#dehqplot

with the winter storm that rages through devi's elbow showing no sign of slowing down any time soon, citizens already have begun to settle into the three designated emergency shelters in the region. no severe weather-related injuries have been reported as of yet, but that doesn't mean that sheltering in place is easy for anyone.

after a thorough inventory of the supplies remaining in the bunker, it has been concluded that they've only got enough food to sustain half of the current population taking shelter for the current projected length of the storm. if supplies are not swiftly and carefully rationed, the bunker will run out of food in three days.

with half of wder's radio team taking shelter at the community center, getting the radio tower working to broadcast updates to everyone else in the region was a top priority. the good news? they got it working! the bad news? in doing so, the generator was blown. until someone can fix it, the community center has no power.

anyone sheltering at the compound likely heard the massive crash that echoed through the property even from hundreds of yards away. an entire tree was felled under the weight of the snow, collapsing the wall that protects the compound in that area and leaving it vulnerable open to unwanted guests, both human and animal.

a lesson in history : neuramble is a technology developed by afterglow, specifically to desensitise their army from the mental and physical shock of field work, as well as a final graduation test. not long after it would be developed as a teaching tool for surgeons, for doctors, any employee who might benefit from hands-on experience when hands-on experience might not be possible in reality.

when this technology had been nearly perfected ten years ago is about the same time when the blueprints and software had been stolen by still unidentified parties—a year later a version of it appeared in lost angeles, and quickly runs rampant through the city, used not for training purposes, but for darker means. from the rush of petty crime to the depravity of murder and being murdered, and everything in between. although afterglow made attempts to get the neuramble technology off the streets, it was ultimately a futile attempt.

the technology : neuramble is a chip one can get installed into the brain that records different neurons firing in different parts of the brain, which can then be downloaded onto a computer with enough capacity and turned into a software that can be run on hardware akin to a vr headset. due to the manner it was recorded, it can make your brain fire those very same neurons, allowing you to experience the things they recorded as though you were there yourself.

this technology can have beneficial applications in psychotherapy, in practical training for peacekeepers in a wide variety of situations without putting themselves directly into danger, and a myriad of other things. it's also been used for the purpose of surveillance and espionage via the black market of lost angeles, and it's also become a tool for sex work—both to the benefit and detriment of sex workers, depending on who wields the technology for or against them.

the black market is also where particularly rich people will pay for more unique experiences, depending on their proclivities or interests, and since the release and propagation of neuramble in lost angeles, there's been more disappearances and subsequent gruesome murders of people of all ages in the city.

technology in burnington : although it's a technology that has become relatively normal in lost angeles, outside of its use on the afterglow compound and for the training of peacekeepers, burnington has not truly seen widespread use of it in its population, possibly due to its low population in comparison to lost angeles—ultimately black market neuramble thrives where there's significant money to be earned, and burnington has historically not been as much of a hot spot for such business.

For two weeks, rumours have occupied the radio frequencies of Devil’s Elbow, some more plausible than others, most of them pointing fingers, all of them desperately trying to make sense of how twenty people can simply disappear without a struggle or a trace of where they might have gone. It’s a few minutes after sunrise, in the gloaming of a new day, august 15th, bringing with it new hopes for some, bitter fears for others. Tucked in the solid embrace of two mountains, Burnington is a city where sound carries, echoed between looming peaks, and the morning brings with it a scream that haunts through its streets before it’s summarily cut off. As neighbours exit buildings to investigate, the singular scream becomes a chorus to greet those who had once been missing, but now unfortunately found. A horde of infected accompanied by radroaches, counting well beyond the twenty missing people, spread through the mountain-bound city like a plague, ripping apart anyone in sight, anyone deemed a threat; with the twenty missing people carrying a precious radroach-load, everyone is deemed a threat. Burnington is not without its protectors, however; within ten minutes, the Silver Lining Militia, the Shamrocks, and the Jackals are cutting through the streets, and turn a new dawn into a bloody battlefield. But bullets and blades won’t work against irradiated sword-steel; humanity long decayed, the most aggressive of the infected is an emaciated, decades old grotesque of immeasurable brutality and unimaginable resilience. Where the rest of the infected are dispatched with calculated teamwork, this particular horror proves harder to kill and more reluctant to die. When the dust finally settles, it’s to the quiet of the dead, the moaning of the injured, and the soothing of their protectors. Even then, the work continues. With the East Atlantic Army finally coming in to take some measure of control over the situation, buildings are sweeped for any survivors with a tell-tale injury to their abdomen, whom are promptly executed, and Burnington’s citizens are tasked, with the aid of the peacekeepers and under guidance of the directors and removal technicians of moore funeral home, to gather the dead and burn them as funeral rites begin.

The members have voted and the Harvest Festival will continue through the end of the month. Since the holidays are a crazy time for many we will be foregoing the plot drop meaning that the mysterious beast picking people off amongst the festivities will still be active until announced otherwise. Feel free to continue speculation as to what it is in the meantime and more information will be released through the Daily Burn and WDER. Going forward, use this as a time to get caught up on threads, the task, plotting, etc. If people would like to do threads outside of the Harvest Festival we ask that you don't go past the first week of November in game to keep the timeline consistent and to allow admins some room when planning the next plot drop. If you have any questions or concerned please reach out to us either on discord or through the main. Otherwise have fun and stay tuned for new lore, locations, and updates coming over the next few weeks!

* DEHQ PLOT DROP 001

While the Children of Mothman have never been a stranger to the citizens of Devil’s Elbow, the equinox festival sure came to many as a shock. Most thought the group was harmless up until now. The ‘vision dust’ as they called it was actually neurotoxic dust and it is not harmful to most in small amounts, but the effects are a different story. Giving people hallucinations without their knowledge is rather unsettling and sent bystanders into shock in reaction, thus causing a domino effect which led to an overall state of panic. In result, there were fights, accidents, crashes, and medical emergencies leaving the hospital and clinic backed up. Even though the Eastern Atlantic Army ( Owen Westfall and his unit ) was able to work with Devil’s Elbow Peacekeepers to get the fans disabled and the festival ended a little over ten days after it started, by the end of April 2125 there had been over one thousand people hospitalized or treated and twelve dead in direct relation to neurotoxic dust inhalation.  The citizens of Devil’s Elbow are outraged by the results and are demanding answers from both the EAG and Afterglow as a whole. It was discovered by some that there is a medicinal mist called Serene that Afterglow Research Solutions has had available the entire time that neutralizes most effects caused from mind altering narcotics. The catch of this product being that it is only available from the EAA and Afterglow clinics and hospitals. This rumor has added fuel to the already wary undertone the presence of EAA units and uptick of peacekeepers in the city has brought. A paranoid sense that the Eastern Atlantic and Appalachia as a whole is becoming a military state, despite there being no proof to confirm such reasoning. Still, in order to quell the public’s concerns, there will be a special council meeting with a town hall afterwards to address how to handle the cultists in the future and other problems brought forth. So far, no arrests have been made and no extreme action has been taken. All other factions ( Jackals, Shamrocks, and The Silver Lining Militia ) have yet to make their feelings known. Last but not least, it is now known that there are giant moths in the environment, some with red and some with purple glowing eyes. It is unknown whether the eyes are caused by radioactive elements in their mutation or not, though some are attributing them to supernatural forces. Leaders of the Children of Mothman have promised the Night Mother will be addressing the eclipse soon. Afterglow Research Solutions and entomologists in the area are looking to get their hands on one of the species or observe them to find out more about them.

* OOC :

✱ DEHQ PLOT DROP 006 :

The Harvest Festival has been going off without a hitch or major complaint! Devil’s Elbow has come together as a community to bring a much needed time of celebration to each other and visitors from all corners of the East Atlantic. With the last known bunker opening soon after the start, it had been a worry that there would be more issues with integrating sheltered people into society but that train has yet to be derailed. The only real problems to speak of are regular issues for that time of the year: crime, missing people, radiation poisoning, and community rebuilding issues. Most of these could be solved with time, citizens and visitors listening to governance guidelines, and adding more peacekeepers to help keep the city and compound safe, along with the new East Atlantic Army ranger program designed to specifically deal with wildlife and environmental issues. 

There were some reports that were not easily solved, though there was evidence to what the cause of some of the recent missing person reports could be. On Sunday, October 14th the campers at the Whispering Pines campground were busy getting ready for their spooky sleepover when they heard screams in the distance. At first, they thought it was part of the haunted camping experience, but soon realized it was too far away for it to be the scare actors and it was past the restricted boundaries. Being that it was already after dark, peacekeepers and rangers were forced to wait until morning to investigate the reports. This wasn’t the first report that month, there had been another report near the Mothman Museum and outside the Devil’s Elbow Fairgrounds after closing. Unfortunately, the other reports hadn’t given much of any evidence to be found to correlate what happened. Investigators were not hopeful this time would be any different. 

On the brisk morning of October 15th, the rangers and peacekeepers went out in search of anyone in distress or needing help. After almost two hours of searching they came across evidence and remains of two bodies that appeared to be victims of a large animal attack. Everything was documented and brought back to the medical examiner to get more information on what happened. The Lead Ranger and Interim Chief Peacekeeper made a joint statement later that night that broadcast on all public networks and radio stations throughout the region. It stated that the two bodies found belonged to Ingrid and Sindri Strand, it appears they were leaving the haunted house attraction and were attacked by a large, unidentified predator. They believe all other reports can be attributed to this creature, minus the one camper that fell from Widow’s Peak after sneaking past barriers earlier in the month. 

Rangers are working with outside sources to find out what animal they are dealing with, they ask that if anyone has information to please call the hotline or email it in to the tip address. Until the threat is neutralized they ask that people stay inside city boundaries, the fairgrounds, or the resort where there will be extra lighting brought in along with reinforcement to ensure safety of those wishing to enjoy late night festivities. Otherwise, as always, please stay on designated sidewalks, trails, roads, and pathways and stay off the mountain and out of the heavily wooded areas unless you are an experienced survivalist or live in the area you are travelling to.  

✱ OOC :

On June 8th, 2125 at 8:27 a.m.,  Afterglow Research Solutions arranges a press release with WDER and The Daily Burn — after a week of working every minute of every hour of every day, Dr. Felix Estrada and the research teams at Afterglow laboratories are proud to announce that they have officially developed a viable antidote to the cicada toxin that promises a 95% success rate in eliminating the toxin from afflicted patients with very little in the way of adverse effects. There were five human casualties during clinical testing of the antidote. Families of those lost have been informed of their loved ones’ passing, the only explanation given being that the fatalities were a direct result of complications from the toxin. We offer our sincerest condolences, but there was nothing that could be done. No mention of the trials is made and, as a result, Afterglow Research Solution provides no compensation to the families of those affected.  Afterglow Research Solutions, in conjunction with the East Atlantic Governance, strongly advises that anyone exposed to the cicada toxin seek immediate treatment at the clinic in town or at the hospital facility on the compound. All doses of the antidote will be administered free of charge, an unspoken attempt by Afterglow PR to negate the negative press fostered by the corporation’s utter lack of solution at the start of the crisis. In spite of what was expected to be received as good news, the crowds of protesters that have gathered outside of the Afterglow Compound gates do not disperse with the announcement of an antidote, continuing to block the gates and demand answers. Why did it take so long to find a cure? Why are there not more details regarding the casualties resulting from the cicadas? Instead of answers, protesters are met with tear gas deployed by soldiers from the East Atlantic Army that remain posted along the wall surrounding the compound, an attempt to clear the gates for the ill and injured to get through. Members of the Silver Lining still present at the protests usher the crowd away from the gates and provide first aid to those hit by the gas.  The very same morning, several miles north  at the gates leading into the town of Burnington, a gruesome discovery is made. Five bodies, all strung up on the wall — they’re identified as Children of Mothman, two bearing the clear physical symptoms of the cicada attack and three others with visible bullet wounds indicating their demise — and each with a shamrock emblazoned on their chest. The Governance works quickly to remove the bodies once they’re discovered, but not before their remains are seen by hundreds — anyone attempting to enter the town, really, given the location chosen to display them. And with a bodies, a  clear message has been sent from the Shamrocks to the Children of Mothman so that there remains no question of the consequence of messing with the population of their town. EAG officials have yet to release any further statement regarding details on the identities of the victims or their cause of death but there are murmurs that the Night Mother will soon make an appearance to give a public response to the events.

✱ DEHQ PLOT DROP 005 :

It was October 7th, 2045 when the Moonlight Summit bunkers shut their individual blast doors across much of the Appalachian Mountain Range. There were a total of fifty bunkers, later called vaults by the Afterglow heads, some interconnected and some not, but all integral in the survival of humanity and preserving what was left of the world from the pending and inevitable destruction caused by the ongoing Great World War ( along with the planned nuclear detonations planned to kick it off by Afterglow and the other mega-corporations of the Western hemisphere ). Some were built with the intention to stay powered and maintain survival for nine-hundred years, while others were only built to withstand a year or two at max. The largest of these, and Afterglow’s pride and joy, Bunker 7 is one of the last known operating vaults in the Appalachian region. 

Contrary to what Afterglow Research Solutions and its mega-corporation partners would claim, the bunkers were not meant to save humanity in general. The entire program was hijacked by a national conspiracy involving human experimentation overseen by what would become the Project Safehouse committee. Rather than act to save humanity directly, Bunkers or Vaults were built to test their population as part of the Societal Preservation Program. The Program was basically a vast data gathering exercise, to provide the committee and Afterglow Research Solutions with the information necessary to construct several future scenarios, that included but wasn’t limited to: Multi-Planet Travel & Conquer, a New & Improved Human Race, Advanced Farming, Disease & Prevention, Citizen Army, and many others. This stemmed from the original board and CEO being split on whether or not the original detonations would spark Global thermonuclear war resulting in Earth being completely uninhabitable. 

This information was privy only to select Afterglow Research Solutions personnel ( primarily officers and some directors ), high-ranking members of the East Atlantic Army, and Project Safehouse committee members. 

As such all bunkers were designed to feed data to Project Safehouse. Of the fifty known public bunkers, there were six designed to work more or less properly, as control Vaults. The other forty-four Vaults were presented with a variety of scenarios, ranging from annoying to downright lethal, to gauge how humans would react and how they would survive them ( if at all ). Some were not provided with enough food synthesizers for their population, others had only men in them, or were designed to open prematurely. Each of these unique circumstances would provide vital data for the future, helping Project Safehouse figure out how to sustain people for hundreds of years in cryonic suspension for space travel. Then, to create generations of workers and leaders needed to rebuild or restore Earth if possible, how to create sustainable, closed ecosystems to grow food, purify water, and maintain breathable air, and in the case of control Vaults like Bunker 7, to test how recolonization of the surface using a Vault as base could work. All were intended to find out the theoretical lifespan limitations of Afterglow and other mega-corporation technology.

Afterglow itself didn't simply act as intermediary, it used the bunkers to create technologies that could be used to redefine society. Some of them worked and others are continuing to be developed now that most of the bunkers have been opened to the outside world. At least two bunkers were set aside to act as proving grounds intended to test a variety of prototype devices with the aim of rolling them out through the rest of the vaults. Mega-corporations expected to roll out new devices every fiscal quarter. Unlike other bunkers, Afterglow Research Solutions would send test subjects before any disaster scenario, starting in early 2078. Human lives were considered irrelevant, with quick iteration time given a priority. The prototypes were meant to convert ‘useless’ exercise into a socially-useful activity, manipulate the moods of the dwellers, or even develop crude forms of mind control. Ethical concerns were dismissed as counter-productive and close-minded. This testing continued into the compounds spread through the East Atlantic up to the present day.

Bunker 7 was tested numerous times with various scenarios but its primary goal was repopulation. As such they would accept arranged visitors ranging from great military minds, scientists, entrepreneurs, artists, and other hot ticket traits deemed needed for the new world. Said visitors were pre-interviewed before arriving, and if they passed as acceptable and were willing, they would come to Bunker 7 to donate to the cause and leave once their metaphorical seed was planted without complication. This project had led to many successful children being born and raised over the past eighty years with only a five percent failure rate as of 2124 reports show. The biggest downfall? Very few inside remember or even knew what it was like to live outside the protection of the vault, nor did they know how cruel and conniving some of humanity could be. 

On the morning of October 5th, Bunker 7 overseers opened the door to what they thought was a new batch of cleared donors. In reality, it was a group of particularly savage raiders leftover from a once thriving organized criminal organization formally known as the Scorpio Syndicate, located in the North. They played their roles to gain entrance and when they thought the timing was right, they attacked. What they didn’t know is that many of the bunker’s residents were trained in self-defense and beyond basic combat, with the exception of the young children who had yet to start and the advanced security team whose prime directive was to protect Afterglow’s precious experiment. They also didn’t expect there to be upwards of eight hundred inhabitants still alive and well, when only four hundred fifty originally entered. Needless to say the vault dwellers were more than surprised by the attack but in the end, they defeated the raiders and were able to evacuate their destroyed home into Devil’s Elbow and the nearby city of Burnington. For many, Bunker 7 has been the only home they’ve ever known and everything they know about the outside world is known only through stories and outdated source materials. 

Will they be able to survive? 

✱ OOC :