raisetheearth | Shepherd's Haven Event: Devil's Night

Who: Damon the doppelganger and OPEN TO ANY IN SHEPHERD'S HAVEN
What: Devil has an announcement to make in the form of arson and violence. Aforementioned player plot shenanigans.
Where: Shepherd's Haven
When: Forward dated to the night of October 30th, and probably into the morning of the 31st. Devil's night, in other words.
Status: Open with some closed-ish subthreads!
Warnings: Arson and violence?

No night had ever been so aptly named.

Shepherd's Haven wasn't anywhere near Michigan, but that didn't mean the festivities of Devil's Night couldn't be spread to far and wide locales. It was the perfect night, in fact, for the creature known as a demon to remind the sleepy little haven of precisely why it was unwise to prod the beast. Perhaps the one who called him there had forgotten, or perhaps he simply thought the devil had more bark than bite.

Oh, how wrong he was.

It began with fire. Several fires, to be precise. Small at first but fed with whatever accelerant Damon could find on hand. Fuel left unguarded, dry hay or straw. Did you know compost burns very well? It does, oh how it burns. And each fire set at different locations across the town, so quickly and so close to simultaneous one might almost think that they were set by several people at once.

Or one that could move very, very quickly.

The cherry on top was a door with a fading red "X" painted on it, ripped from its hinges and set ablaze, then left on the steps in front of the town hall.

[[OOC: Leaving this fairly open for anyone to react to and have their own threads/etc. of what's happening. Separate threads will go up for some more planned stages of the event, but if anyone wants to be unfortunate enough to run across Damon while he pursues his arsonist rampage through SH go ahead and put up a toplevel and just toss in the comment header that you want me.

Have fun dealing with those fires and rampaging demon, guys!]]

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Jacob shakes his head, and motions to grab Lazarus' arm, as if to pull him along.

"There's a man who looks like Tony," he stops for a moment, not sure if Lazarus knows who he's talking about. "A man with white, trim hair, and a sword, he's setting fire to everything. He said he had an 'invitation'. I tried to fight him, but he's too fast. We have to get out of here, and everyone, if we can."

Mentioning Tony's name, he hopes Tony's alright. But, this is an emergency. It doesn't do anyone any favours to dash around in danger looking for someone who may or may not be there. Jacob's face isn't exactly panicked, but obviously filled with concern, for anyone who may stumble into the path of the demon.

Whether or not Lazarus knows should become abundantly clear in the next few moments, as his face blanches from pale to some ashy shade of grey. He knows, even before Jacob clarifies; he might have suspected even earlier.

"There's an emergency shelter underground... you should have been made aware of it when you arrived. We use it to store canned goods and it's fairly well-hidden. The teleporter's location is too central to risk herding everyone toward it to travel single-file," he rattles off in a flat, hurried monotone. He pulls his arm away, clearly not intending to go anywhere Jacob tells him to for safety's sake.

"I've had dealings with Tony's doppelganger before. I might be able to talk him down and get him to leave," he says. "Get to the shelter. There's a generously outfitted first aid kit there. I'm going to fix this."

Jacob's face is a mix of confusion and being stubborn. How do you talk something like that down? And Lazarus' already pale face becoming even more so proves this guy is even more dangerous than what he had encountered.

"Look, I'm not claiming to know more than you, but he let me go." Jacob visibly grits his teeth at the memory. "I was lucky that he let me go. I landed a hit on him, and he didn't even blink. I don't think it even singed him. If he fights you, what do you have to defend yourself?" It's a question directed more at Lazarus' weakened state, whether he has powers, a weapon, or nothing at all. Damon's expression alone struck fear into Jacob's very being, the speed compounded that fear. He doesn't want someone else to be stuck against that. Jacob shakes his head, his expression becoming almost desperate. "Come to the shelter with me. If you say we can wait this out, why can't you?"

He's dangerous and merciless, and Lazarus has been easily incapacitated by him before and locked in a closet for days, all for a little bit of money. He's as petrified as anyone, but Shepherd's Haven means too much to him not to at least try.

"I know how it looks and sounds," Lazarus says softly, hands tightening around his ice stave. "But I'm not planning to fight him. Doppelgangers aren't always precise opposites of their originals... there are truths that run deeper, and they're still at the very least different sides of the same coin. Once I got through to him by making him a meal and leaving it for him. We stand for peace here and I have to at least try that."

Jacob stares. It's not that he doesn't understand where Lazarus is coming from. Peace is important. Admittedly, he didn't think of that when he first saw Damon. There was something about Damon's entire presence that made Jacob go instantly into defense mode. Could this demon be reasoned with? Even if it's an option, Jacob doesn't like the fact that Lazarus will be going it alone.

He gives a painful sigh as he thinks and scratches the back of his head. With a mild grimace, he looks Lazarus in the eye.

"Then let me come with you."

It's not the best of ideas, he knows he doesn't stand a chance against Damon, but he's got to stand a better chance in battle than Lazarus does. Maybe he can use distractions to his advantage.

Peace is the most important thing in this uneasy world. It's the mission statement of this community. It should be something that Lazarus is willing to put his life on the line for, and even though he's afraid, he's also in a leadership position. To crawl into a hole with those who trusted him enough to follow him to a strange land would feel wrong.

He shakes his head. "He let you go once. I don't think he would again. You're brave to offer, but I think my chances are better alone. Please see to your arm."

The temptation to grab Lazarus by the arm and drag him to safety is tempting. Even if Jacob isn't physically strong by any means compared to others, Lazarus is as frail as a daisy. It wouldn't take much, and his face probably shows that he's thinking about it considerably.

He grits his teeth for a moment. Considering life, pride, and possibility.

"This is stupid, y'know that, right?" His tone is resigned. "You better not die, then. Try to think of the people who need you for a change. Y'know, still alive."

Almost everyone is strong compared to Lazarus, but there are different kinds of strength, and what he's banking on has nothing to do with might or skill in combat.

"It's desperate," he corrects. "As am I. I have no intention of dying, because I am thinking about those people. If you want to help me, you can by finding stragglers and keeping them safe and calm in the shelter while we wait for help to arrive."

After a moment, Jacob nods.

"I will... Good luck, then."

Jacob waves with his good arm as he trots off to look for anyone else who might need help.

It seems clear that Jacob isn't going to try to spend any more time trying to change Lazarus' mind. Whether or not that's for the best remains to be seen, but the man is grateful for it. He offers a returning nod before starting briskly in the other direction into the flames, every sense on high alert.

Shepherd's Haven Event: Devil's Night

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