phantasmods: (Default)
Phantasmal Rift Mods ([personal profile] phantasmods) wrote in [community profile] phantasmemes2018-01-19 12:29 pm
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TEST DRIVE 001

Hello, and welcome to the first test drive for Phantasmal Rift!

Test drive threads are assumed to be game canon for accepted characters unless otherwise noted, so don't feel like you'll have to introduce yourself a second time to everyone you meet! As an added bonus, participation in the test drive comes with the chance to earn up to two items of loot for your trouble! Characters who are accepted can earn one item for having a top level, and one for tagging out to someone else's top level! Your SWEET LOOT will be included with your acceptance notice.

(In the future, characters who are in-game can also earn themselves an extra item of loot for tagging in to top levels on the test drive, to be distributed with the rest of their loot upon dungeon completion.)

This first test drive is based in the Fissure nearest to the Station, and comes with three potential options, all with a distinctly watery bent -

OPTION 1: MAROONED

Hey, uh... What's that maroon film distorting your vision? And how did you get on this beach, anyway?
So long as the sun is shining, there doesn't seem to be a problem out here on the beach, aside from the strange maroon tint to everything. But when clouds pass over, the tint grows darker, and darker, and the water grows redder, and redder...

That... can't be blood, can it?

Characters who remain beneath the patchy cloud cover will find themselves filled with increasing anxiety that the ocean is made of blood, until either the cloud passes or they check the water for themselves. The bad news is, that while it isn't actually an ocean of blood, contact with the red water will drain characters of energy very rapidly, causing sudden fits of exhaustion as though they were suffering from anemia. By itself, this isn't particularly dangerous...

...Except that the return of the sun doesn't mean the return of that lost energy, and if you've waded out too far, the shifting sand and pull of the waves underfoot can easily pull you down and under.

OPTION 2: LANDSHARK

You really hope that isn't a shark fin moving through the sand. That's just not possible, right?

(Yes, yes it is.)

Landsharks are amphibious, predatory creatures just as at home in the sand as below the waves, and always hungry. They track their prey via disturbances in the sand or water, but fortunately, you can track them the same way - they're large enough to be easily visible in the relatively clear waters near the beach, and their bulk causes a patch of shifting sand above them as they roam for more terrestrial prey.

As a result, they're most dangerous near the waterline, where the shifting sand is hard to see due to the motion of the waves (though they can, of course, pop up further up the beach). Fortunately, they're not large enough to swallow a person whole. Unfortunately, they're still between nine and twelve feet long depending on the individual and easily large enough to take a good chunk out of you.

Like any other shark, they're vulnerable to being sliced open with something sharp, kicked in the gills, or punched in the snout to establish dominance. On the magical end, they have a particular weakness to electricity.

On the bright side, if you're hungry enough, the landsharks are very edible once cooked (or, you know, if you like sushi). For some reason, the meat tastes faintly of chocolate...?

Drops: Meat, shark teeth, candygrams.

OPTION 3: JUST IN TIDE

A bit further down from the beach, the water comes up to the base of the rocky cliffs, leaving numerous nooks and crannies to climb over and explore. In fact, they're practically begging for it.

What might you find? Well, there's the usual beach refuse, for a start - sand, seaweed, shells and fragments of shells, and big barnacles and mussels tucked into the cracks. However, other debris finds its way into the cracks, ocean-going refuse from a thousand worlds... There's also a number of pointy blue-green crystals that tingle to the touch and remain wet no matter how characters attempt to dry them.

And finally, there's a bunch of bottle crabs - overlarge hermit crabs that look more at home in half-broken beer bottles or soda cans at their size than they do in shells (though they'll live in anything that seems protective enough - the largest seem prone to making their homes in rusty helmets). The crabs are not aggressive unless you harass them first, but they can give a nasty pinch if provoked.

...Did you lose track of time out there among the rocks, or did time lose track of you?

Either way, you're now stuck out as the tide comes in. If you can swim, good for you! You probably won't have too much of a problem, at least once you're far enough from the rocks that you aren't at risk of getting thrown against them and having some important swimming limb broken...

On second thought, maybe it's better to stay here and wait it out, whether you can swim or not. Hope you're ready for a couple hours stuck on a rock with some weird-looking, too-big hermit crabs and...

Who is this other person, anyway?
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-05 05:57 am (UTC)(link)
[Your world doesn't have horses you don't get to talk]

...explosions, huh. [She doesn't have the best track record with stuff like that. Then again, at least one of Fern's own techniques can be considered an explosion of sorts.] What do you mean, "light-based" storage though? I'm guessing it's not related to that computer thing Kenta's always talking about? [Look, she loves her boyfriend, but tech stuff is above her pay grade.]
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-05 06:10 am (UTC)(link)
[What even is the point of a horse, though? They have chocobos. Same ecological niche, except with giant fluffy birds.]

As I have no idea what you're talking about, no.

[By way of explanation, he reaches out with one hand and calls forth a rather fancy looking pen in a smattering of blue lights, pausing to twirl it between his fingers.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-05 07:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, you got me there.]

Ohhhhh, you mean visually. That's pretty useful, I guess. Can you put anything in there? [She glances down at the watch on her own wrist, now slipping out of her sleeve a bit.]
founderinglight: ([sketchyplaceholder])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-05 07:12 am (UTC)(link)
Well, and also literally, as far as anyone can tell.

[He tosses the pen up and dismisses it in another sparkle.]

It's limited on individual objects to roughly the amount I can lift, but otherwise... [Rolling shrug.] No limit found yet.
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-05 07:30 am (UTC)(link)
So technically you could take some really heavy stuff apart and it'd work, then. How do you get stuff out, by the way? Is there a specific gesture of sorts tied to each item, or can you simply determine what you want to get mentally?

[Fern has found a spot of rock where she hopefully won't get washed away, and is apparently sunbathing while Cori has Magic Talk.]
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-05 07:37 am (UTC)(link)
Well, yes, though it'd still have to come out in pieces. And no, it's a matter of just recalling what's there; I'd run out of gestures quite quickly even with the minimal amount my Armiger contains at the moment.
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-05 08:56 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, it's called an Armiger? Huh, I remember Everett saying something about...hammerspace? That definitely seems way more convenient, though, unless you're forgetful or something.
founderinglight: ([my place plz])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 03:27 am (UTC)(link)
It's likely not the same thing as what you're thinking of, unless your friend's surname is 'Lucis Caelum.'

[It's family based magic is what it is.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 03:31 am (UTC)(link)
[She chuckles a bit.] Well, he was talking about something he saw in a show, and comparing it to something we have. [After a pause, she rolls up her sleeve, revealing the high-tech watch on her arm.] Mind if I show you something?
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 03:37 am (UTC)(link)
As long as it's not likely to end in my violent demise, do as you like.

[Thy name is morbid, Lucis Caelum.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 03:44 am (UTC)(link)
[She nods, pressing a button on the watch. A holographic screen lights up in front of her, and after pressing a button it reveals a series of panels with objects in them. Reaching in, she pulls out what looks like a creampuff.] Yeah, that's pretty much why I asked about your Armiger. Guess it's handier if you need to grab something quick, though. [She nibbles the creampuff a bit.] Oh wow, it's still fresh.
founderinglight: ([ppppp])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 03:57 am (UTC)(link)
Mine does that as well, so that's not that surprising. Some kind of temporal stasis, probably.

[He pulls out... a fresh filet of some kind of fish, wrapped in waxed paper.]

This has been in there for several years now.

[Years. Thousands of years. Same difference. Once she's examined it, back to the Armiger it goes.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 04:03 am (UTC)(link)
[...she actually boggles a bit at the "several years" comment as she prods it lightly.] Well, I haven't had this watch for that long, so I don't know its limit yet. I didn't really get a warranty with it, after all.

Professor Oak gave it to her! Along with me! [Fern pokes her head in to add commentary. Cori nods a little.]

Yeah...they just appeared on my bed after a bit of a prophetic dream.
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, well. The Armiger is as much a part of me as my hands or feet; I've had it my entire life.

[And he's like. Visibly in his thirties and also not saying a goddamn word in response to that prophetic dreams bit right now.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 07:24 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. [She rubs the back of her neck.] That seems pretty useful. My own family's specialty magic tends to be based on enchanting stuff and healing. Although it kind of skipped a generation for us. [And technically it was all placebo effect until the two worlds actually joined together.]
founderinglight: ([sketchyplaceholder])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 11:51 am (UTC)(link)
[There's a slight hitch in his smile at the word 'healing,' but he carries through it as though nothing happened.]

Ours is largely martial in nature - the Armiger is useful for carrying any number of things, of course, but as the name might suggest, it's a power designed to hold weapons.
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 12:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Ah. That kind of "arms."] So, does that mean it makes the weapons you keep in there stronger? I guess it'd prevent them from getting dull or breaking.
founderinglight: ([late with spacebucks])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, it does that, but it's also possible to link weapons to the Armiger more intimately, which allows them to be used in various other kinds of magic. Unfortunately, I haven't very many of those, so the more flashy effects are a bit beyond me at the moment.
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh? What other kinds? Banishing or stuff like that? [It's the main property she knows how to apply to weapons with enchanting.]
founderinglight: ([ppppp])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-07 01:51 pm (UTC)(link)
No, that's a proper spell. [It's called Alterna and it's your panic button vacuum cleaner.] The main trait of the Royal Arms is that they're literally composed of light and can be in multiple places at once. They also weigh far less than they ought to in the hands of a member of the family, wouldn't rust even if I left them in the ocean for years, and with sufficient magical power can be levitated fairly effortlessly.

[You should probably mention that they fly first, Izunia.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-07 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, yeah, that's impressive. Don't think even my grandma could do all of that. [There's a pause.] Although...if they're "royal," that means they've been passed down for generations then, right?
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-08 08:48 am (UTC)(link)
That is a significant part of the reason my arsenal is so small. Those of us in the earlier part of the lineage get a bit of the shaft in that regard.

[In other words yeah but he can't snag arms from after he died.]
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-08 10:17 am (UTC)(link)
Well, any number of flying, glowing weapons is pretty impressive, I think. Earlier...so you'd probably have more idea who started it, then?
founderinglight: ([hold])

[personal profile] founderinglight 2018-02-08 10:21 am (UTC)(link)
...You could certainly say that.

[I'm sorry, Cori, he's just a bit of a troll.]

We're definitely acquainted.
rhododendronhoney: (Default)

[personal profile] rhododendronhoney 2018-02-08 11:06 am (UTC)(link)
Really? So you have a bunch of insider secrets, then?

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