test drive meme #2

[fernwehmods]

SCENARIOS

01. Settling In

It's been a couple of days since you have arrived and once the fatigue from that multiversal travel has been fixed there is a town that you should probably get acquainted with. At least well enough that you don't get lost every time you venture away from the inn where you are likely staying for the time being.

Down the narrow streets to the south where most newcomers first enter Gazin, the tradespeople have set up their shops. Armourers, blacksmiths, bowyers and carpenters can all be found there, as well a few shady types who cannot pass up the advantage of ripping off an unsuspecting person.

Heading east, one can find the two apothecary shops, a bakery, a herbarium, seamstress and shoemaker. There is also a medical clinic set up and is equipped to care for anything up to moderate injuries.

The northern part of town is the district that most people tend to avoid. It's smelly and dark and trouble lurks in every corner. It's hard not to get an uneasiness that feels like someone is watching you. If asked, most civilians will explain why it is called The Devil's Mouth.

In the west district, it is bright and cheerful and generally happy. Music and celebration seem to happen twice daily, every day of the week with Saturday being the loudest. During that day, the marketplace comes to life with vendors selling their fresh food or wares. In the evening, there's typically a firework show and maybe a drunken fistfight or two that ends with more drinking and some laughter. Sometimes, but not often, trouble from the northern district trickles into the west. Those slow festivities but not for long.

02. Exploring

You have heard people talk about the places beyond Gazin and now you find yourself itching to get out and see them. Be it Vasari Forest or Roselake, you and your trusty legs (or horse) plan to be gone for a week or more. One must always be cautious of the dangers while travelling, however. Bandits and rogue soldiers often cannot pass up the chance to take what isn't theirs. There are also creatures and monsters hiding in wait to curiously check you out or worse, hunt you for their next human-shaped meal.

But, that's all part of the adventure! Take someone along with you and maybe some weapons, too. Make sure one is made of silver.

03. Quest

The Druid known as Bhalris has contracted you to head into the Oren Mountains to find and pass a message along to the dwarf known as Brazmas Steelbelly. What Bhalris doesn't exactly explain is where Brazmas can be found, only giving approximate directions to a certain landmark where a series of clues will be revealed that start an interesting, though perhaps frustrating adventure.

Pay attention to the white raven and other animals along the way. They may be there to help with your journey. How do you tell them apart from the other wildlife that may or may not be dangerous? You can't.

Good luck!

04. Celebration

Impromptu parties are quite the norm in Gazin and it doesn't matter what the occasion is or who it is for. There's music, plenty of drink, dancing and good times to be had.

Let loose and have some fun!

05. Wild Card!

Want something else? Feel free to choose your own adventure or mix and match to create something completely different!

NAVIGATION

Comments

Wei WuXian | Mo Dao Zu Shi | OTA

[obliviouspatriarch]

A. Settling in , Devil's Mouth
Well this is certainly a surprise to be whisked away from Lan WangJi as he was daydreaming about being somewhere else with him, but he didn't expect to actually be plopped somewhere else. Without his husband no less! But a pull to a darker place piques his attention. Dark, gloomy, and filled with a troubling air? Of course he would wander around there, just to see what it was about and what the fuss was about. However, not terribly long after, he gets that feeling of being watched. Pulling Chenqing from his waist with a calm look, he turns in the direction he felt the eyes on him from.

"Who's there, show yourself."

B. Settling in, marketplace
After strolling around the troublesome area due to a case of morbid curiosity, Wei WuXian makes his way directly into a more bustling area filled with shops, sampling the food and fun around. It's not the same without his partner, but he'll make do and once he eventually finds the man, if he does, he can chatter to him later about the fun of the day. For now he just sighs and keeps his spirits up, eyeing the armour and weapons, even picking up a sword and examining it before putting it back. He'd arrived with Suibian, he didn't need another sword that would be unusable the way he fought.

C. Celebrations
If there's alcohol to be served, he's there, and a good thing his tolerance is insanely high or else he could get into loads of trouble were he not. The music isn't bad either, nor is the dance of the crowd, although he partakes in neither and just continues to down the alcohol and food. A small frown on his face appears after a while, it's not as fun to drink alone, so he turns to the nearest person with a grin and holds up the drink.

"It's no Emperor's Smile, but the drink is good, but it would be better if I had someone to drink with! What do you think, have a few drinks with me?"

[(OOC: I'm open to wildcards as well! I'm available at TsundereShadow if you wanna toss an idea my way. I can swap to brackets just as easily, if needed.)]

A!

[blackwaterchild]

It’s not a place a young girl should be poking around in, which is precisely why Miu is poking around there.

Everywhere else had been too— nice. Too many people with too many emotions that Miu kept brushing up against and it was giving her a headache. This place, with its gloomy atmosphere and general feeling of ‘don’t linger here’ is much more familiar and almost comforting.

Of course there’s gotta be someone else there too and Miu makes a soft ‘tch’ noise of irritation as she steps out and lifts her chin as if in challenge.

“What are you going to do, serenade me with your flute?”

Her bag holds her camera obscura though which also looks rather harmless though, despite being actually very unnerving, feeling terribly off, and quite deadly against the supernatural. So really, who’s she to judge if his flute is dangerous or not?

[obliviouspatriarch]

He can't help but let out a laugh at the retort. He could indeed serenade her with the flute, but Chenqing could also be dangerous if he wanted it to. Shaking his head, he puts it back where it had been before.

"Of course not miss, I didn't expect one like you here, I expected danger with the dark energy here." Don't get him wrong, he's not flirting nor is he being condescending.

[blackwaterchild]

She tilts her head, one eyebrow raising in amusement.

"You don't think I'm dangerous? Maybe I'm the cause of the dark energy here."

She is definitely not, but she can definitely feel it. It's almost as suffocating as the emotions and thoughts of the living people out in the main areas, but for entirely different reasons.

Moving ehr gaze from him, she examines the area with an almost bored expression. "For a place that feels like this I expected something more exciting..."

[obliviouspatriarch]

He lets out another amused chuckle. If only she knew all the things he's experienced that he considered dangerous.

"My apologies, but compared to things I'm used to at home, this isn't much. I don't sense the dark energy off of you, either."

He shrugs, shaking his head. "But I do have to agree with you, not very exciting. I half expected to see a fierce corpse at the very least."

[blackwaterchild]

That gets her attention and she focuses in on him again, tilting her head back in curiosity. There's a hum of acknowledgement and agreement though. "I haven't seen one spirit or dead person yet." So, really, how could this be all that scary?

Fierce corpse though... She furrows her brow and makes a slight face at him like he's said something bizarre. "...Like a zombie?"

[obliviouspatriarch]

"A shame, seeing one would ease the boredom, surely!" He smirks mischievously, the dead are his area of expertise after all. Oh if only there were at least one around, he could show some of his skill with that flute of his.

His head tilts to the side curiously. "Zombie? I suppose that could describe them.. the dead become reanimated if they have enough resentment in their lives."

C

[jiangzaid]

Xue Yang is in a very good mood these days. Xiao Xingchen is back. He's happily married to Song Lan. And the three of them are living together again. Xingchen even lets them cuddle with him!

And so of course he wants to celebrate! He's even not wounded at the moment, nor is he in recovery from an injury. So he's laughing with some of the villagers, dancing with others, and yes.

He's also drinking, though no where near as heavily as he used to. Before Yi City. He hadn't really registered Wei Wuxian's return until the other speaks up, mentioning Emperor's Smile and asking him to drink with him. But now that he has - he grins and steps out of the flurry of dancers to grab for the offered drink.

"Senior Wei! Welcome back to Gazin! How long've you been back? Of course I'll drink with you." Forgive the bouncing little gremlin...

[obliviouspatriarch]

Two things are very out of place in the immediate moment he hears that familiar voice, a voice that stirs something vicious in him, an anger he forces down among the cheer of the crowd.

First of all, he's been here before? How is this possible when he has no memory of such a place? Secondly, that Xue Yang is alive and being.. nice. Not that he'll fall for it, he saw that facade in Empathy with A-Qing.

"You should be dead, Xue Yang." He shoots the man a menacing glare, killing intent dripping from his words. "What do you mean by I'm back, I've never been here."

[jiangzaid]

Wha-

Oh.

Realization can clearly be seen as it sets in. And then Xue Yang laughs, shoulders shaking as he shakes his head. "So it's like that," he mutters. Give and take and take and give and take...

The grin sharpens and he decides staying in the crowd is probably in his best interest. His A-Lan gets so upset and fusses when he gets hurt and he feels just bad enough he tries to avoid getting stabbed.

He takes a long drink and hums, shifting from foot to foot. There's no sign of his sword on him, but the hilt of a dagger peeks out at his waist. But he doesn't reach for it. He doesn't plan to, either.

"Should. Not yet," he chirps, head tilting as he stares at the other man. "You don't remember being here, just like A-Chen. So sad. Hanguang-Jun used to be here too." He spreads his arms in a clear display that he isn't dead, despite Lan Wangji's presence.

"You've been gone for months and months."

[obliviouspatriarch]

'like what?' he wants to ask, but drops it, listening intently instead, wanting answers. Suibian had appeared with him and was at his waist, so if he needed to use it, he could at least somewhat if he didn't grab for Chenqing first. For now, neither would be used.

He takes another drink of his own, fixing his gaze on the other man, attentive in case of attack.

"Lan Zhan was here too? When?" Magic words there Xue Yang, enough to distract enough that he won't rip your head off. "Months and months? Do tell, why didn't I run you through last time?"

[jiangzaid]

"Hm? You did. And your brother did. I got better. Daozhang Xingchen got upset and ran away." Cue pout. Big big pout.

Xue Yang plays with the bottle a bit, moving it back and forth between his hands. Never idle. Never quite still. It makes him a horrible patient when wounded, Zichen has had to sit on him on more than one occasion to keep him from over doing it.

"And I haven't killed or hurt anyone here. I help keep everyone safe. Daozhangs Song and Xiao are here now and keep a close eye on me." Not that they really need to. Just the thought of upsetting either man makes his stomach churn.

[obliviouspatriarch]

He rolls his eyes with a snort at the pout. "Too bad it didn't end you." He pauses, replaying the words in his head.

"Did you just say Jiang Cheng was here too? Tell me, who else from home have been here along with myself apparently? And who else besides you three and myself are currently here? Is he alive or under your control?"

He hasn't relaxed quite yet, but for the moment Wei WuXian is giving him some credit, even if he'd still like to run him through.

[jiangzaid]

Utterly downplaying how devastated he'd been at the time, of course. Wei Wuxian doesn't need to know.

One of the women in the crowd bumps into Xue Yang just then, of course, but instead of lashing out as he once would have, he immediately turns to steady her with a laugh and helps her back to her partner so they can return to the silly dancing going on.

The barrage of questions doesn't surprise him, and once he turns his attention back to the other cultivator, he sobers a bit. "No one is under my control. I gave Daozhang Xingchen my Stygian Tiger Seal...just after we all got here. He put it somewhere and I haven't gone looking. He doesn't even remember now. Like you, he vanished, then came back and doesn't remember the first time here.

"He and Daozhang Song are alive and free. We live together and they have been teaching me how to quiet the chaos."

His lips twitch and he takes a drink from his bottle. "You don't have to trust me. I don't care. Just don't make trouble for my Daozhangs. They are the ones who deserve to decide if I live or die."

slight play on c

[sawnoevil]

It's been a very long time since they parted, and their time together was limited so while Xingchen realizes the voice is familiar, it's a bit harder to place it right away. The mention of Emperors Smile seems to confirm there's a link to their worlds. Should he have use of his eyes, it would be an instant realization, but the white cloth over his eyes is a reminder that seeing is impossible.

By the time he actually reaches the voice, Xingchen's able to place it.

"Childe Wei?"

But he should confirm his theory first.

[obliviouspatriarch]

Although he's never seen XingChen alive aside from Empathy with A-Qing, the sight and sound of the man is an immediate dead-ringer of the man who trained under the same master as his mother. Still, the sight of him alive is shocking enough despite Xue Yang mentioning that he was here as well. The last and only time he saw him for real, the man was already dead.

It takes him a moment to find words in his surprise before speaking.

"Daozhang Xiao XingChen? So he wasn't lying after all..."

[sawnoevil]

Xingchen remembers a time when the young master was kind enough to capture the same man he knows watches over. Xue Yang was a different person then, one who looked to harm others. It was difficult for Xingchen to believe a switch has been made, but it seems to be true, a fact backed by Zichen.

He doesn't yet fully understand the concept of alternate versions of his own world so he assumes Wuxian also remembers him from that night all those years ago. Otherwise, he'd have introduced himself.

Since Wuxian doesn't deny the name, Xingchen assumes he's correct in the assumption of Wuxian's identity. A soft shake of his head shows he doesn't fully understand what the young master means.

"Has someone been speaking about me?"

[obliviouspatriarch]

Although WuXian knows that XingChen wouldn't be able to see it, he rolls his eyes in disdain with an amused snort. Even though he was making an attempt at civility with Xue Yang, his disgust is hard to contain.

"That brat, Xue Yang. He claims that you and Daozhang Song Lan trust him? Is this true, and forgive my rudeness Daozhang, but why do you put that in him? Did he not murder an entire clan out of petty revenge? Trick you to kill Daozhang Song Lan? Drive you to.." He pauses, taking a breath to contain his rising frustration as well as hold his tongue about that duo's unfortunate fate at Xue Yang's hands. Surely the 'him' from before would have said such things?

He also paused before his words reflected his own past, since he himself had blood on his own hands. Fractured memories of it or not.

[sawnoevil]

The distrust is fair. Xingchen had it as well. Even once he decided to give Xue Yang a chance, it was under the condition that if he fell back into his old habits, Xingchen would be forced to handle the man himself. Part of it is selfish; while under the guise of someone else, Xue Yang grew closer to Xingchen in that little city with a population of three. Part of it is that Zichen gave his word that the former murderer really did change. If people can become someone else, a better version of themselves, shouldn't they be given the chance? While he would strike down those who'd do others harm, redemption seems like the better solution. How can anyone change if never allowed a chance?

But, there are a lot of things Wuxian can't possibly know. For one, the Xingchen who stands before him isn't the same Xingchen who was here with the original Wuxian. Both have left and both have come back, only months apart. Whatever conversations the two had are lost to both of them.

The second thing Wuxian can't possibly know is that Xingchen hasn't yet experienced that horrible fate, and both Xue Yang and Zichen had decided to spare him the knowledge. It's why the speech he would have delivered gets lost as a mask of confusion covers Xingchen's face.

"I don't understand. Are there people who are saying that's happened? I wouldn't hurt Zichen."

[obliviouspatriarch]

Not knowing any of that is enough of a headache for him, not knowing what previous versions of themselves had discussed makes for a frustrating tangled mess to work through. One annoying mess after another.

But XingChen not knowing what he was meaning made it all the more troublesome. How could he not know? But at the same time, WuXian had no concept of different timelines, let alone their differences from home. That Xue Yang was far more vile in his own than XingChen's, making the attempt of civility harder.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, WuXian sighs.

"Not what people are saying, but what A-Qing's ghost showed me in Empathy. It may be better to ask him yourself but I watched it happen in her shared memory. He tricked you, many times, into killing other living people."

Was this likely a bad idea to divulge this information? Probably. Was it important? Definitely.

B

[zichen]

Song Zichen isn't the best at approaching anyone - even if he recognizes them. However Wei Wuxian is a special case and since they are in another world entirely, he wants to do what he can for the man. Surely he is a new arrival?

When he is close enough, he gives the man a deep bow, his gaze flicking between the ground and Wei Wuxian's face.

"It's good to see you again."

And since Song Zichen is clearly alive and able to speak, that should the other some information about what he has experienced thus far.

[obliviouspatriarch]

It takes him a brief moment to register that the Song Zichen standing in front of him is alive, which means that XingChen had yet to be tricked into killing him. Her returns the bow with a smile, just as respectfully as was given to him.

"It is nice to see you Daozhang." Alive, that is, but he doesn't add that verbally. "Do you mean seeing me again after the other me had disappeared from this place?"

This time placing his words a little more carefully instead of carelessness from prior conversations.

[zichen]

Zichen knows more of his future than poor Xingchen does. Some things are difficult to relate - especially things that have been proven awful enough to crush someone's soul. Zichen has never been crushed. Oh he will die, yet he finds a reason to carry on even then.

"I did not speak to you much."

Perhaps that can be amended?

"You seem...older. Before, you did not recognize me."

[obliviouspatriarch]

"We did not speak much either back home, that I can remember."

He shakes his head, they hadn't actually 'spoken' at all really, with his tongue cut off. But this is a different place, they could get more acquainted here. He had heard the stories about he and XingChen enough to be interested.

"Hmm? I'm older? Was the one before me much younger then?"

Now this was an interesting concept, he never imagined that a younger version of himself could appear. WuXian only hopes it wasn't the arrogant man he once was that was there before now.

[zichen]

"No, we didn't." he agrees, voice softening shyly. Zichen is a powerful man - and a talented Cultivator - but he is not a public speaker. Usually Xingchen takes on that role and he finds himself glancing around for the other man.

Then again, it has been years since they walked side by side.

"He was. I would say he was a teenager." Zichen steps to the side so his robes aren't in danger of being brushed by passersby, "I told him what I knew of your mother."