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

Jesper Fahey | Grishaverse

[greedalwaysworked]

I. Settling In [OTA]

{Getting the lay of the land

Though he is still rather confused about how, or why, he's ended up here, Jesper is nothing if not resilient and easily bounced back onto his feet from an unexpected upheaval. He's settled into a room at the inn but he's got a need to explore. With no Inej here to map the place, he supposes he's just got to do it himself. He can practically hear Kaz's voice in his head, demanding he map the city for himself, pay attention to the people and where they congregate-- and where they don't.

So, he does. He strolls down the streets, stopping and investigating various shops and vendors. Someone selling weaponry makes him reach, uselessly, for the pair of pistols that didn't seem to make the trip with him. He feels unlike himself without them. He'll need to get some kind of weapon so he's not utterly defenseless. You wouldn't be, if you'd gone to Ravka like you should have. he shakes the thought from his head and continues his wandering.

He moves along, carefully noting the ebb and flow of people in certain shops, and less in others, and he can't help noticing that people seem to nearly go out of their way to avoid the north end. A smirk draws its way across his lips. If people are avoiding it, then that's where he'll find his sort of people. The less savory sorts and the thieves, the gamblers and the pleasure-seekers. If his guess is right, he thinks he just found the Barrel of Gazin.

II. Exploring [OTA]

{An itch in my skin only moving can scratch

He's never really done well with being still for very long. Nor is he good at keeping the same, tedious routine day in and day out; it's why working on Da's farm was out, and why the Barrel fit him so perfectly. Jesper finds himself itching to get out of Gazin.

This is why he's perched in one of the high-traffic areas around town and trying to flag down anyone that might give him five seconds of attention. "Don't you wanna go see what else the world has to offer? Let's go on an adventure!" Does he know the person he's talking to? Probably not. Does that matter? Not particularly to Jesper at the moment!

III. Celebration [OTA]

{My kinda party

Now, this is the sort of thing that's right up Jesper's street. Music and drinks galore and he's a good few goblets of something deep by now. He's a little calmer after he's had a few drinks, but he still seems to always be in motion. Flitting from one person to the next to strike up a conversation, trying to get someone to join him on the dance floor, talking one of the musicians into letting him try their instrument out (he's terrible, don't give him your instruments).

He's not just a messy drunk, though. Jesper isn't the mastermind his best friend (is that what Kaz is? He likes to think so, but sometimes he isn't so sure they're friends at all...) is, but he knows how to schmooze with the best of them. And a party is absolutely the best place to get people nice and loose and chatty. "What do you think we're meant to be celebrating anyway?"

II.

[ofwovenstone]

Cassandra has more or less grown accustomed to Gazin. She’s been in this world over a year, now, she should hope she has. But for all that she’s grown accustomed to it she still... itches, with the need to do something. To travel, to explore, to leave Gazin and all signs of civilization behind her. It’s something she hadn’t had, back in Whitestone, tethered to the city and its castle that had been her prison. Still was her prison.

That’s not the case, here. Here she’s free to go when and where she pleases.

She doesn’t expect to be caught by an unfamiliar face (a new arrival, he has to be; he doesn’t feel like a Gazin native and she doesn’t know him. He feels new, to her) asking her to go on an adventure. Coincidence or something else, she doesn’t much care. His casual, energetic invitation strikes her right in her need for a change of scenery.

“All right,” she tells him with an amused laugh, voice carrying what might sound like a familiar accent, posh and proper. Her smirk is anything but, though. Teasing and playful. “I had nothing planned for the rest of my day. Let’s.”

[greedalwaysworked]

"Really?" His whole face lights up with the grin that comes with her agreement to go. He hadn't expected anyone to just up-and-agree to go gallivanting off somewhere with a stranger.

"Brilliant," he says with a laugh. "I'm Jesper, by the way." May as well get the introductions out of the way. "Have you been here long?" He supposes it's obvious enough he hasn't been.

I. IDEK what I'm doing

[thiefofsecrets]

It reminds Inej of the Barrel. Perhaps that’s why she’s found herself drawn there, after slipping silently through town carefully mapping Gazin’s streets. She’ll need to know, if she’s to be here a while. (Is it the will of the Saints, her being here? Or something else. She has to believe it’s their will. How else had she come to find herself here. No small science can do anything like this, move someone from one world to the next. So it has to be.)

She sits in the shadows, looking for all the world at ease in the bar she’s found herself, a drink at hand. She doesn’t know the layout of power in this Barrel, yet, she can’t map that as easily as she can streets and alleyways. Doesn’t know who wields the power, here. (She wishes Kaz were here. Not for any other reason. Just for that. Mostly for that. A little for that.)

Taking a sip of her drink, she turns towards the door as motion draws her attention... and almost can’t breathe. The glass freezes at her lips. She’d wanted a familiar face here with her... and here one is, walking through the door as though he’s been sent by the Saints themselves.

Jesper. Finishing her drink and setting the glass aside, forgotten, she’s moving before she can stop herself, quick and graceful as a wraith.

she's perfect 😭

[greedalwaysworked]

He's sat somewhere at the end of the bar, nursing a drink. He takes in the people here, and he can't help that feeling of belonging, of home, like this is exactly the sort of place he should be right now. If only anyone he knew was around to share it with. This place, which was just a whole new game to play spread in front of them. In front of him, he reminds himself, because the others aren't here.

He's got his glass to his lips when there's suddenly someone in front of him. He chokes on his drink and coughs, setting the glass roughly down on the bartop, "All Saints, Inej, must you?!" The words are out of his mouth before it registers, an automated script he can't stop.

And then it clicks.

"Inej!" His face breaks into a grin and he doesn't try stopping himself from gathering her up in a hug. "You have no idea how good it is to see you."

[thiefofsecrets]

“Of course I must,” Inej retorts with a grin, falling easily into banter, just before Jesper is gathering her up in a hug. And she goes still, but just for a moment and then she’s hugging him back just as tightly. It’s Jesper, and he’s here and there’s no one else she’d rather see. (Except maybe Kaz, but that’s because if anyone could find them a way out of here, it was him. No other reason.)

“It looks like you’ve settled in just fine.” It feels the most like home out of everywhere she’s been so far, so she’s not surprised that he’s found himself here.

[greedalwaysworked]

"You're impossible, Wraith." He chuckles lightly and pulls away after a moment, hug satisfied, and coming a little more to his senses again in the wake of the startled elation.

He shrugs, "You found it same as I did, no judging me." He waves her over to join him where he'd been sitting. "Oi, can I get another round, mate?" How is he going to pay for this? He has no idea. Maybe they'll take pity on the newbies.

[thiefofsecrets]

“So are you.” She’s smiling, now, suddenly a thousand times more at ease in this strange place, with Jesper here. Even if he’s no doubt going to find himself trouble in no time at all. THAT at least is familiar, no matter the world it happens in.

Of course she’s going to join him, though, finishing her drink and silently requesting another. “It’s a good place to listen, that’s all.” she tells him. “Learn.” She was information gathering, Jesper. That’s all.

[greedalwaysworked]

"You wouldn't like me any other way." he grins, spinning on the barstool from side to side, all that neverending restlessness bubbling up again. Or perhaps it's just excitement because he has someone from home here.

He downs a shot and smirks at her. "I bet you've found out more in ten minutes than I have the days I've been here." His faith in her is unwavering, as ever.

III.

[ylgr]

Lyanna likes Gazin. Likes how free it is, how irreverent. How easy it is for its people to celebrate. It reminds her a little of home, but it’s... good. Helps ease the ache of missing Ned. She still spends a lot of time out of town with her wolves (they’re currently sleeping in her room in the inn), hunting and exploring and taking advantage of the freedom this world has given her.

She doesn’t know the young man (young man, as though she’s so old; she’s only just celebrated her eighteenth nameday. She thinks. It’s difficult to be sure, so far from Winterfell), but she’s seen him flitting about the celebration. Heard him butcher what was attempting to be a song on some poor musician’s instrument. His question is a good one, and she has NO answer. Several guesses, though. “Someone’s nameday, maybe? A holiday of some kind. A wedding. Or death. I don’t honestly know,” she tells him, taking swallow of her drink. “But those who live in Gazin know how to celebrate, whatever it is we’re celebrating.”

[greedalwaysworked]

He grins as she goes into a whole list of guesses. “All perfectly good reasons for a party, I suppose.” He says with a nod.

“So it’s like this often?” He asks curiously. He could really get used to it.

I.

[fangoffenharel]

Aella likes the shadier bits of Gazin as much as she likes the nice parts. More, maybe. The nice bits make her think of Denerim and being an elf surrounded by shems who more often than not didn’t want her there. But the shadier bits remind her of HOME. Of Zevran and getting into trouble and dealing with all the bullshit. But in a good way. Sure, she sometimes finds trouble but she’s used to that. She’s MADE for trouble.

And sometimes a good barfight is nice. Sometimes people just need punching. And sometimes she needs to do the punching. Sometimes something needs to be done. Tonight, though, she’s just drinking and enjoying herself. Doesn’t mean that trouble won’t find her later. But right now it hasn’t, and she’s relaxed, watching everything going on around her.

The bartender here likes her, too; she’s helped Irena out of a few binds, kept some assholes from getting ideas about things after one too many, and in turn Irena tends to give her more than a few drinks on the house.

She’s MADE of trouble— he likes her on principle

[greedalwaysworked]

Jesper likes the feel of this tavern. Feels like home. He pilfered an untouched drink from a table too busy to notice one missing and wanders around taking the place in.

That’s when he sees her, perched at the bar, and he can’t stop himself. He approaches, full charm turned on as he slides onto the barstool next to her. He spins on it just enough to be able to lean his arm against the bar top, facing her. “What’s a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?” Cheesy? Maybe. But girls liked that sort of thing.

Well.
Some girls.
He’s not sure it would be the sort of thing to work on someone like Nina. Or Inej.