TEST DRIVE 001b

[pyracy]

Try on those ridiculous clothes, sample the catering, and run through your lines. It's time for the Long 18th Test Drive.

ARRIVAL: Characters come to in a dark, tropical forest in a huddle. There are the sounds of strange birds, animals, and insects all around, some of them perhaps worryingly close. With a closer inspection, arrivals realize they're on an incline: Going up will prove fruitless, no matter who they are. The ground there starts to grow rocky the further they climb, and they may find themselves slipping back down to their arrival point, even if they're expert mountain climbers. The ground sloping downward will eventually level out leading toward light, music, and noise. But for the moment, they're simply a group of lost people (or monsters/bipedal animals/robots/etc) with no idea where they are or how they got here. Now's probably a good time to ask, "Who the hell are you? Where am I?" Time to use the buddy system.

TORTUGA: There's a town off the coast of Hispaniola that never sleeps, and that town is Tortuga. It's swapped hands more times than anyone can count, but for now, the French have it. And they do like the extra money the pirates that frequent it bring in; they like it so much that they imported over 1600 prostitutes from Europe to keep them happy. So you might as well relax while you're here, as much as you can with random gunshots and fist fights, anyway. Drop in for a drink at the Faithful Bride, check out the wares for sale (provided to you tax-free thanks to piracy) near the dock front. Visit the warehouse where those ill-gotten goods are stored and distributed. Maybe you're looking for work on a ship? The captains can usually be found - frazzled and busy - in the taverns and at the shipwrights and everywhere in between (just look for the hats), and if they're in a good mood, they might be willing. But the key point of Tortuga is this: Have fun. Some examples might include: A barfight! Wandering into a brothel (maybe by mistake)! Getting duped into joining a crew! There's no end of trouble to get into.

MIRROR POST: When they arrived, every person found, in a pocket or a bag or tucked away somewhere on their person, a little compact mirror. It's nothing fancy: Square, with hinges and a latch that keep it closed, the outer casing carved from seashell, the inner mirror a little spotted with age. But if it's played around with enough, it quickly becomes apparent it works as a communication device. Here you have access to all of the marked folks, no matter how far and wide they might spread. Need to have a heart to heart with a buddy in Singapore? Want to send out a general ad to everyone at large? Looking for answers to questions? This is the quickest way to get all of that.

CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE: The world is open, and it's full of pearls that are just waiting for you to take them. Maybe you want to have some quiet time to scrub clean in a bathhouse in Singapore. Perhaps you're visiting the fabled pirate city of Libertalia in Madagascar. Maybe you've found yourself lost in Mayan ruins or stranded on an island. Or you were shipwrecked in a hurricane. Or you've decided to relocate to Port Royal or one of the American colonies for a quieter sort of life. Either way, this is your story, might as well make it a good one.

Comments

i

[cold_righteousness]

If I had to guess-- someplace none of us belong.

[Not that Steph knew that for certain just yet, but it only took her a few minutes of looking around at the disparate array of individuals to put her suspicions in order. She had been in the process of making her way through the group of people, making sure that everyone was on their feet and no one was injured. It was always easier for her to slip into that role of being Captain America in situations like this. Already she's thinking that the best option is probably to follow the path down and see where it leads. Tactically, she'd like to get a few from higher up, but her brief forray into the attempt hadn't been particularly fruitful.]

Are you alright, Miss...?

[There's a round shield on her arm, and she's dressed in a sort of uniform that's probably strangely modern to the other woman's eyes. She's tall, broad-shouldered, with a messy ponytail that falls over one shoulder and a look of concern that glints in her eyes.]

[hiddenandpatient]

[Elizabeth watched her before she had turned to even look the Queen's way, her gaze soft, concerned but no less calculating. A woman who carried a shield and dressed in some odd sort of uniform... And pants.

They shouldn't be here- that was hardly surprising. How often did you wake in a strange place to find that it's exactly where you belonged? Still, it was nice to have the confirmation. She did not smile- how could she when she was torn away from her son and her family?]

Elizabeth... I am not hurt, thank you. [She pauses a moment.] The crest on your shield, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with it. [Nor the strange clothing, for that matter. But first thing first: ensure she does not fight for an enemy army.]