March - April Test Drive

[indigo_league]

➞ Post with a character you wish to test drive in this game's setting.
➞ Tag other people's starters and thread out shenanigans!
➞ Invite your friends! Try out new characters! Come play with us!
➞ Have fun!

NOT SURE WHERE TO BEGIN YOUR TEST-DRIVE JOURNEY?
CHECK OUT ALL THE LOCATIONS WE HAVE AVAILABLE IN:

JOHTO | KANTO | SEVII ISLANDS

Feel free to make various prompts in multiple locations!

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OTHER USEFUL LINKS:
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Comments

Vierna Do'Urden | Legend of Drizzt | OTA

[noamuth]

A. New Bark Town
[Vierna has not, quite, worked up the nerve to leave town. No, not the nerve, she's not frightened. But it would be foolish to go rushing off across this strange surface realm without taking a moment to gather her wits and evaluate her resources. Especially when arriving here had been such a disorienting experience. For a variety of reasons.

For one thing, it's the middle of the day, and while her new form is not, thankfully, as sensitive to bright light as her true self would be, she still feels unnaturally exposed. Lingering in the strange domicile she'd woken to hadn't been an option, though - she doesn't know what was going on with that, although she supposes she has to be thankful that the strange human woman hadn't actually been anything like her mother, because Matron Malice would never have allowed an intruder to walk away.

So for the moment, the dark-skinned young woman is lurking in the shade of one of New Bark Town's few buildings, holding a Zubat with one hand firmly under each wing and frowning thoughtfully at it.]

Ugly little thing, aren't you? [The pokemon wriggles and shrieks at her. In a friendly way? Maybe?]

B. Network; Video
[It's early evening, and the message is recorded from what appears to be a quiet corner of Violet City. Vierna's changed into her spare outfit - the gen three Hex Maniac outfit, to be exact. At the angle that she's holding the PokeGear to film herself, her Zubat is just visible nestled under her cloak. She's low-key scowling down the camera the entire time she speaks, which just makes the red of her eyes more obvious.]

This is Vierna Do'Urden. I've been lead to understand that the next stretch of road is somewhat longer and more perilous than that which I've already traveled. I have no desire to spend the next tenday on the road with no intelligent companionship.

[The Zubat squeaks in what might be objection, and Vierna diverts her glare from the camera just long enough to scowl at it instead.] Hush, you.

Is anyone else planning on leaving Violet City via Route 32 soon? If you are, I would join your traveling party.

C. Union Cave
[For all that she's now limited to seeing things in the visible spectrum - the horror - Vierna is instantly, visibly more relaxed once she gets underground. A little less flinchy, a little less defensive. It's good to have a stone roof over her head again and not that awful empty space of the sky.

And look, maybe you'd intended to head straight through. Vierna had intended to head straight through. But she'd taken a wrong turn, and that entrance to a lower level looks awfully inviting.]

Come on. There will be more formidable creatures deeper in the cave system, right?

[She sounds... well, maybe not enthusiastic, but certainly like she considers this a positive, despite the fact that she and her team are rapidly approaching the point of their current journey where a bath and a trip to the pokecenter should sound more appealing than going and looking for another fight.]

B

[nevercaught]

Vierna? [Oh, even as a human it's entirely obvious who this is. He hasn't changed a bit... well, maybe he looks slightly older—and he's wearing (garish, flamboyant) clothes more suited to surface weather—but that's possibly only due to the translation in species.]

We're a bit further on, but I do not mind backtracking with the teleportation circle network—can you meet us at the city's main Pokemon center?

[noamuth]

Jarlaxle!

[Probably she shouldn't be surprised to see him here - the man gets everywhere, after all. Still, even with the supremely disconcerting polymorph into a human, it's something of a relief to see a familiar face.]

How in the world did you get so far ahead of me? ...no, I expect the answer to that is very stupid.

I'll be there. Do not keep me waiting.

[nevercaught]

[It is VERY STRANGE to find Vierna on this plane, especially as she is supposed to be dead, but Jarlaxle has given up on understanding the vagaries of fate here. And she is Zaknafein's daughter and a one-time member of Bregan D'aerthe. He likely owes her.]

I'm sure it's merely that Kimmuriel and I reached this plane sooner than you did.

[noamuth]

[She frowns, confused, and quickly covers that confusion with an annoyed scowl.] I spoke to you mere hours before I arrived on this plane. How much of a head start could you possible have had?

[At least he seems to be in a better mood than he'd been when they'd last spoken. He hadn't seemed best pleased by what she'd had to do to Dinin.]

[nevercaught]

Ah, but that is the oddity of this plane—Kimmuriel and I have been here some few tendays already. It seems the flow of time here is not at all consistent with that back on Faerun and Toril.

[Which definitely could explain why his mood regarding her has improved, since it's been weeks for him? Well over a century but ssshhh.]

[noamuth]

Oh. Oh, that's... good, I suppose. [This is still a disruption that Vierna does not need, but at least if time passes more swiftly here than it does in Faerûn, perhaps she will not find her plans too greatly derailed by the delay.] I am certain you've found some way to turn this to your advantage, then, if you have been here that long.

[nevercaught]

Well! If nothing else, Kimmuriel and I have been able to secure a few more of these magical creatures—as well as securing a sizable bounty for an overlarge bird, with the help of a little girl who once was a kenku. If you are in Violet City already, have you by chance visited the Ruins of Alph? It is there that we discovered some of our most useful new creatures.

[A set of animate keys jingles merrily above his shoulder.]

This is Mrim'ol—and though she is small, I am reliably informed that she can keep far larger creatures locked in place, should she choose.

[Yes, he named his Klefki "key" in the drow tongue.]

[noamuth]

I've heard of the ruins, but I haven't visited yet. [It had sounded like a distraction, honestly, but if there are useful creatures there... maybe she'll take a look.

For the moment, though, she allows herself to be sidetracked by Jarlaxle's... keys? She leans in a little toward the screen - and therefore the camera - trying to get a closer look.] Is it a creature or an item?

[nevercaught]

Both! A sort of living magical item, I suppose. She's quite clever. And Kimmuriel has contrived to capture a few psionic creatures himself—he plans to train them to be as formidable as he ever was.

[Which in Jarlaxle's opinion is Quite Formidable Actually.]

B.

[crystalmaster]

Hi there. There's two different roads you can take out of Violet City, actually, as long as there's no Suduwoodo in the road. I went that other way, as I wasn't crazy about going through that big cave with just myself and one Pokemon. My route is a lot more populated, I think. But if you wanna take the cave path, good luck!

[noamuth]

I fail to see why the cave would be of any more concern than an overland route. Several days' journey from civilization is several days' journey from civilization, is it not?

[crystalmaster]

... Yeah. But the cave is more isolated. I found people pretty frequently on the overland route. But maybe that's not a dealbreaker for you?

[Radley is definitely a people person and can't stand to be alone. But the cave, too, makes him think of the mine where he was trapped. Most people wouldn't have those feelings about such places.]

[noamuth]

I suppose that avoiding populated areas would make it more difficult to gather enough coin to support myself. [Her answer is a little begrudging; Vierna's not wild about crowds, honestly, but she's practical enough to recognize that the money provided with her starting gear isn't going to last forever.]

[crystalmaster]

Oh, definitely. You can't have too much money, especially in a new place. I'm planning to breed my Pokemon to support myself, at least partially. I'm also thinking about putting down roots and opening a restaurant, since that's something I know about from home.

[noamuth]

I see no problem with living off the spoils of battle. [That and possibly mooching off of whatever associates she can find that will let her. She's got her pride but that pride absolutely does not rule out browbeating others into generosity. But mostly the defeating others in combat and taking their money thing.] Assuming my creatures can be trained well enough to make that sustainable.

[crystalmaster]

There's a lot of people who like making money that way. I'll admit that it's really helped me up to this point.

[noamuth]

I am sure I can manage, then. [A brief pause, but... oh why not. He's moderately helpful, she might want to find him again.] What is your name?

[crystalmaster]

I'm Radley.

[He usually just uses one name these days.]

B

[psionicmolotov]

[ He's not bothering with the video function; Vierna was part of the band long enough that she likely would know his voice. And if she doesn't, then....it's no concern of his. ]

You again. [ To be fair to him it doesn't carry any venom. His tone is impassive as it ever was. ] Well, Jarlaxle has already invited you to travel with us, so I suppose I will see you soon.

[noamuth]

You were expecting someone else? [The problem with Kimmuriel is that a lack of emotion in his voice tells her basically nothing. Once of the problems with Kimmuriel, anyway. Vierna, for contrast, makes absolutely no effort to keep the irritation out of her voice. If anyone had asked her who Jarlaxle should have as backup here there is a long list of Bregan D'aerthe operatives she would have suggested first.]

[psionicmolotov]

I expect nothing from this odd plane, least of all you. [ It is what it is, is what he seems to be saying in his own way.

Jarlaxle has omitted that Vierna is long-dead from his perspective; Kimmuriel will therefore do the same. ] Do not bother with your prayers, by the way. You will find they grant you nothing.

[ Whether he's saying it to be practically helpful or because he wants to unnerve her is..........debatable. ]

[noamuth]

Keeping up good habits does me no harm. [Which is to say, she's noticed. Possibly she'd thought to reduce her dependence on healing items by casting curative spells on her pokemon directly.] Lady Lolth will reward me for my dedication when I am returned to her sphere of influence.

[psionicmolotov]

[ He sighs a little. ] You are devoted as ever. [ It's hard not to think of it as foolishness when viewing Lolth as he does now, but he...understands. Why people cling so tightly to the gods. Perhaps, if he'd led a different life - his path more uncertain and fading - he might have well done the same. ]

What manner of creature did you receive? [ There's a curious burbling sound, but naturally, this being audio, it's impossible to tell what the source looks like. Kimmuriel can be heard making an exasperated noise and cutting his own sentence off, though. ]

[noamuth]

[She is choosing to take that as a complement.]

It's a sort of eyeless bat. Wretched little thing, but it's eager enough to fight. [At least it is when confronted with other pokemon; at the moment, it's tucked up all cozy under her cloak, clinging to her arm.]