Test Drive Meme #2

[diceofthegods]

SEASONS GREETINGS

On the morning of the first of the year, a notification message pops up on everyone’s Rocky-Talkies no matter if they just arrived or are longer-established offworlders. Small minor-illusion fireworks accompany the ping which features Charlie smiling and waving. Alongside him are both Slayd and Dimitri (where Dimitri is not smiling, but what can you expect?)

Without further ado, Charlie begins to speak: "Happy Winter Solstice and beginning of a new year! We have some fantastic news for you! The town of Hast has opened its arms to us in welcome thanks to your good work in the area. Not only that, but we have some very special visitors in their harbor. You will get to meet one of the legendary heroes that saved this world! Hoshiko!"

At her mention, an image of a... wanted poster mugshot pops up with a brunette woman holding up two fingers and sticking her tongue out. "Wait, no, sorry- Not that one!" Charlie corrects, the profile changing to a more recent photograph of the woman. Here, her hair is longer and she holds herself a bit more maturely.

"She'll be accompanied by a group of friendly kobolds who assisted in that journey as well. Hoshiko will be putting on a lovely firework display for everyone as a New Year’s celebration. The kobolds, meanwhile, are avid traders. They travel all around the seas to the north and have collected plenty of interesting items to trade. They have sent word that they are interested in any scrap metal you can find! Thankfully, the beaches near Hast are plentiful in scrap metal to collect from previous mining ventures there. You will also be doing the people of Hast a favor by cleaning up their beaches.

That said, please take care and wear gloves if you plan to collect the scrap! I will make sure there are plenty available in our shop for the taking. I have also restocked it with more warm winter clothes!" Though they are basic, it might be nice to accessorize a little. "Be on your best behavior to our hosts in Hast if you plan to visit, and please go with our warmest wishes besides! Hoshiko will make sure you're safe!"

The next part is said lower since Charlie seems to think the recording has ended before it actually did: "She promised she would, at least."

Hast To Be

The town of Hast is a cascade of buildings that trace down the large Bail Mountain and spill out into the harbor below. Hast is a busy and active mining town. Several mine entrances can be seen dotting the mountainside. Here, they mine for precious metals and useful minerals that are used throughout the continent for a multitude of purposes.

You are welcome to explore the mines at your own risk! You are warned that outside of the normal risks of being in a mine, there are some monsters that inhabit the older mines that are no longer in use. The town is not liable for anything that happens to someone foolish enough to enter unprepared.

The people here are friendly, albeit seemingly always on the move. They appear too busy to even really worry about newcomers. There are plenty of small shops where you can find raw minerals and metals for sale as well as products that are refined from such materials. Tools, more sturdy weapons, and useful gear are some things that may catch your eye here!

Charlie has afforded everyone 10 gold pieces to spend here. We will leave what you buy and how much it costs up to the player, on the honor system that you don’t go hog-wild. Generally, one gold piece = 100 modern-day American dollars for reference. (Please don’t over-worry about what-costs what, we trust you to use your best judgement!)

Aside from material goods, you can also enjoy one of the few pubs or eateries that exist around the town.

⁂ "The Rusty Nail" is a pub that serves primarily the local miners. Meanwhile, "The Bitten Coin" is the tavern that also serves as one of the local inns. If you’re looking for fancier fare go somewhere else you can find some slightly more stately restaurants toward the harbor.
⁂ "The Tossed Dagger" serves some delicious local fish dishes, and "Gordo’s Big Biscuits" is somewhat self-explanatory.
⁂ Most of the entertainment here is bar-fights and somewhat crude performances given the local’s preferences, but you can certainly find comfort at the inn if you’re not looking to mix with rowdy miners and fishermen.

Enjoy your time!

Kobold Chaos

Rusty Bucket Bay by Grant Kirkhope

1:07 / 3:P57

▶︎

Click here to listen.

Grant Kirkhope is a Scottish composer and voice actor for video games and film. Some of his notable works include GoldenEye 007, Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong 64, and Perfect Dark, among many others.

code

The kobolds mentioned are plentifully packed in a barely-seaworthy hunk of metal ship that serves as their maritime clown-car. It is being tugged along by a far more... ship-looking ship. These creatures are hyperactive, will yip your ears off about nothing, and are all too excited to receive any metal or 'shiny bits' and will parade around with it like little peacocks proudly. That said, they are friendly (even if somewhat annoying or tiring for lengths of time).

If asked, they will happily tell you that the scrap is not only to repair their ship but also to build an effigy to their god: the "Arsenal Dragon." When pressed on this, they will say their god is indeed a very real person. He was another one of the great heroes that saved the land! He had ascended to divinity at the end of his journey and is currently helping to rebuild the otherwise desolate north. They will then proceed to gush about how cool and amazing and strong and great he is.

Did they mention great? And strong? And cool? Oh, and amazing!

There are two kobolds running an official trade-in booth hastily constructed on the beach. They have (barely legible) nametags.

"Mung", reads the tag in front of a red and cream kobold with gold horns. "Liberius", meanwhile, is a squat, white creature with thick glasses that looks like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown at all times.

You can trade scrap metal and they will give you a random magical-or-interesting item of equal value. While can gather as much scrap as you wish, but please keep it to one trade-in per character. Everyone that helps out can report so to Mung and Liberius here and receive - in addition to their item - a bit of reputation as well as five (5) bond points to use for activity rewards.

LIGHT 'EM UP

Once the sun begins to set, offworlders are encouraged to head down to the harbor for a fireworks show on the water as promised. They are gifted sparklers of whatever color they choose and given the option to buy larger fireworks of their own if so desired. It can be noted that any purchased with the gold provided by Charlie have a unique logo branding on them that is separate from the town of Hast. This is a personal investment, it seems, versus helping the town proper.

If questioned, the proprietor herself - Hoshiko - will make an appearance. She wears a long, furred cloak that covers most of her body from view and shields her from the cold. "Look, a lady has to make money in this world somehow," is all she’ll say with a cheeky sort of smile. However, anyone that comes across her is free to make a perception check to notice that they have less gold than before.

If successful (a roll of 12 or higher), Hoshiko will congratulate them on their quick catch and return the gold then. If unsuccessful, they’ll find (most of) the gold returned and a note at the end of the night that simply reads: "Thanks! Here’s your change."

Other than the brief encounter, the captain seems mostly preoccupied with making a magnificent display of pyrotechnics. They launch from her ship and dance across the sky for quite some time before a large finale. Any stray sparks or potential fire hazards are to be expected, whether from her own show or careless handling of other fireworks, but thankfully they have a plan for that too.

A large, white dragon will put out any fires with a powerful blast of frost breath. Sorry if you get caught in the chill! It doesn't seem too concerned with that so much as stamping out any flames before they can spread. "Find someone to warm you up!" it will laugh (in a perhaps familiar voice) before moving on.

Notes

⁂ Hello and happy new year! Welcome to Children of Bahamut's second test drive meme! If you have any questions, suggestions, or feedback then feel free to ask here.

⁂ We have a top-level directory for folks this test drive for ease of finding ones to tag into! We also ask that you please mention though if you are a current or new player in your top-level.

(Example header: character name | canon | current/new player )

⁂ Additionally, we have a separate top-level for rockstar profiles for people to post if they want to participate in an easier icebreaker texting option!

⁂ A reminder that TDM threads can be used for activity rewards even if the other person does not end up claiming and joining the game!

⁂ Full Navigation ⁂

Comments

[snapp_crackle]

"Huh? Tome as in spell book? What kind of maniac has a book out in a fight? You're supposed to learn all the spells you need before you need to use them."

The upside of not having any of his usual friends here is that none of them can call him out for hypocrisy.

"You're even funnier than all those people who come from that square grapes world."

[aisandfyr]

As someone who started her adventuring career as one of those maniacs bringing a book to a fight, Aisthota must defend her honor!

"They're not spell books! They're compendiums of arcane geometry! They have to be drawn very precisely with aetherically conductive ink, it's not like you can draw them in the middle of combat!"

[snapp_crackle]

"Books that you can draw spells into and then cast later. But... not spellbooks."

It sounds like a neat idea. Sure, it's no magic bullet gun, but neat. Also, very much not his personal style, he's hard on equipment.

"What happens if you draw them wrong, do they blow up or something?"

[aisandfyr]

Look, a notebook might have text in it for reference, but that doesn't make it a textbook!!!

"Well, it depends on how it's wrong. If it's just a tiny bit off, it'll only make the spell weaker, but if it's off by a lot, it'll change the effect. It could blow up! Or it could not blow up, when blowing up is what you wanted!"

They're mostly attack spells, after all.

[snapp_crackle]

This is the kind of enthusiasm that comes with experience.

"Hey, is this something you do, drawing attack spells?"

She's the hugest woman that Popp has ever seen and he has been assuming she's some kind of warrior type. If she's a mage he'll eat his headband and he's not saying that out loud just in case she is!

[aisandfyr]

"Me? I understand the math behind the geometry and I could cast the spells if I had a tome on me, but I don't have the equipment to draw any of it from scratch. Like I said, it's complex!"

Get munching, Popp.

[snapp_crackle]

"That sounds like a huge pain! What happens if your book gets wrecked in a tough fight? You have to get someone to draw all of it all over again?"

If you can't do your main thing without a weapon, that makes you a Warrior, probably. That's science taxonomy.

[aisandfyr]

"It's like any other weapon. Even if you don't carry a spare, it shouldn't be difficult to find a replacement for sale somewhere. The geometry's complex, but it isn't custom to the caster. In that sense, it's a lot simpler to make than most other weapons! You and I could use a tome of the same size, but can you imagine trying that with a sword?"

Popp would die, probably.

[snapp_crackle]

A sword sized for Popp would be a belt knife for this lady.

"I can use a sword of any size just fine - by giving it to someone who can actually handle one in a fight."

Someone who can actually- say! Popp suddenly goes from dismissive sass to outright perky.

"Hey, a sword made by some sort of Arsenal God with dragon powers would be just the thing for my pal Dai!"

[aisandfyr]

"That sounds like an excellent gift!" Aisthota smiles brightly, but it's replaced by a concerned look as she glances down at Popp's bag of scrap and the relative size thereof.

"I think you'd need to bring them a lot more scrap than that if you want to ask for something like that, though."

[snapp_crackle]

"C'monnnn, they're not going to give anyone a legendary sword just for picking up trash."

He doesn't want to pick up any more of it.

"I'd have to find them a fortress full of junk or something."

[aisandfyr]

"Hmmm." Aisthota shifts her own bag a little as she ponders it. "Maybe if you found an especially rare metal, that would help?"

[1/2]

[snapp_crackle]

Popp looks up - a long way up - at her and shoots her a supremely unimpressed look.

"Where am I going to find rare metal around here, those monster infested mines?"

[2/2]

[snapp_crackle]

"...!"

[aisandfyr]

"That's not a bad idea, so long as you can fight! Can you fight?" He made it clear he can't use a sword, but there are plenty of other ways to fight. "I can help if you want!"

[snapp_crackle]

"I can handle a fight with anything that hates having fire thrown at it. I'll go grab my staff and meet you there!"

He's out of the habit of taking a weapon with him around the clock, but Popp takes risking his safety seriously. This also gives Aisthota a convenient space of time to get her equipment in order and so forth.

[aisandfyr]

A staff and throwing fire, yeah, that confirms for sure that this kid's a mage. In that case, if it's just the two of them, she better go in with a focus on defense. Luckily, even if she couldn't bring her extra equipment with her to this new world, she still has (most of) her soul crystals, so it's just a matter of getting some replacement equipment. How convenient that she was given some gold coins to spend in this mining town! She can't get equipment of the kind of quality she's used to here, but that's ok. It's kind of nostalgic! The kind of stuff she'd use back in her early days of adventuring, before anybody ever thought of calling her a Warrior of Light.

When Popp meets her at the mine's entrance, she's changed into simple armor, with a sword at her side and shield on her back. She raises a hand in greeting and says, "I realized something while I was shopping! We never introduced ourselves! I'm Aisthota Fyrstaelwyn!"

[snapp_crackle]

Oh good, that's a proper classic warrior look. He can hide behind her - er, employ a formation for strategy reasons - if he needs to. Not that he plans to! It's just an option! He has his shining staff out and has swapped out his bulky winter layers for a cloak that's easier to move around in.

"And I'm Popp. If we run into anything too strong to take head on, I can pin it down with a gravity spell if you can buy me the time for it."

Rolled a 9

[aisandfyr]

"Oh, I'm not worried about that!"

Turns out she should be! Maybe it's because she's used to better equipment, or maybe the monsters are just tougher than what she's used to, or maybe there's just too many of them, or maybe two people just isn't a sufficient party size for a dungeon, but whatever the reason, Aisthota's finding it harder to manage than she was expecting. Good thing she has a healing spell as a Paladin, but her MP pool won't last forever. At least she's successfully keeping the monsters focused on her and not Popp.

But their chances of successfully finding any rare metal like this are not looking good.

Rolled a 19

[snapp_crackle]

With so much focus off of Popp, he's doing great! Plenty of time to concentrate on his spells without anything leaping at him, he's not getting bitten or having explosions go off in his face, he does have to dodge around whenever he goes down a tunnel and finds it full of aggressive creatures, but Aisthota's doing a great job getting their attention back on her every time he does this.

It still feels kind of low to be making a woman do all the hard parts of the fighting, even if he is not actively cowering behind her. Uuuugh, but she's twice his size and wearing heavy armor. It's fiiiiine.

Also, there's something interesting about the stalactite he's knocked down while Fizzling out a giant screaming bat.

"Aisthota! I'm going to check this out for a minute, watch my back!"

There he goes, flying up. It's not great for whatever formation they had going on.

[aisandfyr]

Popp is so lucky that Aisthota is not an adherent to the "you pull it, you tank it" philosophy. Because he is for sure not making her job any easier by running off ahead on his own and then dragging more monsters back to her like that. She's adjusting, but it's rough! This is why she usually lets Thancred or G'raha do this part!!!

"Make it quick!" she shouts back as she thrusts her blade into the giant less-screamy bat. Paladins are not known for their damage output and they've managed to garner quite a bit of attention.

[snapp_crackle]

Ohhh yeah. Popp's no miner, but the ore glittering away in the innards of the stalactite looks pretty good to him and to Senrik, who might just want to lie on it. He's certainly not going to remember where it was if they have to retreat.

Making it quick, as requested, certainly doesn't make it quieter. Some people have subtle object interactions and some people have a spell called Bang which is cast by shouting "Bang!" and is about as noisy as you would expect.

The stalactite takes out a creature on Aisthota's flank when it falls, and Popp follows up, fighting with the raw power of the elements. He's pretty good at what he does when he's actually paying attention to what he's doing.

"There! That ought to impress the little guys and then some!"