methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
singmod) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
singillatim2023-11-09 04:18 pm
singmod) wrote in singillatim2023-11-09 04:18 pm
Entry tags:
- *event,
- alluri rama raju: xil,
- bigby wolf: jelle,
- cornelius hickey: kates,
- dean winchester: verna,
- edward little: jhey,
- harry goodsir: karin,
- jack kline: jean,
- jason mcconnell: balsam,
- kate marsh: cheryl,
- kieren walker: cheryl,
- knives: lassie,
- la'an noonien-singh: amy,
- levi jordan: cirape,
- louis de pointe du lac: tea,
- max mayfield: jean,
- rei ayanami (ii): floral,
- rorschach: shade,
- thomas jopson: kota,
- tim drake: fox,
- vash the stampede: fen,
- vash the stampede: fyn,
- wynonna earp: lorna
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
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.
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.
1. The hot springs will now be a permanent fixture in the Milton Area, enjoy!
no subject
"Too cold for gators. Could go for dogs, but... only canines I seen here are wolves, and you don't want those. They too wild. More wild than normal wild. Somethin's got them spooked."
He had a feeling, even if he's a city boy. Others' testimonies confirmed it. It's not just Canadian weirdness.
"You ever seen anything like that where you come from, miss?"
no subject
"It's never the right temperature for gators..." As if that was the most important thing that he had said there.
Except it wasn't and it didn't take her long to start wondering about what could have the wildlife here spooked.
"Kind of... I mean there are a lot of things that could spook the animals. There are monsters back where I'm from but we'd have them by now if they were around. They tend to go after people first. Animals usually don't interact with them unless it gets territorial."
no subject
The only monsters Louis knows are the medieval ones drawn on old maps, pure fiction. And the cryptid in Loch Ness, which he didn't believe in. And himself.
Humans regard themselves as apex predators, too intelligent to be regular prey. Most predators don't mess with them. So when the possibility of a creature that can kill them comes up, they get scared. Gators, tigers, hippos, polar bears...
Now if a vampire, who preys on humans, had a natural enemy... what then?
He decides to ask her about different ecology. "So, somethin' out there that's bigger and meaner than animals or us, and it's got the local wildlife in a holy mess...?"
no subject
The next question does catch her by surprise but- it actually makes a whole of sense.
"That could be it. ...It might not even be native to this place either. It could have been pulled in like we were. Which means it could be really difficult to get any more information about it. But it would explain why everything else is out of whack."
no subject
"I didn't even think about an invasive species." Well damn. "You learn about these... creatures... in school, miss?"
She's a little young to be a naturalist, but he hesitates to assume. Claudia, willful young woman that she is, snatched up library books with a mania to rival his own.
no subject
"A little yes. At least until my school got totally wrecked by the things- and a few other factors. It's a long story. But I was going to a school that specialized in training people to fight them. And it was kind of the family business at the time to fight them."
Louis stop projecting challenge: impossible
"I'm... sorry about your school, miss. Do you think you'll be able to continue your education here?"
Education is important. They don't encourage it for girls past a certain year. (Louis has a fond memory of his sister hiding her report card so their parents wouldn't catch Louis's bad marks.)
Way to ruin everything, Louis.
"Uh-Thanks, I guess? But probably not at this point. I've been out for awhile now and I ended up getting licensed to do the job without going back. So- It wouldn't really make much of a difference at this point." Don't mind her as she rubs the back of her head sheepishly. She was pretty content being a drop out for the most part.
He ruins everything for himself
What does he talk about now? What do young ladies talk about? He thinks of Claudia's diary, then very purposefully does not think of Claudia's diary. Yikes.
"What about your school friends?"
no subject
The next question is thankfully a bit more easy.
"Well- That's an easy one actually. I ended up travelling with a few of them after I sort of ran away from home." There's a pause and then she starts to feel a little flustered. "It's okay though. My sister eventually cause up with me too, same with my uncle. So it's not totally running away if you've got family with you, right?"
no subject
"That's quite the story. I left home as well... twice, now. I didn't really want to, but... I had to."
Both times, his family was torn apart, but that's not information he volunteers readily to casual acquaintances.
"I have a... daughter at home. I miss her."
He's wildly inconsistent whether he refers to Claudia as his daughter or, as she insists, his sister. To her face and to people in New Orleans, she's his sister, but she'll always be his daughter in his heart.
no subject
"It was kind of the same thing for me. Some times you've got to do what you've got to do, right?" And the second part hits her a little harder than she had expected, it had been a couple of years now since she last saw her dad. She knew he didn't exactly take to loss with the most grace- ...Did he think he had lost her? Did he see the message she had sent?
"I'm sorry- I miss my dad too. A lot."
no subject
"If you--Don't feel like you're on your own out here. Hard enough for a full grown adult to survive. Send for help when you need it. And don't stray too far into the woods. And don't go out at night."
It is a curse of fatherhood's inadequacies that he feels he must impart all his advice at once.
no subject
"I'll do just that- And same to you." Because she too was a little too used to looking out for other people around here.
"But my skills are probably something we'll need out in the woods and at night. So I can only promise to try there."
no subject
He tips his hat to her. "It's very sweet of you to think of me, but I won't be takin' unnecessary risks. Good evenin' then," he says while she's calm, before taking his leave might tempt her to throw more snowballs at him.