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vivalaooc2024-05-31 08:15 pm
vivalamods) wrote in vivalaooc2024-05-31 08:15 pm
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Test Drive Meme #1
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.
I. Arrival
[Aerich recalled as a young man, he had met a foreign prince who had spent time in Aerich's homelands as a serf, to learn enough of sorcery to have the advantage when he returned home. But that had been voluntary, with intention of leaving (even if the landowner had not known the status of the man from the east, nor his intention to leave). But it was a story he could hold onto, even if Aerich had met the man in the context of negotiating a treaty before the foreign army invaded.]
[Aerich gave a shrug to Sirius. By standards of the recent days, he was 'all right', but nothing about this situation was right, and he had been rather ill-treated since his arrival.]
I am well.
[Neutral, inoffensive. Aerich was a quick hand at languages even when learning them for fun. He'd also quickly assessed that he was talking to someone the locals considered of equal rank to him. If he was going to offend someone, he was going to do it on purpose and bear the consequences.]
no subject
The faint starry spark in his dull silver eyes flickered a bit brighter as he offered Aerich an apologetic smile.]
Perhaps that's a foolish question given our circumstances. I was worried you might have been hurt when you caught the guards attention earlier.
no subject
[Answer: yes, but not in a way that requires medical attention, but probably rest and better food than he is getting.]
no subject
That's a relief. I don't think we've met. I'm Sirius Uhr.
[He hesitated over his family name for a moment. It felt a bit strange to introduce himself as he would when he was a noble when he was being treated like a slave, but perhaps that's what he deserved.]
no subject
I am called Aerich.
[It was a comfortable alias he'd used when his family had been disgraced. And, easier to fall back into it; while the treatment is abhorrent, it seemed easier to bear if he didn't remember he was Duke of Arylle.]
[Pel would say it was a remarkably Yendi-like line of thought; but the appearance of dishonor was easier to handle when it fell on himself and not his ancestors and lands.]
no subject
It's nice to meet you Aerich.
[He sounded genuine although he wished it was under better circumstances.
He felt the same way about his family as well but it was also a bit more complicated. His home was destroyed so he didn't want his family name to be forgotten either.]
no subject
[He considers. On the one hand, his people don't go for family names beyond hereditary titles, but he knows of foreigners back home who use them, so is tolerably familiar with their address. Including that different countries order names differently. On the other, he also is currently experiencing a painful reminder that he is not at home. These Imperials (and he uses the local word, even in his head, because he is also from an Empire) might not care how the lowest class addresses each other, but it could bring on trouble for either of them.]
How do I call you, Sirius Uhr?
[Not a bad job mimicking the pronunciation for a first attempt.]
no subject
Ah, you can just call me Sirius.
[Clinging to formalities felt strange here and he was in desperate need of friends right now.
It wasn't a bad attempt at all, although the way his name sounded foreign on Aerich's tongue was a painful reminder that his home was gone. His starry eyes flickered brighter with the ache in his chest but he pushed it aside with a faint smile.]
no subject
[This gets a polite bow, such as one would give an equal.]
the snail returns! sorry I'm late
Let me know if there is something I can help you with. I know it isn't much given our circumstances but that all the more reason to look out for each other.
[Which was his subtle way of letting Aerich know that he could ask for help if he needed it. Whether he chose to accept it was up to him.]
No worries!
I do not know what I am doing wrong. And... I wish to survive to return home.
[He's not sure about that last one. There are things he won't sacrifice for his own life, but his own people need the warning of something capable of kidnapping their citizens to other words. That is a greater weight, so he is more careful about what concessions he will and will not make.]