Let's do the Test Drive Again

[wolof]

I. BEARING FRUIT (NEW CHARACTERS ONLY)

It starts out as a pleasant dream. You’re in your favorite place, with your favorite people. It’s a moment of idyllic comfort.

And then, it goes wrong.

The sky turns dark above, and as you look up, you see the black expanse of space spotted with faraway pinprick lights of stars. Yet, they’re not stars. You’re certain. They’re watching you. A billion eyes all looking down, and they spill forth as if sky itself was a dam holding back those dark waters. You reach back to the people you’re with, but they’re frozen in place. Their eyes are black, reflecting only the expanse of dark eyes.

So you run, even though you know you won’t escape it. You glance back and see it not overtaking, but consuming. The landscape around you is being devoured, and you can see it cracking apart. The world itself is breaking, and it cracks under your feet. You fall, and the billion eyes chase after you until the darkness swallows you whole. There’s agony as if you’re being ripped apart, and then—

You cannot see. You cannot feel. You simply are. Yet even so, impossibly, a woman’s voice speaks gently.

I’m sorry it couldn’t be saved. But, come, it’s time to wake.

You wake with a start, cradled by soft, velvety plants, and sticky with a sap that smells faintly of honey and iron. You can see the veins of the leaves that hold you, lit warmly and gently by what looks like a crystal embedded above you. Yet, it’s odd, because that crystal calls to you. When you reach out to touch it, it’s warm. Familiar. Important. You don’t know why, but you know you must hold onto this, because now it feels wrong for it to be suspended in these leaves. So, you pull it out.

The light starts to fade, but only in time to see as the leaves cradling you immediately start to soften and crumble, and with it comes a torrent of dirt. Soft, loamy soil starts to fill the space around you in the dark as you’re buried. Or, rather, you already were. You reach out through the dirt desperately, and your hands finds a root, so you pull while you clutch that precious crystal so close that it almost feels like it sinks into you (in your panic, you don’t notice that it does). You reach out again, and this time, your hand hits open air and plenty of sturdy roots around to grab.

From a seed you’re born, and like a sprout, you make your way out of the ground.

And once you’ve clawed your way out of the soft earth and the roots, nearby, you see the soil shift. Another hand comes up to grasp desperately for something, anything, just as you had been.

II. BOUGH-BREAKER, ROOT-QUAKER

There are new Shard-Bearers at the Tree of Life, and Yima has asked that their elders return to the Tree to greet them, to bring them forth and answer their questions. She warns that it will be unlike the last time, for the Dryad's presence has gone -- the root-caverns of the Tree are damaged, the previous actions of some of the Shard-Bearers have left it injured, blackened by ill intent. Be careful, Commune where you must, but be aware that the Tree has reacted to its injury and will seek out the space within your Communions to make its agonies known.

All will experience the consequences to the actions of the few.

Whether awakening within or descending once more into the cavernous, root layer of the Tree of life is precarious; passages are maze-like, with claustrophobic squeezes and sudden chasms. Worse yet, is the miasma that hovers in the atmosphere. It leaches into your eyes, your skin, the space below your fingernails and drags through your lungs with every inhalation. Images of explosions, of fire and the sensation of shrapnel tearing through you begin to spark like fireworks within your mind. The pain builds, souring as it does.

The ambiance here is revolting. Great chasms have opened in the environment, threatening to pour inattentive Shard-Bearers into the Tree's deeper underbelly. The cloying, dark vapors around everyone dull the senses, until those you may have entered with are gone, or perhaps new bodies have joined you in the rancid space. The miasma urges you towards your baser desires, your desperate violence, and even as the Tree's pain evokes a sense of desperate self-defense, your Shard warms upon your body.

Somehow, the Tree still seeks to Commune with all -- pressing its need upon you: a single flame. A roaring pyre. A chilled ember.

THE GAME IS AFOOT

The Tree of Life cannot communicate but in abstract images and sounds, but the general gist of its need is eventually grasped by all Shard-Bearers: the miasma present is the result of an attack upon the Dryad that once lived among the roots of the Tree. Actions taken by other Shard-Bearers have left the Tree in dire straits, deeply wounded and unable to prevent itself from naturally lashing out in its own defense as it dies. It cannot let go of those it has imprisoned, until they have revealed their nature to it - until it knows it can finally, finally let go.

Characters can decide amongst themselves how to deal with the threat of miasma. It's easy to figure out, as your shards will naturally want to absorb what's similar to discord within your shards, but just like with discord, holding hands, or joining together in some way will allow the pain to be shared amongst everyone in the group. There's no such thing as failure, but if a character decides for the group, there may be the opportunity for intervention…

• Characters may choose to take on the role of a martyr, accepting the Tree's miasma ( its pain ) upon themselves as the sole sufferant. They will experience excruciating pain and lasting effects, but will spare others from this trauma.
• Characters may also choose to share the pain among themselves, though doing so will require Communion to be shared between all parties -- this will result in the temporary collapse of boundaries and barricades, and emotions and memories may flow against their will into others.
• Characters may also decide to do nothing at all, whereupon their decision to take no action will result in the miasma growing stronger, denser and more cloying until they are rendered unconscious and ejected from the roots of the tree.
• Have you a choice unique to your character that wasn't mentioned? Might you try to heal the tree's pain, or perhaps harm it further? If you're making the attempt, make sure your group is aware and submit your record of action to the link included below!

This can be done in groups of 2 to 4 players, and three is a recommendation - if you can swing it! It’s more fun when you get into philosophical debates, right? Regardless, when your group comes to a decision, please record it here. These don’t have to be fully threaded out to be recorded, so the conclusion can be discussed OOC if you prefer. Actions can be submitted until JANUARY 9TH, after which a tally will be taken of decision and filed away for later, devious uses.

III. TWO CITIES, ALIKE IN DIGNITY BUT WE ALL KNOW YIMOMMY'S WHERE IT'S AT

Having just celebrated the dual-natured festivities known as the Year's End Festival and Qiasu, Springstar and Highstorm ( respectively ) are wrapping up the period of time where Kenos a celebrates unity and togetherness, coming together with friends and family, to be kind to others and share in one’s wealth - whether that comes in the form of knowledge, monetary gains, or the exchange of gifts and one’s time. While the core festivities are over, many of the residents of Kenos are still caught up in the celebratory mood; those who are not, have begun to fret and whisper about a rumor that has spread throughout both cities.

( Many more residents are attempting to get rid of their excess stock, and may attempt to pawn off kitschy goods and, strangely, unclaimed gifts for people they claim they have no memory of, or simply do not exist. )

With the new Shard-Bearers present or en route, it is Kathova and Cetina that approach the established ones, requesting that they form mentorships with the new souls to assist them with the integration process. To this end, they have both provided a centralized zone in both Highstorm and Springstar for a small, casual meet-and-greet to be held before the new Shard-Bearers are unleashed upon Kenos as a whole.

Additionally, as Springstar and Highstorm are holding their events on different days, it is possible for the knowledge-hungry to participate in both informational sessions -- the tones and opinions held by both cities are doubtless to differ, and some Shard-Bearers who have chosen to harmonize with either faction may even find their way to the opposing faction's session as well. After all, the year's end is still lingering in the air, and cooperation is the current name of the game.

SPRINGSTAR, αιώνιος ήλιος

In Springstar, the seat of the Tribune becomes available for such a forum. While a section of the building itself has been reserved for the meeting between fresh faces and experienced Shard-Bearers alike, the hustle and bustle of Heliopolis continues around them -- acolytes still gather their robes and tomes, hurrying from their quarters to lessons. A score of young militants march in step across the yard to the training grounds.

Tables draped in white-and-gold-trimmed fabrics fare filled with fare common to Springstar's warmer climate -- fruits and wines, savory smoked meats and roasted vegetables, a series of meze platters and souvlaki skewers have been lain out to encourage forum participants to snack as they speak. The atmosphere is light, ambient with informality and friendliness, though topics will inevitably stray towards philosophic, Springstar's meeting grounds are decorated with handsome chaise lounges and slouching klismos chairs in small, intimate groupings.

HIGHSTORM, луны-близнецы

Eternally in opposition, Highstorm provides the Manor's courtyard as the setting for their informational meeting. Here, formality is of utmost importance, with attending Zenith loyalists and residents dressed in beautiful, albeit austere attire -- they are, after all, standing before Lady Yima's home. A buffet-style luncheon is spread alongside one of the largest reflecting pools, wherein you may gaze and find your memories revealed in retrospect upon the water's surface.

There are few places to be seated in the Manor's courtyard, resulting in a milling of bodies as they flow and ebb between smaller gatherings, clustering in small-to-large groups with small platters and shimmering flutes of drink held in their hands.

RUMOR MILL

In both locations information passes between all in a forum, spread and disseminated among the masses - it's a good opportunity for city residents, faction loyalists and interested new parties to share and share alike. Once the meet-and-greet has concluded, twin missives from both of the faction leads are read out -- invitations for all present to explore the cities to their heart's content, and warnings about stumbling ill-prepared ( or at all ) into the Below, or worse yet, the Beyond.

No matter how conversations between player characters go, everyone will walk away with the following knowledge to ensure new players do not feel "behind" in terms of what has previously happened on Kenos TV.

• Cyrus, the head of the Meridian faction is a native aristocrat of Springstar, who provides characters with an iliachtida, or sunbeam. This item tethers a character to their world, ensuring it does not fully disappear. His stance involves the idea that, using Meridian's light, worlds can be restored and you may return home.
• In contrast, the head of the Zenith faction is Yima, who has been the head of Highstorm since - arguably - its inception. She provides characters with a Shard of that they love most, to protect and hold. Yima believes former worlds to be lost, and looks to the future instead.
• While Harmonization occurs as the characters' Shard ( literally the manifestation of a character's soul! ) accrues the natural energies generated by Meridian or Zenith, Discord is also as natural an occurrence -- a symptom, in fact, of that process. Discord is best reduced by someone from the opposite faction, and is also influenced by the Aspect of one's character.
• Cyrus likes enchiladas.
• Many individuals recommend the following locations to new arrivals, as a means of enjoyment, involvement or further information-seeking: Highstorm's Court at Yima's Manor remains a great area for reflection and self-discovery, while the Tomes - a series of libraries - possess a magnitude of amassed knowledge, both foreign and relative to yourself. Heliopolis, the capital of Springstar, is the core of government and administration, and houses many avenues towards involvement in the goings-on of the city. Likewise, the Psychagogía District is the beating heart of entertainment within an island known for its passions.
• Rumors of past exploits linger on the lips of many. Did you know that one of Meridian's Harmonized slew one of Zenith's before the eyes of countless bystanders? That there was an expedition of Meri and Zenite Shard-Bearers dispatched to Alenroux, and some came back brutalized! Did you hear that the Shard of a Zenite is being held hostage by the Meridians?
• The new marking that has appeared upon your character's body is known as their sign of Aspect, and supposedly correlates to the fundamental truths of their soul. A Shard also exists, and is known as the characters' soul itself.

NOTES

Welcome to Kenos! As a reminder, all new players need an invite to play in the game, which are now open.

This log is Game Canon. Any characters who are not apped to the game will disappear. If Cyrus or Yima are asked, they’ll explain that this happens sometimes, since not every soul has a strong tether to Kenos and sometimes return to the Timestream. They’re fine and may even return to Kenos one day, but for now weren’t able to make the full journey.

As a reminder, your character has a Shard somewhere on their body that encompasses their soul, so keep note of where you're sticking it on their person for reference! Additionally, they have a tattoo of their Aspect somewhere on their body. Please be mindful this Aspect will be assigned to you upon approval and whatever you choose for the TDM may be temporary (for new characters)!

For the Highstorm and Springstar prompts, both cities will be fully open and accessible to all characters once they are saved from their rather harrowing ordeal at the Tree of Life. For prompt ideas and any general information about the cities and what you can find there, please see the Navigation page and check out the locations!

FOR NEW PLAYERS:

When characters emerge from their cocoon/the ground, characters may be wearing their normal clothes, or they might be nude. Up to you!

At some point in the days after leaving the Tree of Life, new Shard-Bearers will have a dream, even if they're usually not capable of sleeping. All new players should read this post, since this details how they'll learn about both factions and their goals and should help them make a decision in which Faction they'd be drawn to.

New characters will not have access to any canon abilities on the TDM.

Your character will be offered temporary housing either at the Heliopolis district or Yima's manor for the first few weeks after their arrival. They will also be given a stipend for basic supplies like clothing and personal effects, and food is served in the cantina (Heliopolis) and at regular meal times in the Dining Room (Yima's manor). Once they Harmonize, they will get personal permanent chambers and a fancy retainer in their Faction's city. Wow! 🌈

CODING

Comments

[zauneyete]

Hm?

[ He asked, his tone curious. Had he really not asked around? Then again, Silco had forced his way into Yima's business from the moment he woke up, shaking and naked and wet with sap, he'd eschewed food and rest to find out who it was that ran this place, and while he won't say he was disappointed with the measure of who she was, he certainly had no loyalty to her.

Then again, she knew that, didn't she? It had been made apparent from the first moment. She didn't care, as long as they worked to bring about the end, and as long as she held her end of the bargain, in whatever form it may take. ]

Yima is...quite unique. Most find her a soothing, gentle presence. [ Most, of course. ] She has an uncanny knack for knowing what you desire more than anything and can provide from the ether if it is a need that you have. She has pulled necessary things from my world for my...condition. [ He tapped underneath his eye. It did not matter that he didn't need it as a shard bearer, or that it had simply been shimmer to make monsters. He wouldn't say that. That was between the two of them. ]

I think you will find her an interesting individual.

[spilledinkpot]

[It has asked.

There have been a few people in his search through the city for Shiva that have mentioned this name. Yima. Lady Yima. But there have been many answers to what sort of person she was, and so it asks again, of this man who seems to show him some sort of… understanding? It is difficult to tell.

But though its mind had gone elsewhere before, to the point that it had almost seemed not to belong to this moment, place, or time any longer… this time, its attention is razor sharp and intense as it listens to Silco’s answer. What he says aligns with some of the answers he has heard before, but he also claims to have had first-hand dealings with her, not just tale and reputation, and so-]

But what is it that she desires, for what we do?

[zauneyete]

Hm, isn't that the key?

[ He asked, with a wry twist of his lips. ]

She wants the Zenith to be successful in the end. What that means varies, I think. We only have the information from her and Cyrus, and information presented from others is always suspect without enough...confirmation.

[ At least, for some of their goals. He knows, of course, deep in where his shard lay, where the heart of all of that anger and hatred lie, that Zenith was right, because it mirrored his own desperate hatred for a reality without -- ]

The promise is, at the end of this all, that you will be reunited with your loved ones, if we are able to... rid the universe of it all. [ Just destroy the universe, to get everything back. ] Once it's all gone, we can shape what the universe will look like, us and whomever it is you hold close.

That's what she wants, according to her.

[spilledinkpot]

[The concept that people did not always tell the truth when presenting their cause is not one unfamiliar. It would be foolish to blindly trust this man, just as it would be foolish to blindly trust the leader of either faction. He had doubted the Black Children in his world, just as he had doubted the soldiers who came to claim Shiva. They each had their own agendas, neither of which was protecting her...

But there is no harm in listening. Whether it turns out to be true or not...

The idea of destroying a universe to create a new one is... so far beyond the scope of what he wished to do. One child... he had simply wanted to live quietly, and to keep Shiva safe. So how, now...]

She would have all of us be as gods in a new world... ?

[All of them? Even if there is no answer to be known... He cannot help but ask.]

[zauneyete]

As far as some understand it, yes.

[ He says, but Silco now has a non-committal tone. He neither believes in, nor trusts Yima. In the slightest. He is a man who is driven, and full of hate, but similar to this creature, all he wanted was one person, one place, a wild and free city with which to let chaos reign and power thrive. He had neither, and thus, there was only one option left to him, he thought. Only one direction to take.

What more could he do, but destroy it. ]

Personally, I want nothing more than the goal. Whether or not we are "gods" or direct some new world is meaningless to me. It is not what drew me to Zenith, and nor will it be what drives me in this place.

[spilledinkpot]

[There is much that can be implied from the words this man shares with him now. If he were the type to think the worst... it would be dire implications indeed. A man who does not attach himself to cause he serves, who wants a goal and seems not to care for the means or path...

And yet, he cannot condemn certain parts of it. Not without hypocrisy. If Shiva could be returned to him... if this Yima woman was the only one who could do so...

He does not comment on the other man's motivation, condemning or supporting. Instead... he straightens back up to his full height, adjusting the long black coat and smoothing its lapels absently before his pale eyes find the other again.]

If I request an audience with that woman, might I use your name?

[He will need to hear it, first, but. Despite being told that she might foresee his visit... it seems best to go with the name of someone who had recommended her "services".]

[zauneyete]

[ To do monstrous things just to have one's daughter returned to them? Ah, yes. Silco would understand that above all things. It is what drives him as well. It is what makes him so desperate to find the end of this all. To find the end in all things. He wants to drive a stake in the heart of the world, to --

No matter. He ran a hand through his hair and smiled congenially. ]

You may. It is Silco.

[ He said, with a little flourish. If Teacher mentioned him, he was certain it would not... particularly help him. He already worked fine with Yima. She knew of his devotion toward Zenith, and certainly knew what his goals were. She knew it was not to her, but even so. It sold his devotion well, didn't it? ]

Do tell her I said hello, as well.

[spilledinkpot]

[He does not know yet if he will need it... but in case they ask, or it does prove required... he would have it. He could potentially get to an audience with the lady quicker, reunite with Shiva sooner...

That idea is the only thing on his mind now. Seemingly grateful, the spiral-shaped horns (well, one and a third horns, part of the right one seems to have been sliced off) bob in the air as the man? creature? bows slightly.]

Thank you.

[It occurs to him, a moment later,]

- I apologize. I do not remember my name, and cannot give you one in return.

[Shiva had called him "Teacher"... but he was not that to this man, and so, he has nothing. But it does not bother him. There are other things to concern himself with.]

But I will pass on the message.

[zauneyete]

Hm, well, you may want to select one soon, lest someone give you one.

[ He says it not unkindly, but it's with a touch of amusement. That was often an opening to have a mocking name set up, or something like a joke, if one didn't have a name.

Not that it was his business, but it did make it hard to address the guy.

Well, little matter, wasn't it? He didn't move from the top of the building, but offered a look at the man, a pause: ]

If you end up staying with us, I suppose I'll see you around soon enough.

[spilledinkpot]

[There is a moment in which he thinks... he could simply give the name that Shiva had assigned him. But also... there is a part of him that thinks he would rather not like to hear another voice call him by the "name" he had become accustomed to hearing her say, in that cheerful, lovely voice. And so,]

Others are welcome to call me whatever they like.

[And that included Silco. As long as he knew to answer to it... It did not matter to him.

But now that he has a destination... he desires to move towards it. With a slight bow, he excuses himself with a last,]

Good day.