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Miss A, Wail, Glow, and Citizen deal with a legacy from the recent past and the very distant future.

August 10th, 2011 Lincoln 12:11 AM Freedom City was a prosperous burg, a shining city of progress and opportunity. In recent history, the cleaning up of the Fens was often touted as an example of how things were getting better. But for the citizens living in Lincoln, time might have decided to stand still. This was very evident late one night (so late it's early in the morning, as the joke went) on a corner deep in the neighborhood. The building was a glass-walled box that had changed hands between various entrepreneurs; at the moment it was a Qwik-'n'-Buy. Something things always stayed the same, like the high school kid manning the counter at such a late hour -- and the four other teenagers with big guns, wearing ski masks. The two with shotguns (one pump, one sawed-off double-barrel) were keeping the cashier covered while he emptied the register; the pair with pistols (one revolver, one Walther PPK knock-off) were ransacking the shop, showing a distinct preference for TV dinners and alcohol.

The OOC for this thread. The thugs are using the builds for generic, well, thugs from the core book; two of them have Shotguns instead of pistols.

For all its wonders, Freedom City could be a dangerous place and it was a sad fact that the metropolis was home to more than its fair share of orphaned children. Fitting for a city known for rebirth from the ashes and undying resolution, many of those orphans had grown to become wealthy industrialists, expose-writing journalists, well known photographers and so on. Their legacy meant that Freedom boasted one of the best developed and funded social services programs in the nation. Even so, there never seemed to be quite enough beds, food or cheer to go around, particularly during the holiday season. Keith LaMarr had first become aware of the Santa's Super Helpers charity through his friend Reverend Stone of Lincoln's Church of the Eternal Rock of Justice. The concept was elegant in its simplicity: local superheroes volunteered to dress up in the traditional red and white suit of the jolly elf and spend the day with underprivileged youths at Millennium Mall, bringing some cheer in their own right and drawing much needed attention to the cause at the same time. Jingling bells next to a hanging pot taken to the logical extreme - at least logical by Freedom's standards. Certain bylaws unfortunately made it prohibitively difficult to have heroes participate in their secret identities, so those who's true names were public knowledge were typically approached. It was thus that the earsplitting educator known as Wail stepped into the bustling shopping center from the temporary changing area with a fluffy brimmed hat atop his bald head and bright red across his broad chest, stroking his grey streaked beard through a black glove that matched his boots and wide, gold-buckled belt, looking at though he could shake considerably more than a bowlful of jelly with his super-dense footfalls. The other two heroes in attendance were no less eye catching. The presence of Amir Al-Misri, the high-profile billionaire playboy turned superhero, assured a substantial media presence. His reputation as an irresponsible fop and dilettante would have raised LaMarr's eyebrow more if not for the good things he'd heard about the man as Asad, the energy absorbing metahuman. Neither of them was much comeptition for sheer visual impact next to Louis Ross, the popular cartoonist who's transformation into one of his one, massive, four-armed creations was almost too fantastical to believe. Wail knew he'd seen stranger things than the genial artist's demonic appearance in his decades of experience, but he was hard pressed to name more than a few off hand.

Wail, Asad and Pyre dress up as Santa for charity! And then: DOOM!

Eve Kurosawa seemed to never stop working. When she wasn't doing her duty as Jade Dragon, she was attending socials for the family business. The latter was happening tonight. February was American Heart Month and Kurosawa Inudtries was holding a fundraiser for the American Heart Asociation with all the procedes going to the Association. Mostly it was for rich people to mingle and show who had the biggest pocketbook. There was fine food, entertainment was provided by a political comedian, and of course check presentations. Eve had a few invitations for guests of her own, the few friends she had were either already invited or, well, people that wouldn't get accepted on the guest list. High society was bitchy like that sometimes. One friend she wanted to keep in touch was is Keith LaMarr, better known as Wail.Even though he was old enough to work in her grandfather's time, she saw him as personable old guy. She would ask him for advice, like a mentor. Though they never really called each other mentor or student. She approached him a week earlier and asked him if he wanted to go. If so they would have to get him a suit.

Wander had no idea why she was patrolling tonight. It was way too hot for anyone to be committing any sort of crime. Even up on the rooftops where there was a bit of a breeze, she was about to melt into a puddle inside the very sturdy, very long-sleeved and long-pantsed new uniform Frank had made her. She definitely preferred winter patrols. Normally she wouldn't have been out at all on a night like tonight, but with the city still unsettled from the latest world-shaking threat, who knew what could be going down? Not to mention the fact that Trevor was sleeping and every goddamned time she closed her eyes she was back on EZO1 and that wasn't where she liked to spend her evenings. Even Freedom City in the melting summer heat was better. Late in the evening she found herself down near Lincoln, not her usual territory, but a place where she'd spent some time. She'd patrolled every neighborhood in the city during her training, just to get familiar with them. There seemed to be something interesting going on here, at least. A lot more guys than usual wearing a lot more clothes than seemed necessary on a night like this were walking furtively down the streets, heading towards what looked like some old factory. Her nose caught the scent of smoke on the air, and dimly against the sky she could see puffs coming from the big old brick chimney. Curious, she began to draw closer.

Wail's making just a regular Intimidate check to start off with. Intimidate check. (1d20+15=25)

May 22, 2011 9 AM Lincoln The Church of the Eternal Rock of Justice is the oldest traditionally black church in Freedom City. The congregation dates back to the 1850s when the first large black communities began in the city, while the building itself is a magnificent Romanesque cathedral rebuilt and refurbished in the 1920s thanks to lavish donations from a wealthy parishioner turned beauty shop tycoon. Chester Brown, the Bluesman, once sang in the choir here, at least before he decided to take his magnificent vocal talents, and his fists, to juke joints rather than choir. (The acoustics are still magnificent.) Back in the 1960s, 'the Rock' was a centerpiece of Freedom City's civil rights movement: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke here in 1966, back when today's senior pastor Reverend Thaddeus Q. Stone was just another fervent young believer in the crowd. Now in his mid-60s, Stone is famous for rejecting the support of larger religious organizations who make their financial aid dependent on adopting regressive social politics he and his congregants reject: the Rock, as it has so often in the past, stands for integrity and compassion. Numbers of parishoners are falling these days, as they are in most churches, but it remains a centerpiece of Freedom City's community. Parishioners are running out the door; screaming. "There are dragons in the church! There are dragons in the church!" And sure enough, if one looked past the frightened older woman clinging to the rail as she heads down and away, inside the sanctuary is a scene from a science fiction film: six gigantic reptilians, each as tall as a man with a tail whipping behind them as long as they were tall, paced the hallways as those parishioners who hadn't been able to run cowered in their seats or slipped away where they hoped the new arrivals couldn't find them. Today was children's choir! Standing behind his podium, secure in his faith (if not, if he was honest, his ability to live through the next few minutes,) the Reverend Stone faced down fearlessly the largest of the beasts as it stalked down the aisle towards him. No, not a beast... On closer inspection, all the new arrivals were wearing harnesses and carrying gear, their clawed hands working with an unnatural dexterity. And so it was that as the lizard-thing approached him, the Reverend asked, "How can I help you, Brother?" The thing hissed a reply in English that sounded inside the Reverend's head, its foul breath like rotten meat blasting in his face. "<Monkeys! Where are your leaders!>"

Player Name: GizmoCharacter Name: WailPower Level: 15 (250/250 PP) [258]Trade-Offs: -5 Attack / +5 DamageUnspent PP: 0 Theme: The Man by Sons of SlumIn Brief: Veteran hero from the late 1970s and 80s with super-dense muscle tissue granting strength, durability and a powerful sonic wail, come out of retirement to continue the good fight.Alternate Identities: Keith LaMarrIdentity: PublicBirthplace: Freedom CityOccupation: High School Civics TeacherAffiliations: 1-800-JUSTICEFamily: None Description: Age: 60 (DoB: December, 1954) Gender: Male Ethnicity: African-American Height: 6'6" Weight: 1175 lbs (235 x 5) Eyes: Brown Hair: Black, Streaks of Grey Keith LaMarr is an imposing mountain of muscle, the weathering of the decades only enhancing the effect. His clean-shaven head is contrasted by a a beard of dense, curly hair on his square jaw, marked by two streaks of grey. He tends to favour darker, utilitarian clothing, typically with a slightly dated cut. As Wail, his outfit reflects a respect for tradition far more than any attempt to conceal his identity. Dark jeans are fasted with a broad, metal belt over a black sleeveless top adorned with a long, yellow 'W'. Each wrist is covered by a matching black and yellow bracer, while round sunglasses add to an already impassive visage. History: Born in Freedom City's Lincoln neighbourhood in the mid-1950s, Keith LaMarr was not afforded many advantages in life. The son of a factory worker, LaMarr was taught from an early age that anything in life worth having was worth working and fighting for. Run-ins with local gangs as a youth sharpened his wits and fighting skills, but he refused to join up, convinced that the promise of easy money and power was a sucker's bet. That sense of integrity would cost him dearly when, in 1972, a jilted gang carried out a drive-by shooting of LaMarr's home. His mother was killed immediately, while his father survived long enough to be rushed to hospital where, thanks to a shoddy investigation, LaMarr was arrested at his bedside on suspicion of belonging to a rival gang. Vincent LaMarr succumbed to his injuries while his son was sentenced to prison time on fabricated drug charges. LaMarr was involved in an increasing number of altercations with other inmates and guards during his imprisonment at South River State Penitentiary, developing a reputation for a short temper and willingness to attack opponents more than twice the stringy young man's size. Several months into his sentence, he joined an experiment conducted by Dr. Burton Noah, an AEGIS scientist, in exchange for early parole. An attempt to induce muscle growth through a combination of chemical treatments and precise sonic frequencies, sabotage by a vengeful guard resulted in LaMarr's skeletal and muscle structure becoming super-dense. Besides increased strength, durability and endurance, the most notable effect was phenomenally enhanced lung muscles enabling a devastating sonic wail! Escaping from South River, LaMarr almost immediately ran into an altercation between the villain Bronze and the police. The convict's timely intervention not only subdued the superpowered criminal but also save a school bus full of elementary school students. Combined with his willing surrender to the authorities, this was enough to have LaMarr's case reopened, revealing a number of irregularities which were enough to have him permanently released. Taking the moniker Wail based on a comment made by a grateful grade schooler, LaMarr initially set up shop as a metahuman bodyguard after encountering difficulty finding work despite his cleared record. It was through this that he met Yelena Vostok, a Ukrainian mercenary who had received a cybernetic arm after an early mishap with her teleportation powers, and Javed Randeep, a Indian-American polyglot who's amazing skills extended to translating human body language, making him a formidable martial artist. The trio eventually joined together to form an agency that solved unusual problems while serving any worthy cause as 1-800-JUSTICE. Upon hearing Yelena refer to her teleporting ability as 'jumping', Javed, in a fit of the playful wit that would make him the team's heart, adopted the code name Jive. The hired heroes handled everything from gang violence to mystic robots to international incidents throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, skirting the anti-cape laws introduced by Mayor Franklin Moore. Over the years, LaMarr developed romantic feelings for Javed, though he was reluctant to admit to them. By the 1990s, 1-800-JUSTICE had all but faded into obscurity, but were among the heroes who reappeared to combat the Terminus Invasion. In the heat of battle, Yelena managed to teleport her friends out of harm's way a split second before being vaporized by a massive laser weapon. Devastated, LaMarr and Javed officially retired their heroic identities and settled down to start a new life together. Javed's talents allowed him to support the couple as a high profile translator while LaMarr earned his degree and a position teaching civics at Joseph Clark High School. They lived happily for several years, with infrequent bouts of excitement as Javed foiled an assassination attempt or one of LaMarr's rouges gallery reappeared for a final confrontation. Unfortunately, exposure to Terminus radiation had riddled Javed's body with cancer, and after a long battle he passed away at the age of 55 in 2009. Having buried the love of his life, LaMarr grappled with what to do next. Ultimately the decision was made for him when the Grue invaded Freedom City en masse. Defending his students from a massive creature released by the aliens, he found that his powers had only grown stronger over time. Freedom City still called out for justice, and weary though he was, Keith LaMarr was still the man on the other end of the line. With a new costume and a renewed commitment, Wail is back in action! Personality & Motivation: LaMarr has suffered a great many hardships in his life. These trials have forged an ironclad will stronger even then his superhuman skin, and while a lesser man may have become embittered, he has developed a keen empathy. His sense of integrity demands that he use his experience and abilities to defend those who cannot defend themselves. That isn't to say he is without his rough edges; Javed once commented that there was very little of Keith that was not rough edge. His age and profession have given him a didactic tone and his expectations for both his students and the latest generation of heroes are high indeed. The years have helped to mollify his temper but have not removed it. Dramatically aware of his own mortality, he is determined to continue to make a difference for as long as he is able. Powers & Tactics: With superhuman strength and durability, LaMarr is a powerhouse to be reckoned with, standing shoulder to shoulder with many of the modern day bruisers. His true might, however, comes from his namesake sonic wail, an extraordinary torrent of concussive force that can deafen foes as easily as it sends them flying. This is thanks to the tremendous lung strength and capacity which resulted from his enhanced physiology. Against mundane foes, Wail typically restrains himself to hand to hand combat, but is not afraid to let loose with his full fury should the situation call for it. His super-dense biology also prevents him from floating in water, and gives him a mass several times that of an average person of his already impressive stature. Complications: Age: LaMarr has sit his early sixties, although he's aged remarkably well. Destructive: LaMarr's sonic wail has the potential for massive collateral damage. Enemies: Over the decades LaMarr built up a substantial rogues gallery, some of whom now have younger successors. Lost Love: Javed's death remains a fresh wound for LaMarr. Prejudice: A gay black man born to a low income family, LaMarr is no stranger to unfair treatment. Public Identity: Although he goes by Wail in the field, LaMarr has never maintained a true secret identity. Responsibility: Joseph Clark High School. Temper: The wisdom of age aside, LaMarr does not react well when backed into a corner. Abilities: 12 + 4 + 10 + 2 + 10 + 4 = 42PP Strength: 36/22 (+13/+6) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 20 (+5) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 16 + 16 = 32PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +8 Grapple: +23/+12 Defense: +13 (+8 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -11/-2 Saving Throws: 9 + 5 + 10 = 24PP Toughness: +13/+5 (+5 Con, +5 Protection, +3 Density) (Impervious 6/0) Fortitude: +14 (+5 Con, +9) Reflex: +7 (+2 Dex, +5) Will: +15 (+5 Wis, +10) Skills: 112R = 28PP Gather Information 13 (+15) Intimidate 10/18 (+12/+20) Investigate 14 (+15) Knowledge (Civics) 14 (+15) Knowledge (History) 14 (+15) Knowledge (Streetwise) 14 (+15) Languages 1 (English [Native], Hindi) Medicine 2 (+7) Notice 15 (+20) Sense Motive 15 (+20) Swim 0 -/+6 Feats: 20PP Accurate Attack All-Out Attack Contacts Dodge Focus 5 Endurance Fearless Improved Grab Improved Grapple Improved Initiative Improved Pin Interpose Luck 2 Power Attack Startle Takedown Attack 2 Powers: 18 + 1 + 2 + 10 + 3 + 8 + 6 + 56 = 104PP Density 6 (x5 Mass, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Permanent) [18PP] Enhanced Strength 12 Immovable 2 Protection 3 (Extras: Impervious) Super-Strength 2 Enhanced Feats 1 (Endurance) [1PP] Enhanced Strength 2 (Total +14 with Density, Heavy Load: ~7 tons) [2PP] Immunity 10 (Sonic Effects) [10PP] Leaping 3 (x10, Running Long Jump: 230', Standing Long Jump: 115', High Jump: 57') [3PP] Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 3) [8PP] Regeneration 6 (Bruised 3 [No Action], Injured 3 [1 Minute]) [6PP] Sonic Control 27 (54PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [56PP] (Genetic, Sonic) Base: Damage 18 (Sonic Wail; Extras: Area [Targeted, Line, 5' x 180'], Feats: Knockback 18) [54PP] AP: Damage 13 (Sonic Scream; Extras: Area [General, Cone, 130'], Linked [Stun, +0]) + Stun 9 (Extras: Area [General, Cone], Linked [Damage, +0]) [26 + 27 = 53PP] AP: [12 + 13 + 21 + 2 = 48/54PP] Communication 6 (Sonic Shout; Auditory, 20 miles, Extras: Area) [12PP] Dazzle 13 (Sonic Bellow; Auditory Senses, Extras: Area [General, Cone, 130'], Flaws: Range [Touch]) [13PP] Emotion Control 13 (Fearsome Roar; Extras: Area [General, Burst, 65' radius], Linked [Trip, +0], Flaws: Limited [Fear], Range 2 [Touch]) + Trip 13 (Extras: Area [General, Burst], Linked [Emotion Control, +0], Flaws: Range [Touch], Feats:Improved Trip) [7 + 14 = 21PP] Enhanced Skills 8 (Intimidate 8) [2PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC28 Toughness (Staged) Damage Sonic Wail 180' Line DC33 Toughness (Staged) Damage Sonic Scream 130' Cone DC28 Toughness (Staged) Damage DC19 Fortitude (Staged) Dazed/Stunned/Unconscious Sonic Bellow 130' Cone DC23 Reflex Deafened Fearsome Roar 65' Radius Burst DC23 Will (Staged) Shaken/Frightened/Panicked Contested +13 vs worst of STR/DEX Prone