Test Drive Meme #1

[vivalamods]

TEST DRIVE #1

The day begins as any other, you’re going about your day, living your life, when, without warning, you feel the world around you shift on its axis. You feel a great tear, welling from the depths of your soul as you are ripped from all you have known. If you’re lucky, you arrive in the wilderness of an unfamiliar world, where the language is foreign and the people are hostile. To make your escape, you must learn some language, flee, and occasionally fight, all to find your way off the floating isles you find yourself on and to the great ocean below, where rebel forces will welcome you.

If you’re unlucky, you materialize within a room full of armed guards and are quickly subdued with charged nets, stripped of your belongings, fitted with strange devices that suppress your powers and pressed into servitude. Your days are unimaginable pain and toil.

Fortunately, even in this world, there is still hope. For the denizens of this world have not given up. And it is for that dream of salvation that the Crimson Corsairs raise their flags and sail - for liberation. Perhaps you are one who has lived their entire life under the oppressive yoke of the Empire. Perhaps you have seen first hand your family and friends cut down by nobles hunting men for sport, or perhaps you have run afoul with the church and barely escaped with your life. No matter your origin, the Corsairs sail for you, for your freedom, for your life. And today, a taste of freedom will be won for all.


ARRIVAL/LIBERATION
This month, the Crimson Corsairs raided a Larendt labor camp in order to obtain much-needed parts and textiles as well as liberate another batch of servants for the cause. The raid was executed under the cover of night, with one team sweeping the dormitories and gathering as many servants as they could while the other team hit factories as they could, focusing on taking important items like ship parts and clothing, loading them into prepared trams and fleeing before the guard could mobilize. The operation, thankfully, went off without a hitch, and the Corsairs were able to usher a number of servants into their waiting ships.

As dawn breaks, the raiding fleet docks at Flotsam as the city-fleet begins the long journey away from the continent before a retaliation fleet can be mobilized. The former servants are finally let above deck. The sun is beating down hard on them, its brilliance marking their first step into freedom.

Corsairs on the fleet will have a lot to do - the new arrivals will need to be sorted, clothed, and fed. Many are emaciated from the conditions in the labor camp, and the former servants will be immediately ushered to a mess hall for their first meal as free folk. Corsairs will be needed to organize the movement, prepare and serve the food, and also just sit with them and talk to them, helping them adjust and filling them in on the situation.

Former servants will have found the entire process exhausting to say the least. They were awoken in the dead of night by heavily armed people quickly moving through, shattering their chains and ushering them into ships. The entire night was spent sailing, and while the hull is dark it is crowded and difficult to sleep in. Finally, upon arrival they are ushered into a meal hall and served a humble meal - but a meal that far exceeds anything that was ever served at the servant’s table. What is known is that they are now free.


MEANWHILE IN THE WATERLOGGED ROW…

With another successful mission under their belt and their duties more or less complete, the triumphant Corsairs observe a time-honored tradition: heading to the Waterlogged Row and getting absolutely shitfaced on awful grog.

The mood is jubilant and self-congratulatory, with drinking songs ringing out across Flotsam. In consideration to other residents, the Row is currently moored a good distance from the residential areas to keep the celebrations from disturbing what little peace there is in the chaotic town that is Flotsam. But for those who participated in the mission, tonight is about celebration. Singing, storytelling, socializing, this is the glue that holds the operations team together. And as the Crimson Corsairs do not officially recognize a drinking age, everyone is welcome! Even if they probably shouldn’t be!

New arrivals are, of course, not at all restricted so those who finish their meal and go exploring will quickly find the Row, as well as many Corsairs eager to buy them a pint to toast their newfound freedom.


MAKING THE GOOD STUFF

Elysium often serves as the crux of Corsair operations, and the next operation is no different. While the operations team is carousing and toasting their success, the planning team is hard at work preparing for the next mission.

The order of the day is gathering, which has brought the team to the forests outside of Elysium. In the coming month, Elysium will host a lavish party for the guards of a certain continent, and it is the duty of the gatherers to ensure that any drink served is “enhanced”, with such potency that they won’t be in any position to do their duty when the raiders strike.

Any herbology specialists will be absolutely vital for this operation. While the Corsairs have some documents and know, generally, what they’re looking for, there are a wide variety of things that grow within the forest, many of which can be quite dangerous.

Those new to gathering will really need to watch their step. Elysium is rich in hallucinogens, and a whiff of the wrong flower or mushroom could leave them contemplating their navel for the next hour. Tasting is out of the question, but what they don’t know can’t hurt them right? After all, the Elysium workers spend a lot of time eradicating poisoned growths to keep wandering nobles safe so anything they find can’t be THAT bad. Right?

And of course, for experienced foragers, they will find an entirely new duty thrust upon them - keeping the newbies in line. Really, how can they expect anything productive to be done when they send a bunch of green recruits into a forest full of hallucinogens?


EDUCATION AS THE BOMBS FALL

New Corsairs almost always find themselves in the Vault. Nestled in the earth and subject to the constant pounding of munitions overhead, the Vault is the repository of knowledge for the Crimson Corsairs and the place where new inductees are educated. Language instruction, education on the world and its people, writing, reading, arithmetic, just about any kind of learning can be done in the Vault’s halls.

Notable about the Vault’s education is how deeply tied it is to the Crimson Corsair’s broader philosophy - everyone’s unique talents and insight have value. As such, Corsairs are often called to the Vault to share their specialized expertise. While many Corsairs do choose to become full-time teachers, any Corsair can come and teach a class.

For the new Corsairs, now is a time to learn and train, acclimate themselves to their situation and figure out where they want to go from here. For established Corsairs, this is an opportunity to meet the new recruits and help train them so they can help with the cause. Those who might be students today will be comrades standing at your side tomorrow, so teach them well.


DANGER AT SEA

As the most mobile of the Corsair’s settlements and the only obvious Imperial target, Flotsam is well equipped to deal with any number of dangers. One such danger is the enormous sea monsters who dwell within the Eternal Ocean. While many are not too keen to tangle with such a large fleet, occasionally a monster will become angry or territorial enough to try to attack the fleet.

And it is for that reason that the Corsairs now find themselves battling a massive sea serpent that has stretched itself across the western edge of the fleet. New Corsairs aren’t expected to assist in this battle, but as the sinking of Flotsam would be VERY BAD for those who are currently trying to live on it, many will jump in anyway, especially as they should have been issued weapons. As to established Corsairs, well, you know the drill by now. Monster bad, try to sink ship, let’s convince it that there are easier marks than the pride of the Corsair fleet.

Some Corsairs will need to man the cannons to blow it away, but many will get up close and personal, jumping into melee range to drive it away from the ships and mitigate as much damage as they can. Others still will provide support from the back with magic or ranged weaponry, and still others will need to weave their way in between the battle to carry out wounded Corsairs for medical attention. Whatever your specialty, your city needs you. Best get to work.


WILDCARD

Have an idea for your own prompt? Feel free to make any prompt that you think would fit!

OOC
Welcome to the first Test-Drive Meme for Viva La! All threads here may be considered canon once characters have entered the game. Threads here are eligible for use as a roleplay sample for applications, which will open on the 15th of June at midnight.

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Comments

[snizier]

[Jamil hadn't meant to fall asleep right then. He hadn't meant to stay asleep, either, figuring he'd wake up after an hour or so at most and then he could gently extricate himself from Kalim's hold without waking him and spend the rest of the night on the floor with enough room to breathe and deal with Kalim's hurt feelings in the morning. After all, he hadn't gotten a good night sleep since he'd been dragged here, why should tonight be any different?

Jamil's eyes open with a snap when he realizes sunlight is already coming through the window--he'd slept through the entire night without realizing it. He jolts up immediately, forgetting to care about not waking up Kalim, and goes through a quick, panicked catalogue of the night's damages--none, apparently. The band never activated, nobody tried to break in or knock on the door in the middle of the night, they're both still here: none the worse for wear. Can it really be that easy?

The last thing to do is run through that magic exercise one more time, just in case there's been a change, which he does without even getting out of bed. The result is the same as before: a stable-enough flame, but at about a quarter of his usual output. So either they still don't think he's run off willingly or it just hasn't occurred to them to try messing with the band. Does that mean they're worried about him? That they're hoping he'll find his way back like a lost dog? That idea makes this stomach curl unpleasantly.]

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

[ Next to him Kalim stirs and yawns, but he keeps his eyes squeezed shut and presses his face into Jamil's side, at first -- sensing magic, though, he blearily cracks an eye open to watch Jamil conjure his subpar flame. The events of the previous night settle back in over him as he watches it flicker. He wasn't particularly tense when he woke up or anything, but remembering everything that's happened and seeing that Jamil is still here and nothing seems to have happened to him comes as a relief; he's able to relax in a way he hadn't quite realised he couldn't before. ]

Oh...good. It's still working the same as before, huh...

[ He detaches himself from Jamil a bit, but only so he can rub his eyes and stretch. ]

Did you sleep okay?

[snizier]

Fine. [Jamil doesn't actually want to talk about his sleep quality thanks!!! Now that he knows Kalim is awake, the fire goes out with a clench of his fist; he shrugs Kalim off and swings into a sitting position with his legs over the side of the bed, like he can't get up fast enough.]

We overslept, if anything. We don't have time to relax.

[Though if they haven't done anything with the band yet, they probably never will. Not before Jamil can get it off, hopefully. Still, it just... doesn't seem right to let his guard down.]

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

[ Kalim sits up, draping his arms over his knees, and frowns at Jamil's back. ]

I don't know, I think we can take it a little easy, if they still haven't done anything to your magic... I'll send a message, and then I could go get breakfast, if you want? D'you think you'll be okay on your own?

i love that icon. hes thonkin

[snizier]

[Jamil freezes in place at the question, already halfway off the bed. The typical response would be to laugh at him--does Kalim think Jamil will be okay on his own? Really?--but now fear lances through him at the prospect of Kalim leaving him alone, just as strongly as it did last night.

What is wrong with him? Clearly Kalim isn't a suspect or there'd have been a knock on the door long ago, and even if he was it would be more suspicious not to leave the room at this point. And it's definitely not like Jamil can go with him, because it is very likely that the Pyrmonts are still in the area and have people on the lookout for him. So... Kalim will have to leave, and Jamil can't think of a good reason to keep him here.

Jamil just doesn't want him to, because having him there takes some of the edge off of the terror and dread a little. And isn't that humiliating. Thankfully his face is already hidden from Kalim's line of sight.]

Of course. [He gets up the rest of the way out of bed, after way too long of a pause. Hopefully Kalim won't notice.] I don't need you to babysit me.

jostling that brain cell real hard

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

[ Kalim did notice, because he didn't take his eyes off Jamil for a second. He can't see his face from this angle, but still -- he's just on the edge of suggesting he doesn't actually have to go anywhere when Jamil replies. ]

Oh, cool, okay! I'll get changed, then... I didn't mean to fall asleep in my work clothes last night, haha, I just got really comfortable!

[ He climbs out of bed to open a trunk that sits on the floor next to it. ]

Hmmm, I don't really have a lot of different stuff, but if you want to wear something else so it's harder to recognise you, you can take what you want! Oh, and the bathroom's through there...

[snizier]

[Any of Kalim's clothes are going to be too small for Jamil, unless he managed to keep to the same billowy style that he favored so much back home. That's almost more conspicuous than clothing from a noble's budget... almost.]

Thanks.

[He'll look through it later, once Kalim's gone and he doesn't have to worry about scrutiny. Not that he thinks Kalim means anything by it, it's just... more comfortable without someone watching him. And it'll distract him when he has nothing else to do but sit and wait around again.

He tries not to sound too anxious when he asks:]

How long do you think you'll be gone?

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

[ The clothes Kalim has here are less extravagantly voluminous than they could be, but he does still prefer to dress pretty loosely, so Jamil might have some luck. The shirt he's unbuttoning now, the one he wore to work last night, fits a bit more smartly, but he has a few others that are roomier. ]

That depends! What do you want to eat? There's a place just outside the Staff Quarters that sells okay meat pastries, if I went there I'd probably be back in, um... Maybe fifteen minutes, if there isn't much of a line!

[ He's not great at estimating how long things take, but Jamil knows that; he can adjust accordingly. ]

[snizier]

[So at least half an hour in Kalim Time, and that's only if he doesn't get distracted by anything along the way; the odds of that happening are much higher if Jamil isn't with him. Jamil could be waiting for upwards of an hour if he's unlucky--but despite his own expectations, Kalim has been remarkably reliable so far. Could Jamil possibly hope that it extends to the morning?]

All right, just--don't do anything else, come right back after, okay? I don't have anything to remind you to stay on task.

[If he makes it about Kalim being scatterbrained it doesn't have to be about Jamil having separation anxiety!!!!]

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

[ Kalim gives him an earnest smile. ]

I will! It'd be no good if the food got cold, right?

[ He gets changed quickly and without incident, which he's pleased with -- despite doing this every day for the last couple of months he was a little bit worried that he'd mess something up really badly somehow, and Jamil would have to take care of it for him and conclude that he's doing a terrible job on his own. But it's fine! He doesn't even need Jamil's help to tie his bandana (admittedly much less fancy than his usual headwear) (probably still a bit wonky though).

That taken care of, he fishes his Ether-Net communicator out of the bottom of the trunk. ]

Okay! Let me send that message, and then I'll be right back.

[snizier]

[Jamil, of course, is not privy to the effort to which Kalim is going to appear self-sufficient. He fixes Kalim's headwear on pure impulse.]

How long will it be until we can meet with them?

[istandwithmycancelledwife]

Ah -- thanks.

[ The thing is it does feel nice to have Jamil do that, even if it's just force of habit. Kalim holds still for him without thinking about it. Still... he really thought he had it taken care of...

Ah, well. He sends off the message and pockets the communicator. ]

I'm actually not sure how long it'll take? I've never done this before, haha!