Tales From The Northern Territories #12
Aug. 1st, 2025 09:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
singmod posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
singillpplTALES FROM THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES #12
Greetings, Interlopers! Welcome to another of your bi-monthly updates, known as Tales From The Northern Territories! The purpose of these little ‘newsletters’, is to touch base with players on how things are going within the game and the fallout of the event of the previous month. In addition, these updates will also provide some extra information on NPCs, along with any additional happenings that might be going on within the game — which may be hints towards the upcoming Test Drive Meme!
Before we jump into things, here are some dates for your diary for this month:
Test Drive Meme — 5th - 7th
CR Meme — 15th
Reserves — 15th - 19th
Applications — 20th - 31st
RULE CHANGES: Some new rules are being brought into play as of Augusy 1st concerning character limits and hiatuses, which are as follows.
— As a way to thank the players who’ve stuck around in the game for a long time, players may choose to bring in a third character, following they have been in the year for one year or longer.
While Singillatim has been a relatively chill game in terms of pacing and AC requirements, after some reflection, the team and I feel like some liberties are being taken. As the game moves towards its conclusion in May 2026, we’re implementing some changes to hiatuses.
— Retroactive Hiatuses will no longer be accepted without prior permission from Mods.
— Hiatuses must be for at least half of the month to be accepted as a 'hiatus check in'.
— Hiatuses must be posted before the half-way point of the month for them to be accepted: ie. If you hiatus for the full month, you must state this before the 15th of the month in order for the hiatus to qualify.
— Players who need to speak to Mods concerning hiatuses are asked to keep the details/reasons for a hiatus to a general and simple explanation and do not need to give specific details.
This is more of a boundary we’re setting, and there’s no easy or gentle way of saying it: Mods do not need to know the intricate details of your personal/domestic/medical lives. Please be mindful of the fact your Mods are people too, who have their own lives and issues to deal with without shouldering the emotional burden of others purely due to the fact that we’re Game Mods.
We hope players understand and accept these changes.
CONTENT: August is a non-event month but there will be a Test Drive Meme this month, meaning that there will be an application round! We hope you enjoyed your Hearts Meme last month! This month, players will have their bi-monthly CR Meme.
HOUSEKEEPING: A reminder for players that we have both a Character Location Tracker for players to use to show where their characters are each month. I will link it here, but it can be found on the Areas Page. In addition, we have a Character Impressions Sheet for players to put down first impressions/basic general knowledge of characters that was created by one of our former players! While linked here, this can be otherwise found on the Navigation pages.
INTERLOPER CENSUS 2025: IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN, FOLKS. Once again it's time for the Interloper Census, where data is collected about Interlopers in the game by answering a simple form. Answers are gathered and presented in a video presentation by myself in what's now becoming a running joke/tradition of Singillatim.
The form itself will be posted in due course for players to answer. In the meantime, for those interested in viewing the previous years can view them by following the links below!
INTERLOPER CENSUS 2024
JULY’S EVENT
BURIED ECHOES: The instances of fog causing Interloper to experience memories of their greatest regrets will end once July arrives. However, the fissures will now remain a permanent scar on the Northern Territories. Being near them will bring on feelings of fear and desperation, but keeping away from them will soon return an Interloper's mental state back to normal. Interlopers with the Darkwalker's Revenge Feat will be less affected by the fissures, but even human instinct insists on being smart and not fucking around with them. The info pages will be updated to reflect the new changes to the world.
ADURERE: Like with the memories of Interlopers showing their deepest regrets and deepest shames, Enola’s ‘memory’ will no longer be something that can be experienced. While it provides little answers in what exactly happened — Interlopers have discovered that she is responsible for the fire of Milton House, which claimed the lives of Thomas Barker and his two young sons, Enola’s adoptive father and brothers. She also holds a deep amount of regret for her fellow Interlopers who have died in the Northern Territories — which isn’t exactly news, given experiences with Enola.
TERRITORY: While Interlopers have managed to fight back the packs by breaking their morale, Timberwolves will continue to haunt the cannery buildings. Continued perseverance will mean that the packs will keep away for longer periods of time, but they'll always return — keen to keep their territory. Interlopers should continue to be aware of their presence when visiting to scavenge. In addition to this, Interlopers who sought out and found shortwave radios and had them brought to Marra will have them returned to them via Molly when they go to the Frozen Angler to be shared out amongst Interlopers. There will not be enough for every single Interloper, so they will need to be shared out. No one can be sure what Marra has done to them but Interlopers will find them now usable. The radios won’t work like regular walkie-talkies, but will work by using them to send morse code messages — like how telegrams work. It’s not a scratch on the Aurora Call Feat, but it’ll provide Interlopers with another way of communicating in a vast and dying world.
AND NOW... THE WEATHER
DAYLIGHT: Twilight returns to the Northern Territories in August. It isn’t much, at first. It’s more like the slight dimming on the skies, but it signifies the turning of the tides. Twilight will last around seven hours by mid-August and will continue to grow as the month goes on and ‘summer’ comes to an end. Darkness will return, with the first period of true night occurring in mid-September.
WEATHER: The stillness of June and July will continue, but the shifts in pressure signify that things are going to change. Nothing drastic, for now. It’s something far more slow growing. Something is shifting in the air. Snow will begin the fall again more frequently into mid-to-late August and become more usual into September. Summer has come to an end, and the ‘warmer’ temperatures where the mercury hovers barely above 0C will soon begin to sink again.
AURORA ACTIVITY:Like with the weather, the frequency of Auroras will begin to grow. Interlopers may note the Aurora’s effects on electrical items are a little more erratic as August comes to an end and into September — there’s more sparking and flickering of lights. Some bulbs or electronics may begin to blow. The effects on predatory wildlife may seem a little more intense at times, too.
SEISMIC ACTIVITY: Activity is low compared to the previous months. Tremors are minor and sparse, but the earth still feels a little restless at times.
NEW HAPPENINGS IN AUGUST
DISTURBANCES: Are being reported around the Coast, specifically in around the Beach areas. The sands shift as if something moves beneath it, and strange footprints can be found, made of tar. There’s an empty feeling here. The beach is not a good place to be.
RADIO FREQUENCIES: With the newly acquired handheld radios provided by Marra, these radios will not be unaffected by the Auroras. During Aurora nights, the radios will be subject to static and beeping, with the radio screen’s light flashing at times.
NPCs
METHUSELAH: It’s business as usual for Methuselah. He predominantly stays within the Lakeside and Milton areas, given the dangers of traversing the Milton Dam to get through to the Coast. He mostly keeps to himself, but will return to Milton mid-month to help prepare for the Feast and the latest batch of Interlopers.
MARRA: Marra is disappointed by the information given to her by Interlopers, but is appreciative of their efforts to give her what information they have. Marra also keeps to herself, given that she doesn’t leave the lighthouse all that much. She has provided the Interlopers with shortwave radios, allowing them a new and basic form of communication.
ENOLA: After Interlopers have been made privy to her deepest regret/worst betrayal, the presence of Enola felt during Auroras is strained. Some may hear Enola making sounds — half-laughter, half-crying. She will speak with those who treated her kindly during the Adurere event and will explain what happened: I was a child. I didn’t know what I could do, couldn’t control it. The fire spread too quickly, and they were gone. They were home to me. It’s all my fault. I ruined it all. I lost everything that night.
MOLLY + JACE: Molly continues to act as a go-between with Interlopers and Marra, and continues to trade with Interlopers. She is thankful for the Interloper’s efforts to help with scavenging the Cannery and fighting back the Timberwolf packs and more warmer with them. Jace is creeped out by the latest events on the Beach and is keeping away. He’s not sure what’s going on, but he doesn’t like it, and he’ll be hanging around the Docks instead.
FATHER THOMAS: Father Thomas continues to be around for Interloper who require spiritual guidance, or religious needs, and welcomes anyone who wants to attend his Sunday Services when they’re staying in the village.
