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

[notglitching]

Sinking. Failing. It's different than the crash and split of voxels, but no less fascinating a collapse. No less satisfying, seeing wounds fracture along old lines. A facade crumbling, the pretense of being better... stripped away. There's something clean to that. Something beautiful.

All the more so when standing overhead.

It's such a small thing that stops the descent. Such a pointless speck of ego. Rinzler slants his head, slow and curious as the world around them darkens. No strength. No power. Nothing but red lights, and the reflections of bright blue.

"Is that what you tell yourself?"

The smile can't be seen, but Nihlus will hear it. Taste it. It sings through in the background, an exultant, vicious echo twining in and out around the Voice.

"That you wanted things that way?"

[beautifulspaceraptor]

"No-" But he's flagging now, defiance fading. "No. Spirits. I never wanted... I never..."

Fingers loosen one by one as Nihlus sinks further and further, until the hand drops down to the step between them, leaving a print of blue behind on the shadow's wrist. His head dips as if the weight of it were too heavy now, his breaths panicked and harsh.

Until the moment that it wasn't, a sharp, deep gasp cutting through the hyperventilation.

That's all the warning Rinzler gets before Nihlus launches himself forwards, trying to slam his head into the spot just under the ribcage, tucking his long skull in such a way that his crest is flattened against the armored chest. His hand darts out, grabs the railing and, with the additional leverage, proceeds to try and flip Rinzler over his shoulders.

Right down the flight of stairs.

[notglitching]

The collapse seems real. The lunge does catch Rinzler off guard. Still, as crest collides with armor, as Nihlus grabs and twists and pushes, he'll hear something.

A surprised—delighted—laugh.

It's joined, almost immediately, by the click and hum of a drawn disk. Rinzler twists midair, arm flashing overhead to slice a groove into the ceiling and slow his momentum to a stop. It's graceful and elegant, impossibly fast. It's entirely what one might expect of the enforcer.

Less so, the way he sticks to the wall. Darkness hides the way the liquid adhesion of feet and palm, but Rinzler's lights can be seen hovering above the stairway. Rinzler's mask can be seen, a dark-oil sheen reflecting the dim glow.

And Rinzler can, of course, be heard. Cutting. Sharp. Voice echoing with amusement.

"Denial never helped anyone. Least of all your friends."

[beautifulspaceraptor]

The bout of overexertion leaves Nihlus so nauseated he was shaking but the new distance seemed to mitigate the worst of the weakness. There's still that split second where he can't coordinate, where he can't make his body respond, blanched, hunched over- and he hears the hiss of disk cutting through metal behind him-

Move!

Wrenching himself up with the guardrail, Nihlus hauls himself over the last set of steps, up the top of the stairwell, staggering and stumbling. With the lights flickering, he's half dark blind and the hallway stretching out before him swaps painfully between sight and nothingness.

Rinzler's voice snakes up behind him, raising every scale on his neck and setting his teeth on edge.

Friends.

It's easier to ignore the nausea now. Nihlus doesn't wait for it to fade before he starts sprinting.