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: ♫ )

---

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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alec hardison | leverage

[ofthegeek]

into the endless.

[ Hardison stays by the ravine, shivering in the wind, longer than he knows he reasonably should. Not to say it's all that long, but it's not nothing, either.

Part of it's about taking a breather. Regrouping. All the stumbling down the path, the oppressive and terrifying feeling of the fog that suspiciously never closes in, the confusion of being here at all, that's tiring to cope with. Being out in nature. He's happy to explain how tiring it is to cope with.

Beyond that, there's just... something about the setup that doesn't track. That weird dissonance blip between tantalizing safety and "if you stay here you will die." Dissonance and discrepancies, hard for a man of his particular calling not to get a little snagged noticing it. A little itch to reconcile.

Hardison stands long enough to have a think, but he turns back eventually. (He's got a thing about heights and all. Namely falling from them.)

All the better if he's got company. ]

I did not need this survival horror mess in my life right now. List of things I needed in my life? This ain't on it. Dump a man in the woods... [ He stops to try to breathe some warmth into his cupped hands, because dressed for a full winter experience he is not. ]

Hey, buddy system? Yes, you. [ You! There! ] Buddy system. Unless you got a rappelling kit I don't know about, seems to me like we're heading the same way.

[ If he finds no company to seek out at the ravine, he'll still be making his best go of it on the path there and back. What's he gonna do, stand still? ]

b. the end approaches.

[ Progress! Of a sort. Being indoors is no small feat, to his mind. Out of the wind, away from the fog. Closer to civilization.

Well, closer to people, anyway. Civilization has different connotations for him personally.

Hardison is not especially hard to track in most of the indoor settings that the village has to offer. He'll be the man who is sneezing every now and then, solely because he is thinking about the fact that dust is here. He politely keeps it contained to the blanket wrapped around his shoulders, freshly liberated from some empty residence. It's no winter wear, but it'll do in a pinch while he gets his bearings.

His attention at the bulletin board is initially drawn towards the symbols and equations more than anything, towards scanning through the pinned notes for a sign of familiar code words, perhaps, or penmanship. Mix of personal priorities and a tendency to get caught in the weeds. Not that it gets him much of anywhere.

Getting to the map is cool, if by cool one means immediately off-putting. Mostly the message. ]

"He is--" [ Hardison draws himself up, the very picture of a theatrically startled bird. ] Uh, the hell he is. Nah. Someone better send ol' boy a-- some smoke signals or something, tell him his trip's canceled. If it wasn't already.

[ Maybe "he" came, saw and conquered already. Hardison opts to keep that thought, in the spirit of hoping for the best. Creepy message aside, a messed-up old map at least reads like a problem that could have real-world solutions (and if not, well, at least he wouldn't be making it worse). As he examines it more closely, he very much looks as if some gears are turning. ]

They put cotton swabs in first aid kits, right?

into the endless and yeeeeeeeeeeesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

[likeknives]

[That's a very distinctive voice.

It's like he should have expected this. If he was going to find him here, it would be here, wouldn't it? And he can only imagine how...displeased Hardison is at being out in the woods.

He's out here testing the fog again, making sure not to have a repeat of the last time he tried to see what happens in the fog. If there's gonna be a way out of here, it's gotta be through this and he's gotta find a way outta here. But the fog remains stubbornly impassable. He's about to go back into town.]

Hardison!?

[It's incredulity, exasperation, and joy all in one, single name.]

hello!!!

[ofthegeek]

[ Hardison can count on one hand the people whose presence here would merit instant, visceral relief. Considering the creepy-ass forest involved and the inexplicable sense of imminent danger and all, one in particular takes the crown for most comforting to hear from. ]

Eliot? Eliot! [ Like one half of a weirdly specific set of birdcalls, he hits back with the upward turn in tone of a man who is a) relieved, and b) absolutely totally extremely calm and not freaked out at all, obviously (tm).

Miracles happen. Hardison gives it its dues. Say no more, baby Jesus. He's reading it loud and clear. When they get home and he goes back to doing well-intentioned crime with zero hesitance or regrets, he'll remember this moment fondly. ]

Don't tell me. You're somewhere out here in these Texas Chainsaw Massacre-lookin' trails, right? Quaint little hike through murdertown?

[ Where all the cool half-frozen kids are.

At least there aren't any bugs around. ]

Hello! :D I am so excited to see Hardison here!

[likeknives]

Right here!

[Yeah. Yeah, if there were any doubts this was Hardison...]

I'm right here!

[He emerges through a path and some brush, waving his hands and aggressively pushing some branches aside as if they're personally stopping him from all of his goals. He's making a lot of noise on purpose, not wanting to accidentally sneak up on him.]

Somethin' like that.

i'm very excited to be tdming him! :]

[ofthegeek]

[ Oh, yep, there he is. The man himself. "I love nature and you should get outside more and let's go fishing, but watch me try to beat up these trees now that they're in my way."

The excess noise is appreciated in these trying times. Hardison isn't emotionally prepared for a jump-scare. ]

Every time, Eliot. Every damn time I go out in nature, I gotta do something like this. You gotta see what I mean about fresh air.

[ It would be nice to say he's not immediately going in for the hug, aka a direct attempt to leach the heat from Eliot, human furnace, disguised as a hug, but it can't be said. That's literally exactly what Hardison does first.

Oh, but either way: ]

You good, though? Didn't lose a fight to a bear I didn't know about?

Your Hardison is fantastic!

[likeknives]

[...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?

thank you! i really love your eliot 👐

[ofthegeek]

[ 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.

:D thank you so much!

[likeknives]

[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.

[ofthegeek]

[ He shakes his head to the Parker question, valiantly sacrificing his death grip for the sake of Eliot's toward-warmth mobility.

Parker takes precedence over even complaining about literally everything happening right now.

(Which doesn't stop I've been here for a few more days from registering without fully processing, taking its place in the concerns queue to crop back up in very short order. It's right there in the chamber, waiting.) ]

Definitely just me. Wind and snow can do a number on a sound wave, but. [ Hardison shrugs, looking up like he, too, half expects Parker to drop out of a tree. ] No animals. Not even birds. No roads, no traffic. Us and our big mouths, out here with no competition to drown it out? That's like a bat-signal for Parkers.

[ A cool way to admit he's been the least stealthy, most complaint-filled man in the forest since he woke up. He folds his arms tight to his chest. ]

Maybe we get a look around this town for her. Just in case. If she got to this end of the trail or, uh. Picked out a nice tree and got a look from higher ground... [ Then that's where she'd be headed anyway.

Figuring out if it's objectively better or worse that she doesn't seem to be here is above his pay grade under normal circumstances, let alone circumstances where he's less than optimal on his big picture operating.

What Hardison knows is, it feels worse if it's really the case. Better stuck together than someone left behind. ]

[likeknives]

[Dammit. He too figures if Parker is around, she would have been drawn to them like a beacon already in this place. Which just gives him yet another, town-typical unsettling feeling right in the center of his gut. Someone, something, somehow is picking them off one by one and dropping them into this place and it's making him furious that he can't...stop it. That he can't protect them.]

Yeah. Maybe she's around here somewhere.

[He doesn't sound convinced, and it really sounds like he's just saying that for Hardison's sake, to be kind. There's hope that she isn't here, and hope that she is, and either way she won't be helped by them standing around here waiting all day and getting hypothermia.

Eliot nods towards the direction of town before he starts, starting to walk briskly but not too briskly, occasionally pausing to take in his surroundings, like he's a dog that needs to protect Hardison from any and all sudden attacks and/or herd him in the direction he wants him to go in.]

I got food, too. [An afterthought.] Day-old chili. Nothin' fancy, had to make do with what I got, but serviceable .

b.

[setthetone]

[Okay. Now that is a response after Carter's own heart.

After so many conversations with people who are super powered or keep telling him about how they casually chat up ghosts in their free time or how they chased the Baba Yaga with a shotgun once when they were five years old or whatever, some good old frightened indignation? Immediately warms him to the stranger.]

You know, that's been up there quite a while now? I'm never sure if that makes it better or worse.

[Like... maybe "he" has been here already and they missed him? Wouldn't that be great?

Carter steps up to the bulletin board and digs out a kit from his field gear that he keeps on him these days.]

Help yourself. You're not hurt, are you?

[He'll just casually seize him up for any visible injuries while he holds out the kit and its contents.]

[ofthegeek]

[ Someone who understands that being in a horror movie is objectively bad, is something that can be so personal.

He loves Parker and Eliot more than anything. Happy to spend his time with them.

They do not respond to threats like normal humans. ]

Like most things in life, probably better right up until a dude busts in here with a cleaver. [ Educated guess. (Not actually educated.)

Hardison picks through the kit to pull out one or two swabs. ] And nah. I'm just thinkin' we can shoot our shot at a little bit of restoration here. I dabble. Water and a Q-tip, that's a go-to. But y'know, the concern is appreciated. I appreciate that. Bring it in, man, that's what I call solidarity.

[ There's always time for a detour to offer a fistbump. ]

your hardison is lovely btw!! c:

[setthetone]

[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?

tysm!! :)

[ofthegeek]

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.

[setthetone]

[Oh, that works. Carter chuckles when he returns and sees the latest addition, leaning in to get a better look. Man, he wouldn't mind that guy, especially not after way-too-many run ins with things made of shadows.]

Nice one. He's got some style.

[He hands Hardison a coffee, glancing down at his surrogate blanket tunic.]

You know, there's a clothing store in town. Their selection is awful [there's a pointed look down at the flannel disaster he's wearing, he'd just like to subtly point out that this is not a choice] but it'll keep you warm.

[ofthegeek]

[ Not one to turn down a compliment, or this free coffee, Hardison accepts both with a lone finger-gun and a very pleased grin. It's so important for a gifted artist to be recognized in his time.

Bless this flannel mess, though. He didn't even really think about it. Eliot didn't mention it. But it's right up Eliot's fashion alley, of course Eliot wouldn't mention it. Eliot is thinking about things like "survival". As well they all should.

Hardison is not above mourning his sweet-ass Portland wardrobe at the same time. Life can't be all the stress, all the time. People gotta set it down for a minute sometimes. Different type of survival. ]

I... I hear the 90s are coming back in a big way, man. It's that 20-year trend cycle? [ That wasn't supposed to be a question. ] We're just, we're just. Back to grunge ahead of schedule. Retro visionaries.

endless

[sharker]

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. ]

[ofthegeek]

[ 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. ]

[sharker]

[ 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.

[ofthegeek]

[ 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?

[sharker]

[ Parker lingers a moment longer, gazing down into the ravine, but she's a risk-taker, not suidical. Besides, Hardison's moved away, and now that he's here, it's impossible not to want to trail after him, wherever he might be. To hover near him like they're two satellites orbiting each other.

She moves back from the ledge, shrugging as she turns to look at him. ]

Yeah. I guess.

[ Not as exciting as jumping down the ravine, but...probably the wiser choice. For now.

Maybe when it's warmer.

There's something else, though, and she squints up at him past the wind as she remembers it. ]

Are you okay?

[ofthegeek]

[ Everything about him softens. No one could say that Hardison is a tough nut to crack on that front, compared to the team or to most people just in general, but it's no less real when it happens. ]

I'm good. Cold. Freaked out, but not completely freaked out. Assuming there's gonna be a phone or a computer or something over in ye olde busted-up village, just, you know, just to keep spirits up. Remembering every damn thing I hate about nature. Still good, though.

[ He shoves his hands into his pockets to try to warm them up. Leans towards her a little, the way that he often does without really thinking about it.

Orbiting satellites isn't the worst comparison out there. In fact, call it as accurate as it gets. ]

If I've got one of you guys, it's always better than it could be.

[sharker]

[ She can't quite maintain eye contact when Hardison visibly softens, casting her gaze quickly back down to the ground in front of them. But she's listening with her whole focus to everything he says, and when he leans a little closer, she does the same, the two of them all but touching.

Her lips quirk up in a tiny smile at his last comment, but almost immediately she's glancing up at him again, hope and worry warring in her expression. ]

Is anyone else...?

[ Eliot, she means Eliot. ]

[ofthegeek]

[ Asking the most important question to bring to bear. Hardison glances behind them on autopilot, like Eliot is gonna magically be there doing his usual thing. Cuts it short with a little shake of his head. ]

Not yet. I don't know if that's a good sign or a bad sign.

[ Alone, they can all get by. Not his preference, but sure. Paired off whatever ways, they can do pretty damn well. They're better when it's all three of them. Especially out in the cold-ass woods where Eliot was basically born to take the lead.

So maybe a bad sign, mostly. Bad not knowing where he is, if he's okay, bad not having him here for this, or bad thinking about the prospect of Eliot back in Portland with them just... gone. (The prospect of that being the point for whatever reason.) There's no happy camping on the horizon. ]

Hopefully that town does have something we can work with. Hell, I'll take a landline. Maybe we can get a call out.

[sharker]

[ She looks back when he does, fully expecting Eliot to just appear, to have been there silently looming all along. But there's nothing but the snow, and Parker can't hide her disappointment.

She thinks, and then nods. Good that Eliot isn't here to be cold and lost and kidnapped too. Bad that he's not here with them. That the three of them aren't together.

But there's nothing they can do about it either way. So. ]

We can get inside. In the village.

[ That should make him happy. Not that Parker's exactly enjoying the cold either, but. Mostly it should make Hardison happy. ]