Ari

GM The prince shook his head "No. Only that I will soon come to them with an offer of friendship between them and the new ruler of Faery. And if they are wise, they will take it. I will not try to invade you with a force of arms, that has too many ways to go wrong and be repelled. We shall join the two worlds, and live in peace together. I shall see you at the feast, good afternoon René" Parsinkle said with a thin smile, sweeping majestically past the painter and the King of Suits, passing soon out of sight with Hartfoul trotting alongside.

GM "The situation requires a thorough breakdown. The recent attack is part of it, but it's a pretty small part of the whole." Anthea told the golden-armored Grue politely "Down here we can also tell you all we know without fear of being overheard. Besides, it's not often that Director Powers invites people down here." With a soft thud, the elevator landed, and the doors opened into a bright underground facility. The two agents leading the band into the secret headquarters of AEGIS, the Iceberg. From Athena's badge a voice said crisply "Ah good. You've arrived. Take them straight to the briefing room Agent Anthea." "Be right there, Director!" she answered promptly, leading the way further in, crossing a massive shield emblazoned on the floor. To be continued in....OVERTHROW of the Seas!

GM "Sir, it took me several months of training to reach this level of poker face" Agent Silas said to Omen without a break in his smooth indifference "As for vaccinations, that restroom doesn't have anything dangerous in it, no need to worry. As for the length of this voyage" he went on, leaning against one wall "there are no routes below that level we could guarantee would be safe. This way in is easily the most secured. That and the Iceberg is pretty far down, this was the fastest of our options." he told the young vigilante with a nearly invisible smile. To Starlight he explained "We can provide intelligence and resources you don't have yet, giving you an edge in a fairly simple job. Reporting to us or following our orders is not thought to be too likely, all of you are clearly competent enough not to need nannying." Meanwhile, agent Anthea was focusing on Gabriel and Asad. "No Gabriel, from what I have been told this shouldn't conflict with the Freedom League's goals or methods in any way. It is asked only for this one mission, and is wholly voluntary. We would handle this case ourselves but...it's as you said, the power we need to bring to bear is a little out of our league right now." she admitted with a pursed mouth "With your capabilities we can accomplish a mutual goal, and make sure justice is done for at least some of the evils OVERTHROW and its cronies have done recently." Asad's question caught her briefly off-guard, and a look crossed her eyes very reminiscent of one Ms. van Cleef might have had. With reluctance she said "We do provide badges, actually. Though they don't come with any monitoring or communications equipment, they work very well for for trophy rooms. Ask Francis at the desk, he gives them out." Rubbing the bridge of her nose she considered his other question, and its follow-up offer. "Thanks, but we're fine with that sign as it is. Took me days to get the painting right, and copying it onto the door took more than a little finesse."

GM "Humanoid dinosaurs? In Wales?" A sudden and very English voice said from a tree right next to John. With a soft rustle of coarse fabric a magnificent man strode into the clearing, with short brown hair and beard, clear, dark eyes, a necklace of massive teeth around his neck, a thin band of metal around his head, a large spear on his back and a loose robe of animal skin. The large teeth on the skin's head gave it a definite quality. "I would have a care who you tell that to young lady. The jungle is filled with beasts like you describe!" he looked gravely at Blodeuwedd for a moment before beaming like the sun, warmly shaking each of their hands in turn with his enormously powerful grip and introducing himself "I am Zandar, Jungle Lord of the Lost World! You must be the chil-ah, teenagers" he corrected himself with a polite lack of expression "that Headmaster Summers sent to learn about my world? Excellent! I look forward to what you learn, and what I can learn from you. Follow me." With quick steps that landed noiselessly in the underbrush, Zandar led the four teen heroes through the jungle. It was easy going for the most part, though they soon passed through a narrow ravine that had them scrambling over fallen and shattered boulders. After several minutes of weary climbing, they suddenly turned a corner and were struck by a feeling like the world warped and reeled around them! Coming to, the four Claremonters found themselves on a hillside overlooking a forest far vaster than any existing on Earth, stretching from horizon to horizon without a break in the glittering forest. The smell of strange plants was heavy in the air, as were acrid, musty currents and the smell of lizards. From it howls, deep roars and thundering feet resounded, and off in the distance winged creatures wheeled and soared. Like an unfurling mast an apatosaurus' head lifted above the canopy, tearing away a massive chunk of green from one of the nearby trees. "Welcome," the Jungle Lord said with a broad gesture to the land below "To my kingdom. Welcome, children of Earth, to the LOST WORLD! Only one thing remains, and we shall go at once to my capital." Whipping out the spear from his back he proffered its haft to them, gazing into their eyes steadily "Before we enter my dominion in truth, I must have your solemn promise: you will not take anything you find outside my kingdom for yourselves. Within my jungle I can allow or decline to give you permission, but outside it the theft of the least and most insignificant thing might bring peril and downfall for you. For your safety, I must ask this of you." his tanned and handsome face was lined for a moment with concern, but it vanished like thin mist in the morning. He smiled encouragingly "Besides! I have no fear you will need to stray outside my lands, there are wonders in it that nobody has yet seen, not even the Freedom League or the Atoms." he said with a confidence that defied the Claremonters to doubt him.

28 hits by 12, so that makes it DC24+5, so DC29 Toughness save: 19! Failed by 10, so Staggered and Dazed. El Heraldo makes with the All-Out Power Attack (+2 Damage, -2 Defence): 12. Reroll(3HP): 16. +10 makes it a 26. Hits. DC28 Toughness save for El Caballero Azul: 19. Failed by 9, so Dazed again and Bruised. Galanta Power Attacks(+-3 Damage/Attack): 17. Hits. DC24 Toughness save for El Caballero Azul: 25. Withstood. Round 3 Wisp: Unharmed, 3HP Rodrigo(El Caballero Azul): Bruise(x2), Dazed-GM El Heraldo: Bruise(x2), 3HP Galanta: Unharmed-GM Wisp is up!

All that is fine by me. Woohoo! No more exhaustion!

Hope you have a wonderful birthday! Also, best of wishes on your recovery. May your flesh re-knit and bones reforge into their former power. Arichamus has been informed that her birthday was yesterday. His punishment was fitting, and swift. Long life to Scuffles!

"I guess. Would make it easier if more of the stoics at school thought that way, and didn't roll their eyes whenever someone does something emotional" the young paragon groused, unaware then of the reasons for that. "....and that's how we managed to defeat this guy!" Heraldo finished his exposition with a cheerful grin, gesturing to the metal villain. With a much more serious look the teen said "So, as you can well imagine he's pretty dangerous! If you require an escort, I would be happy to accompany you until you arrive where you need to go." despite the very real threat the man posed even after being assaulted mentally by Errant, El Heraldo was relaxed and mostly calm, leaning against one of the squad cars as he kept a careful eye on their unconscious charge. "I mean no offense to your competency, of course!" he added quickly and with an apologetic look "But eve-" he glanced suddenly over at the officer confronting Elias, and with a hasty "Excuse me a minute" walked over to head off the situation. Tapping the policeman on his shoulder, the Herald told him reassuringly "It's all right, officer! He was just hurt during the fight against that metal man, and I had the chance to heal him up afterwards."

"Oh yeah, we're the most deprived. Come on man, Gwen's garden has made it a lot easier than it used t'be." Subito pointed out with a slightly hurt look, thinking of the still-recent Greenhouse the heroine Flora had masterminded, among its fruits being a plethora of tea leaves. He chose some bush tea practically at random, and almost immediately forgot about it, leaving the gently steaming cup on the table near his arm. Darren's choice for the first question was a relief to the muscular boy, who had been scribbling possible openers all the way to the bus stop. Many of them were basically "So what was it like to live in the old days? Also what was [hero/villain] like?" He relaxed into his chair, glad that they would start from a good point. '...This is almost as bad as I thought it would be Hey! It's n- You never even considered "where did you get the rod"? Well...I... Faugh. Enough, now pay attention. You should find it easy to watch Darren, at least You trying to say somethin', Dama Azul? Certainly not. Me? Imply something? The very idea is absurd in such an open partnership as ours' Frowning at apparently nothing, Subito said aloud "Also, if it's okay for you to tell us Mrs. Sobczac, were there others like it? Or..was it one of a kind?"

"Thanks captain! We won't fail you!" Heraldo said brightly, mostly recovered by now from his exertions. He clipped the radio onto his belt and took off over the desert, a gold trail of smoke behind him. "I'm going to try and listen for the guy" he called over to Glow, closing his eyes and concentrating for the sounds of a man slithering across the desert. He slowly 'scanned' the sand below and before them, tracing the movements of snakes, small lizards scuttling as they went about their daily business, the soft treads of coyotes and the faint pounding of rabbits evading the enemies that hunted them...

Notice roll: 17. Reroll: 14. Makes it 24.

Funny is out of my reach or grasp.

GM With a blue flash that blazed in the chilled air, a crackle of electricity and a smell like burned cloth, White Knight let loose a roar of pain and struggled mightily against the wires! Despite his best efforts though, he was already lost, the line winding around him preventing any movements beyond random, feeble jerks and pained twists. Smoke curling from him the hooded Knight glared down at Crow. "This won't hold me!" he shouted defiantly, suddenly slamming himself against a sharp corner of the nearby wall, trying to cut through the hard wires of Crow. The metal held true, however, with hardly a scratch. "Just you wait, I'll get you and that muddy-skinned ****** coward!" He sounded at least fairly sure that was in the cards. The flames running up and down him seemed to agree as well.

use Super-Hearing to try and hear his slithers uponst the sand?

Aw.

So he's Bound and Helpless. He will attempt to break the Snare: 21. Hits, DC23 Toughness save for the Snare: 21. A Bruise. Round 7. King of Suits: Unharmed, 2HP Crow: Unharmed, 1HP White Knight: Bound/Helpless-GM

Diplomacy roll to try and convince Mr. Officer that all is well: 11. Ahahahahaha! Reroll(0HP: 28.

"I...I never thought of it like that. That's a real good point El." Carrying the two down with care, he he glanced with slight irritation at Errant as he flew "And the looks thing...I don't really care about that. Looking like I'm obsessed with being the most stoic person in the room isn't my style. Anyway!" he turned back to the air below them with a slight blush. He landed next to the closest squad car and politely explained what had happened to the officer who seemed in charge, handed over the metal man, and helped clear some more space on the road.

Heraldo was jerked unsteadily to his feet, smiling from ear to ear at the infectiously cheerful Meddows. Snapping to attention despite his sudden weariness, he said "Lead on, O Captain! We're with you all the way!" He frowned suddenly and looked at Glow "Actually...maybe you should get some backup for us sir? In case he ends up being more trouble than we can handle, which isn't likely! But we can't let him escape, not again!" he slammed the Banner on the floor for emphasis, eyes alight with determination. Marching over the window he jerked it open "Ready when you are, Glow!"

Marceau stared in horror as the spidery figures closed in, limbs waving like a horrible centipede! He almost grabbed for one of his explosive cards before reason prevailed, and Gallia's words clicked into place. 'Foolish of me. Jumping at shadows when the re-' "<Gah! Back with you!>" he barked suddenly, weaving and jumping away as the crowd of French citizens and their friends marched into the cloud, managing to stay just out of their press. The King of Suits was well-versed in the art of evading people, dashing through crowds to chase down pickpockets required excellent spatial reasoning and timing. He was thus in the clear for just long enough to catch sight of Gallia again. With a muttered snarl, he dashed quietly through the magician's fog and flung another unwinding card through the air, aimed for her with great precision.

It began yesterday, but what the heck. IC thread up here! OOC thread up here!

"Teach said she's 'gentle but stern. A velvet glove in which lies a brass knuckle if you don't listen'" Subito quoted, shrugging his broad shoulders "But that could mean just about anythin'-" he started as he heard the footsteps in the hallway, and quickly took up a similarly cheerful and polite stance next to Darren. He folded his arms behind his back and stood almost at attention with an excited smile. At the emergence of their hostess, he said eagerly "Hi, Mrs. Sobczak! This guy is Darren, I'm Subito. We're the Claremont students who asked you for an interview. May we come inside, please?" With a rattle and clink the chain was slid out from its copper groove, and the door opened to reveal a tall elderly white woman in a blue blouse under a dull green woolen sweater and faded jeans(stained by grass on the right knee) with short gray hair whitening at the roots. Her face was perfectly composed and neat, a few livid scars on her broad chin, high cheeks and large nose standing out among the soft wrinkles. She had a gold wedding band on her left hand. Bright green eyes gave the pair a practiced once-over and crinkled at the corners as she smiled fondly. In a low and melodious voice with a faint Polish accent she said "Well hello there. I wasn't aware Summers was sending me such handsome gentlemen callers. If I had known I wouldn't have been so terribly unprepared for you. Most cruel of that young man, most cruel!" she said with a faint laugh, welcoming the Claremonters inside the warm and drowsy house "Grace Sobczak, at your service. But you already knew that, evidently". It was mostly decorated with strange oaken carvings depicting ships or reproductions of Egyptian tomb paintings. A grandfather clock ticked out the seconds in a corner crowded with newspaper clippings chronicling the career of one Sekhem, lady adventurer. A strange rod with a fanned head, studded with cloudy gems and streaked with dents and divots, hung on the wall opposite. Showing the two boys to a small table set for three, she demonstrated she was in reality quite prepared for them, with a selection of exotic teas ready nearby an almost shrieking tea pot. "Take whatever you like to drink, I made sure to stock some sodas in the fridge if that's more to your tastes. And if you want it, milk never goes poorly with talking." Settling into her chair she sipped a deep and aromatic black tea with relish, closing her eyes and saying "My husband is asleep upstairs, the cats lulling him with their purrs. Now, I think you wanted to ask me something?"

The muscular form of Subito lay sprawled on the dry ground a few paces from Giang and right beside Cerys, powerful arms behind his head amid the mess of his curly black hair, his swarthy body nearly glowing as it reflected and absorbed the Sun's rays. He very surprisingly wasn't wearing his usual jeans and t-shirt ensemble. This time he had opted for thick, close-fitting green cargo shorts encircled at the waist by a blue fanny pack, a snug dark brown cotton t-shirt with the helmet of Daedalus emblazoned on it, slim sunglasses he was going to forget for most of the trip, stout hiking boots that were in remarkably good repair and a baseball cap bearing the Heroes' logo. The cap was currently tilted down over his face to shield his sparkling hazel eyes from the Sun, though he made sure as little of himself as possible was so blockaded. A stuffed red backpack lay nearby, crammed with everything the excitable teen could think to bring for a trip to another world, which was a great deal. The stocky Puerto Rican wasn't so jaded that the fact he was about to see real live dinosaurs didn't send chills through him every moment he waited for their guide, but he wanted to take advantage of the time to soak up as much of the light and heat as he could while they walked in summer climes. Winters in Freedom City were always miserable for him, every cold day reminding him of home and its brightness and warmth. 'This winter was pretty great though' he reminded himself, grinning as he recalled his trip to Wales with Cerys not even a week ago. The Order had turned out to be very different from the impression he'd got during his visit in the fall, and his meeting with the Taid still resonated, partially because of how sheepish he felt at being so utterly tongue-tied before the old man! The rest of that trip had been a delight however, especially the main attraction. "Hey Cerys!" he exclaimed without warning, tilting the cap back so he could look at Blodeuwedd properly "What do you say we bring back a dino? A little one, 'course!" he added quickly and with a jokingly innocent look up at the young agent "To show were here and stuff, maybe keep it for a pet. I bet we could take care of a dinosaur no problem!" Giving her a warm smile he added much more quietly and with utter seriousness "By the way, you look awesome." He had been carefully avoiding much in the way of talk with John, as just being around the clone hero brought back very unbidden memories and feelings that he didn't want to focus on at the best of times, and especially not when he was on a trip to a world of magic, wonder and adventure beside the valiant girl whose feeling she wanted to return and get to know. Giang he'd hardly exchanged greetings with and marked her as another of the standoffish Claremonters who played themselves close to the vest. Of course, he was all but eaten up with curiosity all the same, and struggled not to stare and try to puzzle her out. Being close to Cerys helped a lot with that. Lying back on the ground he kept an ear out for the approach of their guide whoever they were their showing up would mean it was time for the Lost World!

Everything had changed in the span of a few seconds, and Heraldo was stuck staring in horrified confusion as Tona started sending bladed shafts into the defenseless crowd, eyes wide and jaw agape as a relatively normal day in Freedom City became a nightmare. He vaguely recognized the girl in fatigues bursting out of the sky, she had been in an alien civics class with him a few times. Blodeuwedd's call again jolted him out of his funk, the arrow Blue Jay shot into his neck bouncing off without him even bothering to try and dodge. Catching the bag as it was tossed to him, he neatly extracted the familiar Chessboard from its depths and slid it over his mask. Blinking a few times to get used to seeing the mystical auras surrounding him and a rather large amount of the other people in attendance, he suddenly caught sight of Dorothy throwing lava over Kat. He heard Blodeuwedd distantly trying to reach out to their comrade turned slaughterer, and realized that Kit had appeared to vanish. Now more than ever he wished that the Blue Dame let him shoot lasers from his eyes. With a thud that echoed through the ground, El Heraldo shot through the air, gave Quickstep a vicious punch in the face, and flew silently down near to where one of the Freedonians had collapsed. "Need to get the people out of here." He said aloud to himself, striving to keep calm and prevent himself from falling to the ground and sobbing. The shock hadn't quite set in yet. He was still not quite realizing the fact that the people lying still with the arrows sticking out of their chests and heads like standards were not merely stunned.

Accurate Attacking with the coil cards. +3 Attack -3 DC. 26. Anti-Concealment roll: 11. If that hits, DC16 Reflex save. Move action a little closer to Gallia.