November 2023 Event Plotting

[singmod]

NOVEMBER 2023 EVENT

PROMPT ONE — WHITEOUT: Methuselah makes an unexpected early return to Milton to warn Interlopers of an impending monster storm, and boy does it surely come.
WHITEOUT — CONTENT WARNINGS: extreme weather; storms; blizzards; themes of survival; possible character cold-related injuries; possible themes of peril.

PROMPT TWO — A CHOICE: Following the storm, sightings of a mysterious stag prompts a hunt down in the Basin and out in the Outskirts.
A CHOICE — CONTENT WARNINGS: survival themes; themes of hunting; possible animal death.

PROMPT THREE — REST MY WEARY BONES: While the storm causes a great deal of mess, it also uncovers some far more pleasant surprises. Hot springs.
REST MY WEARY BONES — CONTENT WARNINGS: LITERALLY NOTHIN', Y'ALL

WHITEOUT

In the times that he is no longer occupying the Community Hall in the center of town to help tend to the newcomers, Methuselah is out in the wilds. Despite his growing age, he is a hardened survivor, and has been more than accustomed to life living as a nomad, out in the thickest, deepest parts of nature. Sometimes he can be encountered, sheltered in a cave or out in the woods, huddled by a warm campfire, or busying himself with his latest game catch. He seems to be always on the move, never staying for too long, and never coming into town — unless it’s to begin preparations for the latest batch of new arrivals.

To see him returning to Milton outside of these times is a curious sight, and the grim expression he carries is enough to make anyone wary. Even his voice is grave. The warmth and kindness usually found in his expression is gone, replaced with a deathly seriousness. He doesn’t speak in jest.

"I am long used to this world and its weather, even with the changing times to more bitter nights." he will say. "I have seen the years rise and fall, too many to count. Please, I beg that you hear me with this— a storm is coming. Greater than some of you may have ever known. It is in the air, and we must prepare to see it through. We do not have much time. Three days, perhaps. But no more."

He will tell anyone and everyone; encouraging the word to be spread around. He will instruct on what needs to be done, what needs to be gathered. The storm will be long and hard, and will last for some time. With that, Methuselah will begin to prepare the Community Hall as a place of refuge with a stock of food, fuel and water to get through the storm. Interlopers will be free to join Methuselah and bunker down together, or can choose to bunker down on their own in their own homes, or with others.

You have only three days.

And sure enough, the storm comes. Maybe you can notice the signs too: the sudden updraft, the slow gathering of clouds, the drop in temperature, the changes of pressure in the air.

Halfway through the third day, the storm rolls in: a ferocious snow-storm unlike anything you’ve seen before. Even with the fading amount of daylight as mid-winter approaches, the sky turns as dark as night as will stay like night for the duration. Strong howling winds batter the town, and even the sturdiest of buildings creak and groan under the weight. Trees will be felled, some buildings might not fare the storm.

Relentless snow that falls so hard it’s a complete whiteout, and will be impossible to navigate if one were to step outside. Even then, it isn’t advisable. The temperature is bitter, with a frigid windchill. Going out in this kind of storm would be a death sentence. Staying out in it for longer than a half-hour will certainly kill you.

It would be best to wait it out, to huddle around warm fires in the darkness. It may certainly be a test of patience, depending on your choice of place to stay. The storm will last a full week, a stark reminder of what you are, the words you have heard in your arrival: thrown to Mother Nature’s mercy, the Interloper in her design.

But will you persist?

A CHOICE

After the storm passes, there’s a certain kind of hush that falls upon Milton and its surrounding areas as Interlopers are left to pick through the wake. While the temperature certainly doesn’t get that much warmer, there’s days and nights of clear, calm weather — short afternoons of weak sunshine and nights of chilly peace, the moon hung high in the starry skies. Winter is drawing ever-closer, but it’s still for a little while.

In the early evenings, before the sun sets, there’s strange sightings of a particular white stag that can be found roaming the area — particularly down in the Milton Basin. It seems quite elusive, but there’s plenty of Interlopers that have been able to capture a glimpse over the coming days. Even Methuselah himself has seen this beast before, remarking there has long been tall tales of a ghostly stag that roams the Northern Territories and is said to bring good fortune to those who manage to hunt it down.

Perhaps you’re a little low on luck. Perhaps you’re feeling lucky. You’re going to find that stag.

Hunting down the stag, however, will take a great deal of patience and time. You might find yourself waiting several hours to wait for it to appear. Building a snow shelter, or hunkering down in some old shack might be needed in order to keep warm. But if you’re patient enough, and able to withstand the cold for long enough — the beast will soon make an appearance.

In the dying light of the day, it is there. It’s unlike any deer you’ve seen before: tall and majestic, with thick, soft fur of brilliant white. It almost looks ghost-like in some angles, it’s an incredibly beautiful creature. But it seems to have also noticed you, just as you have noticed it. It doesn’t dart away, however. Instead it stands before you, waiting for you to act.

You have a choice: slay the creature, or let it go.

It will not move until you make your decision, holding your gaze until you raise your weapon or until you lower it and give up your hunt. But there is a consequence to either action: if you choose to kill the stag, you will be rewarded with a sizeable bounty of venison. Eating said meat will help you feel fuller for longer, and the meat will keep for far longer than any other deer slain.

However, if you choose to spare the stag, the creature will lower its head, as if bowing to you. Then, it will disappear with a swirling of powdered snow. When you return home for the evening and go to sleep, the next morning you will find a gift at the foot of your bed: a pair of deerskin boots, or a deerskin blanket. These boots are supple, tough and waterproof — allowing for a great balance of mobility and warmth. The blanket is incredibly toasty, and will provide a great deal of comfort in the long nights ahead.

REST MY WEARY BONES

The storm has blown in plenty of snow to make traversing the area much more difficult, but there’s something else of note that comes with its passing. While the storm has brought much devastation, and some places have been buried in snow drifts, plenty of snow in areas has been blown away, uncovering otherwise lost secrets within Milton. Clouds of what looks like steam can be noted not too far from town, towards the mountains of the north.

If Interlopers head to explore the clouds, they will find old trails leading up towards the mountains. It isn’t a particularly difficult journey, for once, and they will soon discover that the storm has blown away the previously blocked access to a cave. It appears that this is the right place.

The air is warm here, pleasantly so. Warm enough that hats and mittens and coats seem a little unnecessary. One might wonder if someone lives within, and that a great fire is stoked to keep the place warm. But there’s no one in sight, no sounds of life: human, animal or otherwise. If they press on, they will discover that the cave floor is well worn with footfall: plenty of people have come here before, and the reason why is soon revealed.

The air grows even warmer, and more humid. The space opening to reveal small pools of slow-flowing water, warm water. The stone houses a natural hot spring, and following the cave out the other side will lead to another space in the rock open to the air, where there are even larger pools of warm water, perfectly sized and deep enough to bathe in. It seems that this place was frequently used by the people of Milton, where their life of hardship could be forgotten for an hour or two.

The water is pleasantly hot, and incredibly inviting. After so long in the freezing cold without modern appliances and utilities, a natural hot spring sounds like an absolute luxury.

FAQs

WHITEOUT

1. Characters are free to play around with this prompt how they want. Maybe they're dumb enough to go into the cold and get injured or sick. Maybe they're stuck in the Community Hall for the week. Fights might break out as tensions run high whilst everyone's stuck together, or maybe you're actually having a nice time.

2. For those stuck in the Community Hall: there are board games and old school textbooks stored in cupboards. There is also a piano.

A CHOICE

1. .... Yes, you can pet the ghost stag.

2. Characters will get one choice only with the ghost stag, meaning they can't keep going back to find it to get extra gifts.

3. If characters can't agree on a course of action, whoever acts first will get their gift. The second character will have a chance to try again another time.

4. If both characters agree on sparing the stag, but players want different gifts (ie. one player wants the boots and one wants the blanket), characters will get the gift the player wants their character to receive.

REST MY WEARY BONES

1. The hot springs will now be a permanent fixture in the Milton Area, enjoy!

PLOTTING 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>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.

EVENT POST

Comments

amy | la'an noonien-singh

[rescapee]

Player Name: Amy
Player Contact: taintedcrimson, discord: taintedcrimson
Pacing: Honestly, idek. I thought I would be super active in September and then I basically disappeared for two months because Everything Was Awful. Hopefully, that's not the case for Nov/Dec and I'll be able to fluctuate between boomerangs and getting tags back within a few days.
OOC Limits: None at the moment!

Character Name: La'an Noonien-Singh ( x )
Canon: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

Wanted CR: People she can trust! Whether that's friends or simply others who are serious about protecting this freaky little town they're all trapped in. The dream would be for her to make some close friends she can really open up to because my girl is lonely. Possibly also something in the romance department, though she lost someone right before her arrival here, so it'll be something we'd need to work up to.
Unwanted CR: No mortal enemies just yet! La'an can rub people the wrong way and be blunt as hell, but not looking for anything extremely negative.

Event Ideas:

WHITEOUT — La'an will not be sheltering in the Community Hall because she doesn't want to risk exposing a few dozen people to all of her germs. She's not entirely sure what they would catch from her, but she's not chancing it because their medical supplies are a joke limited. (Also, she doesn't want to be that physically vulnerable in front of a crowd, but she's not advertising that part.)

So if anyone would like to shelter with her for all/part of the storm, or even just be dumb enough to go out in the dangerous weather to check on her... yes, please!

A CHOICE — No stag following for my girl. She went out studying tracking and archery with Methuselah (and got some lore for her efforts!), but she came back with pneumonia and can't even manage ten steps without getting winded. If anyone wants tips on tracking?? Otherwise, she's useless and upset about it.

REST MY WEARY BONES — Unfortunately, she is also currently too weak to make the journey to the hot springs. But she's happy for everyone who gets to go thaw out?? and looks forward to when she's able to walk any significant distance without falling over and can go check it out herself.

Anything Else?: Outside of event things, I'd love for people to run into La'an while she's being a terrible patient and trying to get her own supplies, or going for glacially slow walks, or sitting on her little porch complaining about how much she misses the "modern" medicine of 2259.

Also! Are you interested in checking out La'an's canon? I regularly stream episodes on Discord, so hit me up to join the party! (It's very newbie-friendly, so don't worry if you've never really watched Star Trek before.)

[guidemyway]

How would La'an like to hang out with someone who grew up with a whole bunch of awful family remedies in lieu of actual medicine? Surely that's exactly what she needs to get better, right?

[rescapee]

She would be absolutely horrified and I would be amused as hell!

[pacificator]

La'an is like the closest thing Wynonna has to a friend (tentative allies who only know your first name count, right?) so she'll probably check in on her at some point.

And now I'm picturing Wynonna dumping her on a sled so she can pull La'an over to the hot springs.

[rescapee]

Tentative allies with selective name knowledge totally count!! Stop by and make sure your "friend" isn't frozen, Wynonna — she might have soup to share?

Omg, La'an would nEVER. But I'm cackling so much at the mental image. (Why did I just have the thought that Wynonna is like a Disaster Jim Kirk?)

[pacificator]

Wow, let her help you, La'an!

(Ahahaha because she IS, that's why! She is all of Jim's spontaneity and recklessness without any of the tempering from the Academy and Starfleet!)

[fidior]

I love the idea of La'an and Edward teaming up sometime for Town Protecting, or possibly even on a regular basis, if that's something she might go for! He very much misses being part of a team with the other lieutenants & officers of his ship, and I can definitely see him wanting to stick close with her as they get to know each other better.

Which on that note, I'd love a fresh thread with her if you like / have room on your plate, whether something event-related or general! He is totally stubborn and dumb enough to go check up on her during the storm, or for something sliiiightly less harrowing, he could always bump into her being a bad patient and coughing her way around town..... PLEASE let him help you, La'an.......

(And can confirm, her canon is a blast, y'all should definitely check it out!!! All the feels and fun times alike ;~;)

[rescapee]

Omg yes please, this is the CR we need and deserve! She would absolutely be all for teaming up for Town Protecting — she also misses having a team and would feel much better with a more solid security plan in place. Plus, he and the other Ancient Sailors remind her a bit of her crew. :(

I would love a fresh thread with them! And hmm, those are both very good options... Potential third/combo option: He could bump into her being a bad patient before the storm and witness her being stubborn and refusing to shelter in the community hall? (She could probably use some assistance prepping for the storm if he wants to fret and help with that.)

[fidior]

I love it ;; Especially with more people showing up, his motivation to try and Keep Order and Protect Things will only be amping up more and more, so it would be great to have some partners in action there! I love La'an collecting the Ancient Sailors so much, these guys are so..... so outdated for her, bless her patience....

Oh that would be perfect! I'd absolutely be down for him helping her out pre-storm and fretting hard about it. Oh man and he'll be Especially Worried about her condition, because someone being to that point would practically be a death sentence, where he's from........ :')

[rescapee]

Everyone else: Wow, these sailors are from like 200 years ago. That's nuts!
La'an: stares into the distance

I love this plan so much. We love a good English fret, and he's really quite adorable when he's worried.

[fidior]

THEY REALLY ARE ANCIENT TO HER... Guys... you're so old.

I'm excited for it! 💪 And I'm happy to whip up a closed starter for this, unless you'd like to set the scene for it, I do not mind either way!

[rescapee]

I guess she has a fondness for antiques now?

Here's a little thing for us, pun absolutely intended!

[ployboy]

1. I need La'an in the Bunny Bridgade. Tim needs La'an in the Bunny Brigade. He just doesn't know it yet.

2. Mr Has No Spleen would indeed freak and convince himself he's going to die if she shows much signs of sickness; it's cool tho he will Ignore That and pester knowledge outta her

[rescapee]

The Bunny Brigade. A slightly odd plan, but for the sake of everyone stuck in Milton, she'll help with this endeavor.

Sorry, superhero junior, she's just a tiny bit plague-ridden right now. Though, by the time the storm finally rolls out, she'll be on the slow mend, so maybe he'll be a bit less terrified for his continued healthy existence?

[finefurryfella]

If Roy were a younger man he'd give her a piggyback to the hot springs... 🥲

[rescapee]

Okay, but why is Roy the absolute sweetest foul-mouthed grump??

[castitas]

I still gotta get me some CR with Kate and La'an IT'S GONNA HAVE TO HAPPEN

[rescapee]

YES IT HAS TO HAPPEN. Perhaps post-storm when she's more mobile and less plague-ridden, La'an can run into Kate somewhere in between event things?

[castitas]

That would work! She'll still have rosehip syrup or tea available, and she'd 100% give La'an some! Because owch, you don't sound so good........

[rescapee]

Ahaha, thanks, sweet child... She will be very grateful for anything to help her get over the ick.

[castitas]

me doing a google and apparently one of the things rosehip was traditionally used for was treating respiratory issues, which also includes pneumonia???

cut to la'an shotgunning rosehip tea like nobody's business.

[rescapee]

SERIOUSLY. She'll be searching the entire town to see if there's any stashed somewhere. She'll be over it and desperate by that point and ready to try just about anything.

[pathologise]

late to the plotting party but would you like a doctor to gently cajole her about her illness/being a terrible patient and maybe offering to hook her up with some supplies (not that she yet has any but she's looking for them)

[rescapee]

I would love that!! And so would La'an. She's picked up some antibiotics and cough syrup from Goodsir, but as sweet as he is, he's still 400 years in the past for her. Adrienne is at least only half that, so a more "modern" doctor's advice would be appreciated. (i.e. rest actually is important, so stop wandering all over town!)

[pathologise]

adrienne would absolutely do that! she's very good at stubbornly chastising when need be