TDM The First

[lethevale_mods]

You probably know how this works, but just in case, here's the idea:

1. You put the name of the character you're testing out in the subject line
2. You write a starter (or several!) in the comment, with the Lethevale AU of your character.
3. People respond with their characters. Threads occur. Friendships are made. The world is put to rights.
4. None of the threads in the Test Drive are game-canon.

Here are some prompts to start you off!

1. Seeking Shelter

You were riding along the mountain road when your horse, terrified by some dark shadow you couldn't see clearly, screamed and bolted, throwing you. Now you're caught in the middle of nowhere, in Lethe Wood, and the rain is getting heavier by the minute.

But what's that? A light? A house? Perhaps if you knock, they'll give you a bed for the night. It'll all look better in the morning...

 

 

2. The Beast! The Terrible Beast!

You took all the precautions. You carried a lantern, kept to the safer streets. Or maybe you didn't. Either way, you were attacked by something as big as a horse, with gleaming white teeth and a hideous howl.

When you run into another person, will you warn them? Will you ask them for a hiding place, or stand and fight? If all else fails, maybe you can use them as live bait...

 

3. Eat, Drink, and Be Merry

Lethevale isn't all monsters and storms. Mostly, but not all. Tonight, there's a party in the Black Swan - dancing, music, and of course, an open bar. Take the chance to get to know your neighbours, why don't you?

4. Pay No Attention To The Passage Behind The Curtain

The two of you were just wandering around Lethe Hall, when you leant on a candlestick, and... what's this? The bookshelf's opened? There's a hole in the wall now, and a spiral staircase leading down into the dark. You know, it's probably best to just leave well enough alone - but you have to admit, it's curious...

COMMS	GENERAL INFO	NEW PLAYERS	CURRENT PLAYERS
main writings ooc mods mod npcs	rules setting premise faq/mod contact gameplay	reserves taken latest tdm application au workshop	contact (locked) hiatus/drop calendar latest hmd lethevale

Comments

[insufficientjewel]

Francis straightens up, stone in hand, as the echoes of the gunshot fade from the street, to be replaced by the creature's howls and whimpers. He keeps his eyes on the animal, wary of another attack - it is wounded, he thinks fatally, but that might not be enough to keep it from taking one of them down with it - as he moves slowly, giving the bloody cobbles around the beast a wide berth, towards the man with the gun.

"Are you hurt?" he asks, in a low tone, as he approaches. "Did it get to you?"

[endofvanity]

"No." Fitzjames is still clearly shaken, but there's something cold in his gaze now, and he seems only partly present. Almost mechanically, he steps forward toward the wounded beast, raises his gun again, and fires a shot into its head.

There may have been some question as to whether the previous wound was fatal, but this one definitely is.

[insufficientjewel]

Francis flinches a little, just a little, at the thunder of the gunshot, but he doesn't look away as the beast jerks and falls still, dark blood pooling in the street. For a moment, he just stands there, and then remembers that he's still holding the stone and lets it fall to the ground with a clatter.

"You look pale." It's all he can think to say. "Should we find our way inside, before anything worse can happen?"

[endofvanity]

Fitzjames feels a kind of shudder as he lowers the pistol and puts it away, and when he looks back at the other man, that cold, blank look is gone and he seems merely shaken and dismayed. "I think so. There's an inn nearby, is there not? Best not to linger."

He glances back down at the creature, steps away.

[insufficientjewel]

"Best not." Francis' voice is quiet, even a little apologetic; he sees that shaken look in the other man's face, and looks away, not wanting to embarrass him. He falls silent then, his gaze lingering, assessing the other man. Should he offer help, or will the stranger take that as an insult? It is so often so easy to overstep, to draw attention to feelings a man might more gladly conceal.

In the end, he nods, and starts towards the King's Head, matching his step to the other man's. "In any case, you are owed a drink, I think, for putting an end to that thing."

[endofvanity]

Fitzjames laughs softly, humourlessly. "A matter of happenstance. It could have been anyone; I simply happened to be both present and armed. But thank you; I will not say no."

[insufficientjewel]

"Good." Now it is Francis who laughs, low and rather sharp. "For I fear my own nerves could use the steadying, and I have to confess that I would as soon not walk alone." Indeed, now that the adrenaline is fading, he is clearly pale beneath his tan, and a little shaky. He is not afraid of blood, nor even of death, but the violence of this encounter is something he is ill-used to, and was not entirely prepared for.