elnyan | ❪ test drive #4 ❫

YOUR STORY BEGINS

The Storm came. You only remember darkness, but you don't remember much after that.

All you know, perhaps, is that it was cold. You don't know for how long you slept, but the dreams were short, at least. You remember the expanse of stars and the universe that came in view. Every world and solar system ever known was displayed in your dreams in careful, pristine detail. You have also witnessed The Storm, which has devoured a fair portion of these galaxies. It was a dark, thick smog — ominous in appearance and ever foreboding.

Your Earth and similar planets were immersed in The Storm. Somehow, you knew it would be the last you'd see of it. That was when she told you what happened, and how you could help. You knew that you'd be living somewhere new, even though you never asked for it. The details here weren't clear, but you knew you'd made a deal with Darma.

Not long after, you'll wake at Thesa Station — your body is still cold.

It all felt like a dream, but somehow, you knew it wasn't — now, will you keep that promise you made to Darma?

PROMPT: THE STORM

CW: death
You were awake on Thesa Station. But at some point you, like many other new arrivals before you, wandered into the Observation Deck. Ordinarily, this is where images of The Storm are replayed to remind Refugees of the fate they have escaped.

The Natha Orbiters' technology has evolved. They are aware of your gaps in memory. You may have doubts of The Storm even existing, or of your world's destruction. Though they do not wish reliving those last moments on anyone, they have created an experience that will do just that. Before entering the Observation Deck, you are warned that what follows will not be for the weak of heart. As soon as you step in, you will find that the walls around you begin to transform and expand.

Welcome to the Planet Cespi, in the Circinus Galaxy. Unfortunately, we were not able to save this world from The Storm's Consumption. These are its last memories.

You are surrounded by blue, grassy hills as far as the eye can see and a pleasant breeze. The atmosphere is thick with a sickly sweet smell. Before you lays the scene of a quiet village, with its residents going about their everyday lives. You aren't alone, either, with an equally confused stranger (or perhaps you know each other?) surveying the scene.

Then the world grows completely silent for a full minute. You and your partner are unable to make a sound, verbal or otherwise. Without warning, a deafening roar fills your ears and forces you to double over in pain. The villagers run out of their homes in a panic, finding themselves in just as much pain and confusion as you do. Where there was no sound before, now there is too much for a normal human body to process.

Look up. An expanding mass of energy is swallowing everything you can see. It consumes the earth, the atmosphere, the depths of space — and it is getting closer.

Your only hope is to outrun it, if you can. The people in the village certainly try to, racing past you. Their fear is very real. Their bodies are very real. You may be able to run from it for a time, only able to catch glimpses of this dark and sinister force swallowing everything and everyone. The earth rumbles and separates beneath you. Electricity surges through the sky, and then through your very body.

You fought hard, but it is impossible to outrun the Storm forever. You too will be consumed. Your death is quick, but not painless. What were you thinking, before you took your last breath?

You awaken back in the Observation Deck, next to your new friend.

PROMPT: TRAINING MODULES

While it’s all nice and well to familiarize oneself with Thesa Station, it is most advised that new arrivals venture out a bit. Not physically. No one is quite prepared for that yet. However, there will be several virtual reality training programs set for those who dare to be adventurous. For those who aren’t and don’t dare, well — good luck, all the same. Once seated and appropriately strapped in, the system will automatically whir to life.

1. When you enter the Natha's newest program, at first nothing loads. You might think this is an error as you look around in apparent total darkness, only able to see your own virtual body if you look down, but soon enough a voice comes to life as if speakers have turned on somewhere.

Long ago, the lands of El Nysa were dominated by the ancestors of the dragons who now live among the people, tamed. It was pretty dangerous! How about a little history lesson?

And then the simulation comes to life—

a. The lush lands that blossom to life around you all at once are real enough to make you forget you're in a simulation — at least for a moment. Those refugees who have been to the planet in reality before will find themselves in territory as unfamiliar as those who are brand new, as this simulation takes place far back in history. Instead of sprawling cities and civilizations, the most you'll find is scattered villages, many of them no more than nomadic campsites at best. You've been outfitted to blend in with the natives and these simulated people won't react to you as a newcomer, but as a member of their village. Are you a doctor, or perhaps a warrior? Maybe you're even in charge! But they want your help, and they want it quickly: a dragon is coming.

The dragon is larger than the mount-sized breeds that exist on El Nysa today — much larger. It's a good six stories in height, bestial, and angry. Maybe it's then that you notice the lands that surround you are littered with scars of scorched earth, some of them several yards across, and there's a reason these people don't live in one place for very long. But don't linger too long on the makeshift grave markers sticking out of the burnt countryside — the dragon is coming.

b. If you're looking for something a little less violent, perhaps another area of the historic simulation will be up your alley. This one finds you on a cliffside, waiting among other villagers for an event the people are talking about in hushed whispers, some of which you can identify as prayer. When the white dragon raises its head up from the depths of the ravine, towering impossibly high over you and the others on the cliffside, it's no wonder most of the natives fall to their knees in awe and wonder. This dragon doesn't attack, only looks at the people on land with an ancient and strange wisdom.

Then it speaks. Not in words, but the low rumbling sound that starts in its throat and becomes a full trumpeting bellow to the sky seems to have meaning, and somehow, you can understand its cry as it entreats the people to praise and worship. The natives around you are already starting to give offerings with their prayers, food and carvings and — blood? Is that someone's arm being offered up?

That's different.

2. Let us now travel forward in time, shall we?

a. The Olympian settlement around you is quiet — until the screaming starts.

Guerilla fighters from Wyver flood the streets, knocking civilians aside and breaking down doors and windows when they find their way barred. They move methodically, advancing toward the nicer parts of town where the politicians reside and leaving terror in their wake.

They're here for the politicians, people say. They're here to punish the people who made the decision to advance into Wyver in the first place. Blood for blood, as the saying goes. Where they'll be taking them once they have them is anyone's guess. A soldier emerges from a building, dragging someone in elegant clothing out by the hair. Looks like they've found one.

Will you rescue them? Make a run for it yourself, lest you be mistaken for one of their targets? Or maybe they've already caught you and some other unfortunate Refugee who's been dropped into this simulation, and the two of you need to figure out a way to escape.

b. CW: branding
You find yourself in the midst of a bustling crowd gathered at the Temple of Thesa. Robed acolytes stoke fires on either side of the altar at the front of the temple, where miserable-looking people who seem to be from a village in Wyver await, bound in ropes.

The priest, at the front of the crowd, picks up a metal brand from the altar and gestures for another acolyte to bring a prisoner forward. The crowd watches with interest as the prisoner is forced to kneel in front of the altar, their arm laid out flat on the marble surface.

Another cry — "For the glory of Olympia!" — and the crest of the city is burned into the prisoner's arm.

The crowd cheers, deafening the cries of pain. The priest ushers forward another prisoner, and then another. Is that a familiar face you see in the lineup, thrust into this bit of history by the simulation's whims? You have to do something. Or are you unlucky enough to find yourself bound? ...Well, hopefully someone else in the crowd has more scruples than this priest.

3. And now, the present.

After all those enlightening scenes, the simulation finally brings you to a more quiet area of Olympia. You are deposited out somewhere in The Outlook, a place the very first group of refugees had to trudge through before they found their homes. You've arrived in the early evening — but sunlight is waning, and soon you'll be under a sky full of stars. Luckily, their old campsites aren't too overgrown.

The intention here is to get you familiar with some of the local flora and fauna. What sorts of plants will you encounter? Do you find yourself under a Verillum Tree, suddenly compelled to be painfully honest and truthful in conversation with a complete stranger? Find yourself behaving erratically in the presence of Whistleweed? Or perhaps you'll have to break the spell of being trapped in a Vena Amoris' vines... with a kiss.

PROMPT: STASIS UNIT

You have found the massive section of Thesa known as the Stasis Unit. There’s no special access required to enter this part of Thesa Station, but refugees are warned that it may not be for the faint of heart. Here, in large pods that nearly cover every square inch of the space, are all of the people the Orbiters have managed to rescue. Your loved ones, your greatest enemy, your next door neighbor — you might find them here. These people are in a state of deep cryosleep. Due to the damaging effects of The Storm, their bodies are not yet ready to be awoken.

PROMPT: OMAGE

Upon receiving your mobile phone, you will be asked to set a username. Voila, you can now access the network! You can choose to send a message to the entire network, specific usernames, or you can try out the Orbiters’ service, Omage, which connects you to a random user. They thought this might be a good way for their new guests to make friends with each other...

Connecting to server...
Looking for someone you can chat with...
You’re now chatting with [username]... Say hi!

PROMPT: WILDCARD

You are welcome to write any scenarios in Thesa Station! Characters have been granted temporary access to the Observation Room, and are encouraged to study it carefully.

FINAL OOC NOTE

These threads may be carried over as game canon if players choose! Players are encouraged to submit TDM threads as application samples, but they are not required. Please direct any OOC questions to the questions thread below! An AC-length thread may be submitted for 2 NATHA ORBITER REPUTATION POINTS after acceptance here. Please submit by February 18th.

We will no longer be providing overflow posts. In an event where the post hits CAPTCHA, players are advised to move threads to an overflow post on their character journals or create their own catch-all post. These threads remain eligible for REP.

There will be an application cap of 60, and no reserves. Please read here for more information.

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I) TRAINING MODULES

[ this entire situation is a bit of a whirlwhind, but that's far from unordinary at this point.

reinhardtzar resigns to uncovering what he can about his surroundings as opposed to protesting — however, the opportunity to train, to get in on a bit of the action is far too enticing.

so here he is, blade in tow, dragon beckoning him forward. he turns back to you, something of a grin on his face: ]

Been a while since something's gotten my blood pumping like this. [ he gives you a cursory lookover. ] If you're getting cold feet, now's the time to leave.

II ) OLYMPIA

a)

[ guerrilla fighters. a universal constant, he supposes. the chaos is more of a nuisance than it is a thrill, and while the situation is understandable, it's far from picturesque.

so reinhardtzar steps forward, making his through the crowd. his disposition is calm in spite of the circumstances. ]

Ey!

[ well. that's one way of getting your attention. ]

I know a thing or two about taking matters into your own hands — but as sweet as the taste of revenge may be, as the sight of blood on your fingertips is in this moment, you need to consider what you're doing. What this means for the future of every single person in this crowd right now.

[ he crouches next to the noble, beckoning the soldier to drop them. ]

Let 'em speak first. Bartering over beating.

b)

[ wow. bizarre cults, yet another constant.

it's likely that you'll find reinhardtzar next to you, silent as he does nothing more than fold his arms, watching from a distance. both suddenly and quietly, without turning his gaze to you: ]

Still interested in dawdling there, or are you going to help me take these bastards down already?

WILDCARD)

[ who said the unknown wasn't beautiful in of itself?

reinhardtzar's features are benign; in this moment, he finds himself immersed in the subtle hues and tints of the forestry. choose a plant, any plant, idc. ]

How could I? [ He's only got just the one, which he glances at before looking away. Ominously. ] It's all just imaginary to begin with. No point in getting spooked when the real thing's long gone.

[ And it's the stuff of fairy tales, at that. ]

Edited 2018-01-26 21:47 (UTC)

[

they've been trekking in the first for a while now. sometimes vane is genuinely struck by the parallels of plant life. it made him feel marginally more connected somehow. in some vague, nebulous way he couldn't even begin to describe, that is. then again, eloquence had never been his strong suit. regardless, it's actually nice to just walk around without a sense of urgency or somewhere to be.

hence, vane can be found holding two small black cats. he seems to be holding them in the opening of his shirt as he brings them up to reinhardtzar. ] Rein! Look at this! I found a whole bunch of them up on that tree! [ two, he found two. and aren't those supposed to be bad luck?

well, this probably shows when his shirt just rips and the cats go running to reinhardtzar.

oh, well. he tried. ]

[ Cain's an old hand at the VR training modules by now. They're strange still, this technology that's akin to magic, illusion rising around him. But it's useful, and interesting, and when it becomes apparent that there's something of the planet's history to learn from this particular module, he's ready to dive in. There's so many useful things to learn from a place's history, after all, with enough digging.

But seeing who he's partnered up with for this jaunt in VR— ]

Reinhardtzar? [ He's blank with shock, staring, his fingers gone lax on his sword. ]

[ Lancelot's posture is stiff as he stands in his silence, watching. Like the other, he doesn't avert his gaze when he offers his response. The only movement from him is the slow curling of his first by his side. ]

Do you have a plan?

[ When Reinhardtzar beckons to someone it's not directed at Crowley, or at least he doesn't perceive it as such considering the vampire is putting attention into his own actions. Cutting down a handful of Wyver soldiers before he catches the distinct contrast between bloodshed and chaos; careful advancement accompanied by a light word of peace rather than destruction. Perhaps if he were human he'd commend him, but being so far away from that he chuckles lightly.

It's but a simulator, after all, at least he's aware of that.

Surprise. Crowley's here to ruin everything and just stab his sword straight into the soldier's chest... from behind... because i know u like it like that.

Limp and lifeless, the Wyvern soldier drops their hold on the Olympian civilian before they scamper off. ]

Talking is useless with these folk, they're thick. [ Like thick headed. Not THICC can you tell that i'm tired. ] All your advice is just going in one ear and out the other, so unless you want to waste your breath it's better for you to pick a side.

[ There's only so much that she can take of this kind of thing, and while she's gotten better at not rushing in to solve people's problems for them, it's not without spending an absurd amount of willpower.

So when Reinhardtzar mentions the possibility of doing something productive, the blond looks at him from the corner of her eye, a faint smirk on her lips. Okay, now you're talking her language. ]

I thought you'd never ask.

[ Let's bust some skulls, new friend c: ]

Edited 2018-01-27 23:21 (UTC)

[Cold feet?

Takasugi looks around - scorched earth frames them. What remains of past attacks is fragile, already dead, ready to dissolve on the wind. Much of it does, a gust from the beast's wings spreading ash in the air around them.

He chuckles.] I don't think cold feet are going to be a problem.

[The dragon looms, a crest of fire spewed into the sky heralding its first attack.

Armed though he is, Takasugi doesn't draw his sword as eagerly as his companion.] Got a plan?

[Not that having one is a necessity - 'run at the thing and kill it' is completely acceptable.]

Cold feet? Not in the slightest.

[For her part, she looks remarkably unruffled as she stares up at the approaching dragon. She raises the crystal-tipped chain she's holding onto and gives it a twirl, then nods once.]

Shall we begin?

[ Reinhardtzar's is a face he's seen before, but knows very little about. Whatever he was going to ask will have to wait until the simulation ends, because this requires immediate attention. This is a bigger dragon, a much more destructive one, than any of the ones he's seen in Wyver. Although he knows deep down that this is nothing more than a very realistic re-imagining of events, injuries in the simulation still hurt like a bitch, and he isn't keen to fail. ]

And let you return and claim all of the credit? I think not.

[ He has already drawn Lohengrin and conjured the flames around his blade. There's really no best way to try taking on a six-story dragon, so the direct approach may be best. They have only a few more moments if Rein wants to try another idea.

Actually he doesn't wait that long, already making his way towards the beast. ]

❪ test drive #4 ❫

reinhardtzar | granblue fantasy

no subject

dog piles on you

surprise chump (training modules)

IIb.

eyyyyyyyyy we like to paaaaaaaaaartyyyyyyyy

reinhardtzar are you hitting on her — II-b

i

training modules!

I