Test Drive Meme

[ho_mods]

Test Drive Meme

Prompts

1. Ye Olde Tavern - Pull up a chair, stranger. Have a pint. Try the lamb stew! Inns and taverns are the most common way for strangers on an adventure to meet, whether they're on the road to find the next quest, or someone looking for a job (hopefully one that involves annihilating monsters). And if all else fails? BAR FIGHT!

2. Here Be Goblins - Beginning adventurers find goblins to be one of the first monsters they can fight without getting brutally murdered, though veterans might find them to be too weak. Don't underestimate these wily and nasty little fiends! They might not be smart, but there's a LOT of them in this cave, and it reeks of goblin even twenty feet away.

3. Town Festival - What luck! Stopping in this quaint little hamlet to restock on gear and supplies, you're just in time to join the party. It could be a celebration of the recent harvest, a chance to honor a hero of old (maybe your ancestor!), or the local rich guy just decided he wanted to throw a party and rolled out the kegs into town square. Eat! Dance! Fun!

4. Dungeon Crawl - Each dungeon has its own smell...mold, dust, rot, sulfur... None of them fall into the 'pleasant' category. Bring torches, weapons, and wits! You'll need all of these things to find treasure / slay evil creatures / avoid dangerous traps / accidentally unseal a force of evil.

5. So You Accidentally Unsealed a Force of Evil - A nefarious cult has all the ingredients they need to perform an unholy ritual to loose a great demon/god/asshole into the world, and need just one more thing: blood! YOURS! Or your friend's! Or a helpless villager! Only you can stop them. Or maybe you were just too damn late and there goes that evil demon/god/asshole wreaking havoc left and right. Someone should do something about that.

6. So You Successfully Stopped a Force of Evil - You and your teammates have emerged from the cave to see the sun rise. Or beheaded a despot. Or rescued a fishing crew from a horrible sea monster. The point is, you won! What now? Wash off the grime and take a nap? Test out the new magic weapon you found? Brag to that cute adventurer and impress them into dating you? Drink? Drink.

7. Inconvenient Weather - Sometimes the elements just don't want a hero to do the hero thing. There's a raging lightning storm, or a fierce blizzard, or blistering heat... Whatever it is, the smart thing to do is take shelter. Duck into a cave and dry off. See if the inn has any vacancies (or if they'll let you sleep in the hayloft). Set up camp in a magical pocket dimension.

8. Never Get on the Boat - Every seasoned adventurer knows better than to board any sea-faring vessel, lest their bored DM have an excuse to roll out all the horrible aquatic monsters and wait for you to fail your Swimming skill check. But here you are anyway, getting on that ship to fight pirates, find the cursed island, or maybe just catch a really delicious fish. Everyone needs their ocean adventures.

9. Mix It Up! - Randomly select two of the options above and somehow make them fit into one prompt. Be daring! Be bold! Be wild!

Comments

[mannix]

The rowdy crowd did calm themselves in front of an elf, or one looking near enough. Fey beauty had that effect. But only for a moment. Mannix was glad, supposing that an elven love of nature had won sympathy.

"Th-thank you. I, ah, um..."

Though she'd put him on the spot; an extremely uncomfortable place. What did he mean to say, again?

"Y-yes, well, I mean to adventure, and would like the services of others in that vein. As I said, one who knew arcane--"

The peace was nice while it lasted. As he spilled out his wishlist of competencies, the rest of the assembly's mockery began anew. Oh, it was to laugh.

"Adventure? You? Look at ye! No bigger than me thumb! What will you do when a bugbear's charging the frontlines? Bite it to death?"

"W-while it's true I lack martial proficiencies..."

"How about treasure? How are you gonna haul a big score?"

"...couldn't we rent a mule?"

"How would you read the magic scrolls of your discipline? They don't make them mouse-sized, you know."

"I know, but..." A hand slammed the table, making him jump. It belonged to a no-nonsense dwarf with gravel in his voice.

"Listen here, wee one. Adventurin's no joke. People's lives depend on ye, and meanin' no offense, ya don't look like ye could carry a candle, let alone the day. If ye can't do the basics, what can ye do?"

Loath as Mannix is to admit, these were all points he knew painfully well. He physically wasn't as capable as others of his vocation, which made him doubt whether he should pursue it at all. Only obedience compelled him further.

"I...I can still cast spells!"

Either fresh defiance or the frustration in his voice set them all giggling again. "Is that a fact? All right then; go on! Show us the divine might of The Good!"

"Hey, I heard clerics can light things of fire! Do that! Light something on fire!"

"It's, it's not that kind of flame..."

"Well, do something!"

Curses. What had he gotten himself into? He only had two spell slots, and it'd be wasteful to use them just to impress a crowd of jeering drunks. And yet, they persuaded his diffident heart. He was brand new, and from what he'd read, clerics quite literally meant the difference between life or death for their companions. Asking strangers to put their lives in his paws was a tall order.

Nonetheless, he can't give up so soon. He could never face his master if he did. He looked around for something, anything to demonstrate his worth. He caught Zelda's expression, and it seemed the only one on his side. Then he looked at the far wall, spying an old wine cask with broken rings.

"Ah, excuse me, m-miss. Would you please lift me to those barrels? There's an opportunity for good there, I think."

[sealteam6]

"His size puts him at an advantage for other things, you know," Zelda snapped right back. "He had to actively strain to get attention, he'd be a natural for sneaking past enemies, or avoiding traps that are sensitive to pressure. Besides," she planted a hand on her hip, "wouldn't we appear just as small to a dragon?"

It was the dwarf's loud slap to the table that jostled her out of sass mode, her hands coming up to protectively hold Mannix closer to her shoulder. His words were harsh, and at first she frowned deeply, ready to retaliate. But she realized he wasn't speaking out of condescension, but concern. Adventuring truly was dangerous, no one could deny that. Even Zelda herself had run into a few tough scrapes, and that was in the company of well-seasoned gnomes on a relatively "safe" dungeon delve for beginners.

She looked down at the little mouse as he sought her gaze, and nodded once. If he was still determined, especially in spite of knowing the risks, was that not worthy of respect?

"Certainly," she agreed, and moved forward. A human ranger stood his ground as she approached, and she fixed him with a fierce look until he moved aside. Though her fingers itched to explore the intricate details of his barding, she resisted (barely) and opened her fingers to serve as a small ramp for him to exit and take his place upon the old cask. "Good luck," she whispered with a secret little grin. Then she held her hands behind her waist and took a step back, watching with curiosity.

[mannix]

He quivered a little at both his advantages: sneaking and scouting past enemies and testing floor traps. Adventuring was looking grimmer by the second. Well, in for a copper, in for a gold. Still, he liked that she spoke in his defense. Now he just needed to not disappoint.

The procession of maiden and mouse turned heads, seeming at once both silly and solemn. When it looked certain that Mannix had risen to the challenge, the tavern enjoyed a spontaneous, if uncoordinated, chant.

"Do some-thing! Do some-thing! Do some-thing!"

If mice could sweat. Somehow he'd become the afternoon's entertainment, and gotten more attention than ever. Nerves made him shake in her hands, still vibrating once she'd set him down. The bartender, so far solidly neutral, even stopped polishing dishes to see Mannix' intent.

He breathed slowly to steady his paws. The row was at its height, each syllable joined by claps and struck furniture. He went towards the aged, broken wood and cracked ring. He was hard to hear, amidst the din, but his small voice gained strength in stillness as he spoke in prayer.

"O holy Good, by Your power, let what is broken be whole." The last word rang with an arcane vibration, serving as the verbal component to his Mending spell. With one paw grasping his holy symbol, he ran the other over the tears. A sharp metallic tang and the harsh creaking of rejoined oak hushed the tavern's chant. Little by little the flaws in the cask bonded until it was fit for liquids again.

"Huh," the bartender said once he'd finished. "Thanks; saves me a trip to the cooper."

A few eager eyes rushed to see for themselves. After few exchanges and confirmations, they'd accepted their payoff.

"Well, look at that! Hey, everyone, the barrel's back to its old self! Three cheers for the church mouse! Hip hip--"

The noise began anew. In vain he struggled to be humble and direct their praise toward The Good responsible. So instead he looked pointedly at Zelda, raising his voice again; this time with a little less distress.

"THANK YOU!"