EVENT #2: BRAIN BOGGLING

[diceofthegods]

A CRASH IN THE NIGHT

In the dark hours of a snowy early morning, a sudden BOOM can be heard all across Town. It is swiftly followed by sounds of warping metal and then a screeching crash. Curious, albeit groggy, residents emerge only to find a smoking wreck just a mile outside of Town.

The strange craft appears to be almost nautiloid in shape with wrenched, broken tendrils streaming out the opening.

Much of it is metal although some of it almost seems... organic.

Those who with to get a closer look will be met by Charlie and Dimitri who are already on the job. They request curious onlookers keep their distance since this craft is, without a doubt, tremendously dangerous.

Later in the day, there appears to be an outfit of officials coming from the west to investigate and clean up the wreckage. Thankfully(?), you will all find out soon enough what's going on.

INVESTIGATION & PROTECTION

Deathcard Cabin by Jonah Senzel

4:07 / 13:06

▶︎

Click here to listen.

From the Inscryption OST: A unique and haunting sound paired with a unique and haunting game.

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Charlie reports to the citizens of Town that an Illithid cargo transport. The pilot did not survive the crash, but they appeared to be transporting some kind of new breed of Intellect Devourers.

"We do not yet know what this new breed is capable of, but..."

Charlie does give everyone a rundown of what an Illithid and what an Intellect Devourer is, what they are capable of, and a keen warning to tread lightly. Many dead ones were discovered in the cargo but several of the enclosures were damaged in the crash and the likelihood of escapees is high.

Charlie reiterates: These creatures are to be killed on sight, or contained until someone can kill it. If you are not confident in your combat abilities, please remain in your homes as much as possible and seal all openings to your dwelling. Those who are capable though are urged to begin patrols of Town alongside Slayd, Dimitri and himself to ensure that Town and the surrounding areas are safe.

Please travel in pairs or groups, do not be alone! Attack from a distance when possible. Hoshiko will offer her assistance as a markswoman as well by picking off any Intellect Devourers from a distance that she can for those that are forced to travel alone. (Don't worry about any jokes she makes of her service not being cheap though. Charlie wouldn't actually let her charge you anything.)

Unfortunately, not even they can predict the blizzard that rolls through Town in the midst of all this. If you happen to see anything skittering through the snow, don't panic too much. It could just be a tiny woodland creature looking for a warm burrow to hide away in!

At least you hope it is.

PROMPT #3

Hybrid intellect devourers are unique from the regular ones in that the goal is not to kill their target, but to gather intelligence and act as a kind of spy network.

They will flee when confronted directly by greater numbers, but will attack a lone target. They do this by jumping at the target's head and wrapping a wet tendril around their neck. They will choke who they've wrapped around if anyone tries to remove it. They are also far more likely to try and attack sleeping target (hence the advice to keep your homes closed!).

These hybrids emit spores that will keep the target asleep during feeding. Their primary goal appears to be infiltrating the targets' minds and absorbing some of their memories. The target will have their mind left mostly intact... though they may suffer short term memory loss, confusion, distress, fatigue and head pain.

Here's where the fun starts!

Once one of these critters has fed on someone, they are onto their next target. When a fed Intellect Devourer feeds from another target, that target may absorb some of the previous target's memories. This can span across multiple victims and be erratic in whose memories taint whose mind. The memories will cross-pollinate in the form of dreams or waking visions and hallucinations.

If one of these creatures is killed, it will explode, releasing a powerful psionic wave and the memories it had absorbed from any recent targets. Anyone within ten (10) yards of the dying creature will be afflicted with extreme head pain in the short term and also witness the memories of it's previous victims.

Enjoy your muddled memories and leggy brain-hunting!

The outfit of people who have come to investigate are from New Svihelen's disaster containment squad and are investigating the hybrid creatures and the possible reason for an Illithid ship to crash here of all places. Right now, the running theory is that interference from the selfsame summoning circle that brought you all here could have caused the interplanar navigation systems of the ship to malfunction but nothing has been determined yet.

Eventually, these creatures will all be rounded up and taken care of. They are persistent and stealthy though in their efforts to survive above all else. Charlie assures that they're doing all they can to make Town safe once and for all but it will take some time.

Notes

⁂ The partner plotting post for this event/quarter is also up!

⁂ Additionally, we have a state of the game post available for people to read about updates, clarifications, and housekeeping items!

⁂ If you have any further questions or feedback about this event specifically, please comment here!

⁂ For even more ambient event music, you can check out this this playlist!

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Comments

OTA Prompts

[firsteditionbfs]

A - Bread for the Long Haul

Judging by the abilities of all the people gathered and some other things like the intensity he saw in Elidibus's eyes at the news of what they have to deal with, Angeal has decided that he doesn't need to get involved with the hunt right now. Too many cooks in the kitchen, and all that. But the thing about stuff like this is that hunting and fighting is only one part of the equation.

So he makes his way over to Annie's Bakes, and makes sure the lanterns around it are burning bright amidst all the snow. So it's easy to find, along with the simple bulletin put to rock: If you need bread, pre-made baked goods, or just raw materials, come to the bakery.

Anyone who steps into the bakery will find a rush of warm air coming out to meet them. Almost more than just warm, even. Some of that is no doubt thanks to the ovens, but Angeal's own presence can't be denied with the natural warmth of a gold dragon radiating off of him as he works hard, fast, and disciplined behind the counter.

"So whatcha need?" he asks, not looking up.

B - Hunting

With Genesis being how he is, so territorial about their little orchard that's slumbering through the winter, Angeal has no doubt they're staying right in place. So with him working at the bakery, making sure the bakery is locked down, then going to make sure his own home is locked down... He's just a little bit late to the party when it comes to hunting down things.

So after being paired up with someone new... He gives a mild smile just to break the ice before his expression falls back to something more somber and serious.

"So, been hunting since the start? How have we been doing?"

C - There's Only Room For One Fucked Up Alien Here

There's a lot of arguments that could be had on just what Jenova is, not helped by the many fucked up explanations of it that have been mangled ever since it was first found in a chunk of ice, and probably even before then. So the exact scientific definition is probably messed up, not helped by how it is a completely different thing.

...But when you ignore all that shit, it's a little bit simpler.

Jenova is greedy. Down to the cell.

And it can only handle something invasive latching onto 'itself' (Angeal, in this case) before reacting in the only way that a highly aggressive greedy space entity knows.

So for anyone who may be outside on patrol, or simply trying to get something outside, do an errand, fix perhaps a broken board... Congrats! You get to witness, hear, and very likely feel the small but fiery explosion outside of town, and the giant puff of intermingled snow and water (which is likely melted snow). Anyone who goes to investigate will find two things.

The first is a large and rather chunky golden dragon... presumably. If anyone has a traditional image of a dragon, it will be just a bit different. Multiple legs can be seen along its sides, and even its wings seem to be two different pairs with brilliant white feathers emerging from them. Hard to see the head when its bowed down the way it is. There's just Angeal's muffled cursing.

The second is a rather impeded Intellect Devour, which is impeded because it is wobbling along while missing two of its legs.

Have fun figuring out which to focus on.

D - Wildcard

[ooc: angeal's plotting post is right here, so if you have questions or want to do something in particular, let me know!]

C. Actually there's room for at least 2.

[rhapscdos]

Genesis knows exactly what to focus on, and it's Angeal.

It'd been hard to miss the explosion, what with his enhanced senses, and it being a fiery explosion. Genesis is practically magnetized to them. So, after doing one last circle around his orchard to make sure it is secure, he launches into the air on full, black wings, and wobbles through the sky towards the noise.

Flying he has decent experience with. Having to balance correctly with two wings makes it less than his usual grace. And landing? Well, that's a rough one. Especially because he's distracted gawking at the absolute girth of the golden dragon he finds at the center of the mess.

He knows it to be Angeal on instinct. It smells like him, feels like him, mutters annoyed swears like him. But he's rotund and Genesis stumbles into a landing beside him with a raucous call of laughter. The limping brain is entirely disregarded in favor of Genesis practically tapping his front feet in delight, seeing his mate's new form. His priorities have always been in order.

"Darling, you are looking positively round."

[firsteditionbfs]

Of course his husband - love of his life who he adores so much and would do anything for him - comes immediately to the sight of an explosion, only to immediately mock him. There's another huff, which sends off a small flurry of flames.

Good thing they're decently away from town, and most other flammeable objects.

"Thanks, Gen. I didn't notice, despite it obviously being a body I have to deal with now." The massive weight shifts, a good half dozen different legs digging into the mud and snow. "Where's that damn ID? Can you at least make sure it's not going to explode near me?" He doesn't want to deal with another headache, after all.

This is already causing him one, in more ways than just the obvious. That'll become apparent when he ever raises his head, instead of trying to hide it in snow and behind his wings.

[rhapscdos]

How can Angeal think he's mocking him? When Genesis coos and ruffles all of his feathers in a delighted display. Okay, well, maybe he does derive some joy in the irony of Angeal having the script flipped on him after so many years of his mate trying to fatten him up to no avail.

Genesis slides his long, lithe body along Angeal's rubbing against those many wings and chunky legs with a deep, guttural purring that vibrates through both of them. And when he finally pops his head up, Genesis' eyes go wide, long whiskers quivering in unmistakable interest.

"Oh, don't be tetchy, love. You're as handsome as ever," he drawls, gently butting his head just beneath what he thinks is Angeal's chin. Despite the teasing, there is a much softer note to his tone, low and likely harder to discern in this form, with these vocal cords, but it rings with sympathy and a note of concern. He knows his mate is far less enthused about these sorts of involuntary changes thrust upon them than Genesis himself, and for good reason.

At the mention of the crippled brain waddling away, Genesis lifts his head, snorts, and slinks around his mate to deal with it. The wretched little thing has no escape from his claws, and Genesis swats it up into the air, swings his long body around, and home run smashes the thing with his massive tail. The flexible structure of his thick tail means it doesn't explode on impact, but goes sailing away until it vanishes out of sight into the treeline. And then explodes, as evidenced by the distant, wet pop and rustle of the underbrush.

"Better, darling?" Genesis preens, swishing the tip of the gelatinous tail beneath Angeal's maw like a pleased cat.

[firsteditionbfs]

Definitely a chin, if nothing else, and it seems to do well enough with Angeal letting out a long heavy sigh that rolls out from his draconic throat rather than the little humanoid extension of himself which exists about the very edge of the 'snout' and makes up the upper half of his mouth in general.

"You would say that no matter what," he says, something which elicits a mixture of both fondness and some strange sort of despair. It means nothing and everything at the same time. Still, at least he has a second to pull himself together as Genesis turns back to the problem at hand. Speaking of hands... The two smaller ones at his snout-torso run across his face. It should feel more dizzying than it is, having two different sets of eyes, but it isn't. He closes the smaller pair anyway. Breathes in. His exhale sets out a large plume of steam.

"...It's one less worry taken care of, at least." His many legs shift in place, a sort of rocking against his mate. "Don't even know how - this happened. Hardly any warning."

You know, besides the monster going after his head.

Re: OTA Prompts

[abyssalflames]

Given his work in Pandaemonium, the idea of needing to seek out creatures that would otherwise have been a threat is not unfamiliar. True, under most circumstances, such creatures as reside in Pandaemonium would be safely interred under most circumstances. But he has not forgotten, either, the events that had transpired once Hephaistos had managed to escape his prison.

Still, those are matters he keeps to himself. It's clear enough that there is a problem that yet wants for resolution, and he has skill enough to handle it. That's all that matters, just at the moment.

"Well enough. Though I doubt we have seen the last of the creatures, yet."

[firsteditionbfs]

"If they're meant to be for surveillance and intelligence work, then we definitely haven't," Angeal agrees, settling besides Lahabrea to see if he starts first or if Angeal is good to go. He's a more flexible sort than some would think, but that's just years of being in the military for you. He's had to be plenty flexible around a bunch of people in ShinRa who he upfront did not like, but still needed to play nice for Lazard's sake.

Either way, they're on the move. "Whatever has been caught so far were just the ones we were lucky to catch, and which were the least skilled of the lot. The weather has probably been helping as much as it's been hindering us. I doubt it's the kind of environment they were made for."

[abyssalflames]

Lahabrea is perfectly willing to let Angeal start first. He may want to see the creatures taken care of as much as anyone, but he has no need to be the first to move. Not when patience has ever served him well - to say nothing of the fact that he might as well take a moment to take what he can of Angeal's measure.

Still, there's a nod once they do get on the way.

"I would imagine not. Though that we must make our way through it lessens what advantage we might otherwise have."

A pause, while he considers.

"Should we be aware of what they prefer, it may be possible to lure them into a specific space."

[firsteditionbfs]

"Definitely would make our jobs easier." And help them mitigate risk as well.

Although with that in mind... Angeal casts his gaze back in the direction he knows the crash is. "I know Charlie wasn't keen us us getting near everything at the start, but maybe we'd find some clues as to what they prefer. Even if they were all caged, you would still want to keep them in some particular environment, right?"

[abyssalflames]

"It should depend on the manner in which they were caged."

And, perhaps, to what end they were being transported. Though that is something that Lahabrea is less directly familiar with, and so he chooses to not weigh in on that particular topic.

"The cells of Pandaemonium were constructed such that the beings so interred were held in a form of stasis. There were, of course, yet habitats that they could be released into for study, but that was not necessarily where a given cage was located at any time."

[firsteditionbfs]

"Sounds unpleasant." But then, he doesn't like the idea of being caged at all, so, that's just him. Either way, Angeal shakes his head.

"I suppose the only way to get an answer is to go back to the crash site and see if we can get some clues." Which is why he adjusts his course appropriately. "That probably means the IDs won't be there... Not with how it's been combed over, and was what they were trying to escape in the first place."

[abyssalflames]

"It is unlikely any capable of seeing to their freedom have remained."

There's a nod with the answer, as Lahabrea likewise turns his path towards the crash site.

"It is not beyond impossibility that injured specimens remain, but it should not be more dangerous there than simply the act of patrolling itself."

Plus or minus any threats that might be posed by the ship itself, but Lahabrea figures they can deal with those should they come up.

[firsteditionbfs]

"True enough." As they get to walking, Angeal huffs out a burst of flame that flickers brightly in the air before its glow fades just as quickly from the reflective snow. "Or, honestly, this weather. Anyone who isn't careful is liable to get themselves into trouble."

Whether it's from just making themselves sick from the weather, or falling into something that the snow has hidden... or possibly even getting trapped.

There's a lot of stupid ways to get hurt out here.

"How is your household doing?" Since it's a bit of a trek to the crash site, so may as well fill it with talking by Angeal's estimation. "With the sudden harsh weather, and all that."

[abyssalflames]

"Indeed."

There's a nod of agreement to go with the comment. True, Lahabrea is still not entirely thrilled with the ongoing snow. But he's bearing it about as well as can be expected all the same, and that will have to do.

As for the physical hazards that might be hidden by the snow, those he is content to deal with if and when they should occur. Neither of them are exactly rushing into anything headlong, and he knows some healing magic besides. If it should come to it he should be able to at least manage to patch any injuries up long enough to see them to the crash site as intended.

"I live alone."

By habit, as much as choice, admittedly. But there is still but himself in the house he has claimed for his own.

"But those I live nearest to are managing well enough."

[firsteditionbfs]

Well, that's something to note, although Angeal imagines he must get at least plenty of visitors. Certainly the Ancients all seem to have... some pretty deep ties to one another. And if nothing else, he's positive of two things, the first being that Lahabrea has a son, and the second being that Themis will not let any of them stay alone.

The man has a mission. And it's being nosy.

Still, that's not too much of his business. "Well, good to know. not that I guess most have to worry about you, considering things, but you never know what sort of weirdness might happen in a place like this."

He nods to the crash site that is off in the distance. "Case in point. Any creatures from your neck of the woods that can do what Charlie has said they can?"

[abyssalflames]

He is not truly alone, it's true. He does very much enjoy his privacy, but neither has he made any particular effort to shut himself away either. Not when he has no qualms about speaking to any of the others of his fellow Ancients.

Still, he sees no reason to mention anything further along those lines. He has said all that he means to in that particular regard and there are other things to discuss besides. Though for all that Angeal is likewise correct that he is no easy target, if only for the sake of the wide variety of magic he is capable of.

"There are methods by which one can affect the mind of another, though the use of such magicks is largely frowned on. And I know of no creature that directly steals part of the mind, though there are some that feed on aether itself."

[firsteditionbfs]

"So you guys haven't yet created a creature as messed up as this yet," Angeal quips as he slides down a small hill, snow mildly melted in the trail he leaves. It'll freeze back up soon enough in this miserable weather. "Well, I guess that's a good thing in its own right."

Ugh... He huffs out a small breath of fire as they get close. "Wish it wasn't blowing like this... I could sniff 'em out if not for all this snow around." As it is, the bad weather is making it difficult for him to do any tracking. "I don't think they've cleared up all of the shrapnel around here. I don't really need to tell you to be careful, but I will anyway." As a show of care, if nothing else.

"If you were a squirming brain moved by tentacles, where would you hide?"

[abyssalflames]

"Nothing that is prone to altering the memories of those it targets as prey, no."

Which is not to say that other creatures that have found their way either into testing or the halls of Pandaemonium haven't been dangerous in ways that many might find concerning at best. But in fairness, many of those are things that Lahabrea deals with regularly enough to find them to be not particularly out of the ordinary.

But the finer details of the creatures kept in Pandaemonium is something he is willing to leave unmentioned at the moment.

Instead, there's a nod at Angeal's warning. He is not without the ability to heal himself should he misstep, true. But he recognizes it for what it is.

"They do not appear to have any natural defenses against the cold. In which case they would likely seek to find somewhere either warm or otherwise protected against the worst of the elements."