thirstology | TEST DRIVE MEME.

A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME

Welcome to the Viridian Sea, a rolling body of water populated by a small number of islands and an even greater number of pirates and merchant ships. Sailing, rum, and high-seas adventure is the name of the game for this mission: after the freshly-recruited volunteers (that's you!) are welcomed into Hathaway, they are sent via controlled interdimensional rift to deal with a certain pirate ship that has been causing a certain amount of trouble.

The crew of Red Scream, a murderous band of Mako pirates, has been reaving a path of destruction through the sea, scuttling ships of merchants, civilians, and other pirate bands alike. They have also kidnapped a governor's daughter, asking an exorbitant ransom to return her at all, let alone alive.

If this wasn't enough of a reason for Hathaway to intervene, Red Scream's current goal is firmly pointed at a legendary treasure buried in a crater somewhere in the Viridian Sea. Hathaway analysts have studied the crater and found that it was definitely caused by a temporal shard cast off from the Merging. And if Red Scream gets its hands on the shard, it'll be bad news.

The crew of Little Squid has reached out to Hathaway for help reaching the treasure. The ship and crew are both small, but they are an optimistic and hardworking bunch, and are willing to equally split the treasure with Hathaway as a reward -- they just have to reach it first.

▸ PROMPTS

Your mission is simple: reach the treasure before the Mako pirates. If you have the time, you can try and save the governor's daughter -- it's not why Hathaway has been hired, but her father will likely be grateful enough to grant a reward.

ONE ▸ GOING ROGUE.
High-seas adventure not your cup of tea? The tropical islands dotting the Viridian Sea are flush with distractions, including pirate havens replete with gambling, food, and liquor. It's a hedonist's paradise -- if you can avoid displeasing the heavily-armed locals.

TWO ▸ LITTLE SQUID.
Ever been on a brig before? The crew of Little Squid are happy to show you the ropes -- literally -- and teach you how to be a master seafarer in no time. The only food on board unfortunately consists of salted meat and hard bread, but there's plenty of rum to go around.

Life on the seas is tough, especially during rough weather; unfortunately, they have no cure for seasickness, so if you're afflicted, you might want to head below decks and wait it out. But the view during calm waters is unlike anything else.

THREE ▸ RED SCREAM.
It was bound to happen: Little Squid runs smack dab into Red Scream on the race to the treasure. Board the enemy ship or wait for them to come to you, but either way, you'd better be ready for some close-quarters combat. The Mako pirates of Red Scream are humanoid sharks with teeth to match, so in addition to their cutlasses and blunderbusses, you'll want to avoid being bitten.

If fighting isn't your specialty, you could always hide below decks of Little Squid and hope you don't get noticed. Or, if you're feeling bold, you can board Red Scream and look for the governor's daughter, who is being kept in the captain's quarters -- she's about six years old and ready to fight, so get ready to have your hands full.

FOUR ▸ THE TREASURE.
Finally, Little Squid reaches the island where the treasure is. There are caves throughout the island where more standard pirate treasure is found -- gold doubloons in rotted old chests and the like -- but there's also a massive crater formed where the temporal shard plummeted to the surface. The crater is a wide hole with sheer walls, so you'd better find someone who can fly or brush up on your spelunking skills.

The further down you go into the crater, the darker it gets, but somewhere on the bottom an eerie blue light is glowing. The source is the temporal shard: make your way through a winding tunnel system to find it and retrieve it. But beware -- the shard has attracted temporal insects, ravenous, time-eating bugs that can slow or hasten the flow of time just due to their appetite. Find yourself in their presence and you'll be moving in slow motion or you'll suddenly be aged 50 years. The only way to stop the effects are to kill the bugs and retrieve the shard.

FIVE ▸ CHIT-CHAT.
It's your standard network option. Maybe you've got a little downtime and you're bored. Or maybe you got lost in the caves and you think you saw a g-g-ghost pirate. Maybe you're just trying to figure out how the hell this magical jewelry thing works! No matter what, you get one username to identify you and one only -- if you don't enter one, it will default to your real name (for example, Voldemort's would be tomriddle.) Choose wisely... or make it assfarts69, if that's your thing. More information on the jewelcomms can be found on the devices guide.

SIX ▸ WILDCARD.
Do whatever the heck you want! Explore the jungles and waterfalls of the islands, have a party on the beach, try to befriend a dolphin. The world is your oyster.

▸ OOC NOTES

Welcome to the first test drive meme of Futurology Season 2! Because the season hasn't started yet, this test drive is meant to be a mini-mission, similar in feel to the missions we have in-game but on a much smaller scale. Since no characters currently have official specializations, we also have no specialized prompts, but plan to in the future. However, feel free to play as if your character is level 1 of whichever specialization you would like to choose. Please be aware this test drive is game canon. Questions about the game can be directed to the FAQ.

If you've been with us before, you might notice things look a little different around here. Make sure you check out the welcome page for the basic rundown of how your character joined up with Hathaway. For further information about the game, the full navigation has all the links you'll need.

Apps will reopen to the public on 6 January, with early apps for returning characters opening on 4 January. Apps will close when we reach our 60-player cap or on 15 January, whichever happens first. We hope to see you then!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That is very true. Are you a doctor, or a healer?

i'm one of the best healers the shepherds have got! there's nothing my trusty staff can't fix.

my name's lissa, by the way! what's yours?

Adrian Ţepeş. I've also been referred to as Alucard more commonly these days.

It's a pleasure to meet you, Lissa. Please let me know when we can meet, and know that I will not let this debt go unfulfilled.

it's nice to meet you alucard!
unofficially, since i guess we haven't met in person yet
but we could! i'm not very busy right now

I would be glad to. Tell me where to go, and it'll be done.

um i'm in one of the rooms on the lower decks of the ship? i think
i've never been on a ship before
but i don't like it
it makes me all queasy and stuff

I will see if I can help you in return, then. How might I know you?
Unless you are alone.

i'm all alone...
i wish my big brother was here
frederick too, even though he's always such a bore

[ anyway ]

i'll wait outside my room though
you'll know it's me because i'm the cutest girl here!

To be parted from family can be difficult.

A fair point, I am sure. You will know me when you see my teeth. Trust me on that.

[Eventually, Alucard does arrive, walking patiently. He does pause as he glances over Lissa, then bows his head politely.]

Lissa? [As he speaks, his fangs should definitely be noticeable.]

[ She's sitting at her door, knees pulled up to her chin, when Alucard arrives. Her presence goes unnoticed until he speaks, Lissa too absorbed in her own self-pity to notice much of the goings-on around her. That all changes as soon as he addresses her, and while his fangs certainly are noticeable, there's something else that blindsides her first, even with the low nausea roiling about in her stomach. ]

Alucard? [ Her mouth hangs open, her wits on the fritz. ] I didn't think you'd be so—handsome!

[ Yes, this is the important matter at hand. ]

[The reaction earns a faint smile, and he gives a polite bow to her.]

A wonderful compliment from a lovely girl. You are too kind, Lissa.

Thank you for meeting with me.

[ The praise brings a smile to her face—and a bit of a blush too, not that it's noticeable past the pale tint of seasickness. ]

No way, I bet anyone with eyes would've said the same thing. You've gotta tell me how you get your hair so sleek and shiny once we get off this dumb boat.

[ Not even a proper bath on the entirety of this ship...never mind pirates, that's the true terror here! But anyway. She clambers back up to her feet (because it's rude to keep sitting while he stands), expression turning uncertain. ]

Are you here about the [ ... ] blood stuff?

[A soft chuckle is earned.] All in due time.

[At her question, he nods slowly.]

I am. However, I should like to also repay you for your kind offering. What would you ask of me in return?

Repayment...?

[ Her face wrinkles at the thought. She'd never really asked for any sort of compensation before for her healing, unless it'd been from Chrom or Frederick, but even that had been borne out from familial-style teasing rather than a true desire to get paid. ]

You don't have to pay me for anything. Really! I'm just doing what any person should do.

[A generous soul. That earns a soft smile from Alucard.

Still.

He approaches Lissa, then takes one knee before her, holding up a hand with the palm up.]

Your hand, if you please.

[ Whoa, r u gonna propose to her Alucard? (jk)

Lissa has no idea where he's going with any of this but does as she's told, lightly placing her (much smaller) hand in his. ]

What do I do next?

[ Surely there has to be more than this. ]

TEST DRIVE MEME.

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