dankmemes | Test Drive Meme #22

Welcome to Hadriel's test drive, and thank you again for your interest in the game! As always, our reserves page is here, and our applications page is here! Reserves open July 25th, and apps are open August 1st. Please remember that there is an app cap of 20 apps.

Two quick points here as well:
1. Any thread made in Hadriel's test drive will be accepted as the sole Action Log sample in the application.
2. All threads made in the test drive can be considered game canon, either through handwaving or through a shared mental experience while coming through the Door!

Test drives will be broken up into specific god mini-events, during which your characters can see how well they fare under the watchful eye of one of the gods. Choose wisely or just simply pick 'em all, and have fun!

F E A R

SCENARIO ONE: THE WRONG KIND OF SCARY
[The Door brings in all that is chaotic and evil in the world. This may include you, may include the person next to you... and may include the monster behind you.

There's an odd shuffling to your right and to your left. Do you know what that is? Maybe not, but at least nobody else does either. You might peek at an eye stalk or a stinger, you might catch a glimpse of something that can maybe pass for fingers... or maybe it just has a mouth on its butt because its creator was feeling particularly sadistic that day. That's right, you're looking at the creatures from Spore, EA's infamous alien creation game with the most awkward alien creator imaginable.

These particular Spore creatures are the carnivorous kind, the kind who seek out and eat other creatures so that they can instantly procreate to pass on their victim's genetic code and make their species even more wild. You might not want to stick around and watch the mating process. I promise it's just as weird as you think.]

T R A N Q U I L I T Y / C O N F U S I O N

SCENARIO TWO: STEPFORD SUNDAY
[You wake up one lovely weekend morning to the sounds of birds chirping outside and sun streaming through your window. What a wonderful day to be perfectly normal and happy in the suburbs! Your family is all around you, like a Norman Rockwell painting, happy to go about their average day in their average life in their average city.

So what if your sister is an archdemon? Or your father is somehow a dragon? It's just the way that things have always been... isn't it?

The perceptive of you may begin to see cracks in the veneer, may begin to wonder why everything seems to be so perfect... and as the truth begins to unfold, it paints a much darker picture than the one you're seeing. Are you sure you don't want to stay, just a little while longer?

This is a mini version of our Stepford Summer event this month!]

R A G E / D E L I G H T

SCENARIO THREE: CAKE WARS
[There are plenty of ways in this world to rouse your competitive spirit. Many of them involve athletics- few involve such beautiful edible artistry as this.

That's right, you're in a cake baking competition, and no matter how competitive you normally are, thanks to Rage's influence, you want to win. Competitors can be in teams of two or alone, and they have until morning to bake their cakes to the fullest and bring it to Delight's temple for judging.

So what kind of cake baker are you? Do you revel in your artistry? Do you measure everything and carefully prepare each icing tip? Or do you know that you suck at cooking and decide to use the opportunity to sabotage your opponent's cake instead? Nothing is off limits, and all's fair in cake and war, after all!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Once they get into a certain point in the tunnels, the monsters recede. They don't often spill out into the city, and they know there's still likely prey inside the coliseum.

You learn these things when you've spent nearly two years in Hadriel, she thinks grimly. ]

"Weird shit." I can appreciate that. [ It makes her think of Varric's title for Cecily's own "biography:" This Shit is Weird: the Inquisitor Trevelyan Story. ]

Warden - [ She nearly stops short, surprised, but continues with only a slightly slower pace. This is the second Warden, now. Warden-Commander Surana had been the first, which... may mean that this is another Hero.

Well. Best to not assume. ]

I'm not sure I'm the best judge of that; I'm from the Marches. [ They don't have any real Fereldans here at the moment, actually. ] But, Warden-Commander. I hadn't realized I was speaking with the Commander of the Grey. [ beat ] Though, we can do introductions in just a moment, when we're deeper into the city.

[On alert, Aren only relaxes when Barkspawn does. She pats him as he moves to her side rather than guarding her back, grateful for his company.

The surprise is noted, but Aren figures it has something to do with her being a duster...which is understandable. Not many of those go on to greatness.]

The Free Marches, huh? I've never been, but I hear that have an awesome tourney.

Fine by me, we'll just follow your lead. [Barkspawn wags his tail, eager to sniff at the new mabari and his friend.]

That it does. [ The people, though, she's less fond of, but Cecily isn't about to open up about all that. In fact, she's fairly quiet - more so than usual, not that Aren will know that - until they reach the borders of the city. Then, she utters a sigh, slowing to a stop. ]

This should be far enough. [ Though she continues walking farther toward the spires and houses, Cecily starts speaking again. ] So, Warden-Commander. Am I to assume that you are the same person who slayed the archdemon during the Fifth Blight?

[Aren nods at Barkspawn, allowing him to go on his sniffing spree as long as the others don't mind.]

Yep! Aren Brosca, archdemonslayer, Paragon and some other cool titles that I can guess no one would give a nug's ass about here. That's okay, I survived without them before. Right, boy?

[The mabari wags his tail, but he's too busy to converse. Her eyebrows lift, too curious to be tactful now that there aren't dangerous things distracting them.]

So, what's with the glowing hand? Is that something they do here?

[ Pup, too, sniffs around the new mabari, traveling around with him, but not straying too far from his temporary master. ]

Ah. Well, in that case, we have quite a lot to talk about, Your Heroicness.

[ It would be easier if someone she knew - Leliana, or Alistair - were still here, but they've gone, just like everyone else. ... Save for Cole, but he doesn't know the Warden either, she assumes. ]

First, though... the hand. [ Cecily raises the anchor disdainfully: it pulses a few times as if showing off. ] This - no, nothing common in Hadriel. I brought it with me from Thedas because I've yet to find a way to be rid of it.

[ Aside from, you know, dying. Which she's working on. ]

It's a long and decidedly not fun story, but the long and short of it is that, about ten years after you slayed the archdemon, the Inquisition of old began again to face an undead god-magister who accidentally gave me this wonderful souvenir. [ Again, she gestures with the afflicted hand. ] I am Inquisitor Cecily Trevelyan of that same Inquisition. The title - as you say - is worthless in Hadriel.

[Aren watches the other mabari and holds out a hand, coming just close enough to let him sniff her, too. If he's satisfied, she'll be happy to pet him. She raises an eyebrow at Cecily's explanation, frowning in confusion.]

The Inquisition of old? [She tries to remember if that sounds familiar, but most of the lore she's gained has been blight-related. So, no spark of recognition for her.] So that green light is because an old-ass magister? How do you accidentally get something like that? When the fuck did this all...wait, what? Ten years? It's been six months!

[Maybe a little over six months now, but not by that much. Right?]

[ Pup is a well-behaved mabari - Cullen trained him well - and so he sniffs politely and then sits, waiting for the pats that he expects from his mild manner. ]

Ah, you know... the organization that once tried to stamp out mages after the First Blight. [ beat ] The newer edition has a completely different purpose, which is... really just to stop the world ending.

[ NO PRESSURE ]

You accidentally get something like this by being somewhere you don't belong. [ In a room with murders and the Divine, specifically. ] As for the timing... I know it sounds ridiculous, but unfortunately, most of what I have to tell you might come off as... well, mad. To put it lightly. [ There's a thoughtful pause. ] Would you prefer to discuss this over a drink?

Good to know, because I don't have a problem with mages except the asshole ones who try to kill me. [Aren quirks a smile. Such a good boy, yes he is. Then she chuckles.]

Ha! I know all about being where I shouldn't be; that's how I got this job, no lie. And hell yes, bring on the drinks. I can listen to just about anything with that incentive. But I have an extremely important question, first. Can I give him a mabari crunch treat?

Test Drive Meme #22

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