Ari

Sorry, changing the last IC post. Makes no dramatic sense to bust out the bird form just yet.

Snare Attack roll: 21. A hit, DC19 Reflex save to evade it.

GM The soldiers of darkness struck well, ethereal blades sweeping through the unprepared bearer of Justice with horrible coordination, feeling like knives of frozen steel rather than shadow! Surprisingly the attack left only minor cuts and bruises in their path, though the icy chill shocked Agnus enough that for a few seconds she couldn't so much as move. Seeing this, the shadows laughed with their hideous voices "You are Burned, but not Aflame yet!" one called out mockingly, its inchoate body roiling and spinning "Brothers, let us take her to our world, and drain the Light from her as she dies!" A chorus of agreement slid from the three others, and at once two of them joined their limbs together and started cutting through Earth-Prime's dimensional barriers, cutting open a black portal to the depthless Shadow-World! The very sunlight seemed to quail as they carved the air. The other two reformed into a serpent half as big as the one they had come in the form of, but no less sinister for the lesser size. Cold dark eyes stared down at the yougn woman while its obsidian coils began lashing around her, obviously intending to hold her still for the journey into that domain of death...

It's highly unlikely that I or any of mine will ever be involved, but I'd love to try and influence the new team somehow. First, calling it the Shadow League is a road best left for alternate versions; it brings to mind the idea of it as some kind of secret superhero police(rather dodgy, and making superheroes THAT much The Establishment just feels off), the very name 'Shadow' has deeply unpleasant in-universe connotations, and this being a sort of quieter alternative to the more open vigilante teams is better emphasized by not using a name associated with the historic Leagues of the past. Thus, I would offer either 1) Outright mimicking the Birds and having an avian-themed name to signify their non-exclusive nature/watchfulness(the Hawks, grey or otherwise) or something to do with their subtler mission(the Unseen, maybe calling out to the Outsiders?). Second, their headquarters should best be something relatively inconspicuous. A 'generic' skyscraper in Wading or Midtown could work admirably, with a hidden floor and security measures concealing the top-notch crime-fighting lab and resources hidden within. Multiple secret ways in might be cool as well, though teleportation is of course much stealthier. Third, what is the central aim of the team? Just to make it clear.

Watching his informant's face with great care, Osprey allowed himself a quick, horrible smile "Thanks," he said quietly as his voice deepened, "you've served Justice for once, was it so bad? Try and make a habit of it". He then swung the man around, cuffed his arms together before repeating the procedure on his legs, gagged him and bound the two crooks together with his lasso line to the bollard their boat was moored to. It was important to make statements like that in vigilantism, helped clear things up. Making a quick tour of the boat, he nodded grimly as a box cracked open to reveal bags of the deadly powder. At last he saw to the two officers, eyes narrowing as he surveyed the damage they'd sustained, and propping them up on a nearby bench before he took one of their radios and made a quick call "Hello, police station? Osprey speaking. Two of your men were just attacked by Max smugglers at Pier 20 on Deptford Docks. I've taken care of the situation and am pursuing the ones who fled. The officers aren't badly hurt, but better make sure. Good night." Putting the radio firmly back on the constable's jacket, he turned to the river sparkling before him. He knew Dog's Tail all too well, and had broken at least two teeth there before he'd taken the mask. It was the kind of place you warned tourists about, and made sure friends who were already drunk didn't stumble down its path. If there were any answers to be had, they'd be there all right. And with no more thought, he turned, fired his grapple gun at a nearby ledge and swung off southwards, landing in a roll on a roof and leaping to the next in a smooth motion, settling into the now-familiar routine of running and jumping his way across the city. The cape flowed well despite its weight, and in the moonlit gloom Alden became just another shadow in the night.

Nodding shortly, raising his hat to the watchman as he left and smoothing away the nervous look that threatened to reveal itself, Roi fell in step beside Agnes, the picture of the stern figure he wasn't in the least. The cold and silent hallways they walked quickly down, navigating by the few convenient signs and maps, filled the young Frenchman with more horror than any darkness had when he was a child. In a few minutes they would be faced with their crime and hope to steal whatever clues they could from it, robbing the dead man...right now it wasn't avenging ghouls or vengeful shadows that he dreaded, but the icy fear of being caught. 'What we're doing is wrong, but good can come of it! We can...we can use this to unravel the Mob, get the reward for their capture, use it to get a decent burial for poor Adrien and send dear Agnes to Paris...all can be well...' It was the thought of Agnes in Paris that steeled his heart the best, and as they found their way to the stiff dead man on the table he reassured himself with that vision, knowing what they would see when the took off the cover.

Recovering from the fiery attack, El Heraldo answered the agent's smile with a grin of his own and swooped back into the monster's field of view, adding his voice to Blodeuwedd's. "We don't want this to get ugly, how about you go back to the island and we'll get you somebody in charge you can talk to?" For an instant the giant moose-elephant-like creature stared at Heraldo in irritated confusion before growling "I will make no bargains with you! Neither of you could possibly break my heartstone, so waste not your breath!" And then the water exploded under it as one hoof burst out and swung straight for the glowing hero! It slammed into Heraldo with a noise like a thunderclap, swaying for a few seconds before falling back into the water and revealing the Claremonter crouching in a boxing stance, shaking his arms with a grimace as the patriotic paragon called "Urgh, that hurt! What's your deal, giant guy?" he shouted indignantly, pointing at the Tennyson Monster's now very startled face "This how you celebrate the freedom of this country? Tryin' to kill everyone celebrating their rights?" With a roar the grassy beast backed away, shaking Blodeuwedd like a leaf in a storm as he bellowed "I am as much the land as any, and whatever pretensions these latest invaders have matter not to me!" Heraldo's eyes flashed, and the teenaged hero shot forward over the lake, darting past the Tennyson monster's face as he punched it in the trunk with titantic force, his arm backed by a nation and sending the beast stumbling to the right. Flickering back to his original position he yelled "This day records when a new world dawned! Your conquering it ain't gonna happen today or ever! "

GM It soon became apparent to the two investigators that even for a murder scene something was off. The scattered papers were too carefully disheveled, the rune-marked shards of iron too determinedly ransacked, the tables overturned in a way that was instantly suspicious. Everything was set up so that it drew the eye from the bookshelves, and even the dead dwarf was placed just so under the light for maximum dramatic effect. Luckily the two teenagers were well-versed in studying crime scenes and hard to distract, discovering among the manufactured chaos a scrap of paper that had fallen from one of several books. It was scrawled with a couple brief sentences that were both too vague and too specific to be much help, but they were at least a start. And from the bizarre list of strictures it solidified that they were dealing with a magical enemy. Now all they had to do was track down their list of suspects in the vast city of Freedom, eliminate them from suspicion after teasing out all the evidence they could and hand the perp over to the, shall we say, appropriate authority. Simplicity itself!

GM A few minutes later The thing blocking the fishing books had turned out to be an oblong piece of black plastic suspiciously similar to a TV remote, a small switch at one end turned to the universal power sign. Flicking the switch(after a quick mental search of the interior) had caused the air to suddenly rush around the young psychic and a neat circular piece to drop from the ceiling in a shower of plaster dust. It was the work of a moment to leap up through the hole. After a short exploration Blue Fox discovered that, along with the usual rafters and other supports a ceiling needs, narrow foam pads had been laid along the several yards between Garamond's office and an unusually large vent near the fire escape. A hole big enough for one large person(or two small ones) had been cut into the wall, leading right onto one the stairs' first landing. It had fallen inwards, apparently it too had been somehow under the control of the small mechanism. At first this had seemed like the end of the trail, as from the fire escape the kidnapper could have had a vehicle waiting and not left another trace, vanishing into the psychic morass of Freedom City. That was at least until Blue Fox noticed the insignia. Two jagged lines like wavey water were carved into the controller, and opposite the fire escape was an identical mark in gold paint, writ larger amid a splatter of mostly badly done graffiti. Eve was no astrology aficionado, but her time at Parkhurst had at least tucked a few things into her memory. The sign was for 'Aquarius', the water bearer, evidently co-opted by someone to lend a certain something to their crimes.

I have no idea. Sorus did do a small update(if that's the right word for it) that might have clashed with the the posts. Somehow. Otherwise I'm going to assume they were stolen by our past selves. Sadly I think this thread is dead, so not much chance of it getting back into the swing of things regardless. Thanks for playing folks!

Things have changed. See previous OOC post for the details.

GM "I am sure he just wants those poor souls out of danger, Miss Britannia, not to mention the crew of the East. It would be a smirch on our escutcheon if we forget them!" Moving quickly, Protonik grabbed their quarry and slung the startled chemist over his shoulder, flying off after Gabriel and collecting a few of the defeated recipients of the mutagen. The small band, flying or teleporting, soon made their escape from the now ominously-shuddering undersea base, arriving on the surface in time to surprise the AEGIS agents bringing the submarine up for inspection. It was obvious at a glance to see that the freighter had been secured, Silver Spider and Omen were on the deck making sure the large and sullen gang of the crew didn't try anything with the large barrels piled bow-ward. The pilot emerged from the plane, looking in mingled disgust and amazement at Motley's latest victims as he asked nervously "So...I'm guessing there's nothing else down there? No Prote-?" Protonik tossed the chemist unceremoniously onto the ship's floor and pointed out to sea at a dull purple patch for answer. "That may need some containment" he said brightly, a confident smile on his weathered face. Turning to Starlight he added "You can create things from light, correct? Could you trap that much liquid and make sure it can't spread?" Meanwhile, Asad's decision to wait payed off. The leaking super-mutagen was spreading, but the substance was sluggish in the salt water and thinned slowly. That and there was a blessed lack of sharks. Just about the only immediate problem was his breathing apparatus. The air was starting to get a strange metallic taste to it, and while more than enough for most missions the kind of stress it was undergoing was obviously more than it could take for long...

EDIT: Nevermind. That was a fantastically stupid idea and I am shamed for doing it. Instead of continuing, we shall roll time back to just before that happened. Please roll Initiatives please, and let me know if you want to launch an ambush or tail the party for a bit. Everyone in the Empress' party gets a five.

GM Mere moments after the two had concealed themselves against the wall, the small procession dashed inches past them. Subito was in the center of a ring of obvious Serpents dressed in Incan clothing, the muscular teen clothed in red and hauled along by the chains attached to his body, all but carried by the four strange robed creatures. At the head of the party was the savage ruler of Serpentkind in the Lost World, the Scepter clutched in one claw while the other held an orb wreathed in flames. As she passed the two girls noticed her head dart back and forth like a hunted beast's, and somehow felt something pass over the room. Giang felt it most strongly, the air seeming to shimmer around the blazing stone in the Empress' left claw, and a feeling like the orb was somehow calling out... In a matter of moments the reptilian fiends were past the Claremonters, dashing pell-mell down the corridor.

Player Name: Arichamus Character Name: Feud Power Level: 13 (195/195PP) Trade-Offs: -5 Attack / +5 Damage, -5 Defence / +5 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 In Brief: A cold-hearted bruiser out to make trouble and spread havoc, gifted with the power to sway minds and the future. Abilities: 30 + 10 + 10 + 0 + 8 + 6 = 64PP Strength: 40 (+15) Dexterity: 20 (+5) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 16 (+3) Combat: 10 + 8 = 18PP Initiative: +13 Attack: +7 Melee, +5 Ranged Grapple: +22/+27 Defense: +7 (+4 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2/-8 Saving Throws: 5 + 2 + 6 = 13PP Toughness: +17 (+5 Con, +12 Protection, +0/+12 Impervious) Fortitude: +10 (+5 Con, +5) Reflex: +7 (+5 Dex, +2) Will: +9 (+3 Wis, +6) Skills: 48R = 12PP Intimidate 17 (+20) Knowledge(Current Events) 6 (+6) Language 2(English, Spanish(Native), Italian) Sense Motive 11 (+15) Notice 12 (+16) Feats: 16PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Dodge Bonus 3 Fascinate(Intimidate) Improved Grab Improved Grapple Improved Initiative 2 Luck 3 Power Attack Startle(Intimidate) Powers: 25 + 34 = 59PP Protection 12(Extras: Impervious; Power Feat: Innate)[25PP] Superdense Mutant Tissue Waycarving Array 15(30PP Array, Power Feats: Alternate Power 4)[34PP] Base Power: Luck Control 6(Negate Use of HP 3, Force Reroll 3; Extras: Area(Burst), Selective)[30PP] AP: Blast 12(1200ft. max range; Extras: Autofire; Flaws: Full-Round Action; Power Feats: Indirect 2, Knockback 3, Variable Descriptor 1(Bludgeoning, Crushing)[30PP] Storm of Bad Luck AP: Damage 2(Extras: Penetrating 5[7DMG]; Power Feats: Mighty, Subtle)[9PP] + Leaping 6(100x Normal Distance)[6PP] + Super-Strength 5(65 Effective STR; Power Feats: Groundstrike, Super-Breath, Thunderclap)[13PP] + Speed 2(25MPH, 250ft. per round)[2PP] =[30PP] Inner Power AP: Emotion Control 10(Extras: Area(Cylinder)[30PP] AP: Emotion Control 15(Extras: Insidious; Flaws: Limited(Hate))[30PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block (see below) Totals: Abilities (64) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (12) + Feats (16) + Powers (58) - Drawbacks (0) = 181/181 Power Points

Knowledge(Life Sciences) roll(untrained): 11. I think that man was shot in the neck sometime a couple hours ago. EDIT: And maybe if I'd focused less on stupid jokes I would have noticed the Search request. Untrained roll: 12.

"Hey, wait!" Subito started towards the Master Mage, reaching out as he began to disappear "What about that gir-? Oh! I'm sure Mr. Willis, but it's really nothing you need worry about!" he quickly changed course as time resumed, smiling reassuringly at the zookeeper and clapping him on the shoulder. That talk with the great mystic protector was still reverberating through him, and for a moment Heraldo wondered if it was what he'd said, his sensitive hearing or the sheer power brought to bear for those few seconds. "Young Britannia here is well-versed in the art, no need to fear." turning to the magnificently-coiffed English heroine he gestured with a grand sweep of his arm "If you would do the honors..." He knew that anything more they could do at the zoo would have to wait, there was a horrible queen of madness to trick!

/zuruck

Happy birthday Quinn! Hope you manage to swoop in on some delicious birthday cake and have yourself a grand time! Wish you all the best, pray you return to this day many times.

Roll(sorry for not doing this earlier): 32. Well then! OOC Mr. Richards would like to know who hired them, who owns the ship, where they were taking the shipment, the names of them and their confederates and if the Middleman was in on the job, and if so in what way.

Notice detects order among the seeming chaos. The place was very intentionally tossed to look like it had been ransacked, intentionally messing things up to confuse any search. Blodeuwedd's Search, while informed of this, fails to discover what was meant to be hidden aside from a scrap of paper torn from a book, scribbles with pen saying only "Stay away from windows. Keep out of forest. Do not speak to horse" in the dwarf's hand. It had been used as a bookmark in one of several books on a shattered shelf, most of them having something to do with the old myths of Camelot. Knowledge(Arcane Lore) both of them make, and they realize that a horribly likely reason for the bloodless injury is that whatever struck him down had the power of shadow, draining his very life away. A look through the Chessboard certifies that there is residual Shadow power in the wound. Mixed with what can only be Fey magic. Cerys figures that there aren't any signs of forced entry or a struggle. Whoever killed the dwarf must have either snuck in or been let in.

Happy birthday Raveled! Hope your special day is filled with the wonders of and the joys of living! I wish you experience many happy returns.

Brusqueness? The brusqute! DC22 Will save: 16. A Bruise and Daze! Sunbeam's turn, attacks Mr. Choco: 17. Hits, DC23 TOU save: 12. Failed by 11, so Staggered, Disabled and Dazed. Blodeuwedd's turn.

No worries ChrisClark, I figured that was still going on when this started.

Yes, that is what I meant, not to mention Knowledge(Arcane Lore) for possible reasons the dead man is bloodless, Wisdom/Intelligence to make better interpretations of clues, and so forth.