stripped to the bone, i wait

[singmod]

JANUARY 2026 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — SUNDERED PASS: The sun does not rise, and a new pathway is unlocked to Timberwolf Mountain: through the Sundered Pass.

PROMPT TWO — THE GRAVEYARD: Interloper explore Bittermarsh Muskeg, and find an unusual graveyard of forgotten things.

PROMPT THREE — THE LAST RIDE: Interlopers come across a deadly steed and become potential victims of a watery grave.

SUNDERED PASS

WHEN: Mid-January, onwards.
WHERE: Milton Region, Timberwolf Mountain region.
CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries from rocks, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.

Marra had once said that access to Bittermarsh Muskeg to the north was a treacherous journey, and often blocked off by the winter weather — even long before the lights went out. Now, the area is essentially cut off. The harsh, unforgiving weather has meant that the usual pathways have never revealed themselves. No thaw, no warm weather to allow passage to Timberwolf Mountain.

When Interlopers dream of Enola and the Darkwalker on the night of January 1st, a new pathway opens — even if it isn’t as obvious as first. The trembling of the world Interlopers wake to has been a shifting of the world: the mountains that envelope the Milton area crack and shift. Snow gives way, and a route lost to time is revealed: the Sundered Pass.

On January 14th, the first sunrise of the year is expected: those brief forty minutes of daylight to signify and end of the winter. Enola had warned you: The Darkwalker has been waiting, the solstice has only just come but it doesn’t intend for the light to return.

The sun does not rise, but lights can be seen to the east, growing closer to town: the flames of torchlights. Methuselah leads them, having found them in the wilds.

There are five, all women: four appear to be middle aged, one is no more than fifteen. They come to Milton, dressed in thick furs to protect them from the winter chill.

“They are natives from Mountain’s Watch.” Methuselah explains. “They say they have come through the Sundered Pass. It has been a pathway to the east long closed off by the quakes, but it seems the recent shifts have rendered it accessible.”

The women are fed in the Community Hall. They are exhausted from their journey, a couple of days traversing through the mountain pathways. They explain that while they are largely dependent on themselves, their trade routes with Silverpoint have been cut off for over two years now — making it difficult to get through the winters. Their numbers are low.

“There were others, but they’ve gone now.” the youngest tells you. “They went east with the one from here.”

They’re open to trade: they’ve brought caribou pelts and meats/jerky; cattail pollen flour; arrowheads made of bone skilfully crafted.

Methuselah looks at Interlopers carefully before offering: “If Enola is east, perhaps it is wise you travel there to meet her. Offer the people of Mountain’s Watch aid. You know only too well the hardships of this world, and how you have suffered in the face of it.”

After a few days rest, the women will depart to return home. Interlopers are free to go with them, journeying east towards the mountains that curve around the Milton region. They warn Interlopers to pack well: the journey is difficult and cold — climbing is involved. They will mark down maps for those who wish to venture forth at a larger date, advising the path is marked along the way.

The journey through Sundered Pass begins at a gorge between the mountains: a long, winding path that rises and falls through altitudes. In places, the space will open up, and travellers will have to climb and zigzag through the rocky ledges to pass through. The snow is thick and uneven in places, making it even more difficult to get through.

While sheltered from the worst of the weather, the tremors of the earth makes the rock tremble and can send broken pieces of rock tumbling down below. There are rest places here and there, overhangs and shallow caves where Interlopers can camp for the night. There are fallen trees remaining, ideal to use for fires to keep Interlopers warm through the night.

Coming out the other side of the mountains on the second day will reveal a mass expanse of open land and muskeg — dwarfed by the silent giant of a mountain to the north: Timberwolf Mountain. You see the small shapes of Mountain’s Watch up ahead, and with it: foreign and strange shapes of things dotted around Bittermarsh Muskeg.

THE GRAVEYARD

WHEN: Mid January, onwards.
WHERE: Timberwolf Mountain.
CONTENT WARNINGS:. themes of exploration/survival; memory-sharing themes; potential disturbing scenes; dead bodies of humans, beings and animals; possible gore/decomposition;

Bittermarsh Muskeg is an expanse of frozen muskeg that lies in the shadow of Timberwolf Mountain. The boggy pools differ in both size and depth, with some being marshy enough to sink an unsuspecting traveller into knee-deep frozen peat and others being several metres deep. While frozen over, the sections of pools are not sturdy ice and you may find yourself walking onto ice that cracks and splinters — sending you into the chilly water below. Sometimes it might be a better idea to take the long route and skirt the edges of the muskeg, where it’s far safer to travel.

While rugged and harsh, there’s a peaceful kind of beauty to the muskeg. Before the Flare, you could understand why people travelled here: teeming with wildlife, but a stillness too — the looming mountain above you.

They call Bittermarsh Muskeg ‘The Graveyard’ now.

You’ll have seen it as you first entered the region: the shapes of things in the distance — strange and out of place amongst nature. From Mountain’s Watch, these shapes become clearer, but seem to make no more sense. The people of Mountain’s Watch keep well away from these shapes, but they mention one from the Mainland who can often be found out there. The objects out on the muskeg disturb them, and they don’t seem keen to scavenge through — although they can hardly be blamed, considering how disturbing the scene is.

Throughout Bittermarsh Muskeg lies the remains of various things: objects and beings that were once living things, now dead, and their remains left behind.

Some of the things found are huge: sections of buildings from different points in time: the corner walling and windows of a Georgian townhouse; broken columns that one would find from a temple in Greece; the front door and mantle of a library. They lie in a heap, scattered across and half-sunk in the muskeg: brickwork warped and strange. There are smaller objects: vehicles, vessels, aircrafts, broken and useless in the snow and bog — warped and half-melted, rusting in the silence.

Among the buildings and objects lie the remains of both humans and animals alike — in varying states of completion and decomposition. Fortunately the cold keeps the rot away, and the remains are well preserved, half-mummified by ice or the peat from the muskeg. But Interlopers can find bodies of people, wide ranges of animals from whales to domesticated animals. They can also find remains of strange, otherworldly creatures — some of them no more than bones and frozen skin or scales.

But it is not just physical things that lie scattered across the muskeg. Throughout the Graveyard lie whispers and glimmers: ghostly visions of brief moments in time. It might be a simple, mundane thing: someone turns away, someone walking; an argument between friends, an embrace between lovers. Each of them on loop, playing over and over again for a time before they fizzle out, lost. Some of these moments you might recognise as moments from your own life: a few seconds of yourself, with a loved one. Tiny moments, significant and insignificant. Memories colliding between worlds. There for a few moments, then gone.

It’s not just yourself you can see in these moments, but moments from Enola can be found in amongst the ruin of the muskeg — sporadic instances throughout her life:

You see her as you recognise her now, but before her face was injured. Her face is grave, apprehension lingers. She turns to someone unseen: “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

As a child, she sits, clicking clumsy fingers to make them ignite with flames. She is barely seven, her eyes are wide and afraid. But there is wonder here, too.

Another, she is even younger. She sits with two boys, who you recognise as the Barker boys. The boys bicker as they fish. Enola is silent and sad as she watches them.

As a woman, she bites down her pain as she tends to a wolf bite on her arm. She works with shaking fingers to clean the wound and stem the bleeding. The wolf lies dead, she pays it no mind.

As a teenager, she stands awkwardly in borrowed black clothes in the churchyard. The funeral is done. Methuselah puts his hand on her shoulder in comfort. Enola doesn’t cry, only looks down. “Where am I gonna go now?” she asks. Her lips do not move.

Another as a child, she kneels in snow in a stun, coughing and choking. Above her, a woman stands holding her arm, injured as she dry heaves: ... what did you do, Beatrice?! What did you do?! You have heard this voice before, in a dream, and now as you see her — you feel this woman is very familiar to you.

All these moments, all these relics. Held in this place. More questions.

THE LAST RIDE

WHEN: The month of January
WHERE: Everywhere, particularly near bodies of water.
THE LAST RIDE — CONTENT WARNINGS: malevolent mythical creatures, horse-creatures/kelpies; falling through ice, attempted drowning/possible successful drowning, potential character death; potential npc death.

The Northern Territories are home to many members of the Cervidae family: moose, deer, caribou — a good choice for the hungry Interloper looking to capture a decent bounty of meat. Interlopers these days are well accustomed to the sounds: their calls, how they flit through the woods. Given how long it’s been, hearing a different kind of animal may initially draw confusion.

Off in the distance, you hear the soft whinnying and snorts of a horse.

It’s hard to say just where a horse might have come from. Maybe it belongs to another Inteloper, because it’s not unheard of for Interlopers to bring animals from their words here. Curiosity gets the better of you, and you go in search for this mystery horse.

And you’ll find it, soon enough — snorting and stomping one of its feet at the water’s edge, trying to press at the ice.

At a glance, it looks like any ordinary horse. No saddle or reigns. But the horse will appear and behave to Interlopers depending on the Interlopers. It might come across as a favoured colour of coat or pattern — maybe a horse you once owned, or a horse you liked in a movie or TV show. Even the breed itself may differ: some Interlopers come across a warm-coloured Thoroughbred, or a powerful Shire. It might even appear as a Shetland Pony. Its behaviour towards you also differs depending on the Interloper. It might be skittish, or playful. It may be calm, just patiently watching you when it realises you are close.

However it appears: congratulations, you’ve just found a horse.

The horse will warm to you, with even the most aloof horses finally coming around. But however long it takes, the horse will seem to invite you to be close to it. To even climb on to ride it — maybe there’s a nearby trunk you can use to help get you on, or you could just hop on and try for the best. Either way, the horse is patient enough to wait for you. It seems relatively well-trained, and will even listen to your directions as you try to maneuver it towards civilisation. A horse could be pretty useful, for travel or for tasks back in Milton.

Until it decides it’s no longer listening to you and it bolts: back towards the direction of water.

Whatever body of what you might find yourself by, a river or pond or lake or muskeg, or even the sea itself — the horse gallops in the direction of it and onto the ice. You realise, as you hang on and try to correct the animal that the beast is no usual horse. The beast’s fur shifts into a mottled green-grey; pale and wet and sticky. It’s mane (perhaps the only thing you could hold on to) shifts from hair into thick clumps of ragged, wet reeds. You’re seemingly stuck to this creature, and it’s taking you straight for one thing: the water.

As the ‘horse’ moves onto the frozen water, the ice begins to crack beneath you — pings echoing in the air, sharp snaps as the surface begins to give way. The beast bears down hard, its hooves driving into the ice to break it and the ice finally gives way — slowing down as it begins to sink into the water, and dragging you with it.

Soon enough, you’ll find yourself submerged in the waters, stuck to the beast and slowly sinking down into what will be your watery grave. The beast plows onwards, breaking ice as it goes — and you can’t help but feel you’re stepping into your death in slow motion.

Perhaps you might have a friend close by. One who might be able to carefully brave the fragile ice to rescue you. There are ways to stop the beast from killing you, at least.

And after that, the beast will vanish — leaving you to flounder in the frozen waters. Pray you were in the shallows, and you might find yourself reaching a watery end still — or fall victim to hyperthermia.

FAQs

SUNDERED PASS

1. Timberwolf Mountain is now unlocked! The areas page has been updated to show the new details of the new area, along with the world map on the State of the World page.

2. Players are free to ask for more information from the women of Mountain's Watch if they wish.

THE GRAVEYARD

1. Yes, there are even dead dinosaurs here.

2. A question answered about the aircraft that can be found in The Graveyard.

3. A question answered about the possible loot in the graveyard.

THE LAST RIDE

1. This creature is based off of Kelpies, a creature of folklore who would lure weary travellers and then drag them to their watery graves.

2. Many of the typical ways to defeat kelpies can be used: they are susceptible to iron and silver, along with religious iconography/symbols. Bridling the creature while its transformed into its true self will also stop the creature from its course of action.

3. Players cannot keep the kelpies. Sorry.

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[simplyam]

( At the sound of a young voice, Adam freezes mid-step. When he slowly turns around, his assumption is confirmed: there is a child here. Even dressed as warmly as he is, worry threads through his ribs at the sight of someone so young out here, on the edge of the wildness.

So even though he hesitates, he ultimately makes his way back towards the house, intentionally careful and slow. His scarf and hood cover all but his eyes, and he keeps a hand on one end of the cloth to ensure it stays that way; he has no wish to frighten a child with his appearance.

He stops walking when he is a few steps from the door, slightly hunched over in his furs. ) Do you need assistance? ( His voice, even muffled by the fabric, clearly is lower than that off an average man, lined with gravel. He hopes this does not scare her either, but there is nothing to be done about it. )

[misshuang]

[ Even with the majority of his face covered, it's clear as the man slowly comes closer again that he may not be typical. His build, the way his eyes look, the odd low rumble of his voice.

It might catch her slightly off guard for a moment, but it doesn't scare her. In fact, she really only feels curiosity, when faced with something novel to her. Fear isn't something that the strange little girl is very accustomed to experiencing. Her world is so sheltered, so specific, and also functions around rather peculiar concepts and ideals.

So she smiles again, ever polite, and even seems to perk up. ]

I don't, thanks to you! I needed more firewood, so this is very much appreciated. Thank you for your benevolence. [ She looks back down to the pile he'd left, brows lifting, almost awed. He's able to carry a lot more than she is. ]

[simplyam]

( The child does not flinch or hide at his approach, and although he knows the worst of his deformities are hidden, her mild, polite demeanor bolsters his confidence somewhat. )

You are welcome. ( He looks down at the pile he left for her as she does, and realizes that the sum of the kindling he left is much... bigger than her. This late realization causes a sheepish hum to sound from the back of his throat, perhaps more animalistic than human. )

I can... carry it inside for you, if you would like. ( He will respect her boundaries and not enter her home, if she wishes, but he's realizing now that the amount of firewound he's left for her would take a child many trips to get inside. )

[misshuang]

[ Miss Huang brightens again at the offer, unable to swallow her gratitude down into the usual reserved, careful mannerism she displays. The truth is that firewood has been a consistent problem, an ever-needed supply, and it is heavy. ]

Yes, please! [ There's not a single reservation about inviting a stranger into her cabin, and she moves to hold the door open for him. Not only is she enthused about having some help toting the wood inside, but having a visitor is, in itself, exciting! ]

I can make something warm for you to drink, if you like. To reciprocate your gesture.

[simplyam]

( When the child holds the door open for him, a tight knot emerges in his throat without warning, overcome with emotion. It has been so long since he has been welcomed into a home, and the offer fills him with gratitude, only made bittersweet by the memory of the last friend who welcomed him into his home, now long since dead.

So, he makes good on his promise, taking the pile of firewood in his arms and walking into the child's home. He has to duck his head to get past the door frame, hunching over awkwardly, but he finds the fireplace and deposits the wood nearby. When he stands back up, his head barely lands a few inches below the roof, and he looks around the home for the child's guardian. When he finds none, worry sets in, and he turns to her to ask: ) Are you all alone?

[misshuang]

[ Miss Huang makes sure to keep the door pulled back for the man as he steps inside, her brows lifting with a quiet awe at the fact he has to duck to get indoors. He's really so tall.... (yet again, this doesn't strike her as anything strange enough to be worrisome; the Head of the Mammalians Nurturable department might just match the man's height....) In fact, the girl is fully assuming that this man belongs to one of Lumon's very... colourful departments. It's all part of her normalcy.

After closing the door to keep the cold out, she follows him over to the fireplace to watch, casting a fresh cheerful smile his way at the question. ]

I am! I've been managing this cabin on my own. [ She seems proud by her own response, not realising that it might be considered strange or concerning. ] It's been a challenge, but one I can use to grow and improve my work performance, [ she adds with a nod. ]

[simplyam]

( When the child says she lives alone, Adam thinks it more sad than strange. All he knows about family is from the books he has read and the one family he had watched from the mill gears, and the only child in that family had never been completely alone. Anna-Maria certainly had chores to do in and around the cottage, but she did not have to handle it all on her own, like this girl must.

He realizes that if she is living alone, she has no kindly grandfather or parent around to reward her hard work with affirmations. So, with only some hesitancy, he turns back towards the girl, then pats her head. The gesture is awkward and silted - he had only done this to himself before, never another - but it is gentle and genuine. ) Well done.

[misshuang]

[ The truth is that Miss Huang has been trying as hard as she possibly can to stay cheerful, because she can't dare fall to a sullen disposition; she has to make sure if she's being monitored that she's putting on the best self she possibly can. But it's difficult, sometimes, not to fall into it. And sometimes when she's curled up in bed, covers pulled over her face where she's very sure that no security could possibly be watching her, she's fighting against the lump in her throat that feels like it's choking her out.

The pat is unexpected, but it's the words of affirmation that really take her by complete surprise. The girl's eyes widen like saucers as she stares up at the man, as he gives her head that soft, uncertain, tender little pat.

'Well done.'

She seems at a complete loss for words for a moment, and when she does find them, her voice comes out smaller than she meant for it to. Certainly, she doesn't sound like the calm, collected, competent deputy manager she's been acting as. She just sounds like... a child. ]

Thank you.

[ Then, her cheeks flush with an unexpected delight, and she's smiling. ]

I'm Miss Huang. What's your name?

[simplyam]

( When the little girl smiles up at him, his heart is a plant emerging from the bitter cold of winter, sunshine warming his being for the first time in a season. It is not any warmer in this cottage, but Adam feels much more tender from the outside in. It's been a terribly long time since he has managed to make anybody happy. So, from behind his scarf, Adam smiles, too, and his joy reflects in his one good eye. )

( Miss Huang - he makes a note in his mind. He knows it's polite for people of society to introduce themselves with honorifics, so he does not find it unusual that Miss Huang does so. Yet, when it is his turn to introduce himself, he pauses. His father's crested ring sits heavily in his pocket, where it has been since it first magically appeared. He could take his father's name, introduce himself as Mr. Frankenstein - but the thought of doing so makes Adam's stomach churn in an unpleasant way. No, better to put that idea aside for the moment. )

My name is Adam. ( There; that feels right. It is a name he chose for himself when his father did not give him one. It is his own choice, and he is forging his own path.

He takes another look around the cottage - it's smaller than his, but still a decent size - and asks the obvious question, and not without a fair bit of concern. ) You do not get lonely here?

[misshuang]

[ She's uncertain exactly how to take people, here — are they innies? Unsevered workers? Supervisors? The way a person introduces themself is important. Innies wouldn't use just a first name like that, so that must mean that Adam is unsevered... which is admittedly a relief to the girl. She doesn't have to act as a manager around him, does she? ]

It's nice to meet you, Adam.

[ (Maybe it's okay for her to use her first name around him, too. Maybe that's something to think about.)

Miss Huang peers up at the tall man's distinctly different-looking eyes, watching as he looks around her cottage. As he does, she gets to work setting things up for company to get more comfortable, pulling armchairs closer to the fire. The question gives her pause, and she gives it a long moment of genuine thought. Lonely....? It's not something that the girl has been taught to focus on, and at Lumon she's been fiercely independent, left alone for most of the day until she's needed. (It can get boring, tedious. But is it lonely? Maybe... maybe sometimes.) ]

Well... Kier teaches us to be as resilient as we can be, and grateful for opportunities to grow, so... I know this is a good learning experience, weathering things on my own. [ It isn't... explicitly answering the question, and she offers a soft frown before she turns it around to ask him, to see what he has to say about this. ] Do you live on your own, here? Is it... lonely?

[simplyam]

( It's nice to meet you, Adam. His smile only grows wider at the girl's words - he recognizes them as simply politeness, a phrase people say to anyone they meet, but he thinks that maybe, for Miss Huang, it might truly be nice to meet him. He can certainly say the same for meeting her.

Then, he blinks in surprise as the young girl suddenly pushes furniture across the room. He's unsure if he somehow implied that she should do so in order to be a gracious host, but some of the furniture here is the same size as she is, which cannot be easy to manage. So, he steps up and pushes over another armchair himself so that she won't have to. While her initiative is commendable, the last thing Adam wants is for Miss Huang to hurt herself.

He cocks his head at the unfamiliar name she mentions, clearly spoken with reverence. Perhaps her father? His teachings certainly sound as if they were ordained to her, in one way or another. While this Kiev's teachings sound cold and harsh to his own ears, he knows well enough that fathers are not always kind to their children. He keeps this in mind as he watches Miss Huang recite Kiev's words instead of answering his question of her own accord. )

Yes. ( His answer is straightforward and honest. He does not know how else to be. ) I found a large abandoned cottage, and I live there alone. I have lived alone most of my existence, but I do not find that it gets any easier to bear. Do you not wish for companionship? Your family?

[misshuang]

[ She's opening her mouth to readily assure him that she appreciates it but she doesn't need assistance with moving the chairs, but....instead, she pauses as Adam moves the other armchair with so much ease he makes it seem as though it weighs nothing. Compared to the exertion she'd spent moving the first one... ]

Thank you. [ Her reply is as dutifully polite as ever, but there's something almost awed to it this time, eyes wide and round. He's strong. Carrying all that firewood, moving furniture... It truly is a help. A big help. Maybe she can admit that she needs help with tasks like this.

Adam's honest answer also gives her surprise, and she turns to face him, attention fixed on her guest. Admitting to being lonely.... is very unfamiliar. People don't do that, where she's from. It throws her off for a moment and the girl pauses, mouth tipped open, eyes sweeping to the side as she thinks. ]

My family....? Well... I guess I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to them or anything. I was sent to my next location faster than expected. I do kind of miss them. [ Lumon packed up her things before she could even blink. ]

You've lived alone most of your life? What about your mom and dad?