empatheias_ooc | TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

— TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER —

Welcome to

empatheias' test drive meme. This test drive is to help interested players test their characters in the game's environment. We've included a few prompts that incorporate specific elements of the game, though you'll find all of them have a lot of leeway for players to get as creative as necessary. Before diving in, here are a few things we'd like to remind everyone about the game in general:

Date reminders. Reserves open Tuesday, October 25 and Applications (Canon | OC) open Tuesday, November 1st.
OC Reminder! Just a quick reminder that original characters are allowed. Those interested can also use the test drive. OCs do not need to be reserved.
Emotions are key! Empatheias' premise focuses on how anyone's emotions can affect their environment, be it big or small. While not every emotion will cause a reaction, significant ones definitely will. How much effect a character will have will ultimately be up to you, the player. Also, while we're giving a lot of leeway for the test drive, keep in mind that there will be some limits in the actual game.
Everyone has an amulet. All characters have a unique amulet that is specialized for them. It will contain all of their emotion drops and it serves as the network device. Remember, communication is telepathic. Otherwise, it works basically the same.
Assume the character is already in the game. Because "OMG WHERE AM I IS THIS REAL LIFE" threads aren't going to be very helpful in this test drive! Plus those are going to happen in-game, anyway. So to make things easier, just assume that they've been around at least a week or so. Still learning the ropes, but not a complete "first day" experience.
First or third person allowed. Your threads can be in either first or third, but we'd advise being flexible about it. Remember, these threads can also be used in your application for samples! Reminder: We only require one sample and it can be done in either format. We have also made a change to our sample requirements, so look over the Applications page!

Now with that out of the way, here are some prompts you guys can work from!

PROMPTS

• Prompt A: How about giving the emotions a try?

• Prompt B: Refer to the Task Board and choose a task your character may be interested in taking up. For this prompt, you could have your character ask for help, already be in the middle of the job, or react to it in some way. Perhaps they were an unfortunate victim or want to create a job countering an existing one. You could even have a prompt making a job request. Creating jobs for the purpose of the test drive is absolutely doable.

• Prompt C: How about giving the amulets a go? Start a telepathic conversation and see how it works. Remember, the amulets are sending out the owner's thoughts so might want to be careful about how the stream of consciousness goes...

• Prompt D: The Boreas Harvest Festival is fast approaching, and the farmers are trying hard to work through the bleak weather conditions to get their crops in before they go bad from all the apathy. All hands on deck—but there may be too many unwanted hands roaming around.

Scarecrows. The scarecrows that have been set up as a festive reminder of the time of year have unfortunately come under the influence of some errant strong emotions from the farm hands that work in the fields. Unfortunately that includes trying to ward off anyone who enters the fields with pitchforks and is one of them carrying a torch? Maybe if they can be convinced that you are trustworthy they will calm down.
Invading rabbits. There are ton of rabbits ravaging the carrot patches. They're easily frightened, but some are more tenacious than others. Beware of the white rabbit with red eyes.
Save the crops! Several batches are already starting to spoil! The only thing that can save them is dumping as much positive emotions into them. Joy of good food, hope for a bountiful meal, love of eating—whatever will work. Just be careful. Too much and those things might grow and explode…

• Prompt E: Aiada, the Arehtei of appreciation and jealousy, has sent a personal request for those who are interested. There is a small island just beneath Empatheias that she has been cultivating over the many centuries. She wishes to contribute to the Harvest Festival with some seeds and spores. However, the recent atmosphere has also reached down there, and now it's all a mess! Giant mushrooms replaced the trees and there's slime and mold everywhere. The cure? Aside from getting a lot of heavy duty cleaners and pushing it off, appreciation will go a long way to help.

Goop brigade. Grab that bucket and shovel and clear the goop out! Just be careful not to have too much get on you—jealousy might take over.
Appreciation balls. To help hasten the effort, Aiada has given several tubs filled with light, green orbs. Once channeled with enough appreciation, they can be used as mini-grenades to help explode and wash the area with more positive energy. Those caught in the blast won't be harmed. If anything, they'll just be very thankful.
Watch the ledges. Careful, it's a fairly small island and the goop and slime has made things slick. If you fall… That's not a good way to go, let's just say that.

• Prompt F: Various parties are interested in the emotion shards scattered all over Thera. But this time around, the focus is on the medical laboratory as the equipment and potential research there is also of interest. For three days those who volunteer are sent back to try and gather as much as possible—but of course this won't be easy.

Skeletal Scientists. The remains of the scientists who once worked in these rooms are still lurking, ready to protect their work. Fortunately they're relatively weak nerds, so not too difficult to dispatch. Just be careful.
Flying equipment. The various medical equipment has also taken life, scalpels and needles flying everywhere and stethoscopes ready to strangle.
Questionable liquid. Most of the easy shards have already been taken, leaving the more difficult to retrieve ones left. In particular they're found in strange, dark pink liquid. It's mostly harmless—except that upon contact intense waves of grief and suffering will course through. The longer the exposure, the worse it is. So hopefully a bucket full of it doesn't fall on you…

• Prompt G: Make your own! It could include feathers and/or confetti.

For your threads, put the Character Name and the Canon in the subject line to help readily identify them. You're also welcome to use more than one prompt for respondents to choose from. If you have any questions or want to brush up on the game information, refer to the Game Information entry. Otherwise, tag around and have fun!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ thankfully, he won't have to. she's just so used to people not knowing that she just assumes at this point. ]

I am going to fathom a guess that Dark Elves are not a common sight in your world. Such seems to be the case for most - so I suppose I can start there. [ she would be surprised if he corrected her and said there were elves at all. ] We are creatures born of magic, and we depend on it to sustain ourselves. [ she holds out her hand to him, fingers splayed to show each glowing line that curves around them. ] It flows through my veins like blood does in yours, keeps me alive and helps to fuel my own magical abilities. Though mine are mostly used for healing purposes.

I see... How fascinating. I once prosecuted a magician who used stage magic, but those are little more than illusions and misdirection.

[Not actual magic, in other words. He leans forwards to inspect her hands more closely.]

How are your abilities made manifest?

[ Prosecuted? was he some sort of law official? she'll have to ask more about that later.

she turns her hand over, showing the swirling lines along the back of it as well as the few that curve around her wrist. they seem to rest right above her skin, pulsing faintly with energy. ]

When a spell is cast, the corresponding amount of energy comes from my body and can be manipulated how I see fit. It can also be used in tandem with other elements - like water, or fire, to create different affects or to enhance the spell. When I am healing, I am simply transferring my energy to another.

To be able to both heal and call upon the elements... Your people are blessed, to be able to use such abilities.

[Particularly healing. Perhaps if humanity had access to healing abilities like those, there wouldn't be nearly so much need to prosecute murders as he does, when saving lives would become so much easier.]

They were gifts from those that created us, sacred things we hold dear and protect at all costs. There are other forms of magic the other races use, but none quite like ours.

[ she smiles, propping her chin in her hand. ]

I am curious though - you said you prosecuted a magician before. What exactly did you mean?

I mean that I am a prosecutor in criminal justice courts. I present the case indicting accused suspects of a crime, and seek to prove their guilt, so they may receive due punishment. Is this a process familiar to you, in your world?

[Maybe elves are more enlightened and don't need a criminal justice system, who knows.]

One such case I prosecuted recently was a magician, who was accused of murder using a magic trick.

Of sorts... [ they don't have defense attorneys or prosecutors though. people accused of crimes often just have to defend themselves - and if the evidence from the witnesses outweighs their claims, it generally doesn't go well. oops. ]

I see. It sounds as if you have an... interesting occupation.

[Defense attorneys didn't exist in Khura'in until recently, either, so they're not so different in that regard.]

It is less an occupation in my homeland, and more of a spiritual duty. In prosecuting their killers, I enact the last rites of the victim, so that their souls are granted salvation.

[ She suddenly seems significantly more interested in this particular line of work. ]

Oh? That is a very noble thing to do. Are there many prosecutors in your homeland, or are you a special breed?

There are many, though not all work in the High Courts as I do. And until recently, I was personally answerable to the Queen, unlike others. Thus I would prosecute cases for her that were more... sensitive in nature.

[He's omitting a lot of details, but he feels that's for the best. Someone he just met doesn't need to get bogged down in state politics.]

I also prosecute cases internationally, thus my work takes me overseas.

[ Her brows raise in a look of piqued curiosity, head cocked to the side. ] You sound like a very important man back home, to handle such delicate business for a Queen. [ Jokes on him he wants to know about your crazy state politics. ]

Were you participating in one of these important court proceedings before your arrival?

Recently, the situation has changed. I no longer serve that Queen, but her successor, and we are now in the midst of rebuilding our legal system. In that light, I have been engaged in a great many trials, and not a single one of them has been unimportant.

[Being dragged here, inconvenient though it is, is almost like a bizarre vacation, given just how many cases he's been juggling.]

[ There's a part of her tempted to question how such a situation came to be, but even her curiosity isn't strong enough to pry deeply into another person's personal life if they do not wish to speak of details. So she just nods. ]

I see. For what it might be worth, if you have not already been informed, you should return to your home right where you left off. [ She has no idea if he was worried about that, but just in case. ]

TEST DRIVE: NOVEMBER

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