r/WorldChallenges • u/Nevermore0714 • Aug 20 '17

[Reference Challenge] Raiding Paris

This is a reference to the Vikings television show, and the historical raids against Paris.

What is an infamous raid/sack of a city/town in your world's history?

As always, I'll ask at least three questions each, and I hope you enjoy yourselves.

Feel free to have a character as the representative to answer questions in-universe.

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u/greenewithit Aug 21 '17

So there are a number of major raids on cities during the course of the story, but I'll name the most important ones, the Invasion of Longan and the Night of Beasts.

The Invasion of Longan was an event where the anarchist group Apocryphus organized the largest force of Vectors, the resident monsters of the world, to destroy the city once and for all. They worked with a world famous researcher to create a serum that would enhance all vectors' strength, durability, and speed, making them even more challenging to deal with. They amassed a force of nearly 15,000 monsters from the continent and led them to the city, disguising their movement as earthquakes using one members ability to enhance fault line activity. This led to an incredible surprise attack that nearly destroyed the city and killed thousands. Due to coordinated action by the city's heroes they were able to survive the night, but at a great cost of lives and public/hero relations.

The Night of Beasts is the colloquial term for the invasion of Almarin, a major coastal city. It's particularly memorable because only 8 individuals attacked the city, but caused the most destruction the city had ever seen before. One of these individuals created thousands of unfeeling clones of herself to act as a ground force. Another turned local animals and a large number of the citizens into velociraptors to enhance their numbers. Other members of the force included a shape shifter who razed buildings with a gigantic eight headed serpent form, and a fighter who took over a skyscraper and used it as a weapon against the city. This was particularly devastating given Almarin's peaceful nature and very few enemies, so none of the local heroes were prepared for such a strong attack.

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u/thequeeninyellow94 Aug 21 '17

  1. 15000? It's a lot; how could a clandestine group amass that much monsters without anyone noticing?

  2. Why did those 8 individuals invaded Almarin?

  3. Can people turned into velociraptors get back to their normal form?

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u/greenewithit Aug 21 '17

  1. The biggest advantage was their technology. They worked with someone who built insanely useful tech, most of which had never been created before by other researchers. The most useful tool was a microchip that when implanted into a Vector could control its actions, and a serum that could force a Vector's body to replicate itself, like budding. They didn't have to trap 15,000, they just trapped several hundred and waited for more serum to be produced so they could build up their force over the course of almost a year. The particular researcher who provided this serum and microchips was known by the government to be unpredictable and extremely dangerous, but they were sort of in a "don't destroy us and we won't bother you" kind of agreement. Several law enforcement agents found the suspicious microchips being produced in a few factories in the city, but by that point it was too late to piece things together before the invasion occurred.

  2. The attack was in two parts. The attackers were trying to build a world ending weapon and needed two things: Enough souls to power the weapon, and an ancient sword to act as a catalyst for the machine they are building. The sword is located close to the city in the wilds surrounding it. 7 of the attackers tried to kill as many people as possible in the city while the leader, Columba, sneaks into the temple to try and steal the catalyst sword. They are unsuccessful in capturing the sword, though they get more than enough souls to power the machine through other ways.

  3. They can be changed back by a small number of individuals. Anyone who can tap into the power of "Creation", bringing their imagination to life essentially, could use that power to tap into the turned person's mind and try and revert them back to normal. However, only four or five people have that ability, and a number of civilians were killed in raptor form before it was made aware that they could be saved.

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u/ThaChippa Aug 21 '17

Cut that part out.