Supercape

"Good good" replied Supercape. Half scientist, half businessman, and sharp as a razor throughout! he concluded. "I only speak for myself of course, but it does seem rather interesting. The other Lab-members may have their own views of course. " He gave Protectron a look. Totally unreadable as always... he decided after scrutinising the.. well what was it? robot? The best he had come up was "artificial intelligence". He really must find out more about "him" - in a friendly manner of course. The fact that Protectron was, to his extraordinary senses, lit up a like a beautiful Christmas tree had nothing to do with that determination. "Protectron here isn't a full Lab member, more a kind of sitting guest. More than enough brains to join someday I shouldn't wonder" he continued with a smile. "Anyway, I'm sure he can formulate his own views too. "

Thanks, and sorry for being a dick about this. I was probably in pain and irritable when I made that post. I have a short patience for rules arguments - normally not too short, but Im not full of reserves personally at the moment post op. Enough winging! Medicine: again, as Jube notices, the cause of death has been strangulation. It was stabbed once it had died. Physical sciences knowledge: not much to garner, other than the room is full of high grades technology. Nothing suspicious in regards to the murder itself, although it is valuable stuff.

Lord Steam was truly shocked. And he didn't often have cause to admit that. "He's from this dimension?" he exclaimed. "But... how?" he paused, scratching his head. "Hmmm. I suspect that Ms. Wells may have something to do with that - she opened the gateway between our dimensions. Damned clever woman, she is". He chuckled as he continued "Chaps at the Royal Society for Metaphysical Engineering tearing their hair out. Smartest of the engineers, and a woman. They are all running scared she will be the next president, given her formidable talents". He nodded in agreement. "I'm all for gaining steam" he answered with a wry smile on his lips. "Although I can't say I have a firm grasp on the politics or economics. Not my field really. "

Previously "Sir, given the perilous situation that we find ourselves I would be must oblidg'd if you could attend to the controls of our aeronautical vehicle!" Lord Lockwood gave the pilot an admonishing stare. "Forget that, your highness!" said the petrified pilot. "The engines gone, the balloon is leaking, and we are crashing. " "A most perilous predicament indeed" remarked Lord Lockwood. The Zepplin was slowly crashing, smoke belching from the engines - both into the vehicle and out of it, leaving a black trail as the huge Zepplin lurched this way and that through the skies. The pilot gave a jaunty wave, took one backwards look as Lucien leapt to try and apprehend the man, but to no avail. "Bon Voyage!" shouted the pilot as he leapt from the door into the open skies, the only parachute on the Zepplin strapped firmly to his body.

"The grounds, you say?" queried Rene, stroking his beard, lost in thought. "The grounds..." he repeated, his mind wandering over the splendid gardens and magnificent view of Freedom City. "The grounds!" he pronounced in conclusion, his mind made up. "Oui, Oui! a most excellent suggestion, madam! nothing like ze outdoors for a healthy life. I am sure ze strapping young men will relish the oppurtunity!" he said, with a smile as broad as his face and his eyes twinkling with delight. "Come on young men! look lively. And be careful with ze Easel!" he said, as he took Etains hand. "I will escort the beautiful lady to the Gardens whilst you bring the canvas and materials outdoors..."

"You certainly are a most well informed lady" said Lord Steam, quite impressed. "As for the Cannonites, they are a group of workers, who have organised themselves into a political pressure group, pressing for better conditions and improvements in the factories. Mainly in London, but I understand there influence is spreading. " Personally he felt rather neutral about the subject. Politics tended to bore him. In principle, it seemed a sensible enough cause. "Split off from the Luddites, a rather more violent and anarchic group. Bunch of thugs going around smashing every half decent mechanical device. Anyway, Ned Ludd, their erstwhile leader, had a bit of a falling out - and the details escape me - with some chap called Cannonade, who apparently impressed the Luddites enough to lead to a new movement. Odd thing is, this chap Cannonade seems to have disappeared from the face of the earth. Just a mythological figurehead now. Perhaps he never even existed. "

Lord Steam nodded sagely. The lady knew her stuff, and thought about it too. Whilst he was by nature rather conservative in custom, he had a keen enough mind and a rebellious enough streak to appreciate the avante garde. Most of the art he had collected on Earth Prime was rather classical, but still... "That has the ring of truth to it, my good woman. You know, I could do with someone like you to have a look at my own collection, help me expand it and so forth. I need a bit of education about this dimension. " At this, Luciens eyes widened. "Indeed. Quite the frost. Quite the summer, too. What with the Luddites and the Cannonites, on top of a bitter cold that could freeze your bones together. But tell me, how do you know of those events? I had formed the impression that inter-dimensional news travelled very rarely. "

"High heeled shoes?" asked Lord Steam, genuinely astonished. "High heeled shoes?...Art made from High heeled shoes?" He realised he was verging on gabbling. He shook his head slightly and composed himself. "Well, it makes a kind of sense I suppose. After all, some shoes are works of art. Especially the high heel'd variety. A woman loves a good pair of shoes, or so I am told. And if there is art made from chewing gum, then I suppose you can have art made from anything" he conceded. "Well...almost anything. There must be some limits of human decency" he added, giving Carrie a look which said please please confirm that. "As for the food..." he sniffed. "How is it?"

"Ah I see..." nodded Lord Steam, enthusiastically. He had struck gold. An art expert in this dimension who wasn't a stuck up snob. Even better, one who could be honest. Considered behind the times in this dimension she says! "This Dada art, it sounds rather intriguing. I may not make head or tail of it, what with me being behind the times and all..." he winked, and flapped his coat tails "...but certainly sounds worth scrutinising. Why, the name itself has a certain poetic and metric appeal!" Never turn down an oppurtunity to learn! he told himself. "And tell me, fair lady, to whom do I speak to, and from whence comes your formidable breadth and depth of knowledge?" As interesting as art was, Lord Steam always found people the most interesting thing in the universe.

Rene (and the virile youth helping him) set up shop in the main hallway, on a balcony. The Hotel was ripe with places to paint - he was, he acknowledged to himself - spoilt for choice. The place oozed character. Damned if he would admit it, of course. "Pfah! ze lighting is all wrong! how I must suffer for my art!" he whined. "The old house, such bad angles! the shadows are terrible? how can I work in such a place?" he questioned, full of mock indignation. Once the easel and paints had been set up, he addressed the audience. "Now then, I have come here to paint, and paint is what the great Rene DeSaens will do!" he started, twirling his paintbrush with an authorative air. His gaze spanned across the three youths. "So... all together or one at a time? I am at your service!"

Its too cool to roll! Post away. Make it snazzy.

Rene's eyebrow arched and his smile curled slightly. Cunning, charming, deceitful little swine! he cursed to himself, full of joy. I like him! "Oui, oui" he replied. "Monsieur le Crow is most perceptive about these matters. Most perceptive. An escalator would be formidable! of course, until ze device in installed, I will have to rely on ze virility of youth to sustain my aged body. " "Ah oui!" replied Rene, holding out his hand to Myrmidon. "Well met! this is the very picture of gay youth that I was referring to! Such a polite, honest and reliable boy!" Rene picked up a rather bulky, heavy Canvass, and without asking, shoved it into Crow. "Just like you, eh?" he said with a smile. "I am sure you can help a struggling venerable old man like myself..."

"Oh sterling!" groaned Supercape, somewhat dejected. "Like a day break to Brighton at the height of winter..." "Mind you, forewarned is forearmed, good work" he added. And it was true. He had actually been very impressed by Blueshift's speed and clarity of mind. If anyone could do this, it was the accumulated brain power on board the space ship. "and it solves why I can teleport there. Lots of fascinating stuff I am sure..." his mind started musing over the possibilities. Why, the research that could be done! the pioneering science! the practical applications! He caught himself. The destruction of human civilisation as we know it... he added to himself. There was no discussion really - tempting as the rock might be, it was also the hammer that would wreck Earth unless they stopped it. "Well, we shall have to be most careful drilling into the thing. Or whatever. Bomb is the good doctors department, I think. "

"Oh..err...let me see....err...." Supercape was already somewhat fatigued from the effort of transporting the heroes (and counterparts) across the gulf of the multiverse. He furrowed his brow and started looking at the possibilities... "Yes, yes..." he mumbled. "I suppose I could realign the nodal event architecture to cause super-Heisenbergian viral compensation..." Nothing visibly happened, but Supercape briefly screwed his eyes up and then looked at Warder with a smile. "There we go!" he exclaimed happily, before bringing his finger up to tap his chin. "Although, of course..." he added less cheerfully. "If I can do that, then he could undo it. Might take some time, but even so. "

Lord Steam stuck out his hand. "Allow my to introduce myself. Lord Lucien Lockwood, from what you fellows call Earth Victoriana. I am official ambassador from that dimension!" "Dont ask me about the name, your scientific chaps came up with it. All very interesting of course, ths interdimensional stuff, bit beyond me, but I'll get my head around it one day, I dare say. " He swung his arm around (in a slightly too wide a swing) to take in the surrounding art. "As for this stuff. I'm sure the artists are all terribly talented, clever, and all that..." His gaze landed on a more classical piece, a landscape of Freedom City in an impressionistic style. "Now that's more my style. Classical, with a twist!" He almost twirled on his toes in a full circle with the word "twist". Lord Steam peered at the painting briefly, examinng the fine detail. "Done by a Mr. Rene deSaens. Very nice, I'll keep an eye out for his work. "

Lucien Lockwood strolled around a bit, admiring the art, and the people. Presently, he came to wear Carrie was sitting, or slouching. "Tsk tsk" he said, with a friendly glint in his eye, and a broad smile. He gave a steely but warm gaze at her feet on the chair. "Does the Art inspire you to lie in such a recumbent repose?" he asked, and without waiting for a reply, he turned to the nearest piece. "A smouldering landscape, the soup of the day encapsulated in the formless haze that can only bring to mind the oblivion of Dionysius. Without form, formless..." He smiled wickedly. "and rubbish!" he proclaimed, a little to loudly, to a few sharp stares and gasps. "This modern art of your dimension befuddles me..." he said to Carrie, his hands open in apology.

"Merci, ah Merci" replied Rene, clapping his hands. "You have made an old man very happy. I am pleased to see that ze spirit of chivalry is not yet dead!" He eyed Crow with a glance. "At least amongst some of the youth of today!" he said in a rather more stern voice. Of course, the perceptive would have noted his eyes twinkling with pleasure. He studied Mymirdon. Looked like a big strapping Aryan, a Viking King or God. He could almost imagine getting the fellow to don a horned helmet, hold a battle axe, and pose as a Norse diety for a picture. The Nazi occult (and he remembered them well) would have fawned over the man. However, he seemed extraordinarily polite and gracious. Rene warmed to him instantly.

"Ah there you are, there you are" Rene spied the threesome with his mind long before his faulty eyes had managed to get them into focus. As soon as they noticed him, he immediately hunched his back still further, stumbled, and dropped a canvas. "Ah, my poor old bones, zey struggle so!" he lamented, as he rubbed his back. "I am just a helpless old man..." As he winced, one clear and observant eye peeped out of the crack of his eyelid and carefully examined the audience, making sure his performance had registered. Truth be told, his body was wearing down a little. Although he was in pretty good shape for a man over two centuries old. Whilst he could manage most tasks, he had taken the view that it was best not to wear it down any more, not whilst some youths could do the cumbersome tasks for him. Besides which, there had to be some advantages to old age...

Lord Lucien Lockwood stepped out the antiquated rolls and strode with confidence and purpose towards the Art exposition. Nodding politely to those he passed, his long strides quickly took him inside the building. Dressed in a coattails, a heavily embroided waistcoat, and an oversized Cravat, he cut quite the figure. Eccentric, but elegant. "I say, Sir" he said to the slightly sycophantic organiser of the event. "A magnificent event of art you have collected. My hat is doff'd. " Without waiting for a reply, he sped off to examine some of the pieces on display. As always, the Lord of Steam was just as interested in people watching...

Rene gets painting some heroes Etain, Crow, Mymiridon.

Rene stumbled out of the Taxi, easel and bags in hand. It was always so damn expensive getting a cab to the Hotel. Its ghostly presence seemed to permeate into the city, and taxi drivers seemed to be reluctant to take anyone there. Reluctant, but not unwilling, at least when Rene offered to pay treble. He groaned as he clambered into the building, armed with his art materials. "Damnation" he muttered "I am going to paint this building today, at least then I can go directly there". He already had a painting of his flat with him. With a stroke of his magic paintbrush, he could paint himself directly to another location, provided he had a picture of where he was going. But today, he had also offered to paint some heroes. Crow and Etain he knew already, and he was aware a third model was attending. A lot of work. But when work was art, work was a pleasure.

Rene is lobbing in a PP this month (Should have before, sorry), so thats some more buff to he Hotel. Not precious about what its spent on, my possible thoughts are: 1. Multidimensional (Some part of the Hotel is located in the Astral Plane, etc) 2. On a related note, dual size (that part extends more) 3. Art Studio (Specialist Workshop?) for Rene 4. Some kind of communication power (With plants, animals, spirits, etc)

Just a quick one: Rene is lobbing in 1 PP to the Parkhurst Motel. Doktor'd

I'm awarding that for roleplaying something I found entertaining. As an aside, I am getting weary of second guessing the rules here. By all means put your points across, help out with rules interpretations etc, but If I am going to be arguing my way through GMing this, then im not prepared to GM it. Apologies if this is blunt, I dont mean it to be, but I wont do something I dont enjoy and this thread has already have enough quibbles over mechanics without even getting into combat. EDIT: Also feel free to refer to refs for Abitration. I am quite happy to stand corrected on rules, I dont profess to be an expert on M&M (merely have a working knowledge). Its just about me not wanting to personally GM a thread with lots of rules queries. If thats how this site plays, I dont think I can GM for it and no hard feelings. :D

Nice touch Aoiroo. As well as the HP from that complication, I'm going to award another HP for playing that well and being cool, if thats ok.