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

[castitas]

[ It does make her pause at first when he speaks, her eyebrows shooting upwards and a hot pang of shame flashing through her, her throat feels tight. She looks at him with wide eyes for a long moment, until he continues and he realises he's not talking about her, but whoever it was in the dream that had hurt her, instead.

And she listens, trying to follow along with his words. He's always had a... strange way of speaking in the time he's known her — but she understands what he means. It's... admittedly a little scary, he's... he's basically talking about killing people. Killing the bad people who hurt others.

Vengeance. That's what he's talking about. And it too is a concept she's familiar with, but it's still one she's trying to grapple with. Scripture speaks plenty about vengeance, and with it justice. Enough to make her head reel, she's done nothing but pour over passages. She's conflicted. She has been long before this conversation.

And for the longest time, she doesn't know how to feel, about his words. She looks unsure — curling up a little, almost-shy. He's... strange, really brusque. Not good with people. But she can't mistake the fact he's... trying. ]

Are you... like a superhero? Like a real life one? [ It's a hushed question. ] The things you do, when you keep watch at night—

[ Maybe another reason why he wears the mask, other than to hide the face he doesn't like. ]

Is that what you are?

[moralabsolutism]

[He wasn't sure he'd been able to really say what he meant. There was always a great disconnect between the constant running inner monologue he had in his head and the words he managed to get out. He thought perhaps he'd bungled this up too badly to go forward. Maybe he should have left Kate to her own thoughts, allowed her some privacy after barging over to her bed in the middle of the night.

Then she asked him if he was a superhero. He blinked in surprise and his fingers twitched a little at the same time. Of anything she might have wanted to ask, that was certainly far down in the list. He was silent for a moment and then there was a soft sound from him. It was like a huff only slightly louder and more forceful. It would take a moment to place but was unmistakable: Rorschach was laughing.

Kate had done what no one else in Milton had been able to do for months. She managed to get a genuine laugh out of Rorschach. He was amused at someone finally figuring him out in part.]

Yes. That's my purpose.

[She was the first one to understand him correctly, his motives and the way he acted. Others here thought he was some strange inhuman creature or a serial killer, assumptions that weren't entirely out of place with how odd he acted. But it was still gratifying to hear someone finally give his motivations the proper name they deserved.

For that reason, Kate got the reward of learning more about his background than anyone else here had.]

Was part of the second generation of masks back home. Started in the 60s. The Watchmen. Kept at it even when they outlawed costumed heroes after police strike in '77. Was the last until recently.

[castitas]

[ It does take her a moment to understand what the sound it, and she's looking at him, a nonplussed expression on her face. And then it hits her: oh, he's... laughing. Realisation colours her face and she straightens a little. Like, she wasn't really sure if he was someone who laughed. There's often the kind of people who don't laugh, which is fine — some people are just like that.

There's a tiny exhale of her own, a little muted amusement in it. Well, how about that. ]

I've never met a real-life superhero before. Do you, like, have a superhero name?

[ Like... uh, Batman. Or Superman. Or... something. She's quiet as she listens; she's never heard of The Watchmen before, and also— he's... from the past, too? Like, recent past. ]

So... The Watchmen are coming back? Even if you're not supposed to do it anymore? [ There's a flutter of apprehension. Mm, breaking the law. She's not quite sure how she feels about that, either. ] But— but aren't you going to get in trouble?

[ He can't do anything if he's put in prison for it. ]

[moralabsolutism]

[It said something about the way Rorschach viewed his bonds with other people in that he still hadn't given one of the people he got along with the most in town his name even after being here more than two months.]

Rorschach.

[Kate seemed intelligent enough to pick up on the meaning of the name he'd given himself, the only one that had any meaning for him any longer. Not everyone did, even those back home. He was certain at least half the criminals in the city had no idea why he had such a weirdly pronounced name.]

Think others finally realized standing on the sidelines and watching things happen won't change anything. Have to actively try to fix things if you can. [And the Watchmen were better suited for it than anyone else in the world, that was clear enough.] Already got in trouble. Was arrested and jauled for the first time shortly before I came here. Got broken out with the help of some other masks.

[Though really all Nite Owl and Silk Spectre had done was give him a ride since he'd already gotten the jailbreak part of the process 90% done with by the time they'd shown up.]

[castitas]

[ Wait. Her eyes widen at that, realisation hits her pretty quickly. Now the mask makes a whole lot more sense, and there's a little inhale — a soft little oh. It's a Rorschach test. She doesn't know much about the test itself other than it's used in psychiatry and it's a 'tell me what you see' kind of deal. ]

Why Rorschach? Why did you pick it?

[ Why... make a psychiatry test your superhero persona? She doesn't have too long to dwell on it, her expression shifting to a wide-eyed surprise, looking a little scandalised. ]

You broke out of prison—? [ Even with her hushed voice to avoid waking up other Interlopers, it does rise in pitch a little. For an eighteen year old from a small town with a pretty limited world view, that's something that... sounds like a pretty huge deal. ] You're not supposed to do that—!

[moralabsolutism]

[He held up a finger as he spoke to emphasize what he said.]

First rule of a Rorschach test: everyone sees what they want to.

[Hence it was with him. No one ever saw what was fully going on beneath the surface. The police, criminals, his fellow masks: everyone saw something different when they looked at him. So he'd gone with the moniker and let himself be an enigma on the surface, interpreted differently by all who knew him.

Oh Kate. Oh this poor sweet innocent girl. Rorschach almost laughed again. He knew what he said looked bad, especially to someone who had probably never even so much as jaywalked across the street.]

No. But had to. Staying was dangerous. [The was a beat.] For the prisoners. [He clarified. Rorschach could have survived for any length of time in prison, going on until all those who wanted to kill him were dead and the rest too afraid to act or they put him in solitary confinement for good. But that wouldn't have been productive. He needed to be back out on the streets and solving the big mystery that lay before him.] Had to help others figure out a plot meant to destroy the world. Couldn't do that from prison.