singillatim | i was following the pack all swaddled in their coats

i was following the pack all swaddled in their coats

MAY 2025 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — THE SHUDDERING EARTH: Quake activity in the area, paired with decaying infrastructure, reveals a way for Interlopers to make their way to the coast.

PROMPT TWO — THE LONG ROAD: Interlopers can now embark on the long and dangerous journey to Silverpoint, and make some grim discoveries on the way.

PROMPT THREE — TRY HONESTY: A dream leads to Interlopers being a little more honest with one another, in different kinds of ways.

THE SHUDDERING EARTH

WHEN: Early May, onwards.
WHERE: Everywhere, Carter Hydrodam.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of natural disasters; earthquakes; potential avalanches; themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.

Seismic activity is well known within the Northern Territories. Both last year, and over the last month or so, Interlopers have felt intermittent tremors — the ground quaking beneath their feet, enough to upset some objects around homes but never quite enough to cause some serious damage. Interlopers have been fortunate, but the damage caused by these quakes have long left their scars over the years in this world: railroads and roads buckled and crumbled, bridges destroyed and tunnels and pathways caved in, cutting off access. The quakes can cause some serious damage.

Interlopers will find that out in the late evening of one otherwise calm day in May.

Animals will notice the signs of the impending quake before humans do, growing restless and agitated in the hour or so before the shaking starts.

A low tremor that makes items in homes quiver, the ground vibrating beneath your feet. It quickly grows more violent — items can be sent flying if they’re not secured. Light fixtures sway overhead, furniture will shake and topple over, dust and debris could rain down from above — some places worse than others, depending on the building.

Diving for shelter is the best thing to do, out of the way of windows and objects that can fall over. Finding something sturdy to take cover under. The shaking grows intense, especially in the Lakeside area. There is a strange and terrible churning of metal and stone, a crash, something giving way. Roars and crackles of noise.

In Lakeside, where the quake is far more intense, the sound reverberates around the area, but the sound can even be heard so far as in Milton — distant but noticeable. It comes from the direction of the Hydrodam.

The quake is fortunately short-lived and finally dies down. Interlopers will be able to come out of hiding and assess the damage and check on one another for injuries. Within Milton and Lakeside, some buildings that have never been inhabited by Interlopers and remained empty for a long time (and thus in states of disrepair) will be found severely damaged. Water pipes may burst, causing flooding in some unused buildings — ultimately rendering them now useless and uninhabitable.

Generally, it looks like large swathes of the area have come out unscathed — but there is a risk of avalanches in some of the more remote locations near to the mountains. It might take several days for Interlopers to take stock and assess properly, even check further afield.

Interlopers who choose to investigate the Hydrodam will come to find that sections of the dam itself have given way, the metal burst open and water spilling outwards and down the river towards the coast. The huge gorge which separates Lakeside and The Coast is a raging torrent. In time, these waters will eventually calm but it looks like the previously flooded sections of the dam that had meant it was completely inaccessible might be now free to explore with the fact the water had .

The Hydrodam has been in a state of disrepair for some time. Before The Flare, it barely had a skeleton crew running things. Now, with no one to maintain the dam itself following previous quake activity — it looks like this quake has been the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Traversing through the dam will reveal that the lower levels are now accessible and can be entered. But Interlopers should take caution: while the lower dam is now free to explore, this section of the dam still contains freezing cold water that can reach knee deep on the average person. What’s worse is these sections are filled with debris: equipment, furniture and even random junk and industrial supplies that had been once stored there. Some are broken, and can can injury to the unsuspecting traveller.

Travelling through the dam through an Aurora would be incredibly dangerous due to damage in the building, with exposed wiring and partially flooded areas not mixing great companions. The utmost care should be taken when exploring and finding the way through, or it may spell trouble.

But what it will lead to is a way out. On the other side of the dam.

And a way out to the coast.

THE LONG ROAD

WHEN: Early May, onwards.
WHERE: Carter Hydrodam, The Coast
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk; corpses; dead npcs.

Coming out and down from the other side of the Hydrodam will bring Interlopers to the destroyed Connector Bridge and onto Coastal Highway — the main road that leads to Silverpoint. There are a few extra outbuildings on this side of the dam which are dry but not particularly comfortable — but it’ll make do in the face of recovering from getting through the dam itself.

But after that? The world is far more open compared to Lakeside and certainly less sheltered than Milton, meaning winds are incredibly biting and difficult to contend with whilst travelling. There is little in terms of cover, and thus Interlopers may need to really plan well in order to keep themselves alive. Hopefully Interlopers have come well prepared for the journey ahead of them.

A great deal of the landscape has been damaged by quakes, making the terrain difficult to navigate: with huge, icy ridges and gorges in the earth and roads — providing ample danger to travellers. But sticking roughly to the road means a straight-forward way down but it will take several days to walk down, given the difficulty.

There is nowhere indoors to shelter on this journey save for a single garage and gas station about half-way through the trek south. Interlopers will need to brave the outdoors, even sleeping out doors or in the shallow, sheltered caves that may be seen just off the road. Interlopers will need to huddle for warmth, keeping an eye on one another to make sure they make it through the night. The gas station will provide decent shelter and warmth, however, and even boasts a few supplies left of food, water and fuel. Some one has definitely been here, but with it being so remote, it’s no wonder it’s generally been left alone.

The reasons why will soon come to light.

On the road down, Interlopers will make grim discoveries: frozen, partially mummified remains of people, half-hidden in the snow and ice. Many of them appear poorly dressed for the journey, and look to have died from hypothermia or some other kind of cold-induced injury. Some may be found as if they had simply collapsed in the snow and died. Others may be found in small groups, huddled and slumped together — having succumbed to the cold. Suitcases and bags will be littered around with them — sometimes luggage will be left abandoned alone, as if someone just gave up carrying it.

Some Interlopers will realise: these are the remains of Milton’s original residents. The ones that made it out of Milton and Lakeside, only to die on the way to the coast. Dozens upon dozens of bodies, making you wonder if anyone ever made it out alive at all.

One long road, a graveyard.

And then, in the distance, where the ocean stretches out before your eyes: the outline of a village can be seen before the land meets the water. Civilisation? People?

As twilight falls, more curiously, a light blinks slowly on the landscape. It may be easier or hard to spot, depending on the time of day. What… is that?

Silverpoint.

TRY HONESTY

WHEN: May and into June.
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of honesty/forced honesty; potential body horror.

It begins with a dream. You stand in the atrium of a large cave, lit by a large campfire — the smoke drifting out an opening in the cave’s roof above. Someone sits by the fire with their hands covering their face and as you draw closer and closer to the flames, you realise it is a woman who sits on the opposite side of the flames. For some, they will not know who this woman is but some will recognise her: Enola.

She does not speak, does not look at you. She keeps her face hidden behind her hands, almost-childlike as she sits. The light is low but it’s a pleasant, peaceful kind of ambiance — even if Enola’s actions are a little strange, almost troubling. If you listen carefully, you’re almost sure you can quietly hear crying.

Across the campfire, on your own side of it, there are three stones laid out on the floor, each of them carved with a rune of sorts. It’s hard to tell what the runes mean, exactly. They don’t appear to be in any symbolic or runic language you’ve seen before. Even if you don’t understand them, you find yourself drawn to one of these runes.

You move to kneel on the cave floor and you reach forwards. Your hand hovers over it — a strange thrum in the air, like you can feel some kind of energy of vibration coming from it. You reach for the stone, Enola doesn’t move. As you move to pick up the stone, you feel the sharp burning sting of pain—

The dream ends.

You awaken. Not the sharp snapping of sleep to waking. Just the simple, natural waking that comes when one wakes up. But you feel… different somehow.

Honest. But honest, how exactly?

It all depends which rune you picked in your dream.

HEART RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves more emotionally honest. How this manifests is an aura of colour that surrounds the Interloper which will reflect their current emotional state — ie. golden for happy, shades of grey for exhaustion/tiredness, pinks for romantic feelings. The aura is dynamic and can shift with colours and even have multiple colours in play, depending on the complexities of the emotions.

MIND RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves with an honest mind, and will feel compelled to speak it. They are honest with their words: blunt and to the point, avoiding lies or bending truths. They may even feel compelled to reveal things that have been playing on their mind for some time — choosing to clear the air, and potential dirty laundry.

FORM RUNE: Interlopers who chose this rune will find themselves physically honest. Their previous hurts and injuries will become visible on their skin. This can be previous injuries or sicknesses the Interloper has sustained over the course of their life — even if they are now long since healed. It could be a physical manifestation of emotional or mental pain in some way. Your body no longer holds it secrets, they’re now plain and open for the world to see.

FAQs

THE SHUDDERING EARTH

1. Players are free to destroy their own homes/make them uninhabitable if they wish. Please amend the Housing Spreadsheet to reflect this. Commercial/Public buildings are off limits for destruction but players can handwave any other random buildings/empty homes in Milton that have been destroyed in the quake.

2. THE HOT SPRINGS ARE OKAY. Just a little snowed in.

3. The Hydrodam (and it's hot showers) will have seen damage done to it and will require repairs/maintenance.

THE LONG ROAD

1. The Coast is now accessible to all players. Please see this page for further information.

2. Beach.....................

3. As a reminder. It takes about 24 hours to get from Milton to the Carter Hydrodam. Once out of the Dam, travel down to Silverpoint will take a number of days.

4. Three minor NPCs have been introduced! Molly, the owner of The Frozen Angler; her teenage son Jace; and Father Thomas of St Christopher's Church. There will be an opportunity to ask them questions, a top level of which can be found below!

5. Marra will not be open for interactions just yet.

TRY HONESTY

1. The durations of the effects are down to player choice, but will last at a minimum of three days or can last up to a full month or so and even continue into June.

2. The Form Rune's effects are purely cosmetic and will not actively harm the Interloper.

3. The Heart Rune's effects will only be visible to Interlopers.

4. Players can only play with one rune, they cannot choose to go with more than one.

PLOTTING POST

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The forests are where Tim's taken refuge. It sucks, because he's no outdoorsman. The most he had ventured into the wilds back home had been on his father's two-faced attempts at bonding- a fishing trip here, one night camping there. Outside of staking out for missions, for the night shift, Tim had fancied himself a deliberately urban animal. He had buried himself into portfolios and computer screens, and come out on top because of it. Tim doesn't have monitors on top of monitors to stare and ruminate over here-- but still, he's come out on top. This time.

There's something to be said about obsessive behavior that demands he keep files up to date, reports on hand.

Because Tim Drake writes down everything (sometimes, maybe), he's found the roving behemoth that is the moose in migration. A whole, slow-moving, silent mass of brown and bad temper and cows and calves, all awkward and leggy and ... thick fur. hides and antlers. and meat.

Because Tim Drake is himself, he's got two wolfdogs in tow. They're tied to trees now, separate stumps, brother and sister. He can't have them frightening the big game. Tim's aura is a flickering piece of abstract khaki and coral and teal. He's sometimes wondered if bone-tired exhaustion will dull the colors-- it doesn't. It's not a mood. So it doesn't go into the mood ring. It doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter because he's alone so way out here.

Until he's facing a third canine.

The pups had alerted in their quiet curiosity, but Tim hadn't seen the wolf until just this moment. He's a dreadful swirl of mud and orange and caution-tape yellow. His hand flies to the obscured holster on his hip-- here's the thing: Tim's got no gun. No fighting staff.

"If you take one more step," he warns like someone who has the upper hand, "you're going to find yourself with a problem that is never going to go away."

Tim figures: if this is an Interloper, he'll get a chance to see... some kind of reaction. If it's not-- then he's fucked. He's exhausted. He's dead on his feet. So Tim flashes yellow, bright and searing and gone. (It's not himself he's worried about.)

For better or worse, the forest had always been a part of Raylan. He'd grown up in the shadow of a mountain and for all the hellish things that Milton and Lakeside brought, this forest wasn't that different. There were nuances, but the rules were the same and wolf form or not, he was comfortable with them. That comfort was only expanded on when he was on four legs. The forest came alive in a way he couldn't have understood as just a man. Despite his tendencies of hating his home state and county, he almost felt like these trees could be home. That was a dangerous thought, considering what might come of chasing that feeling for too long.

The smell of the pups were sharp on the trail that Raylan had come across, standing out against the earthen wet complexity, and it was what he followed. The sight of the pups tied up wasn't a mark in Tim's favor, but Raylan doesn't do anything about it for now. Instead he stands, watching, waiting to see how long it takes and-

Could have taken less time. Could have taken significantly more too. He got good marks for that. People should be aware. But it was clear to see and smell that Tim was afraid. Well, he probably should be, considering.

The hand flying to the holster was noted but given no reaction as honey golden eyes stay steady on Tim's. He didn't smell powder and gun oil anyway; if Tim had a gun, it wasn't on his hip. An ear flicks before Raylan's long, lanky frame takes one step and then another towards the pups, like he was testing Tim's resolve.

Edited 2025-05-30 01:08 (UTC)

The timber wolves of this place don't size up their human prey this way. They're like those movie-made velociraptors in that, if you see one dead ahead staring at you, it's because the rest of the pack is already coming at you from the sides. Ready to rip you to pieces, because they already know they're going to win. That, and Laelaps and Bitewing having kept focus on only this one, convinces Tim he's not in imminent risk of becoming dog chow. --maybe.

In the next second, Tim is dropping his hand from the empty holster and his expression shifts as sharply as his aura. He's stepping forward too, bending down in that same moment to grab a rock-- a big rock, the only one that's already overturned and ready to lob at the snow ahead of this black wolf's feet-- "Stop!"

Tim flashes a cold-- peachy redbrownyelloworange. All-encompassing. Dizzying in its fright.

Tim has no gun or gun powder or gun oil.

But he has old leather gloves and two wolfdogs, and their fur and the deerskin has been the only thing that's ever touched, been purposely rubbed on, the bear traps. The bear trap that's been rigged under the litter of dry leaves and fresh powdered snow. The bear trap that snaps its unforgiving and unfortunate steel jaws around the rock that hit its mark.

Like hounds, both Lily and Bitewing rear up against their leashes and strain with excitement at the crrktzgg; usually, that signals food. Today, it signals Tim, red faced and now breathless, holding the dead trap in front of this Unknown as he (unwisely) continues to shout-

"I told you! I meant it! I don't know who the hell you are but you don't get to fuck with things like that! I won't leave the pups tied up without a way to defend themselves! Not out here!"

Peach... who? God fucking damn it.

"I told you to stop."

And now he's going to have to hope the unfeeling steel didn't clam up for-fucking-ever. Or worse: chip a tooth.

"And yes, I was going to post signs up in a bit, in case anybody wanted to rescue the poor innocent puppies. Or to warn anyone who just happened to be out on a walk. Are you happy? What am I missing? You j-- god, you jerk."

The rock is enough to make Raylan stop, teeth bared at the sudden projectile and the sharp, snapping metal that followed it. His gaze only shifted long enough to clock the trap and the way it was set up, how close he had been to stepping in it and his half snarl turns into a full one. One that didn't get any smaller with Tim's yelling and while Raylan didn't move further in either direction, his hackles rose the closer that Tim got.

It was probably better that Raylan didn't have the power of speech right now, Tim would be hearing some choice words. That didn't mean that he didn't wince a little internally as Tim easily clocks exactly what his goals were. Tim kept proving himself as a sharp kid and it was probably time that Raylan started treating him with a little more respect. Still, that was something everyone who dealt with Raylan had to earn. You have an ego, you'd better have something to back it up with.

Raylan snaps his jaw with a growl, a nip of the air in irritation but pulled back onto his hunches, not quite laying down, but keeping low and ready as his ears pin back. He still had opinions about the pups and the way Tim was handling them, a stronger opposition to the label 'Dog' and the mindset that humans attached to it.

They were not dogs. They were Wolves. But that argument would have to be had later.

This guy's all bark and no bite and Tim, having confirmed that this is supposed to be a human, and having assumed he's in no immediate danger, turns his attention fully to the trap. Soon enough he gets it open again and he lets it fall against the snow with a decisive lack of fanfare- no harm, no foul.

Theoretically.

"I'm getting my binoculars," he tells himself. Because it sure feels like talking to himself. When he talks to Laelaps in soft and quiet voices, Tim feels far less aware that he's always somehow auditioning for a chance at being heard.

"There was a big group of moose passing by that hill." he says, pointing to-- well, yes, a 'hill' to a teenager from the concrete jungle of Gotham City, New Jersey. One whose vocabulary comes from the fast to-and-fro of necessary adaptation, essential to the Night Job, not from accumulating words to describe deep... woods... bullshit, like a hill that's not steep but is rocky, where it's impossible to see what's what on the other side.

What's what: denser trees. Like, dense. Like, Tim will relish the scrapes and stings that come with silently navigating the scene because the sun will be minimal. And the animals... hoards, meandering and grazing their way to the far, far side of the big lake, will have to make the getting there worth it.

"You're not going to scare them off."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i was following the pack all swaddled in their coats

Try Honesty + wolfy wildcard?? lmk if it works

It's great!

ooops

SPICY BOI

alas he's all bark u__u