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

[sleepdarts]

I'm not sure that talking's really on your mind.

( But she doesn't shoot, not shooting first if there is another way to resolve this. And if it does actually want to talk then she's all ears )

[mylawn]

Guess you caught me.

[Even though there are things the shadow would like to talk about—all of Jack’s pent-up resentment and rage, the buried part of him that blames her for leaving him with a crumbling organization he couldn’t hope to salvage. The part of him anguished about all those years she let the real Jack Morrison believe she was dead.

It doesn’t shoot, but it does close the distance between them, its free hand curling fingers into her collar.]

We don’t have to make this difficult. You can just tell me why you left.

[sleepdarts]

I'm surprised that I haven't already told you.

( between either incarnation of her stay here. in any case it would rather be a conversation that she had with the real jack than this-- a conversation that she knew would be understood, and end better. even if she did tell this shadow ana didn't believe that he wouldn't just shoot her anyway )

[mylawn]

You let me think you were dead.

[There’s real pain in the shadow’s voice, the hurt that Jack carries with him but knows better than to say. The real Jack knows Ana had her reasons—knows much better after doing the same thing, but the shadow feeds on his darkest thoughts, his worst impulses. As far as it’s concerned, she knew exactly what she was doing.]

Six years, Ana.

[sleepdarts]

( the pain hits her hard. ana knew that what she'd done could not have been easy for him. she'd lost people in her life before and knew what pain it brought, and then she'd given that pain out herself. purposely. to jack. to gabriel. to fareeha. when it had been brought up before no one could understand her reasoning, they couldn't understand why she found it better that her daughter thinks her mother dead.

it wasn't 'better' in a positive sense, and perhaps it had not even been necessary but at the time ana had needed to do it. she'd been in pain, she'd felt broken, and it was not a situation that she wanted to inflict on anyone, no matter how supportive or caring they would have been )

I know, Jack.

( she uses her name, hoping to get a chance at a real conversation rather than the one still with a gun at her, finding the closeness between them uncomfortable despite whom this shadow appears to be. but it's not jack and even if she has this conversation with him jack wouldn't know what she has said )

And you know that I thought the same.

( certainly he hadn't known when he'd allowed the world to think him dead that ana was alive, but if he'd lived believed she was dead then ana had also had those same thoughts. until she'd gotten some sign )

[mylawn]

[The shadow offers a growl in response. That’s different and she knows it—it won’t let her use that as an excuse. Jack hadn’t known Ana was still alive when he’d made the choice to go into hiding, and though the real Jack understands her decision after doing it himself, the shadow is much less forgiving.

Its expression doesn’t soften, but its hands creep upward. One stays tight around her collar, but the other reaches out for her face, like it’s trying to determine whether or not she’s real.]

I couldn’t hold it together without you. You know that, right?

[She has to—after she left, everything fell apart.]

It’s your fault.

[sleepdarts]

No.

( there's a slight move that ana makes to try and put a little distance between them, though his grip on her is tight enough to make her movement difficult.

she doesn't accept it, at least not entirely. though ana feels guilt over what she'd done and knows that there's some blame to be had she'll deny that it was all entirely her fault. talon, overwatch, even gabriel for some part of it. there were many factors involved in overwatch and jack's fall, and many things that had hurt him )

And you know that's not true.

[mylawn]

[Of course it’s not true. Of course it’s more complicated than it being solely one person’s fault, but the shadow is here to deal in absolutes. It’s got all of Jack’s darkest, most vengeful thoughts, and the easiest way to let those fester is to place the blame squarely on Ana’s shoulders.]

You turned off your comm. I gave you an order, Ana.

[And she’d deliberately disobeyed—and it was all downhill from there.]

[sleepdarts]

Do you know what I saw?

( what had surprised her then so much to get her caught? he knew, they'd spoken, but only about the facts. it was pride that had gotten her to ignore orders, to save her team, and then disbelief. sentiment. the thing that drew the line between cold blooded murder also was her downfall )

[mylawn]

I know what you saw.

[Jack had puzzled it out later--much, much later, and though he still doesn't know if Amélie joined Talon of her own accord or if something else was at play, he knows that Widowmaker was the sniper who took the shot that day.

The shadow, then, knows too.]

Why'd you chase her down?

[sleepdarts]

To stop her.

( stop. rescue. ana didn't quite know which anymore, or whether it would be possible. either way, she'd failed, and probably would have done if amelie hadn't shot her )

I had to keep them safe.

[mylawn]

You had something to prove.

[Jack might understand, but the more selfish impulses of the shadow assume a more selfish motivation in turn. It seems that time for talk is quickly coming to an end, as the hand against her face takes a more southward direction, down to her throat.]

You didn’t think that we needed you?

[sleepdarts]

( she tries to pull back from him but his grip's too tight to allow ana to move, and her next words are harder to hear, forced out through the choke )

I didn't know what would happen.

( suspect is one thing but she didn't know the extent of it. she didn't think that overwatch would literally blow up, just that jack and gabriel could come to blows )

And you could have died if I hadn't acted.

[mylawn]

[The shadow doesn't relent, allowing her to talk but the pressure slowly building as it gets closer and closer to his goal. It's left itself open, but it doesn't seem to care, wanting to drive the point home however it can.]

I needed you, Ana.

[sleepdarts]

( ana's response doesn't come immediately, with her repositioning her grip on her pistol. it had loosened a little though, thankfully, she'd never dropped it )

I know. ( one. two ) And I need you now.

( him -- the real jack. the pistol presses quickly to his stomach, and barely a second later does ana shoot. she'd hesitated earlier on, knowing that this conversation wouldn't go anywhere pleasant from the start, but as much as this wasn't jack it was difficult to take this action with how much of jack he was. but she had to, if she had any chance of getting free. of finding him )

[mylawn]

[It should have seen it coming, really, but the shadow manages to be surprised when she blows a hole through it with her pistol. The recoil is enough to get the shadow to release her, clutching at the black goop of the wound, staggering backwards and growling. It’s angry, now, but it seems taken aback enough by the shot straight to the gut that it’s going to need a second.

A second that Ana shouldn’t waste. The shadow howls and writhes, trying to hold itself together, and she’ll have the opportunity to escape, should she be quick enough to take it.]

[sleepdarts]

( she stumbles a little though manages to remain upright, barely sparing a glance in the shadow's direction before she turns, running from it. she's not thinking where to go, not knowing where jack might be, but getting awway and finding somewhere to hole up is a start. she can message jack from there )