nature offers a violence

[singmod]

NOVEMBER 2023 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — WHITEOUT: Methuselah makes an unexpected early return to Milton to warn Interlopers of an impending monster storm, and boy does it surely come.

PROMPT TWO — A CHOICE: Following the storm, sightings of a mysterious stag prompts a hunt down in the Basin and out in the Outskirts.

PROMPT THREE — REST MY WEARY BONES: While the storm causes a great deal of mess, it also uncovers some far more pleasant surprises. Hot springs.

WHITEOUT

WHEN: Early to mid-month.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: extreme weather; storms; blizzards; themes of survival; possible character cold-related injuries; possible themes of peril.


In the times that he is no longer occupying the Community Hall in the center of town to help tend to the newcomers, Methuselah is out in the wilds. Despite his growing age, he is a hardened survivor, and has been more than accustomed to life living as a nomad, out in the thickest, deepest parts of nature. Sometimes he can be encountered, sheltered in a cave or out in the woods, huddled by a warm campfire, or busying himself with his latest game catch. He seems to be always on the move, never staying for too long, and never coming into town — unless it’s to begin preparations for the latest batch of new arrivals.

To see him returning to Milton outside of these times is a curious sight, and the grim expression he carries is enough to make anyone wary. Even his voice is grave. The warmth and kindness usually found in his expression is gone, replaced with a deathly seriousness. He doesn’t speak in jest.

"I am long used to this world and its weather, even with the changing times to more bitter nights." he will say. "I have seen the years rise and fall, too many to count. Please, I beg that you hear me with this— a storm is coming. Greater than some of you may have ever known. It is in the air, and we must prepare to see it through. We do not have much time. Three days, perhaps. But no more."

He will tell anyone and everyone; encouraging the word to be spread around. He will instruct on what needs to be done, what needs to be gathered. The storm will be long and hard, and will last for some time. With that, Methuselah will begin to prepare the Community Hall as a place of refuge with a stock of food, fuel and water to get through the storm. Interlopers will be free to join Methuselah and bunker down together, or can choose to bunker down on their own in their own homes, or with others.

You have only three days.

And sure enough, the storm comes. Maybe you can notice the signs too: the sudden updraft, the slow gathering of clouds, the drop in temperature, the changes of pressure in the air.

Halfway through the third day, the storm rolls in: a ferocious snow-storm unlike anything you’ve seen before. Even with the fading amount of daylight as mid-winter approaches, the sky turns as dark as night as will stay like night for the duration. Strong howling winds batter the town, and even the sturdiest of buildings creak and groan under the weight. Trees will be felled, some buildings might not fare the storm.

Relentless snow that falls so hard it’s a complete whiteout, and will be impossible to navigate if one were to step outside. Even then, it isn’t advisable. The temperature is bitter, with a frigid windchill. Going out in this kind of storm would be a death sentence. Staying out in it for longer than a half-hour will certainly kill you.

It would be best to wait it out, to huddle around warm fires in the darkness. It may certainly be a test of patience, depending on your choice of place to stay. The storm will last a full week, a stark reminder of what you are, the words you have heard in your arrival: thrown to Mother Nature’s mercy, the Interloper in her design.

But will you persist?

A CHOICE

WHEN: Mid-month, onwards to end of month.
WHERE: Milton Basin, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: survival themes; themes of hunting; possible animal death.


After the storm passes, there’s a certain kind of hush that falls upon Milton and its surrounding areas as Interlopers are left to pick through the wake. While the temperature certainly doesn’t get that much warmer, there’s days and nights of clear, calm weather — short afternoons of weak sunshine and nights of chilly peace, the moon hung high in the starry skies. Winter is drawing ever-closer, but it’s still for a little while.

In the early evenings, before the sun sets, there’s strange sightings of a particular white stag that can be found roaming the area — particularly down in the Milton Basin. It seems quite elusive, but there’s plenty of Interlopers that have been able to capture a glimpse over the coming days. Even Methuselah himself has seen this beast before, remarking there has long been tall tales of a ghostly stag that roams the Northern Territories and is said to bring good fortune to those who manage to hunt it down.

Perhaps you’re a little low on luck. Perhaps you’re feeling lucky. You’re going to find that stag.

Hunting down the stag, however, will take a great deal of patience and time. You might find yourself waiting several hours to wait for it to appear. Building a snow shelter, or hunkering down in some old shack might be needed in order to keep warm. But if you’re patient enough, and able to withstand the cold for long enough — the beast will soon make an appearance.

In the dying light of the day, it is there. It’s unlike any deer you’ve seen before: tall and majestic, with thick, soft fur of brilliant white. It almost looks ghost-like in some angles, it’s an incredibly beautiful creature. But it seems to have also noticed you, just as you have noticed it. It doesn’t dart away, however. Instead it stands before you, waiting for you to act.

You have a choice: slay the creature, or let it go.

It will not move until you make your decision, holding your gaze until you raise your weapon or until you lower it and give up your hunt. But there is a consequence to either action: if you choose to kill the stag, you will be rewarded with a sizeable bounty of venison. Eating said meat will help you feel fuller for longer, and the meat will keep for far longer than any other deer slain.

However, if you choose to spare the stag, the creature will lower its head, as if bowing to you. Then, it will disappear with a swirling of powdered snow. When you return home for the evening and go to sleep, the next morning you will find a gift at the foot of your bed: a pair of deerskin boots, or a deerskin blanket. These boots are supple, tough and waterproof — allowing for a great balance of mobility and warmth. The blanket is incredibly toasty, and will provide a great deal of comfort in the long nights ahead.

REST MY WEARY BONES

WHEN: Mid-month, onwards indefinitely.
WHERE: Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: n/a.



The storm has blown in plenty of snow to make traversing the area much more difficult, but there’s something else of note that comes with its passing. While the storm has brought much devastation, and some places have been buried in snow drifts, plenty of snow in areas has been blown away, uncovering otherwise lost secrets within Milton. Clouds of what looks like steam can be noted not too far from town, towards the mountains of the north.

If Interlopers head to explore the clouds, they will find old trails leading up towards the mountains. It isn’t a particularly difficult journey, for once, and they will soon discover that the storm has blown away the previously blocked access to a cave. It appears that this is the right place.

The air is warm here, pleasantly so. Warm enough that hats and mittens and coats seem a little unnecessary. One might wonder if someone lives within, and that a great fire is stoked to keep the place warm. But there’s no one in sight, no sounds of life: human, animal or otherwise. If they press on, they will discover that the cave floor is well worn with footfall: plenty of people have come here before, and the reason why is soon revealed.

The air grows even warmer, and more humid. The space opening to reveal small pools of slow-flowing water, warm water. The stone houses a natural hot spring, and following the cave out the other side will lead to another space in the rock open to the air, where there are even larger pools of warm water, perfectly sized and deep enough to bathe in. It seems that this place was frequently used by the people of Milton, where their life of hardship could be forgotten for an hour or two.

The water is pleasantly hot, and incredibly inviting. After so long in the freezing cold without modern appliances and utilities, a natural hot spring sounds like an absolute luxury.

FAQs

WHITEOUT

1. Characters are free to play around with this prompt how they want. Maybe they're dumb enough to go into the cold and get injured or sick. Maybe they're stuck in the Community Hall for the week. Fights might break out as tensions run high whilst everyone's stuck together, or maybe you're actually having a nice time.

2. For those stuck in the Community Hall: there are board games and old school textbooks stored in cupboards. There is also a piano.

3. A floorplan of the Community Hall can be found here.

A CHOICE

1. .... Yes, you can pet the ghost stag.

2. Characters will get one choice only with the ghost stag, meaning they can't keep going back to find it to get extra gifts.

3. If characters can't agree on a course of action, whoever acts first will get their gift. The second character will have a chance to try again another time.

4. If both characters agree on sparing the stag, but players want different gifts (ie. one player wants the boots and one wants the blanket), characters will get the gift the player wants their character to receive.

REST MY WEARY BONES

1. The hot springs will now be a permanent fixture in the Milton Area, enjoy!

PLOTTING POST

Comments

[moralabsolutism]

"Hm, yes." He agreed. "Everyone wants to talk. Interact. Learn things about one another." He shook his head. "Aggravating." Most people in town didn't even know Rorschach's name and he preferred it that way. Keeping people at a distance meant he wouldn't end up getting hurt later on if anything should happen to them. Or if, as they usually did, they ended up disappointing him with their slow decline into corruption.

[solitarysoul]

"Some people just really like to talk. If its just one person you can tune out so much, but with so many here..." He shrugs.

"I'd rather no one asked me questions about myself." Because he's sure the answers would either depress or horrify them. He knows his past has been rough, and he holds a lot of guilt, so he'd rather just not.
If he said to much about himself people would realize how bad he really was. He's not ready for that.

[moralabsolutism]

"Understand that." The only time Rorschach had asked anything about Levi was when he'd been having a nightmare.

For all that he was emotionally damaged, he wasn't completely without empathy. In some ways, he had too much. When he got close to people, it felt like he could sometimes feel their pain like it was his own. That hurt too much, especially since he'd never developed a healthy coping mechanism to deal with that kind of emotional input.

[solitarysoul]

Levi pulls his knees up to his chest so he can rest his head on them. "You don't really need to know people to work with them. Sometimes it's better to not know them well."

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach was a bit surprised to hear someone so young share a sentiment he'd often thought himself. But maybe it was better this way. If the kid had already started to learn how the world worked, maybe he'd be able to survive when others wouldn't.

"Smart. Good lesson to learn." One Rorschach had tried to put into practice, though it had been easier in a city full of faceless individuals as opposed to a tiny town that he could patrol the entirety of in a single night.

not sure if gmail at this or i thought i replied but sorry either way

[solitarysoul]

"...yeah. Some people don't seem to learn it, though. I wish they would."

/Whacks Gmail's knuckles with a ruler!

[moralabsolutism]

"Young to have learned it already," Rorschach observed.

Though from what he'd already observed, Levi had come from a hard and difficult place. Not that he could comment much. He too had come from a hard life, the kind where anything you learned was through pain and anger. He suspected Levi had gone through much of the same.

[solitarysoul]

He nods. "I learned a lot of things too young. But its, um, n-not important here."

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach gave the kid a long look. The blots on his face hovered around his eyes as he did so, two large black pits that remained there longer than they were warranted to otherwise. "Seems important now."

cw: child soldier

[solitarysoul]

"I was sent to war at 13. I learned a lot there." Most of it bad, but also useful. "Most people didn't last that long."

[moralabsolutism]

Rorschach shook his head. "Too young for war." Not that the legal limit of seventeen or eighteen was much better in the U.S. but at least it wasn't someone who could barely be considered a teenager.

"Explains a bit." Namely how resourceful and strong Levi already was at such a young age. Rorschach knew how that was, though not to such an extreme degree as his young friend did. By age sixteen, he'd already been on his own. That had been difficult but not impossible. He wondered how Levi had coped with all he'd seen.

[solitarysoul]

He sighs and nods. "Way too young. I wasn't the only one, but not many of us survived long. I learned not to make friends early." Not that he was much for making friends even then. "And sometimes it was better just to not know things about someone. Easier to ignore differences if you don't know they're there.

[moralabsolutism]

"Still have to fight here. But not constantly." He couldn't give Levi a decent childhood just like there had been no one to give him one. But at least he could make sure the kid wasn't under constant duress and always afraid he was on the edge of dying.

"Good to have others here. Just have to figure out who to trust." Rorschach didn't trust much of anyone but Levi had just a little bit of it. The kid had proven to be reliable on more than one occasion now.

[solitarysoul]

"Yeah...its more fighting to survive than fighting an enemy. But its only a matter of time before the wolves or something else comes back.

"I've always been part of a squad, I can fight alone but I'm probably more effective with people. The only time I really worked alone during the war I was a sniper." As for who he trusts...well, mostly just the others he sees as fellow soldiers. Though even then not completely. Maybe in time.

[moralabsolutism]

"Then we'll watch out for one another," Rorschach stated with utter confidence. He trusted the kid enough to watch his back and he'd watch Levi's in return.

"Had a partner for a long time. Can work alone but know how to work with someone else." Odd as that was given how Rorschach's lone wolf tendencies had been thus far.

[solitarysoul]

"We have to. I don't think anyone could survive this alone. I'll watch your back when I can." He'd love it if Rorschach returned that, but his self esteem is too low to ask for it.

[moralabsolutism]

After a moment's hesitation, Rorschach decided he would do the same for the kid. "Will watch yours too." The two of them could keep an eye on one another even if no one else in the town could, like Hazel and Fiver in Watership Down, the pair of rabbits watching out for each other against all the predators in their world.

Wrap? They can go back to silently brooding or something ;p

[solitarysoul]

"Thanks." He stops himself from adding that the other man should only do it if it wasn't a trouble. He doesn't think Rorschach would offer if it was, or that'd listen and leave Levi high and dry.

👍 Wrap!

[moralabsolutism]

He nodded at Levi telling him thanks. Rorschach had made it a point not to trust anyone new for many years now. But Levi was managing to wheedle past some of his walls by being consistently someone that he could rely upon. He let the silence that had been between them rise up again but it didn't feel awkward or strained at all. It made it easy for Rorschach to be around Levi.