Entry tags:

!test drive

Test Drive: April 2019

Test Drive Meme

Winter

Want to see if your character is a good fit for the setting? Not sure which character concept you want to go for? Or maybe you just want to play around in a meme with no commitment? It's all good! Feel free to use one of the winter-themed prompts below, or write up one of your own with no restrictions!

Blizzard!
The winter storm is a bad one, where it's not safe to be outside for more than a few minutes. The winds are fierce and destructive, the snow is blinding, and it's easy to get lost when everything around you looks exactly the same. Will you stay inside where it's warm and keep your friend company? Or are there too many tasks that can't be ignored just because the weather's a little chilly?

Fun in the Snow
The countryside looks beautiful in winter, with every house and fence and tree cloaked in glittering white snow. It's the perfect kind of day for a real honest-to-goodness sleigh ride. Or maybe you'd prefer to build a snowman. Or maybe that dude over there needs a snowball glued to his face right now and only you can make that happen.

Food Storage Looters
Fall is the season to gather food and prepare for winter. Winter is the season for rest and bonding with friends and family. But not everyone has that kind of foresight. Goblins, for example, get their food by raiding farms and orchards and stealing chickens. The fields are barren and the coops are locked up to keep the chickens nice and warm, so is it really any surprise that the lock to the town food stores is broken, and there's sounds of squabbling and munching and belching coming up from the cellar?

Starry Night
The holiest of all Vallaress holidays. It's a time of feasting and exchanging gifts as anticipation for spring begins to escalate. It's also the most popular time for marriage proposals and weddings! Are you planning to get hitched? Or maybe you're attending the ceremony between two villagers just about to be wed when something interrupts? This is also the one day of the year where monsters are pretty much guaranteed not to attack anyone as they're all struck with a terrible weakness and apathy.

Blighted Snowmen!
Yesterday everyone competed to build the best snow creations. Along with the traditional snowmen, people also made snow bunnies, snow buffalos, and even a snow castle. But a blight sorcerer can't stand the sight of fun, and cast a terrible enchantment that animated each and every one of those snow creatures to come to life! Watch out! Rabid snow castle is lumbering your way!

Magic Lessons: Fire
Almost everyone wants to learn some sort of fire magic during the winter season, whether it's because they ran out of firewood, or because they need a magic flame that won't dim or sputter out when setting up camp during a long journey. Are you a student? A teacher? Or maybe you're just trying to figure out how to cast a self-taught fireball, because there's no way that could end poorly.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

House Call

[It's always a busy time, the winter month. The shorter days and longer nights mean that monsters are more active to begin with and the lower availability of food means more raids on crops and food stores. There's no shortage of quests going up asking for assistance in dealing with these creatures.

He's a fairly regular sight in this season, moving from one end of town to the other, always in his customary armor and helmet, always armed. This day it brings him here, a simple quest complaining of raided food stores and stolen livestock. He makes his way to the front door, knocking purposefully and doesn't waste time when the door is answered. Holding up a posted quest card and speaking simply, voice echoing slightly in his helmet.]

I'm here to respond this this quest. Show me where the raids are taking place.

Be Vewy Vewy Quiet

[See that setup up there? Same idea but this time he's on the job. He's got a lead on some goblin raiders and plotted out the most likely route they're taking to get to it.

Now he's staking the place out. Hidden around the corner and keeping a close watch on the cellar doors with a crossbow across his lap. Almost perfectly still. The only sign he hasn't already frozen to death being the small puffs of breath escaping his ever-present faceplate.

His client? A town guard? Some random person? Either way, the town weirdo is crouching in the snow near sundown and showing no sign of moving any time soon.]

Wild Card

[Open to anything else with this goblin-obsessed weirdo. He's a workaholic so he'll probably be heading out to clear snow during and after a blizzard. Feel free to fling a snowball at him if you want things to escalate quickly. He won't necessarily hunt down possessed snow sculptures but he'll damn well finish a fight if they start one.

I'm open to it all. Feel free to assume any CR with him as well.]

Edited 2019-03-30 19:46 (UTC)

[The person who answers the door is a young lady, probably no older than sixteen. Given that she's wearing a heavy cloak and armed with a bow fashioned of black oak with a quiver of red-feathered arrows, she was just planning to step outside herself.]

[She looks up at the visor of his helmet, then the quest.]

There's some mistake. We didn't post any quests like that...

[But as she takes a closer look at the flyer, she recognizes the handwriting almost right away.]

Rrgh, grandpa... I told him I could handle this without any help. Sorry, but we don't need protection. What reward did he promise you? I'll give you that much at least.

[She steps outside with a huff, closing the door behind her.]

[He doesn't show much reaction when the girl raises her objections to her presence. Only lowering the quest sheet once she's had the chance to look it over.

So her grandfather had posted the quest... likely not wanting her to do exactly what it seems she's planning to do. A wise choice. She's armed well but no armor, arrows that would stand out quite sharply against the snow.]

There is.

[He steps back out of her way politely when she emrges from the house, setting the quest sheet back into a pouch. Apparently not interested in the free money offered him.]

I didn't come here to to protect you. I came here to kill goblins for you.

[She shoots him a sharp look. He'd better not argue about that little detail, because it amounts to the same thing the way she sees it.]

Well I'm telling you not to do either of those things, so you might as well go home. Besides...

[The girl unshoulders her bow, pressing down on the frame to string it swiftly.]

There's no guarantee that we're dealing with goblins at all. And since that's the only thing you care about, you're just going to waste your time.

[... She seems upset about something. Briefly, he wonders what could be the cause of that but dismisses it soon enough. It has nothing to do with him anyway.

At least she seems practiced with her weapon.]

Perhaps not, but it seems likely given the time of year and the information given in the quest.

[He steps forward a little bit, surveying the land before them.]

Were you planning to deal with them yourself?

I'm doing more than planning to deal with them.

[She turns her head to regard him a little more critically this time, noting his armor and demeanor.]

You still really want to get involved? We can't offer a lot. Other than the eggs and the charms I sell, we don't make much in offerings. The thefts hit us hard.

Blizzard

[Adjusting to the new farm has honestly been a lot easier than Annie expected it to be. There don't seem to be any seeds in stock that will grow during this season, which is a shame -- she'd love to plant some broccoli at least. And without crops to grow, there are no profits, so buying an animal is out of the question. For now all she can do is chop firewood and break up stones, and get to know the other villagers.]

[So it's a shame the bad weather is keeping her firmly cooped up at home, but at least she has all she needs to weather out the storm. She's still got the bread she brought yesterday from the bakery, and a jar of preserves and fresh butter. When she can afford to install a kitchen, she can do her own baking, but what she has now is delicious and filling.]

[The old house...which is honestly more of a shack at this point than a proper house...creaks and groans in the fierce winds that blow outside, and there's a draft that sings in the rafters. But the little shack-house is sturdy, and the crackling fire is nice and warm. She huddles close to it with a blanket spread out on the floor, happy and content, idly leafing through the farming guides and manuals she borrowed from the mayor to get to know how farming worked in this world. It doesn't seem too different from what she knows, but she wants to make sure she gets this right. The stakes are a lot higher, what with this blight stuff and all!]

[OOC: Weary travelers and visitors will be welcomed with open arms. But she can also get restless enough that she'd head out in the storm to check on people she worries about. Which could be absolutely anyone.]

------

Farmer For Hire

[The tough part about starting a new home and life in winter is that there's no food storage, and no farming to grant Annie any kind of starting income. Even so, she's a plucky gal and a hard worker at heart, so she's constantly seen running around town and checking the bulletin board to see if there's anything she can do in exchange for money, tools, seeds...anything at all helps at this point! Honestly she'll help people out for free too, in which case, these folks will at least feed her.]

[So she's doing just fine.]

[She should be freezing standing outside as the snow comes drifting down from the pearly gray skies, but as she swings her ax and chops up branches, she's actually sweating, and has to pause and wipe her brow now and again. There's a high demand for firewood in winter, and there's plenty of fallen branches around town that she can break, chope, and bundle up to sell to people who need it.]

[And for those who don't, she appears before them, rosy-cheeked and cheerful.]

Hi! I'm looking for part-time work, anything you need help with?

-----

Wild Card

[OOC: Feel free to set up any scenario you like! She's not much of a fighter, but she can swing her hoe around if she needs to, so action prompts and town living prompts are both welcome.]

Pre-Blizzard

[There's a lot to do before the storm rolls in, and Raye definitely knows it's coming thanks to her strong bond with the spirits of nature. That means putting out extra feed for the chickens and cleaning the straw in their coop at the end of the day, gathering the eggs and taking them to town to sell or trade for food and supplies, and most importantly, posting a big warning to the bulletin board as well as informing everyone she passes that there'll be a nasty blizzard tomorrow that will last through the day. Normally she gives a weather forecast for the next day in exchange for a small offering at the shrine, but with something like this, she's not charging a single copper.]

[So she spends the day hustling through town, carrying things back and forth from the town to the pretty little shrine at the hillside just outside of Rendezvous with all of the cherry trees (currently barren of everything but thick clumps of snow). If she seems a little tired by the end of the day, it's because she is. But she can rest once the storm hits. For now, there's a lot to be done and Raye isn't going to stop until her work is finished.]

------------

Blighted Snowmen

Back off, you frosty creep!

[POFF! Raye's broom takes the snowman's head right off of its shoulders with a satisfying explosion of snow lumps. The child it was reaching for has run back to town, screaming for his dad, while the decapitated snow creature fumbles blindly for its missing head.]

[Raye steps back and thrusts her right hand forward, summoning a great gout of fire to liquify the stubborn abomination.]

That's what you get! Who's next?

[She came running at the first sounds of distress, still holding onto the broom she was using to sweep the stone steps and courtyard of the shrine. Too bad for these snow things, fire is her bonded element, and she's been aching for a chance to unleash her magic flames for a while now.]

[Steepling her fingers together, a gust of spiritual energy flows up through the ground, tossing her long black hair wildly as she gathers the energy into a burning sphere of flame to send it crashing toward the lumbering snow castle.]

Fireball ignite! Chew on that!

[OOC: Raye is down to rescue people, be rescued, or team up with a companion!]

[OOC: Prince of Barad Mal, leads a small band of fighters in the Holy Order of Steel. Assumed CR is just fine!]

Homecoming

[People who aren't used to the prince's ways probably wouldn't recognize the young man who strides into town, leading his horse through the snowy streets. Though his cloak and armor are certainly fine, they're also very practical, and both have seen long days of travel on the road. His sword, sheathed on his back, is also anything but a pretty bauble. One might think he would make it his priority to go to the castle after journeying through the country for weeks, but he feels the least he can do is reward his companions with a good hot meal and a round of drinks, and knows the majority of them would feel far more comfortable at the Rendezvous inn and tavern rather than the fancy halls of his father's castle.]

[Though, of course, he'll indulge anyone who wants a taste of royal living if that's what they'd prefer.]

[After seeing that his mount is cared for by the stablehand, he taps the snow from his boots before pushing open the door and basking in the wash of heat, noisy conversation, and smells of ale and stew.]

[He greets the barkeep with a smile, ordering a double serving of the hearty vegetable stew with a grilled fish and a large hunk of dark and crusty bread. The prince seats himself at the common table as he waits for his order.]

[OOC: Be one of his travel companions, a server, or just someone he happened to sit next to!]

----------------

Magic Lessons: Fire

Ah... Let me see the incantation one more time.

[Chrom shifts restlessly where he stands, definitely out of his element. Magic has never been one of his talents, and if not for Mazir's gentle insistence, Chrom would have skipped out on lessons entirely to focus on his swordplay. He'd much rather play hero than flick his fingers about and conjure up the elements to do his bidding. He has every respect for mages and spellcasters, but it's never really been his 'thing' so to speak.]

[Still, here he is, doing his best. He completes the incantation once more, finishing the casting with the signature snap of his fingers.]

I think I got a spark that time.

[There was no spark. And there will never ever be a spark.]

I see....

[It's a low and neutral tone. Thoughtful, even almost distracted but neither dismissive or judgemental. Just an acknowledgement.

He keeps his attention turned to the land around the girl's home. He's not familiar with the site but it seems it could be some kind sacred place? If so, it might end up a target for blighting if the goblins return to a larger force. That would be bad.]

It's fine. [He finally turns back to her, his posture and tone almost relaxed. Professional. Business as usual.] The important thing is that the goblins are dealt with as soon as possible. Right now, they're probably still acting recklessly but if they start to expect resistance they'll be trickier to deal with.

Fun in the Snow

Save me!

[It's not the first time Daphne has cried out to be rescued, but instead of her high-pitched squeaks of distress, she's giggling, taking refuge behind a hastily packed barrier of snow with a young gap-toothed boy. A flung snowball explodes against the wall, showering the princess and her brave hero with with powder.]

Here, why don't I make your arsenal...

[Her dainty gloved hands scoop up some of the loose snow from the ground as she packs it neatly in her palm and hands it to the boy.]

And you do the tossing! I believe in you, Sir Stephen!

[Another snowball wings overhead, and the two duck instinctively with big smiles on their faces. It had taken some effort and a lot of batted eyelashes to convince her father to allow some of the village children to play in the castle courtyard. There are certainly guards everywhere to ensure that the princess and the kids are safe from intruders. Naturally, Daphne is not above coaxing one of the stoic guardians into playing along...what better way to protect the king's daughter than to be close at hand rather than standing stiffly at a distance?...but she won't push too hard.]

[OOC: Just Daphne having fun with some kids, happy to rope in anyone else who happens by. However, it's also entirely possible that real danger does just so happen to be lurking nearby, in which case...save her!]

----------

Magic Lessons

[Being able to use magic effectively would certainly be a wonderful gift. But when Daphne agreed excitedly for instructions and she was given a scroll that would allow the reader to cast a fireball, the look of joy slowly slid off of her face, and her brow crinkled in dismay. She...supposes...it might be nice to have a means of defending herself if her guards couldn't protect her for some reason.]

[But the illustration of the screaming victim in one panel, which becomes a smoking pile of ash in the second panel, doesn't really sit well with Daphne. Not at all.]

Oooh...

[Daphne shivers. No, she really doesn't have the heart (nor the stomach) to do such a thing. Slowly and carefully she rolls the scroll back up as if it might detonate into a fireball should she mishandle the thing.]

Perhaps I could focus on more constructive magic? Something like healing, or magical protection, might be very nice indeed!

[Because she would very much like to be helpful should the need arise, rather than a victim in dire need of protecting.]

Edited 2019-04-02 00:04 (UTC)

Link... open your eyes....

[It's the only thing he remembers. The voice pulling him out of his slumber in that cave. That voice... and nothing else. He's not even certain the name it spoke was even his, but it's all he has to go on.

At least there'd been some kind of plain, tattered clothes there. It isn't much, but it's at least something. A very little something when he'd ventured out only for the storm to hit. Harsh winds and snow buffeting him as he half staggers through the storm, doing his best to shield himself from the elements to little avail. For as little as he knows or remembers, the thought that he needs to find shelter is still clear in his head.

It's a hope that becomes a little clearer when he spots the lights through the snow, and catches the faint scent of a fire burning. There's a moment's consideration but no hesitation lasts for very long before he makes his way to the door.

It's a short trip from where he first sees the small house before he makes his way to it, soaked and ruffled, and reaches out to knock at the door.]

[Her shoulders slump faintly after she sighs. He's really fixated on thinking the culprit has to be goblins, isn't he? Well, he is the resident expert, and she's relaxing a little after he's shown that he has no intention of arguing with her or forcing her to stay quietly at home. Good.]

I can agree with that. I'm not giving them a second chance at stealing our chickens.

[She sets off straight for the chicken coop, circling around it as her eyes sweep back and forth over the snow. Whatever did this was light enough that there aren't any discernible tracks after last night's powder, but there might be other signs. Feathers, possibly, or somewhere the snow might have been disturbed from a bush or tree.]

I'm Raye, by the way. What's your name?

[What was that...? The blizzard is so loud that Annie nearly writes off the sound as another branch hitting her house, but isn't the rhythm too perfect to be something like that? It's worth checking out in any case. She sets her book aside and rolls up to her hip, padding across the creaky wooden floor in her clunky work shoes.]

[The door opens, and standing there is a shivering young man with no coat or cloak, on the verge of turning as blue as his eyes.]

EEK!

[She jerks back in surprise -- not at seeing a stranger, but at seeing a stranger so poorly equipped to handle this storm. Most might hesitate before letting a strange person into their house for at least a moment, but Annie doesn't think twice. She grabs his arm to give him a good yank before sprinting behind him to herd him quickly to the fire. Once he's stumbling that way on his own, Annie throws her shoulder against the door to force it closed against the wind.]

Sit down and bundle up! I'll get you a towel!

[Not that she has far to go, since her home doesn't have a bath -- the entirety of the home is twenty feet by twenty feet. The towel is neatly folded on the dresser, but no more! Now it is being draped over Link's head as Annie kneels before him, gently scrubbing at his hair to get out as much melted snow as she can.]

Where did you come from? Don't think I ever saw you around town before.

[Her thumb brushes over the point of one of his ears, and she blinks, surprised, before lifting one edge of the towel. Tapered ears...? Annie's head tilts to the side, curious.]

Definitely from out of town! Well that's all right, you can wait out the storm right here.

[It's hardly his place to try to lecture her on that, even he recognizes this as he quietly follows her lead to the pilfered chicken coop. If she wants to kill goblins then what business does he have to tell her not to?]

I'm the Goblin Slayer.

[It's an almost offhand remark, delivered as he moves off a few feet to inspect the surroundings. Woods, then a wide patch of open ground and then the chicken coop. Now the pieces connect fully.]

There.

[He points forward, over a patch of untouched snow. At the edge of the treeline there's a patch of bushes without any snow on them as if something had shaken it off by passing by. Meanwhile the branches just a few feet above them remain undisturbed with snow still clinging to them. That settles it, the final piece.]

That's where they're coming from.

[The shriek that greets him when the door flies open has him recoiling by instinct, hands raising in what he hopes is a peaceful gesture.]

I--

[He starts trying to explain himself but doesn't get far before his arm is seized and he's pulled into the small cottage and pushed toward the fire. Which he's grateful enough for, but he still tries again after the door is slammed shut.]

I--

[And then his vision is cut off entirely by a towel being tossed over his head, cutting him off with a grunt as his hair is scrubbed. Where did he come from...? Well, as far as he knows.]

I--

[Cut off again by her offer, he shuts his mouth and sits back. Looking somewhat ridiculous and miserable soaked to the bone with a towel over his head, he waits a few moments to see if the torrent has passed.

Out of one storm and into the other. At least this one is warmer.]

... Thank you.

Ha ha ha! No need for that! There's not much here, but you're welcome to all of it.

[She straightens to dash off and fetch the cutting board where the half-eaten loaf of bread is sitting, gathering that along with the stick of butter and jar of apple preserves to bring the whole platter over to her guest.]

I'm Annie. Go on and eat up, you'll feel a lot better with a full belly.

[The farmgirl drops down to rest on her heels, sunny as a summer's day in spite of the howling blizzard that beats at her windows.]

They've got a den that close?!

[She'll ignore that complete lack of answer about his name. It's disgusting to think of those nasty little things squirming out of their holes to get at the sleepy little chickens Raye's raised by hand.]

[She steps closer, and immediately a nauseating vibe begins to pulse at the fringes of her senses.]

You're right. I can feel the wrongness of the blight here. It's not strong, but they're definitely around.

[She uses one of her arrows to probe at the bushes, moving branches aside for a better look at what's beyond. If there really is a den, the opening might be goblin sized. She could probably squeeze through, but there's no guarantee she'd come out to a place where she could fight effectively, and there's no way this guy can fit through with that armor.]

[That gets a curious glance in her direction. She can feel the blight? That could prove useful, she might be able to sense the goblins' approach that way. They are, after all, creatures of the blight.]

Yeah. A small one, probably. By the looks of things there aren't any hobs or bugbears with them. [Minimal damage to the surrounding foliage. Indicated smaller creatures passing through and nothing with a hobgoblin's equipment or a bugbear's mass. He assesses the path for another few seconds before... quite suddenly turning and moving back across the snowy ground to the chicken coop.]

I'll need a shovel, some buckets of water, and a broom.

[She furrows her brow at his conclusion, and nods. She's pretty sure she'd feel it hard if there were a bugbear around. While Raye's never encountered one herself, she's heard stories. There's no way something that evil would sneak past her.]

Have you dealt with hobgoblins before? And bugbears?

[She always thought he just concerned himself with the little ones. When he makes his requests, Raye frowns.]

Huh? What for? Can't we just smoke them out and pick them off when they emerge?

[It sounds like he's got some sort of intricate trap in mind. She'll hear him out if it seems good, but she's also instinctively prone to resisting orders from anyone, especially when she's eager to take charge of this quest herself.]

[He's a little offput, to say the least. He'd hoped for some help, true, but he hadn't expected... this from a complete stranger. If she is a complete stranger. No, she has to be, she'd just said she hadn't seen him around. Not much help there.

When she steps away to the table he lets the towel drop from his head. Blinking, he catches a bit of his own hair between his fingers, studying the color of it. Even that's unfamiliar.

When she comes back and sets the food in front of him, he almost considers whether or not it's right to actually take it. But then his stomach growls and he banishes the thought though he at least has the manners to not snatch it from her.]

I'm... [He pauses, unsure, before settling on what the voice had said,] Link. Sorry if this is a strange question but, where are we?

Both. A few times.

[If he felt either of those were present he'd approach this much differently. As it is, it seems this is merely the work of a smaller raiding party. There's always the possibility of either of those types being somewhere out there, but he'll have to investigate that later. For now, best to focus on the task at hand.]

Maybe, but we don't know exactly where their den is and sunset isn't very far away. We'd be at a disadvantage in the dark and they can ambush us if they see us coming. By waiting here, we'll be able to set an ambush.

Nice to meetcha, Link! Don't worry, it's not such a strange question.

[She chuckles as she watches him eat. Poor guy must be famished!]

We're in Rendezvous. It's a little town close to Castle Barad Mal.

[She shifts herself around to sit, propping her elbows up on her bent knees to cup her face in her hands.]

Well, to be more accurate, you're on my farm just outside of town, but there's not much farm around is there? It'll look better in the spring.

[Annie grins confidently. Her gaze again strays to his ears as she studies him curiously.]

Say, you wouldn't happen to be a sprite, would you? Your ears look just the same, but you're the first one I've seen that's my size.

I see.

[She's pretty sure she could find them just by focusing her senses, but she's a little curious to see what his plan is all about. It's so weird.]

I don't have a shovel, but I can gather the rest easily enough. One of the farmers might have a shovel we can borrow.

[Does he mean to dig with it? The ground is frozen, he'd have to be pretty strong to make much headway. Fortunately for him, he's with someone who can fix that little problem.]

[Rendezvous. Barad Mal. He searches his memory for any mention of ether of those names while he chews on a bite of bread. It doesn't take very long to do so, considering his memory still only seems to stretch back for the past couple of hours anyway. Nothing. No familiarity.]

A sprite? [He blinks at that and reaches back to his ear, finding it longer and ending in a point. Glancing past Annie's hair, he sees the difference, and in a brief, stunned moment he realizes he doesn't actually remember his own face.]

I don't know. I actually... don't remember anything from before I woke up in that storm.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 1 of 4

Test Drive: April 2019

Test Drive Meme

Winter

Goblin Slayer - OTA

House Call

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Annie | Story of Seasons | Not sure if OU or AU, but OTA!

Raye Hino | AU, OTA

Chrom | AU

no subject

Princess Daphne | OTA

Blizzard

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject