Carces

"Oh! Ah, hello!" The older gentleman seemed somewhat surprised at the arrival of another super hero. Nevertheless, he kindly took the lady's hand and shook it. "The Interceptors? I'm glad you could make it! You see, some of our own men have gone into the dome and have disa..." The officer stopped as Beacon, shining pillar of hope to the gathered audience, flew into the dome as the other assembled heroes were busy. The crowds cheered as Beacon managed to ignore the assaulting magical energies of the dome. "Oh dear..." the older officer exclaimed as he watched the hero disappear. It was extremely difficult to see inside the red haze. A quick fly around reveals the angry shouts of a man. "Stop it! STOP IT! STOP IIIIIIT!" Without much trouble, Beacon finds the sources of the sound: a man in a police officer's uniform doubled over in pain. Unfortunately, no trace of the casino is here.

Could you please make a fortitude save, Beacon?

Even alone, the monster was driven to attack in an insane, blood-thirsty rage. With Nick and KC firmly ready to finish off the menace, the creature turned to the distracted Creature Feature, who had let his guard down from his last attack. With all of its might, the creature leap up, bringing both of its clawed appendages to bear while it wailed an intolerable battle-shriek. At the last possible second one of Creature Feature's tentacles lashed out, catching the demon squarely in the chest with an incredible destructive force. The demon was cleaved in two, disappearing as the others did into the night. Creature Feature breathed heavily. "Is that the last of them?"

Mental attacks on these demons are much akin to playing with bubble wrap. Another pop, and the extra-dimensional smoke once again rises into the air. There are now 4 demons on the floor - two of which are grappled. The 2 grappled by the grasp of the dead continue to scream and howl with the unearthly sound. The effect is lessened, but still quite potent. Creature Feature grimmaced again, shaking off the torturous voices. "Man, they just don't know when to quit." He opened his eyes to see one of the free creatures leap towards Nick, readying its claws. Perhaps it sensed a brief moment of weakness, or perhaps it thought itself capable of halting Nick's powerful magics. In both cases, the demon was in error. With a well-timed shift in weight, the demon tripped in its attack, landing hard and prone on the floor. The other monster dug its claws deep into Creature Feature's chest. "Ack! Get off!" The powerful body was more squeamish at the demon's presence than actually damaged by the demonic talons. In his panic, he grabbed the demon unshakably with a claw and hurled him towards a demon trapped by Nick's magic. They blow exploded in smoke upon collision. "Yeah Ha! We're doin' it!" Creature Feature celebrated. A final demon fell out of the tears in reality, leaving only three demons on the field. The other was charging at him.

Hero point spent - I flubbed an attack. By the by - make will saves again. This one's a DC 16. (+2 for attacking in unison, -1 for already trying this schtick.)

"Glad you could make it, uh..." The officer in charge, an older man sporting a gray mustache, took off his hat and scratched his head. The costume seemed familiar, so this was clearly an established and respected super hero. However, his memory may have been failing him in his old age. He cleared his throat. "*Erhem* I'm glad you could make it. This red... haze... dome thing used to be a Casino - The Luxury. It had more than a thousand people inside. Now we ain' seen hide nor hair of anyone inside. Here, come have a lookat this." The older officer unhooked a flashlight and waved it past the dome of red. It went through easily the dome easily, and he pulled it back. "Things pass through easy enough. But when people get through in there, they double over in... pain, or somethin'. And then they disappear from sight. We even sent in some bomb disposal robots, and we got nothin'. No people and no casino. Heck, we got no robots after a couple seconds! It's bafflin'." A young police officer ran to the older man's side. "Sir! We are ready, sir!" "Thanks." The older man motioned for the young officer to carry on and turned back to Beacon. "It's crude, but we're gonna try sendin' me in with a rope tied around my waist and a camera. Hopefully, we can find some of these people before it's too late. Let me know if you find out anything yourself." The old man walks off to suit up for the dangerous mission. Deep in your gut, you believe he is only days away from retirement.

Nope - not too late at all. Jump on in and remember to go to the "Outside thread" when the current one splits.

Another disconcerting aspect appears. Nick Cimitiere calls upon the voices of the past to give some insight into the past, but only a few hushed voices are gathered. A casino filled with people just before a major magical event should have drawn more attention from the worlds beyond. What happened? "I saw a man who wasn't a man. I saw him talk with another. I saw a child with tears in her eyes, she wants her father and mother. The not-a-man says "I'll give you your peace, and do it without hesitation, The man asks the price, but the child just nods. His price was seven invitations. I see eight that have gathered since then - and each with power in their eyes, I left before they fulfilled their vows, but I know that the child still cries." With a cackle from beyond the grave, the voice leaves.

It seems to be mainly psychic for the most part. It does have the potential to kill, if ramped up, however.

Another of the creatures is demolished by Kid Cthulhu's mental prowess. The creature shatters and dissipates into smoke. All of the creatures, grabbed or not, stop moving in unison. In a combined effort, their various mouths open, shrieking in a horrific fashion with a maddening cry. Creature Feature covered what presumably was his ears with his giant Kchoolian hands. Where in average people there could only be horror, the Creature's eyes reflected his anger at the undying screech. "Shut... UP!" In unison, the uncontrolled tentacles flew up in unison, slamming down on a grappled demon. In such an onslaught, there was no doubt that the creature had been obliterated. Creature Feature snarled. "I've watched PSA's scarier than you!" Only two creatures crawled out of the holes this time as reality itself attempted to heal the tears in the dimension. The invasion was slowing down.

Everyone needs to make a will save: DC 21 for the combined Fearsome Presence attack. Well, that was a bit of overkill. I only needed power attack 2 to kill these guys without 'em getting a saving throw. :oops:

Everything I wanted to know about my magical analysis (but was too afraid to ask!): -The magic is strong. Hella strong. It's reasonable to assume that whoever set it up is not only quite powerful, but had time to set up. -The major source of the magic is somewhere else. However, it's pulling most of the pulled emotional and psychic power from outside even as we speak. Whatever it is, it's a power hog. -There's no barrier or forcefield present. -There's no illusion present. -The dome gives off the mystical reading of a mystical Domain dimension. Something a "god" would use as a home base or a mystical battery. -It's not a happy place

Ouroboros appears beside the crimson dome and the crowd hushes in anticipation of something incredible happening. The spell is cast and you are granted insight. However, as is usual with magic, insight may lead to more questions than answers... Farther away, Nick Cimitiere approaches the boardwalk when he comes to a rather worrying observation. As he approaches the dome, the look on the eyes of the people watching from a distance gets more cold and distant - a familiar look for any man who's walked with Death. These people are being drained, and they don't know it.

For purposes of the story, no one starts inside the casino. The groups that want to do the adventure inside the casino will need to figure out how to break in first. Those staying outside can help, but will remain outside to deal with outdoor threats as they come. A starting meeting place allows for a quick warm up before things start getting serious. It'll also allow you to get a feel for what might be happening for when you break up into teams. I've decided it's more fitting that the players decide who's splitting up, when the time comes.

Troll, I can't find much mention of the "Pale Horse" you mentioned on your character sheet. Considering your character, I'm assuming it's a motorcycle? You should be able to get around the roadblocks on a normal motorcycle/flying vehicle, though you'll have to drive like a jerk to do it. A full-fledged car will have less success. Edit: The Pale Horse is a car. IC post edited to include the result of Nick's travel.

"Please clear the area in an orderly fashion! There is no cause for alarm." The megaphone tried to overcome the chatter of the onlookers with little success. The murmurs of a concerned and curious crowd overtook the police officer's orders. A nigh-skeletal crew of Freedom's Finest could only hope to keep onlookers a safe distance, while being assaulted with camera flashes and media questions they had no hope of answering. "Look! Supers!" The cry from the crowd drew attention away from the dome and towards the flying hero Beacon, who arrived first on the scene. The cameras flashed and the audience shouted out to the first hero, some of them applauding at the sight. Farther away, the Pale Horse pulled into sight of the 30 story crimson dome. The story on the news certainly wasn't exaggerated. The traffic in the area had been caught in a deadlock - some fleeing the dome in search of a safer place while others try to move towards the dome for curiosity or for profit. The confusion makes getting police reinforcements difficult. It appears you'll have to walk from this point on...

There's an awful lot of people who are interested in solving magical mysteries! There are a great many lives relying on you to face the mystical dangers present. Remember: every piece of truth and knowledge you gain is a source of power that may be far greater than all the fireballs the world can offer. Be careful, though, for not everything is as it seems. We'll be breaking into groups soon. First, though, we should have a gathering to meet the whole crew who would brave the Mysteries Infinite. Let's start with a question, shall we? What kind of door can you not unlock?

This is the first step of the Mysteries Infinite Adventure. Use this as a starting point for ALL players, inside and out. Here, you'll have an opportunity to figure out how to get in or fortify yourself for staying out, as the case may be. Use this opportunity to get to know some of your comrades, if you don't know them already, and learn what you can from the outside. Once you go in, there's no turning back... There is no real posting order, and members of the thread are invited to discuss the situation with others in any haphazard manner they care to. New Threads will be linked in this OOC thread at appropriate times, so please keep alert as to any changes in here. Hope you all have fun. Good luck!

It's morning. There's a beautiful sunrise to the east. The light washes over Freedom City, bathing it in beautiful colors and the warmth of a new day. It banishes the dark to the shadows until its cycle is complete. Freedom City is alive. Freedom City celebrates a radical revolution as The Luxury declares its Grand Opening celebration. The themed Casino, Hotel, and Amusement Park is opening its doors September 1st for residents of Freedom City to "Catch a glimpse" of the hottest new sensation in tourism and recreation. The hotel's theme promises to treat its guests "As royalty, no matter where they go." An intriguing motto indeed. The pattern starts anew. People mind their business and go about their lives as the sun climbs the sky. In the South, the pattern is disrupted. A 30 story dome of crimson red dominates the Boardwalk. The pattern is disrupted. People gather and watch. Curiosity reigns over rationality. The Grand Opening of The Luxury is met with an overwhelming turnout, filling the casino to capacity. A mix of Freedom's elite, extravagant tourists, and normal, every day families have all gathered for a party that Freedom City will never forget. The police are summoned, holding back the crowds. The bright crimson inches forward. The coppery tinge of blood is in the air, and with it vanishes any doubt that magic is dominant here. Tragedy strikes as an unidentified, 30 story red dome covers the new casino hotel, The Luxury. People around the location have sworn they saw people entering the dome, disappearing completely. Police urge everyone to avoid Boardwalk transit for the time being and to stay away from the red dome, as it is considered extremely dangerous. An attack on Freedom's newest sign of fun and recreation, or a publicity stunt gone horribly wrong? We'll have more updates as they arrive. This has been your 8 o' clock news update.

Creature Feature Working on the Railroad Dances with Wolfman GM The Door you can't Unlock Under a Crimson Glow (MI: Outside) The Palace of Fortune (MI: Inside)

You guys don't have to wait for me to fumble about cluelessly with the Invisible Castle. Feel free to roll for the demons. Result is in the thread. Your turn, KC.

The ectoplasmic grab at whatever enemies it can reach. Three of them get caught in the grasp, pulling at the grasps of the dead without any success. One of the horrors escapes the damning grasp by taking to the air. Another simply rips through the ectoplasm, shrieking wildly as it does. "Urghh... that shrieking is horrid" Creature Feature shakes his head wildly as he attempts to get back on his feet. "I think you mighta got 'em though, Nick! But what're we gonna do about those holes?"

Three demons had made it to past the dimensional barrier to earth. But only two had made it safely. The third covered its head with its hands as it landed on firm ground, but had no ability to escape the purely mental destruction, blowing it down to the ground. As soon as the final eye closed on its twisted form, it dissipated into a thick, black smoke. The two horrors turned to each other before charging the heroic Kid Cthulhu - the current threat. They wailed an unearthly howl as they charged. The first leapt in the air directly at Kid Cthulhu in a dazzling display of monstrous might. However, at the last moment before landing, he flew over the hero's head - a distraction! The realization comes just in time as the demonic figure only barely touches Kid Cthulhu, unable to get a real strike in. Despite this stroke of luck, three more demons crawl out of the three dimensional holes. Five now stand fully in this dimension - their mouths screaming and chattering. "Kay-Cee!" Creature Feature turned as the demonic invaders rushed Kid Cthulhu. As the attack gambit failed, the flying demon flew back for another round of attacks. With little regard to defense, the Kchoolooian form jumped up, flapping its giant wings for extra lift, and slammed both of his hands on the demon, bringing him into swift contact with the floor. Despite the cracks in the floor, the demonic creature underneath Creature Feature's scaled hands laughed, lifting the assailing appendages away with incredible strength and tossing him to the side. "Wagh!" Creature Feature was easily thrown off balance and backed into a box car.

Feel free to roll the demons' savings throws for 'em. In LS' case, they only avoid certain doom on a nat 20. XD

I'm not sure where you live, Shift, but Green Ronin is currently holding a 10th Anniversary Sale. The only thing you really need to start making a character is the Player's Pocket Guide, a fabulously made reference book with just enough information to make a good character. Owning both the main manual and the pocket guide, I find it an excellent way to save money if you only plan to participate as a player. Right now, it's only $5. With the main book on sale for $10, shipping is probably going to be the main charge. These books are definitely cheaper than their PDF counterparts, so it might be worth a look.