LPM Test Drive

[letsplayamod]

The Inaugural Let's Play A Murder Test Drive



Greetings, mortals.

I thank you for accepting my plea. From across universes, I have summoned you to aid me in bringing light back to this land. Here, though, in this small pocket, we are free to relax for the moment. Steel yourself, and meet with me soon.

There is much to discuss.

Welcome to the official test drive for Let's Play A Murder, an experimental murdergame! Characters will work together to unravel an oncoming threat that strikes each week with something new to tear them apart. For now, tag around with potential picks for the upcoming game and get a feel for that sweet sweet murder CR! If you have any questions, please DM lightdrizzel

Threads from this TDM (and others if you so choose) will count towards the RP sample of the applications.

1 - I hardly think I'm qualified
Wherever you were, whatever you were doing... you're not there anymore. Instead, you've awoken on an unfamiliar but very soft bed. The room is sparsely decorated, ornate carvings of heroic figures intermingle on the walls with hairline cracks. This place has seen better days, but, possibly, so have you.

There is a nightstand beside your bed, as naked as anything save for an envelope sealed in wax. Inside is a letter written in a careful hand, welcoming you to this place; a safe area, free of those that would cause harm. Your host had to step away briefly, but she will return. In the meanwhile, she expects everyone to obey the rules of this place.

Included in the envelope was a small bronze key - to your room, no doubt. And luck - it unlocks your door. You're free to venture out into a semicircle of these homes you've found yourself in. And you're not alone, either.

Perhaps you should say hello to your new neighbors.

2 - To come across all sanctified
You've all become acquainted with each other, and met with your gracious benefactor. She had to dip out again, but has left you all with a veritable island paradise to explore. In the center pantheon, large profiles of each of you have been cast in the stone walls, details of your life chiseled beneath them in perhaps too much detail. Along with a set of rules cast on a bronze plaque. Seems straightforward enough.

Beyond that, it seems whatever information you'll gain will only be found by your own hand. You have the free time now, and it's a beautiful day outside. There's plenty to explore among the towering obelisks and half-standing temples. Just avoid trying to leave the edge of the island - a golden barrier will very rudely smack you in the face.

Feel free to make up locations for this. The island is anachronistic with all the amnesties of a modern home.


3 - I just don't cut it with the cherubim
Purple clown? What? None of that here. But once you've found out where to leave those tribute coins you've 'earned' there's a small pile of items waiting outside your door. Some of which you might even recognize from home.

Or perhaps you've been given twenty wooden cut-outs of... who the heck is this guy.


4 - There again they're on their knees
Training exercises! In order to discern your godly nature, what better way to start than a good, very old-fashioned obstacle course.

Balance across the beams, avoid getting beaned in the head by a swinging bat. Swing from a rope. Or, if you're really feeling up to a challenge, pick up a sword and meet someone's steel with steel.

Or you can sit back and prepare medical supplies. Someone's definitely going to get hurt.


5 - Being worshiped is a breeze
The sky darkens. Lightning overtakes the calm summers day. It's not long before the whole area is under attack.

From the very earth itself, monsters crawl from the ground; undead hands clutching rusted swords and shields. Digging themselves from their graves so that they can put you in yours. Somewhere, distantly, your mentor yells to take up arms, and is already lost in her own fray.

It's up to you to defend yourself, or to defend others. There's no honor in running away, but if you need to survive, it's not like anyone would blame you.


6 - Which rather suits us in the interim
Congrats! You've survived the onslaught. But even as the sky clears, an ultimatum has been passed down from on high; if one of your group isn't slain by the end of the week, then the world you belong to will be destroyed.

Surely, nothing would actually be able to accomplish that, but that faint hope doesn't remove the tension from the air.


7 - Oh my god
Seems that someone didn't want to take the chance.

One of your fellows has met with a gruesome end, and if up to you and everyone else to play detective and figure out just who did it. The hourglass is running out. Just try not to trip over any evidence.


8 - It's tough to be a god
Investigation’s done, it’s time for a trial! Perhaps you nailed it and someone's already confessing to their crimes. Perhaps you've been running around in circles, looking for anything that could move the trial forward. Maybe you all just decided to strip down, even if it wasn't necessary. Whatever the case, tensions are still high. Not just because you have to point out a culprit... but you have to lay down punishment for them too.

Majority vote decides, of course. This is a democracy, after all, but you can still waste time dithering on what to do next.

Comments

[necromants]

Interesting... Yes, mindflayers are a type of monster - quite rare outside of the Aeli's branches, though they have been known to make homes in aquatic locations, typically in the west. I haven't had much of a chance to study them personally, so much of my knowledge is second-hand, unfortunately.

[Now how similar these mindflayers are to Astarion's... well, who knows?]

[pariunt]

[That... does not sound correct.

But sure, why not. He'll go with that.]

Then you must know they reproduce by implanting tadpoles into the skulls of victims. It's quite a well-known fact about them. The most important fact, even!

[necromants]

[...

....................]

It would seem one of us has a very incorrect understanding of mindflayers.

[??????????????]

[pariunt]

I'm uncertain as to how. This is a well known fact. And I'm quite grateful I had the bloody thing removed before I could grow any tentacles.

The damn things are unsightly.

[Because THAT is the thing Astarion took away from all of this, apparently.]

[necromants]

[Almost as an aside, under his breath:] Are tentacles truly that bad...?

[Anyway!]

Well, I am hardly an expert, and it certainly is possible I've somehow managed to completely misunderstand these specific monsters. They weren't among those I spent quite some time studying, after all. But we may have gotten a bit off-track with this - how exactly did you end up in this sort of situation to begin with?

[pariunt]

I was... preoccupied. I can't exactly tell you how the kidnapping happened because I don't remember. I just remember waking up on a nautiloid and having one of those damn squids putting a tadpole inside my eye.

Where exactly are you from? The ilithid crisis only ended six months ago.

[necromants]

[Those mismatched eyes narrow at that, and Zvei brings a hand to his chin.]

I'm not familiar with the "ilithid crisis", which I'm assuming was quite the big deal, no? Tell me, are you from Rengarethe? Ize-Vti?

[pariunt]

I'm from Baldur's Gate.

[Are those cities or countries, he genuinely can't tell.]

[necromants]

Which means about as little to me as the locations I listed mean to you, I'd expect.

[Curious! While he's by no means a geography expert, he listed countries that everyone should know, so this truly is a fascinating conundrum.]

Tell me about this Baldur's Gate. Is it a country? A town?

[pariunt]

If you don't know what Baldur's Gate is, you're not from Faerûn.

[Though he doesn't clarify, Faerûn is a continent.]

[necromants]

I'm certainly not! Never heard of it before either. It would seem that this place is far beyond the scope of anything I could have imagined... how fascinating.

[pariunt]

Personally, I'm curious how Mindflayers are also a problem where you are from.

[...are they a problem?]

They're a rather disconcerting thing to have in common. But you certainly don't look like you could be from the Planes.

[necromants]

Well, they are a type of monster, and every inch of Aelios has a monster problem. Though I wouldn't call mindflayers specifically a problem, as they tend to stick to their own domain and rarely venture beyond it. Some monsters are much more aggressive and attempt to expand into Spoken settlements...

[He hums to himself, looking pleased with the turn this conversation has taken.]

Are you familiar with deimori?

[pariunt]

That's quite a difference. Mindflayers aren't exactly monsters. They're aberrations.

[This isn't him being nitpicky; it's a very different classification.]

Your average monster is still part of the natural world. Ilithids are not.

I can't say I'm familiar with the word, no.

[necromants]

Fascinating... We use the term "monsters" to refer to all sorts of manners of hostile beasts, even those that are closer to animals.

[So a classification issue, among with their other differences.]

Deimori are one of the Spoken races - I am one! My appearance may be a bit startling to those who are unfamiliar with us; we're a rather reclusive bunch, with most remaining in our homeland of Ize-Vti.

[pariunt]

I see. I would have assumed you were some manner of half-elf.

[This isn't a negative. He'd just. Assumed as much because of the black eye. Even if he couldn't guess what the other half was.]

Mindflayers aren't beasts. They're quite sentient and sapient. That's what makes them so dangerous.

[necromants]

Fair enough! Not all of us are quite as elven-looking as I am.

[No negatives here either, though that isn't always the case where he's from. Humans and elves can be so weird about each other...]

Ah, I see! That's where they differ, then - monsters generally operate at a level higher than standard animals' sentience, but less so than the Spoken races. It's exceptionally rare for a monster to be able to communicate in any way that a Spoken can understand. Mindflayers are no exception to this - at least from what I've heard, though again, I haven't had the pleasure of studying them myself.

[pariunt]

Spoken?

[He's never heard the term before, though he can hazard a guess what it means just from context.]

I know someone who can speak to animals. He can also turn into a bear.

[Astarion gives a little laugh.]

He's decent, for a man who likes nature better than people.

[necromants]

Yes, the mortal races of Aelios. It's how we're generally referred to, as monsters are usually incapable of speech.

[It started with the belief that monsters couldn't speak at all which is wrong!! Many explorers know it's wrong!! But getting people to change their minds and vernacular is impossible!!!]

Really? That's a truly fascinating ability... I've never heard of someone being capable of turning into animals!

[pariunt]

That's a druid for you. They're always showing off.

[He does like Halsin, though. Sort of.]

I do know another one, but I've never asked her if she can speak to animals. She probably can.

[Jaheira kind of intimidates him to be honest.]

[necromants]

Being able to communicate with them as well... My, that would be quite handy. It seems as though the place you're from is quite fascinating!

[Zvei waves a hand, gesturing to the rest of the hallway.]

But perhaps we should table that discussion for later and take a look around, hmm? We certainly have a lot we could stand to learn about our current situation.

[pariunt]

They don't always have much to say.

[Though not because they're animals. Most people are also absolutely useless.]

Certainly. It's best we get the lay of the land, so to speak.

[necromants]

Of course.

[Off we go! There's some structure that seems to be in the center here, so that's Zvei's first stop unless Astarion wants to redirect him. After all, what would a murdergame thread be without a cursory look at the rules and profiles?]

[pariunt]

[Astarion sees no reason to redirect him, so off to the profiles they go!

Astarion's profile doesn't show anything that actually surprises him. It has his age— 239, the fact that he's a vampire, and also the fun fact that he brutally murdered his former master and then let loose 7,000 vampires into the Underdark. What's the Underdark? It doesn't say!

There's also someone named "Tav" listed in his likes. Huh.]

[necromants]

[Zvei's own profile is pretty weird too - his age is listed as ?, and the trivia section reads that he nearly achieved godhood once before by merging with the Aeli, whatever that is. Notably, his likes and dislikes are bafflingly short, only listing "the unknown" for likes and "boredom, amnesia" for his dislikes.

But Zvei's eyes aren't on his own profile, instead he's studying Astarion's.]

How interesting... What is the Underdark?

[No sense in not asking about it, right??]