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

Whiteout | All open

[solitarysoul]

1a

He'd never seen much snow before showing up here. It snowed some in the winters, but it never really lasted in Prehevil. And during the war it quickly got mixed in with mud (among other things) and lost its appeal. After a few months in Milton he'd gotten used to it, but this storm was the first time he's seen it really come down. Its amazing, if terrible, and sort of mesmerizing to watch. On and off during the first day Levi can be found peering out the windows, watching the snow come down. Its one of the very, very few chances to show that he still has some sense of childlike wonder within his tattered heart.


1b

But the wonder could only last so long, so by the time the second day came around Levi was over the storm. Snow was back to being an annoying, cold thing he had to deal with and wished was gone. Even worse now, since it kept him from going out. Normally he'd be patrolling during the day, but its not safe to do that. He doesn't really know how to occupy his time otherwise. He paces around the building every so often, and can be found in a corner stripping, cleaning and reassembling his rifle multiple times a day. Cause what else is he gonna do? Unless, of course, you have a better idea.


2

Though he tried, Levi can't stay inside the entire time. He's taken it upon himself to help protect the village, and what if there was trouble out in the storm? Between that worry and the need to get some air he does find himself outside sometimes. At least once a day, and night, he does what amount of patrolling he can. The storm is too strong for him to go far, so instead he just circles the hall, making sure he can always see at least one wall. He has his rifle in hand, but if he spots anyone he keeps it pointed at the ground. Wolves would be crazy to be out in this and other monsters didn't seem to appear, so odds were the dark shape he sees was another person.

"Hello? Do you need help?"

1a

[dimensionalcanopener]

Jack has no idea, mesmerized himself as it comes down.

He finds Levi watching it and has to ask, "Does it do this a lot?"

[solitarysoul]

"Not quite like this! It snows a lot, and sometimes it snows hard, but I've never seen it snow this hard before. I know its dangerous...but its kind of beautiful, isn't it?"

[dimensionalcanopener]

"It is," Jack agrees, tone still in awe.

"So pristine. It's coming down so fast, it's hard to see anything but the snow. It's kind of soft looking, too. Hard to believe it's so cold to the touch."

[solitarysoul]

"Its still soft. Its like the whole place is covered in cotton or something. Just very cold cotton."

[dimensionalcanopener]

"But we don't want to get lost or trapped in that," Jack muses.

"Maybe we can go out in it once it's done."

[solitarysoul]

"Yeah..." That would be really bad. It was cold enough here normally.

"The snow never really melts here. It was never like that where I came from. But here there's always snow. Its really pretty when its not dirty."

[dimensionalcanopener]

That is really odd.

Jack's eyes flicker to Levi with confusion.

"You've been here a while, too, right? Because, yeah, snow should melt at some point. It does in most places." But maybe not everywhere.

[solitarysoul]

"Well, I mean, it never fully melts. Its not covering up everything, so some of it has to melt or something. But its never warm enough to get rid of it all." He frowns, "I talked to someone who said it was November. If he was right, its just going to get colder."

[dimensionalcanopener]

Jack frowns, only slightly.

"How do they know it's November?" But Levi is also right. There will just be more snow.

[solitarysoul]

"I have no idea. He said something about desktops and apps or whatever but I don't really know what those are."

[dimensionalcanopener]

"That sounds like a computer." Pause. "You don't know about computers?" He hadn't asked before, where Levi was from, but now Jack is getting curious.

[solitarysoul]

"Not really...we didn't really have them where I came from. But I know they're all around this place." He's still not really sure what they are, but as they were off most of the time he hadn't bothered to try and understand.

2

[dirtytrenchcoat]

Castiel, can feel the temperature the ache to his vessels bones and the dryness of his nose and lips but outside of partaking in food to simply soothe it and making salves at home, he's been largely unaffected.

When Dean and Jack sleep, he occupies the living space of their small cottage and toils the time by breaking down old frozen branches for more kindling. When he runs out of that he chops wood under the coverage of the eaves.

It's there that he sees the child, offering to help despite the circumstances. More concerning is the fact that he's in the elements at all.

"I- No, I don't." Castiel squints to get a better view of who he's speaking with amongst the flurry of white obscuring him. "What are you doing here?"

[solitarysoul]

Levi's small frame is hard to see in the storm, but as he moves closer Castiel may be able to tell he has a Something strapped to his back. "Looking for people. Why are you out?"

He stops himself from adding 'its not safe.' That should be obvious.

[dirtytrenchcoat]

"I'm sourcing materials," it's by no means as thorough an explanation he can give but Castiel's grown tired of explaining what he is and why the weather isn't as hazardous to him as it is to some of the others.

He still feels the painful bite of the cold, but in the grand scheme of things, it's not difficult to tolerate. His stack of wood is at about shin level now, a little more gathering and hacking and he'd have enough to keep them warm through the onslaught. "You should be somewhere safe."

[solitarysoul]

"I'm fine. The community hall is just right here. But you weren't staying there, were you? It might be better if you did." Cause cold and storm.

[dirtytrenchcoat]

"I don't need to stay there, I'd rather not take the space if someone else needs it." As cold as it was Castiel didn't suffer the same way another person might and he had Jack and Dean to look out for. The three of them had been doing what they could to add insulation to the tiny place he'd chosen to call their homestead.

[solitarysoul]

That sounds like something he'd say.

"There's room for more people. Its a big place. We have fire and blankets and food."

[dirtytrenchcoat]

Castiel shrugs his shoulders, despite appearances, he's more or less ambivalent when it comes to the harsh reality of what everyone is dealing with. He's seen it before, the struggle to survive in an undeterminable wasteland. Castiel has watched humanity thrive, and move forward despite those odds. This time his only desire is to see that to its end with as few fatalities as possible.

"I'm sure that there is." Fire, blankets, and food too. Castiel didn't mind spending time there but knew he was more fit to handle it than most.

[solitarysoul]

Levi watches Castiel for a few moments. It was clear he didn't want to go into the hall, but why? Maybe for the same reason he sometimes wished he could go somewhere else.

"You can keep to yourself if you want. But, um, if you really don't want to go I can't force you or anything."

[dirtytrenchcoat]

"I know and I appreciate that."

It's obvious that he can't be forced, well, it would take much more than guidance from someone unfortunate enough to be in the same situation. Castiel has always been stubborn and sometimes that stubbornness curtailed into his arrogance and became much worse.

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

[solitarysoul]

"No. I'm fine, I'm surviving." That's really all he could ask for in this place. Especially during the storm.

[dirtytrenchcoat]

"In a place like this one, I suppose that's the most one can ask for." Castiel unknowingly mirrors his inner most thoughts. His newfound mortality is the reason for it, but he's still hardier than most humans despite it and doesn't need as much food or rest to get by.

[solitarysoul]

"Yeah..." He sighs. "Uh, I don't know if I can help with anything without losing track of where the hall is so, um, good luck out there?"