Ari

Can El Heraldo Aid any Diplomacy or Intimidate rolls Young Britannia might make?

He is nowhere to be found within the Park or for several blocks around it. Even his semll has mysteriously vanished.

Okay, less screwing around. Just realized the obvious, that KoS DOES have an attack that goes for the Reflex save: his Snares. Right on... Anyway, Attack roll for the King of Hearts: 32, critical hit! How I wish I had gotten that earlier. Anyway, DC24 Reflex save for the Ultragoblin: 14. Failed by 10. The ultragoblin is Bound and Helpless. Crusader is up!

The redressing hadn't been exactly to Subito's favor, and he had only suffered through it because of the manacles that prevented him from beating the inclination to take his clothes out of the Fey, grumbling and glaring at them sullenly. Reclining beside the throne at least put him in the eyes of the impassive Fey and their courtly sneers at his predicament. Blushing angrily at the attention he rested against the smooth and oddly soft marble of the Queen's seat, ignoring its occupant as best as he could, hunching his powerful shoulders and leaning his head forward defiantly. 'This wouldn't be so bad if I could just talk with the Dama Azul. But I can't hear her at all! Hopefully Blodeu gets he-oh damn, then she'll see my like this. GREAT.' his ears perked up as he heard the approaching Order agents, waving at Blodeuwedd with a weak smile, calling out "Sorry I didn't get you that Afanc, Blodeu! These guys got me, I'm pretty sure they're magic. And they hate my pants." he added with a dour look at his captors. Starting at the sight of the two more senior agents he added "Hey guys. How's it going?"

GM Fiating that the gold and lead chains keep El Heraldo from calling upon the Blue Dame, HP for El Heraldo(6HP).

1d20+4=13.

That hits! DC23 Toughness save for him: 27, drat. Stormbreaker's up.

GM Whoever's side Fate was on, it probably wasn't El Heraldo's. He awakened finding himself bereft of his powers, wearing the clothes he had taken with him into the lake before transforming and lying on a cold stone floor, pinned to it by a series of intertwined chains shaped like the heads of fish. Their very presence made the ever-present voice of the Blue Dame distant, and the power he could otherwise sense as being right at hand felt like it was being blocked. The ceiling above held the Afanc, now wiffling miserably in a similar straight as the young paragon. The place was bright, but cheerless, looking like crystal and dead polished coral hewn into a vaguely medieval castle dungeon, the bars shimmering with the coils of snakes that had wound around them. Outside and after a short twenty meter drop the Queen's throne room was a bustle of activity, slender fairies flitting about and forming the multi-hued room into the picture of elegance with the help of draperies and long sheets. The Queen herself stood in the center of the room, quickly murmuring orders to courtiers that strayed close to her, giving her a thousand bows in a second as they hastened to obey. She glanced up at the weird(and now rather pitiable-looking) Afanc, and smiled openly as she surveyed the young human. With a rustle of steel-lined robes she wore, she vanished through one of the hallways, followed by the courtiers like a swarm of brightly-clothed bees. Heraldo didn't have long to wait, as only a few minutes later several armored Redcaps stepped into the cell, creeping through the bars with distressing ease and holding thin golden and lead restraints that they quickly attached to his hands and feet, a narrow circlet of brass closing around his neck with a soft clink that banished her voice wholly from his mind. At a snap of one of their fingers', the chains rattled away into the floor, and the Redcap grinned down at the boy "Rise, human! The Queen needs a good companion for her meeting with those above. Follow! We will get you the clothes of state. The lake beast will serve as the appetizer for tonight's banquet" so saying they walked out of the cell, the chains moving of their accord to drag Subito after them... The ring was tossed, summoning a small boat that when entered swept the trio under the water of the lake, which in the Otherworld could be breathed by all within it, bringing them into view of a beautiful castle beneath the reservoir that glittered with enchanted lights as they approached, sliding gracefully into harbor before the front gates, where they were welcomed and guided to the throne room, where the Queen greeted them warmly "Hail, well met! Please come forward, and speak freely! We shall do our best to bring this to an amicable conclusion" she said, smiling and rising from the throne, chained to which by his ankles was El Heraldo, who thankfully at least had half his clothes still on him, although these ones didn't look like they'd last a day in the woods, being made of worryingly thin fabric.

"I'm sure Rodrigo would love to give you some help Victoria" Pavor said with a bright smile towards his sister's son "He's got something of the artist in his soul as well. Didn't you do a whole lot of portraits just a week ago at school, Rodrigo?" "Yeah, f'r some of the soccer team and the football cheerleading squad" the more retiring boy answered bluntly, much more interested in his book than the minor spat that had just erupted. "I'm not a real fast drawer" he clarified, letting the hardcover reluctantly down so he could talk to Victoria, whose white hair had attracted considerable, if muted interest "but I can copy down the stuff I see and show how it looks when it moves without much trouble. Got a pretty good sketch of an albatross that flew over here once." he said with a slight smile "I've got a good camera, how about you use that to get some shots, make your still sketches and use the photos as references for the motions." "It is no bother, I am sure the kids could use an impartial observer for the match" Broma commented with a droll smile "So be it. You children can go and play at the court from the next forty minutes, or until Subito or Galanta get too hot-headed to be relied upon not to punch somebody." raising her hand to quell the uprising of protestations from her children, Galanta's "Madre! you know we won't-!" and Subito's "C'mon Mom! when did we-?" ringing briefly in the air, she said sternly "I know you both. Sooner or later some disagreement will rise up. Better to leave it then than let it boil. I trust you'll take good care of them" she added warmly to Serge and Victoria, giving them short directions to helpful neighbors in the unlikely case that they came up against trouble, and sent them off so she and Pavor could set up for the games after basketball had run its course. The two Sondo teens eagerly led the way to the court, which was as slightly dingy and dinged and dented as might be expected for an area of the city like Lincoln, but it was well-kempt enough, and the hoops were definitely in sound condition. "So...teams?" Subito asked brightly, smiling as he did some light stretches, Galanta did a few once-armed pull-ups on the nearby fence, and Rodrigo looked blandly at the two Claremonters.

GM The knots of longshoremen and sailors talking amongst each other on the ship regarded the man in the coat with suspicion, a few of them drawing a little closer to each other as he passed by, hands clenching unseen weapons beneath their own windblown long coats and ponchos. Someone acting so confident, as if they belonged there and had no question in their mind about it, at least gave them a disinclination to ask unfortunate questions of the would-be avenger of the night. They let him pass by with narrowed eyes but besides that largely unmoving. The captain was easy to find, a bulky weatherbeaten man with a short, bushy goatee, a naval hat perched on his bald and slightly scarred head and piercing gray eyes, a long blue coat shielding him from the worst of the elements that his green sweater, thick black pants and rubber boots could not. He was frowning at the sky after the expertly-timed lightning strike out to sea, the rumbles of the far-off discharge reaching him just as the visitor swathed in his dark hooded coat and mask stepped up to him. Nodding shortly at the greeting and scowling at the terse reprimand, the captain shrugged heavily, saying with an accent that sounded like it had been picked up from every dialect of the British Isles "Not the fault of me or my boys, sir, it's the sea that did it. We would have been here two days earlier if that storm hadn't sprung up." he shook his head with a grimace as he went on "It was all I or my lads could do to make sure the cargo arrived whole and unspoilt." His face brightened at that, and turning to the shorter man he said cheerfully "Speaking of which! I take it that you would like to, shall we say, inspect the merchandise? I can assure you, it is in as good condition as you could demand, good sir, though you set it against the Grey Book* itself!" he declared fervently, doffing his hat and placing it over his heart with great reverence, the removal of this article revealing a thin network of whitish lines streaking about his scalp, terminating in several divots in his flesh that looked ominously like the wounds left by nails and claws. Replacing his hat with a swoop to get the rain out of its inside he observed the American he assumed to be the purchaser for a while, an encouraging and hopeful grin lending cheer to his otherwise dark and grim appearance. * The two coated men talking things over were clearly visible to Blodeuwedd, especially the fact that the captain held the ominously cloked and masked man in some esteem. The longshoremen and sailors occasionally glanced at them, clearly waiting for them to do something. The air spirit had even raised its head to watch the pair. The opening was almost too perfect.

That hits! DC24 Toughness save for Ultragoblin: 33. Succeeded. This'll take some doing, I suppose. Seeing as neither of us have much that can afflict him with Will or Fortitude saves. EDIT: He throws a heavy thing(the door of a freight car) at King of Suits: 20, so miss. Move action 30ft. closer to Him. Anyway, next round: King of Suits: Unharmed, 2HP Crusader: Unharmed, 2HP Ultragoblin: Unharmed-GM King is up, will post tomorrow!

Those treacherous snakes! DC17 opposed Grapple roll: 32!, DC28 opposed Grapple roll: 35!

"Hey, don't knock the snakes, they fit the theme. There's not a lot more important than the theme" the gaily-clad patriotic paragon retorted cheerfully. He whooped at Glow's tenacious grip on the remote...whatever it was. "You've just faced stronger too!" Heraldo exclaimed jauntily, hurling himself in a cloud of golden smoke and a shout like a distant cheering crowd over to the struggling and very incongruous pair, landing next to the rotund El Sierpe and placing a hand on his shoulder, swinging back his left hand and saying right before hurling it straight at the vile crime lord's head "Mr. Sierpe, you need to take some time out!"

GM Blackout slumped to the floor heavily at Gabriel's sonic barrage, though the groin attack had surprisingly little effect compared to the ones that slammed into his chest at super-sonic speeds. As he fell once again insensible the man with the transforming fists managed to roll away from the vicious stomp that would have pushed the air clean out of his lungs, panting in wide-eyed horror as he glanced at the monstrous fishman that stood above him before jumping to his feet and weighing his chances between the hulking triton and the comparatively slender and non-brutish-looking Gabriel. With a snap of his now stone fingers and smashing a small hole in one of the walls next to the Double Decker owner's desk as he ducked around Wave-Eye, he dashed forward and crossed the office in a few long leaps, winding up and slamming his fist straight into the shoulder of the hero empowered by the angels! "Stop that!" Mz. Scallop barked, now plainly incensed and ducking under the desk accompanied by the sounds of rifling through the heavy drawers, obviously searching for something very pertinent to the situation "STAR won't look kindly on this destruction, and neither will my insurance agency!"

"No home? I'm sorry, I had no idea" El Heraldo said more gently, looking glumly at Elias for a moment. Clearing his throat he went on more strongly and with better cheer "So you have just arrived? Welcome to Freedom City! A super place to be, I can assure you!" he offered the other boy his hand and a winning smile "You were supposed to show up at Claremont Academy? Luckily for you, we have one of the fastest travelers in the city right here" he said with a flourish of his red gloved hand and a slight bow to Wisp at his side. "She can get you there in moments! If she's not able to right now due to needing a prodigious amount of food(as she does), I can carry you there myself" he concluded, with a snap to attention and a clack of his Banner on the roof. He grinned at the teen before adding "Also, I still do not know your name. Can you tell us what it is? Or is it too dangerous for us to know?" he sounded suddenly anxious, and he looked it.

"I meant I was better than nothin', but that's a fair point too." Subito agreed blandly, nodding along. The strange splitting of Lady Liberty in the late 1800's was very familiar to him, and he winced at its being mentioned once again. "Yeah, enmity and schisms within nations would do that to their..envoys, as you call 'em. That business the other Lady Liberty was up to with the American Civil War is still brought up people to this day. You can imagine by who" he said darkly. He frowned slightly at the window analogy "Well sure, but the spirits can tell stuff about the world around them besides by how their bearers see it. Me and the Blue Dame disagree on stuff all the time, and rarely agree entirely on politics and society. She hears what I hear, and sees what I see and all, but she often perceives it in ways I never would have. She thinks you'd look amazing if you smiled, for example, and leaned back a litte" he declared, looking up at the ceiling with his face set in a solemn mien, the face slowly erupting in uneven shifts of his muscles before grinning outright as the unheard scolding apparently began. Shaking his head quickly he laughed "Alright, alright! Okay, sorry. Back to what you were sayin'." he tapped at the book for a moment, thinking over what John had said with obvious concentration. After a half a minute he swung his curly head back up to speak to the clone. "Wait, d'you think Mr. Princip and those guys in the Black Hand were encouraged by his country's "envoy" in some way? Is that a thing that can happen sometimes?" he sounded more than a little nervous at the idea.

Dropping his cargo unceremoniously on the floor with a snarl, Wave-Eye briefly nursed large patch of darkening red scales where the metal fist had crashed into him, fixing a glassy black eye on the suited man with the transforming fists before suddenly lashing out with a powerful stomp that dented the floor, barely missing the man below who managed to roll to one side and leap to his feet. The triton gave a deep growl that shook the floor "I am sorry for your floor, Mz. Scallop! We will try to make sure this doesn't escalate, though I have my doubts!" he called to the woman who yet stood in danger of having a very final price extorted from her.

Sorry, would have posted earlier but I was short on time. Anyway, El Heraldo can't very well leave Glow to fight that creep on her lonesome, so move action over to El Sierpe, and a Power Attack(+2 DC -2 ATK): 20. Tell me how bad it is, doc. If that hits somehow, that's a DC29 Toughness save for him. Readying a Reaction to Interpose for Glow if she gets attacked.

Selecting with care Schubert's #7 C Major symphony, Subito tossed it lightly in the air, quickly locating and securing a CD of compositions by Hayden before bringing them to the counter, "Could y'put 'em in a bag Mary? We're not done yet, I don't think Surge has found what he'd like" he asked the young woman, glancing at the significantly blonder boy for confirmation "Thanks for that vote of confidence, by the way" he added earnestly "As for the acoustics, I bet we can get some of the other students like Kris to help with that, and my hearing is..pretty good for that kind of stuff" he said with a surprisingly subtle(for him that is) wink at his schoolmate. "How much interest do you think we could drum up for it?"

GM "Yes, they're the force that takes care of the super-criminals captured" Mz. Scallop explained, having sat down quietly when the short battle had broken out, with the white-clad sonic champion easily trouncing the strange Wreckers, much to her obvious pleasure. She smiled beneficently at the odd pair as they began to drag the 'super' villains out of her offices "I will, of course, take your advice Mr. Gabriel" she went on "Although next time hopefully my walls won't suffer such..rude treatment when I require their help" she said ruefully as she stroked a finger through the plaster dust that had fallen like a thin layer of snow onto her desk "Take them down to the second building, first door you see, they-" she was interrupted by the sudden movement of one of the Wreckers, the man in the suit whose hands were suddenly coated in a grey metal, his head snapping back as he swung his fist directly into the face of Wave-Eye, shouting in a Coloradan accent "Sorry, catfish! You're not dragging us off to the big house that easy!" "We're not done yet! Time to get your lily-white clothes a little of the Blackout treatment!" agreed the man in the skintight costume, who reached out a fumbling hand that unleashed a sudden bolt of light and smell of ozone from his hand that filled with room before vanishing. The light, that is, the smell remained for a good two weeks. Sadly for him the lightning bolt struck a good foot beside his target's head.

The IC thread is behind because...it's hiding, for the opportune moment. >.> Yeah that hits by 8. So it's a DC31 Toughness save for Blackout. Can't make that! Let's see how well he does: 24! Failed by 7, so Dazed and Bruised. Trasher will get up and punch at Wave-Eye: 19. Hits, DC26 Toughness save: 24, Bruised again. Combine hurls himself at Gabriel: 29. Hits. DC25 Toughness save for him.

The triton was silent at that. Considering the path his own life had taken during the last few thousand years, he realized abruptly that he was one to talk. Grumbling he said quickly "I am sorry, Mz. Scallop. Please forgive my words." Bending down he slung the man in the suit and the one wearing the skintight costume over his shoulders, turning and bending under the broken wall that the robot had smashed, walking back towards the door, nodding to the woman behind the desk as deferentially as he could. "Gabriel speaks well. If you ever need help with such people, send word instantly. You are sure you can manage that fool white one? I'm sure I could spare an arm or two" he added to Gabriel with grin, watching in amusement as the leaner human dealt with their own much less fanatically-developed musculature. He frowned suddenly "'Star'? Who are they? I've never met them. They ferry criminals like these to prison, I take it?"

Going with the two heroes the next round picking up members of the Wreckers. They attempt to make their saves again. Rubber Burner: 10, nope., Blackout: 32, succeeds., Combine: 19, succeeds. Combine and Blackout wake up, we're still in rounds so they fire away. Combine attacks Wave-Eye with his metal fist. He's being carried(not grappled) so it can't miss. DC25 TOU save: 22, a Bruise. Blackout shoots a lighting bolt at Gabriel: 21, miss. Round 3. Tiebreaker for Combine and Trasher: Trasher goes before Combine. Rubber Burner: Unharmed, Dazzled-GM Wave-Eye: Bruise(x1), 1HP Gabriel: Unharmed, 4HP Trasher: Bruise(x1), Injured(x1)-GM Combine: Unharmed-GM Blackout: Unharmed=GM Burner tries again: 16. Nope. Wave-Eye drops the two he's carrying and punches Combine back: 11. Miss. Gabriel is up.

GM One thing that the deceptively terrestrial castle had in abundance was spirits. Nearly every one of the small tables that littered the interior of the hallways had at least a glass suspended in air with the rich red or yellowed white of the fermented juice glowing within it. The bottles were also close at hand, as one revealed when it bumped against Rene's hand after his murmured comment about the glory of wine, floating silently in air with a soft and gentle glow at its cork. Two of the more elfin guards could be seen at the end of their hallway, idly talking with each other in the high and haughty tone quite familiar to the old painter's ears. A humble word from one of them would have seemed outright outlandish.

GM The keypad was directly beside the elevator door only a few feet past the checkpoint itself, the guards ignoring the two supposed officers now that they were sure neither was suspect. The chimaera was a little harder to persuade, staring silently at the pair with non-reflective eyes on its lengthy head. The keypad was a simple 3/3 arrangement with the zero under the 2. It had a glossy black finish and silvery highlights, and a small insignia on the lower-left corner that held two parallel red bars joined by a threadlike gold strand. A small camera was set just above it looking at whoever was typing it, revolving at an agonizingly slow speed if one bothered to actually look at it. The floor right in front of it was covered by a blessedly soft purple carpet on which was a complex pattern that bore the rune raidÅ in a serrated series of diagonal ranks that criss-crossed the small carpet.