TEST DRIVE MEME #7

[abraxasmods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

Welcome to the seventh test drive meme for Abraxas! This meme is run a little bit differently than most in that you'll be asked to choose one of the three different arrival scenarios below for your character to take. If you have any questions about this mechanic or anything else related to the TDM, please take a look at the questions below or ask one of your own under the Questions header below. For general game questions please still use the FAQ.

Our Setting pages are full of information on the world of Abraxas, and an overview of the story so far can be found on our Game History page! Anything on that page - including information about the Horizon and the Singularity - can be assumed to be told to newcomers after they arrive, no matter which faction they are received in. For more information on Ambrose and the apprentice mages, Marlo, and Rowan, please see our NPCs page.

You can also find answers to questions asked on previous TDMs in their respective questions threads.

For characters who arrive in SOLVUNN: Recently, following the events in which some of the Summoned received visions of each other's past, locals in Solvunn have begun to approach the Summoned with a sort of awe and respect. Those who arrive in Solvunn will find themselves treated much the same way and may be asked for advice or given gifts that seem like offerings such as wine, harvest bounties, or some incredibly delicious goat cheese. Your character is free to turn these down and should they turn down enough people, they will not be bothered further, out of concern of offending the Summoned.

Arrival

You awaken suspended in the abyss, silent darkness stretching out in all directions. If you try to yell, you'll find that the sound doesn't carry. If you try to move, you'll find it's impossible to tell whether or not you're actually getting anywhere. If you reach for an item you were carrying last time you remember being awake, your hand will only touch bare skin.

You're naked and floating helplessly through the void, and what little air you have in your lungs is running out.

There's a pinprick of light that almost looks like a faraway star but as it grows it becomes clear that it's actually quite close. Through the opening you can see a bright room, but it's hard to make out any individual objects, as if you're looking from beneath rippling water.

Scenario One: Welcome to Thorne

A hand plunges through and you realize water is just what it is. Whether you take hold of the hand or not it will grab you and yank you up through the surface, lifting you out until you're sprawled on solid ground. Once you catch your breath, you can get a better look at the surroundings: tall trees and even taller stone pillars surround the platform you're laying on. Behind you is an ornate fountain, the base of which is so deep and so dark you might be compelled to scramble away from it lest it suck you back in to that endless abyss. Ahead of you are the walls of a large castle with several tall towers reaching up towards the sky.

If you had any powers, they feel unusually weak. Attempts to use magic or enhanced strength or powers of any sort fizzle out without any effect, but they don't feel completely gone, either.

Set into an indent on a marble slab behind the fountain is a card bearing the image of one of the arcana.

An apprentice mage - the one whose hand lifted you out of the fountain - brushes the water off on their robes and runs back to join a group of three others, who all stare intently at a mage with highly decorated robes and a large, heavy book. He peers up at you for a moment and starts flipping through the book.

"One moment," he says, not bothering to look up from the tome. He looks tired. "I am Ambrose Rhett, the High Mage of the Kingdom of Thorne. We’ll explain everything in a moment, but for now, please calm down. You’re completely fine."

Regardless of your response, he keeps flipping through the pages, until he stops on one specific passage, stares at it for a moment, and then sighs with relief:

"Finally!"

Ambrose's expression brightens, relief visible across his features. He waves one of the apprentices over with a fine silk tunic, pants, and some basic sandals and with a wave of his hand they reshape to fit you perfectly.

"Oh, thank heavens," he says, closing the book and approaching you with a sort of worn-out relief. “I was beginning to believe we’d never get it exactly right.”

Now that he's not hunching over the book, he doesn't seem quite so stuffy and inapproachable. The apprentices all seem to visibly relax, and the one that handed you the tunic stops to take the tarot card down from the marble slab. If you show any curiosity about the card, they'll let you take a longer look, but won't let you touch it.

"Please, come with me," he says, motioning for you to follow him towards the castle. "As promised, my pupils will explain your current situation. And, ah - if you had any magic of your own, or other special abilities you can't access right now, fear not, they'll return within the week. The summoning takes a lot out of you."

One of the apprentices steps forward and rattles on and on about the castle, Thorne itself, the names of a bunch of royals and nobles, and of course, your reason for being here. The Kingdom and the world itself is in great peril, and tales of your exploits have reached far and wide across universes. If asked about these exploits, the apprentice will simply smile and shrug. The High Mage was happy to see you and that's good enough.

Once inside the castle you're taken to the North Wing, which has been set up as living quarters for you and your fellow newcomers. There are four people to a room, but each generously-sized bed has opaque curtains that can be drawn around it. You can meet your roommates here and discuss your shared situation (those who were previously brought in may have a great deal of information to tell you), or you can wander around and meet the others.

There's also a dining hall stocked with a rotating 24/7 buffet in celebration of the new honored guests. Somehow, your very favorite food is part of the rotation (or at least an attempted recreation of it given the limited technology available to the Thorneans). The town surrounding the castle is all abuzz as well, with most shops and services willing to give free samples of their wares to the new arrivals.

You may also notice that your sign is embroidered on your tunic: the same image you saw on the card from before with the name of the sign itself beneath it. If you ask the castle residents, they'll tell you a little bit about your sign (and will mostly stick to the positives, although some might point out the negatives).

Last (and, if you ask anyone else in the castle, least) there is a worn stone staircase leading underground to the dungeon. You can go there, if you wish, but all powers are restricted in the dungeons and most of the cells stand empty.

Scenario Two: Welcome to the Free Cities

You find yourself pulled from the water by a pair of strong hands. Dry warmth hits you at once as you're set on a warm hard floor. As your senses return you realize you're on dull ruddy stone and surrounded by strangers. Men and women in unfamiliar uniforms of brown and red leather stand in a semi-circle around a small pool of water. The very pool you were just pulled from. The water is still now, rimmed in pale gold tiles with odd symbols etched into them. Across it on the far side is a raised pedestal with a card propped on it. The card bears an arcana symbol.

You feel weak. Drained. Any abilities or magical powers you have seem far away and impossible to access. You're in what looks like a cave lit by dozens and dozens of torches set into the wall. There's no furniture or decoration to be seen besides the pool. It's almost uncomfortably warm and there's the sound of rushing wind somewhere in the distance. Flickering shadows obscure the faces of the guards. A robed woman stands off to the side, looking at you anxiously and then to the authoritative woman standing before you. She's grinning, dressed in a fancier uniform than the others. There's a sword at her hip. A guard covers you with a blanket and returns to their place in the semi-circle.

The woman with the sword gives a nod of approval and smiles warmly.

"Sorry about the circumstances."

She gives you a good hard look before standing again.

"Take a minute, catch your breath, you've had quite a shock. Take it nice and easy. I'm Prime Minister Marlo Reiner and you're in The Free Cities. That nice lady over there will explain everything to you and get you settled." A nod to the robed woman off to the side.

Marlo Reiner steps back and the robed mage approaches to help you up.

"Come with me, please." She brings you out of the cave through a corridor that angles upwards until you emerge in what looks like some kind of storage facility. Shelves of wooden boxes and cloth bags line them, unidentifiable parts of what might be machines are tucked into corners and propped against shelving units. "This is one of the Free Cities' outposts," the mage explains as she leads you. "We're honored to have you with us, I'm sure you have many questions but please save them. You need to recover!"

You'll learn you're in the Cadens Desert Outpost 003, a military outpost on the outskirts of Cadens city. You're brought to a room in the barracks that's been prepared. Each barracks room is rather sparse and utilitarian. Six simple beds set against the wall, three on each side of the room, each with a trunk at the foot of it. You're told the world is in a delicate and dangerous times and you're needed to help. You're important, you're told, and they're very grateful you're here.

You're asked to stay close for the time being, but to make yourself at home. The outpost is more a proper military base than the name implies, with full facilities. The barracks have a communal bathing room at the end of the hall, with curtains that can be pulled around the individual raised round tubs for privacy. There's a mess hall that has food available from sun up till a few hours after sundown. You're even encouraged to make use of the training grounds, if you'd like, with non-lethal training weapons available for use and obstacle courses set up. And the city of Cadens is only a couple of hours away by wagon - though you're asked initially to please be back at the outpost within a few hours of the sun going down.

For your own safety.

Scenario Three: Welcome to Solvunn

The feeling of floating is the first sense that comes to you as the edges of unconsciousness start to ebb. Sunlight filters through the rippling water as you open your eyes, making you squint. Before you have the chance to panic and inhale, firm hands grasp your arms and pull you to the surface of the water. Moments later, soft warmth is wrapped around your shoulders as you're guided on unsteady legs out of a pool of water. You're lowered to the soft grass. Men and women in simple garments with lavish embroidery stand by, waiting with bated breath, glancing seriously at an old man in an ornate robe. He holds an old leather-bound book in one hand and in the other is a card bearing an arcana symbol. His eyes move quickly over the page, and he mumbles idly to himself.

Any strength you may have possessed feels as though it has slipped through your fingers. Any abilities or magical powers you have don't come to the surface no matter how hard you try. You're in a grassy clearing in the midst of a circle of large stone slabs stacked to look like doorways. In the middle is the same glimmering pool you were just pulled from. A gentle breeze blows through, carrying the scent of flowers and herbs from an ornately decorated altar set off in front of one of the stone doorways. The mage closes his book and steps out of the water, addressing a matronly old woman. Behind her are two younger people, a rough-looking man, and a meek young girl, both of whom are also watching the mage.

“I detect no ill will from the gods, it seems we've been blessed with success.” Those that had gathered all breathe a sigh of relief and now seem pleased.

The old woman smiles and steps forward, offering to take your hands and help you stand. “Any gift the gods give us is one we will happily take. I'm certain you have many questions, and they will all be answered in time. For now, rest and know you will be taken care of.”

She pats the top of your hand and steps away with a serene smile, letting one of the others come forward with some clothes that seem to fit you perfectly. Once you're dressed, someone approaches to drape a delicate-looking charm depicting a butterfly with too many wings on a thin chain over your neck. The rough-looking man from before steps forward once you're decent and motions with his head outside of the stone circle. His speech is informal, his consonants harsh.

“Hold your horses, I can see all those questions coming about! Rowan March, at your service. I'm one of the council members of Solvunn. There's a lot to discuss, but it's best talked about over a hot meal.” He leads you to a horse-drawn carriage and helps you up into the back. He talks the entire ride to the settlement.

You find out you are in the Primary Settlement, the first of three that make up Solvunn's great territory. The settlement is situated between two lakes and is humming with life. You're brought to the center of town and escorted to an apartment above one of the establishments in town. Rowan explains that the living conditions are temporary if you'd like them to be, that local families would also be happy to host you in their home. That there are others like you who have also taken up residence within the three settlements. You're told that the world hangs upon the brink of disaster and that there are those in this world that are happy to see it fall to ruin with their meddling.

You're important. The gods have graced them with your presence. They're delighted you're here. Welcome to Solvunn.

Everything you need has been provided in this humble apartment, and if it hasn't, there are shops that line the streets and a marketplace in the center of town. Owners of some establishments or stalls are more than happy to give out samples or barter with your time for their goods. Babysitting can be a very lucrative business. You're told of the other settlements, that they'd like you to stay here for now, but if you can find a family to host you, the secondary and tertiary settlements are best to get to with an escort.

There are tales of travelers visiting the secondary settlement without invitation disappearing without a trace. The gods are as hungry as they are protective, young traveler.

You’ll find that there are more than enough activities to throw yourself into to better settle into your new life in Solvunn. Work is done in the first part of the day so that families can spend the rest of it together in leisure and work on their crafts - whatever those may be. For those children who are not of school age, they need nannies or storytellers, and there’s always a gaggle of them running about unsupervised. Families with livestock can always take a spare hand, especially since farms are so spread out, they have a tendency to wander. Whatever skills you may possess can always be of use to the community or to honor the gods.

If any of these options are no good for your lifestyle, the main roads between settlements can always use a bit of monster clean-up… just make sure you don’t go alone.

---

Questions

How many slots are open?
Please check the Taken page for how many player, franchise, and canon slots are available. Activity check will be processed before applications open, so the count may change between now and then. Existing players can apply for a second character without restriction.

How do I choose a scenario for my character?
Pick whichever situation appeals to you most. Which faction your character is drawn into has nothing to do with their personal morality, beliefs, or how highly they regard themselves and their own accomplishments. Anyone can be put into any one of the situations.

Can I try out more than one scenario?
You can! But please keep in mind that only the one you eventually choose can be game canon, if you decide to keep any of your TDM threads.

What happens if my character refuses to comply with the NPCs?
They will be forgiven for their moment of panic or anger if they have one, and the faction leaders will try to calm them and persuade them further. If they put up too much of a fight and/or start actively attacking anyone, they will be warned once that everyone is willing to put them back in the well where they came from (see below), and if they continue to fight they will make good on that promise.

My character intends on causing a lot of trouble (destroying parts of the cities, murdering the NPCs, etc.), what would happen to them?
Characters who make too much trouble for the mages and other NPCs would be thrown back in the well (which will mean drowning in the void, not returning home). Brawling with other PCs and causing minor damage is fine and will be greeted with a cranky attitude and intervention from various NPC guards, and there will be plenty of opportunity for destruction and murder later, but for now the Abraxans have no desire to keep huge liabilities around.

I want to wildcard a prompt or use one of the prompts from an earlier TDM that isn't on this one (eg. the library), can I do that?
Yes, in terms of the settings. As Thorne is no longer imprisoning any newcomers, that option is no longer applicable.

Is the power loss for characters permanent?
No, but it does take a week or so for their powers to be back in full, and certain powers (determined on a case-by-case basis) may require nerfs. If your character has world-breaking powers, please discuss with the mods what modifications may be necessary.

Can my character leave the bounds of the faction?
In Thorne, characters can leave the castle but not the city. In Cadens, they can take a trip from the outpost to the city. In Solvunn, they can explore the entirety of the Primary Settlement.

Can my character eventually change factions?
Yes. While the faction borders are currently closed, there will opportunities in the future for characters to relocate. For the time being, they are stuck where they are.

How much will my choice of scenario affect my character's plot later on?
This choice will determine where your character initially lives as well as the bias of the information they receive from NPCs (although other PCs can and most likely will give it to them a bit more straight). This decision - and every other major decision you make in game! - will also be used to flavor some mod surprises that will be coming down the line.

Don't get too anxious about this choice, though; this is just one choice you'll get to make in a game that has a lot of them, and every character in every scenario can work their way towards many, many individual goals and outcomes. You're not locking yourself out of anything in the future via the choice you made on the TDM. It will primarily impact the immediate future with the far-reaching effects being up to each player.

Are TDM threads mandatory for my application?
No, you may use other samples, but we encourage you to post to the TDM and get a feel for this game and its mechanics before you join. If you do not have a TDM thread you will still need to choose one of the three scenarios on your application.

What if I haven't settled on a sign yet?
You can ignore sign-related prompts if you're undecided (or try out different signs in different threads).

Can my character go to the Horizon?
First time visitors to the Horizon must be taken there by other characters, through either shared meditation or a physical journey to the Singularity, and all first-timers experience memory loss. For the purposes of the TDM, we suggest against using the Horizon.

What about making use of the network?
Much like Horizon they would need to be introduced to it by another PC, as no NPCs would be aware of the network or be able to access it. Because of this we would advise against using this mechanic for TDM top-levels.

---

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Comments

Striga | Castlevania (Netflix) | Strength | Thorne

[militant_honor]

Arrival:
It is not a welcome feeling, being caught drifting in a void of nothing. And this is nothing like traveling through those cursed mirrors or even teleporting, it was much worse than that. Seeing the hand she seized it with her might, and had her strength not been drained would have likely torn it from the socket and brought the one pulling her out into the void out of her annoyance. Standing there exposed she stared at the mage that was before her, a pathetic human who thought to try and command her?

Running a hand through her hair, Striga looked up towards the castle. Thorne was not a land that she had heard of, certainly not one that Dracula had any presence in either.

"If I were not calm, you would have already lost your head. What magic is this?"

Room mates:
When informed these would be her quarters, the first thing that Striga did was to ensure the Windows were covered. Avoiding the light pulled the heavy curtains closed and secured them, ensuring that no daylight was let through prior to removing the cloak that she had been provided. The combination of pale complexion and pointed ears likely gives a clue as to why she might have had an aversion to such a bright view given the generally cloudy and demur weather.

After that, she simply claims the bed furthest from the said window by simply walking over and taking a seat on it.

"You have a great many exploits as well that have brought you here?"

Dining Hall:
It was not that Striga couldn't partake in the feast, but she still did not entirely trust these mages or humans. She could sense that they were up to something, that there was something that was not yet being shared with new arrivals, and while they had marked her for strength she had yet to demonstrate it. Instead, she carried a goblet filled with a thick red liquid, even if she wouldn't eat, there was a matter of appearances to keep up. Carmilla had hammered that much into her at least over the years.

Though mingling was not something she did even with that advice, instead Striga remains stationary against the wall, a rather large flower beneath the moonlight.

Room mates (I'm sorry for her!) Hopefully they'll eventually become badass friends!

[pissoffbook]

Kainé walks slowly into the room, looking back over her shoulder and appearing like she's going to march right back the way she came, but stops abruptly with a glare pointed outside the door. She groans and turns again to face the room, glancing around at the beds, trunks, the hanging curtains and finally the drawn windows.

"Oh hell no. Is someone fucking stupid? Hey! You want the goddamn Shades infesting this place?" She yells to no one in particular as she moves to one of the curtained windows and draws the curtains back.

She's dressed in the provided silk tunic, pants, and sandals with The Hanged Man arcana embroidered over her heart. Visible as the sleeves are short is the fact that her left arm and hand are completely black as is the skin on her left foot seen through the sandal. When the sunlight of the window hits it, her left arm starts to smoke and she grimaces, but it's better than the alternative.

First things first, she pulls down the bed curtain and starts to struggle to rip it into strips, but manages, little by little. After she's got a few suitable strips, she starts to wrap her left arm, the smoke dissipating as she does so.

[militant_honor]

As the curtains were drawn Striga took a step back, a pointed movement that kept just outside of the little bit of sun that spilled into the room. Enough to where it effectively trapped her on the half opposite of the door.

"I don't know what shades are. But open it any further and you will have to worry about whether I allow you to remain or send you out that window."

Strength was embroidered into the tunic that she wore, and from the towering height to the muscular physique she had it was clear that it was meant in a literal sense rather than figurative; at least for those who went by the cover of the book.

She didn't have her day armor here, and she had no desire in wrapping herself up like a mummy, so Striga had planned to simply keep to herself in the chamber until nightfall. But this might complicate it a bit.

"I'd rather not be burned in my own chambers."

[pissoffbook]

Kainé glances up from her wrapping at the threat and smirks. She's always up for a fight, though right now might not be the best time since her strength and magic seem to be fucked up.

"Shades are goddamn monsters that deserve nothing more than a painful, agonizing death." She replies matter-of-factly. And if you wanna fight, fucking bring it."

She may seem small, her height only 5'5" in the sandals (she usually wears heels to give herself a 5'7" appearence.), though her figure could be said to be 'put together in all the right places.' But Kainé has an inhuman strength and resilience. Just... not right now. Damn this Summoning for taking it out of her. In other words, she wasn't scared. She's fought Shades probably ten times the size of this woman, she just doesn't want to get her ass kicked right now thank you.

"Yeah, me either. 's why I'm wrapping my goddamn arm. Sunlight burns it, but like hell am I letting the asshole get any more of me! So the window stays open." she declares but pauses a moment, eyeing the woman curiously. "I won't open it any more than that though."

In fact, she crosses the room and closes it a little, giving her roommate a bit of breathing room. Despite her attitude, she's not heartless.

"You don't know what a Shade is, but you sound an awful lot like a Shade-possessed." though the woman's skin doesn't look black, in fact, it's the exact opposite, a pale white like the majority of Kainé's body. "So why's the sun hurt you?"

[militant_honor]

It was the kind of figure she had seen many a times, and she knew that despite how it appeared that those with such were more than capable of being capable fighters. Camillia was one that had such a figure and though Striga could likely take her in a fight it was not something she would take easily or had the desire to do. For now it was the same with this woman, Striga had no interest in fighting her when her own strength and powers were recovering from the summoning.

"Because I am a Vampire. Not possessed by any shade or demon, but still unable to bask in the light of the sun without being turned to ash. For you to assume otherwise, you must not be familiar with the lands of Wallachia, or Dracula for that matter."

It meant that this land was much further away than Striga had originally anticipated, which was quite interesting and yet annoying.

"My name is Striga, what is yours?"

Horizon, wildcarding this since different factions

[cryptsleeper]

Alucard has become comfortable accessing the Horizon over the year (it's been a year) since being torn from Wallachia and thrown into one of Thorne's dungeons. Things have largely improved since then, and the Horizon is one of the reasons for it. Without his crypt, the space to create and manipulate and build whatever he needs is second best.

He's still not a natural meditator though. He has to picture his journey into the space as a very literal thing, walking from whatever space he occupies into his domain, and watching everything fade away as he does so - a slow transition into a blank white space, and then the twisted November woods that make up his space. On that blank path, the in between spaces of others' Horizons where none have staked a claim, there are sometimes others.

Which means that there's no hiding the surprise at seeing Striga. Her figure is striking - it's impossible not to remember, even if it only happened once or twice over some formal matter. Being the son of Dracula also means he is not subtle at-fucking-all, and the short, sharp gasp is going to be impossible for her not to hear. It had to be a matter of time before his father's people were drawn here, but...no. This is still a surprise.

Alucard holds himself as imperiously as he can, channeling all the gravitas he needs to not look like he was about to sulk in a depression hut and read by a fire.

"May I ask who drew you here?"

[militant_honor]

She had no weapons on her at the moment, though that didn't make her figure any less daunting as she towered over most. Nor would it make her any less dangerous to most, but the line of Dracula was strong and it commanded respect, she knew well that Alucard would have the upper hand currently, and there was no harm in answering his questions. After all, she had never acted against him, or against Dracula, they had only sought their plans once he had perished and the vacuum of power had been left.

"Human mages, ones pledging allegiance to a land called Thorne. Apparently, they lack the strength they need on their own, so they've called to me. But I don't trust them."

Striga barely rested during the day, uneasy at how easily exposed she would be since they had insisted in her tower arrangement. The dungeon would have granted more peace of mind given the lack of sunlight.

[cryptsleeper]

Alucard, being wrapped in grief and anger back in Wallachia, has no knowledge of Styria's plans. Impaling corpses and becoming Trevor Belmont with better tits had been his primary occupation, and since escaping Thorne's dungeons, he has hardly spared a thought for home except to decide he doesn't wish to return. This world permits him a certain level of blessed anonymity and freedom to do whatever he wishes. Returning to Wallachia would not allow him to do the same.

There's a single nod of acknowledgement to Striga's response. Of course it would be Thorne. They have such strange standards of what counts as acceptable for whatever their plans might be.

"You shouldn't," is the response. But Striga is many hundreds of years Alucard's senior. He doesn't need to state the obvious. "What lies are they spinning this time upon arrival?"

[militant_honor]

Striga had only arrived after seeing her home razed to the ground, two of her sisters likely murdered and reduced to nothing more than ash in the daylight. The army she had been crafted to secure their rule and newly expanded kingdom decimated in the hours prior, a strike that had come when she had been away with the bulk of their forces.

It was in that loss when she had only sought a means to ensure her own survival and that of her lover that she was pulled into the darkness; that she awoke in the waters of Thorne and adorned in robes and symbols.

"They claim that they are in great peril, that they have heard of the battles that I have fought and won, the exploits of the centuries of fighting I have endured amongst the humans and our own kind who thought us weaker. And that if I fight for them, then I will be granted a place among them, as well as Morana."

If he was asking about what lies they were promising then he had dealt with them as well,

"What is it that they promised you?"

[cryptsleeper]

"How very surface level and lacking understanding."

Alucard was never meant to play vampire politics. There was never a need. His father was eternal and kept the world of night things in line through name alone. His son could grow up in that comfortable shadow, not forced to attend to any of these things except to have a generalized knowledge of who was who and their general territories. With the sisters of Styria, he's understood them to be viewed with skepticism among his father's people. But they've been a stablizing force in their region. Why would any ruler bend a knee to such basic level offers?

His response is not information the dhampir usually volunteers. He's not looking forward to Morana's reaction either, given that the word half breed will inevitably get said in this conversation.

"They didn't," he says, simply and without emotion. "For a time, only Thorne summoned others here rather than all three territories. When that was the case, half were treated as honored guests. The other half were chucked into the dungeons with no reason."

The dhampir was very much in the latter category. "There was an escape. I roam elsewhere now."

[militant_honor]

And schemes were not Striga's interest, but that of her sister Camillia. It had simply fallen to her to find a way to manage their forces to make such schemes a reality. And commanding forces in battle is what she excelled at, and the very reason that they had claimed to summon her, so it had been very straightforward and simple. And every bit lacking understanding, for the trust between herself and the human mages was not something that would have come easy at any point, but now that she has learned that the son of Drcula has also been summoned as was to be a prisoner, it bears to be cautious of those that foolish.

"I see, then this impending doom they fear is the ability of the other lands to summon their own. And of those that were escaped."

But why summon prisoners at all unless they were needed for something,

"What was the purpose for imprisoning the son of Dracula? Did they think it would impress the others and they would cower before them?"

Had humans learned nothing from the devastating they had brought upon themselves with the cruelty they visited upon his bride? It was one of the reasons why Striga held little pity for them.

"Are they truly that desperate and pathetic?"

[cryptsleeper]

"You'll have to draw your own judgements when I say that those who left were granted general amnesty. I harbor my own doubts on how genuinely it was meant, but if there are plans in place for retaliation, they're playing a very long game."

Alucard's feelings on Thorne have mostly become annoyance at the mage responsible for all of it, as well as the destructive desires that go with it. There have been other issues to deal with. One day, he'll tear into Ambrose's neck with too sharp teeth and feel not an ounce of shame or guilt for it. If only all deaths were so easy.

"I never had any direct indication of why, although a difficulty of control may have been a factor." Alucard had not arrived at his best. There were impaled corpses on the lawn, his level of drink was starting to trend rather Belmont-y, and none of that was ever good. Still, he was never given answers. The whys felt irrelevant, after a while.

"But desperate and pathetic? Doubtlessly. Did they even have appropriate accommodations for you?"