subconmodo: (H - oh worm?)
The Snatcher ([personal profile] subconmodo) wrote in [community profile] daybreakooc2019-08-13 05:23 pm

Snow in the Summer Plotting Post

Who's ready for some fucked up shit? I CERTAINLY AM.



Here's the overview (taken mainly from the mod writeup with a little elaboration from me)!

By the time the team reaches the town, the frozen-over museum has been turned into a warped facsimile of Vanessa’s manor. Furnishings entirely made of ice house artifacts arranged as if they’re ornaments or trinkets made to display to potential guests, and entire rooms made of ice are starting to surround the museum in a freezing maze.

And the reason for this rapid redecoration? Servants, of course. Not just anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in Vanessa’s initial onslaught, however - she’s seen fit to repurpose anything humanoid in the museum as her puppets, whether it be demonstrative mannequins, suits of armor, or merely anything that she can freeze and command to serve her. These servants will attack anything they see as an intruder - except for Avery, who they’ll attempt to capture or escort to the focal point of the museum, where Vanessa is waiting.

Unlike the frozen victims of the archaeology mission, these servants can speak due to being in close proximity to Vanessa’s magic, though their voices are clearly eerie and unnatural. If listened to without being alerted, they congregate in groups and make small talk as if they’re living people, though the chatter doesn’t hold up well and are actually just Vanessa’s distorted memories of what her servants spoke like centuries ago.

Fortunately, they’re not very good at combat. Unfortunately, Vanessa has the ability to hear them when they alert her, from any distance, and isn’t likely to be happy about anyone disturbing her new sanctuary...or a little too happy, maybe.

Vanessa herself has made the royal exhibit her throne room of sorts, which she inhabits when not stalking around her manor looking for ‘guests’. Driven mad by centuries of isolation and a slow accumulation of power, she cloaks herself in a projection of a terrifyingly large, human-shaped shadow with piercing red eyes. Her real body is somewhere within that darkness, and is the key to either subduing or killing her - but given her array of other powers, that might prove a difficult task.

Her powers are as follows:

Elemental: As displayed by the museum and the ice statues, Vanessa has a terrifying amount of control over ice. She can flash-freeze characters through touch (not instant but very, VERY quick), shape the ice around her into whatever she pleases, and use the ice itself as a weapon to attack and impale opponents.

The closer you get to her, the colder the room becomes, and hypothermia and frostbite are real risks to any who stay too close without protection.

Mental: Centuries of envelopment in dark magic have not done Vanessa any favors. The area around her tends to warp and distort and feel incredibly intense/claustrophobic. Characters might find it hard to think or feel terror/panic welling up within them.

I'm also lumping her speech in here with this category as well. The seers may not have been able to understand Vanessa, but your characters will. Very well. In fact, unless the character has a psychic block, her voice will echo in the characters' heads, clear as day, no matter how tightly they hold their hands over their ears.

I’m leaving Vanessa’s powers vague to give greater freedom with battle tactics and also because this isn’t my plot, but for simplicity’s sake as a suggestion, they’ll be grouped under one of two umbrellas - mental or elemental.

Shadow Projection: daring to enter the shadow projection will not only provide a dangerous temperature drop, but will also cause some degree of sensory deprivation and a sense of being cut off from the outside world. It's also the only place where you'll find her physical form, and a way to neutralize her as a threat.

Feel free to take some liberties with the powers for the sake of battle tactics and an interesting thread/having fun.
unpocoloco: (concern - questioning)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-13 11:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh buddy 8C

Héctor's useless in a fight for the most part his main concern here (and probable reason for going) will be keeping Avery from cracking.
unpocoloco: (Frosty)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-13 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Like said above, Héctor's useless. He'll handle the cold and he'll get by with not being caught by anything, but he's gonna be a little spooked when not actively focusing on keeping Avery's shit together as best he can manage.

My main thing is I want him to yell at Vanessa (very ill advisedly) in defense of his friend. Besides that, no set plans in particular. If he gets frozen in the process of this... he'll be okay.
onebetter: (Default)

[personal profile] onebetter 2019-08-13 11:15 pm (UTC)(link)
James is really here for the mission. His primary fight skills come from his rooms - he has rune armor that will isolate him from the cold at least a little, and he can fire a variety of energy beams or use the armor for hand to hand combat.

He also has no actual qualms about attacking Vanessa, he just wants to get the job done. Feel very free to yell at him about being emotionally considerate or just use him as a meat shield while plot happens!
nor_iron_bars: Enjoy such liberty (Default)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-13 11:25 pm (UTC)(link)
...to be honest, I think Jail would actually offer to help him bail, if he wants.
hattersgonnahat: (Dirty Jobs)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-13 11:28 pm (UTC)(link)
I've had this vivid scenario in my head for awhile that Puella would get it into her head that Vanessa is some variation of undead, and therefore should be weak against Flame Radiance.

At some point, most likely while someone else is in danger, Puella would actually give Vanessa a jump and try to burn her, to at least buy time. Whether it goes well or not Puella eventually gets thrown off, but not without getting affected internally by some of the ice magic too, that has be cured immediately before Puella becomes an ice statue too (through either normal cure spells, Radiance/other magical fires). The only reason why it didn't happen right away was from it not being an concentrated attack and Puella's Flame had been keeping the ice at bay, but only for so long.

So, the two things really needed is someone to rescue and someone to cure the ice, or perhaps they can be the same person.

Also even after the ice is gone, Puella's core body temperature might be all messed up for a few hours and is going to need to find other ways to stay warm as it restabilizes.
nor_iron_bars: And in my soul am free (No that ain't your style)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-13 11:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Jail can probably help keep Puella alive afterwards- normally I'd say that'd be the medic's job, but since Ekkehardt is scheduled to pull a dramatic temporary sacrifice...
hattersgonnahat: (Did I miss something?)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-13 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
...I dunno why the thought of Jail making an impromptu space heater seems hilarious. Though if there was anyone that could....
arcadianvampire: (Default)

[personal profile] arcadianvampire 2019-08-13 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Valvatorez might actually be in a position to fight Vanessa more directly; considering he himself is naturally resistant (though not totally immune) to ice and cold, and... well, fear effects on someone who once sought to be the very symbol of fear are probably less effective than normal.

She's still going to be unnerving and creepy as hell, though. This is still Vanessa. I played A Hat In Time, that lady is scary.

If anyone wants Val for anything in particular I'd be happy to work that one out.
nor_iron_bars: Enjoy such liberty (Default)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-14 12:06 am (UTC)(link)
She totally would, though. Just draw a bunch of elemental runes, wire the whole thing together with paper clips and duct tape, boom. Problem solved.
nor_iron_bars: With unconfined wings (Roaming the streets)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-14 12:09 am (UTC)(link)
Jail isn't likely to be able to do much damage to Vanessa directly- without knowing what she's up against ahead of time in order to tailor her gear appropriately, she doesn't have as much natural firepower as most.

However, she is very good at being fast, agile, and just generally hard to hit, and knows how to sneak around where she's not supposed to be. So she's potentially very handy for scouting out the situation and harassing Vanessa enough to distract her from more direct fighters.

Emotionally, she's not going to be thrilled about the whole situation, but she's seen fucked-up stuff before. She's going to be more concerned about Avery, than anything.
spelleton: (☀ i'll rise to face legends divine)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:05 am (UTC)(link)
GUESS WHO'S MAKING SOME POTENTIALLY INADVISABLE DECISIONS!! Ekkehardt is going to feel easier about cutting loose and doing something reckless given that Hieke is on hand to help and is a general all-purpose healer who already has some experience treating cold.

As an undead, Ekkehardt's fine with temperature drops (though he's not immune to the mind-warp effects but he'll just muscle through it). Once the ball starts rolling on combat (likely after Puella jumps on Vanessa and gets sort of frozen) , he'll shed any personal effects he wants to keep un-disintegrated and eventually end up setting off all his spells at once in a chain reaction that ends with him binding himself to Vanessa and self-destructing.

It's not going to kill her by a long shot, but the whole thing will be intended to stun/injure her enough to make bringing her down easier while she's disoriented and not able to focus. The binding spell will stick around after his 'death' until she breaks it, to add an extra layer of distraction for her to struggle with.

Emotionally he's more worried about Avery than anything else, though good luck getting him to admit it through more than brief implications and also good luck getting him to admit it's a big chunk of his reasoning for blowing himself up when he gets back.
Edited 2019-08-14 01:07 (UTC)
spelleton: from the river beds (☀ these souls keep whispering)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
i think it'd be fun for them to briefly fight together before Ekkehardt goes and detonates himself to give Val an opening, since they've cooperated before in a combat scenario!
spelleton: come rushing over me (☀ let the memory of rushing tide)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:13 am (UTC)(link)
wow, avery, don't do it too much or it'll almost be like you care or something

(take care of his knives while he's away, preferably don't use them to stab anyone, thx)
spelleton: (☀ to this lone wolf afraid)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:14 am (UTC)(link)
please absolutely focus down on beating the shit out of vanessa, someone's gotta
hattersgonnahat: (OH GOD WHY)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-14 01:16 am (UTC)(link)
...Well then.

HERE'S HOPING SOMEONE ISN'T AWAKE ENOUGH OR SOMETHING TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED.
nor_iron_bars: Enjoy such liberty (Default)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-14 01:20 am (UTC)(link)
I assume you're down for Jail rapidly putting two and two together re: lichdom and calling Aloisia post-fight, like we talked about? (She doesn't have to, if you'd rather not.)

It also might be fun to have the two of them on the battlefield at the same time, since they both tend to be very agile sneaky fighter types.
nor_iron_bars: And in my soul am free (No that ain't your style)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-14 01:21 am (UTC)(link)
...Here's a thought: giving James yet more reasons to feel confused about Jail as a person by having her bail him out of some deep trouble during the fight. Or just the two of them fighting side by side, if you don't want him getting himself in trouble. Yes/no? :D
spelleton: that you hear on the breeze (☀ i sing the songs)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:22 am (UTC)(link)
oh absolutely, i'd be down for both these things! i'll probably include a phone toplevel because aloisia would absolutely ping his phone to see what's up
spelleton: and i don't want to leave (☀ i was born on the lake)

[personal profile] spelleton 2019-08-14 01:23 am (UTC)(link)
it's fine he'll be back in two weeks! nothing to worry about
hattersgonnahat: (Daunting)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-14 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
Two weeks is a pretty long time!!!!
nor_iron_bars: Enjoy such liberty (Default)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-08-14 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
Cool, sounds like a plan. Poor Aloisia, this probably isn't even the worst phonecall she's ever gotten about him.
onebetter: (♥)

[personal profile] onebetter 2019-08-14 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
HE'LL GIVE HIS BEST..............
onebetter: (salute)

[personal profile] onebetter 2019-08-14 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
The question is how successful it'll be but attempts are made..
onebetter: (poster boy)

[personal profile] onebetter 2019-08-14 08:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I am absolutely here for Jail helping him out! James is giving his all and trains a lot, but he's still a fairly inexperienced fighter when it comes to practice situations, so!!
hattersgonnahat: (Watching the world burn)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-15 03:23 am (UTC)(link)
Hell yeah. Puella gets a sweet heat lamp while the rest murder a snow queen twice as hard.

Sounds like a good night.
unpocoloco: (Skeleton worried)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-15 07:33 am (UTC)(link)
I believe I've mentioned how VERY UPSET Héctor will be only he'll put off processing it forever until Ekkehardt comes back and then all the feelings will slam him and by that I mean he's gonna shake Ekkehardt by the shoulders.
unpocoloco: (Looking Up)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-15 07:34 am (UTC)(link)
WELL SINCE JAIL'S GOT "AFTER" COVERED AND NO ONE ELSE IS OFFERING I guess Héctor can be a total idiot who's around for radiance blast again??? UP TO YOU
hattersgonnahat: (Not so loud)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-15 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
SINCE IT'S DIRECTED AT SOMEONE ELSE MAYBE IT'LL BE FINE???

...Hector why
unpocoloco: (pls)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-15 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
He's a mistake, it's all he knows how to make he can't just let that dumb queen hurt the girl. Maybe make a heroic dive and roll and run away with Puella. Catch these hands, Vanessa.
hattersgonnahat: (Let's Get Dangerousss)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-15 03:55 pm (UTC)(link)
I mean, fair ;;. It's better than hitting the ground too...

...Sure is gonna be fun too once Kit finds out everything that happens.

unpocoloco: (Eeuugh)

[personal profile] unpocoloco 2019-08-15 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
Look, Kit, he did his best.
hattersgonnahat: (Overseer)

[personal profile] hattersgonnahat 2019-08-15 07:23 pm (UTC)(link)
IT'S FINE. It could have gone a lot worse.

...and Avery was actually right.