Ari
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Dio, dragon of Earth-2, would fit this pretty well, though he'd have to bring Sun Dragon along.
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"Never said I was any good" Dio said drily, but he set to work at once, lunging for the spot Salvo indicated and becoming a flurry of motion, broad claws and forelegs clearing and sweeping away the turf with tremendous speed. Dirt burst from the growing hole, shrinking into a neat ring attached to a metal trapdoor in the center of the excavation. As he worked, Dio went on "Besides, that was a reference book. You can't just take those from the library it'd be wrong." The dragon prodded the trap, sighing wearily as he found its edges. "Too small for me, Salvo. You'll be effectively alone. I'll change to my ethereal form to get in, but I won't be much use if there's not space for me to rematerialize." With that, Dio seized the trap door and gingerly tested it. It moved freely under his claws. He frowned...or at least his pupils narrowed to slits and his voice became a soft growl "Not like Summers to leave a lock off." A quick heave, and the door opened, revealing a chute with a ladder leading down for a long, long way into darkness. The dragon peered down with one eye, tongue flickering in and out as he tasted the air. "Fresh. Bit piney. Nobody's in there." Standing back from the aperture, Dio nodded to Salvo "Head on in, I'll join after cleaning this up and shifting to the ephemeral plane." His eyes closed, and the dragon began arcing and curling, weaving and swaying, hisses and whispers escaping his lips as the great green hierophant began to smooth and shape the grass and dirt back into place, coaxing life back into the broken things and joining them once more into Ghorummaz's grand design.
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Red Moon, in this world Eclipse LLC, is a private specialist in manipulating and changing the memories of potential enemies. Of whom, depends on who's doing the paying. She's contracted to oversee the Wonderland Project, a Crime Syndicate experiment in controlled opposition, where heroes can fight villains without any real risk to the existing order, and at a profit to Syndicate collaborators. Her job is mostly to carefully prune and edit the awareness of the cities' populace, creating a docile environment where 'heroes' can be manufactured and directed without getting any bright ideas. However, that doesn't take up all of Eclipse's time, and she can travel almost anywhere from her lunar fortress, carved from the ruins of Darkside City.
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OOC thread for this. Salvo and Dio go ghost-hunting. @Zeitgeist Blue
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Friday, October 26th 2018, concurrent with Let's Fall in Like Athletic Field The Autumn Dance was still thrumming away in the Auditorium, Astrid's raucous guitar roaring and screaming into the night, as two of Claremont Academy's magically-inclined students went out on an impromptu ghost-hunt. "I believe it to be here." Dio stabbed at the ground with his powerful tail, the junior hierophant having prowled and sniffed at the baseball diamond for a good minute after they'd arrived "But my skills for divining secret tunnels are...they're not very good." Cocking a head at Nicole Whitfield-Hall, AKA the teen runesmith Salvo, wielder of the mighty battle suit known as Bellios, the young green dragon asked "Can you see anything? You've got several different kinds of sensors, if I remember rightly. The book didn't mention anything about any security, but fair enough to guess Summers wouldn't want just anyone prying about. That at least is familiar, the obsession with secrets." Sitting on his haunches, the reptile gazed about the school grounds. "It's difficult to believe that this is Earth. It looks, feels and smells so different from the Earth I know." The Academy grounds were eerily quiet and deserted. A few lights were on in the dormitories, but most of the students were dancing or partying elsewhere. A cold, sharp wind blew in from the sea, carrying with it salt and a rattling in the branches of the towering oak trees that loomed high above the pair. In greener months, the oaks were a comforting, reliable presence. But now they stood like eruptions of bone in the harsh, distant electric lights lining the walkways.
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Sun Dragon "I would love to see it. Especially with someone else. Freedom City is a wondrous place, respite from so much of the troubles that stalk this world. It is full of marvels unknown, even after all these flickering centuries. But it can be cold." Leroy smiled, but his melodious voice belied it as he went on "Even without Dio in view, or in mortal guise, they can see at a glance I am not like them. They are not afraid, or suspicious, but there is a gulf between us I cannot cross. They know all they need at a glance." "You know what I mean, Judy. Perhaps more than I do. Everyone at the barest remove, unwilling to get closer, because they believe they already know you." He nestled an arm behind Judy's neck, bringing their faces closer as his voice dropped almost to a whisper, his breath sweet and crisp despite the artificial flavors and sweeteners they'd both been drinking. The sounds of the auditorium, already muffled by the architectural quirk of their corner, dropped to a low rumble. "Judy," Leroy said, his skin shimmering in the dancing lights, his golden eyes warm and tender, "together we could overcome that. Anything. You are strong and kind, beautiful inside and out." Bending to her and cupping her chin with his free hand, he kissed her gently on the lips.
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Sun Dragon Leroy had found the pair a nice spot where the pounding music was distorted and muffled, arranging a snack plate and pair of juice cups with extravagant care. Tucked into the corner of the auditorium, he'd so far kept up a leisurely thread of conversation that carefully wound away from anything too personal. "I wonder why they have us split into teams?" Leroy was watching Corinne/Zenith and his squadmate Pan spin and sail through the air, a warm smile thinning the scars on his cheeks "Look how happy they are, but their training and missions will be apart, with little chance to use that bond." Sighing, he relaxed against Judy, pleasantly warm through his thin clothes. "Judy," He glanced sidelong at her, almost shy "Would you like to join me for something off-campus? Not tonight, and I know winter means you and Ashley must go elsewhere, but perhaps in the Spring?"
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GM Aaliyah's mouth pursed, and she was about to reply when "HOLD" fell into the gap like the Theia collision. The voice was brilliant, warm and lovely as a supernova. Every human in the house faltered, staring about themselves. Down the hall, Tanya could hear Ferdinand's horrified shriek. The air quavered, shimmered, and tore as an angel stepped into the room. It was tall, impossibly so, and Tanya could feel her eyes smart as the walls receded and the ceiling fled so as not to confine the divine being rearing in the air before her. Their skin was as a bouquet of crystal, facets searing with light emanating from some inner source, their hair was as some nebula of fire and their eyes "I AM JUDGMENT" were dark, bottomless windows to the Abyss. Where those eyes were Tanya couldn't immediately place, as they seemed to dominate all else if one were careless enough to meet their emptiness. Presumably, the seven swaying pillars of metal flailing behind them were wings of some sort. "I AM DESTRUCTION" One titanic limb, tipped in whorls of dragonlike maws, lifted to point accusingly at everyone at once. "I AM SARIEL. YOUR ENDS ARE NOW, SINNERS." For a moment everyone paused to see if Sariel would say anything else. When that proved not to be the case, the entire party flew into pandemonium. In a mad rush for windows, doors, anywhere that seemed like an escape route, tables were overturned, vases shattered and debris scattered in every direction as the humans ran from the giant. Sariel, for their part, remained in place, implacable as they were unmoving. The guests quickly discovered that nothing opened, the walls were suddenly harder than iron, the glass of windows stood unshaken despite frantic attack, and every staircase and open doorway simply carried them right back into the rooms they had just left. In the space of thirty seconds, the mad flight was reduced to shivering balls hiding behind whatever seemed the most promising defence against a massive superbeing. After Freedom City, such a display of raw panic seemed almost comical to Tanya, and beside her her mother rallied from a moment of shocked silence. Approaching the angel gingerly, the hostess asked "Why?" The angel's face was impossible to read, as it appeared to occupy space beyond human perception, but the voice was faintly confused "YOU SHELTER AN EVILDOER. FERDINAND HOPSLEY KRELLER. HE HAS SLAIN TEN BILLION INNOCENTS." "No I didn't!" Ferdinand's face was pale as death when it popped around a doorframe, and vanished when a great black eye shifted its orbit to observe him, but he added "I've never killed anyone!" His trembling hand swung out to point blindly into the room, happening to direct itself at Tanya "Ask! You'll see!" Sariel looked, for all the world like Hell Girl was a speck on a microscope slide. "SPEAK"
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OOC thread for this thread. Our heroes from No Better Time to Start take the fight to Blackstar. @Thevshi @Supercape @Exaccus @RocketLord
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GM December 10th, 2018, 4.54 AM Star Island Space Control Center, Atlantic Ocean, USA All around the heroes, the Space Control Center buzzed with activity. People rushing by in uniforms of every shade, shouts, the rattle and roar of machinery, the feel of the floor and air vibrating with the sheer noise passing through them. Above was a clear, chill Atlantic sky, a few stars twinkling despite the blazing lights of the offshore aerospace facility. Over the base's cacophony, a voice cut through. "...And that's where we're at. Thanks to the cooperation of these two, we have a lock on Blackstar's most likely location by tracking the signature of his Shadow Bands. Faster-than-light approach in a Pegasus should let you get close to the base without raising the alarm, and if our readings and the information from his followers is accurate, his castle should be minimally-staffed." To his credit, USAF Col. Randall Austin didn't look enviously at the sleek navy blue spaceplane taxiing into the launch sling. The flickering decade and change had thickened the man a shade around the waistline, and the grey in his hair fair outnumbered the thickets of coarse black, but the last hour and a half of explaining a lot of information clearly and concisely proved his mind was as sharp as ever. "If you can apprehend Blackstar, that would be great. But if you learn how he and his followers are transporting to Earth without the Lighthouse detecting them, that's far more important. Now, are there any questions before takeoff?" Behind his glasses, Randall beamed hopefully.
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GM The small talk was blown by the explosion of man through the door. A shortish, blond young man with a scrubbed, round pink face and a gaudy green-and-red checkered suit torn at the knees and elbows. A shallow burn shone red on his face. He half-rolled, half-somersaulted into the foyer, grabbed the door and flung it shut with a BANG that seemed to shake the house, cutting conversation abruptly short. Trembling, Ferdie turned to his hostess, green eyes wide and staring. "H-h-hello, T-Tany-a-a-a," he managed, forcing the words out through chattering teeth. "Damned cold. I...I have an announcement." Turning to the assembled guests, and to statuesque Aaliyah as she strode into the room, all silk and business, Ferdie raised his voice into a quavering shout "Excuse me! I am not crazy!" Silence, with a few snickers, greeted him. Casting about at the crowd of impassive, well-dressed guests, the young man added desperately "There is an angel after me! He's going to kill us all!" Aaliyah frowned, just a little, and glanced questioningly at Her daughter. Aloud she said "Mr. Kreller, if you'll follow my butler to the lounge, you can have a lie down by the fire." Her butler, crisp and looming Mason, had appeared as if from nowhere, grey-streaked mustache bristling slightly as he took the arm of Ferdinand and led him out of the room, deeper into the house. The chatter and laughs resumed as the party began to head back to their seats, the brief entertainment over. Aaliyah didn't join them, not yet. "Can you feel anything?" she whispered, eyes flicking to the walls and ceiling.
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OOC thread for this thread. Hell Girl Meets the Exterminating Angel. @Heartbreaker
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GM December 24th, 7.27 PM Clinton Hill, New York City, USA The Christmas Eve party had been going great. The music was of especially tolerable, vaguely-Christmas-adjacent jazz lending a pleasant background noise to the roomfuls of light, laughing conversation and sparkling glasses. Tanya had found a nice circle to talk to. Children of her mother's friends, or friends of their childrens' friends, the little cluster managed to keep clear of the occasional verbal dust-ups happening elsewhere in the great house. A million little anecdotes, countless bits of trivia about the rich and powerful, a myriad of horror stories where disaster for this or that business venture was averted barely in the nick of time, the stuff of a lifetime was ground up into a few dozen syllables and tossed into the air, never to be recovered. One of the party, Morty Summers, was just getting into a juicy story about a mixup at his father's copper mine when there came a banging and yelling at the door. "Tanya!" sang out her mother, Aaliyah, "That's old Ferdie Kreller, let him in, there's a dear!" The pounding had gotten really desperate after a few second's pause. The voice on the other side of the door was high, frantic, muddling whatever Ferdinand H. Kreller, aspiring lawyer, was trying to say.
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Dio "He hears, but does not listen, not to me. Dragons are pets, have been all his life, I've been saying and doing all I dare and all I get is that blank smile of his before he forgets altogether. Besides, I leave, someone with a shorter fuse might take my place and take his head off." "Cheugh" the dragon let loose a puff of smoke from its snout "Unknown. But I have suspicions. According to school records, this place is haunted by a vengeful spirit. I suspect its prison is somewhere on school grounds and, well...it must be possible to reach for the more-normal members of the faculty. Letting such a creature roam free is not something our good Matriarch Summers would dream of." One eye turned to Nicole "What better way to get into the Halloween cheer than freeing one of the Earthbound? Can't be less exciting than polishing Sieur Stolid." The curling green tail flicked out to tap Salvo's armor on the faceplate. As the pounding beat thrummed through the air and roof, Dio gently began to tap his blunt claws in time with the rhythm. "Chrn, very tribal. Crude."
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Troll, could Hyperslice catch the balista bolts in mid-air? If so what would I roll or stunt for that?
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GM At the sharp boom of the Justice Buster, the beast-headed armor jerked to a halt. It froze, staring down at the smouldering patch on the breastplate where the weapon's concussive force had activated some chemical reaction in the metal. The smoke cleared to reveal nary a smudge, "Mezu." The horse head lifted, eyes burning somewhere deep within as they fixed on the brilliant red of Justice's costume. "MEZUUUUUU!" With horrible speed the creature whirled, seized a statue of the Laughing Buddha in both massive, twisted hands, raised it over their head and flung it, end over end, through the air right for the young heroine! It landed with a hollow, booming thud several feet short of her. An incoherent howl broke from the horse-headed beast, before they broke into run once again clearly aimed right for the person who had just shot at them! Lattice collapsed, stone shattering and the whole paraphernalia of faith bursting asunder! "MEZU"
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The spirit takes the shot pretty well, rollin a 25 on Toughness and absorbing the Justice Buster like a champ. Grabbing a heavy thing nearby, they throw it at Justice: 9. Misses by several miles. justice's turn.
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Dio The dragon snorted as he slumped even further onto the roof, steam flaring from his nostrils, "Small comfort, runesmith. Every day is like an eternity when you spend it at someone's beck and call. An eternity that is gone in a moment, hardly a minute I dare spend to myself lest I lose the dratted boy somewhere and lose my hide into the bargain." One slitted eye swiveled to fix on Nicole "I do not exaggerate, by the by. One of the boy's sisters, the Wolfhound, her dragon turned on her. She tore the wretch's skin and scales clean off with one hand and then crushed her skull with the other. She has threatened me with a similar fate if misfortune should be traced from her brother to myself." "So, as you might imagine, much of my time is spent thinking up an exit strategy so I don't get roped into working for the Ransomes for the rest of my life. Their matriarch is on the cusp of true immortality, and I have no interest in being there when the rest cross that threshold." Dio took another mighty chunk out of the branch. Dio laughed at that. Though, given his mouth was full of wood and leaves, it came out more like a snigger. His tail thumped on the roof, shaking free a small cloud of dirt. "Pfegh, wish it was that simple, then I could just turn him into a frog." "There's a powerful center of magic somewhere close, and I can't go looking for it on my own. That tonight of all nights leaves me stuck around here, so close yet so far, is driving me mad. Have you found anything?" The dragon's entire head turned to Nicole now, green scales coldly glinting in the light yet casting the rest of the hulking creature into deeper shadow.
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OOC thread for this thread. Justice gets in touch with her spiritual side. @RocketLord Initiative, please. Using the Warrior Demon from the Core Rules to represent the Monster. Taking 10 on its roll, for 11.
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GM October 31st, 2018, 6.45PM University Hill, Emerald City, Oregon, USA The Halloween party had barely started, and it was already over. All around a young woman streamed university students, faculty, and staff of the God House, flavor of the year for Emerald City University's trend-chasing contingent. Screaming in inhuman fury, something in a horse-headed suit of armor kicked over a lovely gilded reproduction of some Madonna, trampling and smashing its way through altar tables, shrines of menus and wall-fountains as it swung now-bloodied fists, gnarled and bigger around than the young woman's head. Its wails and howls were nearly drowned out by the shouts, directions, shrieks and crying of its prey, the terrified Munchkins only barely keeping the presence of mind to avoid trampling each other thanks to regular earthquake and volcano drills had since kindergarten. The horse head turned to the woman, seeing in her the only meaningful challenge to be found, and charged.
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Sun Dragon & Dio <"How we came here is something I cannot adequately explain, Khan-Li. While it may seem foolish to your scientific mind I believe we were sent here by the Yellow Book and finding it is the key to returning home. It is lacking in corroborating evidence, but it is the most convincing explanation I know."> While Leroy could easily have dropped the bound-light armor, he kept it active, maintaining a semi-coherent 'look' with the other Claremonters. Leaning against one of the island's many trees, he glanced out across the water once again, golden eyes darting as he surveyed the crumbled city. <"If you need to clear debris, excavate a tunnel or anything else requiring strength, I, Arctos and Specimen would be only too glad to help."> For a moment, he closed his eyes, seeming to pause as if drawing a long breath. -------- Dio clambered awkwardly up the green statue, hissing and snarling as clawholds crumpled or disintegrated outright, making headway but far slower than the darting, lighter-than-light Forever Boy. "I confess, Pan, I do not understand your haste." The dragon's words were hissed, but the syllables fell like low, rolling thunder. "Why do you hurry so, to resume life in a dying world?" With a scrape and rattle, the green dragon launched across the rippling folds of some metal drapery, landing with a crunch on the far side. Two flat, cold eyes like beaten brass searched Forever Boy for a moment, before the dragon resumed the search for a way in. "See anything? The boy says the lower levels will be covered by the rest of the team and those strangers, but I'm not used to this kind of architecture. Is there a hatch or something?"
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GM Under the edge of Forever Boy's light saber, the armband had cracked and buckled as the energy field it contained was let loose. Like a tongue of flame, darkness deeper than any in the universe roared from the device and spiraled like claws for Pan's face! He'd dodged, but not fast enough thanks to the tight quarters and the speed of his foe's weapon. Luckily his inner light had deflected the blast, intercepting and dispersing it harmlessly into the light of the living world. Even better the damage was lasting. While not destroyed the armband was clearly damaged, something tinged at the edge with purple hissing and slithering across it as the alien mechanism fought to maintain its coherent tie to another dimension. In that light its continued existence was nothing less than remarkable. The tie it had to Facsimile was visibly wavering, too. As Alex regained his human form, the last eddy leeched from him, the Void sealing behind it silently but with an impact like cannonfire, the sensation of something slamming shut, some difference in metaphysical pressure abruptly normalizing. For the first time in several minutes the lab was silent. In the distance the heroes and bystanders could hear sirens.
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@Exaccus Ex, would you handle Fac's reaction to the Nullify attempt? No roll needed if you'd rather it succeed.
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With his attention focused squarely on 1) keeping in time with the sweeping, precise motions of the dance, and 2) making small talk with Judy, Leroy seemed blind and deaf to the world around them, smiling warmly down at his partner as they swung and swirled beneath the canopy of stars. His eyes shone burning gold against the background of white, purple and blue, something seeming to flicker and pulse at the edge of the iris. The light made his scars almost invisible, even as it played and traced along the tattoos on his chest and arms beneath his shirt. He led passably well for a beginner, never missing a step, twirling Judy with the flair and self-assurance he was, justly, a frequent punchline for. When in doubt he made sure to make the signal, three alternating winks, so she could give a nudge in the right direction. While the rest of the evening unfolded he kept up a regular stream of casual, easily-dropped or ignored talk. "Oh, Dio has a young sweetheart on Earth-2, but Krau is with his wing of the Defense League. Thus his foul mood tonight." He laughed the matter off. "I hope we can go for a flight sometime, Judy, the world looks wholly different from the air. So much simpler. By starlight it looks so beautiful, it breaks your heart to descend. You invent reasons to stay aloft, find yourself envying the birds." "If you like, I would love to teach you about the stars, as you teach me about the faith." Unusually, Leroy didn't seem interested or even aware of Monica's sudden, explosive entrance, the strong young man wholly centered on Judy, his head bent to hers and left arm holding her close.
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GM "Yeah, I mean, that's how it is on paper," Herakles rubbed his jaw again, looking hopelessly out of his depth, "but it's a different thing in practice. Not to mention how if she eats ambrosia and drinks nectar from here she's gotta abide by the rules for here, it's a...uh..." Herakles' forehead creased like terrain deforming under erosion. "...I dunno, but it's not what you call feasible without severe changes to the program." He looked skeptically at Other!Scion "You got gods back where you're from? You were kinda vague there." "We have people who call themselves that. Me included. I had a vision when my powers activated and I became a paragon, it looked kind of like this mountain and a big guy and a...big girl told me said I was their child and to protect humanity." Other!Scion shrugged "I just though it was from the concussion, then when I learned of the Imageria, this kind of big imagination-land, I found I'd gone there. But it's just stories and things people made up, it's not real." She poked Herakles in his uncovered side, whistling as her finger didn't even dent the slab of muscle "Now that's pretty real." "I just dunno about this, Edone, it's not like her world is the same as ours." The god of strength hadn't even noticed the touch, turning to Scion as he said "But this Scion's got followers, at least? People who can and will call on her for help? Will they do that?" Other!Scion shrugged "Usually. Like the rest of the Pantheon I have some rituals set up to make sure people only call for important things or if they're at least kinda rich." Herakles shot a look at Scion that said I have more concerns, but aloud only replied "I'll let you through, Edone and...other Edone? But steer clear of Hermes and keep this short and sweet." Setting his shoulder to the gate, Herakles shoved hard, opening the way up a gentle green slope amid towering, jagged boulders threaded through by an even white marble stair, winding around the titanic buildings jutting from the mountainside. Halls and courtyards, agoras and gardens teeming with the servants of the Olympiad. Beasts and beast-folk, humans from ages reaching from the present day to the distant past, all aglow with divine power. Birds of a thousand colors darted and chirruped among ageless forests thick with game, wolves ran like grey shadows among the stones far away, and darker shadows lurked in deep caves whose mouths yawned at times perilously near the path to the summit. Other!Scion didn't look at Moira, but grabbed her hand and swallowed hard.
