Dr Archeville

A string of mild Atlantean profanities streamed through Heroditus' mind. "What happ- ... are father and moth- ... was Theodor-" He clenched his fists and tried to control his breathing, and suddenly found himself very thirsty. He retrieved his waterskin and took a long drink from it, which calmed him slightly. He looked to Dalekos, "so I am being brought back to... help care for my family? I take it, then, that there was an attack, but the fighting is over? That this is an after-combat mission?" He knew the General had just said they would discuss it on the way, but he wanted answers now.

Heroditus was sitting on a bench in the garden, under the shade of a black spruce tree. He wore sandals, dark blue knee-length breeches, and a dark red short-sleeved tunic, cinched together with a tan belt and bandolier which contained numerous pouches; all were made of a variety of kelp. He was gazing up at the tree's purple cones, which reminded him of certain varieties of coral. A gentle breeze moved both the leaves and his long hair, obscuring his view momentarily as Giang and Headmistress Summers approached. When he did see them, he sprang to his feet and bowed to Callie, "Headmistress Summers." He glanced at Giang and nodded to her, then extended his right hand, "ah, and I take it you are the one who shall be mentoring me?"

Oh, maybe Theodora got accepted to study with the witches in Atlit Yam! That would certainly be reason to get the family together and celebrate! Heroditus' happy train of those abruptly stopped when he entered Summers' office. "General!," he exclaimed, quickly raising his clenched right fist to his temple in salute, then lowered his fist and bowed to Summers, "and Headmistress." He looked back and forth between them, "what is going on? Has something happened in Atlantis? To my family?" He tried to keep the worry from creeping into his voice, to suppress his emotions, as all good Atlanteans should, but he did not do a very good job.

Heroditus had been working on a desert landscape, with a palm tree-shaded oasis off to one side. Squadmate Danica is sure to appreciate this! He still didn't know why she seemed so uncomfortable around him, and hoped this gift would smooth things out a bit. Then the announcement broke. Picked up? By whom? There are several days yet left of classes, and examinations. And Poseidonia is weeks away. The young Atlantean voiced none of these thoughts, instead moving with the precise and formal grace that he'd become known for. He rinsed his brushes, gathered his belongings, bowed to his fellow students, bowed slightly deeper to Ms. Zinzendorf, then headed off to Headsmistress Summers' office. I hope everything is alright!

"A kyanos dachtylidi?!," Heroditus exclaimed when he saw the creature on Ben's phone. "You are lucky to be alive, then! Their venom is exceedingly lethal. It is a blessing that they are so very docile -- wait, no, the proper phrase is 'chill,' yes? And you say the bite of this is what gave you your abilities?" He leaned back a bit and made a sound somewhere between a whistle and a series of clicks. "I do not think I shall ever adjust to how," he paused a moment, seeking an appropriate yet inoffensive word, "malleable Surface Humans can be." Ben's next few outbursts drew uncomprehending looks from the Atlantean, owing largely to having no idea what he was referring to. The cannibalism comment, though, which mirrored what little he knew of Deep One funerary practices, drew a sincerely horrified look. "Is... is that a mindset you developed after your..." he gestured vaguely in his direction, not sure what the zoo's staff knew of their background and thus what was allowed to be said in regards to their powers, "or is that a... a family tradition?" Does Octo-Ben have a Deep One lurking in his ancestry? Could that be why the bite changed him instead of killing him? This may warrant closer investigation.

As soon as Ashley had gotten into the rung with Benny, Heroditus had stopped shadow-boxing and diverted his full attention to the two. Like all Atlanteans, he'd had some basic combat training, though he was never that enthusiastic about it and channeled most of his time and energies into his technomagical studies, and had focused more on ranged combat, such as with blaster weapons. He'd expected to see moves here that he'd not seen before, but what he was seeing here was dizzying! I never would have guessed Roommate Benny would move that quickly! I am learning much about my cohorts this day. He studied their moves carefully, trying to commit them to memory, but it was quickly becoming futile. Right off they'd switched to 'fighting dirty,' abandoning the basic forms Benny had been teaching them. So instead he tried to remember his own melee combat training, and any similarities it had with what was being taught here.

Artificer Daka Rush: Claremont (0) Hydra the Queen (8) Punching Up (2) Reptile Brain (1) Still as Water (1) Tech Compliance (0) 8+2+1+1 = 12 posts = 2pp Dead Head [Titanium!] Bedlam Burning: Beauty and the Beasts (0) Everyone Is From Somewhere (1) Red Death Redemption (1) 1+1 = 2 posts, rolled over to ??? Doktor Archeville [Titanium!] --- Horrorshow Amygdala (0) Dead Men Tell No Tales (0) Extradimensional Birdwatching Club (1) Freaky Fraternity (0) Halloween Mall Trip (0) 1 post = 1pp

Artificer Punching Up (1) Reptile Brain (0) Still as Water (0) Tech Compliance (0) 1 post = 1pp Dead Head [Titanium!] Bedlam Burning: Beauty and the Beasts (0) Everyone Is From Somewhere (0) Red Death Redemption (0) Doktor Archeville [Titanium!] --- Horrorshow Amygdala (0) Dead Men Tell No Tales (0) Extradimensional Birdwatching Club (0) Freaky Fraternity (0) Halloween Mall Trip (0)

(Inspired by a discussion in the Discord chat) Nuclear weapons do lots of nasty, horrible things. Short Version Drain Constitution 20 (“immediate radiation”; Extras: Area [General, Burst, 100 ft. 5,000 radius], Linked [Damage], Linked [Drain Toughness], Linked [Transform]; PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Progression [Area] 5 [5 ft. to 250 ft.; 100 ft. radius to 5,000 ft. radius], Slow Fade 7 [regain 1 point of CON per week]; Drawback: Full Power) plus Linked Transform 20 (“flash”; sighted person to blind person; Extras: Area [General, Burst, 5,000 ft. radius], Linked [Damage], Linked [Drain Constitution], Linked [Drain Toughness]) plus Linked Drain Toughness 20 (“EMP”; Extras: Affects Objects, Area [General, Burst, 5,000 ft. radius], Linked [Damage], Linked [Drain CON], Linked [Transform]; Flaws: Limited [Objects Only], Limited [Electrical Circuits Only]) plus Linked Damage 20 (“thermal blast & blast wave”; Extras: Area [General, Burst, 5,000 ft. radius], Linked [Drain CON], Linked [Drain Toughness], Linked [Transform], Secondary Effect [first is heat, second is wind + debris]). Note: Linked Powers share power feats and drawbacks, though in this case the Affects Insubstantial should only apply to the Drain Constitution. HOW NUCLEAR BOMBS WORK There are basically two types of nuclear bombs: fission bombs and fusion bombs. Fission bombs work by splitting apart the large atoms of the elements uranium or plutonium. On detonation, the bomb uses high explosives to force two chunks of the fissionable material together, thus splitting one atom, which causes a chain reaction of fissioning atoms and a tremendous release of energy. Scientists refer to the smallest amount of uranium or plutonium needed to achieve this chain reaction as the “critical mass.” Fusion bombs are generally three to four times as powerful as fission bombs. They work by fusing two or more atoms together to form a diff erent element. Usually they fuse deuterium atoms to form helium-3, or deuterium and tritium atoms to form helium-4. To cause this result, a fusion bomb uses a fission bomb as a “trigger.” For either type of bomb, the amount of material needed to produce the nuclear explosion is surprisingly small — approximately 25 kg (55 pounds) of enriched uranium, or a mere 8 kg (18 pounds) of plutonium, are all that’s needed to make a bomb as powerful as the one used on Hiroshima (the United States and Russia can make a miniature nuke out of as little as 2.7 kg [6 pounds] of plutonium, but terrorists and criminals do not have such resources). This makes it easy for the GM to run all sorts of scenarios involving the theft or smuggling of uranium or plutonium (both of which are produced in certain types of nuclear reactors). The construction of the bomb mechanism itself is far easier than acquiring the uranium or plutonium — in the past, college undergraduates have designed workable nuclear devices using only declassified United States government documents and readily available materials. It would certainly be possible for clever terrorists, unscrupulous scientists (including former Soviet nuclear scientists hired by criminals), or master villains to do the same. However, the machinery and technological parts needed to build the bomb may not be so easy to acquire; in many cases they are quite rare, and require highly specialized skills to build or use. Physicists rate the force of a nuclear explosion by comparing it to an equivalent amount of tons of TNT. A kiloton (kt) equals a thousand (1,000) tons of TNT, and a megaton (Mt) equals a million (1,000,000) tons. The smallest American nuclear explosive is .1 kiloton (100 tons), and various nations have bombs ranging into the tens of megatons or higher. (The most powerful nuclear weapon ever created, the Soviet RDS-202 hydrogen bomb, aka “Tsar Bomba,” had a measured yield of 50 Mt, but some modifications could have given it a theoretical yield of 100 Mt.) Nuclear warheads have been placed on every type of launch system, from relatively short-range artillery to intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). THE EFFECTS OF A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION This section describes the effects of a one megaton (1 MT) nuclear bomb using the Mutants & Masterminds 2nd Edition rules. The effects of a nuclear explosion can be roughly summarized as follows: initial explosion (immediate release of radiation, thermal blast/flash, electromagnetic pulse [EMP]) blast wave and wind effects fires, and lingering radiation and fallout. Ground Bursts And Air Bursts Many of a nuke’s effects vary substantially depending upon whether the attack was a “ground burst” or an “air burst.” In a ground burst, some or all of the nuclear fireball touches the ground. A ground burst creates a large mushroom cloud, a crater, and tremors. For example, a 1 MT bomb creates approximately a 200 meters (656 feet) crater 50-70 meters (164-229 ft.) deep (in ordinary soil), and its mushroom cloud may be as much as thirteen miles wide and ten miles high. In an air burst, the fireball does not touch ground. For a 1 MT bomb, this means it would have to be detonated about 2,000 feet to half a mile above the ground). An air burst nuclear explosion doesn’t create a crater or tremors, but has a greater EMP. FIRST EFFECT: IMMEDIATE RADIATION First, a nuclear explosion releases tremendous amounts of radiation (in the form of neutrons and gamma rays). The radiation doesn’t cover as large an area as the heat or blast effects, but is nonetheless deadly (particularly to Insubstantial characters who might otherwise survive the explosion). Scientists measure the amount of radiation released in roentgens and Roentgen Absorbed Dose (rads), which describe the effects of radiation on humans. A 1 MT bomb irradiates about a 1 mile (1.6 km) radius area with over 19,000 rads, enough to kill humans instantly (if near the blast) or within minutes or hours (if slightly farther away). However, by 2 miles this drops off to about 24 rads, which is not likely to have much effect on humans. People caught between one and two miles are likely to absorb enough radiation to cause them a slow and painful death in days or weeks. Humans lacking special equipment or senses cannot detect radiation, but survivors feel its effects for the rest of their lives (however short those lives may be). Targets within 1 mile of Ground Zero are hit with a Drain Constitution 20 (“initial radiation”; Flaw: Limited [Gradual Effect - targets take half the CON damage immediately, and the other half at a rate of 1 point per day]; PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Slow Fade 7 [1 point per Week]) effect. Targets more than 1 mile away but less than 2 miles away are hit with a Drain Constitution 10 (“initial radiation”; Flaw: Limited [Gradual Effect - targets take half the CON damage immediately, and the other half at a rate of 1 point per day]; PFs: Affects Insubstantial 2, Slow Fade 7 [1 point per Week]) effect. SECOND EFFECT: FLASH When a nuclear bomb explodes, it immediately releases about one-third to one-half of its energy in the form of a blast of thermal energy. The nuclear fireball formed by the explosion of a 1 MT bomb is as hot as the heart of the sun and is more than 300 feet wide less than a thousandth of a second after detonation. It continues to grow (and to rise off the ground) until it’s about 2,000 feet to half a mile wide. The heat and light energy travel at just under the speed of light, and last for about two seconds. One of the effects from this release of energy is that persons looking in the direction of the blast suffer flash-blindness or permanent eye damage (retinal burns and possibly total blindness) because of the brightness of the light. Estimates on the reach of this effect range from 13 miles to 27 miles (21 km to 43.2 km) during the day, and 53 miles to 70 miles (112 km) at night. Those in the area of effect and who are able to see it are hit with a Transform 20 (sighted being to blind being; Extra: Duration [Continuous]; Flaw: Staged) effect. Those who fail by 1-4 have their vision impaired (-2 penalty). Those who fail by 5-9 have their vision disabled (-5 penalty). Those who fail by 10+ are rendered completely & permanently blind. THIRD EFFECT: THERMAL BLAST All of the heat and light described above do more than just blind people. The heat energy vaporizes metals, ignites tremendous fires (see below), and burns people. The heat travels at just under the speed of light and lasts for about two seconds. The accompanying chart (based primarily on one found in the book Weapons, by the Diagram Group) summarizes the exact effects and range of a 1 MT thermal blast. Nuclear Weapon Thermal Blast Radius From 0 to 2.25 miles -- Damage 16-20 (metals vaporize) From 1.8 to 3.5 miles -- Damage 10-15 (metals melt) From 3.25 miles to 7.1 miles -- Damage 6-9 (rubber & plastic ignites and melts) From 5.1 miles to 8.0 miles -- Damage 4-5 (wood and other flammables burst into flame or char) From 7.5 miles to 10.2 miles -- Damage 3-4 (skin suffers 3rd-degree burns) From 9.25 miles to 13.25 miles -- Damage 2-3 (skin suffers 2nd degree burns) From 11.5 miles to 18.3 miles -- Damage 1 (skin suffers first-degree burns) An object suffers lesser burns if it’s colored white (subtract 2 ranks of effect), and greater burns if it’s black (add 2 ranks of effect). The same applies to people, based on their clothing. For notes on the possible effects of fires, see below. FOURTH EFFECT: ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) When a nuclear bomb explodes, the radiation it emits ionizes atoms for many miles around (with some airbursts, for more than 50 miles!). This takes mere fractions of a second, but can generate thousands of volts of radio wave-like energy. This energy doesn’t affect humans, but it disrupts or destroys electrical circuits. All electrical circuits in the area of effect are hit with a Linked Drain Toughness 20 & Damage 20 effect. FIFTH EFFECT: BLAST WAVE The blast wave is probably the most devastating part of a nuclear explosion. The force of the explosion creates massive pressure that travels outward in a wave, accompanied by incredibly strong winds. Sometimes this effect reflects off of the ground, thereby increasing its own power (a “mach wave”). Scientists refer to the blast effect as “static overpressure” (SO), and measure it in pounds per square inch (psi) over the standard atmospheric pressure. The extreme increase in pressure can destroy buildings miles away from the center of the blast because it affects all parts of the building and crushes the structure. Anybody inside when a building collapses is likely to die. But SO has relatively little effect on soft, malleable objects like human beings — as little as 5 psi obliterates the average residential house, but a human can withstand 30 psi before suffering injury. Unless the GM rules otherwise for some reason, the SO should not affect characters, unless the characters are unusually non-resilient (for example, they’re made of metal or the like). However, the intense winds, known as “dynamic pressure” (DP), do affect humans. They pick up all of the rubble, shards of glass, bits of metal, and other debris created by the SO and throw it against everything in their path, such as people. They also overturn cars, uproot trees, pull people out of buildings, and slam people against other objects with lethal force. As a result, one way or another a 1 MT blast kills or injures everyone within about five miles. The effects of the blast wave can last for several seconds, depending upon the size of the bomb; with a 1 MT bomb, they should last no more than one round. The accompanying table, also adapted from Weapons, describes the effects of a 1 MT blast wave. Blast Wave Table Up to 1.4 miles -- Damage 16-20 (30 psi/670 mph winds. Total destruction.) 1.5 to 1.8 miles -- Damage 11-15 (20 psi/470 mph winds. Massive structures & reinforced concrete destroyed.) 1.9 to 2.0 miles -- Damage 9-10 (15 psi/380 mph winds. Multistory buildings damaged, sometimes destroyed.) 2.1 to 2.5 miles -- Damage 7-8 (10 psi/290 mph winds. Factories and commercial structures destroyed.) 2.6 to 3.1 miles -- Damage 6 (7 psi/225 mph winds. Residential structures destroyed.) 3.2 to 3.8 miles -- Damage 5 (5 psi/160 mph winds. Residential and light commercial structures badly damaged or destroyed.) 3.9 to 4.8 miles -- Damage 4 (3 psi/116 mph winds. Walls of steel-framed buildings blown away, vehicles overturned, persons in the open killed.) 4.9 to 5.9 miles -- Damage 2-3 (2 psi/70 mph winds. Wooden buildings and similar structures damaged.) 6.0 to 10.0 miles -- Damage 1-2 (1 psi/48 mph winds. Little appreciable affect.) Blast Wave (Static Overpressure) does the Damage shown over the corresponding Area, listed above, but with the Flaw Limited (little or no effect on soft, malleable objects, including living creatures). Blast Wave (Dynamic Pressure/Winds & Debris) does the Damage shown over the corresponding Area, listed above, without that Flaw, and with a number of ranks of the Knockback power feat equal to the rank of Damage (i.e., doing double knockback). SIXTH EFFECT: NEGATIVE PRESSURE After the explosion creates a static overpressure and winds blowing outward, air has to rush back in to fill the vacuum left by the outrushing winds. This negative pressure effect, though much gentler than dynamic pressure, can still cause damage due to blown objects and the like. Damage 10 over a 5.5 mile (9 km) diameter Area. SEVENTH EFFECT: FIRES The tremendous heat generated by a nuclear explosion ignites any flammable objects not destroyed outright. This so-called "fire zone" within which this effect occurs covers a 5-10 mile radius for a 1 MT bomb. However, the bomb's blast wave may put out many fires (the GM decides whether this occurs, and to what extent it ameliorates the fire damage) Damage 1, Contagious, keeps burning until extinguished or fuel is consumed. It's also possible for the fires to join together to cause even more damage. First, there could be a conflagration: the fires spread out of control and devastate many square miles of still-standing architecture and plant life. Second, or even worse, is the firestorm, in which the fires join together in a central area and begin to suck in oxygen. The inrushing oxygen feeds the fire, turning it into a raging, self-sustaining inferno that only ends when it destroys everything flammable. No one can accurately predict whether a firestorm will start; Hiroshima suffered one, but the hillier Nagasaki only experienced a conflagration. A firestorm Boosts the “ignite flammable objects” effect from Damage 1 to Damage 5. EIGHTH EFFECT: RADIATION, FALLOUT, AND NUCLEAR WINTER The lingering radiation created by a nuclear detonation can last weeks, months, or years. It's been estimated that a 1 MT explosion would force the evacuation of all people in a 4,900 square mile area around the explosion for at least a week (and in the 1,400 square mile area immediately around the explosion for a month or more). As a basic rule of thumb, GMs can use the seven-tenths rule: seven hours after the explosion, the radiation levels drop to one-tenth of what they were on hour after the explosion; 49 (7x7) hours afterwards, 1/100th, and so forth. In addition to the localized radiation, the radioactive debris kicked into the atmosphere by a nuclear explosion eventually descends to Earth as fallout. The pattern of fallout from a given nuclear explosion depends mainly on how high it goes and what prevailing weather conditions (particularly the wind) are like. Lastly, some authorities believe a large nuclear exchange would kick so much dust and smoke into the air that it would blot out the sun, creating "nuclear winter". In the worst-case scenario, this would mean the extinction of life on Earth as temperatures dropped below freezing and food production became impossible. However, many experts question these doomsday predictions, and in any event it would require a major nuclear exchange to create this effect, something that's unlikely to happen in most gaming campaigns. Because the effects of lingering radiation, fallout, and nuclear winter are so unpredictable, their effects are really up to the GM to adjudicate. [[ The preceding was taken/adapted from The HERO System Equipment Guide, a sourcebook for HERO System 5th Ed., written by Steven S. Long. ]]

It took the profusely sweating Heroditus a moment to realize Ben was instructing them in another stance, and he paused before starting it to take several sips from his waterskin. "Ah, of course, a moving target would be more difficult to hit." He did an awkward half-step to the side between every jab, "easier said than done, of course, until you get all the limbs moving in coordination, and building the muscle memory." He was huffing and puffing some, but the determined look in his eye showed he was not going to let that stop him. He looked aside at OctoBen as he recounted the tale of his first super-battle. Odd -- he seems so well-adapted to aquatic environments, yet shows no loss of agility or stamina here. Jab, step, jab. That probably helps his motormouth, too. I wonder if he was that talkative before his transformation, or if he was a silent type who is now 'cutting loose'? He nodded to Judy when she offered her condolences, and to Ashley when she mimed punching her hand with her other fist, and to Claude . "I am in agreement with my fellow students, Mentor Ben." Jab, step, jab. "I know we must get the... the basics down," jab, step, jab, "but there is only so... so much we can learn from striking at shadows."

Heroditus had been one of the first ones on the bus, and the normally stoic Atlantean was practically bouncing with excitement as the others boarded. "Yes, yes, come, come! We should have left by now!" He was very eager to see all the "exotic" land animals, which was to say all the land animals, and anything else they had. During the ride, he asked the others what their favorite animals were, which transitioned to talk of pets. When asked about his own pets, he assembled his hologram-casting circlet from the components in his pouches to produce images of Marmo, a marbled electric ray. "He's been with me since I was six!" He bounded out after Ben, paused for a quick drink from his waterskin, and hopped from foot to foot as he waited for the others to disembark.

Heroditus studied Boxer-Ben's moves intently, memorizing the stance, the ways his muscles bunched and flexed, his breathing. His mind could grasp such things quickly, and hold them indefinitely. His muscle memory, on the other hand, would take considerably more work. The artificer tried to mirror the pugilist's moves. "Feet anchored," her murmured. "Sinistral hand fore, dextral hand aft. Cubitals in tight." Jab. Jab, jab. "Yes, yes, so far, so good." Jab, jab, cro- lose balance, stumble-spin clockwise. "Ah, yes: angular momentum, plus lesser resistance of air compared to water." To his credit, he got right back to it, going through the drill with surprising efficiency. While he, like Judy, had never thrown a punch in anger, combat drills -- and rote learning in general -- were very familiar to him. As he continued, he focused on his own body: how it was moving, how his muscles felt, the relative angles of the bones in his limbs. He soon became totally focused on those sensations & observations, shutting out everything else around him.

Lulu's mention of costumes not showing up, coupled with the idea of being in a dressing room, lead Davyd's adolescent mind to thoughts of nudity. First, to an article he'd read about an all-nude restaurant in Paris (which shut down due to lack of customers), then to nudity in theatre (most recently, Sienna Miller in Cat On a Hot Tin Roof and Daniel Radcliffe in Equus), and finally to imaginings of a theatre where all the performers were nude, their costumes and makeup provided by telepaths, making for a unique, non-recordable experience. He quickly shook those thoughts away, not wanting Lulu to think he was a complete pervert, and flashed her a guilty smile. "I'll try a few things, yeah," "Olivia" looked down at a few pieces in her arms, "though I think I'll mainly use these as ideas for, ah, later."

"... oh." Dead Head slowly blinked as he realized what had been and was happening. "Ohhh... okay. So we-" He paused again at Strix's sudden change in tone. Well, well, this is a night a' wonders. He gave Emily's shoulder a light squeeze, then tilted his head at an anatomically improbable -- and, he hoped, comical -- angle, and stretched his rictus grin wider. "Yup, we'll getcha home safe an' sound. I'm sure you'd like t'see yer folks again, an' I know they's worried sick 'bout ya. I'll even escort ya there m'self, if'n you'd like, I can tell ya all kinds a' stories along the way!" He pivoted just enough to look Strix in the eyes, "while I'm handlin' that, you gonna return the necklace? I don't think either task'd require both a' us."

Dead Head shrugged, "there is similarities, sure, but like ya said, this is the quick an' messy model, but you's the deluxe package, with all them bells an' whistles." The blot struggled in the air, stretched tendrils back to the nurse, but the revenant's power proved stronger. "Still, I guess it is kinda like wakin' up in the middle a' havin' open heart surgery an' seein' what all's inside ya. That's gonna be unnervin' t'some." The blot struggled more, thrashing about in his mental grip. It also appeared to be shrinking, burning away without a host to feed on. "You got t'keep most a' yer soul, though, so this," he nodded to the evaporating blot, "ain't all that's inside ya. It's a part a' ya, yeah, but it ain't all a' ya." The blot tried once more to escape Dead Head's power, slamming against an invisible barrier as it tried to worm its way back into a living host. The last of it evaporated into nothingness, leaving nothing but a fading hiss. Dead Head staggered back, "woof, that was a nasty bugger."

Heroditus cringed involuntarily when OctoBen entered, but remained cool in the face of his motormouth squadmate. He flashed a weak smile at him, and was about to continue speaking to his roommate, but the sigh of OctoBen's rapid -- and highly skilled -- assault left him dumbfounded! "Merciful Poseidon! I knew his lips moved fast, but I had no idea his fists would be their equal!" Ben's whistle rang through his ears, and when finished shaking his vision clear, his roommate was already working on his hands. "Ah, yes, I- oh, that is nice... thank you," he bowed his head slightly. The wraps did feel pleasantly snug, much like the pressure vest he had on under his tunic. "I shall do my best to make sure the time you spend training me is worthwhile."

"H-hello?," a small, bright voice chimed. It was Benny's roommate, Heroditus. The two were very much an Odd Couple -- he was tall & thin, with the toned physique of a swimmer, and more nerd than jock. He wore short dark brown sandals and breeches, and a dark red short-sleeved tunic, cinched together with a pouch-belt of lighter brown. "I was looking for- oh, Ashley, and Judy!" He bowed to them, "good morning! I was looking for Benjamin d'A- ah, there he is!" He walked past the girls towards his roommate. The Atlantean's gait was still a bit awkward, but considerably better than when he'd first come to Claremont. "I changed my mind, and decided to take you up on your offer for some sparring lessons. I have been neglecting my combat training, and would prefer to do my 'catching up' with someone I know, and whom I know is very skilled in the combat arts."

Diplomacy check 1d20+3: 13 [1d20=10] I'm out of HP, can't re-roll. Maybe Mia's bread gives a+2 bonus?

Bird-Davyd clutched his head as the images poured in, images that were damnably familiar. "I... I think the Star-Flock was... was a Grue invasion! But the birds... they... they dro-o-ove them away! But how-" he looked back out to the swirling flock, "no-o-o, no-o-o, time for that later. Got to-o-o see if we can-" He saw what Mia was doing, and ran-hopped to just outside Danica's shell. "<Hear me, noble birds! I am not of the Star-Flock! We are not of the Star-Flock! We oppose them, too! They came to ravage our world, too, but we drove them off! My friend will apologize for lashing out,>" he nodded to Nick, "<he acted rashly, when you startled him. He acted in self-defense, did not mean to harm you! We should be allies! Friends! See, here,>" he gestured to the piles of bread Mia was creating, "<we bring food, a peace offering!>"

Ruth shrugged, and morphed again, stretching out thin limbs, a narrow head with a thin lipless mouth, two tiny slits instead of a nose, and solid yellow eyes. His flesh took on a mottled mix of blacks, browns, pinks, reds, and yellows -- all the colors human skin could come in, as well as Grue crimson. This was Davyd's true form now, the one he reverted to when he was unconscious, though he was working on that. "Hey, I know I look like one of the aliens that tried invading us," his voice warbled, "that got stuck in mid-transformation. So yeah, I know about people freaking out. Heck, this isn't even the worst of it: when I first changed, I was just a giant blob, could barely control my body! But, like you said, we're hear to learn. And yeah," he nodded, "I know people judge others based on appearances all the time. And that sucks. But you & I know that's just a superficial read. Like the Claremont handbook says, our powers are what we have, not who we are; how we use them, what we do with them, will shape how others see us. So... maybe don't dwell on the "freaking people out" part, but instead focus on finding the right people to freak out. Like..." he glanced at their window, "maybe some crooks? I mean," he looked back to his roommate, "it worked for Raven, right?"

Dead Head appeared in the cell holding the nurse and the orderly, standing at the door. He nodded to Strix, then moved towards the nurse, grabbed her upper arms in a firm grip, and looked her over. "This may get a bit messy," he announced, "but not as messy as the alternative." His eyes flared again with their eerie cyan light, which he locked on to the nurse's eyes. His chest began to slowly rise and fell, mirroring her shallow breathing. "C'mon out, ya little..." The light from his eyes increased, making her look even paler. "Alllmooossst... there!" Her body began convulsing, though he held firm. Her eyes went completely red, then the red deepened to black. The black seeped from her eyes, her mouth, her nose, at first a dribble but steadily becoming a stream that arched impossibly up and flowed towards Dead Head. Much of it hung in the air between them, as if transfixed by his eyelights, though a few strands still clung to her. But in time even those broke from her, leaving a small sphere of shattenblut in the air between them. "Now t'see which'll hold out longer -- its existence independent of a host, or my concentration."

Dead Head nodded, and moved to stand before Hernandez's cell. The smell of burning flesh was a bit stronger, but the Red Death vampire was still, huddled in a corner, no longer struggling against the manacles. "Alright, Roberto, lemme get one more good look atcha." The lights in the dungeons flickered, as they often did, and suddenly Dead Head was on the other side of the door, inside the cell with Hernandez. If he noticed the entrance, he made no show of it. Dead Head took a step forward and crouched down, and the green-blue flames in his eyes flared up as he studied the vampire's aura. "Okay, there's the general animatin' force, the physical enhancements." He crept a bit closer, "an' there's the connection to les mondes d'ombres, the shattenwelt." Another inch closer, "an' there's where yer soul used ta-" Hernandez suddenly sprang forth, hissing and clawing, straining against the silvered chains but coming just short of connecting. Just as Dead Head planned. The revenant smirked and cocked his head, looking the vampire square in the eye. "Ah, an' there's the rage, the hunger. Yep, I think I got everythin' I need. Much obliged, Roberto." He tipped his scalp to the vampire, the lights flickered again, and the vampire found himself alone in the cell again.

Davyd had found the morphic molecule outfit he'd brought from Claremont, a pair of swim trunks and a tank top, both blue with gold vertical stripes. He followed Adam & Pan up to the deck, and joined Adam in his wide-eyed admiration for Lulu's appearance. He slapped Adam once, sharply, on the back (perhaps a bit harder than he'd intended), "you're one lucky guy." Hearing Lulu's humming, he morphed into an copy of that movie franchise's version of Davy Jones, with mottled green skin, tentacle beard, lobster arm & claw for a left arm & hand, and the right leg of a crab as a pegleg. His clothing did not shift into those of an early 1700s Dutch sea captain, but remained the same shorts & tank top, making his appearance even odder. "Yo ho, me hearties! Looks like we get a bit more time fer some Arrr an' Arrr, 'fore we get to the treasure, so let's make the most of it!"

Emily's voice drew Dead Head's attention back to her, though he kept glancing back at Strix to make sure he wasn't going to do anything rash. "Brains? YUCK!" He shuddered and stuck out his tongue, making exaggerated displays to put her at ease. "Those things're nasty! So full of cholesterol an' salt! Nah, I don't touch 'em. Don't really eat anythin', though I can, unlike some folks I know. An', uh, as for Murray over there," he nodded towards the Woodchuck Man, "well, I think he'll be okay, he jus' needs t'rest a bit. An' aybe get some orange juice in 'im." He turned now to Ratcatcher (and his horde), keeping one hand on Emily's shoulder. "I think everyone 'ere knows a lil' somethin' 'bout keepin' folks away, an' we all know it never lasts. Not forever. So someone's been pokin' 'round yer territory, settin' fires, tryin' t'make it their own? Maybe we can help y'all with that."

Lil' Dio!Davyd tried to cling to the carpet with his claws as soon as he felt the tug, but Lulu's mental powers -- even diminished by the House's transformations -- proved greater. Tears started to well up in his eyes and his lower lip trembled -- his was so unfair! He was just about to hear a story from Ms. Johansen! But then he noticed the feeling of sliding around on his scales, the whoosh of wind about him, the rapid movement -- this was fun! "Wheee!" Once he crossed the threshold of Danica's shell, another feeling washed over him. He remembered being in here before, many times, with the other kids, but he also remembered being here and being... bigger? Older? This was becoming a very confusing day.