methuselah (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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singillppl2023-08-10 12:13 am
singmod) wrote in singillppl2023-08-10 12:13 am
Entry tags:
August 2023 Test Drive Meme
AUGUST 2023 TDM
PROMPT ONE — ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST: A group of newcomers 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.
PROMPT TWO — HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE: Once recovered from their journey, newcomers are free to explore the town of Milton for supplies and find any signs of the townsfolk.
PROMPT THREE — THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN: A mysterious woman haunts the frozen lake of the Milton Basin, trying to lure newcomers to their deaths.
ARRIVAL: METHUSELAH'S FEAST
WHEN: Day One.
WHERE: Milton, Milton Outskirts.
CONTENT WARNINGS: potential animal attacks, potential injuries, potential cold injuries/hyperthermia risk.
’You are the Interloper. You are not part of nature’s design.’
It’s the last thing you hear. A dark, deep voice. Impossibly ancient. You feel afraid. Maybe you’re dreaming, maybe you’re wide awake. You saw the lights, and then your world went dark. But you hear it in the blackness, you won’t forget those words.
You awaken. You are not where you were before. It’s different for everyone, there doesn’t seem to be much of a pattern in where you find yourself. You may open your eyes to find yourself in a cold, dim and dank cabin. The air is stale, dust hangs in the rays of weak sunlight that shine through the tiny windows. Someone lived here once, but they aren’t to be found. You look around, it seems like no one has been here in several days, maybe longer. The fire is cold, the dishes in the sink are a little mouldy. It is quiet. The wood creaks around you. Or perhaps you may awaken to find yourself shivering in the yawning maw of a cave, the freezing stone below you. Or maybe you’re unfortunate enough to sit up to find yourself lying in the snow, in the middle of the wilderness. Snow lies thick around you. It’s freezing out. You haven’t felt a cold like this before in your entire life. Cruel and biting. You have no idea where you are, and what’s worse — you are completely alone.
You may feel different, too. Any powers or magics you may have feel... absent. Disconnected. Things that may not have affected you previously now do. Something in you has changed.
You know you can’t stay where you are. You’ll need to move, try to work out where you are and how you came to be here. So you walk, head out into the unknown, in hope of finding a trail or a road. You’ll find one soon enough. It’s here you may find someone else in the same boat as yourself, equally freezing and confused. You’ll both need to keep going. It won’t be easy. You hear howls of wolves around you, and the terrain is difficult: slips and falls are likely. You’re completely vulnerable out here in the open.
But it won’t be long until you see it: the lazy trail of smoke rising in the air. Fire.
Follow it, and soon enough the way you’ve taken will certainly become a path or road. Unfolding before you in the mountainous forests, you’ll see the most welcome of sights: a small mining town tucked up in the valley. Battered, rusted road signs will direct to “MILTON, POP. 947”. You’re almost there, you keep going, and it looks like other people have had the same idea as you. As you head into the outskirts and further into town, you’ll find it’s a little easier to walk but the cold has gripped you hard. You’ll find the buildings, both shops and homes, are dark and lifeless, some of them are boarded up. Other than those heading in the same direction, towards the smoke, you won’t find any townsfolk coming to greet you, or even looking at you from behind curtains. … Where is everyone?
Towards the center of town, you’ll find the building from which the smoke rises: a school-house of sorts, or some kind of community hall. Perhaps both. You’ll find more and more people all drawn to this place, each and every one of them in the same position as yourself (and your companion, if you’ve found one). Some are in worse states than others: some are bloodied, nursing bite wounds or cuts; others might have some other kind of injury sustained in the journey here from falls. Others may look as if they could faint from the cold at any second.
The door opens, and you’re greeted by the gnarled, wizened face of an elderly man, dressed in thick furs. He has a kind face. He smiles warmly, and with pity, ushering you in with haste.
“It seems like a great deal of you have come.” he muses finally. “I am Methuselah. I welcome you Newcomer, although I’m sorry for how you’ve come to find yourself here. Please, warm yourselves. Eat. Get your bearings. Mother Nature has not been kind to you.”
The room is dim, lit mostly by the weak natural daylight through the windows. A roaring fire sits at one end of the huge hall. It crackles, bright and cheerful…. and warm. Even as big as this place is, the room is pleasantly warm. You’ll also find basic cots set up down one side of the hall, places to rest for a moment and get your bearings, or just trying to recover from the cold or any injuries. Down the other side are tables and chairs, and long, foldable tables laden with food, drinks and bottled water similar to one might find at a soup kitchen.
There are canisters with hot herbal teas and coffee, along with soup and stew and trays of charred moose, deer and rabbit meats, instant mashed potatoes, and tinned vegetables. It’s very basic, but it’s hot and filling. A feast. The old man has been busy. And Methuselah will continue to busy himself, still; there is plenty to do. He will fetch blankets, tend to wounds, serve food and drinks. He does not have much time to talk. More and more people seem to be coming in from the cold. He will not stop to sit and rest until everyone is seen to, taking up a place by the fire to gaze silently into its flames. He is troubled, thoughtful.
If you ask him where you are, he will simply respond: “This is Milton, of the Northern Territories.”
If you ask how you came to be here, he will shake his head: “Something has changed. The sky, it was… full of light. The Flare. I felt you coming, a great arrival. But I cannot say for certain how, or why you are here.”
He is regretful, genuinely so. He wishes he had more answers for you, but he does not. Instead he will simply insist you rest, get warm and eat. There is plenty to go around. Eventually, when you feel well enough, Methuselah will gesture to the door: “When you are ready and able, explore the town. Many left, others could not make it out. I have found no one but the dead. They will have no use of the place now, perhaps you might in the meantime.”
HOPE NOBODY NEEDS THIS ANYMORE
WHEN: First couple of weeks since arrival.
WHERE: Milton.
CONTENT WARNINGS: frozen dead bodies, unexplained deaths, suicide, murder.
Other than Methuselah in the Hall, the town of Milton is void of life. While not a particularly large town, there’s a few stores and even a gas station. Life here is rustic. Function over form. Homes are simple but sturdy and warm, it’s a rugged place and one can easily deduce that the folk living here led simple, self-sufficient lives.
Commercial buildings and stores of note include a bank and post office, a hunting/fishing supply store, a grocery store, and a clothing store. There is even a church just on the outskirts of town. The buildings are ripe for picking, with most of them still with the doors unlocked, including the residential buildings. Others are locked, but can be broken into easily enough. A few are even trickier, with some of them boarded up or with entrances blocked. In terms of contents, a third of the residential buildings seem to be almost empty, as if the owners moved out long ago. There might still be things left behind of use: old, warm clothes good for the wintery weather, tools and cooking utensils — but little in terms of food. Even if the former residents move some time ago, they didn’t completely empty their homes.
Most of the homes in Milton seem to be left as if the owner stepped out only a short while ago, and with very little disturbance. Some houses, however, seem to be abandoned in a hurry, with a mess of items strewn about in some last-minute dash to grab essentials: keys, identification, treasured personal items, supplies for a quick exit. Cupboards are typically filled with an abundance of canned goods, and some chilled goods might have survived in the cold weather within the fridge-freezers, but it might be a gamble if one wants to try and eat them. Any and all electronics within homes: televisions, computers, mobile-phones — although dated, will all appear cracked and damaged, and will not function or turn out at all. The same will go for any vehicles around the town: there is no hope of starting any of them.
Diaries and journals kept by the former residents may remark on a change in the weather, with the cold and harsh climate becoming more hostile as of late. Others remark strange lights in the skies, dating several weeks or so ago, strange noises in the air, issues with power and electrical items. Some make mentions of changes to the wildlife, with wolves coming close to the town even when they had never done so before. One or two mention problems on the Mainland, with increasing difficulty of reaching out to loved ones who don’t live in the Northern Territories, or deliveries being unable to arrive. The growing trend is that something odd and terrible has been happening, although no one can truly explain what, and the problems have been growing increasingly worse and worse up to the final entries. You might note that the actual years and dates might not line up with your own: the current year given in these entries is 2014.
The newcomers are free to take over these homes, if they wish. No one appears to be stopping them, and even Methuselah seems to shrug about moving in. And as he’d mentioned, he has found no one but the dead: and plenty of them can be found.
Bodies of the town’s former residence can be found scattered over the town. In homes, in stores, out in the snow. They appear still relatively fresh, although it may be hard to tell if it’s from the cold or if it’s from very little time passing. Most appear to have died from cold exposure, some appear to have simply dropped dead on the spot. Others may be found with a gun in hand. Some, worryingly, appear to have perished by another’s hand. You won’t find the entirety of the town’s population, but there’ll be at least several dozen. Men, women, children.
Methuselah seems to have begun laying the dead to rest, but there’s too many for one man to do. Maybe you can work out what to do with them, try to bury them in their backyards, or try to take them to the churchyard.
THE SIREN OF MILTON BASIN
WHEN: Until the next Aurora.
WHERE: Milton Basin.
CONTENT WARNINGS: mental manipulation, malevolent mythical creatures, falling through ice, attempted drowning/possible successful drowning, potential character death.
Those who venture further south of the town will find themselves traversing the steep, winding paths down towards the Milton Basin. The way down is treacherous, but if enough care is taken you should be able to make it down in one piece. The water is just about completely frozen over down here, thick and sturdy enough to walk over for the most part. Within the Basin there’s more wildlife to be found: deer and rabbit are plenty. And there’s even plenty of foragables, too.
Out on the water are two small ice-fishing cabins, enough to fit one or two people inside comfortably, which hold a few forgotten supplies to try out some ice-fishing if you want to see if anything bites. Both even hold little log burners to keep warm. An old hunter’s shack can be found along the water’s edge, for those not quite brave enough to travel out onto the ice, to take shelter in for when the weather gets a little too difficult, with an old log burner still working within it.
But it’s calm down here, for the most part. Peaceful even. It’s an excellent place for fishing and hunting, and a little more sheltered from the freezing winds.
Until you hear the voice. Something soft and feminine, echoing across the ice. The Basin helps to amplify the sound, and for a long time you can’t quite be sure of where exactly it’s coming from. It’s singing, she is singing. Something old, in a language you can’t quite understand. Maybe it’s not even a language at all, but simply melodic vocalizations. It’s... beautiful, you’ve never heard anything like it before in your life.
And then you see her: a woman standing upon the frozen waters of the Basin. You realise she’s probably the most beautiful woman you’ve ever seen in your life, even if you can’t quite even begin to describe her. She appears different to everyone who beholds her, some one might see her hair is long and dark, others might see her with neat red curls. Some swear her skin is dark and rich, that looks almost plum when the light hits it just so, others claim it to be cool-toned that glistens like sunlight on snow. Whatever someone might find aesthetically pleasing is how she’ll appear, and even then to describe her to others will bring you at a loss for words. And she’s singing… to you, for you.
You’re compelled to go to her, although you can’t explain why. You’re drawn to approach her, to hear her better, see her better. Your feet carry you onto the ice, out into the midst of the Basin. You ignore the calls of everyone and anyone around you, fixated on the woman before you. She smiles when you’re close enough, beckons you a little closer.
… Then everything changes. Without warning, the woman leaps for you, her face contorting into something hideous, mouth opening to scream to reveal rows upon rows of tiny, needle-like teeth. She collides with you, and the force (paired with the slippery ice below you) is enough to send you off your feet. As you fall back, the ice cracks beneath you with an almighty sound, plunging you into the frigid depths below.
The woman fights to put you beneath the water’s surface, those needle-like teeth bared like some ferocious beast. She can be fought off easily enough, but she might just drown you before you’re able to. If you’re lucky, someone might be able to help pull you out. Tools or weapons made of iron or silver are especially harmful to her.
Once you’re pulled from the water, getting somewhere warm will be the utmost priority — otherwise the cold will kill you quicker than the woman would. The woman, you’ll find, will have vanished, and the ice where you’d fallen will have restored itself, as if it had never been broken at all.
FAQs
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. If asked how he knew that the Newcomers were arriving, he concedes that although it is a strange thing to know, it is much like how one knows a storm is coming.
1. Characters are welcome to take up residency in any of the homes of Milton. Methuselah will strongly advise characters to leave a huge, dilapidated house — known as Milton House — well alone, due to extensive fire damage.
2. More information about Milton can be found here.
1. Characters with hearing impairments will not be susceptible to the Siren's song, or may only be somewhat susceptible depending, but may be entranced to a degree by looking at the Siren. However, this will be far easier to snap out of.
2. The Siren cannot be killed, only fought off. She will disappear for a length of time to recover before she attempts to lure her next victim.
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There's a nervous laugh, and his voice lowers slightly. Careful, cautious, but he means the words: ]
Alright, no need to— shit on how other people live. They were doing alright before anyone who made houses out of wood or whatever turned up, when you think about it. [ There's a shrug. ] What were you doing in the Arctic, anyway?
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If you'll believe it, work. I was a sailor back home. They loaded us up on two ships and shoved us off to the Arctic to try and find a passage to the East—for trade and the lot. HMS Terror and Erebus, if you've heard of them, [ just said so casually and conversationally. There is a barely hidden hint of bitterness as he continues with, ] Didn't expect to be frozen in, trapped in the ice for years. They conveniently left that danger out of the recruitment pitch.
[ Someone hasn't yet gotten the memo that a good number of people here would be from his future. Someone also hasn't gotten the memo that said ships he's mentioning famously went missing. Hickey's just casually talking about being a Victorian sailor going to find the Northwest Passage as if it's something everybody knows about! A perfectly sensible career choice! ]
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And as the man goes on, Kieren listening intently, there's parts of it that doesn't seem to make sense. Trade routes seems pretty normal, that's just... a thing, isn't it? His knowledge of world trading is pretty much... zero. But... getting stuck in the ice for so long...? ]
Wait, years—? [ His brow furrows hard, it doesn't make sense to him. How does two ships get stuck in the arctic these days? ] They didn't send out search parties or something? You guys didn't have, I don't know, distress signals—? Something for the satellites to pick up? Or computers so you could contact people...?
[ Someone is in for a rude awakening. ]
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What the hell's a computer?
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[ Kieren's mouth opens and closes a few times, and awkward chuckle then escaping his lips. That was not a reply he was expecting, and he's pretty sure it's supposed to be some kind of joke. The bloke's kind of... off, so maybe it is. ]
Oh, right yeah. Good one. [ Wait, is he joking, though—? ] ... Everyone knows what a computer is.
[ A beat. ]
... You're joking, yeah?
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So again, what's a computer?
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It's— it's like a machine. Technology. Runs off electricity, [ Wait... does he know what electricity is—? Kieren quickly adds: ] a kind of power.
They're used for all sorts. They're like... all connected to the satellites in the sky.
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But...well, he's got no idea if those computers are here. And better he look like a damn idiot with this person he might not ever see again than in a situation where it matters. ]
I'm guessing by 'satellite' you mean something different than the moon.
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..... Oh.
Kieren's expression is struck with a sudden realisation. Surely not, right? That's... not a thing. It's like something out of a TV show.
(But then, he concedes, so are the dead walking the earth and being somehow dumped from home into this winter wonderland.) ]
Sorry, just out of curiosity: what year is it?
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[ He knows he shouldn't ask. He's not going to like the answer. It's really not going to be a good answer. But Hickey's a curious sort... ]
What year do you think it is?
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[ Kieren's face falls at that. No way. He just sits there, stunned for the longest of moments. That's like... the Victorian Era. You know, like the same era you learn about in school with the poverty and the factories and whole... Industrial Revolution. ]
I don't think it's— [ It comes out quickly, but then stops himself. Well, shit. ] It's 2013.
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Hickey can't even think of what wonders 2013 would have. Ships that traveled faster? Whatever computers are? But maybe more automated machines, machines that didn't even need the factory girls to work and craft the textiles.
Hickey just stares at Kieren for a moment, absolutely confused before, ]
Bullshit.
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... It's not— [ Bullshit, he means. ] I'm not— I'm not lying. I don't know what else to tell you. That's the year, back home. Like— I could honestly say it's bullshit that you've come from the Victorian era, but—
[ This is a whole mess, isn't it? ]
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You just...how the hell are we both here? If you're not lying, there's over a hundred years between us!
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[ The Victorian will not know what a movie or TV is. Wild. ]
But the thing is, it's supposed to be fiction, not something that can actually happen in real life. [ Never mind the fact he's a zombie and they're supposed to be fiction, too. ] But... it's happening, I guess. I'm literally from your future.
[ Great. Kieren's still for a moment before he adds, deadpan: ]
So... basically, there's no Empire anymore, child labour is illegal, and we have a national health service.
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And honestly? That future sounds kind of good? Look, the Empire never did anything for him, it'd be nice to not have to worry about scrounging up money to see a physician and...okay, Hickey just doesn't have any thoughts on that child labour idea. Where are the kids gonna go, just run around the street? He did that and he turned out alright.
(He absolutely did not, but that's another story.) ]
Huh, [ he says, taking that all in. And, nosy asshole that he is, Hickey continues with, ] Hey, what about the church? Is it still up in everyone's affairs?
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I guess. Church is... well, it's church. [ It's always been around, doing its thing. He's never been to Vicar Oddie's sermons. He's certainly been going at it since the whole... zombies roaming the land. Kieren's never been, but he's heard about it. ] People don't really go to it that much these days. I don't. I think that's pretty normal. Mostly for the old ladies or really religious.
People just mostly have Sunday Lunch or chill out for the day. Some people work. It's just another day.
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[ Someone is asking from obvious, personal experience. ]
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Mm, yeah. Don't think that's a thing, anymore.
[ Is it? He doesn't think it is. It's kind of a choice, these days. Bosses mostly just... make you go on team-building exercises, and all that weird shit. ]
Wait, is that really a thing—?
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Ship that I was on, the captain at the start was very religious. Read from the sermon, held a funeral when someone died. Me, never really had much use for the stuff, [ which he is only admitting because Kieren said that the church wasn't much of a thing anymore, ] so hearing that's like a blessing.
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[ Celebrating? Alcohol. Grieving? Alcohol. Drinking culture's definitely a thing. ]
But, uh... there's like this alternative these days? Humanism or something. You can get non-religious services for things like that, now.
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Hickey's eyes sparkle with excitement in a way that heavily implies Kieran is going to get so many bothersome questions. Granted, a few of them are staying in Hickey's mind right now (he is not going to mention that 'homosexual' thing until he gets a better feel for this man) but alternatives to religion? Not having to deal with Franklin's sermons? Oh this is wonderful. ]
What else is there? Do you still use ships? Or are there...I don't know, ships but even quicker. Something more impressive than steam or coal power.
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For now, he is mildly amused in playing oracle of discussing The Future. This is so weird to him. ]
Ships are still a thing, we use them to get about, I suppose. Or people use them for cruises and stuff. [ Or you can own some kind of fancy yacht, he guesses. ] Most people fly if they want to go abroad somewhere. Aeroplanes, or just 'planes'. They're like these... metal tubes with wings that can sit like... over a hundred people in them. You can fly from Liverpool to Paris in like... just over an hour.
[ He's been looking, lately. ]
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So this just means it's time for the stupid questions power hour, sorry buddy. ]
How d'they stay up? It's metal, yeah? Wouldn't a 'plane' just fall?
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I... don't really know? The engines, I guess? I'm not really a plane expert, I only really know as much as the next person. [ There's a small huff. ] You think that's impressive, you're probably going to have your mind blown with the fact we've even put people into the space. Been to the moon and everything.
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cw: brief suicide mention
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do you wanna wrap this one here?
works for me!
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