Welcome to the Apocalypse
OOC LINK
IF YOU WANT TO JOIN, PLEASE ASK IN THE OOC THREAD.
This roleplay is set in the DNM universe, but is not canon. It is beginning on the 28th of October, in the year 2014. The world is going to end. What will your nation do?
Rules
- Rule 0. What I say goes. I hope I don't have to use this often.
- Try to be polite and civil with one another. We're in this together. Just because YN's are enemies doesn't mean you are enemies as people.
- I'll try to handle explaining the supernatural elements and DNM lore to each person as is needed. Ask me anything you need!
- No idea is too crazy. There might be bad ideas, but you are certainly welcome to try anything. (Doesn't mean it will work, but you can try.)
- Avoid assumptions. They are a good way to get charred to a crisp. If something is odd, please ask about it.
- I don't necessarily expect long posts, but I do expect quality posts. Check your spelling and grammar, please. The occasional mistake is fine;
but I don't want to read something that looks like it was typed by a drunken cat. - Players should talk to one another regarding combat.
- Expect high casualties of characters.
- Understand that the RP will likely contain content some people will consider controversial, especially from a religious standpoint.
- If you know you will be unavailable for a significant period of time, which might affect posting, please inform everyone in the OOC. Thank you.
- Just a clarification: while I will be writing this in an intentional "purple prose", I do not necessarily expect everyone else to follow this example. The reason I am choosing to write in such a style is partially as a homage, and in no small part to set the atmosphere and tone. Again, I do not expect everyone to do likewise, but you certainly may if you wish to.
- As always, standard NS rules apply.
28, Oct, 2014
It was a brisk Autumn evening in Orinia, but otherwise fairly customary. Though the Autumn Doom Fest scheduled for later in the eventide was notable, and was gathering a considerable audience even several hours before scheduled to begin, nobody would think anything this night was distinctly out of the ordinary. The news day had been slow and unremarkable. People returned home from their jobs in relative silence, ready to return to their domiciles, to continue their relatively average lives.
In the dusky, caliginous sky, airplanes landed in the Paula Johnson airport, carrying in them musicians from around the world to perform in the Orinian concert. This would be the Autumn Doom Fest, the first major international concert to be hosted in Orinia, which gasconaded a multitude of well known foreign bands whom had agreed to play there. Many long-haired men in dark t-shirts exited one of the planes, carrying plentiful guitar cases and other assortments of musical instruments. Similar individuals, likewise dressed in dark apparel, exited from separate planes, earnest to play their ardent and vociferous music to devoted Orinian crowds. Organizers of the event gave the musicians special passes, explaining who they were, why they were here, and which would provide them with discounts at select participating upscale hotels, restaurants, and more throughout Orinia.
Leaving one of the planes were seven young women. They were the Prophets of Evil, an up-and-coming Japanese metal band, eager to reach greater audiences on their new tour, which included playing in the Autumn Doom Fest in Orinia. The first to step off of the plane was a petite woman with hime-cut ebon hair. Though visibly exhausted, she smiled, and as she did, her crimson eyes gleamed. She called out to the others.
"Hey, we're finally here. Let's see about checking into a hotel. We've got a couple of hours." she said. Her voice was cool and serene, but full of confidence.
Following her off the plane were two more young women. One was marginally taller, with bleached white hair, and a few strands of her bangs dyed scarlet, tied up in a messy bun, with traditional hair sticks. She wore an enthusiastic countenance, and her fiery eyes burned brilliantly as she ran down to meet her band mate. The other was much larger, with toned muscles and thick limbs like, who towered over the others. She wore her medium length lavender hair in a casual, but wavy style. She walked more deliberately, and wore a more reserved expression. She had purple eyes, almost heliotrope in hue, which had clear signs of fatigue.
"I'm coming, Black Rose!" said the one with bleached hair, her voice excited and effervescent.
"Wait up you two." said the larger one with lavender hair, her voice subdued and demure.
"Belladonna, Malpha, it's alright. We do have a lot to do, but there's no need to rush. We've been practicing for this, and I dare say we're ready." the woman called 'Black Rose' spoke reassuringly.
A fourth woman left the plane, without speaking. Her thick, raven locks were in disarray. As she walked, the faint din of light from street lamps reflected off her aviators. Following her were two more women, one diminutive, and the other hardly any taller, each with hands clasped together. The diminutive one looked younger than others, and she had cropped, midnight blue hair with long bangs covering her left eye, her right eye ultramarine in hue. The taller woman had an albino complexion, with her ghost white hair in mid-length pigtails, her ruby eyes gleaming as she smiled.
"It's okay, Yuki. You'll be fine." the albino woman said reassuringly to the woman with midnight blue hair. The albino woman smiled cheerfully to the younger woman, which seemed to improve her mood.
"O-okay Mika." replied the dark blue haired woman with a slight stutter.
As they left the plane, they were followed by a seventh woman, with shoulder-length, disheveled cardinal hair, and scarlet eyes. She rubbed her eyes languidly."Are we there already?" the woman yawned.
"There you are, Killfreak. Well, we're all here. Let's get going. We can relax in the hotel for a while, if need be." Black Rose said.
Later, at the Hotel
The hotel room was classy, with wine colored wallpaper and considerably sized beds with silken, rufescent sheets. Ornate paneling decorated the lower portions of the walls, and the doors were an elegant mahogany. A chandelier of antique bronze provided lighting, with each light bulb shaped to resemble a candle flame. On the whole, the room had an antiquated but comfortable atmosphere, despite having eminently modern luxuries; it almost demanded that one enjoy it's anachronism, if only for a while.
Black Rose lay upon one of the beds, her massive, buckled boots resting on the bed sheets. Her gaze was turned towards the woman in aviators, who had not spoken since they had departed the planes, whom was currently seated in a quaint but charming chair, reading a book titled Magick, Liber ABA, Book 4.
"Any thoughts on the upcoming concert, Yokai-Hammer?" Black Rose inquired affably.
"Nope." she replied without looking up from her book.
"Well, how do you feel?" asked Black Rose.
"Fine." Yokai-Hammer spoke, her gaze fixed upon her texts.
"Well, I am certainly glad to be here. All of us together, united in our passions. There's just something magical about it, don't you think? Plus, we might get to meet some of the other bands. That's definitely exciting." enthused Black Rose.
"Yes, it is." replied Yokai-Hammer.
Elsewhere, in the bathroom, Malpha and Belladonna prepared the ensemble for the upcoming concert, readying wardrobe and make-up with a variety of dark fabrics and copious quantities of ivory and ebony powder. Meanwhile Yuki and Mika left to take a walk downtown, seeing if they could acquire souvenirs for everyone, and also to clear minds.
In a separate corner of the room lurked Killfreak. The woman with cardinal hair sat alone on a comfortable couch, her scarlet gaze fixed to a frightening point upon her own two hands. She bit down on her fingernails from a perpendicular angle, parting off chunks of nail until each one was a salient edge. Once this had been accomplished, Killfreak used guided one of her now tapered, blade-like nails to each of her palms, slicing them open. Killfreak gritted her teeth as she did so, drawing forth an inky substance that flowed out of her veins as if thick smoke, and appeared very much like ink suspended in water. She did not appear startled by this, but instead closed her eyes and meditated.
As she did so, the ink-like substance rose up and formed the shape of a knife, solidifying as it congealed into this form. Killfreak opened her eyes, grasping this knife formed of her own self, and eyed her hands as the pale skin and flesh knitted itself closed, and fingernails reformed to their original shape. She still held the knife, which felt to it to have a near weightlessness, as if it were little more than the shadow it appeared to be. Killfreak kept her focus on the blade, knowing it only held this shape through her own force of will. She practiced twirling the onyx-colored blade between her fingers. It felt natural to her, almost second nature. After practicing with the blade for some time, she released it. The form of the knife dissipated into inky smoke. Killfreak collected what she could of of it, bowled in her hands, and drank forth the murky substance.
2 hours until the Concert
Mika and Yuki perambulated through the city streets of Orinia, under the dim lighting of street lamps and ambient glow of city lights. They passed by several other pedestrians, making their way through the lanes and alleys of the urban jungle. Together, the band mates entered an antique shop, their hulking boots stomping upon the tile floor, announcing their entrance.
Mika picked up a Turkish-Ottoman style vase, and eyed it. When she looked at the vase, her gaze wasn't quite so much on the vase itself, and more-so as if she were trying to look through the vase. Her expression was analytical, and almost impossibly so, as if she were pondering more thoughts in one moment than most people have in their whole lifetime.
"What do you think, Yuki?" she asked. Despite her intense penetrating stare, there was little indication of her thought-process in her inflection and delivery.
"It looks nice, I suppose..." Yuki replied, glancing at it for only a moment. Yuki's gaze was fixed more on bracelet adorned with images of eyes. She, too, seemed to be gazing into the essence of what she was observing, rather than the material. She held it delicately, each motion a bit too fluid, a bit too graceful. Yuki's mouth was partially agape, her tongue, slender and eel-like, rolling over her teeth in a counterclockwise motion as she thought.
Mika placed the vase back, and then began looking at rugs, her ruby eyes scrutinizing every fiber and every stitch within each split second. She ran her hand across the rug, as if to feel each stitch, while closing her eyes. She frowned, and placed the rug back hastily, her movements surprisingly fluid and of perfect form.
Meanwhile, Yuki went to go purchase the bracelet, which she then presented to Mika. Mika smiled to Yuki.
"You didn't have to, Yuki!" she said lightheartedly.
"I saw it, and thought of you." Yuki spoke, her voice diffident.
"Well, thank you!" Mika said, blushing slightly as she wrapped an arm around Yuki, placing her hand on Yuki's shoulder.
"You... mean a lot to me, Mika. So I... wanted to g-get you something nice." Yuki stumbled for words, but each syllable was still fairly clean. Mika smiled. She knew what this meant.
"Thank you. I appreciate the thought. Let's see if we can find something for everyone else, shall we?" Mika said, methodically walking Yuki out the door while attempting to appear casual.
The Concert
A gargantuan and titanic stage dominated the area before a mosh pit of fans, behind which loomed stadium seating which were packed in a manner not dissimilar to canned goods. The organizers of the event had not planned for attendance on this scale, and so additional seating was being brought in a fruitless attempt to ensure there would be enough space for everyone who purchased a ticket. Acclaimed and preeminent bands from around the world, as well as numerous up and coming bands, some of which were local, played their music to veritable hordes.
After the antecedent band was done performing, and had departing from the stage, the Prophets of Evil rose to the center, each member of the band wearing dark finery, but in a disjointed state of disarray. Spikes, boots, and leather belts clashed with frills and sequins. Each individual wore ghost white make-up, accented with obsidian tones which suggested torn out, decaying orifices; the slight curvature of lines emerging from eye sockets had all the appearance of claws rending flesh; each smile appeared a ghostly gape with jagged edges.
Black Rose rose to the front, grasping a microphone in her clutches. "Are you ready?!" she growled to the audience, who burst into cheers and shouts.
The band proceeded with their performance, each playing their instruments skillfully and gracefully, all whilst putting on a show for the audience. Animal blood which had been donated from local butchers was spilled in copious quantities, and a few words of dark power were spoken aloud to an audience who could not get enough. Mystic flames and other witchery were conjured before an audience who merely believed it to be elaborate special effects. Gestures and invocations harmonized with musical flair, alongside subtle motes of light and darkness, saturating the membranes of the arcane, and awakening a deep sense of wonder and awe. Each motion was fluid, each form was distinct, and each note played seemed to pry into a primal instinct within each individual.
For the final act of their last song, the band had elected to summon forth a powerful demon to the stage, which the band would do battle with. They had taken appropriate precautions; a glimmering shower of transcendent light cascaded upon the stage, serving as a mystical barrier. A circle around the stage had been drawn in the vital fluids of selected beasts. As the solo continued, Black Rose lit several candles with her very breath, and arranged them in an orderly fashion. Brilliant azure runes seemed to hover in mid-air, and thick, wispy smoke choked out much of the stage inside the barrier. Within the area partitioned off for the summoning, an ebon rift tore through the very fabric of reality on the surface of the stage. Tremendous damnable force poured forth as if a geyser of infernal breath. The rift was increasing in size, and a strong wave of energy discharged from the circle and fields meant to contain the great and powerful forces at work, throwing the Prophets of Evil to the ground violently.
A massive, cyclopean hand reached forth from the other side, skeletal in form, but not unlike an armored carapace, each joint with bony plate jutting forth. The hand was impossibly gigantic,dwarfing the very stage it was rising from. Sulfurous clouds poured forth from the rift, descending upon the audience like a landslide. The unspeakable thing continued to rise, and as it did, all of the audience began to melt as wax candles exposed to a great open flame. The Prophets of Evil fled the stage as the rift engulfed the entirety of the stage. The very ground beneath quaked, as hellish spires of stone rose from the ground to meet the rift.
Thankfully, perhaps through miracle, or perhaps through some unknown intervention, the hand receded into it's inky domain, but the damage had already been inflicted, and the effects were inexpiable. From the rift rose dozens of female figures on leathery, blackened wings, with crocodilian skin covering extremities. They brandished scourges of iron and thorns, and many carried modern armaments as well, as they entered this mortal realm. Following them were many other incongruous, hellish forces, each more unfathomable than the last. As these forces amassed, they gave off more demonic energies, further spreading corruption. Hordes of stout, deformed demons of varying sickly hues emerged, brandishing axes, and chased down any survivors they could find almost on instinct. Streets were cluttered with charred and torn remains, and immediate responses were those of panic.
____________
Character List
Prophets of Evil
- #BF1142 = Black Rose
- #8A8A8A = Belladonna
- #AB52FF = Malpha
- #6C6C6C = Yokai-Hammer
- #2436EF = Yuki
- #FF60DD = Mika
- #A31717 = Killfreak
Entity Compendium
Entites which are specifically described and identified are described in better detail here.
Erinyes
Demon: 邪鬼 「Jaki」
Female demons first described in Greek mythology, erinyes, or "furies" are cthonic entities of punishment and vengeance. Normally residing in Tartarus, where they ensure the torments against the damned deserving of that position are properly enacted, erinyes are not unknown to leave their posts to track down mortal wrongdoers, particularly those who swear false oaths. They wield a variety of magics, arcane and divine, and travel swiftly on their wings. It in not unheard of them to take mortal guises when traversing the mortal realm, to aid them in tracking down their prey.
Erinyes, in their true form, appear as female demons with large, leathery wings, spade tails, and lower limbs covered in a black, crocodilian-like leather. As with any other Jaki, they are ethereal; lacking any true mass or substance, or even true anatomy for that matter, and as a result unable to be touched by most physical objects. As with all ethereal things, they are capable of interacting with and exerting force on the material, through the Poltergeist Effect. However, while this appears congruous with how physical beings interact with the world through touch, it has little in common with it, as the Poltergeist Effect is almost entirely a psychic phenomenon.
Erinyes are powerful demons, and not easily slain, even by those fully prepared to deal with them. They greatly resist flame and heat of any kind, as well as bitter cold. Each erinyes that is often encountered is a highly skilled individual, well versed in a variety of combat and martial arts both ancient and modern.
Fomorian
Demon: 悪魔 「Akuma」
Short, but violent demons residing low on the Underworld's pecking order, these creatures were first, and best recorded in ancient Celtic mythology. Deformed, horned figures of varying height and coloration, and often with vastly different, but almost always grotesque features, fomorians often travel in hordes, and attack through overwhelming their enemies with numbers and ferocity. They occasionally wield arcane magics, and even the lowest fomorian has some weaker divine magics, typically 「Mark of Doom」.
Fomorians are often without subtlety, preferring rampant violence. Though their violence is often directed outward, it sometimes manifests through arguments between one another, which are often settled with violence. Fomorians know little more than violence, and this shows in nearly every aspect of their lives. Any problem which can be solved with violence is.
As with any other Akuma, Fomorians are ethereal. They lack any true substance or mass, and despite appearances, have no real anatomy. Most forms of physical objects are incapable of truly interacting with them. However, like all ethereal beings, they are capable of interacting with physical things through the Poltergeist Effect, though this has little in common with the way that physical beings interact with physical things, even if it looks identical.
Thankfully, Fomorians are not particularly powerful, as far as demons go. Though strong and hardy, they are among the many lesser demons to exist. Those prepared to deal with ethereal creatures, and whom have sufficient combat training usually have little effort dispatching individual fomorians. The issue is generally the fomorians are almost never encountered individually. Even with physical weapons capable of interacting with the ethereal, formorians can be rather resilient. However, electricity is decently effective at harming them.
ＵＮＫＮＯＷＮ ＥＮＴＩＴＹ
Entity: ？？？？？ 「UNKNOWN」
404 FILE NOT FOUND
Notes: Subject appears to blend in with humans without much effort, but on rare occasion displays attributes and behaviors outside of the norm. More information will be required before subject can be identified with any degree of accuracy.
ＵＮＫＮＯＷＮ ＥＮＴＩＴＹ
Entity: ？？？？？ 「UNKNOWN」
404 FILE NOT FOUND
Notes: Only a small part of the subject has been seen. Subject appears to have great size and presumably great power. Subject is responsible to the Apocalypse.
WARNING: SUBJECT IS CONSIDERED EXISTENTIAL THREAT.
