oh you fool, there are rules, i am coming for you

[singmod]

THE DARKWALKER COMES

The Darkwalker makes its first real strike against the Interlopers, resulting in the death of La'an Noonien-Singh. In the wake of her death, her fellow Interlopers are left to deal with the fallout of this new part of the horror of the Northern Territories.

WHEN: January 25th, onwards.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: death of playable character; supernatural death; mention of dead body; themes of death; supernatural beings; themes of terror; themes of peril.

OH, THE RECKONING BEGINS

On the night of January 25th, all is calm. It is a peaceful, if not cold evening. There are no clouds in the skies, the stars and moon hang high in the blanket of inky black. It would be just another night, until something strange happens: one by one, the stars begin to go out and the moon's light fades from view, as if swallowed whole.

Instead, there is nothing but the gloom. The sky is dark and green and terrible. Interlopers all over the Northern Territories will stop and stare — horrified by such a sight. And then, it washes over you like a cold wave: fear. Interlopers will find themselves over-come, and everything in their bodies and minds tells them to run. To flee. And so you run, heading for cover indoors. Curtains will be drawn, some may hide under beds, within closets or wardrobes. Some desperate attempt to conceal themselves, make themselves small, unseen. Some Interlopers, in that fear, may rush to friends or loved ones to hide with them, others may simply cowered alone — crawling and whimpering away from the night. The fear is irrational, unable to be overcome — even by the bravest or most stoic of Interlopers.

And then: noise. Coming from towards the east, the sounds of unnatural and almost-demonic roars, groans and moans — unable to be likened to or truly described. Drawing nearer and nearer — and you know it, even if you don't understand why: something is coming. It's coming here. You are powerless, unable to do anything. And it is an agony, awaiting its arrival. You cry, you whimper, you cower. Curling up for some shred of comfort, and finding none.

It seems to go on forever, building into a crescendo. Your heart beats so hard you fear it may burst from your chest, as if you might die of fright.

And then, a screaming wail — sharp as it cuts through the building dread. A woman. You know it, don't you? You're sure you've heard it before.

The silence that follows is deafening. The green gloom subsides, the fear slowly melts away within you. You wait, and wait. Finally, when it feels like you can breathe again, you decide to move.

Interlopers who dare to venture outside, who dare to look from behind curtains may see nothing at all. The skies have returned to normal, the moon is out once more. But those close to the center of town will see the small frame of a body curled in the snow. Some may not know her, but plenty will recognise her: Lieutenant La'an Noonien Singh.

It looks almost as if she'd collapsed. But those who decide to investigate will discover a gruesome scene. While there will appear to be no physical wounds, her body will appear contorted — expression frozen in absolute fear. It will be incredibly unnatural and violent to look at. La'an is dead. Around her, the footsteps that brought her to this spot. Strange 'waves' in the snow, too. Hard to define as to what exactly made them. And... faint glimmers of green, intangible. Almost like a residue — which will vanish by the time morning comes.

This is not the first time. La'an Noonien-Singh is the thirteenth Interloper to die since they first began to arrive in this place. But this is certainly the first time something like this has ever happened.

But preparations must be made, an Interloper must be mourned and laid to rest.

And the rest of Milton must come to terms with what has happened, if they can put a name to such a thing.

FAQs

1. Essentially, a 'party post' for reactions to the Darkwalker's Arrival, the immediate aftermath, and any funerary preparations following La'an's death. Have... fun?

2. Information on the Darkwalker's attack can be found here.

3. An OOC Rundown can be found here.

4. For those interested: Harry Goodsir is conducting a post-mortem on La'an, which can be found here.

Comments

[maintiensledroit]

[ He doesn't try to restrain her, only keeps one hand warm and firm at her shoulder, but he stays in front of her, trying to keep her from a direct line of sight. ]

It's Lieutenant Noonien-Singh.

[ Perhaps not one of Kate's particular friends, but he knows the girl has a soft, generous heart, and that she'd made a point of knowing almost everyone in the community. His own throat feels tight, but his voice is gentle. ]

She's gone.

[ Gently, he retrieves a worn but clean handkerchief from a pocket; gently he offers it to her, to dry her eyes and cheeks. ]

You don't need to see her this way. She'll be taken care of, I promise. Why don't you let me take you back inside?

cw: reference to suicide attempt

[castitas]

[ Kate didn't know her, not personally. But she knew her name, knew her by sight. Knew her from the patrols she did of the town, sometimes with Lieutenant Little. It's what happens when there's only so many of them. You learn one another's names. There's less than a hundred of them in this place. La'an's been here as long as Kate has, and it's that small snippet that she clings to because it doesn't make sense. ]

No, she's— but she's been here since the start. She... she came when we first started turning up here, she's— [ It takes her a few moments, but she mutely takes the handkerchief. She just... stands there, holding it — processing, staring up at him with those words: She's gone. ]

She's dead. [ A handful of fresh tears fall, reeling at the enormity of it. And it comes to her, so softly: ] This is the ending of all things.

[ Numbly, she nods. Okay. Okay, she'll go back inside. There's another thought, an idea behind her eyes — a quiet horror, one that feels so familiar. When she'd walked to the roof, she thought about how she didn't care if they looked at her afterwards. If they took pictures and videos of her. She was already all over the internet, what would it matter if they did it to her again after she was dead.

She cares about La'an, though. She doesn't deserve to be stared at. ]

She needs a blanket. Or— or sheet. There's— I can find you one, to bring back here with you.

cw: mention of murder, blood

[maintiensledroit]

[ Fraser looks back over his shoulder, where Diefenbaker has backed away enough to let a blonde man carefully lift La'an's small body into his arms, under the direction of a small man with curly dark hair: Goodsir.

They haven't met yet. He'll have to adjust that, now that the anatomist will be taking care of La'an... but not now. ]

I don't think that will be necessary.

[ His father had been found the same way: crumpled in the snow. In the case of Sergeant Robert Fraser, the snow had been red with his blood, but the loneliness of it all...

That had been the same.

Looking back at Kate, his own grief freshens at the sight of her tears, and he breathes out, steadily, ruthlessly forcing himself to focus. Focus: for La'an, for Kate. ]

They'll be taking her for an examination. I'll check on her later.

[ His lips press together, not quite into anything that manages to be a smile. ]

Let me take you inside. It's cold out here. And then... if you want to help her, Kate, there are other ways.

we can probably wrap this one and keep it short and not-so sweet...

[castitas]

[ Examination. At first there's no understanding of that word, but she soon catches sight of Goodsir and she inhales, comprehension dawning on her. She knows Mr Goodsir is an anatomist, a surgeon. That kind of examination. The kind that happens after you die.

Kate swallows, her head dropping. She can't think about it, she doesn't think she has the imagination to — a saving grace.

Finally, she fully relents. Still reeling, still— lost, maybe. She doesn't know. 'If you want to help her, Kate, there are other ways.' She wants to, needs to, somehow. But there's nothing for her to do right now. She'll let him take her back to the Hall without further protest, mumbling a little as she nods again. ]

Okay.