Spacefurry

Blackstaff cursed mentally. Of course he had to run into the guard that actually did its job. He slowly reaches into his coat and pulls out a card. "Sorry, wallet's a little hard to get to while hanging off a ladder." The card reads: Blackstaff Investigations - Christopher Daye, P.I. with a phone number and address printed under that. "As for rest, I'm not at liberty to reveal my client's identity or details of their case. Professional courtesy and all that." He gave the rock cop..., rop?... Christopher suppressed a chuckle and managed a friendly smile. "I'm sure someone in your position can understand. The people paying don't like being talked about."

Notice check 13

Bluff Check 17

Christopher looked over at Oz then back at the penguin, waiting to see how the creature responded. He had learned to take things in stride and not to judge by first impressions. "So, I take it this is normal for Mister Charlemangne?" He asks with a raised eyebrow and a friendly smile. "Can't say I've seen many avian doormen. It's an honor Mr. Barry" He gives the penguin a polite nod.

Blackstaff pauses in his decent when the rumbling starts. At the gravelly warning he sighed inwardly, but kept a neutral expression outwardly. He decided a half truth was the best approach. "I'm here on business. I've been hired to find a missing individual. I don't plan on being down here any longer then I need to be." He glances down the ladder trying to judge just how much further down to the floor.

Leon was on the verge of a Cheshire cat grin as he followed the professor. "I was right, this does sound like it's gonna be fun, more fun then listening to some has-been. Definitely gonna need more paper." He remembered from the printout map of the school grounds he received in his new student packet that the Doom Room was under the Admin building. Should be plenty of paper he can call on there. Meanwhile, as they crossed the school grounds Leon continued to resist the urge to run ahead.

"Or something." Leon smirked and looked back at Callie and Davyd. "That would also come in hand for having an alibi." He was about to say something else when the Head Mistress rejoined the group. He tried to hear what the older woman whispered to Lulu but couldn't make it out. "Well, we were just starting really. She said something about checking out the gym first." He shrugged as if unconcerned.

It had been a couple nights already and the deadline was almost up. A few simple mistakes had nearly messed up the bracelet he was working on before he even got started, but he caught them with Morrowind’s help, the phantom librarian’s attention to details proving as useful as always. She had helped earlier when Christopher was trying to determine what to feed the mythical Egyptian bird, Ba as he was calling it now, currently nesting in the corner of his living space. Putting together the temporary charm was going easier than he had hoped. Luckily, he had everything he needed on hand. The hardest thing was finding someone who could get a possibly non-humanoid out of town and all the way across the country. With multiple clans looking for the ‘researcher’ it didn’t leave many avenues open to him. But a days of back alley meetings had gotten him a name and number. Someone who knows someone. Christopher now sat at the bench in his workshop. The phone on speaker laying beside several clear quartz beads, the Lemurian key and a small focus as his fingers carefully twisted fibers and metal treads together. “Are you sure about this guy?” He asked the voice on the other end. “Your man can get my client out of the city and all the way to Jersey? No questions asked?” “Of course, of course. As long as the payment is right, he’s your wheelman.” The voice replied with all the charisma of a used car dealer. The was the sound of another phone in the background and the voice paused before continuing. “Ah, look, I got another call. I’ll send a runner with the contact info tomorrow.” The call ended and Christopher gave the phone a thoughtful look. With a few final twists he added the final bead, closed the spell-work and set the bracelet work aside and went downstairs to grab a beer. The trinket was finished but Christopher still had another meeting in the morning. A meeting with someone he hoped could answer a question or two. Someone from below claiming to know something about the death of one Yatin Basu. ++++++ The next morning, Blackstaff was dressed for business as he entered a darkly lit mom and pop dining house near the riverfront. At the back table, under a blacked bulb sat a clearly uncomfortable looking man. Even with the glamor he seemed ‘off’, it must not have cost him much. Walking up to the table Blackstaff pulled the chair across from the informant out and sat down with out a word. The man shifted nervously and glanced around as he liked his lips. “You weren’t followed were ya?” the man asked hastily. “No.” Blackstaff replied calmly. “And you came alone, of course.” “Of course.” The man said with a snort. “I’d be in enough trouble if anyone I knew saw me talking to ya. I ain’t ‘bout to cause that trouble for meself, is I?" “You told my secretary you had information.” “Ya, and word out was you was willin’ ta pay for that information.” The man squinted at Blackstaff. “Cause I ain’t sayin’ nuffin till I’m sure you can back that up.” It was a fair point as the buyer. Blackstaff slowly reached into his long coat and withdrew a small wooden box. Setting it on the table he pushes it forward. The man reached out and opened the wooden lid. Inside, a delicate looking white cloth laid folded. Licking his lips, the man carefully lifted the corner. A sudden, bright shard of light escapes the folded cloth, bathing the darkened table in its warmth. The man quickly covered it up and closed the box. “It’s the real deal.” “Of course. The first rays of dawn, captured on the spring equinox. Not easy to get, but worth it.” The man nodded and waved over a sever to order drinks. “Well then, let me tell you…” What followed was series of tales and theories, some secondhand stories and hearsay. Blackstaff dismissed most of it even as it spilled out between drinks. But a few kernels of insight presented themselves. The lack of a body and the missing work strongly pointed to a bigger picture and possible shadowy dealings. It lent credence to Advay’s concerns that they were after his work. But more importantly to Blackstaff, it made him call into question the ‘murder’ itself. Sometime and several twenties later he exited the dining house, leaving the man with his box of sunlight and a few more drinks prepaid for. Heading back to his office he turned over the information in his mind as he drove. Tomorrow he would venture into Sub-Terra himself to finally meet his client, and perhaps a few more questions would give him a clearer picture. Though ultimately his primary objective was to see Advay out of the city and to safety, then maybe, he could do a little more digging. ++++++ It could have been day or night, but underground it didn’t matter. Blackstaff stood at one of the many entrances to the Undercity, and deeper beyond, the depths of the Sub-Terra. In one hand he held the focus delivered with the letter, which with a small effort of will brought it to life to show him the way. His other hand was tucked into his coat pocket with a flashlight if he needed it. With a determined stride the wizard strode forward towards his meeting and the mysteries surrounding it.

"That depends." Christopher gave a wry smile. "If you need someone to follow your spouse because you think they're cheating on you. No. But, if you can't find your favorite pet and your kid tells you it's because something in his closet snatched it up. Then, yes, I practice the craft." He chuckled for a moment before noticing the door start to flicker. "Guess we shou-" But he cut off as the door opened on its own. Of all the things he expected to see, a penguin had not even been on the list. "Hmm." Christopher glance at Oz, then back at the penguin. "Ah, we're here to see Mister Charlemagne." He addressed the flightless bird.

Okay. Bracelet is for the client since they’re the one being looked for. For smuggling and safe house, Streetwise 18 Not quite, that’ll cost me later. ? And what the heck, I’ll burn a HP for the murder leads. Sound good to you?

Son-of-a... I just realized I don't have Diplomacy. I know I had picked it originally because I took Connected, but somewhere in the process of tweaks and corrections it removed it without thinking about. ? Well, I know where my first 2 points are going. Least I can still make the bracelet. Arcane Lore 16 Craft 23 I had almost asked to take 10 on both, but decided to try my luck. Would Knowledge, Streetwise and/or Gather Info give me a chance to know who I can go to if I wanted to get someone out of the city? Or maybe a friend of a friend of a friend kind of lead?

Sorry for the delay. You probably saw me in the Discord trying to get help with this. ? Dok suggested the crunch and it seemed the best for what I was trying for. His thought is that the best way to help get the 'researcher' out of harm's way is to hide him and slip him out of the city. That said, first he'll try to make a temporary magical item using Artificer. It won't make him invisible, but should hopefully keep magical folks from magically finding him. A simple looking bracelet, it seems to be made of various threads (including hemp, cotton, hair, and several metallic threads) woven together, 10 semi-clear quartz beads are spaced evenly through the weaving. Extra threading on the ends are used to tie it closed and activate the effect. Concealment 10 (all senses; Flaws: Limited [only vs magical ESP effects], Passive) [5PP] Design check = Knowledge (Arcane Lore) vs DC 15 5 hours design time. Construction check = Craft (Artistic) vs DC 15 20 hours construction time. The second thing I was thinking about was a Connected check, to try to secured passage for Advay out of the city. He'll also try to find a safe house for him in Freedom City, being the other side of the country Blackstaff would suggest it. That should be a Diplomacy check, right? With you setting the DC. Finally, he'll try to make another Connected check, to attempt to find out more information about the apparent death of the naga, Yatin, and Advay, himself. If you want to nix anything, or have any questions, just let me know. I can make the rolls once you're ready.

Christopher stood before the door intruding on the barn wall. With him stood an older man he didn’t know. Glancing away from the door, he looked the gentleman over and gave him a nod in greeting. “A friend of Mister Charlemagne’s?” Christopher asks as he extends a hand and introduces himself, palming a business card into the gentleman's hand as he does so. “Christopher Daye.” The card reads: Blackstaff Investigations - Christopher Daye, P.I. A phone number and address are printed under that. He glances back at the door. “I take it you received an invitation as well.”

Jennifer Gale / Chimera To Do List... HellQ 20Q Origin

Leon Moore / Paper To Do List... HellQ 20Q Origin

Christopher Daye / Blackstaff Blackstaff Investigations To Do List... HellQ 20Q Origin

Being new to the forum, it can be a bit difficult finding somewhere to join in. So I’m just gonna put my neck out there and say, if anyone is looking for some extra bodies I would be happy to join in. I have Leon/Paper (PL8/10), a new Claremont student. Jennifer/Chimera (PL7), a college student who has yet to make her first appearance. And Christopher/Blackstaff (PL10), paranatural/private investigator operating out of Emerald City.

Leon grinned back and chuckled. Shaking his head as she went on again about turning over a new leaf and all that. Leon was about b.s. on Benny's claim when Danica spoke up. "Slow powers? That's a thing?" He thought with some disbelief, but after a moment shrugged to himself. "Why not." This caught his attention and Leon sat up straighter. "Now this sounds like it could be fun." An even wider grin on his face as he nearly hopped out of his chair, popcorn discarded. Making a beeline towards the classroom door he wished he had more paper with him. In the hall with this arms crossed, Leon tried to reign in his grin. He tried to look serious, but unconcerned as he waited for Prof. al-Salaf to tell them what was happening. A tapping heel though, might give away his excitement.

Fixed the typo. Added Stunning Attack to the block. And really I just had 2 skill points extra and thought the profession fit with her college focus.

Leon sat back and watched as a few more students wondered in, including a girl on a Segway. When Danica took the front of the classroom and started to address the gathering Leon paused, a handful of popcorn halfway to his mouth. At the mention of ethics, and ‘abusing’ powers he rolled his eyes and continued to eat. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the technical difficulties the teacher seemed to be having. When a black, no green… really dark green, haired boy entered Leon chuckled again at his outfit. With the video chat working finally, Leon couldn’t help but think this might be an entertaining night after all given the banter. He was polite and kept quite as Ms. Cline spoke. Leon couldn't resist and raised a hand. “Ya, I have one. Why’d you give up? Why’d you let them cow-tail you? Sounds like you were making bank.”

Fixed Flat-fotted. Fixed Grapple (completely forgot it) and checking the math shouldn't it be +7/+14? Fixed Math (forgot to edit it after the last changes in powers I made). That's fine for the Regen. I look at it as a stepping stone towards her evolution. ?

Chimera Power Level: 10 (152/159PP) Unspent Power Points: 7pp Trade-Offs: None In Brief: College student with techno-organic symbiote Catchphrase: *** Theme: *** Alternate Identity: Jennifer Gale (Secret) Birthplace: Organics: Augusta, Georgia / Cybernetics: unknown alien origin Residence: FCU Dorms, North End, Freedom City Base of Operations: *** Occupation: College Student, Forensic Sciences Affiliations: none Family: Mother and Father Description: Age: 25 (DoB: April 1, 1998) Apparent Age: 25 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5’ 6” Weight: 115lb Eyes: Black Hair: Black Description: Lean and athletic, Jennifer enjoys running and does so almost daily. A little on the short side, she has a runner’s build of lean muscle. She wears her hair kept short and hardly bothers with make-up, beyond lip gloss and occasionally nail polish if pushed to go out with friends. Being a college student, her wardrobe usually consists of thrift store shirts and jeans, but she has a favored coat she received from her mother as a birthday gift. She wears glasses of thin metal frames, but the lens are only for show. History: Jennifer comes from a completely mundane family. As far as she knows, no one in her family has done anything noteworthy. Until starting college she still lived with her parents; her mother Susan Gale, is an accountant for a small firm, and her father, is a construction foreman for a small, local company. Jennifer was a prominent member of her high school track and field team, earning a handful of trophies and awards. The year prior to the last Terminus Invasion, Jennifer had just graduated from high school and was enjoying the brief freedom before starting college. She had driven up to High Point State Park for a weekend alone. In the early morning she was enjoying a jog along one of its many trails, oblivious to the two falling stars streaking above that changed courses sharply. By the time she heard the sounds of the incoming alien fighters over her earbuds it was too late. The force of first impact knocked her from her feet and a fraction of a second later the second impact flung her into a tree. The pain was almost unbearable as she tried to drag herself up using the tree as support. Something on one of the ships exploded and showered her with shrapnel, leaving dozens of cuts and a ringing in her ears. Jennifer collapsed to her knees and her vision swam. As her hearing began to clear, she heard shouting and sounds of struggle. Feeling around she was thankful she found her glasses, though one of the lenses was missing. What she saw was two creatures of inhuman nature locked in physical combat. One of the creatures spotted her and shoved the other aside to rush towards her. It yelled something Jennifer couldn’t understand and the second took the opportunity to fire some kind of weapon at the first. The shot tore through the rushing alien, splattering Jennifer in a silvery-gray ooze. Wounded, alien fell before reaching her and the shooter closed on it, pointing the weapon at the fallen combatant. The alien on the ground rolled on to its back, seemed to snarl something at the shooter. The shooter replied shortly before noticing the wounded alien was touched something on its arm. The second alien turned away quickly, as if to run, when the explosion erupted. The wave of force and heat drove Jennifer off her feet and tumbling again. When she finally regained consciousness on the forest floor, she was in dazed and in pain. Pulling herself to her feet she leaned against a tree and looked out over the crater left behind by the explosion. Small bit of metal caught the light here and there, but all Jennifer wanted was to get away from the site. Somehow, she managed to stagger her way back to her car. She couldn’t imagine how she actually made her way back to the hotel she was staying at, but when she finally woke up enough to take in her surroundings, she was in the small hotel bed. Her clothes were torn and bloodied as she stripped them off and entered the shower. Washing off the dried blood and dirt she was shocked not to find and marks on her skin. With only the remnants of her clothes Jennifer began to think she had simply tripped and hit her head while running. That the entire ordeal had simply been a delusion brought on by head trauma and counted herself lucky she seemed to be okay now. It wasn’t until she had returned home, and her mother had asked where her glasses were that Jennifer realized she hadn’t needed them since the hotel room. She made an excuse and went to her room to wonder what had happen. In the following year Jennifer started college classes and nothing else out of the ordinary happened…, until the Termius arrived. The heroes of the city defeated invaders, and all seemed well…, until… Something during the Terminus Invasion triggered the dormant techno-organic organism sleeping inside, and it awakened. In the time since then Jennifer has discovered the symbiote and learned the she could control it. Sure, it scared the ever-loving hell out of her, but after an acceptable amount of freaking out she finally came to terms with it and accepted that this was the new status quo. What Jennifer didn’t realize, was that when she was first infected with the active organism, she was seriously injured and the symbiote healed her. The symbiote was small then though, and it took all of its energy to heal her causing it to go dormant until reawakened. And to this day, Jennifer doesn’t know who the aliens where or what they were doing. Was the one that rushed her trying to harm her? Or was it trying to protect her from the other alien? She’ll never know. After finally coming to terms with her new dual life as a college student and hero. Jennifer has had several opportunities to work alongside a few established heroes, and a few other beginners. She tries to learn with every encounter, but she understands she still has a lot to learn. Personality & Motivation: Jennifer is a smart, energetic college student and she loves being active. She has s friendly and outgoing personality and can usually make friends easy enough. She attends Freedom City University to study Forensic Pathology, with the desire to join the city’s police department. Jennifer wants to help people and has decided that maybe she can use her newfound abilities to do that, like that heroes that protected her and the other citizens not just during the invasion, but every day. Power Descriptions: The techno-organic symbiote has a silvery-gray metallic appearance and seems to grow out of Jennifer’s flesh, returning when not needed. When active, it can react with incredible speed, growing protective tendrils around her and increasing her physical abilities to inhuman levels. (Not unlike unlike the Witchblade) Complications: Remove foil before microwaving: (Power Loss) Strong electromagnetic fields can interfere with the symbiote, and in turn cause Jennifer to be unable to use it until she can escape the effect. Keep a leash on it: The symbiote is a semi-sentient organism, it has been known to act on its own survival instincts. The GM can award a Hero Point if these involuntary actions causes a severe breach of etiquette or otherwise makes others uncomfortable, which could result in a penalty to (or automatically failing) certain interaction skill checks. Have you seen my phone?: The symbiote’s instincts for survival can extend to feeling the need to fortify itself. This can result in it ‘eating’ electronics and metals it comes in contact with for extended times to add to its material resources. Acting on its instincts it makes no differentiation as to the source of these materials: friend, foe, or other. The GM can award a Hero Point if this results in a severe complication for Jennifer or a companion due to missing items of importance or mechanical failure. Unknown Quantity: Chimera absorbed a large quantity of ‘cursed gold’. While the long term implications are yet unknown, this has given her the occasional sensitivity so powerful emotional outburst and magic. Power Level: 8 Tradeoffs: None Power Points: 120/120 Unspent Power Points: 0 ABILITIES 2 + 4 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 4 = 24PP Strength: 12/26 (+1/+8) Dexterity: 14/18 (+2/+4) Constitution: 14/16 (+3) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) COMBAT 12 +12 = 24PP Initiative: +3 (+3 Dex) Attack: +10 melee (+6 Base, +4 Attack Focus [melee]) Defense: +10 (+6 Base, Dodge Focus 4), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +9/+20 (+10 Melee Attack, +8 Strength, +2 Super-Strength) Knockback Resistance: -1/-3 SAVING THROWS 7 + 6 + 7 = 20PP Toughness: +10 (+3 Con, +7 Protection) Fortitude: +10 (+3 Con, +5PP) Reflex: +10 (+4 Dex, +6PP) Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +7PP) SKILLS 76R = 19PP Acrobatics 6 (+10) Computers 7 (+10) Concentration 3 (+5) Drive 1 (+5) Investigate 7 (+10) Knowledge, Life Sciences 9 (+12) Knowledge, Physical Sciences 9 (+12) Knowledge, Pop-culture 2 (+5) Knowledge, Technology 7 (+10) Medicine 10 (+12) Notice 8 (+10) Search 7 (+10) FEATS 15PP Attack Focus [melee] 4 Dodge Focus 4 Evasion 1 Improved Grapple Luck 3 Quick Change Weapon Bind POWERS 24 + 5 + 21 = 50PP Combat Array 11 (22PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [24PP] (Nanobots, Symbiote, Techno-Organic) BP: Damage 10 [22PP] (Range: 5 10-ft increments, 50’’ max; Feats: Accurate 3; Extras: Range; Drawback: Reduced Range 1 AP: [14+5=19/22PP] Enhanced Strength 14 [14PP] Super-Strength 2 (+10 Str for carry capacity and +2 Str for sustained activity; Feat: Bracing) [5PP] AP: Stun 10 [20/22PP] (Electricity) Movement Array 2 (4PP Array; Feat: Alternate Power 1) [5PP] (Nanobots, Symbiote, Techno-Organic) BP: [3+1=4/4PP] Speed 3 (500 ft/rd, 50mph ground speed) [3PP] Quickness 1 (x2, Extra: Linked [to Speed]) [1PP] AP: Flight 2 (250 ft/rd, 25mph flight speed, Drawback: Power Loss 1 [Wings]) [3PP] Physical Container 4.2 [21PP] (Nanobots, Symbiote, Techno-Organic) Enhanced Constitution 2 [2PP] Enhanced Dexterity 4 [4PP] Protection 7 [7PP] Regeneration 8 (Recovery Bonus +2, Bruised 2 [standard action], Injured 2 [5 minutes], Ability 1 [5 hours], Disabled 1 [5 hours]) [8PP] ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Damage Touch DC25 Tou (staged) Damage (Physical) Stun Touch DC25 Fort (staged) Stun (Electrical) TOTALS Abilities (24) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (20) + Skills (19) + Feats (15) + Powers (50) - Drawbacks (0) = 152/159 Power Points

“Ah, hi?” Leon said, looking down at the preschooler now invading his personal space. Leon blinked and looked around to make sure no one was watching. Grabbing a couple of napkins, he shaped them into a paper bowl and scooped up some of the popcorn into it. With a quick glance around he handed the now popcorn laden bow to the child in hopes it would leave him alone. “Here.” Grabbing a cup of Kool-aid he made a second napkin bowl of popcorn for himself. As he moved away from the snack table, he noticed another student had entered. He wasn’t sure what it was about the kid that seemed off, maybe it was the bowtie. Who wore a bowtie nowadays?

Several days prior: He had been seeing the posters since he arrived. The student body was talking about it in huddles in the hall. Prom. It was just supposed to be a little bit of fun, no real harm was being done. Too bad the teacher that caught him changing the posters didn’t think it was funny. He had been made to change them all back and then told he had to attend some after class get together. For character building. Prom night: Leon slipped quietly from his room, he could hear other students in their rooms and down the halls. He gave a snort and shoved his hands into his pockets. Slipping down the hall he stepped out into the courtyard. He could see a few students already heading across the yard, the Doom Room their destination. Leon though was heading instead towards the classrooms. Finding the designated room was easy enough and he stood in front of it for a minute before sighing and grabbing the door handle. “Wow, this guy is way too happy.” Leon thought as he gave Professor al-Salaf a short wave in greeting. “Hi.” Without saying anything else yet he walked over to table of snacks and helped himself to some of the popcorn as an excuse to not say anything else.

Blackstaff Investigations is up and running for business, and so by extension is Blackstaff himself.