villagemod: (Default)
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.


navigation | faq | locations | setting | mod contact

notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unsure ☤ if i don't go crazy tonight.)

helen magus | sanctuary | ota | will match format!

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-21 10:16 pm (UTC)(link)
[ reviving this ancient muse!! ya'll find me at [plurk.com profile] whisperstars, yeah yeah? pls be gentle as i work back at her voice! ]

i. into the endless
[ Being trapped in snowstorms certainly doesn't bring the best of memories to mind. Although, perhaps she should be grateful that this time there was no crashed plane. Being without her gun, radio, or even a way to contact her team... that is something to cause for worry.

Helen Magnus pulls her coat tighter as she dredges through the snow. The weather is certainly disorientating with paths that seem to go nowhere. Could it be a dream? Some sort of hallucination state brought on by an abnormal's defense mechanisms? There are so many probable explanations, yet... none seem to quite line up as to what she has seen before.

The new and the unknown has always been exciting.

She stops just in time to see the chasm below. ]


Bloody hell.

[ It is a far drop below. One that gives her vertigo by simply leaning forward to see. The brunette haired woman sighs before turning to look back the way she had come. Perhaps there was another road to try? The hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It's dangerous. Her instincts tell her to run... ]

Hello? [ Maybe it's something that simply has a defense mechanism that naturally causes things to be pushed away. ] Is anyone there?


ii. bodies without souls
[ A small bookstore. It's been so long since Helen has visited anything near the northeast of the United States. In fact, it gives her a rather nostalgic feeling. Most might say that would be hard for her not to feel after living as long as she has.

The flashlights are what catches her attention. Still donned in her business suit and heels, Helen opens the door to the shop to look inside.

... No one.

Her eyebrows curl together as she looks behind her, then back inside the shop. Curious. She steps around the branches and leaves on the ground as best as she can. ]


And me without a torch. [ She sighs and starts browsing the bookshelves. ] Dear Stephen King would love to vacation here.

iii. the end approaches
[ Town Hall. One might be able to find a thing or two there.

Hopefully.

Helen steps into the hall. The wood floor creaks under her feet as she takes note of just how ... well, Maine it all looks. It would bring a smile to her face if not for the fact that it seemed entirely deserted.

Her eyes stop at the bulletin board. An arrangement of notes is what catches her attention. Numbers, requests, a list of the dead? ]


It would seem this town isn't quite as empty as I thought. Good.

[ She nods to herself, unaware if anyone else is there with her. ]
Edited 2020-11-21 22:16 (UTC)
descendent: (pic#14439356)

ii. bodies without souls

[personal profile] descendent 2020-11-21 11:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Do you think so?

[ elena's expression is a little hopeful, hoping that helen is a friend and not, well… something she's merely imagining. mathias is a strange little town that only gets stranger by the minute. the bookstore had felt so large and spacious before she had dared to glance near the door and found that her imagination had been playing tricks on her.

in her hands is a dull-looking book. elena has every intention of putting it back in its spot on the shelf.

sheepishly, ]
Sorry… I couldn't help but overhear.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="shamx_rock">. (smile ☤ in the chaos that's quiet.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-21 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
[ helen looks up from the spines of somewhat-familiar-books, turning her head to the voice of the stranger. she looks at the woman beside her, glancing at the book in her hands and offering a smile. ]

Well, he was always one for mysterious circumstances. Even if the movies turned out quite different. [ she folds her hands in front of her and turns to her new found company. ] I hardly mind. It's good to see someone else in this dusty town.

[ then, she nods to the books. ] Have you found anything interesting?
descendent: (pic#14315202)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-11-22 12:18 am (UTC)(link)
[ glancing down at the book in her hands, she brushes her thumb against its hard spine and looks up. nothing about this town feels remotely real nor tangible. every moment she thinks she has something, her eureka moment is destroyed. ]

I thought there'd be something like a history book about this town, but all it has is books from the 1990s and earlier. [ it's a little disappointing, considering she wishes for some of the books she has half-read on her bedside table. but it gives her a point in time that the town might be stuck in... or maybe it stopped ordering books after the 90s.

her face scrunches up. ]
And some of the books seem to be misprinted. I don't remember Cujo being a german shepherd.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="shamx_rock">. (body ☤ there's a part of me.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
It certainly does give off the feeling of being more of a tourist shop, doesn't it? [ she hadn't really realized that before elena said something. then again, she hadn't moved further into the bookshop either.

the statement makes her pause. her head turns back to the bookshelves, grabbing the first one that catches her eye. she gives a few flicks of the pages. ]


I hadn't realized that Lord of the Rings was science fiction...
descendent: (Default)

[personal profile] descendent 2020-11-23 10:45 am (UTC)(link)
[ elena tilts her head as she eyes the book. ] Does it look smaller to you?

[ lord of the rings makes a thick encyclopedia look like a short novella. she isn't quite sure if it's been split into parts (perhaps this is the orlando bloom series? she'd definitely read that edition.)

she lifts her hand towards the shelf and pulls a book from it, opening it to rifle gently through the pages. her brows furrow deeply as she skims the pages. ]
How is Alice in Wonderland a book about gardening? [ she looks at the cover of the book to confirm that, yes, this is lewis carroll's most imaginative work and it seems to be a non-fiction guide. ]
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unimpressed ☤ loves the peaceful life.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-24 07:19 am (UTC)(link)
[ she looks back to her company at that remark. her head tilts, eyebrows knit together as she looks over the covers. ]

Maybe if you'd like your garden to look like the court of the Queen of Hearts. [ her head ticks to the side and shakes. ] Either someone has a very active imagination... or plagiarism is certainly not something they worry about in this town.

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abrightboy: (hates to break it to you but)

the end approaches

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-11-22 01:33 am (UTC)(link)
"A small population and growing," Malcolm told her, standing near the reception desk.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (body ☤ knows i'll go crazy.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Is that such a bad thing?" Helen asked with her softer accent, turning to look at the man that had addressed her. She offered him a gentle smile.

Her instincts told her that it could potentially be a horrible thing. An empty town where people simply appeared? Hm, no. It was certainly opposite of a good thing.

"You seem unphased by the idea."
abrightboy: (unsure)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-11-22 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
"We're all prisoners that were brought here against our will and we can't leave, so... it kind of is, yeah."

He huffed at a laugh at the idea he was 'unphased'. He felt like he was barely holding himself together, but he was good at suppressing that.

"I've been here for a week already."
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unimpressed ☤ loves the peaceful life.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
Helen stepped further into the room with her arms crossed. There was hardly a point in talking from either side if this was to be a long conversation. She stepped around the papers on the floor and raised her eyebrows.

"Have we been arrested for something? Kidnapped? There's many aspects to a statement of prisoner. It implies a warden as well." She didn't mean to argue the point, simply, gathering what information she could. "What have you found out in this week?"
abrightboy: (presses lips)

[personal profile] abrightboy 2020-11-22 06:16 pm (UTC)(link)
"We didn't wander in here by accident," he pointed out. "And we're obstructed from leaving. What we have access to is controlled. Food replenishes itself, for example. There's available shelter. Whoever is responsible for this wants us trapped here but wants us alive." He shrugged expansively. "You can make your own deductions about what that means. We don't have any idea what they actually want from us at this time, but the narrative presented to us here is that there used to be a population in this town and that it's gone now."
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="shamx_rock">. (body ☤ there's a part of me.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-24 07:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Any intention can lead to an accident. Even if it isn't our intentions." Helen offered, hands making a small gesture to match the levity of her suggestion.

Shelter, available food. Apparently enough people to keep one company so they didn't go mad from a lack of socialization. She turned her gaze to look around the Town Hall again. It was certainly a special amount of detail put into all of it.

She took a few steps. "By the sound of it, you have your own deductions. What do you believe is happening in this town?"

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bringthestorm: (07)

into the endless

[personal profile] bringthestorm 2020-11-22 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
You just took the words right out of my mouth.

[ Echo's seen hell, or at least several versions of it, and anyone who says there's only one kind of hell is just full of shit.

She comes up next to the woman, stopping just short of the edge, and she looks down into the chasm. Only, her look is more like a glare. ]


I'm guessing you don't know what the deal is with the giant pit of doom.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unsure ☤ if i don't go crazy tonight.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[ Helen turns her attention to her sudden companion. A nod is given, sending those brunette curls bouncing off her shoulders. It's obvious she isn't dressed for the weather. ]

I'm afraid not. My guess would be it is the local topography... although I can't say I was ever here before.
bringthestorm: (09)

[personal profile] bringthestorm 2020-11-22 05:32 am (UTC)(link)
I don't even know where "here" is. At least, nothing about it looks familiar. But then again, how familiar can a big forest be anyway?

[ It probably isn't a landmark one, at least. ]

Do you know how you got here? [ She's guessing the answer is going to be no. ]
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unimpressed ☤ loves the peaceful life.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 06:27 am (UTC)(link)
Unfortunately? Neither can I.

[ That's something unusual as well. She sighs, shaking her head. ]

No. I stepped outside and... [ Helen gestures to the area around her. ] Snow, I'm afraid.
bringthestorm: (015)

[personal profile] bringthestorm 2020-11-27 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
Great. So I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that no one knows where this is, how we got here, or why we're even here.

[ She crosses her arms. ]

I've had worse, though. What do you say we go have a look around?

[ She pauses for a second, taking in her appearance and Helen's. ]

Maybe after we find something warm. [ Because she knows she's not dressed for the elements, and neither is Helen. ]

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fika: (pic#14386356)

town hall!!

[personal profile] fika 2020-11-22 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
[ yeah...it's getting to be quite the collection. a bitter record of this widely active shitshow. hands stuffed into his pockets, to stave off the oncoming chill, and slowly approaches. his shoe scuffs the floor - on purpose - and the not-kid frowns at the new arrival. ]

For better or worse.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (body ☤ knows i'll go crazy.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-22 04:13 am (UTC)(link)
[ helen turns her attention to the voice. she hadn't expected someone so young to be in this town. not that she had expected anyone to be in this town. so far... no one.

she folds her hands in front of her and faces him entirely. ]


I'm sorry, I wasn't aware I had company.
bestfuneralever: (umbrella-s2-e1-75)

i.

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-11-22 08:39 am (UTC)(link)
"It isn't that far, I said. I won't get lost, I said. Whyyyy do I listen to meeee?" The voices comes as a whine from nearby, the owner of it a too-skinny, legs-for-days man wrapped in a leather trenchcoat wandering in the endless expanse of white that stretches further and further into nothingness.

He hears another voice and his attention is snapped toward the sound of it. First sign of anyone he's found all morning, holy shit, yes! Maybe together, they can find the stupid town again. "Hey! Yeah, I'm here." He stumbles toward where the woman is with a wave.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (body ☤ knows i'll go crazy.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-24 07:28 am (UTC)(link)
Well, at least he is far better dressed for the occasion than she is.

Helen raises a hand to peer through the snow at the man stumbling into view. She tilts her head slightly before giving a friendly wave. Friendlier is better than anything else at the moment.

"Someone else brave enough to weather the storm, I see!"
bestfuneralever: (N4_48)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-11-28 04:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Only because he got lucky when he showed up!

He laughs a little and finally reaches her a few moments later. "I got turned around somehow, and lost the path back to town. Did you just get here?" Probably, because this place is small enough that almost everyone is at the very least a familiar face in passing.
notanemptymotto: <user site="livejournal.com" user="fontcroire">. (unimpressed ☤ loves the peaceful life.)

[personal profile] notanemptymotto 2020-11-28 11:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"It would seem so." She takes a few steps closer to him. It would be easier to speak like that then yelling at one another from across the storm. "Have you been here long?"
bestfuneralever: (umbrella-s2-e7-59)

[personal profile] bestfuneralever 2020-11-29 12:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Not really. Maybe a week?" He swears time moves slower here, somehow. Which, maybe, makes sense. He should ask Five about the linearness of time and pocket dimensions. "The snow came kinda outta nowhere, to be honest. It's nuts."

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