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Character Name: Sea Devil (and Singularity) Power Level: 12/13 (214/220PP) Trade-Offs: Various Unspent Power Points: 6 In Brief: A Deep One outcast living among Surfacers, gifted with space armor and trying to fight for a better world. Homebase: The DuTemps Building, Freedom City Songs: My Beloved Monster, Eels Fight Song, Rachel Platten Alternate Identity: Aquaria Innsmouth (Aquaria's Deep One name is not pronounceable by Surfacers) Identity: NA Birthplace: An unnamed island in the US Virgin Islands Occupation: Adventurer Affiliations: The DuTemps Building, the Liberty League (associate member), the Esoteric Order of Dagon and Hydra Family: Jessie White, the DuTemps Building, the Liberty League - she has living relatives including several young adult spawn, but Deep Ones do not view these relationships the way Surfacers do. Age: Aquaria is a Deep One female in the prime of life. Gender: Female Height: 5'7"/6'1" in armor Weight: 180 lbs/280 lbs in armor Eyes: Black and gold Hair: None Description: Outside of her armor, Aquaria Innsmouth is clearly no Surfacer. Her bulging black and gold eyes are set much too far apart to be a human's and her nose, flattened almost against her face, is more like a snout. She has no visible ears. Her mouth is big and opens far wider than a human's could - the teeth inside are sharp and serrated like the inside of a shark's mouth. Her skin is mottled green and white, white towards the belly and green towards the black, a dark green the color of certain unnameable seas. Her body is not quite shaped 'right' either - her limbs are too long and jointed like a frog's rather than a normal woman's, her torso too sturdy, and her arms and legs both end in three-fingered 'hands'. Her skin is covered in blue and black tattoos depicting strange and fantastic scenery, looking like something out of a hallucination. Her voice is deep and loud and sounds decidedly peculiar to human ears. She is cold and slick to the touch, like touching the skin of a frog or a smooth-scaled fish. When using her disguise spell, she looks like a distinctly odd human - a muscular female with pale skin, long limbs, a loud voice and fluffy black hair, with big, wide eyes that stare fixedly and with a particularly large mouth. She usually wears hoodies, long pants, and rain boots to hide the ways her body still doesn't match the profile of a human's. Her skin is still cold and slick to the touch. Inside her armor, Sea Devil looks rather different from the typical armored hero - the armor's massive limbs and glowing blue 'fingers' are probably its most striking feature, as are a faint opalescent sheen overlain over the black of the armor itself. That sheen, seeming to glow with all the colors of the rainbow depending on one's perspective when looking at the armor, is instantly recognizable - and all too familiar for space-born heroes. Her head is almost completely invisible inside the armor, though she can make her faceplate go translucent, or even transparent, should she wish. When she speaks while wearing the armor, the digitized booming base of her voice sounds like nothing else. History: It's an old story, really - a tribal people, trading with the city folk who lived on the good land, hunting and fishing and singing the songs of their ancestors, at least until the others come - with terrible weapons and sinister intent, they destroyed the tribe's home and chased them away into the darkness. The tribe roamed from spot to spot, settling here and there for a time, until finally finding a home among the people far from the ancient and terrible enemy. Aquaria has lost track of her age. She was an adult, old enough to have mated and spawned, when the tribe found the ancient city, ending their long wandering after the Atlanteans had destroyed their rocky island home during the first flush of her adulthood. She remembers her joy at meeting the Dark Brothers (or so they called the city-dwellers), the glee at learning she would finally gain her true power as a Deep One - before finally she saw the horrific blood sacrifice of the city-dwelling cult of Dagon and Hydra. She fled, in horror - but where could she go, in a sea beset by her enemies, where even her own people were no longer her friends? She picked the Surfacers and began a long, solitary journey up the East Coast of North America - she taught herself to read their language and understand the rudiments of their culture. When she learned of a Deep One attack against a Surfacer city, she headed that way - she'd heard confused stories of a Deep One hybrid leading the invasion forces and wanted to see what had become of it. So she showed her face in Freedom City - and promptly found herself battling superheroes. After all, this was just a few months after Archevil - nobody wanted to take any chances. She nearly died in Blackstone, the air cold and dry, her voice echoing off the walls, alone - until she heard the halting echoes of Lemurian from the Surfacer outside her cell. An early volunteer for Project Freedom, her acclimation to Surface life - to the mistrust, the prejudice, the dry air, the bad food, the aloneness, was hard, but it was better than death. And then things got even better when she met Singularity, aka Jessie White - she'd seen the Surfacer woman in a cell near hers in Blackstone and though they hadn't spoken then, the familiarity was enough to make them roommates at Project Freedom. Aquaria wasn't scared of Jessie's strange moods and desire for solitude - and Jessie didn't mind Aquaria's strange smells and bizarre habits so much. She was the first new member of Aquaria's pod. Now they're free and living in the DuTemps Building, where their pod has grown substantially - even including friends who swim in the Sea of Stars. It's not the same as the world she left behind, but it's a good enough world. She'll be reunited with her Deep One brothers and sisters again - when the stars are right. Personality and Motivation: By Surfacer standards, Aquaria is generally cheerful, talkative, and loud - something that can be intimidating for a frog-mouthed, shark-toothed Deep One! She's aware that friendliness and good cheer are something Surfacers like, so she sometimes plays this up. She's gregarious, being a creature happiest in groups, and always eager to make friends. She nonetheless is _not_ a Surfacer - she is an obligate carnivore who worships strange gods and practices strange rites, and who has a worldview very different than many of her friends. Powers and Tactics: Outside of her armor, Aquaria is not a terribly brave fighter - she'll strike from concealment or from surprise, and otherwise seek every advantage in a fight. She'll probably take advantage of her superior senses and familiarity with the dark and the water to fight an opponent at night underneath a flooding dock, and the like. Despite her sharp teeth and handclaws, she prefers to fight with hard kicks from her massive legs. She's not that different while wearing the armor, hanging back and firing spectrum blasts from her tridents until she's actually forced into melee. Once there she's effective enough - but is particularly effective when fighting alongside the mighty Singularity. Complications: How Far I'll Go: An explorer born, Aquaria Innsmouth can never turn away from a new adventure. An Innocent Warrior: Of all Aquaria's friends, Jessie White is the greatest - and perhaps the most troublesome. We Know The Way: Aquaria is a disciple of what is sometimes called the Aeon Cult among Surfacers but to her is simply the Faith - the worship of the gods of the Deep One, widely considered a dangerous, apocalyptic cult among Surfacers and Atlanteans. Shiny: Aquaria despises Atlanteans, thinking of them as cruel, jealous imperialists - and Atlanteans typically view her as a murderous barbarian cultist. Where You Are: Aquaria dreadfully misses her fellow Deep Ones and the society beneath the waves - and might take chances to return. It doesn't help that the Surface is so cold and dry! I Am Aquaria: Apostate, traitor, and worse - her fellow Deep Ones (those who know the story of the Deep One who consorts with Surfacers) generally don't share her feelings. You're Welcome: Granted space armor by a quirk of galactic politics, Aquaria Innsmouth is an object of interest both to the Star Knights - and to the secret patrons of the terrible Spectrum Knights. Abilities: 12 + 12 + 12 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 44PP Strength: 22 (+6) effective Str 37 Dexterity: 22 (+6) Constitution: 22 (+6) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 14 + 14 = 28PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +7, +11 Melee, +15 w/Spectrum Power Grapple: +18/+21 w Dagon's Might, +11 w/Move Object Defense: +11 (+7 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -11/-6/-3 Saving Throws: 1 + 1 + 5 = 7PP Toughness: +12/+6 (+6 Con, +6 Protection, +10 Impervious) Fortitude: +7 (+6 Con, +1) Reflex: +7 (+6 Dex, +1) Will: +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 40R = 10PP Acrobatics 2 (+8) Diplomacy 4 (+5) Disguise 0 (+16/+1) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 4 (+5) Languages 2 (Atlantean, English [Base: Lemurian]) Notice 4 (+6) Sense Motive 4 (+6) Stealth 4 (+10) Swim 4 (+10) Survival 8 (+10) Feats: 48PP Attack Focus (melee) 4 Dodge Focus 4 Evasion Fearless Environmental Adaptation (underwater) Luck Ritualist Sidekick 35 [Singularity] Powers: 27 + 6 + 45 = 78 Deep One Physiology 5.1 (26PP, PF: Innate) [27PP] Additional Limb 1 (Tongue) [1PP] Comprehend 2 (animals, Flaw: Limited [Sea Life]) [2PP] Dagon's Might Array 3 (6PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 2) [8PP] BE: Swimming 6 (100 MPH/1000FPM) {6/6} AP: Leaping 2 (x5, Running Long Jump 80 ft, Standing Long Jump 45 ft, Vertical Jump 20 ft) + Speed 2 (25 MPH/250 FPM) + Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling 1 (to 2) {2+2+2=6/6} AP: Super-Strength 3 (Effective STR 37, Heavy Load 2 tons) {6/6} Features 2 (Deep One, Iron Stomach) [2PP] Immunity 3 (Environmental Cold, High Pressure, Suffocation [Underwater]) [3PP] Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling 1) [2PP] Super-Senses 8 (Accurate Ultrasonic Hearing, Acute Scent, Darkvision, Tactile [Ranged]) [8PP] 1 + 2 + 8 + 2 + 3 + 2 + 8 = 26PP Hydra's Power 2.5 (magic tattoos, 5PP, PF: Alternate Power 1) [6PP] BE: Super-Senses 3 (Magic Awareness 3 [Auditory, Enhancements: Analytical, Extended]) [5/5] AP: Morph 3 (Aquaria Innsmouth, +15 Disguise bonus, PFs: Covers Scent, Precise) [5/5] Device 11 (Spectrum Knight Armor, 55PP, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PF: Restricted [Deep One]) [45PP] Communications 4 (radio, 1 mile) [4PP] Flight 3 (50 MPH/500FPM) [6DP] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9DP] Protection 6 [6DP] Space Travel 1 (interplanetary) [2DP] Spectrum Power Array 12 (24PP, PFs: Alternate Powers 2) [26DP] BE: Damage 6 (energy trident, PFs: Improved Crit 2, Mighty, Precise, Takedown Attack 2, Variable Descriptor 2 [any energy]) + Impervious Toughness 10 {10} {14+10=24/24} AP: Blast 8 (spectrum power, PFs: Accurate 4, Precise 2, Variable Descriptor 2 [any energy]) {24/24} AP: Move Object 8 (energy constructs, Effective STR 40, Heavy Load 3 tons, PFs: Accurate 4, Precise) {21/24} Super-Senses 2 (Danger Sense [Radio], Uncanny Dodge [Radio]) [2DP] 4+ 6 + 9 + 6 + 2 + 26 + 2 = 55/55 Drawbacks: -1PP Vulnerable (visual Dazzles, uncommon, minor) [-1PP] Totals: Abilities (44) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (7) + Skills (10) + Feats (48) + Powers (78) - Drawbacks (1) = 214/220 Power Points DC BlockATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC21 Toughness Damage (Physical) Trident Touch DC27 Toughness Damage (Energy) Blast Ranged DC23 Toughness Damage (Energy) Singularity Power Level: 12 (175/175PP) Trade-Offs: None Age: 24 Gender: Female Height: 5'8" Weight: 175 lbs Eyes: Brown Hair: Short and blonde Description: A young woman of average height and muscular build, Singularity's blonde hair doesn't quite match her dark eyebrows. She carries herself with a combination of athleticism and hesitancy - as if forever afraid she's going to break some thing, or some one. She generally speaks quietly, even, and perhaps especially, when angry. In combat she wields a short, dark baton like a single escrima stick, one she can snap open to staff length. She wears a blue jumpsuit in combat, if she has time to gear up. History: Victim. Survivor. Monster. Weapon. Prisoner. Artist. Hero? Jessie White, displaced from her own dying world into a hellish alternate reality, now living on a world where she is a shadow of another woman, bearing her own reputation as a mindless killing machine. At least her best friend is a monster from below the waves who worships strange gods and eats live fish for fine? It's good to know she's not alone - even if sometimes she thinks she's better off that way. Personality and Motivation: Jessie keeps her personality restrained as best she can, keeping her voice and passions to herself. She's better off that way - and so is everyone else around her. She does feel things, sometimes intensely, with strange visions of a life that wasn't hers and of the horrific reality beyond it - but she tries to keep them to herself. Pretending to be normal is hard enough without thinking about all the ways she's anything but. Powers and Tactics: Jessie White fights with her bat, striking with the mechanics of someone who has solid, albeit limited, training in melee combat. She'll strike to stun and to daze, staying mobile with leaps and kicks, not too dissimilar from her aquatic friend. Singularity fights to kill. She doesn't come out much - even when Jessie's in costume. But sometimes she does. Jessie doesn't like to think about that. Abilities: 8 + 4 + 4 + 0 + 2 + 2 = 20PP Strength: 30/18 (+10/+4) Dexterity: 20/14 (+5/+2) Constitution: 30/14 (+10/+2) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP Initiative: +5 Attack: +6 Base, +10 Melee Grapple: +24 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -12 Saving Throws: 0 + 3 + 7 = 10PP Toughness: +14/+2 (+8 Enhanced Con, +2, [Impervious 10] +4 Forcefield) Fortitude: +10/+2 (+2 Con, +8 Enhanced Con) Reflex: +8/+5 (+2 Dex, +3 Enhanced Dex, +3) Will: +8 (+1 Wis, +7) Skills: 64R = 16PP Acrobatics 10 (+15, SM) Craft (Artistic) 8 (+8) Intimidate 14 (+15, SM) Notice 9 (+10, SM) Sense Motive 9 (+10, SM) Stealth 10 (+15) Survival 4 (+5) Feats: 20PP Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Challenge 2 (Fast Acrobatic Bluff, Fast Startle) Dodge Focus 4 Evasion Interpose Move-By-Action Power Attack Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive) Startle Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 4 + 16 + 6 + 12 + 1 + 2 + 10 + 5 + 9 + 2 + 8 +10 = 85PP Device 1 (Bat, 5PP, Easy to Lose, PF: Subtle [Collapsible]) [4PP] Damage 0 (PFs: Improved Crit 2, Mighty, Paralyzing Attack, Stunning Attack) Enhanced Constitution 16 [16PP] Enhanced Dexterity 6 [6PP] Enhanced Strength 12 [12PP] Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1PP] Immunity 2 (disease, poison) [2PP] Impervious Toughness 10 [10PP] Movement Array 2 (4 points; PF: Alternate Power) [5PP] BE: Leaping 4 (x25; running long jump 500 feet, standing long jump 250 feet, vertical jump 125 feet) {4/4} AP: Speed 4 (100 mph / 1000 feet per move action) {2+2=4/4} Regeneration 9 (Bruised 3 [No Action], Injured 6 [No Action]) [9PP] Super-Senses 2 (Accurate Hearing) [2PP] Super-Strength 4 (Effective STR 50, Heavy Load 12.5 tons) [8PP] Device 3 (Elder Sign Shield, 15PP, Flaw: Easy to Lose, PF: Indestructible) [10PP] Damage 4 (shield strike, PF: Mighty) {5} Enhanced Feats 3 (Second Chance 3 [Toughness Saves Against Falling Damage, Will Saves against Confuse and Mind Control) {3} Immunity 3 (drowning, environmental cold, high pressure) {3} Force Field 4 {4} DC BlockATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC29 Toughness Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (16) + Feats (20) + Powers (85) = 175/175 Power Points

Character Name: Sea Devil Power Level: 12/15 (243/245PP) Trade-Offs: Various Unspent Power Points: 2 In Brief: A Deep One outcast living among Surfacers, gifted with space armor and trying to fight for a better world. Homebase: The DuTemps Building, Freedom City Songs: My Beloved Monster, Eels Fight Song, Rachel Platten Defying Gravity, Wicked Survivor, 2Wei cover Alternate Identity: Aquaria Innsmouth (Aquaria's Deep One name is not pronounceable by Surfacers) Identity: NA Birthplace: An unnamed island in the US Virgin Islands Occupation: Adventurer Affiliations: The DuTemps Building, the Liberty League (associate member), the Esoteric Order of Dagon and Hydra Family: Jessie White, the DuTemps Building, the Liberty League - she has living relatives including adult spawn and their spawn, but Deep Ones do not view these relationships the way Surfacers do. Age: Aquaria is a Deep One female in the prime of life. Gender: Female Height: 5'7"/6'1" in armor Weight: 180 lbs/280 lbs in armor Eyes: Black and gold Hair: None Description: Outside of her armor, Aquaria Innsmouth is clearly no Surfacer. Her bulging black and gold eyes are set much too far apart to be a human's and her nose, flattened almost against her face, is more like a snout. She has no visible ears. Her mouth is big and opens far wider than a human's could - the teeth inside are sharp and serrated like the inside of a shark's mouth. Her skin is mottled green and white, white towards the belly and green towards the black, a dark green the color of certain unnameable seas. Her body is not quite shaped 'right' either - her limbs are too long and jointed like a frog's rather than a normal woman's, her torso too sturdy, and her arms and legs both end in three-fingered 'hands'. Her skin is covered in blue and black tattoos depicting strange and fantastic scenery, looking like something out of a hallucination. Her voice is deep and loud and sounds decidedly peculiar to human ears. She is cold and slick to the touch, like touching the skin of a frog or a smooth-scaled fish. Inside her armor, Sea Devil looks rather different from the typical armored hero - the armor's massive limbs and glowing blue 'fingers' are probably its most striking feature, as are a faint opalescent sheen overlain over the black of the armor itself. That sheen, seeming to glow with all the colors of the rainbow depending on one's perspective when looking at the armor, is instantly recognizable - and all too familiar for space-born heroes - the armor of the villainous terrorist organization the Spectrum Knights. Her head is almost completely invisible inside the armor, though she can make her faceplate go translucent, or even transparent, should she wish. When she speaks while wearing the armor, the digitized booming base of her voice sounds like nothing else. Her trident is about as tall as she is and black, a version of orichalcum favored by the craftsmen of Lemuria. Carved with ancient runes, it looks wrapped all around with grooved edges and curved lines like tentacles rather than the smoother craftsmanship of Atlanteans. When she casts spells with it, the trident glows with a cheerfully impossible black light. History: It's an old story, really - a tribal people, trading with the city folk who lived on the good land, hunting and fishing and singing the songs of their ancestors, at least until the others come - with terrible weapons and sinister intent, they destroyed the tribe's home and chased them away into the darkness. The tribe roamed from spot to spot, settling here and there for a time, until finally finding a home among the people far from the ancient and terrible enemy. Aquaria has lost track of her age. She was an adult, old enough to have mated and spawned, when the tribe found the ancient city, ending their long wandering after the Atlanteans had destroyed their rocky island home during the first flush of her adulthood. She remembers her joy at meeting the Dark Brothers (or so they called the city-dwellers), the glee at learning she would finally gain her true power as a Deep One - before finally she saw the horrific blood sacrifice of the city-dwelling cult of Dagon and Hydra. She fled, in horror - but where could she go, in a sea beset by her enemies, where even her own people were no longer her friends? She picked the Surfacers and began a long, solitary journey up the East Coast of North America - she taught herself to read their language and understand the rudiments of their culture. When she learned of a Deep One attack against a Surfacer city, she headed that way - she'd heard confused stories of a Deep One hybrid leading the invasion forces and wanted to see what had become of it. So she showed her face in Freedom City - and promptly found herself battling superheroes. After all, this was just a few months after Archevil - nobody wanted to take any chances. She nearly died in Blackstone, the air cold and dry, her voice echoing off the walls, alone - until she heard the halting echoes of Lemurian from the Surfacer outside her cell. An early volunteer for Project Freedom, her acclimation to Surface life - to the mistrust, the prejudice, the dry air, the bad food, the aloneness, was hard, but it was better than death. And then things got even better when she met Singularity, aka Jessie White - she'd seen the Surfacer woman in a cell near hers in Blackstone and though they hadn't spoken then, the familiarity was enough to make them roommates at Project Freedom. Aquaria wasn't scared of Jessie's strange moods and desire for solitude - and Jessie didn't mind Aquaria's strange smells and bizarre habits so much. She was the first new member of Aquaria's pod. Now they're free and living in the DuTemps Building, where their pod has grown substantially - even including friends who swim in the Sea of Stars. It's not the same as the world she left behind, but it's a good enough world. She'll be reunited with her Deep One brothers and sisters again - when the stars are right.  Personality and Motivation: By Surfacer standards, Aquaria is generally cheerful, talkative, and loud - something that can be intimidating for a frog-mouthed, shark-toothed Deep One! She's aware that friendliness and good cheer are something Surfacers like, so she sometimes plays this up. She's gregarious, being a creature happiest in groups, and always eager to make friends. She nonetheless is _not_ a Surfacer - she is an obligate carnivore who worships strange gods and practices strange rites, and who has a worldview very different than many of her friends. Powers and Tactics: Leaping fresh from the ocean, Aquaria is stronger than a man and faster too - fighting with powerful kicks, bites, and lashes of her gigantic tongue, she really is an oceanic alpha predator. There's a reason why solo Deep Ones can clear out small ships full of humans, or why Deep One tribes hunt whales for sport. She'll strike from concealment or from surprise, and otherwise seek every advantage in a fight. She'll probably take advantage of her superior senses and familiarity with the dark and the water to fight an opponent at night underneath a flooding dock, and the like. In her armor she is all that and space-worthy and flight-capable - and armed with a glowing energy trident about the length of a short sword she can project from the flexible armor's metal. The armor also renders her nigh-bulletproof and really tough. When wielding her trident, she'll try and stab or strike with it, given the cost that comes from using her magic. For that, she'll typically fly right into the middle of a large crowd of enemies. Complications: At the Mountains of Madness: Aquaria would do anything for Jessie White, her best friend. Call of Cthulhu: Aquaria does not like being single - but mating opportunities are sketchy here on the Surface. Dagon: Aquaria is a devotee of the dark gods of the Deep Ones; Dagon and Hydra. The Color Out Of Space: Aquaria's Spectrum Knight Armor doesn't actually seek her death - but it is essentially a Yellow Ring crossed with The Anarchist's Cookbook. The Dunwich Horror: People do not like Deep Ones! The Haunter of the Dark: It's always too bright here, and too dry. The Horror at Red Hook: Aquaria's fellow Deep Ones typically regard her as apostate and traitor. The Shadow Over Innsmouth: Aquaria and Atlanteans have a special beef with each other. Abilities: 10 + 14 + 10 + 0 + 6 + 14 = 54PP Strength: 28/20 (+9/+5) Dexterity: 24 (+7) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 24 (+7) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +11 Attack: +4 Base, +8 Melee, +12 Natural Weapons Grapple: +15/+17/+20 Defense: +12 (+6 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -8/-4 Saving Throws: 3 + 1 + 5 = 9PP Toughness: +12/+8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection, +4 Armor [5 Impervious]) Fortitude: +8 (+5 Con, +3) Reflex: +8 (+7 Dex, +1) Will: +8 (+3 Wis, +5) Skills: 106R = 24PP Acrobatics 8 (+15) Bluff 4 (+11) Climb 5 (+10) Diplomacy 14 (+21) Gather Information 4 (+11) Handle Animal 9 (+16) Intimidate 11 (+18) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 5 (+5) Knowledge (Theology and Philosophy) 10 (+10) Languages 2 (Atlantean, English, Base: Lemurian) Notice 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Stealth 8 (+15) Survival 2 (+5) Feats: 23PP Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Attack Specialization (Natural Weapons) 2 Dodge Focus 6 Environmental Adaptation (Underwater) Evasion Improved Initiative Luck 3 Move-By Action Prone Fighting Ritualist Takedown Attack Ultimate Save [Will] Powers: 48 + 27 + 41 + 2 = 118PP Container 9.4 (Deep One Physiology, Extra: Duration [Permanent], PF: Innate) [48PP] Additional Limb 1 (tongue) [1PP] Comprehend 2 (Animals [speak/Understand], Flaw: Limited [Sea Life]) [2PP] Damage 3 (Power Feats: Mighty, Variable Descriptor 1 [bludgeoning/piercing/slashing]]) [5PP] Immunity 3 (environmental cold, drowning, pressure) [3PP] Immunity 5 (grapples; Flaw: Limited [Half-Effect]) [3PP] Leaping 1 (x2) [1PP] Feature 5 (Deep One) [5PP] Movement Array 2 (4PP, Alternate Powers 2) [6PP] BE: Enhanced Leaping 1 (to Leaping 2 (x5) + Enhanced Speed 1 (to Speed 2 (25MPH/250FPM) + Enhanced Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling 2) {1+1+2/=4/4} AP: Swimming 4 (to Swimming 5 [50MPH/500FPM]) AP: Enhanced Super-Strength 2 (to 3, Effective STR 35, Heavy Load 1.5 tons) Protection 3 [3PP] Speed 1 (10MPH/100FPM) [1PP] Super-Senses 12 (Darkvision, Radius Sight, Detect Magic 3 [auditory], Hearing [Extended], Sonar [Accurate Ultrasonic Hearing], Scent [Acute], Tremorsense) [12PP] Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling 1) [2PP] Super-Strength 1 (Effective STR 25, Heavy Load 700 lbs) [2PP] Swimming 1 (2.5MPH/25FPM) [1PP] 1 + 2 + 5 + 3 + 3 + 1 + 5 + 6 + 3 + 1 + 12 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 47PP Device 8 (Hydra's Trident, 40 points; Flaws: Easy to Lose, PFs: Indestructible, Restricted 1 [Deep Ones], Subtle [collapsible]) [27PP] Immunity 1 (Own Powers, Extra: Affects Others) [2DP] The Stars Are Right! Array 14 (28 points; PFs: Alternate Power 4) [32PP] BE: Damage 12 (The Golden Sign; Extra: Area [General, Burst], PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Indirect 2) {28/28} AP: Move Object 12 (The Grip of the Mother; Extra: Area [General, Burst], Flaw: Range [Touch], PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Indirect 2) {28/28} AP: Nullify 12 (The Father's Power; all magic, Extra: Area [General, Burst], Flaw: Range [Touch], PFs: Indirect 2) {26/28} AP: Teleport 5 (The Mother's Coils; 100 ft/5 miles, Extras: Accurate [+1], Portal [+2]) {25/28} AP: Trip 12 (The Father's Ocean; Extra: Area [General, Cone], Knockback, Flaw: Range [Touch], PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Trip, Indirect 2) {27/28} Strike 3 (trident strike; PFs: Accurate 2, Extended Reach 1, Mighty) [6DP] 2+32+6 = 40/40 Device 10 (50PP, Spectrum Knight Armor, Flaw: Hard to Lose, PFs: Restricted 1 [Immunity (suffocation underwater)] [41PP] Communication 4 (1 mile, radio) [4PP] Enhanced Feat 1 (Luck) [1DP] Enhanced STR 8 (to STR 28/+9) [8DP] Enhanced Strike 0 (PFs: Extended Reach 1, Variable Descriptor 1 [any electromagnetic]) [2DP] Feature 5 [Buys Off Drawbacks]) [5DP] Flight 5 (250 MPH/2500FPM) [10DP] Immunity 5 (disease, environmental heat, poison, radiation, suffocation [full]) [5DP] Impervious TOU 5 [5DP] Protection 4 [4DP] Space Travel 1 (interplanetary) [2DP] Super-Senses 4 (Radar) [4DP] 4 + 1 + 8 + 2 + 5 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 50/50 Morph 1 ('Aquaria', +10 Disguise) [2PP] Drawbacks: -5PP Vulnerability (dessication attacks [heat, dryness, etc], common, moderate) [3PP] Vulnerability (visual dazzles, uncommon, moderate) [2PP] Totals: Abilities (54) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (24) + Feats (23) + Powers (118) - Drawbacks (5) = 243/245 Power Points 

Leviathan's Lair The depths of Great Bay, Freedom City, New Jersey Saturday February 10, 2018 Up on the surface of the waves of Great Bay, the winds still whipped the cold that had gripped the East Coast across the water toward Freedom City. But deep beneath the waves’ surface, the waters were not much colder than they normally were. Along the rocky floor of Great Bay, nestled amongst the kelp and seaweed beds that rouse up dozens of feet, lay the undersea lair that Dr. Tristan Delacroix had created to be his lair as Leviathan. It was there that the good doctor was currently located. After encountering the Deep One Aquaria (also known as the superhero Sea Devil) a few months ago, a number of different things had seemed to come up and prevent him from showing the Deep One his headquarters. But finally they had been able to find a day that fit both their schedules, so now Aquaira and her roommate Jessie White would soon be arriving.

Okay - @Thevshi, @Blarghy, @Electra What should we do before the Atlanteans show up - if anything?

GM Atlantic Ocean April 9th, 3:00 pm Over the weekend three ships had been attacked. The sailors had reported giant snake like creatures that had emerged up out of the dark and struck. The sailors had expected to be eaten or for the ships to be sunk. Instead the serpents had plucked cargo containers off the ships and tossed them into the deep. Koa had seen the news reports and decided he’d look into it. He’d seen sea serpents before and, maybe Atlantic ones acted differently, but that wasn’t how they behaved. After class he jogged on down to the waterfront and dove in. If I keep near the ships coming in and out maybe I can catch these weird sea serpents in the act.

GM April 1st, 2018, 12.01 AM In the ruins of Tharask, Lemurian City of Hope, the Night Sea of Sub-Terra Tharask had been empty for centuries long before the Great Cataclysm destroyed Lemuria and her human twin. But in its highest tower, in the heart of the Drowned Citadel, the voices of serpents resounded. The robes glimmered in the emerald light of the torches, a light reflected dully in the golden eyes of the procession being described around the bloodied circle. Thin, hissing voices rose and fell in song as scaled arms tipped by claws brandished wreathes of bone and weapons of obsidian glass. As the serpent people sang, the light of the torches changed, first to a healthy, ruddy orange, then deeper and deeper into a sickly, nauseating red. The golden eyes were eclipsed as slitted pupils expanded to draw in more light, the sibilant voices grew louder and faster, a savage tempo building as the eldritch forces at work began to work their will on the world. Suddenly, with a blinding flash and a peal like thunder, the thin fabric of the world was torn away, flinging a being from another world into the circle! <"It works, it works!"> they cried jubilantly, dancing with glee as their leader, resplendent in a crown and robes adorned with sea dragon fangs, swept into view of the new arrival. He pointed a staff topped with a gilded skull at them. <"Demon of the void,"> he began, before pausing, eyes squinting dubiously. Something was...strange about this demon. They were more human-looking than most, for starters. <"What infernal realm do you hail from, creature? As thine summoner, I do command thee to answer, and answer only with the truth as it pertains to the spirit of my question!"> -------------------------------------------------------------------- Aquaria had made a stunning discovery during the transfer of Deep One relics to the Freedom City museum. A stone tablet imbued with protective power held an intricate map carved long before the stone was enchanted. It showed the way to an ancient city built as a refuge by the Serpents in the early days of their forgotten empire. Tharask had been a glimmering pearlescent jewel in the crown of the Serpent Empire, a place where song and art were the greatest skills that could be cultivated, shimmering spires reached to the cavern roof and its artificial Sun shone day and night, spreading heat and life eternal. Then the War had swept into Sub-Terra and by Atlantean magic the false Sun seared the city until was bleached bone white, all life burned from its streets and towers. The walls of the cavern had broken, letting in the surrounding underworld sea to cover everything in icy darkness. But the wonders remained and the legends grew. More importantly Tharask was directly(relatively, Sub-Terra made such things hard to pin down) beneath the waters of the Great Bay. So here she was, floating in a giant flooded cave surrounded by the spear-head tips of pallid, crumbling buildings that smelled like death. With the unmistakable lights and sounds of a Serpent ritual drawing her closer to reptilian shadows and hissing voices.

OOC thread for this thread. Jessica Witchblood, Sea Devil and Mag-Might deal with some snakey folks. @Avenger Assembled @Crimson Beguiler

GM When Tristan Delacroix first disappeared, the initial reaction at the party was simply bewilderment. No one panicked, thanks to the lack of apparent trauma. Even after the young doctor failed to pop up from beneath the outdoor table, his family and coworkers weren't sure what to make of it. But soon Alexander called the police, and then a few of his friends in local government to ensure that law enforcement was properly motivated. AEGIS quickly took an interest too; jurisdictional protocols kept them from claiming the case for themselves without more evidence of superhuman involvement, but they nonetheless dispatched Agent Thornton, who only just closed her last case involving a Delacroix abduction. And Thornton, smart enough to use all the assets at her disposal, put out a broadcast on the International Air Distress frequency for Miracle Girl. That hero's contribution, sadly, came down to looking around the estate and confirming that, yep, the little dude was gone. She didn't find any cackling villains lurking in the bushes, or ultraviolet ransom notes waiting for her eyes only; theories abounded among the regular investigators, but evidence did not. Casey might need some help with this one. * * * Calls were made, the media took note, and by the time that dawn lit Delvin's upper roof--a house so frivolously large that it looked like a posh, poorly-located shopping mall, because no private residence had any business being this big--his stone driveway was full of police cruisers and black SUVs with government plates. News vans lined the nearest public road. Tristan wasn't quite so well-known as the older two brothers, but he'd still draw in viewers, and if he didn't, then reporters could still find something worth their time here. They hovered just beyond the police barricades, hungry but patient. This was Freedom City, and sooner or later, heroes were bound to show up.

December 9, 2017 Freedom City Maritime Museum The Waterfront Alexa Xieng's homework had taken her to the Freedom City Maritime Museum, a small private museum that discussed the history of Freedom City's shipping industry. There was actually quite a bit of history to see here, much of it going far beyond the age of heroes that had begun in the late 1930s. In her walkthrough so far she'd passed everything from a birchbark canoe like those used by the Lenape Indians who'd once lived all up and down the New Jersey coast to the cunningly hand-crafted model of one of the Nantucket whalers that had docked at Freedom's ports from the late 18th century on. The museum's tour guide, an older man with a white-streaked beard and a merchant marine cap, was obviously much more eager to talk about this part of Freedom's history than the "new wing." "Don't get me wrong," said "Captain Craig" a little awkwardly as he glanced into the newly constructed wing of the museum, its metal-walled rooms a sharp contrast to the rebuilt Victorian brick that made up most of the rest of the museum - which had once been a shipping baron's house, a century or so before Alexa's birth. "We certainly support Freedom City's hero population - but there isn't much to say about their maritime history. We discuss the Deep One invasion and the Atlantean one last year, of course," he went on as the two of them crossed the central foyer of the museum to the "hero wing", "but you can find that on your local websites. But don't let the curator hear me say that," he added with a wink. "We do have some fine artifacts preserved," he added, "all of them donated to us by the Freedom League. Behind Captain Craig, peering through the doors of the new wing, Alexa could make out the newer exhibits the man was speaking about - the Deep One invasion of 2011 being one of the main centers of attraction. In fact, a nearly intact Deep One suit of battle armor was in a glass case at the center of the room - but a half-dozen seeming-'tourists' were in the process of opening the case! The half-dozen men, all of them in Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts that clashed oddly with the chilly weather outside, were intent on their work - and hadn't noticed them yet.

The OOC. What do you want to do?

January 2018 Freedom City Great Bay Aquaria was alone tonight, resting on the shores of Great Bay as she looked up at the silent stars overhead. It was a holy night, a night of great alignments and portents - a night that in old days would have meant a hunt for a pod of dolphins or perhaps a great whale, and then a great feast to follow among all of the tribe. Given the time of year and her age, she'd have probably killed a beast herself, bathed in its guts beneath the light of the Moon, and fed scraps to the healthiest of her children. But instead she was alone tonight, several days swimming or more from the nearest Deep Ones, with the promise of her rubber and plastic bed at home when the morning came. She had a special mission tonight, a mission that required solitude. The alignments of this day would give power to all who sang the Names of the Gods Below or the creatures who dwelt in Sea of Stars - a power that on the Surface was usually taken by madmen and cultists, twisted creatures whose plans to summon avatars of Dagon and Hydra would only bring pain and suffering to gods and creatures alike. The blasphemers would take the names of the gods and use them in vain, and do nothing but bring contempt to every being like her. She was waiting in this sacred spot on the beach, a spot sanctified during the Archevil invasion before she'd even set foot on Freedom City's shores, for Surfacer cultists to arrive. If one did come, she had big plans, oh yes. Her armor was stored safely beneath her on the beach, cunningly buried beneath the sand - she squatted on her haunches before a fire she'd kindled, the light reflected in her great dark eyes, and began to sing in a bellowing, resonate bass, just loud enough that any creature on the beach would be sure to hear her.

GM Norris Atoll Lonely Point, Freedom City New Jersey Wednesday, February 1st, 2017 5:17 PM Norris Atoll was a pseudo atoll formed by the three islands South of the Lonely point Naval Base. Far from an island resort like Bermuda, the islands were just as desolate as the mainland. Which made the territory an easy concession when the United States agreed to a formal concession of land for an Atlantean Embassy on the Atlantic. King Theseus reached out to the architect behind the construction of the Freedom Aquarium who oversaw the construction of the structure. Essentially it was designed a self-contained deep sea resort, using the Aquarium's iceberg like design in which a majority of the property was actually beneath the surface. Visitors would be allowed to stay for as long as they so choose as long as a security concern does not arise. Allowing for the education of Atlantean culture in a way far removed from the offensive Atlantis Casino. The Ocean Factory at the bottom was closed off from surface world access. Only subcontractors and official delegates would be allowed access with a residence designed for use for any Atlanteans that would choose to use the facility. The fact that Atlantean hostilities with the surface (and the location being so near a surface world military installation) made it unlikely that anyone other than the Atlantean Ambassador would choose to actually use it. News outlets approached the entrance on a cargo ship. The grand unveiling was to be broadcast throughout the country. Including from within a Waterfront Russian bar where two heroines were currently enjoying a meal. Or the much quieter apartment belonging to Jessie White and Aquaria Innsmouth. William Cline, or Thoughtspeed as he was currently dressed, had a much closer look of the festivities. Having been personally invited by Princess Thaelia, as the only one of her friends not currently out of the city. With the possible exception of Elias, who she could never keep track of. Thoughtspeed found himself sitting in a room, with a view of the approaching vessel, accompanied by the Atlantean royal family minus King Theseus himself. An armed escort posted throughout, perhaps too armed for a guided tour.

Initiative time! @Blarghy - here you go Sea Devil: 9 Naia: 25 Ikatere: 14

Here you go, @Blarghy! Can you give me a Notice check and a Search check?

82 Eridani System Thursday, September 28, 2016 Cavalier flew along side Sea Devil through the inky void, taking in the unfamiliar sights. There was an index full of the various planets, moons, and asteroids of the system, but he had never actually seen them with his eyes. Still, Mentor had recommended this as a nice peaceful system for a trial run. And surveillance. Mentor hadn't been so direct in calling it surveillance. But when Cavalier had asked why he was being asked to take Sea Devil on a ridealong - especially when she hadn't gotten off on good terms with the young Deep One, and her time in space had been far from a walk in the park - Mentor had relented and given him the full scope. "The individuals who tampered with our armor to make the Spectrum Knight design were powerful, intelligent, and given to deception. Although we have examined the altered armor in detail and found no obvious tampering, we know from our own designs that the armor can adapt under proper circumstances. It may be best to see if Ms. Innsmouth has managed to develop new... hidden talents in use of the armor. Talents that were hidden just so they could be... discovered at the right time." A full analysis would be too invasive; however, if Cavalier rode along, Mentor could analyze the code of the Spectrum Knight armor to see if there were any nasty surprises lying in wait. Of course, convincing Sea Devil to go along all on her lonesome might be tricky. Hence why Cavalier had been given dispensation to hire the Voidrunners, with whom Sea Devil had a somewhat better relationship. And hence why he'd had the request approved to let Sea Devil bring along Jessie, who'd also been dragged about half the galaxy alongside her. And hence why he felt like the fifth wheel on this whole trip. But he was the one in charge, so he had to make sure he was everyone's fun uncle rather than their drill sergeant dad. "How do you like the sights?" he asked Sea Devil. "Anything catching your eye?"

Wednesday, July 27, 2016 3:30 PM It was another hot summer in Freedom. The heat seemed to stretch on for endless days, wrapped in the general mugginess of New Jersey. Normally, that moisture wasn't a problem for Eliza Oxum - it helped when you could manipulate a cool mist out of a thick haze - but today, her attention wasn't quite on manipulating the weather to her personal comfort. There were other matters at play. As she sipped at her iced coffee and watched the world go by on the streets, she thought back to last night's conversation with Sharl. He was planning to pursue opportunities in Emerald City, out on the West Coast. The commute would be nothing, really, to somebody who could essentially e-mail himself across country... but it still meant he'd be devoting plenty of time to elsewhere. He would be back, of course, and could be back easily. But it was... this was one of those frustrating parts of being a superhero. Having a long-distance relationship that wasn't really long-distance. It was in that weird interstitial zone of coming back together easily, but knowing how far apart you were the rest of the time. This wasn't the first time it had happened, and she knew the territory. But it was still a hell of a thing to unknot. The faint smell of smoke roused her from her distractions, as did the shouts of people. She got up from her table and ran down the block. She could see the source of the hubbub soon enough. An apartment building - five stories, it appeared - was on fire, smoke pouring out the windows and flames licking off the roof. Eliza ducked into the nearest alley she could find, willing water from the camelback and pulling her coat out from her duffel bag. The good thing about this city was, there was always some distraction waiting right around the corner.

CN: Date: Late July, 2016 Location: The Beach, Port Regal The Atlantic might be colder than the sea that Leilani had grown up loving, but the waves held a familiar rhythm and even if the sand was darker, the beach more rocky, working it with Kimo held a certain strange familiarity. It wasn't home - not quite - but it wasn't utterly foreign either. Which, perhaps, made it an appropriate place for a not-quite impromptu celebration of sorts. At least, with having begun to shift her things out of the League headquarters and into the Dutemps building, Leilani had accepted and acknowledged that while her powers remained concerning, they weren't actually out of her control. Her good-natured nephew (Leilani couldn't call him her great-nephew still with a straight face) had been all for an evening of surfing and beach barbecue, not to mention meeting more of the super-hero community and the off-hand invitation had been extended towards the rest of those calling the castle home. Leilani had traded her life-guard swimsuit for an off duty alternate. With a sarong knotted around her waist, she set about setting up the wood with the intent of setting up a proper bon-fire, pausing to wave over the guests she recognized when they arrived. "Kimo, watch yourself, yeah? Gonna put up some bumpers," she paused in her building of the small wood tower to gesture, mounding up the sand and rock to form larger banks to provide at least a little bit of visual privacy from the rest of the stretch of the beach. "Remind me to put that back afterwards." Leilani added in a mutter as she returned her attention to stacking wood.

Saturday April 23, 2016 9AM "This is Franklin Martinez at Waterplace Park in Providence, Rhode Island..." From behind the newscaster came the deafening chorus of voices raised in song - a bellowing, eerie song that could come from no human throats. He moved aside, letting the camera see the thousands of green and white-bodied creatures occupying the park, squatting in the river and the streets, hopping and singing their songs even as more came out of the water behind him. Deep Ones! Some were naked and weaponless, looking like the giant frog-fish humanoids they were, others wore black armor that looked like wrought iron and carried long, lethal-looking tridents. "Beginning early this morning, the Deep Ones began emerging from the Woonasquatucket River and occupying the heart of the city! So far the police and military have established a perimeter to keep back the invaders, but with their numbers increasing - " Suddenly, the Deep One nearest the newscaster (some thirty feet away, and behind barricades) leaped over and licked him, slapping him across the cheek with an arm-length green, bumpy tongue. The man shouted in surprise and staggered, nearly falling down, but kept his feet. He looked up at the camera, obviously rattled, and began to speak. "I, uh..." He wavered for a moment, then suddenly began stripping off his shirt. "Te veo a Jesús ! ¡Te veo!" he declared, his eyes wide and staring, a moment before the camera cut off entirely, returning to the news broadcast about the Deep One invasion of Providence, Rhode Island. At Aquaria and Jessie's apartment, Aquaria rose from her bacon-wrapped kippers and croaked, her voice warbling with the hiss that spoke of holding back a shout, "Jesssie, we need to go. We need to go there right now."

Summer 2016 The third time Aquaria pressed the button, it was just to hear the water flush. Surfacer voiding places were fascinating - even if the automatic ones were startling. When she was finally done, she padded out to soak herself in the sinks. She was a few floors down from her apartment, having gone exploring in a section of the building largely unused at this late hour. As the door shut behind her, she stepped out, and suddenly sniffed the air. Her crest went up, her nostrils flared, her eyes looked in every corner of the room. She found her quarry in an instant, clinging to the ceiling between the painfully bright electric lights. It was just what she would have done, and no wonder. When the tattooed, greenskinned female dropped to the floor on all fours, her eyes bulging, crest standing up straight, Aquaria sensed what she was faster than any Surfacer with their so-limited eyes and nose could have. "I am not the Grue," croaked the other Aquaria, in a voice that was familiar but alien all at once - Aquaria had heard herself in caves often enough, but to hear her words coming from another mouth was strange indeed. "I know what you are," croaked Aquaria. On all fours herself, she was aggressive, throat bulging, advancing on the other Aquaria until she was in the corner. "I know about the other world - the Surfacers who hurt Jessie." Aquaria was now showing teeth - sharp, serrated incisors that could tear out a dolphin's heart. She had heard the stories Jessie had told. "The warriors of this pod will be here for you soon." She didn't bellow, not yet - not when confronted with a fellow Deep One. "Soon - but they will be busy long enough. I came to tell you that your pet is safe - for now. The pale one has other interests - and the Inquisitor other entertainments. The other two and their forces cannot breach our fortress." The other Aquaria cast her eyes upward - not a submissive gesture, but a diplomatic one. "I know you care for her - and fear the wolves that would devour her." Aquaria set all four of her feet and glared at her counterpart, trying to pick out where they were different. She could see very little - a few more scales, a few less tattoos, but they might have been hatched from the same egg. "You crossed between the worlds to tell me that Jessie is safe. I am not addled, void-drinking reflection. I know what your world is. Why are you here?" "We are stronger than the walls between worlds, sister," croaked the other Aquaria, tilting her head to study her counterpart in return. "And the shadow-witch who so fears entropy left a crack open in her terror to seal off the end of things. But the songs of Dagon and Hydra echo across what the Surfacers call the multiverse. You are a softer reflection - but we are not so different. You have your pet; I have mine - you have your mission, I have mine." "She is not a pet. She is my sister," croaked Aquaria, a confession she would hardly ever have made in front of Jessie, for whom that word meant something different. "How could you have a mission on that world? They are foul things - I would have died slowly in a cage had I come there." The other Aquaria did something that made Aquaria's pale belly flush crimson - she quoted a holy text. "The blood of the Surface is the way to the future. When I proved myself to them, I joined their ranks as their Sea Devil. I gather the blood they spill - and when the stars are right, it will open the doors of the Deep to them. The Inquisitor knows," said the other Aquaria, her mouth falling open in a laugh. "But she finds me...entertaining." "Those are great spells - but I am no shaman. What did you do?" croaked Aquaria suspiciously. "I prayed in the name of Dagon and Hydra. I do their work - and carry their power." It explained everything - but surely it couldn't! "You're lying!" croaked Aquaria insistently. "Dagon and Hydra would never give power in a monstrous Surfacer pawn!" "Oh water-bearer!" The other Aquaria gave a deep laugh. "You please them, you know. You keep their faith even here - even if you leave it to others to feed them. But never fear. You will learn better soon. When the stars are right-" Aquaria dived for her, then, limbs and tongue, but the other Deep One vanished in an eyeblink, her spell broken when her double approached so close. Tarva found Aquaria in the bathroom - the phantom intruders in the upper floors having been banished by her spells, and the real intrusion found below. Shaking with her own suppressed terror, she studied the Deep One for a moment before making herself visible - she'd grown to like the other female, with whom she'd spoken at length about religion, especially the crawling chaos which surrounded all existence. "Aquaria, was someone here?" she demanded. "Was it one of your people?" Aquaria looked up and rose to a bipedal position. "Yes. I need to talk to you...."

December 2015 Voidrunner When the big barracuda-like ship didn't follow them, Aquaria croaked in noisy relief before settling down into her seat. As she did so, she realized just how much her relief was mixed by fear. Despite impossible odds and impossible distances, things had come through for Sea Devil and Singularity, for Aquaria and Jessie. It wouldn't be long now before they were back in the Solar System - a concept she only hazily understood but that she knew meant they were close to Earth, and close to a return to the home she and Jessie had been trying to get back to for weeks. Close to trouble. She was acutely aware, twitching in her seat, of all that had happened - of how her pride had sent them to the stars, of how her anger had gotten that Surfacer killed, and of how all the stars of space had seemed to be against them on their journey. She knew, too, that her life in Freedom City was not her own - she was a symbol of the fear and loathing that Surfacers had for her kind, and a criminal to boot. With all that she'd done, what would happen when she returned? Blackstone again? Perhaps Atlantean custody? Or maybe just exile - a banishment to the waters off Freedom's coast where she was an outcast among all who lived beneath the waves. Turning to her still night-catatonic friend, Aquaria took a long breath and released it as a deep, almost subsonic, bellow. Jessie would be home in the world of her birth, surrounded by her people, away from the world that Aquaria had thrust her into. That was what mattered. Through the blood of sacrifice, I gain power, she thought, closing her big goggle eyes. Through the blood of sacrifice, we are free. Up front, the dinky little Terran comet belt station had just hailed the Voidrunner.

Okay, here we are.

High Earth Orbit The Lighthouse March 8, 2016 Amara Val-Ren slowed her velocity considerably as she drew close to the blue and green planet that was the third from this system's star. The young Naram, known to many throughout the galaxy as Paradigm of the Praetorians, had been to this system before, but this was the closest she had been to Terra, the world so famous (or infamous depending on who you asked) among a number of the major spacefaring civilizations of this era. Soon she was going to have an even closer look at the planet, but first certain protocols had to be followed. Amara's right arm was wrapped around her teammate, Moon-Moth, as she flew them both through the void of space. The pair had arrived in the system a short time ago, by way of the wormhole that now connected it to other parts of the galaxy. They had made a brief stop at the small space station the Freedom League maintained to monitor the wormhole, to arrange for their arrival at the group's main headquarters in orbit around Terra. It was this large station that the two Praetorians were now drawing near. The reason for their visit to Terra was to interview two natives of the world regarding the time they had spent among the Spectrum Knights in that group's original headquarters. The interview had been arranged with the assistance of the Star Knights, which had a representative both in the Praetorians and the Freedom League. The Freedom League would be overseeing the interview at a facility they maintained on the surface of Terra. Amara fully understood the need for having the Freedom League as an intermediary in this, given the misunderstandings that had taken place when the two Terrans had been discovered among the Spectrum Knights when a joint Praetorian/Star Knight task force had managed to assault the Spectrum Knight headquarters, a task force Amara had led. Slowing even further as they neared the Lighthouse, Amara guided herself and Moon-Moth over toward the airlock they had been instructed to use.

March 1, 2016 "Do you do non-humans?" The voice on the shop's phone was like none Rae had heard before - a booming croak that nonetheless was clearly speaking words. "For tattoos." - Outside, Aquaria was largely concealed beneath a gigantic hoodie and sweatpants, ducked low behind Jessie as she spoke into the latter's phone (a replacement they'd gotten upon their return to Terra), just a few doors down from the place that did inking - the tattoo parlor in English. They'd looked the place up on Jessie's computer, but if there was anything they'd learned from their trip to space, you couldn't be too careful! It was late in Riverside, the streets beginning to darken as late afternoon began to shed into evening, and the streets mostly empty in the wake of the hard rain that afternoon. Which made it perfect.

Here you go.