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Curious Key

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  1. Maybe I can drop Warp in there and see what happens?
  2. Player Name: Curious Key Character Name: Raiment Power Level: 10 (150/151) Trade-Offs: N/A Unspent Power Points: 1 In Brief: A scarf-slinging sorceress, imprisoned in the Netherworlds for an eon. Newly free, she tries to understand what it means to be a individual. Alternate Identity: Sanna Identity: Secret Birthplace: Dead, Forgotten World/Netherworld Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy, the Netherworlds Family: Unknown Apparent Age: Late Teens Age: No One Kept Track. Adolescent. Height: 6'3" Weight: 220 lbs Eyes: Yellow Hair: Black/White In her human form, Sanna resembles an impressively tall and broad-shouldered human girl. She appears fair-skinned with dark hair that hangs about her ears. Her face is rounded, with wide, piercing eyes and a resting expression that can be best described as 'calm.' Sanna's outfits can vary widely, though he favorites tend to reoccur. She doesn't really know what to do with the attention that she tends to get in crowds, so she tends to pick wardrobes that come with jackets and coats that make her form seem bulkier while her bottoms vary from shorts to skirts to jeans to leggings depending on her wishes that day. She tends to wear a scarf as well, when she can. Her true form is more much more striking. There are several major deviances from the human form. Instead of two eyes, Sanna has three; two in the usual places and a third in the center of her forehead, two dark horns that spiral up and backward from her top of her head, an extra pair of arms emerge from her back, just below her shoulders and she has a long black tail, with a point in the shape of an arrowhead. Aside from that, symmetrical purple 'birthmarks appear as slashes around her normal eyes and her hair is stark white. This unusual appearance can lead people to consider Sanna unsettling, monstrous or even demonic. As Raiment, she wears a purple cloak to hide and keep from restraining her four arms with a hood that she can pull up over her horns. Below that she wears black and gray, tailored to fit her body and spun in a fashion meant to be sturdy and functional rather than pretty. Her hands end in fingerless gloves that overlap with her sleeves while her feet end in brown combat boots. The biggest break to the theme of purple and black is some sort of deep orange scarf around her neck. In costume Raiment cuts quite a striking figure. Power Descriptions: Some aspects of Sanna's powers spring from her inhuman physique. Her extra limbs and disconnection with this reality serve as reminders of her otherworldly origin as a fiend of the Netherworld and her third eye allows her to see magic, which helps to give her an edge which cannot be denied. However, what most defines her power is her influence as a namer. She can 'speak' in any language, to any creature, object or spirit, allowing her to communicate almost anyone or anything, including humans. In addition to broadening her speech, this adds a certain supernatural weight to her words and actions that makes people of all kinds more pliant and eager to please. However, the most the most obvious expression of her power is how she speaks with and Names most of her possessions. Her Named possessions shapeshift according to Sanna's will, allowing her to turn her coat into wings to carry her, unfold her sleeves into great fists, sharpened blades in her hands and much, much more. History: Once upon a time, there was a world that bravely resisted Una, who rules the Netherworlds. Whose heroes were many and brave. Again and again they cast her forces down and forced her back, creating a bulwark she could not surpass. Until she did surpass it, like she always does. Eventually. Una chained their souls into many-eyed towers that forever witness their ultimate failure and in spite seized every person that they had ever known. And before the towers she ripped these people from their bodies, burning their memories, names and selves until all that remained was a writhing, spiritual core, barely aware enough to feel the pain. And these souls she shaped into feral creatures, imps who would fight and die, living as vermin in the world their heroes' had sought to protect them from. Satisfied, Una moved on to her next prize and forgot these remnants of her vengeance. One such remnant, clinging to the aching echo of memory fought amongst the creatures of the Netherworld to preserve the bitter flame of its life, surviving. The creature that she became was scarcely capable of personhood and had no name. But her shell belied the soul inside her, which burned with a brightness that her body could not quite cage. Though true language was beyond her, she could 'speak' to the world, and the world spoke back. In time, the little fiend learned to befriend her surroundings. With a gentle variant of Naming, she set herself above her peers, building herself allies into the walls of her warren and the tattered scraps of cloth across her body. After some time, during a purge of magical vermin, the fiend proved herself to be a particularly resilient creature. Her nascent magery intrigued one of Una's agents, Dankava the Antiquarian, who obtained her, bound her and enthralled her. Intrigued by the fiend's curious magic and bright soul, Dakava carried her with him across the worlds that Una would collapse into the Netherworld. The fiend had no concept of time, but as universe after universe collapsed, her magic matured. Eventually, she grew powerful and self-aware enough to Name herself. She called herself 'Sanna,' and the shell that had imprisoned her soul blossomed into a vessel which suited her. Dankava was delighted by her evolution but he did not understand how much her Naming had weakened his enchantment over her. She continued to work under his thrall but her self-awareness tugged constantly at his spell, chafing under the weight of a heavy-handed compulsion designed for a far weaker-willed creature. In the name of Una's conquest, Sanna worked at Dankava's side on rituals--always thwarted--meant to undermine Prime and deepen Una's foothold. The last one should have worked; Dankava had done everything as he should have. He made his speech, threw open his arms and welcomed the armies of the Netherworld to storm Prime . . . And nothing happened. Eventually, the heroes found out why. Miles away, by the sea, where the sun had begun to set, Sanna had dropped her pieces of the ritual into the sand, stood by the water, feeling the tide wash over her feet and staring longingly toward the horizon. She was taken into custody, where there was some debate over how exactly she should be punished for her crimes against Prime. Ultimately, a mind control clause spared her heavy incarceration, but all the same, it wouldn't do to let an ancient, adolescent netherworlder out onto the world no strings attached. Ultimately, she was deemed an orphan child, which allowed her to be legally established as an orphan child. Claremont Academy was quick to offer a place for her to stay, and the establishment at Freedom found that in a matter of hours she was already being escorted, confused, out the door and into a car. In Claremont, she could have space to learn to be her own person. And in Claremont . . . She could be carefully watched, just in case she was not what she seemed. Personality & Motivation: The work Sanna does with her magic has done a lot to shape her personality. At the heart of it, her magic comes from empathy, from negotiation, from compromise and mutual respect. While she's generally more used to talking to objects and animals than peers, these skills translate well into Sanna's interactions with her peers. She listens intently and with absolute earnestness, which can make her easy to talk to . . . If her predisposition toward quiet doesn't put you off. Ultimately, her worldview revolves deeply around names. She has spent a long time listening to the worlds. Its stones. Its beasts. Its spirits. Each of them with a unique voice, something thorough, vivid, deeply and thoroughly their own. Their own personalities, boiled into the essence of who and what they were. A unique and precious thing, worth respecting. But, as Una conquered worlds, she seized these unique things, paved over their unique names, their unique selves and burned her own into its place. Just as she had once burned Sanna. That is the one thing that raises Sanna's ire. The theft of agency, the erasing of a name. Much crime can be boiled down to that, and she feels it is her obligation to stop it wherever she finds it. Powers & Tactics: Ultimately, it is Raiment's first instinct to negotiate. To talk before a fight breaks out. She will often move into confrontations with an intent to deescalate and hopefully end the combat before it starts and she will leverage every nuance of her supernatural charm to make it happen. If that fails, Raiment prefers to proceed in a supporting role. Restricting her targets, pushing to force them to reveal openings. snaring and inhibiting their movements to try to make it a little easier for anyone she is working with to pick them off. On her lonesome, all her clever tactics of support go out the window, and instead she becomes intensely focused on finishing the fight as quickly as possible with as much force as possible as she reverts back to her original mode of fighting; with fierce focus and brutality. Complications: New Cloak Who Dis? — Raiment's magic only works with clothes which she has had time to get acquainted with. It can take a few days for her to become familiar enough with a new garment to properly name and manipulate it. This can cause problems. Verbal Magic — Sanna's magic relies heavily on her ability to speak. If she can't speak, she can't give instructions to her clothes, which greatly inhibits her ability to use active powers. Netherfiend — Sanna's nature as a magical creature of the Netherworlds comes with many downsides. Many barriers designed to repel supernal intrusion will recognize her as a magical beast to keep out and spells which compel magical creatures into service affect her even if they would normally not affect humanoid creatures. As if that weren't enough, her true form is considered by many to be deeply sinister, which often leads to immediate distrust by those who are predisposed to judge her. Illiterate — Sanna cannot read any of earth's languages reliably. In a society like Freedom's which relies on literacy to navigate, this can cause some problems. The Antiquarian — One of Una's lesser lieutenants, Dankava, is a collector of exotic magical creatures and artifacts. Her ongoing independence galls him, as he considers her to be a fascinating specimen that must be enthralled in his service. Given the opportunity, he will try to snare her again. What's more, others on earth have run into her before, when she was under the Antiquarian's thrall. And not all of them have forgiven Sanna for the things she did . . . Abilities: 8 + 0 + 14 + 0 + 8 + 4 = 34PP Strength: 18 (+4) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 24 (+7) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 14/20 (+2/5) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +4 Base, (+10 Ensemble) Grapple: +8 Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 0 + 7 + 3 = 10PP Toughness: +10 (+7 Con, +3 Protection) Fortitude: +7 (+7 Con, +0) Reflex: +7 (+0 Dex, +7) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +3) Skills: 36R = 9PP Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Sense Motive 4 (+8) Notice 6 (+10) Diplomacy 10 (+12/16) Bluff 6 (+8/12) Disguise 0 (+22/27 Morph) Feats: 14PP Fearless Taunt Fascinate (Diplomacy) Distract (Bluff) Power Attack Dodge Focus 6 Inspire Luck Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 3 + 28 + 1 + 1 + 18 + 6 + 3 + 3 + 4 = 67 Protection 3 [3PP] (Enchanted Garb, Descriptor: Enchantment) Ensemble (25PP Array, Alternate Power 3) 28PP (Descriptor: Enchantment Unless Contradicted) BP: Move Object 10 (25 ft; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Accurate 3, Precise, Split Attack; Drawbacks: Reduced Range 2) 24/25PP (Ensemble Hand) AP: Snare 10 (25 ft; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Accurate 3, Tether, Homing; Drawbacks: Reduced Range 2) [25/25PP] (Ensemble Snare) AP: Damage 6 (Extras: Autofire 10; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Range 2 (10 Feet), Improved Crit, Mighty, Accurate 3) [25/25PP] (Ensemble Lashes, Descriptor: Slashing) AP: Flight 5 (250 MPH, 25000 ft per round) [10/25PP] (Ensemble Wings) Feature 1 (Ontological Inertia) [1PP] (Dimensional Vagabond, Descriptor: Dimensional) Immunity (Aging) [1PP] (Netherfiend, Descriptor: Biological) Comprehend 9 (Understand Languages, Speak One Language at a Time, Speak To Objects, Speak to Spirits, Speak to and Understand Beasts) [18PP] (Namer's Speech, Descriptor: Enchantment) Enhanced Charisma 6 [6PP] (Namer's Charm, Descriptor: Enchantment) Additional Limbs 2 (Two Arms; Feat: Innate) [3PP] (Armed And Dangerous, Descriptor: Biological) Super Senses 3 (Magic Awareness [Visual]) [3PP] (Third Eye, Descriptor: Biological) Morph 6 (“Human Sanna”, +20 Disguise Check) [4PP] (“Sanna”, Descriptor: Enchantment) DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch 18DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Ensemble Lashes Touch 25+ Autofire DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Ensemble Snare Ranged 20 DC Reflex Entangled/Helpless (Physical) Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (9) + Feats (14) + Powers (67) = 150/151 Power Points
  3. In a lot of ways, the way that she does her thing, and how she can speak with objects, is meant to be an extension of her ability to speak to and be understood by all. The enhanced Charisma is meant to be an extension of the same power which allow her to use comprehend, to the point where others who hear her speak or communicate may find it more convincing than otherwise. As for why I did it, I mostly found the idea of having someone who has 22 charisma naturally to be kind of weird? I felt better about connecting it to her magic than leaving it as a default.
  4. The pair were sitting at a small table outside, waiting for their pizza to finish, Kat's ankles twined nervously together under the table while Tally sat at ease on the other side, leaned slightly over the table. "—It's pretty boring, really. Sometimes I get coffee, or have to wear some weird new thing until my teeth shake." Kat lied. Tally brushed a stray hair out from in front of her face. "Astro labs sounds way less glamorous than I imagined." Kat looked away for a moment, shrugged. "I'm not really sure. They probably have real exciting experiments I don't get to touch." A partial lie this time. She didn't see everything they made. It wasn't her business. "Probably. I bet they get up to a lot of stuff in there." "They do. Some dimensional portal broke down in Freedom once and a dinosaur came through." Tally let her hands rest on her table and pushed closer forward, her eyebrows rising. "Really?! Did it eat anyone?" "Oh, um, no." Kat rubbed at her neck. "It was more of a scientist dinosaur." Blink. "What's that look for?" Tally had let her head rest on her hand now, her expression so bemused. "You never talk about yourself." She smiled "—But then you do, and you always just drop one of the most amazing like it's nothing." "What?" Kat tilted her head, her eyebrows knitting together. "—I mean, I know the dinosaur is weird, but what else have I said that's odd?" "A ghost tried to kill you in a theater!" Kat's eyes lit up in realization. That had been a mess. Her powers didn't really mesh well with the insubstantial. "Oh, right! That time." "If you didn't care so little about it all, I'd say you were lying. The stuff you forget are the most amazing things I've ever heard." Kat snorted. "Oh come on, I'm the most boring person in the world." "No." Tally shook her head and looked Kat in the eye. "Lilly. You came here from Freedom and act like it's the most normal thing. You got an internship for Astro labs, for some reason. When you're not sleeping you're gone, and you never quite say where to. You are one of the most interesting people I've ever met." Gosh, she paid attention. Kat's cover was in danger . . . Her last roommate hadn't paid much attention at all to what Kat was up to. "W-well. . ." Kat took a deep breath. "You probably need to find some more interesting people." But Tally was just smiling at her, and it took everything Kat had to not fidget. This is why she tried not to talk much . . . Tally remembered everything. If this was how it was gonna be, then, unless Kat covered her tracks better, it was just a matter of time. A shout from the front saved her. "That's our pizza!" Kat bounced to her feet and did her best to walk to the front without looking like she was running away.
  5. Kat had always considered herself a stranger to Freedom. An outsider. Because she was! Superheroes had never seemed real to her, even when she'd become one. When she came to Emerald City, she'd expected to find it something more familiar, more like home. But it still felt strange. Perhaps too much of Freedom had gotten into her blood, or maybe the places were just too different. Freedom was alarming and loud, but it was spectacular in a very different way. It felt like she was sitting at the heart of the world. Here? It wasn't quite the same. In Emerald City, the air was often thick with clouds, always threatening a light rain, a coffee shop around every street corner. It felt strange to live here, but the strangeness didn't come in the form of superheroes or super-science, but from people walking the streets in styles she wasn't familiar with. Styles like Tally's alarming hair. It felt unreal, but this time Kat couldn't roll her eyes at superheroic madness to dismiss it. Maybe she just didn't handle change well? "So, where've you been?" Tally asked, prodding at Kat's side as they walked down the street. "You're either sleeping or gone all the time. You never check in!" She rolled her eyes. "What are you, my mom?" "Ha!" But the smile fell from her face pretty fast. "But seriously. You sleep half the day. You okay?" Kat grabbed hold of her wrist and looked away. "I'm just, really busy and tired, sometimes." Well, Kat had reason to be tired! Being Warp wasn't exactly . . . Bah, but who was she kidding? That wasn't the only part of it. Maybe not even the biggest part of it. But she couldn't tell Tally. "Li . . . You're gonna have to open up someday. You can't do this forever. Whatever it is." No response. A sigh. "Okay then. How've your classes been?" "It's alright," Kat said. "Some guy's been messing with me in some of my classes, but I'll deal. Keeping my head above water . . . You know how it is." "Yeah." Kat glanced over her shoulder. Tally was tugging at her collar, looking at the buildings as they passed them by. Kat looked down and bit at her lip, staring at her hands.
  6. "Hey." "Heeeey." "Li! Liii! Wake up!" A tug. Warmth fell away and cool air rushed to fill the empty space. Reluctantly, Kat shuddered, slowly remembering she was a person. Groggily, she pushed herself to her knees on her bed, yawned and fixed the chipper young women standing over her with a blanket in her hands a heavy-lidded glare. Who was this person and why she holding her blanket? For a minute, she was a stranger. A tall young woman with a bright smile and bright green hair style in an undercut. It felt like Kat was staring at the sun from her sheer cheerfulness. Or maybe because the woman had thrown open the blinds and let the sun shine into the room from behind her. Kat decided she didn't care either way. "What you staring for?" "Maybe if I stare hard enough, you'll catch fire . . ." Ah, that's right! ". . . Tally." Her roommate in Emerald City. "Why am I not sleeping?" Tally shook her head sadly. Gosh, she was even dressed! "You slept in! It's noon!" "NOON?! I . . ." Kat's eyes startled opened wide, but then quickly irised back into their tired sag. "It's Saturday." "I figured we could hang out together a little today." She said, her face falling a little. "It's been a little bit. Wanted to check up on you." "Why would you think that?" Tally gave a small, knowing grin. "Pizza, downtown. My treat." Kat blinked, sat up a little straighter. Rubbed her eyes. "I hate you." "You love me." "I love pizza." She sighed. "Gimme an hour."
  7. Warp Threads It's Saturday - 4 Other Vignette
  8. 2007 “Today,” the teacher droned. “We'll discuss the descent of Omega and his Omegadrones. Turn to page 349.” She clicked a button and the projector flashed to life, casting a blurry image of a red-and-black figure framed against the sky. In big, capital letters at the top, THE TERMINUS INVASION in huge, garish font. The page number was printed below it, in font so small that it was hard to read from the back. “The Terminus is another world, ruled by 'Lord Omega.' They struck at Freedom City, and from there, aimed to conquer this dimension.” A click, a new slide. Bullet points began to fade into existence. The classroom was one of the refurbished ones, a haphazard mixture of an older, stone building with modern technology Frankensteined together wherever it could have fit, with ceilings full of crisscrossed air vents, with thick wires and outlets drilled into the walls to draw in electricity and internet. “People across the world died during the invasion. Civilians, heroes, villains . . . No one was spared.” Click. Another bullet point. A funeral. There was a sense in the air. A quiet tension. The kids weren't talking, or pretending to take notes. The history teacher had made this space her own. Her supply of inspiration posters was modest. Instead, she had decorated her wall with newspaper clippings. The Berlin Wall falling. Protesters slipping flowers into a soldier's gun. The Centurion standing in front of the White House, holding a trophy. But there was only so much character that she could inspire out of the dour white brick. “I'm going to need a volunteer.” The teacher looked up sharply, eyes sweeping the room. There was a lot of shifting, looking away. Some muttering. A giggle here and there. No one raised their hand. “Congratulations Katharine. You've been volunteered. Paragraph five, page 352. Kat grimiced and shimmied in her seat. Scarcely eleven years old, she her knees came together underneath her desk. It was on the next page, so she flipped eagerly through her book, hoping to get through this as fast as she could.”While the main thrust of the Terminus invasion was aimed at Freedom City, the attack echoed across the globe. The silhouette of the Omegadrone inspires terror wherever it is seen. Pushing back the assault and throwing Omega back into the Terminus our Hero Centurion was . . .” Her throat dried out. Kat swallowed, pushing on in an unsteady voice. “. . . Killed.” No sound. For a long moment, Kat wasn't sure what to do. When she opened her mouth to push onward, their teacher beat her to the punch. “That's enough. Thank you, Katharine.” She held her hand above her clicker for a moment. Stopped. Looked at it. Closed her eyes. Sat the clicker softly down on her desk. When she started speaking again, the rote rhythm of lecture was gone from her voice. “So. Do you know why you're learning this? Why history is important?” A pause. “There are no wrong answers.” “. . . So we don't repeat it?” her nose scrunched up, but the teacher said. “Yes. That's it. But do you know why?” No answer. “Because history is alive.” She said. A deep breath. “It wasn't that long ago. Fourteen years ago. If you'd been born a little earlier, you might have been alive for it.” Her hands clasped together tight. “My sister. She died in the invasion.” “History is important because it's never just history. It's just what we call the present after it happens. Centurion pushed Omega back. But now he's gone. Omega and his drones . . . ? “They're still out there.” 2017 “Hey Li, come over and take a look at this.” It was a little gentle for a command, but Li was keen enough to hear when she was wanted. She hadn't really gotten to know the technicians of the Astro labs yet, and . . . was a little too embarrassed to let him know she hadn't learned his name after these months. Well . . . She'd get a chance to pick it up again, if she paid attention. “What's up?” She followed the tech's voice, pushing through the doors into a room along the side. Her eyes snagged on the object in the center of the room and stopped, her smile dying like a dog traffic. It was a black box, but with too many sharp, sheer edges, lined with red. The tech had opened it up and was sorting through its guts. “The main office sent this in to study. What do you make of it?” Unprompted, her brain answered the question. Whatever that crystal had done to her brain, it was eager to share. She knew, in the same way a bird knows what 'south' is, of the oppressive red sky of the Terminus, the screams of its people, the omegadrones flying overhead. And, dressed in his armor, heart bursting with hate . . . A whistle. Snaps. “Hey, earth to Li.” Kat shook her head sparly and curled her toes. “Steelgrave?” He grinned. “We think so, or at least something inspired by him! Some kind of bomb. A villain was trying to detonate it in Freedom.” “. . . That sounds like a problem.” He could only shrug. “Yeah, but what can you do. This stuff is in circulation and there's not much we can do but deal with what we find.” “I can get rid of it.” “No, no, it was disarmed a long time ago. Couldn't hurt a fly anymore, just metal and wires.” He rapped his hands gently against the metal, as demonstration. Kat bit down on her lip. “I really think we should destroy it.” The tech looked up at her, annoyed now. “You can do what you do with it when we're done studying it. We need to know if there are any signs of multiversal travel on it. And some of this circuitry is fascinating, if we could just . . .” He was off in his own world, now. He'd stopped listening to her a long time ago. Kat let herself fall back, leaning against the wall, as her eyes fell on the machine again. Experiences that weren't hers crawled through her mind, pain, panic and doom. A death march of numberless realities into the cold fire of the absolute end. She looked away. Breathed. Held. Released. Repeat. Until the world stopped spinning. 2027 A hole opened up in the air and a women fell out of it. Rough and scarred, Warp rose to her feet as the cultists fell down in the circle around her. At their head, wearing a deep hood, with a familiar light behind its eyes, there was a figure that radiated a power that Warp had become all too familiar with. There was a book open in their hand, and on the cover, Warp saw a symbol . . . Ω . Omega. As Warp's hands erupted with dark energy, his eyes smiled. “Katharine,” he said, voice smooth, calm and ever-so-sane. “We meet again.”
  9. Curious Key

    Raiment

    Wanted to make a sorceress! Here she is! Player Name: Curious Key Character Name: Raiment Power Level: 10 (150/50) Trade-Offs: N/A Unspent Power Points: 0 In Brief: A scarf-slinging sorceress, imprisoned in the Netherworld for an eon. Newly free, she tries to understand what it means to be a individual. Alternate Identity: Sanna Identity: Secret Birthplace: Dead, Forgotten World/Netherworld Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Unknown Apparent Age: Late Teens Age: No One Kept Track. Adolescent. Height: 6'3" Weight: 220 lbs Eyes: Yellow Hair: Black/White In her human form, Sanna resembles an impressively tall and broad-shouldered human girl. She appears fair-skinned with dark hair that hangs about her ears. Her face is rounded, with wide, piercing eyes and a resting expression that can be best described as 'calm.' Sanna's outfits can vary widely, though he favorites tend to reoccur. She doesn't really know what to do with the attention that she tends to get in crowds, so she tends to pick wardrobes that come with jackets and coats that make her form seem bulkier while her bottoms vary from shorts to skirts to jeans to leggings depending on her wishes that day. She tends to wear a scarf as well, when she can. Her true form is more much more striking. There are several major deviances from the human form which must be noted. Instead of two eyes, Sanna has three; two in the usual places and a third in the center of her forehead. A pair of dark horns that spiral up and backward from her top of her head. A second pair of arms that emerge from her back, just below her shoulders. And she has a long black tail, with a point in the shape of an arrowhead. Aside from that, symmetrical purple 'birthmarks appear as slashes around her normal eyes and her hair is stark white. This unusual appearance can lead people to consider Sanna monstrous or even demonic. As Raiment, she wears a purple cloak to hide and keep from restraining her four arms, with a hood that she can pull up over her horns. Below that, she wears black and gray, tailored to fit her body, spun in a fashion meant to be sturdy and functional rather than pretty. Her hands end in fingerless gloves that overlap with her sleeves while her feet end in brown combat boots. The biggest break to the theme of purple and black is some sort of deep orange scarf around her neck. In costume Raiment cuts quite a striking figure. Power Descriptions: Some aspects of Sanna's powers spring from her inhuman physique. Her extra limbs and disconnection with this reality serve as reminders of her otherworldly origin as a fiend of the Netherworld and her third eye allows her to see magic, which helps to give her an edge which cannot be denied. However, what most defines her power is her influence as a namer. She can 'speak' in any language, to any creature, object or spirit, allowing her to communicate almost anyone or anything, including humans. In addition to broadening her speech, this adds a certain supernatural weight to her words and actions that makes people of all kinds more pliant and eager to please. However, the most the most obvious expression of her power is how she speaks with and Names most of her possessions. Her Named possessions shapeshift according to Sanna's will, allowing her to turn he coat into wings to carry her, unfold her sleeves into great fists, sharpened blades in her hands and much, much more. History: Once upon a time, there was a world that bravely resisted Una, who rules the Netherworlds. Whose heroes were many and brave. Again and again they cast her forces down and forced her back, creating a bulwark she could not surpass. Until she did surpass it, like she always does. Eventually. Una chained their souls into many-eyed towers that forever witness their ultimate failure and in spite seized every person that they had ever known. And before the towers she ripped these people from their bodies, burning their memories, names and selves until all that remained was a writhing, spiritual core, barely aware enough to feel the pain. And these souls she shaped into feral creatures, imps who would fight and die, living as vermin in the world their heroes' had sought to protect them from. Satisfied, Una moved on to her next prize and forgot these remnants of her vengeance. One such remnant, clinging to the aching echo of memory fought amongst the creatures of the Netherworld to preserve the bitter flame of its life, surviving. The creature that she became was scarcely capable of personhood and had no name. But her shell belied the soul inside her, which burned with a brightness that her body could not quite cage. Though true language was beyond her, she could 'speak' to the world, and the world spoke back. In time, the little fiend learned to befriend her surroundings. With a gentle variant of Naming, she set herself above her peers, building herself allies into the walls of her warren and the tattered scraps of cloth across her body. After some time, during a purge of magical vermin, the fiend proved herself to be a particularly resilient creature. Her nascent magery intrigued one of Una's agents, Dankava the Antiquarian, who obtained her, bound her and enthralled her. Intrigued by the fiend's curious magic and bright soul, Dakava carried her with him across the worlds that Una would collapse into the Netherworld. The fiend had no concept of time, but as universe after universe collapsed, her magic matured. Eventually, she grew powerful and self-aware enough to Name herself. She called herself 'Sanna,' and the shell that had imprisoned her soul blossomed into a vessel which suited her. Dankava was delighted by her evolution but he did not understand how much her Naming had weakened his enchantment over her. She continued to work under his thrall but her self-awareness tugged constantly at his spell, chafing under the weight of a heavy-handed compulsion designed for a far weaker-willed creature. In the name of Una's conquest, Sanna worked at Dankava's side on rituals--always thwarted--meant to undermine Prime and deepen Una's foothold. The last one should have worked; Dankava had done everything as he should have. He made his speech, threw open his arms and welcomed the armies of the Netherworld to storm Prime . . . And nothing happened. Eventually, the heroes found out why. Miles away, by the sea, where the sun had begun to set, Sanna had dropped her pieces of the ritual into the sand, stood by the water, feeling the tide wash over her feet and staring longingly toward the horizon. She was taken into custody, where there was some debate over how exactly she should be punished for her crimes against Prime. Ultimately, a mind control clause spared her heavy incarceration, but all the same, it wouldn't do to let an ancient, adolescent netherworlder out onto the world no strings attached. Ultimately, she was deemed an orphan child, which allowed her to be legally established as an orphan child. Claremont Academy was quick to offer a place for her to stay, and the establishment at Freedom found that in a matter of hours she was already being escorted, confused, out the door and into a car. In Claremont, she could have space to learn to be her own person. And in Claremont . . . She could be carefully watched, just in case she was not what she seemed. Personality & Motivation: The work Sanna does with her magic has done a lot to shape her personality. At the heart of it, her magic comes from empathy, from negotiation, from compromise and mutual respect. While she's generally more used to talking to objects and animals than peers, these skills translate well into Sanna's interactions with her peers. She listens intently and with absolute earnestness, which can make her easy to talk to . . . If her predisposition toward quiet doesn't put you off. Ultimately, her worldview revolves deeply around names. She has spent a long time listening to the worlds. Its stones. Its beasts. Its spirits. Each of them with a unique voice, something thorough, vivid, deeply and thoroughly their own. Their own personalities, boiled into the essence of who and what they were. A unique and precious thing, worth respecting. But, as Una conquered worlds, she seized these unique things, paved over their unique names, their unique selves and burned her own into its place. Just as she had once burned Sanna. That is the one thing that raises Sanna's ire. The theft of agency, the erasing of a name. Much crime can be boiled down to that, and she feels it is her obligation to stop it wherever she finds it. Powers & Tactics: Ultimately, it is Raiment's first instinct to negotiate. To talk before a fight breaks out. She will often move into confrontations with an intent to deescalate and hopefully end the combat before it starts and she will leverage every nuance of her supernatural charm to make it happen. If that fails, Raiment prefers to proceed in a supporting role. Restricting her targets, pushing to force them to reveal openings. snaring and inhibiting their movements to try to make it a little easier for anyone she is working with to pick them off. On her lonesome, all her clever tactics of support go out the window, and instead she becomes intensely focused on finishing the fight as quickly as possible with as much force as possible as she reverts back to her original mode of fighting; with fierce focus and brutality. Complications: New Cloak Who Dis? — Raiment's magic only works with clothes which she has had time to get acquainted with. It can take a few days for her to become familiar enough with a new garment to properly name and manipulate it. This can cause problems. Verbal Magic — Sanna's magic relies heavily on her ability to speak. If she can't speak, she can't give instructions to her clothes, which greatly inhibits her ability to use active powers. Netherfiend — Sanna's nature as a magical creature of the Netherworlds comes with many downsides. Many barriers designed to repel supernal intrusion will recognize her as a magical beast to keep out and spells which compel magical creatures into service affect her even if they would normally not affect humanoid creatures. As if that weren't enough, her true form is considered by many to be deeply sinister, which often leads to immediate distrust by those who are predisposed to judge her. Illiterate — Sanna cannot read any of earth's languages reliably. In a society like Freedom's which relies on literacy to navigate, this can cause some problems. The Antiquarian — One of Una's lesser lieutenants, Dankava, is a collector of exotic magical creatures and artifacts. Her ongoing independence galls him, as he considers her to be a fascinating specimen that must be enthralled in his service. Given the opportunity, he will try to snare her again. What's more, others on earth have run into her before, when she was under the Antiquarian's thrall. And not all of them have forgiven Sanna for the things she did . . . Abilities: 8 + 0 + 14 + 0 + 8 + 4 = 26PP Strength: 18 (+4) Dexterity: 10 (+0) Constitution: 24 (+7) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 14/22 (+2/6) Combat: 8 + 10 = 18PP Initiative: +0 Attack: +4 Base, (+10 Ensemble) Grapple: +8 Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 0 + 7 + 4 = 11PP Toughness: +10 (+7 Con, +3 Protection) Fortitude: +7 (+7 Con, +0) Reflex: +7 (+0 Dex, +7) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 36R = 9PP Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 10 (+10) Sense Motive 4 (+8) Notice 6 (+10) Diplomacy 10 (+12/16) Bluff 6 (+8/12) Disguise 0 (+32/36 Morph) Feats: 15PP Ambidextrous Fearless Taunt Fascinate (Diplomacy) Distract (Bluff) Power Attack Accurate Attack Dodge Focus 5 Inspire Luck Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Equipment: 0PP = 0EP N/A Powers: 3 + 28 + 1 + 1 + 18 + 8 + 3 + 3 + 6 = 71 Protection 3 [3PP] Enchanted Garb Ensemble (25PP Array, Alternate Power 3) 28PP (Descriptor: Magic) BP: Move Object 10 (Feats: Affects Insubstantial, Accurate 3, Subtle) 25/25PP (Ensemble Hand) AP: Snare 10 (Feats: Affects Insubstantial, Accurate 3, Tether) [25/25PP] (Ensemble Snare) AP: Damage 6 (Extras: Autofire 10; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Extended Range 2 (10 Feet), Improved Crit, Mighty, Accurate 3) [25/25PP] (Ensemble Lashes) AP: Flight 5 (250 MPH, 25000 ft per round) [10/25PP] (Ensemble Wings) Feature 1 (Ontological Inertia) [1PP] (Dimensional Vagabond) Immunity (Aging) [1PP] (Netherfiend) Comprehend 9 (Understand Languages, Speak One Language at a Time, Speak To Objects, Speak to Spirits, Speak to and Understand Beasts) [18PP] (Namer's Speech) Enhanced Charisma 8 [8PP] (Namer's Charm) Additional Limbs 2 (Two Arms; Feat: Innate) [3PP] (Armed And Dangerous) Super Senses 3 (Magic Awareness [Visual]) [3PP] (Third Eye) Morph 6 (“Human Sanna”, +30 Disguise Check) [6PP] (“Sanna”) Drawbacks: 0 + 0 = 0 DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch 18DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Ensemble Lashes Touch 25+ Autofire DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Ensemble Snare Ranged 20 DC Reflex Entangled/Helpless (Physical) Totals: Abilities (26) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (9) + Feats (15) + Powers (71) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points
  10. Post-Singularity Mind With A Ship Player Name: Curious Key Character Name: Wright Power Level: 10/12 (180/180) Trade-Offs: +4 Damage / -4 Attack, +2 Toughness / -2 Defense Unspent Power Points: 0 In Brief: Runaway shipwright from a paranoid machineworld dedicated to dragging her planet out of hiding. Alternate Identity: Yilay Uluntaatni'l Identity: Public Birthplace: Branch Movsia, Planet Gintry Occupation: Shipwright Affiliations: The First Minds of Gintry Family: Progenitors Ulun, Ni'l and Taat, Meshmate Ethir Age: 957 Race: Gestalt/Digital Mind Height: -- Weight: -- Eyes: -- Hair: -- Power Descriptions: While Wright would likely contest the classification, the frame they use to interact with analog beings is a robot. Most of their toolkit relies on drawing on the powers of the Wayfarer remotely. Through a clever combination of wormholes and quantem displacement tech, Wright can use their ship's mechanisms to devastate enemies from a distance. History: Personality & Motivation: Personality Powers & Tactics: Powers Complications: Waywherer? — Wright's 'Wayfarer Support' array requires that they be within range of their ship in order to make use of its powers. Their quantum entanglement is nigh impossible to break, but if the Wayfarer is further than a solar system away or disabled, Wright loses access to its powers. Digital Proselytizer — Wright will live forever, and she wants you to too! She has a persistent tendency to remind those she calls 'analog minds' that she can give them a digital forever. She does not see the fact that many do not appreciate her invitations to offer them continuity of consciousness as any reason to stop offering. In the wake of so many attempted machine takeovers, her pushiness can be easily interpreted as something more sinister. Abilities: 0 + 2 -10 + 20 + 8 + 0 = 20PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 0 (—) Intelligence: 30 (+10) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 6 + 6 = 12PP Initiative: +1 Attack: +3 Base, +4?? Grapple: +0 Defense: +8 (+3 Base, +5 Dodge Focus) Knockback: -3 Saving Throws: 0 + 6 + 4 = 10PP Toughness: +12 (+12 Protection) Fortitude: — Reflex: +7 (+1 Dex, +6) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 0R = 0PP Skill 0 (+0) Feats: 0PP Equipment: ?PP = ??EP Vehicle - Wayfarer Powers: 30 + 6 + 12 + 27 = 75 Immunity 30 (Fortitude Saves) 30PP Regeneration 6 (Resurrection [One Week], Recovery Bonus +0) 6PP Protection 12 12PP Wayfarer Support (26PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power) 27PP (Descriptor: Tech) BP: Damage 14 (Extras: Ranged) 26PP (Wormhole Bombardment, Descriptors: Plasma) AP: Move Object (Gravity Drawbacks: 0 = 0 DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch 15DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Unarmed [Enhanced] Touch 23DC Toughness Damage (Physical) Emotion Control Perception 23DC Will Emotion Control Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (0) + Feats (0) + Powers (75) - Drawbacks (0) = 117/180 Power Points
  11. Warp sat there quietly, taking it in all. She didn't quite understand what Tiffany was talking about with the magic, and it already seemed like she was dumbing it down a lot so Warp could understand. But it seemed to biol down to a few salient points. She could try something. It might not work. And it was almost certain to hurt, bad. But Warp hated failure more than she feared pain. She took a deep breath, closer her hands and gave a weak smile. "I'll try not to blow up on you. But if it's gonna hurt . . . You sure you wanna do it here?" Part of being in-control, Kat had learned, was knowing your limits. Pain made that fuzzy.
  12. Nggh, need to pull myself together, make a post here. Nnn Warp: Straw Gods Green State Energy Racing In The Rain Hardware Hoodlum Heist Cool Cats Once More, With Feeling!
  13. Hmmm, Warp already posed it as a choice to Citizen. This is his turf, he's the more established hero and he probably knows more about the situation. I'm gonna stand by my last post and say she'll let him make the call. One thing that Sharl is likely to know, cause of his Well-Informed, is that Warp pretty much exploded once when her powers got out of control. That may inform his decision.
  14. it would have been nice if Warp could say she fell gracefully, like normal. Nope. She landed sprawled out on the ground. "Ow." She sighed, deadpan, and pushed herself back up to her feet while the world around her slowly settled into colors that her three-dimensional meat-brain could comprehend. She was still tired, so when Spencer grabbed hold of her Warp just stared at her for a long moment while she tried to process what exactly she was asking about. When she did understand, her eyes started to narrow. "You mean about the part of stopping a dinosaur invasion? Or closing a portal to a hostile world?" She twisted her scowl into a grin. "You've got a real funny way of saying 'thank you.'" Warp grabbed Spencer's hands, shoved the woman off her and vanished in a bright red flash.
  15. "Prickly, huh." Warp said out loud, but this really wasn't the time to tease. "I'm Warp, won't blame you if you haven't heard of me. I teleport. I don't know much about bombs, but it sounded like they could pick it up and move it. I can probably take it far enough away that it won't hurt anyone when it blows, and do it fast. If you really want to be careful, you probably know a lot more, and I can take us over real quick when those rubes are cleaned up. But . . . how much time do we have, anyway?" Maybe he knew, but Warp didn't. All she knew was what she'd heard, and what she'd heard was that there was a timer set and going down. "Need to pick fast either way, so what's it gonna be? Tick-tock."
  16. As the students bumbled and staggered into each other, it took her a while to remember that she could see better than they could. Seeing in the dark was weird, and Kat still hadn't gotten used to it yet. It came in handy though. Between the sudden dark and the strobe lights, people were having trouble keeping focus. She ducked, closed her eyes and remembered what the roof of the building. In a flash of red easily missed, she was gone. And then she was on the roof. She formed a thought. Her body was engulfed in flash of red, and when it was gone instead her school clothes she was dressed as Warp, this time with a commlink in her ear. Honestly, she couldn't think of a time in her life where it had ever come in handy. It'd seemed like a waste of money, really, but while she'd not been acquainted Citizen had been one of the big-name heroes at Claremont, and it wasn't exactly hard to figure out he was a robot. Maybe he could listen in? Well . . . Worth a try. "Aaaaay down there," She adjusted the frequency a bit, feeling foolish for trying. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm gonna go take care of that bomb. Be right back."
  17. Front aside, Warp squirmed as her powers reacted. Whatever Tiffany was, it didn't play nice with her powers. Which made sense, really. She seemed to be all about life and growth. It was hard for Warp to imagine something more distant from her nature. "Just my luck, huh." It was better if she was dragged into it than anyone else, Warp supposed. If anyone was gonna be mystically connected to a missing person, might as well be someone who had a lot of power. "At least she's not dead, then." Warp said, relaxing. After all this time, she was still alive. . . . But what were they doing with her? Warp rubbed her hands over her eyes. If only she could see any of these people face-to-face, she might be able to learn something. Solve this. And get a good night's sleep. "There's gotta be a way to use this." She was connected to the person she was trying to find. Surely she could find some solution there?
  18. Lives were in the balance. Warp told herself over and over . . . Lives are in the balance. Part of her wanted to sulk at that. She wanted to vent, wanted to take these robot mobsters apart and . . . Why are you like this? People could die if you mess up. .She pressed her palms against her head and thought, stood up straight and listened. She was standing back where they'd talked; no need to move. Everything was within her range anyway. Soon it would all be over and everyone would be safe and— Gunshots. No time for thought. She'd promised them results in five seconds. Time to make it happen. Warp remembered the position in the bank where the old-timey bots had four people lined against the wall and was there, quick as thinking.
  19. Question. How difficult would it be for Kat to run off to somewhere she could change in peace?
  20. Warp waved Tiffany tiredly down. She held her head in her hands and sighed. She couldn't imagine how Marion could have bared to be around her. Kat's thoughts had always been a muddled bundle of anxiety, rage and self-loathing. "I don't know if I'm fine," Warp said again, with real honesty this time. "I'll just out and say," She said. "I've been having weird dreams, and then when it wasn't dreams, something like . . ." She made a vague gesture beyond articulating. "Visions? Like I'm seeing out of her eyes, somehow. In the past? It's fuzzy." "It happened again. Just now." Warp shook her head and squinted. at the ceiling, trying to pick out details. "Someone called Lucy, like you said. And . . . Bruce? And someone called Aiko who was supposed to go but . . . probably never showed up." She hand her hands through her hair and fought back the panic at her brain forcing itself off track again. How would she manage if . . . Bad thoughts again. Stop it.
  21. Warp bristled at a little at Tiffany's accurate analysis before she caught sight of her own hands and remembered that most of her body was either glowing red-black or checkered with lines of entropic powers. "Good Guess," she said, desert dry, and let Tiffany keep on talking. It turned out she'd been to Claremont too, along with Marion. Kat was a little surprised they'd never crossed paths, but it was a big school, wasn't it? Low-level metas. Kat tended to ride with the more potent crowd . . . She was one of them, after all. But there was no doubting they existed. Kat worried constantly at being outed as a T-baby, the simple fact was she was pretty well equipped to deal with any hardship someone tried to throw her way. Barring power-limiters, there wasn't much anyone could do to make her stick around. But lower-level metas didn't have that same protection; they couldn't always protect themselves. Most of the true tragedies that came up in the news were among children with just enough power to be not be normal but not enough to protect themselves. Marion might not have been in that narrow subgroup, but there were not shortage of monsters willing to take advantage of people who couldn't fight back, even when they weren't gifted. But . . . Tiffany would know that better than Kat would. Perhaps that was he reason that her hands were shaking so much. How close was she to becoming another Marion someday? The greatest kindness Warp could imagine was taking Marion's front of gruff strength at face value. "Detective, huh." Warp said. There was a whole bunch of things a Detective could do far better than she could. But, unless he had some really potent tricks of his own . . . Well. "I'm not the kind who vanishes quiet, or easy." Warp grabbed a cup with a thin, mirthless smile. "I'm a teleporter. Whatever happened, it'll have a hard time catching me." Her perpetually glowing eyes narrowed. "And even if they do, they'll regret it." Warp's hands were steady as she held the cup, but it took effort to keep Warp's toes from curling. Tiffany wasn't the only one who hid fear behind bluster.
  22. Ah, how straightforward. Warp figured she was was going to like this girl. She followed Tiffany up the stairs without complaint, wishing absently she was precise enough to teleport water off her skin without flaying herself in the process. Ouch. Bad mental image. Warp tried to find a new subject. Marion Clarke. She was real. A kindle of something lit up in her chest. Lines, old articles, bare wisps of memory were all that Kat had managed to scrounge up. She hadn't found anyone else who could personally attest to the fact that Marion Clarke was a person who existed in this world. And now she was talking to one of them. Warp felt vindicated to know that at the very least, she hadn't lost her mind. (Unless Tiffany was lying. Another bad thought.) It registered as odd to her, even through the weird deja-vu, that there were so many green things in a run-down Hanover apartment. But it might have just spoke to Tiffany as a person, that she'd take the time to collect and nurture so many of these plants for herself. Kat could justify suspicion about a lot of things, but not this, she thought. Everything she touched died. "It's messed up," Warp said as she marched into the room. "It's like the world's been trying its best to forget she existed at all."
  23. Warp suppressed a gasp as she came back to the universe. She flexed her fingers and ran her hands along her arm to try to push away the sensation of being trapped in a stranger's body. While a new flavor of weird, this was more familiar than she liked, and . . . "Tiffany?" Warp's voice was small, full of a desperation that was not hers. She shook her head hard and took a deep breath. "Yeah, seen worse." She rolled back her shoulders and took a deep breath. "I know the script is to beat around the bush and ask 'how is that possible,' 'it's been such a long time' or 'how do you know?' But I don't know either and I'd rather we just skip to the end." She met Tiffany's eyes. "Did you ever know Marion Clarke? Because I think she's in danger, and I could use any clues you can give me to help find out how."
  24. ENLIGHTENED by Fox Warp got blasted in the face with some weird cosmic crystal stuff that gave her a brief and horrible understanding of the multiverse. To celebrate that, I thought I'd make the results permanent! I settled on a few enhanced skills using four PP that are just sitting around doing nothing. Enhanced Trait 5 (20 Knowledge (Cosmology)) 5PP (Cosmos-Touched, Descriptor: Cosmic)
  25. Marion. The name meant nothing to her. Or did it mean . . . Everything? Honestly, it was hard to tell. All across freedoms, there were stories about heroes having their minds subverted, fooled, made into the tools of villains by chasing thoughts and dreams. Maybe she was being fooled. Maybe she was someone else's tool, now. But . . . Could she just ignore it? No. And that's why she was here. Lost in Hanover, in the rain. "You better appreciate this," she muttered into the rain. The rain did not respond. She sniffled. If she'd kept in touch better, maybe a friend would have been better at investigation than her. But all she had was herself, and the most she knew about legwork was what she learned in a few sleepy episodes of law-and-order when her roommate refused to wear headphones. Still, she had to try. She tapped her leg and considered approaches. In disguise? By stealth? Bah. She was grumpy and wet. Might as well just do what comes natural. With a quick warp, she was no longer perched on the roof, but in front of the apartment complex's doors. Soaking wet in full hero garb, glowing hands and all, she pushed open the door and walked into the lobby. "Someone's been missing for a long time." she said to the air, "And this was the last place they were seen. Who can help me?" She blinked. Looked around. No one was there. "Sheesh." She put her hands on her hips. "This place is a dump." An awkward pause. She ran her hand their her hair, trying to wring out some of the water and bit down on the inside of her lip. Would they even keep records that old? Now what . . .?
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