Avenger Assembled
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Oh he comes to pieces: https://orokos.com/roll/975205 Eira punches the nearest one: https://orokos.com/roll/975206 = 13! a miss! I'll let that stand so we can get a good big attack from the goons. https://orokos.com/roll/975207 the four open fire! the second one rolled a nat 20 so that's a hit. we'll say it hit the second PC in initiative order - which is Puma! Give me a DC 25 Tou save; darn those crits!
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@MoonSimplyis up!
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That hits! https://orokos.com/roll/975025 he fails by nine, so he's bound and helpless. You can post again or edit your initial post if you like, @Spacefurry
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https://orokos.com/roll/974827 = golem guys, 15ish Angelic: 18 Okay: Paper: 19 Puma: 18 Angelic: 18 Golem Guys: 15 Nightscale: 8
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Initiative time! This is just a quick vs. minions fight to get us going.
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"This is the realm of...Nordpolen," said Angelic hesitantly. "The local temperature never rises above 5 or 6 degrees Celsius," she added brusquely, her Swedish accent noticeably thickening. "My body is not at any risk of harm until the temperature drops below 200 degrees C." She grinned at Paper, seemingly glad for the distraction. "If you've got it, flaunt it, yes?" She smirked, turning back to their forward progress. "I programmed the portal to put us down very close to the target, so we will just - rescue the target, then leave the way we came." But it wasn't going to be that easy. Turning through the twisting corridors of the ice cave, the heroes came across a strange sight. Four high-stepping creatures about the size of a small child approached them, shiny, translucent humanoids made of small blocks of the ice of the caves that surrounded them. They were armed, carrying what looked like WWI-vintage rifles, that they promptly leveled at the heroes. In a high-pitched, squeaky voice, the lead ice golem declared "She returns - with more southlanders! You'll never free Jultomten, metal witch!"
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Neko sniffed suspiciously at the armored heroine, scenting something beneath steel that was never human. Is that a - fox? From her shoulder, the crow-d Owain proved more voluble. "Say, tis the Protector!" he crowed from Neko's shoulder, his deep voice strange to hear from a bird's mouth. "I know her, tis the vulpine heroine of other realms. Hail and well met, friend!-" His words were abruptly broke off when Neko clapped her hand over his mouth and hissed at him. She stared at the lying American and thought of lessons learned of the bloated American capitalist, fat with his greed while other lands starved, and wanted to hurt him. It would be easy, she thought, staring at him unblinkingly, tail twitching behind her. Maybe a spider in his mouth would stop his tongue! Instead she turned and ran away, heedless of whatever guilty look it might have given her, vanishing into the chaos of the moment and the city streets.
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The heroes stepped through Eira's gateway, some with nerves, some with excitement. And soon they all found themselves in the same place. The inside of a glacier. It was quite literally an otherworldly experience. The first thing that struck them was the cold - a frozen chill like the coldest winter in Freedom City. Their eyes adjusted quickly to light that wasn't actually that much dimmer than the room they'd left, a glow coming from the walls made entirely of glowing blue ice.. The ice was smooth and slick to the touch, but also jagged and uneven in places, with crevices and bumps that caught the light and created a dazzling effect. As they moved deeper into the cave, Angelic's shimmering portal swirling behind them, the air became still and silent, broken only by the occasional drip of water or the faint sound of ice cracking and shifting, along with a faint and eerie music from further down the ice. The echoes of their footsteps bounced off the ice, creating a hollow, almost ethereal sound.Despite the cold and the darkness, there was a strange beauty to the cave - and truly it didn't seem as menacing as it might have otherwise. The way the light played off the ice, the patterns and shapes created by the cracks and crevices, and the way the cave seemed to stretch on endlessly into the unknown, all combined to create an almost mystical atmosphere. "This way!" said Angelic, who hadn't bothered with a parka, her boots, skirt, and costume looking like they'd have been decidedly uncomfortable on anyone else. She led the way, her boots crunching in the heavily-trafficked snow under their feet.
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"You should call me Angelic in the field, yes?" said Eira evenly, "it is how the locals know me." Well - most of them! She hadn't expected Leon to remember Pan so vividly but come to think of it the Forever Boy had always been very memorable. "It will be easy. In-and-out." When the Claremont students were out of the room, getting their meals or otherwise exploring the small office complex, Eira took this opportunity to lay her head on her desk and feel the cool of the wood against her skin. When she was done, she got to work, setting up the big, circular electro-dislocator frame against the wall to facilitate rapid dimensional transit. The metal frame was a combination of crimson and achromatic layers, which hopefully would raise no questions when they returned. It was all fine, everything was going to be fine... When the heroes returned, fed or not, they found their temporary outfits against the wall. The outfits were multi-layered, insulated parka made of waterproof and breathable fabric, with a built-in heating system to keep the explorer warm "in sub-zero temperatures, but the cold temperatures are unlikely to be a serious threat given the nature of this realm", Eira explained as they all got dressed. The parka would featured an adjustable hood, fur trim, and reinforced stitching to protect against "the harsh Arctic winds, but again, those are unlikely to be a serious threat. It is not as if we visit the real North Pole, yes?". The parka also had built-in heating elements, which it sounded like most of them would need. For pants, the explorers wore insulated, waterproof trousers with reinforced knees and seat to provide extra protection against the rough terrain. The trousers would also feature built-in heating elements and adjustable cuffs to keep snow and wind out. "Here, get yourselves dressed," she said, "see, this one is yours, La Puma, it is shaped to your body like so..." And then she turned, hastily adjusting the control unit for her interdimensional machine. The machine looked a little older than the other machines in her lab, its lines more in brass and wood than the high-tech smart metals and softglass everywhere else.
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"Hey pal, that's what your mother said last night!" said Fast-Forward, his voice hardening as he realized the amount of danger he was in. He wasn't just dependent on his powers for his speed (having gone without it he knew how bad it was though), he was dependent on it to look like a man two-thirds his age. "Why don't you come over here and see how a man fights, you pantywaist snowflake!" he added, charging through the crowd of rapidly moving duplicates, testing their solidity out with a few super-speed punches. He scored hits, some real ones - enough to tell him that this was going to be a serious fight. Sometimes duplicators were weak sisters when their powers were up, just shadows of the real guy wherever that turned out to be. It didn't seem like this was true for this guy. He kept moving, carefully moving away from where Melissa was frozen solid, trying to move the duplicators where he could really hit them, keeping up a stream of insults about their costume choices, generation, and the sexual exploits of their mother, who was probably much less promiscuous than Richard was painting her.
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"Fear not, my Atlantean friend!" called Owain cheerfully as they flew through the sky together, his voice clearly both an avian caw and his own speaking voice. "This is the old magic, nothing diabolical about it! I learned yon power after I saved the Father of Ravens from a most fiendish-ah, here we go," he added, leaving the dive down towards ground level. "I have but the shape of the raven and the shape of the wolf, but many beasts of field and stream alike will give their magic to one who is pure of heart and swears an oath of protection to them! This is a mighty spell but one worth the cost to body..." Down below, Neko watched, chattering, as the birds landed at ground level. Having seen this before, she was ready when the small flock landed and everyone who had touched ground transformed back into their usual selves. Except for Owain, who was still a very sleepy-looking black bird. She bent down and picked him up, letting his claws dig into her shoulder, then looked back wordlessly at the rest.
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Okay! He can't drop the big Theurgy effects with the paralyzed girl right there - so instead he'll go for: Damage 10 (goon-sweeper, Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable], Penetrating [6], Selective, PFs: Accurate 2) {38/38} https://orokos.com/roll/972634 let me know if a 23 is good enough, if not I'll reroll. He'll keep spamming Move-By Action so he doesn't wind up in melee range of any of the dupes at the end of his turn.
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"There are regular food trucks as well, if your condition requires you to be strictly carnivorous," Eira told Carmen before she laughed nervously. "It is not a - a combat mission, I could not just send some Claremont students off to fight in some other dimension, yes? Local conditions are somewhat chillier than they are here. But nothing will actually endanger you. One of the properties of certain magical realms is that nothing there can actually hurt a - organisms such as yourselves." She stood up and said, "I will need to grab our gear while you have whatever lunch you prefer. Here is a cash card that the vendors will accept," she said, offering the black, glossy thing to Leon, "but after that we will be ready to leave, if there are no more questions...?"
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Owain waved his hands wildly and began chanting louder, repeating the same words in medieval Welsh over and over again. There was no answer for the question about Nightscale, but Neko answered for herself a moment later. "It is done," she said shortly, padding on the carpeted floor of the office with bare feet. Her feet were human shaped, with pointed, sharp nails at the end of each toe, and covered in a faint, barely visible layer of fur that matched the white and brown-spotted color of her hair. "I do not need to fly," she said, and with that she simply leaped out of the open hole in the side of the building. Looking out, the teens could see her nimbly sliding her way down the panels, leaping from cornice to cornice, before making her way down. And with that, Owain spread his hands and called out a magic word - The voices everyone heard, whispering in their ears in warm, fatherly tones, were the voice of the Great Raven, father and mother of all of that line, promising that the bargain made between Owain and its line would be honored by the loan of its shape. A song sounded in their ears as their bodies changed, not with any cracking of bone or skin, but as if they'd simply been redrawn and recast into the shape and size of black, glossy-feathered crows! Owain, well-used to this new form, declared "Follow me to safety!" before flapping his wings and disappearing smoothly out the window after Neko. Of course, to everyone else, what they heard was someone talking in medieval Welsh (not that most of them knew what that was, anyway) and then they were all two-foot long black birds, the world leaping into incredible focus even as it grew. It was so easy to flap their wings and fly...
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"I...I don't know if my mom will come," Ashley admitted, not quite able to meet Ellie's eyes. "She's not - homophobic," she said defensively, even if she wondered if it was true, "she just - has never wanted to talk about it." She hesitated, then added, "She really fell apart inside after my dad was killed. She moved out of the city, married my stepdad, got really involved with his church. I always thought it was helping her." She smiled thinly, making herself look up and continued the conversation. "...My sisters, meanwhile, all swore they suspected this whole time, so I know they're coming." Even the one not by blood, who doesn't even have blood anymore, knew me that well. "So that's going to be them, their husbands, their kids...and that's just that side of that family." She already knew Ellie's family had been supportive, even if she didn't know all the details there, so instead she turned to Mara. "How about you?" she asked. "Was everyone okay with - everything? Even Ellie's job?"
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"He is fine," Eira lied cooly. "His interests...do not lie in technical matters in any event." She smiled, her teeth perfectly straight and white, and said, "If you would prefer to eat here, I recommend the Slutty Vegan food truck parked across the street. The burgers are very good, yes?" She tapped a pen against her chin thoughtfully and added, "I have prepared limited supplies if necessary but this will only be a short-term mission. The dimension does not allow visitors for more than the length of a single night. A longtime ally of the Freedom League, the local monarch, has been the victim of a local political confrontation. We will be liberating him from his confinement. Just like, ah, saving the Atlantean monarch, as the League has done. Are there any more questions?"
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"I would advise you to eat before you go," said Eira thoughtfully, smelling faintly of peppermint to La Puma's sensitive nostrils. "While food will be present it may not be to your liking, especially if you have dietary needs. I myself am vegan," she added, "so I understand any such concerns and will do my best to meet them." She considered what to say, then said, "None of you are diabetic, yes? The medical waiver was very specific." As indeed it had been. "You will be visiting an alternate plane that has been repeatedly accessed by superheroes, one that is rated completely safe for juvenile organic life by the Freedom League." She eyed Carmen in particular and said, "Does your coat offer you thermal protection? Do you get cold?"
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Katastroff Consulting A subsidiary of Archetech The Claremont students had all followed up on the advertisement posted in one of the Claremont common rooms. "NEED SUMMER CASH? CONSIDER INTERNING WITH KATASTROFF CONSULTING! SCIENCE - FOR EVERYONE!" The smiling face underneath was a mostly-familiar blonde in a white labcoat, Eira having been a contemporary of Luke and Leon in her last year and her first year at Claremont. She looked to have aged since then, perhaps puzzling for an android, clearly looking to be in her mid-twenties as she ushered them inside what turned out to be a rather small, hastily-assembled office. The walls were bare and painted in a bland shade of off-white, lacking any decor or artwork to liven up the room. The space was lit by overhead fluorescent lights that cast a harsh, sterile glow over everything. The only furniture appeared to be a desk with a chair behind it and a couch and chair in front of the desk. There was a faint buzz from the lights overhead and the sound of recirculated air from somewhere, but the room itself was a little stuffy. "Hello!" she said, putting on a big smile for the three Claremont students. "Luke, Leon, and Carmen, yes?" Her Swedish accent was faint but noticeable as she spoke to them, gesturing for them all to have a seat. She gave them all a big smile and spread her hands wide once they were all inside the room. "I am so glad you all are here!" She smiled again, her teeth perfectly white, and folded her hands in front of her, unconsciously beginning to crack her knuckles as she spoke. Everything will be fine. We will get this done and they will have a fine adventure. "This will take no more than twelve hours," she told them all reassuringly, "are you all prepared to be away that long?"
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Wordlessly, Neko butted her forehead against the side of Leon's head, silently watching the stars above. Everyone is gone except me. Nobody sings the mountain song anymore because no one remembers it. But I am alive and so I remember it. Gradually, she relaxed, leaning against him with the warmth that was closer to a cat's than a normal girl's. As long as I am here, someone remembers those days. And I have a pretty boy. She considered a moment, then took Leon's hand and put it behind her large ears, encouraging him to scratch there. Her voice a soft purr, she said, "We should go back." When she and Leon rejoined the group, she didn't have much to say, instead curling up to watch Bernadette and the others with those huge yellow eyes, tail lashing behind her.
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Neko maintained the illusion even as she felt herself sweat, yellow eyes staring with terror and rage at the man she'd imprisoned behind his own fears. "Only one way out." She pointed to the broken-open window like a portent and spoke in a voice like the grave. "You know what to do." she added as she moved, stepping away from her target while taking slow, deliberate steps to rejoin the other teen heroes. "Ho friends!" said Owain as he joined the others, shooting a worried look back in Neko's direction. "I have a spell that will give freedom to all those caged here, though it may - cost me dear. Bring everyone together here and we can escape together..." Sweating and visibly battered, the now-man-shaped magic knight was beginning to chant "pob un ohonom, siâp aderyn..." over and over again, magic beginning to crackle around his hands .
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"It is okay," Neko reassured Leon almost immediately. "I am fine, kawaii otokonoko." Indeed, there were no signs of tears on her pretty face or in her huge yellow eyes at all. "I have to, uh, you know," she said suddenly, standing up and disappearing around the corner of one of the trains. "You play!" she added with a nervous laugh that she didn't feel at all. A moment later, Neko sat on the roof of one of the nearby railcars, having silently scampered over there rather than embarrass herself by continuing to weep drunkenly in front of her friends. She closed her eyes, her ears twitching, and remembered the mountains, so high that the village had seemed like the only real place in the world, and the songs that had seemed to reach up to touch the stars themselves. With her illusion lifted, she knew her eyes were red and face streaked with tears as she looked up at the pitiless Moon above.
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Richard hasn't rolled an 8 on initiative since he was 8 = 44 Considered what to do about this attack but I'll settle for spending an HP to shake the daze from the Stun (which he failed by 2). I'll hold off the combat posting till you post - I've edited to reflect Richard's attack.
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"Oh jeez, if you want to go to college, go to college!" said Ashley firmly, already thinking about the image inducers they might secure so that her protege could lead something like a normal life there. She'd had a lot of fun in college, most of it related to beer and boys, which didn't really seem like the thing to mention to Carmen just now. Instead she said, "Whatever you want for your life, I'll be there to help you make it happen." She looked around and added, "Even if it's this."
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Neko hesitated just a moment, then said loudly, "Very good! Very good singing." She was holding the empty sake bottle in one hand and peeling off the label with the other, taking advantage of her thick, pointy nails to do it. "I can do - singing too," she added, "hear." And so she did, standing up a little awkwardly before she burst into song. None of them knew the words, of course, since they didn't speak Japanese. But with Neko singing it, a dozen voices seemed to follow her, rising and falling from nowhere as invisible musical instruments played around her, echoing through the empty building. "That is - that is mountain song," she added, leaning her head against Leon's shoulder. Suddenly she started to cry.
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"We've got lucky. The guy with "do what I say" powers mostly wants to tell people to follow the Golden Rule and clean up after themselves; the guy with "what I want happens" powers who helped his wife take over a UN member mostly wants to be a Youtuber Bob Ross." She had actually been a little worried about Gabriel, but he was rather more forgiving about certain things than the Catholic priests she'd grown up with. As for Mark, well, Ellie would remember him too. "Better to nip it in the bud before we get a super rights party." She looked down at her reflection in the teacup for a moment, mulling over her relations with the League. "It's not a question of passing laws, anyway, since people would just do it anyway if it was banned, it's just - it's the right thing to do. You put on a costume and start telling other people how to live, it doesn't matter _what_ you're telling them at all." She shrugged slightly. "I grew up hearing about what happened back in the old country, and why coming to this one was the best thing my bà nội and my dad ever did. Unaccountable people who think they know what's best for the proles may be very nice and they may be even be right about some things. But a boot's still a boot, even if you like the person wearing it. I just feel better knowing there's somebody out there who's bound by something a little stronger than doing what they feel like." Ashley hesitated, realizing what she was doing - lying to her friends by omission, again. I'm not supposed to be doing this anymore. What are they going to think when I tell them, that I'm just laughing behind my hand right now? "But, anyway, speaking of wedding stuff..." She hesitated again, then smiled nervously. "I did have a dress picked out." She fiddled around on her phone, then produced an image of a red and gold Vietnamese ao dai spread out on a mattress. "I'd - I have to get it let it out because I've got a lot of muscle mass on the other women in my family, but it's the same one two of my sisters wore to their wedding. My dad bought it for my mom before they were married." That seemed to be all that needed to be said about that.