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

Shadow

[notglitching]

[He's been looking for this. Not for her, but for his own, the spectre that appeared and laughed, struck from the darkness and faded back inside. A streak of damage decorates the side of Rinzler's mask, faint cracks across his frame from the subsequent battles. Still, there's no lag in the reach that snaps his disk out of dock, the tug that splits it to paired blades.

Black eyes. Gleaming armor. No words from her, and none from him, of course: just the harsh rattle of corrupted code. Prior data indicates ID: Shepard strikes with the most damage from range, especially with time to focus on her powers.

Better not to give it to this one. He slings a disk out, hard and fast, to force evasion or a block as he darts in.]

[squadgoals]

[There's no movement as he moves in for the kill — until the last second, when she ducks. Or seems to, at least. Instead, there's a hand on the ground, and a too-familiar pop of the blue energy Rinzler has become so closely acquainted with. It slams up from the ground, and she stands up with it, omni-blade already out and swinging.

Best to make this quick.]

[notglitching]

[Almost in reach. Almost. The wave of power catches him head-on, a slam that blanks visuals and sends him flying back the way he came. Rinzler twists away from the hum that slashes through proximity, frame barely clearing the edge of Shepard's sword. Hits the ground in a low crouch. His empty hand flits up, snatching his thrown disk from the air, even as his other weapon launches.

Keep her busy. The more she has to rely on that blade, the less she can attempt less avoidable attacks. Rinzler steps back forward to melee, weapon slicing a wide arc.]

[squadgoals]

[The round disc blade slices, and the shade that is Shepard leans back — into a firing stance, six shots off before the arc is finished.

The omni-blade seems to follow the path of Rinzler's weapon — and jabs forward the moment it seems farthest from the program's main body, rippling with the promise of destruction.]

[notglitching]

[The blade, he'd expected. The gun, he should have, but it still takes a rapid twist to skim clear of its fire. It leaves him off-balance, and the weapon that slices in after his own knocks the program off balance, forcing him to drop back out of range. He rolls as he hits the ground, angling for cover—and waiting for the disk he'd thrown to make its return.

Ideally, straight through the user.]

[squadgoals]

[With a flick of the wrist, a wall of blue-fire shockwaves, their thumping air-cracking sounds echoing out one after another as they make their way towards Rinzler, through his cover.

Perhaps, through the translucent energy waves, though, he may catch sight of Shepard's shadow taking the disk straight to the back--

--and shearing a hole straight through her--

--and closing, black ichor dripping from the wound, sizzling, melting through the floor.

There's no scream. No vocal sign of anger.

But the shadow does seem to be making its way to Rinzler at quite a speed. Or rather, it just seems to be attempting to get a clear line of sight on his location.

It's all she needs to make her way to him in no time at all.]