testdrive | welcome to the new age.

[geistnet]

testdrive meme.

1. First Day At Falner
You have just arrived at Falner Estate, a sprawling, beautiful, 400-hectare co-located space between Britain, Germany, and the Philippines, and the main base of Netsach. The flora and fauna in the area gives both a sense of familiarity as it looks at first glance like things you’ll find on Earth, and a weird sense of otherworldliness. Given the size of the place, the Estate is less of a compound and more like a town unto itself. The older buildings within the estate are gothic in their construction, and clear throwbacks to 19th Century Europe. The newer facilities, however, sport cutting edge contemporary designs that were clearly inspired by Fourth World architecture and technology.

If you want a better idea on what can be found on the estate, you can refer to this link.


2. A Day On The Job
You are pushing papers at Methuselah, doing research at the Arcanum, or going out on patrol -- whatever it is that you're doing, it's just another day for you as a Hunter of the Vigil.


3. Let's Head Down to Haven
Find yourself itching for a night out on the town? Why not head over to Haven, the classy nightclub that looks like a large, monolithic black building with no visible windows from the outside and the name of the club emblazoned in bold, white letters on one side.

Haven is located in Makati City, and is open to the public (especially the local supernatural community), but you might want to prepare yourself to wait in line for a very, very long time – unless you’re a Hunter, of course.

Falner’s Maenad Division holds office on top of Haven, as does Ordo Daywalker. Some of Haven’s staff also live above the night club.


4. The Awakening
Want to tag out your character's origin story? Set the stage and let's see where things go.


5. Choose Your Own Adventure
If none of the suggested premises hit the mark, feel free to set things up and let's do a tag round.


Instructions for the Testdrive:
1. Specify your chosen scenario number on the subject line.
2. Should you wish to tag with a specific character already established within Waking the Dead, indicate who. The current list of available NPCs can be found over here.

Comments

[huamo]

[ Immediately offering his hand for a good, solid shake once he's close enough. ]

Your dragon's nice.

Scrutiny Roll (Arcana: Mind): Intelligence 3 + Occult 2 [10 (10 (2)), 3, 8, 5, 4] = 3 Successes

[anteayer]

[And he's taking that as his cue to shake hands with you as he nods, that smile broadening slightly.]

Gracias, Mr. Pierce. And it's nice to finally make your acquaintance.

[As he says that, he's extending his senses, drawing on his knowledge of the Mind Arcanum to scrutinize your resonance...

Before his eyes (and to his surprise), your shadow seems to take on the appearance of a pool of water. He could also make out something large and dark swimming beneath the surface. And as he discretely studies it, he realizes that it was distinctly shaped like a shark.

None of what he was feeling showed, though, on his face.]

[huamo]

[ Even then, though, your companion of the moment is tilting his head in your direction. ]

So, do I check out, or am I perceivable threat?

[ He kind of noticed that. She did too.

Nevertheless, he's smiling and attempting to make a joke out of it. You don't get people in Zangyaku or the Riders scrutinizing on the fly rather than asking. ]

[anteayer]

[Wait, What? Perceivable threa-]

Oh. Sorry...

[There's a look of embarrassment on his face as he nods contritely at you.]

I was just curious, sir. I wasn't trying to be rude to you or anything.

[Temo, on the other hand, was giving him an irked glance once he lands beside his books.]

[huamo]

I figured as much. Still, might want to be a little more careful with that in the future.

[ Since, yanno, superpowered operatives walking around and all.

Anyway, moving to join you. ]

[anteayer]

Yes, sir.

[Of course, he probably shouldn't have tried reading an experienced and highly observant Zangyaku Rider such as yourself. Especially since you happen to be a supernatural as well.

Anyway, have him look further surprised before he's scooting a bit to one side to give you more room on the bench he's on. A moment later, he's clearing his throat.]

Right. I haven't introduced myself yet. Gray Magallanes Valverde. But you can call me Gray, if it's alright with you, sir.

[huamo]

Drop the "sir", Valverde, and I do solemnly swear not to flinch when you call me "Luke" or "Pierce".

[ He seems like a good kid so far. Hinekorako, though, is watching this exchange intently. He can feel her eyes on him from within the shadows at the back of his head. ]

You putting in hours over there?

[ He means the hospital, of course. ]

[anteayer]

Si.

[Glancing over at the main building as he says that with a faint smile.]

No sense idling away the morning when you can spend it on doing something productive. And there's never a dull moment here thanks to all the people coming in and out.

[Meanwhile, Temo was curling up atop his books, briefly unfurling his wings to shake off the tension in them before folding them again. But he's going to keep an ear to this conversation even as he closes his eyes.]

[huamo]

I am starting to get that impression, yeah.

[ Looking off in the distance, watching said people with a smile. ]

And I thought Tangaroa was big before.

[ Hell, this place even dwarves Seigi for him. ]

[anteayer]

Hm? Tangaroa?

[Raising one eyebrow as he gives you an inquiring look.]

So, you got transferred here to Falner from Australia?

[huamo]

Yeah. My brothers and sisters in the Myobu want me to remain on standby until I join a new blade, or until they assign me to new operatives themselves.

[ Pulling out his cigarettes now. ]

Mind if I smoke?

[ It's a nice day. ]

[anteayer]

No. I don't.

[He's gotten used to the fact that nearly every Keeper of the Vigil smokes. So, he's not going to complain there.

He does straighten up a a bit when you mention the reason for your transfer. On standby until you join a new blade. That meant...]

So, your old blade was...?

[He comes short of giving voice to that question, but his expression turns to one of understanding as he works out what the answer would be.]

Roll Intelligence + Politics. Just one success is enough to recognize his blade.

[huamo]

The Mangō Taniwha.

[ Still smiling, even as he's pausing to light up.

Drag, exhale. (Stay calm. You need to pick yourself up fast, kid.) ]

They went down a couple of weeks back.

Intelligence 3 + Politics 1 [5, 9, 10 (3), 10 (6)] = 3 Successes

[anteayer]

[He's perking up even more when you mention your blade's name.

The Mangō Taniwha. One of the more notable blades who were active during the Second Rise of Grendal. One of the best that Zangyaku and the Riders had among their ranks. And they were...]

I see... I'm sorry that you had to lose them, sir. They were well on their way to doing a lot more, from what I heard.

[The Vigil was a dangerous line of work, though. There was always a big risk that Keepers of the Vigil might lose their lives in an engagement. Still, hearing news of hunters getting killed (and experienced ones, especially) always felt like a blow to his gut.

He was also a bit unsettled by how Luke seemed to be taking it well. A couple of weeks was too soon for him to have moved on. And that made him worry.]

[huamo]

We were, but shit happens pretty damned quickly in our line of work, doesn't it?

[ The truth of the matter was, he wasn't taking it well, and he knew it. He also knew, though, that he could not afford to lose it. People needed him.

(He just wish that nobody did.) ]

You and your blade ought to be careful. Then again, every Keeper should be no matter how simple the job seems to be.

[anteayer]

Well, we've only just been on the job for a couple of months. But yeah, we'll be careful, sir. Sorry. Luke.

[Shaking his head a bit at that. But he's still worrying for his new acquaintance. Losing people you cared about was always hard. And he hoped this guy could find time to properly grieve before it became a serious problem.]

If it's alright to ask... was that engagement also the same one you got your partner from?

[By partner, he meant the shark that had been swimming in your shadow. And he's not entirely sure whether you're a Card or a Sin-Eater.]

[huamo]

[ Smiling a little easier when you say "partner". ]

Yep. Sorry, she's a little shy.

[ ( I am merely uninterested in meeting this one. )

Hey. Be nice. ]

[anteayer]

Ah. I can relate to that.

[And his curiosity is rising up over his concern, for the moment.]

She's your Persona, then?

[Making an educated guess there.]

[huamo]

Yep.

[ Can I give him your name, at least?

( You may. ) ]

Her name is Hine-kōrako. We're still getting to know each other.

Rolling Intelligence 3 + Occult 2 = [7, 8, 4, 6, 2] = 1 Success (Deja Vu)

[anteayer]

Hine-kōrako.

[And his gaze turns thoughtful as he's running that name through everything he'd read up over the years, only to come up short.]

Sorry. I don't think I've heard any stories about her before. Is it alright if you fill me in?

[This was a very familiar situation. Except he'd been the one that was asked to elaborate on a myth.]

XD

[huamo]

Sure thing.

[ He's not too surprised that Gray hasn't heard of her, really. ]

She is a taniwha - that is, a saurian guardian spirit from Maori myth. She's the only taniwha that ever fell in love with a human being.

[anteayer]

[Nodding attentively at that, wordlessly asking him to continue telling more of his Persona's story.]

[huamo]

[ And he's about to when:

( Do not give so much away, child. )

Ah. Looking sheepish now. ]

Sorry, she's insisting on being mysterious.

[anteayer]

[He frowns a bit at that, but promptly shakes it off as he shrugs.]

Well, she probably won't be mysterious to me for long once I've done some reading.

[Tilting his head slightly to one side, now, as he decides to steer this talk elsewhere.]

And seeing as you're here in Falner, now, you got anything to keep you occupied until you end up in a new blade?

[He's internally wincing at how casual it came out.]

[huamo]

[ No worries, man. It's not like this guy's bothered by that statement at all.

(He won't sound or look like it, anyway.) ]

Just my duties at Gisi and patrol, I think. I plan on trolling the network and seeing if anyone's willing to take an extra hand on for missions too.