methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
singmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
singillatim2024-05-09 09:24 pm
singmod) wrote in singillatim2024-05-09 09:24 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- benton fraser: lorna,
- bigby wolf: jelle,
- chloe frazer: tess,
- claudia: bobby,
- connor wolf: shade,
- cornelius hickey: kates,
- damian wayne: cass,
- dream of the endless: huali,
- eddie munson: hannah,
- edward little: jhey,
- francis crozier: gels,
- james t. kirk (au): ricks,
- john irving: gabbie,
- kate marsh: cheryl,
- kieren walker: cheryl,
- konstantin veshnyakov: jhey,
- lalo salamanca: amber,
- lanfear: carly,
- levi ackerman: dem,
- levi jordan: cirape,
- louis de pointe du lac: tea,
- randvi: tess,
- raylan givens: arma,
- sam carpenter: lia,
- snow white: carly,
- svetlana nazarova: kota,
- the doctor: kris,
- tim drake: fox,
- wynonna earp: lorna,
- zoey westen: bri
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
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.
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.'
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!
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Yeah? Because of the fire?
[She doesn't really know how it works because aside from the time that Billy had warmed her up in the fog the only times she's seen it used have been involuntary.]
I might like to see that.
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[ Mostly because he'd like for them to not end up in any situations where he would be forced to use it, thanks! She's right in thinking that the power is making him a little more confident, at least, but it did not change a thing about Billy wanting to just avoid trouble altogether, given the option.
Thankfully it seems that they're still living that option right now. Even when he looks around them or tries to really listen for any sound, he can't spot a sign of them being followed yet.
Maybe that's why he slowly exhales to start on something else. They're still on their way towards one of the caches anyway. ]
That reminds me-- I have to warn you about someone who recently arrived in town. His name is John Irving. Have you spoken to anyone with that name? [ He presumes not, given that Chloe likely wouldn't last two minutes in the company of that man, but.. can't hurt to make sure. Not when they promised to look out for each other, especially when it comes to matters that deal with their sexual preferences. ]
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[She gets more serious as he continues talking, though. Hickey had told her before that the more dangerous elements on their crew weren't here. Maybe that's not true anymore.]
No, I don't think so. I don't usually go to that newcomer feast thing. Warn me about what?
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Billy knows when to let sleeping dogs lie though, so he doesn't remark anything on that matter. Instead he starts answering the question-- ]
He.. [ ...
Or rather, he starts to attempt to do so. After just voicing the first word, Billy suddenly frowns, his expression growing more complicated as he searches for the right words. ]
He detests people like us. [ Granted, 'like us' could mean a lot of things in this context, but Billy is kind of hoping Chloe is picking up on what he's putting down. ] He thinks we are unnatural.
nsfw
Is he the one who…? [He said they’d been found out, before. Is that how he knows enough to warn her about him?
Some bad shit had gone down then. Maybe she should change the subject.]
Might be different on this side. A lot of those guys can't imagine how two women would have sex, anyway.
nsfw
[ Granted, Billy is also one of those people who can't imagine how two women would have sex. Not that he doesn't believe lesbians can't exist if he clearly exists as a gay person, but he's never spent even a single moment on attempting of thinking how that would work in practice.. ]
Avoiding him is still the best course of action though. [ And if he knows anything about Chloe, it's that she's real good at avoiding people when she doesn't want them to find her. ] Even if he didn't detest us, he would still be the most unpleasant person I have ever known in my life. I would not be surprised if he attempted to start some sort of Bible study here.
[ That definitely sounds derogatory. Billy doesn't have a very high impression of faith, despite the era he comes from. It's part of the whole gay package, really. ]
I know you would never wish to be around a sanctimonious man such as him.
no subject
[It’s probably hard to imagine Chloe in her little vest, blouse, and pleated skirt but unfortunately it had happened.]
no subject
At school?
[ Okay, so Billy doesn't know what high school is, but it's obviously some sort of school. And he definitely did not assume Chloe went to school, somewhere between her attitude and her being a woman. Not even that he thinks she's dumb - far from it, she seems very capable of handling herself - but it just wouldn't be happening back in his society. Besides, it's not even like Billy's education was all that great..
Hence why he's having a hard time fully imagining any of this. His voice grows a little quiet as he asks: ]
What happened there?
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At least Billy had managed to keep it hidden all his life until that awful moment of bad luck on the ships. He had to see people judge it, listen to people judge it, but never anyone judging him for it to his face until Irving. And then, until Rorschach. But Chloe has. ]
.. I am sorry you had to go through that, Miss Frazer.
[ His voice is quiet. He means it. It's something Billy can understand on such a personal level, after all. ]
And I am glad things are not like that anymore. [ Aside from a few people here who are still like that.
But really - Rorschach is an asshole even aside from being a plain homophobe, so Billy will gladly hope he's the outlier. And Irving is also just annoying. At this rate those two traits might as well be inherently connected within people, for all he knows.
And then, dryly added: ] At least the people who want to murder us here just want to do so indiscriminately, rather than for our inclinations.
[ Thanks, weird forest group!! ]
no subject
[The other part makes her laugh.] God. We don't know anything about them, maybe it's a gay commune.
no subject
Oh?
[ Billy doesn't really believe this to be true. It's an obvious joke on her end, but.. ]
Have you ever seen any of them? Do they happen to be handsome? [ He's just joking right along with her, okay.
Though red flags are Billy's type.]no subject
I've only caught a few glimpses. Hot until proven otherwise.
no subject
[ Just saying, Chloe!!!
Thankfully Billy is very much in a happy (you know, by his standards) relationship. There's no real need to sample the wares. But you can't fault a man for looking, right. ]
Besides, we might have to speak a few words about your principles, Miss Frazer. I met the man who was.. 'courting' you. [ He's definitely using that word on purpose. ] The one from the incident you told me about.
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No way! He told you?
[Sveta had guessed but she’d told her way more details and they'd been in a really similar situation.]
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More than that.
[ He raises his eyebrows a little bit, like he's about to tell something really interesting, and he's teasing her by slightly delaying it. ]
But you have to make sure he won't know that you know any of this once I tell you, or you will forcibly make my well of gossip run dry. [ He needs Lalo to be able to trust his confidentiality to even hear these funny stories in the first place, Chloe!! ] And I would really detest that.
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I think you've talked to him more recently than I have! I won't say anything.
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Well, he told me after he followed me home in the dead of night. [ Which.. sounds kind of ominous, but Billy doesn't sound too bothered about it.
In the end it had been a good thing, after all. It gave him gossip!! ]
He could not find you, and he must have figured out that the two of us know each other to come ask me about you instead.
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Christ. What good did he think that was gonna do? You didn't know where I was either.
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[ Which is a fair thought, given that Chloe did at least tell Billy where she lives - something she doesn't bother to do with just everyone! But on the other hand, Lalo was clearly not taken the fact into account that Chloe is just the sort of woman that does off on her own without telling anyone sometimes.. ]
And then he mistook my formalities for.. [ A slight pause, and then added: ] .. something else, if you know what I mean.
[ It's not even that Billy is prudish! He can say it, despite being Victorian and all.
It's just that being kind of coy about it when talking about this specific incident is kind of funny to him. ]
As if the only reason anyone might refer to you as Miss Frazer would find its origins in the bedroom. [ He shrugs a little as they walk. ] That is how I found out what apparently.. gets you going, so to speak.
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Did he say it was all me? What a liar! That was his idea in the first place, you know. [In an imitation of Lalo’s voice:] “Oh please, Miss Chloe, I'll do anything.” And he did, too.
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The two of them really must have gotten lucky with having none of those around, considering they don't even emerge at the loud sound. ]
You can't say that and then not tell me what he did. [ He lightly protests. Don't hold back the details, girl! Especially since he didn't get all of them from Lalo either. ] How far did he go for you?
[ How much power do you hold over that man, Chloe? ]
Mild nsfw
[She holds enough power over him that she probably shouldn't have been surprised that he's a bit obsessed with her.]
I had him on his knees in his own living room with no effort at all. When he set the couch on fire, I hadn't even touched him yet.
definitely mild nsfw now
That happened untouched?
[ The details of this are only getting juicier and juicier.. ]
No wonder he spoke of you as if you were some sort of witch. That sort of thing can't be common between men and women. [ Hey, not like he'd know.
But he kind of figures. ]
Re: definitely mild nsfw now
I guess touching me was just that good.
Like I was a witch, huh? Wow. What did he say?
definitely mild nsfw now
Re: definitely mild nsfw now
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