Ari

"That...that sounds like somethin' she's pretty fiercely against, yeah. El Dama Azul isn't big on using folks like robots." Subito agreed quickly looking deeply unsettled, the mere idea a chilling one to him. He tilted his head to one side for several seconds, frowning as he considered what he had learned so far "Also, by religious figures who do you mean? Only ones I know of would be the loa and their chevals, or the story of Balaam." Sitting further back in his chair he added with a more cheerful grin "Thanks by the way, John. This is really helpful. I hope I can help you out sometime." he looked at the book, especially the political map of the Caribbean during 1900, suddenly lighting up and whipping his chair next to John's with a clatter of wood on the hard floor, a gleam in his eye "I've got an idea: what if I went to where that knight disappeared and..I dunno, subsumed my will into hers or whatever, that'd increase the connection between us, and then I could fond out what happened back then!" he looked eagerly at the reserved clone, hunched slightly forward with excitement "Whaddaya think? I think that could work!"

Sorry this is so late. I'll add mine a lot earlier right off the bat from now on. El Heraldo A Silence loud 3 IC posts. Blod in the Air 6 IC posts. Flying Flag 8 IC posts. Twilight Tag 5 IC posts. Marching to the Beats 15 IC posts. Shark Week: Ghost Sharks! 5 IC posts. Slave to Time 2 5 IC posts. y Dderwen 2 IC posts. 3+6+8+5+15+5+5+2 posts= 49 posts. King of Suits Behold the Hunters 4 IC posts. Gallia Renaître 2 IC posts. Goodbye to Gravity, and to Death 6 IC posts. The Fourth Freedom 2 IC posts. Medical Maladies 2 IC posts. Walk and Squeak and Squawk 2 IC posts. 4+2+6+2+2+2 posts= 18 IC posts. Red Moon No posts. Wave-Eye A Convocation of Eagles 2 IC posts. Crashing In 1 IC post. I Crush Everything 4 IC posts. Speaking in Tongues 3 IC posts. 2+1+4+3 posts= 10 posts. GM Please give all earned PP to Heraldo. All you Need is Hate 2 GM posts. Ants among the Flowers 3 GM posts. Behold the Hunters 3 GM posts. Speaking in Tongues 3 GM posts. The Fourth Freedom 4 GM posts. Twilight Tag 8 GM posts. Vanguard#1: The Inevitable, the Inexorable... 2 GM posts. Walk and Squeak and Squawk 3 GM posts. 2+3+3+3+4+8+2+3 posts= 28 GM posts.

Diplomacy check for El Heraldo to try and sway Strongarm: 21. Okay, that least makes him no longer hostile, and merely Unfriendly.

Wave-Eye winced as the stone hand impacted the flesh and bone, snapping out at him "Wretch! Direct your blows to those with thicker skin if you want to make a name for yourself!" while bringing the conch that hung at his side to his lips. He took a deep breath and suddenly blew a thunderous roar through it that sent streams of red-laced water bursting from its mouth and whirling around the besuited man, whose skin suddenly hardened into a bronze sheen, which deflected most of the slashing blades of water and tossed them splashing against the walls, only a few managing to make any incision into his now-metal hide. There was a frustrated silence from the triton as he glared at the dripping walls and sodden carpet, then turned his gaze back to his foeman, pointing a spined claw at him "Fear not, I'll just punch you next time!"

How much are you increasing the Difficulty Class by?

GM The man in the motorcycle garb groaned groggily, apparently coming round as evidenced by his slow crawl over to a wall, which he leaned against while holding his helmeted head in both heads, moaning quietly as the reverberations from Gabriel's sonic attack rattled yet within his head. Thin plumes of smoke flowed from gaps in his helmet, and flames flickered within its blackened depths. A few papers were flung into the air as the sound of Francine's rummaging continued, dull thuds and resounding clatters as her search went on.

Those final words, and the casual tone in which they were said, provoked a depressingly predictable and inefficient response from Subito, who had only a few times found himself in real danger. Of course this was a simulation, and 'Not important! Got to focus on this...' "Do it then" he said angrily, yelling above the rush of air hundreds of feet above the Pyramid Plaza, glaring defiantly at Strongarm. "Show all the world that you have the might, the power and skill to subdue a teenaged neophyte, yet untrained in the breadth of his abilities! Show everyone down there that robbing a bank is above your aims, that you dare not strike at anyone who has a chance of stopping you, show the Freedom League that you're a threat all right..a threat to their dignity if they have to stoop to capturing someone who hasn't even considered turning their powers to the service of others!" swinging by one leg he rose to face his captor "You want to make a name for yourself? Then turn that brawn to the task of defending people. You will never live a day that you aren't valued if you strive to do this with honor and skill, because every day people need rescue and guarding from evil. The choice is yours, Strongarm: continue with this scheme, beat me to a paste and drop me onto the pavement below, gain infamy as a coward who strikes at children; or you can let me go, and set about repairing the damage you have already done to people's property and to your reputation, and start looking for ways your might can be used to protect!" he stared directly into the older man's eyes, hoping fervently that this would be all that it took to convince the renegade to drop his crazy scheme, and finish the test, which as far as he was concerned had gone on long enough.

OOC for this thread.

GM November 3rd, 2012, 10.45 The message had arrived at Parkhurst, delivered in a small white card slipped into the mailbox. It bore the simple message Dear Residents of Parkhurst Hotel, I have been visited by the one known as Lantern Jack, who claims that something dangerous is brewing, and wishes me to request the presence of Changeling and Crow at the St. Andrew church by 11.00 AM. I will explain myself fully upon our meeting. I am yours, etc, Arnold Simmons. The church was a bright, airy place with beautiful stained-glass windows imported from an ancient church in southern Hungary. No candles were lit, and all was silent and still.

"Our thanks to you, madame!" the King of Suits called after her with all cheer. To Catalyst he commented brightly "A grand lady! Now, for Mr. Security Chief" he murmured, walking rapidly over to the man and his small squad of guards. With a beaming smile he proclaimed "Good evening, sir. I am the King of Suits, her comrade" he said gesturing to the heroic chemist "I require an audience with our captured crew of Grue, hopefully to discover from whence they come and from whom they received their poisonings. Can that be arranged?" he asked eagerly, his eyes gleaming in the bright hallway lights.

GM "That does seem reasonable" agreed Amelia, nodding slowly as she read over the heart(or rather what organ served roughly the same function) comparison chart "and going by that theory, it would help us a lot to find whoever did this." she snapped it shut, looking fully at the science heroine "Well, much obliged to you for this Catalyst. You've at least solved the problem of who is behind those thefts. Hopefully you and your..ally can discover the why." she said carefully, glancing at the King of Suits for a sparse instant "I look forward to any more info you can get us about what happened to these aliens, we could use every edge we can get in case they attack us again" she shook Jasmine's hand heartily, gave them both a quick smile and walked off for her office. The medical staff inside the room were checking the readouts on the machines keeping the grue asleep, and slowly healing them of their infection. The dull metallic scent of copper along with a fleshy undertone hung in the air unpleasantly.

GM With a slight inclination of her head the Queen acknowledged the gesture "Welcome, Caer Dathyl" Nisien and Cigfa made their own introductions, and the party was soon seated upon spindly chairs that were much hardier than they had appeared. Having returned to her throne, the Queen asked brightly "So, what have your willfully ways led you to bring in exchange for this spinely beast?" she almost smiled outright "I trust it is something that does not hurt you to lose." Cigfa carefully adjusted herself in her seat before answering <"We bring to you the gift of an agreement. We do not have anything as a proper gift to counterbalance the Afanc, but we can bring you some thing of great worth, if you will grant us the favor of allowing us more time and to leave with the boy and the lake creature."> the Queen frowned "That is hardly possible.I have something and must have something in return for giving it up. I will grant you more time to decide what you three will give in trade for them, however." she said, gesturing to an attendant who stepped forward from behind one of the hanging drapes that hid the walls, holding a sprig of parsley. "Parsley will guide you once our audience is done." she settled further back in her throne, tapping the arm rest slowly as she partially closed her eyes, which suddenly flicked over to Blodeuwedd "Tell me, Caer Dathyl, what could you give in exchange for them?"

"Well that was convenient" Marceau commented with a slight note of worry, glancing around the hallway with a suspicious glint to his eye as he looked for any more roving bottles of spirits. He wasn't much for alcohol himself, his work rarely allowing him the time or situation where that would be a good idea, and so entrusted the work of Bacchus to his friend. He remained a little behind, watching the way back so that none could sneak up on them unawares. "At least Rene has found a good ice-breaker" he murmured to himself with a slight grin, "with any luck it works the same magic on their minds as ours."

Round 4: Rubber Burner: Unharmed, Dazzled-GM Wave-Eye: Bruise(x1), 1HP Gabriel: Unharmed, 3HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Injured(x1)-GM Combine: Unharmed-GM Blackout: Bruise(x1), Dazed-GM Rubber Burner makes another try for getting rid of his Dazzle: 27. Succeeded, he'll come into play next round, if there is one. Wave-Eye uses the Conch's Damage to blast Combine: 24, that hits. DC27 Toughness save for him: 24. A Bruise. Gabriel is up.

'There is no good way to answer her. I shall be plain.' "I never had dealings with the ones you now call the ondines, except when they served a god whose armies I was battling, and then I killed them. I..have never spoken to them, and they have never spoken to me if they can instead evade me. To my sorrow, I have few allies or friends whose favor I might call upon for you" he admitted glumly, looking wearily at the sand for a while before looking back up. "I know where many of them live, however, and the mysteries of the deep are as an open scroll to me. I can guide you to where you" he looked to the two humans "could commune with them, and serve as a translator and guard if you need one."

Let's try another Notice check: 14. A shame. Using his Super-Hearing with Counters Concealment.

The seemingly casual gesture hadn't struck the stocky teen as out of the ordinary for Madame Vapeur. Certainly from what he had seen and heard of her she seemed the sort to enjoy posturing and gesticulating, a desire he well understood and empathized with. Such physical expression thus masked its intent to him, and the disappearance of the butler slipped his notice entirely, so focused was he on her story. When Lord Steam had glanced anxiously at the young Claremonters he had nodded slowly, apparently at the tale. Cerys' whisper caught him quite unaware, and he just managed to keep himself from starting when her voice tickled his ear, though even then it was almost pleasant 'Y'know, she's kinda- Clean thoughts, Herald ...I wasn't-! Of course not' he glanced quickly over at her, muttering quickly "No, I didn't see that. Was that what it was for? Huh. I'll get ready to fight if she's gonna ambush us and listen in case they're gathering outside" he leaned back in his chair, frowning at the table, trying to listen for the tell-tale flaps of heavy wings, thuds of stealthy feet...

Assuming that's a Shield Strike, and that hits and to spare! Want to Power Attack that a little, by the way?

Edited. Apologies, that was dumb.

"It is a great honor to make your acquaintance! I-wait. Marceau stared at the young woman in momentary confusion when she called him "Your Highness" before his eyes brightened with realization, bowing gracefully with a sweep of his cape as he replied "Ah! A slight misconception Rabbit. I am not a sovereign and would never claim to be, merely part of a group that uses the terminology of cards to distinguish between ourselves and name ranks with. As for this device" he went on, grappling neatly onto the traffic lights, landing next to the sphere and examining it with interest "I will do my best to disable it. It could be that is all that is required to reverse this transformation!" He searched its exterior for some kind of panel or other way to access it besides cracking it open. The gentle approach would both make it less likely to react in some catastrophic way, and leave it open for future study. "You can speak with animals, you say? Incredible! Tell me, how did you accomplish that?" he asked chattily, smiling down from his perch like the streets weren't like something out of a surrealist nightmare. His face became more thoughtful with the issue of where to lead the horse-turned humans. "Hmmm...That is a problem. For now why not send them to Liberty Park where they can have plenty of space to themselves? I'm sure they'll appreciate it!" he said confidently, turning back for a moment to the devilish ball-shaped engine of transformation.

His smile faded as the wind rushed around him, the freight car door sailing just to his side with horrifying speed and power, and he winced at the clamor that erupted behind him. He noted grimly that the massive beast had so far shrugged off all of their attacks. This necessitated a change of tactics. "Sir! I will bind him, hold him still so that we can make a new assault! Our blows are so far not having any significant effect, and that needs to change." he called over to Crusader, crouching and ready to spring as he searched his belt momentarily for just the right card...his fingers closed neatly around a smiling King of Hearts, which he hefted and aimed at the massive goblin. "You are tough and strong, monsieur!" he said brightly, squinting one eye as he gauged the distance, asking "but how quick are you on your feet?" as he suddenly flung it, the card unspooling into a mighty coil of metal that looped neatly around his foe and bound itself about his limbs, leaving him wriggling helplessly like one in the grip of a metal snake!

GM Once again the red and white shield hurtled through the air, and again it slammed with a thunderous *GONG* against the skull of the towering goblin, whose head was thrown back as it staggered...and once again it recovered itself, growling furiously at the ringing of pain in its head, shaking its lank hair to try and relieve it. Squinting at the two small figures assaulting it, it decided to get rid of the other one before moving on to the Crusader, tearing off the door from a nearby freight car with its foot and a screech of tortured metal, grabbing the hefty chunk of rusting steel with his free hand and slinging it with all power at the King of Suits! Thankfully, it missed as well, ploughing through a mildewing office to his right in an explosion of wood and dust, and skidding to a slow halt several yards beyond.

Gotcha. Vorpal Bunny, anything you'd like to try out with regards to these craaaazy shenanigans?

The former, apologies for not clarifying earlier.

GM The Lab employee("Amelia Glen" offered her name tag) looked at him blankly for a long second, slowly answering, clearly uncertain about him "I..suppose you could. You would need to talk with the head of the medical operations, though, not to mention the security force. If you could avoid roughing them up that would be nice too." she added drily, turning back to Catalyst with a look of surprise "Really? We hadn't found anything like that before, even the ones riddled with bullets back in the 1950s and later could still transform. Admittedly not for very long. Their lifespans cut out pretty fast" she checked the readouts on her tablet for a few moments as she considered what Jasmine had said, nodding slowly as she got to and lingered over the pages that detailed the changes to their brain chemistry, looking back up abruptly "Yeah, their hive-mind connection to what they call the 'Meta-Mind' would at least guide them somewhere where they can hide out until they've purged themselves. Haste isn't a noted Grue trait, but obedience sure is. What's your basis for thinking they'd be more susceptible to a different kind of control?" she asked the chemist curiously, stepping slightly away from the tabled aliens, still sleeping off their tranquilizers. Luckily, the security chief(and a small complement of guards) were just outside the examining room, impassively observing the red protean monsters within, ready to launch a defense if they made the least hostile action.