloody brawl that had yet to erupt, connections was the best way to form power. He would rather find prospective allies over prospective enemies, though Hubert did not rule out the latter.

"No matter," he says with a sigh, shaking his head. "Speculation will only impede us beyond a point and we seem to be reaching the limits of our information. I am Hubert."

[subversions]

"It is only the first few days. Unless our captors only wish to see us starve..." And they could, of course. It would be foolish and lacking in any sort of intelligence, but they could. It could be a test to find those who are most resilient. "There will be more to come." It's not said kindly, only factually. It's all of what they have.

One of Medea's brows quirk upward. A ghost of a smile, more polite than please, works its way onto her expression. "Medea. I'd call it a pleasure but that's hardly fitting." At least he is of like-mind as she.

"When did you notice your change? Was there any time when you emerged from your coffin where you looked as you did before?"

[bloodypath]

"There will be more to come," Hubert agrees—especially if he has anything to do about it.

She wears a smile that serves as a currency of noble circles, one Hubert grew up knowing and wearing. He doesn't expect any kindness of it, especially not after the calculus this woman seems to bear.

"I noticed too late to be a useful point of information," he admits. "It wasn't until I'd happened across the room branded with my name, within ita reflection clear enough to notice what had become of my eyes. I presume they have been like this since my awakening, but I cannot confirm that."

[subversions]

"It's fine. There's time to check among any others who awaken in the coffins, though any more of us means we may run out of food sooner." And that will be the breaking point. Infighting, starvation, more people making attempts to throw themselves out of windows. Those 'golems' certainly know where there's...

Hm. "I did see a few people receive more food after they'd not obtained any prior. How, I can't say, but there is a way." Medea gestures with her fingers to the wine on the racks. "And people can take advantage of what's here, so long as they don't mind being taking a chance on the contents of the bottles." Not all of them, however; she has the key to the room and would like to keep plenty for bartering later. There's little on her person that she can sell for...whatever amounts for currency around here.

[bloodypath]

The continual awakening of others from the coffins, while promising should their numbers band against their captors, was its own concern. This woman is right that they couldn't afford the strain on resources.

His eyes slide across the dilapidated racks. People tended to be fools for alcohol regardless of the best or worst of times, but it wasn't exactly sustentative, even if it was better than absolutely nothing at all.

"I have compared observations with others," Hubert starts carefully. "We were doubtful, initially because of the ludicrosity of it... but too many people have corroborated the same. The golems, unbidden, present food in response to fornication on the first floor."

Even the words feel wrong leaving his mouth. The corners of his mouth twitch toward a sneer. "As if our awakening command and the collars weren't enough pieces to our captor's sick game, we are evidently rewarded for taking advantage of the hungry."