polymods: (Default)
polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2021-05-01 03:00 pm

Destination: Carcosa

POLYMYTHOS: CARCOSA

Carcosa


Ⅰ. THE TEMPLE
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island's harbour is full of other ships, although not a single one of them seems to actually have a human being aboard. (You could certainly try to steal one, but doing so is an exercise in futility - you will find that even if you set off into the ocean you will wind up right back in the harbour again after spending a few hours lost in the fog.) Beyond the harbour is a glittering city of glass and gold. Curving arches and sharp geometric lines are the hallmarks of the architecture - an art deco paradise that whispers of decadence and hope for the future.

The people who crowd the streets wear suits and hats, drop-waist dresses and furs. Their faces are all blank smiles. It's the roaring twenties, darling, why do you look so concerned?

If it is your first experience of the Endless Isles, you have access to the High Temple. Should you wish, you may also seek out the island's own temple as well, which is located inside the city, in a district mostly forgotten by the residents. Don’t worry - your feet will carry you there.

The building is not large, and it is old and neglected. It has a domed ceiling, with panels of glass crisscrossed with metal painted gold curving upward. Whatever fine pattern may have formed there is lost to time; the glass at the centerpoint of the dome is gone, letting in the smell of the sea.

There are rooms equipped with beds spreading out like a spiderweb from the middle of the building. The temple proper is of course in the exact center, below the broken dome. In the middle of this circular room you will find dead branches gathered together to make a vaguely humanoid shape. This crude figure has been haphazardly painted yellow. A slab of concrete sits in front of it. There is not much to explore here; it is very quiet.

Either temple is a good place to simply rest, or meet some of your fellow Travelers. The High Temple of course has the Temple Chef and its usual Guardians, Flock, and Lantern.

The Island Temple has its own Guardians, which are small, pale humanoids with perfectly blank faces and small antlers like young deer. They will leave you alone unless you try to meddle with the central room. Doing so will result in one of them approaching you, and you will find yourself falling unconscious on the floor.



Ⅱ. THE MASQUERADE
Through happenstance, you find yourself in an enormous ballroom. Low couches are dotted everywhere, and a live band plays somewhere at the end of the massive space. A long bar takes up one side of the room, bottles sparkling under the light cast from the many cut-glass chandeliers hanging overhead. Champagne flows freely, and the scent of gin pervades the air.

All of the attendees are wearing masks.

You're dressed for the occasion, of course - you will find yourself wearing something reminiscent of 1920s America, with a small yellow sigil of some sort pinned to your breast. Ask any of the guests about it and they will tell you, "ah, it's a secret." You too, of course, are wearing a mask. You did not pick this mask, but if you look in the mirror hung over the bar you will find that it nonetheless hints at some aspect of your personality.

Which would be all well and good, except that you can't take the bloody thing off.

Moving around the ballroom, you will discover that a few other people also have the yellow sigil pinned to their clothing. It probably shouldn't surprise you that these people are all other Travelers, equally unable to take their mask off.

No, you can't unmask until you share something with your new-found friend: a secret. A REAL one, the sort you'd never speak aloud.

Of course, you can choose not to share. If you choose that route, however, you'll find that the mask is fusing with your skin. Leave it on past midnight when the cries of "UNMASK! UNMASK!" begin, and it will simply become your new face for the duration of the month.



Ⅲ. THE PLAY
Maybe parties aren't your style. No fear, there's plenty more to do and see in such a wondrous city. There's a theatre - the Meliora Grand as a matter of fact - and perhaps you're just the sort of person who would like to take in the arts.

The theatre has plush seats, and fabulous electric sconces lining the wall. Once you take your seat you'll find yourself looking at the stage, where a blood-red velvet curtain hangs. The theatre doesn't seem to fill up - indeed, it really seems that there's only you and one or two other people there. Curious.


The lights go down and the curtain is drawn open, revealing... well. Not much.

There are two chairs on the stage, a table between them. On the table lays a pallid face: a mask. Just a mask. Why not go on up and take a closer look?

Should you choose to touch the mask, you will feel a deep urge to speak to whoever else is in the theatre. You will, in fact, feel the desire to act out some sort of emotional trauma with them. Perhaps they suddenly look like your mother, your father, a lover who left you. Why don't you tell them how you really feel?

Naturally, you can both just sit in awkward silence instead. You'll be waiting until the morning to be let out, if that's the case.



Ⅳ. LOST CARCOSA
CW: the undead.
You find yourself walking along the beach at night. Along the shore the cloud-waves break, and black stars rise above you.

You can't quite pinpoint when you realise you are no longer alone. Maybe there is only one other person on the beach with you, or perhaps a few; you move as one down the expanse of sand until you realise there is something laying up ahead of you.

There is a heap of yellow cloth there, dry and tattered with age. It smells faintly of spices. Nestled among it is a jewel-encrusted human skull. Its empty sockets compel you to sit down in the cool, bone-white sand, to sit and speak to those around you about loss.

Everyone has lost something important to them. A person, a thing, a place, an aspect of the self. Something that's gone and you're never getting back. The skull grins endlessly, endlessly, encouraging you to speak about something you may not have laid to rest.

You can resist this compulsion. Maybe you were never good at sharing. Refuse the skull's silent request and you may continue down along the beach, or perhaps head back the way you came. As you walk, however, you will notice that there is a fog rolling in. It comes in off the sea/sky, obscuring the beach until you can barely see.

It's a terribly handy cover for the corpses that are shambling out of the surf. Wet, bloated, with eyes that glow a dim gold, they head for you silently. They wish to drag you back with them, into the depths. Better hope you can outrun or outfight them.

Bonus: What's that? You want a Carcosa playlist? You've got it, babes!


Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

incelligent: (93)

im screaming who talks like this

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-07 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
Exactly. E-exactly!

[That's a bubbly, nervous sound.]

What would be the point! You'd just get your hands dirty. And, even if you didn't bother to use your hands-

[simon... your Rationale here, it's not painting you in the best light-]

It'd just be a big ol' mess. Glad to see that we're on the same page here!

Uh, kind of.

[he is Grateful that his measly human body is being spared...]

So... H-how's your night goin'?
dothelokimotion: (Comfort was the answer to all)

shakespeare in the RP

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-07 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki eyes him for a moment. that style of talking. it strikes him as familiar. ]

Well enough, I suppose. I was hoping for more answers but they'll come.
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-07 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
"I don't burn THAT easily," Kyle protests.

He sighs. "No, you don't. Sorry. I'll rephrase that: I have to try." Since the bartender is there, he asks for another drink. He winds up with a gin rickey, which is quite lime-y.

"And you don't have to look at me that way. I know it sounds naive, but it's not. Apathy isn't cool, it's dangerous."
Edited 2021-05-07 05:48 (UTC)
incelligent: by Sani_Caranza on plurk (68)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-07 05:49 am (UTC)(link)
[Nobody else on the roster could possibly sound so young, mortal, and evil at the same time-]

Yeah?

[Simon sighs, still staying a good arm's length away from Loki, though his shoulders are a tad less tense than they were at the start.]

You think so?

[He eyes the ground nervously.]

Say, when you were on the beach earlier, did you start feelin' kinda funny? Like you wanted to spill your guts to whoever came close enough, haha... Ew, right? Barf! Blech.
nanban: (sigh)

[personal profile] nanban 2021-05-07 05:53 am (UTC)(link)
"Okay, but what's the danger here?" Hawks counters. Sure, sure, Vlad has a point. It strikes a little close to home for Hawks, really. He's aware of the unrest with regard to heroes back home, not because heroes are bad (some of them are) or villains are good (he's not sure on that one), but because of things like the rampaging Nomu. The heroes haven't been doing so hot at keeping shit safe or standing up to the new threat, and civilians remember the losses more than the wins. They trusted All Might, but they don't necessarily trust the system. It's all over the villains' propaganda.

Then Vlad talks about sin and Hawks is actually surprised. That's not really a word he thinks about. He's not the spiritual type himself. He has faith in some things, mostly his own abilities and the abilities of his colleagues, but that's not what this guy is talking about.

"I'm not really a faith guy," he says with a shrug. "I don't know about sin and all that. There's hard decisions in hard times. Either way, I don't want to take the risk that my whole world could be jeopardized, not if I could save it. So whatever this weird mystery is, guess it means we gotta solve it."

The smile he forces back onto his face is pretty convincing; he's been doing this shtick for a long time.

"I'm Hawks, by the way."
queenking: ([neutral] flannel)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-07 05:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Well, I coulda told you that," Saxsice grumbles, crossing her arms and scrunching up her nose. "Weird seems to be this place's whole vibe. I'm not a fan." In case that wasn't obvious.

Then she tilts her head to one side, watching him for a long moment, then huffing out a laugh. "You're takin' this real well. Unless you think I'm lyin', which is your prerogative I guess. And I dunno. I've only met my family." She raises and lowers a shoulder. "It'd make sense if they are, though, yeah?"
kyley_b: (RL_KB_14)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-07 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
Of course he asked; Kyle's natural curiosity about the world is responsible for much of the trouble he's gotten himself into over the years.

He isn't expecting that response, however, and he gapes at Prior for a moment before he breaks into shrill cackles.

"Oh, wow," he giggles. "That's some life advice, there. Did you?"
dothelokimotion: (This is the fear that looms)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-07 05:59 am (UTC)(link)
[ he hums, nonchalant. ]

The skull? Yes, it did seem to have a strong spell placed upon it. I try not to linger when the truth comes calling.

[ he much prefers to have control over his narrative than to spew his regrets and feelings onto the sand. who knows who would see? who could be watching?

in this world, in all worlds, loki has only known it to hurt. ]
queenking: ([up] little pep talks)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-07 06:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice shakes her head, wagging a finger reproachfully.] I smashed the mask against the bar. [The protruding nose of the wolf-shaped mask gets a tap from a bitten-down fingernail.] Figured the headache would be worth gettin' this damn thing off.

Didn't work. And no, I'm not drunk enough. [She gestures at the brown bottle.] Feel like sharin'? This whole situation'd be much easier intoxicated.
incelligent: (87)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-07 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
A spell...?

[He's no Magic Being, but um, he's always thought that stuff was kind of cool. At least, in his teenage imagination. There's something like it in Simon's self-insert fantasy novel. Gross.]

Are you some kinda magician? Or...

[He tilts his head to the side.]

Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
queenking: ([up] oh hey there)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-07 06:05 am (UTC)(link)
Big bummer. Harshin' the mellow, my dude. [She's grumbling, but leaning on his arm heavily -- 20's-era champagne hits harder than she'd expected. Her head feels floaty, and she curls her toes in the sand, giving him a sideways glance as she tiptoes alongside him.]

Got a name, fun police?
queenking: ([down] pensively staring)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-07 06:06 am (UTC)(link)
They can snatch people from their homes, I wouldn't say automated curtains are outta the question. [It comes out drier than she'd meant as she swings her feet back to the ground and stands, trailing after him.]

See anythin'? Or anyone, I guess?
queenking: ([up] this is AWESOME)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-07 06:11 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice nods triumphantly, as if this proves a point, waving her free hand around.] That's because I'm ramblin' and you're sober. Which is a problem. [The bartender has long since moved away down the long, gleaming bar, unimpressed by their conversation, so the blonde woman pauses a moment before standing and hiking her form-fitting skirt up to mid-thigh so she can move easier.]

Mind your head. [She hoists herself onto the bar, swinging her legs over and yes, very nearly kicking Maleficent in the face with one of her scuffed pink high heels. Saxsice lands lightly on the other side of the bar, rubbing her hands together with tangible delight.] Okay, lemme see if I can make somethin' that doesn't taste like straight poison, but feels like it.

[Gathering together a couple glasses and an assortment of dubiously labeled bottles, Saxsice glances back at Maleficent, chattering lightly.] So, heard a rumor that gettin' these masks off is as easy as tellin' a secret, but you already know my biggest one, Mal. Guess I could tell you about all the boys n' girls I've secretly kissed, huh?
dothelokimotion: (Clean and a little lonely)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-07 06:24 am (UTC)(link)
A kind of "magician", yes.

[ magician is a title he hates, but loki isn't ruled by his emotions. he lets the ignorance slide because it suits his purposes. ]
quire: (apathetic)

[personal profile] quire 2021-05-07 06:29 am (UTC)(link)
"Good! If it's not still zombie central we can chill." So kind of him to let Kyle know about his future plans.

"Is it dangerous? Or is it powerful?" he says rolling his eyes, like he's not sure if he cares enough to get into it. "And anyway, does it even matter as long as you're stuck here? Relax. Make the most of it."
incelligent: (14)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-07 06:32 am (UTC)(link)
Whoah-ho, my bad.

[Simon seems fairly nonchalant for... A human boy. To be fair, as long as he isn't getting murdered, he's kind of okay with this. This tall, pale dude is company, which the second-in-command of the Apex longs for.]

Should I have used the term, "warlock," or somethin'?

I bet you can do all sorts of neat-o tricks and stuff.

[s i m o n...]

Can you just snap your fingers and make your bed, because... Wow. That sure sounds nice.
dothelokimotion: (A story never stands on its own)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-07 06:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ the corners of his mouth twitch. ]

Warlock is suitable, I suppose. The term isn't all that important. As for snapping my fingers to make my bed . . . yes, but I would consider that wasteful.

[ says the man who would use magic to conjure himself infinite number of fancy clothes but d e t a i l s ]
incelligent: (13)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-07 06:51 am (UTC)(link)
Well, okay.

[Wasteful? That would imply that the use of magic was taxing, or that somehow, the supply wasn't infinite. Simon doesn't have enough context to judge however- It's likely that it's a principle thing, too.]

You said you wanted answers just a moment ago. So...

I guess the rational thing would be to try and connect the dots? Were you at the party, by any chance?
nanban: (listen)

[personal profile] nanban 2021-05-07 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
"Aw, come on. I think all the glitter is a nice touch. It's festive!" And better than bondage harnesses and whatever those wigs were, probably, but he doesn't bother saying that out loud. He made his point.

He watches the way she watches him and it's interesting, like everything about her. What is she, anyway? He doesn't know, but he'd like to. Humans really fucked up mistreating her, he thinks. He's not so cynical that he thinks the worst of all humans. Some of them are shit, some aren't. He doesn't have some high moral horse to be on. He's a hero but sometimes that doesn't have the moral quality people think it should. He has no aspirations whatsoever to be All Might, after all.

He ruffles his feathers a little because he's a show off.

"I don't mind standing out. Sucks that these folks don't really trust any of us, though."

He looks away from her out at the crowd, the sea of masked faces. There's something going on at this party, but he can't put his finger on it yet. They keep talking about secrets, but...that's just a theme, right? Jury's out so far.

He swirls his drink in his glass and still doesn't drink it.

"Haven't learned a whole lot, no. There's a temple here that looks like no one cares about it. Otherwise?" He shrugs, shoulders and wings both rising and falling. "What about you? Anything noteworthy here versus the last island?"
nightschool: (🖋️ 46)

ii

[personal profile] nightschool 2021-05-07 07:16 am (UTC)(link)
[Witch.

One thing has remained the same in all this strangeness: that familiar little twist in his stomach, the shiver along his senses, when another creature draws near. But this is not the frozen brush and heavy, sumptuous scent of a wearh. This impression is bright and crisp across his awareness, a burst of color that ends with a tingle traversing down the knobs of his spine.

The feeling can only belong to one thing and his black-rimmed gaze roves over the party-goers, probing the overhanging cloud of cigarette smoke for the source. Ah, there it is--dark and feathered, roaming among the guests.

Maybe the witch will sense he's being observed, maybe he won't, but from his seat on one of the couches Kit--a study in black from his berry-studded mask to his shiny shoes (impressively made, he will say that)--watches his progress as he's watched many this night, one leg crossed over the other.]
fissure: little-luna @ hollow-art (Default)

cw: descriptions of adolescent sexual deviancy, child abuse, csa

[personal profile] fissure 2021-05-07 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
The laugh he gets pleases him more than he lets on.

"I certainly tried," he admits. Looking thoughtfully ahead, he squints at the horizon. The air coming off the water is cool and crisp and occasionally the surf sends a little spray in their direction. "My mother once caught me humping a pillow. She walked back out without a word and I was terrified, of course. But not too ashamed to finish."

This is not a story that Prior ever remembers sharing and he's not sure why he shares it now. He's still not too ashamed to finish despite how all of this must sound.

"By evening I must have felt I'd gotten away with something, at least until my father came barging through the door and did his duty to God by trying to scare Satan right out of me."

Prior glances over at Kyle. "Too bad the old sod didn't know it was all undone on Sundays, anyway."
nanban: (mild)

[personal profile] nanban 2021-05-07 07:32 am (UTC)(link)
Hawks catches that change, the lack of humour. Shit, are there really zombies or something like that where Anders is from? Well that's horrifying. He's glad he doesn't live in that world. Then again, his own has been pretty terrifying off and on lately, and apparently Maleficent was persecuted so hard she doesn't even like humans, so everyone's got something awful to worry about.

Normally, he doesn't sit on the ground. It requires too much rearranging of his wings and all that, which is a nuisance. But it feels really strange to just be standing here like he might change his mind and fly off at any moment. Or so he figures that's why he feels like he should sit down there next to Anders at last. That at least almost makes sense.

Either way, he manages to sit there on the sand, wings and all, head tilted to one side as he listens to Anders. The mage's words don't mean anything to him, of course; he lacks the frame of reference necessary to get the direct references. Keep? Like...a castle, maybe?

"Well, if we save this place or whatever, I assume they send us all home," he says. Whether he really believes that or not is anyone's guess. It's possible that Hawks himself doesn't know how he feels or what he thinks yet, but that's fine for now. He's sort of playing this whole bizarre situation by ear right now.

He doesn't share his own losses, at least not just yet. He's not good at talking about himself in any real way, not to strangers, and not to dead-men-tell-no-tales over here either. But he'll get there. He's more interested in listening to Anders first.
vladpire: (Default)

[personal profile] vladpire 2021-05-07 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Here? Who's to say. Sometimes danger isn't quite as obvious as one would expect." There was much here that he wasn't entirely sure of, the motivations of whatever being had brought them, the idea that there might be some hidden justification waiting to drop on them.

As for the mystery, well, he wasn't sure of that, either. The Ferryman hadn't been forthcoming in bringing them here. The beings he'd found that lived here, that weren't Travelers like himself and Hawks didn't seem inclined to lay out the facts of anything. In fact, most of them seemed not to know what was going on at all. This whole thing was just too vague. Why him? Why any of them? To what cause? Whose eyes were they seeking redemption in? It was all just too uncertain, and he was sure every person that came here through the powers that be would have their own methods behind it. "Vlad Tepes. The more we meet among ourselves, the better. If we're to all be here, it may be wise to all be familiar with each other and what we can bring to the table, if a table is needed."
nightschool: (🖋️ 16)

iii

[personal profile] nightschool 2021-05-07 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
[He doesn't mean to head toward the shore in his wanderings, but that seems to be a running theme on this island--moving outside the bounds of conscious control, losing time, drifting to and from strange places.

And so the shore is where he goes, and if he's surprised (aghast; there's no doubt it is a cursed thing) by what he finds at the end of his stroll, it registers too deep to breach the surface among the many other jolting revelations of the last few days. A numb malaise has had him in its grip since stepping foot on the island, and though he does not want to sit with the ghoulishly grinning skull, he settles down by himself without complaint for his own solemn communion, arms curled around drawn-up knees, shivering occasionally in the cold sand. Although better than a robe, the breeches and shirt he'd acquired in the city aren't thick enough for a vigil so close to the water.

But they have a pull, these bones. Absorbed by his urge to peel aside his paralysis numbness and reminisce, he's surprised when someone else does just that, putting words to the mournfulness bubbling in his chest. He lifts his chin above his knees and blinks, taking in the human for perhaps the first time.

A father? It serves to pierce the numbness. For a moment, the only sound is the surf crashing to shore.]


Pain is inconstant that way; it can seem nearer, and farther, and nearer again. [Like the tides.] I'm sorry for it.

[A husky, halting offering. He hasn't spoken much with the others bearing the metal bands so far. But regardless whether he was the intended recipient or not, it's not the sort of confession that ought to fade away unremarked upon.

The giant's skull certainly won't be doling out any consolation to anyone's grief.]
dothelokimotion: (And consumes)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-07 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
I was, though I did not learn much.

Did you notice something?