Ari

Laughing heartily at Temperance's elegant attack, the triton lifted the conch to his lips, this time preparing to sound a different note. A deep and solemn roar like the rush of an incoming flood over rocks resounded through the air, and the water in his prison began to churn. Slowly at first but faster and faster spun the water, the narrow red threads that bound it all together gradually reaching out to each other, colliding and forming into narrow blades that tore through the Deep Ones! Raising the dolorous song to greater and greater heights, until the wobbling sphere thrashed and bubbled with its fury, the ancient soldier of wars that had never seen the Sun slammed his clawed and webbed foot down, denting the pavement and sending a rocketing blast of red water exploding through the deformed Atlanteans, slashing at them with inhuman strength!

Dispelling the mantle of El Heraldo, Subito trudged along through the jungle, glad that he had at least managed to save his backpack. Rifling through it the strongly-built teen took out an energy bar and ate it thoughtfully, listening with a cringe to the bitter and paranoid mutterings of the messengers from the South Americans. 'Oh come on, both of them were in danger there! Why would the Nova Romans do something like that? The idea is that if the attack succeeded, they could simply say 'Why do you suspect us? Our people died there too', and thus evade responsibility And the little flag thingy stapled to the dinosaur praising their glorious ruler? Well, ideally they would see its belly before they saw its back Huh, good point' When the company at last arrived at the camp he breathing a little heavier, legs streaked with both narrow splashes of mud and from tumbling, scrabbling and marching through overbrush for hours, Subito was glad for the chance to rest a while. Following the others at Korzeel's and Zandar's summons he leaned against the wall and listened attentively, smiling gratefully at John for the astute clone hero's crisp and effective words. Then the arguing started and he toned out for a while, only to be started back to attention by the mention of the Serpent People! Subito had tangled with those before and their possible involvement made a whole lot of things make a horrible amount of sense. Clenching his fists with determination, he instantly stepped forward at Korzeel's suggestion, saying eagerly "Of course we'll do it! I've met the Serpent People, they'd totally do this" he added darkly to the others, turning back to the Lord and Lady, he gave them a beaming smile "Whatever those scaly guys are up to, we'll stop it! Just tell us where we oughta head, and we're there."

Totally agreed. Or we could do what Thevshi suggested, and we post up a joint Vignette about our takedown of at least the first transmitter. I am in favor of that, but it probably would be a tad delicate.

GM With a faint rustle and rattle of metal followed by a soft breath of air, another door was opened somewhere in the depths of the quiet basement. The footsteps that followed it were so quiet they almost couldn't be heard even in the echoing room, but their owner couldn't hide everything. To Catalyst's thermal goggles a blob of roughly-human-shaped heat slid quietly towards them the head visibly moving from side to side as the creature sought to find whoever was with it in the darkness. It's search didn't manage to pick out the two heroes, however, which meant it kept walking closer in a way that was, if not for the crazy situation, would have been hilarious in its obliviousness.

Alright! Both of them hear and feel the soft click and fresh draft of another door opening, and Catalyst sees the tell-tale form of a roughly humanoid figure coming into the room. Hunter's Notice roll vs. DC25: 20. Almost! KoS and Catalyst remain hidden in the darkness.

Subito nodded vigorously as he listened, sipping his water through its straw and watching Mali intently as she spoke. "So...a lotta money behind your folks. That's great!" he reclined against the bench, going on "Be great to learn new meals, the ones I already know aren't...bad" he said it with a very grudging tone, and he looked almost furtive as he spoke, like he didn't want to be overheard "but they get a bit samey after a while, y'know?" he shrugged awkwardly and grew silent, drumming the tabletop idly as he looked out at the chilled campus between bites of steaming food. "You part of any teams, Mali?" he asked suddenly, looking at her with interest "I don't mean like, big-shot ones like the Alterniteens or New Gen, s'just some of the guys around here get into small groups of friends and go out crime-fighting together-" he glanced at the lunchlady, smiling brightly "-within curfew, you know? It helps with their trainin' I've heard."

Using the Damage from the array to attack all of the Deep Ones in the sphere. Attack rolls: 24, 16, 16, 21. All those that hits, DC27 TOU save. Full-Round, so no other actions.

The Punching Bag sounds kind of like The Beast of Kilimanjaro, or something. I think it'd be neat if Lana Loeb showed up sometime, maybe after she says something to seriously anger the heroes of Southside, who then have to endure her while protecting the Daily Herald offices from some villain she also ticked off. The villain in question would probably be someone like Megalodon, or some other villain with an animal theme, because Spider-Man protecting his boss from Scorpion doesn't get old.

OOC for this thread. Warp and El Heraldo deal with mystics and their well-known love of bullets.

January 21st, 7.45 PM, 2013 6702 Roosevelt St., Bayview, Freedom City Subito cheerfully tossed his Go-Mart apron onto the rack in the back room, retrieving his hat from it and waving goodbye to the others on his shift. "Later Fred, later Molly! Take care of that knee!" he called back as he walked out of the supermarket into the crisp winter air under a light gray sky. He paused for just a second to smell the smell of snow, and then set off for the meeting place he'd arranged with Kat. The Day of Wrath was, thankfully, already starting to recede from memory, though the sturdy boy had heard rumors from some of the shoppers that the mayor was considering marking January 15th a day of remembrance. He had done his part, though he still felt a bitter twinge of guilt at his general uselessness that day, and the two transmitters had at last been taken down with the combined might of the Claremonters, shattered robots littering the street around them as in a the thrill of the moment the four had joined for a group hug. 'Still...' he glanced from side to side as he checked for cars coming, then darting across the intersection with great speed before settling into an even jog along the sidewalk, his heavy thudding footfalls heading for a small park with a very nice iron-work bench. They had all been affected by that day. Blodeuwedd's training had let her take the event mostly in stride, and Sam's determination to get Tona back had let her power through, but Subito had waited until the others were gone before collapsing into a sobbing gaudy pile, and he hadn't failed to notice his schoolmate's grief and guilt. He slowed as he approached the meeting place, his Captain Thunder-emblem t-shirt an odd change for his normal white. The Herald of the Blue Dame had heard rumors about a gun deal with a supernatural bent that was about to happen nearby, and had asked Warp along to help break it up. 'Won't cheer her up, but it'll be a good thing to do As you say, but be warned that this is a delicate matter. You are not delicate. I know,' he answered with a slight grimace and a brief look of gloom 'But I'll do my best...'

'This is what happens when you think too little! Oh for the love of-Elias! TALK WHILE YOU GO, quit with the 'Ooh, I'm so mysterious and handsome and of inscrutable motives' thing, s'gettin' old! Oh really? Hush, you' "Alright, I bet Errant has that covered" Heraldo said aloud to himself as he soared through the primitively-rendered trees. He knew from experience that Elias was wholly competent, and wouldn't have done that without good reason. The fact that the reserved psychic hadn't seen fit until that very instant to say something still grated on him though, and he made up his mind to have a serious talk about it with him later. He glanced behind himself momentarily, rolling his eyes as he realized that he was only one going this direction. "Of course I was wrong. Ah well, I can always, you know, get back to them." setting his sights on the digital forestry ahead, he kept his super-sensitive hearing focused to the utmost, trying to detect the least clue of what lay ahead for the patriotic paragon.

GM The combined attacks from the two young heroes did their work, smashing and tearing through the dark serpent and leaving it roiling feebly in the air! By know several of the local Bayview residents had discovered the aerial battle, and were leisurely setting up chairs on their lawns, climbing up ladders onto roofs with , and snapping pictures so they could prove they'd seen what they claimed. Others were rather less sure, muttering about 'inefficiency of youngsters these days' and growing anxious as the fight went on. Several calls had already been made to the authorities about the events unfolding in Bayview's skyline, though aside from the poison control center needing to issue a stern warning that nobody was to try and drink, touch or cook with the snake's inky blood, and STAR preparing to send some boys around to collect the thing if need be, it passed with comparatively little notice.

Subito took a huge bite of his meatloaf and beans, commenting admiringly "Mmmmm. That sounds like an awesome idea. You should totally do that Mali! Team me a little about how to cook Thai food an' I'll help out." swallowing loudly he took a quick swig of water, set it down with a thud, looked across the table at her and asked "Wait..you've got a car?" he looked amazed "Dude! How did you get a car? Did you win it in a fighting match or something?" Suddenly he remembered the drug dealers thing and frowned concernedly "Yeah, that's a weird thing that keeps happening, when we go out, a lot of times something crazy happens. Hope you shut those guys down hard." the stocky boy set his jaw angrily "Guys like that are horrible, no matter what they're sellin' or who to."

Alright, for both of us a Stealth and Notice roll, DC for the Notice is 20. KoS, he takes 10 with Skill Mastery for a result of 25. Notice roll: 28. Okay then.

Well then. DC20 Sense Motive roll: 16. Failed. DC15 Will save: 20. Well then!

Heraldo noticed the look, and the subtle shift in mood that came over Elias whenever cops were near. 'Should ask him about that, might be able to meet some folks who can help' Turning quickly to the policeman who all but towered over the stocky boy, the young paragon told him brightly "Thanks very much for your help! If you need any backup while you take that guy in, don't hesitate to give me a shout. Don't mind him," he added, gesturing after the lean psychic "he's not much of a talker, from what I've gathered." taking a quick look around and seeing that already traffic was starting to pick back up, he thanked the rest of the squad and soared off into the sky, arcing over the block and alighting on the rooftop of a store in his schoolmate's path. Landing out of sight, he crouched down. Shutting his eyes he called out 'O Blue Dame! Receive your power once again It is accepted. Well done, my Herald' and in a moment the vivid costume of El Heraldo dissipated. Stretching his freshly weakened limbs, Subito waited only a moment before leaping into action, going quietly down the ladder leading to the roof and appearing out of an alley in front of Elias. He resisted the urge to grin, shout and give the determined guy a high-five, but the grinning wasn't not going to happen. Falling in step with the boy, Subito said casually "Nice work bro. You wanna go anywhere else around here? Still lots to see."

As a clarification, I'm not nearly recruiting yet, this is just ideas, ideas I(given how bad I am about starting new threads way too quickly and not seeing old ones to their conclusion first) may never use. In fact, GranspearZX and KnightDisciple, I'd love to know what you guys would make those stories about! You make a very interesting point, Knight, about the possible similarities between your Seven Rings and creations like the Star Stone. Of course that's partially because both are inspired by the Green Lantern Corps, but it could definitely make for something cosmic. Maybe there's a similar guiding principle or inspiration behind both of them? Thanks for that, Thevshi. Yes, I have indeed been privy to some of your plotting, and I don't have to tell you how eager I am to hear about its development! Supercape, what you say is(as far as I know) very true. Like I mentioned, there are definite advantages to the way you prefer to plot things, letting conflicts, people and ideas spring up more or less spontaneously from interaction and player interest as they go through the larger scenario. They are memorable for a reason: people get invested in them because they helped create them! And I really want to see where your various plot strands lead, so no spoilers plz! Also, I'm going to need to remember to ask you about a thing involving the Baron Necromme. For once the broad strokes thing is wholly intended, and not a result of my being [REDACTED]. It's the fun of wondering, for example "What would happen if some of the magicians on the board had to fill in for Eldrich for a day?" or "What if Fulcrum had to deal with a villainous entity made out of sound?"(I like the idea of beings made out of sound) Ideally such an interactive and versatile format as we've got can allow for a GM to both come up with catch-all plots that respond well to player creativity and ingenuity, and more fine-tuned specialized adventures that draw from unique character traits. Granspear, I hear you on the Circus Maximus. One suggestion: there's a hot new gladiator in the ring, who styles her/himself as a modern Spartacus and, much to Augustus's amusement, is gradually gathering strength to take over from the old man. What the Centurion's greatest foe doesn't know, however, is that this guy has a trick up his sleeve the gangster us wholly unprepared for. Or something.

OOC for this thread.

"Mali," Subito replied with a face solemn as the grave "sometimes I miss it so much I fly down to Lincoln, just so I can get some." he scowled as he moved up in line and took the meat sandwich of the day "Wouldn't be so bad if there was space in the dorm for a real kitchen, y'know?" He lightened considerably as he returned to the Muay Thai fighter's confidence, all but laughing outright. "I bet you will, Mali! Also, drug dealers? Huh, she never told me much about that one." he said thoughtfully, taking seat at one of the benches

GM Continued from OVERTHROW in City Hall! The Iceberg, headquarters of AEGIS, Freedom City September 12th, 2012, 2.15 PM The walk to Director Powers' office was a short one, made longer by that sense of unfamiliarity coming from new environments and the unceasing hustle and bustle of the American Elite Government Intervention Service going on all around them, reports of events happening around the globe the subject of constant surveillance and study, dour military officers considering tactical difficulties and pondering the best way to safeguard the world marching cheek-by-jowl with lean and excited scientists explaining new breakthroughs in cybernetics and the tantalizing results of new tests done on metals from another dimension, and they quickly opened ranks to accept the neat and professional shapes of the direct agents of AEGIS, who opined on new ways to undercut and overcome the forces of evil and villainy. They quickly stepped to the side to let Agent Anthea, Agent Silas, and the heroes of city hall past, giving them stern but warm words of welcome, and more than a few quiet waves and thumbs-up as they went by. For their part, the guiding agents looked neither right nor left, acknowledged only a few close friends and followed the dark purple line that led them straight to the office whose thick oak door was marked H. Powers, Dir. of AEGIS with a smaller sign below it saying "Do not disturb, bureau business" Knocking three times on the panels, Anthea called in "Mr. Powers! The fine people you wanted are here." From within there was a brief sound like shuffling papers, and then the door was abruptly opened to reveal the towering, eyepatched, confident and vigorous master of the agency, Harry himself. Dressed in a neat black AEGIS uniform, the man oozed command from every inch of his being. "It says do not disturb, agent" he snapped, shutting the door behind himself and briskly taking the lead down another corridor following a green line "Do you think I put it there as a test? Dismissed! You and Silas are due for another assignment in four hours in India, get ready" he said crisply, folding his hands behind his back and leading the team in silence to a room dominated by a narrow table and large screen. Silas and Anthea saluted and marched off, Silas giving a slight wave before they were out of sight. Tapping a small button on the table, the screen clicked to green life, showing the schematic of a ship, and the layout of a base. Turning to face the assembled heroes Harry Powers said gravely "Good day, I am Powers, the director of this agency, I am pleased to meet you and would like to request your assistance on a delicate mission." turning to Gabriel he added "Of course, I cannot force you to help, and if you would prefer not to act in tandem with us, you may use the information I am about to give you as you see fit." he leaned on the table, his one eye boring into the very hearts of the group who had saved city hall "Any questions before I begin?"

"I've had it a few times" the stocky boy nodded, adjusting his Blades baseball cap and sending a puff of wispy breath into the air, watching the steam slowly dissolve "Growing up around here, not much reason t'be picky. I love khao soi, can you show me how to make it Mal?" he asked with an eager grin at the powerfully-built girl. Watching the few straggler students walking, jogging or running to classes, meetings or hang-outs he suddenly wondered where the last two years had gone. Then he remembered what Mali had just said before they left, and smiled much more softly. "Yeah, I'm Cerys' boyfriend. She's completely awesome, an' I'm glad to meet a friend of hers! You and Blodeu have had a lot of crazy adventures, I bet!" he barged open the cafeteria door with a foot, letting out a blast of warm and dry air mingled with the smell of food. Wandering over to the counter, he took a tray and waited for Mali to go first "Your mom taught you to cook? Mine did too, she said if I made a girl cook for me all the time I'd end up a jackass." he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, blushing a little.

Something I have long wondered, but for some reason never thought to ask, is what kind of stories would people on here like to see happen?, Obviously there are tremendous advantages to simply coming up with a plot that serves specific PCs whose players want to play together. Supercape in particular is a vocal proponent of getting players first, then building the story to fully embrace their characters' specialties and unique traits, but that approach can only go so far. What I propose is that we start discussing more what we'd like to do with or see happen to...anything. Mentor, the Norn, the Lor Republic, Lucius Cabot, Gaslight Freedom, Sub-Terra, Mayor O'Connor, heroes and villains of Europe, Africa and Asia, anything and anyone at all. I know that Ecalsneerg and trollthumper are writing up additions to and explorations of the magical and divine side of Freedom, for example, and I for one would love to know what they've got in mind! To start with, here's something I've wanted to do for a while: King Cole II, after a few years of quiet and obscurity, is galvanized into action by the inroads Amir al-Misri of Summit Transnational is making into the Fens, which the criminal monarch considers his domain. Knowing that Asad employs heroes, King Cole hires Conundrum to entice the businessman and his associates into chasing after him through a fiendish labyrinth filled with hidden perils, while the King's men do their best to undermine the good being done in about the most miserable place in Freedom City. Secondly: The various Stones(Moonstone, Night Stone, Star Stone) seem like fertile ground for a cosmic story we could do sometime. Maybe they're like the gems of the Infinity Guantlet, where combining them(and unknown cousin Stones?) produces something utterly extraordinarily dangerous, wonderful or both. In such a case, it'd be grand for the space heroes to be needed to rescue the galaxy from the machinations of, say, the Star Khan who wants to use its power to destroy the Star Knights once and for all, or perhaps a mysterious Lor mentat with incredible power wants to use such a conjunction to further his inscrutable schemes. On the other hand, perhaps they are merely examples of Preserver technology, even fragments from a greater crystal that provided the precursor race with unfathomable power. Maybe it is discovered they predate the Preservers themselves and are magical creations from the dawn of time, shards of some dead god, or something even stranger. Thirdly: Sub-Terra is incredibly vast, with the opportunities to explore vast and forlorn cities, forgotten underground kingdoms and encounter strange people never seen on the surface being plentiful. As well, I've often wondered if trying to make peaceful contact with the Serpent People or Morlocks(or heck, even Magmins) could be done. It might end up "ESCAPE FROM DEATH CAVERN", but I would like to do(or see it done) that at least once. I have the utmost confidence that you folks can do far better than that, so have at it!

I would go with Star Knight calling together some of Freedom's space-faring heroes. And Red Moon's not involved in this, to be clear.

Really? Okay then. We could always just have had her forget about it! Not like it's the memorable part of the day! :P

Blargh, sorry Freely. I, like Blue Rose, would like us to tackle at least one transmitter, but as this IS pretty ancillary to the main event, if you think it better suited to the story for us to just end here I'm fine with it. What do you folks think, one transmitter, two, zero? Not a lot of places the story can here go now, admittedly.