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January 2, 2018 Ashton and Grenville The advertisement at the music store had been well-presented enough - musicians wanted for a Holiday Concert at Club G4118. They were paying in both cash and exposure, with promises of out-of-town label agents in the audience. That sort of thing was a little outside of Fred and Matt's scope these days, but the money was nice, as was the opportunity to perform before a crowd that didn't involve anybody they knew. They were a little new to this public performance thing, after all. And so on the evening of January 2, 2018, they were making their way to Club G4118, a private club built into a converted home on the edge of Ashton. They were at the extreme edge of the neighborhood here, so far to one side that on the other side of the street was a vacant lot that itself segued into Wharton State Forest. It was a cold evening, with a light coating of snow on the ground, as they surveyed a neighborhood that looked like light suburban commercial development - a strip mall here, a chain restaurant there, and the looming shape of Club G4118 nearby. It looked to have been an older house before its conversion, perhaps one of the 19th century homes that had stood on this spot when Ashton was technically an independent town. Before consolidation had meant the murder of much of the town's history in the name of progress. From somewhere, distant Christmas music played, probably a tune from one of the stores in the stripmall. But Christmas was over now too - this was the last day of their last Christmas holiday.

Here you go, @Fox and @Gizmo

April 1, 2017 It wasn't that Winifred Wei wasn't allowed into the city by herself, per se, rather everyone involved agreed that given her condition it would have been monumentally unwise. Still, prudence had never ranked high among her gifts and the restriction chafed. Browsing the breathtaking wealth of information available via the Academy's computer lab kept her reasonably occupied but while picking through the bibliography of references on a poorly maintained page the displaced Victorian was surprised to come across the title of a long out-of-print book written by one Heinrich Schreiber. What Winifred knew which the site's amateur scholar could not have was the Schreiber was the pen name of one Nika Azadeh Sharifi, one of London's famous 'rogue scientists' - famous, at least, in her own day. Old Madar Nika had been wizened by the time Winifred had met her, only half coherent, though that had still placed her among the more reliable in that community of peers. She'd never heard of the older woman having had any of her work published in earnest, only the occasional pamphlet but as she began researching in earnest she learned that 'Properties of Humours and Tinctures Thereof' had been complied well after its author had passed away, complied from recovered notebooks as an oddity more than serious research. She had known, of course, that in the century and a half she'd spent transmuted into a statue anyone she had ever known had surely passed away but it was still a sobering thought. Further digging and several phone calls later the young alchemist had learned that against all odds a shop in Freedom City's West End had a copy of the book on its shelves. The sensible thing to do would have been to explain the situation to one of her friends and plan a day out; the book was unlikely to disappear within the week, after all. Instead she called upon skills learned from watching the cagier of her circle to slip away in the early hours of the weekend, intent on holding Madar Nika's work in her own hands without delay.

Content note: transphobia, profanity June 2016 11PM The Doom Room In the Doom Room, Riley was on edge. The training room itself was empty, its holographic displays silent while he waited for the rest of the team. He had taken the opportunity to polish and clean his bow, its gears half-disassembled on the plastic floor, and was crouching there as he worked. He was going in without a plan. He hated going in without a plan. Late night training, no notice about the scenario (which was pretty common, especially in the last few months) and no notice about who he'd train with (which was pretty common too), described by Mr. Archer as "the final event for the year." Not one to complain about his education, especially about combat training, Riley silently went about his work, his ears open to his surroundings even as his eyes focused on the work before him. It wasn't the first time he'd had to refurbish his bow without being able to watch his back.

AEON Institute, Downtown Freedom 10:30 AM February 3rd 2016 Though the late January blizzard had for a time dampened the fervor of the ongoing 'Humans First' protests outside the Aeon Institute with the city emerging from it's blanket of snow they had returned with renewed spite for all the institute and it's 'Terminus Spawn' CEO. AEON security maintained a safety corridor for those seeking AEONs services but beyond the barricades the protesters had grown ten deep chanting and waving their signs proclaiming humanities preeminence over the earth and unkind variations on 'Go Home Freaks!' and worse. Pictures of the mangled bodies from the last Terminus Invasion as well as some few victims of recent super violence often attributed to those afflicted with Terminus Energy Mutation Syndrome were shaken in the faces of executive and frightened petitioner alike while slurs and occasional threats were lobbed at those making their way to the main entrance of the Institute. Thus far violence had been avoided thanks in large part to the restraint of the well trained security team deployed along the barricade and the help of the FCPD who were quick to remove any protesters who crossed the line from peaceful protest. None the less the air was electric with the tension and for those with insight into such things it was clear the situation was unsustainable without something snapping soon. The young group from Claremont made their way to the cordon where a security agent and a well bundled receptionist took down their names before beginning to escort them down the gauntlet of hateful people and their signs. The youth of these particular petitioners it seemed inflamed the protesting crowd yet further with the screams of "Freak!", "Devil Spawn!", and worse rising over the general din as the protesters pressed angrily against the barrier despite the nearby securities warnings to back away.

Freedom City Historical Museum September 7, 2015 It had been nearly a full week since most of the new students had moved into their dormitory rooms at Claremont Academy but to say the acclimation process had been going smoothly might have been a bit misleading. Fortunately enough the school's headmistress was known for her impressive foresight and instead of their normal classes the sophomore students of the girl's dormitory were ushered onto a bus and carted off for what was as much a team building exercise as a field trip. As roommates Raina and Cathy had already been partnered up in the 'buddy system' as had been outlined by the students' chaperone in an explanation that had been as cheerful as it was unnecessary. As the girls were assigned to groups for the day Robin and Hannah joined the familiar faces from their first day, the latter being given a sheet of questions about various exhibits that the quartet were to find answers for by the time they had to leave. With a friendly - if slightly condescending in Raina's opinion - reminder to keep a low profile so far as metahuman powers went they were left to their own devices by the sprawling scale model of Freedom City, circa the early 1900s.

The OOC! A perfectly orderly trip to the Historical Museum where nothing noteworthy will happen, clearly.

Reagent / Alkahest Power Level: 8 / 15 (232/250PP) [258] Unspent Power Points: 18 Trade-Offs: Reagent: +2 Attack / -2 Damage (Bartitsu Cane), None (Alchemical Flasks), +4 Defense / -4 Toughness Alkahest: -5 Attack / +5 Damage, -5 Defense / +5 Toughness In Brief: Victorian-era alchemist struggling to contain a merciless force of nature. Theme: Heads Will Roll by Yeah Yeah Yeahs Alternate Identity: Winifred Wei Identity: Semi-Secret Birthplace: London, England Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: None Living; Wei Chao (father, deceased), Wei Xia (mother, deceased) Description: Age: 18 (Subjectively; DoB: April, 1839) Gender: Female Ethnicity: British Chinese Height: 5'4" / 8'6" Weight: 120 lbs. / 600 lbs. Eyes: Green Hair: Black Winifred Wei is a slim young woman characterized by her impeccable comportment and intense demeanor. Her jet black hair has recently been styled in a tidy pixie cut with sharp edges that keep it off of her heart-shaped face. Perpetual dark circles under her eyes speak to a lack of sleep and abundance of stress but her tone of voice is nevertheless clipped and precise. While gradually growing accustomed to modern fashions she still tends toward conservative styles and colours. When expecting trouble she carries a broad leather bandolier filled with stoppered vials of alarmingly coloured alchemical concoctions and is rarely seen without her elegant mahogany walking stick with its serpentine styled head. Alkahest, by contrast, is a pallid mass of twisting, too-dense muscle with a greyish, corpse-like tint. Towering even with a pronounced stoop, her proportions are only nominally human and give only the most general indication of gender. Milky white eyes staring out from behind long, disheveled hair and a flat expression betray nothing as the beast stalks her target with a terrifying single-mindedness. The transformation is violent and chaotic, shredding conventional clothing and taxing the capabilities of skin-tight morphic molecules. Fortunately the Academy has been able to provide her with a looser, high collared lab coat made of the adaptive material. History: Wei Chao emigrated from Hong Kong to London in 1833 by taking a job as a deckhand for a prominent shipping company. Skilled at absorbing and applying new information and with a humble charm that ingratiated him with the company's officers, he made himself an indispensable assistant to the ship's doctor when a seafaring mishap left several sailors injured. With the help of his sponsor, in impressively short order and causing something of a stir Chao was accepted to the University of Cambridge to study medicine. Artfully walking the line between impressing his teachers and peers with his abilities without stepping on anyone's toes in a few year's time he had established himself enough to send for his wife, Xia. Similarly brilliant, she soundly invested the early profits of her husband's modest practice and the couple made themselves quite comfortable. In 1839, after considerable difficulty, they had a daughter, Winifred. Fully assimilated and conscious of their social standing Chao and Xia practiced only enough of their homeland's traditions to benefit from the Western fascination with orientalism. Raised as a native Londoner, Winifred demonstrated prodigious intelligence from a very young age, if not the restraint and moderation her parent's practiced so carefully. Frustrated by the assumptions leveled against her based on ethnicity, gender and youth her talents for biting sarcasm and humiliating her detractors were a frequent source of contention at home. Assimilated or not, Chao was uncomfortable with the idea of his daughter marrying an Englishman and was convinced after months of cajoling to allow her to work as his assistant, at least for the time being. Having devoured the contents of her father's medical texts even as a child, as a teenager Winifred chafed under the limited scope of a practicing physician. Scouring the city for more obscure tomes she found herself drawn into the booming community of fringe researchers who preferred to refer to their collective areas of study as 'rogue science' but were referred to in hushed tones in polite society as simply mad. Thrilled to learn from such progressive - if frequently unhinged - thinkers Winifred was particularly drawn to the mysteries of alchemy, throwing herself into its study unbeknownst to her parents. Starting with a foundation in the alchemy of Hellenistic Egypt, pouring over diagrams purportedly copied from originals saved from the Library of Alexandria, she studied the writings of Jābir ibn Hayyān and Roger Bacon, Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and Jan Baptist van Helmont among so many others. She found early success in dramatically improving the effectiveness of her father's tonics and moved on to more outlandish concoctions, such as a sticky tar that burst into flames when it came into contact with air and in one case a particularly potent airborne hallucinogen. Expanding her scope to Chinese alchemy and Indian rasayāna then even dubious information surrounding supernatural creatures she began to form her own theories about a serum that would not only cure infirmity but strengthen a person to the limits of human capability, granting perfect health, clarity and perhaps even immortality. Her initial experiments along these lines were not promising but she could feel herself getting closer, on the very cusp of a monumental breakthrough. It was at this point that her parents discovered the increasingly conspicuous laboratory she had been hiding in her room along with her collection of esoteric writings. Horrified and frightened both for Winifred's safety and the family's public image they forbade her from any further scientific studies. Blaming themselves for leaving her too idle they hurriedly made plans to have her married off, hoping to put the whole thing behind them before the matter could become explosively public - perhaps literally. Railing against the injustice and indignity, Winifred locked herself in her room and redoubled her efforts in a frenzy. Deciding that the consequences could be damned, she downed the latest version of her serum and immediately doubled over in agony. What followed she was only ever able to recall in a hazy blur: tearing clothing, the wall of her family home reduced to loose brick and dust, a thunderous boom and spreading flame, sharp cracks and wet pops and shouting constabulary. When she came to, gasping for air and wearing tattered rags, barely strong enough to stand, she knew she had created something truly monstrous, become something monstrous. She could feel the creature, her other self, barely contained and threatening to emerge again and could see only one solution. Stumbling from shadow to shadow, she broke into the hidden laboratory of one of her fellow rogue scientists she mixed a poison that would do more than just kill her, even taking into account the formidable fortitude she estimated the creature to possess. It would render her body wholly inert, preventing any chance of contamination or of her work being replicated through the study of her remains. With a sobbed plea for forgiveness, she swallowed the draught. Her flesh hardened, turning to a glossy, jade-like substance and leaving Winifred Wei, alchemical prodigy, an unexplained statue of a huddled, grief stricken youth. Personality & Motivation: Well aware of her own impressive intelligence and used to having to prove it to others, Winifred has had her confidence severely undercut by the botched serum that created Alkahest. Given what now happens when she becomes upset, however, both aspects have been bottled up as best she can manage. She strives to be collected and professional at all times, leaving her seeming somewhat cold and distant apart from a dry wit that seeps through from time to time. The only thing her condition hasn't been able to damped is her curiosity and need to understand how things work. She is ultimately a scientist before all else and she now has the entirely new world of the modern day to discover and peel apart. She's happiest given solitude and a well stocked chemistry lab. Although her transformed state is obviously more physically capable Winifred sees little potential for good in it. Principled and steadfast, she won't back down from a confrontation particularly in the defense of others but much prefers to labour under her own merits, doing everything she reasonably can to avoid turning into Alkahest. While she views the creature as a largely separate entity from herself she considers herself responsible for its actions all the same and works hard to do as much good as she can when she's herself to make up for them. Powers & Tactics: In combat Reagent carries a bandolier of flasks with a variety of alchemical potions. These range from a fairly straight-forward explosive to a fast acting hallucinogenic cloud to a draught that rapidly accelerates natural healing. Most of these she tosses like grenades, the flasks shattering on impact and releasing their contents, but since she can only carry so many at a time and because they are indiscriminate in their effects she in careful to choose her moments. More precise is her reinforced walking stick with which she is fully proficient but if a conflict has come down to a face to face confrontation something has probably gone very wrong along the way. Alkahest is a single-minded force of nature. It has no tactics, only its target, which it pursues without pause or mercy. Strong and nigh-invulnerable, Alkahest will plow through walls, obstacles, friend and foe alike to get at the subject of its unspoken wrath then pummel it until it stops moving. Once that happens the creature chooses a new target, on and on until it has calmed enough to revert back to an exhausted Winifred. Complications: Chemical Mixture That Creates Chaos: Winifred is continuing to experiment with the serum that turned her into Alkahest, searching for a cure. Dangerous knowledge in the wrong hands. Electing to Ignore It: Winifred was an iconoclast to begin with and removed from concerns over societal standing she's apt to simply ignore any instruction with which she doesn't agree. Need a Little Old-Fashioned: Winifred clings to certain mannerisms such as her style of clothing to mitigate her future shock. No Version of This: Upon transforming Alkahest will pursue whomever or whatever triggered the stress reaction with an inhuman single-mindedness, be they friend or foe. So That's What That Does: An alchemist learns through experimentation! Winifred's sense of inquiry frequently outweighs her sense of caution. Some Form of Electricity: While a prodigy in her own time Winifred has missed out on more than a century of scientific advancements that are now common knowledge. Take That Away: Winifred is without a home, funds or familial connections. She relies on Claremont Academy for the necessities. That's My Secret: Winifred's uncontrollable transformation into Alkahest is triggered by elevated stress, be it anger, fear or other trauma. She has to constantly work to keep her emotions in check. Abilities: 4 + 2 + 4 + 14 + 0 + 8 = 32PP Strength: 14/50 (+2/+20) Dexterity: 12 (+1) Constitution: 14/40 (+2/+15) Intelligence: 24/8 (+7/-1) Wisdom: 10/20 (+0/+5) Charisma: 18 (+4) Combat: 16 + 20 = 36PP Initiative: +5/+1 Attack: +8 Base, +10 Melee Defense: Reagent: +12 (+10 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed Alkahest: +10, +5 Flat-Footed Grapple: +12/+36 Knockback: -2/-22 Saving Throws: 3 + 5 + 9 = 17PP Toughness: Reagent: +4 (+2 Con, +2 Defensive Roll) Alkahest: +20 (+2 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +3 Density, +11 Enhanced Constitution, +2 Growth) [Impervious 12] Fortitude: +5/+18 (+2/+15 Con, +3) Reflex: +6 (+1 Dex, +5) Will: +9/+14 (+0/+5 Wis, +9) Skills: 84R = 21PP Bluff 2 (+6/+10) Attractive Craft (Chemical) 13 (+20/+12) Skill Mastery Concentration 5 (+5/+10) Diplomacy 2 (+6/+10) Attractive Disable Device 3 (+10/+2) Skill Mastery Intimidate 4/16 (+8/+22) Enhanced Skill, Growth Investigate 3 (+10) Knowledge (Business) 1 (+8/+0) Knowledge (History) 1 (+8/+0) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 5 (+12/+4) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 13 (+20/+12) Skill Mastery Language 4 (Arabic, Cantonese, English [Native], Italian, Latin) Medicine 5 (+5/+10) Skill Mastery Notice 5 (+5/+10) Perform (Stringed Instruments) 6 (+10) Perform (Vocals) 4 (+8) Search 3 (+10) Sense Motive 5 (+5/+10) Stealth 0 (+1/-3) Growth Feats: 10PP Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Attractive Challenge (Fast Startle) Defensive Roll 1 Dodge Focus 2 Eidetic Memory Improvised Tools Inventor Power Attack Skill Mastery (Craft [Chemical], Disable Device, Knowledge [Physical Sciences], Medicine) Speed of Thought Startle Powers: 20 + 3 + 1 + 95 = 119PP Device 5 (Bandolier of Alchemical Flasks; 25PP Container; Flaws: Hard-to-Lose) [20PP] Base: Damage 8 (Byzantine Fire; Extras: Area [General, Burst], Ranged, Secondary Effect, Flaws: Action [Full Round], Unreliable [5 Uses], Feats: Alternate Power 5, Incurable, Progression 1 [Increased Area; 40' - 80' radius], Triggered 2) [25DP] (chemical, fire) AP: Confuse 8 (Hallucinogenic Fumes; Extras: Alternate Save [Fortitude, +0], Area [General, Burst], Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses], Feats: Progression 5 [Decrease Area 4, Increase Area 1; 20' - 80' radius], Ricochet, Triggered 2) {16/20} (chemical, inhalant) AP: Drain Toughness 8 (Inorganic Solvent; Extras: Affects Objects Only [+0], Ranged, Secondary Effect, Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses], Feats: Incurable, Ricochet, Triggered 2) {20/20} (chemical, acid) AP: Healing 8 (Lesser Elixir; Extras: Total, Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses], Feats: Stabilize, Persistent, Regrowth) {19/20} (chemical, qi) AP: Obscure 5 (Magnetic Dust; Radio, Visual; Extras: Action [Move], Independent [+0], Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses], Feats: Progression 2 [Decrease Area; 25' - 100' radius], Ricochet, Triggered 2) {20/20} (chemical, magnetism, smoke) AP: Snare 8 (Resin Adhesive; Extras: Contagious, Flaws: Unreliable [5 Uses] Feats: Reversible, Ricochet, Triggered 2) {20/20} (chemical) Device 1 (Bartitsu Cane; 5PP Container; Flaws: Easy-to-Lose) [3PP] Damage 4 (Feats: Mighty) [5DP] (chemically treated wood) Enhanced Feats 2 (Presence of Mind; Dodge Focus 2, Flaws: Limited [Human Form]) [1PP] (training) Alkahest Form 20 (100PP Container [Active, Sustained]; Drawbacks: One-Way Transformation [When Calm, -3], Temporary Disability [Exhausted Upon Transforming Back, -2]) [95PP] Density 6 (Mass x5; +12 Strength, +3 Toughness [Impervious], +2 Immovable, +2 Super-Strength) [18PP] Enhanced Abilities 48 (Enhanced Strength 16, Enhanced Constitution 22, Enhanced Wisdom 10; Drawbacks: Decreased Intelligence 16) [32PP] Enhanced Combat 2 (Counteracting Growth Penalty; Attack 1, Defence 1) [4PP] Enhanced Feats 2 (Challenge [Fast Startle], Startle) [2PP] Enhanced Skills 3 (+12 Intimidate) [3PP] Growth 4 (Large; +8 Strength, +4 Constitution, -1 Combat, +4 Grapple, +2 Intimidate, -4 Stealth) [12PP] Impervious 9 (Total 10) [9PP] Immunity 7 (All Chemical Effects [Half-Effect, +5], Environmental Cold, Environmental Radiation) [7PP] Regeneration 9 (Bruised 3 [No Action], Injured 6 [No Action]) [9PP] Super-Senses 4 (Olfactory; Accurate [+2], Acute, Tracking 1) [4PP] Drawbacks: -3PP Vulnerability (Emotion Effects, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Moderate [x1.5 Effect]) [-3PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed (Reagent) Touch DC 17 Toughness Damage Unarmed (Alkahest) Touch DC 35 Toughness Damage Bartitsu Cane Touch DC 21 Toughness Damage Byzantine Fire Ranged, 40'-80' radius DC 23 Toughness Damage [Secondary Effect] Hallucinogenic Fumes Ranged, 20'-80' radius DC 18 Fortitude Confuse Inorganic Solvent Ranged DC 18 Reflex Drain Toughness [Secondary Effect] Resin Adhesive Ranged DC 18 Reflex Entangled/Bound Totals: Abilities (32) + Combat (36) + Saving Throws (17) + Skills (21) + Feats (10) + Powers (119) - Drawbacks (3) = 232/250 Power Points