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pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
pluviosamods) wrote in pluviooc2024-03-18 02:45 pm
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TEST DRIVE 02
TEST DRIVE
Hello, and welcome to the second Pluviosa Test Drive!
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
This Test Drive corresponds to Days 4-12 in the ship calendar, and will run until around the game's next major event. You can get a better idea what's going on in the most recent Game Update which covers Days 5-8. Currently, character IC housing is not in operation yet; it is expected to open on Day 9 (part of the way through the Test Drive period). Otherwise, the ship is largely in the state described on the Setting page and in other game information.
Test Drive threads involving characters who are accepted are considered canon to the events of the game unless otherwise agreed by players/mods. Pluviosa does not do welcome mingle logs nor does it have any kind of in-character welcome information, making your test drive threads your character's arrival to the game setting. That said, mod-run interactions such as formal exploration and/or interactions with the Ship as an NPC are not available on the Test Drive.
It is advised that potential players familiarize themselves with the Premise page, the Rules/Session Zero page, and at least the first few paragraphs of the Setting page. As Pluviosa is a horror game, we especially encourage players to be aware of the content warnings that will be major themes of the game. If you have any further questions, you can ask them on the QUESTIONS header in the comments!
If you're test driving a character, you're welcome to join the game Discord and hang out and meet your fellow players!
ARRIVAL - LIKE THE RAIN
You wake up. You remember waking up, right? In another place, another time...
There's blood running down your fingers. Outside, the rain isn't pounding, yet, just a gentle patter...
Or is it?
As characters gain fuller awareness of their surroundings, they will realize that there is, in fact, no blood on their hands (save any that might have already been there). It feels as though they lost focus for a moment and hallucinated, but the hallucination ended with them somewhere else entirely.
There is not actually the sound of rain. If characters are near enough to a window, balcony, or even a hole in the ceiling, they will find that it is cloudless, beaming sunlight outside. The emptiness in the distance rolls on and on, completely absent any signs of life.
That being, of course, because the signs of life are all in here. Characters might wake up on any of the decks on the upper side of the ship - anywhere that isn't the cafeteria or lounge where previous arrivals spend most of their time is free game. This also means, of course, that they have the jungle of plants to contend with...
LIGHTS ON, SHOW START
Most areas in the ship are dark when characters arrive. That doesn't mean that they stay dark. Occasionally, lights overhead flicker on and off for a few minutes at a time.
The problem with this isn't the lights themselves (cool white and kind of industrial). It's the reaction that the addition of the extra light causes the plants in the dark areas of the ship that's cause for alarm. To describe the growth as explosive isn't an understatement - vines, saplings, and even thicker branches surge with growth, pushing outwards towards the distant sunlight and upwards towards the flickering bulbs.
The growth is sudden enough to take all but the most aware characters by surprise, and if they're in the wrong corner of the room, it's very easy to get tangled up, wedged in by a tree trunk, or otherwise trapped against some corner or wall. If you're lucky and skilled, you might be able to cut yourself out from there (or break down the wall you're shoved up against), but otherwise, there's only one solution left.
Yell like your life depends on it, and hope somebody out there can hear you. And that whoever hears is someone who is inclined to help, rather than leaving you there. Or worse.
Oh, and the lights flicker back off after a few minutes, of course. Hopefully you're not waiting for rescue in the dark (with the smell of mold and the general faint dampness of the forest) for too long.
TILT-A-WORLD
Occasionally, the whole ship tilts.
This is not simply the side to side motion of a ship on the water (or the equivalent motion brought on by the way this particular ship moves); it's an extremely forward or backward tilt that sends things sliding across the floor if they aren't secured by roots or something else. Unlike storm-tossed ships, the tilt is somewhat prolonged - rather than everything sliding back and forth a couple times a minute, the tilt lasts for five, ten, maybe as much as twenty minutes.
Although it's not enough to knock a well-balanced character off their feet, it's quite likely that new arrivals will not be particularly on-balance. And attempting to traverse the ship with the tilt is a tall order... especially when the ship's angle does unexpectedly change... to the exact opposite direction. All that goes up the mountain must go back down, and a glance out the windows reveals that that's exactly what's going on, as the ship progresses across a mountainous landscape without real regard for the concept of mountain passes.
And for characters who have managed to make their way to the "civilized" parts of the ship, namely the cafeteria and the lounge above it... None of the furniture in these areas is secured. The cafeteria carts under the direct control of the Ship don't seem as inclined to go anywhere, but the tables and chairs in the cafeteria and the couches and armchairs upstairs... Well, it's a good thing both spaces are surrounded by railings. Large chunks of tree trunk also still littler the lounge, sliding back and forth and occasionally rolling with great force across the floor.
Better hold on tight.
SOMETHING WHISTLING
While wandering around the ship's interior, characters might occasionally hear a person whistling.
The sound always seems to be coming from just around the corner, but it sounds alive in a way that other sounds don't. Maybe more alive, even, than the rustle of leaves, the occasional drip of water, and the sounds of things sliding back and forth across the grimy, leaf-covered floors. The whistler, whoever they are, doesn't actively respond if called out to - but the whistling does pause, as though indicating that the call was heard, before starting up again.
If characters choose to follow the whistling, they're inevitably led to the same place - somewhere overlooking the great gap down the middle of the ship, whether an internal suite's balcony, one of the bridges crossing between the two halves, or one of the hallways that runs alongside it. Once they're there, there's no whistler in sight; however, characters will be filled with the overwhelming urge to look over the edge of the railing and down into the lower parts of the ship.
Exactly what they experience after looking down varies. Some will hallucinate that they've fallen over the side, feeling their balance go haywire and seeing the floor rushing up to them right up until the moment of "impact," at which everything returns to normal. Some will feel a stranger's hands on their shoulders, threatening to push them over with a great shove that goes through them with incorporeal fingers. Some will just hear unidentifiable laughter right up close to their ears, and experience the distinct sensation that there's someone laughing at them, in a haha-made-you-look kind of way.
But whatever happens, when they look up, there's no one there - or at least not anyone that physically close to them. The one good thing about being drawn to the middle section of the ship by whatever prankster this is is that it makes it a lot easier to run into people if you're all drawn to the same, highly visible place.
And at least the other person is flesh and blood, right? Probably.
no subject
Furina thinks the thought viciously, as if the words were knives with which she could stab. A physical sort of violence wholly beyond her--and yet, as she pulls herself back to her feet and tries to pull her composure and her clothes back together, indulging in her mind is a necessary component to soothing herself. She's learnt this well, over the years.
And then, as she's peering at her cuffs to gauge how dirty that tumble just got them, a yelp, just ahead--accompanied by a thud.
Well. That's a comfort too, she supposes--to know she is not the only one who just found herself barrelling towards what gravity had now dictated to be a brand new floor. She scoots ahead, shamefully curious to see just who had had the ground yanked out from under them, to see--
Someone she has never met. Someone she knows was not on this ship, before.
Someone she recognises, all the same.
Furina, you see--while she may not in fact be the Hydro Archon, she nevertheless holds the office, which means she has the power to do many things and command much knowledge. Like constellations, and when they sprout anew (what if one day someone comes to Fontaine with a Hydro Vision she's meant to know about! Better to know the very moment a new cluster of stars shines in the night sky); like those who hold positions of power in foreign nations, and what they look like.
Kaeya Alberich; Cavalry Captain of Mondstadt's Knights of Favonius. Cryo Vision.
She doesn't know anything about him beyond that, but...Furina's appearance isn't exactly a secret, and for one in Kaeya Alberich's position...yes, she expects he knows what even foreign Archons look like.
Which means he will, in all likelihood, recognise her on sight--which means she absolutely must not slip up in front of him; she must be Focalors, poised and perfect down to every divine inch of her.
"Ah, my good Captain," she calls, falling into her role, "you've taken quite the tumble, I see! Are you well?"
no subject
He turns to the side to see a young short woman dressed in blue. Streaks of blue peak out from the white hair. Monochromatic eyes, one a lighter shade than the other. The style is immediately familiar though as something from Fontaine.
The Hydro Archon herself, of all people?
Kaeya wasn’t sure if that was a stroke of good luck, or a sign of quite bad fortune. It seemed to be quite the coin toss as of late. He has to remind himself to shake off the shock and possible wariness, perhaps all the tumbling had shaken a memory or two, perhaps for some strange reason this has something to do with her nation.
He wonders for a split second if he was staring too long. He shakily stands up, grasping onto a ledge to try to get his feet under him. He looks back in a bit of astonishment.
“My my,” Kaeya mumbles, voice catching from both the ache of standing up and biting down surprise to see her. “It’s quite the honor to see the Hydro Archon herself...” He realizes his words and tries to make some good-natured pleasantries, “Despite the circumstances of course. This... contraption of your nation’s is quite interesting in its route but I’m alright.”
“But perhaps next time the captain should refrain from... getting too close to mountains,” he adds, trying to hide the bitterness of being jostled. If the archon is here, at least he’d be able to get some answers.
no subject
Well. It's never safe, but she paradoxically feels less worried about messing up in front of someone who knows what to expect from her over someone who doesn't.
She feels a stab of sheer offense when he suggests that her beautiful, beloved Fontaine devised this monstrosity they're all trapped on; yes, okay, it's a deeply fascinating piece of workmanship, that doesn't mean she has to like it (or want her people associated with it); that offense fades away when she realises what the probing, leading insinuation means.
"Yes, an honour, to be sure," she says airily. "However, I'm afraid you've come to quite the incorrect conclusion, dear Captain. This ship is not of Fontainian make, nor have I any control over whatever force is driving it. We're all rather trapped here, you see."
And not trapped alone for long, either. If Kaeya Alberich is here, and he wasn't here before...
...whatever summoned all these people here is still bringing in more people.
no subject
However, old talks of Khaenri’ahns, certainly buzzed in the back of his brain. A strange dance he was both amazing familiar with and also set him off balance.
The entire ship beginning to tilt again slightly, only makes him frown just a bit more. “Well that is indeed a problem,” Kaeya pipes up, grabbing onto something before he finds himself back on the floor. “And my apologies for my incorrect conclusion, Mademoiselle Furina de Fontaine.... and quite deeply troubling given everything going on...”
He would gesture to her if it weren’t for the ship’s annoying movements. “If I may be so bold, do you have any idea what is going on here?”
It sadly rules out any hope that this entire thing was something else, an unfortunate final revelation that they are indeed in one of the worst case scenarios. However, any information would be lovely to have. Seeing as they recognize each other, and more importantly who they are and their positions in their own nations, there’s no point in playing the fool.
no subject
"I forgive you your presumption," she declares grandly. "Pay it no mind--it would not do to borrow enmity and resentment here. Right now, there is a significant cohort of those from Teyvat aboard...but there's also a significant scattering of those from completely different worlds." Should she mention Shang Qinghua, and his frankly alarming theory that they were all some manner of fiction made manifest? She eyes Kaeya Alberich. Probably not. She has not even figured out how to discuss the possibility with Neuvillette yet.
"It would be best," she says, as neutrally as possible, "for those of us the call the same land home to work together as well as we can to get back home. Don't you agree?"
no subject
Kaeya tries to straighten his mask and posture a little bit from the fumble. At least he lets his shoulders drop a little at the fact she wasn’t cross about the misunderstanding. If anything, her statements makes an eyebrow raise. He does keep an eye as the boat is starting to rock a little more, possibly going over another ridge in the mountain. He certainly doesn’t feel comfortable with its movements to cross his arms, instead keeps a hand on the ledge.
He nods as he goes over the information, “So there’s multiple worlds of people here? Interesting.”
Kaeya doesn’t hate the logic ion her theory, in fact it makes a lot of sense. Complicated feelings aside, having everyone from Teyvat to work together is a solid concept, and certainly one that Kaeya is willing to get behind. As long as everyone can work together, then it would be a masterful move. “I certainly can agree with that. Exactly who is here?”
no subject
She smiles at him. "Perhaps the good Captain will have better luck at figuring this out than I have. It's quite hard to put my skills into practice without a culprit to prosecute!"
no subject
Kaeya folds his arms, the smiley expression finally dropping for a moment in concern. Aside from the Hat Guy, the list of people is much less the quantity, but the amount of fairly high positions placed in this. “Well.... considering the fact you and Iudex Neuvillette are here is already quite concerning to say the least.... and considering it’s not just Teyvat.... It’s strange.”
He tilts his head and shakes his head with a sigh, “It’s hard exactly to say who considering the fact that unless the Abyss Order has some kind of ace we have no idea about... but that also completely ignores the people from other worlds. I’m afraid I can only come up with wild theories at the moment.”
He pauses and glances to the hallway, “Considering your knowledge about this place, do you mind giving me a bit of a tour perhaps? At least then I’ll have my bearings a bit more.”
no subject
She doesn't comment on, but hums thoughtfully, at his mention of the Abyss Order. She's read the reports on them, of course--but they're not really a major presence in Fontaine, as far as she's aware. She supposes even such organisations have no wish to drown upon the advent of the prophecy.
no subject
In reality, due to his own knowledge and information, he would rather not get on the bad side of a god. Surely, his ancestors were turning in their graves at the simple idea of it all. However, a sinner was a sinner and the last thing he needed was divine judgment of any kind to come his way today. It’s better to carefully step, rather than boldly bite back. He may have complex thoughts on the archons... but he's not stupid.