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

[ On his way back to Red Wings after being better patched up, Lance will spot... the same monster!person who slashed him, whoops. Except this time Trevor is fighting another monster, an ogre that's losing the battle. A small group of civilians cowers in an alley behind the fight, clearly scared and confused.

Lance might be expecting the bat to turn on them when he finishes off the ogre, but as the larger monster falls to the ground, dead... he doesn't. He turns, yes, but only to lift a hand and wave at them. And then his chest glows, little twinkly lights appearing in front of him. Lance might not be able to read it from his vantage point, but they spell out: ]

U OK?

[ Someone must have cured him of the berserker rage, so that the person is himself again... so to speak. ]

[Great, not again; he ducks out of sight as quickly as possible, and would just bail entirely if it weren't for the huddle of civilians. He can't just leave them, and so he's preparing to light his power up and distract one or both monsters if necessary, but then the ogre's dead and... Is the bat monster waving?

He's... Perplexed, to say the least, but at least in a good way. He can't read the lights but he does see them, and pieces fit together for him; he remembers talking to someone on the network who had the power to create a group of little lights. This is definitely a creative way to use it.

And now he's curious, and it seems like this person--Trevor, if he's right about it being who he spoke to on the network--isn't a threat any longer, so he takes the opportunity to make a cautious approach. Being closer gives the added benefit of being better able to step in to help protect the civilians if the situation changes.

He decides to hazard the guess--]

Trevor, right?

[ Trevor turns at his name -- he doesn't recognize the voice, so he has no idea how he's been recognized in turn. The lights swirl as he turns more fully, his head tilted curiously at the newcomer. ]

YES

[ They shift again, as he gestures behind himself at the civilians that he can hear murmuring from their hiding place. ]

HELP

[Okay, so Trevor's clearly cognizant enough to answer questions, and that reassures Lance further that he's not a danger anymore. At least right now.

So Lance moves toward the civilians as indicated, greeting them with as calm as he can project as he figures out if anyone is seriously hurt; they seem okay, just scattered and confused, and he suggests they go to Red Wings to take a moment to rest and regroup. The place is crowded, but if they don't need immediate attention it'll be a nearby, safe location to just gather themselves before continuing to wherever they were trying to go.

He'd escort them himself, but he has a bat-person to figure out what to do about, if there's anything he can do.]

[ Trevor hears the group move off, and hopefully they don't get attacked on the way -- he doesn't know how far they are from Red Wings right now, being blind means he's sort of lost but he's still able to do good just wandering around listening for trouble. ]

NAME

[ He points to Lance, as if asking who he's dealing with, if it's someone he should know, but he's pretty sure they've never met. ]

[Lance glances briefly at the lights, then around to make sure there's no one else nearby watching.]

Lance. We spoke on the network.

[And, after a brief pause.]

And I think I nearly deafened you earlier. Are you okay?

[He seems to be hearing okay now, but still.]

[ Oh! Maybe the lights tipped him off, then, Trevor thinks? He nods both to say he knows who Lance is now and that he's alright. It hurt, but it was temporary, and likely saved Lance's life while he was enraged. He'd lost all sense of self. At least now he's only lost his sense of direction, which he'll bring up to Lance very simply: ]

LOST

[ He waves his arms slightly as if to say 'where the fuck are we?' ]

Oh, um, we're about four blocks from Red Wings.

[This is such a weird conversation.]

Is there somewhere you're trying to go, or someone you're trying to find?

[ ...is there anywhere he can go? Trevor thinks about that for a little too long, then his shoulders droop. He has no idea where would be safe for him, even still dressed people will mistake him for a danger and try to kill him, right? ]

SAFE

[ He shakes his head; he's trying to say nowhere is safe for him. ]

[He's still not amazing at reading monster body language, but human-in-monster-form he's a little better at. The droop of Trevor's shoulders is pretty clear.]

Do you have a place here? Like an apartment?

[Not that those sorts of places are perfectly safe, but he really can't go into Red Wings like this, and people's homes are the only places he can think of off the top of his head that it might be somewhat safe for Trevor to be in like this.]

[ Trevor shakes his head, giant ears flopping slightly. He lives at the Safehouse, which... is definitely not safe right now.

He doesn't want to impose on Lance, but he is getting tired and needs to go somewhere, so he might as well ask. ]

YOU?

Yeah.

[He'll... Have to send Kyna a message so she doesn't go home and find a bat-person in the house unexpectedly, but he doesn't think she's spending any more time in the apartment than he is.]

I can lead you there, we should just... Try not to attract a lot of attention.

[So side streets would be the best option.]

[ That's an immense relief. Trevor gives a double thumbs up, his lights swirling into: ]

TY L

[ He steps closer, so that he can hear Lance breathing and follow him more easily. And then he realizes, belatedly, that he swiped at the person who'd generated that sound, meaning... Lance. Oh no. ]

HURT?

Edited 2020-07-28 22:52 (UTC)

[He gives a small breath of laughter at the thanks, because it's so ridiculous to have a conversation that's half in text speak made out of little glowing lights, but that's how life is. He begins leading the way, carefully keeping an eye out for any other monsters, anything they should intervene in, etc as they walk, but glances briefly toward Trevor as he sees the lights form into a question.]

No, I'm fine.

[It's... Not completely a lie; the injuries aren't exactly scratches, but he's also been hurt a lot worse than this. He's okay for now, and there's no need to add to Trevor's list of concerns at the moment.]

[ Trevor, blissfully, can't tell whether or not Lance is lying. He's pretty sure he did make contact with flesh but maybe the other man got healed... either way he's going to take Lance at his word because feeling guilty isn't something he's in the mood for.

He's keeping an ear out for other struggles or monster sounds as they walk, trusting that Lance will avoid what he can see but his hearing is enhanced right now. Which is how he knows there's a pack of the dog creatures around the next corner to the left -- he reaches out and grabs Lance's shoulder as gently as he can, pointing that way and shaking his head. ]

[As gentle as the touch is, Lance jolts in alarm before he realizes it's fine, nothing's attacking, Trevor was just getting his attention. So he takes a deep breath, looking in the direction Trevor indicates; he can't see anything, but neither can Trevor, so if he says that's the wrong way to go then Lance will assume there's a good reason for it.

So he glances around a moment, trying to mentally navigate, and figures out another way that isn't too much of a detour before speaking up very quietly--]

Got it; this way.

[Fortunately it isn't extremely far to the apartment from where they were, and they make it the rest of the way without too much trouble. He's already checked with Kyna and knows the apartment is empty, so he unlocks the door and leads the way in without any hesitation other than a little apprehension to see if the apartment is still unscathed.

It turns out it is, looking just as it was left, and he gives a small sigh of relief. He can grab a change of clothes and a snack while here, so unexpected side benefit of running into Trevor again.]

We're here. Is there um, anything I can do for you?

[He has no idea how to help in this situation, or what Trevor might need.]

[ Trevor has to figure out how to retract his wings to get in the door, which takes him a moment, but once they're inside he seems to relax significantly. He can hear Lance's sigh and it sounds like they're on the same page at least, but then the other man is attempting hospitality and Trevor would laugh if he could. So polite, Lance. No, no, he's helped enough, this is fine... he doesn't know how these creatures eat, anyway, seeing as he no longer has a mouth.

He shakes his head, then realizes he doesn't know the layout of the place and it might be rude to randomly feel around. Plus he might break something. ]

SIT?

Turn left, take two steps, and the couch is on your right.

[The couch is probably the safest place to be right now. Lance has no idea what he's going to do about this, but right now the important thing is accomplished: Trevor's probably not going to get killed by someone trying to defend themselves from what they think is a threat. That's what matters at the moment.]

I'll be right back.

[Lance tells him, even though he'll surely hear the movement, as Lance goes back into his bedroom to find a change of clothes. A few minutes later he returns, finding a bottle of water and a protein bar, shoving both in his hoodie pocket for the moment.]

Okay, um... I need to go back to Red Wings and keep helping, but I'll come back and check on you when I can. If I find out anything about your situation, I'll let you know as soon as possible.

[He really wishes he could be doing more, but he's at a loss right now.]

[ When Lance returns, Trevor has safely navigated to the couch and sat down, his wings folded around him tiredly. He'd been out fighting for a long time before this happened, and could use a rest... it's hard to express his gratitude with only a few letters worth of lights but it's good to have a safe place to rest. Lance gets a nod for his promise to come check in with whatever information he can gather, and his thanks flash on and off for more impact. ]

TY

[ He settles a little more comfortably, resting his head on the back of the couch like he's going to take a nap. ]

[The lights really are pretty cool.]

You're welcome.

[It's the next day before Lance has an opportunity to return to the apartment, letting himself in cautiously; he doesn't know if the lucidity that Trevor had might be temporary or not, so best to be cautious just in case.

But when he enters the apartment there's not only no out of control monster, but no monster at all. He lets out a long, quiet sigh of relief and shuts the door behind him, deciding to let the now human Trevor keep sleeping for the moment as he goes to look for the supplies he's come back in search of.]

[ Trevor is a very light sleeper, even when exhausted from monster antics -- he hears the door close and stirs slowly, listening to the footsteps retreat deeper into the apartment before opening his eyes.

His eyes.

He has eyes again.

That has him fully awake in an instant, sitting up and looking down at his hands, his body, immensely relieved that the change seems to have passed. His shirt is ripped up the back so that it's falling off his shoulders and his clawed bat feet mean he's barefoot now, but those are small problems. When Lance comes back into the main room Trevor is standing, shirtless and barefoot in his living room. He smiles at Lance. ]

I can thank you properly now, friend.

[He's put together a small bag of stuff that he wanders back into the room with a short time later, and... Well, this is definitely a weird sight, but also definitely way better than Trevor still being a bat.]

You don't have to thank me. I'm just glad it... Apparently just wore off?

[Or did he turn back some other way? Things in Hadriel were usually on a time limit, so it isn't too surprising if the monster transformation just undid itself, but still.]

Apparently I slept it off. Your couch is very comfortable, better than the Safehouse bunks.

[ But this is a man used to sleeping on the ground under trees, so. Grain of salt. ]

Not many people would have welcomed a stranger transformed into a demon into their homes, so the thanks is well earned. And it's good to meet you properly, in person.

[ He ruffles a hand through his hair, looking back down at the state of himself. ]

Do you happen to know if the Safehouse is still compromised?

Everything's better than the Safehouse bunks.

[Not totally true, but whatever. He's not a fan of the Safehouse.

He offers a faint smile at the comments, but then shakes his head at the question as he moves into the kitchen.]

I don't know. I haven't heard anyone say it's safe to go back, though.

[And if it were, that knowledge probably would've traveled. He pulls on the fridge door with his injured arm, winces before he can catch himself, and switches arms to open the door and find some more water. Hold out a bottle toward Trevor--]

Do you want one?

That's alright, I have a friend I can contact -- I won't stay in your hair.

[ He does notice the wince, even though he reaches to take the bottle. Probably best it's just water on offer, considering what it's like out there. ]

Thank you. Is your arm alright?

hey it's that monster again

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