∎ ETRAYA MODS ∎ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
etrayamods) wrote2025-11-04 10:03 am
etrayamods) wrote2025-11-04 10:03 am
welcome to pollux.
❬ welcome to pollux ❭
Arrival went as expected.
You're sleeping, until you're not. There's the soft beep, beep of a vitals monitor nearby, keeping track of your heartbeat - or lack thereof, if you don't have one. Everything feels heavy, like your body's being weighed down to the comfortable cot beneath it. Eventually, that heavy, sedated feeling starts to wear, and you're able to open your eyes, to sit up. You can stay there and pretend to sleep as long as your heart desires if preferred.
Regardless, once your eyes are open, your attention will be drawn to the hologram of a man flipping through the pages of a (hologram) book. Once he has noticed you have become conscious, he’ll turn his focus onto you, albeit with a look that implies he’s irritated by the responsibility given to him.
“It took you long enough, didn’t it? I am running on an extremely tight schedule, and am now running,” his attention turns to the watch on his wrist, checking the time, “approximately four minutes behind. Ah, well, I can't do anything about it now. Welcome to Pollux. And good luck to you.”
He will stay for a little while, checking his watch every few moments as if ensuring he isn’t falling too off track. If one does not speak up, he will simply leave. If they are rude, he may stand and leave the room, noting he will not allow himself to lose time to someone who is making him tardy.
Otherwise, he will explain that the multiverse is slowly falling apart. While worlds have not begun dying off just yet, they're on the cusp of destruction. Echo has made an impossible choice: only some worlds will survive, and the individuals pulled to Pollux are the ones who will get to decide which world is worthy of being saved. Through their actions on Pollux, they'll earn Echo's favor, thus saving their universe.
There is no alternative, Castor explains. Many have tried to find one, spending years, decades, searching for the answer to save everything. Unfortunately, the multiverse is just too big, and trimming it down is the only way to ensure the world as a whole survives at all.
At some point in time your character has arrived to Pollux, a bubble city very similar to Etraya in that those who arrive there are told that they are present in order to prove their world is worth saving.
Every other month or so, they embark on a mission meant to aid them in proving something - whether it’s their strength, their character, how sound of mind they are, how kind, wise, clever - missions can be nearly anything, but are always made to test something. We ask that you don’t get too specific on previous missions without checking these through the others coming in with your application round! But this post is your area to plot out previous missions, discuss how they went, and decide what you would like for your characters to have gone through during their time. You are welcome to decide how long their stay with Castor had been, too!
The city of Pollux is similar to Etraya in that it is a bubble city run by an AI, but the similarities end there. This particular city is extremely high-tech, with tall buildings that reach up to the end of the protective barrier’s limitations. There is a small park toward the center of the city, but the rest of it is composed of buildings all maintained by the companion bots - who are always very, very busy. Castor seems much more obsessed with maintenance of his city and keeping everything crisp and updated than focused on the residents themselves: he sends them off on their missions, ensures they have what they need, but otherwise leaves them be to do as they please. And he has a habit of. . . forgetting some residents on occasion.
This isn’t the first time Castor has called it a day and left others behind when they were not at the portal on time. After all, he is a very busy man! A whole city to attend to! People to feed, bots to maintain! If others cannot keep on his schedule, that sounds like a problem for them to solve themselves, not one for him.
Your characters, while initially fighting to save their world on Pollux, have now been left behind while on a mission on Auriel, a country of the Fae.
❬ BETWEEN THE NIGHT AND MORROW ❭
As a note, the majority of this is pasted from our upcoming plotting post, so this information will repeat what you will see on Friday.
Auriel is a country that is known for rejecting outside influences. While it is situated on a massive planet with many different continents to explore, Auriel has shut itself off from everything else, adding a barrier around its lands to prevent others from entering. The Fae who reside within the barrier once depended on the belief of others in their world to survive, but centuries of evolution and adaptation have allowed them to sustain themselves based merely off of their own belief in their existence. They do not rely on outside sources, and instead shun other cultures entirely.
Instead, Auriel has separated itself into five Courts, each with their own specialties, weaknesses, and talents therein. While Fae are not born into these specific courts, they discover their own specialties around their ninth birthday, and are removed from their parents’ care and into the care of their Court instead. When they are sorted, they are moved into one of four main Courts, one for each season and two each for Seelie and Unseelie.
The fifth court, Corvinae, is populated by outcasts who discover later in life that they do not quite fit in with the Court they were destined for. Perhaps their abilities later - shifted. Perhaps they discovered with age that despite their specialty being flames, they simply did not have the affinity to maintain the fire within them. Regardless of the circumstances, all outcasts are welcome in Corvinae -- but the change is permanent, as they're branded as oathbreakers to the rest of the Fae and widely shunned. Corvinae live in secret.
The continent is broken up into four areas, one for each main Court. While the Courts do generally keep to themselves, there are quarterly gatherings at the lands where their continents merge in which they share resources, offer their assistance to other Courts, and throw large parties in which they can celebrate one another and what they have accomplished.
Auriel is a country that is known for rejecting outside influences. While it is situated on a massive planet with many different continents to explore, Auriel has shut itself off from everything else, adding a barrier around its lands to prevent others from entering. The Fae who reside within the barrier once depended on the belief of others in their world to survive, but centuries of evolution and adaptation have allowed them to sustain themselves based merely off of their own belief in their existence. They do not rely on outside sources, and instead shun other cultures entirely.
Instead, Auriel has separated itself into five Courts, each with their own specialties, weaknesses, and talents therein. While Fae are not born into these specific courts, they discover their own specialties around their ninth birthday, and are removed from their parents’ care and into the care of their Court instead. When they are sorted, they are moved into one of four main Courts, one for each season and two each for Seelie and Unseelie.
The fifth court, Corvinae, is populated by outcasts who discover later in life that they do not quite fit in with the Court they were destined for. Perhaps their abilities later - shifted. Perhaps they discovered with age that despite their specialty being flames, they simply did not have the affinity to maintain the fire within them. Regardless of the circumstances, all outcasts are welcome in Corvinae -- but the change is permanent, as they're branded as oathbreakers to the rest of the Fae and widely shunned. Corvinae live in secret.
The continent is broken up into four areas, one for each main Court. While the Courts do generally keep to themselves, there are quarterly gatherings at the lands where their continents merge in which they share resources, offer their assistance to other Courts, and throw large parties in which they can celebrate one another and what they have accomplished.
❬ THE FAIR FULL MOON DOTH TURN ❭
... to swift decay, and burn her fire away.
From November 14th to November 28th, the annual winter festival is held, hosted by the winter court Umbraean. Characters will be separated into one of the four courts, and instructed to integrate themselves with the Fae. Their main mission objective had been to show cultural understanding by successfully blending in with the Fae during their initial arrival from Pollux. However, the Etrayans' main objective will be to find those stranded from Pollux. In order to accomplish this, they must participate seamlessly in the festivities without letting on to any Fae that they are outsiders, and they will accordingly be subject to all Fae laws and customs.
Upon arrival, they will receive a glamour. This can be as extreme or as light as you’d like! Perhaps their appearance changes entirely to help them blend in, or perhaps it just adds a certain... elvish look to them, making them appear closer to a Fae’s idea of “perfect” than they might have usually. Characters will be given abilities (boons) corresponding to their Court - these abilities will not travel back to Etraya with them, as they are environment-specific. Along with these abilities, they will also have flaws - negative effects that are part of belonging to their specific Court.
At these gatherings, the Fae play games and put on shows -- described as side quests. These sidequests will be visible on the main plotting post going up on November 7th.
From November 14th to November 28th, the annual winter festival is held, hosted by the winter court Umbraean. Characters will be separated into one of the four courts, and instructed to integrate themselves with the Fae. Their main mission objective had been to show cultural understanding by successfully blending in with the Fae during their initial arrival from Pollux. However, the Etrayans' main objective will be to find those stranded from Pollux. In order to accomplish this, they must participate seamlessly in the festivities without letting on to any Fae that they are outsiders, and they will accordingly be subject to all Fae laws and customs.
Upon arrival, they will receive a glamour. This can be as extreme or as light as you’d like! Perhaps their appearance changes entirely to help them blend in, or perhaps it just adds a certain... elvish look to them, making them appear closer to a Fae’s idea of “perfect” than they might have usually. Characters will be given abilities (boons) corresponding to their Court - these abilities will not travel back to Etraya with them, as they are environment-specific. Along with these abilities, they will also have flaws - negative effects that are part of belonging to their specific Court.
At these gatherings, the Fae play games and put on shows -- described as side quests. These sidequests will be visible on the main plotting post going up on November 7th.
Fae Laws
To know a name is to hold a leash.
- A Fae’s true name carries power over them, and those who know it have power over them.
- These names do not have to be their birth names, but can be established as part of joining their Courts.
- Characters will instinctively know their true names.
- Fae cannot cross thresholds without the permission of those residing within them. This translates over to other Fae, too.
- An invitation can be literal or symbolic.
- Once invited, they must abide by the terms of entry. The host must show gracious reception and the guest must not disrespect their home.
- Fae society runs on equivalent exchange. Be careful who you thank.
- To accept a gift without returning it puts the Fae under a binding debt.
- Those who break the law of exchange may be branded dishonorable.
- Promises and oaths are binding.
- Breaking an oath causes physical or spiritual decay, as well as banishment from one’s Court.
- Those clever enough will word their vows carefully, avoiding lies whilst still twisting the truth.
❬ courts of the fae ❭
Florere Seelie Court of Summer
Daylight. The natural organic world. Dryads and rangers. Color theme is golds and browns. Prizes athleticism and kindness.
Boon: Shapeshifting or healing. If the former, the character will have a dedicated animal they can shift into at will that reflects their spirit; if the latter, healing includes restoring any organic life, including making plants grow.
Flaw: Florere need regular skin-to-skin contact or verbal affirmations (praise). They're closer to their heritage than the other courts, so they require additional energy contributions in the old way to stay healthy. Without this, they become sluggish and wilted.
Umbraean
Unseelie Court of Winter
Nighttime. The unseen world of dreams. Poets and politicians. Color theme is black and silver or pale grey. Prizes austerity and eloquence.
Boon: Illusion magic or empathy. A facility with illusions makes them especially prone to trickery -- the subtler the better. A truly masterful illusion will be one the victim never realizes was an illusion at all. For empathy, the ability to lightly detect emotions in others or even project and emanate an emotion of their own allows them an equally subtle advantage in manipulation.
Flaw: Those of the winter court are unable to directly lie themselves. This means they're typically masters of oration, weighing each word with precision.
Aestus
Seelie Court of Spring
Order and creation. Wild unrestrained growth. Mages and artisans. Color theme is anything bold and gaudy. Prizes skill mastery and courage.
Boon: Elemental magic or crafting specialty. Each Aestus specializes in either a school of elemental magic or a craft such as sewing, cooking, painting, or smithing -- anything that results in a tangible creation. Characters in Aestus will find themselves with a sudden strong affinity for their specialization, whatever it is, for the duration of the mission.
Flaw: Tapping into the raw power of creation makes them volatile. Aestus feel emotions particularly strongly, and their pride is immense: they can't back down from any challenge leveled at them.
Sirena
Unseelie Court of Autumn
Decay and entropy. Inevitable decline of life to death. Hedge witches and mystics. Rather than a color, their aesthetic theme is artful transience (wabi-sabi). Prizes patience and insight.
Boon: Potions or divination. Sirena are masters at using the flow of time to their advantage, either by reading it directly via divination (future and past) or by intuiting what components are needed for a potion to create a desired effect. Characters will either gain a divination method they excel in or an innate knowledge of how to create potions, which are the most versatile and lasting form of Fae magic.
Flaw: Being so tuned into how temporary life is, Sirena are extremely curious and drawn to mysteries. They can't resist asking a plethora of questions about the slightest novelty, all too aware it might occur only once and this is their sole chance to learn of it.
Corvinae
The Fifth Court
Those who don't belong. Dark gothic aesthetics. Mischief and loyalty to found family. The only constancy in life is that it's ever-changing, that it cannot be contained or understood.
The outcasts take great pleasure in flaunting their defiance of hierarchy. Every year, the Corvinae cycle through their members to designate a new monarch; thus, every member is both ruler and subject at different points in their life. Their love for one another grants them extraordinary power, enough to defy the standard rules of Fae... and as a result, they encourage expression of love any way that is consensual. Nothing is off limits.
Boon: None of the Fae laws apply to them, and they can leverage their belief in one another to bloom their natural gifts beyond what is possible in the traditional courts.
Flaw: Cannot survive outside of their community, as they depend on their mutual devotion to exist. This creates an insular and secretive subculture, almost cult-like.
❬ LOST VESTIGES ❭
Yet amongst the native residents that are meant to be within it's city's walls are 13 individuals who do not belong with them. During a previous mission given by their own AI, Castor, they had been left behind. Perhaps Castor had miscounted his residents, perhaps he simply forgot these ones specifically. A lapse in judgement, certainly, but Aurora's mission here is simple: gather those who had originated from Pollux, and take them back home along with her own citizens to Etraya. Given Castor had already removed them from his own count, he will not be re-adding them to his own citizenry; rather, Aurora intends to take them for herself.
Your characters have been blending in amongst the Fae for twoish months, and have integrated themselves in with their courts. The duty of the Etrayans is to find the individuals from Pollux and provide them with one of Aurora's tokens to ensure she will be able to locate them to pull them back to Etraya. However, these tokens cannot be given to the Fae -- anyone who does so will fail the mission. The Fae are extremely prejudiced against outsiders, so a character's ability to blend in amongst them will be their most important skill for survival while they are stranded.
Your characters have been blending in amongst the Fae for twoish months, and have integrated themselves in with their courts. The duty of the Etrayans is to find the individuals from Pollux and provide them with one of Aurora's tokens to ensure she will be able to locate them to pull them back to Etraya. However, these tokens cannot be given to the Fae -- anyone who does so will fail the mission. The Fae are extremely prejudiced against outsiders, so a character's ability to blend in amongst them will be their most important skill for survival while they are stranded.
❬ COURT ASSIGNMENTS ❭
❬ NOTES ❭
📌 — Please feel free to NPC characters who had previously been on Pollux! If you're going to use any canon characters of any sort, please let the mods know under mod queries.
📌 — For all questions relating to Pollux, Castor, or what characters had been getting up to - please refer to the mod queries comment on this post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
📌 — For all questions relating to Pollux, Castor, or what characters had been getting up to - please refer to the mod queries comment on this post. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ.
❬ PLOTTING FORM ❭
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