animus_ooc | Player Plot: Tower of Jenova

Hello Animus,

Amie here, about ready to return from Hiatus slowly over the next week.

So, without further ado, I have another Player Plot ready to run for you all. This particular plot I've been working on for several months off and on and now finally the game has reached the correct set of circumstances for it to go ahead. I hope you all have as much fun with it as I have had going through the various revisions and details in writing this up.

This post is an OOC-info dump only, but the Plot is happening in March - it's very early notice, so that there will be plenty of time for Q&A, and also for plotting as well. Clearly we have February to get through yet as well.

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Tower of Jenova - Player Plot: 10 - 26th March

Vincent: The stigma. It’s a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates. Inside our bodies is a current, like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders.

Cloud: What do you mean by “intruder”?

Vincent: The Sephiroth gene. Jenova’s memetic legacy. Call it what you want.

Cloud: You’re well-informed.

-Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children Complete

....except in the Tower of Animus; where we don't have bodies but we still have 'souls' - those bright shining cores of self that are both all that we need to survive and all that we have left. So powerful in their own right, as to still retain that which makes each of us ultimately individual.

Note: this plot comes with a HEAVY Warning:

**WARNING: SIGNING UP TO THIS PLOT IS TO ACCEPT THAT YOUR CHARACTER HAS AN INCREDIBLY HIGH POSSIBILITY OF DYING AT LEAST ONCE**

The Plot Synopsis | Plot Details Part 1: 10th - 22nd March | Plot Details: Part 2 23rd March

Questions

EDIT: Sign ups will Open 23rd Feb and run until 2nd March so that there is ample time to process them, and to provide yourselves with plotting time before the Event goes live on 10th March.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Plot Details

Still don't get it? Bear with me...

This plot will run from 10-26th March 2014. The main 'meat' of this of this long-run plot will be the run up (or rather 'power-up', as will be further explained below) to a 'climax' log around 22-3rd in which Sephiroth will pass into a deep meditative state and effectively trigger a kill-switch in all of those he has gained influence in; the expiry of several lives in the Tower at once creating a great surge of energy back to his core that he intends to be more than enough to override that which keeps him contained.

-Part 1: Power-up Period

How: In the Evening, 10th March Sephiroth will succeed in issuing forth an influx of his metapsychical 'will' to envelope the Dormitory Floors - this will not be detectable under Glamour as it's a real power but characters who have ESP-type real abilities activated may be able to tell that something is wrong with the air. Over the next few days, symptoms in some characters start to appear.

What: Characters signed up become Infected with Sephiroth's 'taint'; this is at a core-level and therefore is playable at all times regardless of Glamour/Altered fluid etc. Affected characters are contagious and may Infect other signed up characters, but cannot (of course) Infect non-sign ups. At all times, Sephiroth is sapping insignificant trickles of energy from them which becomes exponentially worse until LI 3 - though it still remains subtle enough to be disguised within the accompanying lethargic symptoms. Should a character die within this period, Sephiroth receives a surge of power from the character dependent on how long he has managed to Infect them for. Note: There is a chance that they will remain Infected despite their core being transplanted into a new Vessel and/or they will get re-Infected later at LI 1.

The more energy Sephiroth begins to influence, the more the power and glamour in the Tower falters.

Players can pick their starting Level of Infection (LI) and can progress upwards at their discretion, but cannot exceed the LI allocated to them in reply to their sign-up. LI5 will be capped if sign-up numbers exceed a manageable quota. If players have any specific way they envisage their character manifesting any of these symptoms/want a special/specific set of mutations/illusions etc as well - this will be open for negotiation as part of the sign up will be requesting preferences.

Breakdown of Symptoms

LI 1 - Cold/Flu like symptoms. Lethargy. Prone to sudden mood-drops. Light depression.

LI 2- + Skin lesions begin with small rashes, which eventually start to darken and swell. Depression, low-moods and lethargy intensifies. Characters may start to exhibit moments of light-headedness and feelings of detachment as if they are on some sort of auto-pilot.

LI 3- Geostigma takes hold: + Black pustules develop alongside skin lesions/rashes which may rupture at any point randomly. (or at proximity to Sephiroth/if he triggers it) Other symptoms from Level 1 - 2 continue to worsen. Character death is possible at this level or above.

LI 4- +Illusions, Negative Emotion heightening, Suicidal/Homicidal Tendencies. Characters might inexplicably find themselves coming across Sephiroth more often in this stage; the proximity to him may lessen or aggravate some of the symptoms depending on CR/interaction etc.

LI 5- +Mutations which intensify the drive to infect and/or kill others with lesser stages of contamination. Characters may also feel more noticeably pulled towards wherever Sephiroth happens to be, and may even offer their life for him to take at this point.