KnightDisciple

Cobalt Templar wasn't really hurt by the chimp-man's attacks, but he still worked to get him off his shoulders. "Ack! Dang it, get off!" Of course, right about that time, everyone seemed to stop fighting. CT was wary for a few moments, before he too stood down, crossing his arms over his chest, nodding as Freedom Angel spoke. "He's right. I wasn't aiming to toss you in a cage. It's just that things got a bit...hectic...for a second there." He scratched his chin in thought as Protectron recited history. "He's right. Except, some part of it seemingly didn't shut down. And seems to have "branched out". Which has all manner of bad implications." When Bruiser spoke up, he gave each of them a small smile and a nod. "Nice to meet you all, gentlemen. Name's Cobalt Templar." At the mention of other sentient beings being locked up, his face turned into a scowl. "Yeah. We'll see what we see. Which will probably end up being several folks we have to beat down until we release the others." If and when the animal-men started leading the way, CT would follow, taking to the air to give at least a measure of over-watch.

Let's see...Well, even chance I guess. 18 Notice

Cobalt Templar sighed and shook his head at Papercut's response. "That's not what I-" He stops himself and takes a deep breath. "I wasn't trying to mock you. I'm sorry. Let's just do what we were asked to do. Please." He winced internally. 'Man, I don't want to make him feel unwelcome. Why am I sucking so much when dealing with him?'

It hadn't taken Corbin long to get the McMallin's to safety. The staff inside was in a small panic, but still had the presence of mind to get them secured in a safe® room. In the confusion, Corbin started running down a side hall. As soon as no one was in sight, there was a flash of blue fire and he was encased in the armor of Cobalt Templar. He took to flying at dizzying speeds, quickly getting himself outside. In moments, he had the "lay of the land". Mostly, he saw Blitzen trying to hurt Sharl. This would not stand. 'Doesn't matter if he's annoying on occasion. NO ONE HURTS MY TEAM.' With a snarl on his face, Cobalt Templar sent himself flying at Blitzen. Mid-air, he turned his body so he was facing the enemy feet-first. His left leg folded in to help support the right, which stayed straight. An aura of flame developed on the fly, thickening until Templar's foot couldn't be seen for the fire. Instead, what looked almost like the point of an arrow formed just before he struck Blitzen somewhere around the chin. His voice roared out as he struck. "Stay away from my team!"

Right then. Family safe. Staff distracted. Lots of troublesome nooks I can change in. Move Action: Fly outside and end up next to Blitzen (within Melee Attack range). Free Action: Change into Cobalt Templar while on the move. Standard Action: Melee Attack Blitzen with my Strike. 15, which doesn't hit. I'd like to get a blow in on this fight, though. Especially since Corbin doesn't know Papercut's master plan of misdirection. So! Spend Hero Point for ReRoll Standard Action: Melee Attack Reroll 29 is much better. DC 26 Toughness Save.

Um. Not trying to be a pain, but, Gabriel should have 3pp. As noted here, he got 16 IC posts, 17 counting the 2/1 GM posts. And Sonya Sokolova, posted and approved in August, was only my 2nd NPC submitted (Fenris doesn't count since he was made as a PC, and I specifically asked and requested his NPC-change not count; he'll be un-NPCed eventually). Thus, she should net me 1 PP. That said, my mistake may have been in not explicitly noting where that PP is supposed to go, which is Gabriel. Which gives him 210PP, and should make him Silver.

"If you two don't feel like staying, you can always go somewhere else. Me, I'm going to stick around here. Way I see it, it's not the League's fault the Gorgon picked Earth. Not the League's fault the world's going crazy. And frankly, it's not their fault that no storage place is completely safe from super-villains. Lady Liberty's got reason to be worried about this country. 'Sides, most of the League's in space. Fighting for everyone. Maybe we should cut them some slack?" Cobalt Templar's voice was quiet as he leaned against the wall over to one, in full costume, arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed. Were it not for him speaking up, one might be inclined to think he was napping. "'Course, I'm a bit biased. My parents and lover are here in the city. Then again, not like the city or country makes a difference. We got a giant Medusa head floating through space looking to gold-plate the whole planet. Instead of getting snippy about who's defending where, maybe we just do what we can where we're asked to." He shrugs his massive armored shoulders, barely avoiding leaving scratches on the wall. "Or, like I said, you guys can bail. Your choice." There was a bit of an edge to his voice, but it was also clear he wasn't really being sarcastic. He meant every word.

Corbin raised an eyebrow at the text, but shrugged. He sent a quick reply back. "Sure. Gonna fly over then change back to civvies." He'd finished his homework, anyways. With that, Corbin Hughes jogged out of his room in the dorms, and by the time he was outside, it was Cobalt Templar that took to the skies. He was at the Riverside Park in only a couple of minutes. He circled at high altitude before finding a dense enough grove of trees. He dove down as fast as he dared, landing well out of sight. With but a thought, he was clad again in t-shirt and jeans. It took him a few minutes longer, but he found Blake sitting on a bench. He casually walked over, unable to fully disguise his curiosity. "What's with the meeting?"

Carson shrugged. "I always figured it was a combination of someone trying to describe something they had little context for, and not all angels looking like winged humanoids. Winged humanoids aren't bad, mind you. I just figured there were other types. That, or that some of you guys can change shapes. Suppose it doesn't really matter the exact number of limbs..." Carson gave a broad smile as he accepted the armor. He began putting it on over the simple shirt and pants he was already clothed in, speaking as he did so. "Heyzel's right. I've still got a few years left in me yet, if I have anything to say about it. Still. I'll keep you in mind, sir. You can be sure I'll come calling for an upgrade when the time comes. Don't see a reason to sit on my behind when I come up here. Anyways." He had finally completed putting on his armor, the helmet sliding easily over his masked faced. He smiled at the saintly smith one more time. On instinct, he concentrated, the armor suddenly being replaced with a ring. He cycled through it again, ending with him wearing a ring and some basic clothes once more. "This is good stuff. Thank you again." He turned to face Hezyel, the armor tucked away safely for now, curiosity on his face. "What else are we looking for?"

Corbin watched thoughtfully as the Irregulars continued to execute their plan, before smiling. "Good work, guys. Let's see...John's got good sight lines still. Hm. Bank crew should hurry up. Looks like the thugs don't notice, but as soon as one gets too close..." He turned up the audio a bit as Brian started speechifying, and couldn't help but chuckle. "Nice work, Brian, nice work. Especially since you have their attention everywhere but where the hostages are going to end up. Which...yes, excellent, it's out of sight range, so long as they don't come running out of the bank itself. Good." He was impressed so far. It was a good plan, and they were executing it well. Nothing was perfect, but they were excelling with what they had. Then again, they had a lot of good resources at their disposal.

Fulcrum's entrance was one of power and grace. Her stature and confident bearing meant that people stopped and took notice. Atlas's was noticeable, but as much for his unique appearance as anything else. He was clearly trying not to upset anyone present. A protector assuring those he protected that he meant no harm. Then Gabriel entered the room. He was smaller than the other two; especially noticeable was the difference between himself and Fulcrum. He was an eye-catching figure in his bright white clothing, coat flowing behind him as he confidently walked into this inner sanctum. His face was calm, focused. His very presence seemed to send the air singing. But not with fear. It was clear this man was here to help, not to harm. To defend, not to destroy. He strode silently, just a handful of paces after Fulcrum. And then he stood before the throne, and bowed, before speaking up in a voice most commanding. "We thank you for granting us the audience we sought after. Your city's hospitality is most welcome. What would you speak of with us this day?"

Right, so. It's a minor thing, but I want to "crunch" it out so we're on the up-and-up and all. Skill Mastery for auto-35 Diplomacy check to make people sit up and take notice, but in a "respect this guy's opinions" sort of way, not a "this guy's gonna kill us all!" sort of way.

List of changes per Ref requests: :arrow: Added descriptors to powers :arrow: Removed Ultimate Medicine :arrow: Adjusted skills so nothing was about Skill Rank 13 :arrow: Adjusted point totals here and there

Knowledge: History: 22

Toughness Check: 26!

Cobalt Templar tilted his head to one side in honest confusion as four animal-human hybrid beings stepped out of the truck. He frowned a bit as he heard their talk, but other than the elephant man, none of them seemed over hostile. 'What the heck is Section 13? Wait, no time to worry about that. Think I'll take the gorilla; I need the workout.' With that, he dove like a comet through the air, arms splayed wide. When he reached the gorilla, his arms all but slammed shut, like the jaws on a vice. He tried to hold the odd man in place, a frown on his face. "How about we don't go running off, and instead we settle down? And for what it's worth, I don't know about Section 13. I'm with Young Freedom. Maybe chill out and we can sit down with your buddies or something? I don't want to hurt you guys!" The fact he'd chosen to go with a less-harmful method of attack gave the claim at least some credence.

Hm. Protectron has the burly Elephant guy, and Glowstar has the twitchy spider fellow. I'll leave the chimp to Freedom Angel, which means it's time for Cobalt Templar to go after the Gorilla! This guy seems a bit reasonable, so we'll try to be gentle here. Free Action All-Out Attack 5: Defense is 1, Attack is 10 without ring. Move Action: Fly up to melee range of the Gorilla dude. Standard Action: Melee attack to try and initiate Grapple! (IC went down again, so....) Add 10, that's 25, so that hits. Time for Grapple Check! He's got his ring, so with the +20, that's a 36 Grapple check.

Cobalt Templar Forging Bonds: 6 IC Posts If You Build It:15 IC Posts Broke, Blind, and Bedlam: 7 IC Posts Animal Control: Breakout:1 IC Posts The Good, The Bad, and The Eldritch: 1 IC Post World Tour: Way to Go, Wendigo: 14 IC Posts World Tour: In a Detroit Minute: 7 IC Posts IC Totals: 51 IC Posts Gabriel Faith Protects, Kevlar Helps: 5 IC Posts A Touch of Class: 1 IC Posts Smile for the Camera: 1 IC Post Don't Forget the Good Silver: 8 IC Posts Unstuck In Time!: 1 IC Post IC Totals: 16 IC Posts (17 with counts from GM Posts) NPC Submitted, Approved: Sonya Sokolova GM Posts Murder on the Victorian Express: 2 GM IC Posts (All posts go to Gabriel for point determination)

Character Name: Sonya Sokolova Power Level: 8 (145 PP) Trade-Offs: None In Brief: Metahuman Medic from Russia working for UNISON as a liaison to all of Freedom City's heroes! Alternate Identity: None Identity: Public Birthplace: St. Petersburg, Russia Occupation: UNISON Agent (Emergency Medical Division); Lieutenant Rank Affiliations: UNISON (Employer), Russian Federation (homeland), Freedom League (Liaison) Family: Dmitri (Father), Agata (Mother), Lena (Oldest sister), Marina (Older sister) Age: 28 (DoB: 1983) Gender: Female Ethnicity: Russian Height: 5'11" Weight: 170 lbs. Eyes: Grey Hair: Black Description: Sonya is a woman in good physical condition, though certainly not at the level of "peak human performance". Her work focuses less on feats of strength and agility, meaning she doesn't have some of the raw physical power others carry on a daily basis. Nonetheless, she has an attractive look about her, and a confidence that's hard to put into words. Her grey eyes are almost always shining with compassion for her fellow human beings. When on-duty, Sonya wears her hair up in a practical bun, but when off-duty, she often lets it simply rest on her shoulders. On-duty, she wears a typical blue UNISON outfit, albeit one lacking any physical weapons, and carrying a few key tools to allow quick diagnosis in the field. As well, she bears the red-on-white cross universally recognized to belong to medics. Off-duty, she tends toward more casual wear. Power Descriptions: Sonya's healing abilities manifest as a light green glow around her hands, a glow that spreads across a patient as she treats them. Any visible wounds glow a slightly darker green until they are healed. This energy can be delivered by direct contact or at range. If she concentrates for a bit of extra time, she can also heal herself. A side effect of this is that her body is somewhat more resistant to damage than normal, has an incredible resistance to diseases and poisons, and even has a limited degree of automatic damage repair; she still has to devote explicit time and energy to more serious wounds, however. Her offensive skills manifest in a similar manner. Her paralyzing blast is a pulsing beam of dark green light that invariably strikes a target's forehead, while the attack she uses to induce nausea is like a rapidly-moving line of greenish-yellow mist that seeps into an opponent's pores. History: Sonya Sokolova was born to a Captain of the Soviet Army, and a mother dedicated to a family that was now 5 strong. The youngest of 3 sisters, Sonya grew up loved by her parents, and doted on by her father (harried that he might sometimes be as the only man in a house with 4 women). She was still a young child when her homeland went through massive changes. By a miracle of God (so her parents profess), he father was left essentially untouched in all the upheaval, and their family continued on much as it always had. But with a freer country came a slight renewal of things banned. In this case, religion experienced a bit of a surge, and part of this was the opening of a Roman Catholic church (one once closed during the darker days of the USSR) in the re-re-named city of St. Petersburg, not far from where they lived. Curiosity got the better of the Sokolova family one weekend, and the rest ended up being history. Their connection to the Catholic church helped ground the Sokolovas and bring them together. Considering Sonya started displaying hints of her healing talent at the mere age of 15, that was likely a very good thing. Turn of the millennium or no, there were still remnants of the "old days" lingering around. And the chance to get their hands on a girl with Sonya's abilities...Dmitri knew word would get around. So, he used what pull he had to get in contact with UNISON; they had an "internship" program that his youngest daughter could join. She could still go to school, see her family, and so on, but not unlike an ROTC program in the US, this program prepared her for a period of service with UNISON. So Sonya became an "intern" with the international peacekeeping force, and at 16 she was forced to think about larger responsibilities. Not only was she going to be a part of UNISON for a time, as someone gifted with healing powers, she would need to achieve at least a basic medical education to properly apply it. For the rest of her time in school, she prepared to take a medical path in college. Once she was at university, she spent about a semester considering her options, before settling on a path that would make her a battlefield medic of the highest caliber, both with and without her powers. She completed her college degree in Biology&Anatomy (Pre-Med Focus) in an almost record 3 years; this allowed her to enter UNISON's specialized combat medic courses at age 21. She all but blew through this training, her formidable intellect making her instruction progressively easier for her; in just a year and a half, she was judged fit for field deployment. For five years, she ranged over the globe, always working to save every life she could, even in the darkest, bleakest parts of the world. Even one more life saved was one more small piece of hope restored, one more miracle from God preserved, one more soul allowed to be with its loved ones for a bit longer. Or so she told herself, despite the occasional nightmares she has about the worst places she's been to over the years. Most recently (about half a year ago), Sonya was assigned to Freedom City. Specifically, she was charged with being one of a handful of liaisons to the Freedom League and other super-groups, as well as more loosely-affiliated groups (such as The Lab), and even independent heroes of all sorts. This doesn't mean she has forgotten her calling, though. She can often be found rushing out to the site of a super-battle, helping with the aftermath and cleanup, or even helping out the heroes in the middle of a fight, risks or no risks. Personality & Motivation: Sonya strikes an interesting balance between "stern" and "motherly"; in the field, she can sometimes be seen all but barking orders to her fellows, and occasionally unruly patients. But when in a hospital, base, or the like, she's a warm, charming woman who has a knack for calming and comforting those around her. If one were to ask her, she'd say both have the same cause: She doesn't like seeing people hurt. She takes charge because she knows the danger of uncertainty. She mothers because she knows how much good it does for someone's recovery. Beneath those two surface "traits" is an intelligent woman who has a good sense of people, and who enjoys a fair bit of "quiet time" when she's not on duty. Doctors rarely get much rest on the job, after all. There's a core of steel to her, though; threaten those in her care, and/or those she cares about, and she's like a small storm raging focused into a human form. Powers & Tactics: Sonya's first and last goal is the protection of life, especially innocent life. To that end, she will heavily prioritize wounded civilians, non-powered police and military forces, and heroes, in roughly that order. She moves rapidly from person to person, getting them at least mobile and stable enough to be seen to by a hospital or the like. She will not intentionally enter a fight, but if one moves close enough and villains try to target her patients, she will do what she can to slow them down until others can more fully incapacitate them. If a villain is seriously injured, she will do enough to keep them from risking death, but not so much that they can re-enter a fight refreshed. She will heal herself only when truly necessary. Abilities: 4 + 4 + 4 + 8 + 8 + 10 = 38 PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 20 (+5) Combat: 8 + 12 = 20 PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +4 (+8 Ranged) Defense: +8 (+3 flat-footed) Grapple: +6 Knockback: -4 Saves: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 PP Toughness: +8 (+2 Con, +6 Protection) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +8 (+4 Wis, +4) Skills: 20 PP = 80 SR Bluff 4 (+9) Diplomacy 10 (+15) Knowledge: Life Sciences 13 (+17) Knowledge: Art 4 (+8) Medicine 13 (+17) Languages 2 (German, English, Russian [Native]) Notice 10 (+14) Search 8 (+12) Sense Motive 10 (+14) Survival 6 (+10) Feats: 11PP Attack Focus: Ranged (4) Dodge Focus (2) Improved Initiative Move-By Action Power Attack Second Chance (Medicine checks) Skill Mastery (Knowledge [Life Sciences], Medicine, Notice, Sense Motive Powers: 2 + 36 + 6 = 44 PP all powers have the Mutation descriptor Immunity 2 (disease, poison) [2pp] Medical Array 16 (32 points; PFs: Alternate Power 4) [36PP] BE: Healing 10 (Extras: Action [standard], Ranged; Flaw: Others Only; PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) {32/32} AP: Healing 10 (Extras: Ranged, Total; Flaw: Others Only; PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) {32/32} AP: Healing 10 (Extra: Total; PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) {32/32} AP: Nauseate 8 (Extra: Ranged; PFs: Improved Crit, Reversible) {26/32} AP: Paralyze 8 (Extra: Ranged; PFs: Improved Crit, Reversible) {26/32} Protection 6 [6pp] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Nauseate Ranged DC18 Fortitude (Staged) Sickened/Nauseated/Helpless Paralyze Ranged DC18 Will (Staged) Slowed/Paralyzed Costs: Abilities 38 + Combat 20 + Saves 12 + Skills 20 + Feats 11 + Powers 44 = 145 PP Notes: :arrow: This character is specifically intended for, among other things, a convenient plot hook. Since she's connected to UNISON, she may well have leads on wacky international adventures for heroes. Or domestic ones; I'm sure UNISON and AEGIS talk shop quite a bit. :arrow: This character should rarely, if ever, be a "damsel in distress". That said, her focus on being a field medic means she could be taken hostage in the middle of a battle by a desperate villain. After the end of the fight, said villain will be in a very unhappy place. :arrow: Just so it's out in the open: Yes, right now I have the intention of introducing this character and Gabriel, and for a relationship to form. No, they're not going to be in a full-bore romantic relationship right off the bat.

Corbin blinked as the no-name criminals he'd never heard a single thing about showed up like they were the best thing for criminals since the Omegadrone. However, he couldn't just leap into action. He had something of a secret identity to keep, after all. Worse, there were civilians in the line of fire, though it looked like he could still hustle them inside. Which is exactly what he started to do. He turned to face Koshiro's family, expression stern as he all but bellowed, spreading his arms to work on herding them back inside (an action that incidentally put him between them and the "Champions of Crime". "Alright McMillans! Inside, now! Let's go let's go! I'm sure these amateurs will have their hands full soon enough." He gave a glance toward Koshiro. Hopefully the guy would make the right choice. He'd have to trust that he would. And that his comrades could carry the fight, at least for a time. Chumps of Crime or no, he always like to stack the odds in his favor. He thought at Eve with practiced ease. -I'll get them inside then slip away to change and rejoin you guys. Give me a shout if things go south fast. Remember. We're Young Freedom. We can take these guys.- With that, he continued to work on ushering the women of the McMillan family inside, his bulk continuing to guide and protect them all at once, while he also kept his eyes open for a good place to change.

I was hoping it wouldn't. Unless Corbin giving a parting word does that! :o

Right, we have civilians in the line of fire. Corbin's going to usher the family inside as rapidly as possible, but I don't know what sort of action investment we need here.

13; I guess that makes up for his awesome init in World Tour...

16+7=23

"Yeah, probably best not to linger." Corbin frowned both at Sharl's twitchy behavior, and the guard's unnecessary threats to him. Still, the situation was (mostly) settled so long as Sharl didn't say much more. Kimber, oddly enough, actually did a pretty good job of defusing the situation. Probably because she didn't have an ounce of genuine menace in her. He followed Indira's example, grabbing a couple of the largest pieces of luggage, before stopping at Koshiro's request. He glanced toward Eve and the others. "I'll be right with you guys. Let me get the McMillans squared away." He turned to face the family, a smile on his face. "I'll make sure you guys get a cab, alright? All part of our friendly service." He gave a slightly exaggerated wink as he turned and slowly walked out the door, trying not to let on how utterly light the luggage was to him.