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singillppl2024-06-01 05:57 pm
singmod) wrote in singillppl2024-06-01 05:57 pm
Entry tags:
June 2024 Event Plotting
JUNE 2024 EVENT
PART ONE — A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME: The Darkwalker claims another victim, and that is only the beginning of troubles for the Interlopers as they face a month of endless night and green gloom.
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME — CONTENT WARNINGS: death of playable character; supernatural death; mention of dead body; themes of death; supernatural beings; themes of terror; themes of peril.
PART TWO — POLAR SUN: As June continues, Interlopers are faced with food insecurity as wildlife flees; tensions grow as they face hunger and the Darkwalker's continued influence. On the day of the Summer Solstice, the tension finally breaks and violent chaos descends upon Interlopers.
POLAR SUN — CONTENT WARNINGS: themes of survival; food scarcity/food insecurity; supernatural weather; altered mental states; mental manipulation; themes of violence; potential character injury; potential character death; potential NPC death.
PART THREE — REPRIEVE: The end is in sight, and an ally comes to the Interloper’s aid.
REPRIEVE — CONTENT WARNINGS: blood.
A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME
WHEN: June 1st, then onwards.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area (Carter Hydrodam).
The evening is quiet and still. May draws to a close and while the sun does not completely set, it dips low enough below the horizonough for the sky to grow a little darkdim with twilight. The midnight sun is almost upon the Northern Territories, the air is warmer than it has ever felt — even if it remains chilly. If this is summer, it is but a gentle brush of reprieve against the unyielding winter. The Interlopers wind down for the night, many turn to their beds to sleep, others sit awake and ponder their existence in this world. They think of home, of loved ones, of their predicament here in this place. The Forest Talkers, the strange beasts and monsters they’ve encountered.
The moon wanes in the skies, nestled amongst the stars. For those still awake to notice, they can see it: slowly, one by one, the stars begin to go out. Then the moon's light is swallowed whole, and a blanket of green gloom descends upon the Northern Territories.
The sky is dark and green and terrible. Many of those will recognise it, what this means and what will come. Others will not understand it, not know what it is that awaits them all.
They will soon find out: the Darkwalker comes.
Under a green sky, a cold fear washes over you — squeezing the breath from your lungs. Interlopers will find themselves overcome with that fear, and everything in their bodies and minds tells them to run. To flee. And so you run, heading for cover. Curtains will be drawn, some may hide under beds, within closets or wardrobes. Some desperately attempt to conceal themselves, make themselves small, unseen. Some Interlopers, in that fear, may rush to friends or loved ones to hide with them, others may simply cower alone — crawling and whimpering away from the night. The fear is irrational, unable to be overcome — even by the bravest or most stoic of Interlopers.
For those within Milton, it is further away but is by no means less potent: Interlopers will find themselves frozen with the constant loom of the Darkwalker’s arrival — even if it does not come to Milton. Those within Lakeside, however, will feel the true force of this presence: more like a knife edge — painfully gripping your heart as it draws close.
The Darkwalker howls: indescribable, unnatural, demonic. Low moans and groans. It comes from the east, the faint booms of footsteps in the distance growing ever nearer. It is coming, once more. It's coming for one of you. And still, you are powerless, unable to do anything. And it is an agony, awaiting its arrival. You cry, you whimper, you cower. Curling up for some shred of comfort, and finding none.
For those in Lakeside, through the fear, they may be able to note the path: a straight line from the east towards Carter Hydrodam. It seems to go on forever, building into a crescendo. Your heart beats so hard you fear it may burst from your chest, as if you might die of fright.
There is an almighty sound; the Darkwalker devours and even with the distance you can hear it. The sound of gnashing teeth, and… laughter. There is no scream, no bright light in the sky — Enola is silent this time. There is only that laughter, echoing off into the night.
The skies do not return to normal. The green gloom hangs in the air. It is done, but it is not yet over. While the overwhelming fear dissolves away, but a kind of… dread remains on the air — almost palpable.
The Darkwalker has devoured another. Braver souls who go out to investigate into Lakeside will find just who has been devoured once they reach the Hydrodam — although it may be a day or two before they will find the body in the medical bay.
At least it is cold enough that the rot does not fully set in — but death will certainly be here.
And this is but the beginning of the Interloper’s troubles.
POLAR SUN
WHEN: The month of June, up to Midsummer’s Eve + Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton area; Lakeside area.
In the coming weeks and days, and weeks, the green gloom lingers. From the Darkwalker’s attack, there is no sun. No day, no night. No stars or moon or sun. No Auroras. Just the gloom and biting cold. Life becomes increasingly hard on Interlopers: higher expenditure on fuel — fires and lanterns are imperative to keep the darkness and the cold at bay.
With the green gloom in the air, the wildlife becomes more scarce — as if it has been frightened away into the deeper parts of the wilds. It will be harder to bring in fresh meat in both Milton and Lakeside, and Interlopers will find that they will have to rely on whatever stores they have — and perhaps even rationing for a while.
And it’s not the only thing frightened. Even with the debilitating fear that comes with the Darkwalker’s attack gone, there is still a kind of fear that lingers on the air that slowly eats away at the Interloper’s resolve over time.
Interlopers will find themselves anxious, on edge. Some will be prone to anger in their fear, others prone to fits of melancholy: tearfulness and sorrow. Between the cold, the lack of fresh game and the fear on the air — it’s no wonder spirits are low. Bickering and minor upsets between Interlopers are likely.
They call it the midnight sun, the polar day. It's opposite is the polar night. This is neither and both. On the day of midsummer's eve, that fear on the air is even more palpable. The air feels a little stifling at times, as if the pressure is all off — often quite oppressive, a strange kind of tension. There is something brewing, a low burning thing that begins from the moment Interlopers wake — heavy and sharp in their chest.
’So, Interloper. What will you do now?’ A voice sneers in your ear. The very same voice that has haunted Interlopers since the very beginning. The Darkwalker finally speaks after all these weeks of gloom since its most recent attack. ’When all is gone, when even the sun does not rise? What will you do then?’
A nervousness sits within you as you remember the Darkwalker’s words. What will you do if the sun does not rise? If the darkness is all that is left? If the food runs out? Your wonderings will continue to gnaw away within you. The darkness is hollowing.
’Will you lean on others, like you have always tried to do?’ the voice continues. ’What bonds you hold with them, the ones with those around you. But how strong are they, truly? Can you trust them? Will it matter when your belly is empty and your heart is low? Perhaps it is time to see.
’Never forget, Interloper. I am the Rot. And I will rot within you.’
As the day progresses into the Solstice, that tension lingers in the air, and the wonderings within you continue to wear at you. You find yourself becoming more and more agitated as time goes on. Those feelings that have been brewing for some time now have started to grow close to boiling. You may snap at others, grow restless, become enraged at the tiniest of things — the upsets wildly out of proportion for the smallest slights or issues.
You find your thoughts wandering, too. Perhaps it is to someone you know in this place, or perhaps it is to someone previously unknown to you. Maybe you have an issue with this person, or perhaps the voice’s influence extends further — not only adding to your agitations but creating them, too. A slight, a grudge, a bias.
You feel a bitter gnawing within you. The nightmarish green gloom above you persists and everything bubbles up from within. From the dark, the anger within you become too much. The tension finally snaps.
For some, it might come out as a vicious argument where you air your grievances, or finally let slip the things you’ve been holding close to your chest. A verbal beat down, incredibly hurtful in nature. For others, things may be drawn to getting physical. A literal beat down where your fists grow bruised and bloody, or perhaps even worse. Whatever it is, you want to do damage to someone else — there is darkness here, and so many things come out in the dark, don’t they?
Like a ripple, all around you: all hell breaks loose. Chaos erupts, and the air is filled with violence.
Let’s hope you might stop, or someone else stops you, before someone gets killed.
REPRIEVE
WHEN: Circa three days after the Summer Solstice.
WHERE: Milton.
All things must come to an end, even the most violent of deadly storms. In the midst of the seemingly endless violence of the night, you find yourself outside. Maybe you're fleeing from another Interloper, maybe you're desperately trying to reach someone you care for, maybe you're simply trying to find somewhere new to hide. Interlopers are hunting one another, blood lies on the snow, bodies too — some breathing, some not.
Perhaps it is a trick of the light. Perhaps it's the Darkwalker’s influence still warping your already frayed mind. Or it's the blood in your eyes, your battered and bruised body struggling to get through it all.
In the gloom, you see it. See her.
A woman, dressed in furs, stones and shells glimmering on her chest like armour, stands in the snow before you. Thin and pale, eyes sunken. Her chest heaves with each breath as she looks around with wide eyes. Her hands are bare and bloody. It drips slowly from her fingers. Is it her blood? Or someone else's? You cannot tell, but you cannot mistake how thick it coats her skin.
Her head turns to look at you. You are stunned, but not frightened. Even through the gloom, after a moment or two, her eyes widen in recognition: she knows you.
Slowly and silent, other than her noisy breathing, she draws close to you. Maybe in turn you draw close to her, closing the distance between you. Up close, her eyes are blue, and sad. You cannot mistake the sorrow in them. She is tired, weary. Her hair is dark, worn loose and long. For some, you feel as if you've seen her before, but you can't quite place her face.
Softly, she says your name.
For some, there may be no recognition. This woman is a stranger, who knows your name somehow. She has been silent the past couple of months, after all.
For others, hearing her speak brings a sudden, jarring realisation: this is Enola.
She’s here. Enola. All this time, she’s whispered to you in dreams, in static, in the very air itself.
She raises one hand, dark and dripping in the green light. Lightly, her fingers brush against your chest. You don’t feel the pressure of them, don’t feel the odd heat of blood — only the weight of her stare as she holds your gaze. It’s a long moment of peace in amongst the chaos.
You feel her exhaustion, a tiredness that sinks into your very bones. Apologies, too. You have never known anything like it. But there’s something else too, something that takes a moment or two to put your finger on. Defiance. A renewal. Something shifts in the air, a growing tension, different from the kind that’s been held on the air throughout the month. It’s the coming of a storm, the rolling clouds, the growing rumble of thunder before the first lightning strike.
Enola nods, her expression grave. She pulls away and turns from you — her head lifting towards the skies as she walks. Her arms raise, bloodied hands twisting and tensing before her. They curl, almost into fists, and she makes a gesture: the slow tearing of something huge and invisible before her — a shriek spilling from her lips. A battle-cry, a last stand, a wail of agony. It echoes.
The sky cracks and splits open before you, dazzling light and colours blinding your vision into pure white. The world tilts too hard below your feet, and you don’t remember passing out.
When you awaken, Enola is gone. The skies are clear and blue, the sun is high in the sky. As you pick yourself up from the snow, in the harsh light of the polar day, blood has never looked so red. The horrors of the night laid bare. Interlopers are dead, but the Darkwalker’s influence is gone. For now.
In the wake of Midsummer, all Interlopers can do is try reconcile. Bury the dead, rebuild, lick wounds. But that feeling in the air still remains — that different, new kind of tension that has come with Enola’s appearance. The first of the lightning bolts has struck, but more are coming.
FAQs
1. Alexander Hilbert has been devoured by the Darkwalker. His remains can be found in the Hydrodam. The following note has been left by Kates concerning his death: ‘Sveta gets possession of his research notes + blood samples + creepy lab journal because it's all in Russian, lmao.’
2. Information on the Darkwalker’s attack can be found here.
3. Usually, after the Darkwalker attacks, the sky would return to normal. This won’t happen. Instead, the usual atmospheric changes that occur during Darkwalker attacks will remain in place as June continues..
1. For an idea how the setting appears for June, it's like what you see in the game during the Escape The Darkwalker Challenge. Inside, there'll be a degree of green shades to rooms etc via what comes through windows but with it being lit up via fires and light sources, the gloom will be chased back.
2. Characters are free to use this event to kill NPC Interlopers. Methuselah and Young Bill are off the table, as are two marked NPC Interlopers. Please let Mods know if you intend on doing this for record keeping!
3. These acts of violence can be physical or verbal altercations, players are encouraged to work with the prompt however they'd like! However, anything potentially world-altering (ie. building destruction) must be first discussed with mods.
4. Interlopers under the Darkwalker's influence can be stopped in a number of ways. Showing genuine care and compassion in the face of violence is one way. Knocking an Interloper out is another way. Sometimes killing an Interloper may be needed, or simply restraining them and keeping them locked up somewhere so they can't hurt anyone else until the night is over would also work.
5. Talismans made by Heartman back in March with a Ward Sigil against the Darkwalker will come into effect during this prompt. It's been an ongoing process, with new Interlopers being offered them from their arrival. Players are free to choose what kind of talisman they received, or if they chose to get one at all. Their effectiveness is dependent on the type of blood used on the talisman.
— Animal Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from animals found in the world, such as deer, rabbits or wolves will find themselves more susceptible to the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They will be much harder to break out of the hold over them, and become almost frenzied state.
— Monster Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood from any creatures or monsters that Interlopers have encountered in their time in the Northern Territories, such as the Serpent from December’s TDM will find there are no negative nor positive effects. The talisman is essentially useless. and Interlopers will fall under the Darkwalker's influence.
— Interloper Blood: Interlopers carrying talismans using blood for Interlopers will be offered protection/resistance from the Darkwalker’s influence and disposition towards violence. They may be slightly affected but will have their wits about them more compared to others. If the blood came from an Interloper with an Aurora Feat — this protection/resistance will be largely increased, an the Interloper may even feel braver, less affected by the fear in the atmosphere.
— No Talisman: Similar to the Monster Blood Talisman, Interlopers will be affected typically by the Darkwalker's influence in due course.
There are no additional affects with an Interloper using their own blood, just if they have an Aurora Feat or not.
6. Animals owned by Interlopers will be more frightened and will want to hide away in the build up — they will be disturbed by the world. Mostly lying down and whining/restlessness. They may display some signs of aggression on occasion, but not to the same degree of humans.
7. Forest Talkers are hidden away and will not be able to be reached during the Solstice.
1. Enola can only be met alone, but she will appear to all Interlopers in Milton.
2. Enola will be nowhere to be found afterwards, there are no tracks to be followed. She has simply vanished.
Francis Crozier | The Terror
Player Name: Gels
Player Contact: funkygelise @ discord
Pacing: IT'S THE SUMMER WOOOO so I'll be a lot more active. You'll probably get at least a few tags a day, with some boomeranging in between if that's your thing.
Character Name: Francis Rawdon Moira blah blah blah Crozier
Canon: The Terror (AMC)
Aurora Feat: None, he just works here
Wanted/Unwanted CR: /holds open hands All please, I like all. I'm flexible with negative CR/I don't shy away from building on bad vibes, but my particular jam is 'Crozier quietly helping people and then disappearing into the forest' like a Canadian cryptid.
Event Ideas:
• A Sign of Things to Come
- A terrified Francis Crozier will seek out the people he's come to care for/bonded with/had a chat that didn't end with a punch to the face. He usually shows a lot of emotions: sadness, melancholy, thoughtful sadness, lingering sadness, righteous anger, compassion, deadpan snark, but being a terrorized mess is a fun new one for most folks!
- Post-Darkwalker he's just going to be pissed off beyond belief. He's so tired of supernatural beings haunting an already beleaguered group of people.
• Polar Sun
- Melancholy-prone Crozier is going to be - surprise! Melancholy and grumpy. He's going to try to do what he can to avoid getting sucked down into his moods, because dang, he doesn't even have the whiskey to fall back on. He's going to work really hard to push through as because he can for the sake of everyone else, but that means when he's in his cabin or hanging out with folks he'll be more likely to engage in stupid fights.
- There will be some violence between him and Hickey. We're working on what that's going to look like and the aftermath, but it's gonna be rooooooough
• Reprieve
- Crozier's gonna mistake Enola for Silna for a hot minute there
• Monthly Activities - He has three main goals for this month: post-bloodbath he's going to attempt bring together the folks who have the same Aurora feat to discuss their newfound abilities. Like a support group! For magical weirdos! He's also going to connect with the people doing fortifications to see about coming together when there's an outside threat. He still wants a messaging system set up between the two areas that rely on the runners. Not sure how successful any of this will be, but Crozier's going to at least propose something.
- His third goal is more in the line of old school polar galas during the middle of the polar night. He's going to figure out something that isn't complete misery for folks.
Anything Else?:
ALSO let's talk assumed CR!
Crozier is all over Milton bringing whatever he can forage into the town or excess supplies he finds, and I try to throw him whenever I can because he's just...around. He weirdly has an active social life for someone who enjoyed living in an ice hut all by himself. So let's talk any assumed CR - does your character have a standing appointment to learn astronomy with him? Does he bring herbs to your character's cabin? Does he meet them for tea every other week? Do they stay in the community center and are there when he drops off firewood? Do they pass each other by and kind of give each other the ol' polite nod?
Let's chat! c:
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She's also 100% down to talk fortifications or setting up messaging between lakeside and milton!
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Crozier will seek Ruby out for talking about the fortification and the messaging system -- she's on his list of Very Capable People!
And boy, Crozier will be happy to talk about Polar Galas! There's singing! And acting in plays! And ice sculptures! And dancing! And dressing in drag!
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She's absolutely thrilled to hear about all of these. She's not much of a dancer, but that is mostly her just being awkward. She'd be thrilled to help out and participate in this.
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That's an excellent connection to make, and Crozier would like to subscribe to Randvi's newsletter. Also they need to talk again anyway after Randvi like nearly died or whatever XD
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God and I just realised what an opportunity the Polar Sun fuckery could be for Little maybe actually opening up some rare honest feelings about how angry he did get about some of Crozier's decisions during the Expedition... I wasn't planning on him falling TOO hard into hostility, but he could notice Crozier having a hard time with getting a bit grumpy and fall into his own bad feelings about it... if that's something you'd be interested in, at least! There'll probably be plenty more awful opportunities for some rare Honest Talks in the future, so I'm totally cool holding off on opening up more Terror Angsts if you've got your plate full there for the moment (these cold lads come with so much angst....)
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YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS there's a fine line between hostility and airing of grievances, and boy oh boy, does Little deserve to lay into Crozier for all the shitty things he did! I'd love it, let's do it.
And then when it all fades maybe Crozier will grab him and hold him tightly because :c :c :c you were the last to die and it was so so so bad, Nedward
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god and poor Crozier just having had to live with all this Cursed Knowledge about his men all this time... He needs some good hugs too....
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I love the idea! Crozier will look forward to their teatime chats. He's a foraging pro, so we can assume he's always bringing different herbs he's found for them to try. I imagine only some of them went over well.
Anger buddies!! The darkwalker suuuuuucks!
Re: Francis Crozier | The Terror
Wynonna will at some point have to seek Crozier out to let him know his onetime steward almost died. Fun!
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Fraser is just a bro. Crozier worries for everyone in Milton/the general Milton area, but not Fraser! I imagine he recommends Fraser to people to answer questions he doesn't know the answer to about survival.
... :c Not fun, Wynonna! Awful! He doesn't want to know that!! But depending on when she finds him, he might also have just survived a little near-death experience.
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Also Kate will also be seeing Enola and she knows about Silna from Goodsir! So maybe they can have a chat about that post-bloodbath. Kate's going to get injured/fucked up with it all, time to fret... :')
Both she and Kieren would be down for their respective Aurora Feat Meetings! also Polar Gala 👀 i am absolutely gonna get these folks into some kind of fancywear at Christmas so I am here for this, personally.
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Love it! We can assume Kate and Crozier have been talking astronomy together every time he comes to visit the Community Center.
yessss Polar Gala. Crozier's mostly wanting lots and lots of light, but like not something in a tent where it's all a fire hazard. This gala's gonna be nothing like carnivale!
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I mean the Community Hall would be the best (and safe) bet, to be honest. Kate would be down on helping organise things! And maybe there's some fireworks hidden away somewhere (probably Lakeside) that they could use or something — that'd be something to cheer folk up with, too!
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Re: Assumed CR
Hell yeah, I love that! Crozier's gonna be friends with this weird man, dang it!!!
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Excellent! Crozier likes the idea of smoke signals, but with this dingdang fog even that system would have some troubles.
He suggested it at the last town hall, but in the event thread he's going to push and facilitate meetings for the people affected with each feat. He'll ask for help from the runners there!
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:c to be fair he really wanted to be reasonable, but that hinged on the hope that Hickey wouldn't have people snacks!!!!
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NEVER TOO LATE!! Love this idea!
I'd love for him to help with the sledging bit! Or at least offer advice with what not to do, like not putting her in a boat or making her haul on ice. XD Or not try to ride said cow unless you start with that business early.
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