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STARS FALL
It's like a bomb goes off. The day is normal until it's not. Until it never will be again.
This is not a confluence. A confluence is an event, a phenomenon like the rain with mostly predictable patterns. It affects one area and one area alone, its effects isolated.
This is chaos.
Reports flood in from the world over. The news is wild with reports of bizarre happenings. No two events occurring appear to be the same. All of the wildlife appears to have gone crazy in the Northwest of America. A shard has fallen somewhere and is compelling all wildlife in the local sanctuary to turn on and invade the nearest town. A massive Labyrinth has appeared and consumed the entirety of the New York Subway System.
The only unifying feature is that all of these events are occurring where the meteors fell. And if they're not bad enough, there's still the issue of the missing individuals who have been teleported out into space.
Welcome to 2024, metaheroes. We're starting it off with a bang.
The world is in disarray, and Earth's heroes are scattering in attempts to mitigate as much damage as possible. Atomight has been seen jumping between Europe, Asia, and Oceania trying to help as many as possible. Mechanima's drones are spotted across the Americas, and every other native hero and villain with any kind of useful ability and a want to assist has been pulled into smaller teams to cover countries, states, and areas of the oceans where mayhem has erupted as the people of Atlantis rise to the surface. The island nation of Xinthal is reporting that they are fine, though they are unwilling to help with the pandemonium eruptiong elsewhere. Everywhere these shards fell is experiencing some bizarre phenomenon.
A call goes out to all metahumans, civilian or not. A one time exception. Insurance companies are willing to look the other way. Of course there are those that heed the call, some of them are there to help, but some of them? Are causing just as many problems as the others are solving.
Starfallen in both Guilds are asked to assist - those with first aid capabilities and knowledge are asked to help focus on patching together those injured in the havoc, and others with known combat capabilities may be called to focus on assisting specific areas. Teleporters are given out freely and many sorcerers and teleporters are opening wide doors inside the Alliance and Society headquarters to allow for quicker travel between affected areas. There are also several within Arcadia, which is also being repurposed temporarily as an aide station.
THE LABYRINTHThere subways are not running in New York City today. Civillians are spilling out of the terminals and into the streets, reporting that the subway has changed.
"It's like a maze," they say. "I think there's something in it."
It's not like a maze. It is a maze. Setting foot in the underground is like stepping into another world. Impossibly high ceilings await you, and the maze stretches on and on and on.
Where trains used to carve the way under busy city streets, now massive walls that rival the tallest skyscrapers touch the high cavern ceilings. Deadends litter the labyrinth, and many of them are doing their best to catch those within the labyrinth off guard: a light may appear at the end of a beautiful rose-filled path, but that light? It's a massive lion with a mane of fire, and he looks like he's been waiting for his next meal.
Another curve might lead to an abandoned convenience store full of snacks and easy meals, but it won't be long before the labyrinth starts changing, consuming the convenience store whole and anyone still within its walls. After all, it would be a shame if someone got too cozy. Madness awaits in here, as unless one is exceptionally careful they may never escape. The sounds echo. Something feels like its breathing down your neck, but when you turn you find nothing there. Any wildlife that may have lived here has gone feral, transforming into beasts better befitting an ancient myth. Sewer rats are now Dire Rats that roam in packs, all too eager to devour anything they find. Hands reach from the walls, eager to draw you in and hold you here forever with them. They promise comfort and whisper pleasantries, the world is harsh and they offer salvation and you should just allow yourself to be taken. The appearance of an unexpected friend may not be the boon you think, as the labyrinth is not above creating doppelgangers to lead you astray. These entities are always just out of touch, and it knows what you want the most.
After all, this city is full of dreamers. And the trains are where they so often drift, it knows just how to trap people in its grasp.
The Starfallen consumed by the labyrinth will find themselves eventually returned to the surface - though how they cannot say - it may be hours later, or even days later. The same cannot be said for anyone native to this world who falls to the trap. Regardless, any companions they've gained are no longer with them, any supplies they've picked up are gone, and they must restart their journey. Their drop-off point will be at one of the furthest points from the center.
The shard in the labyrinth is held by its guardian in its ever shifting center. Getting to it will require a team.
PET SEMETARYIn the Pacific Northwest, something is going on with the animals.
In the local animal sanctuary in a tiny town outside of Maine, a shard has fallen onto the bones of a long dead wolf. It died to poachers who had never even bothered to claim its body as bounty, and its fury has never fully abated. The skeleton's eyes light up as the energy surges and the creature throws its head to the moon and howls, and at once, the animals change.
Not juust the wildlife, but the domestic animals. Each of them has heard the call of the wild and as such, they change. Reverting from domesticated dogs and cats to things much older and wilder, turning on their humans.
The people flee, barricading themselves inside their homes. Their distress calls are clear - they want their pets saved, but their words are not reaching them. These beasts need to be contained and brought somewhere safe to be researched, so the power imbued in them can be removed and they can be returned to man's best friend.
And the thing in the woods needs to be dealt with. The skeletal wolf has grown several sizes larger than it ever was in life and glows with a powerful blue flame. The beasts of the forest are its loyal subjects, and all have inherited its bloodlust. It waits for a worthy challenger in the thick of the woods, but you'll not find it easy to reach it.
AFTERMATHIt doesn't end, but it does let up. The power surge going through the fragments can't last forever so eventually, the new incidents being reported globally die down. First aid stations are set up outside several of the affected zones as well as Arcadia, manned by volunteers and heroes alike.
But the effects don't. Unlike a confluence, they remain. New York still has a Labyrinth instead of a subway station even if the fragment is retrieved, and the animals who were affected by the wolf still remain feral. That will be an ongoing task to solve.
Still, more examples come day by day. Shadows begin coming to life and attempt to overtake their hosts in Southern Texas, non-metahumans suddenly find themselves empowered, and so on and so on and so on.You may ask yourself if this is the new normal - and it is.
Though the efforts of the Starfallen are valiant, this is not a problem that can be so easily solved. These things fell everywhere the world over - and not just on Earth, they're everywhere.
This is a problem that is not going away any time soon. Missions will involve c containing these outbreaks. We strongly encourage cooperation and teamwork in resolving these issues.
➢ The shards have all activated at once, meaning that the world has gone from relatively peaceful to complete pandemonium. Where ever these shards landed is now faced with its own unique disaster
➢ A Labyrinth has consumed the New York City subway system. It will require a team to take it down.
➢ These events are happening absolutely everywhere. You can comment to the Assignment comment to receive a specific assignment, or can use any of the examples above.
➢ Teamwork makes the dreamwork! Work with people you haven't worked with before you receive fabulous prizes. Comment to the engagement post to let us know how you want to tackle these big issues.
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[She finishes fussing with the armor and pulls out a map of the town and the surrounding area from her pocket dimension.]
While we're corralling the animals, we should keep an eye out for anything like that.
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I do that with my dinos.
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Dinosaurs? From here or ones you brought with you?
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So now there's a dino park.
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[Better than becoming (or staying) someone's lab animals. She wouldn't put it past the mad scientist population.]
We have some support crew from my guild that can drop... I suppose meat and grains around this urban sector? Separately, of course. And we can see how much of the wild animal population has drifted in, or if the pets are holding their territory, before we head into the woods.
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I appreciate any help, to be honest.
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[She speaks positively, and tries not to think about how young Gabby might be. Looks can be deceiving; if she's wrangled dinosaurs, then the guilds persuaded the right person.
It takes some time to get the locations set up-- finagling with the folks and businesses with the requested foods to help out for "the good of the town". But as they wait, there's enough lone urban critters poking around. Looking for a fight, even up against multiple humans.
A squirrel tries to launch itself at Mayuko's leg, only to bump into a barrier. Before it can run, she wraps it in dark energy tendrils.]
Gotcha! Let's see, box, a box--ouch!-- where are those carriers...
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[ doreen will be upset with gabby if she let anything happen to them. and they're probably here to keep an eye on her anyway. ]
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[Innocent until found to be the carrier, she supposes. The squirrel's irritated chattering does not cut out once Mayuko finds the travel crate and they are contained. That does not bode well for... the rest of the animals.]
--but they've got to head out, same as the rest. The more we can pick off before we reach the piles of bait, the smaller the mob will be.
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Okay.
You hear that? You got to leave.
[ the squirrels cock their heads at her, chattering before they depart. she sighs, relieved. ]
It's fine.
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Are they going to stay nice once we're gone?
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They're good listeners.
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Can other animals understand you, too, or were they special ones?
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She left a little while ago, but I think her buddies still look out for me.
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[Mayuko can relate to connections like that lasting beyond a friend's stay.
The sound of growls, barks and yipping intensify as the two approach the pile of bait. A pack of dogs has gathered, vying for space and the choicest bits-- some looking worse for wear, but all are equally fierce.]
This should be a good gauge of the area pets. Do you see anything waiting in the wings?
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[ her claws draw from her hands. ]
Be on your guard.