Ari

I wouldn't call it wasted, and You're always welcome to come back, Sandman!

Taking ten on his Attack roll against Crusader #2, King of Suits gets a 22, which hits for a DC20 TOU save. Their TOU save: 15! Failed, and as they're Minions(one-hit drop Minions), he's down. Everyone roll Initiative! King of Suits': 18! The Crusaders': 12!

The King of Suits had been half a block away when the scream for help had rent the air, and had almost stopped short of catching a purse-snatcher with shock. Hastily collaring the thief, he had tossed the purse to its rightful and grateful owner with only a furious shout of "For God's sake, call the police!" to her before jumping up into the air and grappling to the top of a nearby tenement building. Upon reaching it he raced off towards Farridah's shop, a terrified premonition rising in his brain as he ran. 'Don't let me be too late don't let me be too late...' he cleared the distance between the housing complex and the dull grey porn shop's roof, the distant white on green sign already visible 'ohpleaseohpleasepleasepleaseno' he hurled himself off of it, and beheld the Crusaders, with the shopowner at knife-point! 'NO' He barely had the presence of mind the use the grapple gun to send himself whirring through the air into their midst, and on his way down the situation changed completely. Before his astonished eye, the knife-wielder's weapon was sent clattering to the ground by some kid with knives of his own! '...Wait...' Then he was blasted away by a stream of pure darkness from a...well-developed woman in a black bodysuit and domino mask! '...Ah, this...this is' He landed with a sharp thud of his boots on the pavement, head bowed, one hand on the ground to steady himself, the other already reaching for the ram gauntlet at his belt, the red and black cape swirling around his armored costume like the wings of a vast bird. Rising, he slid the gauntlet onto his hand and turned slowly, gathering his wrath, his lips above his beard pulled back into a furious grimace. Turning to face Farridah he said sharply "Mr. Sallhid, do as the young man says. Get out of danger." Turning on his heel he looked at the Crusaders, blue eyes gleaming with a blazing anger. "Prepare yourselves for defeat!" he shouted, lunging forward and slamming the gauntlet into the closest of the gang members, pulling sharply on the triggers over his palm that sent the short ram forward with tremendous force! As they fell to the ground, he tossed it further back on his arm, punching and striking two more to the ground in groaning heaps, one of them landing painfully on their hidden gun.

He could not make that if he tried, he's down.

That hits, he is now Knifeless.

OOC thread for this thread. Tenebrous, Crow and the King of Suits team up to battle an incoming hate-crime spree.

GM The Fens, 4871 Stanwick St., September 8th, 11.45 P.M. Farridah Sallhid locked the door of the small corner store behind himself, humming quietly as the key turned smartly with a *click*. It had been a good day, he decided. Twenty new customers, all but two had bought something, most of them had been open to conversation. 'Maybe my father was wrong?' he thought to himself, 'Maybe I can make enough here to get a place ready for them?' Turning around, he took a few seconds to realize the knife held against his chest. Looking up, he saw the twelve faces gleaming in the stark lamplight. He stepped backwards only a single step before coming up against the hard glass of the door, feeling the knob dig into his side as his eyes widened with understanding and terror. Each of the men had the tattoos and other signs of the infamous Crusaders. He suddenly had a twisted vision of the Arabic over his door being like the opposite of the lamb's blood in the story one of his Jewish friends had told him. They were savoring the moment, but for how lo-he took a deep breath and shouted "SOMEBODY, PLEASE, HELP ME!!" 'And now I will die.'

Nochehuatl's face brightened as much as it could "Ah! 'God' makes this easier than I expected. One of the monotheistic faiths, speaking the title freely...you are a Christian, Gabriel? They seem to dominate this age, I have heard that they reach across the globe. It was not so in my mother's day. Ah well" he shrugged as he leaped the gap between two roofs, scraping the surface as he skidded to a halt on his landing. Taking a moment to get his bearings he sped on, following the glowing figure exactly. "Tell me, why did you need to pray? I thought your race already had free will? Did you just need the power to change some wrong?" he ran easily along "Tritons like me, we are not permitted to ask the High Ones for aid."

OOC thread for this thread. Blodeuwedd and El Heraldo deal with fairy story problems.

GM Claremont Academy, September 15th, 9.45 A.M. The day had dawned bright and clear, a slight mist hanging on the ground that quickly dispelled as the sun rose and evaporated it, leaving everything outside the warm buildings of the Claremont campus feeling slightly damp. Birds were now departing for warmer climates in force, with flocks passing over Freedom City in great 'V's. Their calls rang out with the sound of approaching autumn and the inexorable march of winter, and they frequently stopped at Claremont Academy to rest, many students having the ability to outright speak to them, and the paths were often littered with stray bits of bread and other kinds of food. While walking across campus, Cerys happened to walk by a small flock of Canadian geese huddled around and hiding a still figure on the grass. Hearing her steps, they rose up in a noisy stream of wings and loud honks, soaring up into the cloudless sky. What they had been hiding turned out to be a small hawk, a bird with long claws and a red stripe down its back, lying still on its side. After a few seconds it stirred, weakly flapping one wing over its left leg, on which a small steel ring holding a piece of paper was bound.

Trapped beneath the pinning weight of the weird..people who were trying to get into the chemical lab and steal what lay within it for whatever insane purpose they had, now with significantly more questions than before, Marceau wondered if he might have been better off leaving this be. Testing where resistance was greatest he thought about joint-locks, counterbalances and where all these people could have possibly come from. 'Cloning lab? Maybe they're illusions of some kind? I should ask some of the other heroes about detecting such things' he thought, suddenly lashing out with a foot and slamming it into the shoulder of the well-built and mustached man putting the most weight on his back. Toppling forward with a cry of pain, his sudden release gave the King of Suits the opening he needed to burst out from under his enemies and leaping to his feet, whirling around and punching the lean and wiry young man readying a plank behind him directly in the chin. He watched with satisfaction as the man crashed to the ground. "Now!" the King of Suits said crisply, rubbing his knuckle as it throbbed with pain "Which of you would like to start talking about why they're here?"

GM The now-blanketed roof didn't give much indicator of what was going on inside the thick cloud that slowly billowed up into the air, but Catalyst could hear the sounds of confused shouts and wild gunfire as the three would-be infiltrators shot in every direction but the right one in a desperate attempt to eliminate their attacker, sending small sprays of concrete where the bullets embedded themselves into the building she was on. Her own pellets had much better results, the distant shouts cutting out one by one as the three dropped heavily to the roof, the chemicals contained within doing their job with impeccable force. It was all but impossible by now that this would go as unnoticed as the last times.

Wave-Eye had loomed impassively in the background as the police had arrived, the beleaguered officers thanking Gabriel for his help, carefully ignoring the giant fishman standing behind him. Watching the cruiser drive off into the night for a few seconds before turning his attention again to the superhero. He listened with great interest and approval to the explanation for his powers, the idea of supernatural powers granting strength to mortals a very familiar concept to him. The chiding still rankled, though the fact that Gavriel was his patron kept a civil tongue in his head. "Well, if a servant of the Logos thinks so well of you, I won't argue with that. I still do not trust this...Scallop. What do they have on her, I wonder?" He shrugged expansively, an easy feat for someone of his size "No matter. There is work to be done. Let us see this woman. Lead the way, Gabriel." Turning and leaping up onto the roof he watched for the shining champion to lead the way, the city still unfamiliar territory to him. Leaping from rooftop to rooftop he kept pace with the flyer, calling up to him "Tell me, what name did this..archangel Gavriel speak for?"

Doktor'd! El Heraldo Alright, 11PP to use. :arrow: Changed the tradeoff to -2 Defense/+2 Toughness, -1 Attack/ +1 Damage :arrow: 1 rank of Attack Specialization(Unarmed)(1PP) :arrow: 1 rank of Easy-to-Lose Device for the Banner(3PP) using the points to buy 4 ranks in Emotion Control(Limited: Hope), bringing it up to rank 9. Increasing the rank of Trip by one, up to rank 10. :arrow: 2 ranks of Defense(4PP) :arrow: Adding Counters Concealment(Auditory) to the Super-Sense.(2PP) :arrow: 2 ranks of Knowledge(Civics) and Knowledge(Tactics)(1PP) :arrow: Fixed the Grapple bonus. :arrow: Changed Description slightly. [b]Player Name:[/b] Arichamus [b]Character Name:[/b] El Heraldo ("The Herald") [b]Power Level:[/b] 10 (147/147PP) [b]Trade-Offs:[/b] -2 Defense / +2 Toughness -1 Attack/ +1 Damage [b]Unspent Power Points:[/b] 0 [b]Progress To Gold Status:[/b] 40/90 (Silver Status earned with [url=http://www.freedomplaybypost.com/viewtopic.php?f=20&t=6294]King of Suits[/url]) [b]In Brief:[/b] Son of recently-immigrated Peurto Ricans granted powers by the burgeoning national spirit of Puerto Rico, who uses his new-found abilities in defence of those most vulnerable to crime. A student at the Claremont Academy. [b]Alternate Identity:[/b] Subito Sondo [b]Identity:[/b] Secret [b]Birthplace:[/b] Puerto Rico, Adjuntas Municipality, Guayo Barrio [b]Occupation:[/b] Student, grocery store worker [b]Affiliations:[/b] Claremont Academy, Labor Union (Grocers) [b]Family:[/b] Pavor Sondo (Father), Broma Sondo (Mother), Galanta Sondo (Sister), Rodrigo Fuego (Cousin) [b]Description:[/b] [b]Age:[/b] 17 (July 5th, 1995) [b]Apparent Age:[/b] 19 [b]Gender:[/b] Male [b]Ethnicity:[/b] Latin American [b]Height:[/b] 5'6" [b]Weight:[/b] 184 lbs. [b]Eyes:[/b] Hazel [b]Hair:[/b] Dark Brown A stocky fellow, Subito nonetheless manages to look taller than he actually is by the practice of good posture and carriage, which he augments with thick-soled boots and a baseball cap. His hair is thick and curly, and long enough to nearly reach his ears, his eyes are spaced close together and are often shaded out of sight by the cap, and in the midst of strangers they have a narrow, suspicious look, though in the presence of friends they widen and sparkle with enthusiasm. His nose is short and broad, while his mouth is often turned slightly downward to help convey the message given by the eyes. His limbs are short, and he has rather large hands and feet for his age. he frequently wears white t-shirts and blue jeans. In his guise as the gaudy El Heraldo, he wears a brilliantly-colored and heavily-padded jacket. His pants are blue-and-red gold-checkered tights, and his feet are covered with heavy leather boots. A broad cloth bandanna around his head suffices to conceal his identity, with a sky blue feathered hat hat completing the bizarre costume. He carries in this guise a large flagpole, to which is bound the flag of Puerto Rico. [b][u]Power Descriptions:[/u][/b] El Heraldo's powers are signaled by a glow around Subito's body, which takes the rough form of an immense flag made of golden smoke. His powers are an extension of the national spirit he is the host of, which increased his physical power and hearing, as well as the power of flight and a slowly increasing range of powers related to communication. [b][u]History:[/u][/b] [spoiler]Subito Sondo was born in the year 1995 on the island protectorate of Peurto Rico, in the municipality of Adjuntas. His parents, Pavor and Broma, were lower-middle class artisans, specifically metalworkers. His sister was a bold and and terrifying champion of the oppressed for miles around in their town, and the rest of his family were the thunderous, solid people who usually went totally unnoticed in a crowd. Throughout his young life, Subito was surrounded by noise: cars, passing celebrants, loud arguments or even deafening conversations on engrossing topics all combined to make what he can recall of his life in Puerto Rico an endless din. As a result, he grew up expecting noise to be around him at all times, and was rarely dissapointed. Noise became for him a sort of sanctuary, a comforting indicator that all was well. Silence became a warning, a mark that something horrible or disagreeable had happened. His family had a good employ for 8 of Subito's years of life, but a sudden tragedy,the attack of the supervillain Mas Severas against a visit by the Allies of Justice to the municipality, which while it resulted in no loss of life did destroy the family's business. Leaving for Freedom City in 2003, the family got themselves well-ensconced in the Lincoln district, where some relatives helped them find open positions in the Fun-Time Toys factory still active near the docks. Glad for the gainful employment, Pavor and Broma managed to slowly but steadily raise their standard of living over the years, their children proceeding smoothly through school and all things considered life was good. When Subito turned 15 life continued to be good, even after Subito lied about his age to get a job at the same factory his parents worked at (a lie aided by his unusually strong and tall build), and on his first day he tried to catch a wroker who had leaned a bit too hard against an insufficiently-secured handrail, dozens of feet above vats of a solution that worked wonders keeping paint on surfaces, but was deathly hazardous to humans. Subito's footing failed him when he grabbed the other man around the waist, and both tumbled towards a certain death, the workers who could see the scene trying futilely to do something to help. Subito and the other man were abruptly stopped in mid-air, a few yards above the poisonous vat of blue mixture. Surprised, Subito looked up to behold a golden fog about him, and looking after a minute's hesitant experimentization, found he could move himself through the air. Carrying the other man back up to the catwalk, he realized that his strenth had been enhanced (and as he later learned, his endurance), his hearing incredibly sharpened, and that because of the latter he could hear clearly the furious argument being carried out between his parents, the union leaders, and the manager of the factory. Thankfully, the only negative thing that resulted from that episode was that he was merely fired for lying about his age. His family were too surprised, the union too grateful (both for the extra bargaining room and because nobody was hurt in that instance), and the management too furious to discover that one of Toy-Boy's subtler booby-traps had escaped their notice, for any graver punishement to befall him. Also adding to his sense of giddiness as he went to sleep that night was the quiet, insistent voice that grew louder in his sleep, trying to tell him something in Spanish about a meeting. He gave it no thought until later that night, when he was awoken by a gentle tap on his head, jumping out of bed to his feet, he was greeted by a vision of a Hispanic woman wearing blue armor, bearing a vast collection of weapons on her back, and riding a ram sheep, in the vision almost totally transparent. This apparition informed Subito that his family was in possession of an old battle-standard, bearing the coat-of-arms of Puerto Rico (the original flag having been destroyed in 1511), which had been used in nearly every successful battle involved in making Puerto Rico a Spanish holding since it had been made in 1500. As a result, a spirit of victory had attached itself to the banner, lending strength of will and protection from harm to those who held it. The spirt then told Subito that it had slowly grown over the ages, until it had become the national spirit of Puerto Rico, having melded with the ruling entities of the island's Taino tribes after their destruction by the Spanish colonists in the Taino rebellion. The infusion of the memories and power of the tribal spirits was a gigantic step on the Blue Dame's path to sapience. Over the years she (used for ease of reference, 'it' wasn't considered acceptable to her) had grown in knowledge and strength, but the various forces that fought for the island divided and weakened her over and over again. It was only now, when the island nation's sense of self was at another height, that she could empower an individual with her gifts as her herald. She told Subito that she had chosen him over his sister because of his more focused personality. Galanta, to the spirit's mind, while excellent material for a herald of hers was rather too concerned with fighting as an end to itself to give much thought to what the fighting was for. But, she warned the nearly gleeful Subito, she would not stand for any slacking in what she was entrusting to him. As he followed her directions to the hidden chest containing the banner, she told him that he would, to keep his powers, have to keep from acting selfishly or with his sole betterment in mind, and any reneging would be instantly punished. The chest was easy enough to find with the Blue Dame's instruction, and with little trouble he put it back together and took it to a nearby abandoned lot, where the Blue Dame taught him how to use the banner to don the traditional costume of a Herald of Puerto Rico. After a crash course on how to use his powers, the Blue Dame retired into the banner, telling Subito to hurry home, due to the extreme lateness of the hour, and that in the morning he would find the next step on his journey waiting for him. Subito slept soundly, and it took Galanta hauling him out of bed, seating him in a chair, and giving him a light cuff on the shoulder to wake him. He found himself staring into the piercing gaze of a narrow, darkly-clothed man with graying hair at the temples, the rest brown and cut short. The Raven II, Subito learned later, had an informant in the factory the accident had occurred in, and had told Summers about the bizarre incident the same day it had happened. The interview with Duncan Summers was short and painless, except for Broma and Pavor outdoing each other in tearfully telling Subito how he must remember to do what they would wish him to do at the bizarre school Summers was offerring to train him at. Galanta kept her peace, saying as much as their parents with a cold, narrow-eyed stare. After agreeing with Summers that it would be a great idea to learn how to use his powers correctly in a more controlled environment, little was left to do but pack and prepare for the autumn quarter.[/spoiler] [b][u]Personality & Motivation:[/u][/b] As El Heraldo, Subito acts as he thinks he ought to, doing his best to be just, kind, fair and honest as he knows how. He enjoys the anonymity of the mask, as it lets him be what he likes without repercussion on how he is viewed as Subito. Out of costume, he is loud, impetuous and full of gusto for whatever he does, having been brought up to see silence as suited only for holy or sorrowful occaisions. His morals are fairly straightforward, and he gives litle thought or time to the why of his ethics. He equates thinking with doing, incomprehending how somebody could think up things they might do, and never act on any of them, and has a hard time understanding how one philosophy or belief system being true doesn't negate the others' validity. On the other hand, he is loath to bring issues like that up in conversation, seeing them as interesting challenges to be overcome on one's own, and would never dream of trying to make people more like himself. [b][u]Powers & Tactics:[/u][/b] El Heraldo has limited resources and severe limits to his gifts, meaning he must take great care with whom and how he fights. As a profoundly heated individual, however, he is unlikely to do so, instead dashing into the fray with unmitigated aplomb and vigor, no matter how outmatched he might be, using the power of his standard to evoke hope for victory in any compatriots. [b][u]Complications:[/u][/b] [b]Power Loss:[/b] Subito is granted his powers only so long as he uses them for the benefit of others. If he uses them for the sole purpose of bettering himself, they shall be revoked. [b]Responsibility:[/b] Family. He feels honor-bound to serve his family's needs above his own. [b]Secret:[/b] Identity. While he always has his powers, he knows his family is largely defenseless. [b]Underaged:[/b] Subito isn't a legal adult, with all the restrictions that come with that condition. [b]The Who-What Now?:[/b] Subito has almost no idea who's who or what's what in the complex world of jet-powered apes and time travel he's gotten himself into. Feel free to blindside him. [b]What are you wearing?!:[/b] El Heraldo's garb is..distinctive, to say the least, and it's flashiness is fertile ground for misconceptions, easy recognition by enemies, and being nearly impossible to sneak in. [b][u]Abilities:[/u][/b] 10 + 4 + 10 + 2 + 0 + 8 = 34PP Strength: 28/20 (+9/+5) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 10 (+0) Charisma: 18 (+4) [b][u]Combat:[/u][/b] 10 + 8 = 18PP Initiative: +2 Attack: +5 Base, +9 Unarmed Grapple: +18/+14, +21 w/Super-STR Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -7/-2 [b][u]Saving Throws:[/u][/b] 2 + 3 + 8 = 13PP Toughness: +12 (+5 Con, +1 Protection (Costume), +6 Protection (Dame's Ward); [Impervious 8/0]) Fortitude: +7 (+5 Con, +2) Reflex: +5 (+2 Dex, +3) Will: +8 (+0 Wis, +8) [b][u]Skills:[/u][/b] 36R = 9PP Diplomacy 6 (+10) Intimidate 4 (+8) Knowledge(Civics) 2 (+3) Knowledge (Current Events) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Popular Culture) 4 (+5) Knowledge(Tactics) 2 (+3) Languages 2 (English, Latin, Spanish [Native]) Notice 4 (+4) Sense Motive 8 (+8) [b][u]Feats:[/u][/b] 19PP Accurate Attack Attack Specialization (Unarmed) 2 Dodge Focus 4 Interpose Inspire 4 Leadership Luck 3 Move-by Action Power Attack Quick Change 1 [b][u]Powers:[/u][/b] 29 + 16 + 2 + 4 + 6 = 57PP [b]Herald's Charge 6[/b] (30PP Container [Active, Sustained], Drawback: Noticeable [Banner of Light]) [29PP] [equip][b]Enhanced Strength 8[/b] (to 28 [+9]) [8PP] [b]Flight 3[/b] (50mph / 500ft per Move Action) [6PP] [b]Protection 6[/b] [6PP] (Dame's Ward) [b]Super-Strength 3[/b] (Light Load: 1 1/2 tons; Power Feat: Super-Breath) [7PP] [b]Strike 2[/b](Power Feats: Mighty)[3PP][/equip] [b]Device 5[/b] (Bandera de la Victoria [Banner of Victory]; 30PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose; Power Feats: Restricted 1 [Magic Users]) [16PP] [device][b]Emotion Control 9[/b] (Flaws: Limited [Hope]) [9PP] [b]Feature 1[/b] (Repair Clothes) [1PP] [b]Impervious Toughness 8[/b] [8PP] [b]Protection 1[/b] [1PP] (Costume) [b]Trip 10[/b] (Extras: Knockback; Flaws: Range (Touch); Power Feats: Improved Trip) [10PP][/device] [b]Comprehend 1[/b] (Languages [understand all spoken]) [2PP] [b]Immunity 4[/b] (Cold, Drowning, Pressure, Poison) [4PP] [b]Super-Senses 4[/b] (Auditory; Accurate, Counters Concealment, Extended 2 [1,000' Notice Increments]) [6PP] [b][u]Drawbacks:[/u][/b] -2PP [b]Vulnerability [/b](Sonic Powers, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Moderate [x1.5]) [-2PP] [b][u]DC Block:[/u][/b] [code]ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 24/20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Bandera Perception DC 15 Will Hope Super-Breath Area [Cone] STR/DEX vs Opposed at +9 Trip Strike Touch DC26/22 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Trip Touch STR/DEX vs Opposed at +10 Trip Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (12) + Skills (9) + Feats (18) + Powers (57) - Drawbacks (2) = 147/147 Power Points Doktor'd!

GM Omen didn't have to wait for long after his arrival at the appointed destination. In a few minutes a grey Volkswagen Golf rolled past, with the license plate precisely as 'ATHENA' had described it. It was heading serenely down Caniff St., cruising through intersections with simply uncanny timing towards the Waterfront. It was surprisingly easy to keep the vehicle in view as it drove along, at last arriving near the mooring of a large container ship, where two longshoremen were loitering. Out of it two men and two women appeared, carrying bulky briefcases and dressed in subdued colors with a vaguely formal cut. After a short discussion with them and the exchange of keys, the longshoremen got into the car and drove away quickly from the docks. The four then began to approach the ramp leading up to the ship's deck. Another rumble, another message from 'ATHENA': Stop them. Get what they have in the briefcases. Bring them back to Freedom Medical Center. Capt. Maddicks frowned slightly "Glad you approve, Mr. Gabriel. If you can think of ways to draw attention to yourself and away from the people that need to get in there, I'm all for it. That and getting those people to see reason would frankly be pretty invaluable." He jotted down some slight notes on the portion of the map covering the steps.

2 ranks removed from Disable Device, put to Knowledge(Galactic Lore).

Morris looked deeply relieved at Gabriel's words. "Thank you, sir. Uh, I mean Gabriel. You sure you're not a knight?" he asked tentatively. At the series of questions he winced "They live somewhere else in the Southside, I couldn't find out where, though. They were quite vague about their housing arrangements to each other. What you could do" he said eagerly, getting to his feet "is ask Mrs. Scallop a few questions. She owns Double Decker, she's the one they were blackmailing. I'm sure she would gladly accept any help in this, if they carry out their threats she'll be ruined!" Wave-Eye somehow rolled his eyes, saying with a cold smirk "Or perhaps she will send us to those wolves, saving herself and getting into the graces of her blackmailers." To Gabriel he bowed with surprising grace and said more warmly "A pleasure to meet you as well, Gabriel. I assume your chosen title and your powers have some connection to the mighty spirit of whom so much is said?" he eyes and scales gleamed in the moonlight.

Wave-Eye was still there, spined fists bloodied from a short tussle with a mugger who had tried to attack a young family going through the park. Gnawing on a fish he had caught in the water, he waved idly to the two human scientists. "You were successful, I guess? Well done. Victory has not returned yet" he added, gesturing to the sky "hopefully he will be here soon. I quite like him." He grinned widely "He reminds me of many soldiers from before." Tossing some of the bones into the nearby pond, he stretched out on the grass to wait, his armor arranged neatly beside him.

GM "Not in the least, Ms...errr..Young Britannia!" Director Schultz replied after a moment's uncertainty. Waving her over to the map-covered table he gestured to the neat red dots penciled into the blueprint of the city hall roof "Those are the locations of the gunmen OVERTHROW has stationed on the roof". "Of course, there's much better equipment in the trucks we came here in, but we though it would be best to figure on the preliminary method of dealing with this issue right out here. Tell 'em what we've got, Mr. Maddicks" this was addressed to the imposing 40-something police Captain and director of the STARs, who gave the assembled heroes a critical once-over and took out a small black pen to jab at the map for emphasis. "What we've 'got' as Mr. Schultz puts it, is more or less what he just told you. Those guys with the rocket-propelled grenade launchers are a serious hassle for any kind of attack we could mount, and the snipers on the roof mean we have little luck getting them out any time soon. What we've 'got' is an idea that if we send a negotiation team to lure out their leaders, we can send a four-man team through this decorative grove here" he sketched out a series of dotted lines around a small path through the gardens that ringed the otherwise cool and austere federal building "we can catch the their artillery off-guard, while putting our own gunmen in position to take out their snipers. The arrival of your four, however, makes that that much easier. What I propose is this: Gabriel, you lead the negotiation team and use those magic powers of yours make the terrorists see reason. You, Silver Spider? While that's going on, I want you to find a way to sneak inside. Mr. al-Mi-...Asad, Young Britannia, you two seem to be flashy even for supers. You keep the attention of those terrorist bastards squarely on yourselves as long as you can and give Silver as much breathing room as possible. Any of you got a different idea?" After the last jab at the paper he looked almost challengingly at the heroes, his short black hair gleaming in the sunlight that got through the heavy cloud cover.

Pretty much. I just need to finish his preliminary stats first. Apologies.

He's some kind of aquatic super, possibly a deformed Atlantean. He uses a conch shell to manipulate and create water that he uses in battle, and has been noticed to seem like he's speaking several different languages at once. He has been spotted in the northern Atlantic several times in the past helping ships get to shore and rescuing sailors.

GM The group of law enforcement officers gathered around the table were just getting to an agreement on a plan to deal with the terrorists when the heroes arrived. "Ah, Gabriel! Just the man we wanted to see!" exclaimed one of the suits, a severe-looking man with iron-grey hair and a surprisingly warm smile. Shaking the super's hand he went on "We've been trying to work out some kind of deal with the terrorists, but as you might imagine they take our very willingness to talk as a sign that we're weakening" he nodded to the other suits and police officers before stopping and turning back to him "Oh, Harlan Schultz, director of the local branch of the FBI, we-" he was cut off abruptly when the Silver Spider landed on the SWAT van behind the two, starting in surprise and taking a few seconds to recollect himself. "Glad to have your help, miss. We need every hand available to get in there and free those hostages! Not that the OVERTHROW goons are calling them that, of course" his smile took on a cold edge "We have caught glimpses of some snipers on the roof, and from what we've gathered so far there are some guys hidden behind the inner columns with RPGs. If you can get past them you shouldn't have much trouble with the more lightly-armed men. Now, if you can get inside, you'll need to keep out of sight as much as possible so they don't get antsy and start shooting people to make you surrender. I've known them to do that." By the time Asad arrived, Director Schultz was more prepared for people falling from the sky. "That we do, Mr. al-Misri. We've got a lot of people here that need rescuing" he said briskly, shaking him by the hand as well, and showing him the map so far. "As you can see, most areas of entry into the City Hall is pretty heavily guarded. I've heard you can absorb physical impacts, think you could take some of the heat off of Silver Spider?" Omen's phone suddenly buzzed to life, the ID saying only 'ATHENA', who had sent him a text message: Go three blocks to the south, watch for a grey car with the license plate AOS-500. Follow it.

Nope, she's got brown hair in all the photos Jay has seen. And the description doesn't ring any bells for him. Spain is a common wintering spot for British villains, but none of the female ones he knows of have white hair.

"'Remember that you shall die'? A grim saying, Eliza" the triton commented, though with a smile of dour approval. He opened his mouth again to ask how such a device was made on land when he felt a sudden, massive disturbance in the reverberations of the water, the feeling that something incredibly vast was moving nearby and a powerful sense of impending doom. He heard the scream and turned sharply, a claw reaching for the conch at his side while his eyes searched for the source of the cry. Then he heard and felt the rush of water. "Teeth of Tlaloc" he breathed as he stared in horror at the universally-feared beast of the oceans majestically appearing in a throne of water. "'Head it off'! Are you mad?! Do you even-ah, of course not" he subsided after the initial outburst with a sigh, launching to his feet and marching into the sea. With a flash, his legs joined together into a powerful tail tipped with a dragon's arrowhead. Treading water with slow waves of that limb, he stared at his and Eliza's enemy. "Bah, this would happen just a decade after I sold my orichalcum arms and harness. If I see that merchant again, I will strike him."

GM The huge man stared at Gabriel for a few seconds, jaw dropping at the brief speech and its more salient details. Stepping backwards he plowed unconsciously through the chain-link fence behind him, starting at the sound of tearing metal before saying "Yeah, screw that" and dashing off into the night, hurling himself into the air and soaring over the rooftops out of distance. The older man stared at the shining figure who had scared off his tormentor "Ah-I..." he coughed heavily, still not recovered from having the air pushed straight out of his lungs. Collapsing partially to the ground despite his supporting wall, he managed to gasp out "Th-thank you sir. My name is..." he struggled to pull in another breath, finally getting his lungs working properly again and saying much more strongly "my name is Morris Cheval, I work for a small shipping company around here. A few weeks ago I heard about this new place that needed experience hands called 'Double-Decker', and I figured that I might as well get a little extra hours in. Times are pretty tight Mr...uh, Gabriel, you know?" he said glumly, apparently knowing a little more about the superhero than his would-be murderer did "I needed to pay for the rent somehow. Anyway," he sighed and sat down while still looking in gloomy awe at the divine champion "I go there for work, everything seemed alright for the first two weeks, then just a few days back these..people showed up. The woman who runs the place claimed they were heroes from the Midwest, but I was suspicious. I started hanging around after hours and listening to her talk with them in her office. Horribly, I was right: they're villains! They got driven out by some kind of hero group way west of here, and they're laying low while they blackmail the boss. In the meanwhile they're using her company to get themselves some supplies to make a doomsday device or whatever it is they want." He hung his head "I was caught a few hours back, but managed to run. Then..this happened" he waved at the ruined fence nearby.