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

darkdetective: (pic#14647575)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 04:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ the chest, he will find, is like pressing against a brick wall. a simple wrist lock could take the fight right out of the boy, but he was just a kid. no reason to escalate things unnecessarily, right??? sometimes kids like this just needed some attention. someone to acknowledge that they exist. he knew a few that were just like that. ]

I could tell from the fuss you were making back in the temple.
shove: (pic#12910545)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 04:24 am (UTC)(link)
( are you a fucking brick, dude. what are your muscles made out of, steel? do you eat nothing but fucking protein bars and muscle drinks? jesus. but it's difficult to justify actually trying to shove him over (could he even manage it? how much does this guy weigh? 270? 300? fuck. he'd have to manipulate his weight to throw him. he knows how, he's learned) when the guy isn't even fighting back. he's just standing there. being a huge asshole. )

Are you stalking me?

( clearly this is the only reasonable answer here. what else would it be, them going to the same places at the same time? what are the chances of that? )
darkdetective: (pic#14867993)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ dryly: ]

No, you're just very loud.
shove: (i was found in a bed of liars.)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 04:38 am (UTC)(link)
And you're a real gem.

( and still not giving him enough to actually go off of here. he can't hit him for no reason. he can't start shit when he doesn't have a good reason to. that's just rude.

or. well. he is rude and everyone thinks he's horrible so he may as well lean into it and start stupid shit. like fighting with a six foot tank. sounds like a reasonable way to spend his already no-good day.

so jason. does as jason todd does. slides a foot back a bit. braces his weight. and swings a fist forward to try and slam it into this guy's face. )
darkdetective: (pic#14647580)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
[ it's an easy enough punch to catch, but he at least recognizes that the kid knows how to throw one. bruce can feel the blood rush to his palm, like catching a baseball without a mitt, and thinks if he didn't know any better, this kid could probably back up that smart mouth of his against most people. ]

You telegraphed that on purpose. You really are trying to pick a fight, aren't you?
shove: (Default)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
( even his goddamn hands feel like they're made of steel. what the fuck is wrong with this guy. is he on something? steroids? damn.

but jason doesn't linger on that, because now he's got his fist pressed against the palm of his hand. he's within arm's reach, and stuck in it. a dangerous place to be with someone built like a rock. )


I didn't telegraph shit.

( not intentionally. don't talk to him. he could have hid it if he wanted to he just obviously fucked up. and this time when he shifts his weight it's near instantaneous. weight resting on one leg, free hand moving up to grab onto the wrist of the hand that's already moved out to block his fist. opposite leg moving up to try and shove his foot straight into bruce's jaw. )
darkdetective: (pic#14647581)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 05:12 am (UTC)(link)
[ well, now you're just making him move. incredibly rude. bruce pivots quickly enough that the heel of jason's sneaker whizzes past his face, nearly grazing his chin. this kid may have also just learned, valuably, that this big brick shithouse's size bellied his speed.

bruce sighs. ]


Come on, kid. Don't be an asshole. I don't even know your name yet.
shove: (pic#12797444)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 05:22 am (UTC)(link)
( he releases bruce's wrist. follows with the momentum of his kick which leaves him--twisted backwards for a moment before he's turning back around on his heels once he's got himself sorted out to face bruce once more.

giving a fake name makes more sense. doesn't it? it's what b would do. give himself a fake name, a fake personality, a fake identity to protect himself. except nobody knows who jason is, do they? he's just another nobody. he'd think it through more, but he's angry. he wasn't at this guy, not at first but at--everything else. now? definitely at this guy too. )


It's Jason.

( spoken, moments before he's raising a fist to swing it for bruce's gut. )
darkdetective: (pic#14647580)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 05:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ normally, a first name wouldn't meet anything, but the fact that this kid just screamed gotham was too much for him to brush off. it's certainly enough to catch him by surprise-- that, certainly, along with the fist that makes him lose his breath. bruce coughs, and grabs jason by the scruff of his neck, enough to keep him close in the clinch. ]

Jason what?
shove: (Default)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 05:52 am (UTC)(link)
( see, he knew you could do it. although being scruffed isn't really what he was looking for here, dude. then again, an old man beating up on a teenager outside a temple would be a real pathetic look for him.

so jason gets it. but also, disappointing. jason todd is just a nobody. but there is a split second moment where he does pause to think of a good lie, because the interest definitely has him concerned he's, somehow, in the middle of a fucking island, been caught. and all the lies that immediately come to mind are stupid and obvious. generic last names are also obvious.

his fingers grip onto bruce's wrist, pressing into pressure points to try and get his fingers to release their hold. )


Peters. What's it to you?

( also slightly obvious but less than snatching grayson's name or b's. )
darkdetective: (pic#14867977)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 06:23 am (UTC)(link)
[ pressure points? that's enough of a tell. jason didn't learn he was taught. he didn't expect a truthful answer, but only expected the boy to escalate things until he was somehow acknowledged. well, bruce acknowledges him with a rough yank on the back of his shirt and a simple leg sweep to introduce him to the ground. he has the distinct feeling that the two have met before.

with a breath, bruce takes a seat besides him on the ground and extends a (likely confusing) hand before jason can think of a sassy retort or retaliation. ]


Name's Bruce Wayne. Nice to meet you... Jason.
shove: (pic#12797439)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 06:11 pm (UTC)(link)
( bruce yanks, and he tries to compensate for being thrown off balance only to find himself falling down onto the ground because he used those two seconds to knock him off his feet. he hisses between his teeth, moves to start getting back up and shove right back into it except--there's a hand.

a body next to his on the ground.

a name he wasn't expecting, but he turns to look towards bruce and--sees it a little. in the features. the way he moved. jason doesn't take the hand, but it does catch him off guard that he just. stays there for a moment. )


No fucking way.
darkdetective: (pic#14867981)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 08:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes way.

[ bruce rescinds his hand, if only because it might take jason more than a moment to get over his disbelief. instead, bruce tugs at the drawstring of his bag and pulls out an apple before tossing it to jason. he pulls out his own and takes a bite. ]

I'm guessing your last name isn't Peters. Eat up. You're too skinny, boy.
shove: (pic#12797427)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 10:19 pm (UTC)(link)
( wow he doesn't want you to feed him. but he accepts the apple regardless, catches it with a hand and looks down at it before his eyes move back up to bruce.

gives him a good once over. )


Dick's gonna get a kick out of this.
darkdetective: (pic#14860943)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ well, he's had better days, that's for sure. bruce takes another bite and turns, chewing. ]

Dick's here?
shove: (never thought you'd come tonight.)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 10:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Sure.

( around here somewhere, being stupid dick grayson. )

Dick, who's gonna expect you to be a lot older and less fit than you currently are.

( he accents the end of his sentence by raising the apple up, to take a bite out of it. he's already got it, may as well eat it. )
darkdetective: (pic#14860932)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 10:36 pm (UTC)(link)
I see you two haven't experienced the wonders of the multiverse yet. It's not all it's cracked up to be.

[ he says, dryly. ]

Just how old am I where you're from?
shove: (Default)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 10:39 pm (UTC)(link)
Hell if I know, I didn't ask.

( well as long as bruce doesn't seem thrown off by it, he's not going to let on that he is. instead he's going to take another bite of the apple. throwing a fit made him hungry. )

Like. Seventy?

( jason no. )
darkdetective: (pic#14860939)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Do I not know you?

[ he tries not to get too invested with multiversal counterparts. there are so many unknown variables he can't know about, can't account for, this jason and his could be leading two entirely different lives. still, it's hard not to see him and feel some degree of affection. ]

Christ. I must be retired. [ another bite. ] You and Dick are with the Titans, then? Hm. I can't imagine you're staying at the manor.
shove: (pic#12910545)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 10:57 pm (UTC)(link)
You know me. We met a couple years ago.

( a little older than bruce is used to, maybe. but. )

You're not retired. But you did make me stay with Dick and his stupid team full of assholes. I was doing just fine at the manor before that, so thanks for nothing.
darkdetective: (pic#14867979)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 11:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, don't blame me. I have a complicated enough relationship with my own family already. I can't imagine I get any better with age.

[ bruce raises an eyebrow, glancing peripherally. ]

...So, you steal my tires?
shove: (Default)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-05 11:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Hubcaps.

( who wouldn't pay a lot of money for the batmobile hubcaps, honestly. )

You caught me and took me in.
darkdetective: (pic#14867981)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-05 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Heh. Well, I guess some things stay the same no matter what.

[ he scoffs, tossing the core of the apple aside. ]
shove: (haven't lost my fight.)

[personal profile] shove 2021-05-06 06:13 pm (UTC)(link)
But you are really old. A lot less--( hold on, he's gotta look over to bruce again. eye him for a moment. ) built. Jesus, can't believe I got to meet you in your prime.
darkdetective: (pic#14867990)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-06 09:17 pm (UTC)(link)
Hah. Not quite my prime, but thanks, kid.

[ also he's dead, so he's not gonna get much more 'prime' than this. ]

So, you've got a problem with the Titans, then.

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