Ari
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Freedom City Guidebook
Freedom City PBP: A How-To Guide
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Everything posted by Ari
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GM With a small hiss of joy, the rattlesnake reared up and pounced on the offered prey, disentangling itself from Pitch to better kill and devour the luckless animal. Jane shrugged, the brief flicker of life going out "Not much. Up until last year our biggest draw was how close to the Canyon we are. Then the boom happened," she gestured with a tanned, arm to the spread of factories and warehouses spilling off of the road "right before Ambrose up and vanished, and suddenly people come from all over to work or buy stuff from there. The town owns it all, too, so we get a cut. Nothin' as exciting as oil, but it's welcome." Glancing back at the trio, her eyes suddenly lit on something over their shoulders, and she sighed wearily "Just a minute, some of those Phoenix kids are trying to edge closer again, I'll go handle 'em." And indeed, several of the university party had detached from the camp in the trees, and were approaching the ritual site. Jane squared her shoulders and marched off to confront them, her boots crackling on the dry grass and fallen twigs. Meanwhile, Tazel had stirred to life again. Well, more life. 'This is fascinating, Carmen. Really, small-town economics was my favorite subject in Hell School, but is it really important? I, for one, think our rattle-tailed friend's mention of a 'big shiny thing' making kebab out that scaled cretin is a little telling. Get the bossy one in the hat to repeat the spell, and you'll see why we should just leave this alone.'
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GM Crimson Tiger & Kit Watching Tona go, the stern-faced camp leader shrugged and turned to the red-headed thief. "Shadows are plentiful in this world, especially in years when the Devouring Coil is turned away from us. The pines surrounding our camp are thick enough for this job, and we can stretch blankets in the lower branches too...." nodding slowly, the grim woman turned to a worn cabinet, searching through a pile of cloth, arrows and paper "As for maps, I have a rough one a scout made two Coil-turns ago, so recent enough to work. And this compass at least points...almost due north..." Soon, the already bustling village was a quiet, yet almost frantic, hive of activity. The people hadn't needed to be told twice to travel light, and as the news raced through the resistance camp some families almost happily dumped their possessions in heaps so they could get into the shady ring of evergreens quicker. Fires were put out with hardly a whiff of smoke, the small herd of oxen were brought to safety by their doting owner, and in mere minutes where a small village had once been was nothing but a patch of forest. Even the things thrown away had been hidden. In the darkness of a thick stand of oaks twisting out of a boulder, Leda crouched with the other elders and the two Claremonters. She was waiting silently, but eagerly, for the jump to freedom. And somewhere far off, a dreadful thrumming resounded, growing steadily nearer. Now all they needed was for Blue Jay and Blodeuwedd to return. "Zelle," murmured a low voice near Mali's ear, turning out to be from a lean young man "What...can you tell us about where we are going?" he was trying to play it cool, but a light of hope shone in his eyes. "Petro," he added, offering a callused hand. Blodeuwedd & Blue Jay The redwoods were close enough that it only took Tona a short dash to get there, and finding them by the soft tingling as she got nearer made it almost fun despite the urgency. As she came within shouting distance though, a flicker of movement in the forest caught her eye. A flash of dull bronze among the green and brown. Almost immediately afterward, there came a tell-tale whirring and clanking, faint, but unmistakable. And like noticing the movement of an ant makes you aware of all the others swarming in the grass, Blue Jay realized that dozens of the glints could be made out among the trunks and bushes. They were moving steadily eastward, and almost creeping by automaton standards. From her perch higher up, Blodeuwedd could now clearly make out the square and matte-black machine rumbling over the forest, a blocky maw glaring orange at the front, and the flashes of light and glints of red-white as the Omegadrones wheeled around it like a flock of hideous death-birds. The convoy was curving away to the south, and looked like it was going to miss the village, but it was still deadly close. The roving red orbs on its underside weren't too comforting either, nor the pale rays they emitted at regular intervals.
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GM "I think so!" the rattlesnake slithered over Pitch's boots, sniffing curiously at the smell of treated cow hide "When Big Brother appeared, he was talking to somebody, they smelled like that black rock humans put everywhere in the sands. Big Brother was all "I want to eat that town!" and the other was all "Nooooo, I want your soul!", and then there was this big flash of light! Then I saw that Big Brother was dead. There was this big shiny thing sticking through him, but it melted when the Day Spear shone on it. Can I have a lizard?" Coiling around Pitch's left ankle, the snake looked up at her with wide, piercing eyes. It was almost puppylike. "Nah, no signature" Jane told Nick evenly "but they got the same handwriting, really blocky and straight. Almost cut through the paper. We get a few every couple of months, warning us not to do somethin' or go somewhere. Only got one other like this one though, back in April. Came in the day before something was spotted near the river mouth. They've been good advice and go straight to the mayor somehow, so we guess whoever's sending them is on the level" An expression flickered in her eyes for the first time "There somethin' to this? Some kind of mystic sign?"
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Something along the lines of "King Cole is a crime boss whose motif and style of weaponry and themed henchmen seems borrowed from the 40s and 50's Crime League member(old fairy tales and Aesop fables), not much of a team player and seemed to come out of nowhere a few years ago. He's more of a competitor with organized crime like the Mafia than a classic supervillain."
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As mentioned last night, I'm radically rewriting that post. But yes, it's about 50ft. from each side to its opposite. The fountain is in the rough center, under a hole in the cavern ceiling. And In'Dego Zefir is, say, eight feet from him. As he will be in a future time, once the Retcon takes place.
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"I'll ask you later, then. Night, Mitch." Osprey got a talon-fingered arm free, raised it over his head, and drove it down hard enough to crack the floor next to Mitchell's head. The very air seemed to still in quiet awe. He stared into the other man's soulless eyes "Not a word of that to anyone." Drawing back into his human form, wings receding and beak twisting back into a human face, he hastily took a useful length of binding wire from his belt. Trussing the arms dealer up with any kind of security wasn't much of a challenge, considering the man wasn't even fighting by this point, but it still felt to the avian avenger like it took far too long. Leaving Mitchell behind a convenient sofa, Osprey leaped out the window and rolled onto the lawn below. "What happened?" he asked Foreshadow bluntly, eying the wounded Cuckoo and wreckage.
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Well, since he's playing hard to threaten, Full-Round Action to knock him out: 11. HAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! Oh Osprey, you are having the worst night. Can he shift out of bird-man form without losing the Grapple, and use his Snare to tie up Mitchell, then go see about that gunfire outside?
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GM "Unless the water passes your lips, I cannot bring understanding along with the knowledge, but I will tell what I can." The pool's waters burbled, the light in its depths growing stronger until it shone like a heavenly spotlight, despite not seeming to reach even halfway to the hole in the ceiling. Despite its brilliance not changing from a cold white glare, each of the three saw the same vivid images: a tower of red stone on a moonlit hill, a head like a purple-skinned elf's with unkempt white hair and a haggard expression, and a multifaceted gem that absorbed the pool's light rather than reflecting it. "The one you hunt for is doing all this for that stone. Though what it has to do with that Ring, or me, I cannot say. Also..." the outlines of three figures appeared, moving toward the red tower "...these others are going to him. From what you say and I have seen, this is not wise."
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Knowledge(Streetwise) check to see what the King of Suits knows about King Cole. Using Skill Mastery to get a result of 24.
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Concealing as best he could the difficulty of keeping his balance while nursing an aching ribcage and being dragged to the floor, Marceau glared down at Carl. '"Never pulls the trigger but he pulls all the strings"? Really?' But while the costumed crimefighter had ample room to dispute the luckless gunman's turn of phrase, there wasn't as much to maneuver with the warning. In a way, the messenger was the really scary part. Any ten-franc crime boss could play the hero killer game, hire Recall with his matchless memory, Coda with his astounding arsenal, or even the dreaded Orion. Then there were the Puissantes, those with powers. To send someone like this wretch, who was almost bound to fail and blab their employer's name...it would be like trying to attack the Atom Family by sending someone with a knife with your name on it. A sign of either supreme confidence or total dismissal of the target as a threat. 'Of course,' thought the King of Suits as he tried to extricate his cape-hem from Carl's desperate clinging 'would have been nice to merit a visit from one of those thugs for such a warning. I really must be pretty low-grade if this is what I get. And King Cole...' he stopped trying to escape for a moment as he cast about for who that name belonged to.
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Now now horngeek, he did say 'everyone's favourite'. So that rules out Iceland. More seriously, good to have you aboard, MindMessiah. Thunder King said all that really needs to be said, but let me add the Great Rule: play what you want to play. If the concept has issues or won't be(trust the Moderators on that, they are pretty well-versed in how things work here, what fits and doesn't) much fun, don't take it personally, the goal here is to enjoy making up stories about superheroes. With some tweaks so they make sense. Hope you can get started soon.
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GM "Hm. Them?" Jane glanced at the little camp and shrugged "This happened a week back. If it was gonna to hurt anybody, it would have when we found it. Got a letter too, according to the mayor it said that 'The hilltop is harmless.' Last few letters have been true enough, so we figured it was alright." Her gray eyes met Equinox's, all calm resignation "Early warning too, not a lotta folks who'll take guard duty on Half-Moon Summit. Got more than one park to take care of here." Taking a sip of coffee from a thermos, the park ranger examined the shriveled corpse for a moment, idly swatting aside a few flies. 'But it's so hard!' wheedled Tazel 'If I weaken myself with frivolous jobs, then...erm...' the demon withered under Pitch's mental glare '...Fine, it's a prayer. A very stupid prayer to a god of snakes. A-heh-hem: "Oh Scaled Father! I call your children to my embrace, let them bridge the Gulf of Shadow and drink deep of the world of life! Let them not wander, but lay their coils in rest!" I believe those witless Serpents made many prayers like that. And they aren't human, or subject to your laws. I merely comment...Also there is a rattle-tail by your foot. Give it a kick.' "Hello!" came the small, dry, rustling voice "Are you a friend? You smell like one!"
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Nick discerns from the language of the runes, not to mention the enormous snake, that this is some kind of summoning circle directed to the realm of Yig, ancient Lord of Serpents. The circle is somehow making a barrier between living things inside and outside the circle, with neither able to pass easily to the other side. The flies buzzing around are pretty unhappy about that. There aren't any spirits around either. Not even the normal ones that gather when life passes. Sun's still hammering down, so the cold-bloods are still active, and the hillside does have its share of snakes.
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I don't see why not, horngeek! Her powers depend on her imagination and will, not something like her being the Chosen One. That and she can empathize with her fellow humans enough to at least have an idea of how to help them over a hump. Let me be as clear as can be: the point is to fight this dream baddie by being inspiring, not by being good at smashing its face in(it technically doesn't even exist outside the amorphous Dream Dimension, so good luck finding said face for smashing).
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Alright, these should work pretty well. Eclectic lot too. I'll wait and see if one or two more take an interest, and start this thing up.
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It is begun Out-of-Character thread is
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OOC thread for rolls and resolutions for thread. Weird times in Small Town, Arizona, U.S.A. Nick, Equinox and Pitch investigate!
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GM June 12th, 2014, 4.45 PM, Half-Moon Summit Park, west Springsvale, Arizona "Found it like this. Last week." said Jane Aqui as she climbed out of the truck, the middle-aged park ranger tilting her broad brown hat a little farther from her eyes, the better to squint at the ungainly, smelly heap in front of her. She'd kept a polite few feet from the new arrivals since first meeting them, the odd crew seeming to get a little more awe even than the usual outside the world's super-capital. Even the evidently taciturn Jane had dug a little deeper than the usual "Can you really do magic?" that seemed to come up every time they were recognized. Which admittedly had been twice. Springsvale wasn't much. At the best of times, and especially when perched a few hundred feet above the valley the town stood in, it was compact and industrious, a collection of pale houses, a brightly-painted school and dark warehouses, offices and factories hugging miles of the scrub-rich eastern bank by a small, fast-running, very blue river, the town's dusty road running south to the I-15 highway only a few miles distant. A few bits of suburbia spilled away from the river, looking very much like fingers on some skeletal hand. Somewhere behind them, far out of sight past the hills, lurked the rugged Grand Canyon's eastern end. Far below, another truck pulled into town, one of dozens they'd seen since getting to Springsvale forty-seven minutes ago. Small ponds and rivlets spilled away from the main Springwater, but beside those distractions it ran as direct as compass point. They weren't there for the sights, though. At least, not the natural, or man-made ones. They had been called here to deal with the giant snake lying in a dead, mouldering heap in front of them, surrounded by sickly-glowing runes. A small camp of white tents had sprung up in another clearing about 50 yards away, from Phoenix University judging by the emblem a few of the laughing, chatting twenty-somethings and dignified-looking elders sported, and the comically grand white-red flag. The heat and wind hadn't been kind to the corpse, it was bleached enough to disguise whatever color it had been before, and was now a feeble yellow-brown. It was lying on its back, belly cut open and resting a gaping, sunken head on its coils. It was already sagging from decay. They had been able to smell it long before they saw it. Ranger Aqui cleared her throat "Gathered you folks knew about this...kind of thing. Heard it from those kids who do that show about the town. It's not normally that strange. 'Least not giant-snake-strange." She turned her squint to the ghoulishly-painted necromancer, the robed witch, and the biker-looking woman with the stick "So..." her squint turned quizzically to the deceased serpentine object of their distress "...what's this mean?"
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King of Suits Posts to Wave-Eye, please. 2 IC posts. 2 IC posts Osprey 1 IC post. 4 IC posts. Wave-Eye 2 IC posts. GM Please give posts accrued to, in order: Wave-Eye, Heraldo, Osprey. 3 GM posts. 7 GM posts. 2 GM posts. 4 GM posts. 3 GM posts. 2 GM posts. 1 GM post.
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GM "Wha-..aw, damnit!" snarled the driver as the pill vanished and Velocity flickered into place well away from the maimed man. Retreating until he was huddled against the wall, the driver answered sullenly "Dunno. It's got sleeping gas or...somethin' in it, but that's all I was told. Kid" he jerked his quickly reddening head at the slumping figure Megan dimly perceived in the ruined car's backseat "was Josiah, from some cult out west, called my agency and threw money at us between babbling sessions about the "Glorious Flame" until we took him on. I was just supposed to drive us past the park, get us around the corner drop him off with somebody else, then break that pill." "That's all I have, I guess. Might as well wait for the ambulance." Sighing deeply, he fell silent and calmly observed the middle distance. The car was a wreck. The left-hand passenger door window had shivered to pieces, all fallen outside, revealing its tan, bloody, crumpled and clue-ridden interior. A dull gleam under the driver's seat quickly became a gun case, the floor around the dead man's feet shone with the golden gleam of brass casings, making the black-and-silver necklace Josiah had dropped moments ago stand out all the more.
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You know what I mean! Anyway, thanks to her Notice result of Very High, Velocity spots 1) the gunman, slumped against the seat with a pretty fatal-looking wound through his head and neck, the gun propped barrel-up against the floor, 2) a heavy-duty gun case under the driver's seat, with what looks very like serial numbers carved onto it, 3) a wrinkled scrap of paper speckled a little with blood fallen under one corner of the gun case, and 4) a few brass casings on the floor that must have bounced there during the shooting. They look rather distinct and non-standard, much fatter at the front and tapering at the back than is common. The religious symbol is lying there too. The capsule is clear and made of a whitish crystalline compound similar to glass, full of something dark and oily purple that writhes in the sunlight. It's marked with an 'L' over a crown that holds some kind of microchip and mini-transmitter, and the structure is reinforced with a metal latticework in a honeycomb pattern. It has the look of something hand-made. Also, DC10 Wisdom roll please. If successful, Velocity remembers that
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GM Suddenly, the Black Knight jumped back several feet, spreading his arms and twirling his sword lightly in a humming circle as he called over to Cerys "Come then! Make your mark, princess! I'm sure White-Hilt will carry the day for you!" Despite the taunt, and the seeming looseness of his limbs and hands, Blodeuwedd saw the tell-tale miniscule signs of somebody tensing up in their core, ready to spring. The black sword was held near the cross-guard and could quickly be brought to bear, and his unmarked shield(that looked more than ever like an overgrown gauntlet) looked ready to be whipped into place at a moment's notice.
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Alright, this calls for a DC12 Sense Motive(what the robot's aim seems to be with its maneuverings), DC12 Knowledge(Technology)(how it's going about it), straight-up Wisdom roll, DC10, Stealth roll(also 10) to get a +4 bonus to one of the aforesaid rolls by having a clearer view of what Core-A is doing and what it affects, a DC15 Knowledge(Galactic Lore) roll to hit on some legendary situation uncannily like this one(with a miraculously relevant solution), or using a HP/making trouble* to call Admiral Kalf to get his and his large staff of extremely serious scientists' input. *That is, requesting some future setback in exchange for a resolution to the current problem. Seeing as this is collaborative fiction and all.
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GM The Dragon's blasé nonchalance turned to a chorus of shocked splutterings at Polarity's arrival, "Wraugh, who-?! Bu-sh...gah! Oh my! That was...impressive." being the most subdued, and that was from the large and impassive form of the leader himself, the man leaping backwards with the rest when Juno let loose with her electric fusillade. For a moment the white-clothed circle stood out even as everything in the room was painted in savage brightness, their masks not enough to hide their wide, shocked eyes as they watched their ultimate weapon get blasted with lightning. The Cyberdragon also stood still when Polarity jolted into the fray, its serpentine segmented head swiveling around just in time to see her crackling hands land on its back, legs starting to bow and tense to escape...and then its circuits, wires and casings were flooded with a wave of electrons, and it stuttered, staggered up onto its hind legs while bending backwards to form a massive 'S', and then was still. Its mouth-cannon flickered out in a hiss of electrical smoke, its dead eyes losing what light they'd had. Nevermore's leap and mighty kick met no resistance, armored boots crashing through the dragon's underbelly into its fritzing chips and wires! As he retreated, multi-colored cords spilling out from the hole punched through the robot's armor amid a rain of metal shards, the thing slowly uncurled and fell to its forelegs, staring dumbly ahead. "We will need to deduct points for your ally," the leader said after a moment's horrified silence, his voice's rich timbre mostly steady "but this is a remarkable display. If you would be so good," he gestured with a gauntleted hand to Polarity in a motion grand and courteous "as to deliver the finishing blow, I will be happy to give my critique and end our little game. Excellently done, my friends."
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Indeed, and I'm sorry for being snippy, GooseInduced. These days I'm away from internet access for most of the time, and my internet schedule once I do get home is kind of bad and leaves me with little time to devote to...anything. I'll get to it for sure in a little bit, and upload it this evening.
