Search the Community

January 2, 2018 North Hanover January 2 - the last day of vacation for the students of Claremont Academy. It's a good day to wrap things up, and indeed between one thing and another, all of Phae and Cathy's friends are busy tonight. That's okay, it means more time for them. After duty is finished. Auld Reekie has been one of Scotland's most notorious supervillains since before Cathy was born, and no wonder! With his armored, ornately-carved body, he looks a bit like a steampunk robot - though he claims to be the spirit of a demon of pollution bound inside a golem crafted from cold iron. He's notorious in Scotland for attacking windfarms, recycling centers, and other places and peoples trying to pull Scotland into a green, clean 21st century. And as of last report (via friends in the Vanguard who'd rather talk to a Scottish superheroine than an American team), he's recently arrived in Freedom City from Edinburgh, and is holed up in a warehouse somewhere in North Hanover near the Jameson Airport. He's a notorious criminal (albeit not violent enough to be a major priority for the Freedom League) and bringing him in would be a fine feather in the cap of Frostbyte. The warehouses here are new and clean - though rather dull. As far as Frostbyte and Ardent can tell from their rooftop perch, it's all low steel and brick warehouses from here to the chainlink fence that marks the edges of the airport proper. Luckily it's cold enough and dark enough that nobody seems to be trying to spot them above the brightly glowing yellow streetlights here. And one of them has her own means of finding demons.

Beneath Claremont Academy 8:42 AM July 10, 2017 By design the impervium cell was nearly empty. The front wall was transparent due to a process that Winifred would have usually been much more interested to learn about and the cube was large enough to pace about comfortably but the only furniture was a smooth bench large enough to also serve as a bed, constructed from the same material as the walls. There was a television set outside the transparent wall, featuring rather clever motion controls so as to forego the need of a remote control but the young alchemist didn't want it even for the white noise just then. Instead she sat on the bench beside the pillow she'd brought with her, wearing the oversized flannel shirt she'd adopted as sleepwear. She hugged her legs against her chest and pressed her face into her knees, letting out a long, weary sigh as she continued silently reciting the elements.

January 13, 2017 3:45 PM Even in a city that catered to as many esoteric subcultures as Freedom there were only so many places a teenager might go to improve their skills with medieval weaponry. With the faculty of Claremont Academy in something of a restructuring period - and portions of the student body's faith in the combat training there having suffered somewhat - Cathy Clouston had suggested the next best thing to her girlfriend: a privately run dojo in the city's West End that had been introduced to her by her roommate. Said roommate had continued to receiving mentoring of her own there, albeit in the form of classes not openly available to the public at large. There were certain skills painfully absent from a young lady's usual education these days: picking locks while hanging upside down, disarming an attacker while wearing heels, disarming an attacker with a pair of heels...

Skaw, Unst, The Ice Maiden December 30, 3:00 PM With nowhere to go for the holidays Phaedra visited with Cathy and her family in the Shetlands. The visit wasn't unpleasant, time spent with Cathy was never unpleasant for the young half-angel, but it did leave her questioning her place in the world. Now she was sitting by herself in a pub halfway around the world, gazing down into her untouched drink and hoping her uncle--of sorts--got her message. And until--or if--he showed up Ms. Morningstar was left alone with her thoughts, in the dead of winter, halfway around the world she doesn't belong in.

May 2016 "Hello, children!" The famous, or more likely infamous, Dr. Dimitri Peshkov was waiting at the curb when the Claremont shuttle bus arrived - all smiles beneath his parka's raised hood. "Welcome to headquarters of the Freedom League!" He sketched a courtly bow to Fred as she stepped out, then gave Ardent a warm, almost predatory smile as she joined the Chinese alchemist before doing the same thing. "I am Comrade Frost, and I will be your lecturer for special study session on heeero history today. It will be exciting times, sure," he said, pulling his heavy gloves back on. "Did you have pleasant ride?"

Friday April 22, 2016 It's an ordinary Friday afternoon - if you count news of a terrorist attack on Ocean Heights Amusement Park as ordinary. No one on the police scanner is entirely sure what's going on - there are reports of multiple officers down, some sort of massacre, "blood, blood everywhere," but whatever it is, it's very bad! If Nina was honest with herself, the main reason she was at mosque today was because she was in costume. The little Kingston storefront mosque wasn't the sort of place she'd go to worship even if she was feeling so inclined - too humble and unadorned, with the sort of simplicity that bespoke the sort of temporal poverty she still wasn't accustomed to. But speaking to the handful of young women at the mosque, most of them black Americans, well, that was a satisfying experience for the princess of Socotra. "From Nusayba to Queen Arwa, women have led, women have ruled, women of the Faith have fought from the very beginning. Never let anyone tell you you cannot be what you are because you are a Muslim." She looked around and struck one hand against another, her voice rising. "And never let anyone tell you that you can only ever be a Muslim - our faith is a finger on the hand that we raise to fight against injustice." When her police beeper went off, she reluctantly made her excuses, leaving behind her card before she headed outside to don her shoes and gather up her sword. Looking back as the glass door closed behind her, she waved to the excited young women inside, many of whom were taking pictures on their phones, before she began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, propelling herself towards the Amusement Park that was evidently the scene of some serious crisis.

Go ahead and get initiative up!

Outside the Main School Building, Claremont Academy Morning, 5th March 2016 In the cold overcast light of another day a little group of students reluctantly gathered outside the building waiting for a teacher to arrive to deliver there punishment for the morning. For these were students who it was thought a simple detention wasn’t enough, they needed to learn to get on with each other. Each group would get a little patch of ground to clear of trash and hopefully learn to work together. The teacher for the day was a relatively new who whenever seen was always impeccably dressed in a suit her hair tied up into a bun, rumors swirled if she was a super or now as she hadn’t displayed any hint of obviously powers. One by one she assigned each couple their assignment, in her soft local accent, and handed out the equipment to gather the few trash. “And finally we have Ms Morningstar and Ms Clouston.”

Date: Halloween, 2015 Location: Faretti Mansion, North Bay Halloween was a busy time of year for Huang's parents and he'd been able to plan on them being out of the house as soon as the sun went down. Arrangements had been made for his younger self to stay at Sanctuary for an overnight long in advance and JJ would no doubt be having a fabulous Halloween with Ammy and her mother on the verdant world. Huang had been warned no less than three times by his mother as she walked through the manor, putting things in her cloak for an evening of chasing down cultists, monsters and probably making out with his dad (ick!). He'd been told to stay behind the wards as there was no shortage of people who'd like the potent blood of a dhampir to fuel their fell rituals - and not to expect them back before dawn. So, technically, there hadn't been any specific rules about not having people over. Technically. At least nothing beyond the usually secretive bent of his family in general. When his father came downstairs in his Avenger costume, Taylor kissed Huang's cheek with one last reminder to stay safe before his parents vanished. Really, they should have been suspicious at the lack of requests to come along but Huang had his own plans for Halloween. Namely, an illicit holiday party! Earlier in the week, elaborate scrolls had appeared in the rooms of certain classmates of his - those that might be receptive to such endeavors. Without fail, a sealed scroll had popped showily into existence in front of them at some point earlier in the week. In contrast with the fancy appearance, the wording itself was utterly contemporary: You know who's got a mansion and a guarantee of absent parents? This guy! Party at my place on Halloween. Folks will be gone at sunset so party starts after. Oh, bring the scroll or you won't be able to find it. Magic. J.H.F. Also, goes without saying but, no racist costumes welcome, obv. Especially ghosts. They're really sensitive this time of year. For those who followed the very brief instructions, they ended up at an over grown driveway in a ritzy North Bay neighborhood where all the houses seemed to have expansive grounds. Which, of course, left them standing at the bottom of a winding driveway, heavily overgrown and oddly foreboding. There was no mailbox or sign to mark the place but for some discolored brickwork that marked the start of the driveway. Outside it, it didn't even seem like there was a house at the end of the drive but once they crossed the line, the cracked driveway and overgrown trees parted enough to reveal a dark mansion at the top of a hill through the overgrowth. It was spooky and foreboding, with thick cobwebs knotting the branches of the trees that obscured much of their view. Apparently Huang's family went all out for the holiday spirit?

GM Tia Martia's Restaurant West End, Freedom City, New JerseyFriday November 13th, 2015 6:00 PM The benefit of privatized High School experience meant the teachers did not have to abide by standardized testing curriculum that came with being state funded. The downside? When Jesse Perry was your Creative Writing teacher he expected only the best out of his students. Having been assigned together as a writing group for professor Perry's finals next month, four students had found their way to Tia Martia's to begin a brainstorming session of how exactly they were going to wow their teacher. Tia Martia's streak of being one of the highest rated restaurants in the city continued unchallenged. The family style servings a popular choice among the teenage crowd. And it was easy to appreciate the Spanish and Italian blend of food not being coupled with lavish decorations trying to sell an "authentic" Spanish or Italian experience. Instead the diner had a modest appearance. Giving off a feeling of being inside someone's dining room.

October 22, 2015 Heyzel's years among the mortal had taught him many things - that the Angel of Freedom preferred to be active at a global level rather than a local one, that he preferred the work of peace to the work of violence, and that there was indeed more in Heaven and Earth than had been written in his philosophy. It had also taught him, among other things, a love for the dramatic. So it was that when he brought his sister-daughter Phaedra to Freedom City to begin her time with at Claremont Academy, he chose to arrive in the style of his people. Not in a vision - but from the sky. From a height above the clouds, he gave Ardent a reassuring smile. "Come. Let us introduce you to your friends." He worried for the young celestial, as did all those of his kind who did not condemn her for the circumstances of her birth. Angels have this greater than mortals. We need not pray for mercy - we can BE mercy. Convincing his fellows of that had proven a difficult task; which was why he was here to begin with. - Claremont students saw their headmaster walk into the middle of the quad and look up - and a moment later, like a bolt from above, two figures came down out of the sky like twin bolts from the blue and the distant but unmistakable sound of thunder! The first was instantly recognizable for who he was; Heyzel, the Angel of Freedom, reserve member of the Freedom League. The other was entirely new. "Callie Summers," said Heyzel, bowing his head low to her, his great white wings spreading wide behind him and his flaming sword at his belt. "It is a pleasure to visit your campus again." "You certainly are as subtle as ever, Freedom Angel," commented Summers dryly, looking him up and down. "The Lord will provide for your security," he told her with perfect faith. "Come, meet my niece."

Ardent Power Level: PL 10 / 14 185/229 PP Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 44 In Brief: Girl from Hell doing Good, and also her homework Real Name: Phaedra Morningstar Identity: Secret Birthplace: Throne the Red City Occupation: Student Affiliations: Claremont Academy Age: 16 Gender: Female Height: 5'9" Weight: 145 lbs. Eyes: Grey Hair: Red A tall and slender young woman, the grey-eyed Phaedra's near flawless appearance is owed more to her heritage than concerted effort. Phae's red hair is usually kept short, the longest it ever gets is just barely touching her shoulders. She doesn't confine herself to one particular fashion or style, wearing what she feels like, but she prefers rich colors accented with jewel tones. Generally though she's a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl, maybe a jacket or sweater since she likes layers, but she avoids skirts unless it's part of her cheerleader uniform--skirts are bad for fliers. When drawing on the more demonic parts of her heritage the color of Phaedra's eyes shift, the iris becoming a burning crimson and the whites of her eyes bleeding away to inky black. In addition her red hair starts to glow slightly taking on the appearance of fire, her nails start to resemble claws and her canine teeth (upper and lower) become just a little longer and sharper. History The young woman known on Earth as Phaedra Morningstar began her life in the hell dimension known as Throne. The massive city, from which the dimension gains it's name, was founded by Fallen and though other denizens would arrive in time it was they who ruled. Among the first to arrive in Throne were the exiled, self or otherwise, who were useful to the Fallen and though few in number filled a role of mediator between them and those that were still Loyal. Phae's mother, Laphrael, was one such exile. Her father was a demon, a quite ambitious one who was unsatisfied with the position his kind held in Throne, who sought won the service and support of an exile--Phaedra's mother. A compassionate being by nature, Laphrael worked with Phaedra's father to improve the lot of the infernals that lived in Throne, using her position as a mediator to win concessions from the Fallen. That changed she gave birth to a daughter. For a time Phaedra's existence was kept hidden from Throne, and she was raised independently by her mother. However nothing stays secret in the Red City for long, and the young half-breed was soon thrust into the middle of the delicate political situation. Taking harder and harder measures to protect her child, Laphrael called in a favor to an old friend to see her child away safely. Personality & Motivation There are very few things that scare Phaedra, but the idea that someone may discover her heritage--and judge her accordingly--sits high on that list. When the subject comes up the young angel/demon hybrid practically shuts down, becoming evasive and stand-offish, growing angry if pressed. It's not because of shame, both of Phaedra's parents still have her love and loyalty, but more that nobody would understand. Phaedra makes an effort to be friendly and approachable, but even on her best days she's slow to trust. Trust was a precious commodity when she was growing up, and the young half-breed can be a bit stingy with it even in a relatively safe place like Freedom City. Though she was raised with a strong moral center, she's seen the cost of maintaining it in the face of absolute darkness; even beings with the most noble of intentions can't walk away from Hell unchanged. Ultimately Ardent wants to do good, to right wrongs and to triumph over evil. The how is a matter of some debate. All too aware that evil acts were done on her behalf, Ardent want to balance the scales. And hopefully, some day, restore her mother to the person she once was. Powers & Tactics Phaedra would prefer to not fight at all, using diplomacy, guile or outright intimidation to end a conflict before it gets too far out of hand. Mainly this is because Ardent is reluctant to call upon the more obvious aspects of her infernal heritage, limiting her tactics to teleportation and melee combat. Some circumstances might render such reservations dangerous, in which case she would her to call up the full aspect of her infernal heritage; revealing her wings to fly and slinging about hellfire being some common examples. Complications None. Lots. I'll fill this out later. Abilities: 12 + 4 + 14 + 6 + 4 + 14 = 54 Strength: 22 (+6) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 24 (+7) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 24 (+7) Combat: 12 + 8 = 20 Initiative: +2 Attack: +6 (+10 Infernal Magic, +10 Soul Glaive) Grapple: +12 Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus, +2 Flat-Footed) Knockback: -5 Saving Throws: 0 + 3 + 6 = 9 Toughness: +10 (+7 Constitution, +3 Protection) Fortitude: +7 (+7 Constitution, +0) Reflex: +5 (+2 Dexterity, +3) Will: +8 (+2 Wisdom, +6) Skills: 56 Ranks = 14 PP Bluff 13 (+20, Skill Mastery) Concentration 3 (+5) Diplomacy 3 (+10, Skill Mastery) Gather Information 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Intimidate 13 (+20, Skill Mastery) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 2 (+5) Knowledge: Theology & Philosophy 7 (+10) Language 1 (Ascended Speech [Native], English) Notice 3 (+5) Sense Motive 3 (+5) Feats: 17 PP All-Out Attack Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 6 Fearless Power Attack Quick Change Skill Mastery (Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Intimidate) Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Well-Informed Equipment: None Powers: 28 + 17 + 5 + 6 + 3 + 6 + 6 = 71 Array 12 (Infernal Magic, 24PP, Feats: Accurate 2, Alternate Powers 2) [28 PP] BP: Damage 10 (Hellfire Bolt, Extras: Range [Ranged], Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Improved Range, Incurable) [24 PP] AP: Damage 10 (Hellfire Blast, Extras: Area [General, Cone], Feats: Incurable) [21 PP] AP: Teleport 6 (600 ft./move, 20 miles/full, Extras: Portal) [24 PP] Array 7 (Soul Glaive, 14PP, Feats: Accurate 2, Alternate Powers 1) [17 PP] BP: Damage 4 (Extras: Penetrating, Vampiric, Feats: Incurable, Mighty) [14 PP] AP: Nullify 10 (All Magic, Flaws: Range [Touch]) [10 PP] Flight 3 (50 MPH, 500 ft./round, Drawbacks: Restrainable) [5 PP] Immunity 6 (Aging, Environmental Conditions [All]) [6 PP] Protection 3 [3 PP] Super-Senses 6 (Darkvision, Divine Awareness [Visual], Infernal Awareness [Visual]) [6 PP] Teleport 2 (200 ft. Extras: Castling, Feats: Change Direction, Turnabout) [6 PP] Drawbacks: -0 DC Block Attack Range Save Effect Unarmed Touch DC 21 Toughness (Staged) Damage Hellfire Bolt Ranged DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Hellfire Blast Touch/Area (Cone) DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Nullify Magic Touch DC 20 Will Nullify Soul Glaive Touch DC 25 Toughness (Staged) Damage Totals: Abilities (54) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (14) + Feats (17) + Powers (71) - Drawbacks (0) = 185/230 PP