TDM I

[thetonmods]

The Ton Test Drive Meme I

Welcome to the The Ton's first ever Test Drive Meme!

The game will officially open on the 1st of April (lol) and we will announce this via the game's Plurk account. Applications will open on this date - please do not submit an application before then as it will be ignored until the opening date.

Please note that the Test Drive Meme does not require an invite.

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Arrival

I. WELCOME

You don't remember when or where you fell asleep exactly.

Perhaps it's the tickling sensation of a low hanging tree branch brushing against your nose or the feel of the slightly damp grass underneath you that causes you to awaken but when you do you'll find yourself lying amongst a glade of wisteria trees. You're not alone - nymphs of the trees laugh and dance about you, clearly amused at the new arrival. Along with them, your new loyal servant is here on Pheme's bidding. How this servant looks is different to each arrival. Some are saddled with short, stout butlers, others are welcomed by towering, busty maids. Regardless of their appearance, they introduce themselves with a kindness and warmth that is simultaneously reassuring and strangely impossible to resist when they beckon you to follow them from the grove and out into the city of Andovale.

The closest structure within sight is the Palace and its grounds. It is here that the Lady Pheme resides and from here that she rules over the city, your servant explains to you. You have been selected and brought here personally by her. It is she who assigned the servant to guide you through the regency-inspired city that is your new home.

Eventually, they will bring you to your new residence within the outskirts of somewhere called the "Trade Quarter". You are now the resident of a room within one of the many imposing town houses which make up the Grand Crescent. Throughout your stay here the servant will be your own personal butler or maid. This is where all new arrivals will be living for the time being you are told. Your servant will also give you a crash course on life here and the concept of Thumos - the energy or life force that keeps Andovale and all life within it going - including you now that you are here. It's generated through acts of intimacy, whether that be physical or emotional.

Once you have been shown to your room, you are given two things: a network communication device and a letter. The letter reads as follows:

My dearest reader,

Welcome to Andovale.

The delights of our fair city are yours to explore.

I do hope that you make your stay here a most interesting one. I shall be frightfully disappointed if you do not - and we do not want that, do we?

You will hear from me again very soon.

Yours Truly,

Lady Pheme

You are free to wander about and explore the house and its surroundings as you please. It's certainly spacious enough. As well as your own quarters, each of the townhouses of the Grand Crescent have large communal areas, which includes the kitchens (although why you'd like to go there when your servant can fetch any delicacies you'd like for you!), a dining room, a parlour with its own small library, two drawing rooms (somewhere you can go to chill out basically - harp music anyone?) and a generously sized garden. Strangely, unlike most accurate regency townhouses, there do not appear to be any servant's quarters - perhaps these servants don't need to rest? Or they go somewhere else entirely for that.

Why not introduce yourself to your new housemates? Or enjoy some tea and cakes that have been prepared for you personally by your retainer, which they seem to keep insisting on bringing to you?

---

II. AN INVITATION

Your arrival coincides with the beginning of spring and with it the height of the ton's social season. What kind of social event can signify the start of this better than a grand ball?

Coincidentally you won't have long to enjoy your new home in peace and quiet. Wherever you are within the Grand Crescent your house's assigned butler or maid will track you down sometime during the day. They are not empty-handed and they carry a silver tray, upon which is an envelope with a wax seal bearing the letter "P". Inside the envelope is an invitation. An invitation from your benevolent ruler, Lady Pheme herself.

Each character will receive an invitation identical in wording to the one below:

MASKED BALL

YOUR CHARACTER'S NAME HERE


Is requested to attend the ball at THE PALACE, on 25th of March current, at 9 o'clock p. m.


Do not trouble yourself - masks will be provided upon your arrival.

Lady Pheme

You have already been told that an invitation to the Palace from the lady herself is the only way in. So if you want to find out anything about the tyrant lady then you better get yourself gussied up. Your servant can help you find something appropriate to wear - or not appropriate, the choice is entirely yours after all. The ball awaits.

Masked Ball

For the first time tonight, the gates of the Palace are open. Whether you're arriving on horseback, by carriage or on foot, you must travel through those gates and down a wide sweeping roadway, lined with immaculately trimmed hedges and roses bushes.

Stone steps and huge double doors greet you at the other end. Once you go through these doors, you will enter a grand entrance hall. You will see this room and the ballroom only. All other rooms are out of bounds and no amount of physical force or magic powers will get you to them.

In the short time that Andovale has been in existence, Lady Pheme has already built herself a bit of a reputation for being rather erratic when it comes to the Palace's interior. She seems to change it on a whim whenever she feels like it. She does so hate being bored after all. The colour scheme she fancies on this particular evening is black, white and silver. The many servants and attendants milling around are dressed all in white and are of course, wearing masks themselves. Every free surface is covered in grand flower arrangements, also in white.

Upon arrival, you are handed two very important items. The first is your dance card, the second is your mask. You will not be able to enter the Palace ballroom without both of these items.










The delight that is the dance card is key to every regency ball experience. Traditionally held by young women, at this ball everyone gets one. The dance card is used to record the names of those with whom you intend to dance each successive dance with at a formal ball such as this.

Got cold feet? Dancing not your thing? You might find that card being magically filled out for you. One second it's completely blank, the next you look down and find yourself with a list of delightful individuals with whom to show off your dance moves. (You have Pheme to thank for that - she's just looking out for you!)

Curiously, there is no sign of your generous hostess herself. Just a throne sitting empty at the top of the ballroom.

As for the masks, well... they're not quite what they seem too. It isn't as though you'll have any choice but to find that our for yourself. As previously mentioned, there's no entering the ballroom without one on. You might be able to persuade someone to swap masks with you or ask a member of the Palace stuff for another one - but they're all about as chaotic as each other.

Hey, at least the drinks are unlimited.

A typical regency ball usually ends around 5 in the morning so you might be here a while.

Note: The images below are just a guide, you can decide exactly what your mask looks like as long as it fits within the colour/animal category described.

Silver Mask

Simple and classic - unless you go for one of the more elaborately patterned ones.

The wearer of this mask will find themselves experiencing only the most pleasant of hallucinations. We'll leave the interpretation of that up to you.

You're also hungry. Really damn hungry.

Blue Mask

Masks of this hue will leave the wearer with an overwhelming sense of sadness. You're just plain bummed out.

Unless that is, you get yourself someone to dance with. In fact the only way to feel remotely normal or cheerful while you're wearing this mask is to dance the night away and you will feel compelled to do just that. Otherwise you're just going to be a giant sad sack all evening and nobody wants that.

Peacock Mask

Wow, so you like to make a statement, huh? Or maybe it was the only one within reach. Either way, nobody's going to fail to notice you in one of these.

Seriously. No, seriously, is it just you or is everyone staring at you? You know the mask is pretty garish in comparison to the others but this seems like an overreaction...

The truth is this mask makes you irresistible to others. So you have the personality of a shovel? Your problems are over, my chum. All of the ton will now be dazzled by your sparkling wit and the positively flawless way in which you conduct yourself. Everyone's laughing at your jokes, even when you didn't make one. Everyone wants to be the first name on your dance card. You might even find yourself with a couple of marriage proposals by the end of the night.

You lucky thing you.

Pink Mask

Two words: MEET CUTE.

Come on, it's everyone's favorite trope! You know that romcom hero or heroine who is delightfully and cutely clumsy? Always bumping into their future love interest? Well, this mask lets you become just that.

You know, after your third spilled drink of the night this could actually get really annoying.

Harlequin Mask

There is no such thing as privacy for those who end up with a harlequin mask. It may take you a while to realise (unless someone else takes pity enough to point it out to you) but this particular mask projects the wearer's innermost private thoughts onto the front of it for anyone else to read.

Let's hope you're not thinking anything too insulting. Otherwise, we might have a fight on our hands.

Cat Mask

This mask causes the wearer to start acting... well, like a cat.

Chasing shiny objects, randomly knocking glasses off the drinks table, rubbing yourself against somebody else's legs... all of that. You weirdo. What will it take to ward you off? A spray from a water bottle? A laser pointer? If only those had been invented...

Golden Mask

This mask will really amp up your Thumos production. When we say really, we mean really.

The slightest touch from another will suddenly feel like ecstasy to you. Even something as simple and bland as someone tapping you on the shoulder is liable to have you feeling weak at the knees.

Naturally this could get a little awkward if you've never even met the other person before. Oh well, at least they can't see your face properly.

Red Mask

Red is the colour of passion. That must be why you're passionately angry at that person. Specifically the first person you lay eyes on once you enter the ballroom. You might even say that they are your nemesis.

Does this person even know that they're your nemesis? Probably not. (Unless they just happen to also put on a red mask and lay their eyes on you at exactly the same moment!) It doesn't matter. Clearly they must be stopped.

Now no decent, upstanding member of the ton would condone actual violence of any kind. Particularly not at a high society soirée such as this. Your fighting must be sneaky, subtle - make them feel like they're simply not welcome here! Throw thinly veiled insults at their attire, literally throw one of the vol-au-vents at them when their back is turned, accidentlly spill your glass of lemonade in their lap... Do whatever it takes. Well, within reason.

How do you like them apples?

The bustling market of Andovale's Trade Quarter is known for having only the finest produce. This week there is a new stall that has never appeared before and it does not specialise in your run of the mill fruit and vegetables.

This particular stall is selling golden apples. In appearance they appear to be literally made of solid gold yet the beautiful woman minding the stall demonstrates that they are perfectly edible. In fact, they're downright delicious - you just can't stop yourself taking a bite. We would venture to say that they are probably the most delicious apples you have ever tasted.

They also come with side effects.

The legendary Golden Apples of the Garden of Hesperides were a wedding present to the goddess Hera from Gaia, the ancestral mother of all life. The apples promised immortality and anyone who ate them would never again experience hunger, thirst, suffering or illness... well, these apples are but a pale imitation of that. No, you won't become immortal but for exactly twenty-four hours after you've taken your first bite you will find that you don't need to eat, drink or rest. Your strength and stamina will increase tenfold and things that would normally cause harm to you cannot. Optionally, you may also be feeling extremely concupiscent, as the locals would put it - aka horny to you and me.

Somehow there's always a bad apple in the bunch though, right? Or several.

Unfortunately some of these apples are Apples of Discord. If you happen to pick one of these, one bite will still give you all of the traits mentioned above but for the next twenty-four hours you will find that unluckiness and chaos seems to shadow your every step...

So maybe you're passing beneath an open window and a maid accidentally empties a vase of water and some dead flowers on your head. Maybe you're in your local inn just trying to have a quiet drink but find that others are constantly trying to start a fight with you. Trying to get lucky with that special someone? Maybe certain parts of your anatomy just will not get with the program. And we advise you to maybe avoid carrying anything delicate and breakable for the next short while.

Wildcard

To assist you with inspiration our full list of Andovale's locations can be found here.

Want to play something that isn't listed here? Go ahead!

Please note that TDMs are considered game canon.

Both prospective and current characters who are already in game will be permitted to top-level on TDMs.

As your first port of call, we would recommend having a read of the premise page, as well as our rules. For any general game questions you may have which are not answered by the FAQ then please leave a comment on the FAQ page - for any questions specific to this TDM then please respond to the questions comment below.

Most importantly - have fun!

Comments

i rolled Caleb's perception-- 19

[zemnianjoy]

[ There was a hint of sharpness that entered into Caleb's eyes as he considered Ducky for a moment; perhaps it was a flash of something-- a recognition of something. He'd had a long and varied history before the Nein and so he recognized something of the 'survivalist' within this woman.

It was because he was something of one himself, it was easy to note kindred spirits no matter the situation that they fell within. And thus he nodded and allowed himself to be led away; tea-- he'd had a good cup of tea last night, strange and early brews that Cad and plied the group with. ]

Ja, tea might be just the thing, do you know where in this place we may get a cup?

[astraythought]

There's a kitchen down the hall here. The servants will tut over me making tea instead of allowing them to, but... [Here, she hesitates. She's not sure if mentioning her discomfort with having assigned servants is going to be seen as pure paranoia, or if Caleb might share her point of view, here.

It's probably safer to go simpler.]

I've worked as a housemaid for years. I can make a simple pot of tea myself.

[zemnianjoy]

[ There was nothing censurous within Caleb's eyes when he heard of such self-sufficiency, in fact he finds himself nodding in a similar agreement, he could cook the basics and make tea-- but then he was just a country boy at heart, straight from the heart of Blumenthal, he was not used to people doing anything for him. ]

When one has been used to doing things for themselves for their entire life, having servants can be a bit, ah.. odd? I am not sure if I could get used to it myself.

[ He said as he started toward the kitchens, though he tried to remain as silent as possible ]

But here we are and I suppose we should make a try at asserting our will and automony, ja?

[astraythought]

It isn't only autonomy I'm concerned about. It's privacy. Servants talk--I know this better than most. I remember hearing all sorts of things at the pub from other maids and butlers and valets.

[And using that information in the cleverest of ways, but that's not a topic for a first meeting with someone.

She sets the kettle on, begins to prepare the teapot. Everything here is roughly of her time, enough that she can fit into this kitchen without any problems.]

[zemnianjoy]

[ Thankfully, they passed fairly successfully for people not of the upper class. He was fairly sure that there was no distinguishing mark on him that showed him that he was apart of this, though he could be wrong. The kitchen staff kept far enough away from them so perhaps they did know and would only cast disapproving stares in their direction ]

Indeed they do-- I have no experience with this so I-- well. They aren't going to toss us out, right?

[ He wasn't as grime-y as he had been but he was still not at tip-top hygeine after running amuck around an island for the past couple of weeks ]

[astraythought]

No, I don't think they will. They seemed insistent on getting us into these houses. We're cherished guests.

[She can't resist the tiniest of eyerolls here.]

There must be a purpose to all of this.

[zemnianjoy]

I am still attempting to figure this out.. it is difficult though, my mind feels inordinately foggy.

[ like it could not piece together reason or sense; the deductive capabilities going completely out the window where he was concerned. He fidgeted from the table he was sitting, hit with rogue nervous emergy as if he should he doing something to get back home ]

Do you need help with anything? I could attempt to scrounge up some food.

[ Scrounge? They'd likely let him just up and take anything he damn well pleased ]

[astraythought]

Some scones and jam to go with the tea would not go amiss. Once we're settled in properly, and I've made an inventory of the supplies, I might make a quiche, but without knowing where everything is, an undertaking like that is folly.

[She glances at Caleb thoughtfully.]

What line of work were you in, where you're from?

[zemnianjoy]

Scones.. jam, got it.

[ Caleb gets up from the table. When he is filling particularly anxious, he does not like to sit still so this gives him form and function-- something vital to do. There is a batch of scones that had just come out of the oven, lemon poppyseed. He knicks some of these carefully, then to the pantry where he finds a half opened jar of blueberry preserves. Good enough, he carries the spoils of his searching back to the table ]

The kitchen is very intuitive, everything was where it was supposed to be, ja.

[ At the question ]

I am from a place called Wildemount, in Exandria. And I am a wizard-- but I would not call that work so much as a passionate field of study.

[astraythought]

What does it entail, to be a wizard? It's not something I understand well, magic. The closest we have in Gallery are our scientists and engineers. And I don't have a deep understanding of their work, either, if I'm honest.

[She is, at this point, pouring the tea and setting out sugar and lemon and cream, not knowing how he takes his tea.]

[zemnianjoy]

[ There was no whiskey here in the immediate area, which is usually how he preferred it but well, lemon and sugar would suffice. He had a sweet tooth but right now he did not feel like sugar would mesh well with that overriding feeling of existential dread that had seized him and still had talons wrapped tentatively around him.

Back he came and placed the scones down as well as the pot of jam. They were missing clotted cream but he honestly was not aware of it's existance ]

Magic is broken up into the arcane and the divine. From their it becomes a matter of how it is channeled. If you are a Sorcerer, you are born with it-- if you are a Warlock, you are given it by someone otherworldly who wants you to do something for them.. and Wizards, ah well.

[ He squeezes the lemon into the cup ]

Wizards are self-taught through careful study, so I think that scientists and engineers are not a unapt comparison.

[astraythought]

You might get along with my employer back home, then. Sir Mimley is an engineer of some note, though he's less active in the community now than he was in his youth.

[You know, since he's started using his inventions for the whole vigilante gig...]

It's all beyond me, but I do enjoy listening to him discuss theory.

[She adds some lemon to her tea as well, and claims a scone.]

[zemnianjoy]

I enjoy theory as well..

[ So he hadn't had a proper meal in a few days time. Ever since they had ventured from the Rumblecusp island center to head deeper and deeper into it. So the scone tasted amazing, he was attempting to eat it with dignity and grace but man was he getting perhaps a little bit of blueberry jam in his beard.

Which he was attempting to wipe off with the back of his hand with as little notice as possible, he knew that his version of manners were good-- but not on level with this. ]

You seem to be taking this all in a lot of stride, you are very self composed, aren't you?

[astraythought]

[She raises an eyebrow at that comment.]

I'm completely terrified, but I'm refusing to let that show. If I break down completely, I might never come back together. So I'm keeping myself busy by gathering what knowledge I can, about this world and the others who were brought to it.

[zemnianjoy]

[ He raised his own tea cup in a toast ]

Here is to trying to keep ourselves afloat in this perplexing new world.

[astraythought]

Here's to not having to accomplish that alone, Mister Widogast.

[She smiles over the rim of her cup.]

I wonder how many of us have been kidnapped, and if there's any possibility of organizing, somehow. It would be hard to do without our servants becoming aware..