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Claremont Academy Friday, December 9 3:42 PM The trees were busy. Lilly was still coming into her connection to the ephemeral to a certain degree. She had the basics down and knew her oak from her holly, but she was still trying to understand so much about spirits. Their language, their politics, their intricacies... it was a lot to take in. But she at least felt she knew something. Like how some tree spirits should be dormant in the winter. But here they were - the oak, the cedar - gathering on the grounds of Claremont and associating with their brethren. And they seemed to be knocking on the trunks of the sleeping trees, trying to get in. --- Lincoln Friday, December 9 6:32 PM It was already dark, but winter did that. It just meant more time to patrol. Unfortunately, while the cold never quite bothered her, nights of balancing crime fighting and finals prep did, which was why Temperance was feeling a bit reluctant to take to the sky this evening. After about 15 minutes on the ice sledge, she realized she'd need something hot and caffeinated if she wanted to avoid the world's most embarrassing - if unique - collision. She set the sledge down outside of a 7-Eleven, somehow managing to find a parking space that had not been claimed by a lawn chair in preparation of the oncoming snow. "Excuse me." Temperance turned to find a man in a green Eisenhower jacket and Smokey hat lurking in the corner. "They say you're the water girl around her," he said. "Well, one of them. They didn't exactly have contact info, but the police said I might be able to find you around here." "I'm one of the ones who deal with water, yes. But if the police sent you to me, I imagine it's a bit... stranger than that." The man extended his hand. "Jack Perkins, National Parks Service," he said. He reached into his jacket, pulling out a folder and handing it to Temperance. "We had a... recent incident, and was wondering you might be able to bring your particular insight to it." Temperance flipped open the folder, only to be hit with a crime scene. An SUV, covered in mud and wet leaves, lay on the edge of a snow-covered shore, a tow cable hitched to the back. The next photo showed the interior of the car, and the body sitting in the front seat. The man was dressed in winter woodsman gear, complete with watchman's cap, and had that particular coloration one might associate with a drowned man. Hell of a way to start the evening. Still, Temperance had to maintain her composure to sell the mystique. She looked to Jack. "These photos are telling me a story, and I'm guessing it's not the obvious one." "The deceased is Thomas Laurent. 29, former lineman working out of Barnegat. We found a chainsaw and pitons in his car - logging equipment. He was in the middle of Wharton." Wharton. A picture was starting to come together in her mind. She knew it was the wrong one, but she didn't know just what she was looking for yet. "So, the theory is, he was engaged in illegal logging, drove out into a snowy glade, parked on a frozen lake, and went through the ice. But I'm guessing there's something wrong with that picture..." Jack nodded. "The car was in park when it was extracted from the lake. But there were tire treads running 200 feet from the shore. And, according to our forensics guys, the tires were not running when the car make its trip. It's as if... something pushed it into the lake." Temperance studied the photos again. She thought she might be seeing things, but the front bumper looked a little loose. "Or dragged it."

GM January 26, 2018, 3:30 pm It wasn't terribly unusual for strange things to happen out in Wharton State Forest. The wildlife made it dangerous enough, though no more dangerous than any other forest, all things considered. Campers and hunters frequented parts of it, so a distinctly human presence made it manageable. Nevertheless, there where times when things just took an unexpected turn--strange sightings, weird noises... and it seemed this was no different. Even from a mile or two away, one could see it: a great black haze covering a considerable portion of the woods like an opaque dome. Trees withered at its edges, and by all accounts, the dome was slowly expanding. The shadowy blight reeked of something ancient and terrible, attracting the attention of at least two interested parties...

GM Sunday, September 8th, 2017 Claremont Academy, Freedom City, New Jersey 2:24 PM School was about to start again. Winter break-slash-holiday break was about to be over. Most students had left the academy during the holidays, gone home to their families scattered all across the globe to celebrate. Lilly King was no different. She had left and headed back to Oregon to celebrate the holidays with her family, keeping up with her new friends through the wonders of social media and instant communications. She’d returned to Claremont late Saturday, to give her a day of time to settle back into the school life. So far, so good. Most people had arrived a bit earlier, or would only arrive sometime between Sunday and Monday. She’d gotten up at a (not very) reasonable time on Sunday, her sleep schedule still in holiday mode. And from there, she went on about her day as usual. Everything was as it normally was, when her phone notified her she’d gotten a message by Jann. Short, as usual. But, normally he got to the point immediately, which was a bit strange. Welcome back. Time to meet? Have things to discuss.

Lilly sat just inside the Administrative Building of the Claremont Academy, anxiety slowly building up as time stretched on with the only distraction being the wi-fi on her phone. The young plant controller had been offered to take part of a mentorship program that the school had been developing for some time. The plan was to pair a student up with another superhero so they could better grasp their powers from someone with more experience. More similar the abilities, the better. It was a coincidence that Freedom City was frequented by Fleur de Joie, a legendary plant controller who had earned a place on the Freedom League and was adored by millions in the country. One could see why Lillian King would be more than a bit nervous. She was not sure if she was suppose to do their first meeting in costume or now. The uncertainty was enough to convince her to stay casual for today. Black jeans, black shirt, leather jacket to keep the cold out and a pair of worn boots just in case she had to do any running. And so, she waited for her arrival.

GM Monday, December 12, 2016 The Doom Room, Claremont Academy, Freedom City 6:25 PM John’s first day at Claremont had been quite interesting. After a run-in with a few people earlier the day, he had already gotten to know quite a few of his fellow students. The rest of the day had gone without any further incidents. His lessons had started later that day, where it was the good old procedure of “how about you introduce yourself”. A few of his acquaintances also shared classes with him, and during the breaks, there was some small-talk. Being the newest student always meant there was some attention on you. People wanted to know what he could do, rumours of his powers had already spread. At some point, Lilly, a classmate and the person that had defused the earlier situation, had, with some effort, convinced John to check out the Doom Room, the school’s training facility. Getting a timeslot wasn’t easy, it required advance booking and lots of people contended for a spot. Fortunately, one of Lilly’s friends had managed to get a timeslot for the evening, and was willing to share and/or give up portions of it to others. The two teens made their way down to the Room, and were now standing in the observation deck, waiting for the current routine to end. Inside, the two could see Jann, fighting what appeared to be a least a dozen of 80s-action-movie-style Ninjas. Skillfully, he weaved from one to the next, dodging and parrying various attacks along the way. Occasionally, he went on the offensive, but he seemed more focused on dodging as many simultaneous attacks at once. The Avian appeared to be unarmed, using only his talons and whatever weapons he took from the Ninjas.

GM Tuesday, November 15th, 2016 Claremont Academy, Bayview, Freedom City 4:25 PM Classes had just ended and most people were now walking back towards their dorms. A few stopped at their lockers first, but many just continued through, not taking advantage of the lockers given to them. Amongst the many students was Lilly King, who had only very recently started at Claremont. She had gotten a basic tour around the academy, yes, but anything beyond the hallways getting the most traffic was still an unknown to her. Today, she felt like exploring. Over the past few days, she had seen a few places that seemed to be removed from the action, with hardly anyone ever there. So, here she was. A small hallway in the basement of the main building. A few lockers were placed in a well-lit hallway, but the single path leading off of it, without a proper source of light, was where Lilly found herself now. She couldn’t quite judge how long the hallway she was in was, but it certainly didn’t stop during the next few dozen steps. Nobody had told her of this place so far, most people seemed to ignore it for one reason or another, yet here she was, slowly making her way down it.

Rosethorn Power Level: 10 (150/156PP) Unspent Power Points: 6 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Lonely goth girl becomes natures champion Theme Song: VNV Nation - Illusion Alternate Identity: Lillian “Lilly” King (Secret) Birthplace: Thornwood, Oregon Base of Operations: Claremont Academy Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy, The Court of Leaves Family: Julia and Adam King (Mother and Father) Description: Age: 16 (DoB: 9th october 2000) Gender: Female Ethnicity:Caucasian Height: 5'5 Weight: 110lbs Eyes: Green Hair: Black Lilly is a slender young woman with long black hair and pale skin. Her fashion sense leans more towards gothic, preferring black dresses, plenty of silver jewelry and any footwear that can add even the slightest boost to her height. In costume Rosethorn wears a dark green and black bodysuit with a red rose printed on the right side, fishnet sleeves and black gloves. A dark red mask helps hide her identity. Power Descriptions: Lilly is imbued with power from a high ranking spirit in the Court of Leaves. She can rapidly grow nearly any form of plant life she can think of from nearly anywhere and guide them into any shape she wills. From pheromone-laced flowers to thorn covered vines and carnivorous plants. She does seem to lack the power to animate or directly control them after growing them though. She has also gained enhanced strength, durability and the power to regenerate wounds thought photosynthesis. History: Lilly grew up in Thornwood, Oregon. A small town who's only notable feature was the incredibly dense forests surrounding it. More interested in fairy tales and stories as a kid rather than playing with others. Daydreaming rather than talking. As she grew older her interests became a bit darker. Horror movies, dark music and occult titbits from the internet became items of an interest and even her fashion tastes began to reflect that. Her parents were not too perturbed, thinking this was just a phase teenagers went through and she was not that rebellious all things considered. Unfortunately such feelings did not transfer over to high school life. Students avoided her at best and bullied her at worst, seeing her as some witch the town always seemed to have rumours about. It often became too much for her and she willingly hid away from people in places where they could not hurt her. Her favorite was clearing in the forest that surrounded the town. It was always a calming, peaceful experience for her and at times her only escape from it all. Things were different one day. She heard voices in the woods, speaking in unison in some language she did not recognize. Against her better judgment, she went in deeper to investigate. There she found a group of women gathered in a circle chanting with a tree-like human in the center. It started to scream for help as its essence was being pulled from its body violently. What was happening was clearly not good, but Lilly was not sure what she could do. But in the end she figured she had to try something. She grabbed a fallen branch, sneaked up behind one of the women and tried to knock her unconscious. It was not enough, but it interrupted the chant and broke whatever spell was being cast. The spirit was free and went on a rampage and the witches were forced to flee for their lives The spirit then stopped and studied Lilly. She was not sure what it was about to do or if rescuing it might have been a mistake until it pointed at her and declared. “You will become our Champion.” She did not have enough time to react before before Lilly found herself engulfing in a giant flower. It was not until late in the evening she emerged changed. She stumbled home to her worried parents, who then had their feelings turn to outright panic when she accidentally grew a tree in the living room while trying to explain what happened. Searching for a way to get Lilly's powers under control, it was not long until they came into contact with the Hero Boosters Club and then the Claremont Academy in Freedom City. Personality & Motivation: The years of social isolation have had an impact on Lilly. She is rather anxious and aloof of others at first, at least until they gain her trust. Then they find out she is a lot more cheerful and pleasant, even if her interests and sense of humor leans more towards the dark and morbid. She is happy to have superpowers, yet she frets that she might do something terrible with them by accident and feels a bit lost about being the champion of some mystical entity. The past few years have left Lilly sick and tired with mistreatment and cruelty in the world. She would rather see the world become a better place and now she can do just that. Powers & Tactics: Rosethorn does not like getting in close and personal with enemies. She prefers to use her plants, spores and pollen's to keep as much distance between her and them as possible. Should anyone manage to break through these powers hoping for a harmless target will be disappointed to find that she is much stronger than she looks and is more than willing to punch anyone close to her with thorn covered fists. Complications: Overgrowth: Rosethorn does not have full control of her powers and the plant life she creates tends to cause unintentional damage. Secret Identity: Lilly tried to keep her identity secret, if only out of privacy. Something Wicked: The Coven is after revenge for Lilly's meddling and covet the power she now possesses. What the hell is that?: Lilly's lacks knowledge about her status in the spirit courts and everything tied into that. Her ignorance could lead to problems. Abilities: 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 2 = 20PP Strength: 30/14 (+10/+2) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +4 Base, +10 Melee Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12/+20 Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 6 + 4 + 8 = 18PP Toughness: +10 (+2 Con, +8 Protection) Fortitude: +8 (+2 Con, +6) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +12 (+4 Wis, +8) Skills: 40R = 10PP Bluff 4 (+5/+9) Craft: Artistic 4 (+5) Diplomacy 4 (+5/+9) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 4 (+5) Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 4 (+5) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Stealth 8 (+10) Feats: 16PP Attack Focus: Melee 6 Attractive Dodge Focus 6 Improved Initiative Luck Power Attack Powers: 4 + 16 + 3 + 24 + 8 + 6 + 2 + 7 = 70PP Concealment 4 (Forest Cloak, All Visual. Flaw: Limited [In Vegetation]) [4PP] Enhanced Strength 16 [16PP] Immunity 3 (Plant Physiology, Critical Hits, Poison) [3PP] Plant Powers Array 10.1 (3 Alternate Powers) [24PP] Base: Paralyze 10 + Damage 0 (Toxic Thorns. Linked, Power Feats: Mighty) [21PP] AP: Snare 10 (Vines and Flytraps. Extras: Area: Shapeable. Flaws: Range (touch) Power Feats: Progression (Area) 1) [1PP] AP: Emotion Control 10 (Pheromones. Extras: Area (Cloud). Flaws: Sense-Dependent (Olfactory)) [1PP] AP: Create Object 8 (Rapid Growth. Power Feats: Innate, Precise, Progression 2. Flaws: Permanent) [1PP] Protection 8 (Lignin Skin) [8PP] Regeneration 10 (Recovery +3, Bruised 1 (1 Round), Injured 3 (1 Minute), Staggered 3 (1 Minute), Power Feats: Regrowth. Flaws: Source (Sunlight)) [6PP] Super Senses 2 (Spirit Awareness. Visual) [2PP] Teleport 7 (200 Miles, Flaws: Medium: Plants) [7PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 25 Toughness Damage (Physical) Toxic thorns Touch DC 20 Will (staged) Damage (Physical) + Slowed/Paralyzed (Toxins) Vines and flytraps Area (Shapeable) DC 20 Reflex (Staged) Entangled/Bound and Helpless Pheromones Area (Cloud) DC 20 Will (Staged) Emotion Control Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (18) + Skills (10) + Feats (16) + Powers (70) = 150/156 Power Points