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MAY TDM.
● ● ● T D M . 0 1
So what do you say? What are you willing to do to erase your regret from existence?
These words ring in your ears when you wake with a gasp — perhaps the last thing you remember after hearing them is the sense of free-fall, or your throat constricting as tears threaten to fill your eyes. Whatever it is, you can’t shake the feel of dread — that whatever you’ve done in your dream has changed everything forever.
As the sense of dread fades and your heart slows into something resembling a normal tempo, you notice something you should have noticed immediately: you are not in your bed.
1.0 White walls, clinical yet clean, sparsely-furnished rooms. You may wake in one of three rooms: a room with only one bed, a room with two beds, or a room with four beds. Those waking up in rooms with more than one bed notice that they are not alone. Perhaps the other occupants of the room are still sleeping, only to wake up with their heart pounding… or perhaps they have been awake for longer, a spectator to everyone else’s dreaming.
What you do is entirely up to you: try and wake the others from their dream? Yell in surprise when you wake to someone staring at you? Or maybe you’ll try to sneak away before anyone else wakes...
After all, nothing binds the characters to the room they wake up in. If you find your bed comfortable, you may claim it as yours, or try to change rooms. However, there are only eight one-person rooms — so those who want solitude may have to fight for it.
2.0 Those with life-threatening injuries find themselves awakening in the infirmary, in a regular hospital bed. Most of their injuries have been treated, and any lingering illnesses or conditions will have designated medicine bottles on the table next to the bed.
White curtains surround the bed on both sides, giving an illusion of privacy. But is that a rustling sound you hear? Some footsteps? Perhaps you’re not the only one in need of some medical attention.
In fact, if you’re very badly off, you may want to hope for some company — you can’t stay in the infirmary forever, and will have to make your way through the hallways of the station to the living quarters, and claim a room and a bed there.
Suddenly, the soft hum of the station is replaced by loud static, like an old radio being turned on. Wherever you are on the station, it’s impossible to miss it — or the clear voice that follows.
With that, the speakers go silent — though if characters follow Viveca’s instructions, the earpiece will provide them with a chance to speak to her again.
True to her word, there is a lot to do and see on the station. When characters leave their rooms, they have the chance to explore all of the Southeastern and Southwestern Wings, and the Center of the station.
3.0 In the armory, characters can try to work the machine to make themselves some weapons to perhaps replace ones that didn’t come with them to the station, or to simply be prepared for future missions... but there aren’t many materials available, so the more the weapon requires, the more chance there is of the end result being less than satisfactory. A gun whose barrel is made out of recycled rings, a sword that’s just the blade and no handle, a knife made out of cheap aluminium — well, it’s better than nothing, right?
4.0 Eventually, when characters get hungry and want to eat, the kitchen and mess hall are ready for them… mostly. What food there is on the station seems to have been stocked for long-term storage: canned foods, dried meat and fruit, dried herbs and seasoning, condiments, some rather musty root vegetables and cartons of chicken stock. It’s certainly not impossible to make good dishes out of those, but it may require some skill.
5.0 The lab provides an interesting space for those who enjoy tinkering and technology — though the parts available are all in large boxes with no apparent method to their sorting. It may very well be that what you need for a hoverboard or a robot dog are in the boxes — it’s just a matter of finding it!
6.0 Meanwhile, those who want to train (or perhaps let off some steam by sparring with others) find the training room suitable for their needs. On top of the entire room existing for the express purpose of training, whether it’s martial arts, weapon skills or magic, anyone entering the room will see a message pop up on their network:
Complete these tasks for a boon:
a. Teach someone a new move or skill
b. Win a sparring match against someone
c. Learn to fight with a new weapon, style or skill
Should you take up this challenge, any time you complete any of the three, you’ll see that one turn light green — a mark of completion. Once all three are completed, you’ll see a new message:
Congratulations! You are now eligible for one (1) boon. Please check in later for submissions.
But when is later? What submissions? Even if you try to ask, no answer comes… all you can do is hope that you haven’t done all that work in vain.
7.0 A welcome reprieve to the cold, dark space that surrounds the characters can be found in the sunlight room. A skillful illusion surrounds anyone who steps inside the room: characters will hear birds singing, feel a light breeze on their skin, as they walk through a grass field, a meadow and a small forest. In the middle of the room, a small brook runs the width of the room, and to cross it one must walk over a bridge — wooden, creaky, yet undeniably charming.
There are other things to do, of course… but the only room that requires a mandatory visit from everyone is the simulation room...
For those eager to get started, it might be best to do a little practice run first, huh? When you’ve successfully entered the simulation, you will immediately be provided with a supply satchel containing the following: a grapple hook, a long cord of rope, a flashlight, and a couple of snack bars (these will not actually feed you IRL). And your mission, if you choose to accept it (and you must, right? Otherwise what else are you doing here?) is as such:
There’s an orb buried deep in the Lodgen Mountain Mines — a series of winding underground tunnels long since abandoned now that any and all useful resources had been picked clean — and it’s causing a little bit of a problem down there, but the good news is that it’s yours to claim so long as you can get in and get out. You see, there’s been a cave-in and the culprit is the orb itself. Extracting this valuable object might take a little bit of doing, and if that’s not complicated enough, the orb’s presence appears to be the cause for the mines being in their current state of fragility.
Still: you’re resourceful, and more than that, you’re determined, and you can enter the mines in the following ways: going in from the top and climbing down through the mine shaft; going in from beneath the rubble where a narrow but perfectly safe-ish tunnel opening leads back into the mountain; finding an entry point from the mountain’s side by way of a refreshing dive into the lake that neighbours the mines.
8.0 If you decide to climb into the mine through the mine shaft, there’s a risk of the rocks you’re using as hand and footholds to crumble, or for the rocks to give way against your weight.
9.0 If you decide to go in through the tunnel, be careful you don’t take the wrong prong in the fork of paths. One will get you closer to the orb, but the other might lead you into the darkness where the first thing you’ll notice are several beady little specks of light reflecting off the beam of your flashlight, accompanied by the sharp chittering of large monster rats who haven’t had a decent meal in who-knows-how-long, and are eager to befriend you. It’s probably a good time for that weapon you have on you, or if that’s not an option, maybe there’s something you can MacGuyver from your supply bag?
10.0 Swimming is always an option, but like all unknown waters there’s the risk that you’re not alone, and we don’t just mean your fellow teammate swimming somewhere close by. (Though you might want to continue onwards together, Buddy System Style and all.) There are beautiful, haunting creatures that live in the depths who have the ability to draw their prey towards them through song — Sirens, some might call them. They call to you now, and oh boy, don’t you want to dive deeper? See what secrets they hold? Now would be a good time for your swimming partner to pull you back to your senses or be lost to the waters.
But okay! You’ve made it. Don’t forget that the mines are still in a very fragile state, so it’s best to tread carefully and avoid making sounds that could agitate the delicate infrastructure and risk the whole mission — and your simulated life. This is on you. This is about you.
Or is it?
When you’ve neared the location of the orb, you’ll find that it’s mostly quiet and you’re on your own, except … if you stand still for long enough, you can hear muffled cries for help behind a large wall of rock right by you, sounds that are clearly distressed and panicked. But before you can make any kind of snap decision, there’s a tiny blip of static in your earpiece and a matter-of-fact voice will state that you should probably get going — there’s an orb to recover and you’re nearly there. Anything else you attempt to do is outside of your mission, and time is ticking. Will you listen to the voice or will you try and save the trapped? You might be successful, but time is running against you and the longer you stall the more unstable the mines become.
● ● ●
N O T E: During each mission, characters will be given one personal goal to complete. For the purposes of the test drive, we’re offering three goals to choose from and leaving it to players to pick one for their character and run with it:
A Choose the most difficult or challenging path into the mountain.
B Help a teammate during the mission.
C Retrieve the orb at all costs, leaving any possible trapped individuals to fend for themselves.
F Y I
• TDM threads can be used as samples for apps. In fact, we encourage it!
• Reserves are currently open to those with invites. They will be open for everyone May 26.
• Apps open for those with invites May 26. They will open for everyone May 29.
• For any questions regarding TDM, please direct them here. For questions about the game, please refer to the FAQ.
no subject
maybe it bothers him that inej thinks so highly of her. and that, by extension, inej may think less of him, as a result. he can acknowledge that, recognise the weakness in it, and set it aside. alina has slightly more value to him here than she would in kerch, being one of a few familiar faces and an asset in the field. if you steal a one-of-a-kind artwork, your options are limited: too recognizable to sell openly, too valuable to keep hidden (and she wouldn’t look half as nice on his mantel as the dekappel oil, offense intended). but here, no one knows sankta alina. she's a magician who hasn't yet revealed her trick. that's better, the best.
granted, she still might be more trouble than she's worth. as anticipated, she chooses heroism over pragmatism. god, he feels tired already, rolling with the momentum of her counter-shove to swivel on his left leg.
if they’re someone you know? he would know inej and jesper’s voices anywhere — would find a crack in the wall so they could claw their way out together, even if their bones were crushed in the process. ]
[ immediately, brows flying high. ] And you’re going to light your way to them? [ without waiting for a response. ] The orb is what’s causing this. We find it, we stabilise the cave. [ a sweep of his free hand at their surroundings. the mountain shudders again, dirt dusting his pale skin. ] If they’re real, humans can survive for weeks without food, and we’ll end this long before then.
[ please… be open to logic… ]
no subject
he can't promise that. even if he could, experience has taught her a valuable lesson in eyeing every grand promise made to her with wary caution. ]
Humans can't survive weeks without breathing, [ she shoots back — or tries to, through a rasping exhale that proves how stubbornly set her conviction is. she sputters again, expelling dirt into her sleeve to unclog her airways. ] What are you going to do? Beat me away from them with your cane? Sorry to disappoint you, but I've built up an immunity.
[ thank you, baghra. pinning him with a flat, unamused stare, she barrels on — nudging her shoulder into the rock's jagged edge, once it begins to slice and scrape at her palms. when that fails — when it doesn't so much as budge, beneath the force of alina's slim weight — she huffs out an exhausted breath, wiping her hands down on her knees, once it becomes clear she can't do this alone. ]
At least help me leave an opening for air.
no subject
his expression remains flat, tight with the tension that comes from the ticking clock and crumbling ceiling. beat her with his cane, ha. he supposes his reputation hasn’t risen enough to carry across the fold, but one day, it will. for now, all his tricks remain hidden — in the fingers of his gloves and the fabrikator-made topper of his cane. at least help me leave an opening for air. a want slightly less unnecessary and foolish than a full-scale rescue. he hesitates. whether or not the rock crushes them (like bodies, like the tides) remains a spin of maker’s wheel. breaking into the little palace, facing general kirigan, braving the fold — surely any day now, his number will come up.
best to make his own luck.
without warning, he clicks off his torch and pockets it in his overcoat. ]
Light the way, sun summoner. [ the wall, the room. their hand-held torches are a waste of time, with her talents. ] We’ll need to choose our mark wisely.
[ in the darkness, kaz limps to the wall and waits, gaze sharp on her even in the dark. this is his chance to see alina starkov’s tricks up close, after all. the boy who’d believed in magic and stories had died at sea, but even dirtyhands can marvel at a skill well-honed. ]
no subject
the command chafes, but alina's too overcome with relief for indignation to replace it. an audible breath breezes out of her alongside every unyielding argument she had already been poised to give, easing out some of the tension shaping her shoulders into hard ridges as she offers a short, sharp nod.
— and says nothing of the fear that curdles in the pit of her stomach, the dread of failure as she reaches for light welling inside of her. she has no guarantee it will answer when the darkling's hold on that power is bitten into her skin, chunks of embedded antler hidden beneath — and daring to bore through — the high collar of her shirt. what is rightfully her own, shackled to his hands. her eyes flutter closed, grasping for the tether that will pull it to the surface.
like a kindling spark between the swipe of her fingertips together, it flickers to life — an orb of white-hot heat spilling from her hands, sunlight leaking from the very pores of her skin in a hazy, eruptive glow. the cavern tunnels seem to flood with daylight before she concentrates it, drifting above their heads to illuminate the precarious stone wall.
specks reflect in her eyes as she opens her eyes, still unable to shake the incredulity of her own accomplishments, the disbelief over what she's become, and turns them on him. anxious, expectant. ]
Your turn.
[ she nods toward the rock with a tip of her chin. she won't do him the disservice of believing him incapable, as so many had thought her to be — small, frail, quiet. appearances are deceiving, she's found, and strength lurks inside the most unexpected people. ]
i know nothing of caves & refuse to learn
a watchful thing, his cold blues track the fluttering light and the way her features crack open, unsure of herself or what she can do. strange, after her display in the fold. as the orb shimmers overhead, air catches in his throat. although inej had been moved to see her saint, kaz believes in nothing but what he can see, understand, and use himself. yet the display astounds. of course it does. perhaps if sankta alina had shined her light on him long ago, before he became kaz brekker, he’d have found less comfort in the shadows.
a curt nod. then, he surveys the cavern. when no obvious fissures in reveal themselves, he flicks up the brim of his hat and leans against the wall, ear flush to the dirt. not for the first time, the heaving interior of a beast comes to mind. ]
I’ll tell you a trade secret, from one fugitive to another. [ the attempted kidnapping slash aiding and abetting of the sun summoner will absolutely drive up the price on his wanted posters. #humbled ] The best escape routes aren’t built from scratch. [ rapping his knuckles on the rock. listen, tap, repeat. easier and better to make a door where the rock is thinnest, rather than blow out a key support.
his mouth hooks to one side, sly. ]
They’re found. [ stepping back, he squares his stance and lifts his cane, one gloved hand held firm below the topper and the other braced at the base. there’s no merit in telling her to take cover, given her distaste for orders, and their certain death, if chance obliterates his calculated odds. the only way out is through. he slams the reinforced steel of the raven’s head into the wall, dislodging a rock with a sickening crash. a wind-up, and he repeats the move, denting a second rock. on the third hit, it breaks free. one more crack of his cane and then another. from above, pebbles rain down on them.
tilting back with the reverb, his arms vibrating and aching from the effort, he flips the cane to drill the fine end through the sediment and test the depth. it gives under the force of his grasp, through to the other side. as he pulls back, he tosses a keen glance at alina. ]
And improved. [ with a haphazard swipe of his arm, he clears the dust from his nose and mouth. a jerk of his head at the hole indicates that she can have a look for herself and pass judgement. ]
i know nothing about writing and at this point i'm too afraid to ask
it doesn't work. her heart squeezes in her chest as though living inside of her own skeleton is too suffocating, claustrophobic and unwelcome. only as the gap widens, large enough for a gust of air to ventilate, does the process of breathing become easier. a hiss of air in, a breeze of relief out, the stifling ache in her sternum's cavity soothed. it's nothing close to making amends, but — is that not what they're here for? a regret washed away. a city saved from the hungry eclipse of kirigan's power swallowing it whole.
she laughs — a sound no better than a whispered scoff, breathless in its disbelief. ]
I'm not —
[ a fugitive. the defense leaps readily to her tongue, honed instinct after a life of enduring insults and unfounded accusations. after a lifetime of being perceived as a threat. with a wrinkle of her nose, she swallows down the protest; for once, fugitive isn't far from the mark of what she is. sardonic, and unmistakably bitter toward herself: ]
I may not be an expert fugitive, but I think I've mastered some crimes. Like existing, for example.
[ she winces as the little nicks on her palms brush her trousers as she approaches, peering through the small hole. whoever remains on the other side, perhaps that's all they'll need — an opening to crawl through, a hopeful light to follow. that's all they can do, for now, if the orb will truly put an end to this. she twines her fingers, calling the light closer to her, hovering in the space between herself and kaz. ]
Maybe they'll get themselves out, now that they have a chance to escape. [ she doesn't sound so certain of it, trying to convince herself to leave it be and find her way toward the orb. she straightens and lifts her eyes back to him, sincere when she manages, after a short stretch of silence: ] Thank you.