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

You're human, [ he says, gently dismissing the explanation. most humans he's met back home have two names, so he simply expects it of them. .. most elves probably have two names, too, he supposes. city elves are much like humans in some ways, after all, and the dalish can be identified by their clans.

he hesitates, glance flicking over the boy again--what is he wearing?--before he turns away, moving to place both hands on the door. he tugs at the doorknob, frowning when it doesn't budge, and turns to place his back against it, sliding down it with a sigh. ]

This doesn't feel like the Fade at all..

...yeah. [the response is very bewildered, accompanied by a quick look up-and-down of the stranger. is he not human? he's small, he has pointed ears, but...will sort of figured he was just...in costume, maybe.

the floor is cold under his bare feet, but will stays standing, just in case. the people who put them in here might come back, and he might need to get away.] What's a fade?

[ for a puzzled moment, mahal simply stares, head tilted faintly in an almost animal-like expression of confusion. but then he makes a noise and shifts, spreading his hands to indicate everything around them. ]

.. When mages dream.. they go to the Fade. [ he honestly doesn't understand it that much still. he does what he's been told to do to guard himself, but he doesn't ask questions. ] And.. this is all.. dreams. Yes?

[ he glances to the boy's bare feet, then lifts his eyes to his face again. ] You're in your nightclothes, after all. [ that has to be what they are. ]

[that makes will laugh a little, almost embarrassed.] No, they're...I mean, sort of? They're what you wear in a hospital. That's where I came from. I'm not...a mage.

[now he looks disappointed, shrugging.] I'm just. Regular.

-- wait, are you a mage?

Hospital. [ that earns another tilt of his head, this time the opposite direction. it's not a word he knows, but maybe it's something he hasn't relearned yet. either way, it's a very strange sort of garb.

hesitating for several moments, he finally climbs to his feet once more, unbuttoning his outer jacket and slipping out of it. he shifts from foot to foot uncertainly, then steps forward, pulling it around the boy's shoulders. they're close enough in size that it should fit, he thinks. ] It's very impractical. [ the clothing. and no shoes. that's unusual for humans.

finally, to the question: ] I am. It's not.. good. Where I'm from. And being a mage.. and an elf, and not.. belonging to a clan.. [ he trails off, not really sure how he wants to finish that sentence. they were all bad things, as far as most humans were concerned, but especially bad when those things were combined. ] Regular would be nice.

Yeah. Like, um... [fortunately will has a good vocabulary for this type of situation:] A, uh, healer. Medic. Whichever one of those.

[when mahal comes closer, will tenses again, shoulders drawn up, like he's making himself a smaller target. funny, considering mahal is smaller than him, however slightly, but it's hard to unlearn instinct. the warmth of the jacket is startling, but...nice. very nice.] ...thank you.

Really? But you...you can do magic. Why is that bad...? [will trails off, suddenly thinking of eleven, of her own brand of magic, and all the problems it's caused her. having to hide, having to live in a lab all her life, the monsters it brought to her.

then he sort of gets it.] I'm sorry.

Healer, [ mahal repeats, on more certain footing now. ] Physician. Apothecary. Medicine. Elfroot. [ a thoughtful pause. ] I don't think that healers need special clothing at home. [ it's a very odd requirement, but then, so much about this place is strange.

he's silent as will works through his thoughts, but he blinks at the apology. ] What did you do? [ to be sorry, that is. as far as he's concerned, will has nothing he needs to apologize to mahal for, and sympathy for his situation is still something he struggles with understanding at times. ]

My magic.. it's not very good anyway. I'm best at changing shape, but not much else.

...uh-huh. [well, will understood most of those words. then, turning a little red at the tips of his ears, he looks back down at the hospital gown, arms tightening around himself.] I think it's so...they can stick needles and stuff in pretty easily. Nothing's in the way.

...I-I meant. I'm sorry that it's bad. That sucks. [the slang probably doesn't help. will is honestly trying to focus on being sympathetic, but:]

You can change shape?