diademooc | EVENT ∞ PLOT POST

Event ∞ Plot Post

Pulse

Jump ⇅ :: Details — Mechanics — Plot Form

Summary

What's going on?

A little after 10 PM in late March, the shockwave rolls through the Fringes and right into Panorama. Though the other strongholds are also affected, Panorama will be hit the hardest...and will have the hardest time getting its power back on. In the ensuing blackout, the Sanctum gates will fall. At the same time, Ros Che, Panorama's Consul and de facto leader, has suffered an injury that's put her out of commission. But what, exactly, is the connection? And why does her inner circle seem to believe her absence could be catastrophic?

When is this happening?

March 16-24.

What should I know?

The Sanctum gates will fall 48 hours after the initial blackout. For the initial 48 hours, most people will be focused on gathering their bearings.
The shockwave and ensuing blackout appears to be the result of a cosmic storm or the cube, but there is one curiosity characters may pick up on: Acreage and Kolliery only lose power for less than 24 hours, reporting a couple of downed powerlines that are quickly repaired.
The Rail will not be running during this period. Acreage and Kolliery have closed their stations to prevent a rush of desperate Panorama citizens at their door, though they will not turn away those who make the 2-3 day drive over.
The overall blackout will last 8 days. On day 9, the power will come back on.

What does my character know?

Up until now, the Sanctum has been shut and guarded against the lower class in the Pavilion. While there's no secret that the Sanctum's wealth runs Panorama, what's actually past those gates is relatively unknown to most.
Since power has occasionally been unstable in the motels, some characters may already have flashlights, hand-cranked radios, candles, and so forth on hand to help them through the blackout.
Vehicles will not be affected unless they were physically damaged in the initial shockwave. Most cars in the Diadem are of an older variety and don't rely on electronic systems to run.

⇅ Top

Event Details

The pulse that arrives will be sudden. It will occur at night, though not so late that everyone will be asleep; many might still be at a bar or driving home from the Fringes. There'll be plenty who witness not only the shockwave itself, but the distant shadow of the cube changing shape, rearranging its individual pieces like a Rubik's cube.

Initial Impact

The initial impact will not strike like an earthquake. Instead, it will cause a temporary anti-gravity effect for about 5-10 seconds. Though quick, it will fling cars, people, and objects into the air before releasing them. The resulting drop is what will cause damage and injuries, including:

Damaged vehicles, the degree of which is your choice. Some might just end up with a dent, some can't be driven at all, and others might be totaled. Cars that were in motion will retain their momentum both in the air and when they hit the ground again, causing some major accidents in places.
Shattered electronics, glass, and other delicate objects. This is especially troubling for medical clinics and hospitals.
Whether your character was mid-shootout, holding a steaming pot of coffee, or treating a patient at a clinic, they'll be disrupted at once. If they had an advantage in a fight, they might find that changes when they're suddenly flung up into the air (or vice versa).

Resulting Consequences

As night turns into day, it'll become clear that the power isn't coming back any time soon. Diadem residents will be left to fend for themselves. Players are encouraged to play with any plausible ideas they feel might occur during this period: food scarcity as the refrigeration fails, inability to heat up or cook meals, theft and robbery as desperation ramps up or people take advantage, loss of income as their jobs are unable to pay them or stores are forced to close.

There will also be the following scenarios, with more details on the Event Log itself:

Failing Hospitals: In addition to the singular hospital in the Blocks, there will be one in the Sanctum, as well as various medical clinics around the city. All of them have equipment that needs power. Characters can help, impede, or take advantage.
City Raiders: Characters just going about their day might find themselves held up in convenience stores, on the street, or at the gambling halls. Some raiders aren't very smart; others have powers or skills in their own right.
Gas Station Shutdown: Gas pumps aren't working without power so characters will have to make do with what gas they've got left. Two hours from the city is a diffusion zones with a gas pump, located in the Fringes, but the gas will cause vehicles to behave erratically.
Broken Elevators: In the immediate aftermath of the blackout, elevators will fail completely, so this will be a good time to get stuck with your friends...or your enemies! Especially without working phones, trapped characters will be on their own.

⇅ Top

Event Mechanics

The blackout will open up the Sanctum for the first time, in a manner of speaking. The electronic guardrails on the gates will fail. Once people begin realizing, they will flood the Sanctum, believing they have power they're not sharing. This is true to a degree, but the backup generators are only available to support the hospital and the research labs, and even those are straining.

Regardless, it's too late: the gates are down and the Enforcers guarding it will falter under the mob, particularly because the ones assigned guard duty are inexperienced rookies, young faces given grunt work as their starting duties. Many will end up dead or severely injured. Characters can attempt to help them or leave the gate guardians to their fate.

Characters can enter the Sanctum to help, to add to the mayhem, or to further their own personal agenda altogether. To be sure, there will be some frightened Sanctum residents who will offer large sums of cash for protection. The Sanctum has more families, as those up here have more resources for raising children, and there is also a higher population of the elderly. In addition, valuable academic literature, research, and technology is stored in one or two precious buildings at risk of burning down if the mob gets out of hand.

More details about the situation in the Sanctum will be available on the Event Log.

Phones, Network, & Bonds

The Forum will be completely down throughout the whole event, start to finish.

For standard texting and calls, cell phones will be completely down for the first 48 hours only.

After the collapse of the Sanctum gates, cell service will then become "spotty" rather than completely offline. In OOC terms, this means you can have characters fire off cut-off messages, lose texts to the void, or experience dropped calls as they try to navigate the situation. The purpose is just to add to the chaos and drama, and encourage characters to get out onto the streets to search for people they haven't heard from.

Additionally, anyone with a Stormkissed bond may rely on it to locate each other.

Shaping the Setting

Character actions will determine how Panorama evolves in the Aftermath. We'll have a comment where you can tell us what your character is doing during the event. If they've saved a building from burning down, let us know. If they've shot up a store, let us know. This includes unique locations like the Dome, the movie theater, and pretty much any location in the city itself.

All the contributed damage (or restoration) will be tallied up at the end. The damage can be accidental. For instance, your character can drive a car through a building because they lost control. Or, they can accidentally set fire to a fancy hotel in the Sanctum while trying to rescue someone.

There are no limits to how many times you can submit. The only stipulation is that you must have tagged into and contributed to the event in some manner for us to count your character's actions.

The Consul's Health

The Consul will be recovering in a private room at the Sanctum's hospital. Access to her is limited, but characters will hear rumors out of the Sanctum Memorial Hospital that they are treating a highly valuable client. Her ailment is mysterious and reports are conflicting. Was it the shockwave? Something else?

Players will be able to leave a comment during the event to receive some mod information they'll be able to act on later. Depending on how they gain access and what they decide to focus on, they'll receive something slightly different.

Characters can gain access to the Consul the following ways:

Genuine medical talent: If they have credentials or can otherwise prove they possess healing abilities or medical knowledge, they will be granted her medical files and, if deemed trustworthy, will be allowed into the room to attempt to heal her or diagnose her.
Lying or Psionic Manipulation: If your character's an exceptionally talented liar or they have some mind abilities, they can get themselves through the door. Just be careful no one else sees them.
Bribes: Anarchy on the streets means that no matter how well-protected the Consul is supposed to be, there will be gaps in her security and nurses. The right amount of money will let you through, but you must be quick in this case and will not have long to observe her.

The purpose of observing her status is not to heal her (she will recover at the end of the week no matter what), but to potentially uncover some odd details or coincidences between the shockwave, her condition, and the ensuing blackout. What those details amount to may remain mysterious for some time yet, but characters can act on their suspicions following this event if they wish.

The Consul can't be harmed or killed. If your character would attempt to harm the Consul, we'll ask that their attempt to enter the room fails before they reach the door. We're happy to assign consequences for their attempt; however, to avoid imprisoning your character for life and making them unplayable, we'll arrange something where the actual crime is "being caught in an off-limits area" and not "attempted assassination."

∞ Plot Form ∞

Questions? Ask here

Main Navigation ::: ⇅ Top

EVENT ∞ PLOT POST — Mar. 2026

no subject