Ari

Taking the outstretched hand eagerly, Subito nodded "I am, I'm Subito Sondo, are you an upperclassman? I was told to report to the registration desk to get my stuff in order. Can you lead me there? I have a terrible sense of direction" After the handshake(marvelling inwardly at the oddly rough texture of Brian's hand) Subito decided he might as well ask: "What do they teach us here? Mr. Summers told me I was to learn how to use my powers correctly here, but it seems like a regular school. Is this-" he gestured vaguely around at the visible buildings and grounds "-just a surface facade?"

On September 18th, only a day or two before the beginning of autumn quarter, Subito Sondo walked with long, heavy strides up to the large iron gate to the school grounds. Upon reaching the gate itself he tilted back the brim of the baseball cap that shadowed his face and examined the school. It was much grander a place than he had assumed it would be. He had thought that the Academy would be a bunker-like place, an unassuming structure built to contain and conceal the powers of its students. An Ivy League-like building with spacious green lawns dotted with the occaisional tree, a distant confusion of metal bars and seats he took to be the racing field he'd often seen his sister on at his old school. Glancing around with a certain air of self-consciousness Subito felt deeply ridiculous. A plain white t-shirt and pair of blue jeans were his main wardrobe, and he had plenty with him, but his parents had insisted on him wearing the significantly more formal suit and tie he wore to particularly solemn or holy events. The hat was a concession to the sun, which by now was angled to perfectly assault the eyes of anyone who was looking vaguely eastwards. As it was now no longer needed, he put it neatly into his backpack, brushing a hand over his curly hair to bring some of its springs back from the dead. Pushing open the gate, he walked with a relaxed manner in the direction he fervently hoped was the one he had been told several times was the right one.

So yeah, I honestly had no idea there would be so many new Claremont people. Anyway, mine's been approved and is ready to play, so putting this here to let anyone who feels inclined to show up and tell the Naive Newcomer what Claremont Academy is all about. Thread name is Out of Blue Waters for all those interested. Character is the bearer of the Puerto Rican genius loci, El Heraldo.

"Well Mad Dog" came the crisp, unhurried reply, "I think it would be best for us to sneak into the back door and make absolutely sure of our suspicions before acting on them. What do you think? I'd like to avoid any nasty accidents" Shaking the other man's hand warmly he glanced over Mad Dog's shoulder at the factory "With that kind of construction my guess is that there'll be a lot of places to just sneak in through the windows. Your thoughts?"

As well, here's where I'm gonna write up Setzer's Houyhnhnm super-villain, inspired by AA's Lilliputian hero. Basic criminal mastermind without much in the way of powers, but a great deal of intelligence and a large number of Minions. Setzer will provide the fluff, I have been assigned to write the crunch. Let's get down to it. Player Name: Character Name: Power Level: 10 150/150PP Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Super-intelligent horse from the island of Houhyhnms(lit. 'Perfection of Nature). Alternate Identity: Identity: Birthplace: Occupation: Affiliations: Family: Age: Apparent Age: Gender: Ethnicity: Height: Weight: Eyes: Hair: Description: Power Descriptions: No powers besides natural toughness and speed granted most horses and a vast intellect. History: Personality & Motivation: Powers & Tactics: Complications: Name: [Description] Example: Secret: Identity. Abilities: 10 + 8 + 10 + 20 + 10 + 8 = 66PP Strength: 20 (+5) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 30 (+10) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +4 Attack: +4 Grapple: +0 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -0 Saving Throws: 5 + 5 + 5 = 15PP Toughness: +8 (+5 Con, +3 [Protection]) Fortitude: +12 (+5 Con, +5) Reflex: +10 (+4 Dex, +5) Will: +12 (+5 Wis, +5) Skills: 68R = 17PP Bluff 12 (+16) Diplomacy 15 (+19) Knowledge(Civics) 8 (+18) Knowledge(History) 8 (+18) Knowledge(Physical Sciences) 9 (+19) Knowledge(Social Sciences) 12 (+22) Feats: 14PP Dodge Focus 4 Master Plan 2 Minions 8( Yahoos, 25, 60PP) Powers: 12 + 3 + 3 = 18PP Growth 4(PFs: Innate, Flaws: Permanent)[12PP] Protection 3[3PP] Speed 3(50 MPH,Extras: Innate)[3PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP Drawback (Description, Frequency: [uncommon, Common, or Very Common], Intensity: [Minor, Moderate, or Major]) [-XPP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (66) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (17) + Feats (14) + Powers (18) - Drawbacks (0) = (150/150) Power Points

With a soft noise like sand pouring into water the bus raced forward as if stung. While no change could be perceived from those outside it, to those within the landscape raced past smoothly, leaving the ever-shifting sands behind them. As the wheels of the bus spun smoothly along the neatly-paved road, there was little noise except the beat of Wisps feet, the quiet scratch of Jubatus's paws and the light thuds of Pirwa's shade's hooves as they pulled the bus down the road. Already the mountain seemed farther away, and a quiet gurgling announced the nearby presence of water. Sniffing the air, Pirwa asked politely in his(its?) ringing voice "If you would like to stop for a drink, the water here is quite pure, entirely free from any sickness or foulness. There's an inn just down the hill too, if you want for anything richer in flavor. I dare say you must be at least a little hungry and thirsty from staying in the presence of the Fatherdark" there hadn't been a hill a moment before, and the inn was also new. Despite its name, it looked a lot like an old-fashioned hotel, all gleaming cornices and molded ornamented walls. On the steps leading up to the door was seated a massive figure, at least twice as tall as the bus was long, clad in armor that concealed their entire body from sight, sharpening an axe with two blades shaped like human hands. They glanced up for a moment, apparently having heard the horse-shade's words, but went back to the axe upon seeing the newcomers. The inn appeared to be almost covered in odd creatures, including a manticore sleeping on the roof, swinging its spiked tail in time to some unguessable dream.

Alrighty: King's Notice is: 18.

The King of Suits blinked in surprise. He hadn't seen the heavy-set man with the leather jacket until the man had stirred and spoken. I wonder if this is the best way I can operate, he wondered. Aloud he said, more softly than he usually did, "Hello, I go by the King of Suits. I'm here to try and figure out what's going on in there" he pointed to the factory, which would have been rude if he hadn't used his whole hand to do it. "If you're in this area, might I assume we've a similar goal? I'd be deeply thankful for the help" he was cautiously optimistic of this being a good idea.

The King of Suits smoothly swung on his grapple line from the decaying theater's molding roof onto the crumbling billboard advertising "Magic Lash", a condiment whose manufacturer had been under the cold eye of OSHA for suspected use of lead in its ingredients. He had been told by a friend of his about a suspicious factory, the workers at which had proven deeply reticent about what they made there, complete with threats against the safety of the friend when she had begun to pry around the place. Determined to get to the bottom of this new mystery, Marceau jumped down into an alley within sight of the street the factory was on, and began to make his stealthy way towards it, certain he could get in there without fear of being spotted.

Subtracted 4PP(2 from Enhanced Strength, 2 from Flight) and put it into Immunity 4.

"Not to worry, sir. The man who jumped you wasn't wearing green and grey, was he? 'cause a guy just sent the Silencer into a wall in the french restaurant across the street, and eyewitnesses said he came out of this building. He's in police custody now, so that should hold him" for a while he thought with a sudden shot of gloom. "Rest easy, sir, he looked pretty beat up, so he's been paid back for what did to you. If you're alright, I gotta go, a guy said he saw someone in here through the window, so I came to check it out. Hope the rest of your day goes better than it did today" With that, he dashed back to the Aliments to meet Rene for their celebratory drink, heart buoyed higher than it had in many years.

"<I will, Rene! the bonus I got yesterday will go a long way used sparingly>" returned Marceau jovially, "<I hope this is a sign of good things to come>" At the mention of a celebratory drink he nodded his assent eagerly "<I'll gladly join you for a round or two, Rene! And while I did blast the Silencer into that wall, the only reason there was a wall was because of you and your hat. Helpless old man or no, it was thanks to you and everyone else involved that that blow was even possible>" Removing himself from their embrace he added cheerfully "" So saying, he skipped out for a moment, dashed into the building, made his way to the room he had seen the dimly-lit and miserable figure, and untied him.

Keeping an eye on the retreating sewer passage Marceau volunteered "It's hardly paranoid to keep secrets from people you've just met, Mala Suerte. The reason I asked was to break the ice a little, and give us all an idea of what each other's capabilities are. You're also right in that we should be a little more discreet, seeing as we're in effectively enemy territory and the walls might have ears" Turning slightly to glance down into the passing..sewage, he wondered vaguely what they would do if they encountered any actual enemies down there. He figured that, being common thugs, simply tossing them into the main drainage flow would be enough to take the fight out of them, and then he could snatch them out of the water with his grapple gun. But for now, he once more turned his thoughts to keeping a close watch on their rear, hoping they would meet someone else at least partially friendly to their cause.

Marceau remained long enough in his disguise as the King of Suits to see to it that the Silencer was taken into custody. Sticking around long enough to sign autographs(using his right hand), politely return hugs, and thank Verdoux and the patrons for not panicking when a gunman walked in the door. When asked how he had managed to be there so soon, he told them a young man of Marceau's description "Was most invaluable". After he was sure his work was done, he cheerfully made his goodbyes to the patrons and the staff and went out, removed his guise in a nearby alley, and returned through the back door. When he met the old painter he firmly embraced him tightly, saying in French "<Thank you, Rene, a thousand times thank you! I could never have done this without your help. How may I repay you, my friend>"

The King of Suits followed close to Mala, walking backwards to keep a watch on their rear. He knew he looked silly, but at least it would be that much harder for someone to creep up on them from behind. While he walked with bird-like strides, he wondered about what Revenant had said. A regenerator? What does that mean here? Is she altered on the genetic level? Does she have some kind of extra organ or something that supplies her with more material to patch up wounds faster? Something Else entirely? While such thoughts buzzed about his head, he kept a careful ear out for the sounds one doesn't hear unless someone is nearby and trying not be heard. The dripping of water, scuttling of rats and the ever-present flow of the sewege down the main tunnel did their best to mask anything unusual however, and Marceau kept turning his head to re-assure himself that the other two were still there.

As the Silencer raised his weapon, Marceau had gotten to the ground. As the Silencer aimed the King of Suits fired his grapple gun at the Aliment's rooftop sign. And as the diners within had stared shocked as the grim vigilante prepared to fire off his deadly barrage, a massive weight slammed into him from behind as Marceau swung on his line, sending the would-be bomber/poisoner hurtling into the opposite wall, plowing through tables and chairs to come to a sudden stop against a well- made barrier of wood. Crashing head-over-heels into the dining room, the King of Suits grimly observed his handiwork, picked up the sonic gun and de-activated the sound blanketing field. Turing to Rene, he asked politely "Citizen, would you please inform the police of what has happened here? I shall remain until this wretch" he pointed to the Silencer "Is in police custody" seating himself in a nearby chair, he surreptitiously wiped away the cold sweat that had sprung up on his ride by wire.

DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN Okay, with the 2PP and 2EP I have, I'll buy (with the EP)a Dazzle and Snare AP for the utility belt. With the 2PP, I'd like to buy Redirect and Set-Up. DONE BY SHAENTHEBRAIN

It sure will, I can barely recall how the regular rules work at best of times. Thank God for pdf.s. Anyway, initiative! 22. For surprise round, I Charge the Silencer. Attack roll(unarmed): 24+2 for Charge bonus makes it 26.

Alright, I'll go with the charge attack. Should I roll initiative?

Besides a few spelling errors I sure can't find any fault with this! Nicely done, love the idea of a sort of "Youth Rebellion" national spirit.

SC, would it be possible to swing into the Silencer's back(using comic book physics to keep from killing him) using the grapple gun? Or, say, grabbing him with it and tying him to a streetlight?

As the eerie silence fell over the world, the King of Suits retained his hearing due to the amulet given him by Rene. Seeing the tell-tale signs(people trying to make themselves heard in unheard shouts, people pulling off earbuds and headphones with puzzled expressions), he quickly guessed what was happening. A quick glance over the sign rewarded him with a sight of an oddly-dressed man in muted green and greys, bearing a very familiar weapon in his hands. Dashing off the roof into the alley behind the Aliments, he whipped out a grapple gun, and fired it at the apartment building on the other side of the road. Once there, he planned to dash down the fire escape and attack the Silencer from behind, which would be quite unexpected.

Do I need to make a Notic cjeck to see the Silencer coming towards the Aliments? Or are we just assuming I can see him no problem?

Wait what? I seem to be two PP overbudget, let me fix that. EDIT: nevermind, it was a slight miscount. Totals fixed.

The King of Suits mulled the issue over in his head for a moment. On the one hand, they were in largely unknown territory with an enemy who had entirely unguessable control over the area. On the other hand, they were still human(he hoped), and could doubtless be defeated. It wasn't as if he was on his lonesome either, so he could afford to trust their judgement on this without it having to worry about any one of them being taken by surprise without hope of help. He nodded "Very well, that seems entirely reasonable. Thank you for the offer, Revenant, as you have the flashlight and are as you say the toughest of us, I'll gladly follow" Getting up he was careful not to hit a rat skeleton dangling by its legs above him. He gestured to the way ahead "After you, Revenant, if it's alright with you Mala Suerte, how about you go just behind her and I bring up the rear?"