Thevshi

Round One Net Fly: 35 (unharmed, 1 HP) Drones 2: 28 Drones 1: 19 First pair attacks, missing. Second pair attacks, hitting. Need a DC 20 Fort save from Net Fly vs. a Stun attack.

Net Fly is able to blast a hole just large enough to fit through.

Okay Vahn, look at my last post for Net Fly He notes that there is an electrical current coursing over the bars blocking his way from taking the stairway further up. He also hears some sort of mechanical sounds coming from either end of the hallway, but cannot see anything due to the smoke. Net Fly can act first.

Velocity was quiet a brief moment, a moment far, far longer for her as she considered how best to answer Hronos’ questions. "Well, you have likely never heard of Collapse because he has not yet been born in our timeline, if he even will be." She began. "But I have not encountered him, or anyone direction associated with him, though from what I have been told, he may not have any associates. Apparently, he is quite insane." The speedster continued. "I do not have any means of contacting this group in the future that is trying to stop him, and they have not been too willing to share more than some basic information, but what I was told when I first encountered them is that their theory on Collapse is that the more timelines he exists in, the stronger he is in each. Their objective is to prevent his existence in as many timelines as possible, in the hope of weakening him in others. The Stopwatch, or the one that we have already encountered, was apparently designed to try to help bring about his existence in this timeline, and in other timelines where it has appeared."

Happy Birthday Thunder King and ChrisClark13!!

Giang smiled slightly at the excitement in Thaelia's voice as the Atlantean teen asked about the Lost World. "It was a truly amazing place, in its own way." The Asian teen began. "A vast prehistoric jungle teeming with dinosaurs and other animals now extinct on Earth. The dinosaurs were quite impressive to behold. In addition to humans living in small villages throughout the jungle, there was a small territory controlled by a remnant of the Roman Empire, founded by descendants of Roman settlers who were transported to the Lost World centuries ago. There was also a city founded by Incans who were trapped there as well. We were able to visit all of these places, and help them when tribes of Serpent People controlling an army of dinosaurs tried to destroy them all." Now that the two teens had slowed down and were drifting through the currents around the deep water reef, more and more fish were starting to come back out from hiding and were swimming around the area once more. Giang turned to watch the fish as well, doing her best to keep her movements slow and calm, so as not to startle them once again.

Taking a bit of time to study the members of the family as he moved to sit among them, Nick was able to pick up some traces of some form of magical energy on many of them. There was a group of them, Vince, Jessica, Frank, Mary and Martin III, who were completely clean, with no trace of anything out of the ordinary, magicalwise. But Paul, Catherine, Stephan, Martin II, Gretchen, Leonard and Jonathan all had faint traces of something, as if they had been somehow marked decades ago. And Sergio, he showed the same traces, only his were stronger, more pronounced, almost as if he had been marked more than once. Sergio gave a faint smile at Nick's comment about the reaction he received from some of the more skeptical members of the family. "Mr. Cimitiere, if Jonathan or I had any reason to suspect you might be a charlatan, you would not be here now. Some of the family may be unwilling to accept that their doom is fast approaching, but we know better, and have little time to waste with anyone that does not have the ability to offer the possibility of helping us." He paused a moment, then continued, "now as for the story of our family curse, the root runs back into the past, four hundred and eighty years to be exact. At that time, the D'Ascenzos were a wealthy family of the minor nobility in the province of Venezia in Italy. They were prosperous and powerful, with many in the family holding prominent positions within the province. One such member was Lazzaro D'Ascenzo, who was the magistrate of the province. Though Lazzaro, his sons and other members of the family owned a good deal of land in the area, there were other very rich portions of land owned by others. When many of those other families refused to sell their land to Lazzaro and his relatives, he decided to obtain their lands by other means. Lazzaro used his position to have thirteen members of those other families condemned for heresy. This charge led to their lands being confiscated by the church, much of it being gifted to the D'Ascenzos for their role in reveling the alleged heresy." Sergio paused a moment, a slight look of shame seeming to appear on his face as he recounted this dark chapter of his family’s history. "As if those actions were not enough, there was more to follow. As members of the D'Ascenzos helped oversee the removal of the surviving members of the other families from the confiscated lands, one of Lazzaro's sons, Emilio, spied a beautiful maiden among the dispossessed. She was the daughter of one of the men condemned to death by Lazzaro. Emilio was as of yet unmarried and desired this woman to be his, so he had some of the soldiers involved in the removal of the families to go and arrest her in order to take her back to the D'Ascenzo villa so he could make her his wife." "When Emilio went back to the family villa to make the maiden his, it was June 1st, 1533. When he went to her, he came upon a scene completely different than what he had been expecting. The girl had slit her wrists and was bleeding out on the floor of the bedroom. As he appeared, she looked up at him, and with her last breath cursed him and his family for the crimes they had committed. Somehow, this girl’s words found power, and a blight fell upon the D'Ascenzo family that night. Over the next thirteen hours, a member of the family died from mysterious circumstances each hour, including Lazzaro himself. Emilio himself lived, but was changed by what had happened." "But despite the tragedy, the D'Ascenzo family went on, and even Emilio eventually married another and had children. But, forty years after that series of unusual deaths, another thirteen members of the D'Ascenzos died over another thirteen hour period, again on June 1st. That began a marked decline in the family, their position of power beginning to erode, as tales of some curse afflicting them began to spread. Their wealth began to vanish as well, and it was not long before the family was a shadow of what it once was." "But even with this decline in wealth and power, the family sought to endure, with the curse continuing to work its vengeance every forty years, killing thirteen family members seemingly at random. None of the bloodline of Lazzaro were spared, the old, the vibrant, even the newborn, all have died from the curse on June 1st over the centuries. In the early part of the Nineteenth Century, around 1844, three brothers of what was left of the D'Ascenzos decided to try and find a new start and hopefully a means of escaping the curse, so they left Italy and moved to the United States." "With an abundance of drive and determination to see the family live on, they soon made themselves quite successful lives here, marring and string families, hoping they had left the curse behind. When June 1st, 1853 arrived, there were only two deaths of members of the American branch of the family, leading those here to feel they might have indeed escaped the curse. Of course, the Italian branch of the family was still suffering greatly under the curse, and it continued to wither away. The American D'Ascenzos continued to build on their successes and soon had built large fortunes." "But, in 1893, with the number of D'Ascenzos in Italy having dwindled so, the American branch came to realize that they had not left eh curse behind after all, as over half a dozen of them died on June 1st of that year. And so it continued into the Twentieth Century, with the World Wars in Europe further reducing the bloodline members of the Italian branch of the D'Ascenzos. That brings us to today, the day before June 1st, 2013. The last of the Italian D'Ascenzos died in 1973, and the American branch of the family has withered as well since that year, the last time the curse struck. The thirteen of us you see here are the last of the bloodline of Lazzaro D'Ascenzo. Unless you are able to help us, starting mid-afternoon tomorrow, we will start to die off, one by one, and the D'Ascenzo family will cease to be."

Happy birthday Avalon! (belated that is!)

Okay, covered what little Freddy and Harry were able to uncover on Benito and have moved us to the next day (or later the same morning actually, just daytime).

After making sure Crimson Tiger knew where to meet up again, the group set off in their separate ways to get a few hours sleep (those who needed it anyway) before they would get back on the trail of locating the missing young man and the higher echelon of this new underground fight ring. The plan had been to meet at the Bloodhound agency's offices, which were located in couple story building down in the Fens. Freddy and Harry took advantage of the fact they lived above their offices to make a few calls after they had woken up the next morning to try and come up with other information on Benito while they waited for the ladies to arrive. Freddy had made a few inquiries, but they had not provided any information on the young man, though at least were consistent with what they had learned the other day in talking with people around his neighborhood in the West End, that there seemed to be little to suggest he might have become involved in a gang. Harry had also made some calls, confirming that Benito had no criminal record or any other run-ins with the law. He had also spoken to a few of his seedier contacts, and managed to confirm that, at least as of last week, Benito had been fighting in the underground ring that Hector had been operating.

Viva la revolution? That does not sound good. Megan thought as she took in the scene before her. Luckily this seemed an isolated incident, for the moment, but if she was going to try to help more, she needed to be properly dressed. Disappearing in a blur amid the confusion, the blonde young woman sped back towards where she had let Robert, vibrating her body to allow her to pass through the crowd between her and her destination. Coming to a quick stop as she reached the English aristocrat, Megan handed him back his wallet. "Here, keep a good hold of it." She began, her expression serious. "There was some sort of tear gas attack over near where I caught up with the pickpocket. I think something might be going on here. Please get back to the hotel where you can be safe, I am going to go change and see what I can try to do to help." She gave him a quick kiss before looking deep in his eyes. "Send me a text when you get there." With that, she was off again at top speed, running back to their hotel room and then digging out the suitcase which held her Velocity costume. A moment later, she was changed and then off once more, running back to the site of the gas attack.

Tomorrow I am headed off to San Diego until the 21st. I will have my laptop and be able to get on some, just may not be posting quite as often as normal.

How very average, Tsunami gets a 14 for her dex roll.

GM El Heraldo was right to be concerned about the two launchers. As he strained against the cables holding him, managing to fray them slightly, the launchers once again fired on the patriotic paragon. The first whirling set of steel cables struck dead on, wrapping around El Heraldo tightly, effectively reversing the gains he had made in trying to free himself. But, perhaps more significantly, the electric charge the cables were carrying coursed through the teen, causing his muscles to seize up as his vision blackened slightly as he found himself with tunnel vision and disoriented. The second set of steel cables then struck El Heraldo, but despite being stunned by the electrical charge of the first, the teen somehow managed to twist and avoid being entangled by the cables. However, the electrical charge of the second set of cables still arched through his body, causing him to seize up once more as his tunnel vision began to narrow and everything else became not much more than a blur for a few moments before it all went black and he fell to the ground unconscious.

As discussed in chat, the rules for the Stun power do not seem to have a stunned condition stacked on prior stunned condition lead to knocking the character out. But, I will fiat that effect for El Heraldo, who now has 5 HP, though, adding one for being caught up in Tsunami's complication, that will move him to 6 for moving into the next thread (once everyone else gets captured).

Round Two Launcher 2: 18 Launcher 1: 17 El Heraldo 6 (4 HP, Unharmed; Bound and Helpless) The launchers fire again, getting 27 and 17 respectively. Normally, that 17 would miss, but El Heraldo's defense is reduced by the Helpless condition for failing the last Reflex save by 5. So, need two Reflex saves, and two Fort saves (all DC21).

Meanwhile, Megan had run into a couple of partners from her father's law firm and their spouses out on the clubhouse patio and spent a little while talking with them. The young woman had known both couples pretty much her entire life, and had even briefly dated the son of one couple for part of the summer after her Freshman year at Yale. After moving on to continue mingling, the blonde spotted someone she had not seen in sometime, Jack O'Conner. Jack was about the same age as her older sister Samantha and her parents had been long time supporters of his uncle's mayoral campaigns. Megan could somewhat recall the shock that had followed Jack’s decision to join AEGIS after he had finished high school, though at the time she had not thought much of it, having other things on her mind as she had started high school at North Bay Academy (such as clothes, cheerleading and boys). More recently, she had followed the various financial and scientific news on his new company, Freedom Consolidated (not a particularly difficult task when one could speed read as fast as she could). Shifting direction slightly, she moved to intercept Jack as he made his way through the crowd. "Well, it it isn't one of Freedom City's favored sons." She said in greeting with a dazzling smile. "It is good to see you Jack, it has been awhile."

There was a bit of that already at the start of the thread (off screen), but that should get a little bit of info on him. Unless Thunder or Tiff want to post responses, I can move us forward to the following morning then.

GM "Good evening Mr. al-Misri." The doorman replied with a nod as he opened the door for Amir. Amir was just entering the country club when he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him. "You certainly know how to make an entrance Amir." Turning around, the superhero/CEO saw Donald and Erin Howell approaching, both smiling warmly. Donald was dressed in a dark grey suit with a red tie, while his wife was wearing a flowery, sleeveless summer dress. "Good evening Amir, so very good to see you again." Erin added to her husband’s comment. "I hope you have been well?"

Thanks for the post Cape, meant to do this over the weekend and got sidetracked and forgot. Here is a brief rundown of what is going on/you all have learned: At this point, it is probably a little bit after midnight (so early, early Friday morning (Feb 8)). I cannot recall if Hector mentioned it IC, but in any event, at some point he mentioned (to Harry at least) that the next fight in the higher fight ring was to take place Friday night. Hector provided Harry the address and name of the person he sends top fighters to in order to move up to the next level. Also, as a reminder, Harry, Freddy and Lucy are looking for a fighter, one Benito Diaz, who has gone missing and was involved in at least one of the lower level fighting rings.

Giang listened to her friend as they slowed down, almost gliding over the top of the reef, taking in the stunning sights as well as Thaelia's words. "I have seen jungles in Vietnam and the Lost World, some time I would very much like to see one of those undersea forests." The Asian teen replied as her eyes followed the quick movements of small fish that were swimming among the anemones growing on the reef. She looked back over at Thaelia as the Atlantean mentioned some of the refuse from the surface world that, one way or another, had found its way into the ocean over the millennia. It was regrettable that so much from the surface world would find its way down into the depths to pollute the natural beauty of the undersea world. Though, not all of it was intentional, such as cities that had been swallowed by the sea, or vessels that had been sunk in storms or other accidents. "It is too bad there is so much the surface world has cast off down here. Unfortunately, humans do not always fully consider the potential effects of their actions."

Rav, that is just what I was acknowledging, that I have done a poor job with the start at providing ample opportunities for people to get engaged. If people are willing to continue, I will work to get things moved ahead faster and get to the point where there is stuff for people to be doing.

Giang listened to Thaelia's comments about what she found confusing about the surface world, giving a slight understanding nod. "Unfortunately, the basic needs of survival are often the focus for many living on the surface, preventing them from being able to pursue some higher meaning. Others allow themselves to remain complacent with their situations, even if they might wish for something better." She replied. When the Atlantean teen changed subjects, asking if Giang had ever seen a coral reef up close, the Asian teen shook her head. "No, I have never had the opportunity." The two teens turned away from the path the group of rays was following, and instead descended further into the depths below. The Mediterranean Sea was not known for coral reefs, in part due to cooler water temperatures, but also a result of centuries of damage caused by humans. But, there were still a few areas with such reefs, and in particular deep sea reefs, which were often much more difficult to locate, unless one was able to easily access the depths. Giang and Thaelia swam down a couple thousand feet below the surface, weaving among the somewhat barren rocky outcroppings and valleys. But after a short while, they were able to locate a large deep sea reef that stretched out from a small rocky cliff. While not quite as bright and colorful a tropical coral reef, there was still a considerable amount of biodiversity arrayed before them.

Rav, I can understand the frustration, that is my fault for moving things along so slowly and leaving it a bit too open to start with. There certainly will be things for Jay to do (and everyone else), I just need to move the plot forward more. There is a lot more going on than is immediately apparent. The humanitarian mission, while important IC, was mainly just the plot means of getting the heroes here (and out of Freedom City). AA has dropped a few hints in his previous posts already, but there is more for the PCs to go uncover and look into.

Okay, I have allowed this game to languish for far, far too long. I am still interested in continuing with things (we were just about to get to the real plot of the thread). Are others still interested in continuing? Sorry for not keeping this moving.