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Wellstone Post 3.3
The Wellstone Post
EXTRA EXTRA
TOWN OF WELLSTONE COLLAPSES IN BLOOD FLOOD, IS BORN ANEW
Welcome to a very special edition of the Wellstone Post! Read carefully for a big announcement that will affect cycle 4.
End of Cycle 3
Cycle 3 ends very differently than it began.
The town of Wellstone is gone, replaced by a raging red torrent full of debris: wood, tumbleweeds, sand and bones and the bodies of anybody unlucky enough to get caught up. By 9 pm on the final day, only the top two floors of the Staywell are still dry. Blood sloshes at the stone of the third floor already. It will keep rising inch by inch, inexorable as the tide, while the reinforced foundations shake and shake. They won’t crumble yet. Darin and his team have done their work well. By midnight, only the blood-slick roof will be above the water.
If you’ve absconded to the graveyard, you have more to deal with. While the battle goes on, the blood rises and rises, sloshing eerily against an invisible barrier like a bubble around the graveyard. It’s on all sides, above you like a horrible red swirling sky, blocking out light and sound, suspended high above everyone’s heads while chaos reigns below.
At midnight, two things happen:
The Staywell, so carefully reinforced, having lasted longer than it ever has before, shakes one final, horrible time. With a bone-wrenching crack, it lurches to the left, maybe throwing anyone not holding on into the flood, and then all at once crumbles and is swept away into the tide along with anyone still clinging to it. A weak point, maybe, was introduced, or maybe the reinforcements never would have cut it at all. Who’s to say?
As the building breaks apart, over in the graveyard, a crack appears in the bubble holding back the blood. Drops spatter down onto the dry earth and everyone on it, first a trickle and then a flood. The ground drops away suddenly in several places, sinkholes opening up and swallowing anyone unlucky enough to be standing on them. As they widen and merge to swallow up every bit of ground, the bubble cracks open for good, and blood sloshes down into the hole. Everyone in the graveyard will fall into the sinkhole, either to their death or, if they can hold on long enough, to the other side.
The town of Wellstone is gone, replaced by a raging red torrent full of debris: wood, tumbleweeds, sand and bones and the bodies of anybody unlucky enough to get caught up. By 9 pm on the final day, only the top two floors of the Staywell are still dry. Blood sloshes at the stone of the third floor already. It will keep rising inch by inch, inexorable as the tide, while the reinforced foundations shake and shake. They won’t crumble yet. Darin and his team have done their work well. By midnight, only the blood-slick roof will be above the water.
If you’ve absconded to the graveyard, you have more to deal with. While the battle goes on, the blood rises and rises, sloshing eerily against an invisible barrier like a bubble around the graveyard. It’s on all sides, above you like a horrible red swirling sky, blocking out light and sound, suspended high above everyone’s heads while chaos reigns below.
At midnight, two things happen:
The Staywell, so carefully reinforced, having lasted longer than it ever has before, shakes one final, horrible time. With a bone-wrenching crack, it lurches to the left, maybe throwing anyone not holding on into the flood, and then all at once crumbles and is swept away into the tide along with anyone still clinging to it. A weak point, maybe, was introduced, or maybe the reinforcements never would have cut it at all. Who’s to say?
As the building breaks apart, over in the graveyard, a crack appears in the bubble holding back the blood. Drops spatter down onto the dry earth and everyone on it, first a trickle and then a flood. The ground drops away suddenly in several places, sinkholes opening up and swallowing anyone unlucky enough to be standing on them. As they widen and merge to swallow up every bit of ground, the bubble cracks open for good, and blood sloshes down into the hole. Everyone in the graveyard will fall into the sinkhole, either to their death or, if they can hold on long enough, to the other side.
Welcome to Wellstone!
When characters wake from dying or falling into the big pit, they can either wake up per the TDM’s arrival prompt, or:
You come to in the entry hall of Staywell Manor.
It’s a grand place, with high ceilings and exposed, ornate beams, lush carpets and tapestries, beautifully upholstered furniture. A cheerful fire burns in a grate, beating back the ambient chill. The receptionist, the same as ever but dressed very differently, greets you with a bland smile:
“Welcome to Wellstone. We’re so glad you’re here with us! What’s the name on your reservation?”
You’re back.
Sort of.
As usual, the town has been destroyed, and as usual the town is birthed anew. However, this time it comes back, ah… a little different. Wrong, you might say!
The drought is definitely over. Instead of dry sand and dirt, the ground is lush, carpeted in grass and moss. Trees and vines and hedges crowd together around the edges of town, forming a thick wall of green. The town itself is different, too. Things are in the same place, but they certainly aren’t the *same*.
The familiar, dusty old western town is gone, replaced with a crowded, crumbling medieval village. The buildings are mostly rough-cut stone, the street is cobblestoned, moss and vines crawl onto almost every surface, into yawning windows and open doorways. The sun is less hot, clouds are more common, and there’s a brisk chill in the air.
Where the Staywell stood now sits a stately stone manor house with high walls and several turrets. The Cactus Pad is now a pub, though its hanging wooden sign still reads Cactus Pad. The general store has a dusty old apothecary vibe, the diner that of an old worn-down tavern. The jail notably gone, but where it was, open at all hours and staffed by a moist coyote: Endwell Baths, an old bathhouse. The graveyard seems strangely absent. Oddly, all the NPCs still have southern accents and say the same default lines. And don’t worry, the jukebox is still in the diner, and still plays Dolly Parton, although the banjo has a distinctly lute-like twang. Weird!
It doesn’t look like it was ever in a desert. In fact, if you leave Wellstone, it’s even greener: to the south, a vast hedge maze. On all other sides is a nigh-impenetrable wall of dark, dense forest.
OOC notes
Check out the redone locations page and updated town FAQ for more information about the changes, including what’s happening at the various establishments around town. Everything has a medieval or renaissance vibe, and if anyone’s a historian, none of it is quite, ah, accurate to reality on Earth.
All the NPCs clothes, and character closets, are now an odd mix of western wear and clothes that would fit at a renaissance fair.
The changes are “permanent”—as permanent as anything is in Wellstone (ie. will last through cycle 4).
We have 5 player slots available, so invite your friends! The TDM will drop on the 20th and will be in the updated town.
You come to in the entry hall of Staywell Manor.
It’s a grand place, with high ceilings and exposed, ornate beams, lush carpets and tapestries, beautifully upholstered furniture. A cheerful fire burns in a grate, beating back the ambient chill. The receptionist, the same as ever but dressed very differently, greets you with a bland smile:
“Welcome to Wellstone. We’re so glad you’re here with us! What’s the name on your reservation?”
You’re back.
Sort of.
As usual, the town has been destroyed, and as usual the town is birthed anew. However, this time it comes back, ah… a little different. Wrong, you might say!
The drought is definitely over. Instead of dry sand and dirt, the ground is lush, carpeted in grass and moss. Trees and vines and hedges crowd together around the edges of town, forming a thick wall of green. The town itself is different, too. Things are in the same place, but they certainly aren’t the *same*.
The familiar, dusty old western town is gone, replaced with a crowded, crumbling medieval village. The buildings are mostly rough-cut stone, the street is cobblestoned, moss and vines crawl onto almost every surface, into yawning windows and open doorways. The sun is less hot, clouds are more common, and there’s a brisk chill in the air.
Where the Staywell stood now sits a stately stone manor house with high walls and several turrets. The Cactus Pad is now a pub, though its hanging wooden sign still reads Cactus Pad. The general store has a dusty old apothecary vibe, the diner that of an old worn-down tavern. The jail notably gone, but where it was, open at all hours and staffed by a moist coyote: Endwell Baths, an old bathhouse. The graveyard seems strangely absent. Oddly, all the NPCs still have southern accents and say the same default lines. And don’t worry, the jukebox is still in the diner, and still plays Dolly Parton, although the banjo has a distinctly lute-like twang. Weird!
It doesn’t look like it was ever in a desert. In fact, if you leave Wellstone, it’s even greener: to the south, a vast hedge maze. On all other sides is a nigh-impenetrable wall of dark, dense forest.
OOC notes
Check out the redone locations page and updated town FAQ for more information about the changes, including what’s happening at the various establishments around town. Everything has a medieval or renaissance vibe, and if anyone’s a historian, none of it is quite, ah, accurate to reality on Earth.
All the NPCs clothes, and character closets, are now an odd mix of western wear and clothes that would fit at a renaissance fair.
The changes are “permanent”—as permanent as anything is in Wellstone (ie. will last through cycle 4).
Calendar
Here's what we're looking at for November:4.1: November
1st: Event plotting
Apps close
15th: Mini-event
25th(ish): Wellstone Post
27th: Apps open
1st: Event plotting
Apps close
15th: Mini-event
25th(ish): Wellstone Post
27th: Apps open
We have 5 player slots available, so invite your friends! The TDM will drop on the 20th and will be in the updated town.
And now, the weather
Every morning, Wellstone is beset with a dense, heavy fog that burns off by noon. It lingers damply in the air and makes it difficult to find your way around. It'll be very easy to get lost in this. The days are cool and pleasant, with a few unremarkable rain showers here and there. Nights are chilly, but nothing a nice cheery fire can't stave off.
The nip of winter is in the air, so you may want to prepare. As the month wears on, the cold gets colder, day and night.
The nip of winter is in the air, so you may want to prepare. As the month wears on, the cold gets colder, day and night.
Questions?
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(Oh god, Pal's gonna have to start writing romance novels.)
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2. To someone who can sense life- and death-energy, has the balance changed? Is everything still soaked in death?
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2. Everything's still soaked in death, actually maybe a little more than it was before.
Re: Questions?
2. Besides the generally increased death vibes, are there any new locations that would show particularly strong signs of violent deaths having occurred there?
3. Would it be possible for someone like Pal or John to sense their way to the graveyard through the hedge maze because they can sense the dead bodies? Or is finding it going to be as random for them as anyone else?
4. What are the vibes on the monk in the Cactus Pad? Does he feel more like a ghost, or a dead body, or a normal person, or nothing at all?
5. Are there any locked doors in the Manor, or any random unlocked rooms that aren't bedrooms?
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2. The graveyard is still the locus of the death vibes but the manor doesn't feel incredible either, and the forest is just as bad. The bathhouse has the best and least death-y vibes. It's actually pretty chill in there.
3. Finding it will be as random as everyone else until they're close to it, i.e. within a few turns, and even then it'll be more a sense of "it's probably this direction" than the exact path to it. But once they're close, they'll know.
4. He feels more like a ghost, but his presence is inconsistent as HELL, and actually sometimes if you glance sideways at him he looks like an old worn cowboy in the exact same pose.
5. There are locked doors, but they also lead to bedrooms, albeit dusty unused ones with rotting fabrics. Every other room there seems to be a bedroom, which is kind of weird for a manor house!
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Re: Questions?
1. What's the technology situation in terms of things at the apothecary's that might show up? E.g., ballpark year (decade? century?) they're unlikely to see things past?
2. Does this extend to medical supplies? (Actually, where WOULD one find medical supplies for the almost inevitable occasion of someone getting hurt? I would assume the uh, apothecary! But...)
3. If you get lost in the fog, is there any particular place you tend to end up eventually?
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2. The only medical supplies is a novelty first aid kit in the General Store. The theme changes cycle to cycle and the bandaids in cycle 4 are covered in cartoon dragons.
3. You may find yourself in the middle of the maze, not quite sure how you navigated it in the fog. Well, now you have to find your way out! Best of luck with that.
Similarly, you may find yourself off the path in the forest, unsure of which way to the town.
But if you're really paying attention and have a goal in mind, you'll generally find it even with the fog, it just might take a while.
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Oh thank god they can get fountain pens (silly, novelty fountain pens? I hope?) and pencils (invented WEIRDLY LATE) and I don’t have to figure out how Cam’s gonna take notes with a quill. (Entire cape pocket full of inkwells? Who knows.) And presumably notebooks, with exactly the least good binding.
Omg cartoon dragons!
This is all very helpful! Please let me know if metal nib fountain pens are not novelty enough 😬. Or if they all have weird defects or something, which would be both funny and fine!
*Did you know ballpoints were originally invented to write on leather and weren’t very common until after WWII?? Now I do! And also that a grumbly proto-boomer Redditor had to carry messy fountain pen refill kits around in his school bag lol.
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The 1940s rule doesn't count for the novelty garbage which is a purely late-1900s invention!
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Ohhh, okay! Fantastic! I was trying to think outside the box with how to make basics fit under the ‘not quite what you need’ guideline and I mean, it would still work
but it’s SO much easier to have dragon/castle/unrolled-‘scroll-shaped/themed notebooks and pens. You all rock.
Ruby Rose | RWBY
[Look Ruby had nearly been buried alive in sand and that hadn't exactly been a lot of fun. She couldn't think of many worse ways to die outside of that and how she already died on her way here, but this place was quickly proving her wrong.
Unlike last time she isn't fully taking this one lying down though. Well okay. She is. But she has at least managed to abscond with a bunch of pool noodles that she has tied into a makeshift raft, and she is just sort of floating up and down the hall as the blood rises up.
Hey. At least she is going down in style?]