Test Drive - 001

[ateratmods]

TEST DRIVE 001

Welcome to Aterat!

Here is our first ever Test Drive Meme! There are a lot of areas of the city to explore, so please have a look around! In case you need a little help getting started, I've included a few prompts below, or feel free to start your own! Exploration and player initiative are the names of the game here!

NOTE: While you do need an invite to apply to the game, you do NOT need one to tag or top level on the Test Drive!

Helpful Links to Get Started

Arrival & General Information | Locations & Bestiary | Residences & Housing Info | Rules & FAQ (ask questions here!)

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A. Welcome to the Jungle

The URBAN jungle, that is. You have just arrived and received a strange satchel from a tiny, strange little man and are left more or less to your own devices (more information on what to expect upon arrival can be found here)! Follow directions to the north and check out the housing, or maybe have a look around the Historium, see what you can waste your meager starter coin on in the Market District, or maybe just meet the neighbors.


B. We've Got Fun and Games

At least there's entertainment. In various parts of the city, there are street performers, slight of hand tricksters, and probably a game or two of poker in one tavern or another (there are several to be found, after all). Start up a game of darts, or just sit broodily in a corner and watch the others coming and going.


C. You can have anything you want but you better not take it for free

The Harbor District is a rough joint. There are pickpockets, swindlers, but also hardworking folk and more than a few buildings that seem to be locked. It sure would be a shame if someone were to go about performing some casual Breaking & Entering...you know, as long as you don't get caught. There are guards around, though not nearly as many here as in the other districts. It's almost as though they like to avoid the place. People talk about wererats in the shadows at night and it's not unheard of for the unaware to go missing when they're traveling around here after dark...


D. What's that smell?

As if being carted off to what looks like a city out of a video game weren't bad enough, there's an entire district to the northeast that seems to be walled off, warded, and in all ways inaccessible. According to the sign, it's the cemetery...and boy does it smell.


E. Speaking Crystal

You could always take a look at the instructions that came with your crystal and see who else is listening. Remember, though, these devices are Voice Only and cannot be filtered. If you speak, anyone with a crystal can and will hear you. Now, whether or not they choose to respond is another thing entirely.

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If you have any questions at all about setting or what is or isn't acceptable, please submit it on the FAQ!

If you would like to explore any aspect of the setting more indepth, please PM the mod account OR comment here! All comments are screened!

» N A V I G A T I O N

Comments

[stickyflippers]

“Yeah?” He responded with a little curious expression, “I might have to take you up on that,” He responded with a little smile as he pulled open the door to the shop to enter. It was always vaguely amusing when humans wanted to cook fish for him, it made sense but... There was just something about it that made him laugh, considering how he generally ate his fish.

The comment Jake mumbles isn’t missed, of course. Caelan has decent enough ears, and he was paying close attention to his companion. So he responded with a small smirk over his shoulder, “As you wish. Let’s see what we can find then, Lucky Charm.”

Caelan’s attention finally shifted entirely upon entering the shop, wandering here and there with interest. There were too few instruments for purchase at the moment, and none of them were the sort that he had any experience in playing. Not surprising, considering what had possibly happened in this world. The appropriate materials might be hard to come by for a while... He could try to pick something new up, that was always fun, but he was craving something a little more familiar right now.

Of course, he could use some blank sheet music as well, something to doodle and jot down his composition ideas. He wandered closer to where the shop keeper was working, eyes running over the instrument he was working on curiously.

[stickyflippers]

Now that would be an interesting day, if it came up. Definitely something Jagger would want to be prepared for, depending on what the visions would show the man or how they worked. Caelan himself of course had no idea, and so he probably wouldn’t know to be more cautious than he already was unless he mentioned his abilities.

“Now don’t go selling yourself short, seems to me that’d be the kind of work you’d want to build up a reputation for to expand your client base. Which I would presume you’re currently at square one for, given we’ve all just arrived?” He responded with a small huff, because really they were all at square one right now.

His smile lightened considerably at the question of performances, this was easy. “I’m a musician most of the time, I sing and play the violin best as well as a few other things. I do dabble in drama sometimes, I suppose? Pretending to be someone you’re not can be quite fun.”

CRYSTAL

[asthecroweflies]

Right, but what's that got to do with detective work?

[asthecroweflies]

He's run into the residual traces of demonic possession before, completely unaware and without any sort of warning. He still has nightmares about it. He's more cautious these days. It probably won't be too long before he tells Caelan, seeing as they'll be working together.

"Got it on one, mate, but I'd be willing to bet I'm not the only one." He glanced toward the harbormaster's office, dark and locked up tight. "And harbormasters are notorious for documenting everything. If whatever happened here happened with enough time to write it down, maybe we can learn something from his logs."

He smiles in response to Caelan's explanation. "I bet. Sometimes it's even necessary."

[stickyflippers]

Almost always necessary, if Caelan were in the mood to be honest. He spent a lot of his days pretending to be something other than he was after all, which would hopefully come in handy here. Of course, he also had plenty of breaks from it and those who he could be himself around to balance things out, which was not something he had now that he was here.

“You’ve got that one right, they might even have some manifests on what’s in storage jot down somewhere if we’re lucky.” He responded, eyes wandering to the aforementioned office. The harbourmasters office in his own world did at least, it was their job to know what was what down at the docks. At least in some cases, in others they could be just as blind (or turn a blind eye to) depending on the matter.

“Pity it’s all locked up tight, yeah?” He asked with a too innocent expression and tilt of his head. The question ‘Wanna break in?’ unasked but rather obvious. His lock-picks were begging to be used at this point.

Or they would be, if they were actually Adelaide in disguise. Sadly, they weren’t. Just the usual run-of-the-mill set.

[mobprincess]

Damn, she was sure she was onto something with the whole spy thing - unless he was trying to throw her off! He was very convincing, but it made sense that he would be, real secret agents are great liars, they had to be.

She didn't know if Caelan was lying, but she did think he was maybe a little kooky. Enchantments? Curses? Okay boomer.

"Uh, no, nothin' like that - It's lil'LED lights in the soles! Sucks when the batteries die, but until then they're super cool. And they're kinda heavy, but they're pretty comfy once you get used to 'em. I'd suggest you get some, but I don't know any grown ups that wear 'em. Unfortunate, but true - seems like time ravages not only your youth but also y'taste in footwear."

[asthecroweflies]

If the truth were told, Jagger's lockpicks were itching to be used as well, and any self-respecting harbourmaster should have manifests in his custody if he were any good at his job, but this place offered too many variables, and too many ways this could possibly go horridly wrong. Magic wasn't a concept completely unknown to him, but his knowledge of its machinations was nebulous at best, which left a lot of room for paranoia and mistrust.

"I definitely want to break in," he started with a smile, "but it could be trapped by all manner of things."

[stickyflippers]

His shoulders sank a little when Jagger reminded him that there could be traps. That was exactly why he wasn’t starting off his evening by trying to break into the warehouses after all. Being careful was so boring...

At least until you got creative. “You make a good point, if there’re secrets hidden away in there then they might not want us to find them. Of course, we could find another way in outside the obvious, it’s usually the obvious that the put security measures on first.”

[stickyflippers]

Excuse you, Holly. He’s older than a boomer! He’s pre-boomer!

Caelan can’t help but tilt his head and give Holly a slightly confused look. “I’m getting the distinct feeling that your world is very different from mine. Not sure what an LED light is, and batteries where I’m from are not small enough to fit in shoes.” He’d seen batteries, and they were both large and uncommon enough at the moment. Very promising, as far as human invention went, but not like what Holly described at all.

“Is that a fact? Well... I can’t argue that, once someone becomes a ‘proper adult’ they do get fairly boring of taste.” Caelan chuckled a little, everyone keeps telling him to start acting like one. He wasn’t falling for that trap though! “Seems to me that the adults where you’re from are missing out.” Even if they could probably stand to look a little more stylish, they definitely had some fun chaos potential.

[brotherofagod]

Jake felt his face flush when he realized that Caelan had heard him. He was used to the people around him picking up on his mumbled whispers and yet he couldn't quite shake the habit of letting his mouth move without checking in with his brain first.

It was always embarrassing.

Jacob stepped a bit behind Caelan, composing himself and taking in the odd small shop. It was clear to Jake that the shop hadn't been there long but the old man at the counter was hard at work. He had a tuft of white hair at the top of his head with impressive sprouts of hair tracing down his jaw to his chin. If Jacob hadn't known better, he'd assume it was some sort of wig.

The man looked busy but as the pair stepped in closer he stopped his work and turned to look at them. He was wearing a pair of goggles that made him look a little bug-eyed. "Young men, yes, yes. What are you looking for? Are you purveyors of music? The craft? The art? Tell me what brought you in here."

[brotherofagod]

"Yeah. I don't know all the details. He moved to upper New York after he left his-" Jake paused and had to think of a synonym for pack. "-home. He was before I was born. They aren't my birth family but they took me in and are amazing. Gus used to tell me all these stories from growing up in Canada."

Jake liked those stories. Not only because Gus had lived a long interesting life but because the old dog always managed to slip in various puns that forced Jake to crack a smile.

"It might just be that I'm from a little future in the future. Technology is always getting better."

[brotherofagod]

That sounds like it sucks.

[soulsword]

In most ways it does. We have some dramatic victories though.

[brotherofagod]

Yeah? My family is like that.

Dramatic victories and all. I mostly hear about it after the fact.

[soulsword]

Family can be difficult like that. Both of my brothers are fond of not telling of their plans until after they have gone through with them. [ So is she though, so can she really say too much? ] One in particular tends towards self sacrificing dramatic victories.

[brotherofagod]

I think Airy would do that if Nathan wasn't looking out for her. It's a pretty good group.

I trust that they'll all do what they can to come back in one piece.

CRYSTAL

[jesttraveling]

You don't know? I think it's pretty obvious.

We're looking for all the rifts in the city.

[soulsword]

I wish I could have that trust.

[brotherofagod]

It wasn't easy.

It's something you learn and earn but if someone doesn't trust you, then maybe you shouldn't try too hard to keep them in your life. I'm sure there are people out there who can feel that way.

[tapestryoftime]

Syeira smiled. "I expect nothing but I'm happy." She didn't want to ask for anything he wasn't willing to give. Maybe it was friendship and strength... or simply the sensation of being connected to someone. Syeira didn't like being alone. It was an uncomfortable sensation like drowning in a sea of darkness: constricted, endless and overwhelming.

That was all she desired from him and he didn't have to do anything but what he's already done.

"I should finish my shopping, would you like to walk with me?"

[soulsword]

Ah, well, very few people trust me.

CRYSTAL

[asthecroweflies]

Yeah, but I don't see why that needs a detective. They're pretty obvious.

[brotherofagod]

Consider this a +1.

You've given me no reason not to trust you.

CRYSTAL

[jesttraveling]

You have OBVIOUSLY never seen a rift. They are very secret and the fiend's from the Abyss are very tricky.

There was this one that was pretending to be a sexy bugbear but we BARGED in on it while it was seducing this bugbear in his sleepy and oh! wait, there were two! There was a sexy man bugbear and a sexy lady bugbear and they were trying to make the sleeping bugbear kill all his friends by being all sexy in his sleep.

[soulsword]

You are awfully generous in granting your trust.