ANTARCTIC CIRCLE - JUNE EVENT

[metamods]

ANTARCTIC CIRCLE

Monsters are nothing new to this world. While they were thought to be nothing more than legend in the pre-confluence days, the first modern kaijuu attack was recorded in 1954.

Everything people knew to be true was challanged time and time again, but it has been decades since a threat showed itself. The Guild System has kept things manageable, peaceful even. It has afforded metahumans a sense of peace and a place of belonging in a world that once viewed them as disruptive and dangerous.

And so when the reports begin trickling in about a threat manifesting at the South Pole, the senior most members of both guilds head out under cover of night. They're certain they can deal with this quickly and quietly, without placing the burden on the new metas who never asked to be brought to this world.

But when they return at dawn, battered, broken and near dead - the decision is pulled from their hands. The usual theatrics of the guilds are pulled aside as the government officials muscle their way in, taking control of the Alliance command center. Within less than an hour the message is splashed across every screen, interrupting whatever people may have been doing prior.

EMERGENCY GODFALL PROTOCOLS ARE ACTIVE.

ALL ABLE BODIED METAHUMANS ARE EXPECTED TO REPORT INAT ALLIANCE HQ REGARDLESS OF ALLEGIANCE. THIS IS NOT A DRILL. THIS IS A COSMIC LEVEL THREAT.

WITHOUT INTERVENTION IT WILL BEGIN AT T-MINUS 72 HOURS.

STRATEGY MEETING—

You’ll find no one is forcing you to attend this strategy meeting… but most of the metahumans gathered here don’t appear to have any real power to speak of. Many of them are scared civilians. One can levitate rocks, another sneezes fire. All the major guild members are in critical condition, but most are expected to pull through.

They won’t say who isn’t.

The only person left in any kind of condition to help is Chaos Gate, who holds out her arm to display the reason why: one of the Sunset Falls blossoms has bonded to her. And though she’s singed and had been exposed to risky levels of cosmic radiation, the flower itself is fine. The intel the guild leaders brought back is enough to form a plan.

The entity is from another dimension, as is the flower. And so it stands to reason that people from other dimensions would be likewise immune. Even if they aren’t, upgrading existing anti-kaijuu weaponry is their best shot at stopping the threat in its tracks.

Any metahuman who is technologically inclined is called in to lend their skills to adapting the existing anti-kaijuu technology. This is your chance to shine if you’re not much of a fighter. You have twenty-four hours to get these machines ready for combat.

They give you the rundown of the technology that powers the robots. Multiple minds working in sync, meta-energies syncing up to replicate your existing power set on a massive scale. However, as they're powered by metahuman energy, doing this for an extended period of time will be incredibly draining, so it’s recommended for each robot to have a dedicated team of pilots to trade duties. At minimum, two people are required to operate each robot.

Additionally, memory-sharing is a known side-effect of this technology. It’s strongly recommended that no two pilots during active combat be from the same world - better still if you’re complete strangers - as its possible to completely lose yourself in these memories.

You can use this time to find partners or teams - and maybe stake a claim on the coolest-looking robot, if you feel like it.

MOVE OUT —

At dawn the following day, you’re sent off. Though the atmosphere is one of hope, Chaos Gate drops her usually flippant smile to lay down the facts: you may not come back alive.

But if you don’t go? Then everyone dies. The seers couldn’t say for sure whether you’ll succeed, but those that glimpsed futures where you never left at all made it clear what that led to.

Sync up with your fellow pilots and deploy yourselves, or jump into the med bot following behind. Feel the brush of another mind against yours and the power that comes from controlling an enormous steel giant. Take this time to experiment with the powers and abilities in the real robot, not the simulation you only had a few hours to train in.

ENGAGE —

There are five kaijuu in total. Their bodies roughly shaped like a tortoise, a dragon, a phoenix, and a tiger - with the final one an unknowable mass of flesh and tentacle, protected behind a barrier. Each of them measure roughly eight hundred feet, and are leaving massive damage in their wake. Scattered across the corners of the globe, they’re moving towards the South Pole where the largest beast lays in wait. The closer they are to this destination when you engage them, the more reality seems to be break and bend around them. Space and time are fragile here; there may be some odd effects, things like gravity and time rolling backwards. These creatures bleed cosmic radiation, so it’s recommended that you try to kill them as quickly and bloodlessly as possible. This may be difficult as while they’re in possession of breath attacks, they’re more keen to engage in hand-to-had combat.

Each of them is also spawning smaller copies of themselves, which seem to be moving towards the coastlines - towards major cities, specifically.

Those who believe themselves to be better suited to battling the monster directly can engage the kaijuu outside of their jaegers. But anyone exposed to their irradiated blood will catch a doubtless disorienting glimpse of infinity, and anyone who gets wounded is likely to fall into the ocean and be lost in the chaos. Do this at your own risk.

Those who aren’t piloting can also join medical or maintenance crews, which will be teleported out to any robot crews that require assistance.

Mercifully, once the four celestial beasts are slain - their ringleader seems to lose its power. The barrier that has been protecting it has fallen. And with no defenses of its own, it goes down easily. Reality returns to normal. And exhausted but victorious, you give the signal to be teleported back home.

You can sign up to strike a final blow here.

AFTERMATH—

It’s a brutal fight. Maybe not all of you made it back. Once the threat is clear, recovery teams are deployed to try to reclaim and revive any bodies lost in the surf.

Back at guild HQ, you’re welcomed back as heroes. The civilians are eager to know their new saviors - identifying yourself as such is sure to thrust you into the spotlight. Much of the fight has been live-streamed and so your great bravery or cowardice is public knowledge.

Deeper inside headquarters, blue-skinned representatives from the underwater nation of ATLANTIS are shouting at suited lawyers. The kaijuu blood in the water has made their home largely uninhabitable, and the combat has destroyed much of it. Are they going to get the same rescue that the surface world did? You’re welcome to volunteer to visit the rubble that was once their Antarctic settlement and rescue the seal-like selkies from the bloodied water.

IN SUMMARY...

• Giant monsters have appeared. Their mere presence is warping reality. Smaller clones of them are heading towards coastal cities.


• The heroes of this world are no match for it. The government has chosen to enact the Godfall Protocols Act, meaning all metahumans are expected to report in to stop a potential apocalypse. Not everyone has to go and pilot the robot, others can stay to defend the cities from any potential dangers.


• Player characters will be hopping in giant robots designed for two or more pilots. They can read each other's minds to operate in perfect sync. An unintended side-effect is memory sharing. You can get lost in these memories. Any action taken in memory will be replicated by the giant robot.


• After the defeat of these monsters, everyone is brought back to Guild HQ for a heroes welcome. You can sign up for your character delivering a final blow here.


• If you want your character to protest the Godfall Protocols and/or to try to disrupt anything going on, please report your actions here.
• The Atlantean people are begging for help as the robots have destroyed their Arctic cities and the blood in the water has harmed their selkie civilians. Player characters can go search for these selkies. Please report selkie rescues here.

Comments

[chin_godzilla]

(Godzilla takes a few cautious steps away from the building, waiting only a few seconds for any form of response from his small attacker. With an annoyed snort, he continues his pursuit of the other kaijus. That was certainly rude, but nothing G man couldn't handle. Someone that tough likely wouldn't be put off by this brief scrap, so the sooner he gets a move on, the better.

Even before Sephiroth makes it to the roof, he'll feel an impact tremor crawling up the building's structure like a cold shiver. The kaiju didn't make it far, it seems. The truth of it becomes clear once reaching the rooftop: the very same reptile he fought is locked in battle with an even larger beast. A radiant white tiger growls at the reptile pinned beneath one of its paws, a steady current electrocuting Godzilla. A blast of green flame forces the tiger off of him, but he visibly struggles to rise back onto his feet. Even with smoke rising from him, he roars back at the larger beast.)

[unkindled_madness]

[Well, that's... unexpected. Sephiroth pauses atop the roof to reassess the situation.

It doesn't really cross his mind that if the two monsters are fighting, one of them might not be his enemy. But that tiger is large enough for even Sephiroth to doubt his ability to take it down single-handedly. The dragon might be a useful tool in weakening it.

If alerting them to his presence causes both monsters to bear down on him, he may need to retreat, but the idea of watching while the two of them duke it out bores him. Sephiroth readies a powerful Firaga spell and unleashes it into the tiger's face, interrupting its next attack on Godzilla.]

[chin_godzilla]

(Godzilla seemed about to step back from the incoming attack, but the Firaga takes the tiger by surprise, forcing it to rear back instead. Godzilla glances at where it might've come from. He didn't put as much distance between himself and the warrior as he would've liked, but they both have bigger problems to deal with.

Did the dragon just nod? It sure looked like he nodded for a second there.

Godzilla decides to keep with his momentum and rushes forward to tackle the tiger. With his strength, he's barely able to hold back the giant paws trying to rake through his scales. It's taking all of his effort to hold the larger kaiju back, but there's a wide opening for Sephiroth to use.)

[unkindled_madness]

[It did look remarkably like a nod, but... better not to attribute human body language to dragons.

He'll take the opening, though, sprinting across the rooftop and leaping from its edge towards the tiger. As he brings the Masamune down, he wonders if it's possible to infuse it with magic, and he makes the attempt. He can't propel himself far enough to reach its head, but his not-quite-fiery blade buries itself deep in the kaijuu's shoulder.

It's enough to momentarily lessen the force behind its paws, but it Did Not Like that, and it's going to be lashing out while it tries to shake Sephiroth off.]

[chin_godzilla]

(There's an added benefit to enchanting the Masamune down with fire: the heat of the blade instantly cauterizes the wound before it can bleed. Officials warned again and again to avoid kaiju blood for the massively disorienting effects it has, but if they don't bleed, it's not a problem, right? In fact, watching this play out gives Godzilla an idea...

He assumes the kaiju have a similar regeneration ability he does, so this may not last long, but he has to try. Distracted with angrily lashing out against the SOLDIER, the tiger now has to deal with both of them climbing atop it and trying to shake them both off. The simplest solution to this channeling electricity through itself, painfully zapping anyone making contact. Godzilla's caught in the surge, but still tries to power through with a simultaneous breath to the face and claws to rake over it. The intent was to blind it, but the shocks leave his scratches unfocused and aimless. He's forced off of the tiger as a result and, even with a few scratches across its face, it's pissed more than anything else. It draws blood from Godzilla with its own claws while the opportunity to attack is there.

It would make sense that the kaijus are immune to the disorienting effects of their own blood, but should any get on Sephiroth, he'll find he doesn't feel the effects at all. Comparatively, it's just normal blood.)

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth holds on, at first, using the Masamune to anchor himself, but that electricity is unavoidable. In the aftermath of the shock, he's flung loose, just barely managing to pull his sword along with him. This thing is big, and it's a long fall for a human-sized person. He hits the ground hard, dazed, and so he's closer than he'd like to be when one monster makes the other bleed.

Nothing comes of it. He could be immune, but he's also recognizing some semblance of strategy from the dragon, which is unusual for the monsters he knows.

He'll unpack that later. He is currently in prime stomping distance, so he has to roll out of the way as the tiger attempts to squash him. His blade flashes upward, catching the bottom of its huge paw, but unfortunately not cauterizing the wound this time. Nope, he is not immune. He stumbles backwards as images flood his mind.

But at least the tiger also seems off-balance for a moment.]

[chin_godzilla]

(Godzilla can work with a single moment. Seeing the tiger briefly off-balance, the smaller kaiju charges forward with a shoulder tackle. It'd do little normally, but the opportunity afforded by Sephiroth means they and the entire city watches as the great beast is knocked to the ground, skidding towards the shoreline. Godzilla's about to pursue, but another idea comes to mind. Instead, he starts to dig into the ground, claws carving up the street as within seconds, he's vanished into the hole he's created.

The tiger, allowed a moment to stand back up, looks around in confusion. He lost track of where Godzilla went and, for the moment, Sephiroth as well. A creature his size trying to spot a single human in a city like this? It's not gonna happen. Not long afterwards, Godzilla resurfaces from another hole, calling out the tiger with a roar. With its target spotted, it steps forward.

What it doesn't notice is the ground it's walking on beginning to crack, seemingly unstable. The big lizard made a very deep pitfall for this troublesome target and while he has the tiger's attention, getting the trap to work will need some assistance.)

[unkindled_madness]

[Sephiroth observes the dragon burrowing into the pavement, but he's not at first able to detangle that from the slew of other visions assaulting him. There's too much to make sense of--but his exposure was minimal, and it starts to fade before he can get lost in it. Shutting his eyes against it, the tremor in the ground below becomes a steadying sensory feedback. It feels much more real.

When he looks again, his head clearing, the dragon has moved. He tracks the cracks forming beneath the tiger back to the original hole and puts two-and-two together.

On stable ground, a Quake spell against a monster of this size would likely have little effect. But with the pavement already beginning to crumble? Sephiroth straightens, takes another moment to steady himself, and then casts. The Quake tears up the earth beneath the tiger's front paws and sends it pitching forward into the growing hole.]

[chin_godzilla]

(The tiger prepares to pounce, but Quake hits as its getting into position, leaving those front paws rapidly sinking into the hollow ground beneath it. The rest of it begins to follow suit as the ground collapses and it falls into the deep pit Godzilla carved out not long before. Frustrated and surprised roars fill the air as it falls deeper and deeper into the pit. For now, the tiger is out of the equation.

Godzilla peers down the hole and watches it fall, giving a taunting snort. He gives a proud roar of his own. Boy, that one was a tough customer. Would've really struggled to take it down on his own, but thankfully, he didn't have to.

There is still the matter of whether or not the SOLDIER wants to continue fighting it. Honestly, Godzilla would rather not. Instead, he sits on his haunches and chooses to wait. He's a big target; he doubts it'll take long at all for Sephiroth to find him.)

[unkindled_madness]

[He is a large target, easily visible, although the collapsed street over the buried kaijuu makes traversing the distance not so easy.

Sitting back and waiting doesn't seem like the behavior of a simple monster bent on destruction. Maybe it's only resting a moment, but... Sephiroth is curious. He picks his way along the edges of the torn-up ground until he's quite certain the dragon can see him, and then he, too, chooses to wait, the blade of his sword tucked up behind him in a resting position.

If it's a monster, it will attack him, especially after having felled a much larger foe.]

[chin_godzilla]

(There he is. Godzilla makes eye contact and doesn't get up just yet. He understands sudden movements might make Sephiroth jumpy, so he resorts to a slow, deliberate reach behind him, readying a sort of charm he keeps on one of his dorsal fins. Definitely something more advanced looking than anything one would expect a giant reptile to have.

Then it gives a light flash. And the three hundred foot tall lizard is shrunken down to a more normal eight feet of height. A strange sight in itself, and one that's followed up by the less than towering lizard rummaging through his belongings for another item of his, holding it in Sephiroth's direction for him to see:

A card. Proof of membership to the Guardian Alliance. Complete with photograph and his name: Godzilla.

And just like that, barely tolerating those blinding camera flashes is starting to pay for itself.)

[unkindled_madness]

[Yes, all of this is certainly very strange. But is it stranger than necromancers or werewolves or everything going on with David? He's encountered dragons. He's familiar with shrinking magic, although he's never seen it used to such great effect. Surely a dragon might be sapient.

He approaches near enough to have a look at the card.]

...you're with the Alliance.

[He shifts his gaze to Godzilla's face. Still up, which he isn't used to. Does the dragon understand him?]

......

My apologies. I mistook you for one of the monsters.

[chin_godzilla]

(Godzilla shrugs his shoulders and gives a non-committal groan. It's all good. It's not like either of them took any permanent damage from this whole thing. They're fine, fresh off a shared victory against one of the real enemies.

And on that thought, Godzilla gestures towards the collapsed street that's since filled in with dirt and rubble. What follows is the closest thing to a laugh the reptile can manage. Honestly, if there were any one time to make this mistake, it'd be now. Can't blame anyone for making it!)

[unkindled_madness]

I imagine it wasn't the first time.

[Sephiroth can't be the only person here who would see Godzilla and think monster. Earth doesn't even have dragons anymore, right? Very gracious of him to take it in stride, though.

He follows the gesture to the collapsed street and nods.]

This was... fun.