Supercape

GM Meanwhile...below the Thames...in the Haven... The Haven was being tidied, swept, and cleaned. A small horde of tech staff, security forces, and agents were searching it with careful detail. Amongst them, Professor Blackpool, Osprey, and Dr Jasmine Benoit, otherwise known as Catalyst. And a new face, Captain Eileen Rose. She was a woman of average height, with short cropped blonde hair and a handsome face, marred by a scar down one side of her face. She had the body of a muscular snake, all coiled and energetic. Her military fatigues were littered with striped and awards. Captain Rose was simply one of the best the Military had. That was before the Osprey formula had been tried on her. Admittedly at much much lower doses. The only visible sign was the eyes. Black, black and wide. Avian eyes. Not much escaped those eyes, sharp as an eagles. Professor Blackpool had taken them to the Haven's medical laboratories. "This place is a gold mine" he explained. "The Haven had access to all of the Ministries research, including the Osprey formula. But here, here they did so much more! The Osprey formula is only the beginning! You see, its highly unstable..very risky...it can cause..." Captain Rose gave a glare at him with her inhuman eyes. "...yes, well. Its unstable. In essence, it can reset DNA, you see. Stabilise any mutations or deteriorations. Those poor souls that the Haven reactivated? those cyborgs? guess what...they had been stuffed full of the Osprey formula! With the Haven back on line, we may be able to perfect it!"

is up, for YB and Synapse. is up, for Catalyst and Osprey Let me know if you want any changes etc. I shall keep "Searching for Vanguard" open a few days longer if anyone once some final tie up posts there, then close, lock.

OOC for this thread. Young Brittania and Synapse go in search of Lucy Diamond. (Likely to be joined by Catalyst and Osprey from parallel thread later). To kick off, YB and Synapse can pretty much ask for any Ministerial resources they wish. Ill make that a DC 10 Diplomacy for anything major (like a private helicopter or so on). You also have full files on Lucy Diamond: She is a mutant with the ability to turn into an organic diamond compound (not as tough, but she does actually move!). In this form she can focus light into laser beams or dazzling light shows. More complex is her brain is scrambled: she has become progressively ditzy and chaotic, is immune to psionics, and anyone touching her becomes a bit scrambled too. You may make Knowledge (Behavioural Sciences) DC 20 to note that LD has no specific psychiatric disorder, its just her powers make her perceptions disjointed and she is thus perplexed and confused. NB: Thev, Whilst Synapse may at first glance seem "useless" against LD, as she is immune to psionics, this is for a reason and bear in mind Lucy is unlikely to be a direct antagonist. Although lots of problems do follow her (I.e. you will probably not be directly fighting her). In addition, this effect may, if you wish, offer an avenue to stop Susans madness (as her power nullifies psionics, it could nullify Susans problems)...just a thought. Anyway, kick off, and I suggest a fairly quick scene cut to Wales, give me the nod when you wish (travel by land, sea, air, or teleportation!)

GM "So that's it" said Cruxberry. "The best lead we have. And I can't say I'm surprised that it was Lucy Diamond that showed up first. She never was very circumspect at the best of times". Cruxberry sat, whilst the impassive, muscular agent Smith stood with his usual jet black glasses, crisp black suit, and huge black briefcase, not moving a muscle. He didn't say a word. Smith never said a word, unless he needed too. It was in rural Wales, apparently. Some locals had seen sights. Of course, masses of people had seen sights. Champion flying overhead, Y Derwen planting himself in their back garden, on a glittering display of lights that could only be Lucy Diamond. But this was a lot more persuasive than the others. The descriptions were accurate. And actually frightening. A band of travellers, a wandering woman matching Lucy Diamond, and a wholescale panic. The whole travelling community went, for want of a better word, banana's. Attacking each other, arson, self injury. Two dead, seventeen severely injured. Utter mayhem. The file on Lucy Diamond spoke for itself. "Lucy was always powerful, but a loose cannon" explained Cruxberry. "Anyone touching her was infected with some kind of madness. And she was quite short of marbles herself. Combined that with the ability to turn into a form of organic diamond..." he whistled. "Osprey and Dr Benoit...I can see their potential but they haven't earned their stripes yet. Also, I need them for another matter" he explained to Young Brittania and Synapse. "So I would like you two to look into the sightings. Lucy Diamond is not a threat, at least not directly. We just want to find answers...." he drummed his fingers and looked at Synapse. "And there is a problem" he explained. "Lucy was completely immune to psionic effects. At least as far as Headcase was concerned. Somehow she shuts them down. Probably why Headcase was so paranoid about her. Although as you know, he was pretty paranoid about everything" he conceded. "Maybe you can get through to her, maybe you can't. But you can at least try to find out what happened, see if there is any truth to the stories. See if you cant stop anybody else going crazy with that splendid head of yours" he said to Synapse, passing her the file on Lucy.

"Rarr?" questioned Rene at Mona's commentary. "Well, I am glad civilization and art has refined our nightmares" he said. "Caveman art for caveman dreams. I prefer to live in the nineteenth, I mean twentieth, I mean...twenty first century! Zut Alors how time flies!" "And so do this lizard" he added as the reptile sailed overhead. "Fear not madam!" he said, walking slow and calm to Daphne. "Rene deSaens at your service! It seems you have dispatched these nightmares and ze coast, as they say, is clear!" he smiled. "And a good thing to! I am just a weak and helpless old man, you see. Fortunately, I have my magnificent companion, ze lady Mona, as my guide!" he smiled at Mona. "And it appears we are in ze world of dreams, my good lady" he said, turning back to Daphne. "I know I happened to sleep my way here. How did you drift to this place?"

GM Nevsky started off as the starter pistol rang out. Then he stopped, gripped by Synapses power. To the astonishment of the crowd, he took off his skis. zzzt! This is Dick Dickinson, reporting to you LIVE from the winter Olympics. And boy, have we got a story! I've seen some drama on the slopes, but never in all my years have I seen anything like THIS! Russian athlete KARL NEVSKY has just set off in the Biathalon, hotly tipped to win...and he HAS BENT HIS RIFLE! A remarkable feat of strength, I'll give him that. But it isn't going to help him shoot straight... Hold on folks! NOW HE HAS TAKEN HIS SKIS OFF...and wait...wait... HE HAS BROKEN THEM IN TWO! what is happening? Has the pressure got to Nevsky? is he making some protest? The officials are looking as confused as we are. HOLY SNOWFLAKES! Ladies and gentlemen, if you have a nervous disposition, please look away now! KARL NEVSKY is stripping! wait..wait...HE IS BUCK-ASS NUDE! Never in all my years have I seen anything like this! Karl Nevsky is trying to complete the Biathalon IN HIS BIRTHDAY SUIT! The officials have stopped the race...and I don't blame them. They are trying to approach Nevsky, but he isn't listening...wait...ow! he just batted them away like flies! he is running across the snow and nothing is going to stop Nevsky running this course! This is Dick Dickinson reporting LIVE from the Winter Olympics!

Ok he cant match that and I will award one of those rare HPs just for sheer outrageousness / entertainment value. Synapse 3 HP Foreshadow 1 HP

This all looks good bar Grapple Bonus (from where the +32? I make it +22 base, with up to +9 from Dynamic Array) and Dex Bonus being +2, not +3. On a different note, I am not sure how much mileage you would get from the complications, other than the "trouble magnet" one (which is interesting). Also Inspire 1 is a bit lacklustre at that rank, but hey, it can always be bumped up later!

GM Just a few moments later... It was the screams of fear that lead them. The aquatic foursome all heard them, shrieks of pure terror. The Captain went white in response. "We...heard those...before...but not so many, not so many!" he said, loosening his collar. "We didn't dare go in, Lord have mercy on us...." he said, ashamed of himself. He would not follow, but he could direct the braver souls of Temperance, Wave-Eye, Glamazon and Tsunami through the ship, to its heart, so to speak. The corridors were empty, deserted, with flickering, eerie lights. Temperance could feel the presence of ethereal spectres, and such was the atmosphere, that the spines of all tingled. At the entrance to the Entertainment Hall, the screams were loud, every few seconds. "Mercy!" "No!" "Please! Let us go!" There was little answer, little response. Until one chilling voice replied, full of tombstone and ocean, in a strange and old accent. "I'll be letting you go when it pleases me, and not before! till then, yer my guests! Don't worry, yer will be on yer way soon enough. Down, down, yer will go! muahahaha!"

Harry bounded out of the factory, keen to make his escape. Even if the flashlights and eyes were not swooping at him, he was anxious. His hair stood on end, and he felt his dog-heart beat out of his chest. Sweet Mary mother of Joseph, I'm scared as hell. Still, fear keeps me alive! he told himself, trying to console himself against the horrible feelings of dread. He scampered low, scampered fast, scuttling across the factory floor to reach the sweet smell of Freedom City. Not so sweet or clean in actuality, but hey, it was all relative. The Mess recognised him of course, he knew the dog of old. "Hey there partner! still alive, I see!" he said, patting the Hound on the head. "You betchass!" grumphed the dog in English, through canine vocal cords.

As Synapses brain hit Karl Nevsky he stiffened slightly, his eyes widening... ... ... His brain was remarkably empty. Or, rather, full. But full of only one thing. His mission. Shooting Edward Farrington right between the eyes in the middle of the Biathalon. With a bit more digging, she called up his mission brief, given by Anton Blonsky, the head coach of the Russian Team. "Nevsky! Pay Attention! Farrington has been asking questions, stirring trouble. Defaming Russia. You are to shoot him dead in the next event!" "Yes Sir!" snapped back the automated Nevsky. Blonsky didn't quite address his obedient Lackey, but muttered to himself, a monologue imprinted in Nevsky's memory. "It's a risk, but life is a risk. The sleeper says he can control the judges, make it look like an accident. But it will still look suspicious. I don't like it, not one bit...but the Doctor, he isn't listening. All he wants is the glory, and this is all his show...blast, this is getting ugly. But we can't turn back now..." He was clearly irritated at the plan, and it was easy to see why. Shooting a contestant that was asking to many questions would only increase suspicion, rather than allay it. Either the mastermind behind this was foolish, or had something up his sleeve, or both. In any case, it smacked of cold war tactics rather than the 21st Century.

Athlete has a will save of +5, but you know, Im just gonna say you penetrate his mind rather than give him a 1 in 20 chance of screwing up a good story!

Fine by me

GM The hunter grumbled and moaned as Jay handled her. He had a wallet, with a debit card for "Cliff Fletcher". Maybe it was his real name, maybe not. Nothing else in it bar some loose change. He needed money, obviously, but everything else that might give a hint as to his identity was gone. All he had was a picture of their mutual target, Matt Golding. "Well it looks like you have me and the guys out gunned" he conceded. "Especially now, since we have no guns. We were hired to...get... a guy, guess the same guy you were. But not even a name..." he said, a bit irritated, at both his position and the job. "All we know is this guy explodes. Can you believe that? what kind of crazy-ass superpower is that? exploding?" he shook his head. "Can't get too near him, too dangerous. Gotta track him, from far, then...pow! put him down, like a wounded beast. Least, that's what they told us..." He frowned, and rubbed his temple. "Except...now I think about it...I can't remember who hired us..." he said, both scared and confused at the same time.

1d20+9=23 how about that!

In a way, I think an oblique conflict is far more interesting than a straightforward "you vs me" conflict of opposites.

Also, Tiff, could you flesh out what ideas you had for Lucy Diamond? At the moment I have something in mind for her, basically a scatter brain with the ability to turn into sparkling diamond (and through that, focus light as laser beams or dazzles). Thats the core, but open for some adjustment. What did you want out of her?

Sorry for delay, been ill and drained! So! Morsi is not a very able liar so cant beat that. you sense he is holding back a little about what his research is - although this may be entirely reasonable for a precious and vain scientist (who keep their intellectual property close to their chest) - the rest all feels fundamentally true (or at least he believes it to be true). He isn't building nuclear weapons.

I'm going to do a brutal scene cut, unless anyone has something to add? do you guys want to go to the Engine Room, Entertainment Room, somewhere else, do something else, or split up? Otherwise I suggest following the supersenses and going to the Entertainment Room (i.e. follow the screams!)

Ill await Tiffs thoughts on this but my initial thoughts. There is a lead on Lucy Diamond, YB and Synapse hunt down. At the same time, Y Dderwen is involved, trying to "recruit" Lucy to the "cause". He wishes to destroy the Osprey formula and Tyullan because they are an "affront to nature", and yet he dare not do this directly. Meanwhile, Blackpool, Osprey, and Catalyst look at the Osprey Formula, in conjunction with Eileen Rose, a member of the Ministry who has very minor "Osprey Powers", being exposed to a tiny dose of the drug. It turns out the Osprey formula has regenerative powers, "resetting" the DNA of the target. It has potentially useful medical applications but also causes mutations, dangerous ones. As it so happens, the Osprey formula could also potentially cure Susan Farrington of her "Augmentation", resetting her DNA (although potentially turning her into another Osprey, or worse, Tyullan). Blackpool wishes to try out further test on the Osprey Formula. This will mean two seperate semi-social threads (Synapse, YB, Dderwen, Lucy) and (Blackpool, Catalyst, Osprey, Eilleen) Then fusing them around the Tyullan, who has escaped. Dderwen (and maybe Lucy) wants to destroy the Tyullan, whilst Blackpool has found away to track / "sniff" the formula, and sets off to capture the beast. The two threads merge again and we have conflict of agenda's and interests. Thats my broad plan. As an aside, how do you guys feel about soft PvP type conflict, if agreed by all parties. I am not talking about glory seeking punch ups between your characters, but for instance, Character A throwing a punch at NPC B, and being grappled by Character C who screams "No, you must let him live!" etc etc!

Carmen raised an eyebrow. He knows. He must do...maybe not all...but enough... There was no point in keeping any secrets from him, she was pretty sure. But, on the other hand, she wasn't going to blurt out she was Pitch to the whole of the clan in front of them. True, some would probably keep quiet. And some, maybe all, wouldn't even live through the night. Hell, I can't let these folk fall just cos' I worry about who knows... "Well, tonight's the night for secrets ain't it?" she replied, before turning to the family around her and Nick. "Truth is, my Daddy was a black magician. That's common gossip. But I'm holding you to keep quiet about this. It's my secret. Because it ain't just gossip and rumour. He really was a sorcerer. And he left some of that for me..." she explained. It was easy to summon up the little bit of festering rage that lived in her. Easy to call on it and snap her fingers, creating a puff of brimstone smoke and fire for a second. Just enough to let them know that it was real. "So yeah, I got a magic wand up my sleeve" she explained, nodding at her cane. "And I can spot you" she said. "Just don't go telling the world about my wand, and what I do..."

"Goddess! That looks like a Hindu Demon!" gasped Sunset. She wasn't exactly a practising Hindu these days, but she wasn't exactly not either. And the stories gripped the mind, whether you wanted them to or not. That's beautiful man! Its cosmic! You sure she is bad? How can something that beautiful be bad? whispered the Radical inside her. Red orange light flickered in her costume, forming glowing eyes that peered at the spectacle alongside her. "I'm sure. If you are not, read his head!" she answered aloud, before slamming an 'oops' hand over her mouth. "Its complicated" she explained to Dr. Tomorrow. "Well, action stations then, I guess. Although it looks pretty powerful. Looks like I'll be burnt to a cinder just looking at her. Say, I don't suppose you have a pair of sunglasses?" she asked the good Doctor.

"The mind boggles" answered Pitch through a mouth full of smoke and a cheeky smile. Nick was not her type of guy, but in a strange sense his kind of exotic looks and Gothic presence were attractive. Perhaps it was just that she felt a kindred lost soul. Perhaps it was more. But right now, she sighed as she looked up at the building in front of them. "Third floor. Yeah. Great..." she muttered, gripping her cane. She wasn't out of shape by any means, and Tazel bubbled through her, firing up her body with infernal power. But still, ol' Daddy's work was not to be denied. The tattoo on her spine had damaged her nerves, and she would walk with a limp with or without Tazel in her. Three flights of stairs was a bit of a grind. "Lets go, then, don't want to keep the spooks waitin'" she grumbled, turning boot heel and stomping up the stairs.

1d20+6=16 for Pitch

GM The next day... The air had retained its crispness, with a clear sky and a cold snap. Russian architecture, labouring under its drab history, did not particularly add to the scenery, in general, although the very old and very new shone brighter. It was time for Edward Farrington to compete in the Biathalon. And he was not alone. Karl Nevsky was up. He had competed in 2010, and was good then. Now, he had that same glazed look, complete with thighs of iron. Now, he was on track to crush everyone. "Look here, old gal" said Edward to his Sister as he limbered up behind the scenes. "This all stinks. Karl is good, but look at him now. Its not normal" he said. He had managed to wangle Dee in behind the scenes in the camp, as a "personal advisor" or some such other nonsense. A hefty bribe hadn't hurt - either its recipient or the Farringtons. He glanced nervously up at the clock. In a few minutes, they would start out, staggered. He checked his skis and gun. "Here's hoping I don't have an accident" he whistled through his teeth. Outside, in the spectators chairs K was grumbling over his hot dog breakfast, complaining about American culture and enjoying it at the same time. He looked tired, worn out, with bags under his eyes and unruly hair, with slumped shoulders limply holding onto his mac. At least he has washed. "So, what now? You get me onto flight to Freedom City and we escape with our lives? How about some of that famous asylum seeking?" he asked hopefully. Whilst Foreshadow had a vision pop into his head. Edward Farrington skiing, and his head exploding from a high calibre bullet...