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

mikhail sergeeyvich manulov | oc

[literarybehemoth]

1.

[Manulov wakes up in an unfamiliar place in a bed that's too big for him, and while this would be unnerving, the size of the bed inspires a desire to stay there for a moment. Roll around a bit. Be kind of opulent in a way that he doesn't usually get a chance to. It's not like he smells a larger animal and he's not prone to blackout drunk liaisons, so this probably deserves a bit more scrutiny, but...

...

Hm. Figures of myth on the walls, but they're all the old ones... curious. Well, they look a little less fucked up than the old ones. But it does inspire a bit of curiosity in him, and he begins looking for books but finds the room bare. You'd think someone so interested in folklore would have at least some books. So there is nothing of interest; it is simply time to leave the room. Sure, sure, the door's a little high, but the world isn't always made for animals of his size and those who find themselves in the residences of, say, horses or ostriches or elephants must find ways to adapt.

He leaves his room, begins to wander around, and... well. There's a not insignificant chance that the first person he runs into is, uh. Probably more human-shaped than not. And that causes him to freeze up and... puff up a bit...]

--What are you?

4.

[...well. It's hard to decide what to think about all this, but frankly, this whole thing seems a bit silly. Especially the obstacle courses and the duels and whatnot. Manulov isn't particularly interested in participating, and will not unless forced to do so. Mostly he's just, you know, loafing. Pawing through books. Not bothering to acknowledge anyone unless they seem like they are going to speak, at which point he will, without looking up from his reading, cut them off.]

Should there not be gods of knowledge as well? All this physical exertion seems geared towards a particular sort of divinity, which does not suit me.

[...neither does being a team player, apparently.]

6.

[He's not really surprised. He just kind of shrugs, honestly, with a bit of a scoff.]

I suppose if we expected anything else, we'd be fools. There is no way in which a number of random individuals would be elevated without paying some sort of price... even if they did not get a say in the matter.

After all, who would willingly choose a dead world over their own living world?

[...he's not even going to stick around, he's just going to theatrically kind of head off, because he heard himself talk and that's what he wanted, really.]

1

[pariunt]

[Unfortunately, Mikhail runs into Astarion.

But fortunately, he actually has a soft spot for cats so his reaction is a smile that's actually quite friendly.]

Hello there. You're quite unusual. I'm a vampire. But not to worry, I'll not harm you.

[literarybehemoth]

[...hm. Well, actually, this... creature seems to be made of proper flesh. Just some sort of... primate with strange hair distribution and not... something else.]

...a vampire, you say? You do not look like one, though perhaps it means something different to you.

[pariunt]

Curious.

[He regards the cat with great interest. Not the least of which is that, apparently, they can speak without the need of a spell. He's not sure if that's a result of their "benefactor" or something else, but he is interested.]

What do vampires look like, where you are from?

[literarybehemoth]

Certainly smaller than you, and with more hair. And they are bats, if you are familiar with those.

[he doesn't know what the fuck you are and what you're familiar with....]

[pariunt]

I see.

[Well, not really. But there is a certain logic to it.]

A true vampire can certainly transform into a bat. But I'm a spawn, so I cannot. But I have a feeling we're discussing two different things.

[There are vampire bats, perhaps it's that...?]

[literarybehemoth]

We likely are, yes. I did have a vampire bat as a student, and as far as I am aware he could not transform himself into a mostly-hairless primate. Mostly he had dietary difficulties.

[pariunt]

I would be quite interested in learning more about your world.

What did you teach?

[literarybehemoth]

Literature. Russian, for the most part. Though I have no idea if that would mean anything to you, with all this talk of worlds and whatnot.

[pariunt]

I can't say it does, no.

[He can glean some things from context, of course.]

I must say, I find this talk about other worlds absolutely fascinating. There are the Planes, of course. But they're not the same thing.

1

[necromants]

[Oh wow, look at that...!]

My, you're an interesting one, aren't you?

[Ah, but he's been asked a question, and Zvei answers just as easily.]

I am a deimori. I suppose we are a bit of a rare sight... though your reaction leaves me wondering... are you familiar with humans or elves?

[He looks close enough to pass as either, aside from the black sclera in one eye and the tentacles (which are hidden right now).]

[literarybehemoth]

...I cannot claim to know every manner of beast on the earth, but I am familiar with none of those you have named.

[...there was a bit of recognition in his shock, though.]

[necromants]

How curious! Where I'm from, humans are the most populous of the Spoken races - in fact, communication like this between us would be nearly impossible were you a regular animal.

But please tell me what you are! I'm afraid I'm not familiar with anything quite like you.

[literarybehemoth]

...a "regular" animal?

[...he kind of cocks his head.]

All animals can speak, barring some sort of disorder or curse. You speak of us as though we are insects.

[.....]

...Regardless, as far as species go, I am a manul. Of course, to get into more detail, I am a professor of literature.

[necromants]

My apologies, I did not mean to offend. [He doesn't sound very sorry, but he's quick to move on.] Where I'm from, there is no difference that the Spoken can tell, unfortunately.

[But forget all of that because this manul is a professor. How adorable!!]

A professor! What sort of literature do you specialize in?

[literarybehemoth]

...well, insects have no backbone, for one.

[hmph.]

In any case, while I dabble in a bit of everything, my primary focus is Russian.

4

[brokenhabit]

[ She had been doing some baking to get her mind off things and also get the hang of these Very Different "modern" kitchens when she recalled how crazy the stray cats around Kieferberg went trying to get at the breadcrumbs at the bakery. So she thought she'd try asking if Manulov might also like bread when she gets hit with that instead. ]

I... perhaps? Honestly, I'm still wrapping my head around the concept of multiple gods at all...

[literarybehemoth]

Hm.

[It's an intrigued "hm."]

Do you take it on faith that your god exists, or do you have proof? I know there are many different cultures who have different ideas of religion in my world--some who believe in one, some who believe in many, and some who believe in none at all.

[brokenhabit]

[ Oh that... took her a little off guard. She pauses. ]

You're supposed to take it on faith, yes.

[ ...and is very deliberate about her wording. ]

[literarybehemoth]

Such as it is in my homeland. The idea that there can be certainty of the existence of gods at all is the thing that I find unfamiliar.

[He flips the page he was reading.]

I do not believe in gods, myself--but I do believe in devils.

1/2

[brokenhabit]

[ The colour suddenly drains from Lebkuchen's face and she stiffens-- ]

2/2

[brokenhabit]

[ But only for a few seconds. Well, the stiffening anyway. The loss of blood remains for a little longer, making the shade of gold her hair looks in this lighting stand out all the more. ]

You do? Why's that?

[literarybehemoth]

...Forgive me. I did not mean to imply I worshiped devils.

[he kind of assumes that might be the reason he freaked her out a bit. admittedly he was trying to be a little shocking, but like, not that shocking.]

I simply believe that the balance of suffering in the world suggests they are more likely to exist than gods.

[brokenhabit]

Oh no, that’s— don’t worry, I didn’t get that impression.

[ She’s thoughtful for a moment after listening to his explanation though… ]

…to be honest, I actually find myself agreeing with you. Though perhaps I ought not be admitting that as a woman of the cloth, formerly or not.

[literarybehemoth]

Well, if you are asking me, you can say whatever you like, but I have gotten several slaps on the wrist for thinking as much.

[heheh.]

You have more knowledge of the subject, I would think, so you would have a more informed opinion.