Ari

That does hit! DC21 TOU save: 17, -2 from the Shaken makes that a Bruise and Daze. So she misses her turn. Errant is up once more!

DC15 Notice roll: 10. Failed. Into the drink he goes. 15. For a certain fellow's Initiative. Stealth roll: 16. Subito's Notice: 24. He sees him alright! Initiative roll: 8. Very well.

Investigative rolls would not go amiss.

Out of character thread for

The thread is up:

GM Claremont Academy, garden paths September 16th, Monday, 10.15AM The brief, terse letter each of the teen heroes had been given after morning classes led them there at the crossroads, to wait for a meeting with the dour Edme Dupont, one of the rotating Ethics and Superhuman Law teachers who had an uncanny gift for knowing exactly what topics to emphasize for maximum effect. 'Student,' they ran 'you and four others have been selected for the chance to perform an extracurricular exercise. I and the others faculty hope this encourages team-building spirit and your abilities to work in tandem. Assemble at the garden path juncture before 10.20AM, I will meet you there if you wish to attempt it' Under the bright morning sun, the fog banks were quickly evaporating, but the ones still drifting over the city gave the dew-speckled lawns and crisp buildings a strangely lovely quality. The air was beginning to heat up in anticipation of the day to come.

Battle time! The Shadows get a surprise round, their initiative roll: 21. The Shadows try for a Combined Attack! Roll: 21, 25, 15, 25. That makes three hits that matter, for a resulting DC28 Toughness save.

I ask your pardons. Please throw me a Notice roll. DC20.

One thing that's often forgotten: Claremont allows its students to go out and fight crime before graduation, it does not tell them to. But yeah, that works. I will start this up today or tomorrow. Its title will be Class Gambit.

Why, with Tremendous Ease of course! Mickey is also new, Sam and Tona and Elias are all more experienced but are likely seen as being in need of at least a little more socialization, and their clashing perspectives would be instructive all on its own.

Thanks for the vote of confidence ChrisClark! I'll do my best to honor it. So, before we start, would you like this to be set at the Academy, or just related to the school? Suspiciously appropriate school assignment, on-campus dramatics, etc...

Taking a quick look at his suddenly-changed environs, the sturdily-built teen quickly realized that the forest around the pool was almost like a set on a stage, ethereal and misty while the deep green water was solid enough, brief glints from the sun flashing on it. Here too he caught glimpses of unfriendly eyes, but they seemed somehow more remote, less threatening. The only other solid thing was the small, rough green door standing over the stream trickling into the pool. That and its bronze lock. Taking the hint, he crouched down and searched carefully for any signs of life within the water. "Thank God the sun's not too bright" he muttered under his breath as his eyes flicked from likely spot to likely spot "Or this'd be impossible..." At times like this he wished fervently he had the quick mind and wit of most of his classmates. So far he was pretty sure there was nothing for it but diving in and taking his chances.

GM Evidently her foe had no interest in the others as they ran, letting them dash off out of sight or just far enough away to get good pictures. Unblinking and unmoving, the massive snake looked at Agnus for a few pregnant seconds. It then very crudely exploded with a tearing noise, splitting apart into four long ribbons that hung in the air, rippling like the nearby river. 'We wish to kill you' the flat voice was multiplied now, so many it actually had some kind of texture to it, sounding like silk over sandpaper and cooling hearts 'If you are not the lighted one, you are tainted enough by the Burning that it does not matter' one ribbon flowed towards the young woman, hovering only a few meters away. That was more than close enough to see the shapes melding within its depths; shapes of people mostly, though many stranger things flashed in and out of view. The shadow seemed to have to fight against transforming into what she saw. A face, leg or hoof swirling into momentary existence before vanishing. 'You are an affront to us, whomsoever you are. So to answer your question Agnes Stone...' the ribbons slid over the pavement around her, arms like swords growing from their distorting bodies '...you can help by remaining still' they announced as the blades leaped at her!

GM The sound of tearing metal as the link between the Infernal Instrument and Mary nearly drowned out their simultaneous shrieks of pain, the young woman falling onto her knees clutching at her well-dressed gut as the demon's face multiplied until it covered its entire body while flailing like a dying beetle. Celeste looked aghast "That is not what I would have suggested" she said carefully, quickly embracing the agonized younger woman and helping her to an intact chair, ignoring the demon's jumps and wails. "What have you done?!" the Instrument howled after a few seconds of the racket "I can't return with no payment! I can't, they'll...they will..." Very suddenly it realized that while it spoke, the floor beneath it was getting darker, until there was a circle of total blackness underneath its bizarre body. Terror seized it, but the circle seemed to keep it perfectly still, and fear made it mute. A new voice spoke, low and cold and placid. "Oh, my child" it said, a gnarled, stony claw reaching up from the circle, "You have done poorly. Perhaps your siblings will fare better". The fingers stood taller than Riff before they closed around the monstrous infernal piano, slowly dragging it into the darkness. Its captive seemed galvanized into action, struggling frantically to escape as it yelled desperately "Humans! Please, have mercy on me! Don't let Him take me back! Don't let him eat me!" And then it was gone, and the circle closed with a snap, and in their place staggered two young men also in formal dress, looking around in shock. Catching sight of Celeste and Mary one of them, dark-haired and with the beginnings of a beard yelled excitedly "Miss Beaudrie! We-we're back? How?" seeing the two superheroes he approached them unsteadily, wonder and surprise stamped on his young face "Did you do this? Beat up that crazy demon and that-" at a look from Celeste he cleared his throat and went on "-captive of his? If so, thank you! I'm Arnold Freebourne, this guy" he jerked a thumb over at the sandy-haired clean-shaven man behind him who looked deeply displeased with the situation "is Zachariah something-Jewish" "Steinstahl, it's Austrian" snapped his companion. "Yeah, Stencil, so is that demon guy gone? For good?" Arnold asked hopefully. With a snort, the other young man turned on his heel and opened the front doors, vanishing under a sudden mass of policemen on the other side who fell on him like a tidal wave, emerging from it very angrily explaining himself to two very thoughtful officers against the wall. The main press of Freedom's Finest dodged around the little knot and quickly swept the auditorium, their captain marching up to Pitch and Riff, nodding shortly and saying "Anything you folks want to tell us? Maybe help explain just why the heck that patch of carpet" he gestured to where the demon had eaten away at the material world "is gone?"

Watching with grim satisfaction as the the smugglers realized their doom and took to their heels. Suppressing a grimace at the mention of his frequent nemesis the 'Middleman' which threatened to break his stoic glare, the costumed cavalier swung his bi-colored cape back over his shoulders and stooped quickly to look over the man he'd brought down; Alden knew from experience how dire even a little injury could be to someone who did physical labor, and people dying because of his carelessness would be horrible. 'Damn it, somebody else to watch over' thought Osprey as he saw the result of his punch, his mental 'voice' tinged with frustration. Still examining the unconscious man he almost absent-mindedly drew out a mess of black wires from his belt and swung like a whip, his boot scraping on the moistened pavement as momentum carried him one hundred and sixty degrees and the entangling wires flew from his grip and spun down the alleyway! In a moment it had wrapped itself tightly around the man slowest to escape, bringing him down with a *thump*. Crossing the distance between them with a bound, the Osprey dragged his quarry over to the wall where the smuggler's pal slumped, stood him up with a gentle but meaningful hold on his collar, and looked into the man's eyes. "You are abandoned. Resist and you'll join your chum. What do you know? " he said crisply.

OOC thread for >this thread. Something happens I believe.

GM Caniff St., Riverside, Freedom City 11.45AM, September 7th, Saturday, 2013 "So yeah, if we schedule this for Monday, we can-ohmyGOOOOD!" Charlize Fellows, temporary manager for the acts at Hot Licks, dropped the papers she had been sorting through in the mad jump away from the window. Standing and trembling, a nerveless hand pointed out the offending portal, she stammered out to the older woman she'd just been talking to "S-s-snake! Mz. Stone, there's a giant snake outside!" A casual glance outside quickly proved that while remarkably easy to startle for a lifelong Freedonian, she was no liar. A massive ebon-scaled snake was, in fact, seeping from a jagged black tear in thin air down the street, turning a shovel-shaped head this way and that as its black tongue slid in and out experimentally. It ignored the shocked and panicky people rushing away from it yelling in horror, seeming instead to be looking for something. "W-what should we do Annice?" whispered Charlize as if the snake could hear her "Get out the back door?" Suddenly the pitch-black reptile swerved, and one enormous eye looked straight at the singer. 'You cannot hide, lighted one' shouted the distant voice 'Come, and fight'

Character Name: Ampersand Power Level: 10 (150/150PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent Power Points: 0 Abilities: 4 + 8 + 6 + 0 + 4 + 2 = 24PP Strength: 14/30 (+2/+10) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 16/30 (+3/+10) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP Initiative: +8 Attack: +10 Melee, +5 Ranged Grapple: +12(Base)/+14/+20/+22/+25 Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -1/-5 Saving Throws: 0 + 2 + 6 = 8PP Toughness: +3/+10 (+3/+10 Con, +0 [Other]) Fortitude: +3/+10 (+3/+10 Con, +0) Reflex: +6 (+4 Dex, +1) Will: +6 (+0 Wis, +6) Skills: 40R = 10PP Bluff 9 (+10) Diplomacy 6(+7) Intimidate 9 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Feats: 12PP Accurate Attack Attack Bonus(Melee) 5 Dodge Bonus 5 Improved Initiative Improved Grab Powers: 14 + 16 + 4 + 7 + 12 + 6 = 68PP Enhanced Constitution 14[14PP] Enhanced Strength 16[16PP] Flight 2(50MPH, 500ft. per round)[4PP] Inner Power Array 3(6PP Array; Power Feats: Alternate Power)[7PP] Base Power: Enhanced Flight 3(to Flight 5(250MPH))[6PP] AP: Enhanced Super-Strength 3(to Super-Strength 5(+25 Effective Strength))[6PP] Mimic 4(20PP, Mimic All Powers; Extras: Duration(Continuous), Extra Subject; Flaws: Requires Grapple)[16PP] Super-Strength 2(Effective STR: 24/40Power Feats:]/i] Groundstrike, Super-Breath)[6PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP A possibility. Maybe they've absorbed a weakness for certain metals or forms of radiation. Or perhaps their quarry needed exposure to a certain environment or mineral to retain their supernatural powers. Totals: Abilities (28) + Combat (22) + Saving Throws (8) + Skills (10) + Feats (12) + Powers (72) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

Using Snare to try and snag one of the fleeing thugs: 30. DC16 Reflex for him, though of course he is probably not in the best shape to dodge...

GM <"...And so we do anoint the sacrifice, who has stood forward to give themselves as homage to mighty Viracocha"> declared the captive Inca, the clean-shaven and dignified king struggling not to smile grimly despite the Serpent empress holding the smoking orb of fire next to his head, as the oil dripped onto Subito's hair and quickly began working its way down. The boy had been wrestled into a simple red robe and decorated in the sun-themed jewelry for the short march up the Mountain of the Sun, chained to four of the strange hooded creatures by his arms and legs. Watching the oil slide down his nose, the muscular Puerto Rican teen asked "That all?]/color]" The empress nodded, her reptilian face alight with glee <"That is all, fleshy one. You may return to your cell, Chosen of Viracocha"> she added to the Inca, who nodded shortly <"Praise be that was all you wanted, I was worried you wanted to be told how to use my orb again"> he commented as he was led away, calling back to the teen before he vanished from the dark throne room <"Go quietly boy, nothing else to be done but to satisfy the Sun God"> "Good luck to you too!" the young paragon shouted back, hazel eyes glinting angrily, though a sharp tug on one chain silenced him as the group began making their way down the shining halls of the golden palace. The procession was headed by the empress, followed by the four hooded creatures with their captive, surrounded by eight Serpents in stolen armor and arms. They had barely left the fifth passage behind when running feet pounded into hearing, and at a signal from their ruler the Serpents slunk out of sight, the empress whispering a sibilant prayer and twisting and shimmering into the shape of a trim, greying human woman. Seconds later a soldier dashed into view, sliding to a halt before the empress and beginning hurriedly <"My queen! One of the Jungle Tribe was seen on the terraces, just one but I fear there might be more. It is as you said, the other nations rise against us!"> he bowed low. <"Ten shall chase them down,"> the empress declared after a gasp of feigned horror at the news, adopting a stern and wise look <"the rest must guard the palace and make sure nobody else gets in!"> <"As I live it shall be done"> the soldier replied instantly, jumping to his feet with a clatter of hidden metal before running back out of sight. The empress turned a cold eye, a round brown one that turned to gold slitted with black, as she remarked <"It seems they are faster than I thought. Thus, they shall more quickly burn!"> And the procession melted back around them as the Serpents took off at a run. The two girls easily snuck inside, the havoc created by Princess Kazra's diversion making any mistakes unnoticed as they slipped through the halls. Everything smelt of spices, and the wool wall-hangings and carpets blanketed most of the noise. After a few minutes of stealthily making their way, guided by the far-off sound of running, they stumbled upon a central room with no roof, the ten-sided gap in the ceiling(and the grate in the floor) suggesting it was supposed to be lit by the yellowing sun. As they did and started to get their bearings, the distant sound of several feet rhythmically hitting the floor started echoing back into hearing. The problem was, it came from all around them.

GM The woman staggered briefly under the mental assault, but Errant's second of uncertainty meant she managed to tear herself free, and glared down at the hunted psychic. "Hey, that really hurts!" she shouted "I don't think I'll trust you after all!" "What?!" Sunbeam whirled on her schoolmate and gave him a glare from another angle in case the first wasn't enough "Comrade-at-arms, am I to understand you have breached trust? For shame Errant! Heroes should make friends of enemies, or we-" she was cut off at seeing the giant chocolate bar stumble past under Blodeuwedd's assault "-hold right there, just a second" Raising a fist to eye level, a flare of golden fire tore from her hand, arcing and sizzling into the candy monster's chocolate hide, and exploding out the back! For the first time the creature made a sound, a bizarre glubbing noise as it sank partially to one knee, much to the sun girl's delight.

Character Name: Eyespy Cadet(v.2) Power Level: 7 (105/105PP) Trade-Offs: +2 Attack/-2 Damage +2 Defense/-2 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 Abilities: 0 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 6 + 0 = 18PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 16 (+3) Charisma: 10 (+0) Combat: 10 + 12 = 22PP Initiative: +10 Attack: +5 Melee, +9 Ranged Grapple: +5 Defense: +9 (+6 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -1/-2 Saving Throws: 4 + 3 + 4 = 11PP Toughness: +5 (+1 Con, +2 Costume, +2 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +5 (+1 Con, +4) Reflex: +5 (+2 Dex, +3) Will: +7 (+3 Wis, +4) Skills: 48R = 12PP Acrobatics 3 (+5) Bluff 5 (+5) Concentration 7 (+10) Disable Device 5(+8) Knowledge(Behavioral Science) 2(+5) Knowledge(Current Events) 2(+5) Notice 7 (+10) Sense Motive 4 (+7) Stealth 8 (+10) Survival 2 (+5) Swim 2 (+2) Feats: 17PP Accurate Attack Attack Bonus(Ranged) 4 Climbing Finesse Defensive Roll Dodge Bonus 3 Equipment 4 [20EP] Improved Initiative 2 Hide in Plain Sight Powers: 11 + 8 + 6 = 25PP ESP 5(Visual Senses, 250ft.; Power Feats: Alternate Power)[11PP] AP: Blast 5(Telekinetic Projection; Power Feats: Indirect; Drawbacks: Limited(available loose objects)[10PP] Concealment 4(All Visual Senses)[8PP] Telepathy 3[6PP] Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Blast Ranged DC20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Quarterstaff Melee DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Totals: Abilities (24) + Combat (22) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (12) + Feats (17) + Powers (25) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/105 Power Points So here we have a more spy-focused cadet of Eyespy. Not nearly as powerful, but much more adept at stealth and infiltration, avoiding trouble over causing it. Obviously the Equipment and Skills list can be redone to emphasize whatever tack you want to take with them.

New contest time! PL10 (150PP) Theme: Signs of the stars! Description: The Zodiac, the ancient villain team whose members included Taurus(take a wild guess), Medea(Scorpio) and Riptide(Aquarius), is largely an unknown. The challenge is thus: take a sign of the Zodiac(Western) and use it as inspiration for a super-powered hero! Contest End Time: September 20th, 2013.

Out-of-character thread for For resolving issues! Blod and Crow solve a magic crime, and meet a ghost.

GM Lantern Hill, 537 Herge St. 5.06AM, Thursday, 10th October, 2013 The black knight had seemed like bad news from the start. At first it had just been Morgan's contacts in the realm of spirits earlier that week, mentioning some change in Avalon that wasn't to everyone's liking, some new contender who was trying to shake things up. Such usually raised hell for a few months then withdrew from the world stage, but this one had persisted. Even a few of the lesser Fair Folk lords and ladies gathered to their cause. Then the Order sensed a surge of power in places once associated with vanished Camelot, a surge that had erupted in a magical torrent and then flung itself across the ocean like a hunting hound. The warning they had sent to their agent Blodeuwedd in the States had been vague enough but charged with unease. Watch for someone using the old ways. So when the black knight emerged full-blown on the scene, bursting from the South River to chase down a stolen car on his magnificent black mare in the Boardwalk, it had seemed at once suspicious and too much of a coincidence to be right. At first the strange chevalier's silence was a note against him, his refusal to speak and deft avoidance of even the lightest contact with other heroes or the press something troubling. Then as he had started doing more regular heroic work, for a time all seemed at peace as the strange silent knight fought for the innocent on Lantern Hill, joining the ranks of the cities many strange heroes... ...then Crow had heard a dire warning from the grumpy dwarf who lived under the ramshackle house on 537. The dwarf was a refugee from some struggle between Avalon and the Norse gods, a good informant(if churlish) on the goings-on in the largely unknown world that lived beside Freedom City. Only half an hour ago the letter had arrived at Parkhurst, asking for the pair to meet him so he could tell them something he had learned about their new comrade-in-arms. When they arrived they had found the cramped and crammed basement all but trashed and the dwarf a still corpse on the starkly-lit floor, with a knife wound in his back. The conspicuous lack of blood somehow made it that much worse.