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

There's no real goal that he hopes to accomplish beyond letting off some steam. Even that isn't something he's actively thinking about, and the punch doesn't actually accomplish it either. Oh, he feels it through his whole body, like a shock to the system, and he's surprised that she barely budges.

He takes a step back, and a couple of moments to try to register what's happening.

"No."

Not precisely.

“I see. That is the only strike you get without a response.” Back home, she could challenge him to a fight to the death over such an insult. “Do you want to tell me what is going on?”

All of her questions had had the opposite result she probably wanted, but such a non-reaction to his punch does the job for soothing the spirit of Old Bear for the time being. And as it leaves him, anger is replaced by a brief burst of disappointment, which quickly morphs into shame. His eyes widen right before he lowers his head to put his face in his hands.

"I ... I would if I knew."

Ah. That's a bit more alarming. Frodo hadn't been here for it, but around this time last year, the Darkwalker had turned them against one another.

“Should we return for your coat, then?”

Although his face burns with the shame, he's now reminded of just how biting the wind is. A full-body shiver travels through him, and he drops his hands from his face to wrap around himself.

"Yes," he says at the same time as he starts walking back to the inn. "I apologise. I'm not sure why that made me so angry."

This seems more like the man she knows. Randvi nods, starting back toward the alehouse.

“If you truly wished to duel me you could simply ask.”

He emphatically shakes his head.

"I am no fighter. Something is wrong."

It makes him incredibly uneasy. He hasn't felt so on edge since his arrival here. It wouldn't entirely make sense for it to be the Ring, though. It barely weighs anything at all.

“What happened? It looked as if they were turning you away.” She had been following him in the first place trying to figure out what had happened. Legal drinking ages aren't really a thing in ninth-century England.

"You understood the situation correctly."

But he doesn't really know why. Molly had given him one look and said she wouldn't serve him.

Randvi doesn't understand that at all. It will be a long time before anyone comes up with concepts like legal drinking age.

“I don't know why. She served me. Did you ask her?”

"No. I didn't think to."

The anger flared too quick and too hot for that. He will have to ask now, after making his apologies.

“We can ask her together if you'd like.” Perhaps whatever had happened to him won't happen again with someone else there.

It doesn't seem right to drag anyone else into it, and he rather wants to simply deal with it himself. That seems the best way to try to repair the ghastly first impression he's made. Still ... Having one of the Big Folk with him might be the better option.

"Maybe."

Randvi is used to living in a strange land, and one thing she's learned is that letting a hot-tempered raider punch a bartender is generally a bad idea.

“Let me know once you decide.”

He only nods, then looks at the door to the bar with dismay as they get closer to it. He'll have to decide pretty soon. Or he could simply decide to not ask, not bother with a drink, and just apologise and leave.

His shoulders slump a little with the exhaustion that settles in him.

Randvi clasps Frodo’s shoulder in a show of solidarity. She doesn't know what's going on with him but she can give him some moral support.

Of course, he appreciates the gesture for the intent he knows is behind it. There's kindness in it, in ... everything Randvi has done today. Mostly, though, it makes him think about Sam, and Bilbo. Merry and Pippin. That exhaustion is joined by an emptiness, and he unconsciously starts rubbing his fingers over his palm as though the Ring were resting there.

A part of him wants to go crawl into a corner and miss his friends by himself. Another knows that the only true cure for loneliness is companionship. The kind he's been avoiding here, out of fear and not wishing to admit that he's stuck for the foreseeable future.

"Would you have a drink with me?"

“Of course.” It isn't uncommon in her own world to sit down for a friendly drink with someone following a brawl. “You can tell me about where you come from.”

"I would be happy to."

For all that it breaks his heart each time he thinks of it, it feels vital to his very soul to keep remembering it. One day, he will see the Shire again. He must.

Then, he will walk over to the bar and make his apologies first.

Randvi opts not to hang directly over Frodo’s shoulder for the apology. He seems to have calmed down enough that she will not be called on to intercede in the conversation.

However, she does take a table close enough to the bar that she can monitor the situation.

It's a little nerve-racking, but he manages the conversation well enough on his own. Molly is clearly still confused about who or what Frodo is, but something about him must convince her that not only is he more sensible than he just seemed, he is also mature enough to drink alcohol.

Soon enough, he heads towards Randvi with two mugs of Silverpoint's birchbark moonshine. He would've been worried about ordering for Randvi, but apparently they only have the one type of alcohol to begin with.

Randvi raises a hand to get Frodo's attention, and accepts the drink with gratitude.

"Thank you. I'm glad to see that things went well."

He smiles, nods, and takes a sip of the moonshine as soon as he sits down. It's ... far from the best he's had, but it's not terrible. It will certainly do the job.

"Was there anything in particular you wanted to know about the Shire?"

Randvi thinks about it for a moment. “Is it only hobbits there? What is the land like?”

"Only Hobbits live there, yes. We are very cut off from the rest of Middle Earth. The East Road, which is important for trade and travel, cuts through the Shire, so we would meet Big Folk from time to time. Most often it was trafficked by Dwarves, though. We would get news of the world from them."

He pauses to take a sip as he searches for the words to describe it. If he could remember a verse of some kind ... But what he can think of by himself will have to do, and hopefully his voice will carry his love for it.

"The land is ... green and prosperous. It is easy to grow food and we live very comfortably. In spring and summer the hills are a lush green only broken up by the farmers' fields. We celebrate the Lithedays with feasts and merry. In the autumn we pick fruits as we watch the leaves turn, and in winter the land sleeps under a thick blanket of softest snow. When the year ends in midwinter, we celebrate Yule." He smiles. "We Hobbits enjoy parties and like to feast for days at a time.

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