Ari

Jumping to his feet and offering the study girl an unnecessary hand up, Subito quickly fell in step beside Mali "Awesome! Cafeteria's got good stuff today." he said with a note of authority and experience that belied his thoughtless attitude, opening the gate for them both so they could leave the gentle and quiet garden "Yesterday the cook made spaghetti, so today all kinds of stuff's got tomato sauce in it!" he grinned at the young warrior as they strolled past "You like tomatoes, Mali? I love 'em. Always have since I was just a little kid." trudging in silence down the frozen path for a bit he asked her "Hey, you hear about how they're probably canceling that Star Knight show? It's gonna be a frickin' tragedy if the do." he declared glumly. 'What? That's your big conversation starter? Oh come on! She'll know what I'm talking about! ...We shall see'

Heraldo gave a whoop of joy as the last of Madame Vapeur's minions was defeated, twirling the Bandera with a flourish before sheathing it. Stepping over to Blodeuwedd, he quickly helped with hauling their erstwhile foe into the airship, commenting "You know, I seriously wonder what she offered these people. I mean, there are things in this world I would gladly die for," he clarified hastily as he glanced at the lithe agent, momentarily struck by how easily she wore both the steampunk dress and her close-fitting costume...quickly looking back at the Avian he went on "but 'keeping these people from escaping the deathtrap I'm standing in' will probably never be one of them." once their mighty cargo was dragged into the copper vessel, he dusted off his gloves and stepped back outside, gathering the power of El Dama Azul about himself and soaring back into the ticking bomb that dwarfed the Cressida! He made the best time that he could as he scooped up Vapeur's discarded soldiers, racing back and forth between the airship's halls and Lord Steam's air-going anachronism. Each time he returned laden with their former enemies, the fast-flying young paragon managing to snatch even those who had fought them in the dining room from an imminent and fiery death! Dumping the last few bulky warriors on Lockwood's spotless floor, not even panting from the exertion, the bright-eyed boy glanced at the other two, practically bouncing with excitement now that they could follow their new lead "If there's nothin' else we need here, let's go!"

Raising an eyebrow at being so described, Marceau added to René's brisk words. "I am not unpleasant to be around, good cook, do not fear. My friend speaks quite truly," he added with a magnanimous gesture to the kitchen and a bright smile "I cannot imagine how anyone can keep their head in such a place! So much to see and hear, an endless riot." the lean Frenchman smiled up guilelessly at the cook "I would say it could drown out any conversation spoken less than a foot from, you, wouldn't you agree?" accompanying this with a quick wink, Marceau hoped this might edge the rough elf over into curiosity. To help it along, he spoke just a few words more "And speaking of drowning...you have many fine wines, ales and other spirits within this cavern?"

Alright, Changeling figures out that it's something set up by one of the other Hermetic wizards, most likely under Dis's guidance. This particular kind of protective ward is very weak to electricity, and she knows what kind of counterspell would dispel it.

Alright, Notice roll: 9. Reroll(3HP): 14. +10 makes it 24.

GM The procession eventually arrived at the campsite, thatch-roofed huts scattered among the trees, with small fireplaces in the midst of particularly open stands of towering trees. Once there, John's request was granted, and the dignitaries and rulers of the jungle assembled in one of the larger huts to see what he had to say. The other Claremonters were politely asked to attend as well. They all remained silent as the clone hero explained his views, and the two sets of livery certainly got their attention. The argument over whether or not the Romans or Incas had placed evidence to confuse the other raged for a good ten minutes before they finally were stopped by a curt word from Zandar. A few minutes was taken to consider John's question. Then one of the diplomats from the Inca Empire jumped to his feet and began to speak "Only one race we know of would be so dastardly" he said, glaring at the Romans "But the Serpent People were overthrown decades ago, and they could never manage something like that attack" said the obliging translator. The leader of the Nova Roman ambassadors added "We are in agreement: only the Serpent People would gain from something like this, but they have not the strength to do this." he met the Incas gaze squarely "Which raises the question: which of our nations has allied with them?" the hatred between the two groups was for a moment almost palpable, their glares downright savage. Lady Korzeel broke the silence, the grand woman saying quietly "You will not listen if either of your agents try to uncover this plot. If you work together, you will be so set on proving the other guilty the truth shall be hidden, if separate you will deny what they find." she glanced at the Claremonters "A third party would be best for this, but the Jungle Tribe needs its leaders, as much was lost in the fall of the citadel that must be remade and regathered. We know little of the Serpent People, the few times we meet them they are trying to destroy our tribes outright with fire and spear, they see us as beneath subterfuge I think." getting to her feet from the small stool she had been sitting on she surveyed the teenagers with care. "Do any of you know the Serpent People, or how to tell when they walk among humans in our shape? You are new visitors, powerful, and have no allegiance to any of us, will you do this?"

Can EH try again with the Notice thing, to get a bead on anything ahead of him?

"It was pretty awesome Mali, yeah" the Hispanic boy agreed with a grin "A couple times I wonder if I did the right thing by just leaping in there, but then I think of the guy's face as he looked up at me, us both hanging in a cloud of golden smoke a few feet from the vat, and I know I did." One of the other students seated cross-legged on the snow-covered grass began to raise a little higher into the air as if on a string, her dark brown face turned up at the weak winter sun. Glancing over at their classmate Subito gave a low murmur of awe. Quickly turning back he said "My folks are pretty happy about this, yeah. My sis Galanta's super-pumped that I'm a superhero, and my cousin Rodrigo...well, we have our differences of opinion, as he puts it" he grimaced "He's better now that he's got powers too, and especially now that this place is getting the counseling. Got some kinda jealousy curse, I think. Friends...I didn't, uh, bring a whole lotta friends with me here. Met some good people though, like Cerys..." he paused to smile dreamily and then shrugged the matter off. Subito abruptly frowned "Hey, this is a huge swerve, but do you want me to go someplace else?" a sheepish grin "I'm not really helping you find inner peace, you know? And I totally get why this is so important."

"That's a good point" the sturdy boy agreed thoughtfully, reflecting on how weird a lot of his schoolmates' origins had sounded "one girl I know told me she gets her powers from voodoo, there're two mutants I know, one with power over vibrations called Serge, the other's Kristin, a telekinetic. I dunno any superbiology or whatever, so that makes no sense to me at all. You ever met a guy called Luke Perrin? He's from space!" By now leaning on one hand, bent closer to Mali, Subito thought over her question with a slight frown, at last answering "I'm...you know Lady Liberty? She's like empowered by the Spirit of America? Well," he rested on both hands while he got on his knees "I'm like that with the spirit of Puerto Rico. I've got the power to become really strong, able to fly, really tough and this flag I have turns into this awesome Banner if I call upon the Dama Azul or Blue Dame of Puerto Rico." he glanced at her with a faint grin "S'okay, not a lot of people know who that is even back home. As for how I got to be a spirit-bearer..." he rubbed the back of his head and glanced at Mali with a wince "Well, I was workin' at this Fun Time Toys factory when I kinda wasn't old enough to be there, this guy fell off a catwalk 'cause of some old trap Toy Boy set, and I tried to catch him." he sat back on his haunches, the powerfully-built Puerto Rican boy looking very embarrassed as he went on "I missed my footin', and was dragged after him. We were halfway to falling in a paint-adhering vat when the Blue Dame granted me her power to save us both. I..." he reddened "I wasn't supposed to be The Herald of the Blue Dame at all. She was going to empower my sis, who is way bigger n' stronger than me, but she couldn't let me die..." he shrugged awkwardly, loosening a button on his flannel shirt and gazing into the quiet pond. His hazel eyes flicked back "Mr. Summers found out about that, and came to my parent's place a few days after the Dama visited me to make me the Herald for real. So...here I am." he smiled cheerfully and began settling back into the meditation posture, struggling with a foot that was almost going numb.

Hits. DC25 TOU save: 17. Bruised(x3) and Dazed! Heraldo Power Attacks (+-3): 26! Critical hit! DC34 Tou save: 24. Staggered and Dazed! Fang is Dazed on its turn, so Adamas are up! Round 5.

GM The Roman diplomat glared at John, but produced the torn piece of cloth, and instantly set into a furious tirade as the slanted moonlight illuminated a pattern exactly like that borne on the ponchos of the Viracochasuyun. The nearby and austere-looking Jungle Tribe interpreter calmly repeated it in English, loud enough that all the other Claremonters were able to hear it too "This is Mountain King cloth, see the stripes and pattern. All know that the People of the Sun ride those flying terrible lizards into battle, this was all a plot to get us off-guard, and take the citadel for themselves. With the death of the Lord and Lady, who could stand against their machinations in the jungle?" he glanced at John idly "That is mostly true, visitor. There is nobody else in our jungle who can command the tribes as Zandar and Korzeel do." returning his attention to the ambassador he went on "We must take these Incas prisoner, and force them to reveal what plot is being laid against us." another sideways glance "Shall I ask for the warriors to restrain him, or will you deal with this man yourself?" like the others he was long-limbed and very strong-looking, and looked like he could take three like the Nova Roman by himself. The hundreds of Jungle people made amazingly quiet progress, stepping in near silence with even the children barely whispering. The massive roots, vines, and swampy ground impeded them, but they managed with the utmost skill and dexterity, flowing like a human river. Ahead of them, far off in the tangled darkness, dim lights could be seen. "A camp" murmured the interpreter closest to Giang and Cerys "a few of us will stop there, and send word to the other tribes while we follow Korzeel, she will go to the Brazen Hand and seek wisdom from the seers. The Hand is close by, hardly a day's journey" he added comfortingly "dry ground too, high branches." Subito heard the Viracochasuyuns talking amongst themselves, whispering about Roman assassins and their known penchant for striking while the foe was dazzled from some other attacker. "Clearly, this is a plot to send us out into the jungle so they can make sure our caravans go unguarded, and our people go hungry!" one whispered, glaring at the togaed men with hateful eyes.

Glad to hear it! I trust you'll do a great job TheAbsurdist. Also, are you alright with the suggested lineup? Or would you prefer some of them not be part of the rescue team?

Catching the now-toothless shotgun, the patriotic paragon examined the gun for a moment before shrugging and tucking it under his arm. Returning Glow's shoulder-clasp he smiled and replied somewhat abashedly "Y- yeah Glow, dunno what came over me. I guess I assumed that, since you despise that man so much you'd have wanted to deal with him yourself. I won't forget that, don't worry!" he added with a cheerful laugh. "I'll have to clear some space on my wall" he commented aloud as they raced northwards back into the United States, watching the beautiful desert stretching before them with a quiet smile. Suddenly something struck him and the stocky boy glanced over at his classmate with a broad grin "Hey Kris!" he said "You wanna celebrate when we get back to Freedom? We could go to this place in Bayview, The Beef Stack, I worked there a couple years back, best steaks ever! Don't worry," he added with a grin "If Jack Jackson shows his face, I'll pay for whatever you throw into it!"

"Mali," Subito broke the silence without warning, looking at the muscular Thai girl curiously "if your family is all about tigers, does that mean you have some kinda...guiding tiger spirit or somethin'?" 'Do you have a guiding Herald spirit? No. A snippy blue woman does live in my head, though Impertinence! Besides, the point stands. Benjawan's family is no more required to have a ghostly tiger as their household god because they call themselves 'Tigers', than you are to have a similarly gaudy and tactless creatures as yourself for an advisor ...Alright that's true Good youth. Now pay attention to her, and get back to focusing on meditation so I don't have to drive it into your head!'

Subito blushed and looked away at the compliment, saying quietly "Thank you. I-don't really think I've been kind or honest, even to you. Not enough anyway." he admitted. Cerys's laugh and subsequent explanation of what she meant had the boy nearly squirming self-consciously in his chair, and he could only say after several seconds "Well..all right I'll join you. I mean, if you're seriously that lonely your big ol' bed" he added quickly and taking a miniscule, exploratory sip of wine to give an excuse not to meet his girlfriend's warm eyes. Glancing up for a second he added "Also, I need to find ways to make you laugh more. Where do you like being tickled, 'Ellis'?" he asked with cocky grin. The handsome schoolboy was quiet at that. Subito was deep in thought for well over a minute, silently taking the tray from their waiter when the fashionable young man with blond hair and a and neatly-pressed uniform arrived, divvying out his and Blodeuwedd's ordered meal. Passing the empty tray back to the baffled waiter with a polite and subdued "Thank you very much", Subito took a bite of his ratatouille, chewed it, put his fork down and after swallowing said "This is even better'n I thought it'd be." Looking up at Cerys at last he smiled and said "Heh, you would barely have needed to do anythin' to seduce me. Thank you, Cer-Ellis. Ellis! Blarghle..." he flushed and glanced away, smarting from the obvious mistake before resting his elbows on the table and continuing "So yeah, thank you for telling me about that part of your trainin'. It might not seem like a lot, but it means everything to me that you'll tell me stuff like that, and wait for me to feel ready before we...um...sleep together. I wouldn't think any worse of you if y'did have a history like that Ellis, but I wouldn't like your family much for it." he explained moodily. 'Wonder when I should tell her my secrets? As soon as you can Right...' Taking her hand gently in his he added "And princess, if you really do want me wrapped around you, just say the word and I'll happily oblige. Whenever my sister was feelin' down at school, which happened sometimes 'cause of normal school stuff, but motly 'cause of the harpies who kept spreadin' rumors she was gay, she'd wait 'til we were both at recess an' ask for a hug. She always felt better afterwards." he smiled both at the memory and at Blodeuwedd across the table.

Marceau Suvou had encountered slavers before, throughout the length and breadth of Europe. It had never failed to bring either of the founders of the House of Cards or their comrades to the limits of their capacity for forgiveness and charity. The King of Suits had even been required to capture one of his protegés after they went off the deep end of vigilantism while investigating a slavery ring in southern Germany. Looking up at their blinded foe, the King of Suits called to her in their mother tongue. "<Gallia, if you told them, appeared before the people of our fair land and revealed what had been done, do you think they would simply ignore you? If you wished for justice to be done, if your cause were just and right, you wouldn't do this!>" in a moment another card unraveled its steely length through the air of the exhibit, aiming straight for the woman bearing two spirits. "<He consorts with an 'abomination', as you call him, because you have stolen the body of someone who has nothing to do with this! Release Beatrice, and confront us with your grievances! We don't want to fight you, but you have endangered others with your antics!>"

GM The door revealed a broad and well-lit back passage that through narrow series of vertical windows looked into a dark room crammed with stacked slabs of rock marked with runes, small bookshelves, other mystic paraphernalia and in which three inhumanly big and oddly truncated figures lay draped in white sheets on small pedestals. The pedestals were arranged at roughly the points of a right triangle, and between them at the feet of these Procrustean beds stood three clones, their hands joined, eyes covered with veils and lips slowly moving. Above this odd tableau moved a triad of wisp-like shapes, which could dimly be made out to have long beards and stern faces. They each hovered around a draped figure. A door two meters from Burkehardt's study exit led into that room, and at the opposite end of the hallway were double-doors that held the Staff of Aesculapius. From it came a distant, throbbing hum.

Looking slightly unnerved at her sudden closeness, Roi edged nearly imperceptibly away, glanced at the cards and replied "I do not think so Agnes, my family had no memory of them at all when I asked." he helpfully fanned the deck out so the singer could see all the cards at once. "They are interesting, yes, but they do me little good." he went on grimly, the Frenchman's eyes narrowed "Wherever I go with them they bring trouble. I had almost a hundred dollars in the same pocket they were in, and now...nothing." he pursed his lips as he looked over the ancient deck "But they have...a power. Something secret and old is buried in them, and if I can bring it out..what good could not result?" he asked Agnes with an eager smile, which quickly turned to a much politer one as he remembered himself. "And they aren't a full deck either, more's the pity. But enough about them, what band do you sing with Miss Agnes?" he asked with real curiosity "I have heard jazz a few times, your voice reminds me of those melodies."

With a wild cry of surprise, El Heraldo quickly wrenched himself free from the beast's jaws, forcing its mouth open with his mighty arms! As he fled from the crocodile's hungry teeth, he gave the animal a parting kick that missed, much to his frustration. "Sure thing, Broken Crow! We'll take care of this thing!" Turning to Young Britannia he added "Agnus! How about we start punching and blasting this beastie?" he readied himself for battle, fists clenched and ready to dive to intercept the massive lizard.

Attacking with a Coil Card, Power Attacking (+-2): 18. Reroll(2HP, and I'm getting deja vu): 19. 29 with the +10. DC21 Reflex save.

Opposed Grapple roll: 42. Well then! Attack roll: 11. Miss. Move Action several feet above it. Setting Interpose for Broken Crow.

Quick as a flash Subito jumped forward and punched the guard out, sending him clattering in his armor to the deck. Rubbing his fist with a pained wince as it throbbed from hitting metal, the stocky boy commented "Fight an' win? That's a pretty foolproof plan right there!" He readied himself for the next attack, adding casually "By the way Blodeu, I'm totally taking you up on your restaurant offer, fighting these guys is hungry work!" he said with a cheerful grin. Subito was still on his guard, knowing that the Fey might have further tricks up their gaudy sleeves...

GM The white-hilted sword of kings struck soundly, slicing a deep and deadly wound into the pallid Queen that raised an ear-splitting shriek as the human metal tore through the enchanted creature! With a low wail the Fey sank to her knees and collapsed, clutching her chest in agony. The Order agent's words struck terror into the hearts of the gathered Twylyth Teg, and the dazzling spears of the elves trembled in their hands as they rushed at the young heroine. They didn't try to strike at the teen, instead swinging their staves around the hateful weapon she held that filled them with dread. Two of them managed to connect, but the others missed by feet, shaken by her threat. One of them sneered "We have no heaven or hell, but we shall send you to yours! A mere human is worthless without their weapons!"

DC19 Demoralize rolls: Two fail it(the Queen and one Guard) DC30 Toughness save: 13. Failed by 17, and knocked unconscious. The guard makes their disarm attacks: 20, 9, 22, 23 With the Demoralize that is two hits. The Strength DC is 23. Round 2. Subito Power Attacks(+2 Damage -2 Attack) one of the Guard: 13. reroll(1HP left): 19. Hits. DC19 Tou save: 14. The Guard are one-hit minions, so down he goes. Blodeuwedd is up.

"Quit with the jokes and fight, Adamas!" Heraldo snapped, now feeling thoroughly harassed. Lining up the Bandera like a pool cue, he sighted down it, hesitated in his billowing flag of gold, and then hurled himself straight at the gigantic serpent, rolling just before he collided and bringing his booted foot down squarely on the monster's obsidian hide! He didn't put as much fore into it as he might, though he felt the skin and muscle bend under his foot 'Don't wanna overcommit... Yes, I'm sure you will use that word man-that is not even a real word Whatever! And stop telling me to tell Blodeuwedd stuff, it's creepy! As you wish. I will suggest it instead, and it is better than your fumbling words, Romeo' Darting away from the creature, he took up a ready position once more, hanging in the dizzying battleground.