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expiationmeme2023-01-23 02:02 am
TEST DRIVE MEME #1
Welcome to the TDM for Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with fantasy, science fiction, and sometimes subtle horror elements. We ask that top-level comments are reserved for new characters and players looking to experience a taste of the world and overarching storyline. Feel free to submit any TDM / prompt-related questions to the corresponding comment below.
New players / characters looking to app are free to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Preexisting players / characters may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.
You may find the below links helpful in getting to know themes of the world, locations, the people, and so on.
A WARM WELCOME
The journey here has not been a particularly convenient one. The last thing you can recall is the room of blinding white and the incomprehensible voices that were speaking about you. Then came the dropping of the floor beneath you and suddenly you were falling into black. As you come to and regain a more clear vision of the world about you, you find that you are surrounded by pleasant greenery.
Deciduous trees are sprinkled here and there in some miscellaneous fashion. There are plants and flowers all about, the chirping of birds. Above you rests a fairly clear sky with a dotting or two of clouds. The sun is pleasant. Overall, it’s comfortable. Perhaps too comfortable.
MEADOWLANDS ARRIVAL
Within eyesight, though you can’t possibly know the footing distance, there appear to be fields. A portion of them dedicated to long stalk vegetables and the rest a neatly organised collection of leafy greens. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find that some of these look ready to be picked right away. Not much further past the fields are other buildings. Simple in style and not at all grand in structure or make. There’s people, too. It looks lively. The locals will tell you that you’ve set foot in Aldrip.
Not far from you, in fact relatively close if not in hand already, is a rolled parchment bound by a rather nondescript twine. If you unfurl it, you’ll find a generic welcoming message addressed specifically to you.Welcome to Expiation. We, who have found you so worthy and deserving, have declared you to be one of the Chosen.
The cryptic written greeting is followed by a collection of recorded statistics—physical and mental attributes, along with other observations about your person that clearly weren’t made by you (but may not necessarily be inaccurate).
Nearing the bottom is a peculiar line—You have been charged with ▬▬ and in accordance with the doctrine of this world, you have ▬▬ until you will face your sentencing. Prepare your defence adequately or face the repercussions.
In spite of that strange little addition at the bottom, which may or may not make sense to you, you’re not the only one arriving in the meadowlands. You have some options. Maybe check with a nearby fellow otherworlder, scour the fields, meet the locals. First impressions, after all, can sometimes last a lifetime.
WILD COMPANIONS
The collective of newly-arrived aren’t the only ones exploring the meadowlands. Curious about the various sounds created by those not native to the world, there are animals living in and near the surrounding areas drawn to the attention. Different types and sizes of birds and beasts or other creatures that may resemble ones from your home world begin to close in on your location. Do they mean to do you harm or are they only simply wary about who you might be and what you’re doing?
Some of them are incredibly friendly, especially if you’re inclined to provide them with food, or if they’re younger and they simply don’t know better. But be aware, for every young animal, there is likely to be a parent not far behind, and less inclined to be understanding of your strange fate in this new predicament. As such, no matter how cute something may be, reconsider taking it with you, else you may simply stir the ire of their families.
If you find yourself in a position where you’ve inadvertently stepped into a territory not meant for you, you’ll need to find either a strategic escape or resort to force and self-defence. Fortunately, some of these larger, more aggressive beasts, are much the same ones that the locals in Aldrip have been seeking to cull for the safety of the citizens. Maybe you can make some fast friends with the Expiation natives by bringing them something you’ve had to put down.
THOSE WHO WERE THERE
Those Who Were There are what the locals refer to their gods as, considering them responsible for their continued growth in the world, the abundance of their crops and sea life, the greenery that surrounds them, native wildlife, and some of the strangely advanced luxury items that make their livelihoods a touch more convenient.
You’ve arrived at an opportune time. Although the peoples of the continent freely show their appreciation for their higher beings, every once in a while, they celebrate by way of joyful festivals, grand songs, and more expressive means of their devotion.
FESTIVITIES
Aldrip seems to be a bit busier than usual, with a little more foot traffic than what may be considered a normal day in the life. There’s music in the air provided by lutes, panpipes, and the dulcet tones of men and women alike, expressing songs and tall tales of those they have come to revere as celestial beings. They believe that honouring their betters can be done with song and dance as much as it can be with offerings and prayer.
The town is bustling, a plethora of additional street stalls selling all kinds of local cuisine, jewellery, weapons, and accessories branded with insignias that represent the same wave motif as can be found on the charms every newly-arrived will receive. There’s raucous laughter, a plethora of drinks (alcoholic and non) that are passed along merrily to those wandering through if one doesn’t have a drink already. It’s the perfect way to integrate yourself with the people whilst taking in the celebration.
A portion of the town has had the land cleared, set up with a minimalistic coliseum ring for archery competition and one-on-one combat. Winners of these exchanges don’t get anything grand, but are presented with plenty of free food and drink, and some may even be awarded with some modest badge accessories from the local shops for providing the people with some sport.
Out by the fields, closer to the shoreline of the Talion Sea, there’s a grand pillar of fire that’ll burn all through the day and into the dark of the night where more music follows and accompanies spirited dancing.
SENTIMENTAL OFFERINGS
If you’re searching for a momentary reprieve from the bustle of the festival, there’s a modest walkway of cobblestone that will lead you from the main streets of stalls, drinks, and making merry. Following the way it winds and curves will eventually take you to an elaborate display of dried flowers, jewellery, fanciful cloths, and other items. Some of these hang from nearby trees. Some are draped over an altar fashioned of dark wood.
A local who spies you there kindly explains that it’s a place to leave items of offering for Those Who Were There, as gratitude for all they have granted their loyal people. They also explain that the more sentimental attachment you hold for the item you give up, the more pleased the gods will be with you. What does that mean, exactly? It’s difficult to say, but it seems that it might endear you to the locals at the very least.
Those who leave an item will receive a noticeable wave-like mark on the interior of their dominant hand wrist, almost as if it’s a brand of some kind. This is temporary mark and will only last the length of the festival, but if locals see it, they will be more inclined to give information on the land, the people, and perhaps even extra drinks, food, or shop wares.
Even if you don’t leave an item, as you’ve only just arrived and you may not have much on your person, the locals won’t punish you or think ill of you. It’ll give you a chance to gather yourself before you go back to the festival proper. If you choose to go back at all. The relative quiet is so welcoming, after all.
THE GLITCH EFFECT
NO SIGNAL
If you’ve arrived in this world with a mobile device or something akin to (notebook, laptop, and so on), you’ll find that whilst there are no electrical outlets, there are slender and flat platforms available to keep items of this nature with a charge. You cannot connect to a network and there’s no signal for a connection to grapple onto. That said, programmes that don’t require a connection to be of use (note taking applications, calculators, games), are still operable.
You may find, however, in the use of these programmes that perhaps images are not displaying properly. The colouration may be inverted. There may be unexplainable lines drawn across graphics. Text may not accurately be presented, instead a jumble and tangle of letters, forming what looks more like a mass of verbal tendrils across your screen.
Bizarre and strange sounds may emerge from your device, sometimes a low hum that may be indiscernible to others. Sometimes a high frequency that lingers in the air. It may be just a flash of sound. It may be several seconds long.
Furthermore, it is possible that you may find strange imagery imprinted on the screen temporarily, even where there should be no graphic at all. It’s there for a moment or two before it fades away, almost as if it’s subliminal messaging. The strange imagery is difficult to make out—a highly detailed eye, or perhaps what appears to be an angular face. No two images will be the same, though some may hold some eerily similar depictions.
This strange happenstance will occur periodically until the festival reaches its conclusion.
STATIC BUZZING
Don’t think if you didn’t arrive with a mobile device or related that you’re free from some of the strange electronic phenomena. Devices that are native to Expiation will experience similar errors. The difference is that the devices as a collective (personal computers, printers, cameras, the platforms for charging devices, and more) will emit a fluctuating and repeating frequency of sound cycling from high to low. Some will be able to hear it, some will not, but for those who do, it will come accompanied with a static buzzing sound, as if a connection somewhere is on its last proverbial legs.
There isn’t a means to stop the sound from emerging without depowering the device in question and even the locals don’t seem to know what to do. There are several devices strewn about Aldrip, however, so even if you should unplug one, there will be others expressing the same assault on the ears. Aldrip’s people don’t seem particularly alarmed, however, explaining to those who ask that this sort of thing simply happens every so often, and should they but have faith, Those Who Were There will handle all things ‘in good time.’
Unlike the personal devices brought in by newly-arrived, the electronic devices of Expiation will not display incorrect / jumbled graphics, text, or bizarre flashing images, which may be considered a blessing in disguise, despite having to experience the potentially annoying hum. This strange occurrence, too, will mysteriously end once the festivities have drawn to a close.
i
...It's not something you expected to see, is it?
[She brings out her own slip of parchment--folded neatly, to hide the words, but enough to show what she means.]
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[ Since long ago, she's known of her guilt. It seems the Goddess had designs for her to answer to it, even if this isn't how she would ever have imagined it to happen.
That parchment the woman was holding...it looks just like hers. Marianne wonders if there were similar words of condemnation written on it, but she can't bring herself to ask. Instead, she ventures a different question. ]
What do you think will happen to us?
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The words send a chill through Ethlyn. There's no doubting the young woman's conviction as she says it. If that's so... then are the words on her own condemnation right? Ethlyn has been trying to figure out how she could be held responsible for Grannvale's crimes when she's squarely opposed to them. Who could blame her, and how could they justify it?
That there may in fact be a way...]
...I don't know. [She shakes her head.] This place appears so tranquil. If we're here to be punished, I would have thought that someone would have arrived by now to explain how.
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[ How idyllic this meadow seemed. Not at all like the fires in the scriptures wrongdoers were condemned to. If it weren't for the note, Marianne may have welcomed a stroll through these tranquil surroundings. Instead, she finds herself staring at her shoes more than the scenery. Not to mention, the woman speaking to her. ]
I can only think this is part of the punishment. Maybe we're meant to reflect.
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[She smiles. This is difficult, to say the least, but... surely together, they can figure out what needs to be done.]
I don't intend to accept what's been handed to me by someone who didn't show their face, not without being convinced. I don't think you should, either--even if you already feel the guilt of it.
My name is Ethlyn. What's yours?
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[ She hadn't thought to question the writers at all. Ethlyn's candid words give her pause. She's already accepted her judgment, perhaps more easily than the average person due to the guilt she's carried most of her life. It feels wrong to question it. Marianne hadn't even put any kind of face to the writing on the paper, believing it to be an act from above. ]
Do you think they can be found? What if this place is...
[ The words turn dry in her throat, and she finds herself fearful to voice the thought that had just crossed her mind. She shakes her head, focusing on the introductions. ]
I'm Marianne. [ A small bow accompanies her greeting. ] It's nice to meet you, Ethlyn.
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Perhaps Marianne is wondering the same thing.]
Likewise, Marianne.
I don't know what this place is. It doesn't seem to be the hereafter, not from what people have told me already. [She isn't sure if she ought to be explicit about why she would have thought that--this poor young lady is distressed enough already.] But it does seem to be peaceful, and I think that's a promising sign.
no subject
[ Yup, Marianne had indeed been thinking they could be dead, though she'd been too afraid to voice it. While she doesn't remember dying, being in the middle of a war meant the possibility isn't zero. An enemy ambush on their camp during the night would be all it took, and then...the afterlife is where people usually answered for their sins in life, isn't it?
Though not everything adds up. She holds her arms around herself, glancing around the serene meadow. ]
If this were the afterlife, I thought for sure the Goddess would greet me. [ Instead, she was greeted by a piece of parchment calling this place Expiation. That's certainly not in the scriptures, and she knew those by heart. ]
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[No smile now. Just as Aerith was sure she was alive, Ethlyn is very, very sure that she ought not be. It was a mortal injury, and it all went dark, and then the white room.]
So if it was the afterlife--I think you would remember how you got there.
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[ Ethlyn looked calm for someone who had just passed. Marianne doesn't know what to say. She clasps her hands together reactively, as if in prayer. ]
I'm so sorry. That's just awful. [ She feels a bit sheepish now, the way she's been unloading her troubles onto the kind stranger without realizing what Ethlyn was going through. ] I shouldn't be so distressed when you're the one with reason to be upset.
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[The smile Ethlyn gives Marianne may be small and wan, but it is sincere. She still hasn't completely worked out how she feels about this... especially about what her presence here might imply for others who have died in Jugdral's current war.
But being alive... surely it does mean she can do something, doesn't it?]
Even before this, I wouldn't take kindly to being transported from my own life into a wholly different place and being handed a judgmental note. It's a situation to distress anyone, no matter what.
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[ Her classmates were right. Marianne's eyebrows knit in agitation. If only she could be more helpful to Ethlyn who had been so patient with her. ]
You're right, though. There's a lot that's suspicious about this situation.
[ Marianne's starting to come around. Even if she finds it difficult to muster any anger towards her captors, if she takes a step back and thinks about things more calmly, she can begin to see the holes. If only because she thinks that unlike herself, someone like Ethlyn certainly doesn't deserve to be punished. ]
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[Marianne might worry about being burdensome, but to meet someone whose spirits are so low--well, it's hard not for Ethlyn to catch hold of that. If Marianne's spirits need bolstering, then Ethlyn will do everything in her power to bolster them, and feel great satisfaction in doing so.]
It is very suspicious. Wouldn't it be more usual to send someone out to speak to us? A magistrate, or at least a guard, if we're here as criminals on trial.
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Yes, there are usually proper proceedings for such things.
[ Her adoptive father would certainly protest if someone had accused his heir of a crime and spirited her away. She can picture the way he'd respond, with the kind of hard-nosed questioning befit a seasoned politician. ]
I'm not how this place is governed and by whom, but I think some would question whether they should even have authority over us.
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[Marianne brings up a very salient point, too. Who are these people to be claiming the right to accuse them, much less pass a sentence?]
I think we should find that out as soon as we can. If we're dealing with reasonable people, or with the sort of tyrants who pass sentence solely for personal gain. [From her tone, it's clear that Ethlyn's got personal experience with such rulers, and she's not fond of them or their activities.] I don't know what they'd have to gain by bringing in people from other lands, but I'm not interested in being used for someone else's purposes.
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Um, I guess we should ask around. The locals at the nearest town might know something.
[ Oh boy, talking to people is not her forte. ]
The parchment didn't say we couldn't walk around. Do you think it would be okay?
[ Despite their whole "don't listen to the people who wrote it" talk, the nagging guilt inside of her makes her feel like she ought to have permission. ]
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[That's the first thing that enters Ethlyn's mind, and it's what she says at once.]
And I don't think we'll find out anything more unless we find someone who actually knows this place. I don't know what sort of reception we'll get from the locals, but if we're calm and diplomatic, I'm sure it will be fine.
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[ She suddenly has the mental image of villagers wielding pitchforks and waving the parchment in her face accusingly. A pained expression crosses her face at the thought. Hopefully that won't be the sort of town they encounter. ]
Alright. [ Remain calm and diplomatic, she can manage that, surely. Marianne takes a breath in and out. ] I'm ready to go when you are. If you don't mind sticking together, that is.