Ari

Far behind the Asian teen and their mysterious hostess, Subito listened to the indecipherable syllables of Mandarin in frustration. Kneeling on the stone floor wasn't as tough as it might have been a couple of years ago, but it was still a pain. With his head bowed he could see the milky veins of quartz that ran under his left knee and felt like it was trying to bore into his leg. Why he'd worn short-shorts was a question he found very pertinent as he tried to get comfortable. The tingling collar around his neck made the brief squirms that much more awkward, a constant reminder of both the dire situation and the guards standing vigilant on either side. The thick incense at least made it easier to focus on other things, and out of curiosity he looked up to get a better idea of the room. He was instantly struck by the archaic and old-school feel of the place, an effect that he hadn't managed to pick up on when the three teens first entered but now had ample time to experience. 'It's like those old Raven comics, when he first fought Dr. Sin in the Jade Head Caper...wait, what if that's who's behind thi-nah, no way Giang's related to that old crazy dude, this is pro'lly just one of his old hangouts Ms. Crazy here has taken over' Frowning at nothing, the muscular teen wrinkled his nose at the oppressive reek of incense wafting from the dais. The open windows and doors didn't seem to serve much purpose except to show how much it was night-time heck yeah. That and it was too bright to see outside anyhow. Suddenly the whole creepy atmosphere, grim silence and the fact they had no idea what was going on or who they had pissed off or how, Subito spoke up, calling over to the old woman "Hey! Senora! You..." he faltered a little as his voice broke in like a crow's, but the words spilled out regardless "I dunno who you are or where this is or why you've taken us, so could you save us all some time and explain? I'm bettin' you want Giang for some creepy villainous thing" he jerked his head in his classmate's direction, eyes fixed on the icy face of the matron "an' you can't have her no matter what your beef is, just so we're clear, but what exactly do you want with me or Surge? If you'd wanted to kill us you could have just shot us while we were on your plane and chucked out bodies in the sea. You mind tellin' what the game is?" he paused briefly, then added with a sudden flash of exasperation "Please?"

I'm going to Fiat something fierce if you do that again! Anyway, DC17 Will Save: 24 -2 from the Shaken is 22. And now Sunbeam. She gets all up Errant's face for not trusting the nogoodnik, and shoots the Chocolate Monster: 24. DC23 Save for it: 14. Failed by 9. A Construct so Dazed, Bruised and Injured. Round 5 Blodeuwedd: Unharmed, 2HP Chocolateer #1: Unharmed, Shaken-GM Errant: Unharmed, 2HP Sunbeam: Unharmed-GM Giant Chocolate Monster: Dazed, Bruise(x3), Injured(x1)-GM

I'm available if you want a non-playing GM.

Ducking behind the welcome invisibility patch, Subito shrugged his broad shoulders, murmuring reassuringly "It's okay, Blodeu. I'll just let her know when she's gettin' nosy an' she'll stop. Mom's cool like that." A moment of concentration, and with a flash of gold that went largely unnoticed in the confusion Subito Sondo was replaced with the resplendent and dashing El Heraldo! Deftly sliding the arm not holding the fluttering Banner of Victory around his girlfriend's waist, Heraldo launched into the air, heading straight for the beast! Snuggling with Cerys in mid-air was something the young paragon would have loved to do, but time was of the essence. "That crystal thingy on its back could be a weak spot, I'll fly around and distract it with punches while you go to town!" he said eagerly, entirely confident in her ability to fight on a rampaging monster in the middle of the lake. Weaving over the monster's head too fast for it to follow, he dropped Blodeuwedd off on what looked like a tiny island with a quick kiss on the cheek and an enthusiastic "Let's do this!" Flying back over the head in an aerial somersault, El Heraldo crossed his arms in front of the mighty beast, glaring impressively as he shouted "Hold it right there! You're intruding on a beautiful day to remember independence, a day when everyone wants to spend time with the people they love. Unforgiveable! You stop your attack and apologize right now, or we will kick your ass!" at the last he twirled the Banner and pointed it at the Tennyson Monster. 'By my faith, you just said that. In earnest Heck yeah! And I'll say it again, too!' The monster blinked at the glowing figure floating in front of the twenty-foot tall face. Suddenly it roared with laughter, then opened another mouth that started glowing red. Heraldo realized his danger just in time to hurl himself to the side, a column of flame roaring mere inches from his sleeve. "You had better have more than words on your side!" Growing from the Tennyson Monster's back the black crystal pulsated with power. A slow rhythm like a heartbeat.

Alright, the Proteus is by now in a 50x50 cube as it spreads throughout the water, easily discernible by the whitish cloud in the water as it leaves the high-nitrogen tubes and comes in contact with the high-oxygen ocean. Every minute it spreads by 5 feet.

Congratulations on reaching your second palindrome year, Ecalsneerg! Hope you have a great time! Thanks for all the awesome you've helped create over the years.

Osprey gritted his teeth in frustration "You pack of-" but he got no farther, as suddenly the steamy air was filled with the various limbs and weapons of his adversaries flailing at him. Ducking the club of the more imposingly-built man who'd been banking on their numbers, the avian adversary of injustice snapped "Five of you. One of me. And I've trained" Darting forward as the smuggler's attack swung him a perilous few inches to the left, Osprey lashed out with a quick, fluid punch that slammed into his opponent's side like a sledgehammer. Without waiting to see how well the man took the hit he slipped backwards and whirled on the man with the gun. Yellow lenses glared from the dark alley as Osprey growled "You think you can hit me? Try it"

Happy birthday to you trollthumper! May honor walk in your footsteps and may you see this day many times, each happier than the last!

Taking 10 against the closest smuggler with an Unarmed attack, DC20 Toughness save for them. And using Startle on the next guy to Feint. Intimidate roll: 24.

"Don't worry crazy man, this is your house after all. We'll play nice." Subito cracked a nervous smile at the speaker as the tense group got ready. The sense of impending doom was not lessened by the abrupt shift from makeshift hanger to ultra-slick secret villain base, the electric lights hammering against his sensitive eyes and making the place resemble something seen in a dream, like a half-remembered hospital which only remained as stabbing pain and white halls. Holding himself with commendable posture despite the slight queasiness from the flight, the drugs still being battled by his system, the pressure of being held by people just a little shorter than him, and just plain sleepiness, the young Puerto Rican herald glanced around at the trio's surroundings curiously. 'I wonder who made all this? And how?' was uppermost in his mind, followed directly on its heels by 'Is it this secret so they can kill us and not be caught?' followed in turn by 'Who would want to kill us THAT badly? Is this what Giang was so scared of all this time? What's going to happen...'

Luckily the streets are mostly empty, but for its own sake: guard Notice roll: 15. Oh snaps. Kazra distracts them with a Bluff: 18. They try to gauge her motives and get a 9. They take off after her as she runs, leaving the way open.

GM The trio managed to get most of the way up the slope despite the widely-varying levels of skill each girl had. The road was noisy with carts, tramping peasants and llamas, and passing soldiers loudly chatting. Empty streets filled with the quiet din of work from metalworking to spinning wool, largely drowning out the more heart-stopping missteps until they reached the perilous last stretch. The Palace of the Sun was seated dozens of meters above the rest of the capital, atop a series of ornate steps depicting the gallantry of the Viracochas over the centuries. The steps were empty save for patrolling knots of ten or more soldiers, and only the wind could be heard. It was while sneaking up the steps that Giang accidentally kicked a loose stone and sent it rattling downstairs, cracking with every step on the long way down. The sudden sound quickly drew the attention of a nearby knot, who began carefully approaching where the rock had fallen from, spears leveling as they neared, eyes visible behind helmets narrowing... A spear leaped from nowhere to land at their feet, and Kazra's voice rang out "Hey! You there, come and fight!" turning in shock the soldiers saw the Jungle Princess crouched on a stair high above them, waving frantically. Almost at once they shouted in reply and dashed after her, the huntress turning on her heel and racing away from the soldiers, the Claremonters and the palace! The way inside was opened, but only for a few minutes before they returned from the fruitless chase.

Your Grapple bonus is indeed wrong. +5 from your base Strength plus the +7 of your Melee Attack Bonus is +12, +7 from your Enhanced Strength makes that +14. You have 39 ranks of Skills rather than 40. Feel free to get that rank of Perform(Punch Dance) this build cries out for. Attack Focus gives a +1 bonus, Attack Specialization is the Feat that grants the +2 bonus. Also you have 12 Feats by my counting.

Boreas, Synapse and Osprey added. Fixes made to Velocity stemming from typos, along with introduction of the Taskforce UK/Vanguard team members(Catalyst, Osprey, Synapse, Young Britannia).

Curse them. Initiative roll: 12! Oh no!

'Well, so much for that' Osprey murmured under his breath, standing to his full height before launching off the rooftop and soaring down onto the humid streets with a rush of air, landing elegantly with his cape sweeping about him. The yellow eyes glaring from behind his mask however, had no such grace, only an anger that burned. "Evening, gentlemen. You had your last chance to surrender to the forces of law and order. Now..." he walked forwards, arms clenched and swinging with easy power "Now is your last chance to surrender to ME!" 'With luck, this will be the hardest part'

Moving down to street level. Going to try and scare the thugs. Mass Intimidate roll: 21.

"Frauuugh!" Wave-Eye doubled over in pain, jaw working as the hissing wave crashed over him. His scaled skin blistered under the assault, and the stabbing agony drove him to his knees as a smell of scorched triton hung in the air. Fire and sea beasts were rare friends, and Nochehuatl, born and raised in the lands of two water gods was especially antithetical to it. The world flickered and blackened before the massive warrior's eyes, and he almost lapsed into unconsciousness...but with a herculean effort he forced the gathering veils aside and dragged himself upright! A thousand battlefields had taught him to keep going even if victory seemed assured and you were surrounded by allies, because things could change faster than krakens. Rubbing a depthless eye, he swayed for a moment before the muscles under his gaudy hide tautened and he was racing across the space between him and the closest shadow, whipping back a huge arm and hurling it furiously towards the monster like a red spiked battering ram! Wave-Eye's last step failed him though, a clawed foot twisting on the floor and sending his arm crashing into the air beside it with a bark of rage.

Hunting in jungles and slipping through cities is different, who could have guessed?

'Uh-oh. Might need to step in sooner than I thought. Poor bastards don't know what they're getting into' The eerie figure perched high above the earth crouched down, his gloved hands splayed flat on the concrete with no more than a whisper, cold yellow eyes peering over the roof's lip. Every muscle tensed, waiting for the inevitable explosion of violence. Alden had been on a roll lately. His contacts had been wholly accurate, the few people he'd had to question had looked at him with fear in their eyes from the moment he appeared, even the brisk run to the waterfront had been uninterrupted. The waiting was the hard part but Osprey's dealings with smugglers had taught him to always wait until they had the goods on land before you struck. Otherwise getting rid of the evidence was rather simple. 'Some Bobbies though...didn't plan for them stumbling across this lot' He gnawed his lip anxiously. The last thing he needed was people caught in a battle with potential Max-users, even if they were police. Sighing deep in his heart, the fishing eagle swept his ballistic cloth wings into readiness. 'They deserve a fair shot, at least. No need to play glory hound when there's honest coppers to put 'em away'

Diplomacy roll if needed: 26.

"I knew him too" Roi broke his silence with a mournful look "We were not especially friendly in the life, but in death now I want to pay him my last respects" the Frenchman was uneasy with even this partial untruth, but Agnes' deft deception made it at least easier to stomach. Walking forward across the slick asphalt he said gravely "We'll make no trouble, and shall soon be gone. We merely wish to see poor George this one night before we leave unhappy memories behind." His face was lit in shadows and glancing streetlamps, but sincerity shone from it in the gloom. Bowing his head he added "But if this is too grand of a favor for the ask of you..."

Waiting and watching for the present.

Feel free to make some Stealth rolls, and narrate your attempt to sneak up to the Viracocha Palace. Kazra takes 10 for a result of 18.

Meanwhile, far above... "Awaken, you mousssey thing!" The Serpent's harsh hissing voice jolted Subito from his fitful sleep, and for a moment he remained motionless, eyes wide open and staring into the narrow black slits of the reptile standing over him. He hadn't had good dreams, full of that massive dinosaur's bellowing and its green eyes turning into the Serpent Sceptre before it bit. Then he very slowly got up, helped by a clawed hand that seized his arm like an iron vise and dragged him upright. He was still chained with bronze links, the young paragon noted grumpily, and bound enough he couldn't move very fast if he tried to fight. Rubbing his irritated wrists as best he could he glared at the Serpent Person and began "Well, what d'you wan-" before his captor simply grabbed him by the neck and shoved him out the door, where he was caught by two figures in ornate clothing bearing the marks of the Inca's high guards. Without a word they wheeled away and marched off for the throne room, Subito struggling to keep up with their strides. Whether they were human or Serpent he had no idea. "Can't even hear your hearts beat. If you've got any. You guys aren't zombies, are ya? I don't think zombie guards are really the best idea up on a mountain where you can just freeze." Along the way they passed Serpents dashing from room to room, sacks of dinosaur hide over their shoulders bulging with wealth carved from the Mountains of the Sun. Given how they went into rooms with empty sacks and left with full ones, the teenaged hero had little doubt they were stealing Viracochasuyu's wealth. Though on the face of it he couldn't think why. He'd tried searching the sharp-scented air around his dismal gilded prison for any sound of resistance, of fear, anything but the placid silence that ruled the mountain city. It was useless. Far as he could tell the whole place was blind and deaf to what was going on at the palace, and passing a narrow window managed a glimpse of the world outside which made it a certainty. There were people in the stepped fields, leading herds of llamas, soldiers in wool caps marching in heavy cloaks only a few hundred meters from the palace, and none of them seemed the least alarmed or suspicious. 'The others'll come' he reminded himself, smiling sheepishly at the thought of what Cerys would think of having to rescue him twice, and the crisp recommendations John would have for evading capture on future operations. Giang would probably not think too highly of a senior being beaten so easily. 'Hopefully she'll let it slide, and just be kinda amused at the whole thing' His reverie was interrupted when he was flung on his face before the throne, bonked his head on the manacles, and scrabbling indignantly to his feet was stopped by a spearhead to his throat. His escort took up position beside the doors with soft steps. All was eerily quiet. "Human" said the cruel voice of the Empress of the Lost World, her eyes fixed on him hard enough to know it without needing to lift his own eyes "You may serve yet. The Viracocha we captured tells us the mountain with destroy any of Serpent blood if we do not appease it. We have little need of you when your comrades may arrive at the foothills any day. So..." she leaned forward so close he could smell her venomous breath "...I think you will have the honor of rescuing us from the Sun God's divine judgement" "Why not just leave? Don't you have everything you want?" "Not quite. You see, I need to have a few things brought here first. Your friends." Slamming the Sceptre on the arm-rest she barked "Bring the ceremonial garb! He will be prepared here, we shall leave when the Sun is at its height!"