Raveled

GM Most of the gang members didn't wait to try and fight it out with the conjured Freedom League. With so many A-list heroes apparently attacking all at once, most of the gangers bolted for the nearest exit. A couple stayed and started firing at shadows; one was lucky enough to put three rounds straight through 'Lady Liberty.' He stared at the apparition, then nudged his buddy. "Hey, these Leaguers -- they ain't real. Someone's playing head games!" A door leading further into the warehouse opened and two people stepped through it. The first was a large man in a cut-off tee-shirt and jeans, bigger and bulkier than the rest of the gang members and radiating an aura of authority and danger. "What the hell is going on here? What are all you suckers doing, fight the capes off!" The other figure was a woman, thing and blonde, who looked around the room and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I zink you vill find zat these heroes are mostly illusions," she said, her German accent thick enough to cut. "Unfortunately, that meanz there iz someone around attempting to break in. And ve can't have zat, now can ve?" Blonde pulled a syringe out of her lab coat and jabbed the gang leader, emptying a red fluid into him. "Have my latest creation -- Ultra-Max. All the rage, none of ze heart attack! And as for, I shall... relocate." The woman stepped back through the door, closing it behind her. The leader recoiled from the the jab. "Hey, what the hell did you just give me?" He clutched at his head, and the heroes could see the veins on his arms pulsing. "I... I feel... I feel ANGRY!!" He roared and charged into the melee.

8 panic and run off. Woop woop woop! Remaining four keep shootin' the Freedom League. Thugs' Will save vs DC 16. (1d20=7, 1d20=17) One of 'em gets it! Time for a reveal and another Intiative roll! Berserker's Ini (1d20+6=14) Initiative 25 Dr. Smythe -- Who knows? -- GM. Or is it? 24 Crimson Tiger -- Uninjured -- HPx2 23 Blue Jay -- Bruisex1 -- HPx2 14 Berserker -- Uninjured -- GM 13 Kit -- Bruisex1 -- HPx1 10 Blod -- Bruisex1 -- HPx2 3 Thug 1 -- Gone -- Minion 3 Thug 2 -- Gone -- Minion Crimson Tiger's up as soon as the IC post goes up.

Blue Jay had her bow out and extended, an arrow tipped with Curator-metal nocked and pulled to full draw. One of the advantages of a compound bow was that once the arrow was drawn, it only required minimal effort to keep it ready to fire. So she was able to keep it pointed at the Curator's army of drones and pick her shot. Except there was no shot to take. None of them were moving. Not a single one appeared to be animate or aware of their presence in any way. Jay kept turning, trying to keep the entire bay in view at once, waiting for one or all of the robots to rush as them with murderous intent. The tension was wearing on her, though, and they couldn't linger in this landing bay forever. "It's an opportunity," she said. "We shouldn't miss it." She hurried towards the exit, hoping the proper way forward would be obvious. "I'm the quietest, so I'll scout ahead. Stay a hundred feet back; if I run into trouble we can regroup quickly enough."

Blue Jay -- or the thing calling itself Blue Jay -- recoiled from the blow. It hit the chimney again, and when it sat up this time Blodeuwedd and El Heraldo could see that its skull was split and partially caved in. "F-f-f-foolish heroes," it said, its voice stuttering. "You can n-n-n-never underest-- underest-- underest-- underest--" The Blue Jay bot twitched, and collapsed. And then the entire roof was engulfed in green flame, as the core of the robot detonated and flung burning plasma in a wide arc around itself.

Sky.Lord didn't seem at all put out by facing two armed and armored heroes armed only with a weird gun. "Michael Cunningham," he said, speaking expansively, "is a genius, especially when it comes to inter-dimensionally travel. He encountered a place no one else did before, called the Counter-Verse." "I heard about that," Ironclad said, intrigued despite herself. "It's a photo negative universe, where colors are reversed and people speak backwards." "Exactly," the Sky-Lord said. "Unfortunately his contact left him contaminated with the stuff of the Contra-Verse, and quite mad. He became obsessed with curing himself, with siphoning off the stuff or the other universe. He came to me few weeks ago with a plan to draw it off and contain it, but he needed help getting the parts he needed. I have--" He stopped, clenching his teeth, and for the first time looked anything other than in control. He looked mad. "I had soldiers, and a use for a weapon that could destroy any matter from this universe that it came in contact with." "That's why you attacked Dawes Tech," Ironclad growled. Sky-Lord raised an eyebrow. "Would you have sold it to me? Yes, I tried to take it. But not too long after the soldiers left, Cunningham went mad. He started referring to himself as Negator and rearranged the machinery that was supposed to cure him. Instead, it supercharged him and he started to... infect my base, killing everyone in the engineering sector. I managed to stop it, but now he intends to open a portal to the Counter-Verse, and infect the entire world -- or at least enough to create a reaction with the remaining matter and destroy the world."

Why that's such a low DC, she shouldn't have any trouble making it! 1d20+9=10 I say there's little chance of Jay coming back from that. Shall we have her explode?

1d20+10=24 Bruisex4. Will she get to act this round, or will Warp have revenge?

Jay's Toughness save vs DC 25. (1d20+11=22) Bruise x3.

Your turn.

Character Name: Black Vulture Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Arrogant king of the Avians Alternate Identity: Vohl-Turr Identity: The general public is unaware that the Avians or Vohl-Turr exist. Birthplace: Atlas Mountains Occupation: King of the Avians Affiliations: Sky Clan, Cryptids Description: Age: ?? Gender: Male Ethnicity: Cryptid (Beast People) Height: Weight: ??? Eyes: Blue Hair: White Power Descriptions: History: Personality & Motivation: (Describe here) Powers & Tactics: Volk-Turr prefers to use hit and run tactics, often flying high in the air and swooping down to slash at his target before retreating again. Wing Gust is a useful tool to be used against anyone with a ranged weapon or if he needs to flee. He caught underground or overpowered, he'll use Fascinate and Intimidate to keep his opponents off kilter long enough for him to get into a space where his superior mobility can win the day. Abilities: 6 + 10 + 6 + 2 + 0 + 8 = 32 PP Strength: 16 (+3) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20 PP Initiative: +9 Attack: +4 Melee, +4 Ranged, +10 Claws Grapple: +7 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: +5 Saving Throws: 3 + 5 + 7 = 15 PP Toughness: +10/+4 (+4 Con, +6 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +7 (+4 Con, +3) Reflex: +10 (+5 Dex, +5) Will: +7 (+0 Wis, +7) Skills: 56 R = 14 PP Acrobatics 12 (+17) Diplomacy 6 (+10) Intimidate 11 (+15) Language 1 (Avians) Notice 8 (+8) Sense Motive 8 (+8) Survival 10 (+10) Feats: 26 PP Acrobatic Bluff Animal Empathy Assessment Benefit (Ruler of Sky Clan) Challenge 2 (Fast Demoralize, Fast Startle) Defensive Attack Defensive Roll 3 Dodge Focus 4 Evasion Fascinate (Intimidate) Favored Environment (Aerial) Improved Initiative Leadership Move-By Attack Power Attack Redirect Set-up Startle Track (Visual) Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 3 + 9 + 2 + 22 = 36 PP Comprehend 2 (Animals, speak to & understand, Flaw: Limited [Birds]) [2 PP] Flight 5 (250 MPH, Drawback: Wings) (Avian Flight) [9 PP] Super-Senses 3 (Visual, Extended 2 [1000 ft increments], Low-Light Vision) (Eagle Vision) [3 PP] Winged Warrior Array 10 (20 PP, Feat: Alternate Power 1) [22 PP] BE: Damage 7 (Feats: Accurate 3, Mighty, Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Split Attack, Extra: Penetrating [6]) (Claws) [20/20] AP: Dazzle 10 (Visual, Extra: Area/Cone [General]) (Wing Gust) [20/20] AP: Obscure 10 (Visual, Extra: Independent) (Clouded by Birds) [20/20] Drawbacks: (0) = -0 PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC18 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Claws Touch DC25 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Wing Gust Area/Cone DC20 Reflex/DC 20 Fortitude Blinded Obscure Ranged None Blinded Totals: Abilities (32) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (14) + Feats (26) + Powers (36) - Drawbacks (0) = 143/150 Power Points

Rolls? What are those? Hit a 25 with Computers, 30 with Know/Tech, 15 with Know/Business, 20 with Notice.

Bee-Keeper's blasts struck one Negator and he tumbled, decohering and vanishing in a spray of red and black particles. But as the hero tried to walk the blasts over, he found it increasingly difficult to handle the recoil and the second clone managed to duck under the beams. He sneered up at the heroes, which prompted Ironclad to divert power to her suit's servo muscles and swoop into hand-to-hand combat with him. She managed to land a good chop to the knock-off's neck, to he merely staggered up the blow and then straightened, smiling evilly. And then screamed as he dispersed into a red-black fog. Striding across the room was an older man in pseudo-military dress, aiming something that looked like a hairdryer at the spot where the Negator clone had been a moment ago. In fact it was the exact same man whose hologram had berated them in the elevator on the ride down! He holstered the hairdryer and nodded at the heroes, apparently unconcerned at the two armored heroes before him. "Hello, and welcome to my base," he said. "I am the Sky-Lord. Would you like to know how you can save the world today?"

Walking the Autofire? Okay, I'll go with that since they're minions. Negators' Toughness saves, vs DC 30. (1d20+14=30, 1d20+14=21) Well, one's down. Ironclad Move Action: Land next to remaining Negator clone. Free Action: Switch Weapons Array to Servos. Standard Action: +2/-2 All-Out Attack, take 10 to hit for a total of 24. DC 27 Toughness. Negator's Toughness save, vs DC 27. (1d20+14=33) Ugh, survived. You know what? Let's throw in the next story development to end this fight, shall we?

Ironclad whirled as the office workers turned the corner and ran at her. Her fingers twitched inside the gauntlets and she came within a hair's breadth of blasting them -- but her accelerated brain gave her an eternity to compare their movements with the robotic impersonators she had dispatched. She realized they were human and relaxed, actually stepping aside to let them get to the door easier. When a group of openly hostile droids rounded the corner, Ironclad moved between the civilians and the robots. It was just happenstance that her three hundred and sixty degree sensorium caught the purple-haired woman's startled statement. The armored heroine's first instinct was to find the woman and interrogate her, but a fresh wave of attack droids tied her up for a few precious seconds. When she raced after the civilians, they were already gone. She sighed and keyed up the group's comm frequency. "Be aware: not everything in here is hostile. Repeat, there are civilians around, so double-check your targets." She paused and added, "But I'm not sure they're all on our side."

GM Arcturus heard the scratching stop, start up again, and then stop again. "I can sssmell something warm and living," a voice drifted from out of the darkness. It sounded higher than Arcturus was, though the echoing in the close space didn't make it easy to pinpoint. "I can sssee you, so big and waaarm in here. Mmm, so big and warm and full of blood, when everything is dead and cold." There was more scratching, slower this time, coming close to Arcturus. "I'll drink up all your blood and be warm again, then bring your bones to the Master for his playing. Doesn't that sound lovely?"

Blue Jay rolled to her feet and came up in a stable firing position. The zombie was still stumbling about from her last blow, so she pulled several arrows out of her quiver and snapped the shots off, one after another. They struck the zombie low in his legs, all aimed for tendons; and from the way it was stumbling as it tried to close the distance between them. It swung one meaty paw through the air in an attempt to hit her, but she easily ducked under the blow this time and came up ready for more.

ZombieHouse is Dazed, Jay's up next. Blue Jay Standard Action: Attack with Defensive Attack, +5/-5. Blue Jay's ranged attack check, vs ZombieHouse's Def. DC 20 + Autofire (1d20+10=29) Improved Critical is a beautiful thing. DC 25 + Autofire comes out to DC 30. ZombieHouse's Toughness save, vs DC 30. (1d20+13=26) Injuryx2 ZombieHouse Move Action: Move to Blue Jay. Standard Action: ZombieHouse SMASH! ZombieHouse's melee attack check, vs Jay's Def + 5. DC 30 Tou (1d20+5=15) lol no Initiative 29 Blue Jay -- Bruisex1 -- HPx1 13 ZombieHouse -- Injured x2 -- GM

Tona licked her lips. "It tastes really good," she said. "But why did you get it with two straws?" She leaned in again and took a deep pull, letting it sit on her tongue only a moment before swallowing. "Mmm, this is really good. We should have gotten one for each of us, so we wouldn't have to sh--" And then the pain. Stabbing pain in her head, like someone had grabbed a knife or a pick and rammed it in just above her eyes. Tona opened her mouth in a silent scream and pressed her hands against her head, searching for a wound that had to be there but wasn't. She double over in her seat, trying to figure out how and why someone was attacking, but the pain seemed to blot out her world.

"We die alone," Blue Jay whispered to herself. "At length, and in great pain." It had been a truth for her, for nearly her entire life. Except for these last few months at Claremont, she had always lived with the knowledge that any day she lived could be her very last. Which is why she went into every fight with all her strength and skill, because if something was going to kill her she was sure going to make it remember her. And now this Curator was trying to take it all away from her. Take away Claremont, and Mali and Cerys, and Sam. Tona felt a fire begin building in her limbs and in her gut. All of a sudden she wanted to see the Curator in pain, see it smashed to pieces in front of her, and if she needed to sit in a cramped spaceship for a little while to do it, then she was even willing to sit alongside an Omegadrone to do it. It didn't take long for Wander to bring back their scant supplies from the campsite, back to the spaceship. Jay helped her load it and find places for everything, then took a seat in the cargo bay. There were scraps and shards of metal on floor, and the archer say down with a honing stone, some wire, and some carbon fiber shafts. Soon she was engrossed in the preparation of even more arrows for her quiver.

Tona took the bit of squirrel and bit into it, tearing off a chunk and chewing it slowly, before swallowing. "Merci," she said quietly. She wasn't entirely sure what Elias's words meant, but she didn't feel like getting into a yelling match out here in the woods with him over eavesdropping. "It's pretty good squirrel," she said, starting to walk back to camp. "I don't think you even need hot sauce for it." Tona walked slowly, taking time to finish all the squirrel before she stepped back into the camp. She took a seat next to Sam, carefully not looking directly at her. "So. Um. If you really want to go with me, you can. But it's going to be really hard work."

The armored apian avenger charged the massed ranks of Negators, but they proved too fast for him, dodging aside or rolling over him. Ironclad had a similar brute force attack in mind, as she floated in the air and louvers on the armor's back and shoulders opened up. Missiles streaked out, a cloud of them targeting a group of clones that had separated slightly from the pack. They exploded all around the recidivist replicas, but when the smoke cleared they were unharmed. "Totally unfair," Ironclad muttered to herself as she mentally flipped through other attack options. The mob of murders mimics surged past the heroes, scrambling instead for the elevator's cables. They latched onto them in groups of twos and threes, then started sawing away at them with red beams that evaporated the braided steel cables! Before long the lines began to part and the groups rocketed to the surface. Meanwhile, two of the clones split off from the group and began firing at the heroes, red and black beams bouncing Ironclad around inside her suit!

Negator's Defense is +24 total, so those miss. Ironclad Free Action: Switch Weapons Array to Cluster Munitions. Full Action: +5/-5 All-Out Attack to boost Att to +17, Take 10 on attack roll for +27 total. It'll hit... 3 of the duplicate Negators. DC 27 Toughness. Negators' Toughness save vs. DC 27. (1d20+14=32, 1d20+14=34, 1d20+14=28) ... This isn't going well. Negators Most of the Negators keep charging and split around the pair, but two blast the good guys! Standard Action: Negators' ranged attack check. DC 29 Toughness. (1d20+14=30, 1d20+14=32) Those are some hits. Ironclad's Toughness check, vs DC 29. (1d20+16=23) Rerolling. Ironclad's Toughness check, vs DC 29. (1d20+16=17) +10 to 27, so another Bruise. Continuity!

Ironclad jetted above the city on a high, ballistic arc. She didn't try to hide her target; she wanted all the sensors and defenses focused on her. The suit was designed to take a beating, much more than Bee-Keeper's or Dragonfly's or probably Fenris's were. The Foundry goons might get a little extra warning because of the non-subtle approach, but that just meant she'd have to move even faster once inside. The green-and-gold heroine smashed through the roof of the building, landing in a three-point stance in what appeared to be a normal office. Her sensorium confirmed that there were no kill-bots in the area, and she started feeling a little sheepish. "Um, excuse me," she said to someone that appeared to be a secretary, "but I don't suppose you've seen a space plane or laser cannon arou--" The secretary held up one hand and the flesh peeled away to reveal a long-barreled gun, which spat some kind of plasma at Ironclad. She deflected with one of her bracers and shot back, annihilating the droid. "Huhn. Infiltration units." Another office worker rounded the corner, arm cannon exposed, and Ironclad blasted that one. Her sonar picked up another few behind a wall, so she punched right through it to obliterate them. If all the defenses were this meager, they would have the laser cannon dismantled in no time at all.

Blue Jay stayed outside, covering the entrance and the lip of the crater. She wasn't very comfortable being in the inside of a ship that, just a few days ago, was trying to kidnap her and everyone else to take them who-knows-where. Besides, she didn't take well to being crammed into tiny spaces where she couldn't defend herself. She had her commlink tuned to the same frequency as the rest of the group, so she could hear everything they were saying anyway. "So, the ship can fly, but it can't go between stars? So it's kind of useless to us, right? Shouldn't we at least go on to the Defenders base and check out their spaceship, before trying to steal one of the Curator's ships?"

The kick snapped Blue Jay's head back, and the blow from Dyrnwyn landed heavily on her shoulder, wrenching it out of the joint. She screamed more in pain than frustration, her entire world going dim with pain for a moment even as Heraldo cheered on the remaining heroes. And then Warp appeared from literally nowhere, Jay unable to mount any sort of defense against the blow. She was thrown back against a chimney by the blow, the lip of the brick catching her in her lower back. The young archer's back continued while the rest of her body was stopped cold, and she ended up bent back, her spine at nearly a right angle. It was painful for any human to look at -- and the she sat up, her bones audibly cracking as she forced them back into position. The blow from Warp was still visible on her skin -- not as a reddened patch of flesh, but as an indentation in her body. Whatever this was that was posing as Blue Jay breathed heavily, glaring at Heraldo and Blodeu. There were no more words to say, so she didn't waste her breath with them.