extinction is the rule

[singmod]

SEPTEMBER 2023 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — THE AURORA: AFTERSHOCKS: The Aurora comes, bringing chaos to the town of Milton. Electronics go haywire, and the Interlopers learn of the original citizens of Milton.

PROMPT TWO — THE HOUR OF THE WOLF: Tainted by the Aurora and attracted to the noise of people inhabiting the town, several packs of wolves descend upon Milton.

PROMPT THREE — IT SPEAKS: A voice comes to the Interlopers, one that knows them and their darkest fears and deepest insecurities, persuading them to fade into the Long Dark by any means necessary.

THE AURORA: AFTERSHOCKS

WHEN: Sporadic nights over the next month.
WHERE: Milton area.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural horror; ‘ghost’ horror; hauntings; death of npcs in various ways including suicide, murder or exposure to elements.

After the feast, and making sure the newcomers to Milton are seen to, Methuselah packs up. He will explain to others that while he will return to check in, he is no resident of Milton and will not stay. He is a nomad, something he has been all his life. He lives in nature. That is where he belongs. But he does assure that people are welcome to remain sheltered in the Hall if they wish to. And sure enough, the old man leaves, wishing the newcomers well. He can still be found out in the wilderness, and will shelter and feed those out exploring should they come across him.

And so the days and nights of this world roll on. The initial time of those who have come to be stranded in this world is unsettled. The weather is always changing, even if it remains bitterly cold. On some nights throughout the next month, however, the snow clouds clear and Interlopers are given a rare, clear night. At first, it’s beautiful: without the light pollution, all the stars can be seen, the moon casts an eerie glow upon the snow in the dead silence of the night. One might even say there is a kind of peace that comes with it all. And for some of these evenings, they pass by: uneventful and silent — the long darkness of an endless winter’s night.

But on others, it isn’t so uneventful. The noise starts: faint at first, but then growing louder. Something in the heavens above. An ethereal, high-pitched chorus of sounds difficult to place. There’s a kind of electrical buzzing with it all, a low, endless hum punctuated with cracks and pops that echo. The sky is alive with sound, louder than anyone could ever expect it to. With it comes the swirling streaking of colour against the inky black of night, growing brighter and brighter as the night goes on: The Aurora has come.

And it isn’t the sky that comes to life too: the whole town does too. Streetlights, illuminating the town’s roads; lights in stores and homes will come alive, buzzing and flickering often. Previously abandoned cars will turn on, their headlights blaring but faltering. Electronics that had previously seemed broken flick on — and whilst there are no broadcasts available on televisions, and the radio waves only drone on in static, both only occasionally blaring standard emergency broadcasts. Any computers and phones will turn on, but will have no internet or reception. Instead, Interlopers may find texts and emails — many of them unsent. The everyday lives of their users stored within, now readable.

But there’s something else too. The Aurora doesn’t just awaken the electronics of the town. Dotted around, in the streets, in homes, in stores, the lights of the Aurora begin to take shape: spectral-like forms of people, their faces hard to make out, details difficult to define. They move in glitching patterns, they speak with voices distorted by static. Eagle-eyed Interlopers may recognise the forms of some, a body or an action:

These are the residents of Milton, in their last moments on this earth.

The forms act out short scenes on repeat: a desperate fight between two men over a vehicle, a murder in a store during a riot, a suicide alone in one of the many houses. An argument over the communication lines going down. A sobbing teen curled up on his bed. A child stares up at the skies, their hands over their ears, crying in fright. A woman begs for her father to leave his home and head to the coast with her, to try to make it to the mainland, but he refuses to leave. A man succumbs to the cold walking alone in the outskirts of town without proper clothing for the elements. Several of these ‘ghosts’ are people fleeing before they stop and simply gasp, staring off into the distance for a few seconds before they drop dead on the spot.

There is nothing that can be done to stop these endless loops. Nothing to help these poor souls. Each of these moments are captured by the Aurora: final, desperate and tragic moments in some unknown, chaotic time. Some of these ‘ghosts’ maybe stop after so many loops — flickering out into nothing, others will last all night. But all will be gone by the morning and the Aurora comes to an end. There are answers, and there are none.

THE HOUR OF THE WOLF

WHEN: Sporadic nights over the next month.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: (wild) animal attacks, altered wildlife, possible character injury/death, possible (wild) animal injury/death.


The growing presence of people within the town of Milton has meant more light, more warmth, more noise. The Aurora has created great change, but people are not the only thing the ethereal lights in the sky has brought down upon this old mining town.

When the sun slips below the horizon, and the clear skies of burnt embers and inky blues alight with stars, they come.

A lone howl, long and haunting. It is the first signal, which carries on the air. You can’t seem to place from which direction it comes from, it feels like it encompasses you. Then another voice joins it, and another, and another. A chorus of them. As the sound echoes off, another fills its place: a strange feral chittering, snarling and snapping — the drumming of feet upon the snow, heading right for you.

Wolves.

Unnatural, glowing green eyes in the dark — tendrils of light seeping from them as they rush in and encircle those they come across outside. They come in packs of three or more, and they are clever. They’re quicker than any wolf you’ve ever known, bigger and hardier too. They will try to strike fast by zipping in when you’re distracted, snapping and nipping at legs or trying to take quick bites out of arms before drawing back. They work together to bring their prey down, a solid unit of noise and teeth. They will hunt down those who hide inside, try to claw their way inside of homes and buildings — dead set on finding you and tearing you apart. There is no hiding from them. They will find you.

But breaking the pack can send them back. If they’re broken, their morale is depleted. Fire is your biggest friend: torches, campfires and flames will keep them mostly at bay and only the bravest of these packs may attack. Striking them with flares or flames will actually send them into brief retreats. Bullets and arrows are effective with both noise and injuring the wolves, and although hitting one will be difficult due their speed, it’s possible. Killing one of these wolves will dissolve the pack’s morale entirely, and the rest will flee off into the night.

Until next time. Maybe it’s best you don’t stick around. They do hold a relentless determination.

IT SPEAKS

WHEN: Over the next month, possibly longer.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: psychological horror; mental manipulation; themes of suicide; themes of depression; potential self-harm; potential feelings of isolation; potential attempted suicide.

There are whispers. Small, at first. Distracting. Perhaps it is only the wind you hear. Milton is so quiet, even with the new hustle and bustle of the new people to this place. Wood creaks and the trees rustle, there are plenty of sounds you could mistake it for.

‘Interloper.’ It is an old voice. Something deep and dark and ancient. Something impossible, older than the earth itself. It floats into your ears and nestles there, sending an ice-cold shiver down your spine. Even to the most stoic and unshakeable souls, it is a unnerving voice. It feels wrong. It feels like an ending. To hear the voice is deeply unsettling... and yet... you recognise it.

It comes to you, in the dead of night when sleep is far. In the long stretches of day as you go about your business, as you travel across the frigid landscape or gather firewood or try to pass the time within whatever home you’ve made for yourself. For some the voice will be clear as day, for others it may be some distant whisper — something gently murmuring in your ear. But the voice will be heard, no matter the person.

‘Interloper. Do you know what it means?’ It asks. ‘It means one that involves itself in a place it does not belong. You do not belong.’

That it isn’t the only thing it tells you. For everyone, it’s different. It knows you. It picks up on any weakness, any insecurity. It makes you feel small, insignificant. It tells you all the quiet, terrible things you hide down within yourself. For days, weeks, the voice is there. Speaking to you. It will wear you down, insist you are not wanted, that you do not belong here.

... And wouldn’t it be better if you weren’t here at all?

The voice seeks to break you. It will push you to your limit. Sleep will become hard to find, your spirits low and hollow. In time you might seem to believe it. Maybe it’s better if you weren’t here. You don’t belong in this place, why should you stay?

‘Disappear, Interloper. Go into the Long Dark.’

Perhaps you next find yourself atop the steep cliffs, looking down into the Milton Basin below. Perhaps you find yourself with a gun in your hand, or a rope. Perhaps you find your feet carrying you out into the snow. You’re going to disappear. You’re going to go into the Dark.

Or maybe the voice isn’t so loud. You can push it down, ignore it. Perhaps Faith is what keeps you steady, perhaps knowing who you are despite your faults stops the voice from taking over. Maybe you can help those who can’t block out the voice. Words of encouragement, affirmation, kindness, determination, even spite. The voice wants you dead, but you will not let it. You will not fall. You will not let anyone else fall, either.

FAQs

THE AURORA: AFTERSHOCKS

1. While examples are given, players are encouraged to come up with their own ghostly loops of similar loops. The key thing to remember is that the people of Milton have descended into public disorder. Fights, arguments and murders have occurred, as have suicides or other unexplained deaths. People are frightened. They want to leave the town.

2. Ghostly loops cannot be interacted with, only witnessed.

3. There is no way of putting these 'ghosts' to rest. These loops are more like residual memories, as if the energy of the townsfolk remained, and have been reconstructed by the Aurora.

4. The wolf attacks and Auroras occur on sporadic nights over the course of the next month, with the Aurora being the first thing, then the wolves. It's unlikely you'll get both on the same night. While the wolves are attracted to the Interlopers' activity, the Aurora's light and noise will keep them away from the town during Aurora Nights.

5. Sharp-eyed Interlopers may notice that the 'ghosts' of those who are staring off into the distance before gasping and dropping dead are looking skyward, towards the east.

THE HOUR OF THE WOLF

1. Due to the Aurora's influence, these wolves are harder, better, faster, stronger, than typical wild wolves. They do not die as easily, and are much more difficult to wound and kill. But not impossible. Scaring the wolves will be far easier to accomplish.

2. Wolves will return, sometimes more than once on the same night, or on other nights during the month. The only sure-fire way to have them stop coming back is to kill the pack.

3. Wolf meat is technically edible. But not advised due to parasites. Characters are still welcome to harvest the wolves they kill, however. Who would say no to a cool ass wolf cape.

4. The wolf attacks and Auroras occur on sporadic nights over the course of the next month, with the Aurora being the first thing, then the wolves. It's unlikely you'll get both on the same night. While the wolves are attracted to the Interlopers' activity, the Aurora's light and noise will keep them away from the town during Aurora Nights.

IT SPEAKS

1. Characters can be talked down and broken from the voice's influence by others. Genuine connection and empathy will work massively, but even encouragement and affirmations to keep surviving will be powerful enough to break the voice's hold.

2. Players are welcome to play with the length of time the voice can be heard with characters. Some may want to have it over a short space of time, others can have this progress over a longer time period.

3. The voice can come at any time over the next month.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[bigbaddy]

[ Well, that reaction is very telling, isn't it? Sure, Bigby is still mostly caught up in his own thoughts, in the things the voice tells him in his head, but that doesn't mean that he doesn't have eyes. He's practically a detective back home, after all. He's supposed to notice these things.

And so he does. Even if Vash doesn't explicitly say it out loud, Bigby has a pretty good idea of what's most likely going on here. ]

You should have a goal for yourself too.

[ You better not tell anyone that he's been nice to you, Vash. Absolutely not.

But considering Bigby knows how hard it is for him to deal with that dumb voice in his mind, he's sure the same must be true for Vash. Especially at a moment like this, when he's thinking about something that might have bothered him even without the voice, let alone with it. ]

Only thinking of others is no good. You're living too.

[amo]

[ There's a flicker of surprise at the suggestion he set a goal for himself before his expression only turns more wry. Vash has lived practically his entire long life in service of a memory of the woman who raised him, keeping her ideals and hopes for humanity alive. It's all he knows. A huge part of that had become stopping his brother from wiping out humanity entirely and he'd thrown himself at that goal with the expectation that neither of them would come out of the confrontation alive.

But he did. Now he's lost his closest friend, his brother, the sandy desert hell of a planet he called home, and there's little left but to carry on as he's always done: for others. (So rest, the voice says.)

He doesn't think himself deserving of much of anything and what little he wants for himself is long gone and far beyond his reach. He could join the dead he wishes to see again, as the voice keeps urging him to do, but... not yet. It's not his time yet.

He can only breathe out a soft, sheepish laugh to drown it out. ]

I've never really done that before. I wouldn't know where to start.

[ Honesty given in return for the kindness of the words. (And he will sing Bigby's praises for it if any opportunity presents itself for that, sorry not sorry.) ]

[bigbaddy]

[ Bigby clear has no idea what's awaiting him..

But he's not thinking about that right now either. As much as he hates to think of himself as nice in any way, it sure feels a hell of a lot easier in this moment to think of other people, rather than about himself. It has a little bit less to do with the voice, gives it less of a chance to kick in and reinforce already existing negative thoughts.

And it helps that Vash seems like such a softy. Feels like at least he isn't giving away nice advice to someone shitty. ]

You don't even have a hobby?

[ S-Says the guy.. who also literally doesn't have any hobbies.. ]

[amo]

[ Pot calling the kettle black!!

That Vash has to pause and really think about the question probably says enough. The training he does every morning probably doesn't count as a hobby, does it? Keeping his shooting sharp and body ready is all done so he can help others better, meaning it doesn't count as something for himself. Practically his whole life he's been doing nothing but wandering into human settlements, helping people or messing up in his attempt to do so, and leaving again to blow into the next town. Being the most wanted man on the planet just kept him moving constantly, picking up odd jobs here and there just to get by. It's a lifestyle that doesn't exactly leave a lot of room for casual hobbies.

When he eventually reaches that conclusion, he can only laugh, sheepish and embarrassed. ]

... Uh, not really? I guess traveling is the closest thing, but I can't exactly do that here.

[ He's been tempted to, but this environment is too different from the desert he's used to. There's too much he doesn't know when he's still learning how to survive in these particular harsh conditions. So far it hadn't seemed like a good idea to wander too far away from Milton. ]

Oh, and drinking! But there's no bars....

[ So yeah... he's got nothing. ]

[bigbaddy]

[ Well, at least Bigby thinks it's a good thing that Vash is saying that he can't travel here. He would not put it past certain people here to try to travel all the same, despite the circumstances clearly not allowing it..

But the man's thoughts do stick to the travel thing in general right now. It is harder to do something about the alcohol situation, after all, with how limited their supplies are here.. Unless someone figures out moonshining.

So after taking a moment-- ]

What exactly did you like about traveling?

[amo]

[ Another question he has to pause to consider, although the answer comes to him faster this time. Traveling has always been a necessity in his life on the run and often Vash finds himself dreaming of settling down, living the quiet life somewhere where he'll be left undisturbed. Yet in moments where he managed to stay put for a while, he would end up missing life on the road eventually.

He feels it here too, that restlessness and urge to keep moving. Traveling might have simply become a habit over the years at this point, yet one he's come to enjoy.

Why?

He can't say it's because he likes the change of scenery when No Man's Land looked like the same sandy hellhole no matter where you went, the towns only varying slightly in shapes and sizes, but the landscape always remaining the same. Novelty isn't quite it either. He'd been around long enough to have seen it all, the places were nothing new to him. There's one thing that would always change though... ]

Meeting new people.

[ They aged so fast, their lifespans short and fragile. Not only that, their personalities can change so drastically in a short amount of time, too. Ever-changing and adapting; it's people he's been drawn to. ]

Getting to see how they live and be a part of that for a little while. I liked that best.

[ Vash can never truly belong given his inhuman nature, but he could pretend for a moment or two. The shorter the stay, the easier it is before anyone realizes he's more than he seems. ]

[bigbaddy]

Well, then you're in luck.

[ It sounds like the man draws the conclusion rather quickly, not even having to pause to consider things the way Vash did only a moment ago.

Bigby raises a hand, gesturing out in front of them. Not at anything specific - maybe more just like he's trying to indicate this place in general through the gesture. ]

There's a whole lot of people to meet out here that you've never seen before. [ Sure, maybe the amount of people in the village isn't that high. Certainly not compared to New York, or even to the Fable community. But there's still enough people that Bigby feels kind of awkward when he goes to the community center and is among just a few too many people.. ] Sounds like this might just be the place of your dreams, honestly.

[ At least the voice in his head can't say anything about that. It's not Bigby's problem, after all. ]

[amo]

[ The immediate claim of being in luck garners a blink of surprise, not comprehending even as Vash instinctively follows the gesture with his gaze. His eyes snap back when Bigby goes on to explain and Vash... laughs. It's slightly wan, but all the more genuine for it. ]

That's true. I'm meeting people from places I never even could have imagined.

[ From different worlds entirely; something considered impossible where he's from. Establishing a connection back to Earth had already been a miraculous feat on No Man's Land, much less finding a way to reach across universes. To say this is a once in a lifetime opportunity isn't exactly wrong. ]

Shame about the cold and the horrors though.

[ He could do without those, thank you very much. ]

But I did meet someone interesting today that makes enduring those a little easier. [ His eyes crinkle at the corners as he smiles at Bigby, grateful for the kindness despite the fact they don't even know one another's names. To remedy that, he offers his right (in tact) hand and adds: ] I'm Vash.

[bigbaddy]

[ Oooh, gosh. That's sappy, Vash. That last line near the end there is so sappy that it visibly makes Bigby wince on the spot, like he truly can't endure sitting here and listening to a statement like that. He doesn't know how to deal with it at all.

So he just doesn't comment on it. He may not know everything about the other so far, but he has gotten the impression that Vash only doubles down when you point out something is cringe or too sappy..

So better to stay safe.

Especially now the voice feels a little more quiet, weirdly enough. ]

I'm Bigby.

[ Good excuse to not have to say his last name, since it's been feeling a little bit more on the nose now he's actively concealing his true nature. ]

.. guess we should head back to town proper, huh. [ Being out here can't be good for you. Especially when you've been having to deal with a voice actively telling you to just jump off a cliff. ]

[amo]

[ Oh good, if being sappy is all it takes to chase Bigby back into the safety and warmth of town, Vash is more than prepared to get even mushier! This Plant has so much sap stored in him, an aloe vera could never.

But he doesn't mind the statement going unacknowledged beyond a wince. He's more disappointed about his offered hand getting ignored, that does make him pout a tiny bit. At least he does get a name and that's enough to perk him up again pretty much immediately. ]

Circumstances aside, it's good to meet you, Bigby!

[ Also said in a disgustingly sincere way. Sorry not sorry. He'll at least have mercy and go along with that comment. ]

Probably, yeah. Unless we want to keep freezing our asses off out here.

[ He unfolds and lets himself slide off the rock, feet hitting the snow with a pleasant crunch as he moves to stand, turning back to smile at his companion. ]

But I could do with some warming up.

[ He'll come back and look for more souls in need of help, of course. He just wants to make sure Bigby gets back alright without the voice urging him away from civilization again and he does need to warm himself up a little bit before trekking out into the snow again. He's still not entirely used to the cold yet and his near-miss getting frostbite upon his arrival has him slightly more cautious about staying out for long. ]