Thevshi

The snare misses its toughness save, but is only a bit damaged (injured), so El Heraldo is still bound. Go ahead and post IC.

GM Inside a dark control room lit only by a red light, Warden was watching the various monitors before him, observing the teenage "heroes" progress through his trap. Thus far, he was frowning behind his mask. Every one of the teens that had walked into one of his traps, had avoided being captured thus far. But there were still plenty of traps to go. The T-baby girl, Warp, he thought she was called, had teleported away beyond any of his cameras or sensors. But she had inhaled some of the knockout gas, so unless she had a particularly robust constitution, always a possibility when dealing with a T-baby, she was likely unconscious wherever she was. Perhaps most importantly, his main target was still outside the building, safe from any of the traps he had set for her. That was something he would just need to change… El Heraldo ripped up more of the floor to widen the hole he had made so he could fit through. Once done, the patriotic paragon flew down, listening for any sign of his friends. Though somewhat muffled by the walls, he was sure he could hear the sounds of water splashing up against the outside of the building. But as he tried to listen for signs of Warp or Net Fly, he found he could not hear any. But he was quickly distracted by the sounds of something mechanical in the room with him, as what looked like two mounted weapons popped out of compartments in the walls. Each shot some sort of steel cables with weighted ends, similar to bolas, at the teen. One wrapped around his torso, an electrical shock coursing through him as the cables wrapped themselves around him before he could try to fight them, pinning his arms to his body. The second attack flew past, bouncing off the wall.

Round One Launcher 2 18 Launcher 1 17 El Heraldo 6 (4 HP, Unharmed) El Heraldo gets attacked, one hit, one miss. He needs to make a DC 21 Reflex save (vs a Snare) and a DC 21 Fort save (vs a Stun carrier attack)

Okay Ari, will need another initiative roll.

Freddy started off as quick as he dare in the pitch black of the basement, quickly moving away from the sound of the approaching police. Though his sense of smell was not as sensitive as Harry’s, he was still able to pick up the smell of the sewer and soon found his way there. Travelling back towards Harry took a bit of time, and resulted in a few bumps and bruises, but eventually Freddy found his way back out, with a bit of help from Harry. The two private detectives soon met back up with Lucy and Crimson Tiger on a rooftop a short distance from the old industrial building. The police were still busy wrapping up their raid, having caught a good number of the spectators, as well as many of the fighters.

The OOC for thread, for when we need it.

Megan was feeling a bit less interested in the revelry going on around her as she made her way back to where she had left Robert. While keeping an eye out for trouble, her festive mood had been dampened a bit. Besides, she was easily as good looking as the woman in the golden mask, and a better dancer. But when there was the small explosion that sent a thick smoke out over the crowd, her reflexes kicked into high gear. The young blonde was quickly out of the path of the tear gas, avoiding any of its effects. Looking back towards the center of the scene, she saw how most of those in within the cloud of gas had been incapacitated. She took a quick moment to look around for any sign of other trouble, wondering if this was an isolated incident, or if similar things were happening elsewhere. Robert! She thought, suddenly worried about the young Englishman.

Giang looked over to Thaelia with a smile as the Atlantean teen mentioned the possibility that the Asian teen might visit the undersea kingdom more often. "I certainly would not mind having a chance to visit more often, but I am not ready to abandon the world above, despite how difficult my father and his enemies have made things there for me." She then nodded as the other girl mentioned the potential dangers they could encounter in the ocean depths. "Thank you for the reminder of the need for vigilance Thaelia. I am mindful that there could be dangers within the oceans, but one can always become distracted if they are not careful." Giang did not miss the tone in Thaelia's voice that suggested the other teen would welcome a chance to deal with some form of danger. It had certainly become evident during sessions in the Wreck Room at school that the Atlantean enjoyed a good fight. While Giang was certainly a competent combatant, she generally preferred to find alternatives to fighting when she could. However, since coming to Claremont Academy, she had seemed to find herself in a number of situations where she had no other option but to fight.

Megan gets a 27 on her Reflex save, easily avoiding the effects.

Vince smiled slightly at Carmen’s mention of a vintage corset and her faked accent. "Well, for most of my family, speaking Italian would go a lot further than a phone British accent. But the corset might help. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing you in something so form fitting." He replied, winking with the last. "This curse has plagued my family for close to five centuries." Jonathan answered as they drew near to the doorway. "As for its origin, yes, we have a rather good idea on that, though my Uncle Sergio is the one best able to provide answers." The pair entered into large side room arranged with several sofas and chairs, the décor of which continued the overall theme of the main hallway. Gathered inside were a group of eleven men and women, in a range of ages, all of whom were well dressed, though the clothing choices ranged from somewhat informal to business suits. It appeared that there were a number of conversations taking place, ranging from how the journey to Freedom City had been to updates on how business/work was going. When Jonathan cleared his throat loudly, the room fell silent and all eyes turned to regard the pair, particularly studying Nick. "Everyone, may I introduce Nick Cimitiere, the expert I have consulted with to help us with our problem." "Okay, I totally did not expect someone who looked like they were getting ready to head off to a Rob Zombie concert." Came a voice from the doorway Nick and Jonathan had just entered. Glancing in that direction, Nick saw a young man in his mid-twenties, dressed in a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt entering the room. Following not far behind him was a woman who appeared in her late-twenties, dressed in trousers, a white blouse with a jacket and a pair of boots. Jonathan had looked over at well, and had the slightest hint of a frown on his face. "Since you've volunteered…Mr. Cimitiere, may I introduce Vincent D'Ascenzo. He is one of the members of the California branch of the family and a musician of some renown." "Call me Vince." The young man replied, seemingly unfazed by Jonathan's somewhat disapproving look, as he shook Nick’s hand and moved over to stand by one of the sofas and then crossed his arms in front of him. "Continuing with the West Coast branch of the family," Jonathan continued, moving on to the man sitting in the sofa Vince had moved over next to, "this is Paul D'Ascenzo, Vincent's uncle, and the only reason that branch of the family's movie business has not collapsed into ruin." "Greetings." Replied Paul as he stood and shook Nick’s hand as well. He was in his mid to late-forties, and dressed in pair of dark slacks and dress shirt, though he had left the top button undone. "Though I am happy to meet you, let me be the first to say that I do not believe any of this curse nonsence. However, if being here helps put some of my other relative's minds at ease, that I am willing to put up with this inconvenience." Jonathan frowned slightly at the statement, but remained silent as he turned to the woman next to Paul. "And this is Catherine Bradley, another of the California branch and a leading designer in the fashion industry." "Charmed I'm sure." Catherine stated as she rose to greet Nick. She appeared to be in her late-forties, and was wearing a flowing dress. Her eyes studied Nick's outfit for a moment before focusing back on his face. "You know, if you like, I would be more than happy to design something that just screams magic for you." A faint smile crossed Jonathan's face as he turned to regard a young woman in her mid-twenties, wearing a brightly colored summer dress. "Here we have her daughter, Jessica Bradley, who is also in the fashion industry, as well as a model and actress." The introduction as Catherine's daughter had hardly been necessary, as there was a very strong resemblance. Jessica gave a warm smile. "Don't let my mother bother you. She's always looking for a new person to experiment on with her designs. Though, if you are looking for a new outfit, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity. Just don't let her stick you in her first creation." Jonathan next turned towards a man in his early thirties wearing a navy blue suit. "This is my son, Frank D’Ascenzo, the manager of a rather large hedge fund in Boston." As with Catherine and Jessica, the father-son relationship was rather evident. Frank was tall, with dark hair and eyes, with an air of confidence about him. He gave Nick a friendly smile as they shook hands. "A pleasure to meet you Mr. Cimitiere." "And next to him," Jonathan then continued, indicating a woman Frank had been speaking with when Nick had entered the room, "is my daughter, Mary Thompson, a senior vice-president at a major national bank and married to the Thompson family of oil fame." It was rather obvious just from looking that she and Frank were siblings. Not only did Mary have similar features, but she also had the same confident and driven expression as her brother. Mary appeared to be in her mid-thirties, and was wearing light grey suit. "Good afternoon." She said with a smile as she stepped forward to shake Nick's hand as well. "I truly hope you can end our family's long curse." Jonathan then turned to a man in his early to mid-forties, wearing a black suit with slicked back black hair. "This is Stephan Giotti, my nephew, a partner in a prominent New York law firm specializing in corporate law." "Good day." Stephan replied with a small smile and nod of his head as he shook Nick's hand. "Next we have Gretchen D'Ascenzo and her brother, Martin D'Ascenzo II. Martin is a software developer, mostly working programs for small business users." Jonathan continued, indicating a woman and a man in their early to mid-fifties. "Greetings." Martin II replied first, shaking Nick's hand. "Hello." Was all Gretchen said in response, as she remained in her place and refused to meet Nick's gaze. He also noted she was clutching a cross that hung around her neck with one hand. "Please forgive my sister for not shaking hands." Martin II stated, not appearing overly surprised by his sister's behavior. "She is very careful about who she makes contact with." "What he means is she isn't sure you aren't a demon or something like that." Vince stated with a sarcastic smile. Gretchen was quick to flash an annoyed glance at the young man. "Vincent, can you not keep quiet for more than a few minutes?" Jonathan let out a quiet sigh as he turned to the next individual, a man in his mid to late-twenties. "And this is Martin D'Ascenzo III, who is currently working on his doctorate in molecular biology." The younger Martin was the most casually dressed of the family, besides Vince, with a shaggy goatee, but still dressed in far nicer clothes than one would typically expect of a college student. "Good afternoon. I will say though, I share some of Paul's concerns about the need for this gathering." He still shook Nick's hand before taking his seat once more. Jonathan then turned to the next to last individual in the room, a man who appeared to be in his early forties. He had the dark hair of many of the other family members, though his was lightly graying. "And next we have Leonard D'Ascenzo, the head of a large industrial corporation that has been in the family for many generations." Leonard gave a small smile as he shook Nick's hand. "A great pleasure Mr. Cimitiere." This left the final member of the family, who also turned out to be the eldest. Seated in a wheelchair near one of the sofas was a gaunt, skeletal man who was clearly in his nineties. But despite the apparent weakness of his body, he sunken eyes were dark and piercing, a clear, sharp intellect evident behind them. "And finally, this is the head of the family, my uncle, Sergio D'Ascenzo." Jonathan stated. Sergio's eyes flicked briefly over to Carmen, who was standing off to one side of the scene, before settling firmly back on Nick. "Good afternoon." He said in a tired, rasping voice. "Please, make yourselves comfortable." "Mr. Cimitiere, I am sure you are interested in learning about the ever approaching doom which those you have just met and myself are facing?"

"I already have everything on the Berlin proposal gathered." Yvonne replied. There is a brief pause before she added, "It is on its way now." As Jack asked questions about Steersman Charity, the middle age secretary was quite a moment, apparently checking some things before she replied. "Yes, Mrs. Howell is on the foundation's board. I believe this year much of their main focus is charities assisting some of those affected by the Day of Wrath, including ones to help support families of police officers and fire fighters who died." "I should have some bullet points for this afternoons meetings ready within the hour."

Megan Howell made her way out onto one of the large patios of the Silver Glen clubhouse, having just arrived at the party a short while earlier in a limousine that had brought her from her apartment in the Wading Way. The stunning blonde young woman was wearing a strapless jacquard cocktail dress with black Christian Dior heeled sandals. Her complexion was considerably tanner than was normal, but that was hardly a surprise given that she had spent much of the prior month out of the country. Among her stops were Spain, southern France, several Greek Isles, parts of eastern Turkey, and, most recently, a couple of days in Rio de Janeiro for Carnival. A faint breeze stirred Megan's long blonde hair, causing her to take a deep, contented sigh as she looked out at the grounds, with the incredible view of downtown beyond. As much as she enjoyed parties at the Midnight Society mansion, in the summer it was far more pleasant to enjoy the open settings provided by Silver Glen or the North Bay Yacht club, as opposed to the walled in gardens in Midtown. Taking a champagne glass from a passing waiter in a white uniform, the young woman moved into the crowds to begin to mingle. Her parents were either here already, or would be shortly, so she kept an eye out for them, wishing once again that her boyfriend was here tonight. But then, Robert was a member of the British aristocracy, and thus not likely to have much of an attachment to today's holiday. And in any event, once she was done with the festivities tonight, it would only take her a couple of minutes after returning home to run across the Atlantic to see him. In the meantime, Megan intended to fully enjoy herself tonight.

GM Port Regal, Freedom City Thursday, July 4, 2013 7:00 PM There was a time when Port Regal was one of Freedom City's most affluent districts. But over the last few decades, that affluence had declined somewhat. But while many of its mansions and Victorian-era homes had been turned into bed-and-breakfasts or as part of other business ventures, the district still retained some of the trappings of its former glory. One such example was the Silver Glen Country Club. Almost a hundred year olds, the exclusive Silver Glen Country Club was originally designed by the well renowned gold course architect, A. W. Tillinghast. Situated on the northern tip of the western peninsula that jutted out into the Centery Narrows, the country club had a magnificent view of downtown Freedom City and the harbor, as well as the Narrows itself and its northern shore. As such, it had a long history of hosting a Fourth of July party for Freedom City's high society. This Fourth of July was no exception. Located along the western shore of the peninsula, clubhouse was decorated with red, white and blue steamers and other decorations. In addition to its large decks and patio areas, the large gardens located next to the clubhouse now had catering tables set up among its well manicured hedges and flower beds, in addition to a makeshift dance floor in the courtyard surrounding a circular fountain. There was already a good sized crowd of some of Freedom City's wealthiest and most influential, with more arriving by the minute in the parade of sports cars, high-end luxury cars and limousines that were arriving at the front of the clubhouse.

Okay, wanted to talk about the timing of things a bit. As I have it now, the curse will begin striking on Saturday evening (it is currently mid-afternoon Friday). I set that extra time in case Nick would want a bit of time to try to prepare (with a fair bit of jump ahead at times). But, I can also make some slight edits and make the start of the curse been Friday evening, still leaving some time to prepare, but a lot less. I am fine either way, wanted to see if either of you had any opinion one way or the other.

"They are both in already Mr. O'Conner." Whitney replied. "I will get them the messages right away." She added as he swept past and into the office space beyond. When Jack called his personal assistant through the intercom, she replied almost immediately. "Not quite as busy as it could be." The middle aged woman began. "In half an hour, you have the conference call with the design team in Berlin to go over their purposed new project. At eleven thirty, there is the luncheon with the board members Steersman Charity Foundation in Midtown. And much of the afternoon is filled with various project meetings."

Now that he was closer, and was able to study the magic a bit more, Nick could tell that what he was sensing were a number of old wards that had been put in place, apparently at different times and to different effect. Most were quite weak, either due to age, or just how they were administered. There was at least a couple different divine blessings, a voodoo ward, and a few others. Many actually served to cancel each other out. "Yes, of course. Most of the other family members are gathered in one of the front sitting rooms for us." Jonathan replied as he looked over to the elderly butler. "Walter, do you know where Vincent is?" "He is currently in one of the drawing rooms giving an interview to a reporter from some music periodical." The butler replied as he led Jonathan and Nick over to the covered entrance under the cover of the large umbrella he was holding, lowering it to one side and closing it once they were covered. Jonathan let out a slight sigh as the three entered the mansion. "Please inform him that our guest has arrived and we need him to join the other family members." "Of course sir." The butler replied with a slight bow as he started towards a doorway along the left side of the large entry hall Nick found waiting for them inside. The large entryway, with its antique furniture and classical artwork, continued the general look and feel of the building, almost making one feel like they were in another time. "Just this way please." Jonathan indicted as he started to lead Nick towards one of the doorways on the right hand side of the hallway. Just then, the old grandfather clock situated on the landing of the grand stairwell slowly rang with three chimes, marking the arrival of the new hour. "Midlife crisis?" The young singer replied with a wide grin. "I would hope I am not there yet, still another couple of decades before I should be having one of those." "No, for now, I can see the band continuing on for a good while, though I might be interested in pursuing a solo project or two as well." Vince then went on. "In fact…" But the young man was cut off as Walter, who had just entered the room cleared his throat rather loudly. "Excuse me Master Vincent, but the guest Master Jonathan has been waiting for has arrived. Your presence is required with the rest of the family." Vince glanced over, a rather annoyed look on his face. "Now?" But the look on the elderly butler’s face was all the answer the young man needed as he sighed deeply. "Fine, I will be there in a moment." Looking over at Carmen, he gave her a charming smile. "Sorry about this, hopefully it should only be a few minutes or so." He began to stand up and then paused, looking back down at her. "Actually, why don't you come along. Should be good for a laugh. See, some of the members of the East Coast branch of the family are convinced that some ancient curse is going to strike us all down before the end of the weekend or something. So they have got some sorcerer or something to come by in order to break the curse and save us."

"We would appreciate that." Replied Detective Stine. "Thanks again for your assistance. Here is my card." With that she handed Lucy a business card with her contact information before turning and heading into the main entrance of the old industrial building. Officers were now leading out long lines of spectators who had surrendered, placing them in groups among the squad cars. Lucy and Crimson saw a couple of fighters were among the people lead out, which were placed off in a separate group. After the brief chat with Harry, Bloody Mess' homunculus turned and began to retrace its path back towards his body. Of course, the sewer tunnels were pitch black now, but the homunculus could sense the general direction of the body, allowing it to find its way back without too much difficulty. Once Freddy was recovered, he pushed himself up off the cold cement floor. As he was getting his bearings, he could hear the sound of police officers coming down the stairway into the basemen.

Tsunami used one of her hero points last round to remove her fatigue.

As her blast of water knocked Devil Ray back and apparently unconscious , Tsunami felt a slight feeling of satisfaction. She was a bit disappointed as he suit seemed to malfunction and carry him away at high speed. As much as she might want to put him behind bars, she had much more pressing things to deal with, such as stopping the ship. Easily catching back up with the ship and pulling alongside, the Asian teen broke the surface of the water, looking up through the storm at the dark ship above. "I have dealt with Devil Ray. " She said into her communicator to Bold and Crimson. "There is some strange current that is helping propel the ship forward, straight towards an island. I will try to counter this current, but if I am unable to, I will have to sink the ship. "

Tsunami twisted out of Devil Ray's path as the mercenary swam at her, turning slightly to face the direction he had continued in. "Your domain?" The Asian teen said in reply to his boasts. "That armor may allow you to survive under the waves, but I can do so on my own and I command the very water around us." Bringing both hands up in front of her, the Asian teen emphasized her point by sending yet another powerful jet of water cutting through the water after the villain. This time, her aim was true, and the blast of water slammed squarely into the armored criminal with tremendous force.

Tsunami will spend a hero point and remove her fatigue. Still no dice on trying to overcome the partial concealment due to the lowlight conditions with her supersense. She makes an attack, getting a 23. If that hits, DC 25 toughness save.

Under the storm tossed waves, Tsunami continued towards the ship and Devil Ray. The unusually strong current might hamper most that tried to move through the waters, but it seemed to wrap around the Asian teen, not hampering her movement in the least. Tsunami knew she needed to deal with the armored mercenary before she tried to do anything about stopping the ship. Slicing through the waters and reaching up alongside the ship, she swept one hand out towards where she could faintly sense him in the water, though the stormy conditions made it hard to pinpoint him exactly. A jet of water shoot out from her extended hand, cutting through the water, but missing the intended target.

Tsunami only gets a 17 on her notice check to try to counter the partial concealment with her supersense. She will still attack Devil Ray, getting a 16, which I am sure is a miss.

Giang gave Thaelia a small smile as the pair continued along with the school of devil ray. Then, somewhat suddenly, the ocean floor dropped off steeply into darker depths below. The school of ray continued forward, moving out into the open water, the two teens following along. "I may have lived all my life thus far on the surface," Giang began in reply, as she glanced around her at the clear blue waters that seemed to extend without end in almost all directions, "but I find myself feeling a strong connection with the sea that has only grown the longer I have been here." The Asian teen looked back over at her roommate as she continued. "Of course, I have never spent such a long period of time beneath the waves as this."

The heavily damaged robot dropped down to its knees briefly as El Heraldo disengaged himself from it, appearing almost too human in its movements. But the sparks and smoke coming from the hole the teen's fist had made in its chest certainly told a different story as it then toppled forward onto the floor next to the hole. Having avoided the trap on the stairway, Net Fly was determined to continue searching for any possible innocents trapped by the fire. Continuing on up through the air, the teen quickly reached the smoke filled hallway on the floor above. But as he turned to start up the next flight of steps, he had to suddenly pull up short as he found a set of metal bars blocking the way.