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

3

[splitinvain]

If he was honest, Vere was less here for the conversation and more for the warmth. Even with the room filled with the masses, he could not shake the chill from his bones, and only the warmth of the fireplace helping stop the subtle shakes of his thin frame. In reference to the mixed company he had removed his gloves, his hat, and his great coat, revealing the ink etched into the skin of his hands, the signet ring of jade and gold on his left hand, and a high collar that does little to hide more ink on his neck. As Fitzjames finishes one tale, Vere raises his glass - maybe in acknowledgment though there's a hint of mockery in the curve of his lips - and downs his drink.

"Well told, good sir," he says, setting his glass aside. "Truly you had... adventures enough for one man."

Re: 3

[endofvanity]

The story was a familiar one: how a Russian sniper had nearly killed him at Sevastopol. He tells it well, and one could be forgiven for thinking there's some embellishment, but in fact Fitzjames always hews as closely as possible to the bare facts of the events as he remembers them.

"Enlisting in the Navy directly before the Crimean War was perhaps not a wise decision, but it certainly proved to be an adventurous one," Fitzjames replies with a wry smile, and there's more than a little self-deprecation in his tone.

[splitinvain]

"Youth is never wise," Vere replied. "But how are we to learn if we do not test our wings outside of what our parents wish for us?"

His adventures could also be considered being from his own youthful arrogance, but in all honesty, Vere had expected the disasters that had fallen on him. No one sane would consider such a long voyage on a small leisure vessel like he did. It was his luck that kept them all from death during the months before the pirates were involved.

"Do you regret it?"

[endofvanity]

A small frown flickers across Fitzjames's brow at the mention of parents, but it's quickly replaced by his usual jaunty smile.

"Not a bit. The war notwithstanding, the Royal Navy has been good to me."

[splitinvain]

"Royal Navy? I had thought of joining myself, but my closest kin are in the regiments and wouldn't hear of it. So, I decided on a life of leisure."

A flickering self-mocking smile crossed his face most likely at the idea of him attempting to serve in any capacity. He had height and was quick, but his thin frame and the ever-present cane at his side told of a long illness, possibly even one starting during his childhood. Vere dismissed his words with a flick of his tattooed fingers, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, that is what my father calls it, but in truth I am a Scholar collecting stories from far-away lands."

[endofvanity]

"Indeed? What manner of stories and what manner of lands?" Fitzjames leans forward a little, genuinely curious.

[splitinvain]

"Whatever suits my fancy, if truth be told," he said with a lazy aristocratic drawl. "Mostly I write tales told to me by natives, by sailors and pirates. Sometimes I may end up having to face their challenges in order to hear them, which is how I got these -" he held up his hands, left facing palm out and right back showing the loops and swirls on both. "- the native who gave me these knew stories of her people's gods but said they were best told with ink and I let her have at will."

He curled his hands, looking at the tattoos on them before shaking his head.

"It was worth it of course, but waiting for them to heal so I can grasp a pen again was pure torture. As to where I traveled, I started in Greece and then took a ship around Cape Horn and spent a few years in the South Pacific until my illness caught up to me."

[endofvanity]

"Extraordinary," murmurs Fitzjames, leaning further forward so that he can get a better look at the tattoos. "The South Pacific is a region largely unknown to me, I must say. After the Crimea, I served on various ships sailing around Europe and the Americas, and then I joined an expedition to the African interior. I hope to find my way to the Far East someday, however. Perhaps after I return to England from my current tour."

[splitinvain]

"There are so many people, so many different customs. I had thought I knew enough only to find myself in the company of those different than the ones I've met before."

He flexes his fingers, tilting his hands so the fire lights on the tattoos, the strange swirls and lines forming disquieting shapes - one looking like a large cat's paw was reaching out, the other talons. Another turn and the shapes were hidden in the lines and loops that slices up under the cuffs of his sleeves.

"I've been through the lower part of the Far East. The land is lovely and the people are so extraordinary. I wish I was able to linger there as well... I do hope you get your wish to see the Far East. It is worth the time, I think."