DOWNBURST: PART I

[metamods]

 

DOWNBURST (I)

➢ This log will cover the next three weeks of in-game time – from June 10 to June 30. This period will kick off with Kon freaking out with his friends with the Alliance HQ attack occurring soon after.

➢ Arcadia is open for business and tours, even if no one moves in. If anyone wishes to investigate Arcadia, they can feel free to – for what someone might find, please hit up the mods with any questions below.

➢ Around June 21st, Mechanima will announce that the parasitic infestation of Central City has been stopped. He’ll give credit to the efforts of Spider-Boy, Spider-Man, and Sleeper for their efforts in stopping the spread of the parasitic entity. But the quarantine is not lifted – he’ll cite the attack on the Alliance HQ as part of his reason for maintaining it. The subtext is that he doesn’t want to give Fantastic back “his” toys.

➢ During the last week – with the assumption that no one, or almost no one, has moved into Arcadia – the guards will begin bearing down on the Starfallen more obviously. Whoever’s giving them orders is antsy, and the guards are being made to act on that.

➢ What happens with (or even to) Arcadia will be decided by the playerbase. If you have any ideas, please feel free to hit us up! We’re down to hear what anyone has in mind.

➢ Fantastic’s big move will happen in the next event log on June 30th, as it will be dependent upon actions here. We’ll let you know if this date changes on mod channels.

➢ For characters seeking The Fixer, Frances, or Atomight, there will be comments below. We’ll be treating them like NPC engagement threads for the sake of ease.

➢ For any questions pertaining to this log, please hit the mod question thread below, as that is where we’ll be responding to any questions in or around this event.

THE JUSTIFICATION

It begins with Kon. On the surface, there were no obvious plans for Fantastic to take over the Alliance. On the surface, Atomight should have been allowed to continue in the same shoes, no matter how much disdain he started to receive from the public and his fellow heroes. But these plans had been in motion for a while, with Fantastic eventually being the beneficiary. When the trigger comes to set off Kon, it’s meant to show that Fantastic was the right choice all along. And wasn’t he? After all, Kon’s destruction was evidence that a stronger, firmer hand was needed. Fantastic wouldn’t showboat about it. Kon needed help.

The end result—Kon’s explosion of sorts—was proof enough. Not that Fantastic would say this. No, the Alliance leader wouldn’t let such a thing be used for publicity. That would be too much. It’s better if publicity makes itself.

Enter: the Alliance HQ in Central City. If Kon’s takedown can be passed through word of mouth, the attack on the Alliance HQ was meant to be breaking news that would get around-the-clock coverage. After all, the Alliance is meant to help metas of all stripes – Starfallen and otherwise. Fantastic even had a headline in mind: “Fantastic Stops Challenge to Alliance Authority.”

However, nothing ever goes as planned. First: a weird bodyswapping parasite arrived in Central City and forced Mechanima to place the city under quarantine. Second: it was meant to be a two-pronged attack, but Fantastic’s guy putting everything in place didn’t have the hold on his subjects that was meant to be in place.

So, the Alliance HQ attack is one Starfallen who can’t control herself: Doreen, also known as Squirrel Girl. But here, she’s known as the Felonious Fox. Taking her down is of the utmost importance – and so is figuring out what happened to her. It might not be a bad idea to ignore Mechanima’s quarantine on Central City as a whole to make that happen, lest she be forced to do something she’ll regret.

As for Fantastic? Without his two-pronged Starfallen attack to stop, he has to improvise.

ARCADIA

Within 12 hours of the attack on the Alliance HQ, Fantastic is on television making a statement:

“Hello, hello.” He flashes a smile – it’s clearly meant to disarm the audience, as seeming confident is most important in times like these. “I have been involved in an investigation for the last day about a number of Starfallen who have been engaging in duplicitous acts and have come to a troubling realization. These Starfallen have been manipulated and implanted with dangerous directives in order to bring harm to both themselves and others. Needless to say, this discovery was alarming … and worrying. The suspect is a hypnotist with no known powers.” Here, a picture of The Fixer flashes on the television. “This man is on the loose and we welcome any leads to stop him.”

With no preamble, he continues: “I hoped to make this announcement under better circumstances, but ah – better sooner than later, right? Today, I’d like to introduce you all to Arcadia.” The video cuts out to show a beautiful, state-of-the-art compound near Excelsior – which can be seen in the distance. “For months, the Starfallen have arrived in this world with little support beyond what the Alliance has provided them, and we’ve put together a project that we hope will be of great service to new and old Starfallen alike. We thank the great citizens of Excelsior for working with the Alliance in making this dream a reality.” Fantastic pauses again to smile – he attempts to exude as much warmth as possible, but he mostly just looks proud of himself.

“Now, let’s introduce you all to … Arcadia.”

Fantastic is now gone, and a video begins, flashing a logo covered in Greek olive branches: Arcadia. The subtitle? “A Place For All the Travellers of the Stars to Feel Safe.”

THE VIDEO

➢ First off, the beginning of the video makes one thing clear: all Starfallen are welcome to visit Arcadia and take a tour as soon as they’d like. There are openings today for tours if they would like, and these tours are as safe as anyone might like.

➢ The video itself is a guided tour of Arcadia. Meant to be a permanent residence for all Starfallen, it’s a compound that has state-of-the-art technology designed to keep the Starfallen safe. The only way to enter the compound is by passing a number of randomized screenings, ensuring that no one can enter unless they pass one of these checks.

➢ Arcadia is pristine. Neither the Alliance nor the architects and engineers of Excelsior cut any corners when it came to ensuring that the location was beautiful. Most significantly, while it largely resides on a patch of cleared land outside of Excelsior, there are options to elevate Arcadia above ground should the people there need to protect it. Arcadia is able to rise up like an island in the sky to offer protection to its people.

➢ All of the homes inside Arcadia are beautiful. All of them come pre-furnished, and Starfallen will be able to pick the interior colors, types of appliances they’ll need, and any other amenities they might require. Need a hot tub? No one at Alliance HQ will be asking any questions. Have specific dietary requirements? Never worry – Arcadia will provide anything needed so that someone can live their lives as discreetly as possible.

➢ Security is important. Beyond the randomized screenings for entry, there will be guards in Arcadia around the clock to ensure that Arcadian citizens are not harmed. These guards will be armed with depowering devices should anyone attempt to attack the Starfallen, largely making it possible to neutralize their attack. Some of the guards are even shown without their gear in the video: they’re all generically attractive men and women of all stripes. If they weren’t guards, they could easily be models.

The video ends with a request: “Come and see Arcadia today. We’ll do everything we can to make this the home of your dreams.”

NOTES ON ARCADIA

➢ With its introduction out there in the world, Arcadia’s doors are open! While there are scheduled tours, it doesn’t seem as if anyone will be denied entry if they want to check out the location. Visitors are provided with a guest pass for a day – unless they choose to sign up to stay before they leave. (Hint hint: there will be a lot of pressure to sign up, but no one will be forced to stay.)

➢ Arcadia is a bit like the Tardis from Doctor Who. While it doesn’t seem like it could possibly house all of those different apartments for Starfallen, it seems to be endless. Anyone who’s able to sense magic can guess that some spellwork went into this accomplishment.

➢ Should anyone visit and go off the beaten path and explore without a guide – or just wander off to “find a bathroom” and end up somewhere they shouldn’t, for example – they’ll find strange engraved symbols on the lowest level of Arcadia. Near here, there will be an additional magical residue that differs from what might be sensed throughout, as it’s much darker and insidious in nature. At the core of the compound, near a sign indicating that it’s the Mechanical Room keeping Arcadia afloat (figuratively and literally – should it need to elevate into the sky like an island), the magical residue turns into magical resonance. Something powerful is happening in there. Something dark.

➢ Guards are present throughout doing patrols, but they’ve been directed to not make contact with the Starfallen at this time. Trying to interact with them will lead to some small talk. These guards seem like your average Joes turned guards. They have families, pets, and favorite movies. They also think Fantastic is really, really cool.

➢ Even if the tours are guided, characters are largely allowed to move freely. They can visit several times before making a decision, but the pressure to sign up for a spot in Arcadia will escalate over time. No one is being held here against their will, but leaving isn’t the safest decision.

➢ Given Excelsior’s reticence toward metas and Starfallen, anyone heading into the city to get a sense of the sentiment toward Arcadia will get mixed opinions. But the people there are largely accepting of their fate. Having Arcadia nearby will mean that any dinosaur-shaped problems won’t be allowed to get out of hand. The Starfallen will surely help. The people of Excelsior will be able to explore their ideas, even if they turn into people-eating plants, and the Starfallen will help. Of course, many of the businesses in Excelsior have either been blackmailed into accepting their fate – or paid off. No one is happy, but they can see the upsides. Albeit reluctantly.

➢ As if geo-tagged, edits of the same video advertising Arcadia will appear wherever the Starfallen are, whether it’s on televisions in department stores, on ads on their social media, or elsewhere. It’s apparent that Arcadia is being pushed and it’s being pushed hard.

PROTECT AND SERVE

With the Fixer on the loose and loudly described as a danger to all Starfallen, the guards that were hired to protect Arcadia will now appear elsewhere, especially in locations where Starfallen frequent. Want to get your quadruple-shot caramel macchiato? A guard will be there, ensuring your safety. Want to see the newest multiversal pic of epic proportions with a generic and predictable ending? A guard will be buying a ticket, too. These guards are there to keep the Starfallen safe – and avoiding them will be difficult.

For a select few Starfallen, the guards won’t just be keeping an eye on them and monitoring their movement. They will be acting. In some cases, this action will be positive – but in others, it will be negative and threatening. Trying to challenge the authority of the Alliance is an unwise move when the Starfallen are at risk.

NOTES ON THE GUARDS

➢ For most, the guards will be an ever-present, creepy part of their lives. They won’t be immediately violent toward anyone that they’re observing, but they will be quick to act if someone tries to dodge their surveillance. Unless someone effectively goes into hiding, the guards will mysteriously be able to spot them again to “protect them.”

➢ Engaging with the guards violently will lead to problems. At this stage, they’ve been directed to only act in extreme circumstances – attacking them counts as extreme. These guards have been equipped with teleporters, enhanced speed and strength, as well as immensely powerful power inhibitors that depower any Starfallen within a five-foot radius.

➢ For a handful of Starfallen, their actions will be marked as threatening without provocation: Mark Bryant, Bart Allen, Heron, and Huvrye Tirvio. Since they pose a threat to the ability of the Alliance to protect all Starfallen, the guards will seek them out and attempt to apprehend them. Should they be successful, the Alliance will release a statement to the media about how some troublesome Starfallen have been stopped for the greater good. How these interactions go is up to the players themselves – the guards do not have to be successful.

➢ One Starfallen in particular, Ken Kaneki, will be approached by a guard without her mask as she offers him a place in Arcadia. The Alliance has noticed that he seems to be having a hard time adjusting to his new world and they’re here to help. The guard in question has no idea about why Kaneki might require additional assistance, but will promise that all of his needs will be met. If they’d like to talk in a more casual setting – including with her imposing armor off – she’s happy to go change. (Of course, the armor can be reapplied at the touch of a button, but she won’t be telling Kaneki that.)

➢ When the guards first appear, they will largely be omnipresent and creepy, but harmless otherwise. As the weeks go on, however, the guards will get antsy and will be hovering closer. Engaging with them at this stage is likely to cause an altercation – with the guard insisting at some point that the Starfallen may need to be brought into custody “for their own safety.” These altercations will only begin near the end of the period this log covers.

➢ Any captured Starfallen will be briefly imprisoned in Excelsior before being offered a spot in Arcadia. Jailbreaks and escapes are welcomed and encouraged.

Comments

QUESTIONS & ENGAGEMENT

[metamods]

Three Questions

[atypical_echo]

1. I may have missed it but do Starfallen teleport tokens through the Alliance still work at this point?

2. For those the guards are specifically going after does that start right away around the 10th or is it a bit further in? I may have missed it but I read twice and wasn't fully certain.

3. Again for targeted meta group, are these guards likely to go after them in public places/places of work?

[metamods]

1. Alliance provided teleporters are still on the fritz! They'll work intermittently, but not with any kind of consistency. Player characters may note that what is consistent is that they all stop working and start up again around the same time. Despite being inconsistent, every teleport into Arcadia seems to work without any issue.

2/3. The targeting by the guards begins immediately. The guards will follow them around, everywhere they go, including public places! They're waiting for the Starfallen to pull just about anything that could be vaguely considered illegal. That includes anything silly like jaywalking and disturbing the peace to wrap them up in the long winding world of the legal system. Considering the Starfallen's previous actions, anything taken to trial will lean in favor of the prosecution. Who will a judge believe, anyway? The Starfallen who have continually proven to break the rules, or guards who are meant to be protecting them?

[effiomsfavorite]

What's the situation in Excelsior for Starfallen who've been captured/arrested? Where in Excelsior are they being held? Are power dampeners in place? How difficult would an escape be?

And do teleporters for Society Starfallen still work?

[metamods]

Starfallen will be held in the local jail in whatever city or county that they're arrested in. While this will not involve power inhibitors, it all seems a little too intentional. It's almost as if the authorities are waiting for them to pull just about anything to wrap them up further in the legal system, proving once again that the Starfallen are dangerous. Escaping is possible, but may be used to further paint the Starfallen in a bad light.

Society teleporters still function as intended.

Re: Guards showing up outside of Arcadia

[robintohood]

Descendant Bar and Lounge has an unofficial reputation for being neutral ground for Central City's gangs. The place also doesn't seem to care what guild affiliation a customer is or if the person is a guild member at all.

How quickly could the guards notice that something hinky is going on with what's supposed to be an innocent karaoke bar?

[metamods]

These guards are specifically on the lookout for Starfallen and don't have any interest in Central City's gangs, nor the guild affiliation of anyone who comes into the lounge who isn't Starfallen. They may keep an ear out for anything suspicious and report it up the line, but given they were hired to manage Starfallen specifically, it won't be high up on their list of priorities.

However, the guards following Jason and his employees who are also Starfallen may not be great for business. Who'd want to get a beer while someone covered in armor's keeping an eye on them for riffraff?

[paperclipsong]

When we decided that Gus would be rescued from the initial Alliance recruitment, it was mentioned there would be consequences for him and the rest of the Owl House cast. The consequences for that weren't specified so I wanted to ask if those were going to tie into this event specifically, whether it meant that Gus and The Owl House cast would be in particular trouble if they got involved, or if the consequences would be something that specifically drove them to get involved in this. Or maybe the specific fallout is going to pop off later down the road?

Any of those would be fine, I just wanted to specify. Thanks!

[metamods]

One possible consequence would be that Gus will be portrayed as a martyr, proof that unaligned Starfallen are dangerous. The media will have a field day with the story of an innocent boy being stolen away by these lawless superhumans from another world, and Gus may find his face being plastered all over propaganda disguised as missing child posters.

The current governing body has a vested interest in painting the Starfallen as dangerously as possible, which means they might actually make an attempt at kidnapping him for real. After all, the whole thing falls apart if he can come out and say he was just going with his friends.

There will be an offer for it all to go away if they quietly go to Arcadia and stay there while things are ‘being sorted’. They’re also very welcome to go on the run from these soldiers, and loudly proclaim that it's all lies.

If this doesn't align with what you were thinking, let us know, and we can give you something else to play with!

Re: QUESTIONS & ENGAGEMENT

[arach_kid]

I do wanna note that Pete & Pete were working on the cure as Spider-Boy and Spider-Man, and would've delivered it to Mechanima under their codenames.

[metamods]

We've edited the post to reflect this, thank you!

[welcome_summer]

Mayuko would agree to visit Arcadia on a tour in a formal, official capacity before Father's Day. She might only be a vice mayor, but a dignitary is still a dignitary. Would a SMALL security detail from Sunset Falls be allowed to accompany her? Staff (some with powers, some without powers) with the proper certification ready to show as needed, OF COURSE.

[metamods]

She'll be able to make it in without much fuss, but she will be scrutinized. It's as if everyone will be waiting for her to make a mistake. The more security detail she has, the more she'll be sending a message that she feels like she needs security for something as menial as a tour.

The reception may depend on what she does once she's in Arcadia. She'll be given the basic, run-of-the-mill tour that's accompanied by guards and a guide that seems very intent on making Arcadia look its best.

[reneger]

If Jason (as Heron), were to move to Arcadia despite being on Fantastic's shitlist and asked around about the guards, where they came from, what the symbol on their suits meant, and tried to get in with them, how well would that go?

[metamods]

The guards are not open to speaking with the Starfallen, unfortunately. Some may be amenable to conversation if caught alone, but if their superiors see them fraternizing with their charges, they’ll shut up immediately.

If Jason can find one of their newer recruits, he may be able to get in with them. He’ll gladly and proudly tell him that it’s the symbol of their God, and a blessing of healing. It means they’re awake and empowered by the waking world, unlike those idiot dreamers.

[powercrept]

I realized that once Gojo's little "turn the guards into Jackass victims" gets under way, he'll be looking for the device that's messing with everyone's powers. Assuming I get to a step where he has others assisting him, would he be able to identify and destroy this item on the guards? He'd look at hitting it long range, if possible, but whatever works would work. (If I should bring this to the planning/plotting post lmk)

[metamods]

The power inhibitor is installed in the sun emblem of the guards' armor. With assistance, given that they will need to get close *and* break apart the armor to discern the location (given the emblem itself inhibits the ability to see through it), they will be able to discover the inhibitor itself. After discovering it's location, destroying it from a distance is possible (following power limitations).

[purplexing]

Moving this over to here as requested!

So down here Donnie's assisting jailbreak efforts to bust Huvyre out post-arrest. Since he's there he figures he'll try setting up some taps into the police network, multitasking, wee!

How feasible would this be and would there be any complications this ninja might run into in general?

[metamods]

For the most part, Dontalello and co will hear standard police network buzz. It appears as though any normal police units are being told not to interfere with anything metahumans are doing. Any reports of Metahuman activity are immediately being passed from the police to Arcadian forces rather than the guilds.

They may hear some disgruntled chatter from the police, who don’t really know what to make of this change and cannot decide whether or not they think its a good thing. It's less work for them, but it’s more power than they were conceding before. The network seems fairly easy to get in and out off - too easy, almost, like someone is pulling the strings and making it easier for them to slip in and out undetected.

Once the breakout occurs, all hell breaks loose with it. The scanners will be going wild and patrols will triple, heavily augmented forces will be dispatched with the intention of dragging them back in. Donnie will find some help jamming their signals and getting away. But, moving forward, they may want to get their hands on some holo watches or disguise magic as face scanners will be employed.

[formerspybrat]

If a kid who's signed up for the Alliance were to leave their foster home to live on the streets of Central City, would the Alliance actually bother with having the kid looked for? Or are they occupied enough to let that kid slip through the cracks?

[metamods]

We're going to leave this up to player preference! If you would like for the Alliance to look for Danny, please feel free to have them searching for him through the streets of Central City. Given Mechanima's current Central City takeover, it's also reasonable to assume that, with his heavy presence in the city, it's difficult for the Alliance to chase down runaway children within city borders.

Please let us know if you want something more specific.

Re: QUESTIONS & ENGAGEMENT

[codicies]

Guards will not be entering private residences, correct? Dylan's harboring Huvrye & others in his apartment, and they were teleported in by magical means. The guards shouldn't have any reason to suspect their location, right?

[metamods]

Guards will not be entering private residences.

They may be able to track down Huvrye and co if they are not protected against (magical) tracking, however. We'll leave it up to your discretion on whether or not you want to play with Arcadian guards attempting to let themselves in on suspicion of Dylan harboring Hyurve, or if you (and the other players involved) would prefer to avoid them being caught.

Questions Regarding Guard Equipment

[purplexing]

Hi it's me again sorry to keep bothering you all
I figure I'll ask here since it's where they're initially brought up-

I know there's a 5 foot radius nulling field but if one were to look at them from afar with goggles that displayed technical and magical properties, would there be interesting to note of the guards, perhaps more specifically, said power inhibitors?

Also...would it be possible to procure one for tampering study? >_>

[metamods]

Yes! Using a piece of technology to view the power inhibitor, Donatello will see that while most of the guards' gear is made up of state of the art technology sourced out of a munitions company in Excelsior, the emblem on their chest is separate. In fact, whatever is powering the inhibitor is magical in nature. Messing with the structural integrity of it, for whatever reason, does impact the magical effect on it.