Ari

Stealth roll: 26!

"So she can sway the emotions of her compatriots? Ah, that would explain why I wanted so strongly to punch her in the face" Marceau commented blandly, taking a long swallow of his beer. Placing the mug on the bar he added over Rene's head "Forgive me, I do not doubt your word Mz. Stone, and it is so fantastical and preposterous on the face of it that I almost believe it entirely, but what my friend asks is also what I'm most curious about. Gallia seemed barely capable of not just lashing out at her foes, what deal did you make with that creature, and if I may be so bold, how?" The younger man was much less discriminating in his taste for alcohol. Usually he didn't drink a drop(sobriety is useful when chasing people over rooftops or disarming bombs), but his travels had often brought him to corners of Europe where delicious drinks were made, and grateful people had offered some of it as a reward for his and Aloysius' help with whatever their problem was. As he sipped the beer again, he suddenly wished very much that he had chosen cider. Apples were always welcome.

Electric shocks are rarely fun, and the crackle from the teens' new restraint wasn't one of them. Subito had to clench his teeth to keep from wincing out loud as the humming thing clicked into place around his throat. Swallowing experimentally, he let himself be led onwards by the guards, glancing anxiously at Serge when the vibration-controller showed no sign of getting lucid. The chance that his capture might have somehow reacted to the teen's powers struck him as uncomfortably possible, but he didn't dare speak and try to reach him. The muscular boy's decision was bolstered by Giang's own attempts at communication with the guard, and how quickly they were shot down. With the collar over his neck he couldn't understand the words like he would normally, but he saw the glower and heard the sharp tone, and that was enough. Keeping his head high, he followed along with the grim soldiers on either side, marching to whatever doom awaited them with long, even strides. The unfamiliar chill of the vast hanger bit through his clothes and made him shiver. 'At least we won't just vanish' he told himself with desperate hope 'The others will realize something's gone wrong, maybe even the Freedom League will come and get us!' Subito wasn't too sure what was going on or who might be the prime mover, but the danger was enough to make his schoolmates an unlikely band of rescuers indeed. He wondered uncomfortably how he could explain this satisfactorily to Cerys.

El Heraldo 1 IC post. 1 IC post. 2 IC posts. 2 IC posts. 1 IC post. King of Suits 1 IC post. Osprey No posts. Red Moon No posts this month either. Wave-Eye 1 IC post. GM Earned PP to King of Suits please. 2 GM posts. 4 GM posts. 2 GM posts.

I thought Dazes stuck around for one round then were removed automatically unless reinstated? EDIT: As in, they can't be removed with a check, unless they can and I had no idea. EDIT 2: And I just realized you can use Hero Points to remove such Conditions. Duh. Doing so, he now has 2HP left. Move Action: Run over to Depthshade #1 who wacked him. He has forgotten it wasn't because of the Depthshade, because being hit in the head does things to you when you're old. Standard Action: Power Attack(-3 Attack, +3 Damage): 9. A miss.

Sounds like a good plan to me! Blod is at 2HP.

I think we're ready, unless anyone has something that they really really want to throw into the starting mix. If we begin with too much we run the risk of leaving a LOT of stuff on the wayside as we hammer things out and details slowly change. Big stuff that starts here often ends up at least a little different from how it turns out. Which brings up the question of: how are we going to start this off? A series of intro threads? A general 'everyone meets up and the team is made' thread? Jumping right into the action for their first crack at high-profile superheroics? I have no especially strong feelings any way, but it's useful to make this clear.

A while later... The tangle of undergrowth and formless trees seemed to represent all forests on the island, so there was quite a bit of variety as Subito made his resolute way down the hazy trail, which by now(whenever 'now' was, time seemed soft as mud here) was starting to be less of a trail than a very vague suggestion of one, no more solid than when he had begun. The gloom hadn't slowly lifted like he had expected either, remaining as a constant murk in the air that made evading the grasping branches that much more annoying. The heat was the same as it had been outside, which at least wasn't too bad, it was just warm enough to stave off the eldritch chill that seeped from where the eyes watched. The sounds had changed however, they had gotten worse. Before Puerto Rico's flyer had just endured the odd grumble, growl or hiss, now there were actual voices murmuring and whispering accusations, making offers that burned his cheeks to hear them, urging him to go back. Those last he had been trying to talk to for what seemed over half an hour of pointlessness. "Danger awaits...leave while you can..." "You wanna be more specific? I could stand known' more about what's going on here" "Leave...the chains draw tight..." "Wait, chains? The Chains of Lemuria? Slave's chains? What do you mean?" "Go back...go baaaaaaack!" "Fine, be that way" After that he remained silent, trudging on with uneasy questions whirling in his mind. The vision he had seen in Parkhurst's scrying pool had clued him in to the fact that there were challengers waiting, but the creatures hadn't seemed the sort to just make spooky whispers to try and scare him off. And the voices were different, for all the meaning that had in spirit land where how you talked could probably change in a heartbeat. Then he recalled that as the island's champion he was tied somehow to the land, and the disquieting idea that this was its way of warning him very abruptly presented itself. He was considering that when he banged his unprotected shin on the rock at the crossroads. Steeping back with a harsh twitch of the lips, he surveyed the flattened megalith curiously. It bore a rough picture showing a field, with the field strewn with chains that were broken on the left hand, and whole on the right. Above the field were two wheels, one made of horns and surrounded by branches, and the other made of spikes surrounded by water, interlocked with blood dripping from where they intersected. "Just a guess, the chains thing means evil, and the water means from far away, so left hand it is! Thanks road sign, dunno why you're there, but you're a pal" Subito shrugged and took the left path, only for his first step past the rock to land on stones, and he found himself standing before a green pool. Behind him, the broken chains reattached with a *snap*.

DC10 Intelligence check to decipher the fiendish pictogram of mystery: 19. Pass.

"I'm sure we can pull this off, Young Britannia!" Heraldo said to her with a grin "We're not too bad at the hero thing, and with your mystic understanding and the wisdom of Eldrich to guide us, how can we lose?" To the Master Mage he added respectfully "Great sir, can this be done without too much risk of anyone coming under the Chain's power? I don't have to tell you that would be a bad thing to happen, and it could make the scheme a whole lot simpler!" by now the initial self-confidence of being in front of the world's foremost mystical guardian was starting to lose its edge, and talking to Eldrich was only somewhat accompanied by a thrill in his stomach instead of whirlpool of giddiness. Suddenly the young man frowned, and tilting his hat back a little he regarded the man seriously "Wait...you say Madame Malaise is all about chaos, and backed by some kind of super-evil monsters we can't understand. Could we break their hold over her? Does all her anarchy stuff come from that, or is it more her own thing?"

Crow's entry is made, and the edits you requested are also entered. As for whether or not this is worth a PP...eh, maybe. Keep 'em coming folks!

GM The trio were quite close to what would have been a gate if the Incans bothered with doors, a vast archway showing a robed man cowing the dinosaurs with a flaming orb. It lay across a rocky ground with little cover, and the spear-carrying men in light chain mail were busy watching or taking a small band of people dressed in more rustic versions of the Viracochasuyu ambassadors aside to question them. Signal fires and runners were visible on steps carved out beside the main white blocks of the strange road. Kazra darted out ahead of the other two, leaving the raft to all but launch up a nearby tree in a rustle of leaves and pause at the top, shading her eyes as she surveyed their target. After several grueling seconds she started and leaped down, rolling to a halt in front of the other two. "They're mostly in the fields, the Sun people I mean" she undid the thong around her spear as she spoke, checking her bow and knife with a worried air "there's still soldiers on the roads and in the watchtowers between towns, at least, on this slope, but the towns themselves are pretty empty, we could go right through them to the royal house!" she grinned before a throaty screech signaled the flight of ten Incans riding pterodactyls, swooping far overhead and down the river. Looking rather gloomy the young princess glanced at her feet and muttered "Uh..yeah, there's still a load of terror-riders flying about." In the pregnant silence the jungle lady glanced over at the mountain looming over them, mumbling "At least there isn't any smoke, means they likely won't just toss him into the volcano to appease their heathen gods...what if we just sneaked through the buildings and came around the back?"

Broma nodded "Very well, then I will not beat about the bush" Waving over at the others getting the picnic ready she went on "The rest of the family aren't likely to need us any time soon, especially since Galanta got involved" a rare smile flickered across her broad face "so I and my beloved will be happy to tell you about ourselves" Lying back on the coarse sand, the aging Hispanic woman folded her arms under her head and closed her eyes, Subito's father sat nearby, watching the water idly. Subito "My full name is Broma Fuego-Sondo, my parents were government employees descended from a Taino and a Spanish pair of servants to a minor household, and always felt that the history of the island resonated deep in their hearts. It's possible being at hand for the making of our country's coat-of-arms did something to bolster the family pride, we've passed a centuries-old flag and flagstaff down the generations with the Lamb of Christ and the Book with Seven Seals emblazoned on it, Subito carries it now. They knew the land like few others, and were involved very early on with the struggle for independence. They were...called, as they said it." Broma shrugged "I felt no such call, when I grew up what I wanted was to be a US secret agent, work in the shadows for the good of the country and see far-off lands..." "It was lucky I had a passing familiarity with James Bond when we started dating" Pavor said mildly, which got a sudden bark of laughter and a thump on the shoulder from Broma "Yes, yes, very lucky. At any rate, I studied, got known and got into the Central Intelligence Agency when I was 25, but didn't get very far; it turns out working in the shadows for the good of your country has some strings attached I didn't like. I met Pavor while applying for a job with the Puerto Rican government, decided he had a good head on his shoulders and married him after a few months of careful interrogation. We moved to the Adjuntas municipailty-" she paused and glanced at Cerys, adding "-up in the mountains, got jobs at a steel mill and lived there for ten years." Her face darkened "Then Mas Severas attacked our street. He'd heard a local hero lived nearby and wanted to kill them, so he set all our block on fire. Nobody lost their life but we had lost a great deal else, so when we were offered a place in Freedom City by some relatives, we jumped at the chance. We've been here ever since." Broma poked her husband in the side with a powerful hand "Your turn, dear. Cerys knows all my secrets now so its only fair" The lean man rolled his eyes and settled back "I don't have anything nearly as interesting to tell you young lady" he said, apparently to the lake at large as it reflected in his pale, kindly eyes "I'm a Sondo, so there's a little Taino blood in my veins, but dockhands don't spend much time reading up on genealogy so it never really mattered to me" taking up a rock he slung it out across the water with a casual air, though he smiled in satisfaction as it skipped and bounced out of sight "no, what mattered was making things better; I grew up around people who had little and weren't likely to get much more, who worked hard regardless of what they were given, and I decided that when I grew up I would be a hero of the working class!" he bent his head and ran a hand over his thin curls, chuckling "so silly I was. Instead what happened was that I got a job and took up labor reform almost as a hobby, I didn't really understand what it all meant back then, so it all seemed a lot more...ephemeral?" Broma brushed her short hair out of her face "Less immediate, yes. Like how your thoughts are rarely less than twenty miles away" He shrugged and squinted up at the sky. "I was just realizing how slow things could really move and just how tangled alliances could get when I met this lovely creature" he deftly kissed Broma's hand and swung an arm around her back as she darted up for a kiss on the mouth. After a few seconds he(very reluctantly) broke away and continued, nestled in his wife's arms "We got to talking about politics, discovered how widely we diverged, and fell madly in love. My family up in the mountains had plenty of kids, so Subito and Galanta always had lots of friends, even after those rum-" he suddenly fell silent, looking quietly at Subito who stared back in polite incomprehension. After an awkward silence the man cleared his throat and went on "even after Galanta started getting violent to protect him from people spreading rumors at school. We were sad to leave them, but look at the family we have here-! Oh, I'm sorry Broma" he waved an arm grandly to encompass the other park-goers, only to accidentally clip Subito's mother on temple, which got a smug smirk in response "Take more than that to hurt my feelings" she said to Pavor, who laughed aloud and turned to Cerys "Not to mention you, young lady! So tell me, where do you and Subito plan to go with your relationship?" A sudden *ROURRRARGH* cracked through the air, and the two teenaged superheroes beheld a giant creature of stone and vines burst from the Tennyson Island! "At last!" it bellowed, stretching vaguely hoof-like feet at the sky "I am returned, and now that shaman's spell is ended along with his life! Time to conquer the earth!" it added with a huge grin on its elephantine face as it plodded slowly across the water towards the shore, a strange crystal glowing blackly on its back. Subito's handsome face darkened as he stood, fists clenched and eyes burning "I thought I'd gotten that out of the way! I gotta fight stuff here too?!" he exclaimed angrily. He extended a hand to Blodeuwedd "I got a plan at least, see that crystal? I bet it's important, Dyrnwyn should break it easy too" he grinned "Oh yeah: hey Mom, Dad? May I and Cerys be excused to kick some monster butt?" Broma and Pavor Sondo stared at the beast, the mother calmly saying "Alright you two, time to show us what they teach at-" "Thank God I've found you!" exclaimed Jose, pale-faced and panting as the young man dashed up "We have to get out of here! C'mon, we'll take my van!" so saying he grabbed Subito's parents and started hustling them towards the parking lot, and soon the beach nearby the two Claremont students was bustling with Freedonians struggling to get away from the oncoming terror!

Surprisingly enough, Subito managed to stay still and quiet for the rest of the flight, hardly daring to so much as whisper or turn his head to look around. Out of the corner of his eyes he had seen that his classmates were okay which considering the men with guns clustered about them was a comfort. The rest of the trip was a mass of dull pain, guilt at having let the others be captured and a deep fear of what was about to happen to them three Claremont Academy students. He had heard that they had many enemies, but this was the first time he had met them and was in their power. Out the windows he had seen the passage over the dark water and into a tunnel, his gut clenching as he felt the tell-tale sensation of the craft decelerating to land. Putting up absolutely no fuss he let himself be stood up and led from the plane, risking a moment to glance up and around at the cold and echoing cavern they'd ended up in. The sight was enough to coax a soft whistle as he stared around. When the guards removed his restraints he nodded politely and smiled at the impassive face of his captors, rubbing his ankles and wrists together to check how much freedom of movement the muscular teen had. As he was led down to the waiting party, Subito frowned at the jarring shock of his tethered legs as they awkwardly stumbled down the ramp. Nodding abruptly to himself, he very serenely began bunny-hopping on the way, not enough to get himself out of the soldier's arms but enough to keep pace with his unimpaired foes. His feet echoed and clanged as he bounced gently down the incline, and it was all he could do to not burst out into gales of terrified laughter. For the second time that year, El Heraldo was very afraid.

Panic seized Heraldo. 'If I go with them, the Dame might take my powers and I won't be able to help. But if I go they'll die and I might already be too late for my island. But if I stay then maybe I can end this fast enough to get home, but if I go what if I can stop the Atlanteans in time, but if I stay what if that tower destroys the island, but what if there's another on Puerto Rico...' He stood paralyzed for what felt like several hours, before he looked up at the sergeant and said wretchedly <"I am the champion of Puerto Rico, and to there I must go. I am...I'm so sorry!"> he burst into tears <"Please forgive me, but I cannot stay, my home is in danger!"> so saying he launched into the sky, shouting down <"I'm sorry!"> before turning and racing off for Puerto Rico. 'Any other choice words, Dama mia?' he thought angrily, wiping his tears away with a sleeve as the young paragon raced high over the waves.

GM "Will do, boss lady!" Sunbeam saluted Blodeuwedd smartly and spun in mid-air to point an accusing finger at their new opponent, the other arm swinging back and blazing with solar power "Stand down, villain! Or else you'll feel the might that Sunbeam and her comrades will visit upon your foolish hiney! I bet it seemed a pretty cool idea, letting a giant chocolate bar monster loose in a crowded street, it would let you grab people's cars and wallets as they ran from your weapon of terror!" the young Dakanan practically glowed with righteous indignation, dark eyes flaring as she pronounced "Yet you reckoned without Freedom City's new sun goddess and her stalwart allies! Surrender and we'll show you mercy, fight on and you'll have none!" The older woman stopped reeling under Errant's psychic barbs long enough to hear what the girl had to say, and was visibly unsettled by the teenager's anger. Glancing nervously from Sunbeam to Errant, she adjusted her hat shakily with one hand(though it was clumsy work indeed) and called out "H-hey now! I don't want any trouble, I'm just..just a patsy! The big boss sent me down here to test out her new confectionery surprise, it's not supposed to attack people, just walk around. Here, Psyche-boy" she smiled hurriedly at Errant and offered her other hand with a series of jerks "From that kick in the neurons you just gave me, you're a psychic right? How about you check around in my mind and prove I'm telling the truth?"

GM Impromptu pronunciation lessons rarely go well, but Kazra actually seemed a little familiar with it, if rusty. Her face lit up in glee "Oh, you're Welsh? Wonderful! My father, the Jungle Lord studied there when he was younger!" the joy was short-lived however, as the matter of what awaited them at the Mountains of the Sun came back. Hunching up her narrow shoulders and staring up at the mist-wreathed summits, the princess said darkly "Serpents, I'd bet. And mountain folk too, like as not their new ruler has got them paranoid. And I've heard some...some strange stories about this Orb the Inca wields" she waved her hands around in the shape of something a little larger than her own head "It's s'posed to be about yea and gives the Inca the powers of the Sun. So..." Kazra glanced over at Giang with a slight grimace on her tanned face "good thing we have somebody who can put out fires" Looking ahead she was soon lost in thought again, though as they went on towards their date with destiny, she gradually started asking questions like "Do they have a lot of students at Claremont?" and "Can they travel much, or is this trip an exception?" and quickly began lapsing into more and more thoughtful silences... The next day...the slopes of VIRACOCHASUYU Sunlight streamed down on them as the trio at last arrived at the mountain that held the archaic stepped city, farmlands spreading far across the grassy hillsides and red-brick buildings sprouting like a strange forest. At the top, lay an oddly small blocky tower that glinted gold.

Oh blast it I forgot, sorry. DC19 Tou save from the GIANT CHOCOLATE BAR: 27. Another Bruise, +9. Anyway, Chocolateer #1 attempts a Bluff on Errant, trying to Trick him into searching her mind: 19. DC19 Sense Motive/Will.

Welcome to FCPbP. EDIT: AvengerAssembled while a Parademon fights Nebraska's Batman to protect Oracle's unconscious form, yes!

Subito dreamed he was sitting in the cafeteria of Claremont with his friends, the Blue Dame somehow wearing a school uniform over her armor. The towering spirit was busy trying to figure out how you were supposed to drink from plastic lidded-cups without breaking them, while he told in great detail how he had dealt with the mysterious attacker at the burning building. The cafeteria's new engines were annoying, but the flying campus was pretty cool! "...and then it came at us with robots! There had t'be twenty of 'em, shooting lasers from their eyes and jolts of electricity that would have killed any lesser hero, but not El Heraldo de la Dama Azul del Puerto Rico! Tearing one in half I used it to cut through the others like two swords, and after that I tracked the ultra-sonic wavelengths to their nefarious master who was, get this, Time Lord himself!" Swinging his legs up onto the table he smirked at the memory of the mighty conqueror pleading for mercy, and waving away the excited questions from the others went on "I packed him up for the Freedom League to send back to the 208th century, put out the fires and got everyone tacos!" "Fascinating" said Elias while stroking his chin "My psychic mastery tells me you're telling the truth and very handsome" "Oh my gallant marchog" sighed Cerys with a beautiful smile "That's why I love you and don't think you're stupid and dumb" "Aw man, I wish I had been there bro! You've got to take me with you next time you're out patroling!" said Serge as he looked up from a giant speaker he was fiddling with. <"They are starting to wake!"> said Mali in a man's voice. Subito jerked awake, realizing in the confused muddle that his arms were bound, he was tied to a chair, and men with guns surrounded them. And he didn't have his powers. Through nearly-shut eyes, he glanced around uneasily, even the brash teen not daring to try anything that might get his friends hurt here.

The most basic answer to your questions is these things can vary wildly. Some characters just explode onto the scene, others remain in the shade for a long while. That and you need to keep in mind that sometimes threads just don't go how they ought or how you want them to, through no fault of your own and plain misfortune. The best way to learn how to run threads better is to try new things, find out what you do best. Is it combat-heavy adventures? Dramas? Mysteries? Somewhere in between? Above all if you can get people interested in and excited about the story you're trying to tell then your chances of having a successful thread multiplies. Sadly, a big danger with the Play-by-Post format is the risk of people just being too busy to keep the story going. So what AvengerAssembled said, basically. Don't get discouraged and keep trying. I sadly have little else of worth to offer. One thing that might help is to try and bounce ideas off of players whose character seems like a good fit with Gloaming. Especially the other magicians.

GM A few hours later Kazra, Blodeuwedd and Giang were rushing upriver on one of Tsunami's waterspouts that supported a small platform. John had stayed behind to take care of business, a few key Latin phrases quickly learned to explain things if need be. Kazra had required a little persuasion to get aboard, but once they were off she soon got used to the strange craft, dangling her feet in the cool water and watching the Mountains of the Sun steadily approach. "You know," she commented thoughtfully in her English accent between bites of a fish she had speared "I had no idea everything could feel so..so close. I've never left the jungles back there, everything else seemed so remote, and besides meeting with a few ambassadors and visitors from your world never I've met so many unknown to me." Swinging around to examine the Asian teen more closely she added "And nobody that looks like you. Are you from another world as well Giang? Blodev...Bloden...Cerys and John look sort of like most from Earth, and I think I've seen pictures of some who look like the flying boy or darker, but nobody with your face." She frowned, her plain and broad face stark in the cold moonlight "I wonder why?" The only other sounds were the soft rustling of the slowly drying jungles on either bank, and the soft gurgle of the waterspout. Every now and again, however, a faint rumbling bellow resounded from the north. The dinosaurs were evidently not keen on being forgotten.

So I've taken way too long with starting this up. Anyone still in the mood? I'm planning to begin the thread shortly.

Yeah they do! They love it! More seriously, point taken. Sorry.

A pun name for an orangutan speedster! Anyway, looks good so far, but Dawn needs a little background of at least trying to do good outside of a trip to Africa.