singillatim | nature offers a violence

nature offers a violence

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

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

White Out (CHOPPIN' WOOD)

[Ruby was not a stranger to prepping for a crisis. On the bright side the panic here didn't immediately attract a monster attack like it did in her own world. Which was nice- it meant she could focus on other things.

When the day starts she can be found with axe in hand in a red flannel jacket chopping wood and piling it up to be taken over to the community center. For a seventeen year old she's got lot of strength and endurance to keep at the task for awhile. But as the day goes on she eventually feels the labor start to catch up on her and falls back into snow bank.]

Wooofff--- Okay. Gimme five and I'll be back in there, coach.

Gathering

[And because she doesn't know how to stop, Ruby can be found at the community center when she's not cutting up additional firewood. She glances around at the supplies already gathered and does her best to raise up a hand.]

Hey! Excuse me! Is there anything we're super low on!? Food? Blankets? What ever it is I'll do a run through town to see if I can find it.

[And she points to whoever else is passing by.]

Are you busy? Want to come with?

The Storm

[Ruby had figured sticking around the community center was the best bet to weather the storm. She was better suited and more at ease in a place with more people that she could help if the need came about. For the most part she's bundled up in her winter gear as best and a couple blankets doing her best to keep warm. Every once in awhile she'll pass by a window and try to get a look outside.]

...Is that, someone out there?

[She's not sure if it's her eyes playing tricks on her because she's bored. Or if it's someone actually in danger, but all the same she suddenly looks more tense and ready to act.]

Winter Fun

[With the storm having passed the best thing Ruby can do is try to lift some spirits. So in the most open area she can find she starts working to livin' things up a little. There are a couple basic snow men built or half built in an attempt to encourage people to join in and build their own. A snow angel or two around the edges of the little clearing. and last but not least, in the very center Ruby stands atop a fort she has built. A pile of snow balls at her side.]

Come one, come all! To Ruby's Winter Wonderland Extravaganza! Where fun is mandatory, or else!

[And she picks up one of the snowballs and tosses it into the air.

...Where it promptly falls down onto her head.]

Rest My Weary Bones

[Honestly after all is said and done, Ruby is absolutely exhausted. It takes some work to actually get herself up to the hot springs but she does manage to get there, she'll even drag someone else there too if she has to. No matter how she tries she can't shake off the need to look out for anyone and everyone else.

But once she gets there she strips down to her underwear and an extra towel that she's managed get a hold of and sinks in to the hot water. It's only then that it becomes a little more clear just how hard she's pushes herself, there's a handful of fading but still dark bruises on her arms and legs from pushing through to get the supplies were needed. Along with a handful of old scars from past fights.

Either way she doesn't seem too bothered by this, and gives a long sigh of relief.]

Okay. This is actually kind of nice.

Wild Card

[Want to choose your own adventure? Go ahead! Or feel free to contact me at jjabarrett on plurk or discord and we can chat.]

Edited 2023-11-10 00:31 (UTC)

Well, that storm was hell and a half. The struggle with his dietary needs has never been more apparent. Louis is tempted to crawl into the ground for a century.

Louis shivers in his warm overcoat. He didn't grow up with snow. It doesn't occur to him why this girl would have built a snow fort other than just seeing if she could, like with the snowmen. He's walking within range without a care except for where he needs to find his next meal.

She nails herself with a snowball, and he freezes in place. "Does this Winter Wonderland Extravaganza involve snow in my collar?" he asks apprehensively.

Ruby blinks in surprise and a touch of embarrassment when she notices Louis standing there like a statue. He clearly had seen everything. This couldn't stand. He couldn't be left alive.

"Uh--- Yeah. I mean. It might." She says awkwardly as she very inconspicuously lowers herself down to get one of her already made snowballs.

"-Especially if you don't prepare yourself!" And the moment her hand grips the snowball she shifts into position to throw it. The snowball sails through the air threatening to get Louis right in the forehead unless he reacts.

His instincts tell him that she might try to cover him in snow, but he's not sure how. His vampiric senses have been dulled to merely human; the tools he once relied on don't work as well as they used to.

He doesn't duck in time and receives a face full of snowball. His hat flies off and lands on the ground.

"Of all the--Young lady, you're goin' get it now!"

He is less equipped to snowball fight, but he has gloves, gumption, and the force of habit that comes from nostalgia. It's one of his greatest enemies, but he remembers gambolling about with his daughter. They would dance in the courtyard, or he would chase her away from some ill-advised meal while teaching her to hunt. Those days are years away now, she having grown in all ways but physical into a determined young woman with a darkness in her heart.

He scoops up an armful of snow and awkwardly attempts to barrel his way into Ruby's fort while navigating the deep snow.

If given the chance. She might have tried to cover her in snow, yes. She was just kind of a jerk like that.

At the same time, she had not been expecting him to rush her after taking the first snowball directly in the face.

"Big words but can you back them u-AHHHH!" Okay he is quickly gaining ground on her and her fort. She quickly and frantically starts picking up snow balls and hurling them at him. But- she eventually backs herself into a corner in her fort.

She should have been ready for the Yang approach to this sitaution, she really should have.]

Ruby Rose | RWBY

Re: Ruby Rose | RWBY

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Gathering

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chopping wood

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Winter Fun

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winter fun

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Rest My Weary Bones

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