meadowlarklogs | EVENT #010

Entry tags:

EVENT #010

WHO: Everyone
WHERE: New Amsterdam and any other megacity the Displaced happen to be in/travel to!
WHEN: May 28, 2512
WHAT: Golden-eyed monsters stream into New Amsterdam and other megacities the world over.
NOTES OR WARNINGS: Violence, death, body horror, mind control, and transformation.

> EVENT #010

It starts in the middle of the night, when most everyone should be fast asleep in their beds, whether they're still taking up a cot in the safehouse or staying in their own apartment. One moment it's quiet, with most of the rest of the city having also turned in for the night, and then in the next? It isn't.

There will be mass confusion as the scope of the situation becomes clear. Monsters stream out onto the streets, thundering up the stairs of a train station, skittering out of construction sites, or climbing up the walls. Some of them fly. Others slither. Others run, loping forward with only one goal in mind: to find something to sink their teeth or claws into and to leave destruction in their wake at every turn. They are a horde, a swarm, a teeming mass of creatures that have no intention of stopping. All of them have eyes or bodies that shine gold and wherever they go, they seem to leave decay. Concrete turns black and porous where they step; plants wither and die.

There is no real preparing for an attack of this scale. New Amsterdam will awaken as the sound of these monsters crashing down on cars or bursting through storefronts or into homes forces people to run screaming from their dwellings or places of work. There is no discrimination in who these beasts might target, and no discernable pattern in where they go.

All that one can really tell is that they seem to want to spread out. They're constantly on the move, leaping from victim to victim, and they're relentless. No one knows why they've come, where they're come from, or what will make them stop. At least for now, the only option seems to be to cut down their numbers. It's time to fight the horde.

The first night will be utter chaos as everyone reacts to the monsters' sudden appearance, but by the morning hours news reports will start streaming in. This is not only happening in New Amsterdam, or wherever else a Displaced might be staying, but seemingly everywhere. Some cities seem harder hit than others, but practically every megacity is overrun with the creatures.

With no way of knowing who might have unleashed the monsters, all of these cities have essentially been turned into battlefields. Not many civilians are prepared to fight for their lives, and it will take a mobilization effort from the police, Morningstar, the Displaced, and anyone else who's willing to take up arms in order to survive.

◉ As a note, this attack starts simultaneously in multiple cities. While it's the middle of the night in New Amsterdam, the monsters will appear at other times of the day in other parts of the world depending on the timezone!

> BESTIARY

So as to not make this post overly long, we have compiled all of the monster descriptions into a Google doc here for everyone's reference!

> (NOT SO) SAFEHOUSE

For those Displaced who stay at (or spend any time in) the safehouse under the hoverbike shop or the Red Wings bar, they may become aware of the presence of the monsters sooner than others, due to the fact that at least a few of the giant mole monsters will end up burrowing up through the concrete basements to wreak havoc. The screeching noise of steel claws tearing through the floor will be sure to wake up even the deepest of sleepers.

This won't just be an occurrence on the first night of the attack, either. Unless something is done to deter them, tunnels leading straight into the safehouses will continue to be created, allowing even other types of monsters to find their way through (the smaller ones, that is). Where exactly they're coming from won't be entirely clear, though it's a safe bet to assume that they must have originated in the cave system somehow.

Suffice to say that El won't be happy about the safehouse being compromised in this way, though this isn't a possibility that ze or anyone else could have really prepared for. While ze can't do much to physically help with containing the invasion of the monsters, ze will offer whatever resources ze can—though Morningstar is going to be busy in plenty of other locations, as well, and they only have so many resources.

The Red Wings, being a Displaced-operated location, will also be in need of assistance, especially if it's meant to be a point of safety and a hub for handing out supplies. Speaking of—

> RED WINGS HQ

As things begin to deteriorate, Clarke Griffin and Stephen Strange sink their resources into Red Wings, adapting it into a base of operations for the Displaced. Clarke also called in PRESERVE to set up a checkpoint here, too, and anyone—from the Displaced to civilians—will be able to seek aid here. (Of course, Red Wings will be just one of a few locations throughout the city where they attempt to set up shop, but Red Wings may prove to be more fortified thanks to the talents of the Displaced.) Civilians will not have access to Red Wings' safehouse, however. That's still something that Clarke and Stephen want to keep under wraps, for now.

In the bar proper, there will be medical aid, supplies, and even weapons for those who can use them. During rare moments of downtime, the gang at Red Wings will also work on reconnaissance missions to find safe spots throughout the city to provide much needed protection and safety for the people of New Amsterdam. This task may be much easier said than done. Gathering intel on the monsters is a high priority, too, and for anyone who tries to capture a monster to learn more about them, the basement might be a good place to hold them. If the Displaced are going to be able to fight back, they need to know exactly what it is they're fighting.

However, the truth of the matter is that this attack happened quickly, and in the middle of the night to boot. As much as the group at Red Wings tries, resources are stretched thin, and they didn't have time to prepare as much as they wanted to. Supplies need to be rationed, bandages and stitches used for wounds that really need them, and if you're not a great shot, it might be best to let someone with more training take that gun you're eyeing.

More than anything, despite the difficulty, this is a way for the Displaced to help out as many people as they can, and a way for them to cement their humanitarian efforts and affect the population's opinion of them. The citizens of New Amsterdam are sick of this cycle of destruction, and are just waiting to be empowered. Now's the time to teach them to fight back and help them protect their city.

Red Wings' safehouse underground will be damaged by burrowing monsters as well, and will need protection. The bar itself will escape relatively unscathed.

> INVESTIGATING / GATES

Maybe the best way of dealing with the monsters isn't violence at all. Maybe there's a more strategic way to deal with this.

The monsters will be moving from city to city via the gates, just like the Displaced do. There might be a way to keep them from spreading, or at least slow them down, by shutting down the gate network. Of course, with the mag trains shutting down, getting back home could be an issue. One option is the delivery network of hover trucks. They'll still be running to get supplies from city to city, but their batteries don't run indefinitely, so these will be relatively local trips only. No getting from New Tokyo back to New Amsterdam with this method, unfortunately, and convincing a driver to let you hitch a ride might be a challenge, but it's doable.

Of course, there's also the question of where these things are coming from. Intrepid characters might be able to track them back to their nests, which are tucked away in wildly different places depending on the city. In New Amsterdam, they might be in the caves below the city. In other places, they might not be in the city proper at all, but just outside of it. It's important to keep in mind that the nests are far away from any of the action taking place elsewhere. Tracking these origin points may provide some answers, but the cost would be less involvement in the crisis taking place.

And then there's the matter of the monsters themselves. How can you fight an enemy you know nothing about? For those determined or crafty enough, capturing them might be an option, although this will take some creativity. Once these creatures are captured, they'll need to be kept contained, and kept alive. Just because they're monstrous doesn't mean they don't have to eat, after all, and some will need special environmental considerations as well, such as the mind control slugs.

What happens after that is up to the Displaced. Is dissecting them the best bet? Their internal anatomy won't be wildly different from most "normal" animals, with the exception of some creatures who have strange appendages or the like. Still, this might give the Displaced a better idea of how they operate and what their weak spots are. Sending samples to a lab is another possibility, if the Displaced can figure out how to safely store those samples. After all, the world is in a crisis, and no one is running tests at the moment.

All monsters, though, seem drawn to the blue light. When a Displaced uses a power or activates the empathy bond, the creatures will lock onto it, utterly transfixed, and if this is done enough times, that gold glow of theirs will intensify. What does it all mean? Maybe figuring that out will be a pathway to stopping their attacks.

> PITCHING IN

While all of this is going on, it certainly won't be just the Displaced who are heading out into the streets to try and stem the flow of the monster attack. These creatures are certainly not holding back, and no matter how much work might be put in, their numbers are overwhelming. Plenty of people will end up dead as a result, ripped to shreds or dragged off somewhere to be eaten. Yet, for some reason, these monsters are not as vicious toward the Displaced. They'll engage them in a fight and injure them, but they never go so far as dealing a fatal blow.

Seeing how that's not the case for the rest of the populace throughout the world, however, some groups and organizations will be rising up to do their part.

Police departments will be mobilizing in every megacity to put the monsters down, and while they are armed, it's not on the same level as the UNA. They also don't have any sort of training that's prepared them to fight monsters, but they'll still be putting their lives on the line to put a dent in the monsters' onslaught. When it comes to enforcing regular law and order, they certainly won't have the bandwidth for anything like that. Then again, most people won't be in any position to take advantage and commit crimes either, given the chaos that will be a constant everywhere.

Morningstar will also be jumping into action around the world. The New Amsterdam branch will be most likely to work alongside the Displaced and share some of their resources, particularly with those who are signed up as official agents or those who've supported them in the past. In cities like New Prague and New Beijing where the Displaced have made some contact with Morningstar before, they'll also be open to working with the Displaced. However, their resources are by no means robust. Morningstar is an organized rebel group, but they're hardly an official army in any sense of the word. They might be able to hand out a weapon here or there and they have a safehouse set up in almost every city, but beyond that, they'll mainly be getting boots on the ground to help with the fighting.

UNA soldiers who have been left without any sort of purpose or guidance will now have an opportunity to put some of that training to use. Their involvement will be much more scattered, though in some cases small groups of these soldiers who used to work in units together will reconnect in their effort to fight off the horde. However, having been cut off from the UNA in an official capacity, they won't have much in the way of gear or weapons. They're still formidable fighters, though, and now might be the perfect time to reach out and make a connection with some of them.

Mercenaries belonging to various different outfits, depending on what city they're based in, will also be joining the cause. Whether they're acting out of a basic desire to survive the attacks or if they're actually being paid by someone to go out there and risk their lives will be less clear, but they're some of the best-equipped fighters (other than the police). They also won't really find much reason to protest any of the Displaced pitching in to fight with them. The more firepower, the better, right?

A group of regulars from the New Amsterdam fighting rings will be rising up to add their fuel to the monster-fighting fire, as encouraged by Hawke and whoever else might know them well enough to reach out. Given that some of these people have illegal mods to enhance their strength or cybernetic attachments that can do impressive amounts of damage, some of them might hold their own against the monsters. Hell, some of them might even ask the Displaced to demonstrate some of their powers if they end up fighting together, as word of their abilities has become more known among their ranks. Either way, they'll be jumping into the fray with quite a bit of gusto.

PRESERVE will be involved on the other end of these efforts and will be doing their best to tend to the wounded and the dead, along with finding shelter and safe spots for people to barricade themselves from the attacks. It's not like the grand majority of civilians could stand a chance against these monsters, after all, yet not all of them can rely on their homes to be safe enough to stay in. They'll be quick to accept an offer of Displaced help, as they'll be doing their best to try and drag the recently dead to hospitals to get them put into medi-units before they're too late. Along with what's set up at Red Wings, they'll also be cobbling together other relief spots throughout the city for taking care of wounded and offering up what supplies they have (food and water, medical supplies, etc).

And what are the corporations doing in all of this? Well, suffice to say, mainly just panicking. Unsurprisingly, they're not much help during a crisis like this, with most of the super-rich opting to hide away in whatever highly secure bunkers they might have. Too bad that these bunkers might not prove so secure in the face of these attacks. Could that prove to be an opportunity if someone went looking?

> FINAL OOC NOES

Please refer to the OOC EVENT POST for all OOC info, including suggestions for directions on how to engage with the event. Given the spread out nature of this event, as well as the amount of additional details provided here, please direct all questions to our QUESTIONS thread below. This is, naturally, a huge event in terms of scale, and so we're certain there are aspects of it we haven't covered and questions that have yet to be answered. We do encourage that all of our players use the event planning post for any additional ideas and for touching base!

Please do not begin to thread out any aftermath until AUGUST 8, 2020, which is when we will put up the aftermath log and OOC post. If this date changes, we will provide a gamewide update as needed! As a note, the August calendar will be posted alongside the aftermath!

As a reminder, there is one power level up available for this event, granted for a thread of at least 5 log/action comments containing your character utilizing their power in some way during the event itself. They will need to reach the 5 comments required by SEPTEMBER 11, 2020 to be eligible. Submission will be handled on the wrap up post.

Our Activity Check will be posted AUGUST 1 at 12 AM UTC. It will run for seven days and close on AUGUST 8 at 12 AM UTC.

Have fun and fight some monsters! Or … whatever else you might do with them. 😉😏 Your secret's safe with us. 😙

> NAVIGATION

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

01. good people will fight if we lead them (ota)

[ it almost goes without saying, the way morningstar responds to the monsters. there's no question if they will be pooling their resources to rise to meet this threat, but how. rey joins two other morningstar agents to back them up when they head down towards the capital to engage the monsters there.

a. when they arrive, amidst the flurry of chittering rodents, a cry of help sounds. the figure stands sort of limp near the mouth of an alley nearby. if rey had the force, she might sense the creature for what it was — might see that this person was not alive at all. but she doesn't. instead, she runs for it, drawing her lightsaber without hesitation.

waiting in the alley for her are a row of gleaming teeth in a wide amphibian mouth. it slurps down the humanoid lure as if swallowing its own tongue and leaps for her.

b. later, after the fight with the angler, and the disposal of the rodents, an napd vehicle pulls up. they look ready to secure the square, well-armed and organized, if a little late. ]

We handled it. [ rey wipes sweat from her forehead as one officer asks, 'we?' ] Morningstar. [ there's no point side-stepping it; rey knows this. she pushes through head-on. ] We may not have a surveillance and reporting network like yours, but we can help.

[ it puts the officers in a weird position — do they report morningstar for this? do they accept the help they desperately need? while they get the area secured, the coordinate on it, and rey turns back to those who'd helped with the fight. ]

I probably should have asked El before I said that.

02. she'll never be a jedi (ota for fights, but clarke will be the one healing rey via empathy bond)

[ rey doesn't make herself easy to catch.

the trouble with having powers like hers has already shown itself in the fight with catra. if she doesn't have control, she can do a lot of damage. when the slug gets inside of her — and she can feel it, deep down, like a sort of burn — she doesn't let anyone near her. gravity makes certain of that.

the result is ugly. at first, grappling with it, she just wants to get away. but it's as soon as she's away that her anger bubbles out of her. a lifetime of rage bubble out of her at once, feeding the strange creature inside of her.

vines crawl over the feet of the man who tries to escape her wrath, too fast. they entangle him, and he collapses. rey has done away with her lightsaber. this is more visceral. the vines take something out of her, though. her expression is ashen, and so is his, once she draws closer to him. she does't speak. only draws nearer, pressing him flatter and flatter against the street. ]

03. you can't go back now (closed to ben)

[ the call comes after she's back to herself. tired as she is, burned out by her power as she is, rey should stay at home. rey should let someone else deal with it. but kylo ren going supernova downtown feels like her responsibility. she can't shake that.

so rey finds him there, bright and burning and so unlike himself. she had expected kylo to look himself, at least, as she had. but he doesn't. he has a face like the skull of some horned beast and he's taller, lankier, than ever. ]

Stop this. [ she tries reason, first. she tries it because subduing him will undoubtedly burn, and she still sports the scars from the last time she'd challenged his power, and because she doesn't want to lay hands on him. not now, not ever. she has buried too many sentiments to let skin contact undo all her hard work. ]

04. wildcard

[ ooc; hmu @ protects if you want a custom starter of some kind. prompt one is designed for morningstar recruitment, so anyone looking to be part of the cause, hit A or B! ]

( kylo had been tracking the creature for a while now, observing its habits. unlike the creatures from the attack months before, this one moved with the ponderous care of an old woman negotiating a packed grocery aisle, pausing occasionally to toss its lure.

a lure that was alarmingly realistic.

he’d been fortunate, so far, in that it hadn’t managed to draw much attention. the louder, faster creatures had driven most of the neighbourhood indoors, with the stragglers tucking themselves into whatever shelter they might find.

but good luck can’t hold indefinitely. the angler shambles its way into an alleyway, throwing out its lure and waiting.

and waiting.

and waiting. except, rather than being ignored this time someone is drawn in. a sharp, alarmed cry shattering the silence. a familiar cry.

without the force to lend him strength, kylo ren has to rely on his own power. fortunately, he's not gotten too soft, so when he throws himself at the angler, he manages to find decent purchase, pulling himself up and onto its back. )

[ while ben grapples above it, the beast is upon rey before she can react. in her effort to brace herself, to keep its teeth from closing around her and snapping her in two, rey loses her saber. the hilt clatters uselessly to the alley below.

but rey, she gets her hands braced inside its mouth, pressing into the hard pallet so she can try to keep it from biting down on her, even as it scoops her in with its tongue.

lying prone in its jaws, her head and shoulders hang out between its teeth, her palms pressed upwards to keep herself steady, alive. but her muscles are weakening by the moment, and she's not using her power. not yet. as if she were afraid to act out of fear, to hold onto that feeling for any length of time and actually use it to feed her power again.

after what happened with catra, who could blame her? ]

( his fingers dig into the slick texture of the angler’s skin—softer than he’d imagined, but also harder to find purchase—and he reaches for the saber at his belt, unclipping it.

the angler, however, has other ideas. a low, angry noise escapes its throat—breath thick with the stink of river muck and fetid meat—as it tries to unseat him. distracted, kylo very nearly fumbles the hilt. his fingers slip-sliding against the metal. )

Sonofabantha! ( a sharp, vicious exclamation that promises violence.

so much for a quick, easy kill. )

[ the creature clamps down its mouth as it turns to writhe and fight against something else. and from outside, she hears something.

that can't be ben. can't be kylo ren.

rey punches up into the creature's hard palate, and it spits her out, determining her as not worth the effort just as it lashes its tongue towards its latest annoyance. rey spills out over the concrete in a jumble of limbs.

ow. ]

( the crackle of a lightsaber blade igniting cuts through a flurry of curses. the angler continues, insistent until he brings the saber down in an arch.

...that catches the tip of the angler's tongue, severing it. torn between dislodging the irritant and bucking away from the blazing heat of the weapon, the angler settles for the blade, jerking back with such a force that kylo ren is sent flying.

pain flares behind his eyes. the air knocked from his lungs in a gasp. )

rey (ota) (cw: graphic violence, loss of autonomy, etc.)

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3 - cw: violence, gore, mentions of possible cannibalism ...because yes, I went there

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