Airon

“Put on your most respectable face, my friend†said Saeid to the professor “and keep Ahmed close and quiet – I know it would be hard, but it’s just for a few minutes.†Saeid put on his best salesman smile and produced the tickets from his pocket as he greeted with a firm handshake the officer overseeing the boarding process “As-salÄmu ‘alaykum, officer.†he bowed briefly and kept his voice as soothing as possible. “Here’s the tickets for our little party.†He pointed at the professor and Ahmed “Yes, yes, I know, it’s him, I know you want to talk to Mr. Hegazy, but please…†he laid a hand on the man’s arm, leaning in as if confiding a secret “as you may know, the most egregious philosopher just came back from his retire in the desert, where he lived and fasted for weeks. The experience – needless to say – opened up his mind to a whole new paradigm of thinking – something that could very well propel into the international scene the Cairo University Department of Philosophy – alma mater of Mohamed Nasef - Yes! Mr. Nasef who, I’m sure you know, could very well win the next elections in July.†The words danced out of Saeid’ tongue, mesmerizing the baffled officer. “We, as his colleagues, are very excited! Now, my good friend, I know it will be hard, but we would most certainly be grateful if you could help us keep his presence on board as much of a secret as possible.†his fingers slipped from the forearm to the hand of his interlocutor, and left there a fifty dollar bill “he’s going to be in his cabin, trying to entrap in paper the deepest thoughts, before they vanish. You want his next book to be a success, right?†Saeid’s smile was that of an old friend. “If the trip goes undisturbed, there could be more for you… and a coupon for the book, of course! And who knows - a good word with the University maybe, if you have kids...†he ended his pitch with a wink.

The carpet pushed itself gently under the man’s head, but Jeni had to remove several layers of clothing before actually being able to check the wounds. The most evident injury was a large burn on his neck and jaw, up to the bonecheek – beard and skin had been almost melted away, and just by miracle the eye had been spared. He had three –no, four- broken ribs and a small caliber bullet lodged in his thigh – again, missing the femoral artery by a few millimeters. Finally, his right forearm had been broken, and there was no mistaking this injury: the combination of cutting power by a sharp edge and the tissue damage provoked by a high-energy pulse. That arm had been struck by a Terminus Pike. While the young woman completed her diagnosis, Silvia kept locking on the racing heartbeat. It was getting closer – he would probably turn the corner and see them in a few seconds.

Rule-wise, consider Weaver as being Injured 4, Staggered, Disabled and Exhausted.

Both Silvia stood hovering, trying to count the heartbeats (so far she counted at least eight normal humans, the racing one, plus several rats). She got momentarily distracted by a large bird rummaging in another dumpster some yards down the alley. The carpet came back from behind the dumpster, flew around Silvia and pushed her gently towards its former hiding spot. She heard a broken male voice “Please… is sombah *coff* somebody there?†the effort of speaking unleashed a series of loud coughs he tried to suffocate. However before she could do anything, her hearing picked up an anomaly – a heartbeat changing pace, shifting from the quick and faint beat typical of a bird or small rodent, to a bizarre pounding she never quite heard before. Silvia raised her eyes and from the dumpster hosting the noisy bird, a human woman with an inhuman heartbeat came out of the trash. Jeni certainly had an interesting point of view: leaning on the dumpster’s edge she could see, several yards down the alley, both the flying rug and the bizarre woman of before, hovering a few feet above the street and circling each other. She could also see, semi-hidden in the darkness, what looked like a mound of bloody clothes – albeit the wounded hand emerging from it seemed to indicate that she had found the clumsy crime-fighter of a few moments ago.

Saiph is going to try and Intimidate Heqanefer 1d20+1 → [15,1] = (16) not bad.

Seeing both the sorcerer and the mummy falling down, Saiph flew down, landing as imposingly as he could besides Heqanefer, his hands still full of starpower. He put a fist crackling with cosmic energy under the warlock’s nose, and stared at him right in the eyes. “Ok, listen to me now, you wannabe troubler of the public cheesy movie’s night, and of old King's sleep as well.†he talked with a firm and confident voice “You are now going to put back to bed that poor mummy. You are going to give us that trinket – I’m sure Eldritch would keep it safe. And then you are going to march quietly into the Aegis’ custody, and pray to Set or whoever your god is that they don’t send you to Blackstone for too long.†He slightly increased the amount of energy channeled in his fist, and little sparkles started dripping and extinguishing themselves before touching the floor. “Oh, and you are going to do it fast, because I’d like to see the last movie – it’s sci-fi, it’s kind of my thing.â€

Sense motive vs intimidate for Saiph 1d20+8 → [18,8] = (26) aaaaand Invisble Castle's blessing on this character continues!

so, since Hed-ra is dazed, it's my turn after Net Fly? Or is the fight done?

Sorry, didn't realize it was my turn. The shark monster is helpless, and I have a +4. This calls for a Power Attack (just +2, since I don't have the feat). Attack roll +6, -2 power attack, +4 Inspire 1d20+8 → [11,8] = (19) that should hit any Helpless target. TOU DC 25 (15 + 8 + 2) for the shark Also, with the move action I'm now hovering around its head, a dozen feet away from the jaws.

Saiph was more than ready to act as support for the far more experienced – and apparently, well renown – Morgan, who had jumped to action as a professional as soon as the beast moved. The junior didn’t bother with personal issues of identity and dove right in, something that Saiph respected greatly. But when he finally found himself ready to act, Morgan had already escaped the beast’s jaw and entrapped it masterfully – and Subito, as was his costume, didn’t waste any moment in rallying up his teammates – something in that guy’s voice always gave you a ton of energy and extra confidence. “Great job, guys! This thing is going down!†Trying to make the best of the advantage his schoolmates handed to him, Saiph gathered cosmic energy in both his fists, flied eye to eye with the shark and discharged all the power he could gather on it, trying to destroy the neckbone linking its body to the head.

Stormbreaker The rug flew down, silent, fast but not too fast, its blue silhouette somewhat visible against the grey of the warehouses’ roofs. Silvia wasn’t able to pierce through the darkness and the mist with her eyes, but the wind brought her the whispers of the night, whispers she was well versed in translating into information. There were several heartbeats down by the street, one in particular was racing like hell. Also, she could at moments hear a weird fizz, a menacing, hissing sound she wasn’t able to identify. The flying rug disappeared behind a dumpster. The wild and racing heartbeat came from behind the dumpster, as well as loud coughs and a chocked voice clearly in pain. Scholar The men patrolling outside the warehouse weren’t carrying a Terminus weapon: their bulky wind jackets covered an armored vest and the holster for a small weapon, probably a handgun or a machine pistol. Every once in a while, though, a tall, gaunt man with blond hair stepped out to check on his men; he carried around with criminal nonchalance a 6-feet metal staff with a foot-long sharp edge crackling with red energy – a weapon sadly well known to Jeni. The shapeshifter got distracted from the criminals by a most unusual sight: coming from the sky, roughly from the direction of the flying galleon, an initially blurry shape got more recognizable as soon as it got closer. The seagull’s eyesight had nothing on a Kalochian’s Xenochiropter, but it was still pretty keen. It was a human woman, dressed in something Jeni had only seen in an old book Lor-Kal once lent her. She was flying – odd for a normal human, less so in Freedom City – and she was after what looked like a flag, or a rug, carried by the wind – odd for almost anybody, anywhere. They both disappeared behind the corner, a few dozen yards away from Jeni’s position.

oh. Ok. I was trying to understand how long could I keep Ahmed in the cabin if everybody was complaining about his smell.

ok, one thing I need to know is how long should the boat trip take.

Leviathan The being passing as Ewoma raised her eyes into Veijlial’s ones “You don’t understand… we… I did terrible, terrible things. Like this poor girl…†she turned to the mirror, and for a brief second reassumed the semblance of Ewoma “She was so enthusiast, she loved it under the sea. She didn’t deserve it, but it was inevitable…†she turned back to her natural state, but the tears remained on her cheeks. "And she still lives in here, you understand this?" she pointed at her own forehead "After the Reading, I keep hearing her. It was the only way I could be her. Do you understand?" “Please, just… just come with us. Do what they tell you – if you care for these people†she waved her hand around, to indicate the house “it’s the best thing for them. Don’t let them stir more chaos, don't let them murder anybody else, just do what they ask you… they killed your loved ones, but mine? They’re still captives…†Revenant & Steam In the uncomfortable mood typical of someone who has much bigger issues on their head, Michelle and Iobatus followed their host along with Revenant. The marvels Lord Steam was showing them failed to grab their attention – something that very seldom happened. Not so for Revenant, who was completely absorbed by the visit. As she spoke, Michelle took a deep breath, anticipating a long answer. “The problem, Ms Revenant, is one as old as myth itself.†Replied the ambassador gazing into the distance “Your partner in crime-fighting belongs to an artificial race, unflatteringly called the Deep Ones†at the mention of the name, Iobatus spat in disdain in the water surrounding the docks. Michelle gave him a cold stare and continued “Deep One is the name given to an Atlantean corrupted by the Serpent People, ancestral enemies of the kingdom under the sea. Such beings are usually pawns in the hands of the Serpent People, which use them for the most twisted purposes.†“They are a bunch of untrustworthy monster, that’s what they are.†“Shut up Iobi, just shut up! Yes, most of them are corrupt. And yet, maybe they are forced towards evil by the prejudice of your family, a prejudice I shared since a few hours ago. And even then, there are worthy individuals, as we discovered ourselves this afternoon. And if my stubborn boyfriend here were to open his eyes a bit, maybe he could do something to improve their condition in the eyes of his peers!â€

Saeid rubbed his temples – this expedition wasn’t starting in the best of ways, and his head still ached from the traumatizing exposure to the scroll. “Very well. I don’t like doing this here more than I would like it back home, but I’m guessing we’ll need to… lubricate the ship’s crew and captain to take Ahmed onboard – we are almost directionless without him, and though he may seem resourceful, I’d rather keep an eye on him…†He took out his wallet “I am not without funds either; in case the captain gets greedy… or worse yet, if he takes us for fools.†He glanced at the docked ship, hoping the travel wouldn’t take too long. "Don't esitate to call me if the latter happens, I'll be happy to help with my finances, in addiction to my skills." “Oh, and don’t worry about having problems deciphering the scroll, my friend: from my experience in this sort of arcane things, the truth is never evident, not even when you have the whole text spelled out for you.†His grin turned into a stern scowl “Only one thing is sure: for people with millennia of experience, they should know better than to threaten a wizard’s child.â€

you can go ahead and post after azuth - that 15 is in fact a miss 26) Synth - unharmed, slowed, 2 HP 24) Glowstar - unharmed, 6 HP 15) Zodiacus - bruised 13) Wisp - unharmed, 3 HP Glowstar's turn

ok, it is still your turn: since you're slowed, you can take only 1 action, either Move or Standard

Stormbreaker Monday, March 5th 11:30 PM Above the South River It was an imposing view, the shining golden galleon floating hundreds of feet above the South River. Captain Silvia was a new face on the roster of Freedom’s City most bizarre residents, but it didn’t take long to make herself known – a couple of swoops of the Ages Lost above the city and pretty much everybody who didn’t live buried under a rock had at least caught a glimpse of her – either on the TV news or in the sky, soaring in her galleon. Silvia was on the poop deck, leaning on the railing, breathing in the cold and moist air of the winter’s night. Her galleon was high enough that the few stars which managed to shine through the partially clouded sky where actually visible, even with the heavy light pollution of the metropolis below her. Her memories were – much like the sky – clouded: her life as a human was so different from her previous one. She was absorbed in these thoughts when a whooshing sound distracted her. She knew her ship like the back of her own hand: she knew that wasn’t the sound of the sails flapping. Her amazingly keen ears pinpointed exactly the noise: she turned her head… and saw a carpet. It was a beautiful flying carpet, of the style known on Earth as Persian: its colors, navy blue and burgundy, stood out as it hovered in front of a solar sail. It flew down, a few inches from Silvia. Its corner wrapped around her wrist and it pulled gently. Then it detached itself, and Silvia could have sworn that the same corner was now pointing down, towards the neighbor called Greenbank. Scholar Monday, March 5th 11:30 PM Greenbank warehouse compound Jeni was mightily irritated: she had spent a whole night carefully following these arms dealers to an old warehouse in Greenbank. And now that she was ready to bust them, not only that giant golden galleon appeared in the sky, reflecting the lights of half the skyscrapers in the city, but this vigilante – an amateur, from the look of it – ruined her surprise by attacking without a plan and getting soundly beaten. It seemed as if he managed to escape, but the dealers were still on the lookout for other heroes – Jeni knew it was better to wait for them to drop their guard again.

OOC for this topic Stormbreaker's debut! Guest stars: Scholar and Weaver.

Sense motive 1d20+16 → [6,16] = (22) damn... he's hit, and he loses Defensive Roll... TOU, DC 27 1d20+10 → [15,10] = (25) 1 bruise and since he's been hit, the shaken effect wears off 26) Synth - unharmed, 2 HP 24) Glowstar - unharmed, 6 HP 15) Zodiacus - bruised 13) Wisp - unharmed, 3 HP after Azuth IC post it is Synth turn again, provided she's not paralyzed or something

“Nuisances! That’s what you all are! Nothing more than flies waiting to splat against the Train of Fate!†The man called Zodiacus stepped outside the broken energy construct that had held him a few seconds before “You!†he pointed at Wisp “You are impulsive and brash, like the dumb animal whose symbol you were born under! No finesse, no reason – just instinct! I’ll gladly break your horns, you foolish Aries.†“And you, my dear Aquarius!†his tone shifted from reprimanding to condescending while looking at Glowstar “idealist and free-spirited - you shine in the sky, trying to help your mates, yet you struggle to grasp the basic down-to-earth notions – such as to bow before the instrument of Fate!†“But you†he turned towards Synth, hid head tilted to the side like a confused beagle “you… I can’t see your place in the starry Houses!†anger and confusion seemed to grow in his eyes, gradually replacing the fanatic zeal. “It is impossible! Who are you? What are you?†Mad with frustration in front of the synthetic being, Zodiacus closed his fist, and immediately the eerie aura around him changed from the Ram’s horned head to a huge Scorpion’s tail – which slashed impossibly fast towards Synth.

Zodiacus will use a Full-Round action to use the Scorpion's tail on Synth attack roll 1d20+10 → [13,10] = (23) that should hit. Fortitude, DC 24 (it is a Paralyze effect). 26) Synth - unharmed, shaken, 2 HP 24) Glowstar - unharmed, shaken, 6 HP 15) Zodiacus - unharmed 13) Wisp - unharmed, 3 HP Wisp's turn

that hits alright, Zodiacus has a defense of +12 TOU DC 28 (27+1) 1d20+14 → [20,14] = (34) man, I'm on a roll with IC this month...

Leviathan Ewoma checked left and right down the hallway to make sure none of the staff members were around and that Leviathan was still following. Then opened the door of the bathroom, slipped in and left the door a few inches open. Leviathan stepped in, closed the door behind himself and looked upon one of the weirdest shows to ever present itself before his eyes. The bathroom was huge, immense, covered in elegant porcelain tiles. A huge bathtub sat in the middle of the room, with a labyrinth of brass pipes starting from the taps and disappearing into the walls. Sitting in a corner, sobbing, there was Ewoma, but as Veijlial walked in, her skin began to… melt, or at least that’s what it looked like. Her black skin dissolved into dark green scales, her pronounced cheekbones flattened, her full lips and flat nose almost disappeared. She raised her face, her yellow eyes dripping with tears “Forgive me… forgive me brother…†her chocked sobs made it hard to understand, but her voice was more sibilant now "I can't hide anymore... I don't want to..."

“It would look suspicious, traveling in his company, but I agree… I’d rather not split up – especially since he’s our only possible guide. When he joins us later for the last details, I’ll try to convince him to accept some decent clothes and take the ship with us – though I foresee some problems in making him wear anything but those rags. If I’m unsuccessful in persuading him, we’ll be forced to give in –most likely he won’t be accepted on the ship as he is, and I can’t risk upsetting him by forcing him to do something he doesn’t wish to.†“So, since you arranged everything… how long should it take to descend down the Nile? I have a small diversion in mind, and I’m likely going to need time and privacy to set it up – and it will task my endurance, so I’ll need some time to rest, too .†“And what about the scroll? Did you manage to catch a glimpse, some bit that might prove helpful maybe, while digitalizing it? â€