I'd sit there and look at the deserted lakes and I'd sing

[singmod]

MARCH 2024 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — EXIT STRATEGY: With the way via the main road a no-go, Methuselah finds a potential and very dangerous way out of the Milton area: the Milton Mines. During the Aurora, the Interlopers must find a way to safely navigate the mines and find a way through.

PROMPT TWO — BRAVE NEW WORLD: Interlopers make their way into the Lakeside area, and are free to explore the more of the Northern Territories: a place of both industry and leisure.

PROMPT THREE — THE ECHO: On Aurora nights, the aftermath of the Darkwalker's attack on the Interlopers continues to ripple through the community — with a painful affliction.

EXIT STRATEGY

WHEN: Mid-month.
WHERE: Milton Mines.
CONTENT WARNINGS: claustrophobic situations; potential injury/maiming; potential electrocution/electrocution injuries; potential burn injuries; hyperthermic situations; exploration horror;


Unusually, Methuselah returns to the town around the middle of the month. He is looking pleased and will ask that the Interlopers gather in the Community Hall. Once gathered, he climbs onto the small stage at one end of the Hall and explains that following last month’s Feast, he set out to try to find a way out of Milton, and he believes he may have found a way out.

He goes on to explain that although the Milton Mine has been closed for many years, there may still be access through the mine. The mine had two entrances through either sides of the stone, one on the Milton side since many of the residents worked the mine back in the day, but there was also an additional entrance on the opposite side, which led to a railway track that allowed easier export of coal and precious materials towards the coast. Having gained access, he believes the mine seems to mostly remain intact, but not easy to get through. However, he discovered that during the Aurora, the old mine and its electronics came to life — meaning a way through is certainly possible during those times with the added electronics in play.

It is not much, and it is certainly incredibly dangerous, but it is something. There is certainly no way out towards the south; towards the north might be the Interlopers’ best chance of finding a way out of Milton.

Methuselah will ask for any volunteers to join him in trying to find a way out via the mines, taking them up north and then waiting for an Aurora to happen before they can then make their way through and explore the mine system. Anyone is free to sign up, and he suggests someone drawing up a sign up sheet so that Interlopers have an idea of who is leaving the town on the journey.

The hike towards the mines is a long one, taking a few hours on an incline to reach the northern mountains. Waiting on the Aurora may take time, so setting up camp is the next step — waiting for night and hoping the skies fill with night soon. Interlopers are free to explore the mine beforehand, but will find a lot of it locked up tight. With areas unreachable without power and the darkness suffocating, they won’t get very far.

When the Aurora does finally come, the mine will come to life: the system’s lighting will come on throughout, albeit flickering and a little unreliable. Machinery and track systems whir and groan as the mine slowly cranks itself into functioning once more. While there are maps of the system to help Interlopers navigate the system — showing a second entrance labelled as ‘Lakeside Entrance’ — the true difficulty in getting through lies in wait.

Interlopers will find that parts of the system have been partially flooded: with the frigid water in places mostly ankle deep and others reaching no higher than knee-high on an average-height man. What’s worse, is the half-destroyed electrics ravaged by both time and the Aurora mean plenty of loose wires hanging here and there. It’s possible to accidentally catch yourself on them, meaning burn injuries and mild electric shocks — but care should be taken in checking if these wires may have fallen into these flooded parts. Stepping into these live waters will be far more deadly. They will also find that the electronically-powered gates that open through into areas may not function, with the fuses having been blown.

Gaining access through the mine is not impossible, however. It will simply require a little bit of legwork. One of the larger caverns of the mines houses a fuse board. Characters can switch off sections of the mines in order to traverse them safely, find new fuses in toolboxes scattered through the mines in order to open the gates and make their way through to gain access to the elevator of the mine — which will also require new fuses, in order to power the electrics to get it to function.

It is perhaps, most frustrating, that once Interlopers get the elevator working and head downwards into the final section of the mine, that they will come across hand-cranks — allowing them to use the elevator without the need for electricity. But at least the hard part is over, and the Interlopers now have a way through from Milton that doesn’t require relying on the Aurora to power the mine’s electrics.

On the lower section of the mine, there will be a handful of more gated rooms to get through before reaching the Lakeside Entrance, and more wires and flooded areas to traverse. But you can taste it: something on the air. You’re close.

You’ve made it, Interloper.

BRAVE NEW WORLD

WHEN: Mid-month, onwards.
WHERE: Milton Mines (Lakeside Entrance); The Ravine; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; themes of peril; acrophobia; potential character/npc death from falls; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk;

Coming out of the mines, you will be greeted by a small mining camp and railway track enclosed by mountains on both sides. It’s incredibly sheltered here, with little wind chill and not as much snow on the ground compared to some of the more open areas of Milton. It may be best to rest here for the rest of the night. There are several portacabins that were used to house some of the former miners, along with additional cabins with one being some kind of foreman’s office, one that served as a kind of mess hall and one for bathing/toilet needs.

While there is little in terms of supplies left in there, some scraps may be found here and there — plus the cabins will provide decent shelter from the cold, which may be the last Interlopers will get ahead of the long walk down through the mountain track and into Lakeside. There is also plenty of coal left lying around, too — allowing for Interlopers to craft fires to keep warm. Even with it being sheltered, it’s still cold out.

In terms of where to go from here, the only way seems to be to follow the track. It’s a long walk, but rather straightforward if you keep to the tracks. A good few hours of it, but it’s quiet — and there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of wildlife or windchill here. It almost seems too easy, or as easy as it could be in regards to a long walk through thick snow.

Until you come face to face with the ravine.

The world opens up to you, with the tracks stretching over a huge valley via a… mostly sturdy-looking wooden and steel bridge. There doesn’t seem to be any way around it, no alternative route of getting over to the other side. Crossing the bridge is the only option. Care should be taken, with Interlopers now being vulnerable to the wind and the snow-laden tracks. As sturdy as the bridge looks, it seems to creak and groan under the weight of a single footstep. There even appears to be the remains of fall train-carts in the depths, from some unfortunate incident years ago. It’s probably fine.

Crossing the bridge and continuing down the tracks will eventually have the world opening up even more — you’ve finally reached Lakeside. Thick boreal forests crowd around the tracks, and in places, Interlopers will note that the tracks have buckled and become badly damaged. When they find roads, they will also find them in similar states of disrepair from beneath the snow. Following them for another hour or so will eventually lead to Lakeside’s Maintenance Yard. From here, there is a road, with directions: signs pointing towards Milton, the Coast, Lakeside Resort and the Carter Hydrodam.

For those interested in searching the Maintenance Yard, they will be greeted by a large, fenced in building. Fortunately, a great deal of the fencing has been damaged with the bad weather and it is easy enough to gain access. The place is a bit of a mess: scrap metal, wood, and dissued trucks and cars litter the yard, along with wood that can be used for kindling and firewood. Inside the Maintenance Yard, it is a little bit of a mechanic’s dream. There’s plenty of tools in this place, and even a forge which could be used for crafting if someone has the patience to fire it up and keep it hot for long enough. There’s plenty of stores of coal, at least. But in terms of a living space, there’s not much else other than a small break room with some comfy chairs to catch some quick shut-eye. Searching the Yard for any letters or such will reveal a similar theme to that of Milton: difficulty in reaching the Mainland with postage and correspondences, the lack of staffing, and the problems with wildlife. There are also complaints and concerns over growing dangers of small quakes causing damage to the roads and rail system.

Following the road towards the Lakeside Resort is a mostly quiet and pleasant enough trek, as long as one keeps close to or on the road there as much as possible. The Resort is largely secluded, even if it is around the actual lake itself, and it’s easy to see just why this place would have been a popular vacation place.

The resort is a collection of a dozen luxury cabins dotted around the edge of the lake, each of them with a decent amount of space between them for privacy. The cabins themselves are sturdy and well built, but look far more modern and almost designer in terms of style - with huge almost floor to ceiling windows and spacious porches for that perfect lakeside view, and open plan rooms and balconies. Each of the cabins contain multiple bedrooms, suitable for vacationing families and mix both modern technology and more rustic means of heating homes — making them ideal for all weathers.

A couple of the cabins are not completed, appearing to be a kind of expansion of the resort that was not finished. Build materials still remain here. Some of the cabins on the furthest side appear to have become victims of vandalism, having been broken into and completely trashed with windows smashed, furniture missing and broken, and any goods completely ransacked from the place. There are perhaps five cabins out of the twelve that remain fully intact and may contain useful items such as food, basic medical supplies and tools, and will certainly be excellent shelters for those looking for somewhere to stay.

There is also a Camp Office, situated at the east side of the lake. Used as a kind of main office of maintenance for the cabins, along with an office or tourist centre of sorts. It has a decent stock of hiking and outdoor essentials. The Camp Office does also have a small living space upstairs — presumably used by Lake staff or rangers, with a wood stove and kitchenette, along with a bathroom and several bunk-beds. It appears that the Camp Office wasn't abandoned until a short while ago — no more than a couple of months.

Following the road to the Hydrodam is a trickier one than the one to the Resort. There is a higher volume of predator wildlife here, with wolf howls closer and more frequent. With the current state of wildlife’s behaviours, it is likely to face attacks from wolves on the way there. The Carter Hydrodam has clearly seen better days. It seems to have fallen into disrepair and may have only been run by a small skeleton crew. While the Hydrodam is gated and locked up tight, it’s possible to break in through the gate and gain access.

While the lower dam is currently out of bounds, Interlopers will be able to get into the upper levels of the main building of the Hydrodam, which consists mostly of offices, maintenance rooms, a medical bay, and rooms banked with control panels, plus staff areas. The med bay is relatively well stocked, but might need a little forced entry with certain medical lockers and cabinets. Tools and other useful items can also be found here, along with bunk rooms, a small canteen and bathrooms/showers. It might be possible with some work to get access to hot water here — the showering systems run on a back-up furnace system, and while some of the pipes are broken, it might be possible to fix them to get the hot water system up and running again.

Following the road to the Coast will find a dead end. The bridge that heads over towards that direction has been damaged beyond repair, and there looks to be no way of getting around it. Perhaps, much like with getting out of Milton, there may be an alternate way of getting further south, but time will tell.

But for now, here is an entirely new region, ripe for the picking. While it appears some places have already seen minor scavenging (with the exception to the vandalism and looting of some of the resort cabins), Lakeside is largely untouched. It is full of game to hunt, an expansive lake to take up ice-fishing in, and indoor locations to search through for supplies. Some Interlopers may decide to stay here permanently now that it’s easier to travel between Lakeside and Milton.

THE ECHO

WHEN: Aurora Nights, the month of March.
WHERE: Everywhere
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural/otherworldly afflictions; themes of grief; themes of loss

There are roughly no more than ten Aurora nights during the month of March, and everything occurs as usual: the insanely bright colours swirling in the skies before you, the crackles and pops of static in the air providing percussion to the strange, ethereal chorus of almost-electrical sounds. The electrics of the world around coming alive with its usual sputtering and falters. There is much mystery to these strange, almost supernatural phenomena — but they almost feel like a kind of staple in the Northern Territories.

But on these nights something different happens.

If you listen closely, the sound of weeping can be heard on the air. Those with the Aurora Call Feat will be particularly drawn to the sound, and will hear it more clearly compared to their fellow Interlopers. It is the sound of a woman, and those paying attention might be able to recognise the voice it belongs to: it is the same woman heard over the static of radios and televisions in December and early January. The same woman that spoke to Interlopers, telling them to sleep, with the promise of help — thus granting some of them powers. It is the same voice that screamed out the night La’an Noonien-Singh died, and the night of those recently killed in the church.

She is… grief-stricken. Her weeping is a raw and anguished thing, and the more you listen, the more it seems to grip at you. You feel her pain, maybe it echoes within your own. Those you have lost, those you have failed or hurt — a reverb that grows stronger as the night continues. It is an all-consuming pain, its depths endless. It brings tears to your eyes.

You carry this pain, as she does.

You feel it in your very bones, in your flesh and sinew. It’s an exhaustive pain, and as the night progresses, you find yourself incredibly weary. In a strange state of fatigue that won’t even allow you to sleep.

You may find yourself going in search of comfort amongst friends, or loved ones. To hold a hand, to embrace them — to not be alone in this pain you feel.

But it is a pain that is too great.

On these nights, you will find yourselves alone, without the comfort you would otherwise lean on. You will not be soothed by that comfort of others. For as long as the Aurora lasts, reaching out and touching others will bring real physical pain to you. It will hurt to touch others, and physical contact will produce a sharp biting pain, even for those who may not feel pain otherwise. Too much. It’s… too much.

Some of you were told once, in a dream: “Don’t you understand it now? We are all connected. The Aurora connects us.”

Once the lights in the sky fade, that pain will finally ease and the woman’s sobs will go quiet — but it will return once more, when the next Aurora comes.

FAQs

EXIT STRATEGY

1. It is entirely possible for NPC Interlopers to die in the mines due to electrocution, and players are free to use NPCs — we ask that players give mods a heads up so that the masterlist can be updated accordingly.


BRAVE NEW WORLD

1. The lower dam is currently completely physically impossible to access. The door that leads there is jammed shut. Characters will notice half-frozen water leaking on the floor around the door.

2. It is possible to find bodies in Lakeside, however there is a... suspiciously low amount of them, and the rare ones found by characters will have been there for some time. They will have appeared to have died of exposure.

3. Wolves can be found in Lakeside, and their tracks are incredibly common. Interactions with wolves can happen in the exploration of this region, and they will behave much like they did during the September event and be incredibly hostile to players.

4. Bears are also common in Lakeside, and their tracks can also be found. They technically should be still hibernating, and much like wolves — they will be aggressive towards Interlopers. Keep your distance!

5. Lakeside unlocking comes with a Companion Event of an Interation with a new NPC!

THE ECHO

1. Essentially: physical touch with others will bring Interlopers physical pain. Sorry about that.

2. It is possible for Interlopers with Aurora Call to attempt to reach out to the woman. Those interested can inquire into what that interaction may be like! They can find out what that entails here.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[bigbaddy]

Bigby can't sleep.

Not because he's also taken over by those feelings of guilt. Sure, there is a lot of stuff he regrets, but.. the feeling of wanting to look out for other people is just so strong during this Aurora that he doesn't have any time to stop and really think about his own feelings. The moment Bigby realises some people are starting to look extra miserable when the lights hit town this time around, he shrugs off any and all of his own guilt, instead focusing on whoever he can find out on the streets who looks like they need help.

.. like Levi. It's not too surprising to find him wandering around, given that Bigby knows the kid likes to patrol town, but.. he sure isn't looking good. It means Bigby quickly starts moving faster, trying to catch up with the other.

"Hey!" He calls out, trying to grab the other's attention.

[solitarysoul]

He freezes when addressed and looks back sheepishly, like he's been caught doing something he shouldn't. Even though he hasn't gotten to that part yet. "Y-yeah...?"

[bigbaddy]

Darn, way to truly make Bigby feel like the cop he's always accused of being.. He didn't exactly intend on startling the other, after all, and it softens Bigby's facial expression a little when he catches up with the other enough to see the expression on Levi's face and realise the effect he just had.

"Nothing's wrong," he prefaces.

Just in case.

"I was just wondering if you're okay. It's kinda late to be out."

Especially looking the way Levi does, though he's not calling the other out on that right away. He'll give Levi some space first, see what the other does want to bring up on his own first.

[solitarysoul]

"I...I never sleep well. J-just sitting around doesn't help, so s-sometimes I just go on patrol early." Or late, whatever.

He fidgets nervously, glancing over his shoulder. He never holds eye contact, but he seems to be avoiding looking at Bigby more than usual.

[bigbaddy]

".. hey."

In some cases he might have looked over this sort of obvious behaviour.

Here, though? He can't. Even if Bigby has no official role here, he does feel responsible for the people of town. And if he isn't going to ask Levi what's up, then who will do that at this time of night?

"If there's something up, you can tell me. It's no good to keep stuff to yourself in a dangerous place like this. And I can tell there's something up." Bigby wouldn't even need his sheriff experience for that. He feels like anyone could tell that about Levi right now.

[solitarysoul]

"You...y-you can feel it, right? Whatever the Aurora is bringing up. Its...its too much."

[bigbaddy]

He frowns, though he doesn't answer the question. It makes it hard to tell if he's frowning because he's remembering what the Aurora is making him feel this time around, or if he's just frowning because of what Levi is implying about himself here.

Or maybe it's both. Who knows.

"What is it making you feel?"

Something shitty, Bigby knows. It's what always happens whenever the Aurora rolls around - like when they heard that voice months ago, or when people started getting weird shadows attached to them the other month. Besides, Levi looks shitty enough right now to indicate he must be feeling that way too.

[solitarysoul]

Sorry Bigby, you seem to be a take charge kind of guy and guys like that either had regrets or should have them in his experience.

"It just...it makes me remember. Things I..." he trails off for a bit, not sure what to put there. That he'd prefer not to? Of course he wouldn't, but he feels like he deserves it and the least he can do is carry the memory of those he's lost. That he wish had never happened? That described so much of his life, though. "...b-bad things."

[bigbaddy]

Bigby slowly exhales.

".. look, I get that talking about any of that shit sucks."

It's not like he really cares to talk about any of his own personal business, after all. There are so many things that he's never bothered to tell another living soul about - not back home, and not here.

It might make this advice hypocritical, but Bigby has definitely seen what this place does to other people who don't heed it.

"But when it's making you feel like this, you gotta talk about it. It's the only way to get it off your chest. Keeping it to yourself will kill you." Maybe it's not the most gentle or comforting way to word it, but Bigby can't help it. Being direct and blunt is in his nature. Even when he's trying, like he is right now.

[solitarysoul]

Talk about it? Kate said something similar, even Lt. Little offered to listen if he had any woes. But these woes...these were old, and he didn't want to cause anyone else pain by sharing his. But since he's been caught, he probably won't be getting the aid he was looking for.

"...its all my fault. Too many are dead because of me."

[bigbaddy]

"C'mon. Some stuff is better not discussed out in the open."

Because some people might overhear this if they happen to be out too - and Levi definitely seems reluctant enough to share this that Bigby doesn't want the entire town to hear this if Levi doesn't want them to.

So he makes a vague gesture with his head before starting to walk, nudging the younger man to come along. Even if Bigby knows his place isn't.. the most neat and clean place.. it's got to be better that they can sit down there later in the middle of this talk and have some privacy than to have none at all.

He doesn't stay quiet while they walk though, already speaking up with a: "Those dead people.. Is it 'cause of the fighting you've done?"

Levi did say he was part of some army or something along those lines, after all.

[solitarysoul]

Levi jerks away at the touch, more violently than he usually would due to the aurora's effects, but follows after Bigby.

"No...yes...b-both. I failed people long before the army."

[bigbaddy]

He exhales while he walks.

"What happened then? Some sort of accident?"

It's hard to imagine Levi making the choice to fail people, after all. Especially when he's still so relatively young. How could he possibly have fucked up at that early an age?

cw: domestic violence coming up

[solitarysoul]

"I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't save my squad, I keep people from the priests, I couldn't even save my mom."

[bigbaddy]

.. his mom, huh.

The other stuff sounds like it could be more army-related, especially if he's talking about his squad, unless that was some sort of pre-army squad.. Even the priests could have something to do with that. Not like Bigby knows much about how religion works.

But the mom stuff hits just a little bit close to home, even if the man is careful to not really let that show from behind his usual expression.

"Did your mother die?"

His tone does dip into something a little less hard when he asks it. Even if Bigby is projecting gruffness for sure right now to avoid showing his own emotions about that sort of thing, he gets that it's not an easy question. It's not an easy question for him either.

and heres that domestic violence i promised

[solitarysoul]

Levi stops walking, almost curling in upon himself. He doesn't bother to try and stop the tears that have started to flow.

"Y-yeah...she...I-I tried to stop him! B-but I wasn't strong enough. T-there wasn't anything I could do when...when dad..." Of course Levi was a small child against a full grown adult, but that doesn't make him stop feeling guilty.

[bigbaddy]

Bigby stops too - especially when he realises what's going on, when the shakiness of Levi's voice betrays his tears. It sucks that Bigby genuinely doesn't know how to deal with this. He's never known how to deal with someone being so open and emotionally vulnerable in front of him, and for a moment he just slowly turns to stare at Levi, a rather complicated expression on the older man's face.

What does he do here? He can't just leave Levi like this when the other is clearly hurting, but.. Bigby has never been good at comforting anyone.

He has to try, though. He's aware.

"That's not your fault." Bigby's eyebrows draw together into a frown. "It's his fault for pulling that shit in the first place. He should've been protecting your mother, not-- not this."

[solitarysoul]

"...I wasn't strong enough." Part of him knows that its not his fault and only his father is to blame, but he still feels guilty. Especially with the aurora making things weird. "He was always like that. Maybe we should have left first..."

[bigbaddy]

"Would you be saying the same thing to anyone else?"

Bigby doesn't think Levi would. Even if he can't say that he's got the best grasp ever on the kid's personality, he doesn't think he's ever seen him go out of his way to be rude to anyone around him. He can't imagine Levi hearing a story like this from anyone else and just being like 'yeah, whatever, you weren't strong enough, it's your fault.'

"Would you also think it was their fault for being too weak? For not doing anything, even though they were too young to really help the situation?"

[solitarysoul]

"...n-no...but. Its not the same." He doesn't know how its not the same other than he is involved and he is terrible, but he's sure its not the same.

[bigbaddy]

It's definitely the same.

He knows this, just because it's the same for Bigby. Sure, it wasn't his father who killed his mother directly, but it was still his doing in a more indirect sense. It was his negligence, it was the fact he didn't care. That he never cared.

It's a difficult thing to convey though, especially when Levi seems so convinced of his own view. How is a guy like Bigby ever going to talk him out of it when he has a difficult enough time talking to anyone about emotional subjects in the same place? It feels impossible.

".. that guy," he slowly says.

Maybe this is the only possible way for him to approach it, since he's so bad at doing so from any other angle.

"Is he still alive?"

[solitarysoul]

"My father? I-I don't know. He'd rather drink than try to raise me so I was sent to the orphanage...I hope not."

[bigbaddy]

"If he's still alive, then there's still something you can do."

.. maybe he shouldn't be encouraging this.

But Bigby has never been good with kids. And with the way he grew up, he knows so little about the way most other people grew up - which means he can only reflect back on his own experience, where what he was about to say definitely seemed like a good idea. It was the entire purpose he had set himself to, back in those days.

"Even if you can't save her, you can avenge her." Which may not clear up the guilt, but.. at least it makes you feel like you did something.

Bigby could know. He still hasn't given up, even though it's been centuries upon centuries since then.

[solitarysoul]

"...there's no way he's alive if he stayed in Prehevil. No one's left there after Termina."

Well, those weird people in the masquerade kind of were...but he doubted they'd ever go back to normal if they'd even been alive anymore.

"If he's not, I don't know how I'd ever find him. Its been years." That was too bad, though. Avenging her sounded nice. Maybe he could pretend one of the moonscorched he killed was him, its not like he could see the faces of the people they were most times.

[bigbaddy]

.. after Termina, huh. Whatever that is. Maybe it's got something to do with that god he spoke of before.

It isn't important right now anyway.

"Still, it gives you something to do after you return home. You could look into his whereabouts. Find out if he's alive or dead. Sometimes all you need to get through the days is having a goal to look forwards to, kid."

Even if that goal is wanting to kill your dad, but it sure worked for Bigby! He wouldn't give this advice if it didn't work so well for him!