The wyrdstorm is almost upon us, so here’s an OOC post explaining how it will work in-game.
Duration: One week (Saturday August 20 to Saturday August 27)
Effects: Amnesia! Characters will only remember their day for the period in which they are awake. On sleeping – even for a moment – their memories will be wiped back to Saturday. They might not even remember that the storm causes this effect.
Effect on magic: Magic may be unpredictable when cast for the week, but is otherwise unaffected.
Effect on technology: Technology has been extremely affected. Complex machines will not work, high technology such as computers and lab equipment will need to be locked away in Faraday cages. Cars will break down, electric lights will struggle to work at all. The use of firearms is not advised, and in any case, may be impossible.
Effect on Awoken: The Awoken will be just as affected by the storm as humans are, and the effects of them casting their magic may not be reliable.
Effect on the city: The public will be largely absent from the streets outside of daylight hours. Most will be aware of what’s going on, but the homeless and other elements may not be.
Effect on DMS: Some agents will be nominated as “rangers” between different DMS precincts, who travel between outposts on horseback to facilitate communications. Agents will be given stimulants to stay awake, and work long shift patterns, so will suffer from fatigue. They will use their swords, rather than guns. The Malleus chemical suppressant will still work.
Wild magic: This storm is severe, so known places of wild magic will be extremely agitated during the storm and mutate unexpectedly. Patches of wild magic may also appear without warning elsewhere.
Notes:
As the storm is up, this means that all threads set between the dates above must take the above effects into account.
The definition of “asleep” includes characters who nod off for a moment or two, or who are knocked out. The key here is losing consciousness.
People can, under the right conditions and with the right training, stay awake for up to 11 days. Realistically most people will not be able to handle much more than 24-48 hours straight without nodding off.
DMS stimulants provide a boost of caffeine and energy for up to six hours, depending on the person. Long-term use has nasty side effects, however, and can be fatal. The comedown is ugly.
Possible storm-specific plot ideas:
- The characters wake up in the middle of a corporate vault, with no memory of how they got there, and then the alarms go off. - The characters wake up in a room, with no idea of who each other are, or where they are, or who the body lying in the middle of the floor was. All they know is that someone in the room may have killed them. - One character wakes up, their house has been broken into, and their friends/family are gone. They have to piece together what happened, enlist the help of others and track them down before it’s too late. - A group of DMS agents discovers a plan to break Awoken prisoners out of jail, and must travel across the city, through hostile territory, to warn their comrades before they fall asleep and forget what they learned. The trouble is, they’re on their last stimulant, and have been awake for nearly three days already. - A group of characters wake up in Central Park, where the wild magic has overrun the entire district and created a maze. They have to find their way out, but a mist is passing through that puts people to sleep when they touch it. Meanwhile, something else may be hunting them.