TEST DRIVE MEME #5.

[acatamods]

I ▫ main IV ▫ premise       XI ▫ applications XIV ▫ activity II ▫ logs V ▫ rules VII ▫ bestiary   IX ▫ canon updates XII ▫ taken XV ▫ drop/hiatus III ▫ ooc VI ▫ faq VIII ▫ setting   X ▫ mods XIII ▫ reserves XVI ▫ players test drive meme #5 It happens in the blink of an eye. One moment, you are home. Perhaps you are with your family, perhaps you are at work. It's a completely normal day . . . and then, suddenly, your stomach drops. You are overcome with a sudden sense of vertigo. You cannot see up, or down, or where you are. You fall flat on your face. It's bright, warm, and humid . . . for now. Weirdly, the weather seems to be entirely in flux. One moment, it is warm and humid, and within the next handful of hours, it is starting to snow. Whatever is going on with Astoria seems to be messing with the atmosphere of the Temple, and as a result, you are having something of a wild entrance to Acatalepsy. It takes a few seconds for you to gain composure and catch your breath. You are surrounded by ancient stone buildings, with carvings you do not recognize etched into the stone. There's a sense of nausea, overwhelming and sudden, when you realize you aren't in Kansas anymore. Indeed, it seems as if you have fallen down the rabbit hole. A weird, mysterious, snowing-yet-humid rabbit hole. THE TEMPLE OF BEGINNINGS. Welcome to the "Home Base" of Astoria's Circle. What the actual name of the base is called is lost to the ages, and there's no sense of where you could find it, unless you started asking around. At any rate, this is a central hub of the Circle, a place of powerful magic and mysterious energy. It is a scattering of ancient stone buildings and for the most part, it looks abandoned . . . except for what seems to be a few items, some rooms taken, items moved or organized, even a small garden planted. These are just the smallest hints that there are people here that have been here before you arrived. Overall, it's fairly beautiful. However, it is definitely not modern. Upon exploration, you find that the buildings are kept up by some kind of magic. Some of the rooms have items, things from other Circle members already settled, and others appear to be unclaimed. Pick your rooms, explore the grounds, see the beauty and wonder all around you in such a magical place. However, be careful -- there is some additional movement around the Temple that seems specific to the time of year. HAPPY UN-BIRTHDAY. The kitchen has become overtaken with a flurry of activity. Vines have woven their way into the area of the Temple typically reserved for food, and there is a massive tea party! What a splendiferous thing -- surely this can't be all that bad. There is such a massive array of food here that it almost seems impossible to know where to start . . . tea and cookies set out with messages that read “EAT/DRINK ME." Well, if you insist. However . . . certain foods and drinks have certain effects upon your person that are wholly unexpected. Well, drat. If you taste the rosehip tea, you are suddenly infatuated with the first individual you lay eyes on. They are everything to you. You think you may even want to propose, immediately, right now. Weddings, I love weddings! Tasting the ladyfingers will cause you to spill your deepest secrets to whoever is nearby. Have a secret crush? Not anymore! The entire room has to know about it, and you somehow can't seem to shut up about whatever you've been trying to keep quiet. A sip of the chamomile tea will cause you to become ridiculously sleepy. That corner looks like a particularly delightful place to take a nap, doesn't it? Maybe someone else wants to nap too. The Madeline cakes cause a ridiculously high spike in happiness. Nothing can get you down, not even the grumpiest of people. Smile, smile, smile! You need to spread this joy to everyone in your reach. A nibble of the scones will prevent you from lying. . . and, in addition, you will be brutally honest on whatever question you're asked. Maybe now is a bad time to give an opinion on your friend's outfit or new haircut, hm? And, finally, the Earl Grey tea will cause an enhancement of your Astoria given powers. Make sure you have that under control, or you may accidentally blow out a window, depending on what it is. YOU'RE LATE, YOU'RE LATE. The Unseen Servants will be a little, well, mad. Not that anyone will be able to see them, but there will seem to be things moving around the Temple at random, whether they be sheets, clothing, food, furniture, etc. with very little if any logical reason to it. It almost appears like the sheets and the like are moving throughout the air without any rhyme or reason to it . . . someone certainly isn't happy that the Temple is all astray. In addition, the Unseen Servants may also be attempting to steal things off of you. After all, you are also new to their world, and they want to make sure everything is put into their proper place, so beware any silent mischievous Unseen Servants dipping hands into pockets. Also . . . some of the rooms in the Temple are shifting around. Certain entryways could lead you to a select location at random. You may have thought you were entering your room, but it appears you’ve wound up in someone else’s. Or the bathhouse. Or the forest. Either way, you may find yourself lost for a bit...until the Temple decides to stop playing tricks on you. Keep track of your location, or you may wind up in the Forest of the Fey by mistake. OFF WITH YOUR HEAD. Should you approach the fighting ring, you’ll find that isn’t quite what you’d expect — there are no training dummies to be found, the rusted gates are colored a lavish gold, and the dirt ground has been replaced with a red and black checkered flooring. More notably, the ring itself seems to have expanded to make way for seating so that it’s become more of an arena than anything. There is an audience of spectators: many of them are typically known as the bestiary of this Temple. They are a bit more, er, refined and chatty today. When you enter, the gates will shut behind you. They will not budge. You have now entered a makeshift Royal Court. Suddenly, a playing card manifests in your hand. It might be… A Heart: A princess-like figure is displayed on this card. She appears to be singing. A Diamond: A gallant knight-like figure is displayed on this card. He appears to be fighting. A Queen: A refined queen-like figure is displayed on this card. She sits atop a throne, her finger pointed right at you. A King: A triumphant-king like figure is displayed on this card. He stands on a podium for all to see. A Joker: A jester-like figure is displayed on this card. He is dancing, laughing, and making a general fool of himself. On the back reads a message that states “This card withholds your role. You’ll be permitted to leave once we are thoroughly entertained. Best of luck!” No further instruction is given. Those who have entered with you are in the same predicament. How will you interpret your card? Who are you stuck with and how will you satisfy the audience? Or are you a member of the audience instead? Either way, good luck getting out — it’s up to you! COMMUNICATIONS. Upon arriving, you will notice on whichever is your non-dominant hand, you will have a fairly simply screen. A smart watch, if you will. Upon exploration, you will find that it has a directory of all those here with you at the Temple of Beginnings- names, and access to a direct message to them. The watch also has video, audio, and text capabilities, as well as what looks like a collection of messages sent to everyone who wishes to open them. This is your 'network', and also how Astoria can reach out and communicate with you. There is nothing keeping you from removing and/or losing your watch! But remember that you will not have access to this network without it. OOC: Also feel free to join us and other possible players on our discord server! enjoy! ♥

Comments

[elegant_and_proud]

[So much for that hope. She gestures to one of the cakes.]

I did see someone become exceptionally happy from eating one of those. Almost euphorically so. So far, illness has not befallen them.

[Which doesn't mean that it won't, but it's possible that the food is drugged rather than poisoned. Or maybe it's fine and she's only imagining things, but a little caution never hurt when it comes to strange food.]

[dogwood]

[ A slow-acting poison is still a possibility. Jun presses his lips together into a thin line, eyeing the table for a moment longer before shaking his head. ]

Guess some other people will have to be sacrificed for the greater good.

[ He says it dryly, but in some ways it's true. With a small sigh Jun continues to the next relevant (??) topic. ]

Anyway. I'm Jun.

[elegant_and_proud]

The simplest way would be to convince people that the food is perfectly fine by pretending to eat it ourselves.

[A feat that would have been easier if she still had access to her magic, but since she does not, some old-fashioned sleight of hand will have to do.]

My name is Ikaruga.

[She inclines her head politely.]

A pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[dogwood]

Yeah, nice to meet you too.

[ Though they haven't actually seen someone drop dead, Jun remains loathe to risk it. ]

We could just wait for people to convince themselves. Someone's going to be careless enough to do it.

[elegant_and_proud]

[She's spent enough time around the very sort of people who would poison a banquet if it served a purpose, so she can appreciate Jun's prudence right now.]

A distinct possibility, yes, but the more at ease we seem with our surroundings, the more likely someone else will let down their guard.

[She looks over the food.]

Perhaps we should put something on our plates and simply look too engaged in conversation to have gotten around to eating yet.

[dogwood]

Yeah. [ Sounds like a plan. Jun walks slowly forwards, checking their surroundings as he finds a plate and holds the painted porcelain cautiously. ]

Though that requires us to have... conversation.

[elegant_and_proud]

Are we not conversing now?

[Daintily, she plucks one of the cakes and sets it down on her plate, then pours herself some tea. She's so precise and delicate in how she touches everything, that it's evident that etiquette and formality come naturally to her.]

But perhaps a more lighthearted topic would be best, yes?

[dogwood]

Sure.

[ He casts about, picking apart one of the pastries on his plate. ]

So do you like dyeing your hair?

[elegant_and_proud]

This is my natural hair colour. It's somewhat uncommon where I come from, but not unheard of for people to have hair that is pink, blue, purple, or green. A veritable rainbow of possibilities, without the aid of hair dye.

[This is not her first time finding herself far from home, and her hair was one of her most identifying features in the place she just came from before arriving here.]

I take it that is not the case where you come from?

[dogwood]

Yeah, no. I was going to be impressed, but if it's natural I don't have a lot to say.

[ Though the length and style is still—a lot and impressive. Jun's not about to come out and say that. ]

Not that I know anything about hair.

[elegant_and_proud]

Does magic exist where you come from?

[She knows that's not the case for all worlds, so she's honestly curious.]

Roughly ten percent of the population is capable of using it my home country. The number is lower in other parts of the world.

[dogwood]

No. [ Not any magic that'd change hair color, anyway, and if Jun's telling a bit of a white lie—hopefully her magic won't be able to detect that. ]

So how much magic can that ten percent do?