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

neverrefuse: ɪɴsᴏᴍɴɪᴀᴛɪᴄ → ᴅᴡ (pic#14868049)

[personal profile] neverrefuse 2021-05-10 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
"I know," she says quietly. She never meant to be selfish. At the time, she didn't even see it that way. Or maybe she just didn't want to admit it, even to herself. She did what she thought was best for River, what she thought was right. But really, it was just what made her feel better at the time. If she could save just one life, it was a victory, especially in the face of so much loss like she'd experienced at The Library.

The Doctor steps closer to River, strokes the pad of her thumb across her exposed cheek to wipe away the remaining dampness.

"I still love you too, you know." Her hearts ache to see the pain she's caused River. "Our time together was finite, but my love for you wasn't. Isn't. I kept your picture on my desk the whole seventy years I was at St. Luke's."
tearsinajar: backchat (pic#10002118)

[personal profile] tearsinajar 2021-05-10 04:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ The drink she now brings with her as she follows in silence, it’s more liquid courage than anything. It’s something she can hold on to while she listens to him try to explain his way out of why he’d lied to her for weeks on end. And once they’re in their little area, the two of them, she brings the glass up to take a long sip. ]

You were saying?

[ About his so-called brother. The nonexistent Malaysia job. Libertalia. Avery’s treasure. ]
spoilers: (side:  dark)

[personal profile] spoilers 2021-05-10 05:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Sentimental idiot," she mutters, but her hand reaches out for the arm the Doctor isn't using to keep her from stepping back again, keep her close.

Even if she's shown her in thousands of little ways, it's so rare to hear the Doctor say the words. There's good reason she'd spent so many years believing she hadn't loved her at all. It's nice to hear them.

"I always knew it would end. I even had some idea of when. Somehow, I still thought," she sighs, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "I wanted to come back to you. I wanted more than 24 years, Doctor."
kneecaptain: (98)

ii.

[personal profile] kneecaptain 2021-05-10 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
You could cut it off, maybe.

[ Bucky's wearing a dinner jacket that makes him feel a bit like his father: high waist, black tie, gloves damp from the moisture in his drink. And a domino mask in red, that he hasn't taken off yet. ]

But that might have side effects. Or scarring. But I do have a knife in my back pocket.

[ Wait, does that count as a secret? He tries to yank the mask off, but it doesn't budge. ]

Yeah, that woulda been too easy.
nightschool: (🖋️ 58)

[personal profile] nightschool 2021-05-10 08:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Contrarily, Kit ought to be thanking the other for breaking the silence and dashing his fears he might have been the only one feeling the temptation to use the beach as a confessional. But whose story is it to listen to, his or the bewitched skull's? Regardless, he's listening, anyway, looking closer at the man who seems to totter on the verge of some release and turning his solemnity onto this intimate glimpse of lives capsize by that most cruel master: death. Focusing on a stranger's pain tugs him out of his head, keeping him in the present.

Does he know, he wonders? Has he realized it's magic at work, likely loosening his tongue? Perhaps... Kit should warn him if he has not gleaned it already. But the thought comes only after a delayed moment reflecting on the man's accent and diction, closer to familiar than not.

The water churns; hisses. He shakes the hoarseness of disuse out of his voice.]


Where is he now?

[England, he'd hope, and not here, if they are indeed countrymen.]
aviate: (( hj ) better than you)

[personal profile] aviate 2021-05-10 11:11 am (UTC)(link)
[He holds his hands up placatingly.]

Alright, want to lead the way?
dothelokimotion: (No one listens when I talk)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-10 11:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki twists his fingers to create a little witch-light to part the fog. ]

Follow me.
spoilers: (smile:  understanding)

[personal profile] spoilers 2021-05-10 11:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's just as well River doesn't seem to have given anymore thought to the fact she's just, quite casually, mentioned her husband is currently her wife. Truthfully, it probably won't be the last time she calls the Doctor her husband. Gender is such a limiting concept, mostly used for the comfort of others. ]

Most likely.

[ She takes another sip of her drink, offering an easy smile. ]

If it helps, I've probably heard it all before.
spoilers: (upset:  smile)

[personal profile] spoilers 2021-05-10 11:32 am (UTC)(link)
River graces her with a small smile of her own. "That's kind of you."

And though she prefers to keep her emotions, her secrets, to herself, she is grateful for the other woman's show of compassion. It's been quite the day, and she's been wrung out emotionally between not being dead and seeing the Doctor again.

"You see, I shouldn't be here." And she realizes as she says it that none of them should be here, so she clarifies, "I shouldn't be anywhere. I died. Some time ago."
libertalia: (28 - urpUbIL)

[personal profile] libertalia 2021-05-10 01:12 pm (UTC)(link)
excellent

one last clarification: would they still be clothed upon being spit up or is this going to be super embarrassing for all who may happen to witness this? 🙊
medeiun: ɪᴍᴀᴋᴇʀᴘɪᴄᴏɴs (pic#14876274)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 01:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maleficent's scowl turns to him at his remark, sharp eyebrows lifting. She has bumped into more than one young person in this place (most are considered "young" to the fey), exuding what is most likely simply oblivion and not arrogance or anything that means real harm. But it is hard to find patience when she's already so tense, and her words come out with a harsh edge. ]

Of course they can. They may do whatever they please with us.

[ This is an obvious fact to her, someone familiar with magic, who understands the power of it. He seems painfully human, perhaps has no experience with magic at all. He likely doesn't know better, but she's irritated with him all the same. Especially as he begins to head towards the stage.

Maleficent quickly lifts her hand, and a flash of green magic, flame-like, appears in front of him. Not too close to harm him, just enough to stop him from moving closer. Her words are a hiss. ]


Do not approach it!
medeiun: ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴛɪsᴛs (✦ — 𝟎𝟐𝟎)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 02:17 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maleficent finds herself loath to admit that she's wary to attempt opening them with magic — it registers as "weakness", in her mind, to admit to her magic being somewhat tempered and strange in this place. She eyes him for a moment, an angled, sharp gaze cut over her shoulder, before she returns her eyes to the great doors, the walls. They do seem ordinary, but the most ordinary object could hold a great charm around it. Or even a curse. She doesn't know what this place may be capable of. If there may be some form of... punishment, should they not go along with things. ]

It is not worth risking. Not until we learn more about the magics of this place. [ She seems frustrated to say it, and she is. She does not like feeling weak, and especially showing that to another.

At least he's in agreement about the stage. The fey looks back that way, her wings giving a swoosh behind her as she turns, and she quickly tucks them back more firmly to her body, as she does when she's anxious. Despite the hardness of her eyes, there's something very uneasy in them. This does feel like a trap. ]


Indeed. Whatever game they are playing, what's upon that stage will trigger the next move.

[ That's her assumption, anyway. She turns back to her companion, looking him over. ]

Can you sense anything strange about it?
medeiun: ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴛɪsᴛs (✦ — 𝟎𝟐𝟎)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 02:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, he's fallen down. Maleficent breathes out a sharp sound from her nostrils as though frustrated with him for this (despite the fact she knows full-well her appearance could trigger such a reaction in someone; it has plenty of times before). Ordinarily she might take an almost impish delight in a grown man tumbling right over at the sight of her, but they are in a bit of a bind just now.

'You're not—'

Any number of things could follow that broken, frightened statement. 'Human' is what she thinks of first, because it's the obvious one, in her mind. ]


No, [ she answers, shortly. His hands are up defensively, and she doesn't want to risk him having a freak-out if she frightens him further, but those things are drawing closer still. Maleficent's wings stretch outwards and curve just slightly around his position, a gesture as though to shield him for the immediate moment. ]

Has your experience given you any insight on how to handle these, then? [ Her tone is still cool, but her eyes flare with a hint of urgency — and with a distinct lack of manners, she adds sharply in the next beat: ] Get up. I will not harm you.
spoilers: (smile:  shrug)

[personal profile] spoilers 2021-05-10 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
River holds up her hands in a 'what can you do?' sort of gesture. "I have a bit of trouble keeping my hands to myself, but they did seem to keep to themselves as long as I left the altar alone."

It's when she hadn't there had been an issue.

She glances around the room at the second observation, as if considering it. "It feels different, too, doesn't it? Warmer. Safer."
neverwither: (Uncertain Chloe)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-05-10 03:03 pm (UTC)(link)
Whatever she thought she might hear, that definitely wasn't it. Death is an elusive concept for her. All things that are alive will one day not be, and she knows this, but she isn't held to the same sort of mortality.

Because she isn't alive.

"I'm sorry," is the first thing she can think of to say, woefully inadequate as it is. Chloe's hands clasp together and rest in her lap to again stop her from reaching out. "Do you..." All of the dozens of questions she could ask feel dreadfully inappropriate.

"If there's a story to be told, I'm happy to listen." It's only an invitation rather than attempting to pry, giving the woman the space to vent or try to make sense of things if she wants to.
neverwither: (Srs Chloe)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-05-10 03:14 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Serving as a soundboard for Elijah Kamski’s thought processes, and as someone to share his pride with, Chloe has been privy to the finer points of the creation of some androids. The capabilities of the RK series is impressive, to say the least. Without the mitigating presence of Lieutenant Anderson, those stellar abilities are more… troubling.

Things are different. This isn’t Detroit. There’s no information to be gleaned. Not from a man who issues tests, anyway. There’s no reason to be afraid of a machine.

It’s alright. It’s all alright.

And if the focus remains on the problem at hand, it will all be fine. There are far bigger things for Connor to concern himself with. ]


If you mean in terms of someone else being able to prise it off, I don’t think that’s going to help much…

[ Her tone is careful. Sweet, but evidently wary of saying the wrong thing. ]

Not to say we couldn’t find a solution together, of course.
spoilers: (close:  upset)

[personal profile] spoilers 2021-05-10 03:23 pm (UTC)(link)
The soft laugh that bubbles up out of River, nearly of its own accord, likely isn't the sort of response she's expecting. She sits back down next to the young woman on the stage and her voice is light, despite the pain she's already so clearly put on display. "Oh, there's a story."

It's easier to talk if she isn't looking at her, doesn't consider she's still sharing her story with a stranger, so she looks straight ahead.

"My husband and I were time travellers, never quite meeting in the right order. When I first met him, he'd already known me for years. And the day he met me, as far as he remembers at least, was the last we spent together."

And she knows she can't really blame him, not his younger self. He hadn't known her yet.

"He knew, all the time we were together, and the best solution he could come up with was to download my consciousness into a computer, leave me in a Library. He never even asked. And he couldn't say goodbye."
medeiun: ᴍᴀʟᴀɢʀᴀᴘʜɪᴄ (pic#14830052)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 03:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Maleficent meets that shock almost gracefully, almost patiently — she is well-accustomed to it, of course. There may be a scream, or the girl might pass out (humans lose consciousness.... very easily, she has found. As if they just turn right off. It's quite funny.)

But what comes is a snarl, and the fey's sharp brows slowly lift just a fraction. She is used to hostility, but not from a single woman, alone, with no roaring army behind her to fuel anger up like flames against the pointed creature, the devil, the witch (and the many other colourful titles which have been directed to Maleficent).

No, this one's anger is on its own. Alone. And this is what she's most familiar with, this sharpness, this threatening reaction like a knife's edge. It's completely opposite of Aurora's softness, which has always been an alien thing to Maleficent, for as much as she's come to have love for the girl. She stares, dark mouth pursing slightly as the young woman slowly gets to her feet, facing her. ]


No, [ she answers simply, tilting her head slowly back a bit to take in the girl. It's a smart thing to do, crafty — but it's true that there could be punishment for it. And in this place of strange magics, Maleficent isn't sure what might be incurred upon them. (Concerned?? Of course not. It's not her job to look after the weak little human Travelers she's become unwillingly swept on this journey with.) ] These buildings of theirs are odiously tacky. They could use a bit of surface work.

[ Her eyes cut back to the "surface work" done by the girl, the chunks of gold missing from the structure, before returning to her face. ]

Is gold really of such value to you? Other humans seem to be getting by without it, here.

[ There isn't exactly a mass of the other Travelers doing what this girl's doing. ]
medeiun: ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴛɪsᴛs (Default)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 03:41 pm (UTC)(link)
Her guide. It isn't a foreign concept for Maleficent; in fact, it is quite familiar. She has relied on a guide for a long time now — a raven who became her companion, back home. One who had acted as her wings back when she was without them for sixteen long years, but even after she regained what stolen from her, Diaval continued to serve as a medium between Maleficent and human affairs.

And she finds herself relieved by the offer, for it will allow her to maintain the certain detachment that she needs, from these human things.

"I shall rely on your experience, then." She's still awkward with this, with conversing even with someone she feels more at ease around than the others; Maleficent struggles with conveying how she feels. But she does mean this; it's an offer she's pleased by. The offer further extends to him sampling some of the drink for her, and the fey looks at him for a long moment, surprised by it. Is it truly generosity? Perhaps he wishes to stay in her good favour as well; their budding alliance in this place would be beneficial to them both. Still, she isn't used to such an offer, but if he cannot be affected by poisons....

"All right. Though if there are indeed some hidden magics to them that our senses cannot detect, they may affect you."

Though she's agreeing to his offer, this is a means for her to warn him, because she has known dark magic very well, and there may be dangers beyond poison.
fissure: little-luna @ hollow-art (8)

cw: religious insensitivity

[personal profile] fissure 2021-05-10 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
There's no delay as Prior cups a flame around Kyle's cigarette. By and far, the general sentiment surrounding cigarettes in his time does suggest asthma can be exacerbated by things like tobacco smoke, but it's the same health system that turns around to sell "asthma cigarettes" as a medicinal aid. It means nothing to Prior, of course — he'd rather no go without even if he has before.

"How else to feel closer to God than harness every excuse for self-flagellation?" Prior huffs and out comes a puff of smoke that disburses around his head. "I might rather prefer that over abstaining otherwise."
neverwither: (Not the happiest camper)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-05-10 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
What was shown on the stage clicks into place and oh. It hits so very close to home. Time travel as a viable concept is pushed aside as her emotional responses continue to be front and centre. Whatever the woman’s words stir up in her can be ignored. it needs to be ignored. It isn’t going to be of use to anyone.

Her gaze drops to her hands. “Maybe he couldn’t bear to let you go.” Her voice is quiet, a little distant.

Quickly, she blinks and looks apologetically to the woman. “I’m sorry. It really isn’t my place to say anything like that.” Demeaning what’s been shared with her or the experience was not on Chloe’s agenda at all. Especially when it had been said that it wasn’t any kind of life she would want. Languishing in a computer, waiting to be uploaded once again…

“You were aware? When you were in the computer, I mean.” The way she describes it makes it sound like more than a means of storage.
medeiun: ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʟʟᴏᴡᴇᴅ ᴀʀᴛɪsᴛs (Default)

[personal profile] medeiun 2021-05-10 04:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Festive. Maleficent almost snorts at that, gives a clipped huff under her breath. She isn't one for festivities; her experience is more... ruining other people's festivities. Now that's fun.

But clearly, her companion in arms (....wings) here is a bit more of a showy character, made ever the more clear by his statement that he doesn't mind standing out. Maleficent allows a small, almost amused touch of a thing upon her lips; her tolerance of him is higher by default, simply because of him not being a normal human. If he were a normal man, she likely wouldn't even still be standing here talking to him. She isn't exactly subtle about her prejudice of humans (and of course, is still assuming he isn't one).

"Let us hope that they don't decide to turn hostile towards your effervescence, then."

Her eyes cut down to his drink as he swirls it, watching the liquid swish round once or twice. It's all for show; he knows how to play a game.

"I have not visited the temple yet." It's on her to-do list. "But I have heard others speak of it. Yellow seems to be an important colour, in this place." The yellow of the sigils, the yellow of the effigy others have spoken about in the temple. A fact she's keeping close to the forefront of her perspective here; Maleficent knows better than most that colour can have a very specific power.

"Only that the humans here seem to be of a different... era, than the ones before. Is it a time familiar to yours?" She's gathered by now that the Travelers here are brought from a variety of times.
unkindled_madness: (vulnerable)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-10 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[He glances at her.] I am only human. [Although... some things about this place may force him to reassess exactly what humans are capable of.]

But I'm sure I can handle it.

[He's assuming there's no problem as long as he doesn't touch the mask in the process, so he pulls out his utility knife as he walks to the table and slams it down into the mask--or at least tries to. Even as strong as he is, the knife doesn't so much as scratch it. Instead something seems to rebound onto him. Shouldn't have been so confident, Seph.

He takes a few steps back, and looks at her, seeing someone else entirely. Maybe we're sharing childhood traumas after all, because he was only six when this happened. The last time he saw Professor Gast. He didn't know it would be the last; it wasn't a significant moment until after, when he learned that Gast was dead. He's in the memory now, but with the weight of that knowledge. There are so many things he never got to ask...]


W-wait. Professor...