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Ari

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  1. Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters The North Bay Prep trio had joined in the obnoxious hooting and hollering as first Neko and then Multiplicity answered their prayers and emerged to start the set, but rapidly fell silent as the song actually began, the teenagers watching and listening intently to Bernadette and her band. From their demeanour it was obvious that this wasn't anything they were used to, with only Merry able to split her attention between the virtuosic performance and scribbling short notes she passed to Justin in a slowly-growing pile. The longest was written just after the fourth verse. Justin, relaxed and smiling moments before, had transformed into a pillar with a pair of wide, staring eyes pointed at the band but seeing none of them, nodding fractionally along to the litany of woes the song recounted. Adele was similarly transfixed, her slender hands twisting slowly together into a tight knot. The very stars on her dress seemed to dim, largely thanks to a subtle readjustment of the house lights to better illuminate the stage. At the close of the song she suddenly let out a breath, coughed a little and smiled awkwardly at Iris. "Wow. It's so much more...powerful in person. Oh! So sorry, I'll give you your seat back." Seeing the other students approaching she'd got smoothly back to her feet and rejoined her schoolmates. The fading chords seemed to startle Justin back to life, and he clapped his powerful hands together with gusto, pausing only to let out a whistle. Applauding with him and stomping one of her heeled boots on the floor for emphasis, Merry regarded the back line with a sudden interest.
  2. Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters "Oh it's wonderful, don't mind my complaining," Adele assured Iris, "it's a bold red brick complex on 40 acres of green grass southwest of the nuclear plant. Everything's indoors, except the gardens and the harbour, and they teach us absolutely everything! Mathematics, literature, history, practical science, self-defence, even some criminal l-" "You'd better show us on a map after the show," Merry advised Michael, "we don't have phones, per school rules." Despite her best efforts, she smirked a little "Well, the new rules." "I thought it was funny, M.J.," Justin said kindly. To the Claremont boys he added "I'm up for anything! Especially if we get to explore, I've heard all kinds of crazy ghost stories about Cla-" Sam's outburst drowned out the rest of what Adele and Justin said, and while the starry girl looked annoyed, Justin and Merry were delighted. "MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY!" Justin and Merry eagerly joined in Sam's chant, pounding their fists in time with Sam's table-stomping, "MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY! MUL-TI-PLICI-TY!" Shooting her schoolmates an irritated look, Adele scooted over to the Claremont table where she went on pleasantly "I love boxing! Kickboxing's best, but the other's good too! What styles do you prefer?"
  3. Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters "Michael, Ryan, Sam, Owain, Daniel, Iris, It's wonderful to meet you! After the show, maybe you can introduce me!" Adele politely accepted and distributed the discount cards, looking at them with the fascination of a truly new thing. She grinned happily at the twins, the gems on her dress seeming to shine brighter to match her. Glancing down at herself she laughed self-consciously, "I know I'm maybe overdoing it, but at school we have to wear the uniform all year 'round. I got this last year, and this is the first chance I've had to wear it! Or to meet, well, anyone new." "Sports" said both Merry and Justin at once, sharing a quick fist-bump, Justin shifting around to better give the other boy an admiring look. "That cross ain't just for show, huh? Glad to meet a real Catholic around here, felt like a jerk when I had to tell the faculty the big statue they'd had for over a hundred years was of the wrong Spanish St. Isidore. I mean, patron of the ploughman's not a bad choice. Especially not for Bay Prep, they keep us busy in and out of the classroom." "I"m on the regular and robot soccer teams, di Pisa's first love is martial arts, and this fine specimen's into swimming...and everything else." Merry patted Justin on a powerful shoulder. "The Heroes and Rayguns have been after this guy since before his voice changed." Coughing meaningfully and shooting Merry a polite but firm raised eyebrow, Justin said "By the way, Owain? uh...like we said, we don't get out much, but we're getting a spring break this year. Good performance in the...competitions, y'know? So uh...after the concert, if you have any ideas of what else we can, y'know, do for fun, that'd be sweet."
  4. Knave, Tro-Fi, Seven Sisters Owain felt a sudden bump against the circular sofa, followed by a sheepish "Whoops! Sorry, man, my bad." The cause, a dark-skinned, and powerfully-built boy with a shaved head, what the squire now knew to be a Hawai'ian accent and well-fitted black suit, smiled awkwardly down at the other boy as he turned more fully sideways to maneuver through the dense seating. Close behind were two girls, one tanned, dark-eyed and dark-haired in a way that reminded him of a visitation to Arthur's court from Rome, in a floor-length black dress lined with gems that flashed like stars; the other girl was Black, almost as dark as the boy, but with braided kinky hair dyed red and green to match the diamond patterns on her jacket and skirt. Both smiled politely and murmured apologies as they settled around a neighbouring table, a placard declaring it to be reserved for "St. Isidore's North Bay Preparatory." "Are you fans too?" asked the girl in the starry dress, talking to the Claremont table in general but looking curiously between Iris and Sam, "I just heard about Multiplicity last month, but I love their drummer! I'm Adele, he's Justin and she's Merry," she added, gesturing to her two friends before beaming hopefully at the Claremont students, "what are your names?" "Careful, Butterfly di Pisa," the girl identified as 'Merry' smiled a little more thinly, "we don't wanna advertise how little we get outta school." "To be fair M.J., for all we know they might have it even harder than us," Justin pointed out mildly, easing into the sofa like he was worried about falling in.
  5. Thread begun, with Star-Squire, Sever, Neoo & Owain. IC thread here OOC thread here
  6. OOC thread for this thread. The ultimate thrillride, a mall-centered melee, a clash between rival schools! @EmpressValerian96 @Thunder King @Avenger Assembled Empress, Miriam's armor has been occasionally 'ping'-ing her since she got to the mall, for no immediately-apparent reason and inaudbly to the other heroes.
  7. GM March 16th, 2024, 1.13PM Millennium Mall, Bayview, Freedom City It was winding towards the end of a nice, relaxing, post-school day. The quartet of young incognito heroes sitting in the food court had wandered the echoing halls of the vast shopping mall and gotten more or less what they'd wanted out of the experience. Plus, there was some of Doctor Metropolis' new art on display. The presence of the strange, quiet city-spirit was normally an unseen one. As an expression of Freedom City as a whole he didn't favour any areas or inahbitants over any others, unlike the mysteriously-vanished ghost Lantern Jack whose hauntings had rarely gone beyond Lantern Hill. And, similar to how people rarely notice good roads but can't ignore bad ones, his most visible role had been as a healer of civic wounds and shepherd of missing persons. Brief, purposeful, unsettling, Doctor Metropolis was in some ways less approachable than the space aliens and living dead that had served with the Freedom League. However, while a tireless repair-man, the city-spirit was also a "born" artist. His canvas was the layouts, structure and material of buildings, and places with high concentrations of citizens could look forward to something new and unexpected. Today, the ceiling skylight rippled like a watery surface, while tiles on the floor and walls schooled in dazzling rainbows or loomed in grey enormity. Out the main door, a number of plaques had appeared dedicated to the lives lost in Freedom City's long-gone fishing industry. Most of this was lost on the shoppers, who had their own lives to worry about. Especially the busy lives of teenaged superheroes.
  8. Who: Thread for 3 PCs, one of which is @EmpressValerian96's Star-Squire. Newer ones preferred. What: Combat-focused, with some imperiling of innocents requiring Skill/Power checks. Opponents will be three NPCs of PL10-8 Where: Millennium Mall, Bayview. When: Mid-March, 2024 Why: For some Claremont students to have a smaller scene and face lighter but significant challenges.
  9. Okay, @Spacefurry @Supercape, sorry for the absurd delay there. Turns out school can be hard and take up time/energy.
  10. GM "What he said! Nice to meet you, Cosmic-Man!" Blaze hollered over the howling, strengthening wind, "Good luck, dude!" she added as Christopher launched towards the night-black yacht. Its lifeboats were regimentally sweeping towards the oncoming rescue tug but still lay dangerously close to the mothership. From his vantage point the mage could see that the monster's heading wasn't as straight as it had been before. Its blunt head turned between the lifeboats and the Shadowcaster, as if confused and uncertain, though its speed didn't drop for an instant. An odd, hard-eyed figure standing with one foot on the main deck's rail had a fast-growing pile of crude spears at their side. Meanwhile, Blaze hurriedly filled in Captain Cosmos as they followed the great fish "We're here on a job from Brande Management Ltd., trying to calm down the fishmen. Ain't going well! We're trying to avoid any other ugliness, so we need to hit the big thing without hurting any of the little guys. Otherwise we'll never get that undersea probe back. Do you have super-strength or something, maybe lift part of that thing out of the sea? I could do some real damage then!"
  11. First draft: Baile Dealain ("Electric City", formerly Suthertoun and more formerly the towns Brora and Golspie) The shell of a once-thriving industrial centre, surrounded by sinkholes and abandoned mines, Baile Dealain is a city of both enduring and desperate people working with what little the past has left them, menaced by a creeping underworld it unknowingly awakened. Baile Dealain sprawls across the wide eastern shore of Sutherland, on the more gentle southern side of the Scottish Highlands, with its northern border at the broad River Brora that supplies most of its water and bears most of the surviving business, including a busy seaport and an international airport. Its southern reaches aren't as well-defined, but encompass the old town of Golspie by the majestic seat of Clan Sutherland, Dunrobin Castle, petering out into the dense Benvraggie Forest cloaking the hills looming over the city. Littering the land between the shoreline, where most of the people live, and the hills are the remnants of the coal mining and white sandstone quarrying that helped build Baile Dealain, including decaying collieries, sinkholes, collapsing warehouses, mountains of coal waste and gaping quarries. The city centre is additionally divided by the railways once used to carry goods, with districts, neighbourhoods and even single buildings standing as islands among crisscrossing tracks. A huge statue of George Leveson-Gower, former Duke of Sutherland and notorious figure in Highland farmer evictions in the 1800s, stands on Ben Bhraggie Hill above the city's south; the statue is so frequently vandalized that vandals often have to repair the plinth to keep it from toppling. History: Golspie and Brora, a small fishing village and Renaissance-era coal-mining village respectively, were the subjects of a sudden burst of activity in the early 1800s as part of a planned economic revitalization of the Highlands by Elizabeth Sutherland and her husband George Leveson-Gower. Golspie was intended to become a new deep-water harbour for fishing boats to challenge Dutch supremacy in the North Sea, while the centuries-old coal mine in Brora had revealed vast additional seams and plentiful deposits of sandstone. Inland farmers evicted from their homes were to supply the needed manpower, and the Sutherland's vast new wealth from George's inheritance of Francis Egerton's estate as Duke of Bridgewater would supply the capital to fund the daunting task of industrializing the region. But then news came that the Brora coalfield's seams were far bigger than initially reported. In fact, they stretched throughout the nearby hills clear down to Golspie, and were accompanied by high-quality sources of white sandstone. With the easy access to the coast and plans already in place to build a a harbour, the plan rapidly changed from simply expanding the economic profile of two villages into a far more ambitious project: the great City of Sutherland, Suthertoun! Soon the new mines and ports opened, and people flooded into the area from both Scotland and abroad seeking the opportunities Suthertoun offered. The economic boom brought electricity to the far north for the first time, locals bestowing the name "Electric City" to the pale-bricked, smoking metropolis that had sprung up to bring new fortunes to Scotland. Even the appearance of venomous snakes from the mines, a subterranean breed called "greenbacks" unknown anywhere else on Earth, seemed like a good omen as birds of prey also began flocking the region to hunt them. The area wasn't free of trouble. Aggressive mining brought collapses, people mysteriously vanished, sinkholes opened up as the groundwater was used for washing coal and rifts began to grow between the centre city that did most of the mining, the north city that did the transporting, and the south city that did the selling and entertaining. To make matters worse while the coal and sandstone were bountiful, they were finite, and the industries expected to replace them or at least offset decline failed to pay off. Even the early 1900's herring boom that benefitted Scotland so much elsewhere never made it into Suthertoun nets, and when the coal finally ran out in 1974 that was just one of many closing doors on the city's once sandstone-bright future. Busy factories closed, and became nests for the greenbacks, the snakes gradually spreading even into the hills. Now renamed Electric City in an ironic echo of old optimism, Baile Dealain faces an uphill battle against urban decay, rampant unemployment and organized crime. The latter is of great concern to both city leadership and the townspeople, thanks to a sharp increase in the city's use as part of human trafficking networks. Efforts to clean up the town and make it a tourist destination have had mixed success, as its various caves, mines and sinkholes have proven popular for both amateur and experienced spelunkers while bringing considerable risk due to mysterious disappearances and attacks on locals and visitors alike by the growing greenback population. The sudden establishment of a Ministry of Powers branch in Old Golspie has only added to concerns that the worst is yet to come. Secret History: Over 100,000 years ago, the Serpent People of Lemuria sought weapons of war that could answer the problem of Atlantis. For that, they turned to Shash-Vathu, the great City of Secrets. Creations of alche-mysticism, cosmic grafting, and even terrible automata lurched from its gargantuan gates to bring terror to the lives of humans across the planet, and it was one of the great victories of Naran the Wise, Master Mage, that saw the Metropolis of Monsters banished to the depths of the Earth. For a time. Like many other realms of the Serpents, Shash-Vathu came to rest in Sub-Terra, the great underworld dimension. Like many others, the city was torn apart by strife between various factions, the survivors unable to comprehend, let alone use, the machinery and magic at their clawtips. Unlike many others, however, the humans in 19th Century Suthertoun dug right down to them. The miners were killed, the mine collapsed, and the damage done. Since then, the Serpents of Shash-Vathu have watched the changing fortunes of the surface city, snatching, experimenting and replacing all they can as they slowly relearned about Earth, their great heritage and their greater destiny. The greenback snakes are their eyes and ears, slithering throughout the city and environs to keep careful watch on the unsuspecting humans. The surge in organized crime has been a great boon to them, allowing disguised Serpents to travel the world and bring back subjects with nobody the wiser. However, the Serpents are far from all-powerful even underground. The industrious Morlocks long worked in tandem with humans, a quasi-partnership developing between the two peoples as the Morlocks guided or protected the miners and the miners traded tools and alcohol to the Morlocks. The increasing boldness of the Serpents hasn't gone unnoticed, and the two species frequently wrestle for control of the countless doors between Earth-Prime and Sub-Terra below the city. In addition, while the defeat of Shash-Vathu was great, many ancient weapons or monsters linger below the surface, and the Ministry has rushed to the area in part thanks to the discovery of what can only be described as a fiery giant lying dormant 100 meters below Dunrobin Castle. What To Do: The primary struggle of Baile Dealain is against the forces of poverty and corruption. The cops are on the take, there's often not enough to go around, and services are stretched thin. The shapeshifting snake people from prehistory, swarms of deadly reptiles, or howitzers that fire souls of the damned are a secondary concern, augmenting "real" problems faced by ordinary people, or a lighter backdrop for visitors to deal with that gets complicated by more mundane issues they didn't expect. In addition there could be cryptids living in the hills a monster-hunter might need to deal with, a crimefighting detective can chase down kidnappers, and an aquatic-themed hero can tangle with menaces from a colder and wilder time.
  12. GM Captain Cosmos Buddy wasn't long waiting for a wake. In the distance a furious frothing churned the water in a line headed right for the boat. A huge head rhythmically surfaced, a long and curving jaw like a great eel surmounted by ghastly, staring white eyes. Around it lanced bolts of white-hot fire, a floating, flaming woman trying to draw the attention of whatever it was before it reached the Shadowcaster, but to no avail. Around Buddy the alarm began to blare, the crew racing around decks and trying to wrangle the passengers to the lifeboats, which proved surprisingly easy. On a makeshift pedestal swayed Camp Controller Buddy, barking orders to detachments of the previously unruly teens, who marched with perfect synchronicity and form to their respective lifeboats and filed aboard without so much as a glimmer of individuality. The boat was soon emptied, save for Captain Monterey, who'd stayed behind in the bridge and showed little interest in leaving, and Camp Controller Buddy who'd refused "the cursed bed-death" and was hastily carving a makeshift spear. Meanwhile, the monster had surged ahead without a glance to either the right or left, and in moments seemed poised to careen headlong into the wrecked party boat. Blackstaff Whatever the crew's reply was, was lost in the sudden launch into thin air. Arcing above the great, mostly unseen beast, Christopher saw the Longarm's crew racing to turn the ship around and prepare it for receiving the lurching yacht's lifeboats. A roar from below quickly drew his attention, to a very surprising sight. The beast's long tail had briefly swung up, and Red Crest had emerged with it, the claws on his feet and one of his arms hooked fast into the scales of the monster! Thus anchored, his huge jaws tore furiously into the creature, though even his ferocity had limited impact on something so terrible. In his free claw, he gripped a struggling figure, who on closer inspection was a Deep One dressed in an outfit of kelp and sea urchin spines that vaguely resembled the damaged statue far below. Though much larger and stronger than a human, the priest was practically helpless in just one of Red Crest's enormous hands. As he looked, Christopher saw other Deep Ones also latched on, tearing off pieces of the great beast with a desperate fury. In another moment, he'd caught up with the flying Agent Blaze, panting from the exertion of her so-far fruitless attacks. "Can't get a good shot!" she yelled to Blackstaff, "Any ideas?!"
  13. Monthu Power Level: 12 (180/180PP) Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Bull-headed hawk-god of solar fire, from outer space! Catchphrase: "Moving on." Theme: Dredg: Ode to the Sun Alternate Identity: Public Birthplace: The City of the Mountains of Light (Junu/Heliopolis) Residence: The Solar Arc Base of Operations: Sol System Occupation: God, revolutionary, freelance problem-solver Affiliations: The Radiant Revolution, Ancient Egyptian Pantheon, Eyes of Ra (former) Family: Ra (father/brother/self), Raet-Tawy (mother/sister/wife/self), Zenenet (wife) Description: Age: Beyond reckoning/Born 1910 (human form) Apparent Age: 50s (human form) Gender: Masculine, male (human form) Ethnicity: N/A/Egyptian-American (human form) Height: Weight: Eyes: Hair: History: Personality & Motivation: Powers & Tactics: Power Descriptions: Complications: Abilities: 20 + 0 + 20 + 0 + 4 + 10 = 54PP Strength: 30 (+10) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 30 (+10) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 20 (+5) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +5 Base Defense: +5 Base, +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +20 Knockback: -10 Saves: 0 + 5 + 8 = 13PP Toughness: +15/+10 (+10 Con, +5 Protection) [Impervious 5] Fortitude: +10 (+10 Con) Reflex: +5 (+0 Dex, +5) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) Skills: 52R = 13PP Diplomacy 5 (+10) Intimidate 15 (+20) Knowledge (History) 5 (+5) Knowledge (Tactics) 5 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 5 (+5) Languages 5 (Base: Ancient Egyptian, Andromedan, English, Galstandard, Minatoric, Pherroan, Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Feats: 10PP All-Out Attack Challenge (Fast Startle) Environmental Adaptation (Zero Gravity) Fearless Interpose Power Attack Second Chance (Mind Control) Startle Takedown Attack Ultimate Save (Toughness) Powers: 22 + 1 + 5 + 5 + 10 = 43PP Descriptors: all divine Two Heads Array Flight 1 (10 MPH / 100' per Move Action) [2PP] Immunity 1 (Own Powers) [1PP] Power Array 10 (20PP, Feats: Alternate Powers 4) [24PP] BE: Blast 5 (Thrown Weapon; Feats: Mighty 10) {20/20} AP: Blast 15 (Energy Blast; Flaw: Action [Full], Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Crit, Indirect 2) {20/20] AP: Enhanced Flight 7 (to Flight 8 [2500 MPH / 25 000' per Move Action]) {14} + Damage 5 (Feats: Mighty) {6} {14 + 6 = 20/20} AP: Environmental Control 1-5 (4PP worth of effects [Cold, Hamper Movement (Icy/Wet Surfaces), Heat, Light [Ball Lightning], Reduced Visibility (Rain/Sleet/Snow), Wind]; 100' radius; Extra: Independent [+0]) {20/20} Super-Senses 3 (Extended Hearing and Vision [100' Notice Increments], Uncanny Dodge [Mental]) [3DP] 2 + 1+ 24 + 3 = 30 Immunity 1 (Aging) [1PP] Impervious Toughness 5 [5PP] Protection 5 [5PP] Super-Strength 5 (Effective Strength 55, Heavy Load 24 tons) [10PP] Drawbacks: -3PP Normal Identity (Free Action; raise ring aloft, -3) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 25 Toughness Damage [Physical] Blast Ranged DC 30 Toughness Damage [Energy] Hammer Blow Touch DC 30 Toughness Damage [Physical] Hammer Throw Ranged DC 30 Toughness Damage [Physical] Totals: Abilities (54) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (13) + Feats (10) + Powers (43) - Drawbacks (3) = 150/180 Power Points Menthuhotep CCXLVIII PL 5 (75PP) Abilities: 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 24PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +4 Base, +8 Unarmed Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +6 Knockback: -1 Saves: 3 + 3 + 3 = 9PP Toughness: +2 (+2 Con) Fortitude: +5 (+2 Con, +3) Reflex: +5 (+2 Dex, +3) Will: +5 (+2 Wis, +3) Skills: 56R = 14PP Concentration 4 (+6) Diplomacy 10 (+12) Intimidate 10 (+12) Knowledge [Theology and Philosophy] 3 (+5) Language 4 (Base: English ) Medicine 10 (+12) Skill Mastery Notice 8 (+10) Skill Mastery Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 12PP Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2 Dodge Focus 4 Fearless Improvised Tools Luck Seize Initiative Skill Mastery (Disable Device, Medicine, Notice, ) Ultimate Save (Will) Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (14) + Feats (12) + Powers (0) - Drawbacks (0) = 75/75 Power Points
  14. GM Blackstaff "Well hey," one of the clean-cut crew spoke up, "that boat of Tugger's, the Longarm, it's got a crane and sonar for picking things off the seafloor. It's headed here anyway and we know exactly where the helo is!" Mariner sucked air through his sharp teeth "Another boat and more people means more noise, more pollution, and that other stuff they're complaining about. But it's not me pulling it up, which is what I was worried would happen, so I'm for it. Can get the module too." "I still think we can take 'em, but if you think we should play nice I'll go along." Torch looked genuinely regretful at the idea of not fighting. "If there's no objection, I'll fly over to the party boat, see if there's anything that needs welding or whatever." No objection raised, a column of fire lifted into the air and arced towards the slouching Shadowcaster. "I'll get on the horn with the Longarm," volunteered the captain, "and contact HQ to see what we can offer the tribe. Maybe we can offer some tech that'll cover for the debt. Or a &#%@-ton of fish." That was delayed briefly by a sudden, violent impact on the boat from below. Something long, sleek, and many-limbed started tearing through the water towards the Shadowcaster! Captain Cosmos Captain Monterey paled "Nothing weird aboard! The passengers are normal, human, of this dimension and no other. The cargo is assorted foodstuffs, fuel, maintenance equipment and sundry basic supplies." A moment's thought, eyes raised to the elusive and indifferent heavens. "There is a registered tribe of Deep Ones, Tenebris Pisces Sapiens, within a radius of approximately five miles...but none of us would ever make contact with them, they've been especially violent since the Atlanteans moved through their territory a few years ago." "Hey, Jack!" one of the crew, hunched over a suite of readout screens, waved the captain over desperately, "there's something huge moving our way!" "The Deep Ones are noted," the captain remarked to Buddy, "for their skill at taming sea monsters. And marking their targets with a menacing yet intricate script." To the crew he added "Please raise the alarm and prepare evacuation." A deep, shuddering roar rumbled through the Shadowcaster, and the bridge began rocking back and forth with gathering speed...
  15. GM Captain Cosmos Whatever Buddy had expected from the bald, muscular 40-something serving as captain of the Shadowcaster, cringing obeisance wasn't on the list. But the rest of the bridge crew looked on in weary resignation as Captain John Monterey nearly set a land-speed record hauling out a tidy red leather volume from among charts and stacks of manuals. Shoving such trifles off the main table of the dim, rectangular room, John tapped an overhead light which obligingly increased its lumen output, then started flipping through the densely-written pages. "It's all here, Mr. Cosmos," he assured Buddy with a frantic smile, "the shakedown cruise in '15, the storm damage in '17, even an unfortunate misunderstanding when a few archaeological relics from a Danger Foundation ship got locked in my safe. I told them it was the monkeys, they didn't listen. But it's the truth!" He stared momentarily at a fine-line drawing of a rhesus, staring out maliciously at the reader with a dark and sinister intelligence in its eyes. Clearing his throat, Captain John renewed his ingratiating attitude. "As you may see, Mr. Cosmos, my craft has extensive documentation for nearly every hour of its existence. At no time have any mysterious letters or iconography been observed. But I'd never say you're wrong, of course, I believe these things have somehow appeared on the hull. What do you, uh, suggest we do about it? If anything?"
  16. In a flash, Ming's instincts kicked in. Specifically, the ones he'd honed to avoid conflict. Starting into the air, he surrounded himself with what he'd always conceptualized as a sort of shell, a full-body rejection of the local atmosphere that steered away attacks and let him fly on powerful gusts of atmospheric pressure. As if casting a net his mind flung its strange, incoherent feelers across a galaxy of vibrating molecules, the roiling energy of solar radiation that guided and shaped their flow simulated to perfection by Terrifica's hardware. And then it began to warp, slipping from his grasp, a blast of desert air leaving him exposed to the full force of-Ming unconsciously clenched his fist as he hewed a gap into the local expanse of heat, letting cold, damp air gush into its place, emerald-tinged clouds of water vapour billowing into existence around himself and his enemy! It was almost disconcerting how like the real thing the simulation was. Obviously it wasn't like a "normal" VR setup, very few bothered to simulate how it felt to dangle in mid-air surrounded by water, but it went far beyond that. Things had a weight, a resistance to them, as in the real world where the laws of physics, while solid, were flexible under certain conditions. But he wasn't here to soak in the simulated atmosphere, and he launched forward to take the fight to his fictional foe!
  17. @Supercape Buddy doesn't need his advanced senses to tell that, while the language itself isn't evil, it's invoking something very bad from another dimension, which may well be affecting the people on the boat. Maybe even the many versions of himself... @Spacefurry Christopher knows these are actually pretty bad ideas, especially the Agents' idea of using force against creatures that have been at active war with Atlantis for tens of thousands of years. More importantly, the stranded boat Shadowcaster is an active antagonizing presence, and the kids aboard in very serious danger they need protection from.
  18. GM Captain Cosmos Watching his Doppelgänger dive out of sight, the other Buddy turned to survey his charges with a critical eye. An experimental blast on his whistle had no effect. The fight had no apparent cause but boredom, and an eagerness to betray another to advance oneself. "Good goal, bad time" Buddy remarked with a sigh, stepping in between the tussling teenagers and grabbing them both by their heads, which he brought crashing together and then released so the two boys fell heavily to the ground. "My name is Buddy Brennt," he told the startled-into-silence crowd in a clear, carrying voice like cold steel, taking off his jovial green jacket to reveal a red shirt with the double lightning bolts of SHADOW emblazoned on a field of white, "and from me, children, you will learn discipline." ------ Down below was both blessedly peaceful, and quiet. Without the motor running, the Shadowcaster bobbed gently along with the waves, and there was little enough else to listen to. There was, however, plenty to see. From bow to stern, all along the boat's hull, was carved letters and symbols in some strange, inhuman hand. Depictions of brutal death, fanged maws and bloody knives predominated, with graffiti-like letters and glyphs swirling across the metal. Just looking at them was enough to spark a primordial chill in the heart of any human. At least nothing appeared to be damaged, and the noise from on deck had died down. Died down enough to let in the rumble of an approaching boat motor... Blackstaff Red Crest gurgled his dissatisfaction. From the dark looks shot his way and similar sounds coming from his tribe-mates, this wasn't supposed to be how it went. But for all that, he inclined his head stiffly. <"So be it. But be quick, Speaker. I have told my people to wait, and they have waited, but waiting will not pay for the dead. We will be here when you return with the sacrifices."> The water swirled with sudden motion, and the Deep Ones had vanished into the cracks and darkness of their city. Back up top, Christopher was surrounded by curious faces, which soon turned disbelieving as he told them what was going on. "With all due respect, sir," Agent Torch cracked her knuckles, "me and Mariner can take a few fishies. We don't need to kill any of them," she added reassuringly to Christopher, "just let 'em know they aren't at the table as equals, and shouldn't make demands." The captain stroked his chin, thoughtful. "This Red Crest, he didn't mention our oceanography module? At all? And he thinks you're some kind of priest? I bet you could fool them with some kind of sham ritual, and while that's going on, we move the module away. They think they've won, we don't have to worry about vandalism, none of those kids gets nabbed by a vengeful fish-guy, sounds like a win-win-win option to me!" "Unless they find out it's fake, and then vengeful fish-guys nab Blackstaff." Mariner jerked a thumb in Christopher's direction, "These guys aren't like us, but they're not shy about revenge and they're not stupid. Frankly, I think we should wipe out the colony, and send the bodies to be analyzed. Safe, profitable, effective."
  19. Oh geeze, sorry Phoenix! DC27 Toughness: 8 he is OUTTA THERE! Thanks for running this, BTW, Phoenix. Nice to just roll the dice and see where they take the story.
  20. GM Blackstaff After the brief, warm respite of the surface water, cool grey in the light of the Sun, for a long while there was nothing to see by the light of the diving suit's headlamps, merely the detritus of the ocean and the occasional passing fish. However, first as darker shadows in the black depths, then as solid stone, jutting towers and edifices of rock came into view. Soon they loomed above and around Christopher, towers hewn and polished by inhuman hands. Fragments of Deep One civilization sometimes came to the surface, or their ruins were discovered by divers, but too often such relics were just water-eroded rocks mistaken for something shaped on purpose. The giant fish-like faces and ornate hieroglyphs all around him, however, couldn't be anything but art. Another intent was picked up by the magical investigator. Something was watching him, angry and fearful. Turning a corner, he saw the cause: many-armed and with gaping jaws, the mighty god Dagon reared and beckoned His children to an open-roofed temple. Half of His arms and one of His heads lay in its ruins, along with the wreckage of a black helicopter. A moment later, the Deep Ones appeared. Hissing and croaking, hundreds of piscene eyes and thousands of sharp teeth flashed in the lamplight, and the water swarmed with powerful legs and long claws. An especially large one, with a red crest and stingeréd tail, drifted smoothly in front of Blackstaff. The rest swam around in circles, eyes fixed on the pair. "<Your kind is known to us, Lost One,>" said Red Crest in perfect Atlantean, his voice rolling like thunder among the towers, "<you speak for the gods, so by my orders we won't eat you, but we will have justice. Two of us were killed when that Ouranic machine fell on our temple, trash and filth have rained down from its host and the cacophany of your young has frightened away fish for miles around.>" Angry growls and clacking from the others rose, until Red Crest raised his claw to silence them. "<I am merciful, so I will ask for only two of your kind, whose death will memorialize our slain. Their blood and flesh will reconsecrate our temple, and their bones will become tools for us and toys for the children. As a master of the hidden arts, arranging this should pose no difficulty.>" From their cold stares, Christopher's agreement was expected. From the tension in their muscles, his refusal would be dangerous... Captain Cosmos The two grappling women paused, them and the circle of other teens yelling "Fight, fight!" looking with incomprehension at Cosmos. The shorter one of the pair, a brunette, shoved her opponent away. "He's right!" she said, looking around at the others, "if we get back home looking like #&@$ we'll never live it down." "Only we won't Bella," groused her foe (another brunette) with a sour sidelong look, "you can buy as many friends as you want." "Yeah, that's true," said Bella. To Cosmos she added "That was kind of the whole thing, Viola was mad that my dad's richer than her dad, and then it got all personal, and then she tried to stab me. But that was just the heat of the moment, I know you didn't mean it." She smiled warmly at her former enemy and offered a hand, but Viola rolled her eyes and pushed her way out of the crowd. "Hey magic man!" yelled another of the passengers "what's wrong with the boat? That butler won't let us down there, and nobody will admit they did anything. I bet it was Mike! That Mike!" he added, pointing at one of the two bewildered young men the other teens were looking at. Immediately the other Mike was on the offensive, accusing the accused of sabotaging the ship, poisoning the water supply, and trying to steal his look! The other teens repositioned, pumping their fists in the air and yelling "Fight, fight!" Buddy had put out one fire, but it seemed there was a deeper inferno to quench...
  21. @Supercape Nah, go after I GM post again. And yeah, take an HP for Captain Cosmos unwittingly manifesting SHADOW Camp Counselor Buddy.
  22. @Spacefurry Blackstaff sees serious damage done to the temple of Dagon, and two adult Deep Ones killed by debris. The rest of the tribe approach and challenge him, somehow knowing by sight that he's a magician, demanding a tribute of blood for the damage and lost life. DC20 Bluff check to persuade them he's going to do that, and escape safely to the surface. Failure means they attack, and Mariner and Torch do their work. If you want, Space, you may do something else, but that's the most obvious path. @Supercape Captain Cosmos can take 10, and recognizes one of the scufflers as Bellona Arex, daughter of notorious arms manufacturer Monty Arex. To say her personal net worth and fame eclipses just about everyone else's on the ship combined is no exaggerration. Now he just needs to keep more fights from breaking out, and head off further mischief. This is up to you. If you'd like to have him manifest Camp Counselor Buddy, go transdim and recalibrate the teens' shadows on the Macrozone, start a game of tag, organize work crews to try and repair the ship, or what have you, go for it. DC for interaction Skill checks will be Skill bonus +10 to get the kids onboard; for a Power check, DC15.
  23. @Supercape Yeah, no need to roll in that case. @Spacefurry Have an HP for the time lost. For reference, this is what the Shadowcaster looks like. Minus the helicopter at the bow. @Spacefurry Feel free to pick how Blackstaff approaches the Temple of Dagon. Up front and openly, just Notice and Sense Motive. DCs of 15. If subtly and covertly, Stealth DC20 and Knowledge(Arcane Lore) @Supercape Your choice how to handle the fight Charles the valet is asking you to break up. If you just want to make them stop, narration is fine, if you want to learn more about what's going on, Bluff/Intimidate DC15, or Diplomacy DC20. DC25 Current Events to pick up on a vital future clue.
  24. GM Blackstaff Checking through the binoculars, the captain nodded as he caught sight of what Christopher had seen. "Ah! The Shadowcaster, our local superyacht. Sorry, Mr. Daye!" All smiles, the clean-shaven young man was at least apologetic, "We're on the clock, and according to the radio it's already gotten the attention of the Coast Guard." His smile soured, just a little, "No need for us to get involved, and especially not for you to meet the rotten little twerps the Shadowcaster hauls around." The venom in his voice all but said that he had, and he regretted the experience. His earlier cheer soon returned, however, and as the 3QH rocketed towards the dive site he regaled Blackstaff with stories of other, much less hateful encounters with pleasure ships at sea. All too soon they arrived, and Christopher was being expertly fitted into the impressively sleek and autonomous diving suit prepared for the operation. "Agents Mariner and Torch will wait up here," the captain said, indicating the towering, glowering hulk of a man in a blue uniform with sharp teeth and gills, and a stout woman in a red uniform with glowing red veins and eyes like the heart of the Sun, "they're security in case the negotiations go wrong. Press that button on your left wrist if they do, and we'll haul you to the surface and send the Agents to make sure nothing survives to follow you. The temple should be directly below us, according to the sonar, but it's quiet. Be ready for anything. Good luck, Mr. Daye!" Those words, a tip over the side, and Christopher was falling into darkness and cold... Captain Cosmos Descending from the cold of the upper air, Captain Cosmos was soon faced with the black-hulled and imposing grandeur of the good ship Shadowcaster, its signal flares burning and pluming merrily away. The decks were milling with loud, angry teenagers in various genres of summer clothes arguing furiously with each other, though few were bothered enough to move from the deck chairs or pools or where they'd leaned against the gunwales (the wall things surrounding the decks). Even the arrival of the mighty Captain Cosmos was barely enough to catch anyone's attention, most of the passengers content to glance at him sullenly. The harried and nervous crew, for their part, seemed to scarcely dare turn away from their constant work cleaning up spills, broken things and hurrying to and fro with drinks. Fortunately, one of them shouted "Hey, CHUCK! There's a cape here!" at the stairs leading down into the ship's lower decks, drawing out a smooth and polished valet of some unguessable age and origin, who pierced Buddy Brand with a gimlet grey eye and swiftly brought the dauntless dimensional deliverer up to speed. On a whirlwind tour, Buddy found that the engine was shockingly busted, apparently from some juvenile prank, and that hours before that some of the teens had tipped the emergency helicopter into the ocean. They had steering, communication, everything but the power to move against the waves. A rescue tug was headed their way, but what was really needed was someone who could head off further damage, and keep some kind of order among the passengers. "The parents of my young masters have expressly forbidden me from interfering with them," he said crisply, "but I'm unaware of any agreement on your part against laying hands on these priceless treasures." A scuffle and thud of feet overhead drew a slow, weary look from Charles' face, a calm "Ah, another bare-knuckle brawl," and as the noises grew louder he looked at Captain Cosmos in silent, but desperate appeal...
  25. Hooray for double-checking rules! There are a heck of a lot of them. I had to check my own physical copy of the Core Rules several times while making this post. Alright, let's see if Lady Luck is playing faves or what, DC30 Toughness check: 12! Holy Jeeves, let's use a Hero Point to re-roll: 18! But wait, that's a roll of 10, which is less than 11! Which means a 10 is added, for a result of 28! A Bruise(+Injury if Lethal Damage is being applied in this simulation)! That puts me at 1HP, for bookkeeping's sake. On his turn again, Rainshadow will attempt a stratagem: Stunt Teleport 1 (Extras: Accurate; Flaws: Short-Range Only; Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Turnabout)[6PP], for a 1 Fatigue Condition, then attempt to escape via Teleportation(in the fiction, the idea is he builds up the air pressure change that lets him fly and releases it as a burst to shunt a short distance away). According to the House Rules, that's a DC20 Concentration check: 16! Aw shizno. Welp, rerolling: 15, from a roll of 5, so +10 again for 25! Out of the Grapple and immediate peril of being instantly squished! By gum, and I thought that buying +10 Concentration would be useful for just such an occasion. I guess there are still 9 lower numbers than 10 that are possible to roll. 0HP, for reference. Undine's go!
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