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 Forum index » Archive » Archive: General » Old News & Rumors
[Trailhead] Snow Town, USA
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October
Unfettered


Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 362
Location: Houston, Texas, USA

 		Thanks! Awesome article, too!

The mysteries in this - strange bells, people in altered states of mind, otherworldly "people" who are "coming home", shapes in the snow - hit all my "want more story now!" buttons. I agree - great character build-up, and that's something our PM excels in, after all. Smile
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:41 am
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nedra
Boot

Joined: 24 Feb 2011
Posts: 11

 		Email response from Private
Hi all,

I've been following along in the forum but didn't have anything to add until now. After I read Private's "Howl" post, I sent an email a few days ago. It said:

Quote:
Subject: The rolling and the tolling of the bells, bells, bells...

Perhaps it's the ghost of Louise Hoskins? Did she live in Snow Town?


The post had reminded me of Poe's poem "The Bells," which I referred to in the email subject line.

I just received a response from Private today, which I'll share here:

Quote:
Dear Nedra,

Louise Hoskins lived in Snow Town her entire life. There are some who say Louise never left her Tempest Trail home. A ghost? Perhaps. Something is coming. I can feel it. This feeling only gets stronger every day. I went to see the snow mounds in person and it was overwhelming. I asked Ruthie if she'd seen the snow mounds. Her reply, "Yes. They're lovely. I suggest you keep your distance."

Hear the loud alarum bells -
Brazen bells!
What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells!
In the startled ear of night
How they scream out their affright!
Too much horrified to speak,
They can only shriek, shriek,
Out of tune,
In a clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire,
Leaping higher, higher, higher,
With a desperate desire,
And a resolute endeavor
Now -now to sit or never,
By the side of the pale-faced moon.
Oh, the bells, bells, bells!
What a tale their terror tells
Of despair!
How they clang, and clash, and roar!
What a horror they outpour
On the bosom of the palpitating air!
Yet the ear it fully knows,
By the twanging
And the clanging,
How the danger ebbs and flows;
Yet the ear distinctly tells,
In the jangling
And the wrangling,
How the danger sinks and swells,
By the sinking or the swelling in the anger of the bells -
Of the bells,
Of the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
In the clamor and the clangor of the bells!

Private


So Private quoted a verse of the Poe poem back to me, which definitely seems to describe what's going on in Snow Town, and even includes a reference to the moon.

I may just have missed it, but is this new information about Louise Hoskins living on Tempest Trail?

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:54 am
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luci
Veteran

Joined: 07 Mar 2010
Posts: 103

 		Re: Email response from Private
nedra wrote:
I may just have missed it, but is this new information about Louise Hoskins living on Tempest Trail?


It is news - thank you! Good add.

Seems a bit contradictory though, as Peg said that Louise lived next door to her, which is on Flurry St, unless they live at the Junction of Flurry and Tempest. I'll have to re-read what Peg said to be sure. Of course, it also depends on whether these people know and tell the truth - reliable witnesses.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:05 am
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chixor1
Unfettered

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 360
Location: Scotland

 		Peek-a-boo!
I have been bugged by the calendar of events for the library, the red x has to mean something, has anyone come up with a correlation?
I tried working through the calendar using the alphabet, and also noting the numbers of the dates with the x, but nothing seems to be standing out.
All but one is a Monday, and all but one are for for the book club.
Did the library have a special book club on Valentines day?
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:39 am
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luci
Veteran

Joined: 07 Mar 2010
Posts: 103

 		Valentine's day
chixor1 wrote:
Peek-a-boo!
I have been bugged by the calendar of events for the library, the red x has to mean something, has anyone come up with a correlation?
I tried working through the calendar using the alphabet, and also noting the numbers of the dates with the x, but nothing seems to be standing out.
All but one is a Monday, and all but one are for for the book club.
Did the library have a special book club on Valentines day?


We don't know - collectively these questions have been put to Ruthie and other characters, but not answered.

Something might have gone down on Valentine's day - Peg was away staying in a motel with Fred, and he said he wanted to "get away from it all"... http://www.snowtown.me/?p=160

Random thoughts on potential significance:
"the day was originally called Saint Valentine's Day, named after one or more early martyrs of the Christian faith." RW web reference https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3120/

From what I can understand, Lady of the Lake is a story that involves both lovers and death, and people from different families.

Perhaps there's a curse related to lovers from the town's founding days that comes back to haunt every 100 years? Both the Snowtown "Reading Room" (which became the library) and the Historical Society were established in 1811.
Quote:
From the beginning, our Library was the hub and heart of the Snow Town community.

Quote:
The Society's charter members set in place many of the rules and regulations we still follow today. Our sole purpose is the preservation of Snow Town's rich history


The library book group is made up of a tightknit group chosen by Ruthie, and in turn seem the same people who are the historical society, who are mostly from the founding families. They have to follow certain traditions to ensure the curse (whatever it is) is controlled.

Could the sound of bells relate to wedding bells? A wedding ceremony that ended in violence? In fact, with me rambling, I now remember something in the story of Lady of the Lake about an interrupted wedding - the groomsman was killed. *SLAPPING FOREHEAD* Duh moment.

Quote:
The poem has three main plots: the contest among three men, Roderick Dhu, James Fitz-James, and Malcolm Graeme, to win the love of Ellen Douglas; the feud and reconciliation of King James V of Scotland and James Douglas; and a war between the lowland Scots (led by James V) and the highland clans (led by Roderick Dhu of Clan Alpine).


So a Hoskins, a Haynes, and a Harmon must all have wanted to marry the same woman.

Characters in Lady of the Lake:
Quote:
James Fitz-James, the Knight of Snowdoun, King James V of Scotland travelling incognito
Ellen Douglas, daughter of James Douglas
James Douglas, once the Earl of Bothwell, the mentor of the youthful King James, now exiled as an enemy
Allan Bane, a bard
Roderick Dhu, the chief of Clan Alpine, outlawed after committing a cold-blooded homicide at the Scottish court
Lady Margaret, the mother of Roderick Dhu
Malcolm Graeme, a young highland chief and former courtier of King
James, loved by Ellen
Brian the Hermit, a pagan prophet in the Druid tradition
Duncan, a leading member of Clan Alpine who has just died
Angus, the son of Duncan
Norman, a bridegroom and member of Clan Alpine
Mary, Norman's bride
Blanche of Devan, a lowland Scottish woman, whose bridegroom was murdered on her wedding day by the men of Clan Alpine, causing Blanche to lose her reason


Perhaps their feud resulted in the death of another man, whose fiance lost her reason, and resulted in a curse that affects the descendants of the founding families?

Other thing on the calender is "Solmonath" which as someone else pointed out translates to either Mud Month, Sun Month, or Month of Cakes. According to this site (http://earlymedievalbritain.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-solmonath-anglo-saxon-calendar.html)

Quote:
The reference to cakes is reminiscent of an Old English charm for making a field fertile, the Aecerbot or Field Remedy:
Take then each kind of flour and have someone bake a loaf [the size of] a hand's
palm and knead it with milk and with holy water and lay it under the first
furrow. Say then:
Field full of food for mankind,
bright-blooming, you are blessed
in the holy name of the one who shaped heaven
and the earth on which we live;
the God, the one who made the ground, grant us the gift of growing,
that for us each grain might come to use.


This makes me think that the snow mounds might be buried gifts to try appease a god or spirit.

And, thinking back on the Book of Wisdom http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=810110#810110

It's all seeking out God, about justice, punishment of the wicked eg
Quote:
"For justice is perpetual and immortal. But the wicked with works and words have called it to them "

Quote:
24 But by the envy of the devil, death came into the world:
25 And they follow him that are of his side.

Quote:
A mighty wind shall stand up against them, and as a whirlwind shall divide them: and their iniquity shall bring all the earth to a desert, and wickedness shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.

Quote:
30 For after this cometh night, but no evil can overcome wisdom.


I don't have time to look into it further now, but two more things stand out to me from the Book of Wisdom:
1. Each passage is numbered, like in the bible, so I'm wondering if some of the numbers people were noticing (or the number of blank spaces on Peg's blog) relate back to specific phrases.
2. The word 'wicked' is used a lot, alongside wisdom and justice, and the other place this word stood out to me was on Peg's blog when she repeated 'wicked wicked cold'. http://www.snowtown.me/?p=70
So I'm wondering if some kind of cross referencing between the two texts might uncover something

Reminder links:
Characters http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=809698#809698

Open Issues
http://forums.unfiction.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=810154#810154
[/quote]

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 3:02 am
Last edited by luci on Thu Feb 24, 2011 5:40 am; edited 2 times in total
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Lyriclyinclined
Boot


Joined: 04 Mar 2010
Posts: 69
Location: Los Anheleeze (L.A.)

 		Yo
Peaking in to show my face round these here parts and to share the emails I have gotten so far. My short story suggestion was either not seen by Ruthie yet or not accepted. I suggested the short story "Cinnimon" by Neil Gaiman. Anyway here are the emails I have received so far.

From Ruthie
Dear Kira,

Welcome to the Snow Town Library!

I invite you to join our virtual Book Club. Please keep an eye on the Snow Town Library Home Page for upcoming information. Until then, feel free to send along your suggestions for the Book Club. We are looking for short story titles.

Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.


Ruthie Randolph
Head Librarian
Snow Town Library

so nothing really special there... but I did get this from

Private Person:
Dear Kira,

Thank you for offering your help. It is good to know I'm not alone.

Can you do me a favor? Can you find out, from Peg, if Fred has heard the bells again?

Private

I left a comment on Pegs blog saying hello and asking about the bells.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 4:16 am
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Laguz
Boot

Joined: 21 Jun 2009
Posts: 27

 		worth noting
Just a note, according to the map the town was founded in 1710 (close to 1711?)
1811 - library founded
1911 - Loiuse Hoskins dies
2011 - now

getting information about events at the towns founding might lead to something.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 7:40 am
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crome
Greenhorn


Joined: 20 Feb 2011
Posts: 7

 		The Snow People are here! The Snow People are here! The Snow People are here! *Runs around the forum screaming*

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:25 am
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Ruby
Greenhorn

Joined: 24 Feb 2011
Posts: 5

 		Hi! I'm new here but I'm not a newbie to ARGs. I've been doing them for years and Snow Town looked fun so here I am. Smile

The Snow Town Library now says:
Quote:
***THE SNOW TOWN LIBRARY IS AWARE OF THE RETURN OF THE SNOW PEOPLE. WE STRONGLY URGE THE CITIZENS OF SNOW TOWN TO KEEP THEIR DISTANCE. YOU MUST NOT FEAR THE SNOW PEOPLE, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE GRANT THEM THE RESPECT THEY DESERVE. WE INVITE ALL SNOW TOWN CITIZENS TO THE LIBRARY THIS EVENING. RUTHIE RANDOLPH WILL BE MAKING A VERY IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT. UNTIL THEN, ENJOY THIS GREAT DAY. THE SNOW PEOPLE HAVE RETURNED TO SNOW TOWN!***


And Peg's blog has a picture of the snow people. T-they're kinda cute. Embarassed

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 10:35 am
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enaxor
I Have No Life

Joined: 25 Feb 2003
Posts: 2395

 		October, thebruce, and luci, thank you all for the great write-ups! Those will serve nicely for anyone jumping into the game.

[spec] If there are only four Snow People, I'm thinking every century when they appear, they've come for a Snow Town resident. So their number grows by one each century. In 1911 Louise was the chosen one.

1711 1 appeared, 2 left
1811 2 appeared, 3 left
1911 3 appeared, 4 left (Louise was taken)

Now it's 2011 and they've come to take another resident with them, but who will it be. Hmm, once every 100 years... It's Snowadoon! Snow Storm of The Century! Laughing [/spec]
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:15 pm
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chixor1
Unfettered

Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 360
Location: Scotland
enaxor wrote:


[spec]
Now it's 2011 and they've come to take another resident with them, but who will it be. Hmm, once every 100 years... It's Snowadoon! Snow Storm of The Century! Laughing [/spec]


I was thinking abuot this too, I have a feeling it's going to be Ruthie. But that's just mah gut.
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:19 pm
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thebruce
Dances With Wikis


Joined: 16 Aug 2004
Posts: 6899
Location: Kitchener, Ontario
chixor1 wrote:
enaxor wrote:

[spec]
Now it's 2011 and they've come to take another resident with them, but who will it be. Hmm, once every 100 years... It's Snowadoon! Snow Storm of The Century! Laughing [/spec]

I was thinking abuot this too, I have a feeling it's going to be Ruthie. But that's just mah gut.

I'm guessing Walter. Foily!
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:28 pm
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October
Unfettered


Joined: 04 Jan 2007
Posts: 362
Location: Houston, Texas, USA

 		I'm afraid for Fred, myself. If the snow people are adding to their number from the Snow Town residents, it could be anyone from the three founding families. Poor Peg!! Sad

(I remember what happened to Barney in another 'verse...)
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PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:32 pm
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OCTAF1SH
Boot

Joined: 20 Feb 2011
Posts: 25

 		Re: worth noting
Laguz wrote:
Just a note, according to the map the town was founded in 1710 (close to 1711?)
1811 - library founded
1911 - Loiuse Hoskins dies
2011 - now

getting information about events at the towns founding might lead to something.


This may now be redundant, but I did yesterday attempt to send Edward an email, though they were returned so I sent it via ruthie, asking for any info or reading material about the town's founding, and pre snow town history, to read. No reply as yet, maybe later...

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:55 pm
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somniate
Veteran

Joined: 22 Jan 2011
Posts: 78

 		... I leave for a couple of days and I come back to this!

why do I get a feeling that the snow people returning isn't a good thing?

PostPosted: Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:12 pm
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