The Demon Plot: DEATH OF GRINDING MADNESS [July Player Event]

[pillz]

Who: Ensemble production, all individuals who opted in to the plot
When: July 9-21
Where: Two inhabited planets around the Ingress
What: The demon plot kicks off, in which malevolent shadow beings, copies of existing characters, begin to materialize and harass the PCs across the worlds. Plotting post is here, and a network post will go up within the next 2 days from several PCs advising on how to end the plot.
Warnings: Violence, psychological themes, possibly past trauma, etc.

Death of Grinding Madness
The Demon Plot
(mild spoilers for The Raven Cycle)

On July 9, a demon begins to make its way through the Ingress, summoned through by a shitty teenager.

July 9-12
Harrying

It's innocuous in the beginning. A movement in the corner of your eye, a shadow through a curtain-- merely a tree. But then the shadow figures begin to emerge into full being. Black-eyed wraiths that look like enemies, friends with whom you've had past conflict, or even you yourself. At first, it's merely harrying, minor harassment. Threatening gestures, broken gestures, jump scares.

Pursue them, and they disappear-- you might even catch a glimpse of how. They melt down into black slime, racing away across floors, through sewer grates, up walls, impossible to follow. By now, the worst of the climate freeze is over, but residual ice does pose a needles extra obstacle.

July 12-15
The Violence Escalates

In the days that follow, the situation only gets worse.

Sporadic harassment turns into outright attacks. The targeting is unmistakable. The shadow beings who can speak tell cruel tales of animosity, spite, even hatred. They are as deadly with their hands or strange powers as their doppelgangers are, and worse, they're functionally indestructible. Rip off one's head and it merely reforms out of sticky black ink. Limbs regenerate just as easily. The being might dispell for a few hours, but no doubt— it'll be back, if not to hurt you then someone you know.

The Savrii begin to notice. It's hard not to. While there is hardly an epidemic of panic, the disruptions are hard to miss-- broken windows, screams, random violence. Soon, the authorities begin to open safehouse facilities at which characters can seek shelter.

July 15-18
The Golem

On July 17, something horrific begins to happen— several shadow beings merge to form a massive golem in Kauto R1. It is a grotesque, horrifying spectacle, of limbs and eyes and pulsating flesh. It reaches almost sixty feet in height. Combined together, this shadow creature is considerably less intelligent than the individual beings were. However, it is also immensely strong and regenerates just like the smaller ones did.

Within the mall, hundreds of daytime shoppers are trapped within. Luckily, they have food and climate control. Perhaps you're one of them-- or perhaps you're trying to get in to provide medical care.

In the meantime, the attacks from the individual shadow beings don't stop. Despite the intelligence exhibited by some, all of them seem mindlessly bent on tormenting their targets until they are killed.

July 18-21
The Sacrifice

On the 9th day, a network post goes up (link pending, will be OOCly forward-dated to July 10th latest) revealing how to remove the invincibility of the attackers.

And by the 21st, the remaining beings utterly vanish without explanation— unless you happen to bear witness to the events that take place at St. Monmouth.

Comments

Agent Texas

[a_shadow]

⋆ Her life's tale is a bloody trail – Harrying – July 9-12 ⋆ The beginnings are innocuous enough. Tex goes out on her usual sort of job, leaving her home behind, and she doesn't know there's another presence there in her neighborhood, making believe that it is her. She doesn't know until later that it has gone into her home, or that it's been prowling around her condo, harassing the neighbors. She doesn't know there's anything to warn her neighbors or her boyfriend about when it comes to someone acting as an imposter, taking all the leeway it has as someone who appears to be her. Rummaging in her kitchen, or leering in through a neighbor's window, the specter tends to disappear when confronted—nothing like Tex herself. But the people involved have no way of knowing this is only the beginning.

⋆ Her playground is the world – The violence escalates – July 12-18 ⋆ Now it's getting serious, and the shadow is clearly seen for what it is—even though Tex's shadow is seen only in its sleek black armor, it's clearly up to no good. It attacks ruthlessly when confronted, and speaks its mind about unaddressed grievances from Tex's past, to a point where Tex is left uncomfortably exposed—though Tex is seen as open about her emotions, she often keeps a tight lid on things that she refuses to mention. "Hey punk," the shadow says to its intended victim, and then hits—hard. Tex's shadow talks with its fists first and follows up with a rejoinder later.

⋆ Make your blood run cold – The sacrifice – July 18-21 ⋆

Memories are one of the most precious things Tex has. When she hears how the shadows can be defeated, she initially resists—but soon enough she bucks up under the demand of it all and makes a conscious decision to follow through whenever necessary. She knows that she's had some memories deleted, but knowing she can save people by giving a few of those things up is inconsequential when it comes to the thought of securing other people's safety.

She confronts the shadows whenever she can, heading straight into the fray with them, and makes her best effort at meeting the requirements to give up a memory or confess some wrong that she needs to make right, if needed.

july 15th;

[infailtration]

York knows what's going on in Sav, having run into his own shadow. He hasn't run into Tex's yet, though, and supposes he should have expected it when he turns at her voice and gets punched in the face -- luckily, he's also in armor and just stumbles backwards. Despite being unable to see the black eyes, it's obvious that this is the shadow. If Tex had wanted to beat him up she would have done so a long time ago.

"Heh. She's stronger than you," he tells the creature as he regains his balance.

[a_shadow]

"If she were, she would have killed you a long time ago," the shadow retorts, circling to prepare for another hit. "It's your fault that she couldn't rescue Alpha. You have that on your head—you always will." With that the shadow bolts forward to hit him squarely in the stomach.

[infailtration]

York tries to spin out of the way and the shadow catches him in the side instead -- better than having the wind knocked out of him, he supposes, though it hurts. He lashes out with a leg sweep while he's coming out of the turn, hoping to knock it off balance.

If this thing fights just like Tex he doesn't stand a chance.

"D, exit strategy!"

[a_shadow]

The shadow simply skips over his leg, giving a little hop, and rights itself. "You can't escape this," the shadow says. "It's been a long time coming."

[infailtration]

Agent Texas is the superior fighter. Odds of escape are low.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, D. Call Carolina!"

He backs away from the shadow, dropping back into a proper fighting stance and circling.

"Maybe it has. But Tex never blamed me. Why are you?"

[a_shadow]

"Why do you suppose that could be?" the shadow says. "I don't let feelings of friendship get in the way of meting out justice, or revenge." The shadow lunges toward him again.

[infailtration]

"Whoa, hey now."

York reels back, letting a punch fly at the shadow's face as it approaches -- he's not sure if she's a robot or a human under there, how much affect it'll have, but he has to try.

[a_shadow]

The hit lands square, and the shadow breaks up at that point, turning into a puddle of black goo. The goo reforms on the opposite side of him, turns, and kicks a roundhouse kick right at his leg.

[infailtration]

It happens too fast for York to get out of the way -- his leg goes out and he goes down, twisting as he falls to land on his back so he can at least see her. Shit.

"Delta? How's that call going?"

Agent Carolina is not responding.

"Keep trying!"

He scrambles away from the shadow, pulling out his pistol and firing at it, center mass.

[a_shadow]

This time the puddle drops to the ground, quivers, and starts shifting away, still as a puddle. The bullet is ejected after a moment, and then the puddle starts to reform.

[infailtration]

He's fucked. He's so fucked. Even if he got backup, what would they do? Keep beating it into a puddle until they were out of energy and ammo? Fuck.

"You stay down," he warns it uselessly, getting back to his feet. There must be a way to get out of this.

[startpoint]

How long it took Carolina to get into her armor depended on a lot of things. The moment she got a distress call from Delta she might have broken a record for how quickly she suited up. She sends a quick message in response once her helmet is on and sealed.

"On my way, Delta."

Using the speed unit without Epsilon to help regulate it is risky, she won't be able to run it for long but it's enough time to get her to the location Delta included with his message. Stopping is a bit of an issue but she improvises a braking method. She slams into the reforming shadow, transferring all that built up energy to the impact before skidding to a stop.

"Sorry I'm late."

[infailtration]

"Oh thank fuck, he got you. Nice going, D."

York steps in beside Carolina, wishing he had more weapons than knives and his pistol on him but he's out of ammo for the rifle anyway.

"You sure know how to make an entrance." And then, more seriously, "Thanks for coming -- it means business."

[startpoint]

"I got here as fast as I could," Without a word she pulls a clip of rifle ammo and holds it out to him, drawing her needler with her other hand and keeping it trained on Tex's shadow as it regains its form.

"What's your status? Does it hit as hard as the original?" This isn't her first rodeo with a knock-off version of Tex, and the last time she had to deal with dozens of her. She's pretty sure she can handle one shadow.

[infailtration]

York takes the ammo, reloads and trains his weapon back on the reforming shadow. "I'll be sore in the morning. It's Tex-strong. I thought I had it but it won't go down."

Or rather, it keeps getting back up. Eventually it would have beaten him -- even with Carolina here, he's hoping it just gets tired of the fight. Then he has a thought. His first instinct had been to call Carolina, but maybe that was the wrong tack. Maybe they just needed to keep it busy for awhile.

"Delta, call Tex. The real Tex."

July 18 / Closed to Tony Stark and Washington

[a_shadow]

The shadow is unaware of it when Tex goes on the network to post her confession. However, it's not as though it would behave any differently if is did know. The shadow is ruthless in its attacks, knowing that with its armor on, it has the advantage. It has already been confronted a number of times and ended up proving its superiority in all of them...even in those times when it chose to duck and run in order to regroup. So when the shadow realizes the figure approaching is armored in metal, just as it is, it laughs. It's Agent Washington, of all people. She starts running at him without preamble. No point in speaking in this case. He'll know what her problem is.

Re: July 18 / Closed to Tony Stark and Washington

[notyourrookie]

This is one of the ways he'd thought he would die. Tex has been tied to death for him for a while. Hard not to be when he remembers Allison, remembers her death and everything that came from it, when he remembers York bleeding on the training room floor, and Connie... That post on the network had pissed him off. He knows it isn't entirely justified, but he doesn't care anymore. He hasn't much cased about anything in a while.

He remembers fighting Tex in the snow, and the sudden appearance of the shadow throws him back there hard enough that he expects to feel the chill. It throws him off guard, leaves him open.

[a_shadow]

And the shadow takes that opening, barreling right through him, punching him right in the jaw and, it hopes, throwing him completely off balance. The impact is loud, armor against armor, and the shadow is ready to turn and continue to attack as soon as the punch follow-through is completed.

[arcreact]

On an ordinary day, Tony might not automatically assume malicious intentions in two armored people beating each other up. This place sees weirder things, pretty much on a daily basis. But right now - pretty much everything and everyone is suspicious. His own encounters thus far are proof enough of that.

Chronic hero syndrome is probably what compels him to interfere.

He sends a concussive blast at the armored figure he's reasonably sure is Tex - or some nasty shadow copy of Tex, at any rate - in the hopes that it will at least knock her off the other guy long enough for him to regroup. He lands some distance away, wondering how much he'll regret this.

"Awkward. Am I interrupting a domestic?"

[notyourrookie]

She still hits like a freight train. Wash curses himself. Curses everything. he should never have let his guard down. Should never have trusted that things would be okay. The punch throws him off balance, although the armour mitigates some of the pain... and a smashed jaw. But he's harder than Tex might remember him. He's worked and trained; he'd had to do twice as much to prove himself fit for duty.

As dazed as he feels, he has the presence of mind to jump back, back a few steps. he needn't have bothered.

Suddenly there's a blast, a bomb? Something, and he manages to get his space as someone else, another person in armour, appears on the scene.

[a_shadow]

The shadow is knocked for a loop and doesn't respond, not at first. Eventually it rises, planting its feet strong. It doesn't comment on Tony's quip, instead punching its fist into its other hand. It's as though the shadow knows it's vulnerable, and hangs back a bit to gather its bearings.

[arcreact]

Is that a threat? Considering the hostility presented up til now, Tony's going to go out on a limb and assume it is. He raises one hand, the light in the center of his palm flaring a warning, but doesn't fire. He instead turns his attention to Wash.

"Hey, Thing Two. You still have all your parts attached?"

[notyourrookie]

Thing two? What is that supposed to mean?

"I'm fine. Just a little bruised." He wants to ask more questions, but this is really not the time when Tex is acting like this and he knows exactly how hard she can hit.

ugh I thought I subscribed to this

[a_shadow]

The shadow is well aware that keeping its distance is now best, and it's only a few feet away from a street sign pole. It's the perfect length to grab and fight with, so the shadow grabs the pole and yanks it up out of the ground, gripping it tightly in one hand and swinging it downward to smack into the other palm. The sight of this should be intimidating enough, even for the two men in their armor, and the shadow then runs toward Wash to swing the pole into his helmet.