Raveled

The gravel-children shied away from the strange man holding the burning steel, but Osullus rumbled at them and they came forward in a rush, crowding around their mother's feet. She crouched down and let them run over her hands; it was hard to tell on a mineral face, but she looked to be smiling. After a moment she stood again and regarded Crow. The golem nodded finally and a shelf of stone rose from the ground, supporting her and her brood. "Take me to my husband, then, and you shall have our gratitude."

Almost forgot. DC 30 Toughness save.

Hombre smiled, showing a mouthful of crooked teeth. "I want to see how well you take a punch, of course!" Giving a hearty guffaw, he raised his fists high and brought them down on the heroine in a hammerblow. The invisible hands kept her from retreating so she reacted with instinct, bringing her crossed bracers up to catch and deflect the blow. It didn't work out quite as intended, as the heroine was driven to one knee. More worrisome, she felt the armor crack and weaken. Liminal energy flooded Fulcrum's supercharged frame, spilling out in a wave and causing the long cape to ripple and snap. Hombre took a step back, but he didn't seem too worried. In fact, he was grinning wider than ever. "Nice light show," he said. "I've been better, though."

Player Name: Raveled Character Name: Pioneer Power Level: 10 (150/150 PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 0 In Brief: Lor explorer comes to Earth for the ultimate adventure. Alternate Identities: Gordon Alex McKenzie, Aleksion Kenni Identity: Secret Birthplace: Tellus (Lor border world) Occupation: Geologist, explorer Affiliations: Danger International Family: Mother, father. Description: Age: 30 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Lor Height: Weight: Eyes: Hair: Copper-red Alekison Kinni has a tall, rawboned and rangy frame, with very little meat on his bones and a pronounced bone structure on his sharp face. His fingers are long and calloused, and he always seems to have dirt ingrained underneath his nails. His flyaway hair is the same shade as copper wire; it’s short when he pays attention to it, and grows long the rest of the time. His favorite clothes have a combination of simple style and rugged durability. His skin has a burned-in tan and it contrasts sharply with his wide, toothy smile. Power Descriptions: Alekison Kinni has had a thousand and one adventures in the stars. His skills are diverse, but mainly he’s good at talking to people. He’s always preferred to end situations with a discussion and not violence. When violence does break out, he has access to a highly experimental battlesuit capable of manipulating gravity. The suit also has its own on-board targeting system and is capable of sealing and having its own personal atmosphere. When he needs to get around, Alek also has a standard two-person exploration vehicle, better known to the galactic community as a flybike. It’s capable of out-pacing any natural predator and traveling high in the sky to pass over or around natural barriers. When long-range travel is needed, he has access to a stealth spaceship that he privately calls Dawn. It can hop from planet to planet and even cross the vast, interstellar distances. The ship is the size of a passenger jet liner, normally with a wide-swept gull-wing shape though it is able to shift moderately to achieve the most aerodynamic shape for planetary flight. The most striking feature is that the craft is bright orange-yellow. History: Aleksion Kinni was born on far-away Tellus, a sleepy Lor world on the border of the Imperium. Far more people passed through the planet’s spaceport than stayed and raised family; Alek’s parents were bureaucrats at the spaceport and so he grew up on snatchs of stories from far-off, exotic places, and he spent his childhood dreaming of visiting all those places and having amazing adventures. He studied hard and went off-world for university, getting a degree in geology and joining a company that focused on surveying unexplored worlds, identifying natural resources, and selling the exploitation rights to other companies. Of course that dry explanation can’t compare to the reality; days spent sleeping under alien skies, fleeing from predators unnamed by science, and discovering vistas that no other sophont had ever seen. Alek helped with the survey of five planets, occasionally brushing up against Grue or Khanate fleets looking for the same resources, once even negotiating with pirates between blaster shots. What he discovered about himself was that he loved the moments of danger even more than the exploration. He took a furlough and vacationed at a space-port for a week, eventually sitting down at a casino with the last of his ready cash. He rode a lucky streak through several days, ending up at a VIP table. He was having a good time, when someone pulled a knife and tried to stab one of the other players. He saved her and they escaped, leaving a fortune on the table. It turned out she was a princess, and her life was threatened by a succession crisis; after a week of harrowing adventure the pretender uncle was in custody, and Alek had the gratitude, and other things, of a princess. That pretty much set the path for the rest of his life. The princess gifted him with a stealth ship so he could investigate an uncommunicative planet on the edge of her holdings. He discovered it had been overtaken by a Khanate warlord and formulated a rebellion against him. Angered at how casually the warlord played with the lives of so many, he used the royal ship (which was technically only loaned to him) to press deeper into the Khanate. One thing lead to another and sooner than he thought possible he was fleeing a research facility staffed by rogue Lor scientists, wearing an experimental gravity-manipulation suit. More adventures came and went, and Alek grew in fame if not in personal power. He serialized his adventures and spent more time flying from party to party than saving people who needed saving. Before long Alek heard stories of a planet called Earth, where people turned back Medusa and reformed the Curator with strange, mysterious, unique powers and abilities. He traveled there (still in the princess’ ship) and watched this planet. What he saw amazed and astonished and enthralled him -- it was a world full of adventures, like the galaxy seemed to be when he was younger. He was determined, and by cashing in a few favors he managed to get an identity on the planet, and on his own personality he landed a job with Danger International. Which gives him the chance to have adventures in every corner on this weird, wonderful planet. Personality & Motivation: Alekison is a gregarious, extroverted man, always happy to meet new people and try new experiences. He’s not always the most talkative individual, especially when meeting someone for the first time; he prefers to let them talk about themselves and watch them, learn about them. He’s the happiest when he’s talking with someone and learning their story. Even when he’s supposed to be fighting against someone, he prefers to talk and figure the situation out peacefully. Alekison is an optimistic person, even relentlessly cheerful despite the dangers that might be around him. He’s been on a lot of adventures and seen a lot of danger and, rather obviously, survived it all. He doesn’t believe himself to be invincible, but he does believe that being negative or despairing doesn’t help someone to survive. Powers & Tactics: Alek doesn’t like physical confrontations. He much prefers to talk to people, to try and come to an understanding and end things non-violently. When he must fight, he will use his gravity-manipulating suit to end things with as little force as possible: levitating targets into the air and locking them down with contained singularities are his preferred tactics. He only uses his light-speed charge when there’s no other option. Fame On Earth, Alex McKenzie is a mild-mannered geoscientist. In space, Alek Kinnison is a renowned adventurer, toppler of regimes, and revealer of evils. This means he has plenty of enemies who would like to take a swing at him if they could. They might even attack him on Earth. Adrenaline Junkie Even before he was known as an adventurer, Alek had the sort of personality to run towards explosions and disasters. If given the choice, he will always choose the more exciting option. Technical Ineptitude Alek is the recipient of advanced Lor teaching methods… about geology and earth sciences. His suit is cutting-edge for a star-spanning empire. If something goes wrong with it, he’ll have to get help to fix with it. Ladies If there are beautiful women around, Alek is likely to be even more foolhardy than he usually is. Abilities: 4 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 0 + 8 = 24PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20PP Initiative: +3 Attack: +4, +10 Singular Singularities Grapple: +8 Defense: +10 (+6 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -5/-4/-2/-1 Saving Throws: 7 + 6 + 6 = 19PP Toughness: +10/+8/+4/+2 (+2 Con, +6 Defensive Roll, +2 Protection) Fortitude: +9 (+2 Con, +7) Reflex: +9 (+3 Dex, +6) Will: +6 (+0 Wis, +6) Skills: 92R = 23PP Acrobatics 2 (+5) Bluff 6 (+10, +14Attractive)Skill Mastery Climb 3 (+5) Concentration 9 (+10) Diplomacy 11 (+15, +19Attractive)Skill Mastery Gather Information 6 (+10)Skill Mastery Knowledge (Earth Sciences) 9 (+10)Skill Mastery Knowledge (Galactic Lore) 4 (+5) Language 5 (English, French, Grue, Latin, Lor [Native], Mandarin) Notice 10 (+10) Pilot 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+7) Swim 3 (+5) Survival 10 (+10) Feats: 12PP Attractive Defensive Roll 3 Dodge Focus 4 Equipment 15Bronze Reward Fascinate (Diplomacy) Move-by Action Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Knowledge [Earth Sciences]) Taunt 0 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 23 = 25 EP Powers: 52 = 52PP Gravity Suit 13 (65PP, Hard to Lose) [52PP] Singular Singularities 15 (30PP, Feats: Accurate 3, Alternate Power 4) (Gravity Drive) [37PP] BE: Move Object 10 (Extra: Area/Burst [General], Range/Perception, Flaw: Limited [up/Down]) (Gravity Off) [30PP]AP: Move Object 10 (Extra: Area/Burst [General], Range/Perception, Flaw: Limited [Towards Epicenter]) (Gravity Sucks) [30PP] AP: Trip 10 (Extra: Area/Burst [General], Opposed by Dexterity) (Fluctuating Gravity) [20/30PP] AP: Snare 10 (Extra: Transparent) (Personal Singularity) [30PP] AP: Strike 8 (Feat: Mighty, Power Attack, Extra: Linked [+0] [Leaping, Super-Movement]) + Flight 15 (500,000 MPH, Extra: Linked [+0] [strike, Super-Movement], Drawback: Must Begin & End Movement on Solid Ground) + Super-Movement 3 (Permeate 3, Extra: Linked [+0] [strike, Leaping], Drawback: Limited [Only When Moving]) [Gravity-Assisted Charge] [29PP] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9PP] Protection 2 [2PP] Super-Movement 1 (Slow Fall) [2PP] Super-Senses 5 (Visual Senses, +Analytical, Extended 1 [x100 increment], Infravision, Ultravision) [5PP] Super-Senses 3 (Normal auditory, +Accurate, Extended 1 [x100 increment]) [3PP] Super-Senses 2 (Direction Sense, Time Sense) [2PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)NOTE: The easiest way to get your DC Block to line up is to write it out in a word processor in a Courier font, then just copy/paste it into your post. Abilities (24) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (19) + Skills (23) + Feats (12) + Powers (52) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

She'd told this story before, but it didn't get any easier. "Remember all those portals opening up a week ago? I ended up falling through one and going back in time. I... I saw my grandfather, Blake. Back when he was the first Ironclad." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, glancing away from her boyfriend. "And... and he was fighting people. He was killing them."

Osullus paused, not sure whether to trust this masked mortal, but after a moment she called out to her tide of children and they backed away from the fence, forming a high, heaped wave a few strides away. "We flee for freedom," she said, settling down and watching Crow closely. "In the Lady's domain, all bends to her will and her desires. We wished for... more, for our children." She paused, then continued in a lower voice. "There are stories among the planes, of places where one can live as one pleases. Where one can be strong and independent. Those things... sound like miracles."

Ironclad took the offered phial, swirling the oddly colored liquid inside, trying to determine just what it was made of. She finally decided that Warlock wouldn't knowing hurt her, so she unfolded her helmet -- and started, staring directly into inky blackness. Blake got to watch his girlfriend flail around for a bit as she tried to drink something in the pitch dark, then she hatted back up and glanced around quickly. "Forgot just how dark it was in here," she said lightly. Ironclad moved over to the wall of the cavern, resting her hand on a spot between the pillars. "Never heard of Deep Ones before, but someone stole a compact DNA sequencer from the Lab. Tunneled directly into storage and walked out with it. No one would've found out for weeks if I hadn't gone looking for it." The armored heroine frowned at the blank wall behind her helmet, pushing at it gently. "I followed the tunnel down, tussled with some weird looking webbed-feet dudes and eventually stumbled on this... Hall, or something. They were all clustered up in front of this wall, but I can't detect any kind of opening."

Even if I give you a bonus to taking a full-round action, that's not gonna do anything. Chamalia Aid to boost Att (1d20+15=25) Acro-Bat II Aid to boost Att (1d20+13=28) Multiplex and Hunger Aid to boost Att (1d20+10=15, 1d20+10=18) Spectra Aid to Att (1d20+8=14) Another +10 Att bonus for Hombre. Hombre full Power Attack w/ +10 Aid bonus, vs Fulcrum Def (1d20+15=35) Yikes, that's a crit. How do you feel about bracers going BOOM, Darius? EDIT: It is decided! Bracers go boom. Take an HP.

Jessica left her coffee on the table and hurried up the staircase behind Tom, almost chivving him along in her hurry to get upstairs and examine the hammer. Any gloom seemed to have been dispersed by the opportunity to learn more about an interesting bit of tech. "Questions you asked? So you didn't make the hammer yourself? Who did? Are they still around? Can I talk to them?" Standing in the middle of the garage, she looked around for something to rest the weapon on. A well-equipped lab table would be ideal, but since one wasn't available... Jessica hurried to a heavy machine which seemed to be mainly several thick chains connected to an overhanging arm. She knew it was mainly used to remove engines from cars, but she figured it would be able to handle the hammer easily enough.

The Deep One staggered at the twin blows from behind and in front, falling to one knee just long enough to grab its spear from the ground. It gripped the haft of the weapon and struck back with the butt of the shaft, hitting Ironclad in her gut. The metal flexed, but the heroine was still winded for a moment; only for a moment, though, because she managed to grab the weapon, snap the shaft in half, and kick the mutant creature in the face. Ironclad looked at the last Deep One warrior sprawled out on the floor, making sure it wasn't about to get up and attack again. Sure that they had managed to defeat their enemies again, she walked over to Blake, rubbing her stomach where the spear butt had hit her. She hugged him briefly and then stood back, brushing at some errant hair that was falling into his face. "Hey there, hon. How's your day been?"

The bad guy actually gets to attack! Outrageous! Full Power Attack vs Ironclad (1d20+8=23) And it hits. DC 22 Toughness Toughness save vs DC 22 (1d20+10=18) Oooo, a Bruise -- but almost something much nastier! Full All-Out Attack, full Power Attack vs Deep One (1d20+10=23) Striking back, it hits, DC 30 Toughness. Toughness vs DC 30 (1d20+4=12) 1, 2, 3, YOU'RE OUT!

"Somethin' kinda like this!" The biker leapt over the table, discarding the shotgun and rushing at the heroine, one fist held high. She prepared to simply side-step the blow, when she found herself pressing against invisible hands that forced her back into the biker's path! The heroine didn't have time to formulate another plan, as the biker's huge fist slammed into her chest. "By the way. I'm Hombre."

Actually, looking over things again, you wouldn't detect anything! Go full Concealment. So, Fulcrum's flat-footed -- except against Hombre, who's the only one attacking her. Nevermind. Chamalia Aid Another to boost Att (1d20+15=30) +2 Acro-Bat II Aid Another to boost Att (1d20+13=14) +2 Multiplex Aid Another to boost Att (1d20+10=27) +2 Hunger Aid to boost Att (1d20+10=14) +2 Spectra Aid to boost Att (1d20+6=10) +2 Total of +10 for Hombre's attack. Hombre full Power Attack, +10 Aid bonus vs Fulcrum (1d20+15=17) Fiat'ing that for a reroll. Hombre full Power Attack, +10 Aid bonus vs Fulcrum (1d20+15=30) More like it. DC 30 Toughness roll.

The rock fae glanced out into the water. "I care not for the Lady's minions. I came out into your world here, but my children are trapped in that ring of iron!" From his perch Crow could see that the scrap metal yard was carpeted in gravel. Except, wherever Ossulus approached the fence, the gravel moved to parallel her position, looking like waves on the ocean. The golem raised one huge hand and brought it down on the stack of cars, cutting them nearly in half -- then she jerked back hard, smoke curling from her fist. She let loose with another roar and retreated from the fence, trying to find a gap in the fence and trash.

Jessica looked up at Blake finally, her expression serious. "But what if I wasn't a hero?" Her fingers intertwined with Blake's as she locked gazes with him. "What if I retired from being a hero? If I hung up the armor and was just a normal person, living my own private life? What would happen then, Blake?"

Jessica looked down at her drink, still holding onto Blake's hands. She felt a sudden apprehension at what she was about to say, but she had tried to dance around the issue with Mara and Tom and it hadn't gone so well, so she wanted to try and get talking about it right away. "Around Christmas," she began, "when you got depowered. Did you ever just think about staying that way? Not going back to being a hero?" Her eyes flickered up to Blake's and then back down, as Jessica felt her stomach churning in anxiety.

Jessica was so deep in thought that she didn't notice Blake enter the restaurant until he was standing at the table, leaning over her. She started at the kiss, an involuntary motion, and tried to compensate by smiling widely at him when he sat down. Her hands sought his out and squeezed them tightly. "Hey, Blake. I'm... I dunno. I've been thinking about things lately and sometimes it seems like my head's going to explode because of it." She smiled again, this time looking tired but more natural. "Have you ever had one of those days? When so much is going on that you don't know how you can survive it all?"

Reflex vs DC 19 (1d20+8=11) Nope! And two Bruises, so... Toughness vs DC 24 (1d20+5=23) Gets us Bruise x3!

Damn. This is why I need to hit folks earlier. Fulcrum notices five sources of Terminus energy in the room; four are spaced evenly around her, while the fifth is standing over by a side exit. Want to take any offensive action?

April 23rd, 2011 6:34 PM Jessica Parker sat at her table at Backstage, stirring her drink slowly while her mind raced ahead of her. She barely paid attention to surroundings, but to be fair Backstage was a fairly typical restaurant/bar for the neighborhood; a wide open, vaguely industrial floor surrounding a goodly-sized stage. Wrought-iron stairs lead to a wrought-iron balcony over-looking the whole thing, where two separate bars running down either wall served all sorts of alcoholic beverages. The appeal of such a place was supposed to be the dinner theater performed on the central stage, but Jessica had specifically requested a table for two as far away from the action as possible. She wasn't here to listen to a story. She felt the need to do some serious talking with her boyfriend.

Crow perched neatly the edge of the car pile, so when the rock pile unfolded into a vaguely humanoid shape he could look straight across at the -- well. Four glowing points of light swarmed around the 'head,' forming into a rough approximation of a face. It (she? How?) regarded Crow with an expression that was, frankly, unreadable. When she spoke, it was with a sound like rocks grinding together in a tumbler. "How do you know my name, little fleshy mortal?" Even as she spoke, her 'hands' spun and shifted loosely, until sharp blades of what looked like obsidian were outmost.

The interior of the bank was a wide open space, with columns around the edges of the lobby and desks between the columns. The biggest and heaviest desk had been pulled out into the middle of the lobby and a large, pale-skinned humanoid in biker leathers sat at ease behind it, a smoking shotgun held in one hand. With his free hand he lifted his sunglasses onto his head and looked Fulcrum up and down. Without warning he swung the weapon around and discharged it straight into the heroine's wide, muscled chest, watching the slug bounce off and clatter onto the ground. "Nice, honey. I'm Hombre, and if you want some free advice? Just sit back and let the Wolfpack do it's thang."

Jessica's face blanked as her mind raced to place the reference, then she suddenly remembered the first time she and Push had met. He'd used an oversized warhammer that had splashed bad guys very successfully, and the underlying weren't obvious at first; of course it had caught her attention! She sat up and leaned forward, eyes sparkling suddenly. "Yes! That warhammer from November! Is it around? Can I take a look? What's the energy it works with?"

OOC to this thread.

The Freedom City branch of Eastern Seaboard Bank was an imposing building on Wading Way, virtually identical to any other Classicaly-fronted bank except for the mock lighthouse built onto one corner. At the moment of course, it was also notable for the number of police cruisers pulled up around the building, forming a perimeter and keeping out a gathering crowd of civilians. Smoke was leaking out the front doors and armored SWAT officers had assault rifles trained on the windows, but they seemed reluctant to move in. It was fortunate, then, that an eight foot Amazon with a long white cape set down on the pavement. An older looking officer with a Kevlar vest over his suit waved Fulcrum over to a van. "Glad to see you made it," he said, craning his neck up at her. "Guy wearing leathers and riding a flying motorcycle smashed through the top floor of the bank about half an hour ago. Started blasting around with a shotgun and demanded to see you. Frankly, we're surprised he's stayed this quie--" The peace of the street was shattered with several loud, resounding gunshots, coming in time with the glass in the double doors shattering to pieces and being blown out into the street. Deep dents appeared in the police cruisers parked just outside, and one officer was knocked off his feet. A loud voice called out from inside the bank, "I got that fly! You guys can stop worrying!"