Ari
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Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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Posts posted by Ari
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Despite his desire to come up with a game plan, Marceau was quickly sidetracked. What was the purpose of the thefts? what did Wolfgang mean by a "Divination experiment"? and why had Wolfgang not called for help, even when his voice was within reach of his comrades ears? These and other mysteries plagued Marceau to the point that ten minutes later a feasible plan still eluded him. Shrugging off his worries, he gave a quick look around the front door, before slipping into the warehouse to see if he could get close enough to the assembled miscreants to get an inkling of what they thought they were up to. Abruptly remembering his prone foe, he rushed back to Wolfgang and carried him over to the dumpster he had installed at the back door, placing him quietly inside and punching
It was a ticklish business, as the whole lot had fallen into the habit of glancing at the front door at regular intervals, due to Wolfgang being over an hour late to the rendezvous, and it was only with difficulty that he managed to dart behind a rack holding standard-issue computer keyboards, and turn a careful eye and ear to his unsuspecting prey. Thinking it would be handy to get some evidence of wrongdoing, he took out the small microphone he kept in one of his coveralls pockets, and tossed it neatly onto a box on the shelf nearest to the assembled brigands.
The problem of evidence taken care of, the King of Suits turned his whole attention to what they were saying. He was quite curious to learn what the people Wolfgang worked were planning to do.
"'s none o' my business, Larry," declared one of the men at the table(white, short, thin, mid 20's, short spiky black hair, green coat, orange scarf, dark blue pants, white boots), clearly unhappy about the state of affairs he found himself in, "but what if Wolf isn't coming after all? you did say he was more flaky than was safe with keeping the schedule." The man addressed as 'Larry'(black, slightly shorter, much beefier, late 30's, short blue hair, clearly dyed, all black ensemble) sighed deeply and turned to the questioner: "Mike, really? we've all been late to these meetings at least twice a week now. Freaking out just because our tardiest member is late with his stuff again isn't exactly sensible. He might have been caught by whatever little old lady he was swiping the purse of, and now is in front of the police commissioner getting dressed down again. Besides, he never did bring all that many personal items with him. I figure he's been keeping them stashed away in that Half-Way House, under some creaky floorboard somewhere. Anyway, let's get down to business and go over what we've collected tonight. Jason(to a middle-aged white man swathed in grey), you start, and we'll move counterclockwise; state the item, its probable connection to its owner, when and where you got it, and then nod to your left".
For the next seventeen minutes, as the long roll-call of the ill-gotten gains droned on, Marceau desperately tried to again think of a plan to beat them. Can't just dash out there, they'll cut me down in no time at all.
Flogging his brain for the answer to the 'how' of capturing eight criminals without letting even one escape, Marceau glanced around himself, deep in thought.
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Dexterity check to throw the Concealable Microphone near enough to pick up what the thieves are saying, DC 10.
Huzzah.
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King of Suits
(how not)To Catch a Thief (1 post)
Habitat for Metahumanity (5 posts)
Reputation Post.
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Master Plan check, DC 10, as per usual,
Well, darn.
Stealth Check, DC 12 to slip into the warehouse unnoticed.
Well, that's a relief.
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Immediately upon sight of his quarry, Marceau bent double and prepared to slip away from Wolfgang to do a brief reconnaissance of the escape routes he'd need to keep in mind during the takedown of the thieves. Unfortunately, he stepped on a loose piece of ice that snapped with a slight, crisp sound under his weight. Wolfgang had been paying little heed to what was going on behind him, so it was only with the barest luck that he heard the tell-tale noise. He had of course spun around, and upon catching sight of the King of Suits hunched in a stealthy manner, divined his purpose with great alacrity. He realized too that if the KoS got away, it would be with only the greatest of difficulty that he and his comrades would escape. Summoning his magical blade, he sprang upon Marceau, who dodged with less room for error than he would have liked. Seizing the chance to be done with the now-violent informant, Marceau lashed forward and delivered a powerful uppercut to Wolfgang's left temple. Striking the ground with great violence, Wolfgang lay, stretched and silent in the snow. Breathing a sigh of relief, Marceau whipped a pair of handcuffs from the depths of his cloak, and secured Wolfgang with them, taking care to put his adversary's arms behind his back before locking the cuffs on his wrists.
That taken care of, Marceau slipped off into the howling night, silently discovering a single emergency exit. Calling upon the power granted him by the stars, Marceau lifted up one of the nearby dumpsters and placed it gently int he alleyway directly in front of the door. That done, he checked the sides of the building, re-assuring himself that the people inside couldn't get out through the windows. Failing to see the open window on the second floor that any fool could get through easily, Marceau spread the power of the stars more evenly about himself and crept to the door of the warehouse. Realizing something, he slipped back to the unconscious body of Wolfgang, and too his cellphone. Going back to the door, he called 911 and informed the police of his position, the situation, and the number of criminals that needed to be apprehended(eight). Stretching his limbs, Marceau gave himself over to a serious bout of planning, knowing that charging in would be suicidal.
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Marceau's Stealth check, DC: 10
Huh, that was close.
The KoS switches to Super-Strength and shifts a dumpsters in front of the thieves only viable escape route.
Notice check to see an open window on the second floor. DC is 5.
Bah!
Finally, Stealth check(DC 12) to avoid notice by the thieves in the warehouse.
Critical Success! Marceau is not noticed whatsoever by the thieves and they don't hear him when he calls for the police.
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KoS's Stealth attempt, to get away from Wolfgang without being noticed.
Darn.
Wolfgang's Notice check.
What the blazes?
COMBAT BEGINS!!
Initiative Checks:
KoS:(4,2) = (6)
Wolf:[13,1] = (14)
Wolfgang ATTACKS!
Forms his mage-blade and swipes:
The KoS's Defence!
The KoS Attacks! after activating Array.
Wolfgang's Defence.
The KoS hits.
I'm going to go with the 'one hit KO for mooks' system. END COMBAT.
Wolfgang down, Marceau Used HANDCUFFS.
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Wolfgang hurriedly changed his plans. It had never occurred to him that his ally not going to jail would be a bad thing, but he suddenly realized that if Mark got the takings to the magicians, Mark would stand a chance at promotion due to Wolfgang being taken prisoner. In that case, there was only one possible way to go.
"Alright, Mr. Suits, I get your point. Release me and we'll be on the trail of my luckless associate in minutes!"
When I get to the rendezvous, I'll just give him away. A few bullets should fix him.
Released by the King o' Suits, Wolfgang snapped his fingers, causing the mural above them(showcasing a man in blue tights throwing a car at a golden man by pointing at him) to relinquish one of its tiles, forming itself into the illumination-deficient orb Marceau had come to dislike so much.
A few moments later, the two returned to the landing at the foot of the stairs and wasted no time in setting out into the snowy night. Wolfgang muttered deep into the collar of his coat, wondering how the night could have gone so wrong. It was especially galling to have to look back every few steps to see if the masked man was still behind him, as even in the snow the King of Suits made little noise, and what little he made was mostly obliterated by the rushing wind that ran unimpeded through the streets of the Fens.
They soon arrived at the warehouse, an uncomplicated affair with a curved roof and the number 73 on its door. Or rather what could be seen of the door, as it was mostly raised to reveal that several misfits were lounging around a table poking at suitcases, purses, handbags, wallets and other personal items beyond immediate quantification.
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Marceau ground his teeth in irritation. As if it wasn't bad enough that nearly an hour had elapsed before he'd even thought to attack the random hood, now it turned out that leaving was almost, no, completely insultingly easy. Holding Wolfgang now at arms length, he regarded his foe with an outward appearance of apathy, while internally pondering how the heck he was supposed to find the accomplice now. Wolfgang would be unlikely to lead him directly there, and it was too late now to track him by his footsteps. Sighing in resignation, he released Wolfgang and nodded.
"All right, re-activate the orb and I'll drop you off at the nearest police station" The words dropped like anvils onto cushions in the stuffy near silence "Guess I'll look for your friend once you're behind bars. A shame you won't tell me anything other than 'upper Fens'. Take me a few days at least to track him down".
Marceau sighed wearily, for extra effect. If he played this right, Wolfy here would lead him right to the guy he wanted. Maybe put off the murder attempts, too.
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KoS does a Dip. Attempt to get Wolfgang to help him find his accomplice,
Wolfgang's Sense Motive check,
Success for KoS.
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"My name is Wolfgang Schantzneuser, Suits, my 'accomplice' is by now probably somewhere in the upper Fens, where a safehouse is. This place is called the Brick Hall, it is the outer region of this dimension, the name and purpose of which I have no knowledge. I found my way here quite by accident when attempting a ritual to summon a minor angel. Leaving is quite simple, really" Wolfgang paused to collect his thoughts, all of which involved knives and unsuspecting backs.."To leave, all you need to do is snap your fingers. There's no right or wrong way to do it, all you need is to snap two or more digits together and you'll be back in the place you came from. Unless of course" he paused again, wondering if he should...nah, not worth his neck."Nevermind, I was...bah! just let me bring that orb back into action and we'll both be out in a few seconds. As for the door, I will simply say that the most powerful being in this entire dimension resides in the halls it leads to. Small fry like me and(begging you pardon) you would have no chance against it. Now please let me go and I shall return the orb to its usable state".
Wolfgang smiled ingratiatingly at the King of Suits, who was all but smacking his head against the wall at how he could have at least tried to imitate his adversary. Now all he had to do was wait for the simpleton to accompany him back to the Half-Way House and all would be well. Just so long as he didn't catch on to what was going on in his head, of course.
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Marceau had relaxed nearly noticeably, assured by the abrupt shift in this bizarre mans behavior that he was at least making an impression. A more careful look, thankfully disguised by the glow in his eyes(an unfortunate side-effect of his powers) and what little light in the hallway being bent towards the black door. Realizing that he was liable to be stabbed in the back at any moment if he let the man(who still smelled like flowers) out of his scrutiny for more than four seconds, Marceau shrugged under his heavy poncho and moved slowly upward, taking the stranger with him.
His questions were quick and to the point: "Where did your accomplice go? what is this place? how do you leave here? what lies behind that door? how did you find this place? One of those questions being answered would be a favorite, though first I must ask your name. I am the King of Suits, previously the student of the Ace of Suits."
He might not answer honestly, but at least I can get a general idea of what in the blazes is going on here.
In the meanwhile, he had gotten the stranger back onto his feet, having decided that he might as well introduce an element of "I'm not going to treat you like a sub-human source of information" into the situation. He was leaning pretty heavily on him for all that, pressing his back against a tapestry depicting a green man looking smugly down at a man made of lightning. The lightning man seemed to be breaking down or something, his limbs misshapen and his fingers bursting into blue electricity.
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The King of Suits attempts to peer past the Stranger's veil of submission for any hidden plots, Sense Motive check,
(14,2) = (16), no guarantee of success, though.
The Stranger's Bluff:
Woohoo! the dice smile upon me!
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The stranger stared up at the grinning metal face with perhaps more sheer terror than was strictly necessary. "W-w-whadda you wanna kn-know?", he managed after what felt like to him half an hour under Marceau's imperious glare and maniacal air. While he was terrified, he was hardly unthinking yet, and his mind buzzed with scheme after scheme of how to turn things around in his favor. While his foe was certainly far stronger than he was, he was clearly unused to actual combat. If he could get his former(and technically present) prisoner through the door to the Laquer Halls, and out of the Brick Halls where if he got loose it would be nearly impossible to find him again, he'd still be able to complete his mission, bringing the nights tak-
Oh,scheisse!
His mind whirled as he realized he'd forgotten the nights takings back at the Half-Way House! What was he to do? bring this lumpen brute to the throne of the Contrarian and say "Oh master from the other world, whose strength overmastered the Steel Tower and brought eternal dominion over this twilit empire, I have here a man who attacked me. He looks like a playing card, isn't that a knee-slapper?"
Clearly, the stranger realized, there was only one possible way to go. He'd go along with this lunkhead back to the Half-Way House, stab him in the back, get the haul from the living room and bring the whole kit and kaboodle to the overseer.
In the meanwhile, it was getting hard to breath.
"Please, mister, just let me stand, I'll tell you anything you want to kn-" Marceau's eyes took on an uncannily burning cast, and the stranger hurriedly decided against pushing his luck. "Alright, alright. So, what is it you want me to tell you about?"
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Thank you for the consolation prize, I look forward to the thread.
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I'd like to submit the King of Suits for a possible participant.
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Marceau looked nervously at the door, knowing that what lay beyond was likely to be in a realm of power far greater than his own. He glanced over his shoulder at the passageway behind him, realizing abruptly that the answer to his problem lay right next to him. He turned to give a long stare at the stranger, turning his situation over in his head. On the one hand, he was in unfamiliar territory with his only known means of escape turned into a small mural on the ceiling. On the other hand, he had someone right next to him who seemed to know this place quite well, and to have some degree of power over it.
And how better to learn of how this place than by interrogating this man who knew so much about it?
With a bound, Marceau leaped upon the stranger, calling upon his stellar power source as he went, his strength rapidly amassing until the stranger was unable to move an arm.
The grinning mask bent over the stranger's face, as Marceau's voice swelled and boomed from the confines of his lungs into the still air:
"Tell me the truth, and I will be merciful".
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Combat Round One:
Initiative.
KoS:(19,2) = (21)
Stranger:(1) = (1)
So, Marceau will Activate his Array and do a basic Grapple Attempt.
First the Attack,
Stranger's Defence,
Marceau Grapple Check,
Stranger Opposition Check.
Round One end. Stranger is Bound.
Marceau's Intimidate Check:
Stranger's Will Save.
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The stranger sniffed, not even bothering to look back. "You'll find out when I choose to. Not a minute before."
They passed on for what seemed hours, with tapestry after tapestry tastefully and symbolically displaying the great battles, events and gatherings that Freedom City had endured or payed host to over the centuries.
After the eightieth or so, Marceau began to wish their was something else to look at. The light in the distance never seemed to grow any brighter, his footsteps were wearying in the close and oppressive atmosphere, and the weighty purse was tearing a hole in its pocket.
When he was wondering if he should just 'cuff the stranger and finish take his chances, the stranger stopped, holding up his left hand sharply. He snapped his pinky and ring finger resoundingly, a sharp blast of air escaping from an unseen source, and a narrow black stone door opened in the air before them. Turning to the King of Suits, he said simply "We've arrived, go in." and waited for Marceau to follow his command.
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Marceau had almost begun to spring forward, but checked himself sharply when his opponent started talking. Clearly from what the stranger had said, Marceau had one slight advantage: he had been pegged as not being a threat worthy of fighting. Silently thanking his lousy aim for this unexpected opportunity, Marceau bowed his head quietly and followed in his best sullen silence, his mask with its ferocious grin concealing a slightly smaller smile of amusement and slight anxiety.
Thinking it best to play to his enemy's ignorance, Marceau began to attempt a subtle questioning of who and what this mans superiors were.
"So, who might these 'Superiors' of yours be, eh?" His voice rumbled like a roll of thunder through the otherwise silent halls, carrying with it nearly every single unspoken question he was trying to figure out at once.
"Genius, Marcy my lad, sheer genius!".
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KoS's Dip. attempt:
WHY DO YOU DESPISE ME SO, DICE?
Strangers Sen Mot. Check:
SERIOUSLY, WHY??
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Tense from his narrow escape from death(or at least disfigurement), Marceau's next card was easily batted aside and veered left, striking a wall three rooms away. With a sad, weary smile, the stranger raised his left hand(the other being busy keeping a magic sword corporeal) and snapped his ring finger and thumb together. With a sudden feeling like deflation, Marceau saw the endless hallway rise up around him once more.
The change from the starkly and unevenly lit real world to dusty gloom of half-light and murky tapestries proved much more subtle than Souvo had expected. First the walls seemed to slowly slide towards him, gaining height as they went, before dissolving into a dusty haze the dark stairway had kept him from noticing.The haze wasted no time, however, and quickly began reforming the deep rug and brick walls Marceau had seen only seconds earlier.
The stranger calmly brushed his coat(he wore, Marceau noticed, a thick wool shirt under a patched and wrinkled trench coat, faded and dirty blue jeans, and light gray dress shoes) to get rid of the dust that had gotten over most of it during his brief scuffle with the KoS. Turning to his foe he said quite briskly, with a light Belgian accent;
"Mr. Mask, I have no idea who you are or why you've taken it upon yourself to be such a nuisance to me, but I can tell a new, untrained, untested or out-of-practice fighter when I see one, and you fit nearly all of those to my reckoning. Take my advice and follow me peacefully to my department's meeting hall and I'll make sure you only have to leave a few pieces of gear behind as a peace offering. To answer the obvious question, I'll just say that my superiors are carrying out a divination project and ask you to leave sleeping wyrms lie." Turning towards a far-off green-tinged light, the stranger started walking off, pausing only to mutter a spell that turned the blue orb above their heads into a small mural showing a blue gem carrying a fountain from atop a mountain to a desert village. It was a very descriptive mural. This had the side effect of casting the place into a deeper darkness, only alleviated by the lights at both ends of the hallway.
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Marceau's Ranged Pin attempt,
Stranger's Defence,
Stranger activates the blue orb in the living room(the place with the shunted aside furniture).
GM fiat: both teleported back to the Hallway World(no HP awarded because frankly that'd be pointless).
end of Round 2.
Habitat for Metahumanity
in Archives
Posted
I'm volunteering King o' Suits for this, though you probably have enough lifters already.