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vestigechat2020-05-12 11:48 pm
vestigemods) wrote in vestigechat2020-05-12 11:48 pm
Entry tags:
inaugural tdm of unspecified duration.
VESTIGE TEST DRIVE MEME
WHAT IS THIS?
- This is a test drive meme for Vestige is a musebox-game successor to The Box (yeah, the one that died like five years ago). It's invite-only with no activity check and almost no application to speak of.
This is a horror jamjar based on Cabin In The Woods, in which characters are pulled into this containment zone run by the Technicians working from a lab underground with the goal of creating Good Quality Suffering™️ to appease the elder gods who hover on the verge of creating a worldwide apocalypse. But of course, suffering is pointless if everyone is too numb to properly suffer, so there are plenty of morale boosts provided in between bouts of fear and misery.
This TDM is ongoing and will fill the gap between now and when I get around to setting up the comms. There is no official start date and currently literally nothing but this TDM available for perusal, but I'll update this section of the blurb as that changes. Threads in this TDM are welcome to be game canon once this shit opens because fuck it. If you have questions, feel free to ask in the top-level below or just wing it tbh, we'll be doing a lot of winging it up in this shit.
Characters arrive with all powers intact and carrying all items that they had with them on their canonpoint.
Also, feel free to hit up the Intro + Friending meme to network with your future peers in this suffering endeavor. (EDIT 5/20: We also now have a DISCORD SERVER! So hop on into that if you'd like.)
PROMPT 1 ► just your ordinary cabin in the woods
⬛ARRIVAL + GENERAL PROMPT
- Whenever you're from or wherever you were, you awaken now with the mildest of headaches in a medium-sized wooden cabin. Maybe you wake in a bed, barely padded and covered in dust (so are you now, congrats!). Maybe you wake on the floor, arguably softer than the bed in spots thanks to some handy dandy water damage. Either way, you certainly aren't where you were before, and you have no recollection whatsoever of arriving.
The cabin is modest but multi-roomed and fully kitted with a kitchen and cozy living room. Nice, dry wood sits stacked by the fireplace, and if you check the various switches, the lights turn on with only the faintest protesting static. The cabinets are surprisingly well-stocked, as is the fridge, with perishables and non-perishables alike. As if someone has been here recently... but how, when everything else seems so thoroughly abandoned?
Should you choose to ignore the cabin's supposed hospitality and try to leave, you'll find that both the front and back doors are securely locked, in a way that no amount of fumbling with the locking mechanism seems to remedy.
That's when a sloooooow creak draws your attention to a door nearby, one you may not have noticed before... but it's open now. Was it before? Better yet, should you check out what lies beyond?
PROMPT 2 ► who's up for some fighty-fight, kids??
⬛MONSTER HORROR.
- The basement is musty and dim, though a pull-string at the curve of the creaky stairs seems to turn on a sparse row of lightbulbs dangling precariously from the ceiling along the center of the room. This little bit of light illuminates a room absolutely packed with items, furniture and boxes and various knick-knacks of unknown and questionable origin. Spiderwebs litter nooks and crannies, many with actual spiders still nesting inside, and a layer of dust coats most every surface in sight.
- A child's drawing, of what appears to be... shit, what even is that? Is it a bat? Is it some kind of... reptile? We just don't know. (result! warnings for gore/violence.)
- A light-blue paper face mask, the sort used in hospitals for patients who have a cold. Maybe you guys should've brought masks too. It sure would keep all this dust the hell out of your nose... ( result! warning for body horror! )
- A buzzsaw blade, dusty but intact. ( result! warnings for gore/violence. )
- A music box, covered in faded yellow flowers. I wonder what music it plays? ( result! warnings for gore/violence and Alarming Children. )
- A funeral urn. But... It seems that someone glued it shut around the edges? I guess that's one way to make sure nobody spills grandma. ( result! )
It doesn't seem like there's anyone down here, nor is there any sign of an exit at the basement's far end. There is, however, something that catches your eye. An item, one that your feet seem to carry you toward without your mind quite telling them to do so. Perhaps it's familiar somehow. Perhaps it's so foreign to you that you can't help but get a closer look. One way or another, you somehow end up reaching out to touch it. But what harm can that do, a single touch?
Oh, sweet summer child. Haven't you seen this movie?
- Whatever else your characters might touch, to activate this prompt they'll also touch one of the following five items:
These enemies can and will follow characters outside, should they try to flee. It might actually be a good idea to face these foes outdoors where it's less confined, provided they don't stray too far from the cabin (see prompt #4).
The blurbs are just guidelines, feel free to scale up or down how strong/weak the monsters are, how many there are, etc. in order to better fit your characters' level of capability. The Technicians know your characters' strengths and weaknesses, so they'd know how to send enough to make this challenging but not insurmountable.
PROMPT 3 ► congratulations, you fucked up
⬛SURVIVAL HORROR.
- Perhaps you didn't touch anything in the basement. Hell, maybe you didn't even set foot through that ominous basement door. But hey, we get it. Not everyone likes to party. You're not getting off easy, but at least you can say that you didn't fall into the trap.
If, by the time an hour has passed since the creaking open of the basement door, no object has been touched and no baddie has been summoned, you'll find your nose assaulted by the prevailing smell of smoke. One glance out any window tells you why: The cabin has been surrounded in it, an oblong ring of fire six feet thick burning tight along the exterior cabin walls. You're safe inside for the moment, but how long will that last?
Now, you have no choice but to try to escape the blaze. It overtakes the cabin quickly, creeping up over the rooftop, shattering windows and burning a path inside. No matter which way you try to run, you're almost certain to get burned... But that's certainly better than burning to death in here.
PROMPT 4 ► "escape"? never heard of her.
⬛PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR.
- For some, staying in this creepy cabin with its stupid locked door was never an option. Maybe you break one of the windows and crawl through that, or maybe you're angry and OP and punched a man-sized hole in the wall itself. Hey, we're not judging. You got yourself outside, and that's what counts.
The outside of the cabin is... actually pretty nice. Picturesque woods, birds singing, perhaps a couple of deer bounding through the trees not far off. This place might actually be relaxing, if it weren't so alarming and kidnap-y. But it is, so it's time to get the fuck out of Dodge.
Or to try to, anyway. Just a few short meters into the trees, you find yourself entering a deep and all-encompassing fog. You can barely see your hand out in front of your face, let alone your path through the forest ahead. If you're not alone in this venture, you'd best keep a hand on your companion lest you lose track of them, as well. And is it just you, or is there a slight chemical taste to the fog that you're breathing in?
(Yes. The answer is definitely yes.)
Before long, you find yourself turned around, stepping back out of the fog with the cabin in front of you. Little do you realize that simply turning you around is the most merciful fate that this fog has to offer.
- This is easier to break down without narrative, so!
- The first time your character ventures into the fog, they're just turned around and sent back to the cabin.
- The second time, they hallucinate things that they don't want to hear. Something they fear, something that hurts them, something that stresses them the fuck out. Maybe a character's worst fear is wildcats and they hear one growling just out of sight in the mist. Maybe instead they hear a loved one crying for help back in the direction from which they've come, drawing them back to the cabin. Or maybe they hear the voice of someone they admire berating their cowardice or stupidity or something, for running away from the cabin in the first place. The goal is to psych them out and send them running back to the place where the action is happening.
- The third time, it's the same but full-blown visual or even physical hallucinations. Basically anything that might lure, scare, emotionally wound, etc. them into going back to the vicinity of the cabin.
Characters are welcome to start off venturing into the mist together, or to discover one another while they're already in the mist. If it's the latter, look out - it may be harder to tell friend from foe when you can't quite trust your own mind.
THE LOOP ► a note on replayability
- Regardless of which prompt your character faces, they'll be left unbothered after the creature is defeated or the problem is overcome until sunrise the following morning. Though the fog still keeps characters from straying from the area, they're welcome to recover and lick their wounds in the immediate cabin vicinity. An unburnt cabin leaves them food and resting facilities, while a burnt cabin... Well, at least the fire never spread from that self-contained ring, so they have some nice unburnt grass to sleep on.
Come sunrise, all characters still awake will fall unconscious. At this point, many of them will reawaken in a perfectly undamaged cabin back in Prompt #1 to begin the loop anew. They may have the same comrades in this loop, or perhaps they have different ones. Maybe their new companions have done this before as well. Maybe they're brand new and have no idea what they're up against. R.I.P., you poor unsuspecting fucks.
This is, in effect, a series of trial runs by the current batch of Technicians to see if they're able to run this containment zone scenario long-term. When Vestige opens properly, characters will awaken free of the loop and will have quite a bit more continuity and recovery time between horrors. The 'loop' mechanic is specifically in place to give this TDM some shelf life and let y'all entertain yourselves while I work on the actual pages and such, rather than the one-and-done feeling of the usual TDM.
no subject
...and then there comes the second call, and this time it is unexpected enough that he comes to a sudden, grinding stop and whirls around, his sword raised high to be swung and deflect any attack.
What he sees is a young cultivator in the distinctive Lan robes and headband, the white garb he wears would have made him near invisible in the fog from a distance. Now he is close enough for Jiang Cheng to see him clearly - and be utterly clueless who he may be.
"Who are you to address me so familiarly?" he demands, then looks over his shoulder again. "What do you want? I have no time for you!"
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But ever-so-slightly relaxes once he realizes the Jiang leader's only defending himself. He's not sure what he would've done if it'd been the other way around (or rather he does, but he's unsure how he'd feel about raising his own weapon in return).
Another person who doesn't know him? Gosh, there sure are a lot here, and it makes him wonder if they've lost their memories or if it's something else entirely.
First, Sizhui lifts his arms, brings them around in front of himself and bows, hands clasping around his sword's scabbard. Then he lowers them again, straightens and lifts his gaze with the faintest smile. “A Lan clan disciple who's seen you in passing. My apologies, I shouldn't have done that, but perhaps I can make it up to you by helping find whoever you're looking for?” Someone who's (technically) dead, but it's fine, he ain't gonna tell.
no subject
No time for pleasantries or courtesies, not that he ever has more time for them than is absolutely necessary so as not to make himself unwelcome in polite cultivator society.
He shakes his head. "It doesn't matter if you were addressed me rudely," he says curtly, not bothering to bow in return because there is no time. "I have to find my sister." He shoots the young Lan a sharp look, one which doesn't leave room for disobedience. He figures he isn't really in the position yet to hold such authority with disciples outside his own sect but a lot of being a sect leader is to fake it until you make it, so... "You're going to help me."
He starts off in the direction the voice came from without waiting for a response, first at a brisk walk then when another more panicked scream reaches them, at a run.
no subject
Instead of making it worse with further needless conversation, he nods understandingly toward the remark, straightens back up then presses his lips together while patiently waiting for whatever else the sect leader has to say. And when he does, Sizhui listens, bobs his head again, though somehow more vigorously this time. (Even if he'd already said he was going to help, yeesh!)
Without missing a beat, he moves to follow after, picking up pace alongside him once there's more screaming.
It seems silly to ask if the person yelling is his sister, but it's also rude to assume? So, he'll just. Live in limbo, forever wondering— or at least until they find whoever's shouting (which he's almost certain is this man's sister).
no subject
Yanli's cries for help seem to be coming first from one, then from the other direction, leading him ever deeper into the fog until he has completely lost his sense of direction. He stumbles several times, all grace of a cultivator lost as he works himself ever more in a blind panic because no matter how hard he tries, he never seems to be getting any closer to her voice.
Suddenly, the fog opens before him and there is the ring of fire surrounding a cabin from which plumes of smoke are now rising into the sky.
Jiang Cheng comes to a sudden, sharp halt and falls to his knees. Smoke is already starting to sting in his eyes.
"No... no... She can't be..."
no subject
Watching how the sect leader stumbles throughout the mist like a madman without direction is heart-wrenching; Sizhui wishes there was something else he could offer, something that might give them better direction because whoever it is they're looking for, they're an important person to Jiang Cheng.
He isn't expecting them to have gotten turned around, but he's definitely not prepared for coming across the cabin again and seeing it ringed in fire. The Lan disciple stops short of where Jiang Cheng drops, his grip he has on his sword becoming white-knuckle hard, sincere concern creasing his features. Neverminding the fact there's fire everywhere or how quickly it's going to spread, he draws somewhat closer, searching for a spot where the flames are lower, anywhere he might be able to get over them.
Around one side of the cabin, there's a busted window and if he can just get there— oh, but what if he used his sword to fly? He makes a contemplative noise, casts Jiang Cheng a worried look then finally offers, “I might be able to get inside?”
no subject
He picks himself up, there is no time for despair, no more time to doubt.
"You are right," he says, voice growing firm again with renewed determination, though it is still that same wild, directionless determination that had him running aimlessly through the forest. "We have to get in there. We have to get to Jiejie," his breath catches, "if she's in there... The yells were coming from somewhere around here..."
There are no more screams now but somehow that only increases the urgency he feels. She may be laying somewhere in there, passed out from the smoke.
no subject
Sizhui watches him get up, tenacity renewed nevertheless, which almost makes him smirk. He firmly presses his lips together, nods with understanding (despite his fleeting surprise at being told he's right).
Well, if they're going for this plan, they should be as prepared as possible. Jiang Cheng's resolution is so unfaltering, for a split second, he forgets the person he's mentioned doesn't technically exist anymore back in his time. The quietness is suspicious, too conveniently timed in Sizhui's honest opinion, it's unfortunate time isn't something they've got much of at the moment.
“Okay, follow me,” he gestures with his free hand then begins moving around the cabin, giving the ring of fire a plenty wide berth.
no subject
There is none, though, not until they find the place which Sizhui had mentioned - exactly one all too irresistible way into the house, the wall of fire arranged just so that the shattered window is easily seen.
It is an invitation Jiang Cheng couldn't possibly resist. He is on his sword before he can even think about the dangers inside, lifting into the air.
"She's my sister, so let me go first. I'll take the risks."
no subject
Window discovered, Jiang Cheng doesn't waste time with his sword, instantly drawing the disciple's attention. “Wait, we shouldn't—!” but again, this is wasting time talking since he's already airborne.
It's fine, Sizhui technically won't go inside, which means Jiang Cheng shouldn't be as angry! Though it's rare, gathering his energy to leap just high enough over the fire and land on the other side comes rather easily; somehow, he even manages avoiding singed robes, propels himself forward to the window and latches on. Without looking back for fear of what he'll see (Jiang Cheng's angry is surely worse than fire, right?), he leans in through the makeshift entrance, looks one way then the other—
And he immediately withdraws, backpedals a few steps, empty hand lifting to rub over his face like it'll help cool the heat wafting off the burning cabin. “I can't see anyone!” But now, if the other cultivator so chooses, he can go inside.
no subject
"Boy!" he hollers as he zooms after him, all but ready to grab the teenager by the scruff of his neck and haul him away like a disobedient puppy. Except by the time he reaches him he has already stuck his head into the house and said he can't see anyone so...
He bursts through what remains of the window anyway and tries to drag the boy along with him because he needs to yell at him.
"What was that, Lan brat?!" he growls, then hisses as the near unbearable heat inside the house fully hits him. It is an inferno of flames, the wooden walls are on fire and some beams have fallen down, making the charring insides of the cabin near unrecognizable.
But Yanli must be somewhere here, right?
no subject
Alright, admittedly, the way Jiang Cheng shouts following his not-so-appropriate decision to go ahead might be somewhat menacing and had the other cultivator actually treated him like an insubordinate puppy-dog, he would've felt guiltier. Which is why when Jiang Cheng makes his way through what remains of the window and attempts bringing him with, Sizhui follows with very little complaint.
Except for one: the overwhelming heat makes it almost impossible to even breathe, so if they could hurry, that'd be great. “I... I said I couldn't see anyone!” They're already inside though, they might as well look, shouldn't they?
The crackling draws his attention upward and before they end up getting crushed by the deteriorating beam, Sizhui springs into action, “Look out!” he exclaims, hooking Jiang Cheng's elbow then bodily moving them both out of the way just as the burning rafter tumbles down behind him. After letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding then raising a hand to cover his face with his sleeve, “Not to be rude, Jiang-zongzhu, but ah... we should get moving.”