Ari

The only response for several seconds was a wave of pure, unfiltered glee. Then a voice strong and clear as a bell answered. 'I am the Silver Shadow! I and my subordinates have come from beyond this world to learn of your plans for this one! Many powers have we judged, and many have fallen short, we come before you now to know your true heart!' Gesturing grandly to the woman beside her, Hyperslice glanced briefly at the other members of the investigation team. Too late to turn back now. 'This innocent was taken by the people of this land to be slain, accused of using unlawful powers. I have heard that the Anointer of Olaya is merciful and wise, and so will give her over to your custody if you promise her good treatment.' Demanding anything of someone with so much obvious power was a risky move, but that might also help give the impression of being on an equal footing. Now, for the truth... 'That city, what do you intend to do with its people? They cannot hope to defeat even you, let alone your army.'

GM Jay's grin could only be described as 'there'. "Right here!" she sang out, stepping up to the folding gate and reaching for the the padlock holding it shut. A sheering of metal, a rattle of the cage as it was drawn back, and the inner door was their only barrier. Jay blithely stepped up to it, testing the lever-like handle. "Locked," she said with a hint of glee "lovely." Grabbing the door handle with one hand and putting a foot on the door frame, Jay gave a savage pull, rewarded as the handle and its lock tore free of its moorings in an explosion of wood and paint chips. Rearing back, the demon kicked the door in with obvious relish. The portal smashed open to reveal the mission's main room, a cavernous space whose homely round windows and warm wood furnishings had been solace for thousands of souls over its long tenure. The tables and chairs were gone, but the room wasn't empty: a knot of five men in suits stood in the center. From the look of things they had been talking, but the door banging open had alerted them. Handguns gleamed on their hips. One of them, sour-faced and with a thin mustache, called out "Hey! Who d'you think you are? Mission's closed, get lost!"

@olopi Tell me more about your Elysian plans.

Danica will be the one laughing when the royals and Dangers have to take room and board on her World Turtle.

I feel more broadly that theme of loss and recovery could be a good thing for the new Claremont class. After all, one of the common recurring legacy hero deals is often needing to break from the past in some way, and while Freedom City's weird angle on legacy heroes is to have there not be any except for all these specific lines that could be useful for storytelling. The famous name being a liability, the sure thing crumbling right when you needed it most. Most Claremont classes haven't had to deal with that outside a few individuals, like the first Young Freedom's stories with Edge and Midnight.

Well, there's the obvious choice of doing globe-trotting, all the sins and weirdness of Earth-Prime's past coming to a head with this generation, barely setting foot in the United States because why would anyone want to do that. That could be even in conjunction with the defeat of the next Operation: Inundation, as SHADOW operatives try to destabilize the world to make it easier for people to accept the prospect of a total takeover by zombies in Nazi suits. Also tying into that theme of going far afield, hatching a plan to rescue Mentat and Andrea Atom from the depths of the Terminus' X-Isle. Alternatively, stumbling upon the Metroverse and getting embroiled in the biggest crime syndicate in the cosmos, its talons leading all the way to Earth and a slowly growing number of privately-owned superhuman prisons whose inmates are intended to create an omniverse-spanning army able to strike and retreat at will anywhere and anytime imaginable. How about all of them, for their own reasons, needing to discard their famous names, titles and prestigous positions forever in the name of the common good?

Sense Motive check to try and discern what manner of brave new god has come to vanquish the forces of evil with his serpopard-like virility: 15. Pretty good for Skirris!

Upon seeing her nominal superiors heading to meet the onrushing meteor of indescribable fate, Skirris whisked the smaller native onto her back and launched the pair of them into the air. She kept slow, to make sure both that her passenger didn't fall of as well as give her the chance to properly appreciate the sight and sensation of the world she knew dropping and shrinking even as the horizon expanded. Hyperslice well remembered that day she first discovered the magic of flight, it wasn't something to waste. But as she flew up, up and up, and the army below and before her simply grew and grew, she started to have second thoughts about this plan. Started being the key word. They were never finished. With a whoop, Hyperslice dove down, a silver streak of light hurtling for the new-born star! Softly, almost without sound, Skirris landed before the Anointer, gently putting her charge down next to her. She tried to look through the radiance, to see the hero come to liberate the planet of Kolast. She raised one powerful claw, nails spread to show she was weaponless and meant no harm. Hopefully that would be understood.

GM Scion's fist *whanged* off of the breastplate, drawing a derisive snort from her doppelganger. This close, and with less to distract, it was odd how her suit seemed to mirror not a real Greek hoplite but the aesthetically-ancient Greek but structurally and mechanically modern suits worn by the armored genius Daedalus. There was even a very stretchable and breathable undersuit visible around the joints and joins of the metal contraption. As well, the graphic carvings had anything but a hand-made look, with the sleek and precise inscriptions giving more an impression of something machine-etched into the armor. "Suit's courtesy of Gordon Unlimited, but they don't have the U where you live, do they? Otherwise, how could you walk out the door in that?" Her off-hand suddenly lashed out, a corona of unfamiliar wine-white light coating it, A second later the all-too familiar sensation of whirling, unfolding and gut-wrenching collapse began to tear through Scion's mind, the struggle to hold onto sanity growing more desperate as Dionysus's power flooded her soul!

DC27 Toughness save: 22, rerolling:(+1HP to Scion): 31. DC21 Grapple check: 22. Her turn: Move Action Trick(-4 to Bluff roll) to try and get Scion to waste her own Move Action arguing with her, Standard Action to fire a mind-bolt of Confuse at Scion, DC20 Will save. Bluff roll: 16. -4 makes that a DC12 Bluff/Will/Sense Motive check.

OOC thread for this thread. Demigodfight. @Moira Morley Roll Initiative, please. Paragons-Moira: 4.

GM March 15th, 2018, 2.37AM The Battle Roil, the Red Waste, the Well of Rage Moira was very rudely yanked from a dream as she was flung through space. A strange, powerful hand had her by the wrist and Moira could feel something large, metallic and bulky behind her. The air whistled around her ears and a great black sky stretched from horizon to horizon, broken up by the distant silhouettes of towering spires of red rock. Vast mesas and dark canyons broke up the dreary expanses of red tableland that otherwise ran as far as her eyes could see. With a jolt the hand securing her whipped out savagely, sending Moira hurtling towards one of the mesas, the pillar of rock rushing to meet her! Moira for just a moment looked into eyes just like hers, in a face just like hers. As she sped towards the ground she saw that this doppelganger was wearing an ornate suit of brassy armor covered with decorative figure inlays featuring scenes of love and war. She heard her own voice shouting down after her. "Let's do this, you sloppy piece of copyright infringement! Let's see how comic-book Scion deals with the real thing!" From her back swung golden wings, and with a roar the other Moira came racing for her twin!

At last! B'Ka leapt to the Star Knight's side....and crashed into another Squire, the two going down in a metal ball of yells, swinging cosmically-powered fists and crackling lances of energy as the Squires struggled furiously to disentangle. Kicking savagely out at the other, eel-like student, B'Ka accidentally activated his armor's propulsion system and careened into the tower head-first. For a moment he hung there, dangling helplessly, stunned by the impact, before peeling away and landing with a *THUD* back on the parade grounds, where he lay insensible. Suddenly the young bull lurched to his feet and marched up to Star Knight Darvo, long, jerky steps guiding the bronzy Squire beside his now-mentor. "Greetings. Sri B'Ka is recovering from the impact, onboard AI will record this briefing for when he is able to fully process the information. He is already mostly-fine, please proceed." "Y-yeah I'm fine," B'Ka's voice mumbled, "Sorry, S'rroth!" he hollered over to the Squire he'd hit "I'll make it up to you later, I promise!" S'rroth paused in their slithering to meet their own Star Knight, glancing askance at B'Ka "That will not be necessary, don't mention it. Please."

I agree, but it's a pretty big PP sink and it doesn't seem to be tied to the character's background and style, so it isn't something real integral to the build.

One thing, Tor, is that your balance of Base Defence Bonus and Dodge Focus is really, unnecssarily high on the base's side. Did she have real extensive training in fighting or something?

WE LOVE YOUUUUUUUU

"We feel terrible." Dol-Druth attempted to rise...and flopped heavily onto his back, panting furiously and blowing like a breaching whale. "That is not an option," he declared at last after a weary minute of catching his breath "but it would be against our principles to demand you walk while you carry us. Can that mechanism encompass its wielder in its effect? It is worth an experiment." "As for what to do next...this room holds nothing of further use. The door is gone, this area is a great enormous heap of gaudy trash and the only known exit is through the ceiling and back into the maze. Once there we will use our powers to blast through the walls until we find another exit and hopefully a thick pile of moss." Dol-Druth closed his bloodshot eyes "If there is some business involving the Terminus afoot, we should keep our lips sealed until we reach the palace. We do no good spreading tales before we find the proper ears. Can we trust you on this, Sri Lockwood? We do admit we also rely entirely on your cooperation and goodwill, but that aside are we in accord?"

In step alongside Squire Kath'lana, B'Ka held his head high and eyes forward, certain all eyes were on him. Halting for the Star Knight to unlock his armor, the muscular khered bowed his head slightly in bottomless thanks. In a flash and a hissing rattle of matter solidifying out of energy, deep bronze plates assembled themselves, casting the already towering bull into an even more imposing silhouette. He stepped into formation beside Lana with perfect posture and poise, looking up at the appearance of Sri Koor with the utmost reverence. Koor wasn't as young as he used to be(a turn of phrase B'Ka was still puzzling over), and his place in the Inner Circle had come after a long and storied career. Up there was standing everything B'Ka hoped to achieve. This was the year he would become a Knight. Then the years of trials that every recruit knew about, joining forces with the greatest company of heroes the universe had ever seen, battling back the forces of darkness and tyranny wherever they lurked, harnessing the might of the cosmos for the sake of defending the weak! Already B'Ka could see his path to the very balcony on which Sri Koor stood, the great evils he would destroy, the petty system lords to be brought down. He would defeat BlackStar himself in combat, end the line of the Khans forever, find the fabled Black Land and regrow his horns with draughts from the sacred River of Blood. B'Ka shifted his footing, seeing nothing but the coming glory: smashing Gruen Prime, overthrowing the crime lords, winning his kind new worlds to settle. And at the end of it all, a white robe and a place alongside the other greats, who would look upon him as an equal and worthy of all honors. 'No! I didn't hear his words of wisdom!' Wretchedly, B'Ka burst into the Oath with all speed. "For honor, justice, truth and right, evil beware-the true Star Knight!" As the echoing voices died down and the new Star Knight appeared to decide the fates of the Squires, B'Ka seemed to shrink inside his armor. He didn't dare look away, but that didn't make the suspense any easier to bear.

GM "Oh, yay!" The demon's face was a picture of pure joy "We're going to have so much fun!" Still beaming, she snapped her fingers. With a sickening jolt, the pair were standing outside the scrolling, solemn edifice that was Our Lady of Mercy Mission of Freedom City. It was lit with the soft, golden glow that had illuminated the building for over a century. The light washed over the faces of the crowd outside in the gentle, even snowfall, a crowd in threes and twos staring glumly at the sign on the door. Some of the nearer looked glumly at Jessica and Jay, but lost interest quickly. From the piles of backpacks, bags and carts strewn long the block, this hadn't been expected by anyone. For over a hundred years the doors had been opened, not blocked off with a steel cage and hung with a sign saying THIS MISSION IS CLOSED "Don't worry, folks!" Jay hollered out, gesturing grandly to Jessica "Me and her will have this place open again in a jiffy! Lead on, m'lady!" she added to Jessica with what the damned soul could have sworn was a twinkle somewhere in the depths of her dark eyes. Her words were electric. Up and down the street people whooped and cheered, some of them huddling closer to clap Jessica on the back, or tearfully shake her hand, a few even trying desperately not to embrace her in sheer relief.

Dol-Druth stirred. His eyes cracked open slowly, great white orbs gradually overtaken by black as the membrane was peeled back from the alien's visual receptors. Slowly, and with difficulty, the Speaker mumbled "Goauld mrnrnarngen, Luckvoof." He blinked, ponderously, eyes swiveling methodically in his skull as the manymind examined their surrounds "Were we out long? We appear to be a great distance from the door." Belatedly, his eyes lit on the wand. The Speaker frowned-and instantly smoothed their expression with a grumble of pain. The gash wasn't too wide, yet, but even a shift of the skin was agony. "What is that?" He pointed one pudgy hand at the slim device. "And that?" He pointed the other at the smeared image on the wall "The wording is reminiscent of Terminus cults found on this planet. 'Oblivion for Omega' is a common prayer."

GM After several seconds of uninterrupted glare, the voices broke in again. "Nothing? They should have woken up." "Shall we increase the intensity?" "No, human eye structure is too weak to take even this for long. We'd blind him. What really surprises me is the alien, they're from a subterranean species, ought to have been shocked out of this by now." The light began to fade. "Keep a watch. They may say something. Anything that helps us find the Eye of Oblivion is a step closer to our goal. Now, they'll be wondering what happened to Thetis. I have to get back to the other guests. Await me." The light faded entirely, and with it the door. In its place was a crude carving on a salt-stained cave wall of a hedron's outline, with words written above it: Give Us Oblivion

Spinning around with far more power than grace, B'Ka straightened up smartly and snapped a salute, subtly easing his powerful body in front of the dent he had pounded into the door. With his head. It wasn't that the dent was something easy to notice. It was ten centimeters across and two deep. Which was the problem. I have to look cool in front of the uppersquires, or I'm out of the herd Though that was a little difficult, seeing as she could summon her armor at will and he needed the say-so of a fully-trained Star Knight for his. "Ah! Fellow Squire Kath'lana! I see you have been hard at work! I also have been. Just not on the plains." B'Ka rubbed one horn stump against the wall "The grass is too soft, can't get any traction for a decent charge." Swinging one muscular arm down the hall, barely avoiding clipping another Squire in the face, the khered bowed his head slightly. "After you." Falling in behind her right shoulder, B'Ka went on "Who's training us? Sri Gana? Sri Solarus? Maybe Sri Montoya?"

GM Jay looked thoroughly shocked. "Oh, nothing like that!" The demon shuddered "That only happens to the ones that try to escape, anyway, we try to give our clients the best possible care." Picking up a discarded sock and examining it with a critic's eye she went on "And you have the right of it, Miss Witchblood. Quality over quantity is the way of Hell, it doesn't do anyone any ill if we just sweep up a lot of dull, complacent souls no, our economy runs on real evil, on the kind of sins you can really shudder righteously at their mere mention!" Tossing it carelessly aside, Jay grinned merrily at Jessica "No, in fact, today I was thinking we could visit that Catholic mission down in Southside. You know the one, with all the nuns and the soup kitchen? Does a body good to see them at work."

Thanks durf! Those are all great ideas. Will work on it when I have the chance. @angrydurf But one thing: would the Medium Flaw be readily accepted on such a broad range of powers?

"Armor....ACTIVATE!" B'Ka stood motionless, his brawny arms stuck out at 90 degrees from his body, big soft eyes squeezed tightly shut, his titanic musculature quivering in concentration. ~"Armor lock engaged. Armor will not deploy without authorization. This will continue for 30 more cycles or until student receives permission from-"~ "Fine! I get it!" Snorting through his sensitive nose, the khered stumped out of his quarters and into the hall. And into the mill of seemingly countless other students. The bullish boy topped most of them by a head at least, but that didn't make them any more easy to be around. B'Ka was from the rural pastures and fields of Netypayatet, where if he was really lucky he would meet five new people a year. Ever since he had first arrived it seemed like just turning around was dangerous, something could be lurking and waiting to strike with terrifying novelty. Even worse, everyone knew why he was one of the tiny handful of Squires not allowed to activate their armor unsupervised. But he had a job to do. Today, he could ignore the kindly half-smiles, the well-meaning words of encouragement and the earnest compliments for his willingness to take risks! Marching up to Squire Kath'lana's door, the hornless man-bull gave what for him was a sharp and brisk rap-tap. What it was to anyone else was a mighty *THUD* "Hey, Lana? You ready?" No answer. "Hey Lana!" He paused, ears flicking slightly as they dipped to the door. He decided to try again. "Lanaaaaaaaaaaa!"