Lone Star

Warlock smiled cordially at her. "Pleasure to meet you, Jill. I don't believe we've ever been properly introduced, but I think we teamed up once with Nick." He turned his back and looked at his necromantic friend. "Against...Xipe Totec? I can never pronounce those Aztec names." Blake's eyes popped open, and he immediately moved behind her. He spread the suntan lotion on his hands, and started to work it into her back. " Just 'cuz he's got muscles...."

Warlock leapt upon the towel, and squeezed it tight. Whatever spirit that had been occupying the linens had expelled itself, and Blake stood up, sighing in relief. He padded over to his girlfriend, and laid down next to her. "Hey cutie." He rested his head on her stomach and kissed it playfully. Noticing the other two teens, he sat up and greeted them in his strange way- with a peace sign. "Nice to see you again, Dragonfly. And you are?" The young wizard smiled at Dragonfly's girlfriend, and offered a hand.

Warlock, awkwardly stretching his arms to get his back sunscreened, stopped to give Push and CT a round of applause. "Bravo, friends. That was...quite impressive and creative, Templar. It's certainly less chaotic than what normally happens when you use your powers, Push." he said with a wink. "And I do appreciate the Fantasia reference too. Remember when we were fixing up Lair and I made the mops start dancing? I think I'm better at it now!" He stood up, and shook out his towel. Taking a moment to crack his neck and knuckles, he gestured at the towel. It rose up, and beneath the towel an invisible human form seemed to guide it. It walked towards CT's homemade kitchen, and took a pot. "Oh no." It walked towards the ocean, and filled the pot with ocean water, and poured it on the beach as if to clean it. "No, no no! Why do they always do the same thing?!" He scrambled towards the towel to subdue it.

Warlock shook Push's hand, looking into his peer's eyes. "Thank you, Push." He turned to the others, his eyes seeking sympathy. "About what happened before- I don't know what came over me. I guess his spirit got to me, too." He sighed, and put a hand to his head. "I just...that's a side of me I've never seen before. The one that lashes out at what makes it angry. I'm glad we were able to solve it with diplomacy though, instead of violence."

DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN Crap! Mad Dog has 12 points! Please add the following: Combat: 2 points +1 Defense Feats: 3 points Attack Focus (Melee) Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Medicine, Notice, Stealth) Stunning Attack Saves: 5 points +1 Fortitude +2 Reflex +2 Will That'll do for now. DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN

Gregory awoke groggily to a knock at his door, and considered turning back over. He sat up in his bed when he realized where he was, and what today held for him. Hurriedly shifting his covers into some sort of order, he quickly slid on his costume. It was one he wore for special occasions. A black leather jacket, with a button at the collar, and on the back, an insignia of snapping dog jaws in red. The shoes, which were his father's WWII boots, tied up to his ankles. The finishing touch, a modern tactical mask. Gregory and looked at himself in the mirror. He gave himself a thumbs-up, and headed downstairs. After filling his plate, he walked over to the woman in orange, and extended a hand. "Good luck out there today."

"Probably a good idea, Nick." Warlock said, crouching next to his friend. Reaching out with his senses, he saw something the other two could not- what appeared to be a skeletal hound, standing watch for the necromancer. Instead of the trap he was expecting, he found the dog standing guard, and no doubt alert to any beings that entered a certain radius of the necromancer. It was a variation on the classic Watchhound spell.

Excellent work! So there is in fact a spell on the door, which I will mention in the IC.

Arcane Knowledge check to recognize any traps.

He walked towards the oldest among their group- although she wasn't elderly by any means, she looked rather out of place in a group of teenagers. If nothing else, Blake wanted to make sure everyone felt welcome at a beach party he was co-hosting. "Hi! My name's Blake Salazar, also known as Warlock, or previously known as Kid Cthulhu...nice to meet you, Ms. Estelle." He looked at her long and flowing blonde hair. "Are you by any chance Gossamer?" Blake overheard Mara's discussion about sunscreen with her girlfriend, and he uttered a noise of surprise. "Excuse me for a moment, would you?" He ran to his bag, which was on CT's telekinetic sled. Sure enough- although he had brought everything else, he forgotten sunscreen. His rather pasty complexion would surely barbecue in the hot sun. "Anyone have any suntan lotion?"

Logic, although firmly a part of Blake's mind, abandoned him at that moment. Without a second thought, he leapt into the water after her, trying to pursue the aquatic beast. His arms, now more muscular than his former self, cut through the water, but not with the effectiveness of a Deep One. His eyes burning with the salt of the water, he attempted to find the Deep One. After vaguely spotting a black shape, Warlock hurled a handful of his sleeping powder into the water, hoping the fish would breathe in its magic dust. The gears in Blake's head started turning again, and he blinked. I realize this may not have been a good idea.

Blake makes a stupid! He jumps into the water, and tries to make the fishy go sleepy-bye. DC 19 Will save for the Fish-Man.

Blake pshawed at his friend, grinning widely. "Oh, please. Like I need your help with that." Repressing a sigh of muscular strain, he hefted the items in the back of Jessica's Explorer onto Corbin's lift. He looked up at his two friends. "Nick!" he said, quickly finishing his task to give his friend a hug. "It's been a while, buddy! And Push!" The grin was evident on his face as he gave his other friend a bro-hug as well. "I missed you guys! It's been...well, since that incident with Roland." As much as he tried to move it to the back of his mind, it kept resurfacing. He didn't know what caused him to act so irrationally- much less the all-too-familiar otherworldly green flame that caught his sleeve on fire. His past seemed to be catching up with him once again.

Ah! Crappy version is crappy. I will make a much better version of this sheet tomorrow, I'm just getting my ideas down. KC II Power Level: 10 (156 power points) Abilities: STR 12(+1) DEX 16(+3) CON 14/24(14)(+2/+7) INT 14(+2) WIS 14/24(14)(+2/+7) CHA 12(+1) Skills: Concentration 6 (+13), Craft (Artistic) 10 (+12), Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 12 (+14), Knowledge (Art) 8 (+10), Notice 8 (+15) Feats: Accurate Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 3 Luck 2, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Ritualist, Skill Mastery (Craft, Knowledge, Knowledge ,Notice) Powers: Enhanced Ability (Constitution) 10 “psuedonatural might†Enhanced Ability (Wisdom) 10 “pseudonatural will†Unnatural Magic Array Power Feats: Accurate 2 43 pts. Blast 12 Extras: Autofire, Homing “psuedonatural fire†36 pts AP: Mind Control 12 Extras: Conscious, Sensory Link 36 pts AP: Mental Blast 12, Flaws: Distracting 36 pts. AP: Drain Wisdom 12 + Mental Blast 6 “sanity drain†AP: Additional Limbs 4 + Elongation 5 + Strike 10 Power Feats: Mighty, Improved Critical 21 pts “Combat Tentacles†AP: Emotion Control 12 Flaws: Limited to fear Enhanced Skill 8 (Perform: Wind Instruments) 2 pts Enhanced Skill 8 (Perform: Drums) 2 pts Swimming 2 4 pp Immunity (suffocation) 1 pp Immunity (mental effects) Flaw: Half-Effect 5 pp Equipment 12 ep Zann-brand flute 0 ep Drum set 0 ep Chain-mail 3 ep Cthulhu-cycle 9 ep Combat: Attack +4 Defense 18 (Flat-footed: 14) Initiative +3 Grapple: +5 (Attack - +4,Strength +1,Size - +0) Saves: Toughness +7/+10 Fortitude +8 Reflex +7 Willpower +10 Lifting: 130 lb. Cost Summary: Ability 22 + Skills 11 (44 Ranks) + Feats 11 + Powers 20 + Combat 24 + Saves 8 = 153 / 156

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, Roland. And many can't find peace, even after the conflict is done. Many who kill in the name of a conflict can't stand themselves. They have feelings, and a conscience! Have you considered that? Many people take their internal pain to their graves. Not every conflict merits death, or even pain. Diplomacy can do so much, and create peace in nations. Not all humans are war-like. As heroes, we all try to keep the peace." Warlock looked at the man with a hard stare. He was ready to take him down in an instant if this plan failed.

Warlock will spend three HP, as per your suggestion. One for Beginner's Luck, one for five ranks in Diplomacy, and one for Combat Diplomacy. So he's got a +10...let's roll it. 1d20+10=11 Dammit. A fourth to reroll! 1d20+10=16 There we go. That's a 26 because it's under 10.

Blake checked her out in a not-too-subtle way. "Looking most bodacious, babe. He was wearing a black swim suit, and generous amounts of suntan lotion. His skin, although not as pale as before, was still rather pasty, and he would burn to a crisp if he didn't reapply frequently. He set his sunglasses over his bright green eyes, and smiled brightly. It was going to be a nice day, and hopefully he would have an opportunity to meet her friends from The Lab. As he struggled to carry the fully-loaded picnic basket to their chosen spot, he couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Hey babe! I hope we don't have any unexpected guests...you made sure to send the emails encrypted, right?"

Blake grabbed her hands and squeezed them. "Europe would be absolutely perfect this time of year. When would we go?" His eyes were full of joy, and a bright youthful smile lit up his face. It would be perfect for the two of them, as a couple. "I'll have to take off, but I imagine Nick and the other mystics will be able to hold off any major supernatural threats for a few days. Where in Europe would you want to go? I've always wanted to check out the London art scene."

Mad Dog chuckled. "You're telling me, man. Hell, I just fight regular thugs. I didn't even know half of what's here even existed." He listened to Guan Yu's speech and rules, and nodded understandably. A honorable fight, without grudges held. It seemed almost too good to be true, but he was happy nonetheless. It would be a real chance to prove himself against actual metahumans, not just the scum on the streets of Freedom. "So when do you think we'll get this show on the road?" he asked Cannonade. "I'm ready to rumble."

Ah, duh. Lightning Burst works, then.

"I think you'll like my surprise later." He grinned again and kissed her on the cheek. The musicians started on another song, but a shriek pierced the air. The audience covered their ears and started to talk among themselves. The musicians shrugged and started up again. "That was strange." Gregory said, scratching his chin. "Wonder what-" The piercing sound came again, this time accompanied by a power chord. A tall figure floated onto stage, his fingers flying over the strings of an electric guitar. His brown hair was worn down to his shoulders, and he wore a leather jacket with blue jeans, which were covered in patches. "HELLO FREEDOM CITY!" the guitarist shouted. "I am Guitarmageddon! There's no place for jazz in the world I am out to create!" He landed on the stage and started kicking the drum set over. The musicians had their hands in their air and stepped back. "THERE! IS! ONLY! THE METAL!" He raised his hand in the "metal horns" position. "So...what do you think, love? Any plans?"

Sure enough, a black-cloaked figure was standing on the lawn, surrounded by what appeared to be great stones. These stones were arranged in a circle, and sigils glowed on their surface. "I'd assume that's him, yeah." Warlock said. The figure had a tome in his hands, and was reading from it as he gestured with his free hand. The stones glowed in response, and from the center of the circle white smoke appeared. A hideous shriek could be heard from inside the house as the smoke condensed into a ghostly figure. Warlock turned back to his two friends. His brow was furrowed with worry and concentration. "So what's the plan?"

Initiative for Warlock: 1d20+3=20

Zap struggled against the massive weight of Blackfire, but managed to remove a hand from underneath him. While the robot was watching for her teammates, she found a perfect moment to strike. Here's your big chance...try not to screw it up. She held her hand out, and allowed bioelectricity to flow through it, causing it to spark and glow with the power. Screaming a battle cry, Zap slammed her fist into the side of the robot's ankle, hoping to knock it off guard. "Take this, you motor monster!" She struck the robot's ankle, and it seized up, as its metal exterior flashed with electrical power. She quickly slipped from under the robot's massive foot, and dusted herself off. "Who else wants some?!" she shouted.

Zap uses her Taser Fist against Blackfire, hopefully knocking him down. 1d20+6=20 Awesome! So that's a DC 20 Fortitude against the Stun and a DC 25 Toughness against the Strike.