TEST DRIVE MEME 001

[ataraxites]

T E S T   D R I V E   M E M E A R R I V A L You wake up, alone in the dark. There's a breathing tube jammed down your trachea, and you're suspended in a tube of clear blue fluid. Through the fog you can see shadows of movement, the muted sound of alarms crying. Upon registering your level of consciousness, the gravity couch drains the fluid surrounding you and retracts the breathing apparatus; the doors in front of you open, and you're suddenly dropped several feet onto the opposite wall. It takes you several minutes to catch your breath and gather strength in uncooperative limbs; more time still to climb up through the debris to the hole in the outer wall high above. You emerge in bright sunlight, surrounded by an immense jungle. As your vision clears, you realize you stand on the hull of a colossal spaceship, crashed on an alien planet. There's a shout behind you, and as you turn, figures climb over the curve of the ship towards you: your rescue party, weathered and scarred by the efforts necessary for survival. B A S E   C A M P A ramshackle spread of tents and shelters built out of resources salvaged from the ship and gathered from the jungle. Not sleek, not clean, but alive: people coming and going from tent to tent, heading out into the jungle or returning with freshly foraged food. Some are working to build more shelters or improvize working tech out of parts salvaged from the ship; some are cooking; some are just taking shelter from the sun for a while. Whether you find somewhere to help or apply your skills, it's probably a good idea to get to know your neighbors. E X P L O R A T I O N The jungle is dense and green, teeming with life, high calls and cries of strange animals and birds, the low buzz and murmur of insects. There are no paths or notable markings; go too far into the trees and you may not be able to find your way back. Dangers hide in the shadows but there's also food, water - or perhaps you're looking for more, pushing further in a search for answers about this planet you're now living on. Or you can turn your attention to the crashed ship, the huge bulk of it balanced precariously on the edge of a cliff. It creaks and groans in its delicate position, audible from a distant but all the louder should you venture inside. Dark corridors made even more dangerous by the damage to the internal structure, debris and obstacles blocking progress, and any wrong step could cause it to collapse in on you, or send the ship over the cliff. But finding any tech, resources or supplies might just be worth the risk. C H O O S E   Y O U R   O W N . . . Hunt or flee from strange creatures in the jungle, take a try at rock-climbing down the cliff-face, or practise in-game gained abilities. Ataraxion is currently without a network until one is built, but test-driving on a prospective one is also totally fine!

Comments

[brigante]

[Esca turns sharply at her voice. She was sitting so quietly and so still that he thought she must be a rogue warrior at first. But they rarely spoke, and they certainly didn't do it without attacking first. Then tension in him eases up.]

Most isn't, when you come at it with arrows and spears.

[Esca doesn't have either one, which is why he's crouched and hoping to catch some other source of food.]

Have you seen any out here?

[fadesteps]

As I'm sure you can see, I have neither arrows nor a spear! Though I suppose my staff could double as the latter if I really put my back into it, but I'd rather not.

[ closing her eyes again, she returns to her somewhat meditative state, but continues speaking; she likes to talk, incidentally, and as of being here, there's lots of things to tell. her mouth remains curved in a light smile, content that she would be capable to assist the young man from this distance if he required it. ]

Only a very disagreeable creature that reminded me somewhat of a griffon, except pale pink in colour. The fault was mine, though, I think, as I was attempting to practice a spell and seemed to disturb its hunting. It seemed very angry with me, but ran off rather than attacked me. [ as a vague afterthought, as if she's only just realised this, ] Thankfully.

[ opening her eyes once more, trevelyan tips her head towards him. ]

And you?