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

vladpire: (Smile - 5)

[personal profile] vladpire 2021-05-29 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
He'd been looking through the drinks with an eye for her preference. Those lips looked painted on, but he couldn't smell any cosmetics from her. Only that scent of wild nature and magic, the scent of feathers adding to that hint of wild. He realized his choice paired with his own proclivities after she mentioned it, and he smiled a little wider at that. Well, yes indeed. It seemed they had a few things in common. "I'm glad you approve. If you see something you like and wish to try, let me know. This is but a humble attempt to suit your taste and allow us to better mingle in this gathering."

Said with a hint of a smile, because he had a fair idea that Maleficent didn't 'mingle' very well. She certainly couldn't blend, but it was no fault of hers that her appearance was so very striking and stood out so much. She was what she was, after all, much as he was. "Humans indulge in a great many things. Not all of it is entirely necessary. But... while we're here, we may as well pretend we fit in, mm?"
pilferings: (that did not feel like the good ending)

yeAH i love them so much ;; they really bring nate and elena to life; anyway sorry for this

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-29 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Elena, you know why I didn't want to take the Malaysia job. [ At the time, he'd really meant it. He was okay with it, even. Well, mostly. ] I really was done with all of this. [ He sucks in a breath, adding quickly: ] I wanted to be.

[ Well, sure, he knows how ridiculous it sounds, he knows how stupid he’s being — how stupid he's been. But filled with the guilt of having to weigh his options between a life-long debt owed to his estranged and formerly dead older and the completely separate life he'd found for himself in the normalcy of what he'd chosen with Elena, not for the first time Nate hadn't thought the whole thing through, didn't think that one thing didn't actually have to be mutually exclusive from the other. He panicked.

Of course it would take some explaining. Hell, a lot of explaining. And somehow it seemed so much easier to put everything with Sam attached to it in a locked box that firmly belonged in his past. Elena didn't know about any of it, and maybe she didn't have to. To revisit all of that history with her ... Christ, it was easier at that moment to assume he could 'deal with it' quickly (and to be fair, he'd really thought that the job would take a couple weeks, something he could keep in that same locked box and no one would have to know; he'd been so profoundly stupid) and then figure out the right way to introduce his brother to her. You know: 'hi honey, so a funny thing happened ... anyway, meet my long-lost older brother Sam.'

But things have a way of never going the way you want them to, right, and now he's here— worlds away from home, at a masquerade ball in the 1920s having the inevitable conversation he'd been trying to avoid all along.

His heart sinks now, however, hearing those words, landing somewhere in his stomach like an iron stone.

You don't think you're going to lose me now? ]


I screwed up. You deserve the truth — late as it is. [ And he hates that it's really only because he’d been cornered into it. God, she really did deserve better.

Is he going to lose her now? Well, it's up to her, isn't it? ]
I'm sorry.
pilferings: (get a hold of yourself)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-29 10:08 pm (UTC)(link)
No, no. I'm good — thanks.

[ Spoken like someone in true denial, but look. A masquerade ball isn't the place Nate feels at all comfortable divulging in any deep dark truths about himself.

Even if River seems like she'd be pretty nonchalant about whatever he's got to say.

He has to resist tugging fruitlessly at his mask again, like ignoring a nose-itch once you've been very consciously aware that it exists. He lets his hand drop. Takes another breath. ]


Maybe it's not so bad. [ Speaking of denial. ] I can still eat and drink with it on, so that's a plus, right?
pilferings: (cue shaggy's it wasn't me)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-29 10:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Okay, not a guy who likes Harry Potter jokes. Got it.

[ Nate lifts that same hand from earlier in a sign of surrender. He'll relent from making Hogwartsian jokes in the future — you got it bud.

In a more sober manner: ]


I'll be thinking twice before I visit any other beaches in this world. At least not with some proper defense.
pilferings: (we're trapped in the exposition tower)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-29 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
You could say that.

[ Nate's just — going to let go of Jack's hand now, yep. There's still a familiar brightness in his eyes, like he's trying to contain the hundreds of questions swirling around in his mind right now, things like 'Tell me about how you deposed Charles Vane and spare no detail' all the way over to 'What is it like to be you?'

And in retrospect some questions are probably better left to the history books on account of sensitive topics, but who knows? They could be inaccurate! And what pirate wouldn't want to boast his tales and share his victories, right? But he's not picky either way. A first-hand account of anything related to his life and times would make Nate's nerdy heart giddy with glee.

But he should absolutely be cool about it.

Goddamn. 'Calico Jack' in the flesh, though. That's — that's something. ]


Still up for that drink?
tearsinajar: backchat (123)

no you're not

[personal profile] tearsinajar 2021-05-29 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Several moments drag on after his apology. She doesn't speak. Doesn't know what to say. And as much as she would love to break his nose, give him a good punch in the face that he deserves, Elena really is too tired. ]

Yeah. You screwed up. And — yeah. You're sorry. [ A soft snort under her breath. ] But that's always how it goes—you screw up, you apologize. Rinse and repeat.

[ Another drink is needed. That or she needs to find another area where she can be alone. Already she's beginning to move past him for the doorway. ]

I'm tired, Nate. I'm just... I'm tired.
queenking: ([neutral] red lips)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-29 11:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Midgar. [See, she can say it, she's just being perverse on purpose. She follows his gaze, then nods, hopping to her feet.]

Yeah, you n' me both, Seph. [Is the nickname a step up from "Mister"?] Think it'll let us out?
queenking: ([woof] solemn and majestic)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-29 11:39 pm (UTC)(link)
He sure can talk forever, dang. Saxsice doesn't seem too perturbed, though, especially not when there are ear scritches involved. She rests her big, heavy wolfy chin on his knee and half-closes her eyes as the words sort of flow over her, wagging her tail periodically so it thumps hollowly against the wooden stage. She doesn't know what a Jeel duhray is, but it seems like it's relevant to the conversation? Sort of?

In fact, Saxsice doesn't really react until Kyle mentions a secret, at which point her ears prick up and she opens her eyes fully, watching him thoughtfully. Her tail stills, and then abruptly she moves to sit upright again, fully eye-to-eye with him, even sitting down. She makes a low, grumbly whine, pushing one big paw against his knee and scrunching her face in concern. Don't say that, she doesn't think you're a douchebag!
queenking: ([neutral] explain you a thing)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-29 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[There's very little of that ethereal, measured, canine grace present now -- Saxsice grabs at bottles and vials and stretches to thump them onto the bar without looking, almost spilling half of them, crouching low to reach back on the grimy shelves. When she emerges again, there's dust in her hair and smeared across her cheeks, but she looks triumphant.]

Dark fey, gotcha. [She doesn't; she doesn't have the faintest clue what the difference is, except maybe aesthetic? Saxsice can respect a good aesthetic. She dumps ice into a couple glasses, then begins filling a shaker with this and that -- soda water, lavender syrup, gin.] Same here. Feels like I'm a kid again, nothin' workin' like it should. Moon comes up and bam, I'm all fuzzy. I haven't totally lost control yet, but who knows how long that'll last.

[She shakes her head, capping the shaker and vigorously mixing the ingredients for a moment, then sipping directly from the metal cup. It gets a shrug, and some added lemon juice.] Somethin' tastier than straight gin or champagne. Nothin' against champagne, but after the third glass it gets borin'. Why, you want some?
pilferings: (nervous tic)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-30 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ No, no, of course not. Nothing at all suspicious going on around these parts. Nate just needs an expert's advice on which colour and pattern would suit his wife best, and if he looks a little meek and confused and overwhelmed by the amount of merchandise on display, it's perfectly normal.

He doesn't often do the shopping, after all. But he's a modern man and he does so want to make a good impression. ]


Ah, hi. [ Said to the saleswoman. ] I'm so sorry to bother you, miss, but I really am feeling, ah — a little helpless. [ Nate turns to Sam, offers an apologetic shrug. ] My wife's birthday is coming up and I want it to be special.

[ He's sure you understand, complete stranger he absolutely is not related to and has never seen before in his life. ]
kneecaptain: (258)

[personal profile] kneecaptain 2021-05-30 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Traumatic head injury.
sketchbookings: (Default)

[personal profile] sketchbookings 2021-05-30 12:37 am (UTC)(link)
I've not met someone from the colonies before.

[ He's met men that have served in the colonies, certainly, the sort who've gone off to represent England and enforce order. That hardly seems the same, though. ]

That makes you terribly exotic to me, Mr. Rackham.
sketchbookings: (Default)

[personal profile] sketchbookings 2021-05-30 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ He's already handing it over as she asks for it. Ladies first, after all. Her words have him watching her a bit, though, and a bit of a pensive look crosses his face. ]

I feel I'm asking this of everyone, but where did you call home? No one seems to come from the same place at all.
pilferings: (mama cleric beast didn't raise no fool)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-30 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. Guess that was also more your sister's secret than yours, too.

[ Not that the level of mundanity in the secret should matter to these people, whoever they might be. One person's secret could be someone else's regular day, but that didn't make it any less a hard truth to admit. It didn't seem fair.

Of course, Nate's not nearly ready to divulge in any secret outside of the so-called 'mundane', so they might ... be testing the limits for a while. ]


All right. But relatedly — I actually did once steal a pack of cigarettes off Sister Catherine. [ There's the barest of smiles, the remnants of a young thief relishing in his victory. ] Pretty sure she never cottoned on that it was me either.

[ It's a harmless enough secret, but still a secret nevertheless. It'd been during the last legs of his time at St Francis' Home, and Sam had already been ... ah. Teaching him the thieving ropes around that time. ]
sketchbookings: (021)

[personal profile] sketchbookings 2021-05-30 01:03 am (UTC)(link)
I can't imagine how.

[ The corner of Benedict's mouth curves up, a hint of a crooked and amused smile as he lets out an amused scoff. He feels like nothing about this place suits him, except, perhaps, for the strange masquerade, and the irony of it isn't lost on Benedict at all. ]

I don't know that there's much room for improvement in my life. [ As soon as he says it, he realizes how horribly self-centered that must sound, and his face immediately shows his regret. ] I'm sorry. That came out horribly, didn't it? I only meant that, well ... For all that I want something different, there's nothing very wrong with it, either.
unkindled_madness: (didn't want to be here)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-30 01:06 am (UTC)(link)
Don't call me that.

[Apparently not. He doesn't hate the name, she just isn't Zack. She hasn't earned it.

He jumps down from the stage and strides for the doors. This place had better let them out... Hasn't it already had its fun with them?]
dothelokimotion: (Your life cannot unravel)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-30 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ loki glances back at the beach, contemplative. ]

I doubt this will be a constant reoccurrence . . . but yes it's wise to stock up on weapons if you can.
sketchbookings: (Default)

[personal profile] sketchbookings 2021-05-30 01:32 am (UTC)(link)
God, no. Can you imagine? There's eight of us, but I shudder to think of the possibility of more.

[ New Jersey make much more sense. Though Benedict still hadn't expected the accent of the Americans to be quite so different as his own. ]

Of course. You'll forgive my ignorance.
extrasensory_problems: (mmmaaaaaybe)

[personal profile] extrasensory_problems 2021-05-30 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
Eight is still a lot! Wow, your mom must be a very strong woman.

No forgiveness needed, I get the feeling that a lot of us here are from all parts of the world, if not further.

[He smiles and motions at the strange structure]

Do you want to get out of here for a bit? This thing is starting to make me feel kind of like it's watching us. Maybe we can go find something to eat?
unkindled_madness: (pensive)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-30 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
[He frowns at her use of the word 'experiment.' Of course it's crossed his mind, more than once, but he doesn't like dwelling on it. He's been through that already. He's largely escaped it. For all that hard-won progress to be rendered meaningless...

No. Even if the intent is ultimately the same, this situation is different, and so is he.]


...we have means of identification, though they aren't forced on people this way. They do control access to certain parts of my city, however, so having none can be... restrictive.

An easy enough thing to weaponize, certainly. [The technology in this place doesn't really seem of a kind with the Scrywatches, so he hadn't considered it before, but they could serve a similar function, potentially. As for their different categories?]

These colors could well be arbitrary. Perhaps they'd like to see if we'll group ourselves accordingly. [Even if he has yet to see another yellow. Is he being singled out, even here?]
mewnifestos: (Default)

[personal profile] mewnifestos 2021-05-30 03:58 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well, it might take a little more than a snap. But he probably isn't wrong. What is wrong is assuming Anders does anything "on command." He had a rebellious streak even before the Templars tried to break him, and for their efforts they only ever made him worse.

But - for the moment, Jack's still in the clear. The awe he tries to mask (to some success) is a boon to Anders' pride, and he laughs in the face of it, clearly delighted. ]


Well, maybe if you say pretty please.

[ In a wholly unnecessary flourish, Anders blows out the little ball of flame, sending it fluttering out of his palm and vanishing harmlessly. ]

But, no. I'm no careless apprentice, singeing my robes every time I get excited, if that's what you mean. My magic goes where I will it and only harms as much, too.
mewnifestos: (Default)

[personal profile] mewnifestos 2021-05-30 04:05 am (UTC)(link)
I don't know that I'm that eager.

[ Not on his own, at any rate. He wouldn't have been looking for company, if he wanted to start poking about on his own. Somehow, that just doesn't seem wise. Not given how eerily deserted the docks seem, otherwise. ]

I might sink a ship sooner that I could sail it. ...Not what happened to you, is it?
mewnifestos: (Default)

[personal profile] mewnifestos 2021-05-30 04:08 am (UTC)(link)
[ Eugh. Anders makes another distasteful sound, under his breath, looking around again, toward that looming glass city. ]

I'd almost rather it be just a pointless whim. When you put it like that, it sounds like we should be bracing for worse.
mewnifestos: (Default)

[personal profile] mewnifestos 2021-05-30 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
You don't agree? Maybe you just haven't met the right one!

[ Some mages are Not Fun, it's sadly true. ]
dothelokimotion: (All hail the mighty glow cloud)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-30 07:48 am (UTC)(link)
Ah. No, that's not — [ loki pauses. ] — I suppose you could say I am one.