Zeitgeist Blue

GM You hear a crack as one of the gargoyles punches the wall of stone surrounding them. They try again, unphased, but again the wall does not yield. Seemingly at a loss on what to do, the two gargoyles look at Alaynah. Their boss doesn't take long to recover. Though she has to press a hand to her forehead to stem the bleeding, she forces herself to stand. She looks up at you and you see the look in her one good eye as she realizes that she's been beat. "*#%&." She doesn't holster her revolver but she keeps it lowered, and begins to pace the enclosure. "About Advay?" She calls from the middle of the stone wall. "Why do you want to know anyway? Is it justice? Revenge? Or do you work for another cryptid Clans?" She scoffs. "You can keep your bribe. Think whatever you give is going to compensate for the loss in my reputation when word gets out that I sold my client?" She spits on the ground, the scorn on her voice apparent. "That's not going to happen." She looks back up to you and as if steeling herself, exhales slowly. She glances at the Carnifex quickly then returns her attention back to you. "If you want that information, come here yourself like a real woman and take it."

GM Again, the Carnifex rushes after them, leaving you behind with your Griffin. After a few minutes of chase, you hear a crash and a rumble, as if an old structure was tumbling apart. It ceases quickly and when you turn the corner you see a what looks to have been a wall, now turned to rubble. Dust still billows from the rubble, indicating it had been made only a second ago. Alaynah and her crew have their backs to the wall, hemmed in by the Carnifex. Their clothes are matted in dust, and you see Alaynah has blood seeping from a head wound. The woman raises the huge revolver at the Carnifex as a fit of coughing comes over her. Her aim wobbles and her shot is wide, the bullet ringing off the walls of the Underdark. She groans and pulls out a fistful of bullets, struggling to reload the weapon through her daze. Her two companions fare better and both stand as the Carnifex approaches. Their hoods are gone and you can clearly see their stone-like skin and glowing red orbs for their eyes. They look like matching gargoyles, straight from a gothic cathedral, save for the glowing crests on their foreheads. The twins raise their fists, ready for a fight and to protect their boss. Your arrival does not go unnoticed, and one punches their fist with a sharp crack, sending a puff of dust in the air. What do you do?

Salvo "Thanks, I think?" Nicole stopped her speech momentarily as she looked at Justice as the other hero compared her to a cartoon. On the one hand, it kind of felt lame to have her life be compared to cartoons but on the other hand, Justice thought it was cool. Salvo sat back down on the kitchen table as Justice offered her coffee. She nodded, placing the amulet on the table in front of her. "Coffee's good please." "You could say I left Emerald for Freedom." Nicole began as she waited. "I grew up here, though I hadn't spent so much time here as I could. And even if I attended high school in Freedom, problems won't go away just because. They're... personal, kind of, but things that require both Salvo and my personal effort to solve." Her family's legacy, she thought. Crime and magic mixed together does not make a good combination. Others stole from her family's assets despite her best efforts, leaving her poorer and poorer by the day, until her gathered inheritance was lost. She had little of the blood money that her parents had accumulated over the years now. And if it had come to that, she would have best left it alone. But the other her had come, with a whole criminal empire's worth of power, looking to forge the disparate elements left in the wake of her family's demise. Despite Nicole's efforts, she was succeeding. A secret hidden save for those in the know, who practice their arts in secret. Nicole looked at Justice, making coffee, for all the world ignorant of Nicole's heavy thoughts. "You said you've seen your share of secrets in Emerald. Like what exactly? Because my problems are that to the public, a conflict in secret, and I mean to keep them that way."

GM "Elliot, shut the hell up!" Elaine's yell cuts through your own. Her eyes are flint hard as she stares you down, but she take a breath to calm herself and her next words are quieter. "Shouting won't help anything. But we need to make sure mom and she," she gestures to the body. "Is fine. I know it's hard, but trust me when I say that thing won't be back. It won't. If it had wanted to it would have killed mom and you and me, but instead it left." She closes her eyes and shudders. "So we're safe now." Then before anything more could be said, your mother stirs in Elaine's arms, causing your sister to comfort your mother again. But your mother ignores your sister, and shakily pushes away from Elaine's embrace. She stands and Elaine stands, lending your mother a hand. She looks at your mother apprehensively, as if not sure what would happen next. Emma's eyes are haunted as she turns them to you. Her face is pale, the color drained from her, and with shaky steps she moves towards you. "Elliot. Elaine" she says, her voice hoarse. She stumbles the few feet towards you and almost collapses as she reaches you but she reaches for you, steadying herself. You see your sister a few feet away, ready to rush in if your mother needs help. "Please," she says, looking up to you then to Emma. "Don't tell me it was any of you." She turns back to you, her hands cupping your face, forcing you to meet her eyes. The lights of the study paint a harsh picture. Your mother looks like she had gained years from whatever fear the Terror had inflicted upon her. But her hands are strong still as she whispers loud enough for Elaine to hear. "What Rebellion do They speak off?"

Obstacle Roll: 1d20 = 17 Alaynah will do a Reverse Maneuver using Acrobatics. Acrobatic's Roll: 1d20+8 = 14 Reflex Save: 1d20+3 = 15 Toughness Save vs DC18: 1d20+7 = 8. Staggered. Stunned. *** Pursuit Lead: -3 lengths Terrain: Close Starting Speed: Half maximum speed of 25MPH = 18MPH Obstacle Chance: 17-20 Obstacle Difficulty: 18 Pursuer: The Dreamer and The Carnifex Target: Alaynah and Co. *** Have the Carnifex make a Reflex Save vs DC 18 and a Toughness Save, DC 15 or 20 depending if the Reflex Save passes (+ the difference if the roll failed). *** And after that the Pursuit ends. The Carnifex catches up to Alaynah and co. IC to be up later.

Salvo "It's plain to see if one has the sight or the senses expanded to the Beyond." Nicole held it up to examine it. Her glasses began to glow a soft purple light, reflecting the amulet's cast but also generating its own Identity. She looked closer, held it until her nose almost touched the facets of the jewel. There was nothing more mesmerizing than a mystery, and she held one in her hand. "A pretty gem for most and nothing more," she continues, breathless. She reaches out with her free hand, fingertips caressing the smooth surface. "A power source to you, but who knows what secrets lie underneath, yet untold? If only one knew how to look, to sing and bring them out gleefully." She tore her gaze away from the amulet. Shaking her head from the spell, her eyes settled on Justice. "I don't doubt your experiences. Cities are more than what mortals can ever explain, and Emerald is bursting to the seams with the unknowable, more than even Freedom." Nicole's face visibly softened as Justice mentioned her grandmother's role. She nodded, her face awash in relief. "Good, good. Then your grandmother might know more about this. If you ask her maybe she could teach you of her arts, though I don't know why she didn't before." "Ask her. Maybe it the secret was yours to figure before she could impart her knowledge. There could be rules I don't know about at stake here." She moved to hand the amulet over to Justice but stopped, her mind fraught with second thoughts. Then she retracted her hand. "Could I, hold on to this? I'd like to study it more, at least while we're in the AnneX."

Okay. Roll that, Notice again, and I'll get mine's up in a bit.

Hey @Kaede Kimura, can you pick a Maneuver and who will do it?

GM The Terror faces you and your sister. It stretches its arm to the side, hefting your mother higher for all to see. For a heartbeat, the three of you stand still. The only movement in the study is your mother's struggle. She whimpers coarsely as she catches scraps of air. Then lightning strikes again, setting the room ablaze with light. The lightning shakes the Terror into motion, and as if she were no heavier than a doll, it tosses your mother over the study's desk. She lands with a crunch and lays there, cradling her arm. Thunder rumbles and the Terror turns and climbs out of the broken window. In a few moments, it vanishes, dark miasma fading into the dark of night. "Mom!" Your sister rushes to your mother's side. Worry is in Elaine's eyes as she looks over your mother for injuries. After a few moments, it seems that your mother got off lightly, no permanent harm done save for the scare The Terror had given her and brief strangulation. "Mom, it's alright." Elaine cradles your mother's face between her hands. Yet your mother still stares off into space, not quite meeting Elaine's eyes. But Elaine wraps her arms around your mother, whispering sweet comforts to her. "It's alright. Your alright. Your alright." After a while, Elaine looks to you. "Elliot, can you check... check on her? I think she's one of our maids." Elaine's eyes look up, to where the body lies on your mother's desk. Lying facedown, you can't quite see how badly she's been hurt.

Okay, The Carnifex ably navigates the alleyways, looking for a way to cut its targets off. However, Alaynah and Co. barrel their way through, no really making a secret where they've been, and manage to stay one step ahead of The Carnifex. *** Pursuit Lead: 9 lengths Terrain: Close Starting Speed: Half maximum speed of 25MPH = 18MPH Obstacle Chance: 17-20 Obstacle Difficulty: 18 Pursuer: The Dreamer and The Carnifex Target: Alaynah and Co. *** Do an IC, then choose your next Maneuver and who will do it.

Salvo Justice opened the window and Nicole's breath was stolen away as the alien sky swirled above. It was mesmerizing and she found her eyes drawn to the sky, eyes glazed over, as if she had just remembered how it was to be tranquil after a very long time. Justice's voice broke the spell and Nicole turned to the other hero with a start. This was not the Dimension of Doors but it was a transitive one, Justice's explanation made that all clear. Salvo knew of parallel dimensions tied to their own not with magic, or tied with just magic. She knew people who came from them and took refugee in Freedom City. She'd been in several of them against her own volition and her instincts screaming danger at her. But for all her experiences as Salvo, she couldn't think of one time where another dimension left her alone. To let her guard down was a liberty she had not known other worlds would allow her, until now. "Can I?" She held out her hand for Justice's amulet and, if the item was handed over, she'd twirl it between her own fingers, contemplating the purple-pink stone in her hand. "This could be the cornerstone for how you defend yourself and your family," Nicole said after a while and handed it back to Justice. She struggled to find what words to say but continued in a halting manner. "But you aren't utilizing it to its fullest potential. It's as if you know the output but not the input, and definitely not its inner workings." She shook her head, frustrated with herself, and stood from the chair, walking away to face the kitchen, hand on her hips. She never liked inducting the uninitiated as she never had the patience to guide them or the people skills. She preferred to pass the burden to someone else, but now she was thrust the responsibility as if didn't have enough on her plate. There were others who could but they only both knew Santa Muerte, an idea she immediately rejected. The room was small and fit only for one person, barely. But with a few hours and more furniture placed elsewhere, it could easily take in another one. "What do you know about the occult and the arcane?" Nicole asked, turning her head to watch Justice from the side of her eye. "Hidden from the world of science. Man walks basking in the sun but the practitioner slinks in the daark to perform her art in secret. They will never understand... but maybe, you might." She stepped beside Justice and took the hand holding the amulet, raising it between them. Light glowed, casting their faces in a purple haze. "Who gave you this amulet? Be truthful."

Okay. Have the Carnifex make a Notice roll. Count The Dreamer and The Carnifex as one Pursuer. Alaynah: 1d20+8 = 21. Obstacle Roll: 6. None

Who'll be doing the Intercept Maneuver? Alaynah will take the Pull Ahead Maneuver.

GM Alaynah's face remains stony, if nervous, as you say the names of who you seek and why. But her fingers stray even closer to her revolver. Before you can finish your bluff, Alaynah pulls out her revolver and in one smooth motion that belies its size, shoves it straight at you. She pulls the trigger and with a bang the revolver fires, the huge barrel smoking. The bullet smashes against your summoned dreams towards your chest. But the bullet stops short of harming you and you see the color in Alaynah's face drain. Her one good eye shifts towards the Carnifex, as if to measure what the monster will do with its master attacked. She mutters what sounds like "Move" to her companions and as one they turn tail and break into a sprint. For all the baggage her colleagues haul, they are able to keep up with their boss, and the shadows quickly swallow them whole. Their footsteps fade with each passing second. The streets and alleys of the Undercity are cramped and the routes forgotten by all save for the dwellers of the Undercity, the criminals, and the forgotten. In these shadows one could hide until the tides turn red and the city above rots. You could lose Alaynah here, until she brings her head above again for another job in a week or a month's time. But by then the trail towards the murderer you seek would be cold, another murderer walking free from justice.

Well, hopefully we don't get to the finger eating part! Ever. And sorry, I forgot to say who does what action. The Dreamer Bluffs and the Carnifex Intimidates. Sense Motive vs Intimidate: 1d20+5 = 7 vs. 1d20+10+2 = 19. Take back the HP used on the Carnifex. She's not going to stay to find out. Bluff vs Bluff = 1d20+8 = 19 vs. 1d20+4 = 19. Alaynah wins through a higher bonus. But she's going to try anyway. Standard Attack, All-Out Attack + Power Attack: 1d20+10 = 19 The Dreamer makes a DC 24 Toughness roll. Then they bolt out of there. We begin a Pursuit. *** Pursuit Lead: 8 lengths Terrain: Close Starting Speed: Half maximum speed of 25MPH = 13MPH Obstacle Chance: 17-20 Obstacle Difficulty: 18 Pursuer: TBA Target: Alaynah and Co. So how this goes is you choose a Pursuer Maneuver and who does it, and I say what you have to roll for it. I choose what Maneuver and who does it, and what they roll. It's an opposed check so whoever wins gets to resolve their Maneuver's effects.

GM "I don't know." Elaine shakes her head at your question about the body lying on the desk. She licks her lips, nervous. "Just stay calm, alright? Mom's i--." Her voice hitches up. She moves towards the light switch near the doorway, arm outstretched to grope for it. She keeps her eyes on the other side of the room as if looking at something hidden within the shadows. Finally, Elaine finds her voice. "Mom's in trouble, Elliot, and I'm not sure we can do anything about it but. Stay. Calm." Before she finds the light switch, lightning flashes against the window, throwing the whole room into stark relief for that one instant and you see your mother behind her desk. She faces away from you into the broken glass. A figure wrapped in ragged clothes looms over her. White, glowing eyes peer at your mother. Dark miasma rises from it, as if it were steaming against the cold and wet of the room. Yellow, desiccated fingers wrap around your mother's throat and The Terror lifts her as if she weighed nothing. You hear your mother choke, gasp for air. Her hands claw at The Terror's arm, desperate to get away. Then thunder rumbles and the lightning fades, the scene swallowed up by darkness again. Your sister whimpers then flicks the light switch, throwing the room back into the light. You hear your sister exhale slowly as she sees the scene before the both of you. "I don't know what you want," she yells at The Terror, impotent with your mother at its mercy. "But you aren't getting it like this. Let her go and we'll talk! We'll make a deal! "

An Intimidate roll would be good, yes. And roll a Bluff too for the Carnifex with a +5 modifier.

Salvo: 5 posts + 14 GM posts = 19 posts = 2PP Backtrack (5) GM: 7 posts = 14 GM posts (to Salvo) Hunt for the Serpent (4) The Basement Shudders (3) The Jadetown Shuffle (0)

Salvo Salvo gave a simple nod as Justice apologized, then watched impassively as the other hero moved towards the door. Justice had perked up too quickly and too neatly. No doubt she continued to hold much of her source of stress, but if that breakdown was her release valve from all the pressure then there was no telling when it would next explode. She'd keep an eye out for when that'd happen again. Right now, after the danger had passed and they were safe was alright. But if it were to happen somewhere more dangerous was what she needed to be careful off. No one to see, Nicole stepped out from her armor, tugging at her domino mask self-consciously. Bellios disappeared. Now unarmored save for her hoodie and jeans, she followed Justice into the headquarters and looked around at the mess. A living area, a kitchen, and a workshop. She picked up what looked like a piece of armor, actuators and energy sources and all, turning it in her hand as Justice gave the headquarters a name and short explanation. She snorted back a laugh. "Trippy's out middle name, you know that? We're related that way." She placed the armor piece down and turned to look at Justice. "So this is the place you were talking about the other day? Doesn't look too bad for one person. You've got a kitchen and living room but no bed, so you stay here a day at most working on your stuff. It's something I can get behind." She bobbed her head with the thought. She'd done the same herself many times. "Though we need a whole lot more space if we're fitting in our as-of-yet-unnamed group of individual heroes." She pulled a chair from a table and sat down. "Z-Space," she muttered to herself. "How'd you find this place? No interdimensional guardians bothering you here? Sounds nice."

GM You answer, stating your purpose and what you would go to achieve it, but every word seems only to make Alaynah frown even more. As you finish, she scoffs, hands on her hips. "I don't know who you're talking about." She shakes her head. "Sorry, but whatever information you think you could have found with us isn't here. So maybe you and your griffon should go and leave us in peace." She gestures and her colleagues move to collect their dropped luggages. She glances towards you, looking you from head to toe. "And what's with the armor and the mount? Are you one of those costumed heroes from Freedom? Long way to travel for one murder." Her colleagues set with their luggages. She gives you a nod and turns to leave, but freezes as the Carnifex rises over you, issuing its threat with all the glee in the world. If your softer approach doesn't elicit the proper reaction, then this does. Alaynah's eye widens as she places a hand on a huge revolver holstered on her belt. Her colleagues look to the Carnifex then to their boss for guidance and ready for a fight or to run, their baggage still in their hands. "What the @#$% is that?" Alaynah's voice voice trembles slightly. "Jesus. You stay the hell away or I shoot. You got that?"

That'd be a fail for Diplomacy. Opposed Sense Motive Check: 1d20+5 = 16

GM The Terror watches as you run from your room, through the empty corridors of your family mansion. Glass shatters behind you. The wind blows heavily against the windows, howling as you race down the main staircase set in the middle of the hall. Thunder rumbles and for one moment the whole hall is emblazoned in a mad kaleidoscope of colors. The stained glass back lit with lightning. Past the many vases and statues, artfully picked by an interior designer, that line one of the corridors from the main hall you hear faint footsteps ahead of you. Running, just like you. You turn the corner and you see the door to your mother's study ajar. Faint light streams from the doorway. Voices are raised, the words muffled by the growing storm outside. You hear your mother wail. Your sister's voice, pitched high. You burst into the lighted room but respite does not greet you. In the far side of the darkened two-storied room, past the twin walls shelved in bookcases and the exquisitely fine fur rug, past the ottomans around a coffee table and fine china set, tea still steaming, there sits your mother's heavy oak work desk. A female body lies on that table, lit by a lamp. The body lies still, face down against the tabletop, and slumped down. Her arm hangs limp over the table. "Elliot?" You hear your Elaine's voice whisper a few feet to the side as you enter the doorway. "Is that you?" The room is dark and her face is covered in shadows, but even then you can hear the fear tremble her voice She shakes her head and raises an arm as if to stop you from going any further. Only your sister is here. You have yet to see your mother, but perhaps she is hidden beneath the shadows. Even from where you stand, you can see the broken window behind your mother's desk. Stretching from ceiling to floor, broken shards hang from it and the wind howls, blowing detritus and leaves inside. The air is cold and wet in the study all the more.

Salvo Salvo was about to continue, but something in Justice's tone cut her off. Whatever she had said had been the last straw and sent Justice on a full-blown rant. Salvo watched the other hero impassively from behind her visor as Justice vented it all out, until her anger dissipated into a trembling. Fragile, as if it could break if stepped on too hard. Justice slumped down on the floor, against the wall. Her heart pounding. Her breath heavy. There was silence as Salvo waited for her to cool down. Then she moved closer and bent down, balancing on the forefront of her boots. She stared down at Justice, her visor reflecting the other hero like a vivid red-tinted mirror. And then she waited until Justice acknowledged her. "I am offering you my help," Salvo said, in a measured pace. "If you want, take it. Or don't. You aren't the first to face danger like this and I doubt you'd be the last." She paused, taking stock just how much she was willing to share to a stranger, maybe colleague. Then she continued, her voice oddly flat as if she were reciting a textbook. "My enemies hound me constantly and now I'm backed to a cliff. They know my identity and I don't doubt that once they find out who my family are that they'd hesitate in threatening them if it suited their purposes. I know of ways to frustrate their search but the effort to maintain the blinds take so much time, especially with my responsibilities as a hero. I don't think I have the time for rest except when I sleep, and even then I can feel the blinds slowly slipping away." She stopped herself before she could drift off. That was enough. Then she refocused on Justice and turned a palm upwards. An offer. "This is what you want, right? Individual heroes dealing with things together?"

GM Two glowing white eyes from underneath a hood greets you. The figure perches on a ledge right by your window. Dressed in rags, its face hidden in shadows. Dark miasma rises like steam from its form, obscuring its features even more in the darkness of the night. The wind howls, leaves blowing in the air outside your room, and a nearby tree branch raps against your window. Again, the sharp crack. The figure notices you, turning its glowing eyes to regard you as mere inches and a pane of glass separate the both of you. Slowly, it drags its hand against the window pane and plants its palm against the glass. Sickly, yellow skin and dark fingernails. You see those clearly as thin cracks on the glass begin to web out from its palm. But before you can do anything, you hear a scream. It resonates through the Elder Mansion, echoing against the empty walls. Mortal and terrified, she screams again as if to ward off evil, as if her life and her children's' lives depended on it. Your mother screams and the being beyond the window pane considers you with glowing eyes.

Salvo With a grunt, her sabaton crunched through the pavement, sending large shards of gravel flying. Then she whirled toward the other shapeshifter, and sure enough the girl had teleported to him. Before Salvo and Justice could do anything, the shapeshifters were gone, though Salvo could register the quickly collapsing tear in reality left in the pair's wake. Then that too was gone, leaving Salvo and Justice alone. "Before the police arrive, yes." Salvo finished Justice's thought with a low growl. She was clearly frustrated. Sure, they had confirmed that Justice's tech was being snitched, but the whos and whys and hows were still up in the air. Who were the pair? Did they have a connection with Max Mars? Why Justice of all heroes? How did they find out about her? How else did they fit in? The questions raced through her thoughts, but she squashed them down. They were questions for another time. For now, they had to make their own escape. Idly, Salvo blind-wiped any electronics in the area and stepped forward as Justice created a rainbow-colored portal. Her sensory-suite took snapshots and created a model from the data, detailing the effect for her. Magic and tech, much like her own works. "You'll have to destroy or move your own equipment, sooner rather than later," Salvo said as she stepped through the portal. "And you need to take precautions with any of your friends or family as well. Your identity's known and that's a Sword of Damocles hanging over your head as much as anything."