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Test Drive: April 2020
Test Drive: April 2020—
§ instructions.
Welcome to the Test Drive for Forgotten Tales! This is to help interested players test out their characters in the game's setting and see if the essence they have chosen will actually work in game play. There are a number of prompts that try to touch on the kinds of settings and scenarios the characters may encounter. So here are a few things to keep in mind while on the test drive:
Most of all, have fun! Feel free to invite those you may think would be interested to participate in the test drive.
§ prompts.
¶ I. In the Index. When not out adventuring or playing character roles in stories, the Aspects will have some downtime within the Index, the central hub of the Realm of Stories. Here they can explore the city, read up on other stories, socialize with fellow would-be heroes, learn more about the essence, or even just do nothing at all. Any threads and CR made with "Index" prompts can be carried over into the game.
¶ II. Jack and the Beanstalk. The classic tale of a young boy who climbs up the magic beanstalk to discover the giant's castle. Aspects are requested to help restore this story and are given a few tasks to fulfill. First they must scale up the current, contaminated beanstalk to help clear out the Erasers and other monsters lurking. Then a few select souls must reenact key scenes so that the Storyteller can rewrite the story. Finally they must help chop down the beanstalk so that a newer one can be grown.
¶ III. Request Board: Creature Handling. People aren't the only ones displaced due to the Story Eater's destruction. A variety of creatures from various fairy tales and stories have sought shelter within the Index, and have for the most part been contained away from the main city. However, not all creatures are friendly, and some do escape, whether on their own or by those with ill intentions. While it is preferred to keep every creature safe and alive, the safety of not only the people but also other creatures and the Index itself is paramount. Lethal force should only be used when absolutely necessary. Although some requests specify certain types of individuals best suited for the task, anyone with comparable skills or alternative methods can participate. With everyone needing to learn how to use their new Essence abilities, these offer a perfect opportunity to test them out.
¶ IV. Mix it up. This is the "wildcard" prompt. Feel free to take any of these prompts and make them more of your own, or pull from an entirely different story. As mentioned you're free to use any of our previous stories or other events. Just have fun with it!
§ instructions.
Welcome to the Test Drive for Forgotten Tales! This is to help interested players test out their characters in the game's setting and see if the essence they have chosen will actually work in game play. There are a number of prompts that try to touch on the kinds of settings and scenarios the characters may encounter. So here are a few things to keep in mind while on the test drive:
- Feel free to use the current Workshop for help if you need it! Both the Workshop and the Test Drive are required for Registration.
- Participating on the Test Drive does not guarantee a spot on either Claims or Registration.
- Check the Character Roster and Essence List to see if your choices are not already taken.
- Include Character Name and Canon in the subject line, and note somewhere within the toplevel your character's essence. It can be in the subject line if you already know what it is (so ex; Character | Canon | Essence). Side note: You are free to try more than one essence if you're on the fence. Just make sure to note which one you're using for that particular prompt.
- Players are free to assume their characters have been informed of the very basics so you can skip all that if you'd like.
- Only the "In the Index" prompts of the Test Drive can be carried over in its entirety, but you can alter the story based ones as "stage play" settings within the Index if you wish to carry over that interaction as well, or alter components to a slightly different scenario (ex, instead of fighting Erasers in a story setting, it could in the Index or different monsters within the Index)..
- Don't forget to refer to the Game Info for how the mechanics work.
- Public Registration will open May 3rd, but anyone with an invite and current players can register at any time. Claims will open April 26th.
Most of all, have fun! Feel free to invite those you may think would be interested to participate in the test drive.
§ prompts.

- A. Out in the City. Life in the Index can range from the mundane to the extraordinary depending on which area one travels to. Because it is a hodgepodge of many different stories from numerous cultures, one can never be sure what they may encounter even on an average run for groceries.
- Spring Has Sprung! It's spring in the Index, which means the city is decked out for more holidays! Sakura and other flowering trees scatter petals into the gentle breeze, streamers and banners in bright pastels hang from the lampposts and in shop windows, and best of all, specials on candy! However, some of this decoration magic is spreading all over. Some may suddenly find themselves with flower petals raining down upon them as if to give them a more "refreshing, romantic" effect, though sometimes instead of a gentle shower it's more like a raging storm (hopefully none of them are thorny roses). Buildings are suddenly made of chocolate or dyed random colors that glitter and sparkle in the sun, blinding those who walk past. Hopefully that chocolate doesn't melt. And some will find themselves sporting rabbit ears. They're "real" for about an hour before they turn into fake headbands, but fake or real, the ears can twitch and move.
- Rabbits Can Multiply. Some people might stumble across a chocolate egg. It might be in your winnings if you participated in the egg hunt, on your kitchen counter, placed really obviously on the bench next to you after feeling someone tap your shoulder. In any case, the egg soon hatches into an adorable little chocolate bunny—that quickly starts to eat everything in sight and multiplies like, well, a proverbial rabbit. One rabbit chowing down someone's garden or restaurant inventory is easy to handle, but not five or more. The little menaces seem to distinctly avoid carrots, though. Maybe whacking them on the head with one or spraying them with carrot juice will get rid of them. You can use heat to melt them, but would you really want to scar the children like that?
- Magic Jumping Jelly Beans. Special jelly beans are being handed out to everyone, children in particular. They come in all different flavors and colors and are quite tasty. The only problem is catching them all. When not contained in special, magical plastic eggs, the jelly beans will jump out and bounce around here and there and everywhere without any care. A handful is amusing, but when an entire box or cart full of them is accidentally knocked over and entire rooms or streets are filled with them...it's a problem. Traffic is blocked, eyes are at risk, and those little things can hurt when flying at high speeds. Whether it's grabbing and shoving them back into the eggs, smashing or burning them, or simply eating them, find a way to beat back the beans before they cause serious bodily harm or property damage.
- Spring Has Sprung! It's spring in the Index, which means the city is decked out for more holidays! Sakura and other flowering trees scatter petals into the gentle breeze, streamers and banners in bright pastels hang from the lampposts and in shop windows, and best of all, specials on candy! However, some of this decoration magic is spreading all over. Some may suddenly find themselves with flower petals raining down upon them as if to give them a more "refreshing, romantic" effect, though sometimes instead of a gentle shower it's more like a raging storm (hopefully none of them are thorny roses). Buildings are suddenly made of chocolate or dyed random colors that glitter and sparkle in the sun, blinding those who walk past. Hopefully that chocolate doesn't melt. And some will find themselves sporting rabbit ears. They're "real" for about an hour before they turn into fake headbands, but fake or real, the ears can twitch and move.
- B. Essence Practice. Suddenly inheriting the abilities of another person while losing most of your own at the same time can be quite jarring. Picking a place to test out these newfound powers or even going to the Library to read up on the essence's story may help glean some clues as to what they can do.
- C. Try Out the Journal. The journals are unique to this world and the sole source of communication for everyone. Feel free to give it a try, either by sending a random message out or even a doodle.

- A. Up the Beanstalk. The beanstalk is a twisting rotting mess that leads up to dark, stormy clouds. But it is up this beanstalk they must climb and try to not only create a safer passage for those involved, but to keep it from falling down prematurely as it is the only way up to the giant's castle in the sky. There are several large leaves that look as if they could be safe platforms, but be wary—some are actually venus flytraps in disguise and will snap close if triggered. There are also numerous Erasers and hostile creatures in the form of varying insects. A few beans and pea pods hang off its sides and they can be used as 1) nourishment and remedies, 2) thrown to create safe platforms, 3) sticky explosives against hostile creatures.
- B. Dealing with Giants. There are two many scenes to pick from. For each, characters will take on one of the two roles, but it's only in name and appearance only. How they act is all up to them. There is no script, just a basic guideline on the setup and potential goal, but how it happens and how they get there doesn't matter. They can be serious in their role or just go completely off script. Each one has a costume: Jack, (Princess) Harp, and the Giant. (Note: characters do retain their Aspect abilities as well as temporarily gain some from their scene roles.):
- Jack and (Princess) Harp: Sneaking Past the Giant. It's a stealth co-op mission to get through an extreme obstacle course without waking the Blot giant. Think Ninja Warrior obstacles and traps. (Princess) Harp is transformed into an actual harp with their head and arms the only movable original part of the person. Fortunately they are small enough to be carried, but be careful to not let any of the string snap! Don't wake the giant or they will get Fee Fi Fo Stomped.
- Jack and the Giant: Confrontation. Despite their best efforts, the giant is able to catch up to Jack and impede his escape. Jack must now find a way to get past the giant, and it's up to the one who plays the giant to determine the method. Will the giant be talked into letting Jack go peacefully? Perhaps if Jack traded the harp? Solve a few riddles? Jack uses his wiles to somehow distract and sneak past? Will it come to a fight? Or perhaps another method? (Note: Jack will have a toy harp as a prop.)
- Jack and (Princess) Harp: Sneaking Past the Giant. It's a stealth co-op mission to get through an extreme obstacle course without waking the Blot giant. Think Ninja Warrior obstacles and traps. (Princess) Harp is transformed into an actual harp with their head and arms the only movable original part of the person. Fortunately they are small enough to be carried, but be careful to not let any of the string snap! Don't wake the giant or they will get Fee Fi Fo Stomped.
- C. Chop the Beanstalk. Once everyone is down safely, it's time to chop this giant beanstalk before more threats come down. It's very thick, not to mention riddled with obstacles like peashooter-pods, pome-grenades filled with alarmingly red sticky juice, spiky, stinky durian bombs, and worst of all, the SQUASH! Some chainsaws are provided, but there are other ways to help weaken it via Essence abilities. Those who have affinity with plants can perhaps coax it to soften itself. Others could try cursing it to wilt, and there are of course the elements to use against it (fire is most effective). Watch out for the various critters that will drop down in attempt to defend it, as well as the beanstalk's other defenses.

- REQUEST: TRACKERS, HUNTERS, ANYONE WHO CAN COMMUNE OR UNDERSTAND THE FORESTS. A herd of unicorns is missing and must be found immediately! Poachers are known to trap and cut their horns to be sold on the black market as well as smuggling them to other stories to be sold. This is highly illegal and harmful for the creature. Please find and return them before they are harmed! If you spot a poacher, you have permission to capture them and take them to law enforcement.
- REQUEST: WARRIORS, MAGES, BEAST TAMERS, TRACKERS. A large cerberus was spotted roaming near some ranches set by the mountains. Normally they keep to themselves, but this one is a young male likely looking for new territory to claim and drawn to the livestock. No humans have been harmed, but we want to keep it that way. Partners and groups must have at least one person capable of tracking it down. We wish to drive away the cerberus rather than outright kill it, but it can be unpredictable. If it cannot be driven off or knocked unconscious, then permission is granted for its destruction. Be wary of its three heads—it is capable of harnessing the three main elements: fire, water, and wind.
- REQUEST: BARDS, MUSICIANS, CHARMERS. Because of the recent incidents, many of the more timid creatures and farm animals are nervous and won't settle down. Many have wedged themselves in odd hiding places and just won't come out, while others ceaselessly stampede through the spring fields and trample the crops! Music will help calm them down, especially duets, and they are also fans of musical numbers. However if music isn't enough, perhaps a sleeping spell of some kind will do.
¶ IV. Mix it up. This is the "wildcard" prompt. Feel free to take any of these prompts and make them more of your own, or pull from an entirely different story. As mentioned you're free to use any of our previous stories or other events. Just have fun with it!
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He gave his wings strong flaps while hopping so he could achieve flight sooner than later. He knew it felt like to be airborne, having jumped out of way too many planes to be sane, but the lift off part took several tries. He managed to glide and even come to perch on a sapling, which struggled to hold his weight.
Keen eyes peered at the trees, and his long vision was much, much sharper in this form. "Caw caw," he said. Not as a bird voice but his usual growling human one. He knew there was someone in the trees.
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Instead? Well.
There was a sharp whistle, not quite giving his own exact position away with how it sounded a bit further away from him. Some little trick he learned. Not shooting? May as well be irritating then, for the moment.
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Keen eyes looked into the trees but saw no source. He began to hop along the branches - some of them creaking his position - as he searched. Black smoke curled as he made his way along, looking for the source, suspecting with whom it might be by the sound of it.
"Few places to hide that I won't find you."
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Wasn't speaking just yet, and for once he was toying rather that diving straight in. Keeping a game up rather than it being the other way around for once.
Trying to place that niggling in the back of his mind all the while.
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He extended his wings and glided over to another tree, slipping behind the trunk with little hops but not emerging the other side as usual. No, he was peering about, looking for an appropriate tree south of his location.
And what was a shape-shifting bird to do? Well, shadow step from one tree to another, trying to get in behind wherever his quarry was.
no subject
All of his senses were far sharper than they already had been made, even if there was some mild irritation over... well. Everything.
Hunkered himself down in the crook of a new tree, gotten as low and blended as he could where parts of it split four different ways.
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So, he hopped upwards, scaling the tree with flaps of his wings and the press of claws that soon morphed back to booted feet as he regained his more familiar form. He began to ease along the branches, turning to smoke to cross silently as he headed in the direction he suspected his little mouse was at.
no subject
Eyes could train on and follow that smoke, the glow of them well hidden behind that shaded visor of his. Blended strangely well in to the shadowed darkness of cover his spot provided him despite his color- or maybe it was the color of the hooded jacket that aided him there.
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Tactically, it would be unwise to go out shooting. The scatter of his shot would certainly be able to flush someone out in time, but it would also give away his position. He had no idea what fairy tale or folklore creature he might be facing, so it was better to be safe. He hadn't yet tested the boundaries of death in these parts.
So, he waited, patient and calm, looking to see if his quarry would make a move.
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All the better to unshoulder that hunting rifle and fire in one smooth motion- not directly where that scent lingered, but close enough that it made things clear he knew right where the other was. Could spare that bit of shot, knew exactly where he could get more.
Didn't remain where he'd fired from however, moving along the ground and tucking himself back up against a tree hollow.
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He teleported to a branch much closer, emerging as an large golden eagle without even thinking about it. He took to the wing immediately, tearing through the foliage as his keen eyes looked for the sight of whomever thought to fire at him. He circled, wing tips brushing against branches and leaves, ignoring the danger of such a position.
Clouds had began to gather and thicken over head. Little mice would be seen eventually.
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It was with much more power and speed behind it that 76 lunged from below, gun hidden away, as he had sharp bear-like claws aimed to sink through feathers and flesh. A very quick attempt to tackle him out of the sky and send them both plummeting against the ground. All claws and a muzzled mask that looked like sharp and deadly teeth, the thing looked at least carved from old bone even if made of much stronger stuff.
By appearance he looked more like a wild animal, more so with how quickly he moved, and the fact there was a lashing tail and fur nearly all over. Even trimming that hood of his crop leather jacket.
no subject
The sudden ferocity of speed and strength caught him momentarily by surprise, and he twisted in the air and folded his large wings to drop a few feet. Claws still caught him, but his talons snapped out to grab and sink through that muzzle mask as he hissed as they plummeted from the sky. Black smoke poured from the wounding that he suffered from, but it didn't bother him, not really.
Let them fall for the moment it took for him to gather himself and assess the situation, he dissolved into smoke to reform as a humanoid form again, crouching. "Well, well, well, what sort of beast are you? No matter, they all die the same."
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Shoulders rolled, ears flicked back as his tail lashed behind him, the mask hiding how teeth were bared under that muzzle- and there was the barest moment where a flash of blue gleamed from behind the nearly pitch black visor over his eyes.
"Think you know better than anyone how hard I am to kill, Reaper." Snarled, and far more animalistic now than ever.
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Jack.
Reaper issued a low dark chuckle, and he should have known. His steps were so often hunted by this man, so this was the first aspect of this new state of being that actually made perfect sense. At least he wouldn't be bored saving these miserable stories.
"If it isn't Jack... always did play the hero. And I thought I grew ugly after the fall, but you look like you came apart and were put back together in all the wrong ways."
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He stood, straightened up as he stood on cloven hoofed feet; digitigrade legs giving him more height than normal. Rips in clothing allowing off-white fur to poke out through that black shirt and dark pants. Hair and fur alike ruffled, like it was standing on end in a raising of hackles.
"And what are you? Some bird brain?" Even with a slight niggling conflict he could feel at the edge of his anger. Had some idea of what the other was ad it just made that anger burn more.
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He examined Jack's new appearance, all the signs that he was irretrievably changed by whatever story that he had taken on. The hooves were a nice touch he decided, brought out how pig-headed Jack actually was for all to see.
His own appearance changes were more subtle, and that's the way he preferred it. His jacket was inscribed with feathers, looking a little like folded wings. His mask remain safely in place, but their were lines of detailed inscriptions along all the angles, things he couldn't see.
"What does it matter what I am? Didn't you come rushing in to kill me as you always do?"
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But that wasn't here, only Reaper was.
Shoulders rolled, cracking his neck as those wolfish ears twitched, one remained pinned back, striped tail still flicking behind him as he stood tall. Head tilted, face hidden completely by the visored muzzle-like mask. "Sound irritated that you weren't the hunter like you expected here." Growled in that drawl of his.
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However, that was for another time. They were currently engaged rather futilely in this odd storybook adventure.
He shrugged his shoulders, not finding the fact that he was assaulted to be particularly bothersome. It wasn't something he couldn't heal from. After all, the foliage around him was turning back and wilting. "Hardly. Every run-in creates experience to learn from. And you were obviously watching me, so that makes me think you've been here some time."
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One that was standing there covered in feathers and clearly had some witch's essence, once 76 could put a finger on that feeling. Of course he'd end up on an end of that- but the other didn't need to know that.
"For all you know I take to the outdoors far easier than you would," city slicker. No matter similar and shared survival training. Dryly said as it was- "Bird witch," by the looks of things. There was one, in some distant memory of better times, that he could guess what the other got landed with.
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In a lot of ways, that was good for him. It took resources away from keeping an eye on him to following around where 76 was going to strike next. So, he wasn't afraid to use it for his benefit while setting himself deeper and deeper into the ranks of Talon. He needed to know where the bottom of that well went.
"I suppose that may be true, you having to live rough and hide under tree roots to keep out of the rain usually," he replied with a flippant disregard on how 'useful' that was. Jack grew up on a farm, did a lot of hunting, camping and probably sang kumbaya around campfires. "But what do all those skills really have to offer?"
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Funny, seemed like all it took was him not having the control to be able to keep going was all it took for Gabriel Reyes to turn on him. What it had seemed like, even felt like in the end. Like Reyes only cared when he was getting his, then completely shut him out so he'd had nothing to turn to as everything crumbled despite everything he'd tried to keep after sacrificing it all.
"Field advantage, I'm sure you remember that much."
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It took two to turn on each other, and of course, their grievances were easy to pile up in all the years before and since the fall of Overwatch. There came a point where sacrifices and plans didn't hold up, but he didn't expect Jack to understand what he was actually doing. Some sacrifice plays were beyond even the great Strike Commander.
"You'd need every advantage just to feel like you have a chance of beating me," he remarked as he rose from his crouch to his feet.
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Would be funny, there was sparks of magic in those old bones of his now, which meant that one moment 76 was still standing and looking where Reaper had perched himself, and the next he was just above. Tail swinging as fingers gripped a branch and allowed himself to swing downwards- cloven hooves first, towards the other's sides.
"See how far that can stand up, because I think there are a few things you've forgotten." Most wouldn't know between the two of them, that when they were younger, Jack Morrison was the dirty fighter. The one that had needed to be pulled back, and it was only once he no longer had to be held back by a title that it bleed through once more.
no subject
As such, he didn't even turn his head as Jack disappeared from the distance in front of him to be above him. He could hear perfectly well and could guess the next move. Jack had always been a dirty, cheeky fighter, which made him excellent in the nitty gritty of a war, but then the man had been strung up by the noose of a title.
His hand snapped out to catch a cloven hoof, and he jerked his arm to try to rip Jack right off of holding to that branch. At the same time, the temperature around him plummeted until every breath could be visible and ice began to gather along his feathery-looking coat and the branches around them. Wilting leaves. Making breathing a pain.
"How could I forget that underneath all this show, you're just a dirty farm boy throwing dung in people's faces?"
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