AUGUST 2019 TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to August's Test Drive Meme! This month's Test Drive's theme is: DYSTOPIAN HORROR.

All Test Drive Memes contain at least one clue to the Deerington's upcoming in-game events for the month! Keep your eyes peeled! But...not literally.

Characters may die during TDMs, but you do not need to count it towards a game-canonical death unless you want to. Consider it a freebie. All TDMs can be considered game canon as TDMs introduce minor aspects about the world of Deerington that can be revisited by characters later on in the game. You may also use TDMs for your application writing sample as well as AC.

CW: Physical violence, monster violence, creepy ogre-like monster in link, being hunted by a monster.
Don't forget to tag content whenever necessary. Have fun!

Prompt One
Prompt Two
Character Arrival
Master Navigation

BLOOD IN MY VEINS

With supplies low and food getting even more scarce, things in Deerington, Maine seem to be getting that much more tense. For those who pay attention to the habits of the townspeople, there’s something that might add to that feeling of stress; all of them seem to be involved in some kind of physical training, whether it’s archery, hand-to-hand combat, or fighting with firearms, they all seem like they’re getting ready for something and it definitely feels like it might be something big.

But no one wants to train against a townsperson - it’s highly likely they’re not going to fight fair with the way they’re all glaring at the Sleepers, as though they’re to blame for everything that’s been going on. Unless you’re sparring with people in your own backyard though, it seems like there isn’t any space to get your own training in.

The Betties are starting to pop up around town pretty regularly, waiting until they find Sleepers on their own, and quietly waving for them to come closer. “You need to prepare,” they’ll whisper to you in hushed urgency, before grabbing your hand to try and get you to follow them. If you fight, they’ll insist only once more, before leaving you alone. But there’s something inside of you urging you to comply and follow.

They’ll lead you down an alley, pushing aside a large dumpster, and revealing a trap door in the middle of the concrete. You’ve never noticed it before, even if you’ve been down this alley a hundred times. The Betty leading you leans down, pulling it open, and the ladder that goes into the tunnel is long and dimly lit. You could leave now, but the Betty will insist this is for the best.

“Knock twice. No more or less. Show them what you’re made of.”

Once you get to the bottom of the ladder, there’s an equally long hallway that leads towards a closed metal door. You knock twice and the door shakes before sliding open. The light that comes through is almost blinding with how bright it is compared to the dim tunnel, but as your eyes adjust, you can finally step in to a fully stocked training room.

There are instructors in basics for beginners, areas for intermediate, and most abundantly there are one-on-one sparring areas. The moment you come close enough, you’ll be immediately paired with another Sleeper, and the two of you will be locked in the room together to be observed. You could choose to not fight, of course, but you’ll be stuck there for a good long while if you do. It might be best to just get it over and done with.

So feel free to help others who seem to be struggling or show off your strength for everyone to see. It looks like everyone is going to need to be ready for some kind of fight.

I AM THE GREAT UNKNOWN

Maybe you got knocked out during a fight or maybe you fell asleep in your own bed - or maybe you don’t even remember closing your eyes at all, especially if you don’t usually have the ability to go unconscious for one reason or another. No matter the cause, everyone will wake up in the same place, surrounded by tall, thick hedges in the middle of a... maze?

It doesn’t take you long to realize you aren’t the only one waking up, too. Someone is next to you and it seems like you’re stuck finding your way out of here together. Literally. On each of your wrists is a metal cuff with a long chain connecting them. It can’t be broken, no matter how strong a person is or how powerful a weapon or spell they try to use against it. You’re in this together whether you want to be or not.

Once you can pick a direction to head in, it seems like this might almost be boring - that is until you start to hear the sounds of rustling leaves and breaking twigs. At first it seems like it might just be a trick to spook you, but the more you ignore it, the louder it gets, until finally you see it, charging down the row at you, scythe raised and ready to strike.

You can try to fight, of course, but it’s hard when you’re chained to one another. Learn to work together quickly and maybe you can make it work. It seems to go down with normal attacks, though it takes a long time to get the creature to fall unless you cut off the head. Ultimately your best interest might be set in running as fast as you can to get away. You can lose it in the maze if you’re quick about it. But then you might also be lost yourself.

If you do manage to lose the monster rather than killing it, stay quiet and you might not attract its attention again. It may take a while to find the end of the maze. The hedges feel like they stretch on forever and the sun is blaring down. You’d think there would be shade with all the height of the bushes, but there’s no relief from the heat. Hopefully you don’t burn easy.

When you get to the end of the maze, the two of you will come up on three doors. One door will lead out of the maze and back into the center of Deerington, cuff free. Another door will lead you right back to the beginning, forcing you to start again. And what’s behind door number three...?

The monster, of course.

Choose wisely.

Character Arrival

You can read how all characters arrive in Deerington here.

There is not a collective "all these characters showed up at the exact same moment" occurrence in Deerington. Since characters fall asleep, die, or pass out at various times throughout all their worlds, it wouldn't make too much sense if they arrived in game all at the exact same time. There should be some discrepancy between character arrival, whether by a couple minutes, hours, or even days up to a week.

The players are entirely in control of how/when they want to play their characters arriving in Deerington. For TDMs, you can play it like your character has just arrived and that can be maintained as your game canon, or you can wait until game events for that moment. Or you don't need to acknowledge it at all. The flexibility for character allows a bit more of an organic feel to the character arrival situation, so please play it to whatever feels right for you.

If you are interested in having an "arrival" introduction for one of your TDM prompts, you are more than welcome to explore that option.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm not interested in nursing you back to health. [Ugh.] I'm talking about a spell. One that will stop the bleeding.

[She gives him an equally unimpressed look.]

Unless you enjoy spitting blood?

[ He's about ready to walk away, but boy if that doesn't catch his interest.

He tilts his head at her. Playing dumb isn't his style if there isn't anything to gain from it, and if she's making the offer to a stranger she's either very confident or very foolish.]

What kind of spell are we talking?

[Sabrina is the rare breed of being both insanely confident and incredibly reckless, to the point of foolishness. Her offer is meant to help him, but also to prove to herself that she's capable of her magic here.]

One the Dark Lord taught me. [That's not the entire truth.] Or guided me to finding. [This probably sounds terrible.]

It doesn't matter how I learned it, all you need to know is that it will reverse any and all ill effects brought on by curses or outside sources that mean you harm.

The Dark Lord. [ Well. Lucifer's going to go out on a limb and assume she doesn't mean Sauron.

And he's fairly certain it can't be him, because he hasn't been personally in the business of tempting humans into witchcraft for centuries.]

No, I think I'd like to know exactly how you learned it. This sort of thing is something of a hobby of mine, you could say. [ And now he turns on the faux smile, voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. ] You don't mean Satan, do you?

Of course I do.

[She answers in a matter of fact tone and eyes him like he's one of the Weird Sisters gossiping.]

He and I are...close, in a manner of speaking.

[He doesn't seem bothered by any of this. That's incredibly strange.]

[ Laughter dances in his eyes. Close, she says. ]

How did you get so close, if you don't mind my asking. He doesn't seem like the kind to let just anyone learn his secrets.

I was just born lucky, I guess.

[The sarcastic answer is as cryptic as it is completely truthful. She's not just going to come right out and explain her relationship with the Dark Lord. Not out in the open at least. And definitely not until he stops spitting blood.}

And I happen to share his patience. My offer to help isn't going to last much longer, so choose your next words wisely.

I'm just curious, you see. As I said earlier, I'm sure I'd remember being as close friends with you as you're trying to imply.

[ Abruptly his eyes glow red and the temperature drops. ]

Choose your next words wisely.

[Is this supposed to be making her feel relieved? She tries to shove away the nausea she feels rising when she realizes that his revealing himself makes her glad.]

I never once said we were friends.

[She calmly and quietly answers him, her eyes locking on his.]

The magic here must be incredibly powerful. You're almighty. Nearly invincible. Not even the false god can harm you.

[And his being trapped here too genuinely terrifies her.]

[ If Lucifer went in for humans trying to stroke his ego, she'd be getting a gold star.

He smiles like he's flattered all the same. ] It's a big universe. A lot of things out there that you humans don't know anything about.

[ Regardless of his own thoughts on being imprisoned here, it's best to act as though he couldn't care less about being here. ]

[Her brow furrows and she looks up at him with confusion. Is he playing a game with her? She can't tell. Her next words are chosen carefully and she speaks slowly. Deliberately.]

When someone is only half human, and that someone walks the path of Night, it comes with a level of understanding. No matter how powerful I am because of what I was born as, there's always going to be something that can best me.

[It must be the same in his case.]