Zeitgeist Blue

May 17, 2020

Ask all the questions you want.

But take an HP as I compel A Dream of Comfort for Adrianna to accept the plea for help.

May 17, 2020

GM

"The glamor charm is only lifted for us," Vicente says, clearly speaking from memory. "It has something to do with beliefs or something similar. The specific mechanics escape me."

The introductions are brief - an exchange of names, an acknowledgement by the dwarf then the lady with the caat features. Your dreams provoke a few questions born from their curiosity but they do not gawk as most civilians likely would have in the presence of powers.

"So are they, like, alive?" Angel asks as she reaches out to pet a bird. "They're kinda cute but also kinda sad if they're alive only as long as you dream them, don't you think?"

After the introductions, Vicente and Daria lead you to the front porch of a trailer home. They sit down by a patio table. Daria motions for you to join them as Vicente places his folder on the table, taking out several other documents.

"We need your help," he finally says. "You'll have to forgive us for the rush introductions. Usually we'd ease someone into our community, but we are pressed for time. Have been pressed for time for about a month now, and I hope you believe that we are who we say we are."

"A bunch of fairy tale characters, non-humans, and genetically modified humans," Daria says. "Sharing a community to provide security and comfort, and all that."

Vicente slides forward a printed internet news article. There is a picture of a middle-aged man of Hindu ethnicity staring . The title of the article is, "Man, 57, Murdered in Apartment. Murderer Still at Large."

Vicente continues. "You may have heard about this in the news. About a month ago, Yatin Basu was found dead in his apartment, shot in the head, with signs of struggle in the apartment. What the article doesn't mention is that the ECPD know the identity of the killer, a Advay Upal, who was considered a friend of Yatin, and are on the lookout for someone like him. It's a small-scale manhunt. The crime isn't so public, the murder typical, the victim a mild-mannered immigrant."

Vicente slides a picture forward. It shows a different middle-aged man of Indian ethnicity. He taps the picture. "This is Advay. Now what neither the ECPD or the media know is that both Yatin and Advay are Naga in disguise, half-human and half-serpent people from Hindu myths. They were both members of the Forest Clan and so we take this crime much more seriously than Emerald City does. We've been searching for Advay for weeks now and have placed his location in Sub-Terra, right under Emerald City."

He slides another document. This one is a photocopy of an old, weathered page. "There are vast caverns and hollow spaces under the Earth's surface and maybe it's a little hard to wrap your head around but I've been told by smarter minds that it has much to do with interdimensional faults and magic. Of course, the dwarfs and other-dimensional aliens in the Forest Clan exists so perhaps it can't be too far-fetched now can it?"

Vicente takes a deep breath and Daria takes up the slack, placing a large paw on his arm.

"You'd think, 'So why not go in there and apprehend the criminal?' right?" She looks at you with her beady bear eyes. "Thing is another clan claims Sub-Terra and the Undercity as part of their domain. The Rock Clan has always played fast and hard with the rules to seem like the strongest of clans and this ain't no different. They've risked exposing us to the humans for the sake of territory and they'll risk letting a murder of a Forest Clan member by a Forest Clan member go unanswered just so they can get their hands on Advay first!"

A small growl escapes her throat but she visibly cools down quickly. "They think Advay and Yatin has knowledge of dangerous and powerful magic, you see. And knowing Finnegal and his council, they probably want to unlock those magic so they can lord it over the rest of the clans."

"Which is where you come in, with your consent of course," Vicente says as Daria finishes. "You aren't a member of the Forest Clan. You aren't one of our allies in Emerald City. You're new, someone the clans do not know. And in my opinion that is your greatest asset, but more than that I've read your files. I know you are a exceptional young woman. What you've done in the defense of Earth S-Omega-1 is both sad yet inspiring."

He looks you in the eyes.

"War is all you've known. We won't drag you into another conflict unless you say yes."

May 16, 2020

GM

You have surmised four things from your investigation.

First, Yatin was no Naga. He was a Lemurian, disguising himself as a Naga, who in turn disguised himself as a Indian national who had moved to the US several decades back. The Forest Clan had found his body and in their own investigation revealed the Yatin's true nature. Such a fact immediately cast a new light on Yatin and Advay's Lemurian studies. From academic curiosity of magical pre-history, already an dangerous avenue of research, to a first-hand knowledge of Lemurian civilization.

The axiom, "Older is better" makes itself evident here for nothing is older in magic than Lemuria itself. Crumbling ruins full of secret monsters and experiments, artifacts that promise power to those who wield them, rituals that can call forth on Nameless Ones used as deterrents like magical WMDs. The uses and dangers of Lemuria are dangerous indeed.

Secondly, the knowledge of Yatin as an actual Lemurian spread from the Forest Clan into the other Clan authorities but has yet to reach the Cryptid population. For most of them, a Naga had been murdered and the murderer is still at large.

Thirdly, besides scraps and pieces, the Clans leaders do not have in their possession Advay and Yatin's work. Most of it has disappeared, along with Yatin, and the few that had been left behind had burned down in a timed ritual. Perhaps Advay himself was responsible. It fits with his belief of the Clans' greed in the face of naked Lemurian studies.

Fourth, Yatin had attacked Advay and Advay, had killed his partner out of self-defence. The reason remains unknown. Perhaps you could ask Advay once you find him.

***

The Undercity, Emerald City, Washington

Sunday, May 17, 2020

10:16:39AM

The Undercity is a dark, dank place. Outside the tourist attraction of the Maze there are only the detritus of society. Huddled in thick clothes around dumpster fires or cloaked in shadows, they watch you. They see a stranger, not desperate or poor like them. They are the homeless and the criminal but none accost you.

Then, more hidden than the entrances to the Undercity, you arrive at a crack in the basement of some forgotten library in the Underdark. The tunnel is long and man-made concrete soon turns into carved stone, then natural rock. Ever down, down, down you walk. The transition from the Undercity to Sub-Terra is not always so clear but the blackness is all-consuming wherever you are.

After what seems like an hour or two, you reach the end of the tunnel and a pit that drops straight down. A ladder is set on the side of the pit, one which you take.

You descend.

It isn't long before you hear a rumble behind you as you descend the ladder. Rocks and dirt shift until you see two inky black eyes staring at you from the surface of the pit. Lips made of rock move, grinding against each other, and it speaks to you in a low, gravelly voice.

You recognize a Rock Clan elemental.

"I can sense the magic in you, Human. State your purpose." Slowly its arms appear and it pushes itself from the rock of the pit. "Sub-Terra is off-limits by the order of Finnegal the Dwarf while the search for the murder Advay Upal continues. Turn back if you are here for any non-essential reasons."

Beside you, you here the telltale rumble of rock and dirt. Another elemental appears.

Just your luck this entrance was guarded.

May 15, 2020

GM

"You thinking of going public now? With your dreams being unable to hide and everythin'?" Daria says as you walk to the care. She throws you a smile to show she's teasing you. "What'll the news call you? Dreaming Girl?"

"She'll do what she wants and I'm sure she could give them her own name," Vicente says as he walks beside his partner. You can almost hear him suppress a sigh.

The three of you are nearing a parking lot now. A few cars litter other parts of the parking lot but for the most part you have the space to yourselves and are quickly approaching their old black van.

***

Vicente has a thoughtful frown as you answer his queries.

"I can sympathize at least," he says as he returns to his seat. "It's been-- oh-- about two decades since I got thrown into this dimension. I'm sure you'll have it figured out soon, Adrianna."

The car pulls over and Daria turns the key, letting the engine purr to a stop.

"Okay. We're here," she says with finality.

Where 'Here' is is a bit more confusing. You aren't far from the city but you are in a side-road not well-travelled, facing an even less travelled dirt path. Daria and Vicente get out of the van, and while Vicente pulls aside a old wooden barricade, Daria opens the door for you.

"Yeah, so I meant to say we'll have to trek for a bit," she tells you. "Not yet here."

And so the three of you do for a few minutes until you reach a seemingly empty clearing in the woods. A lone oak tree stands tall in the middle of the clearing but aside from the birds in its branches and the three of you, nothing else living stirs.

Vicente approaches the oak tree and rests a hand on its trunk. A moment later, you see a slight shimmer around the tree. Visibly, it spreads outward and things appear in the clearing in its wake. You see trailer homes and satellite dishes, a radio playing the Saturday noontime program. A grill is on, its burger patties sizzling. But among the very normal appliances is a very abnormal group.

What looks to be a dwarf, beard decorated with bells and all, flips a burger patty as he listens to the radio program. A door opens and someone walks out, a mobile phone in her hand. She could be mistaken as human but you see the cat feature's on her face, the whiskers and cat eyes that glow a slight green tinge. She waves at Vicente before walking away, phone held high.

"Obviously, this isn't all of the Forest Clan," says Vicente as he walks back towards you, now in his alien-looking orange form. "This is kind of like an outpost for those who go into Emerald City regularly."

"We'll say hi to Ermdum, Erm for short, and Angel." Daria places a hand on the arm of you wheelchair and slides a bracelet away. Her transformation is similar to the shimmer of the clearing and soon a grizzly bead in office attire towers over you on two legs. "Then we need to show you something. It's important."

May 15, 2020

Doktor'd!

Salvo

Changed

Height of armor
Bellios Device: Weapons Suite Array
- AP: Stun 7 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Affects Objects [+1], Selective Attack; Feats: Accurate 3, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {38/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity)

Removed

DC Block: Containment Foam

Spoiler

Salvo

Player Name: Zeitgeist Blue

Character Name: Salvo
Power Level: 10/11 (192/194PP)
Trade-Offs: -5 Attack / +5 Damage, -5 Defense / +5 Toughness
Unspent Power Points: 6

In Brief: Genius technomage finding her place in the many worlds she touches

Residence: University Hill, Emerald City, Oregon
Base of Operations: Emerald City
Catchphrase: "Locked on... And firing."

Alternate Identity: Nicole Whitfield-Hall
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: OR, USA
Occupation: Student, Emerald City University
Affiliations: Claremont Academy, Whitfields, Halls, De Leons, The Freedom League Auxiliary, Emerald City University,
Family: Arthur Whitfield (Father), Amelie Hall (Mother), James Whitfield-Hall (Brother), Lauren Whitfield-Hall (Sister), Gregory Whitfield-Hall (Brother), Belle Whitfield-Hall (Sister)

Description:
Birthday: August 13, 2001
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Mixed (African-Canadian, Caucasian)
Height: 5'8" (without armor); 6'2" (with armor)
Weight: 125 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Dark Brown

Physical Description

Tall and lanky, perhaps Nicole's most distinctive feature is her curly hair which she usually wears long and unbound. As if to match this carefree style, she prefers easily worn casual clothes or dresses, things she could easily be presentable. She couldn't go wrong with solid, bold colors in any style and that makes up much of her wardrobe. She oftentimes sports eyebags and a perpetually harried look as she rarely rests long. A thermos of coffee completes the look. Additionally, she uses a pretty expensive looking powered wheelchair made of smooth silver steel and a high-backed leather seat.

As Salvo, her armor is sleek and painted like a high-quality sportscar. Aside from that, nothing about Bellios seems normal. A repurposed magical suit of armor, while there still remains a hint of the knightly aesthetic from old legends, now it sports a cleaner silhouette, all sharp angles and chrome-plated armor. When in use, its form is often disrupted by the many weapon systems, limb hydraulics, exhausts grills, and a whole slew of whirring machinery that pop out from underneath the surface when she uses them. Because so many things are crammed into it, the armor is bulkier than a normal full-plate of armor would be. Hidden beneath the plate, are etched in a variety of styles and patterns, some of which are repurposed from their original origins, customized step around to work with modern technology. The armor is hermetically sealed and does not reveal the wearer inside. It emanates a visible and crackling field of purple electricity, as the energy it produces escapes.

As Salvo, Nicole endeavors to muddle as much of her civilian self as she can. Her voice is deep and can even be altered to sound male, while the rest of her armor continues to hide many aspects of her identity. Her gender is not obvious, though is assumed to correspond to her altered voice, and neither is her age, build, or even skin color. However, it is obvious that there is a person (or a very convincing construct) inside the armor as her mannerisms are all-too human. Yet if scanned the results show no signs of what a human should have such as a heartbeat or flowing blood. Salvo gives off heat but that must emanate from the armor itself.

Power Descriptions:

While Nicole is innately attuned to magical energies, it is her battle armor, Bellios, which allows her to focus those energies into the powers she uses as a superhero. Once an old and storied magical heirloom, her work on the armor has made it something more, creating within its essence a platform that applies both centuries of tradition and cutting-edge methodologies integrated in a dialectic unity. Bellios usually manifests her powers in set systems with a technological bent, as befitting her leanings.

Yet it is a thing as much of magic as the material world. Intersecting rune arrays tun electrical currents through chiseled patterns in the armor plates. Targeting spirits line up her Gatling guns and missile batteries as a handcrafted dimension, metaphysically tuned and coupled to Bellios, feeds alchemically-imbued ammunition to sate its voracious appetite for firepower.

History:

Spoiler

Seek Knowledge. Wield Power.

Those were the words Nicole lived by most of her life. It was the words the Whitfield family has lived by and died for for hundreds of years, since the first Whitfields arrived in the Americas to gamble their fortune as plantation owners, since even before then as they lived like nobles in the Old World. These words were writ in gold-plated letters above every door and fireplace in the Whitfield grounds, so that each member of the family may remember the reason for their existence. The Whitfields were many and spread across the world, as befitting a venerable and wealthy family, but those Whitfields who called California their home were those who could trace their ancestry straight and true. The purest and oldest. The heirs of a legacy that was yet to come.

It was this life and lineage, which Nicole was birthed to, third eldest among five siblings. As a younger sibling, she was not expected to inherit much and neither was much expected from her. She was left to her own devices, made busy with everything old money could buy. Servants in livery, the most expensive toys and gadgets, the richest food served in multiple course meals, yet she felt little, if any, parental love as a young child. She wandered the halls of the mansion alone, a small child who barely reached the waist of any adult, under the paintings of her ancestors, their eyes watchful and austere in the low light. Her parents were much too busy to take time off for her, always managing their holdings and grooming James, her eldest sibling when they were not travelling or locked inside their individual studies.

Lauren, her older sister was sent to study in boarding school before Nicole could remember, and at the times the two met, they were even more distant to each other than she and James. Perhaps then, this would have been a sad life, a childhood with little friends and love, but her personal caretaker took a liking for the young Whitfield, and it was from there that Nicole had experienced a semblance of warmth from another. Elizabeth Leon, her caretaker, took her under her wing, and began to go above and beyond the duties of a servant of Whitfield in attending to her charge’s needs. She was there whenever Nicole needed her - as her only playmate in games of tea or house, or as a shoulder to cry on when either Father or Mother scolded her childish antics.

It was the first time someone truly saw Nicole as more than just a valuable asset to the family. Elizabeth listened to her, and she in turn listened. She learned of her caretaker's family, of Elizabeth's three daughters, the youngest who was her age, and of her husband who was struggling with depression. Elizabeth's bedtime stories were not fairy tales, or fanciful adventure stories. They were of the ordinary, the mundane somehow made wonderful, for it was another world for Nicole.

Years passed and Nicole would grow to adolescence, soon sharing the mansion with two younger siblings, Gregory and Belle, yet like her older siblings spent less and less time with them as she grew older and was sent to an English boarding school. It was also during this time that she drew her parents’ interest. She was a genius among a family which prided itself on producing geniuses, and her intelligence was obvious for anyone with eyes to see. She soaked up information like a sponge and understood lectures meant for students a decade her senior, the many lonely hours she spent pouring over her family library now had paid off, and she had not stopped. Time and time again a servant or janitor would spy the library doors ajar, faint lights open in hours that ghosts roamed awake. They were how she spent her idle time when not with Elizabeth or playing with Gregory and Belle, and neither did she feel a recluse in boarding school, not as much as she did within the Whitfield grounds.

There she had other girls to gossip with, cute boys to sneak glances to, teachers to mock behind their backs. She just tended to develop a fixation for a problem she couldn't solve, or a theory that had caught her interest, and either would occupy the back of her mind, maddening and lingering, until she'd spend hours or days searching and solving, and trying and asking, until she could confidently say she knew all there was worth knowing about that topic. Only then could she dismiss those thoughts that gripped her. It was there that she came to love the wonders of the modern world, how intricate and detailed and interconnected everything was, if only people could see it. Physics led to engineering led to technology led to mathematics led to-- ad infinitum.

She was fourteen when she was summoned to the Whitfield mansion. She remembers, like all things, it was the middle of autumn and school was in full swing, yet she received a phone call. She was to drop all that she was doing and arrive at a earliest date, and she acqueised. A private jet was already waiting for her the same day she had received the call and she flew half the world to California. She was not the only one to be called. Her older brother and sister had already arrived, as had a dozen of her blood relations. The next few days saw a few dozen more arrive - cousins, and Aunts and Uncles - if she was to be technical. Almost every Whitfield of any worth gathered for the first time within the multi-acre estate.

It was unprecedented, and a little daunting for Nicole, even as Elizabeth and Belle greeted her home. Gregory had stayed in his boarding school in France.

All of the Whitfields gathered within a vast chamber buried in the underground vaults of the mansion, and all the servants and retinues barred from entry. They were in the center of the estate, ley lines tracing energies where beats its magical heart, and patterns upon patterns of arcane sigils and stones dotted the walls, lights tracing paths safe to tread, the family's scrolls and tomes arranged orderly rows. Clearly, this ritual had anticipated for some time, and prepared for with a meticulous patience Nicole knew her parents possessed in abundance.

She read what she knew, for she was not yet a full-blooded mage, could make only guesswork as to the reasons for trappings older than her grandparents, but what she saw indicated a technique that would converge every type of magic and energy present into the one point of chamber. A melding of sorts made larger than life for all those attending now as while they were all of the name Whitfield, and all knew the alchemical arts that so defined the family, decades and centuries had diversified their skills to the point of a sensory jumble. Like crossing a street in Los Angeles and picking out people of different ethnicities. Too many that it gets confusing, yet still holding many underlying characteristics in common.

They began. The lights were shut off, a candle in the center of the congregation. Nicole could just make out her father, mother, then James and Lauren standing at intervals apart. Young Belle then, was not to be a part of their destiny. First, there was chanting, occult languages in different tongues reverberating through the walls and melding into one sonorous note. She does not know how long they had stayed there. She does not remember, she would admit uneasily, what had transpired in the darkness, amid hooded figures, and whispering fell things. The candle had guttered into a cold flicker, and a cackling, wet and heavy and inside.

Her arms burned, and her throat cracked with smoke. She hurt all over but her legs, and when she awoke, barely aware, the chamber was on fire and Elizabeth was carrying Nicole in her arms, a bag stuffed with scrolls strapped on her shoulders. They ran from the chamber, out the basement and the mansion as everything burned. Nicole watched the mansion crumble in flames. Her legs refuse and Elizabeth carried her to the waiting paramedics, and she decided she was dreaming.

The authorities would say it was a stray spark that started the fire. An unfortunate series of events led to this tragedy, the official statement would read, leading to 43 deaths, mostly from suffocation and localized within the chamber, except for one teenager that was rescued by a heroic maid. They applauded Elizabeth and shifted through the rubble, looking for survivors. They did not find Belle.

Gregory would go missing shortly thereafter.

She worried about Gregory and went into mourning, for Belle most of all. She was released from the hospital, a certified paraplegic, to Elizabeth and her family in the meantime, who were her legal guardians now. She saved what she could from the remains of her family's capital. The vultures had picked at everything long before she left the hospital. Through means legal and not so legal, her family's once vast fortune had dwindled, taken by rivals, and those seeking revenge or restitution. And perhaps it was for the best.

She had canceled her boarding school. There was an itch her brain could not scratch, and a hunch told her she would find her answers by staying. She soon discovered a side of her family that sickened her. They were corrupt, and perhaps that was not a revelation with how rich they were, but in their dealings lives were lost and ruined with the act of a single handshake, and people killed from one spoken word of her parents. She dug into the books, into the diaries and records saved from the fire. She talked to the lawyers and phoned business partners overseas. The Californian Whitfields had its hand in every pie in the city, state, and a significant number in the country and beyond.

Oil spill cover ups, land siezures from the poor, money laundering, arms trafficking, financing the local Mafia, and shaking hands with Mexican cartels. The Whitfields were far worse among the magical community, yet just as insidious, where an overarching authority non-existent. It was a headache to have it all revealed and heaped upon her in a short time, and she cut every connection she could and gave all she could to the authorities. As the only Whitfield left, she had that right, even if many of her family's erstwhile partners did not see it her way. She walked -- rolled rather -- the streets now, instead of the halls of a mansion or an elite boarding school in a far-off country. They were concrete and now, and she couldn't ignore what was in front of her, even as her magic began to die a slow death for no discernible reason.

Seek Knowledge. Wield Power.

Her family had its reasons for everything they've done, excuses more like. But it was something to say to let them sleep at night, and she couldn't say they were deluded. Not when those reasons almost felt right, like this was just the natural state of the world. The strong prey on the weak. Predators eat. Prey flee. Humans fought wars and died and gave birth. And Whitfields learned and gathered.

She woke up one night as she felt eyes watching her. Bellios stood at the foot of her bed, unscathed. Her powers were all but dead by then, and when she had attempted to wear the armor, the recurring psychic backlash left her sick and vomiting food for a week.

By the coaxing of Elizabeth, she decided to fly to Freedom City and resume her schooling. She was frustrated and without hope, disgusted by her family's activities - a useless feeling, lugging an armor that did nothing but make her ill. Still, perhaps she could find a solution in the city of heroes and start anew, far away from the death of her family and the toxic they left. So she transferred half the money she had inherited with Elizabeth and her family, as much as it was a pittance compared to what her family once held, it was a large sum for them and it felt like the right thing to do to thank them for everything.

She flew out the next day.

She was eligible for Claremont, if just barely, and wasn't that cute.

For a whole year she was the most useless student to grace its halls. Stuck in a wheelchair and magic that fizzled pathetically, if she could even get it to work, she would have been kicked out if it weren't for her intelligence and ability to create tech and mystical devices. She brought with her the family scrolls, even if she could recall their contents easily enough, and could call on mystical energies that did not originate from within. Magic rituals and petty concoctions, she knew how to make them. Electronic riff-raff that would not have been out of place in a gadgeteer's arsenal.

All the while the familiar presence lay heavy upon her mind. It was the strongest pull she had ever, and it was directed in its entriety to Bellios. She let herself fall into that obsession, working for a year upon that construct of ancient arcana. She learned so much more than she would within the confines of a classroom, or the laughable practicums the teachers would give to her. She dreamed of bolts and runes, and incantations and coding. And when she was not buried within Bellios, within the confines of her work, she was formulating ways to improve it, to create more energy, more power, because it hungered.

For a year, barely anyone outside her scheduled classes saw her. During class, her presence was almost non-existent, her output just enough to pass.

But just before the end of the school year she rose from her fugue, as if she had fallen asleep or into a coma and had only woke up, though she remembered everything as clear as day. Groggy, head aching, her insides feeling like jelly, she looked up to take in her work.

And it was beautiful.

Personality & Motivations

Nicole is, if anything, inclined to extremes. When something deemed important should done, then it should be done to the fullest of one's abilities or not at all. She is analytical, perhaps a bit too cerebral at times. She is headstrong and sure of herself because of her intellect. Perhaps this is why she is quick to be belligerent or sarcastic to those she does not have good first impressions of.

Perhaps as a way to atone for her family's wrongdoing, she has chosen to bear the mantle of a superhero, opposing those her parents would have gladly drink wine with. They were failures, she'd be quick to admit, and she won't be like them. And like everything worth doing, she has taken no half-measures.

Powers & Tactics:

Experience has allowed her to fine-tune herself and her equipment when it comes to superheroics. She knows to fight where she is strong and her foes are not. She prefers to keep her distance, preferably flying and far away as she overwhelms her opponents through judicious use of firepower. When hemmed in or grounded, she makes for an adequate brute in a pinch, though there are many out there who could surpass her in melee. Her arsenal also heightens her senses, encompassing machines and magic, which she can use to observe her opponents and perform reconnaissance undetected until she wishes to reveal her presence, usually through an opening salvo.

Complications:

Spoiler

Collateral Damage: Like it says on the tin: collateral damage. Turns out, holding the trigger of two fusion autocannons spinning at 3,000 rounds per minute each and firing super-heated metals in the city, or anywhere with infrastructure, isn't the smartest idea. Who knew? Nicole does, intellectually, but in the heat of battle there isn't time to think; only the surge of adrenaline and energy blasts flying. It's unfortunate, but damage does happen, especially when she pushes the suit to its full potential. It is power and she sometimes becomes heedless when wielding it as the usage intoxicates her, damn the consequences. (Accident).

The GM may have anything or anyone nearby make Saving Throws usually against Damage, or just decide to create potentially fatal consequences concerning destruction of property and objects.

Her Own Brand of Magic: Though versed in the fundamentals of magic and other branches, Nicole is one of a new kind of practitioners in technomagic. She takes traditional ritual- and artifact-making and adapts them to the modern world. She uses magic to get better results in something she could achieve through technology alone or to achieve a result from an angle technology could not.

Nicole's magical tradition trends towards the Hermetical, the alteration of reality through rituals and runes. If the GM feels that the ritual or artifact Nicole is creating does not skew towards the Hermetic then the DC of tests may be increased. If Nicole is not creating technomagic with her ritual or artifact then the DC of the test may increase.

The DC increase depends on how far from these results and applications Nicole's rituals and artifacts are.

Her Own Brand of Science: Nicole is an engineer through and through, but she is also versed enough in the theorethical side to be thought of as a physicist. As a scientist and engineer both she has dedicated herself to the study and creation of energy sources and all its applications. The machinery and computer systems she knows best help her in this endeavor.

If the GM feels Nicole is not hewing to her specialization they may increase the DC of her skills. The increase depends on how far from her specialization Nicole is using her skills for.

From Shadows to Light: Bound to her in spirit and fate, Bellios appears whenever Nicole has need of him. It steps from the unseen places into reality but only when nothing can witness its coming. This could leave Nicole vulnerable when she is unable to escape hostile attention or even render assistance as Salvo when under the curious eyes of innocent bystanders.

Man and Machine: When Nicole enters Bellios she becomes more than human, and more than just an amalgam of steel and flesh. They become one, the personality of her machine bleeding into her thoughts and deeds. The world outside sees one being and acts accordingly; any power that would have effected either her, as a mere human sorcerer, or the techno-magics enmeshed into Bellios would affect the whole that Salvo has become. To be able to process this, Nicole's mind translates the changes into a reality she could comprehend, creating a HUD and "eyes" to see from her helmet. Anything that would blind her, or interfere with the magic and electronics in the armor, would scramble that visual interface and all essential information arrayed within it.

The GM may choose to negate any of the arrays or containers or any powers within the Bellios Device during relevant events. Additionally, the GM may apply negative modifiers to rolls or Conditions such as Blind, Dazed, Stunned, etc as Salvo's armor acts up due to outside interference.

Zenith Touched: Her legs were changed. Fixed in observable ways but there is more to reality than the mere physical. Her psyche flits from memory to memory and sometimes she cannot distinguish if her legs are able or not. In her everyday this proves to be no problem. She is clumsy with her feet and that is all. But her missteps are more pronounced in stressful situations.

Of course, the magical aspect of her previous to paralysis still lingers.

At any time, the GM may choose to have Nicole make a Concentration roll against a DC 10 Trip Action or be considered Prone. They may also choose to make her oppose a DC 15 Check or have Drawback: Disability (Paraplegic) added for more long-lasting effects.

Abilities: 0 - 2 + 0 + 14 + 0 + 0 = 12PP

Strength: 18/10 (+4/0)
Dexterity: 8 (-1)
Constitution: 20/10 (+5/0)
Intelligence: 24 (+7)
Wisdom: 10 (+0)
Charisma: 10 (+0)

Combat: 6 + 4 = 10PP
Initiative: +3/-1 (-1/-1 Base, +4/+0 Improved Initiative)
Attack: +3 Base, +3 Melee, +3 Ranged, +5 Weapons Suite Array [+13 Energy Vent, +10 Missile Batteries]
Grapple: +17-12 (Bellios + Servo-Dynamos + Iron Grip)/13-8 (Salvo + Servo-Dynamos)/7 (Salvo)/3 (Nicole)
Defense: +5/3 (+4/2 Base, +1 Dodge Focus), +2/1 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -10/2

Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0PP
Toughness: +15/5 (+5/0 Con, +10 Protection [Bellios], +5 Forcefield [Nicole])
Fortitude: +12/0 (+5/0 Con, +7 [Bellios])
Reflex: +5/-1 (-1 Dex, +6 [Bellios])
Will: +7/0 (+0 Wis, +7 [Bellios])

Skills: 88R = 22PP

Bluff 3 (+3)

Concentration 3 (+3)
Computers 5 (+12)^SM

Craft (Artistic) 3 (+10)^SM

Craft (Chemical) 5 (+12)
Craft (Electronic) 6 (+13)
Craft (Mechanical) 6 (+13)

Craft (Structural) 5 (+12)^SM

Diplomacy 3 (+3)
Disable Device 4 (+11)

Intimidate 12/0 (+12/0)^SM
Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 7 (+14)

Knowledge (Art) 1 (+8)

Knowledge (Behavioral Science) 1 (+8)

Knowledge (Current Events) 2 (+9)

Knowledge: (Cosmology) 4 (+11)^SM

Knowledge (Earth Science) 1 (+8)

Knowledge (History) 2 (+9)

Knowledge (Life Science) 1 (+8)
Knowledge (Physical Science) 5 (+12)^SM
Knowledge (Technology) 6 (+13)^SM

Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+11)

Language 2 (English, French, Spanish)

Notice 8/4 (+8/+4)^SM

Search 3 (+10)^SM

Sense Motive 2 (+2)

Feats: 15PP
Artificer

Dodge Focus
Eidetic Memory

Equipment 5
Inventor

Luck

Online Research

Skill Mastery [Craft (Artistic), Knowledge (Cosmology), Knowledge (Physical Sciences), Knowledge (Technology)]
Ritualist

Ultimate Skills 4 [Craft (Electrical), Craft (Mechanical), Craft (Structural), Knowledge (Arcane Lore)]

Well-Informed

Equipment: 10EP

Artificer and Ritualist Tools [Masterwork] [1EP]

Laptop [Masterwork] [2EP]

Multi-tool [1EP]

Taser (Stun 5; Electricity; Flaws: Limited [5 Uses]; Feat: Extended Reach 2 [10 feet]; Drawback: Full Power) [6EP]

Mind's Eye [15EP]

Spoiler

Size: Miniscule Exterior (6 feet, Bellios) / Colossal Interior [5EP]

Toughness: +5 [0EP]

Defense: 10 [0EP]

Features: [10EP]

Concealed [+10DC]

Communications

Computer

Defense Systems (Descriptor: Drones)

Dual Size (Descriptor: Inside Bellios)

Laboratory

Library

Power System (Descriptor: Bellios)

Sealed (Descriptor: Inside Bellios)

Workshop

Powers: 3 + 3 + 129 + 2 = 137PP

Device 1 (Bracelet, Tech, Easy-to-Lose; 5DP; Extra Effort [Device]

[Cannot use in Bellios armor]) [3PP]

Descriptors: All (Hermetic) Magic and Technology combined. Magitech.

Forcefield 5 (Extras: Duration [Continuous [+1]; Flaws: Ablative [-1]) [5DP]

Device 1 (Eyeglasses, Magical, Tech, Easy-to-Lose; 5DP; Extra Effort [Device]

[Cannot use in Bellios armor]) [3PP]

Descriptors: All (Hermetic) Magic and Technology combined. Magitech.

Super-Senses 5 (Visual [Magic] Awareness [+3]; Awareness [Enhancement: Accurate (+0), Accurate (+0), Analytical (+1), Ranged (+0)]; Darkvision [+2]) {5/5}

Bellios 32 (Battlesuit, Magical, Tech; 160DP Alternate Form/Device; Extra Effort [Device];

Feats: Restricted [Beings with Magic]) [129PP] (160/160 DP spent)

All Source Descriptors: All Magitech

Protocol Sy 11.4 (57DP Container) [57DP] (Additional Descriptors: Hermetic Magic, Runic Magic, Under the Plate)

Enhanced Strength 8 [8] + Enhanced Strength 8 (Iron Grip; Flaws: Only when having won a grapple check; Feats: Improved Grapple) [5] = [13]

Enhanced Constitution 10 [10DP]

Enhanced Combat 1 (Defense 2) [4DP]

Enhanced Saves 20 (Fortitude 7, Reflex 6, Will 7 [20DP]

Enhanced Skills 4 (Intimidate 12, Notice 4) [4DP]

Enhanced Feats 6 (Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Attack Specialization (Weapons Suite),

Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Skill Mastery [Computers, Intimidate, Notice, Search]) [6DP]

Communication Systems Array 3 (6PP Array; Feat: Alternate Powers 1) [7DP] (Additional Descriptors: Hermetic Magic, Microrunes, Technomancy)

BE: Communications 4 (Radio, 1 mile; Extras: Area; Flaws: Action [Move]; Feats: Selective, Subtle) {6/6}

AP: Data Link 3 (Radio, 1,000 feet; Extras: Area, Linked [Enhanced Feats];

Flaws: Check Required [Computers]; Feats: Machine Control, Selective, Subtle) {6/6}

Hexagrammic Paneling 4.8 (24DP Container) [24DP] (Additional Descriptors: Runic Magic, Under the Plate)

Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9DP]

Impervious 5 [5DP]

Protection 10 [10DP]

Sensory Suite Array 5.5 (11DP Array; Feats: Alternate Powers 1) [12DP] (Additional Descriptors: Hermetic Magic, Microrunes, Technomancy)

BE: Super-Senses 11 (Mental [Magic] Awareness [+3]; Awareness [Enhancement: Accurate (+2),

Acute (+1), Analytical (+1), Extended [1,000 ft] (+2), Radius (+1), Ranged (+1)]) {11/11}

AP: Super-Senses 9 (Direction Sense [+1], Distance Sense [+1], Radio [+1], Radar [+3];

Radar [Enhancements: Accurate (+0), Acute (+0), Extended 2 [1,000 ft] (+2), Radius (+1), Ranged (+1)]) {10/11}

Servo-Dynamos 6.5 (13DP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 1, Dynamic 2) [16DP] (Additional Descriptors: Hermetic Magic, Technomancy)

DBE: Flight 0-6 (500 mph / 5,000 per Move Action; Feats: Subtle) {0-13}

DAP: Super-Strength 0-6 (Effective Strength 18-48, Heavy Load ~400 lbs-~12 tons) {0-12}

Weapons Suite Array 20 (40PP Array; Feats: Alternate Powers 4) [44DP]

BE: Damage 10 (Kinetic Beam; Extras: Linked [Dazzle], Range [Perception]; Flaws: Limited [5 times a day], Action (Full);

Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Penetrating 5, Variable [Energy/Divine Magic]) {20} +

Dazzle 10 (Visual and Auditory; Extras: Explosion, Linked [Damage], Range [Perception];

Flaws: Limited [5 times a day], Action(Full)) {20} = {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Energy, Divine Magic, Straight From the Soul)

AP: AP: Stun 7 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Affects Objects [+1], Selective Attack;

Feats: Accurate 4) {39/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity)

AP: Damage 10 (Flamethrowers; Extras: Area [General, Cone], Vampiric; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2,

Incurable, Penetration 5, Progression 2 [50 Feet per Power Rank]) {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Infernal Magic)

AP: Damage 15 (Fusion Autocannons; Extras: Autofire, Range [Ranged]; Flaws: Distracting; Feats:

Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Split Attack, Variable Descriptor [Ballistic/Energy]) {34/40} (Additional Descriptors: Ballistic, Energy)

AP: Damage 10 (Missile Batteries; Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable], Range [Ranged]; Feats: Accurate 2,

Attack Focus [Ranged], Homing, Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Indirect, Progression 3 [10 boxes per rank]) {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Ballistic)

Magic 1.5 (3PP Array; Flaws: Unreliable) [2PP]

Dazzle 1 (Visual + Auditory) [3AP]

Drawbacks: -1 + -3 = 4PP

Nearsighted -1PP (Frequency: Uncommon; Intensity: Minor)

Normal Identity -3PP (Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate)

DC Block

ATTACK             RANGE     SAVE       EFFECT
Unarmed       Touch        DC 19/15 Toughness             Damage (Physical, Bludgeoning)
Kinetic Beam            Perception DC 25 Toughness (Penetrating) Damage (Energy/Bludgeoning)

Dazzle Perception DC 18 Reflex/Fortitude Dazzle (Staged)

Energy Vent Touch DC 19 Fortitude Stun (Staged)

Flamethrowers Ranged DC 25 Toughness Damage (Electricity/Fire/Water)

Fusion Autocannons Ranged DC 30 Toughness (Autofire) Damage (Physical)

Missile Batteries Ranged DC 25 Toughness Damage (Missiles)

Dazzle Perception DC 11 Reflex/Fortitude Dazzle (Staged)

Totals: Abilities (12) + Combat (10) + Saving Throws (0) + Skills (22) + Feats (15) + Powers (137) - Drawbacks (4) = 192/194 Power Points

Totals:

Equipment: 10 EP

Normal Identity: Device 1 (5) + Device 1 (5) = 10/10 Device Points

Bellios Armor: Device 32 (160) = 160/160 Device Points

May 15, 2020

Salvo

Salvo landed heavily as electric energy ran through her. Sizzling and crackling, even protected by her armor she could tell this was far more than what a taser could bring out. It was lightning unleashed in a small package, enough to strike grown women dead.

Electrical current and dark purple energy both ran across the surface of her armor, sparking constantly against one another and into the surrounding hallway. She had to wrest control of the currents and she did in her mind's eye, fingers flying on her keyboard, as she strode towards Doors.

Doors disappeared but she continued her approach.

"Your tricks won't work," Salvo's visor tracked Doors movements. "You can't stop me. You can't hide. You can't run so give up now before you hurt yourself."

The electric currents across her armor turned a dark purple then and once again she directed the energy into Doors. Electricity ran through the walls, the floor, and jumped into the ceiling, all reaching to Doors.

"Or before I hurt you."

May 15, 2020

GM

You take the tome from the lectern then move on towards the laptop. It was locked, kept on sleep mode, and needed a password to login. For most, obtaining a password would require careful setup, a keen mind for computers or the use of social engineering. Absent the owner, an ad hoc hack was your only option.

So you do so, bypassing the user-friendly interface to go deeper into the laptop's code. A few unsuccessful tries here, a few more attempts made there. It was like breaking any other code or puzzle, except you were doing so in a basement full of animated corpses and needing to keep cognizant of Abracadaver returning. The laptop open would be a too big tip-off something was going on.

The minutes ticked by yet Abracadaver had not returned and you steadily continue with your work on his laptop.

00:40:00 AM

Until you push on the 'Enter' button and find yourself in his desktop.

It is messy, a morass of files and desktop applications.

Then you hear footsteps from where you had come from. You have less than a minute to hide your traces though that is plenty enough time.

Abracadaver has returned, but he is not alone. You hear a whole group approaching. With the corpses around you deathly silent, each footstep cracks in the confines of the basement.

"Apologies on the intrusion once again, Abracadaver," a woman's voice rings out. "But Koschei likes to be well-informed about his projects, even if it interferes with their efficiency. Rest assured, you will be compensated on this delay. Would treatises on the Voodoo loa would be to your liking?"

"Of course! Why even ask?" Abracadaver's voice is unmistakable and even from your position you can hear his scoff in contempt. "I am the great dead magician. I only deal with arcane secrets which promise danger and knowledge at every turn. Make sure your men find the proper sources for I don't truck with the primers of amateurs and laypersons."

At last, the speakers enter into the room.

You see Abracadaver. It is the first time you get a good look at him. Sans his cape and top hat, there is less hiding his skin to observers. His flesh is dead and rotting, a jigsaw puzzle of differing skin tones and degrees of freshness. There is mold on one patch of his cheek. On his scalp, you see tuffs of white hair and fresh blood. Only his eyes and his voice seem to be his own, everything else is stolen. A frankenstein.

Beside him is a middle-aged woman of East Asian descent. She has the bearing of a matron, a successful business owner. Hair cut short, expensive jewelry, a pearl ring. Her clothes are tailored to fit and provide a splash of color in this dim basement. Lady Mingzhu you imagine.

Behind them are two men and two women, who look the spitting-image of a bodyguard detail. Black-and-white suits, sunglasses even here, and an earpiece each.

Lady Minghzu suddenly stops at the edge of the room, her head raised in the air, as if sniffing for something, and her bodyguards stop behind her.

Then Abracadaver rushes to the lectern, his eyes wide. Wordlessly, he gropes around as if searching for something.

"My-- my-- where is it?" He bends down, his eyes roaming around the floor as he continues to mutter. "Where is it?"

May 15, 2020

FYI, the thing on the lectern is a black tome with notes on its pages.

May 12, 2020

GM

Vicente smiled, clearly enjoying haven taken your attention.

"In English, you can call us the Forest Clan. It's an inconspicuous term for a people who want to be left alone."

Slowly, he begins to transform into his human guise again. "Perhaps more than a name you would like to see for yourself? It'd be quick, less than half an hour's drive from here."

Behind him, Daria takes out a car key from her pocket and jangles it. Vicente gathers his documents and stands up, waving a hand at the doorway. "You don't need to hide your dreams there, Adrianna. It's something we're very much used to."

***

Soon, you find yourself in their car, a black van that has seen better days. Daria is behind the wheel while Vicente talks to you from the shotgun seat. You are seated behind them in a space specifically designed for persons with disabilities.

"Let me be honest with you," Vicente says as he locks eyes with you through the rear-view mirror. "While we like to talk a lot about being independent and hidden, the truth of the matter is we still need friends and allies among the citizens of Emerald City. Even if you don't want to be a part of the Clans per se, participating in our society, someone who understands what it is like is a someone I can rest easy entrusting our secrets to and exchanging favors with."

"Seatbelts, Vicente," Daria says and her partner buckles on a seatbelt without a second thought.

"Like, can I ask you a question?" Vicente twists in his seat to look back at you. Outside the van, you have definitely passed Emerald City and are now in the surrounding wilderness and you feel the well-paved asphalt give way to rough gravel. "Do you consider this Earth to be your home? Is there anything you need to make your transition easier?"

Smoothly, the car pulls to a stop on the side of the road where a small path begins and snakes deeper into the forest. Still, Vicente waits for your answer.

May 12, 2020

Trip Power Check: 1d20+11 = 14

And that's a nope there.

Also, Salvo has 1 HP left. I used the first one to reroll her Notice check.

May 12, 2020

Toughness Save: 1d20+15 = 33

Move: Demoralize. -5 penalty.

Action: Fire Stun 6 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Selective Attack; Flaws: Additional Save [Reflex]; Feats: Accurate 3, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {23} + Trip 6 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Selective Attack; Flaws: Additional Save [Reflex]; Feats: Accurate 4, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {17} = {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity)

Use All-Out Attack + Power Attack = +5 DC / -5 Attack Bonus

Demoralize: 1d20+12-5 = 17, using Skill Mastery on Intimidate.

Energy Vent: 1d20+11 = 23

May 12, 2020

Yeah, they all sound good!

Give me an IC about Blackstaff preparing and asking questions. He assumes he's successful in all of them.

May 12, 2020

Actually, can you clarify if Rebellion is taking the notes on the table off to the side or the black tome on the lectern in the middle of the space?

May 12, 2020

And you have a magic bracelet that hides you from magic. I'll say that will keep for the whole thread unless it gets broken or lost or something.

And knowing people who'd be able to smuggle someone out of the city would be under the purview of Streetwise, yeah.

DC 20 to find someone who you'd think would be willing with this kind of heat on the goods to be smuggled. Convincing them is a whole other matter.

Alternitavely, you can spend one HP to auto-succeed at a Connected Diplomacy roll. Or you can eat a failed roll, which won't necessarily mean you fail at what your goal for the Connected feat (unless it's a horrible roll like less than five). It would mean there'd be a cost to your success.

May 12, 2020

No worries! I've been busy with things myself so the wait wasn't so bad. If anything, I should have chimed in about the creation of the magical item.

But it looks good.

Staged DC 25 for both Connected checks. There'll be varying levels of successes, failures, and complications here depending on the roll. It will take a day to setup each check, amounting to two days.

May 11, 2020

OOC for this, @Kaede Kimura.

May 11, 2020

GM

Emerald City

Saturday, May 16, 2020

10:54:2APM

"How are you liking Emerald City, Miss Adrianna?"

Vicente Cruz sat beside your dining table, a folder full of official papers laid unopened on your table. You had heard a knock on the door and when you opened it, he had introduced himself and his partner, Daria Bell, as officials from the government agency handling your refugee status. He had flashed his badge and asked that you let him inside.

"We heard about the commotion you caused a few days ago. Nothing too serious? Everything turn out alright?" Daria piped up from behind Vicente. She began to count with her fingers. "No one hospitalized? No charges for assault or disturbing the peace or--"

Vicente, his eyebrows twitching in what you assume to be irritation, motions for her to stop.

"That's enough, Daria." Then he returns his gaze to you. "But why we are here is somewhat because of that... incident, Miss Adrianna."

From out of the folder he draws a document and slides it towards you, a primer of Emerald City University's Cryptozoology program. It boasts its curriculum and faculty, including among them some of the country's leading Sasquatch experts.

"As you might know," Vicente continues after you finish reading. "Emerald City has a bit of a reputation for, how would you say it, weirdness? There's an undercurrent of the hidden and the odd in the city and its surroundings, even if most people could go about their lives not really seeing anything explicit to validate their beliefs." He gestures, palm up, at you. "You yourself is a prime example. A refugee from a world where dreams are made real, and who can dream up monsters and creatures from nightmares and fairy tales."

"Oh, don't string her along, Vicente. Just say what you need to say to the poor girl."

Vicente, for his part, ignores his partner's comments and continues as if she had said nothing.

"So perhaps you would like to be part of a community made of beings like yourself? The flotsam of space or other dimensions. Humanity can never really understand us. They see us as a phenomenon to study, or bedtime stories to frighten. Sometimes, they hunt us, believing us a threat even when we have called this Emerald City home longer than any of them. Longer than this country even."

Over his shoulder, Daria is beaming at you.

"We're extending you an invitation. What do you say?"

Daria says and this time Vicente is nodding thoughtfully. Then visibly his features begin to change, melting back into flesh that slowly turns a bright orange. Soon, his face is blank save for solid white eyes and a mouth, which opens as he speaks.

"Don't be alarmed, Miss Adrianna. I just wanted to show you who I really am." He slides his hand, orange like his face, forward as if to reassure you. "Like you, this isn't the dimension where I was born. And even then I was from another planet in the galaxy, not that Earth."

May 9, 2020

OOC for this.

@Spacefurry, please tell me how you'd like to prepare and roll me the relevant dice if you're using Ritualist.

Then can you give me an IC that includes Blackstaff preparing, if ever he does want to.

Of course, he can ignore the letter or investigate the murder himself.

May 9, 2020

GM

Bridgepoint, Emerald City, Oregon

Tuesday, May 12, 2020

05:31:06PM

The letter sits opened at your desk, a torn-up page from some textbook. It is dirtied by grime and stained by liquid, but still the neat handwriting conveys its message clear enough.

Spoiler

My Dearest Christopher Daye,

I write to you from deep in Sub-Terra, a fugitive in hiding. There are those who would call me a murderer of my fellow Forsaken but I beg you to understand that I was framed. I have known Yatin Basu since our childhoods in the jungles of India and have had the pleasure of working alongside him unearthing our magical heritage in the Lemurians. Yes we had our differences as much as any academic but I would never stoop so low as to be involved in his gruesome death.

Please believe me, sir. I do not think even the leaders of the Cryptid Clans believe it to be murder, yet I know they hunt me all the same. They will use me and the knowledge Yatin and I have built up over the decades, pervert it to their means for petty politics and one-upmanship against the other Clans. Perhaps this is what saddens me most about Yatin's death, to be nothing more than an excuse to mishandle his legacy.

And so I beseech you, smuggle me away from Emerald City or into one of your hiding holes even. I'm sure a man as well-travelled as yourself has a few places away from the city and thus far removed from the Clans' reach. I entrust myself to your care and should you wish to investigate Yatin's death further, I will fully cooperate until such a time as you can render proper judgement of the facts.

But please, time is of the essence now. I have managed to evade my pursuers for days now but they are getting ever closer and I ever more desperate.

I have entrusted to you a simple clairvoyance focus, one that will guide you to one of my hiding dens. I can meet you there in five days time as I will dare not move there now.

For my (down-)payment, I trust the bennu and a Lemurian cryptographic key to be sufficient?

Your humble and obedient servant,

Advay Tarak Upal

The bennu, an Egyptian phoenix with splendid red and gold feathers, sits at your windowsill, picking at its feathers. It does not care to notice you or what thoughts the letter has induced in you, if anything, but it is still a beautiful specimen to behold.

Found tied to a leg, is the Lemurian key. It is a cylindrical object made of brass and glass, as small as a pocketwatch, with dials all around. You are sure you could make some use of this once you figure out how to use it.

But for now, Advay's letter is the most pressing matter.

You have heard the news going around the rumour mill of a Naga's death a month ago. It was a gruesome sight, hear tell. Blood splattered everywhere, his magical laboratory defiled in every manner. Priceless equipment and potions broken and spilled, his notes conspicuously missing. The psychopomps tell of Advay's hand to be the cause of murder and for sure there was struggle in Yatin's home. Curiously, enough you do not know of anyone to have actually seen the scene in question, to keep the magical away from the humans some had said.

Yatin's work had required proximity to humanity and so he had, with great secrecy, found a place in the middle of the Hindu diaspora of Northern Shore, Emerald City, Washington. Yet that proximity has called the murder to the attention of the Emerald City Police Department, humans the very secretive Cryptid Clans would prefer not to get involved in. Now a manhunt from all kinds, even some of the new Ultio Suits from Marstech, has been going on for three weeks andnot all those who seek him have truly benevolent intentions in mind if Advay is to be believed.

If you are to find Advay before the Clans do, then you must prepare.

You have five days to gather equipment or perform the relevant rituals.

And after, you venture into the blackness of Sub-Terra, where only the blind are comfortable and where only stone grow. No doubt the Clans would know the same thing you do, and perhaps you may find some of their number roaming the depths as well, most likely unfriendly to outsiders.

May 6, 2020

Free Action: Switch Sensory-Suite Array to AP: Super-Senses 9 (Direction Sense [+1], Distance Sense [+1], Radio [+1], Radar [+3]; Radar [Enhancements: Accurate (+0), Acute (+0), Extended 2 [1,000 ft] (+2), Radius (+1), Ranged (+1)]) {10/11}

Move: Fly to Marjory Doors

Action: Fire Stun 6 (Energy Vent; Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Selective Attack; Flaws: Additional Save [Reflex]; Feats: Accurate 3, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {23} + Trip 6 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst] [5 Feet per Power Rank], Selective Attack; Flaws: Additional Save [Reflex]; Feats: Accurate 4, Attack Focus [Ranged]) {17} = {40/40} (Additional Descriptors: Electricity)

Use All-Out Attack + Power Attack = +5 DC / -5 Attack Bonus

Attack Roll: 1d20+11 = 16

DC 16

Reflex Save to avoid completely. Then Fortitude Save, for Stun, and Strength or Dexterity roll, whichever is better, for Trip.

May 6, 2020

Salvo

Justice was gone and Salvo had just finished donning Bellios, when she had spied someone running outside the room. That someone looked very much like one Marjory Doors who Justice was supposedly chasing right now.

It was enough to set off Salvo's alarm bells and as she burst out of the room, her sensory suite drew a thousand feet of the world around her into her mind's eye. She could see everything from a thousand different angles as if she were right in front of them. Justice was on the roof, looking down at a Marjory Doors sprinting like an athlete, holding the ray gun but with no papers. Simultaneously, another Marjory Doors was running through the Engineering building.

One Doors for each hero then.

Salvo rose, the backlash from her rockets stirring the air around her. Then with a boom, she rocketed forward, maneuvering around the hallways towards Doors. Salvo's form crackled as energy built up near the surface plates, ready to be unleashed at a moment's notice.

May 6, 2020

Abracadaver is a super-powered criminal with a magician gimmick, but nonetheless exhibits varied powers. Extremely dangerous. Dial 911 if you see him.

Abracadaver's crimes and obsession usually revolve around corpses, dead things, other occultists and magicians, and what some superstitious people call the occult or magic. This is obviously related to his gimmick.

Abracadaver's powers possibly originate from external sources, possibly psychic or alien artifacts, which he fashions as a magic black tome for example as part of his gimmick.

If Rebellion knows about the existence of magic then it is safe to assume that all these 'possiblies' can be explained simply by magic. That or Abracadaver is posing as magical.

May 6, 2020

GM

00:22:00 AM

Abracadaver shoves the mobile phone in his pocket and stomps out of sight. The corpses cease their singing as soon as he leaves and a ringing silence falls over you.

Now alone, you take in your surroundings.

The space is dimly-lit and intimate, a small clearing in the middle of Abracadaver's zombies. It is a mad scientist's cave, a place for experiments best done in the shadows.

Four small columns of marble reach from floor to ceiling and are set at the edges of clearing. They look similar to architecture you'd find in Jadetown, except clearly upside-down. The dragon that reaches for the heavens now spirals downwards, its claws grasping at a round, headless creature with six legs and four wings. The other three columns are carved the same way. They do not feel right, like the song you had felt when you had opened the metal doors leading to this basement. However, the feeling is not as unpleasant or powerful.

Something feels familiar about them, like knowing the feel of your own fingers, but you cannot put your tongue on it.

A corpse lays on the operating table to the side, between two columns. It is bereft of clothes but chunks of its flesh have been carved off. The bloody tools set on the medical shelf beside the corpse speak of what was done to the corpse, though some of the flesh is nowhere to be seen.

Opposite the corpse, is another table but this one is laden with scrolls, diagrams, books, and Abracadaver's handwritten scrawl. A quick browse prove the contents to be an indecipherable mess, with many a reference to what you'd imagine to be occult jargon and Chinese terminology. Things like metaphorically courting 'Four' and 'Death' through repetition stand out to you. You see the yin-yang symbol in a scroll, along with more notes scribbled in the side.

Hanging from a chair beside table is a cape, black on one side and red on the other. A top hat is set on the corner of the table, away from the cluttered mess of paper. A laptop, its screen locked, sits beside the tophat. Perhaps more information can be gleaned in its databanks.

Finally, in the middle of the clearing is a wooden lectern. On the slanted desk a book sits, bound in black leather. Its ancient paper is brittle and yellow with age. The symbols and glyphs written on its pages are utterly alien to you, unlike any language you know, and they slip and slide away from your vision as if you were reading while heavily drunk. More notes are written on the side, but there are two sets of handwritings. One looks to be the same as those in the other table but a more faded but more meticulous is written alongside Abracadaver's.

The pages it was left open on reveals something that is set like a poem, with the strange glyphs set into a tight middle column. The handwritten notes give credence to the idea as they often make mention of a 'Song' or 'Poem' and 'transferring being'. There is also mention of petitioning of "outer beings", though of just who these outer beings are it fails to mention.

You feel there is much here to take that could tell you of Abracadaver's ritual, if only you can decipher them. Perhaps in time, but definitely not here.

Abracadaver will not be gone forever.

May 6, 2020

Notice: 1d20+4/8 = 5/9

Including the Notice bonus for Nicole/Salvo.

Spending an HP to reroll.

Notice: 1d20+4/8 = 12/16

+10 since the roll was 8, below 10.

Result: 22/26

May 4, 2020

Nicole

"These notes yours?" Nicole held the papers up, turning away from Ms. Doors. "Because I can barely rea-- guughhhhh."

She fell like a log, all the muscles on her body tensed up, and the next thing she knew Justice was by her side. She took a moment to catch her breath as Justice checked her over, then shakily got to her feet, using a table to keep her stable.

"Not a taser? Think it was a real weapon?" Her voice was still shaky from the shock. "I didn't get a look at what she was holding but... it means she's more than just a nosey bystander."

Justice pressed down on her amulet and small portals appeared behind her. Armor pieces flew from the portals and fastened themselves around her until she was fully suited up. Nicole could see the magic flare up from the amulet and from there flowing to the rest of Justice's suit. Like liquid mercury but a brilliant purple. Flashy and convenient. She needed to find a way to copy it for her use but Bellios was way to camera-shy.

"Slower than you," Nicole said as she waved Justice away. "Go after her. I'll catch up."

As Justice left her, the moonlight in the room flickered, and Nicole could feel cold steel wrap around her. She snarls as a blood-red visor slid down against her face, looking forward to the chase.

Wrong move Doors.

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