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

[ His normally flat expression seems to resemble a slight pout for a moment. ]

...I'm not that old.

[ Then again, Middle Aged Levi just doesn't have the same ring to it. ]

Older than the other one!

[Younger than her, probably, but she won’t bring that up.]

...

[ Well. There's no arguing that. ]

[ He doesn't deign it with a reply, though. ]

[ Instead, he finishes filling up his backpack with their pilfered ammunition, though a few boxes still remain. He doesn't particularly feel like leaving them to people who might be their enemies. ]

Sure you're not taking any? You could probably trade them in town.

And then have people up my ass about stealing from the caches? No thanks.

[ He thinks the lady is full of shit, that or he's landed in some kind of a twilight zone where everybody follows law to the letter which seems less likely, but it doesn't really reflect in his expression since it remains the same kind of flat as always. ]

Do people often get up your ass about things that everyone is doing?

[ At least, the majority of those who were at Young Bill's seemed to be in agreement about taking ammunition from the caches. There could be some extremely spirited outliers, he supposes, but the woman hardly seems the type to care about upsetting one or two people. ]

Were you at that stupid meeting? Half the people there are up everyone’s ass about everything.

[Chloe’s always felt like a target for being friends with people the hall monitors don't like, but she doesn't want to get into that with this guy.]

Though you're right that taking ammunition is less controversial than food.

So don't report everything to them.

[ He was at the meeting and he didn't get that impression, although he was slightly irked that nobody seemed to want to do the obvious and learn more about their opponents by fucking talking to one of them. He doesn't consider the "vote" on that binding in any way; if he sees a chance to improve everyone's situation, he will take it. ]

[ Starving kids isn't really his MO, though. ]

Naturally. They can't use food to kill us.

Hard not to report carrying a rifle anyone can see.

[Whatever. More for him, anyway.]

It’ll be harder for them to kill us on an empty stomach.

Like the kid's been doing since he got here? He didn't mention any trouble.

[ He frowns. Does this mean that some sort of a hierarchy has been established where a certain group is "allowed" to carry weapons but others are not? That's basically police, right? But if that were the case, wouldn't she have said that without beating around the bush? This conversation is just going in circles at this point. ]

[ He stares at her for a moment; his expression betrays no emotion but it's almost like he disapproves of whatever she just said... or maybe that's just his face. ]

Harder, or more tempting?

I think it's different when you're “patrolling.”

[Chloe likes little Levi but him toting his rifle on the kindergarten cop route is not the same as her carrying a gun while breaking into Lalo’s house.]

Maybe both? That's how it is for me.

[ Oh no, little Levi is part of the ruling class? He doesn't know what to think about that. She's probably just lumping him in with them because he's got military training. Still, he's not going to discard any possibility. ]

So tell them you're with the pigs. Who's going to check?

[ Or rather, how would anyone even do that? It's not like they can take a peek at where each of them has come from. Anybody could be anybody. Far as they know, the rest of these "patrolling" people are overacting and talking out of their asses. ]

Yeah? You know a lot about starvation?

I don't really have a cop’s manner.

[Nadine could probably manage it, but not Chloe. Not in such close quarters.]

I know a lot about not having enough.

A "cop's"? That what you call them here?

[ Oops, his vocabulary might be a little bit outdated. ]

But you still want to put others through the same thing. [ He considers for a moment. Honestly, he can't argue it would be poetic justice if, say, aristocrats ended up having to fight for scraps. Would be entertaining, at least. ] Some people could use that, but we don't know if these guys are it. Yet.

Yeah, it's slang. Cop means, like, to grab.

If these people left this stuff hidden so badly that Bill found it they can't need it that bad.

Huh. [ Okay. That's useful vocabulary to have. He makes sure to note it. ] None of the "cops" I've met had any manners either, so you might have a better shot than you think.

[ Although, he supposes, it's not really difficult to have better manners than an MP. Even Kenny did. ]

They might not need it right now, but they're most likely resupply points. [ He considers for a moment. There is one thing that makes him more wary of these people than he normally might be otherwise. ] I heard there's corpses in the woods. Have you seen any?

Believe it or not, bad-mannered people not wanting me to have a gun is also bad.

[Rules are different for her in a lot of situations.]

I saw one of their little displays, yeah. It was deer, though.

Suit yourself.

[ He finally gives up, though he's no less confused than he was at the start. It's not like he has any place big enough to shove a whole rifle up anyway, and he's definitely not getting rid of his only working weapon now that there are apparently hostiles in the area. ]

[ Speaking of which, he still doesn't want to leave ammo for them. And if he can't shove more into his pack, the best option seems to be destroying them or hiding them somewhere else, and the second option definitely seems quieter. So he'll just take the remaining boxes into his hands and start walking. ]

I see.

[ So he does not yet have confirmation that these people are actually killing other humans, so far. It's still creepy, but hardly enough reason to be subjected to starvation. ]

Seems weird. Wasteful, for people who are supposed to be nature defenders.

...you're right. A deer's as good as several food caches.

[ Which would suggest they're not currently wanting for food... OR that whatever they think they're doing is worth some discomfort. ]

Why do you think they did it?

I don't know. Must be a message for someone, right? Or a gift. It must have taken an hour to arrange the big one I saw.

Or some kind of magic.

[ He is absolutely convinced it's connected to this "Darkwalker" creature, but at the moment he generously assumes that the people are sacrificing their lives to prevent it from entering the area. (He'll be convinced of the opposite soon enough...) ]

Doesn't seem like outside magic works here.

[And nothing they've picked up so far needs ingredients.]

Who said anything about outside? They're locals, no?

[ Just because people didn't need "rituals" to set things on fire didn't mean it couldn't have a different purpose. Hell, as far as he's concerned the very existence of Darkwalker is some magic bullshit. ]

Edited 2024-07-22 22:46 (UTC)

It doesn't sound like they were doing this before.

So? They weren't getting all of us piled on their heads before either. Maybe they're finally serious about cleaning house.

[ Enjoy somebody else being paranoid at you, Chloe! ]

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