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The Village Mod ([personal profile] villagemod) wrote in [community profile] villagememes2020-11-19 10:10 pm
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test drive — winter



WINTER TEST DRIVE

Welcome to the test drive and thank you for your interest in The Village. This test drive is not game canon but will allow players the opportunity to experiment with game mechanics, the setting, and the flexibility of choice allowed by this game. The following prompts are examples of typical situations characters might face in the game. At least one thread from the TDM is required as part of the game's application process.

The setting details and locations are still being unveiled in the game, so prospective players are welcome to play with established locations or create their own within the general setting of Mathias.

( Recommended listening: )





INTO THE ENDLESS

Winter has arrived in Mathias. Snow falls steadily, big puffy flakes that pile up quickly in drifts as the wind blows them around town. The trees in the forest are covered in it, the branches bending under the weight and shaking when the piles fall from them to the forest floor. The roofs of buildings become solid white and drifts form in doorways as the wind tries to rush inside anywhere it can.

New arrivals wake in the forest, with its winding paths twisting back on themselves as they branch in either direction. It isn't safe to stray from the path, there is a menacing fog that waits just a few yards inward in any direction, but for now, there is nothing impeding movement along those snow-covered paths that cut through the trees. Continue stumbling in one direction and you'll reach the small town, coming out near the mishmash of quaint houses that nestle beside crumbling ruins that used to be homes. But choose the other and you'll seem to stumble on forever, huddling against the wind until there seems to be a clearing up ahead—

And then nothing. The earth opens up before you in a ravine so deep that the bottom cannot be seen. The other side can be seen, tantalizingly out of reach, and there is the sense that safety is just beyond, if only you could get there. But with that sensation is also the knowledge that if you stay here, you will die. The edge seems unsteady, like getting too close would set it crumbling and send you tumbling into that dark endless nothing that waits below...


BODIES WITHOUT SOULS

Benedict Books is nestled quaintly on the square surrounding Mathias's Town Hall, a thick layer of dirt covering the front windows. Looking through those windows provides a much different view than looking directly into the shop through the doorway — vague shapes and forms of figures seem to be inside, though no details can be determined through the streaks of grime. Flickers that resemble flashlights can be seen passing along the windows from time to time, and on occasion there is even a muffled tapping sound that comes from behind the glass, as if someone is trying to get your attention. The same distorted figures can be seen looking through the windows from the inside outward, but moving from one side or the other reveals... nothing. There is nothing there, and perhaps it is all in your imagination.

A portrait hangs at the front of the store to illustrate the namesake of the little shop... that may, in fact, not be so little. Dust covers everything in sight and detritus litters the wooden floor, as if someone left the door open and allowed half the forest inside.

The books are mostly familiar titles from the 1990s and earlier, but close examination will reveal that key details seem to have been changed. They fill shelves in neat lines along the walls and rows in between, the building almost seeming to stretch on forever until, finally, a small office can be seen tucked away in the back. A glance back toward the front door gives the impression that the room isn't that big, after all. Strange that you previously thought so.

Prying the door open is the only way to get inside the small office; the hinges have rusted and are caked with dirt and grime. Search as you might, there are no interesting bits of information to be found here beyond a few inventory lists on the little desk. There is, however, a green and gold safe in the corner that, no matter how many times one turns the dial, simply clicks and clicks. Scratches around the safe indicate that someone tried to get in at one point, though there's no indication as to whether they succeeded.


THE END APPROACHES

Standing at the center of Mathias, the town hall is a modest two-story building that would be welcoming if not for the faded sign, chipped paint, and deafening silence within its empty halls. It's a typical government building, with a reception desk at the front and rows of identical offices within, the names half faded from each door. But what catches the attention is a large bulletin board on the main wall beside the reception desk, once meant to hold flyers or announcements for the community.

What it holds now is decidedly different. Tacked onto the board are scraps of paper covered in an assortment of handwriting styles — requests for supplies should anyone find them, pieces of information shared in the hopes of someone understanding the strange symbols and mathematical equations, notes about those missing or recently deceased. And over the center of the board, tacked on top of other papers, is a map discolored with age. Mathias Township can be read in the corner, a stretch of forest displayed beneath it, but everything else has been smeared to illegibility with red... ink? Upon close examination, a keen eye will realize that the ink is actually blood, though whether it is human is unknown. And scrawled across that forest, nearly covering the illustration of a clearing and a large house within, are the words

he is coming

A number of tarnished metal pushpins are scattered around the edges of the board, waiting for future messages to be shared, and a stack of pristine white paper and pile of cheap ballpoint pens rest on one of three chairs beside the board. The chairs are clearly meant for those waiting for meetings and are covered in the same layer of grime as everything else in the building — everything except the pens, paper, and bulletin board.


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exsto: (21)

into the endless

[personal profile] exsto 2021-02-12 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
[ Bucky isn't out in the forest very often and especially not in the later parts of the day when leaving the town of Mathias was taking your life into your own hands. As it were, there were still several hours left in the day and he wants to explore the area a little more thoroughly, maybe try and understand the layout beyond, if at all possible.

It's been a few days since news of a new arrival travels to each person. So, he wasn't exactly expecting to find anyone. And yet, here is a woman, looking as lost as one can be and needing help. ]


Over here!

[ His voice carries, and when she turns to look at the path behind her, she will find a man dressed in dark pants and a navy blue peacoat. It's only when she turns that he sees her manacled hands and when she starts to move he can tell right away that her feet are chained, too.

He moves quickly towards her. ]
croftiness: (pic#14666241)

lara croft — tomb raider trilogy

[personal profile] croftiness 2021-02-12 08:50 am (UTC)(link)
INTO THE ENDLESS.
( lara has been courting death for so long that she barely recognizes it in the midst of snowfall, in the brisk wind that forces her to wrap her arms around her middle and cradle herself in the cold. she remembers being deep in the jungle prior to this, humid temperatures and mud, not the frigidity of winter, and yet, here she stands shaking at the knees in oddly appropriate boots. her weapons and climbing gear are amiss, leaving her feeling more stripped than the fact that she’s trying to warm up from a leather jacket over a gray hoody combo. she reminds herself to put one foot in front of the other, driven by the fact that she must go on.

( if she doesn’t, who will? )

the wind burns and the fog makes her narrow her eyes, searching for anything with her hands and feet that clues her into what lies ahead. peril is simply a five-letter word for life, and what is living without the struggle to keep it? it’s not until she’s reached the end of her path that her breath lodges in her throat in a hiss. she slips, earth crumbling beneath her, and takes an abrupt seat at a clifftop, feet and palms scrambling for purchase in snow and rocks. she tries, for once in her life, not to go tumbling into the unknown darkness.
)

Shit! ( but maybe she’s too late, and maybe, she inadvertently takes an innocent bystander down with her. or perhaps, as the luck of the draw would have it, she’s yanked back at the last second. hard to say with something as tricky as fate. either she wakes up with some broken ribs and a head injury or she’ll have to grovel. honestly, the tumble’s preferable. )

BODIES WITHOUT SOULS.
( the goosebumps on her arms that force the fine hairs to stand on end are the only indicator that speaks to the sight she’s entranced by — shadowy figures that aren’t there when she looks at them straight on from inside the room. she takes no interest in the safe, despite the lure of a cache full of means to arm herself. she chases illusions aggressively, stepping in and outside of the building. she wishes she had the luxury of presuming it’s nothing, a figment of the imagination and nothing more preposterous than that. she doesn’t.

if anything, she spends time outside in the weather, pondering whether the blurry images were real or simply sleep deprivation, waiting for someone else to come along and confirm insanity. when she does hear footfalls, she pushes away from an abandoned dropbox for mail and cocks her head.
)

Wait. What do you see in the windows?

THE END APPROACHES.
( perhaps it’s the lifelong spiral into fury and vengeance, of having people ripped violently away from her ( or her current injuries from her arrival ), but by the time she arrives at town hall, she isn’t equipped with the patience of investigating every scrap of paper. she certainly doesn’t have the capacity for warnings, or threats, as the case may or may not be. she knows well enough to recognize blood, although it isn’t fresh. her lip curls and she clutches her side more defensively, staggering over to the stack of paper on one of the chairs with no sense of self-preservation.

she snatches up a ballpoint pen and a piece of paper and then holds it against the bulletin board while she scrawls: let him come and affixes her name to the end like her own promise. she presses it to the push board with a rusty tack, no less impassioned than when she began.

when someone else enters, intent on passing her, she advises them:
) I wouldn’t.
setthetone: (neutral - sip)

your hardison is lovely btw!! c:

[personal profile] setthetone 2021-02-12 11:01 am (UTC)(link)
[Carter returns the fistbump, a little baffled but also pleased. Cool! He doesn't get too many of those in his life! It makes him feel 150% cooler.]

It's no problem. I'm a doctor, if you need anything just-- There, that's me. John Carter.

[He points at his note that he put up.]

You know, speaking of which, we should probably get you warmed up. You look like you've been out there for a while. How about you get started on your little project and I'll check if they got some coffee around here?

[He's moving away and over to the offices but! Idea! Turning on his heels Carter looks back, beckoning at the ominous writing from hell or at least one of its outer circles.]

Any chance you can make that read he isn't coming?
silentretribution: ([Liz] What's This?)

[personal profile] silentretribution 2021-02-12 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
[She reached for his arm the moment he was close enough. Once she was off her feet, it would be difficult to get back up. The chains were heavy and the shackles felt as if they were cutting into her wrists. She gave a sigh of frustration, once again cursing Nathan silently. No, it was the Reverend. He did this, along with so much worse.

The man next to her looked like the men she had seen township. The beard, long dark hair, it was suited for a cowboy. But the clothes were different enough to keep her slightly at ease. At least for now, she did need his help.

It was unlikely he understood sign language, but she was going to try anyway.]


Where are we?
abrightboy: (faint smile)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2021-02-12 11:10 pm (UTC)(link)
"I never watched that show, but I remember kids at my boarding school talking about it," he told her. "I will say that there is no outlandish theory we're willing to rule out."
likeknives: (Annoyed - seriously)

Your Hardison is fantastic!

[personal profile] likeknives 2021-02-13 12:49 am (UTC)(link)
[...he should have expected this. Why didn't he expect this? And yet he's still caught a little off guard when Hardison decides that he would like to use him as a portable heater.]

Dammit...Hardison--

[It's grumpy and it's huffy and it's exasperated and maybe just a little bit more fond than he meant it to sound.]

All right, take it easy, man--I'm fine. What about you? When the hell did you turn up here?
sharker: (pic#2398738)

endless

[personal profile] sharker 2021-02-13 05:34 am (UTC)(link)
Why wouldn't you know about it?

[ The thick snow falling between them is maybe enough to explain how he didn't recognize her from a distance. But Parker had known Hardison's voice from the moment he called out to her, and though she'd never say it, her heart had nearly broken in relief.

She just stands there for a long moment, looking at him, and then moves forward, wrapping her arms around him, tucking her head in against his chest. The hug is intense, but short, Parker pulling away a moment later, not quite meeting his eyes. Time to do your job and help her make things not-awkward, Hardison. ]
pythianwoman: (Default)

[personal profile] pythianwoman 2021-02-13 06:50 am (UTC)(link)
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Klaus. I'm Zoey." And Zoey can't help but grin in response. "A fog-covered hell? For me? You shouldn't have!" She tells him with a laugh. Because what else can you do when you find yourself kidnapped to some abandoned town in the middle of who knows what. "Oh, creep-factor I can handle. I've always wanted to get dropped headfirst into a Lovecraft novel. Except not, because that never ends well for the protagonists. It's either insanity, death, or discovering that the monster-is-YOU for them."
setthetone: (125)

[personal profile] setthetone 2021-02-13 01:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[Carter smiles too and nods. Good. That would make things easier.]

Just a little bit further.

[He tries to hold her up as much as he can until finally the first houses come into view.]

I'll get you to the boarding house. I'm sure someone there will have tools to get these chains off. They'll have some food there, too.
ofthegeek: (call my publicist right now)

[personal profile] ofthegeek 2021-02-13 02:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Yet another reason to hate on nature. It obscured his recognition of an actual most important person in the universe candidate. (Maybe he should eat more carrots.)

There are emotional words to describe the warmth and relief and slightly-less-freaked-out weight that comes with Parker's presence actually registering. But perhaps no terminology better than: !!!

It's worth stumbling around some mysterious winter path in parts unknown if there's a Parker at the end of it. ]


Can't argue with that.

[ Hardison, almost equal parts hopelessly fond and concerned, leans into that hug with his usual level of enthusiasm for hugging, while it lasts. Doesn't try to reel her back in or use her as a personal space heater, because her boundaries are a lot less squishy than, say, an Eliot's boundaries might be. ]

You okay, mama? I mean, I know we're out here freezing our whole asses off in the wilderness. Probably got kidnapped, can't get a signal, the whole B-movie bit. And there's all that fog that doesn't wanna get the picture and like--

[ He makes a gesture that's sort of vaguely interlocking his fingers. A finger convergence. ]

Obey the laws of physics. [ Why does it just stop dead instead of swooshing over the paths? He needs a damn meteorologist consultation. ] But apart from alla that, are you okay?

[ The who-what-where-when-why-how of it can wait until after that question. There are priorities to consider. ]
bestfuneralever: (umbrella-s2-e7-285)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2021-02-13 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
"Likewise." He nods and then there's another grin at her remark. Oh, she's quippy, he likes it! "Well, it's the least we could do with what we're given. No red carpets lying around, unfortunately."

He tilts his head slightly to one side, humming thoughtfully. "You know, I hadn't considered the Lovecraft angle. Does sound really accurate for this place, though."
exsto: (32)

[personal profile] exsto 2021-02-13 10:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ When Bucky reaches her, he first steadies her, glancing down at the type of bindings on her wrist and how it won't take long before they will break the skin. But, there's something else that gets his attention before he attempts to remove them and that's her signing.

Blue eyes narrow a little and he starts to shake his head, but not in understanding of what she's trying to ask. It was that she is mute. ]


I don't understand sign language. Are you asking where we are?

[ It seems the first obvious question that most would make. It was the first he asked. ]
tinstar: (u dont say)

II The end approaches

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-02-13 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
[The Town Hall was important whether Raylan liked it or not. Whether it reminded him of one grumpy Englishman or not - if something was going to change, Raylan had bets that it would be here. The Bulletin board alone was a source of daily interest with the additions and adjustments that were made by not only the people stolen here by.. whatever had taken them, but by whatever had taken them itself.

Someone had to keep track.

While he expected to see other people there, he didn't expect to be grabbed by the new face he'd been passing behind. His intent was to look into John's office to see if he'd come back before addressing her but..

The way she was breathing, the frantic grip on his jacket sleeve automatically sent up every protective and red flag he had.]
Hey- [He barley got the word out before she wavered and it seemed necessary to lightly wrap his free arm around her.]

Hey. It's alright, what's wrong?
welladjustedwhitly: (Shock)

[personal profile] welladjustedwhitly 2021-02-13 11:07 pm (UTC)(link)
"I..." she blinks and looks up at the other woman. Everything about her just then is lost, confused. She has no idea where she is, how she ended up there, or where all the blood came from. "I don't know." she answers honestly, her voice trembling a little. "I- I'm not hurt..." that much, at least, she's sure of. She would have felt it by now, despite the cold, walking as far as she has in the snow. But that still leaves the question of where it all came from in the first place. Who's it is.
silentretribution: ([Liz] Watches (Tender))

[personal profile] silentretribution 2021-02-14 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Her sleeves are stiff from the ice and snow by the time they make it to the village. She had walked relentlessly and tried to keep pace with him, even as her clothes practically froze. Whether the boarding house was safe or not, she wasn't going to question it at the moment. She wanted a fire, coffee and to get the shackles off.

Inside was a blessed relief. She nearly collapsed into a chair, struggling to catch her breath after the arduous trek. Finally, after collecting herself, she looked at the face of her savior. There was a lot she wished she could say, but the barrier for that was enduring and there was no road to go back.

Instead, she squeezed his arm in thanks.]
silentretribution: ([Liz] Determined)

[personal profile] silentretribution 2021-02-14 01:39 am (UTC)(link)
[Dammit. It's not as if she wasn't expecting that response, but it still was disappointing to hear. Without her daughter to interpret for her, she would have to rely on wide ranging gestures anyone could understand. But that also limited her speech further.

He guessed the question though, which meant a number of people must have asked it before her. Did that mean several showed up in this location.

She nodded, grateful that could be answered.]
silentretribution: ([Liz] Terrified)

[personal profile] silentretribution 2021-02-14 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
[She gestures to the paper in her hand, the one with the dire warning 'He is coming' written in blood. Her mind was frozen but her heart was in overdrive. Leaning into his weight, she dropped her head, trying to get her breathing under control but every thought, every remembrance left her shaking.

He wasn't pushing her, jostling her or doing any of the things she had known men to do over the years. It was like being next to Samuel. A kind figure in a tumultuous moment. Refuge and a harbor as she nearly drowned.

When finally she could take one breath and then another steadily without gasping or hyperventilating, she pulled out her notepad and pen, guessing he wouldn't be able to understand sign language either.

She wrote:]


He can't come here.
Edited 2021-02-14 01:47 (UTC)
ofthegeek: (we are starting from ZERO)

thank you! i really love your eliot 👐

[personal profile] ofthegeek 2021-02-14 01:57 am (UTC)(link)
[ It must be Eliot's anger that fuels his heater capacity. That must be based in science. And if Hardison had the tools to do it, he'd make up 4 new scientific journals to cite that claim. As it stands, he'll take that inch of fondness and extrapolate a mile out of it.

Intent speaks louder than "dammit"s. Being fine also speaks louder than "dammit"s. ]


I've been out here long enough I can't feel my face, but not long enough to be dead. I don't have a phone. I don't know where Parker is, if she's even out here to start with. [ Literally what is a man to do in these circumstances? Die, probably. ] So emotionally? I'm devastated. Mentally, I'm strained. There's a strain. Physically?

[ ... eh. ]

Actually, physically I'm just cold. So. Apparently I gotta start walking around with gloves in my pocket on the off-chance that I get kidnapped up into Siberia.
tinstar: (lit looking)

[personal profile] tinstar 2021-02-14 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Yes, he saw the note and had to remind himself that when he'd first arrived, it had caused him quite a bit of concern himself.

But she clearly needed a minute and he had them. More than he wanted. As many as she needed. His features pinched a little, head tilting so he could read her writing in orientation. She was right - he didn't know sign language.]


Who? [He nodded at the other piece of paper in her hand.] Him? How-- Who do you think that's talkin' about?

[He didn't have the eventual end answer, but she was clearly.. confused somehow. He had to start somewhere.]
silentretribution: ([Liz] Gulp)

[personal profile] silentretribution 2021-02-14 02:03 am (UTC)(link)
[She scribbled the reply frantically, her eyes darting up to scan the horizon:]

The Reverend. He can't come again. People will die.

[She had seen enough of that. Everyone she cared for, everyone that had a moment of interaction with her...which made her stare up at the stranger in momentary horror. Oh God, what would the Reverend do to him as well? A moment's kindness would be all it took. Kindness could not be allowed without some form of retribution to make her suffer. It was Hell he meant to show and innocent lives paid for it.]

None of us can stay here if he finds us.
Edited 2021-02-14 02:03 (UTC)
sharker: (Surprise inspection!)

[personal profile] sharker 2021-02-14 03:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Parker's boundaries are whatever the opposite of 'squishy' might be, and enforcing them often involves stabbing unwelcome parties with a fork. With Hardison, though, there's a lot more leeway. Enough for him to return the hug and even hang on for a minute before she pulls back again.

Just having Hardison here, hearing him ramble on about whatever he's rambling on about, is making her feel a whole lot better already. He's right, this place is creepy. Creepy and wrong. She'd figured that much out for herself, and not just because she'd been here without him - that much is wrong enough on its own.

But the answer to his question is simple. ]


Yes.

[ She shrugs, a small gesture that somehow says it all. I'm fine.

You're here.


But as much as his being here fixes, it doesn't fix everything. Her gaze strays back to the ravine, dark and fathomless below them. ]


I think we should probably get away from here, [ she says, matter-of-factly. ] It kind of makes me want to jump.
likeknives: (Neutral - Really?)

:D thank you so much!

[personal profile] likeknives 2021-02-14 06:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Everything Eliot was about to say or grumble about goes up in smoke. He's relieved to see Hardison but he's also terrified to see Hardison, because that means he's here with him dealing with the madness of this town. What the hell happened to pull them all here? And what if Parker--]

Wait, you didn't see Parker?

[He looks around, like he expects her to just leap out of a tree next to them.]

Was it just you? That fog is dangerous, man. I've been here for a few more days than you--if this thing is pickin' us off one by one and draggin' us here to this town...

[Whatever this thing, this place actually was. And then he finally registers what Hardison is saying. He's cold and upset and uncomfortable and he's gonna complain for a year so he probably oughta help him out with that. And also because he's extremely worried about him and how long he's been out here in the elements.]

We're gonna get warmed up. There's a place we can get some more stuff for you to wear in town. Come on.
descendent: (pic#14197261)

[personal profile] descendent 2021-02-14 09:25 am (UTC)(link)
[ feeling emboldened by caroline's hand squeeze, she smiles, lifts her shoulders up and feels more like herself than she has in a while. ]

Come with me.

[ she laughs lightly and tugs her to turn around, gently guiding her through the hallway to the front door. ]

The people here are nice. It's just… [ she looks over her towards her, brows furrowed slightly. ] This town isn't something I trust. I know that sounds crazy, but I want you to be careful. It's messed with Elijah and I know it can mess with the formidable Caroline Forbes.
ofthegeek: (not for nothing but)

tysm!! :)

[personal profile] ofthegeek 2021-02-14 01:57 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, cool. [ And almost as an afterthought, he adds: ] I'm Hardison.

[ Hardison lives at the cross-section of relieved and impressed. Does it suck that anyone at all is stuck here? Yes. Does it hurt that one of them is an actual doctor? No. He has a feeling that that'll be super relevant eventually.

Gift horses. Not to be looked in the mouth or taken for granted. Especially very friendly ones who offer to look for coffee. ]


Now, I don't even know if this blood's fresh enough to sponge out, let alone calligraphize a convincing edit on there. I like your style, though, so I am gonna juuuuuust. [ He snags an empty notecard and a pen, scribbles something onto it, and ever-so-carefully pins it to the right of the ominous message portion of the map. ]

There! Mister Sun is scheduled. And hopefully his publicist gets fired.
ofthegeek: (many fears and doubts also)

[personal profile] ofthegeek 2021-02-14 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
[ His people are very straightforward, very unique brands of touchstone. Each a hypothetical huge relief, in their own bespoke ways, to have nearby and safe in whatever the hell kind of situation this is.

Parker's no exception. Parker's always gonna be Parker.

Off-putting to hear about someone possibly jumping the spooky ravine, though. Even the most jump-competent, daredevil running leap towards an elevator shaft person on his People list.

Hardison joins her in peering down for a long moment, brow creasing. ]


Kinda makes me want to jump. [ Not a great look for his brain impulses, frankly. ] So that's definitely messed up. You know I don't deal in jumps.

[ He takes a couple of big steps back, for posterity. ]

Scenic walk on solid ground that's just as creepy and at least a little bit less deadly than staring into the void?