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]

[ There's a slight pause, like he's deciding on whether or not to say it after all, but then he lets out a sigh. ]

I was more thinking about the people than the devices.

[ Guess it's time to point that out to Erichthonios after all, huh. Bigby kind of thought the other would have figured out as much himself too, but maybe he's a little bit more naive than that. It's kind of surprising, given what most adults Bigby runs into are like, but.. well, it's not like they don't have types like these among Fables too.

They're just rarer. ]

Rather-- let me ask you it like this. [ He shakes his head, turning fully towards the other. ] Do you trust everyone here?

[aetherialshackles]

[He drops a lamp in the bag and stops for a good moment, just staring at the bland wallpaper coloring the wall. The people, huh? He had his fair share of disappointments, his father and the emotions that his father discarded managed to turn the facility he lived in into a messy place, his own mentor turned against him, yet-]

Well, no one gave me a reason not to trust them so far.

[He had no powers, no strength, nothing, but he carried hope, in one form or another. So he had hope when it came to other people as well- after all, he did see how his little world came together when things turned out for the worst and it was his faith in two complete strangers that helped averting the first 'calamity' that hit the Pandaemonium.

Sadly, this translated into him having faith in others as well even in such a cold, lawless place. He turned around, offering Bigby a big smile, no matter how he didn't actually feel happy or anything like that.]

We're all here against our will, as far as I can tell. We're all trying to survive and we all want to... if not go home, at least get to a better place, right? So I can't see any real advantage in starting fighting not just against the elements and the wildlife but also between each others.

I mean, any person with a braincell would probably avoid unnecessary conflict right now, right?

[A coworker created a doll with Erich's features because Erich represented their place's hope, certainly not because he represented the practical and logical side of things...]

[bigbaddy]

.. sure.

[ That's not really the most convincing answer on Bigby's part, huh. It doesn't help that he's such a contrast with the other guy here. Erichthonios is all smiles and hope over there, and Bigby looks like he's somehow constantly carrying the weight of the entire world on his shoulders in the worst way possible with his constant resting grump face.

It means that if the other is listening, he can probably already hear the 'but' in Bigby's tone, even before it actually drops a moment later. ]

But people often don't act rationally. Especially in situations like these, where you're all trapped together into a relatively small space, and you're not even sure what's going on. People will panic, or worry, and they'll start making the worst fucking decisions of their entire life. [ He's not even mad, really. Maybe a little exasperated, but that 'fucking' is dropped in there like it's just part of his natural vocabulary, rather than out of any real anger, judging by his tone. ]

Call me pessimistic, but I wouldn't be surprised if people here started trying to kill each other in a month or so. That's why you have to be more careful about who you decide to trust.

[aetherialshackles]

[Oh, Bigby, he could make a comment on how much that attitude reminds him of his father... but he will spare everyone the awkwardness. He does hear the 'but', yet he doesn't interrupt Bigby, merely looking at some of the pictures attached to the wall. There wasn't so much snow in them, that would explain how the vehicles moved around before... whatever happened, right?

He listens and turns in the man's direction after a pause, still doing his best to offer a smile. Erichthonios somehow managed to go through the end of his world and still have faith in people.]

Yes, you have a point. I've seen people panic and make mistakes before, but if we build our little community with a base of mistrust and fear, we'll go nowhere. It's in time of crisis that we must come together and work as a team: everyone has something to offer, even someone like me. Probably. [Erich's self esteem has always been under his shoes and it certainly didn't increase since he moved in Snowland with the others.] If we manage to build instead of isolate people, if we can get together as an unit instead of individuals, there will be less reasons to panic and attack each others, right?

Let's try to give this place structure, let's try to find a calling for everyone here so we can help each other, and I'm certain things will be well.

[Oh, he's so naive in this. Just because it works with his kin, almost godly entities in his world (Beside him, he's the Average Joe of the situation, he always had been.), it doesn't mean it will work with anyone.]

Call me optimistic, but I think the current residents of this place can function properly given enough effort. What are we, rabid carbuncles eager to devour each other?

cw: animal death mention (and eating said animals mention)

[bigbaddy]

[ Damn, Bigby thinks.

This guy really is going to be the first to die when this place inevitably starts going to shit.

At least - for once - he's nice enough to keep this opinion to himself. Or maybe he just doesn't feel like dealing with the aftermath of actually saying that out loud, which might actually be more likely. It's not like Bigby doesn't have some admiration for the other's idealism, but in the face of what they're dealing with here, it feels a little.. naive.

(It makes him think a touch of Snow, and he quickly buries that thought, not wanting to feel any of the messy emotions that come with the thought of her.) ]

I mean.. just the other day I saw a guy murdering some of the wolves and eating them.

[ Just saying, Erich. In response to that last part, of course. ]

[aetherialshackles]

[Someone has to keep faith in people, though... and Erichthonios is very likely to cover that role.

Even if he'll probably get hurt real soon.]

Well, it's a good thing no one seems to be a wolf here, at least, mh? [Oh, no, Erich, no...] I mean, no one seems to be one at least? I don't know any person's true self in here. Buuut if someone was? I wouldn't definitely keep a humanoid form, imagine saying no to a warm, warm fur. I would trade my basic skin for a layer of extra warmth at any moment.

[In his defense, his people can transform into monsters at will. Most of them, anyway, Erich needed 'extra help' to do so. His best friend? An angelical abomination with four arms. His father? Has multiple demonic forms. Someone turning into a wolf would hardly bother him.]

In any case, that's not cannibalism, right? Even if they better cook them, Not sure about things in this world, but in mine that was a great way to contract parasites. Raw meat in general, I mean.

Not that eating non ethically sourced meat is okay, but we're trying to survive, right?

[He shrugs, still continuing to gather things and trying to listen to the other side of this 'telephone' thing for a moment. Nope, only static sounds that only bother him.]

You know, talking with you I realized... if people are being pessimistic, perhaps it would be nice to work on some kind of community project? I get that you think communication devices may be dangerous, but...

What do you think could serve a community well?

[bigbaddy]

[ Don't mind that faint twitch near Bigby's eye when Erich starts on his entire ramble about wolves and wolf people. It is a little ironic to stand there and listen to it while knowing that he is the wolf person in town.. Probably the only one, but it still means Bigby definitely knows there is a wolf person in town who takes offence to the idea of the people here eating other wolves!

Not to mention the irony of Erichthonios saying he'd rather not stay in human form if he was one.. Yeah, dude!! Bigby feels the same way, but sometimes we're forced to stay in our meat sacks because this place takes our way nicer wolf form away from us. :(

It's a rough life.

Bigby knows he's supposed to keep all of that secret though, so even though he's itching to bring it up, he doesn't. And it helps that Erich is so quick to move himself past the topic anyway.

Maybe his chattiness is good for something after all, Bigby thinks. ]

A lack of arguments.

[ It's said a little dryly, but.. it's not like he doesn't mean it. Every single pain involving the community back home could be traced back to dumbass arguments in Bigby's opinion.. ]

Or safety, I guess. One might lead to another. [ Doesn't even matter which one of the two you start with, really. It's a cycle. ]