Ari
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Freedom City Guidebook
Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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"A tideland?" Leroy's jaw dropped. "You...lady Storm, I would count that an honour beyond all reckoning. Of course, if you are so kind to offer, we shall use that for our base of operations." "Beaumont," he added, inclining his head to the telepath, "usually I would agree. This time, I beg your permission for a breach of convention. Mustafic-Markov, you need trust, responsibility. You will flourish in this role, rather than as an outsider receiving instruction. Your path, I believe, is towards that of a central, unifying woman. Night needs our support as well, but as our equal and friend, not as someone who stands above us. In time, I hope, you will learn to see the strengths in each other, but as rivals for unofficial leadership you would only tear each other down, and us with you." He shook his head, his hair bouncing and swirling in graceful golden-black arcs. "I am a weak and foolish boy, and know little of the world. But that is the way it seems to me." Glancing at the clock he added "Should we adjourn? I expect we are all busy to-day. Beaumont, would you join me afterwards? I have a favour to ask."
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"I entirely agree, Hero," Leroy smiled, "we should have little trouble devising a multi-environment course. I only know some of the basics of butcher boxing, but hopefully it will make me better than a punching bag! Àjàsoró! If you would remain, we would greatly benefit from your expertise!" "Good Ben, all of us are meant to find our authentic selves here. Following your ase in pursuit of emotional and mental strength speaks well of you. However, I agree that an unaltered human should remain outside the water. Even if here the Seethe is toothless." He clapped his hands, eyes shining over a perfect smile "However! That should not bar us from a little warm-up. Good Ben, would you lead us for a time? Unless Àjàsoró would, of course." Leroy's golden tunic flew through the air, draping over the ribbed fan running down Dio's leathery back. Under it the Dragon Prince wore a loose grey t-shirt and athletic shorts. Kicking off his sandals, he stretched experimentally. Pausing while his head was upside down, he asked politely "By the way, Hero, I saw you talking with that woman in the garden. Is she a student?"
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Nodding to Micah in silent understanding, the other boy settled back into his own seat, returning Judy's blown kiss with a warm smile. Turning back to the screen at the mention of pirates, the golden-eyed boy whistled low as the battle progressed. For a while he didn't say anything at all, watching closely. When the Roman vessels collapsed into wrecks, he smiled. When Judah freed his fellow prisoners from a watery grave, he smiled wider. When he stopped the Roman admiral from killing himself, his smile vanished. Leaning back into the couch, the otherworlder rubbed his chin, frowning at the screen. "Father," he asked the priest, "is there a synagogue in this city? I have many questions. There is a botanica to the ancestors, I know that at least."
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"Hold it right there!" Leroy's silken voice cut through the hubbub like one of his glass knives. Rising imperiously from his seat he marched across the classrom, stopping beside Eira to firmly link his arm with hers. Looking down at Mrs. Hancock with the same faint start of confusion that she always saw in his eyes when he looked at anyone shorter than him, he declared "If you must detain Night, then you must detain me as well...her co-conspirator!" "I pushed Night to this, Instructor! She will lie to protect me, yet as a member of Orange Squad I must shoulder her burdens!" Standing tall and strong, the Dragon Prince inclined his head "If you must, Instructor, take us away!"
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"Wonderful! Rousing!" Leroy applauded openly, smiling so wide his own teeth shone and his scars nearly disappeared, "Our Headmistress must gnash her own chains in silence, but no reason not to give us a nudge about breaking our own, eh Eira?" At Benicio's remarks, the boy frowned a moment, then quickly scribbled something onto a sheet of paper, folding it into a small paper sphere and tossing it onto his schoolmate's desk. On it were the words 'Her father had the stick. But I had forgotten about it entirely!' That vital mission complete, Leroy settled back into politely waiting for business to resume. Judy had been talking recently about the benefits of being a mostly quiet, supportive presence, and this was an ideal chance to train for that.
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Failing this one too.
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"Friends, I can acquire us a vessel at any time. We could disassemble and reassemble it, improving it as you go, with no need for design and construction from scratch." Leroy heaved a drooping Dio higher up, the smile on his full lips a little strained. "Good Davyd, we must not speak so lightly of those tragedies!" he added with a serious look at his squadmate. " Judy has told me of such things, and the plight of the robot servitor is dreadful! These beings are kept from sapience to serve brutal, uncaring masters, their authentic selves shackled to the role of mindless mechanisms! We should pity them, and rescue them if we can." He turned to their host "Though I also am curious of our peers, the only aliens I have met before you, Seresk, were the Li of the neighbouring star. A pity how that turned out." He winced at the memory.
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"O hound of Kali's pack/so flew, so sandaled..." Leroy murmured sadly, his golden eyes reflecting the scatter of dimmer golden light that banished the object of so much affection. The grief was gone in an instant, the slender boy bowing his head to Mrs. Hancock and stepping over to Benicio's side, giving the other boy a comforting squeeze around the shoulders. When he had his attention, he smiled widely. "Take heart, good Ben! Such beasts are rare. Àjàṣorò, you and I will find them after class, or I am a Serpent!" Patting him heartily on the back, the prince of another world hurried to join up with Eira, tossing a "Your pardon for the crystals, Mrs. H! I will cleanse the halls of them right afterward!" over his shoulder as he walked rapidly across the roo. Tapping her on the shoulder as he slid gracefully onto a neighboring desk, Leroy said delightedly "Night! Did you see? Such a creature!" He shook his head, beaming, "It is so easy to forget that such specialized breeds suffer most of their lives! The golden wolves of my eldest sister are VAST, yet none could call them huggable!" Dropping onto the actual chair with a sigh, the boy retrieved his school supplies from somewhere within his flowing robe, setting the bulls and unicorns to prancing as he set up.
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"Such subservience," Leroy grumbled, adjusting Dio's now-drooling head to keep a black liquid from dripping off the dragon's pointed tongue onto his feet. "But there is a wisdom in your words, Iron Eira." Turning to the reptilian Praetorian, he bowed gravely, "Good Seresk, I ask your pardon if was hurtful. I assumed...that is not important. You protect the innocent across known space, I do not." Following on with the rest of the school group, looking curiously about the antique interior of the ship, Leroy listened with visible care to their host's exposition. The description of a multi-species union had sparked a glint in his eyes, and the image Seresk painted had the boy smiling into the middle distance. "Is it not wonderful, my friend Davyd?" he said to the other boy, "Such variety and splendor of life, hailing from the furthest mists of time! Centuries ago, entertaining the notion of other forms of intelligent existence would have you condemned as mad. Today, warriors from distant stars are hosting us!" "Good Seresk," he added, "worlds could join the Delaztri at will. But could they depart as easily?
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"I think so, Prophet. Judging by Hemawit Traveller's, uh, glow art." B'Ka scratched his fuzzy muzzle, looking closely at the map, his huge dark eyes reflecting the harsh light "If we're in packs we can keep track of the Khan'rats, if we're in a herd they might get tricky. Back at Hapis, when they'd send us calves out to scare the fielders away we had to spread out, make it seem like no matter where they went the rats'd find us stompin' and hollerin'. This is the same kinda thing. Except these guys are as big as you are an' they have guns an' defensive tech an' higher cognitive functions." His scratching redoubled, brow furrowing. Wait is anything about this situation actually connected to that one? "'Sides," he added quickly, "I ain't scared of 'em. We take out their biggest ways outta there, like the mountain's comin' down on 'em, they'll all run out the smaller ways to save their skins 'stead of formin' up. In the open they'll be easy pickings."
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One of the loudest was the sound of Leroy's booming voice as he shouted above the din at the oblivious Max O'Brian. "NO MAX GET OUT OF oh she cannot hear O'BRIAN FORGIVE ME!" With a snap of the wrist, the Dragon Prince of Earth-2 swept a coruscating shell of black diamond up from the floor, waves of shimmering extradimensional crystal flowing up and around the oblivious Maxine. After summoning so much, however, Leroy's hands shook, his breath was short from racing after Pan and the hound and his knack for mathematics was still more in the realm of theory than direct, real-world application. So it was probably inevitable that this, combined with the skills of his attempted captive of mercy, would lead to somewhere between the nations called Disaster and Havoc; they often played host to Leroy's less absurd schemes, let alone trying to catch a nervy teleporting acrobat with a shell of crystal from another plane of reality.
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Okay! Will do so. Create Object roll aimed at Max: 7 DC18 Reflex if that hits somehow.
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Would it be alright if Leroy tries catch Max inside of a Created Object, and her escape has her collide with Pan?
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"ArGHl'kkrghK!" Mag-Might shouted back, glassy arms refusing to budge even a fraction of a milimetre. The hanging on took some doing, however, the slick surfaces of her inhuman physiology having a hard time getting any kind of hold on a spongy, greasy Overworlder. To the human she'd attacked Mag-Might was like an immovable boulder, but to the Magmin it was like she was trying to contain a large, slightly lumpy pile of mud. The sheer distaste of the creature was hard to overstate, and Magh'kee was grateful she usually only touched them through gloves. But now was not the time for squeamishness. Even if she wouldn't have understood the word itself, the concept was familiar, and it had no place in battle. With a tremendous roar, the Sub-Terran scorcher attempted to crush the enhanced human's air supply, silicate arms and legs working to force the lung flat and block its primary passages. The Magmin had an at best loose grasp of how humans worked, but she knew that they needed constant access to the thin, cold air of the Overworld to not collapse like a rockslide. Had this changed with the increase in size? Hopefully not. She wasn't sure what to even do besides just start punching if this failed.
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Sorry Rocket I only just saw this. Opposing Grapple check: 40, that's a natural 20 on the opposing check. Still tenacitizing! Maintain Grapple as Free Action, Full-Action to enact a Coup-de-Grace on the Helpless Muscular Man.
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Sun Dragon will fail the save a'purpose.
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"I will get you Pan! And your little dog too!" Racing in hot pursuit of the flying, barking twosome tearing through the halls, Leroy, the Sun Dragon, heir of a dimension of warriors, ran pell-mell at a speed hard to imagine for someone in lace-up high-heeled sandals, a heavy black robe trailing behind him like a soaring war-time banner emblazoned with red roaring bulls and charging white unicorns. His legs were a blur, his hair streaming behind him like the trail of a gilted comet, his hands gesticulating wildly. In answer to his flailing, curvéd crystal walls burst from the walls and floor, seeking to catch and curb the careening canine. But every one fell short, or somehow failed to make contact. But this did nothing to deter Leroy, who kept on his quarry like a man possessed!
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A floor panel popped up, followed by a tall young man whose cheerful scarred face and sleeveless golden tunic were streaked with dirt and grease. "Aha!" he said, looking about the Doom Room in wonderment, eyes brighter gold than his clothes, "So this is where Deimeter sent me! Oh, hello my friends!" Seeing the others, Leroy Ransome-Conte hoisted himself out of the floor, setting the panel back in place with great care. Coming up to the other students the Dragon Prince of Earth-2 bowed first to Àjàṣorò, then to the others, his hair all tangled and filthy from his earlier confinement. "Was there a skirmish in the offing? I can scarcely be called a fighter, but if a side needs balancing I am your man!" Behind him, the green dragn who was his nominally constant companion tumbled out of an angry, thornbush-like portal, skidding across the floor into a jumbled heap next to the human children. "Ouch," said Dio, "prince, can't we just apologize? It was her book, wasn't it?" "Not yet." Leroy pursed his full lips. "This shall be her spur and guide to a greater consciousness. We all have our paths to power, my dragon. The fury of Laura Dral sharpens her, as a blade upon the grinding wheel. Our paths we must find as well." He turned on his heel, all smiles again, "Will we be practicing our underwater dueling, good Hero?" Leroy asked the Atlantean.
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"Good Seresk, I have many questions!" Leroy waved one hand he'd managed to free from under Dio's gratefully-slumped bulk, the dragon having elected to sleep through the rest of the trip. As he asked each question, Leroy curled a finger back against his palm. "First: were the Delaztri good or evil? I understand that your concepts of such things may be vastly different from ours, but did they treat those under them with cruelty or kindness in your eyes?" "Second: are the Delaztri a particular species, an ideology, or something in-between? Are you a Delaztri, for example?" "Third: where did the Praetorians come from? Were you created, or were you born? Were some one way and some another? Were there struggles between them, titanic conflicts that scorched the stars of centuries gone?" "Fourth: who is your leader? Will we meet her on CoVic Station? Is she very powerful? What is CoVic Station?" "Fifth: are you the dragon of the Praetorian leader?"
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GM "Well...now you can!" Mars swept a hand towards one of the curtains, Robin's quick eyes catching the flicker of his fingers controlling a BeliqOS remote input device somewhere onstage. It was a pivotal, much-touted feature in the upcoming Max Reality AR program, supposedly something that would let people explore and access the Emeralds without having to leave their homes. The closed beta was already leaking rumors of unparalleled disability access and making good on the promises of the digital age from decades ago, of a new way to interact with others and a better, more open future. Unkind people, the regular stable of doubters and Luddites who had been prophesying doom and destruction and failure at every initiative taken by MarsTech in the last 27 years, had already been asking pointed questions about why Max felt the need to change the program's name from "Gemverse" to his. And as an uncannily-similar suit to Robin's appeared from behind the curtain, those questions bubbled back up. It was her suit, standing on a Roman pedestal with MarsTech's subsidiaries logos splashed all over it. If not the one she had made, a close copy. "Rob, one and gokwai, starting tonight, anyone can become a hero!" At another flourish of his fingers, Mars revealed other suits risng from beneath the stage, each wildly different but borrowing from the Justice suit. "We've all dreamed of having powers, to fly like Captain Thunder, be one with the shadows like the Raven, to be stronger, faster, more super than we already are, and now with the Ultio Suit MarsTech is pleased to announce that dream is real!" Over the now-roaring, cheering, applauding crowd, Mars' voiced boomed happily, the translator program now audibly sieving his words into dozens of languages echoing across the city "With the Ultio Suit you can become the hero! Customize your suit your way, with points earned from acting like a true hero! Face off against the bad guys, save others from disaster, or just enjoy being super! An uplink with the MarsTech TroubAlert account will keep you up to date on any perils, wrongdoers or even supervillains in the Emerald Cities!" A faint chorus of 'boos' were heard from the crowd, and Mars nodded unhappily "Yeah, you're right to be disappointed, folks! I've already prepared everything for worldwide release, but even with all the facts and expertise on our side my buddy, our good ol' Governor George, can't get this past AEGIS. Cops, am I right? No offense to our sea-greens, but seems like AEGIS' only job anymore is keeping all the power and innovation locked away from us, the people! But I've been having some very productive talks with the local branch director, and I have a feeling that might change soon!" "Hey Robin!" he grinned up at the teenager "Wanna test your suit out?" He shouted to the crowd "That what you'd like to see, right folks? a little suiting up montage?" The crowd screamed its approval.
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"Good Micah, never apologize for who you are or what you have to say." The otherworldly boy looked downright grave. "If they do harm, words alone will not make amends. If not, you blunt yourself for nothing." "Thank you for your forbearance, Father Guimont," he added with a brilliant smile at the adult still in the room, "it does more good than we know." Turning back to his schoolmate, the young prince went on in earnest "Micah, those two faces, the good and the evil, are balance in my eyes. Nanyehi sought to forestall the destruction of her people by adopting the sedentary culture and surface traits of industrial European colonies. Perhaps because of it you are alive today, to see the heirs of genocidal invasion claim an eternal mantle of liberty and tolerance." Leroy shrugged, "Your ancestors still have less evil in their past than Atlantis. That is all I meant by it." "But, if you will indulge me, I would like to know." Looking curiously at the other boy, his voice dropping to soft thunder, the Dragon Prince of Earth-2 asked the boy from Bartlesville "If not the great Mia, is there someone you do have feelings for?"
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"You...are right." Leroy could not have looked more stunned if Micah had dropped an anvil on his head, "All I have offered is banality and the most pedestrian of romance. When at the very least her dreams should be made manifest and her enemies defanged. You have opened my eyes, Micah," he told the other boy, utter sincerity shining in the aforementioned, "I shall not soon forget this." "Though I must admit some surprise, the raw power Mia bears is stirring, to say the least. Her spirit is indomitable and and her heart is true as crystal. And while I know little of this world, I know you are under an existential menace unlike anything Earth-2 faces. We are all young, but even the young may die." He shrugged, "As to your question, I recently finished a few biographies on Nancy Ward, one of the renowned and wise gighau you mentioned. Her slaves and I would have looked very much alike..." The Dragon Prince's voice trailed off, as Ben-Hur was saved from dying of thirst by a faceless stranger.
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B'Ka coughed politely through his nose. "Squire Kath'lana brings up a flowery good point. We're...these are evil people, but we shouldn't really kill 'em if we don't have to. 'Specially if they're Khanate, I mean...if this is some kind of secret plan by the Star Khan, they might know somethin'. Maybe there's more raids like this goin' on and we just dunno about it." Shuffling and shifting in his seat, which creaked alarmingly at every move, the bull-headed Star Squire pointed at Kanemu. "If you an' me an' Bliss just go up to the gate and start makin' a ruckus, Squire 'lana and the rest of the sneaky people can sneak in an'...I dunno, actually, what they would do." Propping his head up on two powerful fists, B'Ka leaned on the tabel and visibly tried to work out a plan for their side. An effort obviously doomed ti failure before it was begun.
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"So stark," Leroy said, watching the ship approach as he scritched at Dio's neck, "so...pure. They are simple enough," he added to Eira, "my sister the Colony has a plethora of such obsolete craft in storage for practice and leisure flights. Producing and assembling such a vessel would be a splendid team-building exercise." "Could I be the guy who sleeps on the floor and never has to get up?" Dio looked pitiously at his charge, "I feel like I'm dying here, prince. Go on without me. And carry me with you." Leroy patted the dragon's massive head "Dio, after the trouble you went to for legs and wings, I shall be pleased to show them off to our offworld friends." Stooping down, the boy picked up his dragon in one great bundle, the serpentine head and neck draping over the human's and the pointed tail dragging on the floor. Nearly invisible under his load, the prince of Earth-2 carefully lifted a few inches off the ground. "It may be a quirk of the translation, my friend Davyd," Leroy suggested, cheery, lightly-accented voice badly muffled by the giant dragon on top of his head, "similar to how the Praetorian Guard and these Praetorians have nothing in common save associations with protection and elitism. An archaic term in their tongue becomes one from a dead language in yours. Greek, however, is not a dead language, merely uncommon, and the effect would not be the same."
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Leroy looked solemnly at the Thunderbird. "Micah, you are cruel. You would have me forsake my sworn word?" He laughed, taking the edge off the words, "I must ask your pardon, you looked so serious! But no, I will keep my pledge." As Judah Ben-Hur was led across the desert in chains, the elegant boy indicated the screen with a flick of his ringéd finger, "Your bloodkin, the Cherokee, are yet more remarkable. Atlantis saw a world of masters and slaves, yet such thinking was practically unknown among your ancestors. The myth of an outsider not being a person was carried here on the ships of Hell." "But that is of little weight here and now. What of Mia?" Leroy smiled at the other boy, "she is wondrous, with few equals. I count it an incredible honour for you to be chosen by her. Someone so gentle and caring as yourself is, of course, of great value. I am sure you will find love together, as Judy and I shall."
