Raveled

Tackle tensed against Wail's arms for a long moment, then relaxed and hung against him, limp as a wet noodle. "Alright. I give up. I won't fight you anymore. Just... please let me go, so I can check on Block." Ironclad backed off a few steps, eying the large woman uneasily. "Why should we trust you? Why are you concerned about what happens to him? You villain types usually aren't up on the whole happy-family, sacrifice-for-another deal." Tackle's head snapped up and she glared at Ironclad, curling her lip. "I care, you Ñ…Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð´Ð½Ð°Ñ Ñука, because he's my husband and I want to make sure he's not dead." Ironclad swallowed, feeling a blush spread across her face and feeling profoundly stupid for what she had just said. She opened her mouth to reply, then thought better of it and simply looked at Wail.

Ironclad landed and gave the unconscious elephant-man a hearty kick, before turning to address Crow. "I don't understand," she said. "Philosophical implications aside, these are supposed to be gods, right? Don't they smack down demons on a regular basis?" Her gaze roamed over the damaged pavilion and the monkey king. "Case in point. I mean, help out those who aren't mythology buffs. What's the real danger here?"

Oh my God. Cap has mechanics for shaming other heroes. I don't know if that's genius or insane.

Meagan blinked at the question. "Well. I mean. A couple scripts I was looking at and a couple grand in cash, you know, for emergencies. I can't believe they broke in here to steal just those, though!" It was rather hard to imagine a crew like Larceny Inc. risking jail time for a few Hollywood plots and a few thousand dollars; they could get more with less work knocking over jewel stores, and all of that was far beneath their normal level. Ironclad had wandered out onto the balcony during the talk, examining what Smash had done to the balcony. As such she was the one best situated to see a pair of police cruisers pull up to the apartment building, lights flashing. She stood up and walked back into the living area. "Police just pulled up," she announced. "They'll probably be here any minute. Whiplash, Asad, any more questions?"

Ironclad felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up at the mention of the Terminus. If Omega and his ilk were involved in this, it had just gotten very, very bad indeed. At the same time, her sensors were not attuned to detect such esoteric wave forms, so she couldn't tell where they were emanating from. "Supercape," she called out, her voice quavering slightly. "Any idea where the break-down is happening? Or anything?"

Dragonfly seemed to have the villain well in hand, so Ironclad turned an eye to her bindings. They looked to be simply ice, but seemed far too strong for that; not that physics always made sense around metahumans, anyway. She discarded the idea of simply trying to burn it away, mostly because her thrusters were still having trouble firing. Instead she channeled the energy into the servo motors and flexed, trying to contract her body into a ball. If she could shatter the ice that had invaded the suit's joints, she be warming up many smaller shards, instead of trying to inject heat into a single mass, and that would go a lot faster. The lightning crawled across Glacier King's skin, leaving him unaffected as it ground out against the earth. "You know nothing of my divinity," he growled, swiping ineffectually at Dragonfly as she spun through the air. "But you'll learn, you impudent pixie. As soon as you bow to me!" He superchilled the air around Dragonfly, trying to trap her in the same bonds that Ironclad was struggling against.

Ironclad's going to shift herself into full S-Str mode and try to break the ice around her. Str 20 + S-Str rank 5 means a Toughness check vs DC 30 for the Snare. Glacier King's Snare's Toughness save, vs DC 30. (1d20+12=29) Injured x1. Glacier King is up and since Dragonfly's running around being all flitty and annoying, he's going to try and lock her down with her own Snare. Winterfire's ranged attack w/ +2 Accurate Attack, vs Dragonfly's Def. DC 20 Ref. (1d20+14=15) Initiative 18 Glacier King -- Bruise x2 -- GM 17 Dragonfly -- Uninjured -- HP x3 12 Snow Monster 1 -- OUT -- Minion 12 Snow Monster 2 -- OUT -- Minion 12 Snow Monster 3 -- OUT -- Minion 12 Snow Monster 4 -- OUT -- Minion 12 Snow Monster 5 -- OUT -- Minion 10 Ironclad -- Entangled -- HP x3 10 Snare -- Injured x1

Starlight gasped as Nes' tentacles wrapped around her, attempting to pull her down to some bad end. She struggled against its grip, but she had little physical strength and less training for something like this. She cast around for anything to help her and settled on the open windows. She couldn't fly to them, but they did provide her another means of escape. The alien heroine closed her eyes and concentrated on Ms. Hawthorne's office, shutting out the imminent peril she was in and picturing it as clearly as she could in her mind. There was a wash of power and her body dissolved into a thousand motes of incandescent light, which streamed up and out of the window, heading across town and back to the offices of Roseus Corporation.

Glowstar's CO's Toughness save, vs DC 31. (1d20+12=20) So it's.... Staggered + Dazed.

Power Level 7 (94 pp) Abilities: STR: 10 (+0), DEX: 12 (+1), CON: 12 (+1), INT: 10 (+0), WIS: 14 (+2), CHA: 18 (+4) [16PP] Skills: Bluff 4 (+8/+12 w/ Attractive), Concentration 4 (+6), Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 10 (+10), Knowledge [Theology & Philosophy] 5 (+5), Notice 6 (+6), Perform [Dance] 9 (+13), Search 6 (+6), Sense Motive 8 (+8) [80R] [13PP] Feats: Attack Specialization (Magic Array), Attractive, Dodge Focus, Improved Initiative, Ritualist [5PP] Powers: [28PP] Magic Array 8 (Feat: Alternate Power 2) [16PP] Base Effect: Blast 7 [14/14PP] Water Blast Alternate Power: Emotion Control 7 [14/14PP] Alternate Power: Obscure 3 (Visual) [6/14PP] Protection 6 [6PP] Super-Senses 6 (Magic Awareness [Tactile], Detect Magic [Tactile]) [6PP] Combat: +5/+7 Magic Attack, +7 Defense (+3 flat-footed), +5 Initiative, +5 Grapple, -3 Knockback [20PP] Saves: +7 Toughness (+1 Con, +6 Protection), +6 Fort (+1 Con, +5), +6 Ref (+1 Dex, +5), +4 Will (+2 Wis, +2) [12PP] Drawbacks: [0PP] None Abilities 16 + Skills 13 + Feats 5 + Powers 28 + Combat 20 + Saves 12 - Drawbacks 0 = 94

Power Level 10 (147 pp) Abilities: STR: 10 (+0), DEX: 16 (+3), CON: 14 (+2), INT: 16 (+3), WIS: 14 (+2), CHA: 14 (+2) [26PP] Skills: Bluff 8 (+10), Concentration 8 (+10), Intimidate 6 (+8), Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 12 (+15), Knowledge [streetwise] 7 (+10), Knowledge [Theology & Philosophy] 7 (+10), Notice 8 (+10), Perform [Dance] 8 (+10), Search 8 (+11), Sense Motive 8 (+11) [80R] [20PP] Feats: Attack Specialization (Magic Array) 2, Dodge Focus 2, Fascinate [bluff], Improved Initiative, Leadership, Minions 5 (Cultists, 10), Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ritualist [15PP] Powers: [41PP] Immunity 4 (Aging, poison, starvation, thirst, Flaw: Half effect) [2PP] Magic Array 10.5 (Feat: Alternate Power 4) [25PP] Base Effect: Blast 10 (Feat: Variable Descriptor 1 [Earth, fire, wind, water]) [21/21PP] Alternate Power: Move Object (Feat: Affects Insubstantial) [21/21PP] Alternate Power: Emotion Control 10 (Feat: Mind Blank) [21/21PP] Alternate Power: ESP 5 (All senses, 5 miles) [20/21PP] Alternate Power: Obscure 5 (Visual, Mental, Extra: Selective) [20/21PP] Protection 8 [8PP] Super-Senses 6 (Magic Awareness [Olfactory], Detect Magic [Olfactory]) [6PP] Combat: +6/+10 Magic Attack, +10 Defense (+4 flat-footed), +7 Initiative, +6 Grapple, -5 Knockback [28PP] Saves: +10 Toughness (+2 Con, +8 Protection), +5 Fort (+2 Con, +3), +8 Ref (+3 Dex, +5), +11 Will (+2 Wis, +9) [17PP] Drawbacks: [0PP] None Abilities 26 + Skills 20 + Feats 15 + Powers 41 + Combat 28 + Saves 17 - Drawbacks 0 = 147

Starlight's Concentration check, vs DC 20. (1d20+12=29)

Shapeshifted by AA Starlight Mid-month revisions to Starlight. Some stuff that's changed due to character evolution in play. :arrow: Change in physical appearance to better reflect how I've been playing her. :arrow: Change in Personality/Motivation to et cetera, et cetera. :arrow: Remove a rank of Skill Mastery to put some mystery back in playing her. Using that free point to buy Precise for her Morph.

Only way Starlight could get out of that is to roll a 20. Starlight's Grapple check, vs DC 46. (1d20+4=21) Yeah, no. Starlight will instead use Teleport to zip back to Ms. Hawthorne's office.

Glowstar walked a little behind the group, fiddling with the cuffs of his outfit. It wasn't fitting quite right; maybe go back to get it tailored again? How did one fit a set of clothes made of morphic molecules? "There's lots of old groups programmed into the computer," he pointed out. "We could do a real blast from the past. Say, the last Crime League?"

We can always have the Danger Room malfunction and Fulcrum have to work with the Irregulars to shut it down. :P

Jessica proceeded cautiously through the gloom, eyes hunting for a familiar silhouette. Without warning a shape reared up from a table in front of her and stormed towards the heroine. A familiar voice demanded, "Who shut off my music," and with no warning Jessica came face-to-face with... herself. Well, a version of herself. Other-her was still tall and gangly, but she looked more... starved, and weather-worn, and her face was the kind of unhealthy pale that only came from staying indoors for weeks at a time. She was also bald; her head was shaved and shining, though after a moment Jessica discerned that part of the shine came from more metallic, geometric designs tattooed or inlaid on her skull. The other-her was wearing what looked like welding goggles, but with red lenses set in them. Other than that she was dressed much as Jessica herself usually was when working; heavy woolen shirt with many, many pockets, dirty jeans, and tennis shoes. Jessica blinked and took a few steps back, while her other-self looked her armor up and down. "Well. King Crab said we might be getting some visitors but I was frankly expecting something a bit... I dunno. Grunge. You are a fancy me, aren't you?" Goggles-Jessica walked around her perplexed self, taking in the view from all angles. "I might have to wrangle a few design docs from you, me." Armored-Jessica broke away from her own appraising gaze, backing up against a table littered with electronics tools. "Slow down you -- me -- whoever. I'm still getting used to the idea of someone else like me walking around." Goggles leaned close in and nearly shouted in Armored's face. "Well get used to it! 'Cause we're going to be seeing a lot of each other over the next week, Jessica!" Armored cringed back and pushed her other-self away. "Fine. Let's just... why don't we sit down and talk? I think we have a lot to go over between us..."

"Well, Mister Snake, the issue at hand is one of balance." Starlight cast about the office, and luckily noticed a few half-full bottles of tequila and a single shoe. He stripped the laces out of the shoe and tied a couple bottles around the neck, then lifted them with two fingers so they roughly balanced. "See, if everyone's standing on the same level, then everything all settled and hunky-dory. Even if someone loses something..." He took a swig of alcohol from one bottle and swallowed, "or if someone gains something..." He poured from one bottle to another, until they were roughly full again, "it doesn't much matter as long as it all stays balanced. "But these guns. Well, pardner, they're a problem. I've seen for my own eyes that rifle there fire off ten or twenty bullets in less time than it takes to say it. And that makes things unbalanced. And when things get unbalanced..." Starlight pushed at the bottom of one bottle with his free thumb until it tilted enough that liquor could splash out onto the floor. After a few seconds he let it swing free again and the fuller, heavier bottle began to pull the lighter one up. It took less than a minute for the light bottle to upend completely and then the pair were falling and shattered on the floor of Mr. Snake's desk, spilling spirits everywhere. "Well, things break. And let me tell you, there's people out there that don't want to see things break in Texas, do you understand me?"

Glowstar was almost out of the theater when he turned around and saw that neither Wisp nor the magician were retreating. He swore and spun in the air, zooming back over the seats, rising higher and higher until he was above the lighting rig. "Big round of applause for our guest magician tonight, folks," he called out. The teen channeled his energy and brought two large, ruddy hands into existence. "Clap 'em like this!" Miming bringing his hands together, the energy mitts grabbed at the interloper.

Gonna try to grab the newcomer with CO and grapple him. Glowstar's ranged attack roll, vs Zodiacus' Def. Grapple (1d20+10=25) That should hit, even if he's Def-shifted. Glowstar's grapple check. (1d20+24=34) Heh. I'm happy with that.

Diplomacy SM is 18. Yeah, Starlight needs to lose a rank of SM.

Glacier King's Fort save, vs DC 21. (1d20+7=22) Can't argue with those saves.

Tackle's Sense Motive, vs DC 24. (1d20+15=28) Tackle's Toughness save, vs DC 28. (1d20+9=28) Nice rolls for her, this round.

Ironclad's Ini. (1d20+5=22)

Ironclad pushed herself back from the wall, shaking her head sharply. She did a quick diagnostic and noticed a flutter in one of her shoulder servos. "Not really," she groaned to Wail. "This crazy woman nearly popped my arm off." She routed the suit's power around the damaged section and gave Tackle a hard look. "If I have to end up replacing the should joint because of you..." She hauled back and socked the other woman on the chin; Tackle's head snapped back, but when it came forward again she merely had a bloody lip. "I've had drinks that kick more than you, little girl!" She spat blood at the heroine and strained against Wail's arms. "Let me go, and we can finish this fight properly!"