angrydurf
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Freedom City Guidebook
Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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Capote made a quick note when Riley nearly fell though seemed unbothered by the near miss knowing full well the safety protocols had him mere feet off the actual ground. He was less comforted by the words the woodsmans classmates exchange. The Assistant Coach was still a bit rattled by Robins reaction to her test and hints that perhaps this too was poking at hidden hurts moments after Riley alighted on the firm footing one of the great trees large branches Dauntless thumbed a button on the tablet and spoke his voice amplified by the simulation as it clearly paused around Riley, "Mr. Quinn if this simulation is too trying we can pause." he offered congenial concern clear in his tone eyes glancing to Robin and Raina before fixing on Riley once more awaiting an answer. From his new vantage Riley could make out far better the hollow center of the tree with winding paths therein spiralling around some great central chamber all glowing with a green tinged light. Below frozen by the paused simulator hundreds of enthralled citizens were making their way into the tree for what purpose was still however unclear.
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Ok to make out what they are saying is a Notice check base DC 15 and 20' away so +2 for notice increments for total of DC 17 (DC15 for miracle girl) Her back is currently to you all the passenger facing you.
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Seahawk had to push hard on the small hatch before opening the door enough to squeeze out from under the counter where the passage let out. She was quickly confronted by the cause of her trouble, a slight gentleman in a flight attendant uniform, unconscious from appearances. Once Seahawk was out of hte way the others could begin to squeeze out as well though the small kitchenette vestibule was rather crowded with all of them inside it. There was the faintest hint of smoke on in the air and a badly charred in flight meal on the counter, peeking through the curtain a tall female attendant could be seen facing what appeared to be a nervous and upset flier standing in the aisle.
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"Hmm well that can't be a bad sign." Huang remarked and glanced at the tome he'd set aside when his phone had alerted him of the message, "What are you looking at?" he scoffed as the single eye in the center of the book of astral cosmology rolled wildly looking around the room at his words. The young Dhampir frowned, "Hmm maybe mom's right and I do need to make some more contacts my own age." he shook it off quickly enough to tap out his reply. What can I say you bring out the best in me. He typed then paused thinking to himself, 'too much? Nah' and hit send adding, I don't even know, they were mad but no real trouble from it. Maybe we have to try harder
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To those watching it may have seemed a laborious way to navigate the city but to Riley far more accustomed to such modes of travel over such distance it was clear that the simulation was doing some jump cuts with the actual geometry of downtown as he made it to his destination in record time. Drawing close to the giant trunk dominating the city center Riley could make out more and more of the enthralled citizens of freedom making their way to the base of the enormous tree wending thier way through the snarled maze of roots. Among them he could make out a few costumed adventurers of one stripe or another though it seemed none had seen his approach. Perched atop Pyramid Plaza the branches of the central tree were just within range of his bow and he could make out heavy fruit already forming and hanging heavy if alien from the strange tree. With a few moments further observation he could make out what appeared to be perhaps a hole near one branch leading into a hollow interior.
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Mike smiled down at Alex, "I kinda like it." he teased lightly which was racy flirting from the gentle giant really. He cocked his head to the side vexed for a moment as the overwhelming push of Marks ideas were slowly picked apart int he back of his mind, "Why would they think we're siblings we look nothing alike?" he asked as the reasoning for the discussion finally clicked he looked to Trevor and erin then finally Alex uncertain if he was missing hte obvious or what, "Not that I'm not willing to work out something new just." he shrugged, "Costumes are hard." He left it at that as the much more important task of deciding on food was upon them and his stomach fed only booze was demanding more, "Uhm All that sounds good to me." he said easily with a shrug then quirked a brow, "Frank?" But by the time he'd moved on from food to that the other teammate had arrived and he took the mans hand if a gentle grip, "Mike, yea." he confirmed and glanced at the helmet trying to place it but not being able to sift it from all the posters mark had rotated through their room. "Pleasure to meet you s-" he managed to cut of the sir which he had a feeling the man only a few years his senior would not necessarily not take as the honorific it would be intended as, "Soooo," he covered poorly, "uh, -" then his head snapped to Mark, "Wait Private Army?"
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Ellis flashed an amused smile at the awkward genius pair and shook his head to Ellie, "No thanks needed it's just the truth you just keep it up and I'll be calling you doctor in no time." he said with a small laugh, "Or boss, that is also a distinct possibility." he added with a shrug as he followed Stesha to help unpack and distribute the Bocce set. "Thank you again for having me." he was quick to say as he caught up, "I know almost no one in the biz as it were and I know it can't be easy to open all this to a near stranger." he said graciously, "It is most appreciated." he added finally as he really would be rather lost how to approach any of this without the vague familiarity of a party even if it was in an extradimensional world of giant bees and who knew what else.
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Huang shook his head to clear the last of the ghosted imagery once his mother sealed the veil to his sight once more. Peering out under unkempt bangs he was wary of the change in tact. He had been prepared for yelling and recriminations, had great lines about making friends being why he was at the dumb school in the first place, or that he was supposed to let a potent demon just roam free because some deluded cultists actually believed the scaly bastard was Set. But now that was all useless because his mother was playing some kind of earnest heart to heart card. Man parents never fought fair. As her words washed over him his features gentled slightly and he blew out a slow breath, "So then why send me away?" he snapped perhaps harsher than he intended but he was a teen boy and transforming feels to anger was second nature, "You or Dad could give me ten times the preparation they do, or you could finally call in one of the zillion favors Eldritch or the other magi owe you." he pointed out huffing to blow one bang out of his eyes. He looked back and forth between them, "You're right I was born into this so the whole training wheels for super tykes things chafes a bit."
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As Riley took to the buildings for a higher vantage the view of his fellows followed seamlessly as the simulation moved around him rather than he moving far within the simulation. The altered bystanders below made a few half-hearted grabs at Riley as he began his ascent but to no avail the agile youth was out of their reach before any concerted effort could be made to drag him down. As he passed the windows in his climb Riley could just make out through the choking vines more green eyed citizens almost mindlessly pounding on the tempered glass of the hi rise. Upon reaching his lofty perch he was able to get a better view of the city and it looked all too familiar though not identical, this forest was newer, the undergrowth thick but the leaf fall thin despite the rending of limb and branch as they sprung forth. The landmarks were subtly different as well the great stand of Oaks he would usually mark the former Liberty Park by was nowhere to be seen the only indication of the park the stark lack of overgrown buildings int he region. The largest change however was most obvious as a great tree had sprung forth directly beneath the dread feral league compound tearing the building asunder only the stray curve of architecture still tangled in the mighty limbs a sign of what had stood there. Below a haunting chant from the innumerable thralled citizens below drifted up slowly to his ears; Stone breaks and roots squeeze, Vines grow to bend all knees, All are bound to thorny yoke, Weeds to strangle, flowers choke, The age of flesh is done. The Hour of Bark is Come.
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So Still waiting on the Notice check from Shoe but you all can post IC's for your reactions as you are affected and/or recover Aquaria Bruised and Dazed and Knockback will knock her prone and against a wall for a DC 20 Toughness check but she made the Notice check and can tell Boomer did not blow himself up but teleported away as he used his power to feign an explosion. Phantasmo, Bruised and Dazed and Knockback against a wall for DC 20 Toughness Waiting on Notice Check Black Knight Unconscious If no one shakes off the Dazed to try and follow we'll be out of rounds as Boomer does a full round TP to escape on his action. From what was shouted it sounds as if he may have just been a distraction anyway! Initiative Phantasmo 23 1HP Bruised x 1, Dazed, Prone Boomer 18 (Desires a decent pair of pants) Black Knight 9 0HP Bruised x 1, Unconscious, Prone Sea Devil 6 1HP Bruised x 1, Dazed, Prone
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Huang had managed to beg off going home for the weekend, though still expected on pain of involuntary teleportation to attend the Chun family dinner the next evening. Thus when his phone buzzed with texts he eyed it somewhat warily where it lay on his desk, It could after all be his parents recanting, then again it could have been one of his classmates (It was perhaps too early to say friends as he had offended or frightened the bulk of the new students, sometimes both) What he was not expecting was the cordial response from Set who he was certain would want nothing to do with him after the last humiliating experience. Not that he wasn't more than pleased, he'd been hoping the deity hadn't found his juvenile display utterly distasteful and soured the relationship irrevocably, he just hadn't had great confidence in such. He looked at the message trying to parse hidden meaning from it for several long moments then set the phone down and counted carefully to thirty so as to not appear too eager. Picking it back up and re-reading the message he carefully picked up the phone and picked out a reply. Hey you Much better than I was a minute ago That should do it, not too eager and yet still flirty wouldn't due to sound desperate after all, the allusion that he'd evaded going home for the weekend to do grander things than sit alone in his room must be maintained.
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Ellis twitched uncertainly at the touch but seemed relaxed by the contact and looked across the table with a gentle smile, "Thank you." he said earnestly, "That is certainly true." he agreed happily, "Just someone who knows the weight of those decisions you know." he shrugged with a shake of his head, "Grace, my sister, tries but she still compares her husband and cats to having children." he rolled his eyes at that knowing full well he'd been as bad before Jenny came along. "It does help to have someone to talk to and someone so understanding." he admitted quietly and turned his hand up to meet hers palm to palm, "I'm glad you agreed to meet." he offered honest words with only slight nervous hesitation, "I think the others Taylor introduced me to there and around are very nice people." he said diplomatically, "But I feel for some reason like you're the only one who remembers how odd this is to step into." he shrugged, "Or at least you look at me like less of a mad man for beign shocked." he quipped with alight laugh as he withdrew his hand and lifted his cup for a long drink perhaps to hind some embarrassment at the admission.
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As Riley readied himself Coach Capote tapped away on his tablet checking the first portion at least of the simulation and seemed momentarily surprised but shrugged and moved on looking up to Riley at the ready signal and with a glance back at the other students to ensure they were inside the safe zone behind him as the simulator once more buzzed to life. Around Riley he found himself amid a sea of humanity. The busy midtown street was almost indistinguishable from that of the previous exercise though no booming archer voice sounded off about 'Constant Vigilance!' and there appeared to be no woman in red to serve as distraction. The colors too seemed more vibrant at first then washed out slightly as the scene darkened with storm clouds rolling in over the city and a light patter of warm rain began to fall. There was little else to signal the change but a low rumble underfoot or in the distance before twisting vines and sturdy trunks erupted from the ground branching into towering trees as concrete cracked and buckled underfoot. The crowd began to panic as the streets were torn up by the overgrowth and the nearby buildings groaned as their foundations were rocked by mighty roots. A fine mist of lument pollen could be seen drifting from the canopy overhead and where the crowds began to breath it in they drew up to a halt hacking for a moment before their eyes were shot with green veins and they began to stalk through the undergrowth as if hunting something.
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The girl peeked over her shoulder as she passed eyes flickering for a fraction of a second with an inner fire. Before Anibal could process the possible danger however he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and a pinch of something sharp at his neck. the others could see one of the crowd grasp the fellow student and press what appeared to be some kind of injector device to his neck. Moments later the simulation froze then faded as Coach Capote nodded taking his final notes, "Ah a good attempt that simulation has been the downfall of many a student do not worry." he expressed with earnest effort to comfort the student despite the less than stellar performance, "As I was often told when I was a Student here, if you already knew all of these things you would not need the lessons yes?" he suggested pleased that despite Anibals performance this simulation at least had been less fraught with unpleasantness than the last. Perhaps the issues of Robins test had been merely happenstance an unhappy coincidence in pulling real crime reports to base simulations off of. Motioning Anibal to return to the others he turned on Riley, "Very well, Mr. Quinn?" he asked with a nod for the chamber floor, "If you are prepared?"
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This all seems rather mundane and gosh she is pretty! Go ahead and post your IC reactions.
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That's a rank 10 AOE attack. DC 20 Reflex to save for half damage then a DC 25 (or 20) Toughness. All of you and a few of the bystanders are caught in the blast radius. He'll follow that with a Teleport out of the building DC 15 notice check to realize he Ported out rather then literally detonated.
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The grinning thug jerked away from the slimy tongue suddenly launched his direction with a muttered curse, "What the hell are you?" he growled and heard the dead guys plans just in time to brace himself for the entangling scarves shaking and squirming free of the silken bonds with a sneer, "Nice try dead man." he rumbled and popped his neck as he straightened up and gazed imperiously at the Heroes, "You want a story slimer?" he scoffed, "Fine." His voice boomed through the emptying store, "We are the children of the Terminus and your kinds time on this earth is done." he roared, "You've been replaced by the upgrade now make like this meatball here and get busy getting extinct!" he laughed with a slightly mad tinge to his voice. He spread his arms as if inviting the heroes to strike him a crazed grin fixed on his features as his eyes burned with entropic energies and his flesh began to glow bright cracks and arcs of dark energies arcing along his skin. From the crowd a voice could be heard but barely, "Dammit Boomer! Too soon! They need more time!" but whatever compatriate was lost in the crush of fleeing humanity as the crazed T-Baby supremacist boomed, "The Fellowship rises!" as he erupted in a blistering explosion of entropy blasting apart the glass cases and flattening the shelves to the walls. Glass showering out over the fleeing crowd those too slow to escape the store caught in the blast and flung from the building like ragdolls the walls cracking and groaning as the pressure wave slammed into the supporting structure of the high rise above.
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"True enough." Ellis mused quietly, "Barbara, my late wife, started her training around Gabes age." he explained to further elucidate where he was coming from, "Her family has some kind of hereditary duty I guess." he was a bit light on details himself having pieced bits together from diaries, rare conversations, and Phantoms knowledge. "But the kids weren't ready, and there wasn't anyone else." he said somberly and frowned slightly, "I'm sorry I don't mean to lay this all on you now." he apologized genuinely and took a deep breath before moving on. "Long story short they only get powers at all if I hand them off." he explained with a shrug, "So there is that at least." he smiled slightly, "I haven't done a tour, really I was just feeling things out after Taylor and Erik and Richard all were so enthused." he explained carefully edging away from discussion of the fringe benefit of talking to seemingly the most grounded of the heroes he'd met.
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Huang watched the little dance of Fred moving away and shrugged to Riley as the other guy in the room, "Something something women right?" he joked lightly as that was what one did when ones flirtations fell on deaf ears in the movies and laughed at other boys comment, "They went right to lost world?" he asked incredulously, "Wow." was all he had to say on that clearly finding the idea even with his fairly limited interactions with the outdoorsy young man absurd. "Oh yea, it's great." Huang agreed, "Five stars." he nodded and shrugged he supposed it was a bit much to expect dimensional gallivants that were not old hat to one with his background. Yet another Sim to lay at the foot of this school and it's lackluster mystic studies. "In other words look before you leap." he pointed out more simply with an innocent smile aimed at his mother. He turned more serious at Rainas question however, "Well best not to jump through an unstable portal at all. If you know it's stable you should be able to go back the way you came." he offered plainly and with less hubris than usual, "There are spells to breach the veil between worlds," he added quickly, "But you have to know where you want to go, either have a good grounding in the cosmology of prime here or have some kind of anchor to trace back the dimensional signature." he looked to Riley almost apologetically, "Unfortunately that only works if the destination is very distinct." He didn't bother discussing however the dangers of the transitive dimensions, after all he wasn't teaching the class. Huang looked from Winifred to Riley then Raina and Cathy before finally settling on his mother in the hopes someone could explain to the Victorian that paternalism was bad. He was straight out of non-offensive ways to express the concept.
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Huang rolled his eyes slightly at the empty threats. If he was to be punished it would be far more targeted and far less unilateral and he knew it. "Of course I know that." he huffed with a shake of his head, parents just didn't understand, "You told me at least twelve times when you found out we were going." he pointed out omitting they of course had not found out from Huang of course. Shooting his father a wild eyed 'you have to be kidding me' look that would have been a better effect were all his looks not a bit wild eyed and crazed at the moment, the petulant teen explained, "You told me all about them over and over." with biting sarcasm. He fixed hi gaze on the foot-well and let the car roll along for several minutes before further elucidating, "I knew everything in there already, I've met half those peoples and heard first hand tellings of most of those displays." he argued archly, "So yea I bailed." he offered as they pulled into the garage and he stomped through the door shouting back over his shoulder, "I was trying to research Hepcat, who the museums pretty much ignore other than that one awkward photo." he said crossing his arms across his chest and tucking his chin as he leaned against the counter ready for whatever verbal barrage his parents were going to launch.
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And I'll need a notice and sense motive check from El Hurican.
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Coach Capote nodded to Anibal as the student volunteered to go next. He paused for a moment to look Robin over but it seemed her fellow students would be better comfort than himself as the most direct cause of her anguish. He took a long look at the outline of Anibals simulation and nodded to himself as he motioned the boy forward to prepare himself. He punched a few buttons on the tablet and moments later the simulator was a bustling street in midtown. The colors were a bit washed out but people bustled along the sidewalks with narrow minded purpose willing to jostle their way past anyone not moving with the flow of foot traffic. Anibal could be carried along or fight traffic to continue the direction he faced it was initially unclear which was the correct course. Then a voice carried out over the simulation, Mr. Archers for those familiar with the bombastic speedster turned sadistic gym teacher, "Vigilance." the disembodied teacher intoned, "Is the key." there was a long pause allowing the student being tested to examine his surroundings more thoroughly before the voice spoke once more, "Not all enemies are obvious until it is too late." As the teacher spoke once more an attractive woman would stand out in the crowd flowing towards Anibal, the bright red of her dress contrasted against the drab grey-scale of the crowd in general as she passed sparing a warm smile and lingering eye contact for the hero.
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Coach Capote was hurriedly tapping to end the simulations and scant moments after Robins outcry the simulation winked out of existence only a vague hum and scent of ozone in the air to suggest anything had ever been there. Where Robin stood staring at the ring the small metal band faded in her grasp the phantom jewelry was no more. The metal man running hte simulation was frowning deeply at the pad as he stabbed out another note though what reason he had to be upset was a mystery. Dauntless closed out whatever document he had opened with a terse sigh and looked up at the upset teens. He had no commentary on the students harsh words but nodded evenly at Robin, "Well done Ms. Chevalier." he said carefully and looked to Riley and Anibal in turn, "Well then, who'd like to go next?" he asked hopefully clearly trying to give the upset fens native an out from explaining her reactions if she didn't wish too.
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"Yea I think in some ways that would be easier." Ellis agreed, "I mean at least if you're prepared for it." he added as it was likely pretty rough on normal parents with toddlers flying out of cribs or bursting into flame or what not he frowned slightly at the thought. "I probably should talk to them about it but I mean they're kids." he rolls his eyes, "Most people are barely ready to decide what they want to be when they grow up when they are grown up." he said with a laugh and shook his head. Pausing thoughtfully Ellis added with a chagrined shrug, "then again I decided to become a doctor at ten." he laughed lightly, "So perhaps I am being over dramatic about it." "I should probably talk to them about it." He acknowledged, "I mean Jenny is gonna figure it out soon if she hasn't already." he said indicating himself, "And it's not like the school is going to be bad if they don't go forward to become the next Dread Pirate Roberts." he joked lightly and winced a bit, "I was so caught up in not deciding for them that I kinda was I guess." he admitted with a shrug. As for who if not his kids that was a problem for another day. Hopefully one long away.
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Ellis shook his head, "don't be." he assured her as he looked up eyes still with a hint of sadness but his features well controlled now. It was an old scar that may never heal but it was already fading. "Yes I expect that would be so." he agreed easily, "Lessons with Phantom may be cold comfort but are comfort." he said with a small laugh and looked to Stesha, "And I think you are definitely right the load is lighter with others to share in at least the knowledge if not the efforts." he considered thoughtfully and smiled to her once more. "It is comforting to not feel alone even if one is." he considered and smiled lightly, "I think that is why so many have such trouble not sharing the secret." Ellis pondered thinking of course of his own wife's revelation to him but knowing as well many heroes shared their exploits rather further than prudence would suggest.
