test drive — winter

[villagemod]

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: ♫ )

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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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Comments

[technologique]

[ everyone could benefit from seeing a man like coulson. he was an idiot, and a complete pain in the ass, but tony would have been glad to see him. even if he couldn't be entirely sure how a meeting with the living, breathing man, himself would go. the sudden resurrection of a man whose death he took pretty hard. who can say how anyone might react to that at first? even someone who lives in a world of gods and aliens ]

Might want to look into a new gig. Can't imagine 'Mathias Welcome Wagon' is a lucrative business. [ tony reaches out to give daisy's hand a quick shake ] Tony. With the Avengers. [ an unnecessary introduction ] You agents really do come in all shapes and sizes, don't you? So, what's SHIELD doing in a place like this? Better yet, who did you piss off to end up in Who-Cares-Ville?

[chuju]

[ When it comes to Phil Coulson, eventually you get used to him pulling a sudden resurrection move. The dying part, you never get used to that, but the coming back to life? It's kind of just expected now that he'll be back in one form or another. None of it is ever easy though, on any of them.

Speaking of Coulson. It's only because his many stories had prepared her for Tony being, well, Tony, that she manages to not be too irritated by the man's flippant comments. Crossing her arms, she decides she's too tired to beat around the bush and just dives right into the deep end instead. ]

I pissed off the same whatever or whoever you did to end up here. And before you ask, no, I have no idea. Who or what is behind this, how we got here, how we leave — none of it. Some of us have been here for weeks and we're no closer to figuring it out. [ Does she sound tired? Because she is. Very tired. ]

[technologique]

[ losing coulson once was enough for tony. coming back again and again would lessen the sting a little, but eventually, he would stop coming back. what then? they just wait around, being hopeful, until eventually the crushing realization sets in that he's not coming back. no, tony's not into that. not when it's not even been a year since coulson died the first time (not when he almost lost pepper, and he might lose happy, and he's lost jarvis. he can repair jarvis, but that's not the point). and yet he probably still would have been glad to see coulson.

tony crosses his own arms as she speaks, brows furrowing ] Okay, I'm going to need a better explanation than that. Because there are a few things that don't add up here. Mainly the part where we can't leave. What's physically keeping people here?

[ he's not all flippant comments, at least ]

[chuju]

[ A legitimate, serious question. That's living up to expectation too, thankfully. For as much of a self-centered ass as Tony Stark is famed to be, there's also a reason he's an Avenger and has managed to help save the world so many times. ]

That is... a very complicated answer. [ She reaches up to rub at her forehead, wondering where the hell to even start. There's a chance he won't even believe half of it because some of it is even crazier than aliens invading New York. ]

Okay, Reader's Digest version. People here are from different times and parallel universes. There's a fog surrounding this place that gives you the world's worst panic attack as soon as you enter it. Time doesn't function right here, and we've had days where there no sun or no night. And sometimes people disappear and don't remember where they've been, or they die and come back in fresh new bodies.

[ By the end, she's starting to ramble a bit, the words just spilling out because it's so damn much and some part of her is really hoping that he can do something to help figure out this whole mess. But uh, sorry, Tony. Good luck with all that. ]

[technologique]

[ one thing tony can often be counted on is living up to expectations, regardless of it those expectations happen to be positive or negative ]

Genius, remember? I can take complicated. Give it to me. [ there's a chance that he won't believe it, but there's also a chance that he will. even though he couldn't imagine anything much crazier than aliens invading new york, he's no longer quite as skeptical about these sorts of things as he once might have been. he's certainly had his eyes opened recently.

he listens as daisy speaks, actually paying close attention to the things that she's saying. because this is his situation now too. this is something that directly effects him. not that he isn't all for helping, it's sort of what he does these days, but this isn't a leave and come back much more prepared kind of situation. this isn't a come back once he's solved his own problems kind of deal. he can't just file away the things she's saying for later ]

Different times and parallel universes, yet the first person I run into here just happens to be from mine. [ universe. not time, necessarily ] Not saying that you're wrong, just saying that it's an interesting coincidence. Anyway, a simple rebreather should help you get through the fog. [ though he won't be testing that personally. his panic attacks don't need the help ] Time is a construct, people get kidnapped and brainwashed sometimes. It happens. We can work towards keeping it from happening, but it happens. You're SHIELD. You should know that.

The rest of it- [ he makes a motion with his hand up by his head ] Still working through it.

[ it's more complicated than this though, isn't it? ]

[chuju]

[ Listening to Tony offer his own two cents on things makes her really wish that Fitzsimmons were here. They'd be able to rattle off things in his supernerd language that she could never manage herself. If they were talking computers and programming, she'd be on even ground with the self-processed (and actual) genius, but when it comes to this sort of thing, she just falls short.

Because yes, it is a hell of a lot more complicated. ]

What year was it for you? [ She's tired and in pain, so rather than digging into everything wrong with his suggestions, she'll try offering more elaboration on the points she's already made. ] Because I'm from 2019 but I was in 1983 before I was brought here. I was with my team on our spaceship chasing alien robots through time and then suddenly I was waking up here on the beach.

[technologique]

[ until he gets more intimately acquainted with the situation here, those sound like perfectly reasonable suggestions. suggestions that anyone might come up with, but reasonable suggestions all the same. he'll tweak and rework as he learns more. he'll figure this out ]

It's 2012. It's been a few months since the, well- [ he gestures vaguely. a few months after the battle of new york. he's not quite there with saying it out loud right now. even with just implying it, he has to take a moment to compose himself before continuing. her mention of aliens (even alien robots) doesn't necessarily help either. not exactly peak tony stark, here ] Time and space travel. SHIELD has really stepped up their game since last I've heard. Or they will, I suppose. But I see your point, Agent, um... Agent.

[chuju]

[ Here's hoping he does figure it out. Someone needs to, and without a computer to hack, all Daisy has left is her fighting abilities and so far there's nothing to fight. What she wouldn't give for a face to punch right now... ]

Call me Daisy. [ Because how very Tony Stark to not catch her name. Or maybe he's purposefully using the Agent card — he'd done that with Coulson too, right? Setting her hands on her hips, she looks around the room as if trying to find an answer in the creepy everyday atmosphere of the Town Hall. There isn't any, either about this stupid town or the ridiculous situation she's found herself in again. ]

2012. Wow. Wow. That means you are really behind. Coulson, at least, was from 2014 when he was here. [ A half-second pause and then she adds: ] Yes, he's alive. SHIELD brought him back and kept it a big secret. Surprise. And sorry.

[technologique]

[ with enough time, tony could fill that role for her. most people end up wanting to punch him at one point or another.

he's confident he can figure this out though. because he has to be confident. it'll be more difficult without his armour and therefore without jarvis, it'll be more difficult since his go-to is to build something to fix the issue and his ability to do that here seems pretty limited (he'll have to look around to see what kind of resources are available). but he has to figure this out because he can't stay here. and these other people can't stay here ]

Daisy. Right. I knew that. [ he did and he didn't. there's a lot of balls in the air right now so names just sort of fall by the wayside. but there may also be a little purpose behind it. he didn't call coulson anything but agent until after-

wait. tony holds up one finger, trying to get her to quiet down for a moment ] Stop. Stop stop stop. Don't basically just yada yada over the part where SHIELD is playing god now and brought a man back to life. Because that's what you mean right? That Phil was alive again before here, the place that also mysteriously brings people back to life.

[chuju]

[ Daisy sighs heavily, moving the few feet to the side to drop heavily into one of the chairs by the bulletin board. There will probably be a layer of dust clinging to her after this but she honestly couldn't care less. This whole conversation isn't going like it should have — this used to be her job and she's royally fucking it up now. ]

What this place is doing is radically different from what SHIELD did. When people die here, their bodies stay dead but they show up again in separate bodies. Or they might be the same, it's hard for us to tell anything when we don't have proper equipment.

[ She leans forward, arms on her knees, and looks up at Tony. It still baffles her why Fury decided the Avengers didn't need to know Coulson was alive; after the battle, there had to have been plenty of opportunities to share the good news. Of course, someone might have asked too many questions and knowing who was inside the agency... ]

Project TAHITI was designed to be used in the event of a fallen Avenger. Fury made the call and Coulson was brought days after he died, using a drug developed from alien genetic material. The procedure hasn't been used on anyone else since Coulson became Director.

[technologique]

[ the conversation is rapidly spinning away from the problem at hand, but it's hard to not fixate on what she's saying about shield. there will be time enough soon to sit down and consider all the problems of mathias that daisy laid out for him and find some solution, but right now, shield has his attention (even if it should be the other way around. he should be focusing on the more immediate issues of mathias and then he can turn his attention to shield) ]

It sounds like people aren't actually being resurrection here, but instead copies are being made. Unlike SHIELD's more spatially conscious style of resurrection.

[ there's probably a perfectly good reason for fury keeping something like this from them. coulson's death is what finally brought the avengers together. it gave them the push they so desperately needed. maybe he worries that the truth will pull them apart. or maybe fury is just being fury and only telling people what they need to know. and coulson is no longer relevant to the avengers. he's served his purpose.

tony's eyes widen a little when she continues ]

So Fury used Coulson as a guinea pig for us? [ tony takes a seat near daisy, expression turning serious ] The procedure hasn't been used on anyone else since Coulson became Director, you said. Does that mean he was the only one it was used on or were there others? [ basically, did it ever make it to tony or any of the others before it was stopped ]