Supercape

GM There was a crowd gathered, and the police were in full force around the chief of police, giving him CPR - although plenty of officers and bystanders had been dreadfully poisoned by the gas. Luiza had, it seemed, thrown herself into the crowd and was no longer to be seen. Sirens of an ambulance wailed in the background. But this was, as ever...a terrible task for ambulances. The streets were jammed, and the more the sirens blared, the more people decided to crush in to see what was happening. The policeman were screaming in Portuguese, and on the edge of panic as they pummelled his chest.

"Well it's not so much finding him. Its persuading him to pop over to the other place. And get involved with something that could be rather murky and unpleasant. Deceptive even. He seems a rather stand up fellow, from what I gather. Saved our skin, for certain". He brought out a rather unusual contraption, all copper tubing, glass and brass. He wound up a ratchet on its side, and with a hiss of steam and a few sparks, it creaked into motion. "This should call him up. Whizzed it up in the Mansion yesterday. Had a devil of a time finding the right flux-ration of Copper, I can tell you!" he said, rather proudly. "So if you have any juice to spill on the old man, then be a dear and spill it. I can't always rely on my good looks and charm!" he winked. "Cannonade? Cannonade? Can you hear me, old bean?" he said into his little device.

"Sheesh, don't drop in like that!" said a white-faced Harry, dropping his cigar in fright. "We really got to get that holed and barred up" he muttered, examining the ceiling through wish Mali had dropped. "Kung Fu, Schmung-Fu, I-ain't-got-no-clue" he said to Mali. "All I know is you look like you could hit somebody really hard. And I don't mean to be the one to bruise your fist with my face" he explained. "You got it!" replied the Mess from the Gym giving Mali the thumbs up and a wink, before drying up his sweat with a ragged towel and throwing it to one side, lumbering towards the others. "Yeah, I gots a lead" explained Harry, massaging his chest to restart his heart. "I gots a name to go to for the next fight. The next level, so to speak. And I reckon its about that time of day to pay him a visit..." he said, picking up the Keys to the battered Chevvy of the Detective Agency. "Who want's a ride?" he asked.

Thanks THunder. Waiting on TiffK to respond to...THE ADMIRAL! (i.e. The Captain!)

GM The Captain leaned back, disturbed. "I cannot trust you, American. But then, I cannot afford not to trust you either, can I. The jaws of fate snap hard, do they not? Ha! This is Russian fate, you know. Boom! There is no escape but in drink, song, and woman!" Doctor Konev just sighed and rolled her eyes. "Old Russian fool! Just help these people!" she insisted. "Ha, very well! I take you to the hypothetical...Da? It is not too far, but not too close. Five hundred yards. Cold and hard walk, but we have snow plow. You up for excursion? Who will come?" he asked.

"Dear me, Sun got you?" smiled Lord Steam, entertained as ever by Carrie's sharp tongue. "The weather here is most splendifourous" he rambled. "Not as much character, of course!" He tapped his Top Hat with his cane, pushing it onto his head despite the sweat that he did his best to ignore. "Spot of bother in the other place" he explained, cryptically but well aware that Carrie would catch on. "The Fat controller doesn't trust me, of course. To much political heat. And Politics is the name of the game here. You remember your first visit to the other place? that chap Cannonade, made a bit of a name for himself when he broke up a Luddite movement. Now there is a splinter cell called the Cannonites, that are in pretty much open conflict. And, by Vishnu, the Empri...the other place needs to keep its Factories running..." "The Luddites are running for parliament seats througout London, with a mysterious amount of wealth backing them. And influence, Some of the Whigs and Tories are openly supporting them. Wealth means influence, but this is ridiculous. And the Cannonites seem, well, subdued, to say the least..." "We rather hoped Cannonade might help with this one. He has, to put in mildly, their ear...."

OOC for thread! Carrie and Cannonade back to Earth Victoriana, to face some political skullduggery and the Cannonites! Please tag! Starting of with Steam and Carrie, will hook Cannonade in asap! Steam is purely a hook here, will not participate in adventure!

GM "You can, if you so wish" replied the Captain, relaxing slightly. "I suspect that it will end up in days of red tape, and ambassadors being called over for drinks and a grilling. Who knows, maybe even one of those pen pushers might make a decision" he laughed. "Out here, in the white and cold, we must be more, how you say?...pragmatic. I have secrets, you have secrets. And so we work with what we have, Da?" "I wish I had a vodka with this coffee, hehe" he laughed as the stoic and silent Boris served out coffee for them all. It was thick and black, and could keep one awake all night. "In the spirit of...pragmatic...let us say hypothetically that some nation may have been surveying for oil and gas here, and found certain hypothetical anomalies. And that nation decided, hypothetically, to investigate them" he smiled. "What would the Freedom League of America be doing if they landed here?" he asked. "Hypothetically, that is..." he laughed.

"Ah there you are. Devil to find. Pleasure to see!" No matter how long he stayed in Freedom City, Lord Steam continued to dress like the most outlandish fop. And somehow just pulled it off. He got stares wherever he went, and was quite happy to sign photographs. He passed himself off as a British Detective and Aristocrat who fancied a life in Freedom City. His role as inter-dimensional diplomat was less well known. It was easy enough to contact Carrie aka Silhouette. Her Medal of Valour doubled up as a radio receiver for Steam, and his home dimension to contact her, and as fate would have it, pay her well for her services as their best freelance agent. The Summer was hot, hot, but Lord Steam had merely rolled up his starched shirt and kept his top hat on to field the rays of the sun. It was Freedom City Park and he had arranged to meet Earth Victoriana's number one agent there.

GM "I...er...that is...we...er...." bumbled Professor Sobchak in broken, anxious English. "Silence!" snapped Captain Lvov, clearly irritated. "The Russian State will be pleased to share information on any anomaly" he said, firmly. "But, you must understand...this is a sharing of information, not the flow of information from us to you..." he continued, his breath cold. "Come inside. I need coffee...." he sniffed and stormed off, virtually dragging the Professor with him. Doctor Konev just gave a shrug and a small laugh. "Politics!" she said with a smile, shook everyone's hand warmly and followed the Captain. Inside... They seven people were greeted by a very large, clean cut Russian. Steed and Robert were pretty cold from the walk, even though it only took a minute, and breathed a sigh of relief when they were inside the heated complex. "Meet Boris, our handyman!" said the Captain, as Boris gave them a big stare. "He helps keeps the place running. As smart as a dumb ox, and twice as strong" he joked, as Boris clenched his jaw and gave them all an unfriendly stare. "Go get us some coffee, Boris" said the Captain, warming up both literally and metaphorically. As they sat down in what looked like a well equipped mess hall, the Captain asked the first question. "So, I would honestly like to help, but I have my duty. I am an officer in the Army, and have sworn oaths. I have no hatred to you American's...but I do have to look out for Russia. So, tell me, what do you know of the anomaly?" he asked, frankly.

Yeah, Thev will know that the Russian's recently set up Station Yeltsin, about a month ago.

Hronos knows!

So: The Russians have become helpful. Hronos, from their tone, feels that they already new about the time disturbances. And after all, they are a research station. If anyone has a Knowledge (Physical Sciences) skill, DC 25 to remember Prof Shobnez has written papers on temporal physics. You may take +4 to that roll if you have eidectic memory. EDIT: SOBCHAK NOT SHOBNEZ! MEBAD!

GM The Russians looked surprised and conversed in Russian with each other, using hushed tones. "The Americans...The Freedom League..." asked the Professor. "Quiet, Sobchak!" snapped the Captain, interrupting him "Anyone can speak Russian, you understand? This is a diplomatic issue. Political. We will of course aide. But we must maintain proper vigilance with regard to the state official secrets act, that you signed...understand? I will deal with this..." "Of course, Madam. We will do what we can to aide you. Perhaps if you step inside, however? it is cold here, even for a Russian! We are a small station, only twelve of us here. But we have warm coffee inside, yes? And they you can tell us all about what you have found!"

GM "Ah! The Freedom League! American! American!" belted the loud reply. It was difficult to say exactly what the speaker's attitude to America was over the broken Radio. But there certainly was an attitude. A moment later... Three figures came trudging through the snow to the ship, all in full Arctic wear. The temperature was a good minus forty - enough to chill a man to death in a few minutes. The delegation waited outside the ship, hugging themselves. "Greetings!" said the first man, a white bearded rugged gentleman with a stern and intelligent gaze. "I am Captain Lvov, commander of the Research Station Yelstin" his English had a slight accent but was otherwise good. "This is my head of research, Professor Sobchak, and my medical officer, Doctor Konev" he introduced. Professor Sobchak was surprisingly young, with a nervous face blistering with energy, whilst Doctor Konev was a smiling woman, heavy set and dark eyes, who looked like she was partial to the odd vodka or seven. "Are any of you hurt? do you require medical attention?" she asked earnestly. "What Doctor Konev ask's is what brings you to our little station?" asked Lvov, still friendly and concerned but with a peppering of alert suspicion.

mmmm! tropical heatwave! Hronos - 0 HP Velocity - 2 HP Vahn, feel free to post that stunt when you wish!

Thanks for the heads up, you toad! grunted Carmen back at the little demon inside her. Truth was, she had the same concerns - but it was, she judged, better than sitting tight like rats in a trap. "Captain, this is going to be a long hard journey, and there are things out here that will put your hair on end - at the best. At worst, they could make my little scratch look like a walk in the park...." she said, seriously. "So lets take it slow, and steady, and be ready for a fight, huh?" she explained. "And before you freak out, I'd better warn you...." She belched smoke and once again her clothes changed to the silk and leather, her eyes glowed a deep red in black, and wisps of flame fell from her mouth. "I know how to handle whatever pit spawn are out there, and throw it right back at them...."

For Reference, and without much surprise, the Antarctic is an extremely cold environment, meaning fort saves every minute. We can say the ship has some emergency clothing to give +2 to those saves, and if you get your hands on true thermal clothing you can grab a +5.

GM Later... ...At the Antarctic! "Shoot, this is pretty exotic by even my standards" whistled Steed as she piloted the ship through the frozen wastes of the sevent continent. "And I've been to pretty much every corner of the earth. Except this one..." The ping! inside Hronos' head was louder here, and there could be little doubt that the last fragment of the prototype would be on this continent. Pinpointing it might be altogether another matter. Robert had been quiet, head in hands, and visibly restless and agitated during the journey. He maintained he was fine, but he was patently wan and anxious. "Are we there yet?" he asked, weakly. "I guess so..." said Steed, spying the Russian research station through the snow. This was a close as Hronos could pinpoint the last fragment. "Lets see if these guys can help..." she said, settling the craft outside. "I hope you guys have wrapped up warm" she said, looking outside at the bleak but beautiful landscape. Hzzzt...sprang the radio. "This is Research Station Yesltin...unidentified craft, please respond.....please respond..." came a heavily accented Russian verse.

"I figured it was a tricky business" said Pitch, who knew a thing or two about infernal contracts. Don't you just...hissed the Demon in her stomach. She lay down the Cantos Cane, leaning on it rather than holding it like an axe to a tree. She took a rather hard stare at Celeste. The lady knew a lot, that was for sure. "So, what's the deal here. I mean, literally, what's the deal? This Mary lady - she have a gripe with somebody, or something? How the hell did she get into this mess? And how come you know about the chain and the Infernal pact?" she asked, a trace of suspicion lacing her voice. It wasn't the average Opera House owner's remit to know about Infernal lore.

"Coincidence be damned" replied Carmen. Literally damned, in many cases. "Nick Cimitiere, right?" she clicked her fingers into a pointed one at Nick. "I heard of you. Some kinda psychobilly voodoo rockstar?" she asked, without needing an answer. She turned to Vince. "Look, if this guy says you are in a heap of trouble, trust me, you are in a heap of trouble" she explained. "And you better put your trust in him that he can sort this out..." "You can sort this out, right?" she asked Nick. And not just for Vince and his family. Because the whole thing sniffed of something Pitch should wade into...

Ok From I guess Pitch has probably heard of the Superhero Nick C, but without well informed, no gather info roll. So, knowledge rolls: Arcane [trained] 1d20+5=24 so she knows plenty about necromancy (I think this would be in keeping with her broadly) Pop CUlture [trained] 1d20+10=26 so plenty about rockabillies. Theology [untrained] 1d20+1=14 but she doesnt recognise the loa.

Post away, and sure, that works.

"Indeed!" replied an enthusiastic Rene. Don't ham it up... Don't underplay it either... Curses, this is important! Don't screw it up!!!! His mind wheeled until he poured forth his best performance. "I would be proud of such a masterpiece, if it was not tempered with reality, and future plots, and unfortunate deeds!" he said, his face conveying pride and fear. "You have my...well, your...picture, Monsieur. I would plead once more not to unleash the spirit, for you have not encountered her sway and power. If you unchain her, you chain France!"

Ok So Rene will bluff - if needed, a roll: 1d20+6=12 If needed, I will expend my HP to reroll, as its pretty critical! 1d10+16=23