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

[bigbaddy]

[ There's a hum from the other guy. It doesn't sound like he's necessarily disagreeing, especially when Bigby's default response is also to be naturally suspicious of the things around him.

But, even so-- ]

It's the first lead we've had in a while.

[ Even though the last lead Bigby investigated did turn out to be nothing more than yet another trick for them to deal with. This could be like that too. ]

What else are we gonna do? Just ignore it? Let our chance slip away?

[brutalact]

It's been watching us. Do you believe it isn't trying to tempt us into following it?

[regardless of how he looked at it, the situation reeked of trap. whether it was one that was relatively harmless, if not infuriating to deal with, or one that would have them close to death by the end of the day, he couldn't be certain.

his grip tightens on the axe handle, glancing to his new companion in this unfortunate stalemate.]

Don't misunderstand me; I won't stop you if you choose to kill it. [even as limited as resources are here, knives could still feed his brothers with the meager fish and game he catches. his mortality meant now he had to exercise a greater deal of caution when faced with... the unknown. especially when that unknown was more than happy to see him dead.] Nor will I take what would be rightfully yours. If you are successful, that is.

[bigbaddy]

[ ...

Bigby is still keeping an eye on the stag, but considering it doesn't seem to be making any attempts at all to move away from them, he also turns an eye towards the other person here.

Because as much as he's interested in the lead that's represented by the stag - along with its risks, as the other is rightfully pointing out - there's also something about the other's words that interests him.

After all, Bigby isn't really used to getting so much trust from someone. If one could even call this trust-- but it still goes beyond what he usually gets. ]

Why?

[ A simple question, but Bigby is genuinely interested in the answer. Why wouldn't want the other want to take the prize from him, given the opportunity? It's how most people work, learned through past experience. ]

[brutalact]

Simply put, I am not a thief.

[knives still had his pride, whatever was left of it at the end of everything. there would come times when he would have to swallow back that bitter pill in return for necessities, promised safety for his family - but this was not a situation where he would have to set that aside. not yet.

his head turns to regard bigby with a levelled gaze, brows set in a stern line. he could believe knives or not, it didn't matter much to him.]

And I know my brother would throw a fit if I returned with stolen goods. I'd rather avoid that headache altogether.

[bigbaddy]

You got a brother?

[ There's some surprise in his voice. It's the reason Bigby voices the question in the first place, really. He knows it's not great timing - though he can tell the stag still isn't about to move, not a twitch in that creature's legs to indicate anything of the sort - but it catches him off guard enough that he's asking before he even consciously realises it.

It's just strange. A place like this, randomly taking people here from all sorts of different worlds, yet it just happens to take two brothers?

What are the odds? ]

Here?

[brutalact]

That's right.

[there's certainly something serendipitous to the situation. out of every universe, every world, every possible reality, he would wind up by his brother's side once again. whether this was some kind of purgatory, paying for penance in exchange for biting cold and a bleak scenery painted by whatever forces brought them here to begin with, knives took it all as a sign.]

His name is Vash.

[technically, there were two - two brothers, differentiated by the color of their hair, the way they spoke, how they acted... it was headache-inducing at times, but they were family.]

[bigbaddy]

[ Bigby's jaw drops. Not to the floor, sure, but the man definitely sure does look surprised. ]

That's your brother? [ .. apparently he knows the guy, huh. Otherwise he wouldn't be giving Knives a reaction like this in the first place. ] The guy who desperately wants to be friends with everyone?

[ Which seems.. so different from how Knives comes across right now. Not even to Knives' demerit or anything - Bigby doesn't know how to handle overly social types, so interacting with Knives feels a whole lot easier.

But it sure does show how different siblings can be, huh. ]

[brutalact]

[he actually sighs, creating a cloud of steam to billow over his face, but his exasperation isn't aimed at bigby. hell, purgatory, whatever this was, he was trapped in it here with his socialite of a brother reaping the consequences of his overly friendly demeanor. there were probably worse things, but for knives... it was exhausting.]

He is a fool. [yet the bite behind such a name is missing its sharpened teeth.] It's a kind of idiocy that has earned him more trouble than he deserves.

[his head turns to regard bigby.] Does it bother you?

[ ooc; this is so late, i'm sorry!!! 🙇‍♂️ ]

oh gosh, don't worry about being late! just thank you for getting back to the thread! c:

[bigbaddy]

[ .. what a question to ask him.

Especially right after that other one. It's like a one-two punch right up in here, leaving Bigby scrambling for an answer while he's still trying to process the shock of this being Vash's brother..

But he knows he's got to answer. He can't just awkwardly stay quiet, even if it's a complicated question for many, many reasons. So.. ]

Define "bother."

[ There, that will give him a moment or two more to think about what his feelings on Vash's 'harassment' actually are before he has to put them into words. ]

[brutalact]

[honestly, the silence isn't all that bad and despite bigby's discomfort knives doesn't seem all that perturbed by it. let the man come to whatever conclusions he liked, it didn't matter much to him.]

Annoyed, mostly.

[but really... humans seemed to find the parts of vash that knives thought irritating to be charming.]

He tends to involve himself in matters that don't concern him.

[bigbaddy]

Yeah. That's a good way to put it.

[ Vash does annoy him, after all. But not in the typical sort of way, the way most people annoy him. That guy annoys him because he cares, despite everything he knows about Bigby that should turn him off from the man, and he has no idea how to deal with it.

He lets out a drawn-out sigh. ]

He's too forgiving. It's gonna get him killed.

[ Not by Bigby, if his tone is anything to go by. If anything, he's a little worried about the latter happening. Maybe that's why he's telling Knives. Maybe Vash's brother can at least keep him safe. ]

[brutalact]

[the warning concern is almost laughable, considering the role he had played in his brother's suffering for so long. death would have been a mercy, but knives could never commit to such a decision in all of his selfishness and cowardice. forgiveness was too small of a word to contain just what his brother was.

but their ugly history wasn't anyone's business to know. knives left that choice up to vash. for a lingering moment, his expression is distant and the stag's presence seems to lose his attention. recalling old memories or lost in the emotions of a time not so long past now... his gaze softens, sadness that creeps in through the wrinkles around his eyes before he finally snaps back to reality.]

Having others around him help to keep his priorities in check. [something to live for, always shaving parts of himself to feed the hungry.]

Let it go.

[the stag, remember?]

[bigbaddy]

[ It is a rather sudden shift in the conversation, especially when Bigby is still mentally processing the connection between Vash and the guy standing next to him right now. After a second, though, he realises, looking in the stag's direction.

Then he looks back at Knives. ]

.. and then what?

[ It doesn't necessarily sound like rejection, but not like Bigby is fully on board with this plan either. ]

Are you gonna feed the village?

[ This is Bigby's bread and butter, after all. The sort of thing he's been forced to face over, and over, and over. Tough, shitty decisions, where it feels like you're doing the wrong thing no matter what you do. ]

[brutalact]

[out of all of the responses knives could give to such a question, he barks out a laugh.]

No.

[already he's moving to pack away the equipment he'd brought with him, the fish he had caught earlier enough to feed everyone he had in mind.]

My loyalty lies only with my family. If there are others struggling to survive, then that is unfortunate but they are not my concern.

[harsh, but when has he ever been anything else?]

[bigbaddy]

[ Huh.

It's only now that Bigby's expression fully shifts to surprise as he looks at the other. It's not like he hasn't ever heard this sort of attitude before - in fact, people acting like this is way more familiar to him than the alternative. But the surprising thing is that he has often heard the alternative in this place, especially from.. ]

You're the total opposite of your brother, aren't you?

[ Like a mirror, he thinks. One way too selfless, the other too selfish.

Bigby has no idea what would drive two siblings to such extremes. ]