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APRIL 2026 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — THE AURORA: VIGILANT FLAME: With the help of some familiar faces, Enola finally comes to the Interloper’s aid — giving them one last chance to gain an ability before the battle ahead.

PROMPT TWO — PREDATORS: The Darkwalker brings forth its final plan to rid the Interlopers once and for all — calling on the predatory wildlife to seek out Interlopers.

PROMPT THREE — BLESSED ARE THE DEAD: The Darkwalker brings forth its final plan to rid the Interlopers once and for all — bringing forth the fallen to fight.

THE AURORA: VIGILANT FLAME

WHEN: April 1st.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: N/A


“Go into the Dark, Interloper. It is time.”

You are dying. You feel it in your bones, know it as easily as breathing. The end feels so near, and it is a reckoning that comes so quietly to you. You are weak, ill, haunted. The Long Dark awaits you. You stand at the threshold. Some have already crossed it, but not you — not yet. For now, you are still standing.

In the sky, you see it. In your weakness, your delirium, you are sure you have imagined it. There has been nothing but the green, endless gloom for two solid months now. But in the dark — a soft glimmer, the gentle ethereal call of the Aurora.

In the middle of Milton, three figures appear from nowhere. The street-lights flicker and buzz — bursting into life with such a ferocity, they threaten to blow completely. The world is suddenly alive and bright, and you can see the forms clearly as you approach.

There is Methuselah. There is Marra. Both of them stand exhausted and weary, dirtied and pale. Between them, they hold up Enola — frail and limp, covered in mud and blood, her head lolls forwards.

Methuselah speaks when Interlopers draw near: “She is alive. We must get her inside.”

They head to the Community Hall, accepting any help they can as they take Enola inside. As soon as they step within the door, the lights of the Hall go through the same sequence as the street lights outside — they flicker and buzz and burst into light, illuminating the place as bright as day. Enola is laid down on a free cot and Methuselah sets to work — cleaning away the blood and dirt. He will happily accept help from Interlopers who want to assist.

You feel… different, in Enola’s presence. Renewed. Stronger. Alive. The whisper of something, like a silent promise of hope. Some quiet little thing inside of you. Something reawakened. You feel things are beginning to return to you, softly at first.

“She called to us.” Methuselah says quietly, “One moment I was in my camp, the next— I cannot describe it. We found one another—” he looks to Marra. “And then we found her.”

Marra watches Enola from a short distance away, uncomfortable and irritable. She stands with her arms folded over her chest. She will not take any fussing over her, brushing Interlopers off with the shake of her head.

“You look like walking corpses.” she says, although it’s more out of concern than anything else. “What the hell happened?”

A rundown of events will draw a look of horror from Marra and a grave look from Methuselah. It seems they have been gone a couple of months, but they explain it didn’t feel like that amount of time — but their own experience of time is confusing and unable to be measured. They describe a place of darkness, and memories and clawing through the earth.

“She needs more than what I can do for her.” Methuselah says eventually, as he works. “I cannot get her to wake. Perhaps those of you gifted with the ability to heal can try to rouse her.”

He means those with the Interloper’s Sacrifice Feat, when you explain that the Feat is lost he is quiet for a few moments.

“Try anyway.” he suggests, “All of you. The more, the better.”

Any and all of the Interlopers with the Interloper’s Sacrifice Feat are encouraged to come forward — to lay their hands on Enola, to try to use their Feat to revive her. Helped out of her furs, Enola is smaller in frame than one might think. Her body is scarred, burned. She has faced a great deal of hardship. But the gathered Interlopers carefully attempt to revive her, relying on muscle memory from previous uses of their ability — trying to coax something non-existent into being again.

For a long time, nothing happens.

You look amongst yourselves with uncertainty.

And again, you try.

And then—

It is a very tiny thing: the slightest pull, the barest twinge. Something stirs under your fingertips. It is arduous, lengthy — you chase after it, insistent, persisting. The trickling of a stream, trying to wash back what is broken and hurt and aching.

Just a little more, almost—

Enola gasps, her one blue eye wide. Like the jumpstart of a car engine, the air is alive with buzzing. Methuselah exhales, smiling:

“Hello, Enola.”

“... Methuselah.” She is slow to react, but after a long moment, she looks genuinely pleased to see him. For a few beats, she doesn't know what to say, until a small smile cracks at her lips and her eyes are wet. “It’s been a while, huh?”

“It has.” Methuselah’s head bows in a deep nod.

Enola’s head takes in the Interlopers around her. Some are faces she has known for some time, others are much newer faces to her. She takes a moment to look at each face, before something catches her eye and she looks beyond the gathered Interlopers towards someone. She inhales, shaky, her expression falling to a stun.

“Mom…?” you follow her gaze, turning your heads to look. She’s looking at Marra.

Marra stares back for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Then she feels the weight of the Interloper’s gazes on her, and she turns away — heading out of the Hall. Enola watches her go, but makes no move to stop her. Her eye closes for a short time, her expression pained before she opens her eye again and looks to the Interlopers around her. Her smile is sad, there is an understanding she holds.

“If you don’t mind, I’d appreciate it if you got everyone.” she says finally, her voice gentle. “I need to speak with you all.”

In the coming hours, the remaining Interlopers are gathered in the Community Hall. Methuselah sit close by, nursing hot tea in his hands and watches the room with a careful gaze. Marra has absconded to a corner in silence, not looking at anyone. Her shoulders are heavy. Enola, still half-dirtied and bloodied, sits on the raised platform that acts as a stage — her legs dangling, hands clasped in her lap. Now that Enola is awake, you feel yourself becoming more like yourself, before February. The sensations related to your Aurora Feats are beginning to come back again. You feel warm, strong, agile, connected, powerful. What was once cut off is being restored.

Enola will not speak with anyone privately just yet, just waits until everyone is gathered. When it seems everyone has come, she gingerly gets to her feet to address the room. She looks over the Interlopers, notes the numbers. Notes the losses. Guilt and sorrow washes over her expression. She takes her time with it. Her one blue eye grows watery, but she holds it back — inhales deeply before she speaks. Her voice is slow and steady, each word is weighted.

“I shouldn’t be here. If I’m here, then no one’s keeping the Darkwalker in check. What I’ve put in place stops it from wrecking total annihilation on this entire world, but—” she pauses, shaking her head. “It’s hurt you. It’s taken so much from you, and I’m sorry I wasn’t there to stop it.”

“I have held the Darkwalker back for over two years. I have held back the flood. These past couple of months, what’s been done to you — this is what I had previously held back. To spare you from the worst of the damage, to protect you as best as I could — even if it came at cost to myself.”

Enola lifts her chin, defiant. Her missing eye, her withered half of her face. Her blood, her body.

“It’s not too late, it’s not over. But the Darkwalker’s bringing down another blow. It’s coming, and soon.”

She spreads her arms open wide, her eye closing. As she inhales, flickers of colour and light fade into existence and curl themselves around her hands and arms. You realise after a long moment: the Aurora. When Enola opens her eye, it is pure white. She twists her fingers, as if working something with them — around her, soft orbs of light form and hover. Each of them appear in different colours: a pale blue, a pale yellow, a silvery purple, a bright amber, a soft navy, a deep red, a shimmering purple and a pale rose gold.

“One last time, I offer you all a chance to take a gift if you are able to, or want to.” Interlopers have only a short amount of time to decide. “It might prove useful in the fight ahead.”

Once an Interloper makes a choice, their hands will glow with that colour, swirling around their palms until it settles beneath their skin. A Feat chosen, a new gift. When all choices are made, Enola drops her hands. She is— shaky on her feet, slumping a little. She is pushing herself too hard, considering she was unconscious only a short time ago. She takes a few moments before she speaks again.

“This time I stand with you, all of you.” she means it, “We get through this, and then we come to the end. We put an end to all of this.”

She sways again on her feet, threatening to topple over. Sweat gathers on her brow. But still, she means those words.

PREDATORS

WHEN: Early April, onwards.
WHERE: Everywhere, but a focus on Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: altered wildlife; wildlife attacks; potential injuries; potential character death.

"You might have your beloved First Cursed back. But the patterns of nature have been interrupted. Broken. And now you face the consequences."

It is the only warning you are given from the Darkwalker. That and the furious, inhuman howl that echoes through the skies. Just as Enola has warned you, another blow is about to come down. In the dead of night, you hear a chorus of noise — restless, numerous creatures yowling into the dark.

And then, they come.

Descending upon the town in the coming days, the known predators of the Northern Territories come to attack the Interlopers: wolves, bears and wildcats. Each one disturbed and altered by the world’s current state — glowing eyes and a sickly green shimmer to their bodies. While the Aurora has previously been thought to be at fault for the changes to the animals' behaviours for some time over the years — it seems that the Darkwalker has managed to twist that into its own control.

Of course Interlopers have faced these creatures before, but now they all come together — a new group effort in trying to take out as many Interlopers as possible.

The wolves are loud, announcing their presence with demonic howls and chitterings as they descend upon Interlopers. At the very least, it gives Interlopers an advantage of knowing where they are. They work in packs, moving quickly and with a keen intelligence to surround unsuspecting Interlopers and using numbers to bring people down to tear them to shreds. Interlopers will do well not to let themselves be cut off from others, or cornered.

The bears are slower, lumbering and furious. They often move alone, keeping out of the way of their fellow predators. Easier to spot, but more difficult to take down compared to the others — their thick hides and fur giving them ample protection from bullets and arrows. Bears will use brute force to try to get into Interlopers’ homes, and a mauling from a bear is almost fatal.

The cougars and wildcats are the silent apex predator, they stalk Interlopers until they pounce at the last moment. They approach, singular and deadly. Far bigger and faster than any usual wildcat, with huge, hulking bodies, elongated fangs able to climb. They will silently climb onto buildings and lurk from above — waiting for the moment to strike from above. They enjoy chasing after Interlopers, but won’t hesitate on actually bringing someone down once they’re done playing with their food.

Enola isn’t quite ready to face these predators, but Marra will assist Interlopers in the fights. The beasts are vulnerable to fire, light and sound. The strange phenomenon of lights coming on whilst Marra is around is a handy tool to use — and she will help light up streets temporarily to frighten animals off or help set up traps to kill the animals in a controlled and planned manner. She’s also pretty handy with a rifle, given her long years in Milton — meaning she’s able to help out that way if she can be fitted up with a weapon by Interlopers.

BLESSED ARE THE DEAD

WHEN: Mid-April, onwards.
WHERE: Everywhere, but a focus on Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: zombies/zombie-related horror; zombie-related gore; potential character injury; potential character death.

Keeping back the predatory wildlife is difficult, but manageable. With the Interlopers’ renewal of body and Feats — they manage to keep back the animals.

But something else has stirred. In mid-April, a strange pulse of green lightning forks across the skies — too bright for a moment and then growing dim. It doesn’t ever fork downwards towards the earth, simply blares across the endless canvas of inky black gloom. The pulse beats through the air, enough to be physically felt by Interlopers. It’s a strange thing, almost unnerving, but it seems to be relatively harmless — but you know that such things could never be truly harmless. Those who are suspicious of what they see above them are right to be.

It is a call.

In the skies, you see an impossible thing: the gigantic glowing skulls of the Darkwalker — green and awful. There for a moment and then gone.

All over the Northern Territories, there are the dead. Animals and humanity alike. Milton is full of the dead, and while some were burned away — many were left buried under thick snow, the ground too frozen solid to dig deeply into it. Or perhaps bodies stored elsewhere, their rot staved off by the freezing temperatures: left permanently in cold storage in abandoned buildings. There’s even the bodies of those never found, those left out in the wilds to be pecked and half-devoured by the wildlife.

With the pulse in the sky, the silent, still dead begin to twitch.

The ground quakes, shifts the world, softens the earth.

They clamber, they crawl, they claw their way out of the earth, out of the earth. Slow, agonising movements, janky — limbs too stiff with the cold. Soon enough, the dead begin to gather themselves, standing on two feet and staring up into the green and black sky above them. There is nothing behind their frozen eyes, nothing but the faint glimmer of green — some ancient, unknown power that drives them on in their most basest, primal form. No thought, not feeling, nothing but one singular drive: hunger.

The Darkwalker has called them to arms. And they will heed that call.

They come.

You recognise some of them. People you have known, Interlopers long dead. People you thought you would never see again. The dead have returned, awoken from their own long darks.

They will be drawn to lights, sounds and movement of Interlopers, whether it be in the town of Milton, the surrounding areas, or even in Lakeside. Driven by that hunger, the dead will attack anything and anyone. They are slow moving, fortunately, and not particularly bright, but if they gather in large numbers — it may cause problems for the Interlopers, and they may find themselves quickly swarmed by a small horde.

Destroying the brain or brainstem will kill the dead, as will burning them. Destroying the bodies completely will mean no chance of yet another rising. And while they will bite, they will not pass on any kind of infection — although some of the more zombie-genre savvy folk might not quite realise that at first.

During the fights, Methuselah, Marra and Enola will come to help the Interlopers. While Methuselah is far better suited to tending to the injured in the Community Hall, Marra will give Interlopers the ability to see the dead more clearly in the dark by illuminating the town of Milton — or helping to coordinate traps by attracting the undead into particular areas.

Now back on form, Enola herself will throw herself into the thick of things right beside Interlopers. She needs no weapons, only her hands. The colours of the Aurora flicker and curl around her as she moves, calm and collected as she fights. She rips the heads of the undead from their shoulders with her bare hands; she conjures flames at her fingertips, curling and controlling them with precision to burn them; she heals injuries out in the midst of battle, pulling you back to your feet; she speaks words of encouragement or warning to Interlopers without moving her lips.

She means to fight with you, and she does. Each time a new wave of the undead come in the weeks that follow — she is with you.

FAQs

THE AURORA: VIGILANT FLAME

1. The effects if Misery are finally lifted, and Interlopers will begin to feel healthier again as the month of April goes on. Being in Enola's immediate presence will accelerate that but remaining in Milton will be enough for a steady return.

2. Aurora Feats are now enabled again.

3. The coloured lights that Enola conjures correspond to the relevant Feat as follows:

Pale blue — Cold Fusion
Pale yellow — Efficient Machine
Silvery purple — Moon Touched
Bright amber — Lightbringer
Soft navy — Free Runner
Deep red — Old Bear’s Blessing
Shimmering purple — Aurora Call
Pale rose gold — Interloper’s Sacrifice


4. Interlopers will have no dream when choosing a Feat this time, instead they have the Feat activate after the next time they sleep. In each instance, Interlopers will awaken feeling warmer, less isolated and readied to face whatever comes next. Find out more information about Aurora Feats and claim your final one over on the Aurora Feats page.

5. An NPC Interaction has been unlocked: characters may speak briefly with Enola, Methuselah or Marra. Please see the relevant top levels for more details.

PREDATORS

1. Players are free to utilise Marra within their threads by having her activate street lighting or electronics to create traps or to ward off animals. Generally a handwave instance, but Marra will bring the lights back to life by either a conscious or unconscious effort. Sometimes it's simply by her presence alone, sometimes it may be through touch to activate things.

2. Enola will not be available to help during this prompt, as she is still not recovered enough to fight. She will remain in the Community Hall.

3. Methuselah will take up residence in the Community Hall. He will be on hand to help Interlopers in the same manner he does when aiding them during the Feasts.

4. Yes, you can technically eat the predators you kill. It's not a great idea to eat predator meat, but you can still do it.

BLESSED ARE THE DEAD

1. Players are free to utilise Marra within their threads by having her activate street lighting or electronics to create traps or to ward off animals. Generally a handwave instance, but Marra will bring the lights back to life by either a conscious or unconscious effort. Sometimes it's simply by her presence alone, sometimes it may be through touch to activate things.

2. Players are free to have Enola appear in their threads helping them fight or healing them mid-fight.

PLOTTING FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> Your name here. <b>Player Contact:</b> What’s the best way to reach you? <b>Pacing:</b> What's your monthly speed looking like? Explain it here. <b>OOC Limits:</b> Any hard limits for RP go here. <b>Character Name:</b> Your character name here. <b>Canon:</b> Your character canon here. <b>Aurora Feat:</b> Does your character have an Aurora feat? List it here, and any other information on how they're doing with it! <b>Wanted CR:</b> Friends? Mentors? Hunting buddies? Lovers? State preferences here. <b>Unwanted CR:</b> Not keen on romance? Mortal enemies? State preferences here. <b>Event Ideas:</b> Your event plotting here! <b>Anything Else?:</b> You know what to do.

MARCH 2026 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — MISERY: It is the end of days. Interlopers face a dying world as the Darkwalker begins to close in and experience the Five Stages of Misery.

MISERY

WHEN: The month of March
WHERE: Everywhere.
CONTENT WARNINGS: supernatural-induced illness; altered physical states, altered mental states; hallucinations; nightmares/sleep terrors; themes of starvation; themes of disordered eating; emetophobia; suicide ideation.

Into March, the Toxic Fog of Rot subsides, for the most part. It can still be found out in the wilds, if Interlopers delve too far deeply away from Milton. It’s enough to lull people into a false sense of security: not an immediate, seeking threat but one that looms over the heads of Interlopers nevertheless. Interlopers would be prudent to keep up with their protection runes from Enola, just in case. The Darkwalker’s stalking around the edges of Milton isn’t as relentless, either, but it remains. It follows the same pattern: where Interlopers must take care not to venture too far so the Darkwalker can hunt them down. And at the very least, the town of Milton seems spared — the soft iridescent shimmerings remain in place throughout March, too.

But there are more machinations of the being, however. And its methods can be just as insidious as they are direct. The assault is relentless, and it shows no signs of stopping. Interlopers have never faced such a long time in the dark. The sun set over three months ago now, and shows no signs of returning. The green gloom that Interlopers have seen, at the longest amount of some twenty-odd days, now reaches over a month and will surely stretch for another.

It begs the question: where is Enola? Surely she would have come by now, surely she would end the gloom and help restore the sunlight. Enola remains silent, unreachable. It’s hard to know if she may even well be alive, given that silence. But there’s another question: just how much of all of this has she been holding back to keep the Interlopers safe this whole time?

She had told Interlopers she would keep the worst of it back. Could this get worse?

She is still missing, and the Darkwalker persists.

By March, Interlopers are completely void of their Feats. The issues that have persisted through the month of February end up in a full-scale blackout of power. Maybe it is the disconnection from Enola, maybe it’s the Darkwalker’s doing. All but those touched by the being will find that their gifts have gone, and they must face this world as they once were when they arrived: vulnerable, powerless, alone.

Interlopers touched by the Darkwalker will continue to feel a bizarre and exhilarating sense of mania. While other Interlopers settle into a morbid apprehension, those with Darkwalker’s Revenge are out of place with their dispositions: gleeful, thriving and energetic.

But the hunger lingers, more potent than ever. They are tempted by those around them, and the ache to feed upon the very life forces of their fellow Interlopers is an awful kind of madness to endure.

The world is bitter and still. There is no snowfall nor wind, at least. But the cold is biting. Interlopers will continue to find their hunting efforts ruined by the fog that seeks to rot food sources out in the wilds, but even then it is difficult to find wildlife in the first place. The animals continue to become scarce. Interlopers must rely on foodstores and rationing to keep themselves going.

But for how long? The world is wrong, and it is the end of days.

This is the ending of all things.

“She cannot help you now.” the Darkwalker sneers in your ear. ”It could have been so easy. You could have gone so quietly, as it was meant to be. But now… you will know true misery.”

Quietly, you consider: maybe it would have been better to die sooner. The previous attempts of the Darkwalker, surviving through this world was a mercy. Now, the Darkwalker’s attempts to rid the world of Interlopers is far more personal.

And as promised, Misery sets in.

The Five Stages of Misery


Stage 1: Hardship — Diminished Form: A morbid decay has set in. Your hardiness has failed you. Interlopers will feel themselves physically weak: they will have less energy, stamina and strength and will generally be more vulnerable physically as a whole. Some days, even the smallest of tasks will feel like moving mountains. You find it harder and harder to do more each day, and you cannot ask your body to keep up. Even sometimes in a literal sense, it’s hard for it to keep up — you find yourself slouching more, keeping yourself small, trying to take up as little space as possible.

Stage 2: Sorrow — Haunted Mind: You experience an endless inner turmoil. In Misery, there is not even the promised safety of sleep — a brief respite from the horrors and difficulties of waking life. Over time, sleep begins to evade you, and you find yourself awake more often than not. As sleep deprivation kicks in, you begin to lose your mind to the endless night. Interlopers will begin to experience hallucinations from the lack of sleep, and will be tormented by past regrets. When sleep does come, on rare moments, you are haunted by nightmares — violent, horror-filled and bloody: your own demise, the end of the world. Interlopers may also sleepwalk, or find themselves acting out their dreams — putting themselves and others in danger.

Stage 3: Despair — Sour Stomach: Your questionable diet has caught up with you. You cannot eat as much before you feel full, and each mouthful feels like a burden. You feel no joy when eating, take no comfort from a hot meal, or drink. It is mere sustenance, but even then it comes with a price. Interlopers will find themselves prone to bouts of nausea and vomiting, or even contracting food poisoning, no matter how well-cooked the food is. Dehydration can creep in quickly if Interlopers don’t take care, and with it comes instances of dizziness, muscle cramps and shallow breathing — and can prove fatal before the end stage has been reached.

Stage 4: Torment — Rheumatic Joints: A painful inflammation has taken hold. To move is agony, as if your joints are filled with glass. Stiffness and swelling is common in the mornings, or long periods without activity. Your hands shake uncontrollably at times, making it difficult to aim weapons. It is harder to warm up, as if the chill has settled in your very bones — which prolongs the pain. You become clumsy and accident-prone. In some cases, Interlopers can experience chest pains.


Stage 5: Ruin — Broken Body: Your body carries the weight of a dying world. In the final stage of Misery, you feel close to the end. You are prone to melancholy and suicidal thoughts. Death would be kinder. Wounds will take longer to heal, illness will take longer to recover from. You bleed more freely. You begin to experience hallucinations of loved ones, from home or here in the Northern Territories. Although they speak to you kindly, or behave just as you remember them, they speak to you only about the end of the world. They encourage you to find your end, try to convince you to give up — by whatever means. Whether it be out of love, or anger, or grief. Dying would be better, dying would be a kindness.

Once the final stage of Misery is reached, it is only a matter of time. Your body gives out, or you choose your own end. You are dying. You will go into the Long Dark.

Or maybe you hang on, just a little while longer. Maybe your stubbornness, or your selfishness keeps you going. Maybe your selflessness does.

Or maybe you remember the voice of a woman dressed in furs, who asked you once to keep holding on.

FAQs

MISERY

1. Misery marks the beginning of Endgame, and marked a special event of one single prompt compared to the previous three-prompt format. The three-prompt format will return for April's Event.

2. This Event is heavily inspired by the difficulty mode Misery in The Long Dark. You can find more information about this mode on The Long Dark's Wikia.

3. All Feats barring Darkwalker's Revenge are disabled for the month of March.

4. Prompts from February's TDM can be used throughout March, with the exception of the 'Winter Of Our Youth' prompt, as the Forest Talkers have all died by the end of February. February's Test Drive Meme is here.

5. While Interlopers experience all Five Stages of Misery, players do not have to play each stage out and can choose to focus on particular stages instead.


PLOTTING FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> Your name here. <b>Player Contact:</b> What’s the best way to reach you? <b>Pacing:</b> What's your monthly speed looking like? Explain it here. <b>OOC Limits:</b> Any hard limits for RP go here. <b>Character Name:</b> Your character name here. <b>Canon:</b> Your character canon here. <b>Aurora Feat:</b> Does your character have an Aurora feat? List it here, and any other information on how they're doing with it! <b>Wanted CR:</b> Friends? Mentors? Hunting buddies? Lovers? State preferences here. <b>Unwanted CR:</b> Not keen on romance? Mortal enemies? State preferences here. <b>Event Ideas:</b> Your event plotting here! <b>Anything Else?:</b> You know what to do.

THE FINAL TALES FROM THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES

SUNDERED PASS: Timberwolf Mountain has been unlocked. Interlopers are free to make the two day trek to the area. The people of Mountain’s Watch are keen to trade with Interlopers, given their lack of access to trading with Silverpoint over the last two years.

THE GRAVEYARD: The Graveyard remains a fixture in the area, meaning Interlopers are free to explore and loot the place as the months go on. The ghostly memories will also continue to feature in this place — meaning Interlopers can still come across both their own memories and the memories of Enola.

THE LAST RIDE: In February, apparitions of the horse that Interlopers came across by bodies of water will come to an end. The kelpies will be gone, and more fresh horrors will replace them.

JANUARY 2026 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — SUNDERED PASS: The sun does not rise, and a new pathway is unlocked to Timberwolf Mountain: through the Sundered Pass.
SUNDERED PASS — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; potential injuries from rocks, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.

PROMPT TWO — THE GRAVEYARD: Interloper explore Bittermarsh Muskeg, and find an unusual graveyard of forgotten things.
THE GRAVEYARD — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of exploration/survival; memory-sharing themes; potential disturbing scenes; dead bodies of humans, beings and animals; possible gore/decomposition;

PROMPT THREE — THE LAST RIDE: Interlopers come across a deadly steed and become potential victims of a watery grave.
THE LAST RIDE — CONTENT WARNINGS: malevolent mythical creatures, horse-creatures/kelpies; falling through ice, attempted drowning/possible successful drowning, potential character death; potential npc death.

SUNDERED PASS

WHEN: Mid-January, onwards.
WHERE: Milton Region, Timberwolf Mountain region.

Marra had once said that access to Bittermarsh Muskeg to the north was a treacherous journey, and often blocked off by the winter weather — even long before the lights went out. Now, the area is essentially cut off. The harsh, unforgiving weather has meant that the usual pathways have never revealed themselves. No thaw, no warm weather to allow passage to Timberwolf Mountain.

When Interlopers dream of Enola and the Darkwalker on the night of January 1st, a new pathway opens — even if it isn’t as obvious as first. The trembling of the world Interlopers wake to has been a shifting of the world: the mountains that envelope the Milton area crack and shift. Snow gives way, and a route lost to time is revealed: the Sundered Pass.

On January 14th, the first sunrise of the year is expected: those brief forty minutes of daylight to signify and end of the winter. Enola had warned you: The Darkwalker has been waiting, the solstice has only just come but it doesn’t intend for the light to return.

The sun does not rise, but lights can be seen to the east, growing closer to town: the flames of torchlights. Methuselah leads them, having found them in the wilds.

There are five, all women: four appear to be middle aged, one is no more than fifteen. They come to Milton, dressed in thick furs to protect them from the winter chill.

“They are natives from Mountain’s Watch.” Methuselah explains. “They say they have come through the Sundered Pass. It has been a pathway to the east long closed off by the quakes, but it seems the recent shifts have rendered it accessible.”

The women are fed in the Community Hall. They are exhausted from their journey, a couple of days traversing through the mountain pathways. They explain that while they are largely dependent on themselves, their trade routes with Silverpoint have been cut off for over two years now — making it difficult to get through the winters. Their numbers are low.

“There were others, but they’ve gone now.” the youngest tells you. “They went east with the one from here.”

They’re open to trade: they’ve brought caribou pelts and meats/jerky; cattail pollen flour; arrowheads made of bone skillfully crafted.

Methuselah looks at Interlopers carefully before offering: “If Enola is east, perhaps it is wise you travel there to meet her. Offer the people of Mountain’s Watch aid. You know only too well the hardships of this world, and how you have suffered in the face of it.”

After a few days rest, the women will depart to return home. Interlopers are free to go with them, journeying east towards the mountains that curve around the Milton region. They warn Interlopers to pack well: the journey is difficult and cold — climbing is involved. They will mark down maps for those who wish to venture forth at a larger date, advising the path is marked along the way.

The journey through Sundered Pass begins at a gorge between the mountains: a long, winding path that rises and falls through altitudes. In places, the space will open up, and travellers will have to climb and zigzag through the rocky ledges to pass through. The snow is thick and uneven in places, making it even more difficult to get through.

While sheltered from the worst of the weather, the tremors of the earth makes the rock tremble and can send broken pieces of rock tumbling down below. There are rest places here and there, overhangs and shallow caves where Interlopers can camp for the night. There are fallen trees remaining, ideal to use for fires to keep Interlopers warm through the night.

Coming out the other side of the mountains on the second day will reveal a mass expanse of open land and muskeg — dwarfed by the silent giant of a mountain to the north: Timberwolf Mountain. You see the small shapes of Mountain’s Watch up ahead, and with it: foreign and strange shapes of things dotted around Bittermarsh Muskeg.

THE GRAVEYARD

WHEN: Mid January, onwards.
WHERE: Timberwolf Mountain.
CONTENT WARNINGS:. themes of exploration/survival; memory-sharing themes; potential disturbing scenes; dead bodies of humans, beings and animals; possible gore/decomposition;

Bittermarsh Muskeg is an expanse of frozen muskeg that lies in the shadow of Timberwolf Mountain. The boggy pools differ in both size and depth, with some being marshy enough to sink an unsuspecting traveller into knee-deep frozen peat and others being several metres deep. While frozen over, the sections of pools are not sturdy ice and you may find yourself walking onto ice that cracks and splinters — sending you into the chilly water below. Sometimes it might be a better idea to take the long route and skirt the edges of the muskeg, where it’s far safer to travel.

While rugged and harsh, there’s a peaceful kind of beauty to the muskeg. Before the Flare, you could understand why people travelled here: teeming with wildlife, but a stillness too — the looming mountain above you.

They call Bittermarsh Muskeg ‘The Graveyard’ now.

You’ll have seen it as you first entered the region: the shapes of things in the distance — strange and out of place amongst nature. From Mountain’s Watch, these shapes become clearer, but seem to make no more sense. The people of Mountain’s Watch keep well away from these shapes, but they mention one from the Mainland who can often be found out there. The objects out on the muskeg disturb them, and they don’t seem keen to scavenge through — although they can hardly be blamed, considering how disturbing the scene is.

Throughout Bittermarsh Muskeg lies the remains of various things: objects and beings that were once living things, now dead, and their remains left behind.

Some of the things found are huge: sections of buildings from different points in time: the corner walling and windows of a Georgian townhouse; broken columns that one would find from a temple in Greece; the front door and mantle of a library. They lie in a heap, scattered across and half-sunk in the muskeg: brickwork warped and strange. There are smaller objects: vehicles, vessels, aircrafts, broken and useless in the snow and bog — warped and half-melted, rusting in the silence.

Among the buildings and objects lie the remains of both humans and animals alike — in varying states of completion and decomposition. Fortunately the cold keeps the rot away, and the remains are well preserved, half-mummified by ice or the peat from the muskeg. But Interlopers can find bodies of people, wide ranges of animals from whales to domesticated animals. They can also find remains of strange, otherworldly creatures — some of them no more than bones and frozen skin or scales.

But it is not just physical things that lie scattered across the muskeg. Throughout the Graveyard lie whispers and glimmers: ghostly visions of brief moments in time. It might be a simple, mundane thing: someone turns away, someone walking; an argument between friends, an embrace between lovers. Each of them on loop, playing over and over again for a time before they fizzle out, lost. Some of these moments you might recognise as moments from your own life: a few seconds of yourself, with a loved one. Tiny moments, significant and insignificant. Memories colliding between worlds. There for a few moments, then gone.

It’s not just yourself you can see in these moments, but moments from Enola can be found in amongst the ruin of the muskeg — sporadic instances throughout her life:

You see her as you recognise her now, but before her face was injured. Her face is grave, apprehension lingers. She turns to someone unseen: “I’ll keep you safe, I promise.”

As a child, she sits, clicking clumsy fingers to make them ignite with flames. She is barely seven, her eyes are wide and afraid. But there is wonder here, too.

Another, she is even younger. She sits with two boys, who you recognise as the Barker boys. The boys bicker as they fish. Enola is silent and sad as she watches them.

As a woman, she bites down her pain as she tends to a wife bite on her arm. She works with shaking fingers to clean the wound and stem the bleeding. The wolf lies dead, she pays it no mind.

As a teenager, she stands awkwardly in borrowed black clothes in the churchyard. The funeral is done. Methuselah puts his hand on her shoulder in comfort. Enola doesn’t cry, only looks down. “Where am I gonna go now?” she asks. Her lips do not move.

Another as a child, she kneels in snow in a stun, coughing and choking. Above her, a woman stands holding her arm, injured as she dry heaves: ... what did you do, Beatrice?! What did you do?! You have heard this voice before, in a dream, and now as you see her — you feel this woman is very familiar to you.

All these moments, all these relics. Held in this place. More questions.

THE LAST RIDE

WHEN: The month of January
WHERE: Everywhere, particularly near bodies of water.

The Northern Territories are home to many members of the Cervidae family: moose, deer, caribou — a good choice for the hungry Interloper looking to capture a decent bounty of meat. Interlopers these days are well accustomed to the sounds: their calls, how they flit through the woods. Given how long it’s been, hearing a different kind of animal may initially draw confusion.

Off in the distance, you hear the soft whinnying and snorts of a horse.

It’s hard to say just where a horse might have come from. Maybe it belongs to another Inteloper, because it’s not unheard of for Interlopers to bring animals from their words here. Curiosity gets the better of you, and you go in search for this mystery horse.

And you’ll find it, soon enough — snorting and stomping one of its feet at the water’s edge, trying to press at the ice.

At a glance, it looks like any ordinary horse. No saddle or reigns. But the horse will appear and behave to Interlopers depending on the Interlopers. It might come across as a favoured colour of coat or pattern — maybe a horse you once owned, or a horse you liked in a movie or TV show. Even the breed itself may differ: some Interlopers come across a warm-coloured Thoroughbred, or a powerful Shire. It might even appear as a Shetland Pony. Its behaviour towards you also differs depending on the Interloper. It might be skittish, or playful. It may be calm, just patiently watching you when it realises you are close.

However it appears: congratulations, you’ve just found a horse.

The horse will warm to you, with even the most aloof horses finally coming around. But however long it takes, the horse will seem to invite you to be close to it. To even climb on to ride it — maybe there’s a nearby trunk you can use to help get you on, or you could just hop on and try for the best. Either way, the horse is patient enough to wait for you. It seems relatively well-trained, and will even listen to your directions as you try to maneuver it towards civilisation. A horse could be pretty useful, for travel or for tasks back in Milton.

Until it decides it’s no longer listening to you and it bolts: back towards the direction of water.

Whatever body of what you might find yourself by, a river or pond or lake or muskeg, or even the sea itself — the horse gallops in the direction of it and onto the ice. You realise, as you hang on and try to correct the animal that the beast is no usual horse. The beast’s fur shifts into a mottled green-grey; pale and wet and sticky. It’s mane (perhaps the only thing you could hold on to) shifts from hair into thick clumps of ragged, wet reeds. You’re seemingly stuck to this creature, and it’s taking you straight for one thing: the water.

As the ‘horse’ moves onto the frozen water, the ice begins to crack beneath you — pings echoing in the air, sharp snaps as the surface begins to give way. The beast bears down hard, its hooves driving into the ice to break it and the ice finally gives way — slowing down as it begins to sink into the water, and dragging you with it.

Soon enough, you’ll find yourself submerged in the waters, stuck to the beast and slowly sinking down into what will be your watery grave. The beast plows onwards, breaking ice as it goes — and you can’t help but feel you’re stepping into your death in slow motion.

Perhaps you might have a friend close by. One who might be able to carefully brave the fragile ice to rescue you. There are ways to stop the beast from killing you, at least.

And after that, the beast will vanish — leaving you to flounder in the frozen waters. Pray you were in the shallows, and you might find yourself reaching a watery end still — or fall victim to hyperthermia.

FAQs

SUNDERED PASS

1. Timberwolf Mountain is now unlocked! The areas page will be updated to show the new details of the new area.

2. Players are free to ask for more information from the women of Mountain's Watch if they wish.

THE GRAVEYARD

(tba)

THE LAST RIDE

1. This creature is based off of Kelpies, a creature of folklore who would lure weary travellers and then drag them to their watery graves.

2. Many of the typical ways to defeat kelpies can be used: they are susceptible to iron and silver, along with religious iconography/symbols. Bridling the creature while its transformed into its true self will also stop the creature from its course of action.

3. Players cannot keep the kelpies. Sorry.


PLOTTING FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> Your name here. <b>Player Contact:</b> What’s the best way to reach you? <b>Pacing:</b> What's your monthly speed looking like? Explain it here. <b>OOC Limits:</b> Any hard limits for RP go here. <b>Character Name:</b> Your character name here. <b>Canon:</b> Your character canon here. <b>Aurora Feat:</b> Does your character have an Aurora feat? List it here, and any other information on how they're doing with it! <b>Wanted CR:</b> Friends? Mentors? Hunting buddies? Lovers? State preferences here. <b>Unwanted CR:</b> Not keen on romance? Mortal enemies? State preferences here. <b>Event Ideas:</b> Your event plotting here! <b>Anything Else?:</b> You know what to do.

OOC INTRODUCTION

THE HOLIDAY BOAR

Hello, everyone! The Holiday Boar is here for one final time to gift characters with an item, whether it be something from home, or some kind of survival item, food, whatever!

But first up, some rules!

1. One item per character. Examples, for clarity: a box of ammo, or a box of candy bars, a quiver of arrows, etc. would count as ‘one item’.
2. Items must be no bigger than something Interlopers can reasonably carry themselves.
3. For items from home, it must be something the character owns.
4. Players must bear in mind any warps on particular items such as tech or weaponry.
5. Characters may ask for something for someone else if they do not want something for themselves. 6. Be sure to claim your item by December 31st!

SUBMISSION FORM

<b>Player Name:</b> <b>Character Name:</b> <b>Item Request:</b>

DECEMBER 2025 TDM

IMPORTANT NOTE: THIS TDM IS THE FINAL PUBLIC APPLICATION ROUND. IF YOU ARE A NEW PROSPECTIVE PLAYER, THIS WILL BE YOUR FINAL CHANCE TO APPLY FOR THE GAME. RETURNING PLAYERS AND CURRENT PLAYERS CAN APPLY DURING THIS ROUND TOO.

A FINAL APP ROUND IN FEBRUARY WILL BE POSTED FOR RETURNING PLAYERS / CURRENT PLAYERS ONLY.

PROMPT ONE — ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST: The penultimate group of arrivals find themselves lost in the frozen wilds and vulnerable to the dangers of nature. With luck, they make it to the town of Milton, and to a friendly face offering food, warmth and shelter — and the current inhabitants, their fellow survivors.

PROMPT TWO — JUST A SONG: A being arrives at the doors of Interlopers, causing mischief — and rewarding Interlopers for being such good sports.

PROMPT THREE — THE ICE CAVES: Interlopers find themselves as unwelcome guests in a labyrinth of ice caves.

FAQs

ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST

1. Arrival threads can be treated as game canon.

2. Items characters have brought from home can be found either strewn around them when they awaken, or in the community hall — as if someone left them out for them to collect. Methuselah will not know how they got there, and will be quite bemused by the happenings.

3. Reminder that all characters are now depowered upon arrival. They can choose not to notice it at first, or can immediately sense something is different about them.

4. If asked any personal questions, Methuselah will smile and say "Oh, you don't want to know about an old man like me. But I have lived all over in these parts for all my life." He will be more concerned with trying to help Newcomers, and is genuinely concerned for them and their well-being. Other Interlopers will say much of the same — there's little to know about him.

5. More information about Milton can be found here.

JUST A SONG

1. The being is inspired heavily by a festive Welsh folk tradition Mari Lwyd, where participants would visit homes, singing and engaging in a rhyming battle of wits, known as pwnco. The Mari Lwyd is a figure of mischief and havoc, but also one of good luck to the homes they successfully win at entering.

2. The being can come to the same home multiple times, so Interlopers can be affected by multiple ‘prank’ effects.

3. Failure to sing at all will result in an automatic loss.

4. The being cannot be harmed, and attempts to hurt it will pass right through it. It will also mean an automatic loss — and the being might just leave you your WORST/LEAST FAVOURITE sweet treat instead.

THE ICE CAVES


1. The three wolves are a call out to the player-named unique wolves of The Long Dark who exist within internal locations: Fluffy, Scruffy and Sketchy.

2. Characters end up in the Ice Caves with whatever they happen to have on their person at the time.— if it’s typical for them to carry weapons, they’ll have this with them.

3. While the wolves will never stay dead for long, they can be killed by any means you would normally kill a wolf: bullets, knives, arrows, etc.