September Plot I: NPC Appearance

[savmods]

Greetings!

September is underway, and with that, our acceleration toward the end of Arc II. We'd like to thank everyone for both their participation and their patience—those waiting on OOC replies should be receiving them shortly! First, however, we'd like to introduce a new source of information for your plotting needs...

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Mother

Some time ago, a number of characters traveled through the Ingress to a research station found on Asteroid 276. The visit was, ostensibly, to assess the location as a future place of trade with Thisavrou—which made it all the more puzzling when the negotiators' success was followed by complete disappearance: of the asteroid, and everyone who lived there. Still, those who came back found themselves accompanied by two reminders: a strange mass of flesh, and a terrifying dream. The fate of the contaminant—and the child it formed into—has already been broadcast. Today (September 6), another piece of that puzzle will return.

After over a week in the Savrii's "detention" area, all characters are likely familiar with the effect of proximity to intermediaries: a sense of inner peace and calm that nullifies any effort toward violent intent. The psychic presence that brushes your minds now is noticeable largely in the contrast. It's overpowering and painful, so strong you lose track of yourself. It's raw. Other. And most of all?

Furious.

"They lie.

"They take your memories. They take your minds. They pervert, and ruin. They shatter potential equals. They do worse to any they can use."

Broken, the voice echoes, and it tastes of old despair.

"Your 'guides' have torn apart more than you will ever see. They sap your strength, and now they have you crawling in their cage.

"Even if you don't remember... even if you never knew us to give aid? Know this: they will break you like they did us."

Desperation. Someone is at risk, someone you value more than anything, and you would do anything to help them, get them back—

"Help us or help yourselves. Stop them."

The presence vanishes as quickly as it came. You find yourself in your own body, at whatever place and in whatever activity you left off. But even as the words have faded, something else is left behind. A call. A direction. You know where to go.

At the center of Region Six lies the half-constructed pits of the arena. The main stage is empty, but tunnels underneath lead to one of the smaller staging areas, where two figures can be found: one Lena Oxton, fully armed and corporeal, and a strange woman—sagging in exhaustion, when the first groups trickle in. She wears a drab, hooded cloak, and seems to glow dimly from within: a brilliant gold that flares out through her eyes.

She calls herself Mother. And she claims that she has seen this all before.

Thisavrou is not a refuge. The "new arrivals" are not the first to be tricked. Her people were. These worlds, she explains, are an oligarchy of the mind, ruled by an elite who slaughter those they view as threats and reshape those they find useful. The intermediaries. It's the secret of their "persuasion", the trick behind all their seeming poise. If one has a doubt or secret, they rip it from your thoughts when you step near. Knowing every facet of a person's mind makes it simple to control them, after all.

She tells your characters the intermediaries can do more and worse. They sap powers and steal memories, torture victims in a hell of their worst failures. She says she told them this before. She was on the Asteroid, along with her children. They spoke with the non-Savrii present, sharing their warnings and looking for refuge. Until the intermediaries found out, and sent their killers to destroy her kind.

And took the memory of it from you.

She would see them burn for what they do. For what they have done to her people. Her children. And to so many worlds besides. But that isn't why she came.

They have her daughter. They are ripping her apart. And Mother will help anyone toward any goal they choose... if they help get her back.

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OOC breakdown

Mother's offer comes with more than just words. In addition to returning Tracer to the present, she provides stolen schematics to the field generator for analysis by the tech-minded. She will offer another gift to those who choose. Any character willing to link psychically with Mother will be immune to the intermediaries' powers—including the nonviolence field. (They will not, however, regain their own capabilities until outside the barrier.) The process will be painful, exposing characters to both considerable psychic energy and the fury that suffuses Mother's mind. Once formed, however, the connection remains passive, a dim awareness of her presence and mood. If your character is interested, please comment below! This immunity will come into play further into the fight against the intermediaries.

For the unwilling, she offers information. Any questions about the intermediaries' talents and history that she can answer, she will—along with some regarding her own kind. For those interested in playing out these conversations, a log thread has been started here. In the (reasonable!) event that faster answers are required for plot needs, we refer you to the question comment on this post.

IC planning (and OOC threading) will take some time, resulting in the actual breakout occurring on September 9. A log will go up on the 9th for threading the event, along with more OOC information on what follows. Due to the nature of the intermediaries' powers, however, pre-emptive action will be hard to conceal! We recommend characters engaged in subversive activities do so out of range of their abilities—which is to say, a good distance from both the supply groups and the gate.

Apart from that, we encourage players to get creative! The schematics will offer some important clues, but multiple methods can produce the same result. A plotting comment is below for your convenience.

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Quick reminder to comment on AC and welcome new characters in the OOC intro post. Thanks for your continued awesome!