Ari

Thanks very much the help! Yeah, going to go without Deflect, just going to make the guy a melee fighter with a trick or three in his pockets rather than tick off his enemies with their own attacks.

Going camping for the next three days, won't be back until about mid-day Monday.

With a weary sigh, Marceau set himself diligently to the task of searching the building. He looked through rooms slowly at first, picking up speed as he went through the place, until he had gone from spending four seconds scanning a single room to galloping through entire floors, moving as fast as he could to scour any possible hiding place the mysterious poisoner could have escaped into. At long last, he finally let the truth sink in: he had lost him. The thought was a bitter pill to swallow, none enjoy failure after hard striving, and Marceau had been almost possessed by a desire to capture the careless brute who had poisoned an entire restaurant indiscriminately. At last, five minutes after he emerged from the dusty house, he came out the way he had come, and set off back for where he had come from. He went by back-ways and sidealleys, to avoid a chance meeting with someone who might mistake him for the owner of the bulky weapon he carried. At last, arriving at the pleasant dining place, he squared his shoulders and walked towards the front door. He hoped he would meet some police who he could give the weapon and a description of the encounter, without having to weather the disappointment his arrival without his quarry would bring.

"He appears to view it as purely a tool" said Marceau "He seems to attach no mystical or societal importance to its possession. He taught the thieves I met how to use magic to make weapons, and one of them, a man named Wolfgang, had enough power to use this" he produced a blue, metallic half-orb and offered it to her "to travel to the wizard's domain independently. It wasn't a case of favoritism either, I gathered that he was considered a hair away from being a renegade by the rest of the gang" he looked ruefully at it and added "However it works and whatever it is, it's beyond me. Takes a great deal more delicacy to use than I'm capable of" He looked quite hopeful when Equinox seemed completely at ease with the idea of marching into the Contrarian's domain and speaking to him directly. "If you're willing, I can lead you to where the gateway seems to be. You could send me through, I'll try to convince the wizard to come and meet you staying in the mansion as a hostage, and if all goes well there'll be one more wizard on the side of the angels" he stopped and coughed hurriedly, adding "If you'll pardon the expression, Mz. Equinox"

I'm going to try and activate the Sonic Gun's sound blanketing effect. Should I roll a 1d4 to see if I get the right button? EDIT: Nah, let's just presume marcy loses him and goes back to the French restaurant. At least he has a lot of potential leads on the Silencer.

Meanwhile, Sam and Norman were busy keeping the other passengers calm, a surprisingly easy task considering the present circumstances. Martin, stopping about ten feet from the device which he had set up at the back of the bus. "All you need to do is exert your power, and make sure that only the first ten buttons light up. We don't want to go too far, or undershoot our home dimension. Also, don't touch the Channeler. At all. Please let go of it, Mz. Zap, It will react in a few seconds the moment your powers are activated, and anything that touches it except that stand will be torn apart" Seeing that it had gotten Victoria's attention breifly, the walking void held up a platter with the ashes of the man who had been within the shadow substance on it. Witha snap of his fingers, the man re-formed, gasping for breath wearing a rough pair of black pants. "Look, miss, maybe we could make a deal? I get the idea you aren't totally alright with me doing what I want to my subjects. The simple fact is that I own everyone and anything given to me. In ages past the souls that live here desired physical form, and I gave it them, provided they became mine. They accepted. When that wretch's wizards intruded here, I wearied of them quickly, and only asked a single human in exchange for bonding one of my subjects to one of theirs. They accepted. This is the human, I own him. If you wish him to cease to be mine, if you want me to let you go without making you tunnel through worlds(and who knows what you'll awaken if you do that?), I want something in return. A little conversation, with beings that don't make me want to start putting them back together in a better way. Is that acceptable?" he had, while speaking, dumped the man off the tray and tossed it into the helmet of one of the knights, who didn't appear too upset by it.

Also, this guy. Player Name: Arichamus Character Name: El Heraldo('The Herald') Power Level: 7, 105/105PP Trade-Offs: -3 Attack/+3 Damage -3 Defense/ +3 Toughness Unspent PP: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 11/30 In Brief: Son of recently-immigrated Peurto Ricans granted powers by the burgeoning national spirit of Puerto Rico, who uses his new-found abilities in defence of those most vulnerable to crime. A student at the Claremont Academy. Alternate Identities: Subito Sondo Identity: Secret Birthplace: Peurto Rico, Adjuntas Municipality, Guayo Barrio. Occupation: Student, grocery store clerk. Affiliations: Claremont Academy, social justice, unions. Family: Pavor Sondo(father), Broma Sondo(mother), Galanta Sondo(sister), Rodrigo Fuego(cousin) Age: 16 Apparent Age: 19 Gender: Male. Ethnicity: Latin American Height: 5' 6" Weight: 184 Lbs. Eyes: Hazel Hair: Dark brown. Description: A stocky fellow, Subito nonetheless manages to look taller than he actually is by the practice of good posture and carriage, which he augments with thick-soled boots and a baseball cap. His hair is curly, and cut shortly and as neatly as he can manage it, his eyes are spaced close together and are often shaded out of sight by the cap(ED: Yes, I know, impossible without putting the bill of the cap directly over his face, put it down to artistic license), and when seen have a narrow, suspicious look. His nose is short and broad, while his mouth is often turned slightly downward to help convey the message given by the eyes. His limbs are short, and he has rather large hands and feet for his age. he frequently wears white t-shirts and blue jeans. In his guise as the gaudy El heraldo, he wears a brilliantly-colored and heavily-padded jacket ornamented with the coat of arms of Puerto Rico. His pants are blue-and-red checkered gilded hose with emblems of haloed lambs carrying crosses on them in an endless parade, and his feet are covered with heavy leather boots. A broad cloth bandanna around his head suffices to conceal his identity, with a sky blue beret-like hat completing the bizarre costume. He carries in this guise a large flagpole, to which is bound the flag of Puerto Rico. Power Descriptions: El Heraldo's powers are signaled by a glow around Subito's body, which takes the rough form of an immense flag made of golden smoke. His powers are an extension of the national spirit he is the host of, which increased his physical power and hearing, as well as the power of flight. History: Subito Sondo was born in the year 1995 on the island protectorate of Peurto Rico, in the municipality of Adjuntas. His parents, Pavor and Broma, were lower-middle class artisans, specifically metalworkers. His sister was a bold and and terrifying champion of the oppressed for miles around in their town, and the rest of his family were the thenderous, solid people who usually went totally unnoticed in a crowd. Throughout his young life, Subito was surrounded by noise: cars, passing celebrants, loud arguments or even deafening conversations on engrossing topics all combined to make what he can recall of his life in Puerto Rico an endless din. As a result, he grew up expecting noise to be around him at all times, and was rarely dissapointed. Noise became for him a sort of sanctuary, a comforting indicator that all was well. Silence became a warning, a mark that something horrible or disagreeable had happened. His family had a good employ for 8 of Subito's years of life, but a sudden tragedy,the attack of the supervillain Mas Severas against a visit by the Allies of Justice to the municipality, which while it resulted in no loss of life did destroy the family's business. Leaving for Freedom City in 2003, the family got themselves well-ensconced in the Lincoln district, where some relatives helped them find open positions in the Fun-Time Toys factory still active near the docks. Glad for the gainful employment, Pavor and Broma managed to slowly but steadily raise their standard of living over the years, their children proceeding smoothly through school and all things considered life was good. When Subito turned 15 life continued to be good, even after Subito lied about his age to get a job at the same factory his parents worked at(a lie aided by his unusually strong and tall build), and on his first day he tried to catch a wroker who had leaned a bit too hard against an insufficiently-secured handrail, dozens of feet above vats of a solution that worked wonders keeping paint on surfaces, but was deathly hazardous to humans. Subito's footing failed him when he grabbed the other man around the waist, and both tumbled towards a certain death, the workers who could see the scene trying futilely to do something to help. Subito and the other man were abruptly stopped in mid-air, a few yards above the poisonous vat of blue mixture. Surprised, Subito looked up to behold a golden fog about him, and looking after a minute's hesitant experimentization, found he could move himself through the air. Carrying the other man back up to the catwalk, he realized that his strenth had been enhanced(and as he later learned, his endurance), his hearing incredibly sharpened, and that because of the latter he could hear clearly the furious argument being carried out between his parents, the union leaders, and the manager of the factory. Thankfully, the only negative thing that resulted from that episode was that he was merely fired for lying about his age. His family were too surprised, the union too grateful(both for the extra bargaining room and becuase nobody was hurt in that instance), and the management too furious to discover that one of Toy-Boy's subtler booby-traps had escaped their notice, for any graver punishement to befall him. Also adding to his sense of giddiness as he went to sleep that night was the quiet, insistent voice that grew louder in his sleep, trying to tell him something in Spanish about a meeting. He gave it no thought until later that night, when he was awoken by a gentle tap on his head, jumping out of bed to his feet, he was greeted by a vision of a Hispanic woman wearing blue armor, bearing a vast collection of weapons on her back, and riding a ram sheep, in the vision almost totally transparent. This apparition informed Subito that his family was in possession of an old battle-standard, bearing the coat-of-arms of Puerto Rico(the original flag having been destroyed in 1511), which had been used in nearly every successful battle involved in making Puerto Rico a Spanish holding since it had been made in 1500. As a result, a spirit of victory had attached itself to the banner, lending strength of will and protection from harm to those who held it. The spirt then told Subito that it had slowly grown over the ages, until it had become the national spirit of Puerto Rico, having melded with the ruling entities of the island's Taino tribes after their destruction by the Spanish colonists in the Taino rebellion. The infusion of the memories and power of the tribal spirits was a gigantic step on the Blue Dame's path to sapience. Over the years she(used for ease of reference, 'it' wasn't considered acceptable to her) had grown in knowledge and strength, but the various forces that fought for the island divided and weakened her over and over again. It was only now, when the island nation's sense of self was at another height, that she could empower an individual with her gifts as her herald. She told Subito that she had chosen him over his sister because of his more focused personality. Galanta, to the spirit's mind, while excellent material for a herald of hers was rather too concerned with fighting as an end to itself to give much thought to what the fighting was for. But, she warned the nearly gleeful Subito, she would not stand for any slacking in what she was entrusting to him. As he followed her directions to the hidden chest containing the banner, she told him that he would, to keep his powers, have to keep from acting selfishly or with his sole betterment in mind, and any reneging would be instantly punished. The chest was easy enough to find with the Blue Dame's instruction, and with little trouble he put it back together and took it to a nearby abandoned lot, where the Blue Dame taught him how to use the banner to don the traditional costume of a Herald of Puerto Rico. After a crash course on how to use his powers, the Blue Dame retired into the banner, telling Subito to hurry home, due to the extreme lateness of the hour, and that in the morning he would find the next step on his journey waiting for him. Subito slept soundly, and it took Galanta hauling him out of bed, seating him in a chair, and giving him a light cuff on the shoulder to wake him. He found himself staring into the piercing gaze of a narrow, darkly-clothed man with graying hair at the temples, the rest brown and cut short. The Raven II, Subito learned later, had an informant in the factory the accident had occurred in, and had told Summers about the bizarre incident the same day it had happened. The interview with Duncan Summers was short and painless, except for Broma and Pavor outdoing each other in tearfully telling Subito how he must remember to do what they would wish him to do at the bizarre school Summers was offerring to train him at. Galanta kept her peace, saying as much as their parents with a cold, narrow-eyed stare. After agreeing with Summers that it would be a great idea to learn how to use his powers correctly in a more controlled environment, little was left to do but pack and prepare for the autumn quarter. Personality & Motivation: As El Heraldo, Subito acts as he thinks he ought to, doing his best to be just, kind, fair and honest as he knows how. He enjoys the anonymity of the mask, as it lets him be what he likes without repercussion on how he is viewed as Subito. Out of costume, he is loud, impetuous and full of gusto for whatever he does, having been brought up to see silence as suited only for holy or sorrowful occaisions. His morals are fairly straightforward, and he gives litle thought or time to the why of his ethics. He equates thinking with doing, incromprehending how somebody could think up things they might do, and never act on any of them, and has a hard time understanding how one philosophy or belief system being true doesn't negate the others' validity. On the other hand, he is loath to bring issues like that up in conversation, seeing them as interesting challenges to be overcome on one's own, and would never dream of trying to make people more like himself. Powers & Tactics: El Heraldo has limited resources and severe limits to his gifts, meaning hie must take great care with whom and how he fights. As a profoundly heated individual, however, he is unlikely to do so, instead dashing into the fray with unmitigated aplomb and vigor, no matter how outmatched he might be, using the power of his standard to evoke hope for victory in any compatriots. Complications: Responsibility: Family. He feels honor-bound to serve his family's needs above his own. Secret: Identity. While he always has his powers, he knows his family is largely defenseless. Abilities: 10 + 4 + 10 + 2 + 0 + 8 = 34PP Strength: 28/20 (+8/+5) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: +28/20 (+8/+5) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 4 + 4 = 8PP Initiative: +7 Attack: +2, /+4(Melee) Grapple: +14 Defense: +4 (+2 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +0 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 0 + 3 + 6 = 9PP Toughness: +10(5 Impervious w/Device) (+10 Con, +0 ) Fortitude: +10 (+10 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+3 Dex, +3) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +6) Skills: 20R = 7PP Diplomacy 6 (+10) Knowledge(Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge(Popular Culture) 4 (+5) Languages 2 (English, Latin, Spanish(Native) Notice 4 (+4) Sense Motive 8 (+8) Feats: 11PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Dodge Focus 2 Interpose Inspire 3 Leadership Move-by Action Powers: 6 + 10 + 10 + 6 + 4 = 36PP Device 2(Easy-to-Lose)[6PP] Bandera de la Victoria(Banner of Victory) Emotion Control 5(Flaw: One Type(Hope))[5PP] Impervious Toughness5[5PP] Enhanced Constitution 10[0PP] Enhanced Strength 10[10PP] Flight 3(50 mph)[6PP] Super-Senses 4(Accurate 2, Extended 2, Sense: Auditory)[4PP] 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 DC18 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (34) + Combat (8) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (11) + Feats (9) + Powers (36) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/105 Power Points

With a slight look of embarrassment, Marceau nodded at Equinox's pointing out of the slight flaw in his thinking. "Come to think of it, I suppose a better way of putting what I had in mind would be 'put him at his ease'. Like approaching him openly, unarmed? I mean" he leaned against the warm tree-trunk, taking off one of his gloves again to stroke one of the branches "What ought I to do that will send a clear message to this guy that I'm not there for a fight? Or is that a bad thing to do when trying to get an audience with someone who thinks it's reasonable to hide in another dimension? I'm assuming he isn't crazy, but there's no guarantee of that. If he is, somebody much more suited to dealing with wizards would have to go get him" he looked deeply relieved when Equinox said she was willing to speak with the Contrarian "I really think it would do him good to meet someone who has done well as an open practitioner. For all I know, he hides because in his homeworld he worked openly and it ended badly for him. I think the tapestries might shed some light on that before I test their flammability, but anyway, there's another reason: he's bound to be horribly lonely in there, and he would most likely jump at the chance to meet someone who he could have something to talk about instantly. You're a witch, he's a wizard, there's instant rapport there" he carefully cleaned a patch of dust off his right boot on some long grass at the base of the tree "Admittedly, that is speculation, but I think it has a very good chance of being true".

Sorry for the delay! On the nemesis front, I've loads of ideas! 1. Someone with eerily similar powers, who thought themselves unique, and out of jealousy tries to show-up and put-down Bluebolt. 2. Someone with powers in direct opposition to the function of Bluebolt, who convinces themselves that their mission in life is to be his enemy. 3. Someone with a connection to Bluebolt's past, who is either trying to correct what they see as harmful aspects of his character that go unnoticed to others or somebody with a groundless(or MAYBE NOT! ) grudge against him. 4. Someone from his future trying to get him to act in ways that will benefit them in the future. 5. An alien from another world come to try their might aginst a human with powers like those of his people, and singles out Bluebolt for the dubious honor. 6. A magical entity trying to find a host that they can use to advance their interests, and picks Bluebolt due to his powers or personality being a good conduit for its own. 7. Someone who has no thematic connection to Bluebolt, but thinks it would be fun to have a hero like him for a nemesis. 8. A villain with a crush on David, who whenever they try to get at him ALWAyS ends up facing off with that HORRIBLE Bluebolt... 9. A madman/madwoman who idolizes Bluebolt, and tries to emulate him in the most harmful ways imaginable. 10. A demonic creature trying to convince David that his efforts to help others are misguided, and he should focus on looking out for No. 1 instead. 11. An angelic creature who tests Bluebolt on his readiness to serve the cause of righteousness, and has a rather different take on such ideals than David does. 12. A pyschic who accidentally creates a personification of everything David hates most in himself, and sustains it. May or may not be realted/close to David in regular life. I hope these are helpful!

Sighing in irritation as the hand missed by inches, Marceau kept running and plunged into the house after the fleeing man. When he had gotten inside he looked around for any sign of the escaping poisoner, but his haste meant that he was unlikely to get any kind of useful information from his cursory examination. His legs now began to inform him by way of lead-like heaviness and burning pain in the joints that he might have pushed himself too hard in his desperate chase.

Alright, so now I'm going to dash in there, and make a Notice check to see if Marcy can spot him before getting dynamic entry'd by the Silencer. Move Action into the building. Notice check: 6, feh.

After consideration, yes, I'll transfer KoS to my PL 10 slot. I've now finalized my plans for what he'll be: Costumed Detective archetype focusing on ranged combat, with a PL 9 supernatural Sidekick focusing on melee combat. Sorry I didn't see this until now, never thought to check it.

I'll continue until I either get my rear handed to me, I defeat the Silencer, or else lose him somehow.

"Fire" pondered Marceau, looking up suddenly "I must have something to work with, as fire must have fuel. What I saw of the place was covered with tapestries that I think represented the history of this world. I'll see if those burn" seeing as the light reflection was by now so erratic he couldn't keep it out of his eyes for longer than a second without bobbing his head around like an apple in the water, he simply went around to the other end of the table, leaning against a tree facing Equinox. "However, you say that it might be possible to catch this wizard off-guard and without his magic 'up', so to speak? Alright then, how should I go about that? Try to win his confidence somehow? Perhaps try to explain to him that he's doing a wicked thing by encouraging theft, and try to persuade him to visit some magicians more in line with the law?"

!&^#@%&^!*^#*^^$*@^#%$&$^%&@(*#&$)Q!&!!!!.

Skidding slightly on the pavement as he ran, Marceau realized in an instant that if the poisoner got inside the building, he could easily be lost, ambush Marceau as he came in after him, or might even have a posse of associates inside armed with whatever was needed to turn him into a corpse. Thinking quickly, marceau gathered his stellar power into an area just within the building, foming a giant golden armored hand that snatched at the fleeing Silencer as he leaped inside. With luck, the lean janitor thought to himself, he could subdue the would-be murderer without risking a proper fight, and take him to the nearest police station and hopefully get some answers as to the 'Why' of the mass-poisoning.

Going to attempt a Snare attack against the Silencer, here's the Attack 23.

Marceau, for all his experiece with travelling vast distances, was wearying. His feet fell more and more loosely on the ground, his mouth grew parched, and his legs began to burn for spent proteins and sugars. The retreating figure of his quarry began to fade into the clusters of people passing by rapidly, if only, only he could rest, sit down...rest his weary legs, put down the clumsy rifle and- NO! His head snapped up, a grating murmur beyond his hearing sounded, and he shot forward like an arrow from the bow, racing lightly through the crowds, his foeman now beginning to come closer and closer! Why had he allowed himself that self-pity? Would those poisoned by that man be consoling when he got back from a failed chase? Would they say "Oh, you poor dear, you did your best"? No. They would feel a deep and just anger that someone had had the chance to capture the man that had put their lives in peril, and passed it up for a chance to rest. So, gathering his focus on the narrow man on the sidewalk pushing roughly through the bystanders, Marceau pushed himself to his very limit of speed, ignoring all else but closing the gap, so he could deal properly with the reckless poisoner.

Glad you appreciate such sentiments! And thank you for the Hero Point! . DC 13 Fort check to resist poison: 16! The dice smile upon me!

Darn it, I had forgotten completely about the poison! With that in mind, Marcy is going to try and power through the weakening factor of the poison(so yeah, burning a Hero Point to get rid of the effect) he keeps on running, an unquenchable thirst for Justice lending wings to his feet.

With a growl of irritation, Marceau shot off after the fleeing would-be murderer, holding his arms neatly behind his back to give himself a more aerodynamic profile. The fleeing figure wasn't difficult to follow, but he proved to be a good runner, and Marceau knew that unless he could drive the man into a dead-end it would become a pointless test of endurance. He wondered nervously if he should just duck into a nearby corner where he had stashed his costume, rather than hope the running man didn't suddenly run out into a crowd and telling everyone that HE was the innocent in this case. Marceau gritted his teeth and kept running, pushing that fear as far from his conscious thought as he could. Regrettably, that wasn't far enough for peace of mind.

Okay then, in that case, I might as well start running after him. Going all-out in order to catch up with the fleeing Silencer. Should I make a check to see if I can follow him or is it assumed I can tell where he's gone?

Whoops! Sorry about that. Forgot I was supposed to post OOC actions only during my turn :? .

I Shall attempt to Snare the Silencer, as well as making an Intimidate check to weaken his defences. Snare: 19 Intimidate: 12

Wincing from the painful explosion of noise, Marceau jumped to the side, blasting at the rifle in the Silencer's hands. The golden guantlet shot out from an area of space next to his shoulder, knocking the murderous vigilante's grip on his weapon loose, whereupon Marceau, gathering the cosmic force into his being, jumped forward and siezed the rifle, taking it easily from the slackened hands. Retreating quickly, he aimed with utmost care at the unmasked menace- Oh, merde.... He had forgotten to put on his mask. He had forgotten to adopt his alternate identity. If word got out (and it will he thought, if I don't make sure to swear the lot to secrecy or something) he could be easily tracked down by crazy and killed in his sleep, along witht he entire bunch of annoying, harmless unfortunes who shared his roof. So, to business! He called up a fist from the ground next to the the Silencer, and had it make a grab for the potential murderer's midsection. "Don't try to escape, or you''ll be wracked with pain from head to foot!" he said coldly. Glancing at the other people in the kitchen he added earnestly "PLEASE don't tell anyone else what I did. Just say I knocked the gun out of his hands and bound him, the details aren't important"