singillatim | no man is an island

no man is an island

MAY 2024 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS: Young Bill asks the Interlopers for help in dealing with a group of protestors that have been harassing him for months — by stealing their hidden caches and starving/forcing them out of the Lakeside area.

PROMPT TWO — SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS: It turns out that sometimes folktales are true after all, and a mysterious creature lives within the Lake of Lakeside — and it demands payment for use of its Lake.

PROMPT THREE — GLIMMERFOG: A strange new weather phenomenon causes a new illness in Interlopers.

THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS

WHEN: Mid-May — onwards.
WHERE: Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; themes of morality; themes of scavenging; instances of animal mutilation; instances of corpse mutilation/desecration; themes of folk horror;

Methuselah, having visited Lakeside, passes on the message in mid-May that Young Bill is looking for assistance from the Interlopers and asks for anyone who would be kind enough to donate their time to visit him. Some may already know how to Young Bill’s cabin, but Methuselah will draw a quick map for those unfamiliar to find the way.

After traversing through the Milton Mine — which was cleared by Interlopers back in March — and using the hand-operated crank to use the lift to reach the Lakeside entrance, Interlopers will simply need to follow the train track down through the mountains for a few hours before crossing the railway bridge over the ravine and into Lakeside. Coming off the tracks and following a trail northwards will eventually lead to a small cabin and outbuilding within a clearing: this is the home of Young Bill.

… and it seems the man himself is no less wary when he steps out onto his porch, his rifle in hands raised towards the newcomers that make their way into their clearing. Mentioning that Methuselah sent you will quickly earn that rifle being lowered though, and he will nod his head indoors.

“C’mon, I’ll get some coffee on. You look like you could do with the warm up.”

Young Bill will do just that, encouraging Interlopers to sit and warm themselves by the log burner within his home — offering mugs of coffee. He’s not alone in the cabin, either. There’s also Scout, an Alaskan Malamute, who… appears to be nesting, sleeping on piles of blankets and pillows. Once everyone’s a little warmer, he will take a seat. Onto business, then.

“Alright, straight up— what I’m suggesting here isn’t gonna be all that pleasant when you look at the big picture. If you want out, that’s fine. I’m not gonna judge.”

He means that. He understands that this going to be less than savoury, and folks are gonna have their principles and their morals. People are free to walk away from his proposal, but regardless of their participation: this is happening.

“Some of you already know about this, but I’ll start from the beginning for those who don’t. There’s this group of folks who call themselves the ‘Forest Talkers’. Rocked up here a couple of years back to protest against some of the big productions going on here in Lakeside, like the resort expansion.” he shrugs. “Few of them are locals, but most of them are from the Mainland. They weren’t so bad, but they were a pain in the ass for the companies working here. Messing with machinery, protests, vandalism. That sort of thing. I’d see them around but— they never used to bother me at all. We kept out of another’s way until everything started going south several months back.

But now? Those eco-fucks have done nothing but cause trouble for months. They break my traps, they’ve stolen from me. They tried to trash my home. They’ve even tried to attack me while I’ve been out. Pretty sure they’re the ones behind some of the burnt-out and trashed lodges. …I heard some of you guys got shot at, too.”

There’s a short pause, and Young Bill’s face grows dark, a little disturbed. Those who have been in the Northern Territories longer will note that something has been bothering Young Bill for the last couple of months or so. He’s been reluctant to mention it, but the man looks exhausted.

“They’ve done… odd shit, too. Like something out of an old horror movie. It’s like they’ve gone nuts, or something.”

If pressed, he will share the more… grisly details. Killed and mutilated wildlife, often arranged in frightening manners. He’s even found the… bodies of people: Forest Talkers themselves from what he can gather, some natives to the Northern Territories, some workers from the resort and hydrodam. The bodies are just as mutilated, skin torn from limbs, eyes removed. At some point, he has to stop. He doesn’t want to go on.

“I’ve tried reasoning with them, I’ve tried threatening them. They don’t wanna listen. I’m tired of being watched and hounded in my own home.” he explains. He seems exhausted by the whole thing. “So I guess the only thing I can think to do is to try and starve them out. I’m not here to attack anyone, but I guess maybe if they don’t have much left then they’ll finally give up and just leave. I bet if they didn’t have the foothold they have in this place, they wouldn’t be half as brave as they are.”

Ah, yes. The less-than-savoury part of all of this. Stealing from others, starving them out. Perhaps it’s not the worst thing to do to another here, but cutting off lifelines might be… morally questionable.

“They have caches, all over Lakeside. Food, supplies, stuff like that. I’ve found notes.”

He gets up to walk towards his desk and pulls out a few pieces of paper. Each of them is marked with either a stamp or some hand-drawn symbol: a circle with a simple line of pine trees inside of it, topped with the shadow of a face. They’re handwritten notes, detailing cryptic clues about where caches are hidden all over the area. Young Bill will hand them out to Interlopers to have a look.

“I have a rough idea of where they are, but I need help in finding them. It’s hard enough with the fog, and now Scout’s expecting.” There’s an unamused grumble at that last part, but he continues. “You can keep what’s in them, I just want them gone.”

Some may choose to back out of this, and Young Bill is true to his word. He isn’t here to shame or judge anyone for not choosing to get in on this. But for those who do, the journey begins. Interlopers can go out into Lakeside and begin the grim scavenger hunt. Young Bill will even supply Interlopers with maps of the Lakeside area with vague ideas of where he believes the notes may be talking about in terms of these caches. For those who disbelieve Young Bill’s claims, they too will soon find their own evidence: the very same things the man had spoken of scattered around the area.

It’s disturbing. Something is… very wrong with these people. But there seems to be no trace of the actual people themselves. Interlopers may get the sense of being watched, perhaps a sound from the woods, or something of the like — but nothing more than that. Heading to the Old Hunting Lodge and getting too close will bring on gunfire from the Forest Talkers.

Caches, when found, may be rock cairns hidden against rockier areas in Lakeside. Some might be metal containers half-hidden or even buried in the snow. They will mostly contain goods such as dried food or even MRE’s. Others will contain things like basic medical supplies such as bandages, disinfectants, painkillers, or antibiotics. Others may contain flares or ammunition. Interlopers are free to claim the items as their own — just as Young Bill said.

Surely this will get rid of them, and force them to leave the area. Right?

SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS

WHEN: The month of May, onwards.
WHERE: Lakeside.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural creatures; serpentine creature; themes of sacrifice; potential character death/maiming; potential drownings.

While the lake of Lakeside appears to have been well known for being used all year, with fishing and watersports available during the summer, the harsh weather that has plagued the Northern Territories now means that the lake has now (possibly) become permanently frozen solid. In some respects, this is good news: allowing Interlopers to cross the terrain more easily to reach the cabins and not resorting to the long way around through the woods. It also means that there is ample opportunity for ice fishing, and it’s possible to build structures on the ice to stay warm.

But something else lurks beneath the thick ice, and it has noticed you upon its frozen waters.

In the Camp Office, a small display hangs on the wall about a monster from folklore native to the lake. It is said that the beast was the guardian of the lake and would demand sacrifice from those who wished to use its waters or otherwise drag them down to a watery grave. The whole thing seems like just some “fun” interest-grabber to visitors and those vacationing on the lake, even with cartoon drawings of a gigantic snake-like monster smiling goofily.

Or is it?

To the unsuspecting Interloper who ventures out onto the lake, whether to fish upon it or simply cross it, it appears, bursting through the ice: a huge serpentine creature with dark-green skin dotted with ridges along its back and dragon-like head — thick-bodied and incredibly fast as it rears up and opens its mouth — roaring at you with a wide, fanged mouth.

And then, it waits. And suddenly you wonder if maybe that cheesy display in the Camp Office might have had a point after all.

The creature demands a sacrifice for the use of its lake. Perhaps you have food or some freshly caught game to offer it. Or some small token you own that you can give to it: a tool, a cherished item. Maybe even the shirt off your own back, or the very blood running through your veins. You must give something.

Lay it upon the ice before it, and the beast will take it, gently collecting it between its teeth and returning to the depths below. Refuse to give anything, and the beast will roar and launch into an attack — pulling itself fully out of the lake.

It moves with speed, and will try to devour you, or wrap its body around you to squeeze the life out of you, or simply pull you down under the water. There will be no winning against this creature, no way of harming it and no way of fighting back. You may have a chance of running away, getting off the lake, but it will remember you, and will try to come for you once more if you ever step foot on the ice again.

The choice is yours, Interloper. What will you sacrifice?

GLIMMERFOG

WHEN: The month of May, onwards into early June.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural weather; themes of illness; insomnia and sleep deprivation symptoms; altered-mental states; hallucinations; nosebleeds/blood; possible character death.

Interlopers have come to understand that strange meteorological occurrences are not uncommon within the Northern Territories, especially given the Aurora. Auroras can often last for days, as one long and seemingly endless kind of terrible, noisy bright night which affects both electronics and nature alike. Or there's the toxic fog; times where the sky goes green and the moon and stars disappear; monster blizzards… strange is the new norm.

The fog that began in April doesn’t seem to be letting up any time soon. Endless days where the fog is too thick to travel in. Fortunately, there are no further bouts of the green, toxic fog that plagued the Northern Territories — the fog that remains is just the usual freezing cold and clinging damp that's been exhausting Interlopers.

Until there’s something else that starts to happen with the fog.

At first, it appears to be no different than the usual fog rolling in: cold, wet, and biting. It clings to those who are caught out in it, and it’s utterly miserable. However, those paying attention will note that the clouds of fog will occasionally... glimmer.

It’s as if there’s a current of electricity running through it, if one watches carefully. Mini lightning bolts shooting through and upwards in curious patterns. Flicks and pops that make the tiny hairs on one’s arms and neck stand up — almost like static. It won’t shock those caught within it, but it might be a little difficult to look at at times — as if someone were staring at a light that’s far too bright.

It’s oddly pretty, and seems particularly harmless, but there’s something far more sinister about this new, strange phenomena — or... Glimmerfog, as Interlopers will come to call it.

The first sign that something is amiss is the insomnia. In truth, sleep is often hard to come by in the Northern Territories, so it might be something that is easily brushed off as quite usual in terms of day to day life. However, Interlopers will realise they won’t be able to sleep at all, and will find themselves lying awake for the entirety of the night. Soon enough, more things creep up with the insomnia, the usual signs of sleep deprivation: dizzy spells, unsteadiness on one’s feet, poor hand-eye coordination, difficulty in concentration or poor short-term memory, even mood swings or changes to behaviour are likely.

Eventually, the symptoms begin to grow more sinister: nosebleeds are common, aches and pains... and then the fever sets in. Interlopers will become weak, lethargic, and even then they still cannot sleep through their illness. With it, comes hallucinations: sounds or sights, and then quickly developing into a full on delirium. Dreams and reality blend into one. An Interloper’s dreams and nightmares bleed into the waking world. They will find themselves experiencing their dreams despite being wide awake.

It seems like there is very little to be done in trying to fight the illness. Trying to tackle the fever and getting the afflicted Interloper some kind of sleep is the main concern, both of which may eventually kill the Interloper if enough is not done in time. Natural sleep-aids like herbal teas, or medications still available in the world may be able to get the Interloper to sleep for short amounts of time. Keeping the Interloper inside and away from the Glimmerfog will also help immensely, as will spending time in complete darkness or even underground or within caves/mining systems.

Breaking the fever will signal the peak and decline of the illness, and with enough care the Interloper will slowly begin to recover.

FAQs

THE ENDS JUSTIFY THE MEANS

1. Players are free to come up with their own ideas of cache locations within Lakeside. It might be particular points of interest, a particular kind of tree, within isolated cabins in the woods.

2. Please be reasonable of finds in the caches. These supply amounts won't be a huge amount — think small but many caches.

3. It is possible to come across the grisly finds in Lakeside without meeting up with Young Bill first.

4. Caches would tend to stick to similar themes, ie. food cache, medicine cache, etc.

SACRIFICIAL OFFERINGS

1. It is not possible to communicate with the beast, but it does seem to understand Interlopers. It will have no desire to communicate of befriend any one, though.

2. The beast will be a permanent fixture of the Lake.

3. Interlopers who initially refuse to give the beast anything can try again at a later date. They will have to offer their offering quickly, showing outward remorse for their initial disrespect towards the beast.

4. Locals refer to the Lakeside Beast as 'Nor'pogo.'

GLIMMERFOG

1. "Glimmerfog Disease" will run it's full course in roughly ten to fourteen days, with symptoms peaking typically around day seven to nine. Once the fever breaks, Interlopers will require a few days to fully recover.

2. Characters are welcome to kill of NPCs with this prompt, as Interlopers who don't make it through the illness — or to be used to study the sickness. Please let the mods know if you plan to kill an NPC for record keeping purposes!

PLOTTING POST

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Randvi draws a shaky breath. She often jokes now about her shock at the agony of the healer removing an arrow from her leg after her first raid, and that will be nothing compared to this.]

Wait. [She holds up her right arm, the one with the bracer she’d been gifted by Edward Kenway. Her hand is shaking.] Take my blade.

[Driven mad by pain, she might cut off her own finger. Or worse, she could hurt one of her rescuers.]

[ Lalo takes the blade and slides it into his waistband. Then he reaches out, to hold her shoulders down as instructed. He's the right man for this job; neither squeamish nor tender-hearted. He does coo down at her and give her a hopefully reassuring smile. He speaks softly. ]

It's gonna be okay. You got this. You're tough. The worst part is over.

[ He means the bear attack, of course. ]

[Sveta gives him a grateful look and lets out a breath, steeling herself for what comes next. She prepares her tools, then gets to work, stitching up what she can see of her face first, working on the worst ones to the less severe, saving the eye for last.

It kills her every moment, but she uses Lalo as an anchor, watching him every so often to ground herself, that steady presence enough to keep her from falling apart.]

[Randvi clenches her teeth and tries to lie still, but the pain is incandescent. The firm pressure of the hands on her shoulders does keep her at least somewhat grounded, reminds her not to fight too much, but it’s a mercy that she loses consciousness before Sveta gets to her eye.]

[ Lalo is quiet and still, grave and serious but unemotional, simply watching Sveta work. He's intent on holding Randvi down, applying light pressure when she squirms too much or seems like she might try to get away. But her body goes limp before long, although he doesn't completely let up in case she regains consciousness. ]

[Sveta finishes her work, wrapping gauze around Randvi's face and eye. She checks her pulse, makes sure she's breathing, and puts a blood stained hand on Lalo's.

Her fingers, steady with a needle and bandage, tremble now.]

It's alright. She will - will live. You can - can just help me clean, please?

[Fortunately, Sveta's raid of the cache earlier had granted her antibiotics, something she never thought she would have to use. Sveta gives her the first round, a shot into her arm, before the tears silently start to fall down her face.]

[Randvi sleeps long and hard, her body both recovering from the surgery and fighting off the illness she had picked up from the fog. She runs a brief fever, but it breaks before she starts stirring. She tries to sit up, disoriented, then falls back, stunned by the pain.]

What…?

Hey. Hey. Easy.

[ Sveta seems much easier to comfort than Crozier, who hadn't wanted to display weakness in front of Lalo. He reaches out, to pull her into a hug, letting her rest against his chest if she wants to. ]

You did great. Thanks for saving her.

[ He'll hug her as long as she wants him to before he gets to cleaning, efficient and precise. He's careful not to be too cheery about it, although internally he doesn't share Sveta's anguish. He is genuinely relieved to hear Randvi's going to live, though.

When Randvi does wake up, he's right there to help ease her back down, as she lays back down herself. His tone is quiet, more gentle than usual, though he does smile. He doesn't think a Viking like Randvi would appreciate being cried over. ]

Hey! You made it. Careful -- don't sit up too fast. How do you feel?

[Sveta needs just a moment, a moment like she had with Goodsir, when he put his hand on her shoulder as she cried and she recited facts about the nervous system to them. She needs a moment to get over the fact that this was her first trauma surgery as a regular, human doctor and not the Great Light Sorceress.

She needs a moment to feel like she's a normal fucking person and not stuck in this place of torment and horrors. She's grateful for Lalo's grounding, but she doesn't rely on it for too long. And she appreciates that he doesn't seem affected. That, at least, feels as familiar as the Night Watch.

But that moment doesn't last long because she's back to work, wiping her face with her arm and wordlessly working to make sure that Randvi will wake up as pain free as possible.

She doesn't like the fever, but gives her another round of antibiotics, just to be certain, and then celebrates by making herself (and Lalo, if he wants) a cup of coffee while they wait.

When Randvi wakes, she's quick to rush over.]

Ah, ah! Do not sit up again at all. [She tries to wave Lalo away while gently placing her fingers on her wrist to check her pulse.] Take a breath. We are both still here.

[Her pulse is strong, but a little fast. Still, no more than could be expected for someone recovering from both illness and physical trauma waking up in a place that isn't her home.

The voices are familiar - Lalo and Sveta, her friends, they'd stayed with her - and her body relaxes.]

It hurts. Sveta, my eye -

[Please. She knows that she’ll have to deal with scarring, but please tell her that you hadn't had to take her eye.]

[ Lalo allows himself to be waved away by Sveta, letting her take over. He's quiet for once, deciding to let Sveta reassure Randvi. She's the doctor, after all. She's got the good bedside manner. But he's ready to swoop in and cheer Randvi up if Sveta needs him to. ]

I know, my sweet friend. You are here and you are alive. You're stable. [She puts a hand on her arm, her voice gentle but firm.]

But your eye was badly damaged. I could not save it.

[She doesn't know if Randvi will ever forgive her for it, but she's alive and that's the most important thing.]

[A single sob escapes Randvi’s tight control - What will become of me? - and bright sparks tumble from her fingertips to burn out on the table.]

I'm sorry. Thank you both for saving my life.

[ At this point, Lalo's stomach does knot up with hurt. It's like Hector all over again. Seeing someone so strong, so fearless, their life now permanently changed by something out of their control...

He swoops in close to Randvi. ]

Hey, hey. Don't cry. Look at this way. We'll get you a badass eyepatch. You'll scare everybody!

You can do everything you used to. You just need to re-learn different ways to do it, that's all.

She will need to keep it covered for a while. A - badass - eyepatch should do it. [The word feels strange as she says it, but it makes her smile just a little. She takes Randvi's hand in her own.]

You are a strong fighter. That hasn't changed. Now you will be a strong fighter that can do so much.

[Randvi squeezes Sveta’s hand tightly. She's hurt and scared, and the things her friends promise her seem far beyond reach, but she's not alone, and that means something.]

I'll try. I'm so tired.

[ Lalo can't help himself. He smiles a little at Sveta's reluctance utterance of "badass". ]

No "try". You'll get there. We'll help you. [ He looks to Sveta for confirmation. ] Until then, you can rest if you need to.

[Sveta nods. She's absolutely going to help.] You need to rest. Sleep.

[She turns to Lalo.]

There are more medical supplies with Doctor Goodsir. If I send you with a list later, will you take it to him?

[They’re both being so kind to her. A tear slips from Randvi’s left eye.]

Thank you.

Do you have anything for the pain? I’m hurting everywhere.

[ Lalo nods at Sveta. ]

Of course! I would be happy to.

[ When Randvi asks about something for the pain, Lalo grins. ]

I might know just the thing. [ He looks back at Sveta. ] You don't have any liquor around here, do you?

Liquor? Not for drinking.

[She can't help the small smile at the thought, discreetly brushing Randvi's tear gently with her thumb to save her any shame.]

But you are stable enough that I think I can give you something stronger. [She gives Lalo a little nudge.]

Water, please?

[Even through the gauze covering most of her face, Randvi manages to give Sveta a Look.]

Water?

You got it!

[ Aye aye, ladies! Lalo is already pouring a cup of water at Sveta's prompting, before reaching out to gently tip it to Randvi's lips. He waits until she's with it before asking: ]

You wanna hold it, or you want me to? [ If it were him, he'd want to hold the cup himself.

He also doesn't think she's going to want them pitying her. He grins, and pulls up his long sleeve, so she can see all the scars on his arm. The scarring is substantial; she probably remembers what the wounds were like when they were fresh. ]

Yo! Check it out. Now we match! We should get together and just start fighting all the wild animals. We're invincible!

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