Summary of Season One

The following is a summary of publicly-known events that occurred during Season One of Ask Again later. All characters present in game are aware of all of these events.

  • Season One of Ask Again Later began with a fundraising fair and groundbreaking ceremony for the football field renovation at the local high school, Phillip Nulpert High School.
  • The groundbreaking began promisingly – then the ceremonial shovel hit something that was very much not dirt. A few minutes later, the police discovered the corpses of three local teenagers underground: Megan Koutz, Constance Walker, and RJ Conkle. The corpses were in a peculiarly good state given that the teens had disappeared several years ago. Their bodies were intertwined with vines and roots from the crabapple tree next to them, though the vines seemed out of place.
  • Several local community members noticed strange happenings around town, and decided to investigate the actions of several people who went into the woods. They discovered strange things in the forest – creatures moving just out of sight and possibly even the trees themselves moving in the absence of any wind.
  • Shortly after these events, the Ecks brothers, Joshua and Ezekiel, were implicated in the murders. Ezekiel Ecks was charged with the murders, and his brother Joshua was charged with helping cover them up. Ezekiel seemed very much like he was not responsible and could not be responsible for their deaths, but a confession from Joshua and DNA evidence implicated him in these crimes.

 

  • A few days after the discovery of the bodies, a memorial service was prepared for the deceased teenagers, and a controlled burn happened in the woods. The crime scene was cleared from the high school football field, and everything seemed to be back to normal.
  • The traditional Miss Nulpert Nickel Beauty Pageant drew in a veritable crowd from the surrounding county. Unfortunately, it was marred by a former contestant setting fire to the barn the pageant was being held in. While no one was injured, it did tax the efforts of the local fire department, which was busy managing the controlled burn nearby.
  • Another fire was set at the high school the same night and began burning out of control, destroying the principal’s office. Fortunately, the fire department was able to handle the increased stress of the spate of fires.
  • Meanwhile, Ezekiel Ecks was taken to the nearest hospital, covered in blood after an incident at the local jail.

 

  • About a week after the pageant, Osthigwanegon celebrated the Fourth of July with its annual parade and fireworks display.
  • Immediately after the fireworks display, a strange wind blew through the town, and animals seemed to be startled out of the forest.
  • An inexplicable overgrowth of trees and vines overtook the town before anyone could notice, and people began reporting strange things from the woods surrounding Oshtigwanegon.
  • Several people were reported missing, including the daughter of the local Baptist preacher. Others sustained severe, life threatening injuries, and still more were found dead, their bodies maimed.
  • After the night of July 4th, the town has returned to a state of calm. While much has happened in Oshtigwanegon, nothing can truly defeat the spirit and integrity of this quiet Midwestern town.

 

Fun Facts About the World of AAL:

  • There are a number of community organizations that players have created for characters to join and establish connections through. These groups include:
    • Church congregations (Catholic, Lutheran, and Baptist – what more do you need?)
    • The Order of the Moth (Think smaller scale Masons; the local variant of something like the Loyal Order of the Moose in the real world. They’re officially a Brotherhood but there have been exceptions for female members in the past.)
    • The Booster Club, for those interested in helping fundraise for the town’s high school. (Go Nulpert Nickels!)
    • The Chamber of Commerce, comprised of local business owners and other financial-adjacent folks.
    • An Alcoholics Anonymous group, for those looking for some support in overcoming addiction
  • Community events are a vital part of life in a small town like Oshtigwanegon. Here are some events that occurred in the past June and July:
    • A carnival to fundraise for the high school’s new football stadium
    • A memorial service for the kids whose bodies were unearthed during the groundbreaking of the high school’s new football stadium
    • The Annual Miss Nulpert Nickel Beauty Pageant
    • A controlled burn of the woods outside town, overseen by the fire department
    • The 4th of July parade, block party, and fireworks display