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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

libertalia: (22 - lejHj1I)

[personal profile] libertalia 2021-05-09 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
if someone were to successfully steal a boat and peace out, would they happen to encounter the ancient's lantern and get spit up on the beach or are they only ever going to end up back at the harbor?
pilferings: (i want like 5 other things!)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-09 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, join the club then, Benedict, because Nate's hardly the open type either, not with the things that matter, the secrets and the not-so-secrets. If you'd like to hear about his adventures in the lost city of Shambhala, or El Dorado, or the discoveries of Sir Francis Drake on the other hand ... he's got stories for days. ​]

Don't know if the masks or whoever's controlling this currency exchange of secrets here is gonna give us any clear definitions. [ And maybe that's the problem? No, no, mostly this is just Nate trying to figure an alternative route out of this predicament he'd gotten himself into.

He knew he should have stopped by the theatre instead. ]


But for what it's worth, I ​think a secret could be both of those things. Maybe it's something no one knows, or maybe it's something your closest pals do, but you're still not exactly ready to make it public knowledge or anything. In fact —

[ A pause.

Okay, maybe he's got something. ]


I hate clowns.

[ Nate reaches up to pull his mask off, but ... shit. It still doesn't budge. ]

Seriously?
pilferings: (nervous tic)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-09 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hey, look. It's the 21st century, Nate's hardly going to make judgments on anyone or the people they choose to be with. Not that he's at all privy to the circumstances of River's particular relationship, but marriage can be tough! He knows! He's deep in it right now, in fact — only his own wife isn't here. (That he knows of. Yet.) ]

Hard truths, huh? [ Oh, boy. ] Gotta say, that's probably the last thing I want to be revealing to anyone tonight. Which ... I guess is kind of the point of this whole exercise, isn't it?

[ He huffs a breath. ]

Talk about your ice breaker.
dothelokimotion: (All hail the mighty glow cloud)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-09 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[ don't let them know. ]

No. Though that is to be expected. Arrivals are disorienting.
dothelokimotion: (Truth takes us to dangerous places)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-09 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Ours is not to question, but to enjoy.

[ as much as they can. he takes another sip. ]

Or to reveal something that benefits our audience.
pilferings: (because i'm epic)

arrives late w starbucks — temple ;

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-09 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
Seems like a pretty convoluted way to kill us, after everything.

[ You know, what with the Ferryman and the boat taking them here, the supply packs provided, hot water and a ... well, a not all uncomfortable surface to lay ones head for a quick nap. All this just to end their lives by way of some bad food?

Nah.

Nate shrugs a shoulder, digging into the plate of food he'd collected, here for its sustenance and not much else. It's not exactly Michelin starred, but he's had worse. Oh, he's had way worse. ]


Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should be trusting everything we see or what they tell us, but the food seems low priority, at least.
mewnifestos: (Default)

[personal profile] mewnifestos 2021-05-09 02:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ He seems somewhat mollified by that response, though a hint of his caution remains. He hasn't really dealt with much direct questioning in respect to his magic yet - or at least not from anyone who didn't seem ambivalent to it, or innately understanding, at most. This feels like less steady ground. ]

Well, I'm still alive and in possession of all my faculties, that's how.

[ Anders shrugs, gesturing vaguely with a hand. ]

And there are no Templars around, handy with a Silence. That helps, too.
everlastingchains: (such a fine line)

[personal profile] everlastingchains 2021-05-09 02:19 am (UTC)(link)
He gives a curt nod at the question. That's at least what he assumes to be the key to this all. From observation, those with masks say something to one another and then take their masks off. He can only conclude that it must be something they've said and the only other clue had been those words. But she is indeed right that he isn't very pleased with the contradiction. Why demand secrets and then simply go on like they'd not been spoken?

"I believe that is how these masks are removed. It is a secret. Shared with someone else, spoken out loud. Brought into the light of day as it were. A verbal unmasking, if I hazard a guess." Victor doesn't seem too terribly fond of that idea either. He isn't one to simply give out his secrets.

"I've read children's stories to that effect. The power of secrets and promises." That, until this woman, were Victor's only true understanding of the fae. He hadn't believed in them, but then again, until a year ago, he hadn't believed in Vampires or Demons.

"The question is what happens if we don't speak some secret. I've yet to determine what that might be. Just as I've yet to really discover how large of a secret must be shared. Though to you, I suppose a weak secret would still hold great power, wouldn't it?"
pilferings: (mama cleric beast didn't raise no fool)

iii.

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-09 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
You uh — might not want to do that.

[ Before Nate can get the last word out by way of warning, the young woman has already started conversing with the jewel-encrusted skull, its deep dark sockets eager for more conversation, more words. It'd given him the heebie-jeebies just coming across it, and he'd had to resist the pull to talk and spill his whole goddamned heart out. But the skull obviously has an appeal, and whoever left it out on the beach probably knew what they were doing too. Or ... something far more sinister happened to them, abandoning the skull to random passersby. Like them.

Nobody leaves something this seemingly valuable out in open air like this, not on purpose, not without some kind of compensation — which probably means bad news. ]


We ... should probably get going.
everlastingchains: (Overwhelmed by the mourning process)

[personal profile] everlastingchains 2021-05-09 02:44 am (UTC)(link)
He gives a slight nod. "For our sake, in this strange place, I certainly hope for it to be the artist's interpretation and not the medical one." But honestly, given the last year of his life, Victor isn't actually all that hopeful. He can only start trying to prepare for when things go terribly. Part of that is indeed getting into town and seeing what he can find to supply himself better than the small bag they all have been given.

"I suppose moving it would be counter productive to it being placed just so like that." Which means it should still be there on return. "I believe the Ancients, as they called themselves, gave us a little of what I am assuming is money." It's not the gold sovereigns he's used to, but he's sure he can figure out the exchange rate here.

"I think perhaps we look for a book shop of some sort? That might have what we need. And if there is still time and funds, a leatherworker and an apothecary for myself. And where you might like to head." Because in that city where everything is new and he doesn't know how half of it even works, Victor is going to stick by someone else.
queenking: ([up] girl next door)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-09 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Saxsice covers her heart, a la old Southern lady. "Bless your heart. Twenty-eight. I'm old for my age, though."

Then she shakes her head, waving a dismissive hand. "No worries, as long as you don't start expectin' that of all werewolves. Most of the ones I know were born without a sense of humor. You're peakin' early, Mister." Then, with a toothy grin: "Saxsice King. Nice to meetcha."
queenking: ([neutral] brave new world)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-09 03:01 am (UTC)(link)
Really? [Now she looks perturbed.] They took it away from ya? That seems...unfair.

Oh yeah, when touchin' the mask thing. [Saxsice is...easily honest, it seems. She gestures towards the table.] It stopped when I put it down, though.
queenking: ([up] /sips tea)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-09 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice perks up even more when offered the bottle, happily taking a swig from it and swinging her feet to and fro in wordless delight. The comment makes her snort, very unladylike.] Do I look like someone who needs a cup?

[Then she glances down at her very pastel pink ensemble, lip curling beneath the mask.] Nevermind, don't answer that. [One more gulp and she passes the bottle back, then braces her hands on the bar to lean over and grab at more liquor, now that the bartender's distracted.]

So. Any better ideas for gettin' unmasked? Startin' to get stuffy in here.
queenking: ([woof] arrg rawrg)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-09 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
[For a moment Saxsice seems like she's about to do the former, run as fast as her legs can carry her across the damp sand and to somewhere safe. It'd definitely be the smart thing to do.

But she pauses a moment too long, watching the other woman crouch down with a clearly practiced air, and it tugs at something in her chest. It's been so damn long since she really let loose and burned off steam. So, even though it's risky and dangerous and probably more than a little shocking, Saxsice drops her heels and doubles over, making a low, slightly pained groan as her bones and muscles snap into place.

It's a quick change, less than a minute, and then there's a blur of snowy white fur streaking from the shredded remains of the woman's clothes and leaping forward to tackle one of the undead, massive jaws rending it's shoulder clean from it's body. The wolf lands lightly, shakes the zombie a couple times like a dog with a toy, then glances back at Selina.

Is this useful?
]
grayshulk: (pic#12883401)

[personal profile] grayshulk 2021-05-09 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
Jennifer looks a little uncomfortable with that question because it's a good one. "Maybe to the Ancient? Maybe something else? There seems to be something...creepy here."
hostile_encounter: (11)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-05-09 04:11 am (UTC)(link)
"...Fuck." She sips, buying processing time. "Well, you definitely had a ride before you even got here."
unkindled_madness: (confused)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-09 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, that... does answer his question, somewhat. It certainly implies it's an innate ability, though how he came by it...

Sephiroth cautiously turns his attention to the desk, because they came here for a reason, but he isn't letting the subject drop. He can search and talk at the same time.]


...I'm going to guess that you've never needed materia, or any sort of... conduit.
kyley_b: (RL_KB_1)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-09 04:23 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle shrugs. "I guess. No more so than anybody else."
hostile_encounter: (11)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-05-09 04:27 am (UTC)(link)
"No. Even if nothing else but what you've mentioned happened? You were on a wild ride." Or hallucinate a lot. Which is also possible. More sips.
unkindled_madness: (talking)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-09 04:29 am (UTC)(link)
None of us arrived with any of our belongings, as I understand it. [He's less concerned about losing the ability to do magic as he is about the loss of his sword.

He eyes the mask with a frown.]
I see. You could have said as much. [Instead of pretending it was her own decision.]

Perhaps that, we should destroy.
pilferings: (but is it ... updog?)

iii.

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-09 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
Did you just —

[ Yeah. Nate's one of those who had passed by the skull, then ignored it, refusing to engage with it after he'd realized that the thing made him unbearably nervous in a way he doesn't appreciate. Sure, it might fetch a pretty penny at some black market auction, but is it worth the risk of this thing pulling out all kinds of secrets and confessions out of him in the meantime?

Probably not.

So seeing this strange man not only pick the damned thing up, but fling it into the zombie hoarde that has started to crawl out from the frigid waters, and then call it back like frisbee?

It's pretty impressive. Also wild. Also — what the actual fuck? ]


You sure aggravating those things is the right move here?
kyley_b: (RL_KB_15)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-09 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle looks decidedly uncomfortable at that suggestion. "It's no big deal," he mutters.
hostile_encounter: (36)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-05-09 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
"Maybe. But there's a reason a weird group of people got pulled into whatever this is to deal with this level of strangeness." She sets the glass down before she has to worry about what might happen if she drops or breaks it.
libertalia: (53 - YTFW04G)

samuel drake 🏴‍☠️ uncharted

[personal profile] libertalia 2021-05-09 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
— 1 —
Arrival


( he's been told he's blessed about as many times as he's been told he's going to hell, so it's always been a bit of a mixed message on whether or not some cosmic being actually gives a shit about him. he's always leaned more toward no considering the evidence of his life — and even now he's not exactly convinced this "ancient" is any different. when has god ever looked out for him? never. he doesn't expect better results from any other deity, quite frankly.

he supposes the robes are meant to be humbling. maybe it would be if it didn't piss him off so much, dredging up unwelcome reminders of too many sundays spent in black and white robes and being expected to actually participate in mass. yeah, he spent enough time as an altar boy as a kid, so thanks very much but no fucking thank you. perhaps the only saving grace here is everyone else looks just as depressingly devout as he does.

finding his brother is, naturally, his first order of business, but he doesn't seem to be too panicked about the fact that they've been separated (again). as he makes his way up and down the docks, he'll call out:
)

Nathan! ( and when that doesn't immediately yield results: ) Goddammit. Where the hell did you go?

( anyone he passes at the harbor or on the way to the temple — or even once he's made it inside the temple — might be stopped by a 'scuse me followed by: )

You seen a guy about yea high — ( indicated with a hand raised slightly shorter than sam ) — flippy hair, has probably tried to talk your ear off about ancient architecture already?

( eventually he'll make it to the mess hall after securing a significant change of clothing (no way in hell he was gonna spend any more time in that damn robe than he needed to), where he feels comfortable enough making idle chatter with his fellow travelers while he grazes on whatever it is the temple chef has served up. )

Beats prison food, I'll tell you that much.

( but, then again, pretty much anything beats prison food, so it's not exactly a very high bar to clear. )


— 2 —
The Masquerade

( sam wouldn't miss an opportunity to schmooze around a fancy party with beautiful women and free booze, so it is a little disappointing when he finds himself dressed to the nines in a sharp blue pinstripe suit and the party turns out to be a masquerade ball. sure, keep the mystery alive, he gets it — and it's fun for about an hour or so until he desperately needs a drink and realizes he can't seem to take his goddamn mask off. if the lord is testing him, he's gonna have another thing coming to him when this is all over.

it does at least force him to pay more attention, to get back into the crowd and listen to what people are saying, taking note of the few who have managed to remove their masks thus far, it's a secret repeated ad infinitum from half the attending guests. apparently secrets are the theme of the evening, and if he wants a fucking drink anytime soon he'll have to share.

fine, he can share.
)

You know, I wrote "Rail Mary" on the bathroom wall at Saint Francis Boy's Home when I was a kid.

( nope. still nothing. goddammit. maybe that one wasn't so much a secret, because everyone knew it was him, they just never managed to prove it. (had he told nathan it was him? he can't remember now.)

but, okay, he can dig deeper, pull out something dirtier than that if they're out here airing their fucking laundry.

not he ever thought this particular bit of his past would have need to come up; it was so long ago it hardly feels relevant to anything going on in his life now, though one could argue it drastically shaped how his and nate's life turned out (especially considering the whole "fleeing the country after committing a burglary and being suspected of foul play in the death of the homeowner" situation that would have posed significantly more problems if sam hadn't had the connections he'd had then). but if he has to share anything, this little secret of his is, well, practically goddamn innocent compared to the invisible elephant in the room that no one needs to know about.

so whether he's still mingling or back at the bar, he'll eventually admit:
)

I mean, I, ah ... I used to work for the mob back in the day. ( which is said casually enough, with an easy lift of his shoulders. and, then, just like that, the mask comes off. ) Huh. Whaddya know.


— 3 —
Lost Carcosa

( yeah, sam's done enough sharing for one night, quite frankly, so whatever silent encouragement he feels prickling under his skin he pushes down with the rest of his feelings he chooses to ignore and keeps walking down the length of the beach. if he's looking for anything in particular, he's not going to mention it. (he knows they're a long way from libertalia now, but that hasn't stopped him looking for any sign of avery anyway.)

before the fog starts to roll in, he might catch anyone who happens to be on the beach with him with a wave of his hand and a flash of a smile, then:
) Hey, you don't happen to have a cigarette on you, do you?

( it's not long after that the fog settles, sets of unblinking gold eyes inching nearer and nearer, attached to bodies that look like they crawled out of the wreckage of the titanic. he definitely did not sign up for this shit. )

Okay, not good. ( he's already backing away from the shoreline, scanning the immediate area for an exit strategy, only there's so much goddamn fog he can barely tell which direction he came from. and as far as he can make out, there's nothing useful strewn about on the beach in case of waterlogged zombie emergency, so his options seem pretty fucking limited. ) Jesus Christ. Really wish I had a gun right now.


— 4 —
Wildcard

( feel free to hit me up on plurk ( [plurk.com profile] piehole ) or discord ( miyou#1092 ) for extra plotting or if you'd like to do something that doesn't quite fit in these prompts! i'm down to boogie with just about anything. )
kyley_b: (RL_KB_1)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-09 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah, okay, true." He looks around at all the masked revelers.

"It wanted us to tell a secret. I guess that's supposed to better us?"