inaugural tdm of unspecified duration.

[vestigemods]

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.

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:


• 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! )

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.

CODE BY TESSISAMESS (patreon)

Comments

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ The girls remain silent, making Wen Ning think maybe they didn't hear them, or maybe they don't speak the same language, and didn't understand their questions. But then they raise their arms and lift up onto their toes, turning gracefully in some sort of dance. Wen Ning, still Very Confused, allows himself to relax for a moment.

--But only a moment! Because as they finish their turn, he sees the gaping mouth that has replaced whatever faces they might have, and instantly goes back on high alert, throwing out a hand to keep Nie Huaisang behind him. ]

Stay back!

[ Whether the warning is shouted to the man behind him or the girls in front of him, is unclear. Wen Ning pulls out Suibian and holds it in front of him, still sheathed, to keep the girls at a distance. ]

[porndealer]

[Very confused is a mood for everything happening right now, Huaisang can attest.

Stay back! That could definitely be either or, but Huaisang is going to take that as Wen Ning telling him to stay back, which he is more than happy to do.]

W-What-- demons?!

[They're unlike anything he'd seen before or heard of. They looked so normal besides the giant maw of teeth on their faces. What kind of demons were they?]

Are they still dancing?

[It looked like it, it wasn't anything familiar to him, but they moved all at the same time, getting closer and closer. He'll just huddle behind Wen Ning on the stairs, not thrilled that they have no where to run.]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ They ARE still dancing, and not only that but one, two more appear from the doorways on either side of the room at the top of the stairs. They all look like regular young girls, only with that horrible, sickening mouth instead of a face.

Wen Ning's head turns on a swivel, trying to keep them all in view as they dance back and forth before him. And just when he's looking left-- One leaps in from the right, trying to latch its lamprey like face onto his shoulder. He yelps in pain, grabbing the girl and tearing her off of him, using the momentum to fling her body into two of her comrades. ]

Back downstairs! [ He yells, hoping Nie Huaisang will take the cue before he starts backing up, trying to get the basement door closed before another one has a chance to attack. ]

[porndealer]

[Thankfully he's already started backing up down the stairs himself after one of those demons attacks Wen Ning. With a dignified shriek and everything. Turning around he'll half trip down the rest of the stairs and some how manage to not fall on his face, looking back up at Wen Ning struggling with the door situation.]

Oh no no, gods, immortals! Please come save me!

[It won't hurt to pathetically beg for help will it?]

Save us, save us, oh I don't want to diiiie!

[Sorry Wen Ning, he's no help.]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Maybe the gods and immortals are listening, because Wen Ning is able to get the door most of the way closed before another demon dancer can latch onto him. One of her hands apps through the crack, however, before he can close the door fully. He beats at it with Suibian's hilt until finally she relents and retracts it, and he can pull the door shut. He leans against it, eyes wide, heart hammering in his chest. ]

We have to find another way out.

[ He doesn't even know if there is another exit to this basement, all he knows is that this exit is no good. ]

[porndealer]

[If this is the gods answering his pathetic whining then he'll take it. It's better than nothing and every little bit helps. It could be a few more seconds or minutes to try and figure something out.]

Another way- what other way?

[Though Huaisang sounds defeated before even trying. Looking around at the ridiculous amounts of utter nonsense he has to wonder where to start. Gods okay. Okay Huaisang, think think stop panicking. This is serious.]

Okay just... maybe there's some hidden tunnel o-or something.

[He'll turn about as if looking for something, anything. Pushing through somethings as he moves further into the basement he finds a book, the pages have print on them but it's no matter. Ripping the pages out he'll write over them using channeled spirit energy. It's just a basic fire talisman, but it's for a purpose. Honest. Going over to the nearest wall he'll start moving along it as best he can, shifting things out of the way if possible, using the flame to help locate any drafts he might not feel.]

Come on... come on... please.

[Muttering as he keeps on going, hoping for anything at all. Eventually he needs another talisman as the first one burns out quickly, so he makes another, continuing along. It's starting to look hopeless as he moves around the room as best he can manage, before he stops to hold the burning talisman up to give a bit of light where he is looking back over at the stairs and to where Wen Ning is no doubt keeping the door shut as best he can.]

I don't think there's anything here!

[Which he hates to admit, but-- oh. The talisman flickers as if there's a gentle breeze nearby. Hm. Perhaps the precariously stacked books and odds and ends behind Huaisang is hiding something?]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning Lingers at the door, ensuring that it will stay shut in the face of the demon girls' constant barrage against the other side. He ends up reaching to tear up a piece of the railing and jam it against the door to wedge it shut. With that taken care of, he follows Nie Huaisang down the stairs and into the basement proper.

It's crowded, and dark, but the fire talisman helps. He follows along, keeping his eyes peeled for any openings along the walls or floor. When the flame starts to flicker, he pauses, following the direction it seems to be pointing. ]

There's something... [ He strides over, using his not inconsiderable strength to shove the stacked objects out of the way, revealing the cellar wall and, up high... ] A window!

[ He clambors up on top of the dresser positioned below the window, and punches out the glass. It's not very wide, but it should at least let them scramble through. ]

Here, climb up.

[porndealer]

[Hope waning, Wen Ning joins him after managing to keep the door shut for the time being. It seemed he'd given up right as he'd almost found their way out. Huaisang gasps, putting what's left of the talisman out and tries to help move things out of the way, but Wen Ning has it handled pretty effectively.

For once there's a perk to being smaller than a lot of his peers, the window isn't very big, but he should be able to wiggle through it without too much trouble. Wearing so many layers should hopefully keep him from getting cut by glass too. Joining Wen Ning on the dresser he'll reach up, attempting to pull himself up through the window, but he might need a little assistance.]

Okay-

[Just gonna give a little hop up and try to use that rocking upper body strength he maybe would have had if he practiced his saber like he should. Cough.]

... this isn't as easy as it looks.

[Yes there is some embarrassing grunting as he tries again, struggling.]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ There are many disparaging comments Wen Ning could make right now about the Nie Sect Leader's lack of upper body strength, but 1) he's not that kind of person, and 2) when he was alive, his upper body strength was nothing to write home about, either. Sure, he's strong now, as a fierce corpse. But there's no way his younger self would have been able to climb up and out this narrow opening.

So, all he does is bend to lace his fingers together and place his hands under Nie Huaisang's foot, gently lifting him up so that he can crawl the rest of the way out of the window. ]

[porndealer]

[Thank you for being a good kind soul who would never judge him like that, Wen Ning. That's a real pal right there.

When the boost up is offered he'll take it, easily managing to get up and out then. The window is still quite small, but so is he so wiggling out is manageable even with all his robes on. Though they certainly don't come out unscathed. Dirty and some tears from the glass, but having his life is much more favored. He's quick to turn around and stick his hands down in return offer.]

Wen Ning, come on come on-

[He'll urge. While the door holds now, it sounds like those weird demon girls are making quite the effort to get through it.]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Up and through goes Nie Huaisang, and quick to follow is Wen Ning. He's also quite small, though not as small as the Nie sect leader, so he struggles a bit more to slide his midsection through the gap. He's able to get most of the way on his own strength, but there's a point about halfway through when he does reach out to grab Nie Huaisang's hand to pull him the rest of the way, scrambling to get all the way through.

Finally, though, the piece of fabric which had been hooked on a shard of broken glass tears, and Wen Ning is free. Looking somewhat more disheveled than he was before, but free. He stands, stumbling a few paces away from the cabin, looking back over his shoulder to make sure the demon girls didn't follow them. ]

What now?

[porndealer]

[He's not sure how much help he really is, but he'll use his strength to help pull Wen Ning up and when they're both out of there he'll feel a little better about their circumstances. They're both none the worse for wear even if their appearances aren't as pristine as before. Crawling out of a broken tiny window will do that to you.

For whatever reason Ning thinks it's best to ask him what to do next and Huaisang just knows he doesn't want to be any where near this place anymore. Who knows if those demons will get loose! They should really try to put them down, but he has no weapon of his own and they're out numbered by a lot. Even with the Ghost General on his side it would be best to just. Go.]

Get away from here-

[Turning the outlook isn't much better. There's trees and then just very. Dense. Fog. Not a good sign either. There could be more demons hiding there for all they knew. Teeth worry at his lip as he considers their options. When both options look terrible... augh, why is this his decision?!]

We can't be the only ones, Wei Wuxian could be some where o-or da-ge!

[You know, just that brother of his that is dead in certain timelines.]

But let's stick together, it's safer. Yeah?

[Aka: please don't leave him alone Ghost General.]

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ The fog surrounding the house is ominous indeed, but the house itself is full of demons, so right now the fog is looking like the better option. He nods to Nie Huaisang, a little confused by why he thinks they might find his brother out in the fog when his brother has been dead for years, but... Maybe it's the stress talking. ]

Let's go together, then.

[ And so, with one deep breath to steel himself and a final glance over his shoulder towards the house, he starts walking into the fog. ]

gmail didn't think this was important for me to see I'm sorry hhhh

[porndealer]

[Stress is a legit reason for sure. Stress, fear. For once it's not because he's scared or stressed. Timelines are crazy, one day they'll realize.]

Okay.

[Don't mind him again staying behind Wen Ning as they head towards the fog. Ning might look back at the house, but Huaisang doesn't want to look. What if the demon girls some how got out and are behind them? No no no, nope. He will however pull out his fan and attempt to well. Fan the fog away to see just how thick it really is.

Oof. That's some fog alright. Huaisang clutches at the back of Ning's robes with a hand, not wanting to get separated.]

Haha, j-just till we get through the fog.

rude gmail

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ Wen Ning has heard all the rumors about the Knows Nothing sect leader, and so Huaisang cowering behind him really doesn't surprise or bother him. He's hardy enough, he should be the one in front anyway.

The fan does little to push away any fog, and so Wen Ning moves slowly, not wanting to be caught by surprise by any more demonic dancing girls.

He pauses, though, when he hears a voice. A woman's voice, screaming in pain. ] Wait-- Do you hear that?

[ He hears it again, and... It can't be. ]

Jiejie?

[ He whirls around, trying to determine what direction his sister's screams are coming from, but the fog is too thick; it surrounds them on all sides. He can't even tell which way leads back to the cabin, now. Panic rises in him, more so than even when the dancing girls had attacked. ]

We have to find her! She needs our help!

[porndealer]

[As they move into the fog it doesn't make him feel any better, in fact it's becoming hard to determine which was better. Demon girls or thick fog that has no end in sight. The only reason he can see Wen Ning at all is because he's literally right behind him holding onto him.

When Ning stops he walks into him, confused for a second until he stops to listen himself. Hear... hear what?

Ning turns in place trying to hear whatever it is he's apparently heard and Huaisang takes a step back just enough to let him do it.]

W-Wait, hear what? I don't hear anything.

[Huaisang reaches out with one hand at Wen Ning's forearm, more so just to keep him close so he doesn't run off without him.]

What if it's just a demon o-or something wicked trying to trick you?

[lookslikeacinnamonroll]

[ As much as he hates to admit it, Sect Leader Nie has to be right. It can't be anything other than a wicked trick. His sister died years ago, he saw it happen. There's no way she could be out there in that fog now.

He shakes his head as if trying to clear it. ]

You're right. It's impossible... I... Something is tricking my mind.

[ He won't give in. He can't give in. He has to protect Nie Huaisang, and get them through this fog to safety. But the longer they move through the fog, the more he hears his sister's voice, screaming, and the harder it gets to resist it. ]