metalogs | CONFLUENCE 02 | CENTRAL CITY UNDER SIEGE

Who: All everybody
What: A Confluence strikes! Cerberus appears!
When: January 15, 2022
Where: downtown Central City
Content Warnings: Comic book violence

CENTRAL CITY UNDER SIEGE!

ALL IT TAKES IS A SPARK

Like static in the air before a thunderstorm, magic begins to thicken in the streets. Central City is perhaps one of the least magical places in all the world. It's grey, it's bleak, and it's fueled by very human and very sensible people. This is not a place where the mystical or unusual thrive, not unless they run off of human corruption and greed.

Yet the mystically sensitive who dwell within the city feel a shudder run down their spines as the sun begins to set. Those who fell from the sky may feel the hair on the backs of their neck begin to rise, an inexplicable sense of dread setting in.

The air goes very still.

The people on the street stop dead in their tracks and stare at the heavens as if spellbound. The clouds above have gone from a friendly winter white, quietly dusting snow on the world below, to a writhing mass of grey and black.

No one had called for a confluence. The guild usually rings the alarm days in advance if they sense something coming their way, or blares a siren an hour or two before danger sets foot upon these busy streets. Yet everything is quiet. A few nervous citizens check their phones to be certain they didn't miss a warning of impending danger, or a sign that there would be some kind of show to celebrate a birthday or anniversary they'd forgotten about.

And then suddenly thunder rumbles. A flash of lightning streaks across the sky. The heavens split open and for a split second they reveal infinity. And then people begin to fall. Hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speeds.

It's the exact same as what occurred in Little Love. Those falling from the sky come into awareness just in time to register they're about to make impact with the ground, or a car, a building, whatever is underneath them. They pulverize the surface they strike and pull themselves up from the crater, magic crackling in the air around them.

SUPERZEROES

Confluences give people powers. That's part of the deal. And while those of you who just fell from the sky are discovering your new gifts, others are also suddenly uncovering their own brand new talents.

And as this is the birthplace of heroes, as most have grown up looking skyward to see capes and villains performing feats no ordinary person could hope to achieve, many have been waiting their whole lives for just such a moment. And while some are immediately overwhelmed by these new powers and give in to panic, unlike the terrified citizens of Little Love, the people of Central City are far more prepared for this possibility.

Newly empowered townspeople may jump in to help deal with the evolving chaos, but their lack of control of their powers makes them a bigger threat than whatever threat they were trying to stop. Others will shamelessly take advantage of the chaos to live their villainous dreams, robbing stores and taking revenge on their shitty bosses, landlords, or exes.

The reserve members of the Guardian Alliance spring into action. The heavy hitters are elsewhere, trying to contend with a different catastrophe on this night. They're rookies, inexperienced and unable to keep up with the raw power and ruthlessness of newly awakened metas. Fantastic, an aerokinetic and one of the newer recruits, seems to be the only one even remotely holding his own.

It's clear they need your help!

STICKS AND STONES

A bolt of purple lightning arcs through the skies. Yet the thunder that follows is unlike anything you've heard before. It's the din of thousands upon thousands of voices whispering at once, the sound both terrifying and deafening. The mystically inclined may pick out the snatch of a spell here or there, the telepathic may be overwhelmed by the rush of millions of panicked thoughts rushing through their head, before it stops.

The second bolt of lightning strikes the ground, burning a magic rune into the ground it strikes. The thunder that immediately follows is utterly ordinary - the magic is no longer in the clouds. It's thickening the air around you, overwhelming your senses. The mystically inclined may feel themselves suddenly at full charge, capable of preforming feats they never could before as this ambient magic begins to well up under their skin. Even those who've never once uttered a spell may find themselves capable of wielding temporary spellcraft.

The side-effect may not be worth the boost.

Quickened by the heightened emotions of the people, the magic in the streets is undirected and franticly trying to find a way to be useful. The hearts of the people standing in these now dangerous streets beg for strength and protection — and the magic, desperate to aid them, tries to fulfill these wishes. The urgency of their feelings begins to shape it, transforming words into spells.

“A Penny for your thoughts?” for instance, may compel someone to speak their mind if you hand them a coin.

Saying someone is “Strong as an ox” may have them transform temporarily into an ox. “Beat around the bush” may make someone want to start beatboxing around a shrub. Metaphors become literal, similes become spells, and the already chaotic scene becomes all the more difficult to settle.

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT

Just as the situation appears to be settling, a massive paw the size of a large truck smashes through the ground, claws gleaming. A snout pushes through next, and then another, and then another, until a massive, shaggy beast is clawing its way free from the pit. Fire leaps out to lick at its heels, the screams of the long-dead howling in its wake.

It's all sharp angles, blocky and wrong - the detail on its fur seems to be painted on, and you have the distinct feeling that if you were to touch it you'd find it smooth. Whatever this is, though it's breathing and solid, you get the impression that it was never meant to be real. This is the approximation of the guardian of the under world, an artist's impression, not the real thing.

And yet it's recognizable as the Guardian of the underworld itself; Cerberus growls low as it surveys the city, the vibration of it intense enough to rattle the buildings and ground directly underneath it. The rubble begins to displace itself and fall, leaving terrified people directly in harms way. Those not doomed to be trapped or crushed by rubble turn away and run, nearly trampling each other in their desperation to get away.

And then the theme music starts.

The punchy beats of a RPG Battle Theme are thunderously loud. They're coming from nowhere and everywhere, centered on the animal monster in front of you. If you squint, you can see what appear to be hit bars hovering above it. Four of them, in fact. One for each head and another for its massive body.

The right head turns to the side and opens its maw wide and barks, and the sound is a physical blast, obliterating the nearest building. The left head turns to the left and licks a strip up the nearest building, which immediately beside it begins to lean in on itself as the acid from the animal's saliva begins to melt through solid stone. And the center head simply lowers to the ground, opens its mouth, and takes an enormous bite out of the street below. Then another. And another.

Setting into a rhythm, the beast begins to walk forward. Barking, biting, and slobbering as it goes.

Though the Guardian Alliance appears soon on the scene, they look just as baffled and stressed as the newly awakened metahumans directly in harms way. Things get worse when Atomight surges forward, intent on saving the day, only to find his shoulder slam into a barrier surrounding the Confluence's area of influence. Baffled, the hero reaches out to touch it, then turns to shout an order at the Silent Mystic hovering at his side. Far below them, the terrified citizens crowd around the base of this barrier.

You're going to need to buy yourselves some time.

AFTERMATH

Victory fanfare plays as the beast finally falls. Exhausted and faced with a mostly destroyed city, the guild places a call back to its headquarters to bring everyone back. The spell reaches out for whatever metahumans it can find in the area and pulls.

All the metahumans who were involved in the Confluence — new arrivals and old (if a week can be called 'old') — to a white training space that has already transformed into a luxurious waiting room.

Atomight arrives quickly. For a moment all he can do is surveyed the gathering of metahumans in the room, his expression terribly grim:
"Thank you for your help out there. The casualties would be so much higher were it not for those of you who risked your lives to save strangers. I wanted to say that before I said anything else.

Unfortunately, today's incident was not as random as the one that occurred last week. This appears to be a result of the spell to open the portal to return you all home. As you can see, not only did that not work, but it backfired spectacularly. I've never seen magic act like that, or a Confluence occur because of something a handful of metas did, it's..."

He stops. Giving his head a shake.

"... I'm sorry. I truly am. But I believe that we may be looking at something more permanent. The Guardian Alliance will do everything in our power to return you home, I swear to you, we have not given up. I'll be conferring with," there is the briefest of pauses as he considers how to word, "the other Guild's leader once he is in communication range again as to what our next approach will be..

For now... As this may be your home for a while longer, I wish to formally extend an invitation to those of you who wish to use your powers to defend the innocent to join us. That was incredible work out there. And we would be honored to count any of you among our ranks."

SETTLING IN

You're not going home anytime soon. Reports continue to pour in from across the world — dimension-hoppers can't open portals back home, time-travelers are temporally locked to this point in time. Not only is something wrong metaphysically, but even Atomight has admitted that efforts to fix it have only worsened matters.

So, not 24 hours after the newest Confluence, the Guardian Alliance makes arrangements for all new arrivals in the Diadem Hotel.

The Diadem Hotel is a luxury hotel usually reserved for the obscenely wealthy. It's rooms are enormous, the beds quite literally enchanted to offer the perfect night's sleep, and the food would usually cost your life savings just to sample. But given the circumstances, the Alliance feels it only fair to offer you a little comfort on their dime. Everything is complimentary, and everyone gets an Alliance credit card to spend on entertainment, clothing, and whatever other necessities they might need. The cards appear to have an obscenely high limit and there doesn't seem to be an expectation for you to pay it back.

There's a shopping center immediately across the street that will reluctantly open its doors the next day. It has an impressive array of outlets that cater to your every need. Food, clothing... and swords? If you can think of it, it's for sale. Although anything clearly supernatural or metahuman seems to be at a minimum and offered under the table. You can grab clothing made to withstand any superpower and a surprisingly mediocre Taco Bell order while you're at it. There's a Super Cinema in the shopping complex across the street that's showing the latest Mystic Mike movie, a franchise wherein a fictional male stripper gets magical powers and begins fighting crime using a pole as a staff.

Following all of these nice amenities, you might get approached by members of the guilds and invited to join. Depending on your character's actions, over this log and the previous one, they might get approached by one guild and not the other. Recruiters are charming and personable, talking up the perks of being in the Guilds (see more on our FAQ and Guilds page). They won't be harassing anyone, but a "no, thank you" might be returned with a "think it over" and offer of a calling card.

Central City isn't exactly the nicest place in the world. Wander too far from the shopping district and you'll find yourselves thick into territory controlled by the local non-meta crime syndicate... but maybe that's where you want to be. Maybe you're here to see just what this world is dealing with. If you're going to be stuck here you might as well make yourself useful, right?

Or perhaps you're not the heroic type. Maybe this is simply scoping out the competition.

Regardless, it won't take long for trouble to find you. Test out your new powers, do a little thieving, stop a few muggings - this is your time to use as you see fit.

CLIFFNOTES

A week from the date of the Test Drive meme, a second Confluence occurs within Central City.

Words begin to have the power of spells. Characters must be exceedingly careful how they phrase what they say (or go all out if they want to get experimental!), and what common colloquialisms they use.

A boss version of Cerberus appears. We will not be threading out the fight, but we will allow characters to sign up for an RNG for getting the last strike on each head. Please sign up by head — one per character.

Player characters (and the residents of the town who have gained powers) are magically transported to the Guardian Alliance's headquarters. They will be held in a magical room for a period of about twelve hours, then transitioned to the Diadem Hotel.

Characters are given luxury suites at the hotel, and a credit card with an unlimited balance. They're free to mingle, eat, shop, and check out the world they've been dropped into.

Please report any noticeable player caused collateral damage or casualties caused by player characters on the plotting page

You can talk with Atomight here. Please list your questions in full. We will not be threading, but we will summarize any answers and responses he will give.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ lucky for her, luther is very interested, and good at catching the public's attention, and good at noticing when someone's shrinking away from said attention and in need of someone to deflect. so a massive 6'5" man gently inserts himself between kamala and the crowd, asking: "hey, could i take a look at those brochures?"

and he just... takes all of them, one for each specific team, another pamphlet for the guild itself, a few on the various cities in this world, and he politely fields their questions. he used to be good at this part: wrangling reporters, making conversation, fending off the rabid public. so a few minutes later, he's managed to safely scatter the recruiters like a cloud of flies, chivvying them off, while he turns back to the teen girl with his handfuls of those bright cheery brochures. ]

Sorry bout that. They seemed a little pushy. You looked like you could do with some help.

[ then he holds one out — he's got extras, now — with a quizzical look. ] You sure you don't want any of these? Otherwise I'll keep them off your hands.

[ wow he is tall. and big. like . . . one of the chris people. the australian one? still she smiles, sheepish. ]

I mean, maybe it's a good idea to read up on them. I just don't want to join too quick and have it be a huge mistake.

That's probably a good idea. Don't sign any paperwork until you've read as much about it as you can. I've got a lot of homework ahead of me, myself.

[ he holds up one of the brochures, squinting at the page: stock models in themed spandex, beaming at the camera, some of them eating salad and laughing. he makes a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. the glowing sales pitch doesn't happen to leaving the guild afterward, so he's gonna have to do some of that deeper reading too, and trying to figure out all the implications attached. ]

Huh. It does say it doesn't come with any specific responsibilities, at least. But I wonder if it ties you down for a certain amount of time. Like a phone contract.

Those are the worst.

[ they're so dodgy and there's so many things to read. her parents contract for her but she's seen some of it and it's never good. kamala does take some politely, squinting at them. ]

I don't know. I'm sure some of them are decent, I'm just not sure I'm up for a team right now.

Yeah, I get that. Not everybody is. I wasn't either, for a long time.

[ the man clears his throat, folds the brochures and tucks them away into as many pockets as he can manage; they're still practically overflowing, though, the alliance logos still half-visible even as he jams them into his jacket. and then he holds out a hand, as somber and polite as if he's introducing himself to another adult, nevermind that the kid's a teenager. ]

Anyway, it's nice to meet you. I'm Luther Hargreeves. I'm also one of the new— uh, metas, I guess they're calling us?

[ kamala smiles up at him, shaking his hand politely. ]

I'm Kamala Khan. And I'm . . . uh, they called me an Inhuman back in my reality.

[ luther squints; he doesn't entirely double-take, but she can notice him giving her a closer, dubious once-over as he repeats that term. unlike his own half-ape physiology, there's nothing that looks immediately inhuman about her at first glance, when she's not using her powers. ]

'Inhuman'? That sounds rude as all get-out. I mean, you're just a regular kid.

Oh, I know. That's just the term for it.

[ it doesn't really bother her. she has the loosest of connections to the other inhumans. grateful to them, certainly. at least queen medusa, but it's not like she lives with them in new attilan. ]

Did you guys coin it, or people without powers?

[ until now, he hadn't actually considered the fact that there wasn't really a name for the group of people in his world who had developed superpowers. they just... were. and to the best of his knowledge, they were just the umbrella academy. ]

[ it takes her a moment to wrack her brain. inhuman history isn't her strong point and no one had made it a point for her to learn. ]

I think we did? I'm still new to the whole thing, but Queen Medusa told me a little bit about Inhumans.

Queen Medusa? [ he echoes the name, curious. it sure sounds like a superhero codename. he knows the type. but then, because he's read a lot of mythology and really can't help but wonder— ]

Does she have snakes... y'know... [ luther gestures a hand vaguely at his head. ]

[ she laughs a little, covering it up with a hand to her face. ]

No, but her hair is very long and can do all kinds of things.

Oh, that's cool. [ luther offers the next tidbit gamely, in the kind of offhand way you might say oh my cousin's from new jersey too: ] My brother could summon eldritch tentacles. They could do all kinds of things, too.

[ then: ]

Were the Inhumans a team like this stuff? [ he waves the flyer in the air, with all its carefully-posed stock photography. ]

[ kamala scrunches up her face. ]

I don't think so? They're more of a community than a proper team like the Avengers or the Champions.

[ a blink. ]

How many teams were there in your world?

Uhhh, I don't know the actual number. There's quite a few on Earth and couple in space? I don't keep complete track of it all.

[ she's a nerd, but not everything is at the top of her head. besides, she's an avengers fan first and foremost. ]

CONFLUENCE 02 | CENTRAL CITY UNDER SIEGE

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