Got the morbs.

[polymods]

✖ VICTORIA'S SECRET

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL & THE TEMPLE
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The ferry pulls into port in the evening, when shadows are long and gas lamps burn through a veil of mist. Dozens of other ships are docked as well, with men unloading crates and boxes from their holds. Beyond the wet wood and lapping sound of the ocean, a city looms like a charcoal smudge on a purple sky. The air is smoggy and thick, and the river that flows from the sea into the city smells foul. Walk the cobbled streets and you will find that the city is crowded and filthy, but full of merchants, pubs, and theatres. Vast wealth and extreme poverty exist side by side.

In the center of the sprawling city is a temple with towering gothic spires and huge stained glass windows depicting all manner of beings that might be gods or angels or monsters. You could look for hours and still be finding new figures plucked straight from books of myth and religion. Inside, the main chamber has a grand vaulted ceiling, and dozens of pews line the aisle up to the altar, which is oddly anticlimactic compared to the lavish surroundings: just a plain stone table with a lit oil lamp in the centre. Two hallways branch off on either side of the room: one leads to private baths and a communal kitchen, the other to monastic style chambers with thin beds. Not the most comfortable place to stay, but it’ll do in a pinch!

Alternatively you can venture into the city and find yourself some other lodging - every Traveler has been supplied with some pocket money. Just be careful that it isn’t stolen by some street urchin. Travelers can also find an era-appropriate outfit that will fit them perfectly laid in the first sleeping chamber they visit.

Notes:
1. Unless this is your character’s first island, the High Temple and anything you may have stored there is off-limits this month.

2. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

3. The city greatly resembles Victorian London, and the technology and general way of life is all of that era. Feel free to explore the city! These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

4. Most food is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities. Most. Some of it’s going to be pretty gross or cooked improperly, so be careful.

5. The people in the city are normal humans unless otherwise indicated. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

6. Have fun!

---

Ⅱ. SEANCE
CW: grief, past trauma.
Perhaps you overhear talk of it at a pub, or maybe you’re handed a small card as you push your way through the crowded city streets. Maybe you just wander in by accident. However it happens, you find yourself being ushered into the parlour of one Miss Mary Price: Spiritualist.

You and several other people are instructed to sit at a round table in a very dark and musty room. The walls are covered in thick black curtains, and maybe you’re the type to suspect that there’s someone hiding behind them somewhere. Once everyone is seated, Mary Price herself enters the room. The lights are all extinguished save for a single candle.

Mary calls out to the spirits. They communicate through a series of knocks, or the movement of a Ouija board. Someone at the table is put in contact with a deceased aunt who reveals the location of a family heirloom. Someone else is able to say goodbye to a son.

Mary Price looks at you with eyes so dark they look black, and asks, “What haunts you?”

Maybe you answer honestly. Maybe you don’t answer at all, but that doesn’t matter because the spirit tapping around the room is more than happy to narc on you and tell the whole room what or who it is that you cannot forget.

You can deny it all you like, but the spirits don’t have a reason to lie. And if you try to mess up the seance, you will spend a month being hounded by an angry poltergeist.

Notes:
1. The spirit can communicate through knocks, the Ouija, actually vocalising through the medium, or via ectoplasm.

2. What haunts your character does not have to be the memory of a dead person. It can be an event - maybe they’ve never gotten over losing that science fair in grade three. It is the feeling of being haunted that is important.

3. If you choose to trash the seance, the spirit will follow you for the rest of the month. It can range from annoying to actually dangerous.

---

Ⅲ. THE RIPPER
CW: murder, gore, violence.
You’re lost at night. Maybe you were in the pub too late, or maybe you were searching for more illicit fun - weren’t there opium dens around this time? - or maybe you just weren’t keeping an eye on the time. However it happened, you’re on the streets in the dark.

It’s very foggy; you can barely see a foot in front of you. The streetlamps look like dimly burning ghosts and when the odd person passes you they are felt more than seen, just a darker shadow in a world of shifting shades.

Very suddenly you hear a scream - short, and swallowed up quickly by the fog. Still, it’s enough to get you to turn and hurry down a narrow alleyway.

Sprawled on the ground amid a lake of blood is a body. It’s immediately apparent that this person is probably beyond help - their throat has been slashed ear to ear. Your appearance was not expected, however, and you can see that you’ve startled the killer: they’re running down the alley in the opposite direction.

You have a few choices: you can chase the killer and attempt to catch them, you can try to help the victim, you can get the authorities, or you can just walk away.

What will you do?

Notes:
1. The inspiration for this prompt is Jack the Ripper but you do not have to use that case as a basis for your killer.

2. You can get as involved with this as you would like. You can have your character catch the killer in a chase, or form your very own detective squad and hunt them down that way.

3. Naturally, walking away from a potential serial killer might not be great for your Scrywatch grading!

---

Ⅳ. RESURRECTION MEN
CW: dead bodies, grave robbing.
You’re not entirely clear on how you agreed to this. Maybe it was a barroom bet gone wrong. Maybe you’re broke enough that you need money fast. Or maybe you want to help some wannabe medical students. However it happened, you’re in the cemetery.

And you’ve got a shovel.

Time to rob some graves! You’ve convinced yourself somehow that this isn’t morally reprehensible, and so you and your partner are just going to get down to business! What corpse should you unearth? You feel like a kid in a candy store!

The problem comes once you’ve unearthed the body because it seems terribly familiar. Which is… creepy. Creepier still when it starts talking.

Maybe it’s a family member, or an old friend. Maybe an ex partner. Whoever it is, they immediately start telling your fellow grave robber about some incident from your past that you just. Can’t. Let. Go. Of. And even if you whack it with a shovel it won’t stop. Bad corpse! BAD Corpse!

Which of course is exactly what you have to try and do if you want this chatty Cathy of a corpse to shut the hell up.

Notes:
1. If you do NOT let go of this past event, the corpse will follow you the rest of the night singing Henry the Eighth I am, I am.

Sometimes I can still hear his voice...

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

Daenerys Targaryen | Game of Thrones | OTA (newbie)

[song_of_fire]

I. Arrival

[Everything is a bit of haze from the ferry ride, the explanation of matters and the shock of such a starkly different city than the ones she knew. Daenerys had followed the few others that she saw enter the temple and gathered her bearings (as much as she could.) It wasn't until she emerged from her room in the clothes provided her that everything was sinking in.

Stolen from one ship to another, expected to atone for...something? It was a bit much to wrap her head around.

Not even understanding what this place was normally for, she took a seat in one of the pews and pressed her fingers to her eyes. There were the rush of questions, but none of them significant to voice aloud. The 'how', 'why', 'where' of it all.

Instead, it seemed better to just reinforce herself rather than stagnate.]

Finish this quickly, return home.

II. Seance

[She'd been trying to find a different lodging house, one that would have comfier beds and a bit more privacy. So many had been coming and going from this place, she simply assumed it was another place that took renters.

It...was certainly not that.

The moment she set foot in, she was ushered to a table with others and bore witness to a number of magic tricks. Not nearly as impressive as others she had seen in Qarth, but amusing, apparently. The speaking to the dead was perplexing, as many others thought it was possible. She was willing to overlook it and keep her thoughts to herself, if only to not spoil the experience.

But then the question was asked: "What haunts you?"

How else does a queen answer?]

Nothing. [She glanced around the room with mild amusement.] I have no family.

[The planchet started to wiggle and Daenerys wanted to reach out and stop it, but it was quick to swing to a "V"]

What is this?

III. Wildcard

[I'll probably add another prompt later below, but this seems like a good place to begin. If you have any ideas or just want to say "hi", feel free to add me. la_fille_en_histoire

I. Arrival (ps: welcome! :)

[extrasensory_problems]

Whether she means to or not, Daenerys stands out like a sore thumb in the temple pews, between her elegant outfit and her shockingly pale hair Carter can't help but do a double take to make sure that the woman sitting there isn't either a ghost or a figment of his imagination. But when he approaches her he can feel her energy which seems to be confused and a bit fraught and he realizes that she must be new to the islands.
Of course she's new, as he's pretty sure he would have noticed someone this stunning before.

"Excuse me?" He says softly, hoping that he doesn't scare her and should she look up from her own thoughts she will find a young man dressed in similarly period appropriate clothes with long hair and clear green eyes that seem to study her curiously.

"Are you okay?"

Thank you, thank you! <3

[song_of_fire]

He has a kind face, at least. While she still feels on guard, a response to being brought here at all, it's easy to not fall into a hostile attitude. He seemed genuinely curious and concerned. That alone eased her shield a little, letting her give him a small smile.

She was about to answer before realizing that she had no way of knowing if he was brought here as she was or if he was a citizen of this city. There had been others walking the streets, dressed in this manner while others came to the temple to change. From here on out, she wouldn't be able to guess if they were like her or not.

And apparently it was taboo to talk about the past. So how to approach this?]

I'm a bit overwhelmed. [Not an easy admission, but it seemed the safest answer.] I didn't expect to be here.

[extrasensory_problems]

[Carter smiles, it's an open honest smile and has a touch of sympathy because he can absolutely remember how confused he was when he first arrived. Which bizarrely seems quite a while ago now...]

Ah yeah...it's a bit of a shock to the system. Between the ferryman, the island, all the other people. When I first arrived I thought I was dead and this was some kind of weird underworld or afterlife setup.

[He is trying to sound as casual but honest as he can to try and put her at ease, mentioning the ferryman specifically so she knows that he is like her.]

I'm Carter by the way.

[song_of_fire]

[Well, that answers the question about whether he was a native or not. He wasn't wrong either. It had a sense of death and afterlife, something she never really had much belief in until she saw the Dead.]

How long have you been here? [Was that a question of the past? The fact she had to second guess herself and feel paranoid does not sit well with her.] I can't think that an afterlife would look like this.

[That was the added bother. She'd never seen a place like this before. The technology, innovations, all of it was unfamiliar and strange.]

I'm Daenerys.

[No long titles this time.]

[extrasensory_problems]

Uhh...honestly it's hard to keep track of time here, most people go by which island they arrived on, but to answer your question I've been here since the beginning. The first island.

[He nods when she mentions that the afterlife probably wouldn't look like this.]

That and one would think you wouldn't be able to sustain injuries in the afterlife, which I will warn you of now, is totally possible. I had a giant bug take a chunk out of my left shoulder a few islands ago....

[When she introduces herself he smiles and gives her a little bow, they are in Victorian times after all and he is a polite young man.]

It's nice to meet you Daenerys.

[song_of_fire]

[It's hard to say how long that is without knowing the number of islands, but she gathers it's been some time. Things that she really didn't want to hear but could have guessed.]

What are we supposed to do on these islands? Learn our lesson?

[She doesn't like the sound of the dangers they face. Without dragons, weapon or armies, she was more vulnerable than she cared for. She offers a sympathetic look. At least he was still alive.]

You've recovered, I hope?

[She smiles brighter at his gesture of chivalry, amused but pleased.]

Did they say anything about where we are exactly? The island, I mean?

[extrasensory_problems]

There's a couple of different theories floating around about that, some people think we are here to learn our lesson...to grow and face certain fears. Other people think we are being used as some sort of game or entertainment for some supreme being. Details are sketchy.

[He holds up his the Scrywatch that is on his wrist, motioning at the one that she also wears.]

The colors on these things change and I think it has something to do with what you do and learn on the islands. Mine started out Yellow when I got here but it changed to Orange for a bit when....I wasn't doing too good.

[The sympathetic look she gives him makes him blush a tiny bit and he nods.]

Yeah all healed up, going to have a nasty scar from it but that's okay.

[His blush increases when her smile brightens and he runs a hand through his hair.]

Uh no, but from what I can tell it looks to be similar to a time on my world that was known as Victorian times.

[song_of_fire]

Lessons. I dislike some outside entity telling me that my choices are wrong. Sometimes we must make difficult choices and they don't always fit into someone's morality.

[But she's philosophizing.

She glanced at her wrist, remembering it when she was changing. She hadn't toyed with it, remembering that it was necessary in some regard.]

Not doing so well? You don't seem like the sort of person to make poor decisions.

[He's managed to keep her smiling, something unexpected but entirely welcomed.]

A scar isn't so terrible, as long as the wound never got infected. You're lucky to still have your life. Be cautious from now on.

[She'd make a point of seeing that he came through this without another scar.

There's relief on her face when he seems to recognize the atmosphere and surroundings. It may not be from his world, but it was something at least.]

All of this is very unfamiliar to me. We don't have poles with flames in them to light the streets. [Though that's not a bad idea.] The wheel houses are different as well. I'm a bit lost in this place. Would you be willing to help me?

I

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth doesn't typically concern himself with newcomers, but her appearance does manage to catch his eye. Between his height and his hair, he's always standing out, but seeing someone else with silver hair... no, maybe it's just a trick of the light. Not that it should matter. It would be an entirely meaningless coincidence.

So, his tone is appropriately dismissive, as if to dismiss his own interest.]

Good luck with that.

[She'll be here as long as anyone else.]

[song_of_fire]

[A dismissive attitude is not unfamiliar to her, as she had one of her own. It's his hair color that keeps her from brushing his presence aside. Just as he was surprised by hers, she was intrigued by his. Another Targaryen? No, that seemed unlikely.

Still. Wouldn't that be remarkable? There were enough in her family that needed retribution.]

Are you saying there is no other way out of here than what they said?

[She didn't believe that, she wouldn't believe that. No one could keep her here if she wanted to leave.]

[unkindled_madness]

Oh, I hardly think what we've been told is a way out at all.

[He's an avowed skeptic of this entire "redemption" process. The way out will have to be one they make themselves.]

But an adversary to whom you have no access presents some difficulties.

[song_of_fire]

[He's in good company then because she's got her skepticisms as well.]

The ideas of gods are created by men. The adversary possess magic, but it doesn't make the a god.

[She's never been one for general religion in the first place.]

For now there is no access, but it doesn't mean there can't be some resistance towards them.

[unkindled_madness]

[Okay, now there's some genuine interest on his part. Not everyone shares his skepticism.]

...I would agree.

However, you may wish to prepare yourself for a longer stay than you would like.

[song_of_fire]

I can be patient.

[She doesn't like sitting around and doing nothing, but it's not as if it's the first time she's had to wait for something.

There might at least be something to do to help ready things for when she could act.]

Have you been here long?

[unkindled_madness]

Eight months now.

[He frowns faintly as he says it. He keeps track but it feels different saying it aloud. He shakes his head.]

Long enough to grow familiar with the Ancient's style of magic, I suppose.

[song_of_fire]

Oh? What kind of style does it have?

[Even a little information would be useful.]

Eight months? That would be a long time to wait.

Another I.

[prodigalmess]

Malcolm is not really a man who prays. Instead, his presence in the church is more investigative. He likes to examine the temples on each of the islands just to see what he can glean from them, what secrets about the nature of them being here might be imparted. He's looking at a stained glass window depicting a large, standing wolf, when he hears the whisper behind him. Even though the noise is soft, it carries in the cavernous space.

He turns to find the woman sitting at one of the pews. Malcolm moves closer, not intending to eavesdrop, though her words grow clearer the closer that he gets. She finishes and stands, then notices Malcolm.

He nods to her. "Finish your time here quickly?" Malcolm asks, trying to clarify what she was saying. Perhaps it's none of his business, but he does not recall seeing here before and he wonders if she's new.

[song_of_fire]

"For as long as this business keeps me here." She had to assess how to approach the subject. Between the warning that she shouldn't talk about the past and that there might be others in this city not brought here by the ancient, she was on unsteady ground. How could one say exactly: 'I want to get this pretense over with?'

She stood, feeling a little intruded on before realizing that she was in a open place and she'd been talking to herself. It wasn't exactly his fault that he overheard her and witnessed a moment of weakness on her end.

"I don't care to be away from home too long." That seemed safe as well. Any native might assume she was simply traveling.

[prodigalmess]

His eyebrows raise slightly. "You seem very confident in your ability to leave this place in a timely manner," Malcolm replies. "Have you spoken with any here yet? Asked them how long they've been on these isles?"

He tries to sneak a look at her ScryWatch in order to determine what color it is. He's also able to assess her general demeanor and finds that she has a confident air about her. It's almost regal. That might make sense, based on her attitude.

[song_of_fire]

"I'm aware," there's a bit of irritation in her tone. It's not something she wanted to hear or think about, given her need to do something, to go home one way or another. "There are some that have been here since you were brought here. The first island."

She clutched her hands together, taking a breath to calm herself.

"There's no way to leave yet, but that doesn't mean that there won't be."

[prodigalmess]

Someone doesn't like being reminded that they're stuck here. Malcolm enjoys being a shit sometimes, and this might be one of those times.

"I've been here for six months," Malcolm replies. "People do leave. They seem to up and disappear from time to time. I can't say if it's because their ScryWatch changes to an acceptable color or not. Maybe they just fade into whatever isle we're on."

[song_of_fire]

She gets the sense that he's poking the dragon for amusement and, honestly, there's a part of her that slightly admires that, even as it annoyed her. She certainly enjoyed being a shit sometimes too, depending on who with.

"It happens, at least." That was something. She wasn't going to find all the answers now, but she would at least keep her eyes open and soak up as much information as she could. It couldn't hurt and possibly could help. "You haven't been able to atone in those six months?" See, she can be a shit too.

[prodigalmess]

"It's not as if there's a step by step manual," Malcolm says. "You don't get down on your knees and pray to a god for forgiveness."

He's slightly defensive. Malcolm doesn't really know what he has to do, but then again, he's fairly sure that nobody else does either. Maybe the problem is that he has to forgive himself for the things that he's done. He might be here for years before he's able to do that.

[song_of_fire]

She hears his tone and relents a bit, looking away from him. Her frustration shouldn't be directed at someone who was in a similar position, no matter how much she resented being here. "I wonder then what it is they want?" She did her best to have a gentler voice.

"Admitting our crimes? Or helping others?" Hadn't she done enough of that in her world to outweigh these supposed crimes?