Raveled

Iapetus Move Action: Get in close to Glow. Standard Action: Bitey-bite! This is a Drain Wisdom 11 effect. Iapetus' melee attack w/ +2 All-Out Attack, vs Glow's Def. DC 21 Fort (1d20+8=21) Okay, save vs the Drain.

Tona pressed her lips together as she took the purse back from Sam. "It's very manageable when I wear a backpack," she said. "And when I'm in costume, I have these belt pouches that carry everything." Cerys mentioned bigger purses and she looked up, eyes bright. "I've seen these people going around town on bicycles. They have these things, it's not as big as a backpack but it's bigger than a purse. It's wrapped around their body, and clips around the front. I think I should try one of those."

OOC for taking place over there. Surely won't be needed, but I like being prepared.

September 13th, 2012 11:28 AM The Lab, Hanover The Lab was a rather more relaxed working environment than one might expect for one of the leading research laboratories in the world. Different department heads had different styles of course, but by and large when everyone was the top five or ten percent in their field, titles and seniority counted less than who had an interesting way to tackle the problem at hand. Therefore, it was an odd sight at the Lab for one of the heads of the organization to be dressed formally. Jessica Parker was clad in a cream, tailored skirt suit that came down to her knees, and pale pumps. As usual, the only jewelry she wore was the silver-looking bracelet around one wrist, but she at least made an attempt at make-up today. She walked around the perimeter of the large, seventh floor meeting rooms one last time. Meats and cheeses were laid out along one of the sideboards, along with soft drinks, water, coffee, and punch. Just a few days ago she and the rest of the Lab's executive council had met here and discussed adding another member to their numbers. The superhero Voltage had impressed several of the members already, and the remaining ones didn't take much persuasion. Jessica had volunteered to contact him and set up the meeting. Now all that was left was for him to come by and meet them all officially, and either accept or reject the proposal. Everything was ready for people to start showing up. Jessica stood by the door and forced herself to be still for a minute; then she began walking the perimeter of the room again, checking things one last time...

Starlight stayed at attention for a long minute, not wanting to be caught off-guard by a surprise retaliation, but before long it was obvious that they had retreated in truth. She relaxed slightly, floating over to the downed security guards. She touched each one, and as she did so a bit of the light and energy of her aura passed to the men and women and they began to pick themselves off the floor, rubbing wounds that were healing rapidly and shaking off the unconsciousness. "I shall heal," she said simply. "I am Starlight, and I apologize. I should stand between the world and the bearers of the Shadow."

Character Name: Nacht-Krieger Power Level: 14 Trade-Offs: +2 Att/-2 Dam, +4 Def/-4 Tou In Brief: A Nazi monster empowered by the Shattenwalt, now employed by SHADOW Alternate Identity: Johann Dietrich Meinhoff Identity: The general public believes that Johann perished during WW2. Birthplace: Munich, Germany Occupation: Assassin and professional monster Affiliations: SHADOW Family: Deceased Description: Age: 73 Apparent Age: Mid-thirties Gender: Male Ethnicity: German Height: 5' 11" Weight: N/A Eyes: N/A, formerly green. Hair: N/A, formerly brown. Nacht-Krieger is a living shadow, a flat stick figure of a human being drawn in charcoal. His movements are blindingly fast, from one place to another in the blink of an eye. In combat he strikes with a disconcerting fluidity, often warping his 'body' in impossible ways to get around or through an opponent's defenses. Power Descriptions: Nacht-Krieger is no longer human in any conventional sense. He has been transformed by the powers of the Shattenwalt into a living shadow, a thing of darkness and menace. He fades away into shadows and is as substantial as them, but he can focus his limbs into monomolecular blades capable of slicing through just about anything. History:1 Johann Meinhoff started life as a bully on the streets of Munich, but after being presented with a magic ring that allowed him to channel the powers of the Shattenwalt by Willem Kantor, he swiftly rose to the rarefied heights of Nazi society. As one of the Reich's Ubersoldaten he commanded strikes deep behind enemy lines, using his command over shadows to escape from the Liberty League and the Allies of Liberty rather than face them outright. After the war, he was imprisoned off the coast of Freedom City by the twin heroes White Rose and White Thorn; when he escaped in the 50s Thorn gave his life to reseal the monster underneath Pyramid Plaza. There, cut off from human contact, Nacht-Krieger slowly went insane. After long months he learned to touch the true power of the Shattenwalt, not just through his ring but with his soul. In time he was contacted by the reborn William Kantor, now going by Overshadow. With Overshadow's aid he enacted a ritual to integrate the power of the Shattenwalt into his very being and so escaped from his second prison. Driven mad by direct contact with the predatory darkness beyond the borders of our world, he became a barely-controlled sadist, a monster among monsters and Overshadow's willing attack dog. Personality & Motivation: Johann Meinhoff was always a bully, delighting in the pain and misery of others, but working under Willem Kantor and prolonged contact with the stuff of the Shattenwalt has warped his mind until he lives for nothing but to bring pain and death to others. He is a monster in body and soul now. Nacht-Krieger's only driving force in his not-exactly-life seems to be to hurt others, to bring them misery and terror. He most often does this as Overshadow's personal assassin and attack dog, but it is possible that if he does not get sufficient excursions to slake his taste for pain, he will seek out appropriately challenging victims on his own. Powers & Tactics: Nacht-Krieger is an assassin and killer, a monster who stalks the shadows. He will almost never face an opponent openly, preferring instead to use stealth and misdirection to get a drop on his targets. When combat has been joined he will use his terrifying appearance to wrong-foot an opponent. If death threatens, he is smart enough to retreat and try to fight again another day. He has no compunction about leaving minions or supposed allies behind, even wounding them intentionally to slow down his pursuers. Abilities: 8 + 6 + 8 + 4 + 2 + 8 = 36PP Strength: 18 (+4) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 18 (+4) Intelligence: 14 (+2) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 16 + 20 = 36PP Initiative: +11 Attack: +8, +16 melee Grapple: +20 Defense: +18 (+10 Base, +8 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: - + 10 + 10 = 20PP Toughness: +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection) Fortitude: --- Reflex: +13 (+3 Dex, +10) Will: +11 (+1 Wis, +10) Skills: 76R = 19PP Intimidate 16 (+20) Skill Mastery Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 3 (+5) Notice 14 (+15) Skill Mastery Profession (Soldier) 4 (+5) Search 8 (+10) Sense Motive 14 (+15) Skill Mastery Stealth 17 (+20) Skill Mastery Feats: 31PP All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 8 Challenge 2 (Accelerated Startle, Accelerated Stealth) Dodge Focus 8 Fearless Fearsome Presence 6 Improve Initiative 2 Power Attack Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth) Startle Powers: 6 + 20 + 30 + 16 + 6 + 22 + 12 + 3 = 109PP All powers have the Magic descriptor Concealment 6 (Shadow; All visual and auditory; Flaw: Limited [when in shadows]) [6PP] Immunity 40 (All energy attacks; Flaw: Half effect) [20PP] Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30PP] Insubstantial 3 (Extra: Duration [default is Shadow Form, Sustained Active effect to remain corporeal; Feat: Innate) [16PP] Protection 6 [6PP] Strike 8 (Extra: Penetrating [12]; Feat: Extended, Mighty) [22PP] Super-Movement 6 (Air-Walking 2, Slithering, Wall-Crawling 2, Trackless) [12PP] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision; Feat: Innate) [3PP] Drawbacks: -3 + (-2) = -5PP Weakness (x2 vs Light descriptor; Frequency: Common) [-3PP] Weakness (Insubstantial does not count against effects with Silver descriptor ) [-2PP] Abilities (36) + Combat (36) + Saving Throws (20) + Skills (19) + Feats (31) + Powers (109) - Drawbacks (5) = 246 Power Points 1This is a condensed version of the backstory given on page 213 of the Freedom City setting book.

There is no falsehood on him. To keep this from dragging too much, I'll point out that there's a couple of potential leads, still: the lab where the virus was put together, and however it was transmitted to so many people.

Tory looked around, his cleaning motion slowing as he took in the widening circle of superheroes. "Whoa, whoa. Wait a second. The Cult of the Pox?" He shook his head. "Those /b/tard rejects? Listen, I was studying religions and how they form. I thought I'd talk to a few homegrown cults and the like. I found those guys through a Google search, thought 'hey, they have a message board with an archive! I can see how their beliefs grew!' But any question I asked was met with in-jokes and trolling. They'd be making life hard for noobs on 4chan, except I don't think any of them know how use Photoshop." He shrugged. "I don't know anything about a virus, sorry."

Tona settled in the back of the car, looking the shoes over. They didn't have anywhere near the ankle support she was used to with her boots, and she didn't get the raised heels, but she reminded herself that this was a time to learn about this world. So she slipped off her heavy boots and slipped on the low pumps, wiggling her toes in the end. They looked good on her; but she wondered how'd they feel after a hike. She moved items from the pockets of her shorts to the purse and her new pants. Wallet and phone (half charge, because she always forgot to plug it in) went into her pockets, and everything else was moved into the purse. A roll of bandages and disinfectant, a multitool, a various bits of string and useful lengths of wire, a couple packs of tissues, her extra mask and archery gloves, a set of folded binoculars, a double dozen zip-tie handcuffs, and a flashlight. Tona looked at the profusion of items spilling from the top of the purse. She tried to close it in vain, and instead turned to Cerys and Sam. "I think I'm doing it wrong," she said, offering the pack to the other girls.

Jessica quirked a smile. "Well. I don't think I could drive unless I could move my feet. I promise I'll get some therapy time in before I hit the road though, okay, Corbin?" Time unreeled as the pair chatted. Lunch came and went and Jessica wrangled food for her guest; hours later he excused himself and left. The young woman went back to her work, humming happily. Despite the darkness outside, the feeling inside the room was a bit brighter than the previous days.

The man in the apron eyed the King of Suits and stepped back, out of his grasp. "I'm Tory Vetto, yeah. I don't know what a meta-virus is. If you want some medical advice, you should talk to my roomie, Vincent. He's going for his PhD in medicine, I'm studying sociology." He craned his neck up and looked at the ship again, mouth hanging open slightly. "Are you guys with the Freedom League or something? Are you sure you should have something that big up there? What if there's, like, an airplane coming in to Jordan or the Jameson?"

Tona was mildly surprised at someone else knew French, but she recovered from her surprise and replied. "" she pointed out. "" She stretched her arms above her, moving her torso from side to side as she continued limbering up. "" Of course, in Tona's experience a fight to run away from included Omegadrones and reanimated corpses, but the principal remained the same. If people wanted to avoid getting hurt, sometimes the smartest thing to do was not to fight at all.

And they retreat. Everyone gets a HP (if it's relevant this late) for it.

Ricochet wasn't expecting such a frontal assault from the spider-themed heroine, and the blow knocked the wind out of her. She staggered over to Hooded Menace, grabbing the man's shoulder and leaning on him heavily. "I think," she gasped, "it's time to make tracks, boss." Hooded Menace lowered his hands from his face, revealing an angry burn that was nevertheless already beginning to close up. He glared at Starlight and yelled at her, "It's not over, gold warrior. We'll meet again, on my terms!" With that the shadows rose, boiling angrily until they obscured the entire first floor of the building. Only the Bee-Keeper's eyes could pierce the darkness, and he saw the two figures growing less and less distinct until they were indistinguishable from the surrounding murk. Starlight spread her arms and with a mighty pulse sent her aura rushing through the building, chasing the shadows away. When the fog cleared, though, none of the villains were to be seen.

GM The Hive Tyrant howled under Voltage's electric assault. "Bug-brain," he howled, reaching out with one mechanical exo-arm to pick up a nearby car. He hefted it and tossed it at the hero, shaking his other arm in defiance. "I'll squash you like the insignificant irritant you are!" He gestured grandly and the swarm swooped and spun in the air, before diving straight at Voltage.

Ironclad was busy at the moment. She let loose with another salvo of the massed missiles, but the swarms managed to move their constituent parts around enough to avoid taking any damage. Most of the flying robo-ants were regrouping following her last attack, but one group managed to rush her in a concentrated mass. They impacted her armor solidly, but without doing too much to the woman inside.

Hive Tyrant Move Action: Pick up a nearby car. Standard Action: Throw it at Voltage! Hive Tyrant's ranged attack check, vs Voltage's Def. DC 25 Tou (1d20+10=26) Yikes. Well, that will hit. Swarm Move Action: Move close to Voltage again. Standard Action: Strike. Swarm's melee attack check, vs Voltage's Def. DC 25 Tou (1d20+8=12) That will not hit. Bully for Voltage.

Lobby Fight Ini 21 - Swarm 1 - Bruisex1 - GM 21 - Swarm 2 - Staggered - GM 15 - Ironclad - -1 Tou- HPx3 11 - Swarm 3 - Uninjured - GM Outside Fight Ini 27 - Swarm - Uninjured - GM 16 - Voltage - -1 Tou - HPx3 10 - Hive Tyrant - Bruisex1 - GM Ironclad Full Action: Can't move, so using more Cluster Munitions. Ironclad's ranged attack check, vs Swarm's Def. DC 25 Tou (1d20+12=19) That will... miss them. All. Oi. Only Swarm 3 was unDazed from that last round of attacks, so only it can attack her back. Swarm 3 Standard Action: Strike vs. Ironclad. Swarm 3's melee attack check, vs Ironclad's Def. DC 25 Tou (1d20+8=11) Amazingly that will not even hit Ironclad.

The pseudo-galleon cut through the air above Freedom City, casting its shadow over the core of the city as it navigated the currents towards the bohemian district of town. The Drunken Mule was technically open at this time of day, though largely unoccupied just yet. Still, as the large ship came to a halt above it, the few stubborn afternoon drinkers filtered out and stared up at the vast ship. Among them was a young man in a white apron, polishing a glass mug with a clean cloth and squinting against the glare of the sun.

It's pretty thick glass. Let's go with the Toughness of wood. Breaking it would make a big rush of water, but once it petered out it'd only be a wet floor, basically. Could I get a Wis check from you two? DC 15

Purchases were made and money was handed over. Tona watched the entire exchange with interest. Cash was another thing new to this world; in the resistance, if you needed something you just asked someone who could make it. If you didn't have the materials yourself, then you asked someone for that, as well, and if it wasn't frivolous you'd usually get it. It was a need-based economy, but here where there was time to worry about fashion and how you looked in an outfit, rather than just the utility of it. Outside the sky was growing dark fast, and street lights were on, pushing back the night. "I saw this on TV," Tona said. "Folks go to a place called a club. There's dancing, and other young people there, and music! I want to go to one of those."

Ricochet's Toughness save, vs DC 20. (1d20+8=14) Bruised + Dazed.

Tethys' opposed grapple, vs 35. (1d20+19=24) And he's free.

Everyone happy to move on to the bar?

At the last moment another steel ball whirled off the bandolier and deflected the robo-bee. She sneered at the buzzing battlesuited battler, but she slipped closer to Hooded Menace. "Come on, boss-man," she hissed. "You've got the goods, time to be getting while the getting's good!" Starlight didn't give the shadow-wreathed criminal a chance to respond to Ricochet. She shot out another thin beam of light and though the shadows pinning her to the ground tried to pull her arm out of alignment at the last moment, it still scored a burn across his face. He howled and buried his face in his palms, stumbling around sightlessly. Starlight allowed a thin smile to cross her face. "Lay down your weapons," she said, "and I can promise no further harm, villains!"