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Entry tags:
Spring 2021 TDM (May)
✖ Test Drive Meme
Ⅰ. ARRIVAL
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island you find yourself on is nearly deserted; besides the Temple, you will find only a small village of wooden houses and barns. Goats and sheep can be seen roaming some of the fields, and if you venture by some of the houses you will notice chicken coops as well. The villagers themselves are not friendly, although they won't turn you away outright - passive aggressiveness seems to be more their style.
As charmingly rustic as this is, what really draws your eye is the castle rising past the treeline. Set against a massive cliff drop, it seems to cast a shadow over the entire island.
One of the villagers is happy to give you a ride up to it in his coach, provided that it's still daylight. If it's past sundown, well, looks like you're sleeping in the Temple or with some farmer's goats.
Ⅱ. HAUNTED WHEN THE MINUTES DRAG
The inside of the castle has high, vaulted ceilings and stone tiled floors periodically covered with ornate rugs. Medieval looking tapestries depicting strange and fantastic creatures adorn the walls. Heavy curtains obscure most of the windows, meaning that the entire castle is lit mostly by hundreds and hundreds of candles. Many of these are set in tall candelabras, but there are plenty in smaller holders that you can pick up and take with you, if you so desire.
Wander the castle long enough and you'll find yourself in a large room where the tapestries are too faded to truly tell what they depict. There are only a few candles here, burning low. Maybe you knew well enough not to venture into strange castle rooms alone, or maybe you simply ran into a another Traveler, but as soon as the two of you are inside the room the heavy door behind you swings silently shut. No amount of force will open it.
Before you can get too angry about it, you will hear a soft sigh. The candles flicker as if blown by a wind, but you and your companion feel none.
In the shadows at the far end of the room you're quite sure you see something. A pale shape that shivers into existence and gradually solidifies enough to be recognizable.
It's someone that you know. They may be dead, they may still be alive, but here they are: a ghost from your past. They speak and act out the same thing over and over, and whatever it is is something that you really, really wish they wouldn't.
You can try to open the door, of course, but it's not budging unless you banish that ghost. How could you possibly do that? In the movies it always seems that ghosts have unfinished business. Maybe they need an apology, or maybe this is a chance for you to confront them. Something was left undone between you, and now you have to handle it.
Of course, if that's too much to do in front of someone, maybe the two of you can get out through a window. Just mind the drop - the castle is right at the edge of a cliff, after all.
Ⅲ. LIBRARY OF BABEL
In your wanderings, it's possible to find yourself in a warm, welcoming room that is lined wall-to-wall with books. Books, books, so many books! There's even a ladder to help you reach the top shelves. The soft scent of leather and old paper permeates the room, complemented by the scent of burning logs in the huge fireplace at one end of the room. Large wingback chairs and a soft couch sit in front of the fireplace, the perfect sort of place to curl up and read.
But what to read?
Choose any random book off of the shelves and you'll find that it's a story you know well, because it's one of yours. It's a happy story, at least - some fond memory that you may be moved to share with others. If you choose to do so, you'll be rewarded with a feeling of calmness and joy.
Maybe you don't appreciate a trip down memory lane. That's fine. Off to one side is a heavy wooden desk, and on top of it rests an absolutely huge book with a deep red leather cover. The cover reads 'BEASTIARY' in ornate script.
Inside are drawings and descriptions of all sorts of fantastic beasts: unicorns, gryphons, manticores... plus all sorts of creatures from whatever your homeworld might be! The mighty esquilax is even listed.
If you read the description of any of these beasts aloud, you'll find a wondrous thing: it will appear before you, real as can be. Gosh, really hope you didn't choose to read the entry on dragons or bicorns...
Ⅳ. SEX CAULDRON? I THOUGHT THEY CLOSED THAT PLACE DOWN! (18+ ONLY)
CW: sexual themes, alcohol consumption.
Every good castle has a dungeon. You just weren't expecting it to be so goddamn kinky.
That's right, where you were expecting iron maidens and heretic's chairs, instead you'll find plush velvet sofas and chaise lounges. There's still plenty of St. Andrew's crosses, however, a couple of stocks, and loads of soft padded sawhorses. One wall has all sorts of whips and paddles and canes hanging on it.
There's people here, too, every last one of them looking like they just came from the set of a Marie Antoinette biopic: powdered wigs, stockings, all the lace you could possibly imagine. Those of them that are dressed, anyway.
There's liquor circulating, carried on trays by bewigged dandies with uncannily bright blue eyes. Maybe you can handle this whole scene a little better with some booze in you.
If you're not the voyeuristic or exhibitionist type, you can hide in one of the couches furthest away from the de Sade daydream going on. Maybe hunker down with someone and just talk to drown out the giggling and slapping. Or maybe you're just so mature that you'll steal some of the equipment and use it to bug the hell out of people. It's a party!
Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the Spring 2021 POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game. Our next application round will run from June 25 - July 2. For the months of April, May, and June, we invite you to use this TDM to explore but one of many, many islands within the Endless Isles; use it as an opportunity to introduce and familiarize yourself with the game, form connections with other characters, and just have some fun. (Perhaps while also getting some solid samples together for your application!)
Use the prompts provided below as-is or feel free to write your own set within the environment detailed in each. You're even welcome to access the network via your character's ScryWatch. While there will be some inevitable changes, TDMs may count as game canon and some islands may be revisited in the future. Be mindful of your surroundings -- you never know how you and your fellow Travelers might affect this place in the long run.
Seek inspiration and enlightenment from the official game playlist -- 3 out of 3 mods agree!
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island you find yourself on is nearly deserted; besides the Temple, you will find only a small village of wooden houses and barns. Goats and sheep can be seen roaming some of the fields, and if you venture by some of the houses you will notice chicken coops as well. The villagers themselves are not friendly, although they won't turn you away outright - passive aggressiveness seems to be more their style.
As charmingly rustic as this is, what really draws your eye is the castle rising past the treeline. Set against a massive cliff drop, it seems to cast a shadow over the entire island.One of the villagers is happy to give you a ride up to it in his coach, provided that it's still daylight. If it's past sundown, well, looks like you're sleeping in the Temple or with some farmer's goats.
Ⅱ. HAUNTED WHEN THE MINUTES DRAG
The inside of the castle has high, vaulted ceilings and stone tiled floors periodically covered with ornate rugs. Medieval looking tapestries depicting strange and fantastic creatures adorn the walls. Heavy curtains obscure most of the windows, meaning that the entire castle is lit mostly by hundreds and hundreds of candles. Many of these are set in tall candelabras, but there are plenty in smaller holders that you can pick up and take with you, if you so desire.
Wander the castle long enough and you'll find yourself in a large room where the tapestries are too faded to truly tell what they depict. There are only a few candles here, burning low. Maybe you knew well enough not to venture into strange castle rooms alone, or maybe you simply ran into a another Traveler, but as soon as the two of you are inside the room the heavy door behind you swings silently shut. No amount of force will open it.
Before you can get too angry about it, you will hear a soft sigh. The candles flicker as if blown by a wind, but you and your companion feel none.
In the shadows at the far end of the room you're quite sure you see something. A pale shape that shivers into existence and gradually solidifies enough to be recognizable.
It's someone that you know. They may be dead, they may still be alive, but here they are: a ghost from your past. They speak and act out the same thing over and over, and whatever it is is something that you really, really wish they wouldn't.
You can try to open the door, of course, but it's not budging unless you banish that ghost. How could you possibly do that? In the movies it always seems that ghosts have unfinished business. Maybe they need an apology, or maybe this is a chance for you to confront them. Something was left undone between you, and now you have to handle it.
Of course, if that's too much to do in front of someone, maybe the two of you can get out through a window. Just mind the drop - the castle is right at the edge of a cliff, after all.
Ⅲ. LIBRARY OF BABEL
In your wanderings, it's possible to find yourself in a warm, welcoming room that is lined wall-to-wall with books. Books, books, so many books! There's even a ladder to help you reach the top shelves. The soft scent of leather and old paper permeates the room, complemented by the scent of burning logs in the huge fireplace at one end of the room. Large wingback chairs and a soft couch sit in front of the fireplace, the perfect sort of place to curl up and read.
But what to read?
Choose any random book off of the shelves and you'll find that it's a story you know well, because it's one of yours. It's a happy story, at least - some fond memory that you may be moved to share with others. If you choose to do so, you'll be rewarded with a feeling of calmness and joy.
Maybe you don't appreciate a trip down memory lane. That's fine. Off to one side is a heavy wooden desk, and on top of it rests an absolutely huge book with a deep red leather cover. The cover reads 'BEASTIARY' in ornate script.
Inside are drawings and descriptions of all sorts of fantastic beasts: unicorns, gryphons, manticores... plus all sorts of creatures from whatever your homeworld might be! The mighty esquilax is even listed.
If you read the description of any of these beasts aloud, you'll find a wondrous thing: it will appear before you, real as can be. Gosh, really hope you didn't choose to read the entry on dragons or bicorns...
Ⅳ. SEX CAULDRON? I THOUGHT THEY CLOSED THAT PLACE DOWN! (18+ ONLY)
CW: sexual themes, alcohol consumption.
Every good castle has a dungeon. You just weren't expecting it to be so goddamn kinky.
That's right, where you were expecting iron maidens and heretic's chairs, instead you'll find plush velvet sofas and chaise lounges. There's still plenty of St. Andrew's crosses, however, a couple of stocks, and loads of soft padded sawhorses. One wall has all sorts of whips and paddles and canes hanging on it.
There's people here, too, every last one of them looking like they just came from the set of a Marie Antoinette biopic: powdered wigs, stockings, all the lace you could possibly imagine. Those of them that are dressed, anyway.
There's liquor circulating, carried on trays by bewigged dandies with uncannily bright blue eyes. Maybe you can handle this whole scene a little better with some booze in you.
If you're not the voyeuristic or exhibitionist type, you can hide in one of the couches furthest away from the de Sade daydream going on. Maybe hunker down with someone and just talk to drown out the giggling and slapping. Or maybe you're just so mature that you'll steal some of the equipment and use it to bug the hell out of people. It's a party!
Greetings, prospective Travelers! Welcome to the Spring 2021 POLYMYTHOS test drive meme and thank you for your interest in our game. Our next application round will run from June 25 - July 2. For the months of April, May, and June, we invite you to use this TDM to explore but one of many, many islands within the Endless Isles; use it as an opportunity to introduce and familiarize yourself with the game, form connections with other characters, and just have some fun. (Perhaps while also getting some solid samples together for your application!)
Use the prompts provided below as-is or feel free to write your own set within the environment detailed in each. You're even welcome to access the network via your character's ScryWatch. While there will be some inevitable changes, TDMs may count as game canon and some islands may be revisited in the future. Be mindful of your surroundings -- you never know how you and your fellow Travelers might affect this place in the long run.
📚
At her bitten-off words, he shrugs a careless shoulder. ]
I didn't have much of a choice.
[ The last thing he remembers: someone, something? swooping in and scooping up those scattered shreds of his spirit — the Fold — he thought he'd heard the droning of bees — a long expanse of featureless grey sand, only for that sand to resolve into grey fog instead, and the water, and the Ferryman. Aleksander remembering the last words on his bloodied lips: Don't let me be alone.
And now he isn't, apparently.
He'd lingered in the doorway of the library, a shoulder tipped against the doorjamb, watching her even before she turned around to glower at him.
The first thought that struck him is how different Zoya looks without her bullet-proof kefta, as does he. The Darkling is clad in simple robes for once, the sleeves pulled down to hide the band at his wrist (a livid orange, with the occasional flicker of red). When his gaze slides down the line of her own arm, an eyebrow tilts slightly; he can see a faint glimpse of the ScryWatch, but not the tiger teeth which typically sink into her wrist. They had been a familiar and ever-present sight ever since she was thirteen. She looks oddly naked without it. ]
Of all the grim foreboding castles in all the world. Does this mean you're dead as well?
[ A flippant wave of his hand, indicating their surroundings, the island. ]
no subject
Elizaveta would not have— Nikolai would have been able to— Juris would stop— Ah. Well she always knew it was foolish to rely on others. ]
Are you part of my penance? Or maybe we are meant to torture each other.
[ Eternity with him. Had she not wished for that when she was young and charmed by him? When she was so devout and blinded by her faith and loyalty? Even now, it's not as if she didn't understand his goal. She shared it then. She shares it still now even if his approach was vile. She dreams that Grisha could be safe and protected from a life of suffering. That Ravka could be their home. That walls and thorns would never be needed. That she would have to mourn no more.
Did he even know why she abandoned his forces? Novokribirsk was the target, her loyalty was just collateral damage. She had been so loyal, so blind to what was plainly in front of her. Would one move played differently on his chessboard have cemented her loyalty as a pawn. She was played so easily.
Her knuckles are white as they clutch the leather worn book. ]
I think I'd know how I'd like to start. I've been studying in your absence and come to appreciate the dragon. [ How convenient that she is on that page, the description continuing: ] Masters of wind, fire, and water. Ruthless and unyielding. It is quite a feat to slay a dragon, and many fools perish when their pride doesn't allow them to think they can be bested by a beast.
[ She swears she can feel the feverish anticipation of electricity arcing across her skin, the thunderous beat of wings across the skies. A roar— wait, no, that is not an imaginary roar. ]
no subject
Enlighten me. Am I the dragon in this metaphor and you the plucky dragonslayer, or are you the dragon and I the fool?
[ —Or maybe neither of them are right and it's a literal dragon. The more she focuses on the page, suddenly he can hear that distant roar too: the page rippling at the edges, and what seems to be a giant ethereal shadow clawing its way off the page and slowly firming into shape before them. And then, at a blink, it's corporeal and looming above them: all gleaming scales and hot huffing breath, hungry slitted yellow eyes, leathery wings.
Which is right when Zoya is treated to the sight of the Darkling startled, surprised, caught entirely off-guard— the man stumbles backward, backpedalling away from the sudden threat. His shoulderblades collide with a shelf of books behind him, and a couple waver and tumble off onto the floor. He has seen so, so many fantastical things over the course of his long life, but this is brand-new. ]
What?